I

The mixed-race servant came in with a kettle, and Palefu brewed the tea himself and said to Cheng Jingming: "Authentic West Lake Longjing, traditional Chinese brewing method. Please use it with caution!"

"Thank you Governor for your kindness." Cheng Jingming said with a smile.

Palefor sent the servants out, leaving only two people in the room. He got straight to the point: "Even if you don't come, I will send someone to deliver a letter to Mr. Li. Next year, the starting price of all goods must be increased at least three times, and the cotton cloth must be more than five times."

"With so much increase, can it still be sold?" Cheng Jingming was quite surprised.

Palefor explained: "It's just to raise the starting price to prevent the final selling price from being too low. His Majesty the King already knows that you are smuggling, and Chinese goods can no longer be dumped at low prices, otherwise it will anger those colonial monopolies. Moreover, your The reputation has spread, and more and more merchants are coming to purchase goods. No matter how high the starting price is set, it will not result in an unsuccessful auction."

Cheng Jingming said: "I will convey this news to Commander Li."

"Also, for Chinese people living in Mexico, allowing them to worship their ancestors privately is the bottom line," Palefo said. "I heard that some people actually wanted to build temples, and I went to tell them that this kind of behavior will be burned to death. of."

The European Inquisition was controlled by the Dominicans, and their special skill was the barbecue of human flesh.

The differences in the spread of Christianity in China are actually the differences between the Dominicans and the Jesuits, and it is also the competition between Spain and Portugal for religious influence.

Spain supported the Dominicans and prohibited the Chinese from worshiping Confucius and ancestors.

Portugal supports the Jesuits and advocates the integration of Christianity with Chinese cultural traditions.

The result of the fight between the two sides was that the Papal States severed diplomatic relations with Portugal, and the Portuguese king was unable to be crowned—several Portuguese kings in a row did not wear crowns in all their portraits.

Cheng Jingming nodded and said, "I told you this too."

Palefo suddenly closed his eyes: "His Majesty the King, we may send an imperial envoy next year to strictly investigate the smuggling situation in the Americas. In the summer of next year, the Chinese navy can be dispatched to intercept the Spanish galleons in the Kuroshio belt. I will ask the Philippine Governor to cooperate. , a bloodless naval battle broke out, causing the silver trade to be suspended for a year. When Mr. Li's fleet comes next year, a naval battle will also break out. You go to the northernmost port and wait, so that he must be prepared."

"Your Majesty the Governor is really a good trick!" Cheng Jingming said sincerely.

These two naval battles were shown to the Spanish imperial envoy, and the war scripts had already been written.

Next year, the Spanish navy attacked the Chinese fleet and "sinked and damaged" several Chinese merchant ships. Everyone from the governor to the navy took credit.

The following year, the Chinese navy attacked the Spanish fleet, artificially cutting off the silver trade for a year and giving the illusion that the Philippines was insecure. The King of Spain was absolutely frightened, and then sent an envoy to negotiate peace with China, and from then on he tacitly allowed Chinese merchant ships to trade in the Americas.

Everyone can benefit, as long as they fool the king and the imperial envoy.

The silver wire trade was cut off for a year, so the loss didn't matter.

When the Spanish navy attacks Li Quan next year, the goods will be brought ashore in advance and will not be shipped without telling the imperial envoy. The year after that, the silver wire trade was cut off, which meant that for two consecutive years, no Chinese goods could be imported into the Americas.

Then, the prices of Chinese goods will inevitably skyrocket. Once trade resumes, inventory will be taken out immediately, and profits will continue to rise.

Everything is planned by Palefo, and the Governor of the Philippines will definitely listen to him.

The Philippines, like Central America, is a military governorate. Strictly speaking, there was no Philippine governor, only a Philippine governor, and the governor was appointed and dismissed by the governor of New Spain (Palefo). Therefore, the governor of Mexico City wears the same pants as the governor of the Philippines, and they have a superior-subordinate relationship.

The largest smuggling umbrella in the Americas is none other than Palefo himself!

When this guy leaves office and returns to China, he will earn more money than he can spend in ten lifetimes.

…

Netherlands, Amsterdam.

Inside and outside the stock exchange, there was a gloomy look, and countless investors seemed like zombies.

The Dutch West India Company declared bankruptcy.

As early as thirty years ago, the West India Company began to lose money and required continuous blood transfusions from the East India Company. The main reason is that the war expenditure is too large. The Americas were not like Asia. If the Netherlands wanted to expand its American colonies, it had to be at war with Portugal and Spain for many years.

Today, the East India Company cannot protect itself, and the West India Company is completely screwed.

The last straw that broke the camel's back was the proliferation of smuggling on the west coast of America. A large amount of cheap Chinese goods poured in, making the West India Company's business even more difficult.

"Plop!"

There was a splash of water, and a cry came from the port: "Someone jumped into the sea!"

These calls did not lead to rescue, but seemed to remind those who had no hope for life. I saw a Dutch gentleman speeding towards the seaside and jumping into the sea.

There are beggars everywhere inside and outside the city.

Many of these beggars come from textile districts, where handicraft workshops have also closed down in large numbers.

The Netherlands is the industrial center of Europe, with wool spinning, linen spinning, cotton spinning, printing and dyeing, shipbuilding, sugar making, soap making... These industries are second to none. The woolen fabrics produced in Belgium alone account for more than half of the world's woolen fabric production.

Speaking of cotton cloth alone, cotton cloth produced in the Netherlands is sold in various regions around the world.

However, in recent years, China's cheap cotton cloth has impacted the Indian market, and then the American market. The cotton spinning industry in the Netherlands has gone into decline. A large amount of cotton cloth is backlogged in warehouses and cannot be sold at all. Cotton spinning workshops close down almost every month.

It would be damning to be able to compete with China. Putting aside the influence of steam engines, the cost of raw materials will be greatly reduced.

Europe was not rich in cotton, so the Netherlands had to import cotton spinning raw materials from the Americas and India. Transported all the way back, made into cotton cloth and exported. Especially in the Americas, from the import of raw materials to the sale of products, Serbian businessmen have to peel off a layer of skin.

"War, war, launch a cotton war against China!"

A lunatic who lost his investment stood at the door of the exchange and screamed. Such an outrageous slogan actually won the approval of countless people, even beggars on the street joined in.

They gathered more and more, and spontaneously walked towards the parliament building, surrounding the members of the assembly who were meeting inside.

"We don't want begging, we want war!"

“War on China!”

The congressmen came to the balcony and looked at the marchers outside, not knowing what to do.

They also want to concentrate all their efforts and go to war with China alone.

But who dares?

The arms race between Britain and the Netherlands has been going on for several years. Both sides are building ships frantically, and the second Anglo-Dutch War is imminent.

If a war starts with China at this time, I am afraid that the Dutch fleet will leave Europe on the front foot and be beaten by the British on the back foot. Businessmen from other European countries are also paying attention to the situation and want to take advantage of the decline of the Netherlands.

…

Madrid, Spain.

This capital does not meet the image of a great country because there are too many beggars and business has long been in decline.

What’s even more frightening is that there are more foreign monks than beggars!

There are more than 200,000 priests and nearly one million monks and nuns, accounting for a quarter of Spain's total population.

The reason why there are so many religious people is not because of how pious the Spaniards are, but because they are a natural choice to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

The land owned by the church forces accounts for half of Spain's domestic land area and has various political and economic privileges. At the same time, the king went on a rampage to arrest heretics, causing 500,000 people to flee to the colonies over the course of decades.

The decline of industry and commerce caused more workers to flee and go to the colonies to make a living, making Spain's domestic population even more scarce.

A quarter of the unemployed and religiously privileged population must work with the nobles and businessmen to exploit the people. How difficult must the lives of the people at the bottom be? As a result, more and more people chose to become clergy, and more and more people fled to the colonies. A vicious cycle has already been formed.

Spain, which has the largest number of colonies in the world, was actually forced to issue an order prohibiting migration to the colonies without permission...

Compared with a hundred years ago, this situation is completely different between heaven and hell.

When Spain was first unified, more than 50,000 Arabs converted to Catholicism, laying the foundation for Spain's industry and commerce. With the opening of the new shipping route, Spain's industry and commerce developed explosively. At that time, there were more than 16,000 wool spinning workshops in Selivia alone, with more than 130,000 wool spinning workers. Toledo became the center of the European silk industry, with more than 3,000 silk workshops and more than 30,000 silk weavers. The sugar industry also dominates the entire Europe.

All changes began with the war.

Even before the Thirty Years' War, Spain's treasury was already empty because the king was fighting wars all over the world. In Europe alone, Spain has fought with half of the countries, fighting this and that, and often fighting several countries at the same time.

Not to mention the war, as the nouveau riche of Europe, the Spanish royal family and nobles opened up to enjoy their extravagant life like gold and silver.

If the finances collapse, then taxes will be collected.

Transaction tax, customs tax, real estate tax... Even people who move from one street to another must pay taxes to the government.

In the end, he didn't even bother to collect taxes himself and directly contracted the taxes to businessmen.

Under the joint pressure of the government and tax collectors, Spanish industry and commerce quickly collapsed. Taxes accounted for more than half of the cost of goods, and the high selling prices quickly lost market share.

Businessmen went bankrupt and workers lost their jobs.

Agriculture also suffered a heavy blow, and farmers suffered fourfold oppression from the government, tax collectors, clergy, and feudal nobles. The land was abandoned and farmers fled.

They even deliberately forced farmers to flee so that they could seize the opportunity to enclose their land, convert farmland into pasture, and sell their wool to the Dutch at a high price.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Dutch West India Company has gone bankrupt. A large number of cotton mills in the Netherlands have also closed down, and there will be no market for American cotton in the future... The reason for all this is smuggling by the Chinese in the Americas. If we do not crack down on smuggling, Your Majesty Maybe not bankrupt, but we, the members of the Seville Chamber of Commerce, are certainly bankrupt.”

The Federation of Seville Chambers of Commerce came to petition the King of Spain for the fourth time.

The "King of the Earth" Philip IV is already old. He witnessed Spain's final glory and stepped on the accelerator for Spain's decline.

When he took the throne, he faced the Thirty Years' War and frantically expanded his army to 300,000 people. He declared the country bankrupt only two years after taking power.

"His Majesty……"

Philip IV seemed to be asleep, but suddenly opened his eyes: "You don't have to say anything, I will send imperial envoys to Mexico to bring all officials involved in smuggling to justice. As long as the Chinese fleet dares to go to Mexico, one will be sunk. One ship!"

"Praise you in the name of the Lord, your great Majesty!" The businessmen were finally happy.

After sending these guys away, Philip IV sat motionless.

How dare he go to war with China?

Even the Naples uprising in Italy was unable to be suppressed by Philip IV, and he could not afford to recruit mercenaries.

…

London, England.

The Second Anglo-Dutch War broke out two years earlier than in history.

Hearing that the Dutch West India Company was bankrupt, Charles II felt that the time was ripe and asked his younger brother to command the navy and march directly to Amsterdam.

"We will win this war!"

Charles II came to the port, drew his sword and shouted at the naval officers: "The Dutch are no longer alive, and the entire European sea belongs to us. Long live England!"

"Long live England!"

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

Charles II, who continued to centralize power, had a personal prestige far beyond that of another time and space. If this continues, as long as he defeats the Netherlands, he will be able to completely implement a dictatorship.

The British naval fleet headed for the Netherlands in a mighty manner.

The Dutch navy was so seriously underpaid that they actually withdrew without a fight, allowing the British to blockade Armstrong, and then they sailed their ships to Belgium to pay.