Xinshun 1730

Chapter 585

The news that Liu Yu had an unpleasant quarrel with Jiabidan and Lei Zhenlan soon reached the governor's mansion.The strong dragon does not overwhelm the local snake, this is the territory of the Dutch, and there will be people reporting on every move.

"and then"

"Go back to the governor, and then Liu Yu went to the Charity Hall poor house, Jiapidan and others followed, and kept admitting their mistakes. Liu Yu said that the original intention of the poor house was charity and good intentions, but now it is an evil government. He says……"

The whistleblower glanced at Valknir, who was tending potted plants, put down the scissors he was pruning, and asked, "What did he say? He suggested that I abandon the workhouse?"

"He said... he quoted from the Bible that 'you reap what you sow, and you reap what you sow, and what you sow, you reap what you reap'. But he was only half right when he said that. In the desert It is impossible to grow kelp on snow-capped mountains without producing rice, and some things are independent of human will."

The whistleblowers know that Protestants only oppose Catholicism, but they never oppose the Bible. On the contrary, they must follow the words of saints more than God.The original words he heard were much harsher than this, and some embellishments have been added here.

Hearing this, Valkner smiled and said, "So he is saying that the Chinese are a cold-blooded nation and cannot establish any charities? Or is it that Batavia itself is a city of sin and cannot conduct any charities? charity events?"

"No, Mr. Governor. What he said is that if such charities such as poverty relief and voluntary education are carried out in the Central Plains, the money will definitely be used in the end to buy land for rent, lending, local landlords to collect rent, and lend usury to rely on interest Come to maintain."

"In Batavia, because of land ownership and loan restrictions, the model of buying land for rent and lending is not suitable, so sooner or later we will go to the model of relying on administrative power to collect taxes. Or the organization of the poorhouse becomes a package Taxpayers, maintain the continuation of funds through tax packages.”

"However, whether it is buying land with charitable funds in the Central Plains, collecting rents, releasing usury land in disaster years; or using charitable funds to buy tax rights in Batavia, or using administrative power to increase taxes... but those who need relief are ignored. , itself is a victim of the existing system—people who need relief in the Central Plains are precisely because of land rent and lending and land requisition in disaster years; people who need relief in Batavia are precisely because of the tax package system and administrative tax increases.”

"In the Central Plains, the most successful manifestation of this kind of charity is to let the rescued become landlords who collect rent, lend money, and buy land in disaster years; while in Batavia, the most successful manifestation of this kind of charity is also Make the rescued taxpayers."

"And the landlords and taxpayers are the source of the misery."

"So the more successful this kind of charity is, the more people will suffer."

After listening to this small report, Valknir was startled, and the smile on his face disappeared immediately.

Sitting down on the chair, he swallowed involuntarily, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

He just thought that Liu Yu was a fanatic, the kind of "patriot" that could be seen everywhere in the Netherlands before the Spanish Succession War.

This kind of person is fanatical but not lasting, crazy and easy to instigate.

However, Dashun was not a small country that completely lost its patriotic enthusiasm after being bled once by France. The national strength behind this kind of person made simple fanaticism and madness all the more terrifying.

However, judging from the few words in the report, this person was more than that.This is not a rough man who knows how to fight, nor is he the imaginary rude nobleman.

It neither talks about human nature nor morality, but is cold with a kind of natural disdain, like the gods on the top of Mount Olympus watching the battle in the world.

This kind of person must be a big trouble if he wants to comfort Nanyang.When I thought about receiving him, the overall situation was settled, and the other party didn't make any drastic moves, on the contrary, it seemed that I was too nervous before.

But now it seems that this person is more terrifying than I thought before. Who knows what unexpected actions China will make this time to comfort Nanyang.

"Lord Governor?"

The whistleblower meekly handed over a silk handkerchief. I don't know why these few words made the governor so nervous.

"Your Excellency? You...you care about the workhouse?"

With another cry, Valknir came back to his senses, took the handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"The workhouse? No, I don't care. What I care about is his views on the Batavian poverty relief system. If all Chinese expansionists have this way of thinking, it will be a disaster for the entire Christian world."

The watcher didn't understand and asked, "He just talked about the workhouse system."

Valknir raised his tired head and asked rhetorically: "So, with such eyes, how about the tax system, trade, and our rule in Southeast Asia? He can see terrible things, but we can't let him just Look at the workhouse."

"Okay, go, continue to monitor them, see what he is doing today, and continue to report."

"I want everything! Whatever he said, any whereabouts of him in Batavia, and what those Chinese are doing in Batavia, don't miss any little things!"

Although the watcher didn't know why the words about the workhouse caused the governor to be so flustered, he also knew that this matter was of great importance to the governor, so he hurriedly left the governor's mansion.

In the evening, the watcher came back, took a piece of paper recording various things, and reported to Valknir one by one.

"At 1:[-] p.m., he sent some young men to the Chinese community in the south of Batavia to inquire about the living conditions of the Chinese. These people should not be military officers or court officials, but rather his attendants."

"At 3 o'clock, the captain and officers of the scientific research ship that was berthing before went to the manor of Lian Fuguang in Kapitan, which is where Liu Yu lives temporarily. There was a banquet held there, but it was an internal banquet. We have no way of knowing What did he say."

"At 5 o'clock, the young men who were inspecting the Chinese community in the south of the city returned to the manor. We asked the Chinese, and the young men asked a variety of questions. Including tax types, income, the proportion of tax to income, business conditions over the years, direct flights in recent years The comparison between the trade and the previous state of entrepot trade is good or bad."

"Actually, after the workhouse incident, we have no chance to get close to him. You know, he is the imperial envoy of the Dashun Empire. As long as he doesn't want us to get close, we have no way to get close."

The nervous Valknir took the piece of paper. From this piece of paper alone, he didn't seem to be able to tell anything.

Just looking at this piece of paper, it seems that this is a more pragmatic official, unlike the rumored customs officials in Guangzhou and other places, who are just thinking about taking more bribes, or pretending that they must be allowed to board the ship. The haughty attitude of the captain on his knees.

But the questions asked by the young people sent to the Chinese district in the south of the city made Valkenier feel a little uneasy.

It seems that nothing can be seen today, but the shadow of the workhouse incident still hangs over his head. If a series of negotiations are to be held tomorrow, this will be an extremely difficult opponent.

Who knows if he will make any terrible suggestions based on the questions answered by the Chinese in the south of the city?

With this kind of anxiety, he knew that he would have to deal with such an extremely difficult person tomorrow and needed a good rest, but Valknir didn't fall asleep until midnight.

But early the next morning, when it was daylight, someone woke up Valknir.

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency! The Chinese warships on the pier are hoisting their sails and preparing to set sail. Ask them, they said that it is a routine training. According to the regulations, after the replenishment is completed, they cannot stay for a long time without the cover of the fort."

He didn't sleep well last night, and Valkner's head hurt a little, but after hearing this report, he bounced like a spring, and asked repeatedly: "So, where is Liu Yu?"

"He is still resting in the manor. It is said that he is not acclimated to the environment and is not feeling well. He needs to rest for a few days. About 250 Chinese marines are on guard near the manor, and the rest are inaccessible. Some people are going to the sugar factory outside the city. , and the northwest of the city where the Chinese without a residence permit gather, I don’t know what to do.”

This somewhat abnormal behavior made Valknir break out in a cold sweat.Regardless of the fact that it was early in the morning, he grabbed the wine bottle on the table next to him, poured a glass of wine and drank it down, and after his beating heart stabilized, he immediately gave the order.

"Tell the army in the city to gather immediately. All the gates of the city are on guard."

"The warships in the port also set sail immediately, following far behind the Chinese fleet. Don't get too close to avoid collisions, and keep in battle formation at all times."

"Notify the Chinese Kapitan and Lei Zhenlan that all court activities will be suspended today and they must be on standby at the Governor's Mansion."

"Send someone to Lian Fuguang's manor to inquire about the condition of Lord Marquis."

The adjutant hurriedly asked: "Then, do we want to put the whole city on alert like last time when the Wushan Party rioted outside the city?"

"Idiot! Of course not!"

After scolding, the adjutant was just about to leave when Valkneer thought of something again and told the fleet: "Tell the fleet, if the Chinese fleet acts provocatively near the port, you must be as patient as possible, as patient as possible. Once you set sail Finally, don’t get too close to the Chinese fleet, just don’t touch it. But also be prepared for the Chinese fleet’s surprise attack and start a war.”

"Let the soldiers assembled in the city gather near the Governor's Mansion."

The adjutant was ordered to leave, and members of the council came to report and asked what to do about this matter.

Valknir reluctantly offered a solution.

wait.

Now the initiative is completely in the hands of Liu Yu, and there are tens of thousands of Chinese outside the city who are in a state of outbreak, and these people have not been transported to Ceylon.

Even if there were only 50 Liu Yu in the city, Valkner would not dare to take the initiative to arrest these 50 people first, or open fire first.

Dashun is not those weak feudal chiefs, and the 250 marines near the manor, of course, cannot be the entire strength of Dashun.

These 250 people can be fought, but Batavia still has hundreds of soldiers, as well as a large number of native soldiers and mercenary cavalry. As long as they fight, these people will not take advantage.

But behind these 250 people is an empire with a population of hundreds of millions that just defeated Japan and took a bite of Russia in the northwest.Even if it is at the Ottoman level, is the Netherlands capable of defeating Ottoman in Crimea?
Attacking the imperial envoys of the empire for no reason will be an endless revenge without considering the ratio of investment and return.

What Valkner is most afraid of is that Liu Yu wants to force the bandits to respect themselves, or to occupy Batavia alone.

At this time, I was really afraid that Liu Yu would find some excuse to start a war.

He could only order the fleet to be as patient as possible in the face of possible provocative actions by the Dashun Navy.

Because Liu Yu didn't express direct hostility, the reason was also very appropriate: the navy was just doing routine training, and he himself was not acclimatized to rest in the manor without seeing guests.

(End of this chapter)