Emperor Chongzhen's condition was already a bit numb.
In the past, even if I beat him to death, he didn't believe that he could earn tens of millions a year.
But at this time, although Liu Weichao did not come up with specific data, he made him feel through reasonable assumptions that the final conclusion should not be problematic!
This means that there is really an income of tens of millions!
Emotionally, Emperor Chongzhen really didn't want to believe that collecting sea trade protection fees, or commercial taxes, could actually make such money! Unfortunately, the court had been kept in the dark. Previously, the sea tax of 20,000 taels a year was collected.
It’s so childish to think it’s too much!
At this time, hearing what Liu Weichao said, Emperor Chongzhen asked a little numbly: "Is there anything else?"
"Didn't I tell you?" After hearing this, Liu Weichao reminded him, "Now is the Age of Discovery! Why is it the Age of Discovery? How did the Age of Discovery come about? It is because the profits from overseas trade are very objective.
Let those Western barbarians stay away from home and risk their lives to go sailing!"
"Didn't you say they were going to colonize?" Emperor Chongzhen asked a little doubtfully after hearing this.
When Liu Weichao heard this, he replied directly: "This is not a contradiction! Think about it, Xiyi started to do maritime trade, but found that the local people's force was terrible, so what kind of business did they do? They directly robbed or enslaved
Local people are more profitable! There’s nothing wrong with them!”
At this point, he thought of something and added: "The reason for the Battle of Liaoluo Bay is that the Dutch want to monopolize the trade between the West and the Ming Dynasty! If they cannot achieve their goal, they want to use force, but on the side of the Ming Dynasty
, they just didn’t win.”
Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but fell silent after hearing this.
The Western Yi traveled thousands of miles to come to the Ming Dynasty. Under the dangerous sea route, Emperor Chongzhen himself would not believe it if there were not enough benefits.
But, tens of millions!
Thinking this way, he still had some doubts: "Is sea trade really so profitable? Just collecting protection fees...sea tax can generate tens of millions of dollars a year?"
Liu Weichao listened and saw that Emperor Chongzhen was so entangled with the number of ten million. He couldn't help but smile and said: "How much do you think ten million is? If my impression is correct, it seems that in the Southern Song Dynasty, they also had this number when they collected sea tax.
Right? Besides, Zheng Zhilong controlled the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty, which was equivalent to controlling the ships of the Ming Dynasty that went to sea. By the way, there were also the ships that traded with the Japanese country. All ships that had to pass through the coast of the Ming Dynasty collected protection fees!
Ten million is really not much. If you encourage us to go to sea during the Taiping Period, you might be able to receive more!"
Before Emperor Chongzhen could speak, he thought for a moment and then added: "Do you know how much profit the Western Yi made from transporting spices from Nanyang back to Europe?"
"How many times?" Emperor Chongzhen was already surprised and shocked too much. At this time, his mood was not particularly fluctuating, but he was still a little curious, so he followed Liu Weichao's tone and asked.
Of course he knows about spices, and they don’t seem to be very expensive!
After hearing this, Liu Weichao immediately replied: "Sixty thousand times more expensive than gold. Even when selling spices in Europe, they add silver powder to them to make money. Think about how expensive spices are, and a sea-going ship
How many spices can be transported back!"
These words once again went beyond Emperor Chongzhen's understanding. Although he was already a little numb, he was still shocked beyond measure: So expensive? How is this possible?
Seeing his expression, Liu Weichao knew his situation, so he explained with a smile: "Let me tell you, when I knew that spices were so expensive in Europe, I was surprised. Then I checked the information and I probably know a few things.
reason."
"What's the reason?" Emperor Chongzhen couldn't imagine it after hearing this.
If this was the case, he decided to immediately send people to transport spices to the Europeans!
Liu Weichao said to him: "In Europe, spices are a symbol of status and wealth, just like the ones inlaid with gold and jade in the Ming Dynasty. One of the reasons for this is their religious reasons. They believe that the fragrance can only be obtained by gods or gods.
There are places where gods live; another reason is that the Persians who used to transport spices to Europe made up stories about how difficult it was to obtain spices..."
In the past, Europe thought that their legendary Garden of Eden was in the East, probably in the location of India. Moreover, the Garden of Eden was not in the sky, but on the ground. It was guarded by angels with swords, and the aroma overflowed from it, and only then did the spices come.
Liu Weichao didn't want to talk to Emperor Chongzhen anymore, so he just changed it to the word "immortal" that Easterners could understand.
The people who made up stories and sold them to Europeans at high prices were not only Persians, but also Arabs. In order to save money, he directly said that they were Persians that Emperor Chongzhen could understand.
At this time, after listening to Liu Weichao's explanation, Emperor Chongzhen finally believed it. It turned out that the Western Yi were all fools!
But then, he came back to his senses and immediately said doubtfully: "This is wrong. Now that the Western Yi have been in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, do they not know the true value of spices?"
Liu Weichao laughed immediately after hearing this, and then asked: "If it were you, would you go back and say that spices are actually not valuable?"
"..." When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he couldn't help but be speechless.
If it were him, he would definitely not say that. It is true that he would take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune!
When Emperor Chongzhen said this, Liu Weichao added: "But you are right. Slowly, the secret of this spice will be known to Europeans, and the price will slowly become cheaper."
Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while and asked with some doubts: "But I still have doubts. Since Zheng Zhilong can get tens of millions a year, why don't others rob him? This is tens of millions!
"
When Liu Weichao heard this, he couldn't help but shook his head and said: "Didn't I just say that he has established maritime hegemony along the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty. He has the final say. Who can compete with him?"
"Ah?" Emperor Chongzhen was still surprised and a little unbelievable when he heard this.
Liu Weichao saw his expression, understood immediately, and asked him: "Do you think that the Liaoluo Bay naval battle was actually just a small war, and Zheng Zhilong only killed a few Hongyi ships, right?"
"Isn't it?" Emperor Chongzhen asked after hearing this.
When Liu Weichao heard this, he became happy again. After reading the information about the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, he immediately said to Emperor Chongzhen: "In the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, the Netherlands dispatched eleven main warships. This is what they can gather here.
They had all the warships. With these warships, they swept all the way from Europe without encountering an opponent. Moreover, in the wars between the Western Barbarians, they also chased other Western Barbarians. In addition,
The Netherlands also united with more than 50 ships belonging to the pirate Liu Xiang of the Ming Dynasty. This strength is already the most powerful maritime force on the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty!"
"It's not that no one is jealous of these tens of millions, but when you look at the inconspicuous naval battle of Liaoluo Bay, Zheng Zhilong defeated all his opponents." When Liu Weichao said this, he had to sigh and said, "This
Zheng Zhilong is really very capable."
"After he won the naval battle of Liaoluo Bay, he pursued Liu Xiang fiercely until he killed Liu Xiang. For no other reason than because Liu Xiang was also a pirate of the Ming Dynasty. If he didn't kill him, he might resurface.
And the Dutch and other Western barbarians are too far away from our Ming Dynasty. The lost warships and troops cannot be replenished in time, and the threat to Zheng Zhilong will be much less!"
After saying this, Liu Weichao suddenly saw a piece of information on the computer, and continued: "The Dutch are indeed jealous of those tens of millions. Six years later, they assembled 9 more warships, hoping to get a share of the pie.
, was defeated by Zheng Zhilong again. Later, Zheng Zhilong told the Dutch that as long as the Dutch obeyed his orders, he would give them whatever they wanted. In the end, the Dutch relented. From this, Zheng Zhilong also
Controlling the entire southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty, there is no opponent."
After Emperor Chongzhen listened, he remained silent for a long time, apparently digesting what he said.
After all, these things at sea were really unfamiliar territory to Emperor Chongzhen. In other words, he had never heard of such detailed matters at sea before.
Liu Weichao waited for a while and saw that Emperor Chongzhen had not spoken. He thought of something and continued: "Think about it again, Zheng Zhilong can earn tens of millions of dollars a year. With his smoothness in doing things, the entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty may be
He bribes, or doesn't know his specific situation at all, or he colludes with him to get benefits. The same is true, he makes a fortune in silence, but you are far away in the capital, it's weird to know!"
"So I said, Fujian is his territory, am I right?" Liu Weichao finally asked Emperor Chongzhen, "If you want to dig up gold and copper mines in Fujian, do you think he will intervene? Do you think, you
How much profit can be gained from his territory?"
"..." Emperor Chongzhen was speechless. At this time, he didn't say anything to refute.
Think about it, with an income of tens of millions a year, not to mention the whole of Fujian and the southeastern coast of Ming Dynasty, he has power, so there will be no problem.
Taking a step back, if he himself had an income of tens of millions a year, how could the situation in the country have deteriorated to this point? If he had money to pay the border troops, the border troops would not become thieves; if he had money to provide relief to the victims, the victims would
There will be no rebellion; if you have money to fight and destroy the rebels, the situation in Liaodong will have been stable...
The situation in the Ming Dynasty is very different between those with tens of millions of dollars of income and those without tens of millions of dollars of income!
While he was thinking about it, he saw Liu Weichao with a very serious expression, raised his voice, and said solemnly to him: "I don't agree with you digging gold and copper mines in Fujian. There is another very important reason. It's the outside world.
There are so many mines, why do you dig mines at home first? Why don’t you leave them to your descendants to mine? At this time, if you have the ability, go out and grab them!”