Harry Potter Morning Light

The East Asian waters in the 18th century were not the century of the Europeans at all. Although the Dutch seemed to seize the trade hegemony in the East Asian waters in the 17th century, they did not enter the scope of the tributary system. When the Dutch tried to buy sumac and tin in Siam Difficulties abounded in mining and transporting goods into Siam.

The first is the increasingly effective royal monopoly, when the Siam court was overwhelmingly pro-Chinese and did not give any preferential policies to the Dutch.

Followed by Japanese, other European businessmen, and Chinese businessmen after the sea ban was lifted. In the 17th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi began to issue Zhuyin certificates to businessmen with strong economic strength in Kyoto, Nagasaki, Osaka and other places, encouraging them to send money to Annan and Nakhon Si. , North Dacheng and other places traded, and soon Siam became the main area where Japanese Shuin ships went to trade, but they hardly ever went to southern Siam.

However, Chinese businessmen sometimes face positive challenges from Japanese and European businessmen. Chinese immigrants have existed since the Song Dynasty. Due to the inflow of Siam, Siam not only received tribute envoys, but also informal envoys were officially acquiesced, thus forging an indestructible alliance between the Siam court and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which played a similar role as a transit port. effect. The vassal parliament hired Chinese as deputy envoys, which made Siam's tribute trade in the hands of a Teochew merchant family, and even the royal ships were managed by Chinese no matter in Siam or abroad.

At the same time, the Zheng family in Taiwan used the products of Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Chaozhou, and Huizhou to trade with Siam. They also bought back silver and lead from Japan to make money, or resold silk to Southeast Asia in exchange for important strategic materials, such as Tin, saltpeter, etc. are used for military supplies.

Because the Siam government favored the Chinese and allowed the Chinese to have the right to move freely in Siam, coupled with the many opportunities for making a living in Siam and the famine for years, the number of Chinese immigrating to Siam in the 18th century continued to rise. Since Zheng Xin, the Chaozhou people Maintain close cooperation with Siam, especially to help Siam build Chinese style sailboats.

This kind of ship will have tax benefits when sailing into Chinese ports, but Siam is very hesitant about this, because European sailing ships will bring Western firearms, and the King of Siam is very interested in purchasing these. With the withdrawal of the Dutch, and The European country with the most contacts with Siam became the United Kingdom.

Although Siam was invaded by Burma, it was expanding to the Malay Peninsula. Because it was unable to resist the Siamese invasion, the Sultan of Malacca turned to Britain for help by providing industrial materials produced in the tropics, hoping to gain the support of the other party and obtain the effect of checks and balances. .

"Ha ha."

Bonaparte smiled gleefully.

Georgiana looked at the book silently, what does it mean to "lift a rock and shoot yourself in the foot"?

"In the 17th century, the Siamese ruling group never forgot the Europeans' meddling in Siam's fateful affairs. Along with the Louis XIV envoys, they came to Siam with the tax system, and the taxpayer in Siam Mainly Chinese."

Georgiana didn't know what expression to make at this moment, but she just paused and continued reading.

After the Ayutthaya Dynasty was overthrown, the Thonburi Dynasty did not end this system, and it even continued in the Bangkok Dynasty. The King of Siam even appointed a Chinese who contracted bird’s nest taxation as the governor of two islands near Songkhla in return. He "as an honest, effective and successful tax contractor", his heirs can inherit this position, and Songkhla has also become the main center of Qing-Siam exchanges and royal power in the south.

Corruption and inefficiency are the reasons for the bankruptcy of the Dutch East India Company, and the bankruptcy of the Dutch East India Company also led to the decline of the status of the Dutch European powers, and their influence on East Asia has also tended to be quiet. They closed Edo in 1700 In 1750, they abandoned the trading posts of Arabia and Persia, and had to withdraw from Taiwan, so they have never been able to establish trade relations with the Central Plains regime.

Different from the land market in Guangzhou, there is a large water market in Siam. Merchants set up stalls on the covered deck to sell goods. There are a wide variety of goods, including tea, porcelain, silk, paper, and incense. , folding fans, umbrellas, flowers, etc., the river becomes colorful and exquisite and beautiful, but not all water markets are like this. In some markets, vendors will throw vegetables and fruit peels directly into the river, and the river surface will It got messy and didn't smell that good.

"Remember the vegetable market in Paris?" Georgiana asked.

Bonaparte was silent, he seemed to be dreaming, Georgiana understood him, I am afraid that there are few people who are not fascinated by the river full of luxury goods, "the gorgeous side of the East".

Nick woke up sore, maybe from the hard stone bed he slept on, or maybe from a rough night's sleep, and when he woke up, someone was standing beside his bed, with his back to him. He looks at the pictures on the wall.

Nick immediately woke up, it was the tall man who drank chicken blood from yesterday, he was still wearing a red cloak.

"Who is she?" the tall man asked.

"I imagined it," Nick said.

The man looks back at Nick.

"He should be here."

Nick looked at him confused.

"Do you want to go by yourself or should I ask someone to help you?"

Nick looked at the two people standing at the door, they were the kidnappers who kidnapped him.

Nick stood up immediately and followed the man in the red cloak out of the cave. When two people passed by the door, one of them pushed him arbitrarily, as if warning him not to make any resistance.

They did not come to the small courtyard yesterday, but came to the place where he disembarked yesterday. Not far away was a large sailing ship. in a black turban.

The red cloak looks young and handsome, but Nick's mind is full of blood after drinking chicken blood yesterday.

The black cloak didn't look so handsome, but he had a special temperament. He bowed to Nick.

This is the ceremony to be performed when offering sacrifices to Confucius in the Confucian Temple, and it is also a meeting ceremony between literati. Nick quickly returned the ceremony according to the method taught by Juren.

"My surname is Guo, my name is Xuexian, you are..."

Nick had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, even though he spoke English.

"Do you have a Chinese name?" Guo Xuexian asked.

"No," Nick said.

"He is the person you are looking for." Red Cloak said impatiently, "Take him away."

Guo Xuexian invited Nick to the boat next to him like a "student". Nick hesitated for a while, but went on.

A Siamese once said that the Europeans now come with honeyed words, pretending they only want trade, and before long they'll set up merchant houses, then beg to build walls around them, and soon they'll build walls Assuming cannon, in the end they'll take the country.

Nick didn't know what he would encounter on the other party's boat, maybe worse than what he had experienced on the island, but he decided to take a chance.

When their boat approached the big one, he found a couplet pasted on the bow:

If the way is not good, you can float in the sea on the bridge; if you are in trouble, you can stand in the court with your belt.

The boat was as high as two floors, and a rope ladder was needed to climb it. Not long after boarding the boat, Nick was "invited" into the cabin, which was Guo Xuexian's cabin.

There are many books in it, and there are also charts drawn by Europeans, as well as compasses and other drawing tools. It looks like a European captain's room.

"Can you understand the couplet just now?" Guo Xuexian asked.

Nick nods.

"Know what do you mean?"

Nick thought for a moment, shaking his head.

"'The way is not good, take the boat to float in the sea' is what Confucius said to his disciples, 'The troubles of people, the belts stand in the court' is my own perception. I am different from my teacher. I don't like the height of the temple. Just get to know a few more friends who love reading." Guo Xuexian said with a smile, "Why don't you drink tea with me on the way back?"

Nick froze for a moment.

"Or do you want the bottom cabin?"

"You are not a scholar of the Qing Dynasty at all." Nick said in an official way.

Guo Xuexian laughed out loud.

"Fate can't be helped, elder relatives are despicable, do you understand the meaning of this sentence?" After laughing enough, Guo Xuexian said

"Is this a code to connect? If I can't answer, will I not be able to verify my identity? Why didn't you say it on the shore?"

Guo Xuexian pointed to Nick's hair "yellow hair."

Then he pointed to Nick's eyes, "Blue eyes, this kind of appearance is rare among foreigners, not to mention you painted a picture at your residence, I was looking for a painter, I think I found the right one, right? "

In Nick's view, this kind of threat was unquestionable, so he couldn't answer it. Seeing that he didn't answer, Guo Xuexian was very calm and calm, and gave him a blank sheet of paper.

"You can also draw a sketch for me, and just use it as your boat fare."