Xinshun 1730

Chapter 298 Moral Kidnapping
Now that Dashun pinched the neck of the Swedish East India Company and wanted to threaten them on tariffs and trade issues, the directors of the company were actually willing to accept it, and would rather earn less than go bankrupt.

But in terms of attitude, we still have to talk about it, saying that Dashun is using official power to hinder trade.

But just after saying these words a few days ago, people from Dashun lashed out, asking what kind of free trade is the East India Company, which has monopoly power?You are only allowed to authorize a monopoly in Congress, and my court is not allowed to order additional tariffs?

Cambier knew he was in the wrong, and he couldn't beat these Chinese people in terms of reasoning.

At least, on the issue of free trade, Dashun can really accuse any European country of engaging in trade monopoly.Whether it is English, French, Dutch or Spanish.

It’s not that Dashun will not open the customs, but after opening, your goods will not be sold, so what can you do?
Don't say that Dashun's tariffs are quite low now, even if there is no tariff, what else can be sold besides Dutch spices and French clocks and machinery?

Dashun did not issue a policy saying that Chinese people are not allowed to wear cotton cloth to prevent the impact of Indian cotton cloth; nor did it issue a policy saying that Chinese people are not allowed to wear woolen cloth to prevent European wool textiles from impacting the textile industry.

Free trade, each according to its own ability.These Dashun officers who were influenced by Liu Yu all felt that Sweden had no face to accuse Dashun of using government orders to influence trade?

Debates can't be argued, and the threat of force dare not dream. It doesn't matter if the trade is really cut off. The Swedish East India Company must go bankrupt.

Just a few negotiating rhetoric without any skill, suddenly forced Kambier to a situation where he had nothing to say.In the face of absolute strength, negotiation skills are meaningless.

"Mr. Captain, if the trade business with China is stripped off, there will be very little business left for the East India Company. This condition..."

Mantou immediately said: "I'm not a negotiator, nor a plenipotentiary representative. I'm just giving you a message for someone else. If you have any questions, you can go to the Celestial Dynasty to talk about it."

That's what I said, but at least a year and a half back and forth, before going, you must come up with an acceptable bottom line.

Where should the bottom line be drawn?

Knowing that such negotiations were meaningless, Cambier headed for Gothenburg starry night.

In Gothenburg, an internal secret meeting was held with the shareholders of the East India Company who were waiting there.

When he talked about the conditions offered by Dashun, another promoter, Henrik Xueping, slapped the table and roared angrily.

"This is blackmail! This is taking advantage of the fire! This is a shameless act comparable to pirates!"

"The whole of Europe is saying that the Chinese are polite and a country of gentlemen. Gentlemen, it seems that these rumors are wrong. They are simply a group of robbers, fraudsters, and blackmailers!"

"Only Montesquieu is right. The Chinese are a bunch of scammers and have no credibility at all! The reason why European countries cannot trade with Japan is because they hired Chinese as crew members, which made the Japanese disgusted. !"

"Let them eat shit! We won't give them any share of the trade."

His excited shouts attracted the support of several people, and several people screamed and clapped their hands.With a clear head, I thought, what does it have to do with the Chinese crew if we can't trade with Japan?Except for the Netherlands, only China can trade with Japan. Where did this man named Montesquieu get his idiot-like remarks?
After several people's excited carnival, Cambier calmly said: "Gentlemen, such accusations and venting are meaningless. Are you little girls? How can a nation that knows how to do business be a polite nation? Really polite The ethnic groups in China are those who can exchange half a dozen furs with a glass ball on the island, and the Chinese are obviously not like this.”

"Now, if we don't agree to the terms of the empire, they will raise tariffs. Gentlemen, I think you are well aware that our main profit lies in the trade with China. Without their raw silk and tea, we have customers but earn money." Not even half a copper."

A basin of ice water was poured down to make people calm, and those major shareholders who clamored for Dashun to eat shit fell silent.

It's beyond their comprehension.

According to their understanding, Dashun doesn't know what tariffs are, let alone monopoly, they just sell their goods foolishly.

Although officials accept bribes, even though they have to use oriental kneeling to meet officials, the overall tax rate is still the lowest in the whole world, and the business environment is also the best.

In the eyes of all of them, Dashun free trade is a matter of course.

It seems that has been the case from the beginning, and it will always be in the future.

When one day, they found that Dashun would also use tariffs and trade as weapons, they all found it hard to accept.

Surprised inexplicably.

Henrik, who gradually calmed down, lamented: "I used to work for the Ostend company, and I also went to Guangdong and Songjiang. The merchants there only wanted to deliver the goods to our ship, but never thought of sending the goods to our ship. to Europe."

"The root of all this can be heard from the officers of the Free Trade, all because of that son of a bitch Liu Yu. His policies have bewitched the emperor of the empire and made their emperor and businessmen greedy. This It’s not that country of ceremonies anymore.”

After scolding Liu Yu severely, he said again: "And the prisoners they sent back this time, those old-fashioned guys, should have died of old age at the hands of the Mongols instead of coming back. They came back and brought the Easterners. greedy."

"Those captured idiots should be digging potatoes in Siberia! Why did they come back?"

It's not cool enough to scold, especially when I think about my experience in the Ostend company back then. Guangdong was really a paradise-like place at that time.

But now, the group of Chinese are wielding the big stick of tariffs in an attempt to take part of his interests, and Henrik is furious.

however……

"Meaningless."

Cambier calmly pointed out that Henryk's words were all nonsense.

"Insulting will not solve the problem. God will not punish them. We must now make one thing clear, trade with China cannot be stopped, let alone allow them to raise tariffs."

"Gentlemen, if they raise tariffs, we will have no advantage over the Dutch and British East India companies. Our advantage is that we can smuggle. And the price of smuggling is too high. Why do they take the risk to buy smuggled goods? Why not just auction off the tea brought back by the Dutch or the British?"

This most realistic question was finally put in front of this group of incompetent and furious shareholders: If Dashun imposes tariffs, why don't customers buy "legal" Dutch or British products?

After the shareholders calmed down, Cambier talked about his prospects for the future.

"Gentlemen, although it would be to our detriment to allow Chinese businessmen to intervene, we must be clear that we will have nothing to gain if we do not allow it."

"Let me do a calculation for you. A ship going to China needs about 90 Spanish silver dollars. The cycle is one and a half years. We now send about six ships every year on average. That's about 600 million silver dollars."

"If they go to China, but find that no one dares to sell them the goods. Not counting the loss, what is the interest for the 600 million silver dollars for one and a half years? As long as they block it a little bit and miss the monsoon, we will pay for it in terms of interest." The loss is about 100 million silver dollars. And you all know that the company still owes the bankers a sum of money. Although we don't have to repay the principal for the time being, we have to pay interest."

"This is still on the premise that the Chinese court only uses administrative means to obstruct it. And if they really implement the policy, we will only go bankrupt."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! I think you should be clear that the eastern empire is an absolute monarchy. They don't even have nobles, and even dukes are just officials under the emperor. They will use a way that we can't understand. The attitude of carrying out the emperor's order will not be discounted."

"Believe me, I have been to China three times before 31 years ago, and once again in 31 years. I know too well what kind of efficient bureaucratic country it is. Their emperor's words are the law."

Some shareholders have never been to China, especially some shareholders have witnessed how the Swedish parliament forced the queen to sign an order to abandon the absolute monarchy; they have not seen the perfect bureaucratic system under the real imperial examination system, a complete implementation of the emperor's order bureaucratic machinery.

However, Cambier had seen it, and Henrik, who worked in the Ostend company, had also seen it.

Henrik, who had been insulting just now, fell silent. He knew that what Cambier said was true.

A Jiedu envoy from Fujian can prevent Swedish merchant ships from getting a load of Wuyi tea.

And they do not have the ability to smuggle, the Dutch and the British will immediately report to Dashun officials that they are carrying out illegal smuggling activities, thus giving the Dutch and the British a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to squeeze them away—and go up To get rid of Ostend Company, a competitor of the same type, by taking advantage of Austria's "Edict of State" that changed the inheritance law, and abolished Ostend Company in exchange for supporting women's accession to the throne; For trade, if there are Dashun merchants smuggling, the Dutch and the British will happily set off fireworks.

The "Hirayama Changchen Incident" of the Dutch and British in Japan was enough to prove that they were courageous enough, smart enough, and willing to use the officials of the Eastern Empire to achieve their goal of crowding out competitors.

For Dashun producers, Sweden is just an optional option.Portugal, Spain, Holland, England, France... can all afford their cargo shortfalls.

Dashun is perhaps the only big country in the world that dares to "give up some exports" at this time, and it will not have even a ripple effect on the empire.

After explaining the powerful bureaucratic system of the Eastern Empire to these shareholders, Cambier talked about his outlook.

"I think we won't lose too much benefit by cooperating with Chinese merchants. First of all, our silver coins are insufficient, and the amount of each purchase is limited. And our time there is very short, in terms of supply , We can’t compete with the Dutch and the British. After the Ostend tea incident, the UK and the Netherlands have sent professional trade personnel to China, and they have always reserved a large amount of cash to ensure that similar competition will not occur.”

"If Chinese businessmen can participate in the shares, gentlemen, just like this time we got the ordered fired porcelain, we can get better goods than the Netherlands, Britain, Portugal and Spain, and the supply of goods is absolutely guaranteed."

"Our customers need more tea, more silk and cotton cloth, and more porcelain. We want to expand trade, but we must build new ships. The Gothenburg, which is under construction, has cost us this year. A lot of profits. If Chinese businessmen can ship and ship, we can negotiate with them on the premise of guaranteeing our original share capital.”

"We can draw a share. However, we must not let them cut off trade."

"In fact, gentlemen, the company's biggest guarantee to Congress is only one thing: that these goods will not be sold in Sweden, but smuggled to a third country. As long as the bottom line of this guarantee is not violated, Congress can accept us Conditional—patriots will consider the antagonistic relationship between China and Russia; investors will consider whether the East India Company will go bankrupt.”

"And this is exactly the direction in which we can incite Congress to attack opponents: whoever is not allowed to cooperate with Chinese businessmen is unpatriotic."

(End of this chapter)