New Shun 1730

The Danish trading house was temporarily closed, and firecrackers began to sound over there.

There were Swedes and Chinese setting off firecrackers. The Swedes set off firecrackers because the Danish company had added export taxes, which meant that the Swedish company could seize Denmark's share; and the Chinese merchants set off firecrackers for similar reasons.

They had investigated the British and Portuguese before, and now they were looking for trouble with Denmark. Now that the first batch of cargo ships of the Western Trading Company had returned, under several stimuli, the stock price of the Western Trading Company had skyrocketed. Since they had made money, looking at the paper in their hands, it was 100 taels yesterday, and it became 120 taels today. Of course, it was worth celebrating.

The middlemen who cooperated with the Danes also found the Danish trading house almost immediately.

Their sense of smell was sensitive enough, so they had to "follow the contract" and ask whether the Danish trading house would accept the goods entrusted to them. If not, they would have to pay a certain amount of compensation for breach of contract.

The Danish trading house had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to Liu Yu, hoping that Liu Yu would be tolerant and not talk about the spirit of contract, but consider the situation of the Danish company.

The sudden increase of 25% export tariffs means that Denmark's tea, zinc, porcelain and other scarce goods will be hard to compete with Sweden and the Netherlands, which have Chinese shares.

Tea dealers only care about money and not people. They are all smugglers. The smuggled tea with export tax is almost as expensive as the tea from the regular channels of the UK. Who will buy the high-priced smuggled tea?

But the market is there, and the share vacated by the Danes will naturally be divided up by China, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Liu Yu pulled Russia into the partnership in St. Petersburg, and the dominance of the Baltic trade zone is actually no suspense. With the easing of the Russian-Swedish conflict, this is equivalent to isolating Denmark.

Anyway, Liu Yu thought clearly that Denmark's domestic market is small, and one more or one less will not make a difference. In terms of combat effectiveness, let's solve the blockade of Sweden and Russia first. The nearest colony, Tranqueba, is actually just a dish in the mouth of Dashun. It is a lonely colony and poses no threat to Dashun.

If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. This is picking on the weak. First, they will deal with a country that is completely incapable of retaliating against Dashun, and then gradually regain the initiative in trade.

Just a light order determined the rise and fall of a large multinational company with millions of taels of assets. It was the hard work of tens of millions of people in Dashun that made Dashun eligible for trade embargoes. I dare not say anything else, but as far as Denmark is concerned, it has nothing to do with whether there is a navy.

A few days later, in a large teahouse near the stock and futures trading center.

The merchants or speculators sitting here, in groups of three or five, ordered tea and snacks.

The children selling newspapers, matches, and cigarettes shuttled around the teahouse like butterflies flying through flowers, busy like bees collecting honey.

The teahouse owner had a good business these days, and his temper was much better. When he met those newspaper boys who came to ask for a piece of snacks left by customers with a smile on their faces, he only scolded and kicked them, and did not drive them away, letting them eat the snacks left by the customers.

After the new guest ordered tea, he asked, "What's the news today?"

The boy selling newspapers, matches and cigarettes hurriedly said, "The headline is that the court has organized the canal workers into the wing army, and the Huaihe River will be dug during the dry winter this year. The court wants to solve the problem of the Song Dynasty..."

"Is this worthy of being called a headline? Who cares about this? I'm talking about trade. Is there any big news?"

The merchants didn't care about the news in the newspaper. It had nothing to do with them. Even if the Huaihe River flooded again this year and Hongze Lake burst its dike directly, it would not flood Songjiang Prefecture.

The newspaper boy flipped through it and said, "I got it. Today there is a copy of the "Customs Export List of the Danish Asia Company over the Years", which was released by the Duke."

The merchant took out a few smallest banknotes and said, "That's right, this is a big deal. Another box of matches and a pack of Nanyang cigarettes. No need to change, you can buy candy with the rest."

The newspaper boy thanked the customer skillfully and handed over the things the customer wanted, thinking that the customers have been very generous these days.

The merchant tore off the stamp with the "Tax Paid" sign on the Nanyang cigarette, took out a cigarette, fumbled for a white phosphorus match, skillfully scratched it on the corner of the table, shook his wrist, and opened the newspaper.

Dashun's grassroots management ability is not strong, so it can only collect tobacco taxes in a few special areas. Songjiang Prefecture is undoubtedly the top priority.

The main reason is that there is money and manpower here, and the inspection is strict. Other places can't manage it at all, and each village can't afford it, so most people grow and smoke it themselves.

Many things, once you get used to it, it's just like that. Especially a group of tobacco smugglers, who were whipped and executed in public and exiled to Nanyang for hard labor, the people here got used to it even faster.

These people in Songjiang Prefecture didn't feel any earth-shaking changes, but a process like boiling a frog in warm water. Today they ordered this and tomorrow they ordered that, and gradually they became familiar with many things that didn't exist before.

The merchant who bought the newspaper took a look at the customs list on it and was immediately attracted by the boring numbers.

These may be boring data that the literati pay the least attention to, but in the eyes of these speculators and businessmen, they are shining gold and glittering silver.

As more and more people come to the teahouse, today's newspaper with the list of goods has a bit of the meaning of "paper is expensive in Luoyang". Although it is a bit insulting, it has nothing to do with literary talent, it is all about money.

Someone at an unknown table slapped the table and said, "Great! Once the Danish company is taxed, won't our Western Trade Company and Sino-Swiss Trade Company make a fortune?"

"I think the news released by the Duke today is to build momentum for the public account book to be released in a few days. It is obvious that he has made a lot of money."

“I’m already making a lot of money, now I’m making even more money!”

After a few words, the atmosphere in the teahouse suddenly became lively. The people who often sit here are speculators who specialize in getting news from here.

"Hey, do you think the imperial court is preparing to divest its capital? The Duke has released the news and raised the price of one share. The imperial court wants to cash in the shares in its hands? After all, the imperial court is using money now."

This idea was immediately refuted by everyone.

"How is that possible? Now is the time when the storm is rising, and the water flows slowly. This is a golden rooster that lays eggs. How can the imperial court sell a golden rooster?"

"Yes, that's right. You see, this Danish company's products are eaten by us. This year's shipments will increase a lot. Next year's dividends will have to increase. It's not wise to sell takeaways at this time."

Most people supported the latter opinion, and the one who thought the court wanted to withdraw its capital also felt that he was a bit stupid. I thought to myself, how could such a good thing happen? If the imperial court withdraws its investment now, this country will be able to eat as much as it spreads.

However, the Duke is in charge, how can he spread the word at this juncture?

Another businessman knocked on the newspaper and said: "Look, the war in Europe has enriched neutral countries like Denmark. Exports in recent years have obviously increased by more than half compared to previous years. I heard that Qi Guogong met with trouble in Denmark , there are many disrespectful remarks made by the ministers of the country. I think this is just picking up the bowl to eat and putting down the chopsticks to scold the mother. If you want to say it, we should drive away these foreign barbarians. It’s not that we don’t have ships or sailors. The court Why let them make all the money?”

After the businessman finished complaining, he asked again: "Hey, everyone, have you heard? The British Commercial Embassy was opened yesterday. The court said it would check in the future and temporarily allowed them to do business. The British Embassy went to the Duke to pay the guarantee. , In the future, the British side’s business offices will be transferred to the Duke’s side.”

A man drinking slow tea next to him smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. Although it's only May now, the new tea has just come out, and it's still half a year before the wind starts. But after such an incident, who is so big-headed that he wants to do big business with the British? Me I heard that tea merchants from Fujian came to ask the Duke, saying that if the British didn't buy tea this year, they would ask the Duke to spare the British for the sake of the tea-making workers. A way out."

There is some truth to this rumor, at least it can be justified.

Teahouses are a very suitable place for spreading rumors, and the internal logic of such rumors can be regarded as a kind of enlightenment movement characteristic of Dashun.

Interest, economy, profit, pursuit of profit, class, hired workers, farmers, maritime merchants, businessmen, every policy change and rumor brought about by trade changes are always mixed with economic analysis of one kind or another.

Let people here gradually get used to a truth: things are universally connected.

In order to speculate, do business, sell off, and acquire, businessmen here have to pay attention to foreign situations, history, culture, and politics.

Intentionally or unintentionally, they were guided by the way of considering class interests, and amidst various rumors, they gradually mastered some ways of thinking that were completely different from the French Enlightenment.

In the French cafes, the debate was about the concept of natural human rights derived from theology, extended outward by definitions and axioms similar to geometry.

In the teahouse in Dashun, the debate was about the impact of the British tea tax policy on Fujian tea farmers, and the discussion on the impact of the rice monetization policy on the low price of rice and the harm to farmers. It was derived from the analysis of class interests under the subtle influence of these years.

Sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently.

These people who are in it do not know this subtle guidance, and they are not even aware of this subtle guidance at all.

Relying on various analyzes and rumors that "really sound reasonable", a reasonable-sounding explanation of the world is gradually instilled.

After all, there are countless explanations for everything in the world. The kind of explanation that Dashun needs is precisely hidden in these rumors and analyses, which may be true or false.

As for these people in the silent drizzle at this time, what they were interested in was not the method, but the conclusion.

If Dashun decided to continue its trade policy with Britain, what conclusion would it draw? For them, is it profit? Compensation? Is there any direction for speculation?

This is what they are most concerned about.

To care about these things, you have to understand the British political system and the Dutch political system, and then you can slowly understand the difference from Dashun at this time.

Now, what they have in front of them is just a simple issue of trade profits.

Export tariffs were imposed on Danish companies, which was greatly beneficial to trade.

So is it harmful to trade that British companies are allowed to continue trading? Is it true that the UK will reduce tea tariffs? Next year’s Wuyi tea futures, should we collect or sell them?