New Shun 1730

Thinking about it is terrifying!

Count Bentinck did not dare to think further.

He knew that the happy and rosy-faced Marquis in front of him was definitely not a fool. On the contrary, he was a very difficult and terrible opponent.

It was precisely because he was not a fool that he made some foolish remarks at this time, which made people doubt him.

Only a fool would believe in free trade with Dashun.

At the beginning, the Netherlands was shouting slogans such as free trade and freedom of the high seas all day long, but at that time it was facing the monopoly of Spain and Portugal.

Although it is still shouting all day long now, it is because of Britain's "Navigation Act".

Speak human words to people and speak ghosts to ghosts. This slogan of free trade can be said to Spain, Britain, and France, but it can't be said to Dashun.

Seeing that Liu Yu had raised free trade, anti-mercantilism, and anti-tariff protection to the point where anyone who opposes it is anti-human, Count Bentinck finally couldn't help it.

"Mr. Marquis, if you insist on free trade, why don't you let Britain give up the Navigation Act first?"

"If Britain gives up the Navigation Act and Spain gives up the Colonial Trade Review Act, the Netherlands will immediately and unwaveringly support free trade."

Liu Yu was stunned for a moment and said helplessly: "The British side will not agree."

"Then why do you think we can agree?"

"Because what I said is a universally correct truth, which is absolutely logical. Can you logically refute the benefits of free trade?"

Earl Bentinck twitched his cheek, thinking that it is indeed impossible to refute logically, but, is it necessarily correct if it is impossible to refute logically?

"Mr. Marquis, the right thing does not necessarily have to be done. If everyone rationally believes that the right thing should be done, then the world will be much better. Reality is cruel, not an ideal country. We must consider the Dutch handicraft practitioners."

"Moreover, legally speaking, the East India Company's monopoly is granted by the government. Before the East India Company's monopoly expires, we Dutch respect the law and will not cancel the East India Company's monopoly without reason."

Liu Yu came here today with a "reasonable" mentality. On weekdays, he rarely said so much "absolutely correct nonsense", and even sneered at some absolutely correct nonsense.

But today, he came purely to get humiliated, and what he said became more and more correct.

The more correct, the more nonsense.

"Your Highness the Archon, Mr. Bentinck, there is one thing I feel I need to make clear. Logically, or rationally and axiomically, the VOC company is harmful to the overall interests of the Dutch people."

"Because of VOC's monopoly, the Dutch people cannot enjoy cheap tea, cheap spices, or cheap porcelain. In order to obtain excess profits, VOC cut down and burned clove trees and slaughtered the Spice Islands to reduce production. Isn't this harmful to all Dutch people?"

"The Dutch people can obviously drink tea that costs dozens of copper coins per pound, but they have to spend several times or even dozens of times the price."

"The Dutch people can obviously use Southeast Asian spices for every meal, but they have to reduce their use due to the price."

"The Dutch people can obviously make and replace old earthenware pottery and use Jingdezhen porcelain. As long as VOC releases its monopoly, merchants will compete with each other and prices will fall."

"Because VOC The monopoly of the VOC and the fact that the Dutch outside the company were not welcome to settle in Southeast Asia led to a serious shortage of Dutch people in Southeast Asia. Such fertile land could have become an important market for the Netherlands and a pillar of the Dutch local industry, but because of the monopoly, it became a wasteland for the Dutch. "

"Because of the VOC's monopoly, corruption has spread within the VOC, and each of them carries private goods. If the VOC's monopoly is abolished, the Dutch can freely go to the east of the Cape of Good Hope to trade. Will those things that affect efficiency by carrying private goods still happen? "

"If true free trade is achieved, the Dutch don't even need to grow food. As long as they can develop their advantageous shipbuilding, transportation, and finance industries with peace of mind, they can have more people for industries such as textiles. As long as they spend money, they can buy enough food. "

"Isn't what I said true? Don't you know it at all? "

Earl Bentinck thought to himself, nonsense, we are not stupid, of course we know it.

But the problem is that we are shareholders of the VOC.

Besides, the Dutch people? What does it have to do with me? We are not the same species as those unruly people. Whether they can drink cheap tea and use cheap porcelain, what does it have to do with us?

But these words can only be kept in the heart, because some things, what you think in your heart is one thing, and what you say out loud is another.

What Liu Yu said is absolutely correct.

No one present can say that what Liu Yu said is logically wrong.

However, these logically correct words are nonsense in reality.

"Mr. Marquis, in addition to correctness, there is also justice."

"More than a hundred years ago, if the company did not form a joint-stock company and grant monopoly rights, how could it have competed with those competitors?"

"Others have established joint-stock trading companies, with hundreds of large ships, and have administratively protected monopolies. But we trade freely, operating ship by ship, and are snatched away by our opponents like eagles catching chicken chicks?"

"The people of the East India Company have shed blood and made great efforts to achieve everything they have now. Those Dutch people you mentioned have done nothing, so why should they enjoy all this?"

"With all due respect, you are also from a noble background. According to my superficial understanding of Chinese culture, everything should be based on talent. Your ancestors fought on the battlefield and obtained the title of a noble. Ordinarily, you should not inherit it, but It’s only right to give up the title to those who are capable, isn’t it?”

"According to your correct principles, you should not inherit your land, manor, wealth, and title. If you inherit the title, wouldn't you also damage the upward channels for some talented people?"

"You will not give up the title of your ancestors. What is the difference between this and the East India Company not giving up everything they have achieved for more than a hundred years?"

"Correct does not necessarily mean justice. Between correctness and justice, I choose justice. My ancestors shed blood, so of course I am a noble, and this is justice; the East India Company shed blood, and it is natural that I enjoy profits. This is justice." It’s also fair.”

"Perhaps free trade is absolutely correct. However, it is unfair for the Dutch textile industry to compete fairly with your country's textile industry."

"It is impossible for us to accept the conditions you state for a free trade and tariff agreement."

"Not possible anyway."

Count Bentinck exported a lot of fallacies to Liu Yu, and he became increasingly wary of Liu Yu.

This performance showed that Russia actually received many favorable conditions, which gave Liu Yu the illusion that "as long as he supports the coup, he can obtain some unexpected benefits."

While Count Bentinck was opposing Liu Yu, he was thinking quickly in his mind, what kind of conditions did Russia achieve?

Moreover, the Russian coup also involved the French ambassador. Since Russia can offer Dashun such favorable conditions, will the offer to France be inferior?

If Russia stabs Austria again, the whole of Austria will fall apart. France originally requested that Austria retain only Lower Austria and Hungary. As for the Austrian Netherlands, Silesia, the Principality of Milan, Tyrol, and Bohemia, they must be dismantled and Austria will be completely dismembered.

If this is the case, it will be quite detrimental to the Netherlands. When the time comes, they would rather break their original promise than support Austria, otherwise France will definitely retaliate.

However, the British side has been putting huge pressure on the Netherlands.

To put it another way, if Austria were to be dismembered like this, the Netherlands itself would be in extreme danger.

The current position of consul is a big hole. Even if it is given away for free, the Orange family should not jump into it.

However, if he does not hesitate to fight France for the future security of the Netherlands, William is likely to be appointed military governor by the United Provincial Assembly.

From the earliest days, the Orange family was the backbone of the Dutch army.

The Federal Provincial Council certainly knew that William was not suitable as a general, and he was fighting at an absolute disadvantage. However, internal power struggles and intrigues do not stop because of external tensions.

It is possible that the Parliament of the United Provinces deliberately appointed William as military consul.

If William refused, the Provincial Parliament could denigrate the prestige of the House of Orange. Because the Orange family is a symbol of the army, and now future generations do not even dare to serve as military consuls, the Dutch people may be completely disappointed with the Orange family, and no one will be able to challenge the status of the regent oligarchy.

If William agrees, it will be difficult to defeat the enemy in such a dangerous situation. By then, the prestige of the Orange family will be extremely low. How can a "man of hope" who cannot even achieve military victory make the Dutch believe that he can lead the Netherlands back to the golden age?

What needs to be considered now is not Liu Yu's bewitchment and temptation. As long as he firmly resists any bewitchment and temptation, the other party will have nothing to do.

What needs to be considered now is whether the United Provincial Congress faction will take advantage of the national crisis to stumble and use tricks to completely lose the prestige of the Orange family?

It is impossible for France to occupy the entire Netherlands. The regent oligarchs are still regent oligarchs, but the Orange family is finished, and so is the Netherlands.

Once France becomes strong, the Netherlands will become a vassal state of France.

The cultural shock will make the Netherlands lose its identity and become fully French.

And if the huge army occupied the Austrian Netherlands, what else could the Netherlands do except listen to France?

However, what impact does this have on the regency oligarchs? Lending when it’s time to lend, borrowing when it’s time to borrow...

Count Bentinck kept looking at Liu Yu, hoping to judge from Liu Yu's words what kind of secret treaty Russia had reached with China and France.

Now we are not thinking about being in power, but thinking about the situation taking a turn for the worse, and the oligarchic regents using conspiracy to destroy the prestige of the Orange faction. External threats are small, while internal threats are large.