Xinshun 1730

Chapter 297 Ning and Friendship, not for the Chinese

On the second day, when Colin Cambier met with the leaders of the Free Trade again, he couldn't help but muttered a proverb in his heart.

"Un vieux chat aime les jeunes souris..."

An experienced cat always likes to catch immature mice.

In human terms, it means bullying the weak and fearing the hard.

Cambier thought to himself, are you going to talk to the British East India Company, or the Dutch East India Company?They are the ones who do big business, but they dare not negotiate with them. Instead, they stare at the weakest Swedish company to negotiate terms. Isn't this old cat picking small mice?
These people who came to Stockholm either knew Latin, some simple French, or some Russian, and the best of them could communicate in Latin.

In the previous several contacts, Dashun had proposed the idea of ​​becoming a shareholder in the Swedish East India Company, which aroused great opposition from the shareholders of the Swedish East India Company.

However, not everyone is that stupid.Especially when Mantou and others said today that if they disagreed, Dashun might make adjustments in terms of tariffs and supply, Cambier had no choice but to complain to them.

"Mr. Captain from China, in 31 years, I went to Guangdong for the first time as the head of the Swedish East India Company. Before that, I was also an employee of the British East India Company, and I went to Fujian and Songjiang .”

"It must be admitted that even if officials ask for bribes, China's ports are still the most suitable for trade, and we are willing to do business with China. Why change this policy now?"

"As long as your products are sold, why do you have to ship them? If Sweden can sit at home and have people come to trade and send silver coins, we will not choose to take risks."

"Even if you are fully prepared, two people on your ship will still die during this long voyage. We Europeans should take such a risk. You don't need to take such a risk."

"You guys are on the coastlines of Guangdong and Jiangsu, just collect money."

Mantou smiled lightly, and repeated a sentence Liu Yu often said.

"Capital is afraid of no profit or too little profit. Once there is an appropriate profit, capital will be very courageous. As long as there is 20.00% profit, it will be used everywhere; if there is 50.00%, it will be lively ; [-] percent, and it invites active risk taking; [-] percent, and it makes men disregard all laws... If turmoil and strife bring profits, it encourages them. Smuggling and the slave trade are the proof."

"Without him, sitting at home collecting silver, the profit is still not enough. Many Europeans die from malaria, fever, scurvy and shipwreck every year."

Speaking of this, he smiled lightly: "We also want to have the chance to die chasing profits."

"This is not my personal request, but the capital of Songjiang, Fujian, and Guangdong want to open this trade route. This is not the will of the individual, but the will of the capital. Moreover, His Majesty the Son of Heaven does not want these hot money to flow into those who buy land. in trade."

"In the past Dashun, there was only real free trade. But from now on, it is no longer. I have no right to decide such a policy. I just convey the change of policy. I hope that your company and the Swedish Parliament will send enough people to go there. discuss."

"Since you have been to Guangdong in 31 years, and you have also been awarded the plenipotentiary ambassador to China, you are a very suitable candidate to go to China this time. I just want to tell you about the changes in policies before you go. I hope Kambier Mr. can make it clear to the board of directors and Congress."

Mantou is very clear about its responsibilities. The first task is to find a craftsman who makes wood tar, and this has been done.

As for negotiations, he is not responsible, but is responsible for bringing people who are qualified to negotiate on board.

From the perspective of some so-called "morality", this is really promoting smuggling.

However, in Liu Yu's official language, this is called smuggling under monopoly power, and it is noble free trade.

Anyway, Dashun is not afraid of being dumped by foreign goods at this time. After 100 years, the deficit will be smoothed out by opium. What are you afraid of now?
Facing Mantou with an ultimatum on his face, Cambier could only patiently explain how difficult it was for the Swedish East India Company.

"Mr. Captain, you should know that Sweden is a small country and very poor. At the beginning of the establishment of the East India Company, the Congress was extremely opposed, thinking that this would destroy Sweden's fledgling textile industry. If cotton cloth from India or China enters Sweden, Sweden will of the weavers will be unemployed."

"It is poor itself, and it has been fighting the Great Northern War for many years. People don't want luxury goods and cotton cloth from the East to exchange Sweden's pitifully small silver coins."

"Parliament thought it folly to set up the East India Company. To trade silver coins for pointless china, silk and tea."

"It's people like us who lobbied hard to convince Congress."

"Even if the establishment of the East India Company is allowed in the end, Chinese goods are not allowed to be sold in Sweden, and can only be sold to third parties."

Mantou was right, sir, he didn't expect to sell it to you Sweden.How many people are there in Sweden?How much tea can I buy?

"Mr. Cambier, don't worry. We can guarantee this as well. We will abide by this regulation and will never sell it privately. What we want is cooperation, a shareholding, and not a direct trade in Gothenburg."

As I said that, I thought to myself, even if you open Gothenburg as a port now, we will not agree.If you don't hang your flag, the Dutch will rob us if there is a fight in the future.

It's not that you can spend more money to buy the registry of your neutral country.This is all talkable, but I won't talk to you right now.

Cambier added: "Our capital is far behind that of the Netherlands and the UK. The British and Dutch governments have regulations that prohibit private individuals from engaging in Eastern trade. Only the East India Company can engage in this monopoly."

"This has led to a lot of special features in the company's operations. The information of customers must be kept absolutely confidential, and the identities of shareholders must also be kept absolutely confidential."

"Although we destroy the books after each voyage, many people in Congress who have no chance to buy shares are dissatisfied. They all hope to get a share of the pie-although they opposed it at the beginning, but now they don't have books, and they don't Can estimate how high our profit is."

"If it is open to you to participate in shares, some people in Congress who do not have shares will definitely object. This is really difficult."

Don't worry about scarcity but inequality, this is a universal truth.Sweden is within the four seas, so naturally this sentence is also valid in Stockholm.

Once Chinese shareholders are allowed to participate in the shares, many people in the Swedish Parliament who have not participated in the shares will question: Why would you rather allow foreigners to participate in the shares than allow us to participate in the shares?Why were the accounts of the East India Company not made public?Why not give us a chance to become a shareholder?

A great opportunity to make money, rather than giving it to the people of the country?what is this?
Originally, there were quite a few voices like this. Apart from Swedish businessmen and aristocrats, they were also British and Dutch businessmen, and the account books should not be made public anyway.

The Dutch and the British, who risked their own nationals from participating in the Asian trade ban, could not shake the existence of the East India Company legally, and all placed their hopes on the Swedish East India Company.They gave great support to the royal family and bribed many members of Congress. Although they destroyed every account book by deceiving their ears and stealing their bells, even deceiving their ears and stealing their bells is still effective.

Now if Chinese businessmen are allowed to participate in the shares, without even taking the step of deception, there will inevitably be a large number of "cap parties" in Congress who will demand the disclosure of the company's share list and drive away those British and Dutch shareholders so that they can participate in the shares.

Colin Cambier knew very well that the opposition in Congress would find many reasons.

In addition to the shareholding turmoil, there were also many people who opposed the establishment of the East India Company at the beginning. They knew very well what the poor textile industry in Sweden, regardless of China, would look like if it only faced the impact of India's handicraft industry.

The ban issued by the United Kingdom prohibits the British from wearing cotton cloth. How can Sweden dare to compete with the United Kingdom in the textile industry?The British textile industry can't beat India, and India's cotton cloth can't be sold to China. This huge gap, even if it is separated by tens of thousands of miles of sea and loss, will still cause the Swedish textile industry to collapse.

Some of these people are engaged in the textile industry and have seats in Congress. They believe that the national industry should be protected, exports should be expanded instead of imports, and import tariffs should be raised. They would rather let the Swedes wear expensive and low-quality domestic products. Avoid cheap good stuff.

Although... the East India Company promised not to sell it in Sweden at the beginning of its establishment, but to resell it to a third party.But...how could it be so thorough?If there is a big trouble, those members of Congress who are engaged in the local textile industry will take advantage of the problem, and the company will be very difficult to manage: at least, it will cost a lot of money to bribe and lobby in Congress.

The current situation is hard-won and is in a delicate balance.Regardless of whether it is deceiving one's ears or stealing the bell, but making use of the problem, breaking this balance may bring many uncertain factors.

Of course, this kind of uncertainty can still be resolved with money and bribes.

Cambier also knows that it is useless to rely on reasoning and selling.Once China tampers with tariffs, the Swedish East India Company will collapse.Sweden is neither the Netherlands nor the United Kingdom. It has no strong influence in India, Persia, Southeast Asia or even Africa. Half of the company's high-profit business is with China.

He just wanted to explain this truth clearly, and bargain with Dashun: Do the contacts of smugglers count as equity?Does the lobbying and bribery on the Congress side count as equity?
Mantou didn't bother to listen to the other party's subtext, and he was not in charge of the negotiation, just smiled and said: "Check and balance each other, and there is a basis for cooperation. Without Chinese products, your company will go bankrupt; without your sales, our businessmen will not be able to benefit." Isn't this kind of cooperation beneficial to both parties?"

"As for the various details, I won't talk about it. You can discuss it with the people in the court after you arrive in the court. But now, I want to know, can the Congress revise the terms of the East India Company? Or, before you go, can you confirm Does the Congress agree? Come and go, at least two years, the imperial court will not wait for you for two years."

"Besides, didn't you just say that it is difficult to raise capital? I dare not say that if it is too much, a share capital of 200 million taels of silver can be raised in Dashun in an instant. As long as there is enough profit."

That last statement is no bragging.Dashun is not short of silver at all, but there is no means of centralization and circulation of silver, or it is Dashun's court that is short of silver.

The household government is not the central bank, and they don't even know how to do it, but the emperor has the idea of ​​keeping all the big fat pigs in Songjiang, which makes it easy to accumulate capital.

As long as the profit is sufficient, relying on the name of the trading company and previous accumulation, one or two million taels of silver is not enough.

Now the capital of the Swedes is still insufficient, at least the number of merchant ships is not enough, and the European smugglers have not yet reached the point where they can't eat.The Swedes are short of cash, and Dashun has money, which is a match made in heaven.

Mantou thought to himself that this negotiation is a mess, and if you don't accept me, the trade will be closed.

The conditions are not to be said now.The first thing to do now is to determine whether Congress can amend the regulations of the East India Company?

The Swedish East India Company now has many restrictions. For example, ships must use Swedish ships to provide orders to Swedish shipyards and increase employment. For example, during wartime, the fleet of the East India Company needs to be assigned to the Navy. For naval officers.

For example... at any time, you will have to fight the Russian Baltic Fleet.

These regulations are not up to Cambier to decide, they have to pass Congress.If the Congress does not let go, even if Cambier went to Dashun, the conditions negotiated would be meaningless.

Mantou also knows that although the National Assembly is different from Dashun, there is one thing that can definitely be solved: money.

It's just that a channel is needed.To offer bribes, you have to have connections and someone to recommend you.

"Mr. Cambier, I know you are the founder of the East India Company. Before you go, please make the following preparations."

"Splitting the East India Company will separate the trade business with China. The cooperation between the two parties is a fixed cargo ratio. Dashun's merchant ships will not be controlled by the Swedish Navy during the war, but in return, if a war breaks out between Russia and Sweden, Dashun can mediate."

"The initiative is in your hands, because you have a market; but it is also in our hands, because of our supply. Cooperation will benefit both, and division will hurt both."

"As for the Congress, I think that since you can facilitate the establishment of the East India Company, you must also have a way to facilitate the amendment of the law. Money...is not a problem. If our businessmen are allowed to participate in the shares, the business of the company is their business. They are proficient in bribery. Trust me , the businessmen in Dashun are very aware of the value of bribery, and they are not stingy about bribery."

The conditions that can be stated at this time are definitely not the final conditions, but the repayment of the money on the spot.

In the early stage, it may be necessary to transfer more benefits to Sweden, mainly because Sweden will remain neutral in future European wars. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands will not rob Sweden due to their demand for Swedish copper ore, iron ore and wood tar. ferry.

If there is a fight in Nanyang, if the flag of Dashun is flying, it may be robbed by the Dutch as soon as it leaves Malacca.

This time, we want to borrow not only Sweden's shell, but also Sweden's contacts and market.As long as this gap can be opened, even if the businessman doesn't pay, Liu Yu is willing to pay a bribe.

Besides, how could the merchants in Dashun not know the truth of "the gate of the yamen opens to the south, don't come in if you have a reason and no money"?Isn't Congress just a government office?
When Cambier heard such conditions, his heart moved slightly. He understood that these conditions must not be the final conditions, and this is not something that cannot be discussed.

(End of this chapter)