Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 389 Commerce and Diplomacy ([-])

The escort gunship "Tuna" and the flute-shaped transport ship "Abbot" slowly docked in the port of Bordeaux.

Gao Mo, who was wearing an alpaca woolen coat, walked out of the cabin with the help of the secretary. He was a little seasick at first, but when he saw the land, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if his discomfort had eased a lot.

I really can't take this flute-shaped boat that slows like a snail anymore, it will really kill people.Although the captain gave up his room to Gao Mo, he was still in a daze.For this reason, the ship loaded with [-] high-grade dyed cloth even had to stay in St. Augustine in East Florida for a whole week to give the great man Gaumo time to disembark and recuperate.

After resigning from his position as a member of the Central Committee, Gao Mo, a veteran diplomat, has served as a national diplomatic envoy and began to visit the European continent with a diplomatic mission of more than 20 people in order to establish a good external environment for the country's development.The country has developed for so many years, and now it is time to have a clear foreign policy.However, the first thing that matters in diplomacy is strength. If you don't have strength, then it is hard to avoid obstacles everywhere in diplomacy.As far as the present is concerned, the East Coast People have established their country for more than ten years, but in the impression of Europeans, the East Coast Republic of China is still a country that lacks a sense of existence.

Especially for the aristocratic elites of Spain, Portugal, Shinra (Austria), France, England, Sweden, Poland, etc., when it comes to the east coast, their first impression is that there are endless textiles, from the largest selling white From cotton cloth to ordinary dyed cloth and printed cloth, and now to the new high-grade dyed cloth and printed cloth that have been newly launched for two years; from ordinary gloves, scarves, handkerchiefs, socks, burqas to the latest simple-cut garments, East Coast The achievements of people in the textile industry are unquestionable.By the end of 1643, the annual profit of textiles sold by people on the east coast had exceeded 160 million yuan, of which the profit in the Kingdom of France was more than 75 yuan, accounting for 47%; the profit in the Ottoman Empire was 48 yuan, accounting for 30%; The following markets are mostly distributed in the Spanish mainland (American colonies), Brazil, Tuscany, Livonia, Portuguese African colonies and the domestic market.

Therefore, for the French, the big patrons of the East Coasters, the East Coasters meant a lot of fine textiles.Although nobles prefer high-end clothing made of silk and wool blends, they are more or less repulsed by cheap new things like cotton cloth.But thanks to the unparalleled dyeing skills of the East Coasters, these cottons still enjoyed a strong following among all classes of French society.Especially after people from the east coast bribed some ladies who were at the forefront of fashion, they were immediately imitated by ladies in cotton cloth from the east coast, and the market opened up like this.

The aristocrats bought high-grade dyed cotton cloth with high prices, and the middle class such as small businessmen and bureaucrats bought ordinary dyed cloth. As for the common people, they could only buy some white cotton cloth.If it were not limited to the agreement with the British, the textiles of the people on the east coast would have already reached the northern provinces of Ile-de-France, Normandy, Picardy, Champagne and other provinces, thereby occupying the entire French market.Of course, the bureaucrats in the foreign trade department on the East Coast are not all fools. Only the Dutch can do this kind of thing that they eat alone and don’t give others a way to survive. People on the East Coast will not try to challenge the interests of others when they are not strong enough. , that is very unwise.

"Dear Gao, it seems that your journey was not very smooth." Julian Pasquale, who was wearing a formal dress, stepped forward to support Gao Mo, who was a little limp in his feet, and said with concern: "Maybe we should rest for two days before talking about it." , your condition looks bad."

"Ah, maybe you are right, dear Julian, my friend. I think I really need to take a break. Maybe it would be a good choice to visit Baron Loris in a few days." Gao Mo said weakly, Then he smiled wryly again, "Thanks to you this year, our business is getting bigger and bigger, and more people are coveting. Now it seems that we have to contact some ancient families in the north who are trusted by the king as soon as possible. Now, now is not the time to talk about this, let's go back to the business station first."

What Gao Mo said was not aimless.In fact, with the mass sales of east coast textiles in France, especially in the southern region, there are not many merchants and nobles who are jealous of this business.In the past few years, due to the partners of the East Coast people-the Pasquale family of Gascony and Baron Loris, as well as the energy of the Baron Toulouse, a powerful baron with deep influence in the Bas-Gallon and Provence regions, these people There have been no big waves, and even under their joint manipulation, the people on the east coast have evaded a large amount of taxes that should be paid.

However, with the annual sales of the business approaching 200 million yuan, the brilliance of Dongan Textiles cannot be concealed no matter what.A large amount of textiles from the east coast secretly flowed into the north-central French market through the Provence region. Not only the British merchants complained, but even the local French textile handicraftsmen also complained. East Coast Textiles.

Until the sound of Rocroix's cannon, those in power in France have always adopted a tolerant attitude. They pretended not to see the flood of East Coast textiles in the French market, and they also pretended not to see the angry bankrupt handicraft industries. The oracles dragged their families to Quebec to make a living, and they pretended not to see the ugliness of the customs officials who were bribed by the East Coasters; and all this finally came to an end after the defeat of the Spanish Flemish Army in the Battle of Rocroix. pause.

At the end of 1643, many officials in Gascony and Provence were dismissed by the king. Some of them were thrown into prison, and some were transferred to the North American colonies.Not only that, the newly appointed Bordeaux customs officials and tax officials imposed 12.5% ​​import duty and 17.5% sales tax on all goods (including textiles and leather goods, except arms) of the East Coast people based on the selling price.This is a blow to East Coast Textiles, which pursues the policy of small profits but quick turnover, because if the sales price is adjusted (that is, the tax is passed on to consumers), the sales of white cotton cloth, which accounts for the majority of profits, will definitely decline significantly; If the price is not adjusted, it is equivalent to bearing the extra 30% tax loss for no reason.

High-end dyed cloth, printed cloth, etc. are okay, they are aimed at different customer groups, and they have strong purchasing power, so they don’t care whether you raise the price or not, but ordinary white cotton cloth and its derivatives are troublesome .Taking white cotton cloth as an example, the production cost (including freight) of people on the east bank is about 0.75 yuan/piece, the wholesale price for big agents like the Pasquale family is 1.75 yuan/piece, and the retail price in the market is 2.25-2.75 yuan/horse (different regions).The French tax is based on the CIF price of 1.75 yuan, which means that each piece of cloth has to pay more than 0.5 yuan in tax, which is 20 yuan a year.If the price of cotton cloth does not increase, the money will have to be borne alone, and even if the loss is shared with the agent, an additional 10 yuan will be spent that year.

This money is enough to build one or two battleships!If taxes on goods such as leather goods, grain, and high-grade cotton cloth were added, the huge amount of fees worth two or three battleships that had been levied this year would not have escaped.When it comes to such a huge loss, people on the east coast can't help but be nervous, and this is one of the reasons why Gao Mo came to Bordeaux by boat.In addition to seeing if some commercial losses can be recovered, another major task of Gao Mo's trip is to try to figure out the motivation of the French to suddenly tax the goods on the east coast, that is, whether they are purely out of business The considerations still contain political implications.

Gao Mo vaguely heard that last year the French colonial expedition in Madagascar had proposed to Shi Chinger of Xinhua Castle to buy some building materials for the construction of their Fort Dofan Fort and the wharf, but this request was rejected by Shi Chinger. He refused without mercy.He didn't even give a reason, so he directly rejected the Frenchman's request, because in his view, the whole of Madagascar belonged to him, and the Frenchman was encroaching on his sphere of influence, so he naturally rejected these Everything the French ask for.

In addition, the French may also be concerned about the sale of large quantities of cheap army weapons (mainly flintlock muskets, matchlocks, etc.) guns, sabers) to help them quickly rebuild their army, which would undoubtedly raise the cost of the French annexing these areas.In fact, the people on the east coast are also a bit wronged, because they have never directly traded with Strasbourg, and most of the weapons were resold to them by the Spaniards.But the proud French don't care about that, they just think they've been offended, or they're just making a fuss, and the East Coast seems to be in trouble now.If they don't want to lose such a huge market as France, they'd better think of a way.

Gao Mo's opinion is to quickly contact the Loris family, who has some contacts in the religious circle, and the Baron of Toulouse, who also has some ideas in Paris, and ask them to help mediate, first find a way to find out the cause of the matter, and then find a countermeasure Come.France, a country that only participated in the late period of the Thirty Years War, is now in a thriving situation. The rise of major powers is quite obvious. Now it is time to deal with them more cautiously.Moreover, I heard that they changed a new prime minister and cardinal last year, maybe this is where the variables of the matter lie.

(End of this chapter)