Chapter 1617 Frogampfog (V)

No. 1g&fog(5)

For a competitive person, nothing is more difficult than controlling victory to a moderate degree.

After the War of Independence, the United States has been trying to build its own manufacturing industry to get rid of its status as an agricultural country, but Britain would never give them that opportunity.

In the words of Napoleon to Gaston Martin in private, the so-called free trade of Britain is nothing more than pushing its own manufacturing industry to a level that no one can compete with it in free competition through protectionism and navigation restrictions, and then confidently demanding other countries to open their markets and spread the benefits of free trade to those countries. It is like climbing to the roof but pulling out the ladder. No matter how people standing on the ground jump, they can't exceed the height of Britain. After gaining economic hegemony, they repair more warships and gain greater maritime hegemony.

In 1760, a ship surveying association was established in London. This is a non-governmental organization that maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and offshore facilities. Its usual work is to ensure that navigation equipment meets the specifications through supervision of ship construction and regular inspections. Those who are qualified will be given corresponding certificates to ensure that maritime activities can proceed smoothly.

The convenience of having a certificate issued by this association is that it is convenient for shipowners to buy insurance. Shipping insurance is an indispensable insurance item in the shipping process. In the 19th century, there were not only Berber pirates on the sea, but also privateers, and shipwrecks often occurred. No one would insure a broken ship or a leaking ship.

Whether the ship meets the standards must be determined by the engineers and technical committees of the "British" Royal Ship and Design and Manufacturing Association. Even if the ship built in France meets the standards, as long as these people determine that it is not allowed, it will be difficult for French shipowners and cargo owners to buy insurance.

This is not a big deal. This organization also supervises the construction of offshore facilities. Offshore means that the shipping ship has left the port. At this time, some buoys and lighthouses are needed to remind sailors to be careful of reefs and whirlpools. This is also to protect shipping safety in theory.

However, some lighthouses can combine the functions of turrets and bunkers. From the appearance, it is still an ordinary tower.

Alexander Hamilton, the US Secretary of the Treasury, established the US Customs. Customs tax is an important source of income for a country. Smuggling was popular when the British ruled America. It was considered a "just cause" at that time. Now that the United States is independent, it should pay taxes.

This is of course impossible, especially on the East Coast, where smuggling is so rampant that customs tariffs are incredibly low. So Hamilton told a reporter that he planned to set up a patrol fleet to not only escort merchant ships, but also to crack down on smuggling.

Hamilton believed that there was a basic principle throughout the US public credit system, that is, debt-raising measures should go hand in hand with debt-clearing measures, and tax and postal revenues would be injected into the capital reservoir.

Lighthouses would remind ships of the direction of the port, but sometimes smugglers would ignore the advice and use the moonlight to dock offshore at a distance from the lighthouse, and then the smugglers on the shore would row small boats to transport the smuggled goods away.

Sometimes there is foggy weather, and the lighthouse will be lit even during the day. Insurance companies have various reasons for refusing to pay. In addition, there are standards for navigation stations and buoys. Hamilton designed the navigation system along the Atlantic coast and has the power to review the contracts for these navigation equipment. There are many voices in the United States about the Jay Treaty, some for and some against. During the presidential election, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Jay were all popular candidates. Washington supported the Jay Treaty, which helped Hamilton a lot to pass smoothly, while the current president Jefferson lacked enthusiasm for the Jay Treaty. In the process of supporting the treaty, the Federalists' biggest resource was George Washington, and Jefferson was a Republican. The Republican media had intentionally or unintentionally linked the president's executive department with the British monarchy. Some reporters even said that Washington wanted to promote himself to king through the Jay Treaty.

In short, joining this association to make it internationalized has more disadvantages than advantages. Napoleon did not even look at the documents that Georgiana put on the table, which involved the "central issue" of Napoleon's diplomacy.

The railway system is huge and complex. It can transport troops and promote the exchange of food and goods. This is not only a problem for local governments. Frederick the Great believed that the more developed a country's transportation was, the easier it would be to occupy the country. There were coal mines and steel in northern France, which had a very strong industrial foundation.

Although France's industry was not as good as England's at this stage, the establishment of a unified and orderly railway system could become part of Napoleon's "Continental System" and even part of its diplomatic means. England, which was isolated overseas, lost this advantage in the railway system, unless England abandoned the natural barrier of the English Channel and dug an undersea tunnel to establish a connection with the European continent.

That was what Napoleon Bonaparte had been looking forward to for a long time.

This is how the butcher knife of civilization was wielded. While establishing a new order, the old order was also being destroyed. When the core problem restricting the railway - the technical problem of the steam engine - was solved, the horse-drawn railway would gradually withdraw from the stage of the transportation industry. However, in the field army, at least before the invention of cars and internal combustion engines, horse-drawn carriages were still very useful.

This time Napoleon came to Rouen to discuss these things. As long as there was no steam engine, the northern railway would not be built for the time being and Rouen's inland waterway transportation would not be affected.

As for what the British Steel Group wants to do, many people know very well. The fragile French industry needs tariff protection, and many businessmen in Rouen hope to restore the low tariffs of 1789. Gaston Martin is worried that the hot-tempered Bonaparte will The important people in charge of the Rouen government started arguing.

Some things are difficult to explain clearly. The Enlightenment thinker Montesquieu once said: Paying taxes is using part of the money to protect another part of the money.

In fact, there are not many businessmen who can understand and figure it out. Tax evasion and tax avoidance have been business rules throughout the ages.

Business needs order, and speculators like chaos. At present, the United States is full of speculators.

In the early days of the founding of the United States, the national debt was almost a piece of waste paper in Europe and was being sold off everywhere. However, with the series of policies implemented by Alexander Hamilton, the national debt of the United States gradually improved, but those farmers who bought the national debt in the early days did not know this.

In order to know the contents of the "Public Credit Report" about the economic plan in Hamilton's mind, speculators tried their best to inquire. After getting the exact information, these people sighed, saying that the US dollar was not going to work, and the U.S. debt was not going to work. After hearing these news Farmers sold their bonds at the lowest price, and securities dealers After acquiring them, it didn't take long for government bonds and bank stocks to rise in price because of credit support. In Jefferson's words, the wealth of true patriots was being robbed by these fraudsters, and the excessive exaggeration of speculation disgusted all citizens. , the crazy atmosphere hurts the government and the entire public credit system.

This financing method has brought widespread social benefits, but it has also distorted the value orientation of some people. The new bank is becoming a money-making machine, and a monster is being awakened. The scary thing is that no one can stop it. Wealth was concentrating at an extremely fast rate in the hands of a group of people who had money but refused to pay taxes. Not only was the federal government unable to pay the huge debts owed to the Revolutionary War, but Hamilton's report on manufacturing remained on paper.

Congressmen spent more time engaged in infighting. Manufacturing was not mentioned in the Constitution of the United States as a government goal. If Hamilton's plan was passed, Hamilton would gain more power than the Banking Act. In a meeting with Washington At breakfast, Jefferson mentioned Hamilton's plan, which he feared was a guise for Hamilton to loosen his powers to encourage manufacturing.

Jefferson feared that the United States would become a despotic government like the French First Republic today, and the customs business gave Hamilton incredible influence over the U.S. monetary system, as staggering amounts of gold and silver flowed through his hands.

The hatred and resistance to taxation has penetrated into the American people's bones. Resistance to the corrupt British government's excessive taxation was one of the causes of the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The other was the debt problem. The southern slave states had money, and they not only shouldered the major tasks The debt had been repaid, and Madison believed that it was unfair to the South that it should not share the debt for those states that had not repaid their debts as long as "each did his part."

Prior to this, Congress voted to treat creditors differently. Jefferson was very disgusted with those speculators. He believed that they had used fraudulent means to obtain debts from real patriots and thus became the government's creditors. Hamilton's financing plan would Let these men become followers of Hamilton.

Compared with these two problems, whether the capital should be New York or Washington is a small issue.

"Jefferson always thought of himself as a simple and unpretentious man, a man who was not affected by outside influences, but this was not his true face." Gaston Martin said. "While he was serving as the French minister, he went on a shopping spree and carried a huge amount of money. His slaves in the United States had to pay for the French furniture, clothing, books and paintings. In addition, he also met Mrs. Cosway, a British female painter. "

"They have..."

"It's not the two of them, it's Angelica Church. I heard that both Hamilton and Jefferson were fascinated by her." Mr. Martin said with a smile, "I believe there will be a good show on Capitol Hill soon."

Georgiana shook her head helplessly, "People will not be loyal to someone who cannot protect themselves and cannot correct their mistakes."

"Is this also what the Führer said?" Gaston Martin asked.

Georgiana wanted to say no, that was what Machiavelli said.

But she didn't explain it, because people would not worship a commoner.

“Louis XVI could neither protect himself nor right his wrongs, so it’s no wonder he lost people’s loyalty,” Martin whispered.

"Not everyone, there are still nobles who are loyal to him." Georgiana corrected, "Based on love."

"He was a good man, but a bad king," Martin said. "What did we gain from the Revolutionary War?"

"Opportunity." Georgiana said with a smile. "An opportunity to overthrow the old order and establish a new one."

"You still don't want the Führer to wear the crown?" Martin asked.

"It's easy for him to put on the crown, but it's difficult to stay in the Tuileries Palace." Georgiana put down her knife and fork, indicating that she had finished the breakfast. "Come on, Mr. Martin, let's go for a walk. "Walking and talking helps with brain activity. People often become wiser by seeing the dangers of their neighbors, but not by the dangers they face. It's time for us to take a look at ourselves."

"Yes, Madame de Sèvres," said Gaston Martin, standing up, and then he accompanied her out of this magnificent restaurant and went for a walk in the small garden of the castle.