Chapter 144: Battle (Part 2)

On December 1, through the mediation of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and the Bank of England, the Da'an court established a communication channel with the Spanish Governor's Office. After brief discussions, both sides agreed to hold preliminary contacts in Guangzhou to discuss a ceasefire.

However, although the words used in the exchanges between the two countries were quite reserved and gentle, trying to highlight the so-called "desire for peace", in reality, this initial contact was still just an unspoken delaying tactic.

Spain needed time to rest its navy, repair its ships, and find ways to squeeze more war funds from the natives; Da'an also needed time to reorganize its workshops, expand its production capacity, and cope with the almost endless purchasing demand for coastal merchant ships - a large-scale war is not a sprint but a marathon, and after running for so long, everyone needs a decent chance to catch their breath; responding to calls from China and abroad for a temporary truce can reflect the calmness of this civilization.

On December 7, Yan Donglou, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, went south to Guangdong to meet with the Provincial Governor Tan Ziri to take charge of the peace talks between the East and the West. On the 8th, Baron Perez of Spain entered the country by boat, and the Chinese and Spanish negotiating representatives met secretly in a villa on the outskirts of Guangzhou and began the first round of consultations.

Because neither side has any sincerity in peace talks, this contact is more of a show than a negotiation. On the first day of the meeting, the delegation spent a full five hours arguing about the arrangements for the formal meeting - a long table or a round table? Should I use an armchair or a straight chair? Serve hot or cold tea? When is tea served? Should I eat after drinking tea? Should we eat in Chinese or Western style? Should we prepare knives and forks or bowls and chopsticks? For five hours, he was spitting all over the place, polishing every word carefully. It took the young minister and Baron Pei so much time that they felt dizzy and their legs were trembling before they finally came up with a feasible process.

But this is just a small test. The next morning, the representatives took their seats according to the procedure. Baron Perez stood up and read the letter of the Kingdom of Spain. He began to recite the king's titles in a long speech, from beginning to end, without missing a word - starting with "By the Grace of God, King of Castile, León, and Aragon" and ending with "Lord Biscay". He recited dozens of titles of Spanish rulers like a treasure trove, without missing a single one.

Such a lengthy title is of course useless, but the Baron has a dignified appearance and a loud voice, and he spoke hundreds of words in one breath without any hindrance. His momentum is extraordinary, and he really takes the lead and looks superior, and he can overwhelm others as soon as he opens his mouth. The Chinese representatives had never expected this move and were quite shocked for a moment. But Young Lord Yan reacted quickly, stood up and thanked the other party for his speech, and then conveyed the imperial edict of the Great Emperor of Central Plains in the same way, except that he slightly changed the beginning of the imperial edict to the Taoist name added by Fei Xuan Zhenjun over the years:

[Lingxiao Shangqing Tonglei Yuanyang Miaoyi Ziyang Shangzhen Feixuan Zhenjun]!

[Nine Heavens Great Teaching, All Living Beings Benefit, Master of Yin and Yang, Great Dao, Siren, Zi Ji Immortal, Yi Yang Zhenren, Yuan Xu Xuan Ying, Enlightenment, Subdue Demons, Qing Miao Emperor]!

[Taishang Daluo Tianxian Ziji Longevity Saint Wisdom Bright Spiritual Command Three Elements Certificate Yuying General Manager Five Thunders Great True Man Xuandu Realm Wanshou Emperor]!

There's "Taishang" and "Shangqing"; there's "Yuanyang" and "Ziji". Although I don't understand what they are, I always feel that very powerful nouns are popping up for free. Aren't they much better than the dozens of titles of the Western Barbarians? The title of the King of Spain is nothing more than some nonsense like "God's Grace", "Glory", "Nobility" and "Honor" passed down from generation to generation, and the duplication rate in European monarchs is at least 90%. But looking at the titles of the great Chinese emperors, which one is not carefully chosen and has profound meaning? Even if you pick out a tiny part of it, you can analyze it into a mystical essay of tens of thousands of words!

- Of course, although Baron Perez knew a little Chinese, he might not be able to understand such connotations; what really surprised him was that the Chinese representative recited this long list of titles like a heavenly book without any hesitation, without even a pause or stuttering - you know, he could recite the title of the King of Spain in large sections because he had prepared before the meeting and had worked hard on such tricky and strange details in advance; but the other party obviously had no defense at all, but could improvise to such an extent. This mental agility alone is enough to make people fearful.

In fact, Baron Perez's guess still had a slight error.

During the Da'an Dynasty, there was a wise ruler in power and many brave ministers in the court. Ministers who could make a name for themselves in the central government basically had the ability to remember everything they saw (well, perhaps with the exception of the prince of Duke Mu). But everyone has their own duties and generally would not be so stupid as to pay attention to the emperor's Taoist name which is longer than the foot binding cloth; but it happened that Young Lord Yan was very creative and had risen to prominence in the past decade, all by doing was writing poems for his father, Feixuan Zhenjun. Water dripping wears away a stone, and a rope saw cuts through wood. After more than ten years of painstaking training in the field of religious theology, shouldn't it be easy for you to recite a Taoist name?

So, this is the Baron's mistake in strategy, and he accidentally hit a wall. If it was someone else who took the challenge today, even someone as smart as Zhang Taiyue or Gao Suqing, they would probably hesitate and take a long time to respond; but the Spaniards insisted on showing off in front of Minister Yan, which meant they were using their own mediocre skills to challenge someone else's livelihood. It was no wonder they were bringing humiliation upon themselves.

In short, when it comes to verbosity and empty talk, ornate but empty words, who in the world can rival Qingci Ge Lao?

The recitation took more than an hour, but the Spaniards did not gain any advantage, so they had to sit in silence and drink pot after pot of hot tea. It was not until after lunch that the Baron came up with a new idea - the delegation dug out a huge portrait of the King of Spain from somewhere and placed it on a stand behind the chairs; this oil painting was obviously the work of a famous artist, and the king, who had been carefully beautified, looked handsome and elegant, with an extraordinary bearing. He did not have the big chin that was a hallmark of the Habsburgs, nor the blue disease that was common among the nobles. His eyes were bright and he looked down at the negotiators from above.

Of course, the Chinese side could not tolerate being looked down upon, but it was not easy to let the Spaniards push down the frame, so they simply demolished the wall of the courtyard and asked craftsmen from the city to quickly make three tablets for Feixuan Zhenjun, Wanshou Emperor, and Qingmiao Emperor. They were carried into the house and placed behind the chairs, exactly half a foot taller than the portraits. The Spanish were not to be outdone and nailed a cross on the portrait to increase its height. The Chinese followed suit and also brought in the tablets of Emperor Xingxian and Empress Xingxian...

In short, this kind of childish quarrel that was like playing house lasted for a full eight days and only barely stopped after December 15th. On the one hand, it was because the rooms in the villa were really full, and on the other hand, the delegations of the two countries received the latest news from the battlefield - news that was enough to change the situation.

Over the past year or so, China and the West have each come up with their own unique strategies and the battle has been lively. All eyes in the South China Sea have been focused on the naval battle between the two countries, as if there was nothing else major happening. But the Age of Exploration was turbulent, and there was more than one colonizer qualified to get involved in Southeast Asia - while the negotiations were still ongoing, the Dutch, who had been coveting the territory, secretly withdrew; both sides received intelligence that the Dutch, disguised as pirates, were taking the opportunity to seize strongholds in various parts of the South China Sea, and there were even signs of harassing the overseas Taiwan Island and Macau Island.

It's taking advantage of someone's misfortune, everyone knows that.

However, those who understand know that it does not mean they have to swallow their anger; China and the West are only in a temporary stalemate, not that they are unable to fight again, and of course they cannot tolerate such provocations. Don't hit the stupid, don't hit the bad, don't hit the blind; when the Chinese and the Spaniards fight each other, regardless of the outcome, the first one to be defeated will be you Dutch!

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it; do you think no one has ever read a book?

On December 18, the delegations reached a verbal agreement to temporarily cease fire in the South China Sea and resolve the "minor troubles" facing their respective countries. On December 25, the two countries simultaneously declared war on the Dutch and tacitly constructed a strategic posture of attacking from the east and the west and advancing in parallel, which dealt a heavy blow to the sneaky Dutch pirates in a very short time. The speed of this action and the decisiveness of the decision-making can almost be regarded as a tacit and well-coordinated military cooperation.

There was a temporary ceasefire, and they joined forces to beat the Dutch. The capitalists in Southeast Asia all felt that this was a sign of easing tensions between China and the West, and the dawn of peace. The price of gold in Southeast Asia subsequently plummeted, falling to a bottom line of 23,000 coins.

But will things end so simply?

On the 16th day of the first lunar month of the following year, after the Chinese New Year, the Foreign Affairs Office resumed operations. On the 20th, missionary Mr. Smith had the honor of interviewing the ministers in charge of foreign affairs with the guarantee of Ruwang, the senior director of Oriental Affairs of the Bank of England. Among them, Prince Mu explained to him the strategy of the Da'an court.

"We don't want conflict, we long for peace." Prince Mu said, "But the prospects of the war depend on the Spaniards. If they want to fight, then we have no choice but to fight to the end and keep fighting until we achieve complete victory."

(Note: At Mu's request, the names of the people in this speech were erased, and it was only said that it was "revealed by an important person"; it was not until the "Ruwang Diary" was exposed that the details of the important person were revealed)

When the news reached the South China Sea, the market was once again in an uproar. Without hesitation, gold surged back to over 30,000 coins. The violently volatile market crushed another wave of gamblers, and it started raining dumplings from the rooftop again.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the Guangdong Provincial Government announced the resumption of Sino-Western negotiations, and the price of gold fell back to 26,000 coins.

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, the negotiations broke down, the two sides tore up the verbal agreement, and a war broke out in Luzon. The price of gold rose back to 32,000 coins.

On February 10, the two sides resumed negotiations to discuss the specific rules for exchanging prisoners of war. The price of gold dropped to 29,000 coins, and the market...

Well, the market has finally had enough. After being played around with several times, even if the capitalists are turtles kept in a pond, they should have seen clearly that the market has become a living puppet of the Eastern imperial power. The visible big hands can knead gold as they please, and gold has taken on the shape of the Zhu family!

In such a market, with such ups and downs, who can escape from the slaughterhouse except for a very small number of people who can directly reach the core? Only Master Feixuan, only the cabinet minister, only the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department, and only the foreign relatives and nobles can earn this huge sum of money; the small Nanyang capital, the mere overseas barbarians, and the country folk who don’t even know which direction the cabinet door opens, are just meat on the chopping board even if they are on the table!

The beatings of the market can educate people better than any classic. After several rounds of ups and downs, the craziest, greediest and most gambling-oriented capital in Southeast Asia was basically cleaned out. The surviving capital was still in fear and recalled the past anxiously, only to find that the Da'an court had not deceived them. As early as when the war broke out in Southeast Asia and the market fluctuated violently, the Foreign Affairs Office and the Guangdong Provincial Administration Office issued a notice to advise wealthy businessmen to "invest cautiously" and "be careful", not to be confused by false finance, but to focus on actual industries. At that time, gold prices skyrocketed and the market was booming. Businessmen who rushed high and stepped on low made a fortune and of course would not care about such petty warnings. But now, after surviving the disaster and suffering heavy losses, they realized that Chinese people do not deceive Chinese people, and the Foreign Affairs Office had actually spoiled the whole ending long ago!

If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place? If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?

Of course, it is not too late to change course. The gold market cannot be touched. The so-called "focusing on industry" is also very obvious. Now that the war is raging, demands everywhere are surging. As long as you squeeze out funds to invest in ironworks, coal mines, and shipyards, you will earn as much as you invest, and there is no worry about losses. Such profits are certainly not as good as the rapid financial speculation, but after being crushed by the big hand several times, everyone finally woke up from their dream and realized that industrial profits are the most stable, reliable and risk-free. Only people in heaven can enjoy the business of making huge profits every day. Mortals should just earn their money honestly.

This transformation occurred quite rapidly. When the price of gold first rose, everyone was still talking about gold. But after it was crushed twice, a large amount of capital quickly turned and poured into the special economic zones opened in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places. They began to set up factories locally, hired workers, and mass-produced ironware and ships. By the time the two sides were halfway through the formal negotiations, the first batch of investments had already begun to show results, and could supply steel and coal to the firearms workshops - this was also the basis for the court to repeatedly jump back and forth and dare to tangle with the Spaniards; if everything from firearms to ships had to be undertaken by the state, then the national treasury would not be able to afford it; but if it could rely on a mature industrial chain, things would be much easier.

The market is virtuous!

With such capital, the two sides can certainly continue to fight endlessly. The peace talks were intermittent, with fighting taking place as the talks went on, and the two sides went on for more than half a year. It was not until September of that year, after a severe typhoon hit Luzon, that the Spaniards were finally unable to hold on and were forced to make concessions on key terms, and the negotiations made real progress.

Of course, a national war affects the entire country, and drafting this crucial peace treaty still requires a long and tedious process. But no matter what, after the Spaniards bowed their heads, the outcome of the battle had been decided. In October, Yan Donglou secretly returned to Beijing and reported this great news to the central government. However, after listening carefully, the prince on duty in the cabinet did not show any joy or ecstasy, but only asked him a question:

“Is the price of gold still fluctuating?”

“It’s gradually stabilizing.”

"As the situation becomes more stable, the results of the speculation will be basically known." The prince said softly: "Brother Donglou, tell me the truth - how much did the palace earn?"

That’s right, there are invisible big hands making trouble in the South Seas, and behind them are unspeakable funds waiting for opportunities to profit, manipulating the gold price to earn unimaginable profits. Such sophisticated, complex and thrilling financial operations were basically carried out secretly one-on-one by the insider Yan Xiaoge Lao, who was in contact with the court, and willingly acted as the white glove of imperial power.

I have three virtues: kindness, frugality and not daring to be the first in the world. True Lord Feixuan is hiding in the palace, so how could he rush to the front and reveal his true identity who has achieved success in cultivation?

Of course, this kind of concealment can only deceive those below, and it is definitely not a secret in the core. So Yan Donglou hesitated for a moment, but still stretched out his hand, first making a "one" and then a "six".

The prince took a breath.

"Sixteen million taels." He said in a low voice: "No wonder the emperor..."

No wonder the emperor was so enthusiastic, eager and impatient about the war, and showed such leniency, generosity and even kindness to the Foreign Affairs Office. Apart from anything else, the prince had immediately asked Zhang Taiyue to issue a notice to all the people after receiving the imperial edict. If a careful investigation was conducted, it could be regarded as the crime of "spying on the emperor's will" and "disrespectful behavior". But now a year and a half has passed, and the emperor has acted as if nothing had happened. There has been no investigation, and he has even repeatedly rewarded the emperor with precious gifts and his favor continues. The ambiguous and weird attitude of his is quite interesting.

Yan Donglou said: "Yes, I made a lot of money."

Of course, the young minister himself must have made a lot of money. But compared with 16 million, it is just a drop in the ocean and not worth mentioning.

Perhaps he felt that he had gained a lot, and that this trip had both public and private consequences; the young cabinet minister endured for a moment, but finally laughed:

"In fact, whether you earn a lot or a little is secondary. The most important thing is that this money comes so easily."

This really hits the nail on the head. In previous years, if the emperor wanted to make a few million taels of silver, it would cause disturbances both inside and outside the capital, and would cause unrest in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. Now he can sit comfortably in the palace without any effort. Just send a white glove to the south and he can easily get tens of millions of taels of silver. Where else in the world can you find such a cheap and cost-effective deal?

Being a treacherous minister, a flatterer, and a white glove is very hard. If it is not absolutely necessary, who would be willing to fight with the upright officials and censors with bayonets and blood? Now, after a trip to the south, the young cabinet minister has suddenly realized something and has been transformed - his previous methods of corruption, such as taking bribes and kickbacks, were too low-level and too crude. It turns out that manipulating finance, markets and information is the most ingenious and profound way of playing!

Alas! I understand!

As a pioneer of enlightenment, he is willing to share his experiences with his allies. The young cabinet elder smiled and said:

"To be honest, I have been in the gold and silver business for more than ten years, but I have never seen such a fast way to make money. It seems like it fell from the sky! The emperor will be very happy with today's victory and will definitely reward us generously. If there is another war in the future, we can do the same..."

Although he was extremely happy, the young minister still knew his limits. The reason why he was able to maneuver and succeed in the financial market was that he relied on the Foreign Affairs Office to manage naval battles and the overall situation behind him. Now is the time to share the fruits of victory after returning to the court. His initiative to mention "another big war" undoubtedly hinted at his sincerity in future cooperation. Only if everyone remembers their roots can there be an endless supply of cake to share.

But unexpectedly, the prince did not show any obvious joy. He just shook his head:

"...'Do the same thing'? - Of course, if quick money is so easy, so effortless, one must be impatient and try again and again. But..."

This was a really confusing and confusing statement, with no beginning or end; and as for what the “but” was, Mu didn’t say anything more in the end.

·

【Echoes of History: Fragments】

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...The most significant impact of the Sino-Luzon War may not be the change in the international strategic situation, but the change in the Chinese court's attitude towards the financial market - as predicted by an unknown source, after tasting the sweetness and convenience of speculation, it is difficult to resist the temptation of quick money, especially when the market seems to be under your control.

Although the Da'an court had repeatedly emphasized "moving from the virtual to the real", "eliminating speculation" and "supporting industry" during the years of reform, whenever a war broke out, the people at the top of power could not bear it and wanted to use the inevitable market fluctuations to profit for themselves; speculation could not stop despite repeated bans, and Pandora's box could never be closed.

This contradiction between theory and practice has lasted for a long time, and even formed a kind of strange practice - private capital without connections actually obeys orders and honestly builds iron plants and coal mines; while funds in power always pursue huge profits and indulge in speculation. It is a great wonder in economic history that the upper and lower levels each do their own thing and yet they can operate independently without interfering with each other.

Of course, such speculation remained restrained for quite some time. Several cabinets after the Jiayin Reform had a dark history of manipulating the market during wartime, but whether it was Yan Fenyi, Xu Shaohu, Gao Suqing or Zhang Taiyue, they all had their bottom line when manipulating the market. What they speculate on are gold, jade, flowers, and luxury items that have little to do with 90 percent of the population. So while the market is constantly volatile and bubbles pop and disappear, most industries are still operating smoothly and have not been affected at all.

However, this kind of artificial restraint has its limits after all. Once it breaks through the limit, then...

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