Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1355 The Total Collapse of Britain ([-])
Faced with this situation, the king and his close ministers also had mixed feelings.

The good news is that in this situation, the opposition in the parliament has no longer spoken out.

What's worrying is that Dashun played such a "maidi" that they didn't expect. They actually supported the slave uprising and incited the British bottom to rebel?
However, although Dashun played "Mai Tai", it still pointed out a way for Britain in the previous contacts.

Of course, with the current general collapse in the UK, the North American issue, which was not important before, has now become a key issue.

The little king's mentor, Lord Bute, told the little king sharply about the situation that Britain might face.

"Your Majesty, according to the meaning revealed by the Chinese diplomatic envoy, it is obvious that we can only relax customs duties and many trade controls. Rely on tariffs to repay the national debt. This requires us to import a large amount of Chinese goods."

"Whether it's porcelain or silk, cotton or brass...it's true."

"Obviously tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of English, Scots, Irish will lose their livelihoods."

"We have to think about finding a way out for these people."

"Because if they don't find a way out, they'll go to Winstanley and Thomas More."

"That would throw the UK, and indeed the whole of Europe, into a state of real terror."

"So...the importance of North America is far greater than before."

"We have to rethink what North America means to Britain."

"It may not create a penny in taxes, but it will keep Britain safe from terrible rebellions."

"Jamaica and Barbados, the Chinese will not take them away. They just use the slaves there as bargaining chips in the transaction, and they don't want it. Because it means nothing to them."

"Don't worry about the West Indian issue. As long as there is no help from the Chinese, those slaves can't capture forts and towns. They don't even have cannons, and they can't use them. They can't win."

"So, as long as the war is over and the Chinese withdraw, the uprising in Jamaica will soon subside."

"The real problem is not in Jamaica and Barbados, but in thirteen North American states."

"Words that the Chinese are instigating some rebellion in North America is the real mortal danger."

"If North America is lost."

"Then, like the weavers in Lancashire, whose cotton industry is squeezed by Chinese pine subcloth, they can't sell at all, and they have no land of their own... It is our only way to let them go to North America A way out, but not their only way out."

"Because, they have another way, called rebellion."

Of course, "rebellion" is what Lord Boote called it, or in other words, it was what the ruling class in the world at this time called it.

In fact, some people do not call this a rebellion, but an uprising.

George III, who was still very young at this time, must have inherited porphyria, but because he had not taken a large amount of laudanum, his mind was still normal.

The value of North America is the difference between addition and subtraction.

If you do addition, the tax will not be collected, and it is definitely not as valuable as Jamaica and Barbados.

Doing subtraction makes a big difference.If a large-scale uprising breaks out, if the subtracted things are not subtracted or erupted because of the existence of the North American pressure relief valve, then the value of North America will be greater.

Of course, North America was a relief valve before.

The very serious sectarian conflicts in the UK have been suppressed.

A large number of "heretics" who do not recognize the Anglican religion have all gone to North America, and the second religious war in Britain has finally not been fought.

Now, it is not a religious issue, so the great value of this pressure relief valve is once again reflected.

The helplessness of reality made the new king and his close ministers have to take "accepting Dashun's conditions to end the war" as the starting point of thinking.

It doesn't mean that at this time, they are still thinking about the unrealistic "counterattack to win" and "the story of the destruction of the Spanish Armada with Kamikaze assists".

Now that I have learned to face the reality, many problems are actually solved.

On this basis, the Earl of Halifax also added another meaning of North America.

"My lord, if we accept the Chinese tariff conditions, and their so-called free trade."

"Then, the value of the thirteen states in North America will increase further."

"That means that the population of more than 200 million in the thirteen states will be a vast market, and we will be able to levy more tariffs."

"Whether it's tea, porcelain, silk, or cotton, people in the thirteen states will buy it. The more they buy, the more tariffs we get."

"If enough are sold, I think the £1 million national debt may be largely repaid within 5000 years."

"At the same time, with the tariffs as collateral, we can borrow new debt."

"Actually, as long as our tariffs cover half of the annual interest on this £5000 million national debt, which is about £250 million, then our financial position will be greatly eased."

"In fact, my lord, there is no way we can increase the land tax, that is the bottom line for the Tories."

"In fact, if we could, we could have the Chinese collect the tariffs for us."

"They only need to collect tariffs in advance on the price, and then hand it over to us afterwards, so that the problems of smuggling and tax evasion can be eliminated."

"I think it can be done."

"Because, obviously, although they are shouting for free trade, they are not actually free trade. They will not allow their merchants, private businessmen, to bring goods directly to Europe for trading."

"So, in fact, the free trade they call is still a kind of controlled trade."

"If their emperor is willing, then this method of pre-imposing tariffs on prices by the Chinese is feasible."

"At this point, we and the French can cooperate."

"If trade does not generate tax revenue, then no government will support such trade."

"In the process of negotiating with Chinese diplomatic envoys before, they also showed similar ideas. I think this idea is feasible."

"Actually, the Chinese have clearly rejected the possibility of direct trade in London. Because this will cause their allies, the hateful French, to be unhappy. The French will never allow it. The trading center of oriental trade products is set in London. "

"So, if this can be done, that is, let the Chinese help us pre-collect tariffs in advance, then the smuggling problem in North America will also be greatly solved."

"The result of sugar tax collection in North America has proved that taxation in North America requires skill and is extremely difficult. We must use new methods to collect sufficient tariffs."

Speaking of this, the Earl of Halifax took a cautious look at George III, and carefully reminded: "Your Majesty, although the land in North America is vast, it is unrealistic to collect land taxes in North America. It may even arouse rebellion." .”

"At this juncture, especially when we clearly know that with the impact of Chinese goods, tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of people will be unemployed, once North America rebels, there will also be terrible chaos within Britain. "

"even……"

The Earl of Halifax paused for a moment, and it took a lot of effort to say that terrible word.

"even……"

"revolution."

The word is so scary and so powerful.

Even the Earl of Halifax has been careful to use a very soft tone.

But when the word came out of his mouth, everyone present shuddered.

In the long silence, King George III considered the words of Lord Bute and the Earl of Halifax, nodded after a long time, and said in English, which is very rare for British kings: "Yes, that is the case."

"Revolution...rebellion..."

"Ha, what a terrible word."

"However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. As long as it is properly controlled, this will greatly strengthen the king's authority and majesty."

"It's time for those people to know that the danger is not just from the king, but that there is an even more dire danger from the poor."

"I've had enough of the endless partisanship in Parliament..."

It was not the first day that this terrible thought crossed George III's mind.

In fact, as George III's mentor, Lord Bute has been instilling some ideas in George III.These ideas come from Bolingbroke, at least, against the idea of ​​​​endless partisanship, which has always been instilled.

What happened in Liverpool, Manchester and other places looks terrible, but in the eyes of George III, it is not so absolutely terrible.

It's not uncontrollable.

At least, what happened there brought the British Parliament together like never before.

The Opposition, the Whig Party, the Patriot Party, the Country Party, the Tory Party... British aristocrats, big landowners, slave owners, big merchants, enclosure holders, financiers... These people, what happened in Liverpool In this rebellion, all united.

Even the "Monitor", which has been criticizing the king, has begun to prepare for public opinion that counterinsurgency is reasonable.

The king is no longer a terrible despot, a tyrant.

Instead, he leapt to become the defender of "freedom" in Britain.

(End of this chapter)