Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 560 The Gaze of the Genoese ([-])

Thanks to the help of the Doria family who had many ways, Mo San was able to ride in a luxurious and comfortable carriage for free.The carriage was personally driven by Mario's servants, and they headed west at lightning speed along the Canton Avenue from the outskirts of Marseilles to Arles.These avenues have been built for some years, but they are well maintained.

Maybe the economic environment here is not so good, except for the occasional government mail truck passing by, there are few other vehicles on the road.The roadside scenery is relatively monotonous, but Mo San enjoys watching it, because you can see a lot of things from many details of a country's villages or cities, and this is often a necessary quality for a qualified diplomat.

There is no doubt that the inhabitants of Provence are poor, or that the whole of the south of France (with a few exceptions, such as Bordeaux) is poor for the most part.They are rich in grains and agricultural products, but they are exploited in the unequal exchange with urban commercial capital, so that it is difficult for farmers in wheat producing areas to eat what they grow.This situation may not be obvious in Provence, Languedoc and other places. If you go to Auvergne and Alençon in the south-central region of France, you will find how poor they are.Because of poverty, the local area has always been an important province for immigrants. Many people went overseas to develop, some went to the Netherlands as sailors, some went to the North American colonies, and some went to work as mercenaries. It looks too dilapidated.

The roadside is full of sparse groves and large tracts of farmland.In this era, the population of France has grown to 2100 million, perhaps more than 2200 million. The limited land area cannot carry too many people, and the wasteland where there were large forests has been reclaimed, so the population is still large. Many people fell into poverty.

In this country where agricultural activities account for 90% of the economy, as Richelieu resolutely decided to join the Thirty Years War to fight against Spain more than ten years ago, the current domestic tax burden is also becoming increasingly heavy. It can be seen in the income of the tax bureau.In addition, due to the financial strain caused by the war, the mint in Tours minted a large number of low-quality coins. The reputation of the livre (that is, the franc) plummeted, and the exchange rate also fell again and again. France suffered from severe inflation.Of course, her opponent Spain is not much better, even worse than France in terms of inflation.

On February 2, Mario, Mo San and a group arrived in Arles on the banks of the Rhone.Here they will take a boat to Avignon upstream, where they will transfer to the boat of the Doria family to go further upstream to Lyon, the economic center of France at this time - a prosperous city founded by Italian businessmen .

During the boarding in Arles, Mario chatted with Mo San again: "Maybe you already know, but I still have to say that your navy fought a beautiful battle in the Tyrrhenian Sea. According to the news from Naples News, the Spaniards lost several warships in that naval battle, but they only sank one of your transport ships (in fact, there is also a frigate). I have to say, the good qualities and tenacity displayed by your navy His fighting style is admirable, please accept my sincere congratulations."

"I really don't know about this matter. In fact, I just heard that our government has officially started war with the Kingdom of Spain not long ago." Mo San said calmly.However, although his face was calm, his heart was overwhelmed at the moment: God, is this a decisive battle with the main force of the Spanish navy?Anyway, you wait until the main Spanish navy escorts the Flota fleet to the Americas, then come back, then you see those crooked melons remaining in mainland Spain dare to stop you?

"Do you know, Mo." Mario said in an envious tone: "You have shown your strength in the Mediterranean Sea, a sea area with many ports and prosperous business, and you have been recognized by many princes, nobles, big businessmen and bankers. For you, this has greatly improved your country's popularity and international status. After a while, even those Nordic countries with no information will know that the fleet on the east coast cannot be insulted, and there are too many benefits in it. gone."

Mo San could understand what Mario said.In fact, it’s like a football player. If you perform well on a big stage like the World Cup, then your value will skyrocket. Status, money, and honor will follow one after another. There are indeed many benefits. .Now that the East Bank has scored several goals in a row at Spain's home court (Naples), but only conceded one goal, then the princes and nobles of the major European countries will naturally notice this newly rising country, and consciously or unconsciously change its status from A kingdom of the barbaric Tartars of the New World, raised to a second or third power with some naval power.At this point, the East Bank can already sit on an equal footing with many countries and have equal dialogue.

Facing Mario's compliment, Mo San smiled reservedly, and accepted it very reassuringly.There is no need to be modest at this time. The face of a diplomat is given by the country and backed by the status and strength of the country.The navy is so competitive this time, Mo San's face is naturally bright.

"Has your country considered how long this war will last?" After deliberating his words, Mario threw out a tempting bargaining chip: "I don't mean anything else, as a Genoese businessman who also hates Spaniards , I have some concerns about your country's ability to hold out in a potentially protracted war. You know, wars cost money, and of course people. Damaged ships need repairs, damaged artillery canvases need replacing, casualties Soldiers need pensions and re-recruitment, which are all things that test the country’s war potential. Let’s take sailors as an example. Do you have a large number of reserve sailors in your country? If not, you need to go to the Amsterdam market to recruit, but there The competition is very fierce and exclusive, if you do not have a certain identity background, then you will not be able to recruit enough sailors, after all, the Dutch East India Company squats there almost every day to recruit sailors to the Far East.”

Seeing that Mo San smiled and did not speak, Mario had no choice but to continue: "Of course you can't only go to Amsterdam to recruit. In Genoa and Leghorn, you can also recruit a certain number of sailors, but this also requires referrals. Except Except for sailors, the huge amount of materials consumed by the war all need money to buy. As far as I know, many of the materials purchased by your country come from Bordeaux, Smyrna or Amsterdam. As the war progresses, your country’s funds will be consumed. The speed will be faster and faster. Of course your country may have a lot of spare funds, after all, you have just discovered a gold mine there, but have you considered other measures just in case? Such as a public offering of war bonds in foreign markets ...Of course, if there are no referrers and guarantors, the bonds you issue overseas are likely to be in an embarrassing situation, or have to raise interest rates to sell as much as possible-I don’t mean to belittle you, it’s just For example. But if you have a gentleman with a certain reputation as a guarantee, not only will the bonds be sold quickly, but the interest expenses and sales expenses will also be controlled within a reasonable range. It is very beneficial for the country with the best interests.”

Hearing what Mario said, Mo San also felt quite reasonable.Nowadays, with the deepening of the war, a large increase in military expenditure is a high probability event, and at the same time, a decline in the trade volume and profit margin of export commodities is also a high probability event, then the national finance may be really tight or even insufficient, unless you can Succeeded in supporting war with war.As for the opening of gold mines, this is completely out of the question in the short term. Even within a few years, due to various reasons, it is unlikely that the hard currency of gold can be obtained in a large amount.

From this point of view, perhaps it is really necessary to raise funds overseas.Originally, Mo San considered raising funds from the senior generals of the Ottoman Guards, court eunuchs and senior officials, but according to the test, the situation is not very optimistic, and the annual interest rate demanded by the other party is very high, ranging from 15% to 20% % or so, Mo San didn't dare to have any ideas at all.If you can get financing from the Genoese, you may be able to get a lower interest rate, probably within 10%, so that the interest burden will be much lighter.But even though he thought so in his heart, Mo San didn't want to make a decision so quickly at this time, so he continued to perfunctory Mario.

They arrived in Avignon on the evening of 2 February and rested overnight.The next day, a group of more than ten people boarded a ship of the Doria family to transport goods, headed for Lyon, and arrived in this prosperous commercial city on February 20.

Mario will go to the city to handle the family business, while Mo San will take a carriage to Roanne.Before parting, Mario made the last lobbying: "Mo, haven't you thought it through yet? It is beneficial for everyone to cooperate with our family. Our family can even provide marine insurance for ships in your country. This kind of commercial insurance is currently only available in London and Genoa besides Amsterdam. Of course, considering that your country is at war, the cost of this insurance will be very high. Well, Mo, can you tell me the truth now, you How do you feel about our family investing in your country?"

"Your sister, issuing public bonds, commercial insurance, and investing in factories, the Genoese's business experience is very high. Compared with them, the people on the east coast are simply barbarians." Mo San couldn't help complaining secretly.

Considering that there is indeed some practical benefit in cooperating with them, he said: "I personally think that an old family with a reputation like Doria is a very suitable business partner, but unfortunately I can't make the decision. I have to ask the domestic , but I will include my personal opinion in the report."

After speaking, Mo San said goodbye to Mario, and then drove to Roanne.Once there, he will change boats to Orléans or Briard and then on to the Seine, and will probably be able to reach Paris by March 3 to begin his public relations campaign.

(End of this chapter)