Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1229 Start of War ([-])
Dashun is not one of those big knights who are rich but lacking in strength.Therefore, France has no way to use the method of "if you can't solve the debt problem, then solve the creditor".

Therefore, since Dashun is asking Dashun to borrow money, it is also reasonable to come up with a financial reform plan.After all, from the current point of view, France has a big financial problem, and it will not be able to repay the borrowed money.

This is very different from the era of banknotes. In the era of banknotes, the most extreme way can be learned from Germany after World War I, where banknotes depreciated greatly and reparations were so popular.

Now is the age of gold, silver and precious metals. The silver in Japan, the silver in South America, and the silver in Yunnan are the same in Paris or Songsu.

But this loan plan itself is just a make-up option that must be ruled out.

If France can solve its financial problems through its own reforms, why does it need to borrow money from Dashun?
If France can only choose to borrow money from Dashun to solve its financial difficulties, how can it be enough to complete the financial reform?
These people in the Dashun Mission are very familiar with the situation in France.Because many things in France are really similar to some situations in Dashun and Daming.

For example, according to the statistics made by France according to the financial plan, the annual tax revenue of the French treasury is about 2 million livres; however, according to folk statistics, the total tax revenue of France is about 7.5 million livres.

Even before the era of the French Revolution, the King of France still did not understand: the tax quota in France is actually lower than that in the UK, why do the people feel that the tax is heavy?

In fact, France's tax revenue entering the national treasury is only 6.5% of GNP at most.Well below the UK's 14%.

However, the tax revenue that enters the national treasury is not the same thing as the tax burden on the people.

At least, in France and Dashun, it is definitely not the same thing.

Just like Dashun's treasury revenue, in theory, it is at the level of [-]% of taxes.But in fact, even some gentry, they really feel that the tax is too heavy and they can't breathe.As many gentry lamented, the national class is the least and the apportionment is too much.

Can this kind of problem be solved?
A pamphlet entitled "National Wealth", through accounting, is convinced that the tax potential of France can reach 6 million livres per year, which is about 9800 million taels of silver.

Many people strongly opposed it, thinking that the person who published this pamphlet probably hadn't even learned the most basic mathematics.

People's doubts are mainly "the people pay less taxes, but the national treasury has more revenue? Is this possible?"

is it possible?
Actually, of course it is possible.For example, the comprehensive [-]th tax reform carried out by Dashun in Songsu has really achieved the effect that the people pay less tax, but the national treasury has more revenue.

However, that is easier said than done.

This kind of reform is really too difficult.

Daming and Dashun have both tried it. If you want to change it, you must be prepared to hurt your muscles and bones.

Moreover, it is often the case that Huang Zongxi's law is changed, the old tax is still there, and the new tax is increased, and the effect of replacing the old with the new cannot be achieved at all.

This is one point.

Again, French society has clearly been torn apart.

The High Court of Paris opposed fiscal reforms on the basis of the "liberty" theory of the French feudal era.

The middle class in Paris also talks about liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Words, all the same words.

But after reading it out, the definitions of "freedom" on both sides are completely different.

The freedom of the Paris High Court is to say, "Why is the government qualified to check the acres? Why can the land be measured? This obviously violates the tradition of freedom in France since ancient times?"

Obviously, the freedom that this middle class in Paris talks about really means nothing at all.

The freedom and charter of the French feudal tradition mentioned by the High Court of Paris is the freedom and charter of the feudal aristocracy against complete freedom.

It is not freedom in the philosophical sense of the Enlightenment.

The gentry in Dashun and Ming Dynasty often used traditional things such as putting the people first and not competing for interests with the people to fight against the imperial power.

So, what they say is people-oriented, not competing for profit with the people... Who is the people here?
Min, or the word Min, the word has not been changed, just like the freedom mentioned by the Paris High Court, and the freedom mentioned by the Enlightenment School, are they the same thing?
When national groups with the same culture and the same script have a severely differentiated understanding of a certain word or word, it can only prove that the internal class has been split.

Therefore, in fact, they are all similar things, with a different layer of skin, they are all used as unconscious tools of history, and they have finally achieved the historical mission of fighting against imperial power and the sanctity of royal power.

The people in Dashun are really familiar with this set, and they won't fail to understand it just because they change their skins.

Isn't it still the difference between the nominal national tax and the real burden of taxation?Isn't it just an old trick of maintaining one's own interests with the traditional set of theories?

Because it is very familiar.

So it's clear: Reform?Change your fart!
If France can come up with a comprehensive financial reform plan that is approved by the High Court and the three-level meeting, it will really be the sun coming out of the west.

The High Court of Paris objected to the inventory of acres of land and the payment of food in one package, and did not sign the financial plan of the King of France, which was equivalent to the cabinet not issuing it.

The Enlightenment School and the petition in support of land taxation support the land mu tax, but the premise is that "the King of France gave up part of the absolute royal power, handed over the taxation power to the three-level conference, and created a real, centralized, unified, and local power. Flattened France".

The French king himself did not want to give up his royal power.

Therefore, it cannot be changed.

That's why, Dashun opened his mouth to speak without spending money, saying "money is not a problem", but in fact he didn't want to borrow money at all.

The Duke of Choiseul was not dissatisfied with this, on the contrary, he was very happy.

When a feudal monarchy country faces internal and external troubles, will it choose internal reforms, or will it hope to borrow foreign soldiers for help?

On this point, there is no difference between the two sides. Dashun has a deep understanding of what happened in the late Ming Dynasty.Even Datang borrowed troops and robbed the capital casually, which is very normal.

Borrowing troops always comes before internal changes.

In other words, if internal reforms can be completed, do these two countries with a tax revenue potential of [-] million taels a year, industrial and commercial industries that can afford to control the economy and absolute mercantilism need to borrow troops?
So in terms of finances alone, Dashun and France are really brothers and sisters, and crows should not laugh at the fact that pigs are black.

For the Duke of Choiseul, Dashun proposed three plans, the first one was useless, and the second one was pure nonsense, so obviously what Dashun meant was that Dashun actually preferred the third plan.

Borrowing troops is also the most useful and least stressful solution for France.

The question is: at what cost?

The Duke of Choiseul wanted to know the price, so he first rejected the second plan, which was obviously bullshit: financial reform?Then you might as well change France to a republic, which may be easier to achieve.

"Gentlemen, as my king's minister of state, I can tell you responsibly: France cannot come up with a financial reform plan that can be passed for the time being."

"If China is really willing to extend a helping hand to France, I hope we can seriously discuss the third plan. That is, China will directly dispatch troops to give France enough help."

This answer was expected by everyone in the Dashun Mission, so the staff of the Mission settled a small account for Choiseul.

"Your Excellency, you should know that the military expenditure required to send troops will be a huge amount."

"In the British expedition to South America many years ago, the non-combat attrition rate was as high as two-thirds, and more than one-sixth of the people lost their combat effectiveness due to scurvy before going to sea."

"To activate the fleet from the Chinese military port, if we want to invest enough power to influence the situation in Europe, we need at least [-] battleships, as well as a large number of cruisers and supply ships."

"... We have listed more than ten kinds of problems above."

"In addition, we must also consider the consumption of supplies, food security, vegetables and lemons, alcohol, tobacco, sugar and other essential rations for sailors during our fleet stationed in French ports."

"Also consider that the price of goods in France is two to three times that of China. The same silver can only buy one-third to one-half of the goods purchased in France."

There is basically no problem with the calculation of this account. Anyway, this kind of large-scale battle across the ocean is the first time.

The United Kingdom had a fleet sailing around the world before, the Netherlands and Spain also had naval battles around Luzon, and even the British George Anson fleet attacked Spanish warships in Luzon before.

However, it's an order of magnitude worse.

Five or six warships.

Fifty or sixty warships.

Although French weights and measures and calculations use a messy base system, the decimal system is still the mainstream base system for international trade between the East and the West at this time, so it is really an order of magnitude higher than the previous transoceanic battle.

How much does Dashun cost here?

Obviously, France cannot afford this amount of money.

If France can afford the money, it can naturally consider a similar "subsidy".Just like the previous treaty between Britain and Russia, the British paid and the Russians paid for the soldiers.

But France couldn't afford the money, and Dashun was still negotiating money. The Duke of Choiseul thought to himself: What would they ask for?What can France offer them?

I quickly turned around in my mind a few times, and considered the interests that France could cede.

However, after thinking for a long time, he didn't know what France could give Dashun to repay this favor or debt.

Historically, France, including Enlightenment scholars such as Voltaire, also believed that North America was nothing but a few acres of snow.They would rather exchange the whole of North America for Guadeloupe.

And Guadeloupe is very valuable to France, which is an important sugar producing area in France.

However, is Dashun short of tropical islands that produce sugar?
As we all know, the trigger for Dashun to go to Nanyang was the crisis of overproduction of sugar in Java Island.

Moreover, based on the French's understanding of Dashun, Dashun would not like an island with a group of Catholics as the mainstream culture, because even if they wanted it, they would not be able to control it at all.

Just like the system similar to reforming land and returning locals implemented by France in North America, Dashun has always had this attitude towards reforming land and returning locals to the controlled areas.

France's richest Caribbean island is valuable to Britain, France, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia... all very valuable.

Only for Dashun, it is worthless.

Even, according to the French's understanding of mercantilism, Spain actually has the biggest bargaining chip to cooperate with Dashun at this time, which is the exclusive trading right of the South American colonies.

However, France does not have a vast market like Spain's South America to exchange with Dashun.

As for France's own local market... How much is France's own local market worth?In fact, the Duke of Choiseul didn't know either.

But judging from the trade volume of the East India Company over the years, even if there is the influence of the mercantilism national policy under the influence of Kerberism, if this influence is removed, it seems that the trade volume may not be very high, right?

(End of this chapter)