New Shun 1730

The war in Europe is about to end, but it is not over yet, and the final result is still confusing. The final direction is still shrouded in fog. Even if Dashun has made thousands of calculations, there will always be various accidents in the war in Europe.

The war in Nanyang has not ended yet, but the ending is doomed. Unless their God personally comes out to perform mechanical deification, there will be no surprises in the final result.

As soon as summer arrived, the Dutch castles in Sulawesi and other places had not been completely captured, and a large number of officials who went to Nanyang had begun to return to Beijing to report.

Following them back were not only a large number of tribute envoys from small countries in Nanyang, but also some Dutch captives selected for offering captives in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The mighty fleet did not go directly to Tianjin Dagukou to land, but stopped in Songjiang for transit as before to show off its wealth.

A large number of merchants who received the news in advance flocked to the dock to greet them.

In name, it was to celebrate the return of the Celestial Empire to Nanyang and the arrival of all nations.

In fact, it was to inquire about the court's trade plans after going to Nanyang.

Songjiang has been developing well in recent years. The wealthy merchants here have a keen sense of business. How can they not perceive the business opportunities in such a big event as going to Nanyang?

Now it is the season for transporting grain to the north in summer. The provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River are trying to transport it by sea. Hundreds of thousands of ships are gathered here, which is more prosperous.

Now that Nanyang has been conquered, there are no enemy forces in the surrounding area that can threaten the sea transportation of grain in the short term. I think this port will be even busier in the future.

With a 10% tax-free discount, these ships transporting grain are not concerned about this transportation cost. Instead, a large amount of tax-free goods can enter the northern market openly.

Compared with the interception and card tax on the canal, a large number of goods now choose to go by sea, which has basically squeezed out the sales of goods transported by the canal.

With Dashun setting up the "pigsty" in Songjiang Prefecture, some land trade routes that originally led to Guangzhou gradually showed a decadent trend.

For example, porcelain from Jiangxi was originally exported to Guangzhou. Now that the Great Lakes and Yangtze River have been turned around, some of the original transport businesses have nothing to do. In recent years, the White Lotus Sect south of Jiangxi has been thriving again.

The country is a whole. Overall, the only market that Dashun has expanded in recent years is Japan. The expansion of the European market has not yet achieved any results. Songjiang Prefecture exports more goods, while Guangdong and Fujian export less. It's a very simple reason.

In addition, with the development of trade with Japan and Korea, the southern route and Ryukyu have been abandoned. Instead, they choose to fly directly from Songjiang to Nagasaki, or Weihai to Pyongyang and Busan.

It is just as Liu Yu expected when he conquered Japan and criticized Ryukyu before. Ryukyu has lost its uniqueness as a transit point for Sino-Japanese trade. The country is small and the people are poor. In recent years, many people have chosen to go out to sea to become pirates.

Originally, there was inherent trade between China and Japan, but Ryukyu was controlled by Satsuma Domain, which engaged in trade in the name of tribute. Satsuma Domain eats meat, and Ryukyu can also drink some soup.

Now that Ryukyu's commercial geographical advantages have been completely lost, many people have taken risks and started a business with no capital.

In this way, the prosperity of the direct shipping route between Songjiang and Nagasaki has been further promoted.

Looking at the large number of grain ships docked on the sea of ​​Songjiang Prefecture, thinking about the court's determination to abolish the grain transport system and change to the sea in the future, Liu Yu subconsciously looked at the envoys of the Sulu Kingdom who were shocked by the prosperity of Jiangnan.

I thought that the Ryukyu pirates, Sulu pirates, and Vietnamese pirates, these three unstable factors on the sea, are estimated to be the focus of the navy's "care" targets in the next few years.

This time, I still have to make it clear with the people in the court as soon as possible. As the saying goes, courtesy comes before force, so I still have to warn the Sulu Kingdom first.

It is estimated that the Sulu Kingdom will find it difficult to control those pirates, but since I have told them and notified them, it will be easier to say when they are encircled and suppressed in the future.

These envoys are also the first time to come to the Celestial Empire, and the first time they settle down is in the most prosperous area of ​​the Celestial Empire, which is dazzling.

After the official reception, the local officials followed the orders from above and let these envoys from small countries walk around to see the prosperity and wealth of the Celestial Empire.

Liu Yu took a short rest for two days, and then the merchants from Songjiang Prefecture invited him to a banquet.

The banquet was held near the building of the Japan Trade Company, where there is now a stock exchange set up by the court. The court did not do this to facilitate transactions, but only to collect stamp duties.

But with the court as a guarantor, people still prefer official contracts, even if they have to pay more money.

Originally, there was enough business atmosphere in Jiangnan, Dashun. Not to mention that the rice futures exchange appeared early in Edo, Japan, but the prototype of the futures market had already appeared in soybeans in Liaodong.

Now it is just to formalize this prototype transaction. On the one hand, we learn from the experience of the West, and on the other hand, we also learn from the experience of the Edo Rice Futures Exchange in Japan. Overall, it is still okay, and there is no large merchant group that can knock on the grain price for the time being.

It may also be that these merchants have been in the Celestial Empire for a long time, and they probably know that some things are best not to be moved, such as grain prices. Even if there is speculation in buying and selling, the price can basically be maintained within a relatively stable range.

From the wharf to the stock exchange, there is what is believed to be the world's earliest horse-drawn railway, which was built only last year.

Dashun also determined the width of the future railway track, which depends on how wide the horse's butt is.

After it was built, the people of Songjiang Prefecture have gradually adapted to this simple public transportation.

It is said that some merchants have seen the business opportunity and are ready to invest money to build several railways on several routes that are obviously profitable.

In addition to attracting people, the key is to attract goods.

As long as it is profitable, capital is willing to invest.

The core areas around the docks and trading companies have also built some street lights, following the example of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Songjiang Prefecture has seen a lot of new professions in recent years, such as lamplighters, horse-drawn railcar drivers, ticket sellers, securities brokers, full-time speculators...

On the way to the banquet, Liu Yu opened the curtains of the carriage and looked at the street lights on both sides of the road, thinking. I thought to myself that you are well prepared. Hanging street lights does look a little more "civilized" than hanging beheaded people on the city walls.

When we arrived at the banquet, a group of famous merchants in Songjiang Prefecture were already waiting outside.

As soon as Liu Yu's carriage arrived, the rhythm of playing music and singing began.

Liu Yu also experienced what it meant to be flattered.

He was not worried that the emperor would be suspicious and think that he was too close to the merchants.

Because after going to Southeast Asia, he no longer had any soldiers, and the commander of the field troops stationed near Songjiang Prefecture was not familiar with Liu Yu at all, and the officers were all from non-Qingzhou troops.

In the future, the emperor wanted him to be a money bag, so he did not dare to hand it over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with confidence, fearing that he would have to handle a lot of internal treasury. It is unlikely that the emperor would invest directly and openly, and some things still need to be concealed.

It is estimated that the merchants who greeted him at this time are most concerned about the court's trade policy after going to Southeast Asia and whether the court is ready to monopolize.

People's consciousness does not fall from the sky, and can only be understood from past history. The past history related to Southeast Asia is the eunuch Sanbao's voyage to the West.

It is actually a special monopoly company that relies on administrative orders to prohibit private voyages, but the official monopoly of the spice trade does make money.

These merchants are a little worried about whether the court will adopt such a policy. They even doubt whether the court will ban the sea again? Let the court monopolize the profits of Southeast Asia trade?

Liu Yu certainly understood the concerns and expectations of the emerging class.

After a round of flattery, he also got straight to the point.

"You invited me to a banquet today, if you say it's just to congratulate the Celestial Empire for going to Southeast Asia again, and all nations coming to pay tribute; or to congratulate me for making new achievements and great military achievements... I actually don't believe it."

"You are also very familiar with me, don't I know what you are really concerned about? You know, this trade with Wa... uh, with Japan, is also handled by me."

"These polite words, please don't say it today."

As he said, he bowed to the north and said: "The Holy Emperor sent me to land in Songjiang, It's not just to let the envoys of small countries see the prosperity of the Celestial Empire. What you want to know, you will know today. The so-called scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans are all the foundation of the country. You merchants are one of the four people. How can the Holy Son of Heaven not cherish you? "

"In addition, you have also contributed a lot in the previous war against Japan and today's trip to Southeast Asia. Some provided ships, some transported food and grass, and some provided auxiliary ships. The court has kept these in mind."

After speaking, the outline hit the hearts of these emerging classes.

This is indeed the issue they are most concerned about.

Hearing Liu Yu talk about the contribution of the merchant class in the previous war against Japan and this trip to Southeast Asia, the merchants were overjoyed.

Since the merits were mentioned first, it must be that everyone should eat meat together. Even if they don't eat meat, they can drink soup, right?

Now a large number of wealthy merchants in Songjiang Prefecture have a sum of cash in their hands, waiting for the war in Southeast Asia to end, to see if they can seize the opportunity.

There are many investment directions in recent years, many of which are led by the court, and they are all profitable.

For example, the reclamation of Ezo and the purchase of fish and shrimp, the mining of Liaodong iron ore, the development of Gyeonggi coal mines, and I heard that in the next few years, they will also preside over the development of Tianbaofu's oil to make a kind of lamp oil that can replace high-quality whale oil...

But these, compared with the Nanyang trade, seem to be a little worse after all.

Everyone knows that the Nanyang trade makes money. If you think about it, you will know that these Westerners traveled thousands of miles across several oceans to Nanyang. If it weren't for the huge profits, how could they be so addicted?

Although I don't know how the court is going to engage in Nanyang trade, or even whether the court is open to merchants.

However, as long as the court does not explicitly say that it is absolutely impossible, these people have a glimmer of hope.

With a glimmer of hope, they prepared a large amount of cash early. In order to avoid having no cash in hand when raising shares, they have to borrow usury. The loan interest rate in Dashun is much higher than that in Amsterdam.