Chapter 401 Shi Ziye is a big fool
What could support the Ming Dynasty’s colonial enterprise?
Considering the current situation of internal and external troubles in the Ming Dynasty, it would be unrealistic for the French to lose money and spend money to colonize as the French did, not to mention losing money. After all, the French only faced a few scattered indigenous tribes in North America.
, they burned money, but they burned hundreds or thousands of people.
But there are millions of natives living in Nanyang!
Thousands of people?
It's just a stronghold.
Besides, what does the Ming Dynasty need? It is to send millions of refugees to the colonies. Such a small number of people is just a drop in the bucket and cannot quench the thirst at all!
The large base of refugees was determined from the beginning, and Ming Dynasty’s colonial path was definitely different from that of European countries!
The Europeans spent hundreds of years and accumulated colonization to build their colonial career. However, the Ming Dynasty had to move millions of refugees overseas in a short period of time. The only thing that can compare with this is the Irish famine.
Great immigration.
But the crux of the matter is that when the Irish immigrated, North America was open to them, and they paid for the ship tickets themselves!
But how much money did the refugees of the Ming Dynasty use to buy boat tickets?
Zhu Guoqiang couldn't afford this money, and neither could the court.
Who can afford it?
No one can pay for it. One million immigrants every year is equal to tens of millions of taels of expenses every year. If this money is completely borne by the government, the final result will be the bankruptcy of the court! In the end, the so-called immigrants will also
It turns into a joke, maybe even making wedding clothes for others.
Immigrate millions of people, and let millions of people pay for it!
If the poor immigrate, let the rich pay for it!
But how can they pay for it?
Not only do we have to make them pay, but we also have to make them pay willingly. But how can we make them pay willingly?
What do these profit-seeking guys value?
Benefit!
As long as they see benefits, they will be willing to pay.
But how can a colony without mines have benefits? And these benefits must be provided by every immigrant. Obviously, even mines cannot meet this requirement.
Just like poverty alleviation in later generations, the key is to first find an industry that is suitable for it.
This industry does not need to make much money, but it allows everyone to see its rich returns, making people willing to spend money, so that more people can be sent to the colonies.
After much thought, Zhu Guoqiang still set his sights on rice!
Perhaps the offshore rice trade is not very profitable, but it can involve every immigrant household, because every immigrant is basically an agricultural immigrant. In this era, the Mekong Delta is completely barbaric, with almost no development. There are thousands of immigrants there.
Thousands of acres of land are available for cultivation.
It is now the territory of Chenla, but more than ten years ago, King Ji Zheta II married the sixth princess of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam (a separatist regime in Annan). The sixth princess asked Chenla's husband for this piece of land.
The coastal land allowed Vietnamese refugees to enter this area, so it became a paradise for Annan refugees fleeing the Zheng-Nguyen conflict.
However, the real development there was after the surrender of the Zheng family in Taiwan. His subordinate Chen Shangchuan did not want to become a subject of the Qing Dynasty. He led 3,000 people and Yang Yandi and other overseas Chinese to cultivate fields and build houses and cities there. Especially in the Mekong Delta.
Only then can it be truly developed.
In other words, it is now a barbaric and "ownerless" land.
No, it has an owner, but that doesn't mean anything.
After all, the so-called "Annan Dutong Envoy" is not a real country, but a chieftain regime attached to the Ming Dynasty. Nearly half a century ago, after the restoration of the Li Dynasty in the south, the Li Dynasty was revived. Li Shizong sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty
, requested the Ming court to restore the previous canonization of "Annan King", but the Ming court temporarily granted the title of "Annan Commander-in-Chief" on the grounds that the situation was uncertain.
From then until the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Vietnam always existed as an administratively autonomous unit within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Ming Dynasty also allowed the Li Dynasty to create Gaoping, and Taiyuan to the descendants of the Mo family.
Even though there are currently several political powers in the small Annan State Capital Commandery Division, which is a mess internally, externally everyone has to recognize the "good father" of the Ming Dynasty.
But even if this is the case, they still have the power to bully Champa and Zhenla in the south, and it is not the "Da Annan" to bully them. However, a mere Ruan Lord from Guangnan suppressed Champa and Zhenla. These two
The country is incredibly weak.
The Mekong Delta is in the hands of Chenla. It is simply a childish pursuit of gold. He goes there, not to seize the land, but to protect this child who is unable to protect himself!
Well, Zhenla was also a member of the tribute system. In other words, he had to call Daming daddy.
Well, what’s the son’s belongs to the father!
What's the big deal if a father takes something that his son can't keep and keeps it for him?
This is a matter of course!
Bullying here and there.
It was clearly Daming's father who couldn't stand the two weakest "sons" being bullied by other sons, so he stood up to seek justice.
Of course, this justice can not only solve the domestic food problem, but also resettle millions of refugees.
This is a great thing!
Of course, Zheng Hongkui didn't understand how this "great thing" was a good idea. As a businessman, he valued profits more.
"But, Sir, even if we go back and forth like this, on average, the profit for one trip is only a thousand taels of silver at most. This profit is really too low."
Zhu Guoqiang had no choice but to explain patiently:
"Of course, it's not much. But you have to know that this is a long-term business, especially for investors. If you invest thirty taels of silver, you will get back more than just the 20% of the land rent. Let's calculate these two first.
No matter what, it is no problem to return more than ten taels of silver a year. In these twenty years, the return is almost ten times. Shengyi, tell me, what kind of business can you do in the world?
Such a high return?
After asking rhetorically, Zhu Guoqiang said again.
"But this is not the biggest business. After all, it is just small money. What is the real business? It is immigration. Millions of immigrants have come. They need to wear clothes, use iron tools, and buy all kinds of goods. These
Where do things come from? It must be transported by sea trade? The Zheng family's fleet transports people to a place, and naturally opens a business to a place. This business not only collects land rent, but also conducts trade. At the beginning
At that time, this trade could not make much money, but what about ten or twenty years later? When those immigrants gave birth to one or two generations later, and there were millions or even tens of millions of people in the area, after these dozen or so
In the past twenty years, how much has the Zheng family earned through maritime trade?"
Zheng Hongkui couldn't figure it out for a while, but there was no need to calculate it. Everyone knew that this must be a good thing and it would indeed bring a lot of benefits to the Zheng family!
Even if the Zheng family doesn't even buy a "ship ticket", this business is a sure profit!
You can earn shipping costs!
But the key is...is this, is this true?
Zhu Guoqiang went on to say:
"Since we want to immigrate there, there will definitely be cities. Rice needs to be transshipped through ports and commercial ports. And of course these transshipment ports and commercial ports can be turned into our territory... This is not
What a stronghold is, but the cities of my Ming Dynasty. They were small cities at the beginning, but some cities must be on the trade routes. They will eventually become big cities like Fuzhou. After all, in the end, we will set up there.
One province after another, and the capitals of the provinces are those cities. When your Zheng family trades at sea, they will definitely set up shops in those cities to conduct trade. So how much will these houses be worth in the future? "
Staring at him, Zhu Guoqiang said again.
"Also, Chenla and Champa also have many specialties that can be sold for money, such as ivory and mahogany. Where can we grow sugar cane and produce cane sugar? These can be ways for us to make money."
That seems to be what happened... Zheng Hongkui felt a little dizzy when he heard it. He was obviously talking about the business of transporting people and rice at the beginning, so why did he keep talking about it further and further?
Looking at the eloquent prince in front of him, Zheng Hongkui suddenly had an idea in his mind.
You will definitely not take advantage of him when discussing business with this man.
Suffer?
Will the Zheng family suffer?
Chapter completed!