Rebirth of Hong Kong 1981

   Chapter 723 The first empire on which the sun never sets

   From the mid-15th century to the Renaissance in the 16th century, Spain was the most powerful country in Europe.

   Its vast territory makes it known as the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets".

  Yes, that's right, the Empire on which the sun never sets.

  Spain is one of the first truly global empires and colonial empires in the world, and one of the largest empires in the history of the world. It is also the first empire in the history of Europe, except for the United Kingdom, where the sun never sets.

During the    period of great voyages, Spain and Portugal were the pioneers of European global exploration and colonial expansion, and opened up trade routes in major oceans, making trade prosperous. The routes spanned the Atlantic from Spain to the Americas, from Mexico to the Pacific, and through the Philippines to East Asia.

  The Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Aztec Empire, the Inca Empire, and the Mayan civilization, and claimed large swathes of the Americas.

   At that time, Spain dominated the ocean with its experienced navy and dominated the European battlefield with its well-trained infantry phalanx.

  As the first empire on which the sun never sets, although Spain lost its former wealth, its cultural heritage has been handed down.

   After eating, Susan took Yang Chen and Xue Yufei and started to travel to Madrid, the capital of Spain.

   Walking on the road, Susan asked Yang Chen and the two: "If you want to understand Spain and its past glory, there is one person you can't avoid. Do you know who it is?"

  Yang Chen smiled knowingly, and blurted out: "I think, the person you are talking about should be the Italian explorer, colonist, and navigator Columbus, right?"

  Susan smiled and nodded: "That's right, it's him, Columbus was born in a working family in Italy when he was a child, and he is a descendant of Jews who believe in Christianity.

  Columbus loved sailing adventures since he was a child. He had read "The Travels of Marco Polo" and was very longing for India and China.

In the 15th century, the theory of the circle of the earth had prevailed in the European continent, and Columbus was convinced of it. He had successively asked the kings of Portugal, Spain, England, France and other countries for funding to realize his plan to sail westward and reach the eastern countries. , but were ultimately rejected.

   On the one hand, in the eyes of officials, the theory of the circle of the earth is not very complete. Many people do not believe it and regard Columbus as a charlatan.

   On the other hand, in addition to traditional silk, porcelain, and tea, the Western countries’ demand for Eastern material wealth at that time also included the highly profitable spice trade in Asia.

  These commodities were mainly transported by traditional sea and land transport routes, and the vested interest groups operating these commodities also strongly opposed Columbus's plan to open new shipping routes.

  In order to realize his plan, Columbus lobbied everywhere for more than ten years, until he met Queen Isabel of Spain, who was a hero and persuaded King Ferdinand II to even use his own money to finance Columbus. "

   Hearing this, Yang Chen couldn't help grinning. If this is true, he can only say that in this world, opposites attract each other and same-sex repel each other.

  Columbus once lobbied so many people and so many kings, but in the end none of them was willing to help him. Only when he met the Queen of Spain did he achieve his goal.

   In here? ?

   Thinking of this, Yang Chen couldn't help but be evil.

  Susan didn't seem to see Yang Chen's actions, and continued: "Columbus' contribution to Spain is very great. Although he is not a Spaniard, the Spaniards still respect him very much.

  The discovery of the New World gave a solid basis for the theory of the Earth's Circle, and also made the Spaniards the first European country to set foot on the American territory. Relying on the gold and silver of the Americas, Spain became the most powerful country in Europe at that time. "

  Yang Chen smiled and said, "Unfortunately, that's all in the past."

   Susan heard the words, sighed, and said in a low voice: "Yes, that's all in the past tense, just like the current Britain, the empire never sets, there will always be a day when it will lose its glory."

   "However, Spain's lost glory is their own fault."

   Yang Chen curiously said: "Oh, why do you say that?"

   "Spain's overseas expansion was initially dominated by the royal family, and most of the explorers were financed by the royal family. After the discovery of the New World, the royal family and aristocrats were naturally the first to enjoy the benefits of overseas expansion.

  The Spanish royal family and nobles, in order to enjoy this kind of benefits for a long time, ordered that all people except the royal family and the companies or classes chartered by the royal family themselves are prohibited from engaging in international trade.

   In other words, the interests of Spain's overseas expansion were in the hands of the royal family and nobles from beginning to end, and the common people could not enjoy the benefits at all. "

   "When the Spanish royal family and nobles enjoyed their privileges, they did not engage in business or develop their own economy. They despised all industries that depended on labor, such as industry, commerce and agriculture.

  This prejudice became the norm for the Spanish nationals at that time, and everyone sharpened their heads and wanted to become nobles, forming the so-called Hidago spirit.

  Spain was richly rewarded after its conquest of the Americas. At that time, the Spanish Navy brought back countless gold and silver from overseas every year.

   But these gold and silver are not used to make handicrafts and sold in the domestic market, but are made into gold and silver coins, which are brought back to the domestic and international markets for circulation and used to buy commodities.

  A large number of luxury goods such as spices, silk, tea, and porcelain, and food and other daily necessities have been continuously imported into Spain from overseas through sailboats.

   A Spaniard once said:

   Let London produce fibre to its satisfaction.

   Let the Netherlands produce gingham with satisfaction.

   Let the West Indies produce **** hides and workhorses with satisfaction.

   Let Milan produce brocade with satisfaction.

   These countries, the only thing that can be proved is that all are training skilled workers for Madrid, and Madrid is the queen of all parliaments, the whole world serves her, and she does not need to serve anyone. "

   Hearing this, Yang Chen was instantly stunned, and he thought to himself: 'Isn't this the hooligan policy pursued by Uncle Sam in later generations? Exchange US dollars for industrial products from all over the world, and let the whole world work for the US imperialists. ’

  'It's good to be brave. It turns out that Spain is the grandfather of this field. As early as hundreds of years ago, it has been played once. Now Uncle Sam plays the rest of the game. ’

   For a while, Yang Chen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with Uncle Sam. People are more dead than people, and goods are thrown away. A mountain is still a mountain high, and genetic inheritance is indeed in no particular order.

   "Spain's behavior of throwing coins all over the world, the final result is that a large amount of gold and silver not only pushed up domestic prices, but also caused more serious inflation, which deteriorated the domestic economic environment.

   At the same time, European countries such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands made a lot of money, and the economy and military rose rapidly, thus having the strength to challenge Spain. "

  ——

   (end of this chapter)