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Chapter 1204 The Great Savior

Spain, England, France, and the Ming Empire, the four strongest countries in America began to compete for supremacy. Whether it was two-on-two or one-on-three, as long as war broke out, the number of Europeans investing in America would definitely decrease sharply, and with less capital, the speed of development would inevitably slow down.

The Ming Empire did not have such concerns, because the system was different, and the most important factor in war was the centralized system. As long as the upper level gave an order, even if there was a plague in America, let alone a war, merchants had to write a will, leave heirs, and embark on the journey with funds without hesitation.

It's not that they are highly conscious and willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of national interests, but they are afraid of being liquidated. Under this system, only one voice can exist, and whoever is not harmonious cannot survive, no matter how rich they are.

After messing up America and grabbing a foothold, we can proceed to the second step. This step sounds very noble, almost on par with Buddha and God, but in fact it is still for the purpose of disrupting and attacking opponents, but it stands on the moral high ground.

Abolition of slavery, this is the ultimate move that Hong Tao has figured out to cut off the source of the problem.

European countries are very dependent on cheap labor in all production links in the Americas. Some of these cheap laborers come from local Inca natives, and some come from captured African blacks.

Regardless of their origin, they were treated almost like slaves, with no corresponding compensation or any labor safety guarantee, and their social status was extremely low. It is precisely because of this that the production costs of agricultural products, minerals and various resources in the Americas are very low.

The Ming Empire abolished slavery in both its homeland and overseas territories, and all production links had to pay corresponding wages according to market prices. Even if some places were higher and some were lower, the cost was much higher than in America, where slaves were used.

Long before he decided to enter the Americas, Hong Tao was thinking about how to break the cost gap. Negotiation is the easiest way, you don't have to pay anything, just talk. But it is also the most useless, because European countries will never listen to a word they have already obtained.

If you want them to sit down and have a serious talk, you must use force. This truth has never changed since the day humans came into being, regardless of nationality, belief or culture.

But war is also the most difficult, as it will burn a lot of wealth and cause a lot of casualties. The risk is greater, and if something unexpected happens, not only will you not gain any advantage, but it may also affect the development and stability of the local area.

Hong Tao calculated that if he wanted to fully occupy and control the western side of America, he would need about 100 guards, or 60 regular troops. If the logistics staff were included, it would probably be a million.

The Ming Empire could barely afford this expenditure by selling everything it had, but after the occupation, not only was there no income, but more expenditures had to be made. To manage the American continent well, the number of officials alone would have to start from several thousand, and the number of clerks would have increased five to ten times.

Such a large military and domestic affairs team is basically equivalent to rebuilding the Ming Empire from scratch. The cost and effort will be astronomical and really unaffordable.

Negotiations are useless, and a full-scale war is out of the question. Is there nothing else we can do? In fact, from another perspective, the Ming Empire, as a latecomer to America, was a troublemaker. Without destroying the existing rules, it would be impossible to force the first comers to give up the benefits they had already gained.

Hong Tao has no talent for construction, but his skills in destruction have long been perfected. When it comes to chaos, his mind is full of inspiration. As the saying goes, hit the snake at its weakest point, so where is the weakest point of the Europeans?

Sea transportation is definitely one of them, but unfortunately, geography does not allow the Ming Dynasty navy to go far to the Atlantic Ocean to engage in warfare, so the slavery issue became the only weakness.

Standing on the moral high ground, holding the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other, he transformed himself into a righteous judge, judging the European colonists in both soul and body. This idea made Hong Tao admire himself, it was so damn smart, and so damn shameless. Of course, this trick was not thought up by Hong Tao himself, but still came from reference. In the future, developed countries have enough food and drink to take advantage of, and they like to think about these immoral things when they have nothing to do.

For example, in order to obtain cheaper lamp oil, they almost killed all the whales for hundreds of years. But after finding cheaper alternatives, they suddenly became animal protectors, leading the call for all mankind to donate money to protect whales. Anyone who does not donate is considered a backward element and will be sanctioned and criticized in various ways.

For example, in order to produce more products in exchange for resources from other countries, they have been using coal for hundreds of years and mining it all over the world.

But after completing the industrial upgrade, they transformed themselves into climate protectors, saying that burning coal would cause global warming, forcing backward countries with underdeveloped chemical industries to abandon coal and adopt natural gas, which they controlled. They also came up with a bunch of standards and sanctioned anyone who failed to meet them.

In this way, backward countries will not be able to use the advantage of low labor costs to compete with them, their economic development will slow down, and they will have to continue to rely on their products, and developed countries will be able to continue to develop.

But if you say they are wrong, it is not quite reasonable. In fact, there are many endangered animals and plants that should be protected, and the use of clean energy can also help improve the climate.

But upon closer inspection, 90% of these costs should be paid by developed countries, and they should also bear most of the resulting adverse effects. They should not be asked to share the cost, and they should not set so-called standards and impose penalties.

To put it another way, backward countries should at least be given a hundred years of buffer period. How did developed countries develop in the past? Underdeveloped countries should have the same rights now. If they don't use it, it means they have high quality; if they use it, it is also reasonable.

In fact, not many people will take the initiative to listen to and think about these details. Most people are ignorant and easily misled and just follow what others say.

When the word environmental protection is mentioned, a large group of people will cheer. As for whether the so-called environmental protection is really environmental protection or whether there are more sinister intentions and purposes, they don't have the brains to analyze and judge.

Now Hong Tao is going to use his own method to retaliate. I will also hold high a banner, stand on a higher commanding point than environmental protection, and strike down European governments from the perspective of human rights.

Just tell me if it is right or not. We are all human beings. Why should you be the slave owner while others are slaves? Why should there be slaves in America when there are no slaves in Europe?

No, Mr. Hong will judge you on behalf of the gods, and call on the oppressed people all over the world to wake up, take up arms and fight a desperate battle with the oppressors, and use their blood to create a better future for future generations.

By then, the Ming Empire would be the guiding light and strong backing for the oppressed people all over the world, providing not only theoretical basis but also military support. We would reason with those who can be persuaded, and use force if we can't.

Of course, blood still needs to be shed by the oppressed. Whoever advocates, benefits, and takes action is reasonable. If you are unwilling to make even this little sacrifice, even if you defeat the slave owner in front of you, you will become someone else's slave in the future.

(End of this chapter)