Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1361 The Wealth of Nations ([-])
If this kind of "free trade" that distorts the original meaning is regarded as a scripture, how can it be most effective to spread the scriptures?

On this issue, Hume at this time put forward a very interesting point of view.

As a "pan-atheist" or "deist", Hume was a nuisance in Britain at this time.

As a result, he fell into a mud hole when he went out. He was too fat to climb out, so he called for help there.A few farmers gathered around and said that it is up to you to save you, and you should believe in religion.

Hume said I don't believe it, and the farmer said that you should continue to lie in the mud nest.

Hume said yes, then I believe it, so he recited a passage of the "Lord's Prayer" and "Westminster Creed" with his head held down, and surrounded many people to testify, so he got off.

Therefore, if you want people to believe in the scriptures, you have to rely on disasters.

If there is no disaster, then man-made.

What Dashun is doing now is artificially creating an economic collapse-style disaster for Britain.

After this disaster, Britain can no longer restore the original system, because the original trade system needs a strong naval support.

However, the UK's previous gameplay has completely exhausted the UK's war potential. This is a standard "island country fighting the mainland" model, stud gamble.

If you win, everything is easy to say.

If they lose, the national debt of 4 million taels of silver will make Britain no longer have money to gamble on.

It's not as simple as whether you can renege on the debt, because most of the creditors are members of Congress, and the main body of the compensation is the British government. How could the creditors wipe out the debt themselves?
Not only has Britain's potential for war been exhausted, but also its potential to maintain the mercantilist system centered on the "Navigation Act" has also been exhausted.

Various mercantilist laws and regulations also require resources to maintain.Without resource maintenance, it is a pile of waste paper.

After being hit so hard by Dashun, the cost of maintenance will be several times higher than before.The old British trading system is completely unsupportable.

In this case, who can prescribe medicine?

Dashun prescribed a prescription, the effect is unknown for the time being, but it seems that Dashun's wealth can be used as evidence.

What medicine can the others prescribe?Mobilization of all people?Such a prescription does not even need to be prescribed, because this is not the UK 30 years later, this is the UK whose "orthodoxy" problem has not been resolved, and a large-scale Jacobite uprising broke out ten years ago to welcome orthodoxy .

The prescription given by Dashun, at the very least, can realistically solve the problem of paying the national debt.Because, when Pete himself asked for the expansion of the war, the promise of paying interest on the newly issued national debt was the tariff on tea and other trade goods.

How many people are there in the UK?Pete's new wave of national debt involved 30 households.

And, more critically, is the lesson of the "33 Years of Molasses Law" - and further, the lesson of the collapse of the spice monopoly during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty:
If you are too close, you can't control smuggling.

The farther you are, the more you can control smuggling.

If you are separated by more than half the world, it is definitely easier to control smuggling than to be separated by hundreds of miles.

As long as Dashun can provide enough and low-priced goods, then, with the cooperation between the two parties, it is really possible to receive all the tariffs.

Although according to the new "Jingshu" explanation, in fact, it should not charge a penny of tariffs.

In fact, according to the theory that is most beneficial to the industrial development of Dashun, it should not charge a penny of tariffs.

However, there is always a huge difference between reality and assumptions.

Dashun has not yet been able to station the fleet in London.

What's more, just because they have the ability, it is more cost-effective to sell less goods and let the UK impose some tariffs, so as to feed the army to suppress the resistance.

If there is no chief guardian of the native land, the chief guardian of the native land, wouldn't it be necessary to rule, suppress, and arrest by himself?Not to mention tiring and unpleasant, it also costs more.

If you don't give people some benefits, who will be the magistrate for you?
Besides, Britain has to spend money to support the army and the soldiers who suppress the uprising.

Without tariffs for the UK, if the UK wants to support the government and violent institutions, it can only collect land taxes.

At that time, the land tax collection will be too harsh, and the British landlords and gentry will be forced to the side of the revolutionaries, which will be even more detrimental to the emerging bourgeoisie in Dashun.

It is true that any policy cannot satisfy everyone, but it is best not to dissatisfy everyone.

The old system has been maintained by people in the UK, so it can last for more than a hundred years.

In the new system, there must be people in the UK to maintain it and benefit from it, and those who benefit from it need to be strong enough politically.

As Adam Smith said: In order to maintain the old mercantilist system in Britain, a war cost nearly 2 million pounds.And if free trade is implemented earlier, the 2 million pounds will not be spent at all, and Britain will be more prosperous and powerful, with all walks of life flourishing, living and working in peace and contentment, and national wealth increasing.

Also as Adam Smith said: Our neighbor of England, France, has fine wine.But we are far away, to buy Portuguese wine.Why not just open trade and buy French wine?Why travel so far to buy Portuguese wine?If you buy French wine, will people be able to drink cheaper wine?After all, France is closer to England than Portugal.

It should be said that Adam Smith certainly understood free trade.

But Adam Smith certainly didn't understand capitalism.

Because for capitalism, whether it is free trade, protectionism, colonial expansion, or monopoly consortia, they are just tools, not the way.

Use it when it is beneficial, and treat it like a scripture.

Abandon it when it is unprofitable, and abandon it like a shoe.

Free trade is free trade, and capitalism is capitalism.

Just as private ownership is private ownership, capitalism is capitalism.

Did Adam Smith know why England imported Portuguese wine?
Do you know the specific content of the "Methuen Treaty"?Do you know that British capital began to control Portugal’s grape plantations and winemaking industry, and directly defeated Portugal’s textile industry, providing at least 20 British people engaged in wool, sheep raising, textiles, woolen fabrics, alkali making, carpentry, machinery manufacturing, etc. The family provides a relatively good life?

Why did Spain start war against Portugal with the excuse of "rescuing Portugal from British economic colonial rule"?
He may or may not know, but that doesn't matter.

The important thing is that many people think his words are very reasonable.Yeah, why spend £[-] million on a war?Why do you have to go far and near to import Portuguese wine, while France next door is rich in wine?

Of course, for the British ruling class such as George III, they understand the truth of this.

However, the reality is helpless, the old system is doomed to collapse, and they have nothing to do.

In the eyes of these core members of the royal party, there must be something wrong with this pamphlet.

But just like many incidents that happened not long ago-in Scotland, the smuggler was caught by the army, the officer was retaliated by the Scots afterwards, and the officer was hanged with a rope like a dead dog. In the end, it was impossible to find out who did it ; also like the slogan that is circulating in Ireland at this time: either free trade or armed uprising; or the extreme dissatisfaction with the mercantilist policy in North America these years, and smuggling has become a noble and respected profession .

Originally, those who opposed mercantilism and increased smuggling lacked theoretical support.

Now, they have obtained the "scripture" they dreamed of. Through this scripture, every smuggler can stand up straight and proudly tell those who come to arrest them: My cause is justice.

Come on, shoot me.I will not be ashamed, let alone ashamed, but I can still raise my head proudly before I die: my career is for the benefit of the British people.What Britain pursues is the philosophy of producers, but not the philosophy of nationals and consumers!I am fighting the wrong, dark, shameful, oppressive old England, in my own way - for what I believe to be a just cause - smuggling!

Smuggling is not guilty!

Tax evasion is justified!

This is the scary thing.

This is the function of sutras.

Before the "jing", the smuggler was not so confident. Although he vaguely felt that he might not have done something wrong, but because of the lack of systematic theoretical support, he still had some moral guilt after all.

After having the "Jing", then the last point of moral problems is eliminated.As for morality, different eras have different morality. The morality that the mercantilism era tries to shape is definitely different from the morality in an environment where free trade is correct.

Therefore, the core members of the royal party must understand what they should do at this critical moment in history so that the royal party can truly sit firmly in the position of ruler.

So, the core of the royal party's core, George III, asked his closest ministers about the contents of this pamphlet.

In fact, George III only read two of the six suggestions, and he did not read the latter.But these two items are the essence of the whole booklet.

He wanted to ask the opinions of the ministers and workers.

Lord Bute could only shake his head and said: "My lord, defeat is inevitable. According to the latest news from the navy, the Chinese have once again increased their troops here, adding several more warships, and even brand new battleships. .”

"Sadly, there is no France or Spain around China, that is, no enemy country that can threaten them. They can calmly transfer all their main battleships here."

"This pamphlet, obviously, has a Chinese influence behind it. Just as they incited free trade and rebellion in Ireland."

"However, this is not necessarily a completely bad thing."

"At least, it is certain that the bottom line of the Chinese is that we lose the war and release customs duties. As long as we agree to their bottom line, it is certain that they will not help the French land in London."

"Of course, the premise is that we agree to their conditions."

"My lord, this is not a difficult choice."

"Because, the dilemma is that the two are similar."

"And now..."

"Is it the landing of the French in London, and the restoration of the usurpers in collusion with the Tories?"

"Or promise China, admit defeat, and accept China's tariff debt repayment plan?"

The Earl of Halifax added: "Perhaps, we can understand it this way: what the Chinese want is trade. If we release customs duties and allow Chinese goods to be sold in every corner of Britain..."

"Does this mean that, on the Chinese side, they will protect us from French invasion?"

"My sire, like every Machiavellian, is bound to oppose Machiavelli."

"And every true Colbertist must be most opposed to Colbert, if he is not French."

"Even if China and France form an alliance now, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Chinese will like France, which has high tariffs and is fascinated by the substitution of domestic industries."

"Although the Duke of China has been clamoring for free trade, the free trade he mentioned refers to the entry of Chinese cotton cloth into the UK, but definitely not the entry of French woolen cloth into the UK, even if the latter is free trade."

(End of this chapter)