Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1012 The British in Qingdao ([-])

John Hill glanced at Mr. Charles suspiciously, then took the manuscript paper he was writing before, and read it in a low voice: "Some gentlemen who have been engaged in trade all the year round believe that the conflict with the Netherlands has been going on for a year. The half-time war has decimated England's wealth, for the treasury has nearly run out of coins and the treasury is empty, and England will again be reduced to an insignificant poor country."

After reading this, John Hill's face became a bit serious. Obviously, he agrees with these arguments, or at least partially agrees, and he continued to read patiently: "I have no intention of arguing with them, Because it would be a waste of my precious academic time, but I still want to point out that having a lot of coin on hand is not the only characteristic of wealth. So, has England been richer or poorer since this outbreak?”

"I think rich." Charles's manuscript reads: "First of all, we have captured more than a thousand Dutch ships, large and small, with very little loss. A considerable part of these ships may only be used as fishing boats. , but there are still a large number of ships suitable for long-distance voyages. After being auctioned by the navy, these ships are currently flowing into the hands of the people (of course, the "people" here obviously does not refer to the people at the bottom). The capital of the shipping industry is unprecedentedly sufficient. Sustained development is extremely beneficial. Moreover, when the fleet in the hands of merchants becomes larger and larger, the benefits to the navy are also self-evident, because when naval warfare breaks out again in the future, it will be easier for us than it is now The number of sailors must be recruited as much as possible, because the number of sailors has increased significantly; in addition, the development of shipbuilding and related industries will reduce the cost of deploying new ships, which is of great benefit to expanding the size of the navy and merchant fleet. In this way, Who can ignore the benefits that this war has brought us?"

"There is no doubt that a huge merchant fleet and a powerful navy are also a kind of wealth, a real wealth. In addition to these wealth, a large number of goods carried by Dutch merchant ships were intercepted by us, and then re-entered through auctions. This is also a huge wealth. And because the Dutch goods were not shipped out in time or sank at sea, the export of Chinese goods has increased greatly, which is even more real wealth." John Hill's face became more and more dignified , the voice also involuntarily raised: "Why do some people ignore the large number of large buildings in the country in the past two years, and the increasing number of gold and silver tableware in people's homes? Our people are now enjoying more and more silver tableware, high-grade wood Furniture, houses adorned with statues and paintings, fine clothing - customs figures testify that, even as a result of the Dutch blockade of the Mediterranean, our country imported £6.2 worth of silk fabrics from Italy last year - and many wear clothes from Gemstones of India. Is this not real wealth? Is it only coins that are the only wealth that some gentlemen talk about? Pardon my incomprehension."

"Because of the protracted war, the navy consumed a lot. Last year, the people of England paid a total of 165 pounds in taxes. In addition, there was also a considerable amount of assistance (this tax originated in the Middle Ages, and was originally paid by vassals in the Middle Ages. The "sponsorship" paid to the lord when the country was in trouble, and later spread to all nobles and merchants, and it was still inevitable to pay this kind of money during the period of the republican government), even such a heavy tax burden still failed to make people's lives In an extremely difficult situation, many people still live and work in peace and contentment, and the domestic population is slowly increasing—this can be estimated from the 'stove tax'——the domestic land price has not risen, and the interest rate has remained at a low level of 1702%. Is this true? Doesn’t it mean that there are enough coins in the market and the wealth of the people is far from being exhausted?” John Hill’s forehead was dripping with sweat, and he continued to read: “Thinking about the past, every war would cause huge losses to the government’s finances. Difficulties, people's lives will become miserable, which will cause serious social unrest. But now, since the outbreak of the trade war with the Netherlands, the navy has fought bravely and achieved great results; the people of England also rely on their own The wisdom of hard work and trade has accumulated a lot of wealth, and life is even more comfortable than before the war. What's more, our country is different from the Netherlands. The huge amount of materials consumed by the war and the personnel that need to be hired are mostly raised in England. This is tantamount to keeping a lot of coins in the country, and it also promotes economic prosperity, which is completely different from the fact that the Netherlands needs to spend a lot of money abroad..."

After reading this, Captain John Hill seemed to understand some of what Mr. Charles meant, and he only heard him say: "Sir, as a special envoy of the government, I have no right to question you, but I still want to ask, are you Are you advocating that this war should be fought resolutely? Or, do you think that you should not accept the Dutch’s proposal of peace negotiations, and then completely defeat the Netherlands in order to obtain the maximum benefit?”

"Sooner or later, there will be peace talks with the Netherlands, but not now." Mr. Charles stood up from his seat, walked up to Hill, looked at him and said, "Some stupid mercantilists in the country are simply unreasonable. They only recognize Coins are the only wealth so keep your eyes open and think this war has made England poorer. When the truth is the opposite, England has gained more from this war than it spent, coins are indeed wealth, and so is the expanded fleet Wealth, and the vast amount of materials and increasing industrial technology are even more wealth. Many people just don’t understand this. They think that the wealth of Amsterdam lies in the countless coins in the vault. Little do they know that the city itself and its people The knowledge and abilities she has are her most important source of wealth. Is the government’s current debt of 100 million pounds a lot? I don’t think it’s much at all. We still have enough wealth to support us in fighting this war. Until we reap the maximum benefits."

"This is the feeling I have gained from my investigations on the east coast for so long." Mr. Charles took the manuscript back from Hill, and said while tidying up: "Some of our outdated concepts need to be reformed. On this point, East The Pagans are definitely on the right track. I even admire them a little now for spending so much money on seemingly useless education - God, they're trying to get even a farmer's kid to go to school, Although they have not yet fully achieved this; they also spend a lot of money on innovative industrial technology, their textile machines are already very advanced, but they have continued to invest in improving design and manufacturing processes over the years; They had no need to maintain a large fleet, but they did so, even at the cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year for frequent training; and they built roads, canals, ports, railways all over the country. , even though a considerable portion of these investments are losing money; they are also carrying out an agricultural revolution—permit me to use the word revolution—across the country—swaths of barren land are reclaimed, and food production grows steadily; Do everything possible to increase the population, because they realize that this is one of the important components of a strong country..."

"Dear John, please take this manuscript of mine back to London and give it to Mr. Thompson. I hope the members of Parliament will be touched by it." Charles put the manuscript in a thick envelope purchased from the East Coast, and handed it to Mr. In the hands of Hill, he said solemnly: "The country should be alerted. The development potential of this pagan country on the east coast is extremely amazing. If there is no external force to interrupt them, they will not last long—maybe 50 years. , maybe 100 years - it can develop and become a maritime power that no one can ignore. Regarding this, I firmly believe that the country must respond to this. Previously, this country was not well-known in the old continent , but when the mystery that hangs over her head is lifted, it will definitely surprise everyone, especially when this country is still very hostile to our country-I can feel this- —We have to be even more vigilant, so as not to fall into a passive situation in the future and be at a loss.”

"Well, I respect your opinion. But I will go back to New England first, and I will go to London in the middle of next year. You know, Mr. Robert Sedgwick is now planning to attack New Netherland ( That is, the Dutch North American colony including New Amsterdam, which is under the jurisdiction of the West India Company), the affairs are very complicated, and I have to go back to deal with it myself, otherwise many things cannot be done. After that, I will carry a whole ship of new Specialties of England arrive in London and by then items including carbon steel knives and letters will be delivered to their owners intact unless my ship sinks midway. Thank you for your trust and in God's name I swear, I will do my best to handle this matter!" Captain John Hill said seriously.Mr. Charles' words aroused his patriotic enthusiasm, and he decided to do this for the country (and for his own future) without any mistakes.

"Thank you, John," said Mr. Charles approvingly. "I will stay here for a while until the East Coaster's Trade Fair is over, and then I will leave by boat. In the meantime, I will make the most of my time." It's fascinating to get to know the country, and it's also very instructive for the future of England, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)