A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 409 Tariffs and Transactions

Above the port of Ningbo.

Huge ships docked on the shore, and a large number of employees moved boxes of goods to the ships.

Looking further away, the blue sea is full of ships setting sail, with thousands of sails competing.

"Where to make a fortune?"

A businessman saw his acquaintance and couldn't help but say hello.

"Where else can we go? To the west, over to Panyi... Do you want to go to England, Spain, or... France?"

"Yingjili... things like tea soap are surprisingly easy to sell there."

The businessman pointed at the ship that was ready to set off and smiled.

The merchants of Dahua are now flocking to Europe. Countless ships set sail from the coast of Dahua every day, and their final destinations are distant Europe. Only a few merchants will dock elsewhere.

The eldest daughter of the Wei family married a good husband!
Queen Wei gave birth to a prince for Your Majesty. At this time, her position was completely stable, and the Wei family also rose to great heights and became a big boss in the business world.

England and Spain are the favorite places for businessmen. Without him, these two places had early contact with Dahua. They were the first to open trade routes and had the most trade exchanges. They had already figured out how much they could earn from various things and which areas people liked the most. It was almost guaranteed to go there. Make money without losing money.

Once so many goods are shipped to Europe, they will definitely affect the sales of other people's goods.

"How can there be a lie? You and I are close friends, how can I trick you?"

While the two were chatting, a loud whistle sounded along with the sound of the steam locomotive running.

Just pity their handicrafts and industries...

After all, they are relatives of the royal family, and they have cooperated with the royal family for a long time. However, although they had a certain status before, they were not to the level they are today. It was when Yan Quan, the first assistant of the Yue Dynasty, was still the king of Yue, who chose the concubine, that it really started. rising.

The railway station is located not far from the pier.

"If nothing else happens, France's tariffs on our country will also be greatly reduced in half a month at most... Now we are stocking up on all kinds of goods that are needed there. When the tariffs are reduced... this is such a big market. ah!"

Of course, businessmen don't care about this.

The merchant who spoke first whispered.

Not long after, there were mules pulling more than ten carts, rushing towards the dock. However, they did not transport it on the ship, but stored it in a warehouse near the dock. The warehouse group was blocked by an iron fence, with the word "Wei" stuck on it, indicating that it had obviously been rented.

"Ah?" The businessman's eyes were shocked:
"France? The tariffs there are horribly high... Is there some news?"

He reacted quickly and said in a lower voice. News is also an important part of doing business, and with the Wei family's connection with the royal family, their news is definitely the fastest and most accurate.

In particular, these two countries have treaties with Dahua to promote trade, and the taxes they collect are lower than other countries.

An important channel for the industrial products produced in Dahua factories is to be transported to their countries.

"Don't leave in a hurry...top secret information, these goods are not destined for England, Spain, or Portugal, but for France."

Seeing this situation, the merchants could not help but show envy in their eyes.

"Really?"

The friend lowered his voice and pretended to be mysterious.

"With so many goods hoarded, I don't know which area they are sold to. It seems I have to hide them a little... The Wei family is going to make a big deal!"

His friend smirked. If he hadn't been related to the Wei family by marriage, the other party wouldn't have taken him to drink soup.

"Don't tell anyone..."

"Don't worry, it's just an information gap. If there are too many people, what's the point of making money?"

The businessman answered while hurriedly calculating in his mind. After half a month, although I may have no more to stock up on, I can’t eat any meat, so I can still drink some soup.

So after the businessman inquired about which goods were in demand in France, this shout came from the dock:
"Tea soap is sold at 80% market price..."

……

Businessmen's political sense is always so keen.

Lu Shuzong, the minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Great China, was walking into Paris under the guidance of the envoy.

The city had just ended the war, and traces of barricades could still be seen on the streets, and the smoke seemed to have not yet dissipated from the sky above the city.

In 1648, the fourth year of Dahua, the Fronde movement broke out in France. The political situation at that time was so turbulent that it even forced Louis XIV to flee Paris and exile his Prime Minister Masarino.

It was not until Prince Condé led the French army to surround Paris that the turmoil finally ended, allowing the young French king to return to Paris.

But Prince Condé himself was opposed to Masarino. After all, he weakened the power of the nobility and expanded the royal power. So he united with a group of dignitaries who were dissatisfied with Masarino and wanted to overthrow Masarino. In January of the sixth year of Dahua, Dahua was preparing to revise history, and in France, Prime Minister Masarino was in Anne Under the instruction of the Queen Mother, Prince Kong Dai and several princes and nobles were directly arrested.

The result was a riot by the prince's supporters.

The political situation is once again in turmoil.

Therefore, what Lu Shuzong saw was the Queen Mother Anne with a tired look on her face, the twelve-year-old Louis XIV and their Prime Minister Masarino.

After the two parties greeted each other with courtesy, they officially got down to business.

In fact, it was they who came up with the idea this time after learning about the various behaviors of Charles I across the sea after receiving help from the Chinese Dynasty.

After all, they are not at peace now.

"There is no problem at all with the purchase of ordnance."

Lu Shuzong smiled and said:

"But we have additional conditions."

"We demand a new treaty that reduces tariffs on our goods."

Hearing this, Masarino's face suddenly darkened.

The increase in tariffs on Chinese and Korean goods entering France was set by Prime Minister Richelieu in order to protect the country's industry.

In fact, he was very successful. Many Chinese businessmen were unwilling to go to France anymore. Except for a few high-end luxury goods, France was extremely limited in the impact of China's cheap industrial products.

The other party proposed this at this time, and his intention was clear.

On the other side, Lu Shuzong was still talking:

"For this reason, we can reduce the price of all ordnance by 40%..."

On this side, Massarino has already interrupted:
"This is impossible, Your Excellency."

"We would rather pay more, but that's not possible, no matter what."

Dahua's servant had already expected it, and he spoke softly:
"Even if the Duchess of Longueville has successfully persuaded Spain to send troops, Viscount Turenne will lead the Spanish army and the rebels to march towards Paris together?"

The expressions of the three people on the opposite side suddenly changed, their astonishment mixed with panic, and their faces suddenly became terrifyingly gloomy.

Seeing this situation, Lu Shuzong showed a smile on his face.

Clearly, things have been under control.

(End of this chapter)