New Shun 1730

Since disarmament and the cessation of shipbuilding, diplomacy that is good at dancing with long sleeves and understanding the intrigues in a confusing environment is a necessary talent for the Grand Speaker.

In fact, it is precisely because Anthony Heim has such talents that he was nominated as a candidate for the Grand Speaker and was recommended by the important previous one.

Although, what the Netherlands needs now is a military genius and a master of domestic affairs to complete the construction of national identity, centralize the seven decentralized provinces into a real country, reform the tax system, and force the transformation...

However, it is impossible for everyone to accept, recognize, and succeed.

So since it is impossible to enhance one's own strength, it is better to settle for the second best and choose someone who can rely on diplomacy to maintain peace.

This is a standard wishful thinking.

Believe that relying on diplomacy alone can maintain long-term peace.

As a person who is not good at domestic affairs and military affairs, and was pushed to power by his predecessor who thought that it was impossible to centralize domestic affairs and military affairs and it would be better to choose someone who is better at diplomacy, Anthony Heim saw some problems from Liu Yu's abnormal behavior of "not going to the capitals of first-class powers such as Paris and London first, but coming to the Netherlands first".

"Gentlemen, if we think that the Marquis is a naive, passionate, and fanatical person, then we can roughly explain the rationality of his various strange behaviors."

"But if we think that he is a sinister, sinister, and far-sighted diplomat who has shed his passion and fanaticism and strives for the greatest interests of his motherland, then his various strange behaviors have another explanation."

"He is pro-French, loudly advocates support for the descendants of the Stuart dynasty, and loudly displays the contradictions with Britain... Is it possible that he just wants to get bargaining chips for negotiations with Britain?"

"China and Britain have no bargaining chips in negotiations."

"But he used his pro-French, support for the Stuart dynasty, and contradictions with George Anson to get bargaining chips out of nothing."

"And use this to achieve his goal?"

"Even this advance visit to the Netherlands is for the ultimate goal?"

Out of nothing?

The oligarchs of several cities are all business tycoons, and they are not unfamiliar with this common method in business negotiations.

"Mr. Speaker, do you mean that he ultimately wants to negotiate with Britain? Combined with the 'redistribution of the share of tea, silk and porcelain trade' he mentioned in his speech at the dock... So, his real purpose is to cooperate with the British East India Company, the two companies cooperate, split 50-50, and achieve a monopoly of tea, silk and porcelain in the entire European and North American markets?"

"He knows that Britain cannot give up these existing interests, so he creates these bargaining chips out of nothing."

"When necessary, put all these chips on the line: if Britain cooperates and agrees to his conditions, then Dashun will no longer be overly pro-French and no longer support the Stuart Dynasty?"

"In other words, he does not support the restoration of Catholicism in Britain. Once Britain cooperates, he will immediately sell out the old usurper king, the French, and even Sweden?"

Anthony Heim nodded and shook his head.

These people only understood the diplomatic bargaining chips created out of nothing, but still did not understand why they had to come to the Netherlands first. Because from the Netherlands, Dashun does not seem to get any bargaining chips to negotiate with Britain.

But there is a most critical issue here.

"Gentlemen, if you were the helmsman of the diplomacy and trade of the Chinese Empire, would you prefer free trade? Or cooperative monopoly with a 50-50 split?"

This question is also a question that does not need to be answered, and it is not even a question.

In terms of trade with Europe, Dashun does not like any monopoly, nor does it need any monopoly.

What Dashun really needs is a world system under the framework of free trade.

Under the free trade system, everyone depends on their ability. If Dashun opens tariffs and lets European goods sell to Dashun, it will not make any waves.

Which of paper, woolen cloth, farm tools, ironware, woodware, ceramics, wool, glass...even arms can be sold in Dashun?

On the contrary, the list of export goods tariffs in the customs tariff agreement in the "Five Ports Trade Regulations" after the crow in history is almost all hot-selling goods to Europe.

Alum, star anise oil, cinnamon oil, tea, cinnamon, rhubarb, sanlai, ginger, raw silk, hemp cloth, purple flower cloth, woodware, boneware, lake silk, silkworm silk, ginger candy, candied fruit, rock sugar, dye, lead powder, fish skin glue, cow and sheep skin glue, copper foil, tin foil, porcelain, pottery, paper...

All kinds of things, basically covering the popular commodities sold to Europe at that time, with a full range of handicrafts.

That was 1842 in history. Watt, who improved the steam engine, had been dead for more than 20 years. A few years later, the "Manifesto" came out. The generation gap was already big enough.

But after removing opium, there was still a huge surplus - that was when the British stole the tea seeds, the Industrial Revolution cracked the secret of porcelain, Darjeeling tea and Ceylon tea were popular, and the British porcelain brand Wedgwood had already taken shape.

Now Dashun has made up for its shortcomings, glass, munitions, and imitation inferior mechanical watches.

No one dares to sell opium now, and woolen cloth is completely unsalable.

Apart from these, what is left in the historical Shanghai tariff are either special products from Southeast Asia: borneol, cardamom, bird's nest, cloves, frankincense, shark fin, sandalwood, ebony, and rhinoceros horn.

Either it is really not available or cannot be produced around China: Yalan rice (cochineal dye, you have to eat cactus); Somali frankincense, American ginseng; Myrrh (Ethiopian ground resin); Benzoin (benzene ring compound) .

It can’t be said now that nothing can be sold to Dashun.

If the British really let go of export controls and sell navigation clocks to Dashun, even for ten thousand taels of silver each, the Dashun navy will put out an order for one hundred thousand taels without saying a word, and they will first come and take apart 10 pieces. Research research.

If the court doesn't approve the money, Liu Yu will pay for it himself.

The problem is that the British won't sell... no matter how much money they give.

And if the UK can still sell a navigation clock, what can the Netherlands sell? Except for the clove cardamom, which is a specialty of Nanyang and is controlled by the Netherlands, and the reciprocal tariff agreement has been signed, what else will be left of the Netherlands' precarious industry?

Anthony Heim knew what was going on here, otherwise it would be impossible for merchant ships to China to carry half a shipload of silver coins.

"So, gentlemen, for the Chinese Empire, he only needs an international system of free trade. If this system can be achieved, it will be the greatest benefit to the Chinese Empire. In fact, he is willing to pay a huge cost for this system ”

"And we, the Netherlands, are the breakthrough point for him to establish this international system of self-owned trade. If there is no breakthrough here, he will use the weight in his hand to exchange interests with the United Kingdom, and the two companies will cooperate on a 50-50 basis. Monopoly on the exclusive rights to trade in Chinese goods west of the Cape of Good Hope.”

"For China, there are advantages and disadvantages to fully cooperating with the UK."

"The advantage is that the UK has a broader market than ours and has a huge naval force to maintain the Navigation Regulations."

"The bad thing is that Southeast Asia is under our control. If we impose a trade embargo on us and fully cooperate with the United Kingdom, we will inevitably face smuggling problems. The long coastline, the intricate islands in Southeast Asia, and Dashun cannot ban them. Businessmen go to Southeast Asia for trade... This requires huge costs to prevent smuggling. "

"So he wants to open a breakthrough from us: tariff agreement, free trade. If we sign it, it will be equivalent to tearing a hole in the whole of Europe. Our Maritime Coachman's heritage will still be there, and other countries will have to follow suit. . And I have said that for the Chinese Empire, it is in their best interests to create a free trade system, at least with China.”

"The Netherlands is the easiest and most meaningful breakthrough. For example, Prussia, even if it breaks through, what's the use?"

"And if we cannot break through from the Netherlands, it means that it is impossible to achieve a meaningful breakthrough."

"He knows very well that the UK can only follow up after we are breached, and it is impossible for the UK to let go if we directly negotiate reciprocal trade with the UK. And if the Netherlands breaks through first, the UK will have to follow up. "

"So he came to our Amsterdam first. If we can't break through here, he is likely to use the bargaining chips he created out of nothing to negotiate with the United Kingdom - but it will not be a tariff agreement, but a 50-50 joint monopoly. "

“And if we do not accept the reciprocal tariff agreement, Dashun will not consider an exclusive agreement with us until we have the ability to break the British Navigation Regulations and demonstrate that Dutch merchant ships are capable of selling goods throughout Europe and America. Authorize cooperation.”

"We... are no longer worthy."

This is Anthony's guess about Liu Yu's purpose of coming to the Netherlands "first", and it is also what worries him the most.

Because the UK is really likely to accept this condition.

On the one hand, there is the temptation of specializing in Chinese products, exclusive monopoly authorization in Europe, and a 50-50 split.

On the other hand, diplomatic bargaining chips such as being pro-French and supporting the restoration of the Stuart dynasty were created out of thin air.

With both leverage and inducements, the UK is likely to agree.

You can’t blame Anthony Haim for overthinking this.

He did not know that Liu Yu's purpose was not to sell this small amount of goods. The emperor's daughter would not have to worry about marrying, and China's goods would not have to worry about selling.

It is impossible for him to know that Liu Yu's real purpose is India and Southeast Asia.

A market that has the potential to accommodate half of Jiangsu Province's preliminary industrialization and alleviate the painful impact of domestic industrialization; it can provide half of the origin of cotton and indigo, the raw materials for Jiangsu Province's preliminary industrialization.

It is impossible to know that Liu Yu judged that the French navy was too useless and had policy problems. He also sent the American ginseng trade, and France would lose in the battle for India. If you want India, it is impossible to cooperate with the United Kingdom, and you must even be prepared to deal with the United Kingdom in advance.

Therefore, in the eyes of Anthony, the big speaker of the commercial Netherlands, it is a very possible conjecture; in the eyes of Liu Yu, the man behind the diplomacy who longs to industrialize China, it is not considered at all.

This is purely a difference between commercial and industrial routes, and has nothing to do with the cultural differences between East and West.

But it is precisely this difference in focus that led to this diplomatic dispute between China and the Netherlands, and the two sides guessed the wrong bottom line.

The reason why Liu Yu came to the Netherlands "first" is really simple.

It is because the court etiquette reception in France takes time to arrange. The French court, which is famous for luxury, does not want to lose its status. When going to dinner, it will not go without saying hello in advance and getting stuck in the meal, especially since this family is very respectable.

Furthermore, Hannibal's coup in Russia needed the help of the French Embassy in Russia. He had to meet many important people in France, and he also needed to send people to attack outposts in advance.

The reason why Liu Yu came to the Netherlands was really simple.

To create chaos, let the Orange Party take power, and then destroy the Orange Party, and disintegrate the last bit of the Dutch people's great power aspirations.

It was just two great power coups, not so complicated.

The key is these two "simple" reasons. Anthony could never have thought that Liu Yu, an important figure from a "morally noble country", came for a "morally despicable" coup...

Anthony thought that Liu Yu had a bottom line in diplomacy, but he didn't expect that Liu Yu had no bottom line for the Netherlands at all, and was purely aiming to mess up, destroy, and despair.

He overestimated the moral level of this man who shouted "credibility, integrity, and the spirit of a scholar" as soon as he got off the ship in his diplomacy with the Netherlands.

So he put forward his views to those who were already frightened by his words.

"I think we should first test the bottom line and purpose of China. If similar ideas are really revealed, we should try our best to persuade the East India Company... to divest trade with China."