Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 390 Commerce and Diplomacy ([-])

On March 1644, 3, when Gaumo was recuperating in the manor outside the city at the trading station, Julian, dressed in formal attire, suddenly burst in with joy.

"Gao, there is good news." Julian said to Gao Mo with a little excitement, "Baron Elan will go hunting in the outskirts of Bordeaux this afternoon, and Baron Loris and the heir of the Baron of Toulouse, Frank, will be accompanied by them. Work hard, you have 5 minutes to talk to the Baron in the afternoon. There is someone in Baron Elland's family who works as a clerk next to the Chief Financial Officer. You know, this is a big man. Our matter may fall into Here you go, get ready."

"Is this person reliable? I mean is he willing to help?" Gao Mo also sat up and said solemnly: "If this person also wants to get involved in the cotton business, maybe we will lose more than we gain, because he must It will thin our profits, which is not good for us. Instead, I think it is better to pay taxes honestly, at least we are still making money for now.”

"Gao, you think too simply." Julian looked at Gao Mo with some strange eyes, and said, "Do you think this tax collection is an isolated incident? No, this is not the whole truth! According to what I just said According to the information obtained, this taxation incident is just the beginning. The new prime minister is a ruthless character. He has decided to revive the French economy. To this end, he has introduced [-] sets of the latest hydraulic textile machinery from the Netherlands , and recruited a lot of bankrupt handicraftsmen, and planned to follow your example to set up a large-scale textile factory. These textile machines were redesigned by the Dutch after years of research and improvement. The efficiency is far higher than before, although it may still be inferior to yours. But the gap between them has been narrowed. The main products of the textile factory will be cotton cloth, followed by a small amount of woolen cloth. The raw materials of cotton cloth are imported from the West Indies and Brazil, and the wool is partly settled domestically, and partly imported from the Ottoman Empire. —Who told the British to ban the export of wool, Gao, we are in big trouble."

Hearing what Julian said, Gao Mo felt something was wrong.The current domestic cotton self-sufficiency rate of the people on the east coast is only a little over [-]%, and the rest is imported from Brazil, Santo Domingo, and Florida. If the French also purchase a large amount of cotton from the planters here , It is bound to cause a sharp rise in cotton prices, which will undoubtedly increase the cost of people on the east coast.Moreover, what is even more frightening is that due to the limited maritime power of the French, in order to transport these raw materials, they will inevitably hire a large number of transport ships in the international market, which will undoubtedly push up the rent of transport ships.For the people on the east coast where the tonnage of merchant ships is still seriously insufficient, if the rent of transport ships is high, the cost of goods for the people on the east coast will also increase.In short, the money-crazed French are on the menacing, and the situation of the people on the east coast looks very bad.

"Damn!" Gao Mo cursed, "he is really a special chancellor. Well, I'm going to prepare, and then where do we go to meet this baron? And, are you sure he can help? You also say Yes, this is the will of the prime minister, so the possibility of changing course is not very great, right?"

"Go to my family's manor. We have to try it. If it doesn't work, we will find another way." Julian said concisely, "Everything is up to my arrangement. The big man may have a weird temper, try not to make him angry."

Gao Mo nodded, and after changing into a formal suit of the East Coast standard, he put on a top hat, and then hurriedly boarded Julian's carriage with a military officer who came with him, and headed for the outskirts of Bordeaux.

To be honest, spring is not a season suitable for hunting.Because the animals have been consumed for a winter, and they are all skinny and have no oil or water.But what does this matter, you must know that the prey of the men is not only those pheasants and hares running all over the ground, but also the flocks of warblers and swallows sitting around the hunting ground.These ladies and ladies of Bordeaux dressed in baroque style sat on the sidelines and talked in a low voice, and glanced at the gentlemen in hunting suits in the hunting ground from time to time.

And these children from the same upper-class families also held their heads high and their bodies secreted hormones rapidly, wishing to immediately attract the attention of these ladies and ladies.Baron Elland is undoubtedly the protagonist today. This young man from a northern aristocratic family has a prominent background. He is currently learning elegant knowledge of theology, history and poetry from some famous scholars. In addition, he is handsome, so in There is also a little bit of fame in the circle of noble ladies in Paris.He agreed to hunt in the outskirts of Bordeaux today only with the mentality of having fun. He has been in the social circle of Paris all the year round, and he would occasionally taste the fragrance of the ladies and ladies of Bordeaux, a big southern city.

Julian and the others parked the carriage in the manor in a low-key manner, and then the group stood cautiously somewhere, waiting for news.About 10 minutes later, a middle-aged man with the appearance of a housekeeper came over, and he glanced at Gao Mo and Second Lieutenant Zheng Yong, a military officer wearing an army uniform, with reserved and haughty eyes, and said: " Tatars, it is your honor to have five minutes to talk with the honorable baron, please observe your etiquette. Then, please come with me now."

The two of Gao Mo followed the butler with serious faces. After walking for about five or six minutes, they finally saw the baron by the stable.Baron Elland is really young, tall and well-proportioned, with soft facial lines, full of blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard, he looks quite attractive.It is said that this young nobleman followed Prince Condé and fought against the Spanish Flemish Legion last year. At that time, he was a cavalry officer and personally participated in the attack on the Spanish cavalry. Therefore, he is also young and promising, not useless playboy.

"Tatars, or people from the east bank, I already know why you are here." Baron Elland in a red hunting suit said casually while packing his bags with the help of his attendants: "But this matter is really serious. It is very difficult to deal with. The Prime Minister is very determined. He has made up his mind to develop the country's textile industry in order to drive away all those foreign businessmen. Noble France does not need the existence of vampires. Please forgive my directness, maybe I It makes you uncomfortable, but it is a fact, and no one can change it. Not only you, but the English, the Dutch, the Italians and the damned Jews will all be driven out. This is the reality, the unique reality of France."

"Perhaps you have many reasons of your own..." Baron Elland reached out his hand to stop Gao Mo who was about to speak, then turned over and sat on the horseback, and said to Gao Mo: "But France's will cannot be violated, and you will have the honor to witness a Great nations rise. Is that young man behind you an officer? Beautiful clothes! May your valor be as admirable as your clothes!"

"There is no doubt about the bravery of the soldiers of the Eastern China Republic. We have proved this on many occasions." Zheng Yong, who was still a junior high school student before the crossing, couldn't bear it, and immediately responded to the other party's provocation in French: "If anyone dares to endanger Huaxia Eastern We will respond most resolutely with the saber in our hands.”

Gao Mo sighed in his heart, this stupefied young man!After all, you are young and energetic, and you can't stand a little provocation from others. Saying such hard words on this occasion is the rhythm to mess things up.Those people in the military department are really hateful. They insisted on putting a so-called military officer by their side, but you picked someone who was more stable.He really has no hair on his mouth and can't do things well. He really wants to be killed by him!

Baron Elland was taken aback for a moment, then sneered, and said, "Interesting people from the east coast, I hope we will have a chance to meet again in the future. Well, I'm still busy, please go back." After finishing speaking, he didn't wait When Gao Mo and the others replied, they put their legs between the horse's belly and galloped forward surrounded by the attendants.

Looking at the back of Baron Elland walking away, Gao Mo was also a little depressed.The other party wasn't even interested in talking to him anymore. Obviously, this matter was over, but it was indeed quite aggrieved today, rushing to the door but eating such a soft and not hard nail.I'm in my 40s, and being treated like a bug by such a boy in his early twenties, I feel uncomfortable thinking about it.

After returning to the place of departure, Julian immediately went forward and quietly asked about the outcome of the incident. Although he had given up hope, he still had luck in his heart.However, Gao Mo's reply shattered his last illusion, and several people returned to the shop of the East Coast people dejectedly.

"The matter is very clear." Gao Mo rubbed his face and said: "The new prime minister wants to make money, maybe he wants it himself, maybe the country is short of money, in short, he is eyeing our business. I I even suspect that this matter is mainly handled by the financial director. France has exhausted its treasury due to the war. In the midst of constant foreign wars. We sell our cotton cloth in only 3000 of the 1.5 provinces, and we have achieved annual sales of hundreds of thousands of livres. Maybe someone will do it if they want to change it. Better. Hmph, they think things too simply. Don't worry, Julian, I will conduct urgent consultations with my domestic colleagues to come up with a response plan as soon as possible. As for now, let's wait and see what happens .”

(End of this chapter)