I want to be emperor

Chapter 1019 European Chu Hua

The embassy area arranged by the Great Chu Empire for each vassal state is not in a remote place such as the suburbs. After all, in the future, the envoys of these vassal states will live in Jinling City, and they will definitely have to deal with the vassal affairs department. The distance is too far. If you are far away, it will be troublesome to go to and from you for anything.

Therefore, the embassy district is arranged in the urban area.

But the inner city of Jinling City is very expensive, and even the outer city is not cheap. It is impossible for the empire to spend a lot of time to build a large area just to arrange envoys from some vassal countries.

In the end, a place in Dongcheng District was selected as the embassy area. This place used to be a textile factory. After the textile factory was relocated last year, the place became vacant. The Ministry of Ethnic Affairs took over this place from the Ministry of Industry and built it into An embassy district.

There are walls on the outside, and more than a dozen concrete and steel buildings were built inside to provide living and work space for hundreds of envoys from vassal countries and their attendants.

Because the scale of the previous textile factory was not large and the space was limited, because the newly built embassy district... to put it nicely is the embassy district, but the overall area is actually not large, and the buildings are relatively densely built, otherwise it would be really Not easy to place.

In addition, it is worth noting that the houses in the embassy area are not free for the envoys of these vassal countries to use... they have to pay annual rent.

Of course, the empire didn't cheat them, just let the rent go according to market conditions... Then each vassal country will take care of it. If you have money, you can rent a building directly, if you don't have money, rent a floor... You really don't have two copper coins in your pocket, even if you just rent An office is also available.

Andre and the others had been informed of these things before they set off. Since the Kingdom of England is currently at war, it is naturally impossible to spend too much money renting an entire building... Renting too many places is actually a waste, because the Kingdom of England There were only five personnel sent, including Andre, the ambassador, and four attachés.

Therefore, it is enough to rent a small area, about two to three hundred square meters on the first floor, for office and accommodation.

But even the rent for one floor is not cheap for the Kingdom of England. It costs more than 3,000 yuan a year...Andre is a marquis in their Kingdom of England and has his own fief, but the land in his fief The income is only a few thousand yuan a year.

In addition, in recent years, the wool and coal business in the British region has been very prosperous, which has also given many nobles in the British region a new source of income. Nobles who have coal in their territories will also mine coal themselves and earn some income. However, What's more, raising sheep brings more income.

Andre breeds high-quality sheep imported from the Chu people on a large scale in the fiefdom. He can earn at least more than two thousand Chu yuan in income from selling wool and mutton every year.

Coupled with some real estate and commercial income in London, such as coal trade, wool trade, cloth trade, etc., Andre's annual income as a marquis is actually not low. The combined annual income is estimated to be around tens of thousands of yuan.

Of course, he is a newly canonized marquis. He does not own much land and does not own many properties, so his comprehensive annual income is nothing compared to a large number of remaining old nobles.

Some of the remaining old aristocrats, or the great aristocrats who have quickly risen after joining the Chu people, own more land and urban real estate. Among them, the annual income from land alone can reach tens of thousands of Chu Yuan or even hundreds of thousands of Chu Yuan. Yuan.

For example, the Duke of Aquitaine, the younger brother of the King of New England, gained a large number of fiefdoms and properties from old nobles by following the Chu people during the war. It is said that his annual income is conservatively estimated to be four to five million. Where is Chu Yuan!

Andre, an ordinary marquis, pales in comparison to others.

But even so, as a marquis, Andre's comprehensive annual income is not low in the Kingdom of England.

In the entire Kingdom of England, apart from the royal family, there are no more than thirty aristocratic families with a higher combined annual income than his.

When using the annual income of a country's top dignitaries to measure the rent of a one-story office building in the Chu Empire, this is nonsense.

The Kingdom of England is actually not considered poor among a group of European vassal states. It can even be considered one of the few rich vassal states!

Not only England, but actually the Kingdom of Wales and other three other kingdoms on the island of England are also poor... because their land is not only very suitable for raising sheep, but also has a large amount of high-quality coal and iron ore.

After the Chu people arrived, wool was purchased on a large scale, and high-quality coal and iron ore were developed and purchased.

This also allowed the economy of the British region to quickly recover from the war... Although many ordinary people in the British region still did not have enough to eat, this did not prevent the nobles from obtaining more than before the Chu people invaded. income.

The final meaning is that a considerable part of the income of the indigenous nobles of these vassal states, including their national fiscal revenue, will eventually flow back to the people of Chu by purchasing various Chu products.

These indigenous dignitaries often spend a lot of money to buy various commodities exported by the Chu people.

Professional tops and bottoms, shoes, hats and other items made of fine woolen materials, silks, cloths and leathers from the Chu State have become a new dress trend for the aristocracy in England and even Europe.

The so-called traditional Western clothing is not worth mentioning in front of Chu's professional attire, which represents civilization and respectability... Even many European dignitaries will follow the Chu people and wear Hanfu.

This European indigenous dignitary started to wear Hanfu, which left many Chu people speechless... You must know that during this period, even Chu men only wore Hanfu in formal ceremonial occasions and when at home. Their daily work and life were basically Most of them wear professional attire... The women all have the same style and wear whatever they want.

On the streets of Chu State, you can see women wearing various styles of Hanfu, as well as various improved Hanfu, which even have nothing to do with Hanfu. There are also a lot of new women's clothes coming from the palace... The Great Chu Empire Today's women's clothing is in a period of blooming, with everything to wear.

But...you, a European barbarian, wearing a woolen Hanfu...are an eyesore!

-

The high-quality textile products exported by the people of Chu are each more expensive than the last, whether they are business attire or Hanfu, they are all very expensive.

Then they eat the finest rice, noodles and spices imported from the Chu people, and drink the tea, coffee, cocoa imported from the Chu people... These things are not cheap either.

When traveling, I took a carriage exported by the Chu people. The carriages of the Chu people generally use steel frames and use springs for shock absorption. If they are high-quality goods, they will also buy you a spring sofa, and the riding comfort is unparalleled. The only disadvantage is that it is expensive.

Although the house they live in is still a traditional house in the British area, such as a castle, all the furniture and decorations in it are made by Chu people. The furniture, sofas and even the toilet are all products of Chu people.

Especially toilets, which are very expensive... Last year Andre renovated his new house in London and purchased seven or eight ceramic toilets... Each one cost hundreds of dollars.

It can be said that in just a few years, various Chu products have appeared in every corner of England and even Europe. Among them, the indigenous nobles who are not short of money can use Chu products for everything.

In addition to these daily commodity trades, there is also the inevitable purchase of arms that really costs the indigenous countries a lot of money!

The people of Chu are famous for their various military supplies, and they are also famous for being expensive!

Even an old and second-hand flash cap firing gun can sometimes be sold for more than ten yuan... Various other weapons and equipment and ordinary military supplies are all very expensive.

But...you can't help but buy it!

It's not that the empire directly forced them to buy it, but that these indigenous vassal states also have neighbors who have purchased a large number of Chu people's advanced smoothbore weapons. Is it possible that you still have to hide the gold and silver and wait for the neighbors to come and snatch it?

Isn’t this just a typical fool’s idea of ​​a neighbor hoarding guns while you hoard food?

The rulers of these indigenous vassal states are not stupid either!

This is also the reason why flash cap percussion guns have become so popular in Europe in recent years!

Because if a European country is equipped with a flash cap percussion gun first, then a burst reaction will occur, and other indigenous vassal countries will also rush to equip the percussion cap percussion gun.

This even caused the Chu people's flash cap firing guns to be in short supply for a while, and finally the price increased. In the earliest days, when the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Wales purchased second-hand percussion guns, the unit price was only five or six yuan... But now, you have to add ten in front!

The selling price of an old second-hand flash cap percussion gun in Europe starts at fifteen Chu Yuan. A brand-new one is even more expensive, costing upwards of twenty Chu Yuan.

This is still the FOB price in Cadiz. If you want Chu people to deliver it to your door, you have to pay a lot of extra freight.

This is also the old routine of Chu people's arms trade... first export a batch of advanced weapons at a low price to break the regional balance, and then increase the price!

Today's various types of military weapons, including muskets, artillery, ammunition, sabers and other cold weapons, military waterproof tents, military transport carriages, cloaks, various military uniforms and military cans and other military supplies that can be used by various armies have become It became the largest category of goods exported by Chu State to Europe.

And these things are basically consumable materials, and they will continue to be consumed even if there is no war!

This means that this military business is here to stay.

If there is a war, then the export volume will be doubled several times.

Military products, economic crop specialties such as tobacco, coffee, tea, various light industrial products such as cloth, woolen materials, silk, etc., agricultural tools, kitchen utensils, daily hardware products, etc., the Chu Empire supplied almost all industrial products to the entire Europe and special economic crops.

Through the export of these industrial products and special economic crops, the Chu people seemingly obtained a large amount of money... But where did the Chu Yuan in the hands of these indigenous people come from?

It is not earned by exporting various agricultural and livestock products, mineral products and labor force.

The so-called economic trade between the Chu Empire and the European region probably means transporting one ship of industrial products to Europe, and then transporting at least a dozen or more dozens of ships of various basic agricultural, livestock, minerals and other primary raw materials back to the country.

However, a small part of these primary raw materials shipped back to the country were processed into industrial products and exported to Europe to continue the above-mentioned pursuit, while most of the remaining primary raw materials were used to supply the domestic consumer market, that is, for consumption by the Chu people.

This global economic model led and established by the Chu Empire has deeply bound the world. It does not mean that any indigenous country can get rid of it if it wants to.

For example, the Kingdom of England where Marquis Andre is located... With the economic guidance and binding over the past many years, most of the food rations eaten by ordinary people in the Kingdom of England now rely on imported potatoes... When will the Chu people cut off their supply? As for potatoes, the middle and upper classes in England are fine. They don’t eat potatoes anyway, but most of the people at the bottom will starve to death...

There is actually a lot of arable land in the Kingdom of England, and it is suitable for farming... But it is a pity that for the nobles and ordinary landowners who control the land, the comprehensive income obtained from using these lands to raise sheep, grow pasture, and grow wheat Be higher!

As for the potatoes that people at the bottom eat... you can buy a whole shipload of those crappy things from a Chu State grain merchant for just a little money.

I heard that people from the Chu State planted potatoes all over the mountains and plains in Africa and France... The potatoes waiting to be transported were piled up in hills at the port, and the price was low enough to make the landowners of the Kingdom of England doubt their lives!

If the current Kingdom of England were to break away from the economic system dominated by the Chu Empire, a nationwide famine would break out within a month.

The same goes for France... Even if the Chu people plant land in France, they seem to think that the French have endless potatoes... But these are the potatoes of the Chu people, not the potatoes of the French.

Only a small part of the potatoes grown in the plantations opened by the Chu people in France were sold locally, and most of them were transported to England, Northern Europe and even other regions for sale.

Even...the price of land in France is more expensive than in England!

As for why the price of potatoes in France, a land-producing area, is more expensive than in England, where potatoes are imported in large quantities... this involves the economic control of the overseas vassal states of the Great Chu Empire.

It’s too detailed and complicated to go into. To put it simply, Chu merchants want to make potatoes and other foodstuffs in the British area cheap enough to prevent local landlords and nobles from growing these cheap foodstuffs and instead raise sheep!

What the Chu people want in the British region is wool and coal, so many economic adjustment policies in the British region, including the import prices and export prices of various materials, will be specially adjusted to ensure that the British region can produce a large amount of wool and coal. .

If the price of wool is high, they still refuse to raise sheep and have to grow grain... Then the Chu people will increase the costs related to the grain industry, such as the sickle for harvesting grain, and increase the price by a hundred times overnight. The price of transporting food skyrocketed a thousand times overnight.

Global economic integration and the simplification of the economies of vassal countries are the basic concepts of the global economy formed by the Chu Empire in the past ten years. This is not something that any vassal country can resist if it wants to!

If you insist on resisting, even commercial methods can’t cure you, then there will be internal turmoil in the vassal country, and neighboring countries will invade... If you are really awesome and can’t resist even this, then the people of Chu will regard you as potential threats that may pose certain challenges in the future.

The Chu people will show no mercy when faced with threats...even potential threats in the future. At this time, it is often time for the Chu Empire's foreign legions to be dispatched, and sometimes even regular troops will be dispatched.

The Chu Empire has done this kind of thing a lot in Europe and has rich experience!

Although it is difficult for Marquis Andre to understand the core of these global economic policies constructed by the upper class of the Chu people, he can still see the superficial things.

In recent years, many disobedient European countries have been destroyed or overthrown by the Chu people in various ways.

And Marquis Andre is also extremely worried about this... What are you worried about?

I am worried that the people of Chu will one day dislike the Kingdom of England and want to deal a cruel blow to the Kingdom of England.

Although the Kingdom of England has not shown any intention to resist Chu in recent years, and has even been extremely cooperative in all aspects... But who knows what those Chu people are thinking.

Sometimes, when the Chu people kill you, it's not because you resisted the Chu people. It's very likely that they simply blocked the Chu people's way.

What if, one day, the people of Chu lose their minds and feel that the Kingdom of England no longer needs to exist, or if a new king is needed, then a huge crisis will break out in the Kingdom of England.

And Andrei, a new noble who rose up following the new king, may not end well in this wave.

This is why the King of England sent Andre as envoy to the Chu Empire!

Before the arrival of the Chu people, Andre was just a small court viscount. After the Chu people arrived, his boss turned to join the Chu people and became the new king of the Kingdom of England. He also followed closely He ascended the throne and became a marquis.

Andre's interests are deeply bound to the king!

Otherwise, the king would not have allowed him to go on an envoy, and he would not have let the nobles enjoy their luxurious life and have to go abroad to suffer all kinds of contempt from the people of Chu.

Although he envied the shocking power of Chu State... but to be honest, he didn't want to come to Chu State, let alone stay here for a long time.

He knew very well how the Chu people viewed Europeans like him... Even though he was a marquis, in the eyes of the Chu people, he was nothing more than a barbarian native.

At the train station, many Chu people also gathered around to watch Andrei and other envoys from the vassal states... The Chu people looked at them as if they were new animals in the zoo.

There is curiosity, surprise, even excitement or pity...but not even a shred of respect!

Just like they wouldn't have the slightest respect for a monkey in the zoo!

These Chu people didn’t regard Andre and the others as the same kind at all!

(End of this chapter)