Central Bank Governor Wang Mingshan returned to China from Europe on a cruise ship. As soon as he entered the Strait of Malacca, he entered China's inland waters. The Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea were China's inland waters. This was something that China had been shouting about internationally recently. The inland waters were very different from territorial waters. Territorial waters had an international convention of safe passage, but the inland waters did not have this problem. Without China's consent, no foreign ships or individuals could enter the inland waters. Once entered, it would be illegal.
China's announcement was not to prevent any foreign ships from passing through the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, but to let the world know that the Pacific Ocean was China's territory. No one could sail freely on this water without passing through China.
However, these requirements were not important at this time. After China seized the hegemony of the Western Pacific, no country had the ability to enter the Western Pacific. The British fleet was strong enough, but they also had to go through a lot of trouble to go around Africa, and then they had to destroy China's Indian Ocean Fleet. Then they had to avoid the fortress cannons all over the South China Sea, and wander in the South China Sea in fear and isolation. This kind of fear was not to fear the China fleet, but to pray to God that the British Fleet would not have a mechanical failure. If there was a major failure, the British Fleet could only wait in the Western Pacific. In this vast sea, except for China's cities, there was no port that could repair ships of more than ten thousand tons.
No matter how excessive China's request seemed, it was only based on the current reality and corresponded to the power. Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean did not have the ability to repair large ships, and India also did not have the ability. Since the British did not have the ability to support long-term operations in this sea, they could not blame China for sending out such a message. If they were not satisfied, then they could fight.
Of course, this was the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Wang Mingshan was not interested in intervening. His biggest feeling on this trip to Europe was that the ancients did not deceive him. Travel thousands of miles, read thousands of books. As long as there was a desire to learn, and knew that learning and life were a process, one could naturally see a lot.
For example, when a cruise ship passed by Malaysia, the British colony at the southern end of the Indo-China Peninsula, it could see endless rubber forests on the hillsides. Most of these rubber plantations were "Sino-British joint ventures." Seven years ago, China's "local militia", together with thousands of Japanese who were in charge of killing and burying, killed nearly ten thousand Malay native colonial troops, and then used rifles and cannons to force the British into the barracks and the Governor's Mansion. Dozens of loudspeakers and phonographs blocked the entrance, scolding the British in English for three days and three nights non-stop. In the end, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement. Malaysia became the world's most famous rubber producer.
It was said that the British were exhausted during the negotiations. After all, no one would be able to take three days and three nights of restlessness. However, after the agreement was reached, the British implemented it very seriously.
If it was in the past, Wang Mingshan would have thought that the British were shameless, but now he didn't think so. After arriving in the Netherlands, Wang Mingshan came into contact with a lot of people. The Netherlands also had rich ancestors. ABN Amro Bank was the first powerhouse in the world to create what Uncle Ma called "capital and credit." The local bank created complete commercial operating credit. If there was no money in the war, you could go to ABN Amro Bank and use the spoils of war as credit collateral in the contract. If there was no money in the black slave trade, you could go to ABN Amro Bank and use the profits earned after the slave hunting operation as credit collateral in the contract.
Uncle Ma said clearly in his great book that the operating capitalist system was capital and credit. This credit was the credit of capital operation. What you do, and then you get profits from that business to return to investors. After Wang Mingshan understood this, it was as if he was enlightened. Many things that he didn't understand suddenly became clear.
As the Military Governor Vaize said, "Capitalists are not born demons without conscience. Squeezing child labor, death factories, selling slaves, selling drugs, waging war, robbing other countries, for them, this is just a business. Capitalists carefully choose the investment content, and then through a relatively scientific operation to obtain returns. These business actions are completely within the scope of rational actions, and not reckless actions caused by hot-bloodedness. "
In the past, Wang Mingshan knew a lot, but because he didn't have actual contact, he had a realm of understanding. Now that he had contact with a group of outstanding European capitalists, he finally understood. Business was business. This was not a personal emotion, this was an action that was loyal to the concept of capital operation. Even from the perspective of human humanity, those businesses were heartless and harmful to future generations. But from the perspective of the two major driving forces of the capitalist system, capital and credit, it was an exquisite business operation. It was an excellent choice that was pure to the point of being horrifying.
The British Governor of Malaysia was scolded for three days and three nights. After all, in such a situation where the enemy was at the door, in the blink of an eye, the British Governor not only did not lose the colony, but also obtained 30% of the profits. This could be said to be a great success in business operations. China took 70%, which was not much, because more than 60% of the rubber forest on the Malay Peninsula occupied the arable land was opened up by China and led by laborers. And the British "rented" a large number of Malay locals to the Japanese lackeys under China, which also played a role in the development of productivity.
Although the bloody brutality of the overall operation could only be described as heartless, as the British themselves criticized the triangular trade, "in every pound of sugar there are two ounces of human flesh." When Mr. Du was popular in the world, no one thought that each rubber tree that produced Mr. Du absorbed a few grams of nutrients from the local Malay natives buried under it.
Two thousand years ago, Zi Gong asked, "What can be called a gentleman?" Confucius said, "Doing one's own deeds is shameful, serving everywhere, not dishonoring the Emperor's orders, can be called a gentleman."
Said, "Dare I ask the second." Said, "The clan is filial, the villagers are brotherly."
Said, "Dare I ask the second." Said, "Words must be kept, deeds must be resolute. But a villain! Can also be called the second. "
According to this standard, the British Governor of Malaysia was a first-class "gentleman" who "served everywhere, not dishonoring the Emperor's orders". And capitalists at least "words must be kept, deeds must be resolute. But a villain! Can also be called the second. "This kind of low-level" gentleman ".
Wang Mingshan always felt that the Europeans only relied on advanced weapons, when they didn't have this kind of backing, in front of China, they were just a pile of dog shit. China driving the Europeans out of the Western Pacific in a very short period of time was a clear proof of this thinking. Many people, including Wang Mingshan, also held the same attitude. Now Wang Mingshan didn't think so. The Europeans were able to dominate the world for hundreds of years, it was indeed not luck, it was reasonable. Just like how Uncle Ma attacked the capitalist system, but he also used a brilliant pen, using a lot of space to vigorously praise the revolutionary nature of the capitalist system. At least compared to the feudal system, there was no doubt that the capitalist system was advanced.
With a breakthrough in thinking, even on the way back, Wang Mingshan gained a lot. He read the almost dusty classic theoretical works in the library on the cruise again, and felt that the harvest was great. A lot of things that he knew but didn't know were now outlined and mastered.
With a cheerful mood and pace, he got off the ship. Seeing that not only his wife and children came to greet him, but even his sister, niece and nephew were there, Wang Mingshan's mood was even better.
However, when Wang Mingshan's sister said after arriving home, "Brother, can you send some money to the bank on the other side of the river?" This made Wang Mingshan's mood a lot lower. Gu Dahe was now Wang Mingshan's brother-in-law. No matter how much misfortune Wang Mingshan's sister Wang Mingxiu had suffered, she was still Wang Mingshan's sister after all. Gu Dahe married Wang Mingshan's sister, and now he was the deputy president of Jiangxi Industrial and Commercial Bank.
When the Military Governor Vaize established the system, it was very ingenious. He never forced people to be saints. For example, in the management of the province, not only did the provincial government not have much power in the enterprise, but the judiciary and the bank all belonged to the central government, not the local government. No matter how many "notes" the provincial government officials gave, or even what kind of threats they made, there was no way to get money from the bank at will. China also had its own commercial credit, and when investing in a legitimate business, it had to be done in a legitimate business. After signing the contract and taking the money, the money had to be used according to the contract.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
