To understand what Savi said, what is needed is not profound knowledge of economics, but a very forward-looking vision.
It can be said that in the entire Ming Dynasty, no one except Zhu Shou could understand what Savi meant.
Export and import, trade surplus and trade deficit, these economic concepts that even ordinary people knew in later generations were undoubtedly as if they were written in heaven in the Ming Dynasty.
Before Savi started telling the story, he created a few difficulties to whet the emperor's appetite and finally showed off his talents. Zhu Shou had already figured out one thing: after the twenty-fourth trade, the trade volume in the past year,
Why is it decreasing month by month?
It’s not that the merchants of the Ming Dynasty who merged with thieves and merchants are not good enough, nor that the goods exported by the Ming Dynasty are not good. There are two most critical problems: one is that there are no bulk imported goods that can support the scene, and the other is that the goods from America
The Potosi silver mine will not be discovered for more than thirty years!
In the past year, the largest exports of goods from Ming Dynasty were naturally raw silk, ceramics and cotton cloth, and other silk fabrics, silk fabrics, satin, linen fabrics, jewelry, handicrafts, steel, tin and lead products, gunpowder, food, poultry, livestock, etc.
There are also very many.
And what about overseas at this time? There is only one thing that the Ming Dynasty urgently needs: silver.
Spices, firearms, clocks, ships, glass and other commodities were not accepted by the people of the Ming Dynasty. Second, the prices were extremely high and they had no competitive advantage.
Japan and the Americas are the two major sources of silver, but Potosi has not yet been discovered, and the output of Iwami Silver Mountain is not high. Therefore, the inflow of silver could not support the entire overseas trade during the Masanori years.
In fact, even by the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the inflow of silver had reached an astronomical figure, but China's excess and trade surplus were still irreversibly strong.
Until three hundred years later, China's international trade situation was still strong and somewhat morbid, so much so that the emerging Western colonists had no choice but to use cannons to open the door to China and get rid of the Qing Dynasty, which had the world's largest GDP.
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Of course, there are many things wrong with going into the super market, but going out of the super market with more exports and less in, even Zhu Shou, who only knows a little bit about macroeconomics, knows that this is quite inappropriate.
There are many shortcomings of trade surplus. As far as Zhu Shou knows, at least two points are obvious: First, continued surplus will lead to domestic inflation. If the input of silver and other hard currencies cannot keep up, the consequences will be
It is very serious. Secondly, it will bring about a lot of trade disputes, draw too much blood from neighboring small countries, and the foreign trade volume will only get lower and lower.
Zhu Shou understands this because he comes from a later generation and has never seen a pig run away. Has he never eaten pork?
So how did Savi know this?
The reason is also very simple. When he was working as a hard worker in Manchuria, he saw that it was difficult for European goods to compete with the cheap and high-quality Ming Dynasty goods. The Portuguese caravans could only use gold and silver and other hard currencies to purchase Ming goods. A small amount
Luxury goods and spices simply could not prevent Ming goods from sweeping the local market.
The quantity of gold and silver was limited, but the Ming Dynasty's textiles were endless. They flooded overseas like a bottomless pit, sweeping away the hard currency.
This trade situation is undoubtedly unsustainable. Without the support of a large amount of silver, in two or three years, the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty will have no choice but to return to the port of the Ming Dynasty with black-skinned indigenous girls.
This is the fundamental reason why the trade volume has been decreasing month by month in the past year.
And from a political situation point of view, this is also extremely unfavorable to Portugal.
In Savi's view, the magic power of gold and silver is not much worse than that of God.
So when the Portuguese meet the Ming people, what will happen is that God will be on the side of the Ming people!….
Therefore, even if all the officials of the Ming Dynasty were lying down and sleeping, Portugal, no, all the countries in Europe now, could do nothing about it.
Sawi's national pride and personal ambition are at fierce war.
"Then what clever solution do you have to solve this problem?" Zhu Shou's question came from Manlajia's interpreter.
Zhu Shou understood that the problem was one thing, but whether it could be solved was another matter. As an otaku, he was not yet capable of dealing with such complex foreign trade issues.
Since Savi raised the problem, he must have a solution.
Although he was far away, Zhu Shou could still hear the Portuguese man's restless ambition from his words.
"colonial!"
Savi decisively gave up his moral bottom line and betrayed not only his own country, but also all the small countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty for his own ambitions.
For the sake of his own future and moral integrity, it is better to throw them away. Savi inherited the glorious tradition of the Portuguese and carried it forward.
"migrant?"
After many translations, these words reached Zhu Shou's ears, and they were completely out of shape. However, the emperor quickly understood what Savi wanted to express. He was a ruthless character!
Zhu Shou, who originally wanted to buy horse bones from a thousand gold pieces, now has a stronger impression of Sa Wei. It seems that he should buy horse bones from a thousand gold pieces.
The interpreters and officials of the Ming Dynasty, who had little knowledge, naturally did not understand the importance of colonization.
Zhu Shou's development of Yizhou is called immigration, and it is a benign way to reallocate resources within the Ming Dynasty. However, the colonization proposed by Savi forcibly turned all the small countries around the Ming Dynasty into raw material export destinations.
Use unequal trade forms to maintain the import and export trade of the Ming Dynasty.
Some people may ask, normal trade seems to be able to achieve this effect.
Indeed, there are such examples in modern commercial societies with sound legal systems, but I will not list them here. But don’t forget that in Asia in 1508, there was no external environment for such examples to arise.
Never underestimate the intelligence of politicians in small countries and the national self-esteem of people in weak countries. Only colonial activities that rely on strong force can use absolute strength to crush resistance from raw material exporting areas.
As for the colonial resistance activities, that is not within the scope of Sa Wei and Zhu Shou's consideration. By the time the colonies are able to resist, their bones may have turned into dust.
However, when the Ming Dynasty wanted to colonize, there were two very difficult obstacles to solve: Confucianism and farming civilization.
There is no need to talk about Confucianism. Anyway, as long as Zhu Shou dares to openly propose colonization, what awaits him will be attacks from countless civil servants, including his teacher Yang Tinghe and others, and even the Queen Mother Zhang will stop him.
of misbehavior.
So this seems to be an unsolvable problem.
The farming civilization also caused Zhu Shou to encounter another difficulty: he did not have enough military strength to occupy and rule overseas colonies.
Zhu Di and Zhu Laosi once set up guard posts in various parts of the Northeast, hoping to use military colonial methods to deal with the self-converging characteristics of farming civilization. However, after more than a hundred years of establishment of Northeast Guard posts, the only remaining achievements are in the Liaohe River area.
This is still in the black soil of the Northeast. According to fashionable historical concepts, it belongs to the area within the fifteen-inch equal rain line, and is an immigration zone acceptable to farming civilization.
Therefore, this is another difficult problem that is almost unsolvable.
After all, Savi is not Chinese, and he does not understand what the word colonization means to the Han people.
But precisely because he is not Chinese, his vision can transcend the constraints of history and self, and opens a door for Zhu Shou that he has never dared to open...
Behind this gate, there are two words: Luzon!
Zhu Shou was familiar with the Age of Discovery, and his understanding of overseas situations was not much worse than Savvy's, but he was Chinese, and subconsciously, he did not dare to boldly go to the ocean.
Therefore, he could only open twenty ports to satisfy his sexual psychology; although he set up a navy of 20,000 people, there were only a few large ships. Their greatest use could only be to suppress bandits along the coast, and by the way, he could help Qin Dongyi harass North Korea and
Collect money and subordinates. However, the development of Yizhou will not be effective unless it takes ten years.
He did not dare to touch the military household system, did not dare to send troops abroad, and did not dare to touch any political bottom line that he could not bear. This was not because he was timid or ignorant, but because he had gradually recognized the characteristics of his imperial power.
Going overseas to colonize was a psychological obstacle for Zhu Shou. He could not convince himself or countless people of the Ming Dynasty.
But Savi did not understand this. The Portuguese only pointed out the most effective path and easily and happily solved the trade problems faced by the Ming Dynasty.
Can't buy hard currency? No problem, the vast colonies will provide countless raw materials.
Can't sell goods? No problem. The vast majority of colonial people are willing to use their hard-earned money to consume the goods of the sovereign country. Trade under the coercion of a broadsword is always the simplest and most effective form of trade.
The conflict of ideas between the two of them brought the word "Luzon" out of Zhu Shou's hidden consciousness into broad daylight.
Why Luzon?
If you have played the Age of Discovery, when looking for the historical background of Luzon, it is easy to see a piece of information: Xu Chailao, the governor of Luzon in the Ming Dynasty.
In the third year of Yongle, Zheng He followed the imperial edict of Emperor Yongle and appointed Xu Chailao, a native of Jinjiang, as the governor of Luzon, assuming great power and serving for more than 20 years.
Luzon, also known as Sulu, Mayi, Gumalalang, etc., are the names of a group of small countries in the Philippines in ancient times. They have had exchanges with China since ancient times. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the number of Han people who immigrated to Luzon reached nearly 100,000.
Most are Fujianese.
With the great reputation of Emperor Yongle, the support of 100,000 Han people, and the most suitable environment for farming civilization, this is why Luzon suddenly jumped into Zhu Shou's mind.
"Do you know Luzon?" After the emperor was silent for a long time, Savvy finally heard another question. His heart skipped a beat and he knew that his plan had succeeded.
"Of course I know," the overall situation has been decided, and Savi is relieved and talks eloquently, "More than fifty years ago, Said from Tianfang established a country in Luzon. Now on that island, there are many small countries, each of which is fighting endlessly.
As long as His Majesty the Emperor gives me two thousand soldiers, I can wipe out all the small countries within a year!"
Savi's strategy was undoubtedly to first use trade to shock the Ming Emperor's mind, then use colonization to seduce the emperor's desire, and finally come up with his own solution to earn a golden road for himself.
Unexpectedly, without even saying a few words, Zhu Shou completely fell into the trap he had set a long time ago. The smoothness of things made him a little ecstatic: happiness came too suddenly!
However, everything that is abnormal is a monster. Even Mr. Liu is increasingly unable to guess Zhu Shou's thoughts. How can a Portuguese like Savi guess it?
"It is announced that I have the Ka family from Franji, who is loyal to the emperor and the country. After he completes his term as tribute envoy, he will be promoted to the post of Chief Secretary of the Honglu Temple."
The Secretary-General of the Honglu Temple was a ninth-grade official, and he was regarded as one of the most popular minor officials in the Ming Dynasty. Regarding the imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor, Savi was pleasantly surprised, but he was completely confused: What about the promised colonization?
?Why did I become an official of the Ming Dynasty? It’s useless for me to be an official!
However, Zhu Shou ignored Savi's inner worries and protests at all.
This is a small step for Comrade Savi to realize his ambition, but it is a big step for the Portuguese to enter the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.