Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1317
It sounds a little outrageous that the Hancock family, a family that can provide military logistics and has connections with the British royal family, actually engaged in smuggling.But in fact, on the contrary, things like smuggling are generally highly overlapped with business groups that provide military logistics.

There is no shame in smuggling, especially in Boston and other places, where smuggling is a "professional recognized and respected by society."

In terms of local morality and evaluation, it is similar to some villages in Fujian, where a new platform is launched collectively to shoot anti-aircraft guns; or a village in Guangdong, where children pick cold capsules at home after school.The local people think that this is a normal job, and whoever earns more should be praised for his ability.

Thomas Hancock brought John Hancock here to contact Dashun to discuss the details of the transaction, which is also making preparations for handing over the family business to the next generation.

Old Hancock has no children, just such a nephew, the family business of several 10 taels of silver and many slaves must be inherited by someone.

At this time, there was no serious anti-British sentiment in North America. The sugar tax law of 33 was just a mess.

Before this tax law, bribery was necessary. With this tax law, there would be no local judges and local juries. The economic anti-British sentiment basically does not exist among businessmen.

As for Dashun, from the time Liu Yu began to misfortune Korean ginseng, he was clearly inclined to carve up North America among the four countries.

France, can't go.

As long as France does not leave, the tendency of North America to separate itself will decrease sharply.

Britain drove away France, relocated the French-speaking people, and spent money to suppress the Indian uprising, and the tendency for North American independence naturally increased.

In fact, after Pitt stepped down in 63, the British government also recalled this truth, which is why the 1763 Boundary Act came into being.

Because the British discovered that the French were driven away and the Pontiac Indian uprising was suppressed. If the land speculators continue to move westward and kill all the remaining Indians, the separation tendency in North America will become more serious. .

There are no enemies, and the land in North America is so fertile, why does North America need to bear the taxes, garrisons, and rule of Britain?

That's why the 63-year border decree, in addition to appeasing the tense relationship with the Indians-the Indians are really nervous, the Pontiac chief found out, under the rule of this group of Protestants, Puritans, and France It's completely different when people are here. The French are most likely to trick them into ordering goods, or they always want to convert them. These Puritans want them to die. control, and North America needs home country protection.

Of course, France's nickname "Little China" in Europe at this time is really not random.

The way the French win over the Indians... is to fucking reward some weapons, cloth, silk, clothes, muskets, etc. to the chiefs, and the chiefs rely on these "tributes" to strengthen their rule over the tribe and distribute them to the tribe, and the tribe accepts it in name French rule.

The people in Dashun are indeed quite familiar with this set, and they also understand what the French are going to do next, so they have been imprisoned for a hundred years, and they will return to their native land.

The completely different ruling styles between Britain and France were also an important reason for the subsequent uprising.After the British recalled it, they quickly sobered up.

Therefore, under the background of a group of people in Dashun with such an attitude, it is not far from Britain’s realization that “the existence of France and Indians is an important factor for the heart of North America to the mother country”.

Similarly, the trade between Dashun and North America must be done in a way that seems to be acceptable to everyone.

Taking tea as an example, what Dashun really wants to do here is the East India Company.

The conflict between tea smugglers and Britain was caused by the East India Company.

Historically, the reason was that Britain borrowed a whole lot of national debt during the Seven Years War, and the East India Company’s aggressive policies in India, and being too unmannered in Bangladesh... and during the Seven Years War, the Netherlands and Denmark were neutral The one who bought tea in Guangdong at that time in history was so happy that he completed the replacement of smuggled tea in North America, so that the capital chain of the East India Company was broken.

In order to save the East India Company, the tax on tea was reduced.

However, the fundamental problem remained unresolved: the East India Company was still the only British company authorized by law to conduct trade east of the Cape of Good Hope.

Now, since the East India Company must die.

Well, in fact, if according to the idea of ​​a group of people in Dashun, the Netherlands will be turned into a comprador center in Europe.All in all, only the East India Company suffered losses.

Part of the Dutch are involved in trade and shipping, and they have shares.

The other part is shipping goods to North America, which doesn't matter, the money that should be earned for shipping the goods is earned for shipping the goods.

The British government lowered the tax rate and lowered the tea tax to the original 10%. In fact, the money received has not changed, because smuggled tea accounts for at least 86% of the share in North America, and it has been reduced to 10% of the original tax rate. , theoretically the total amount of taxation is the same.

Selling smuggled tea in North America is also making money, that is, it was considered smuggling before, but now it is legal to go to the Netherlands to get the goods and it is not considered smuggling.

Therefore, according to Dashun's plan, only the East India Company, which has been determined to die, and the company's shareholders, large and small, will suffer.

Of course, financial turmoil is inevitable. The East India Company still owes a debt of [-] to [-] million yuan, and the impact is definitely not small.

Therefore, on Dashun's side, it was necessary to ask the Dutch brokers to look for prominent figures on the North American businessman's side.

Especially if you can introduce someone in the Pennsylvania Masonic circle, that would be the best.

Freemasonry is not so magical, but as an elite circle, the network is still very wide.

The main purpose of finding these famous people is to let them take the lead in pulling the strings and gather together the tea sellers in North America, especially the big merchants who are famous and sell smuggled tea.

The Holland side is like a thief, who knows his identity as an intermediary. The so-called client identity has always been kept secret, especially not telling Dashun, in case Dashun, a manufacturer, bypasses the intermediary and communicates directly with customers.

Maybe, intermediaries have this habit.

Therefore, Dashun can only confirm that the Dutch smuggling organization has many big customers in the North American tea circle, but the Dutch side does not say who the big customers are.Dashun can only find someone on his own and pay a large sum of money to let the Dutch side work as an intermediary to pull the strings and go directly to the big businessmen in North America.

Then a big businessman in North America will contact people in the circle.

Call all the big and respectable businessmen in North America, and Dashun will also send people to sit down and have a meeting.

Go to Philadelphia, Boston, or the Bahamas, Havana, etc. to sit down and have a meeting.

Looking at it now, the ships and people on Dashun's side are not much different in North America and Nanyang. The warships they see are either their own or their allies.

It doesn't have to be tea sellers, anyone who sells cotton cloth, porcelain, or luxury goods can participate.

It's easy to do things with many people.

Many people are powerful.

The movement is also great.Mouth the rest of the dissenting voices.

Purely from the point of view of selling tea or cotton cloth, regardless of whether it is reactionary or progressive, from the purely commercial point of view of Dashun, it does not mind that some people in North America eat alone.

But the premise of eating alone is that you have to have that ability.

Anyone who is jealous will be killed; whoever writes an article criticizing him will be ruined;

As long as you can do this, it's okay to eat alone, and you can also cooperate.

But the point is that even a family like Hancock doesn't have the ability to eat alone.Even the East India Company couldn't do it, let alone these people.

Therefore, it depends on the strength of the number of people.

Big smugglers from thirteen states, come to drink tea, sit down, and make a common statement and common opinion.

For example, let's promote the benefits of tea together and kill coffee merchants.

For example, let's promote the benefits of cotton cloth together and kill those who rub wool.

On the issue of North American trade after the end of the war, they will be consistent with Dashun, and together suppress and guide public opinion in North America, prompting Britain to reach a series of trade terms.

The gathering of these big businessmen can completely neutralize the opposing voices in North America.

And people like Franklin who have been labeled as "American traitor" and "pro-British" in history, from his cognition, he himself tends to reduce tariffs and allow the East India Company to sell directly to North America. of tea.

When the East India Company died, rationalists like Franklin would not object to this fact, which was actually beneficial to North America.

The hat on Franklin's head was buttoned up.But in fact, his hat of "beautiful traitor" and "pro-British" is not impossible to take off.Behind this hat, there is more Franklin's compromise attitude similar to maintaining a community. It does not mean that everything in Britain is right and the king of England is supernatural, but a compromise with a bottom line, a goal, and a program.

His kind of intellectual Anglophile is also quite numerous.

As long as this group of rational Anglophiles and these businessmen who historically chose to be anti-British due to economic factors reach an agreement on trade issues, they can gain an overwhelming advantage in the public opinion field in North America.

In short, if you go on the road of rebellion or revolution because of economic factors, you will also go to compromise because of economic factors.

Out of simple national sentiments—such as Franklin, who worried that the thirteen states would be occupied by German “hillies”—these people will also tend to change trade policies in exchange for political changes because of simple blood national sentiments. unity.

And the idea of ​​"don't eat alone, let more influential businessmen participate, the strength of the number of people" really doesn't need to be done deliberately.

After Thomas Hancock looked at the goods in the Dashun Merchant Ship, inquired about the prices, and tasted or tried samples, he understood.

This trade, he himself can't afford it, the amount is too big.We must find more people to discuss and eat together.

(End of this chapter)