Win the Ding 1617

"From the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, I never imagined that the scenery along the way would be so magnificent. Now I begin to believe that the rich and prosperous East described by the millionaire in Venice is a fascinating sight!"

On the boat of Mr. van Basten, one of the 17 members of the Dutch East India Company's committee and the leading rich man in the Netherlands, the mathematician and publisher Flack, holding a glass of rum, sat on the cane on the deck. Sitting on the armchair, looking at the afterglow of the setting sun on the sea level in the distance, I couldn't help expressing emotion.

Sitting with him to watch the beautiful sunset was another distinguished guest of Mr. Basten, a Frenchman, Mr. Descartes.In order to avoid the intensifying war in Europe, Mr. Descartes went to the Netherlands from France. At the invitation of the hospitable and generous Mr. Basten, he decided to travel to the legendary and mysterious East with Flack, who was also a mathematician. By the way, find a quiet environment for your own research.

Although it is said that Mr. Van Basten's newly built ship should be the best ship in the Netherlands, with a load of nearly one thousand tons.But, like those damned Spaniard galleons, even the best ships, once stuffed with cargo, add a company or two of soldiers, a group of guests sailing to the East looking for opportunities or pure travel, and A dozen priests who took the boat for free were going to the East to spread the gospel of the Lord, so one can imagine the smell on this boat.

However, Mr. Basten still arranged the most superior environment on board for his distinguished guests, and the captain sent sailors to guard it specially, prohibiting irrelevant personnel from entering an area.Some of the decks with the best views are in this area.

Frank took out a small wooden box from his clothes pocket, took out two pills from it, and handed one to Mr. Descartes, "My friend, I think you will need this magical thing during your journey."

"What's this? Magic marijuana? Or Indian ahibi (opium)?"

Looking at the small pill exuding a mysterious smell in Mr. Frank's hand, Mr. Descartes asked his traveling companion with great interest.

"Neither. I bought it for three silver coins from the first mate yesterday. He told me that this is the destination of our travels. It is a small pill from the mysterious and rich East. It is useful for long journeys at sea. Septicemia, which is prone to occur, has a miraculous preventive effect. If there is such a good thing, it is natural to share it with good friends."

Mr. Descartes dubiously broke off the wax seal on the surface of the pill.A sweet smell rushed straight into his nostrils. "Ah! I seem to hear the birds singing in the Garden of Eden, and smell all kinds of fruits."

With a burst of chewing, the sweet and sour taste filled the mouth, making Descartes and Frank even more yearning for the East.

actually.What Descartes and Frank ate was nothing more than processed jam.Nanzhong is located in subtropical and tropical regions.Fruit resources are extremely rich.In order to give these rotten fruits a high value-added opportunity, people in the Maple Ridge Laboratory have developed the so-called Baotian Pill, in fact.To put it bluntly, it is a very simple job. First make the fruit into jam, then evaporate it once with a water bath, then flatten it and throw it in the lime tank to dry in the shade, and finally make it with honey. Okay, vitamin C supplement pills over, and finally use wax The honeyed pills, which are about the size of longan and lychee, are sealed, boxed, and sold on the pier.

It's not too expensive either, a box of twelve Baotian pills only sells for [-] Wen.Compared with the so-called unlucky man who happened to meet the Dongting tangerine in Dongting Hongli, there is simply a gap between heaven and earth, and Frank's box was actually fired for three silver coins by the first officer. This is a bit too dark.

"Gentlemen, let me introduce you to a new friend who will go to Nanzhong with us."

Mr. Basten walked onto the deck with a cheerful expression, and greeted the two gentlemen. Behind him, a man with a somewhat restless and flustered expression followed him step by step.

After exchanging pleasantries with Descartes and others, Mr. Van Basten declined Mr. Frank's kindness, "No need, we will anchor in Ceylon tomorrow. At that time, we will need a large number of fruits, fresh water and meat. This thing Just keep it and use it slowly!"

"Oh! Those twenty stallions you keep in the bilge can go galloping on the island?" Mr. Descartes teased Mr. Basten with a slight sarcasm.In India, Mr. Basten filled the bilge almost full of wheat and cotton, and at the same time miraculously stuffed [-] stallions, all of which had not been castrated. Can the narrow bilge be guaranteed? These noble lives are safe, Descartes and Frank have some reservations.

"Oh, my friend, thank God and Poseidon, and the Dragon King of the East, those beautiful horses are still healthy, as Mr. Galileo can testify, I believe that they will be well received during our short rest in Ceylon." A good environment to restore strength. After Ceylon, we will not be far from our destination. By then, you will know the significance of my transportation of these goods?"

"Galileo?" As the publisher, Frank's pupils dilated a lot. He looked at the old man with grass clippings on his beard and the smell of horse manure on his body. "You are the one who wrote it, wrote it," In a hurry, he couldn't remember the name of the book.

""Dialogue on Two World Systems"." Descartes added next to it.

That's right, it was Galileo who came.

"Dialogue Concerning Two World Systems" was written by Galileo in 1624 and published in 1632.Both Descartes and Frank, as mathematicians, also understand the content of this book. The book uses the style of three-person dialogue to defend Copernicus's heliocentric theory, point out the error of Ptolemy's geocentric theory, and explain to the pope and bishops implied sarcasm.For this reason, the book was ordered by the Holy See to stop selling it six months after it was published.Galileo himself was also facing the arrest of the Inquisition and Templars who came from Rome.

"However, fortunately, when the Templars arrived at Mr. Galileo's residence, it happened that Mr. Galileo was out on business to visit a friend of his. And at this time, the small house he lived in, because of a The greed of a mouse bit the candle. A modest fire started, which just happened to burn the house to rubble, and affected the neighbors nearby."

"After the fire, the templars recovered the body of a man from the rubble. They determined that this was Mr. Galileo himself. He belonged to the murderer who started the fire in order to escape the holy punishment of the Holy See. They took this result as the incident. The conclusions are reported to the tribunal and the Holy See authorities."

"And I happened to be a guest at the house of a friend he was going to visit. After learning about Mr. Galileo's experience and coincidences, I hid him in my carriage. I brought him back to the Netherlands. And I went to sea with the boat. The poor old man hid in the hold of the boat with the hamsters before entering the Indian Ocean."

Although there are bursts of sea breeze blowing, but.The two of Descartes, who were sitting on the rattan chair, could still smell the strong smell of Galileo.Although the taste of Europeans in this era is very "strong".The famous Paris is also a place where there are yellow and white things in every corner of the city.However, the smell on Mr. Galileo's body has the feeling of green out of blue.

This made Descartes and Frank frown.

"Okay! Gentlemen. I think you are familiar with it. Then, Mr. Galileo, please go to your cabin with my second mate. There has been prepared a bath and a change of clothes for you. You will have dinner with me." Favorite dish."

Galileo greeted the three gentlemen and turned to leave. The old man's eyesight was already very poor, and he still stumbled under the guidance of the second officer.Looking at the back of Mr. Galileo going away, Mr. Descartes smiled secretly at Van Basten, "My friend, I am very curious, why did that mouse bite off the candle at that moment? The little house was burned to ashes so quickly? And, why did the Templars decide so quickly that Mr. Galileo died in the fire or committed suicide?"

Mr. Van Basten did not speak, just took out a gold coin from his ramie shirt pocket, and handed it to Mr. Descartes, "My friend, you must know that even a servant of God needs gold coins to maintain the church. .I donated a huge statue of the Virgin Mary made of holy porcelain to the church, and at the same time replaced the glass windows for the church. More importantly, the gentlemen of the court got this friend of mine, so they decided that this It was an accident resulting in death."

Weighing the heavy gold coin, Mr. Descartes suddenly realized something. He looked at the sun that was about to sink into the sea in the distance, and wanted to say something, but he seemed to have nothing to say.

"In the East, there is a saying that the lawsuit is as big as the sky, and silver is as big as the earth." Mr. Basten took out another gold coin from his pocket and threw it into the choppy sea.

"This place should be under the jurisdiction of the Dragon King of the East. I will use this gold coin to pray that our voyage will be smooth and we will reach our destination!"

A beautiful parabola splashed a little water on the sea surface, and the gold coin became the Dragon King's collection in an instant. Such a move made Frank, a businessman, very envious.

"My God! Do you know that this action of yours threw almost two years' living expenses of a small Parisian family into the sea? Mr. Basten, I'm curious, what exactly did you find in the mysterious and rich East? Ali Baba's treasury, or King Solomon's treasure? Can you wear clothes that even the pope would envy, and keep you cool and pleasant in the hot sea, and throw away a gold coin as if it were a stone? !"

Although there were elements of exaggeration and flattery in Frank's words, there was a reason for it.The ramie shirt worn by Mr. Basten is enough to cause a duel between the prince and the earl in Paris and Rome, or make many noble ladies willing to talk with the owner in the bedroom or small living room. Talk about ideal life and the like.

As a plant, ramie is native to the southwest of my country. The main producing areas of several ramie are mainly the hemp area in the Yangtze River Basin (including Hunan, Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and other provinces), and the southern China hemp area (including Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, Taiwan, etc.), Ma area in the Yellow River Basin (including Shaanxi, Henan and other provinces and the southern part of Shandong Province).Among them, the hemp area in the Yangtze River Basin is the main hemp producing area in my country, and its cultivation area and output account for more than [-]% of the country's total cultivation area and total output.

Ramie in the Yangtze River Basin can be harvested three times a year, and the maturity period is 50-90 days.It happened to be Ye Qi's area of ​​responsibility.As a child of Nan Zhili, he knows the benefits of this material well. The famous Liuyang summer cloth is woven through the procedures of tearing hemp, hemp, winding, pulling and combing, weaving, bleaching and dyeing, and stepping on light.The sophistication of the craftsmanship can reach the weft of about two feet wide, with more than 1200 warp threads arranged, and a piece of tent cloth four or five feet long has a diameter of only an inch when rolled.Due to the fine weavers, each farmer can only produce one or half a piece of fine goods a year, and the best weavers can only produce one piece in two years.

then.A large amount of ramie was purchased from the production areas through the gangs of the Salt Gang and the Cao Bang.After sorting, sorting, and packing, they were transported southward by sea and handed over to the textile factory to fill up Guo Xiama's seemingly never-ending appetite.A large number of counterfeit linen are woven.Trafficked through Basten to the hot Mediterranean region.Immediately aroused a strong reaction among the princes, nobles, gentlemen and wealthy businessmen.

One is that this miraculous oriental cloth is so expensive that two Spanish gold coins can buy one, (Mr. Basten cried: "Damn it! That greedy Governor Lee. He even asked for a foot when he sold it to me. One hundred copper coins! If I sell you two gold coins, one horse is not too expensive!")

The second is the magic of this fabric, "thin, soft, cool and breathable, easy to wash and dry, and the more you wash, the whiter it is!" The employees of the East India Company and the shops that have business dealings with Mr. Basten all shouted in unison.In Paris, in Marseilles, in Rome, etc., it was found, even to the point of so-called hard to find a horse.

"If there is a gentleman or aristocrat who can give me a magical oriental cloth, I am willing to spend the night with him."

The hottest whore at the Moulin Rouge in Paris uttered such words.

As the initiator of the introduction of ramie cloth to Europe, Basten naturally earned more. Ramie cloth and the trade of porcelain with holy porcelain as the high-end and lily porcelain as the mainstay were the superficial reasons why he became the richest man in the Netherlands.The actual reason is that he is the largest arms dealer of the South China Army in Europe.

Of course, Mr. Basten will not tell Frank the secret. You know, Frank himself, and Descartes who discussed mathematics with him enthusiastically, and the man who was bought by him from the iron claws of the templar. The Galileo that came out was actually the product of his fortune. As a well-educated nobleman, how could Mr. Basten tell others about this kind of thing?

Mr. Van Basten's Fortune stayed in Ceylon for a few days to replenish fresh water, vegetables, fruits and fresh meat, then bid farewell to the South Central Army officials here, and set sail to continue.

On the surface of Lingjiawei Island, the ship began to furl its sails, and its speed slowed down.

Officials at the Maritime Customs will board and inspect passing ships, register the type, quantity, and price of the goods, and then collect taxes according to the type and value of the goods.

"Generally speaking, luxury goods such as gems and pearls have the highest tax rate, reaching almost 20.00%, followed by various handicrafts from Europe, the Middle East, and India. However, what good things do we have that can be sold to the East? ? More gold and silver. For these imported gold and silver, the tax officials in front collected them according to the standard of [-]% five, which is a quarter."

Mr. Basten talked with the passengers on the ship, especially those rookie businessmen who tried to come to the East to make a fortune, and introduced the various tax rates implemented by the previous customs.

"Usually when the tax officer boards the ship for inspection, he will issue an announcement telling you the tax rates of various goods. If you try not to pay taxes, or try to get through the customs with more declarations and less, then if you get away with it here, then , at another exit of the strait, I hope you have better luck. Because if you are found to have these behaviors there, you will be politely asked to disembark by the tax officer and his soldiers, and go with the sharks in the sea have dinner together."

After listening to Mr. Basten's introduction, there was an uproar on the deck. People came all the way from Europe in order to make a fortune in the legendary east full of spices and gold, but some people want to make their fortune. How can this be tolerated? ?

Could it be that the powerful Kingdom of the Netherlands and the powerful East India Company were bullied and did not resist?Is the honor of the sea coachman tarnished like this?

After listening to Mr. Basten's introduction, there was an uproar on the deck. People came all the way from Europe in order to make a fortune in the legendary east full of spices and gold, but some people want to make their fortune. How can this be tolerated? ?

Could it be that the powerful Kingdom of the Netherlands and the powerful East India Company were bullied and did not resist?Is the honor of the sea coachman tarnished like this?

"Could it be that Mr. Yan Petersson Kun in Batavia allows heretics to collect such heavy taxes on us?" Someone called the name of the governor of the East India Company to try to arouse sympathy.

However, his luck is not good enough. Although the Mr. Basten in front of him is very familiar with Mr. Yan Peterson Kun, he is not a friend, but a deadly enemy who has been fighting openly and secretly for a long time within the East India Company!

Seeing someone trying to use the name of the enemy to suppress himself, Mr. Basten shrugged politely, returned a regretful expression, and turned back to his cabin.

"Send someone to keep an eye on that annoying guy. When the tax officer boards the ship, add one or two Ceylon gems to his cargo, and let the tax officer clean him up for us!"

In the cabin, Mr. Basten gave his right-hand man, a deputy manager of the company, an assignment. On this ship, no one is allowed to challenge his authority, not even the governor of the East India Company.

He is a member of the 17-member committee. According to the company's charter, his rank is far higher than the governor of the East India Company.From the 47th year of Wanli, that is, 1619 AD, as the third governor of the East India Company, Yan Petersson Kun began to build large-scale construction projects in Batavia to build settlements, commercial stations, and fortresses for the Dutch.

However, the number and strength of the Chinese here far exceeds that of the Dutch. Moreover, as the naval power of the South China Army grows step by step, the Chinese here are getting stronger day by day and do not buy the account of the East India Company.

"If you offend the Ming Southern Central Army, you and the Dutch ships will not want to go to sea, and Batavia's food will not last for three months."

This is what a Chinese said when he refused to pay taxes to the East India Company. His reason was that I had already paid taxes to the South Central Army and was not obliged to pay taxes to you.

Choose the lesser of two evils and the more important of two benefits.After comparing with these Chinese in Batavia, the navy of the South China Army, which is close at hand, may go south and use those small boats loaded with dozens of artillery and rockets to harass and intercept traffic. Dutch ships in Java and the Maluku Islands, and the company's trade in Japan and the coast of Fujian have begun to shrink, and they cannot afford to be hit again.

Based on the above considerations, the company decided to take a tacit and tolerant attitude towards the actions of the Nanzhong Army for the time being, even though they snatched the already easy-to-get Manga City from the company and levied taxes on passing ships.

The deputy manager and the captains are well aware of the bullshit among the company's top executives, but they are employees of the Basten family, not salary from the company, so the losses of the East India Company What do you really care about me?I hope that the interests of the East India Company will be further hit, and the Basten family will control this business route between the East and the West!

The sail on the mast was lowered on two sides again, and the speed slowed down more and more. On the sea in front of him, there were seven or eight boats moored, all of them were waiting for the tax officer to board the ship for inspection and inspection. , according to the standard of the tax receivable, to collect the relevant tax.

The people on the boat became more and more flustered. Some put Ceylon gems in their shoes, some stuffed diamonds into their pants, and even more so, they tied a bag around a woman's waist and covered it with a skirt. It is not known what valuables were contained inside.There are also those who are clever, simply stuffing some small valuables into the wooden gaps in the cabin, trying to avoid the inspection of those tax officials.

Looking at the messy scene, the penniless Mr. Galileo couldn't help shaking his head, "Oh, greedy people!"

Descartes, on the other hand, was very calm. As a philosopher, he had a deeper understanding of the scene in front of him. (To be continued..)

ps: It is said that I should ask for a monthly pass, everyone, if you have a monthly pass, just vote, thank you!