Xinshun 1730

Chapter 272 The Inevitability of Batavia
Bypassing the Dutch inspection, the slave labor ship docked quietly at a port far away from Bacheng.

Taking a sum of money with ease, he bribed the local Dutchman in charge, and the ship entered the port easily.

The people who boarded the ship and inspected received the silver with their left hands, and immediately went blind, unable to see the people in the cabin. Although the governor of Bacheng ordered that the number of Chinese merchant ships should not exceed 50, money can make ghosts grind This sentence is not only valid in China.

The owners of the sugarcane plantations rushed over, like picking animals, and bought the slave laborers who had just disembarked and felt they had escaped hell.

In theory, slave laborers are not slaves, but indentured long-term laborers.

The boat fare was paid in advance by the owner of the garden, and as long as they paid enough money to pay for the boat fare, they would be free.

However, this is only in theory.

Dozens of slave laborers followed the two strong men to the sugarcane garden. The first thing they did when they entered the garden was to clarify the rules here.

"Just work when you come here, and don't think about crooked ways. We all signed the contract, and even if we ran back to Fujian, the government would still look after us. It's only natural to pay back the debt."

"If you want to run away, you might as well tell you. None of you have a residence permit. If you are caught by Westerners, you will have to build forts and build canals, and you will die of exhaustion in three to five years."

"I'll say the ugly things first, and whoever is the one who takes the lead in causing trouble, then I'll throw that person to the Western ghost first!"

After talking about the rules, this group of slave workers followed the foreman to the sugarcane field and started working.

The owner of the garden, who was still bossy in the face of the slave workers, immediately changed his face after taking in these slave workers.

He wants to use a smiling face and go to Batavia.

Before heading to Batavia, you'll have to squeeze the smiles out.

Today is the day to go to the city to repay the loan. Last year's sugar price was very low, and the owner of the plantation borrowed and operated could not repay the principal and interest at all, so he had to repay the interest for this year first.

Otherwise, the whole family will be forced to work as slave labor next year.

When I came to Bacheng, I found a fellow lender, and the smiles I had piled up since the sugarcane field had frozen.

"Shopkeeper, I have to be more generous this year, so I can give the interest first. You know, the sugar business has been really difficult these past few years. There are hundreds of people in the garden waiting for me to feed them, eating and drinking. , Western ghosts have kept the price of sugar down so low, it’s really hard to do.”

"The harder it is to do it, the more you have to do it. If I don't do it, the poll tax of these people alone will destroy me. Those poor ghosts also have no property and no perseverance. If they are really forced to do it, they dare to do it." It's going to be a big deal."

"Can the interest for next year be reduced a little?"

The money lending shopkeeper gathered up the accounts and said: "It's not easy for anyone. You say it's not easy for you, so it's easy for us to lend money? My buddies also rely on me for food. We agreed on the interest rate." , right? If you think the interest rate is high, then don’t borrow it. Borrowing, if you like it, no one forces anyone, don’t you think so?”

How dare the owner of the garden dare to talk back, these loan lenders are all local snakes in Bacheng, and they have connections with the Dutch.

If he really dared to provoke them, among other things, he would report that there were slave laborers in his garden who did not pay the poll tax, and the extra poll tax would ruin his family.

He piled a smile and paid the interest for this year, checked the accounts, and left the place where he borrowed money.

A few Dutch soldiers were patrolling the city, and a small business peddler was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to a tax-payer, saying that these years would not be easy, and he hoped that the tax would be less.

The tax-payer said: "Is it easy for us to pay the tax? We have to pay the tax in advance. The money has been given out. If you don't pay me the tax, what should I do? It's not easy for you, I It's not easy. It's useless to say these things, and it's serious to give the money to him."

"If you can knock out gold and silver by kowtow, then what business should I do? Just kowtow every day, I can break my head!"

The tax-paying Chinese businessman scolded a few words, and the owner of the sugarcane plantation said helplessly: "Fart, tax-paying and compensation?"When I make money, I will also buy a taxpayer Dangdang.

Thinking that he hadn't finished his business, and didn't watch the excitement that he could see almost every day, he went to the grocery store to buy some gifts, and took them to the home of the owner of his sugarcane plantation.

His sugar cane plantation is not his, but the contractor's.

The Dutch are very strict with the Chinese. It is also for the convenience of control. Only a few people who understand Dutch and have connections have issued business licenses.

The owner is the real owner of the sugarcane garden. The owner contracts the sugarcane garden to the owner, and the owner pays the contract money to the owner according to a fixed annual amount, separated by several floors.

Carrying a gift, I came to the home of the owner of "Lei Zhenlan" in Batavia with some humility.

Lei Zhenlan, "Luitenant" in Dutch, means lieutenant.

Jiapitan, "Kapitein" in Dutch, means captain.

It is clear at a glance who is big and who is small.

Now Batavia does not have the Chinese "horse waist", the Dutch "majoor" major, Lei Zhenlan is second only to Kapitan among the Chinese.

These Lei Zhenlans would prefer that the local compatriots call them Lei Zhenlan instead of their name, because Lei Zhenlan symbolizes the status in Batavia, and the name cannot restrain people here.

The Dutch have guns.

The owner of the garden sent a gift and euphemistically expressed his desire to reduce the rent a little.

This Lei Zhenlan sighed: "Business, business, profit and loss. A few years ago, when sugar was expensive, I didn't see you come and say to increase my rent, right?"

The owner of the garden was at a loss for words for a while, so he could only laugh and say, "Master Lei Zhenlan, it has been really difficult to do business in the past few years. The price of sugar is really too low. If the rent is still so high, I really can't do it anymore."

This Lei Zhenlan said: "I said, don't forget, I am also taking the risk! I am the owner. If there are people in the garden who do not pay poll tax and do not have a residence permit, I have to bear the responsibility if something goes wrong." I also made up the money. Although we have written in black and white, I will be fined and you have to pay me back, but I am also responsible for it. The Dutch are smart."

"Besides, your life is hard, and mine is hard. You come here to give me gifts, and I have to turn around and give gifts to others. In your eyes, I, Lei Zhenlan, am a big shot. In the eyes of foreigners, I am Shit."

"Have you never heard of it? A new governor has arrived in Bacheng today. We, Lei Zhenlan and Jiapidan, have to go to congratulate you. The new officials can't just take office empty-handed, right? It's not a good idea to make friends in the future." Is it all money?"

The owner of the garden really didn't know that such a big thing happened in Bacheng, and wondered: "The governor has done a good job, why did he change?"

This Lei Zhenlan hilariously shook her head and said, "Someone reported that the officials in Bacheng sold the detention permit privately, and said that he condoned the detention of Chinese here, at the expense of the public and private interests. There are a lot of things involved. Who can clean their ass? As long as Check, is there anything wrong?"

"The company's board of directors sent a new governor over. His name is Valknir, and he doesn't know his temper."

"I'm here to remind you. The rumors may be tight recently. The new official took office three times. No one knows whether the new governor will light a fire and investigate the matter of not having a residence permit. .You all be careful."

"It's impossible for me to pay the poll tax. If something goes wrong, or the policy is changed, I can only swallow it with a broken tooth."

The owner's expression changed drastically, it was obvious that this Lei Zhenlan wanted to get rid of the relationship.

He bought the slave labor with money. In theory, the owner must pay the poll tax. If the owner does not pay, he, the owner of the garden, will have to take the blame. At that time, the owner will say that he knows nothing about it.

I wanted to take a gamble, if the sugar price is high this year, I can turn around.Who would have thought that there would be such news, if this Valkner wants to "clear up the evils", wouldn't it be a big accident?
Thinking of lowering the rent, it seems unlikely.The owner does not care whether the owner earns or not, the rent will not be less than a penny.

This is the truth that the owner of the garden has known for a long time, but after all, there is a trace of expectation from fellow villagers and relatives in his heart.However, these fellow countrymen and relatives seem to be worthless in front of gold and silver.

The owner of the garden left angrily, and the owner of Lei Zhenlan received the gift, took some gold and silver, also smiled in advance, and went to the Governor's Mansion in Batavia, and the Kapitan and Lei Zhenlan there Together, welcome the new governor.

The new governor's surname is Valknier, which is considered a famous family in the Netherlands.Of course, the East India Company is based on seniority, and the father is the son of a hero. The Valkner family joined the East India Company as early as 100 years ago. When the East India Company was established, their family was the mayor of Amsterdam. long.

Valkner did not go to meet those Chinese Jiapitan and Lei Zhenlan first, but first met with the company's staff here.

Since the Ostend tea incident, the company headquarters established the China Trade Committee, which took away part of the power of the governor of Batavia. These people are directly under the control of the company's board of directors. Members have a good relationship.

The previous governor was a scapegoat because the evils were too deep to reform.

If you choose the tax package system, then the tax-packed Chinese merchants and wealthy businessmen will inevitably hide their population; if you implement the residence permit system, you have to pay poll tax every month. As long as you have power, you will leave a hole for power rent-seeking... Wouldn't it be nice to pay a normal tax of ten silver coins, and I receive a bribe of three silver coins?The money received belongs to the company, but the bribes belong to oneself.

There was another very important reason for Valkner to come this time: Duke Qi visited Paris and the news that France sent a mission to Dashun caused a sensation in the Netherlands.

Batavia was the most important stronghold and axis of the Dutch East India Company.And how many Chinese are there in Batavia?This is not clear to the company itself.

Those who normally pay poll tax are about [-]; and those black households who do not pay poll tax may have [-] to [-] or even more.

What is the reason behind China and France sending envoys to each other this time?There are more and more Chinese in Batavia, which is already a great risk.

During the Tianqi period of the previous dynasty, the Dutch plundered the Zhoushan Islands and Penghu, and plundered a large number of Chinese to serve as slave labor in Batavia.

Because Batavia at that time needed construction.The local aboriginal labor level is too poor, far behind the Chinese, and the local labor force is extremely scarce.

Also because, at that time, the price of sucrose was very high, and sugar was grown in Batavia, which was very profitable.

Sugar from the West Indies, the Caribbean, however, was closer to Europe and of better quality.

A hundred years later, the Dutch wanted more Chinese to grow sugar, but now they regard these people as a crisis.

Disposable after use.

A few years ago, Sefipers collapsed.The Dutch are not as good as Britain and France in India, and the biggest customer in Asia is Safi Persia.The collapse of Safi Persia caused the East India Company to lose its biggest customer in Asia: Japan locked the country, China had enough sugar, India had Britain and France, and only Persia could sell the company's sugar.

Europe has already begun to eat sugar from the Caribbean on a large scale, and it is not worthwhile to ship sugar back from Asia even on the ballast.

Valknier thought to himself: Damn Nadir Shah, a slave who became the emperor of Persia is worthy of admiration, but it also blocked the sales of the East India Company in Persia, tightened trade policies, and controlled the outflow of precious metals.

However, he couldn't fight and couldn't fight. The Dutch East India Company still had some points after beating Ottoman violently and almost capturing Baghdad.Gunboat diplomacy is free trade, and I dare not use it on this person.

Now, the problem facing Valknier is very serious: the nature of the problem in the sugar trade is a company secret.But the fire cannot be hidden in the paper. The board of directors believes that the price of sucrose will definitely continue to go down, so it can only continue to lower the purchase price to squeeze the Chinese. Ninety percent of the sugarcane growers here are Chinese.

So far, Batavia has issued a total of 260 cane parts, which belong to 84 owners.Among them, 79 Chinese, 4 Dutch, and 4 Javanese.And it is certain that 3 of the [-] Dutchmen, as well as the Javanese, are also sublet to the Chinese.

This is already a powder keg that could explode at any time!
"Fortunately, the Chinese who will not survive and rebel do not have guns. Those who have money and guns will not rebel."

Looking at the company's statistical report, Valknier had a radical idea.

This idea did not come out suddenly, but a certain necessity: the opening of Dashun to trade led to the decline of the status of Batavia's transit port; Asia lost tea profits; the chaos in Safi Persia and the strongman from slaves to emperors made the company's sugar trade decline; the development of the Caribbean islands and the mercantilist policies of European countries prevented sugar from being sold in Europe...

A large number of Chinese in the sugar cane field have to survive.

(End of this chapter)