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Similarly, Tang merchants also wanted to control a sought-after export commodity of the Qing Dynasty, that is, tea. Every year, British merchant ships would go to Canton to purchase tea, which was also the most important beverage in the world at this time, and coffee and cocoa were still inferior to tea. The Americans briefly gave up tea because of patriotic propaganda during the Revolutionary War, but because of their friendship with the Tang people in this plane, the United States obtained the tea supply of the Tang people, and continued to drink tea, and did not become obsessed with coffee as in another plane.

When the British East India Company returned to the Qing Kingdom in 1779, they found that a war had broken out between the Qing government and the Heaven and Earth Society, and it was impossible for them to break through the garrison of the army and get tea. So much so that in 1779-1780, the price of tea in England more than doubled. Even some British businessmen actually purchased a batch of black tea tea bags sold by the Tang people to Americans in the United States and took them to England to sell.

What is more surprising is that many ordinary British families are very fond of black tea made by the Tang people. Not only is the taste rich, but it is also very simple and convenient, because the Tang people sell tea bags to this group of Westerners. The attentive Datang tea merchant even took into account the tea drinking habits of Westerners and made a sugar cube companion, buying tea at the same time. The English tea merchant immediately thought that this was a very good idea, and wanted to imitate it, but he couldn't get the tea and everything was in vain.

When the British came to Guangdong again in 1780, they were surprised to find that the Tang people, who had taught them in North America, had actually taken over the rule of Guangzhou. Even their influence has spread throughout the Guangdong region, and it is rumored that they still have a lot of influence on the Qing court.

This is like a bolt from the blue for the British, but it is not too difficult to understand, after all, in the eyes of the British, the Tang belong to the Chinese, and the Tatars who rule China are not so Chinese. Although the British merchants were apprehensive, after all, they had dealt with the Tang people, and knew that these very tough Orientals were also business-oriented, and it should not be a problem to purchase tea from them.

Sure enough, the British succeeded in purchasing 40 tons of locally produced tea from Guangdong from a company called the "Tianyi Tea Company", and the whole transaction process was much faster than when they did business with the Qing people. However, obviously, the supplier they introduced is also a Tang company.

To the displeasure of the East India Company, the Tang raised the customs duties at Canton, raising the single-digit tax rate on tea exports to 15 percent. However, there are also advantages, Guangdong, under the control of the Tang people, no longer limits the number of British merchant ships docking, and at the same time, the Tang people also allowed the British to carry out activities in Guangdong, and the rule that British women were not allowed to go ashore, and the British were also allowed to buy property in Guangzhou.

Of course, a visa is required to enter the country, and business visas are generally time-limited. At the same time, hiring the services of locals, or buying a house, needs to be declared and approved, especially since the purchase of a commercial property does not enjoy any exemptions, not to mention the high price, and the annual property tax is paid.

Another piece of news that made the British even happier was that they were allowed to trade in Jiangnan, but the restricted trading port was Shanghai, and they could not trade in Ningbo, Xiamen, etc. The British then understood that Shanghai was the land seized by the Tang people through war, which made them very hot, but the British are not stupid now, the Tang people's behavior clearly represents that they have taken China as their sphere of influence, not to mention that the British East India Company is not capable of attacking China like attacking the Indian princely states, even if they really have ambitions for China, they will be attacked by the Tang Dynasty.

The British received information that the Tang Republic had more than 50,000 soldiers stationed in the Qing State (including the Wuwei Army) and had a powerful fleet, and it was impossible for the British to get any benefits in the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

However, the merchants of the East India Company went to Shanghai, and they were interested in many of the products of the East. However, when the British merchant ships docked in Shanghai, they felt a little ashamed of themselves in the face of several Datang ships with a tonnage of more than 3,000 tons in the harbor.

Frost, a British businessman, stood at the bow of the ship and looked at the dense crowd of human heads on the dock, "What are these people going to do?" ”

Yaros, a Chinese helper beside him, explained: "Sir, this should be an immigrant to North America. After all, the Tang Republic is a country of immigrants, and it also has a vast land on the west coast of North America, and they must also need people with the same language and culture to carve out their own country for them. ”

Freightt nodded and said, "But this number is too terrifying, how many people are on this dock, a thousand, three thousand, five thousand?" ”

After disembarking, Frost tried to ask the port staff, but the staff was vague and said they didn't know. The Tang people have a certain sense of secrecy, although it is only a small piece of information about the number of people carried by an immigration ship, but it can expose a lot of things, such as the cross-sea power of the Tang Dynasty, such as the degree of colonial development of the Tang Dynasty, and so on.

But even if Frost couldn't answer, he could have a vague idea of what the Tang people were doing.

Frost and the others easily found an English-speaking Datang port official, and after reporting the goods he needed, he was told by the port official that Datang's intermediary company could help him find the goods he wanted, but he needed to pay a certain fee. In addition, Frost and the others were granted entry visas at the port customs, but they were only allowed to stay in Shanghai and not to enter other parts of Jiangnan, which was enough for the merchants of the East India Company.

A Datang translator was hired, who was actually a guide, to take them on a journey through this mysterious oriental city. The city was young, and Frost could easily tell that there were construction sites everywhere, and construction workers were working with all kinds of tools. Tall tower cranes carry large quantities of masonry into the air, and forklifts shovel away large quantities of debris. Frost was stunned.

"Wait, what are these?" Frost asked, pointing to the gray, powdery object.

The interpreter replied casually, "It's cement." ”

Frost repeated the word and asked, "What does it do?" ”

"It's a cementitious material for construction, and you use it in Europe like 'Roman mortar', which is much better than that. Cement can also be used to pave roads, smooth the ground and wait for it to dry to become a hard ground. "The translator is also a foreign affairs officer and knows a lot.

Frost had already discovered the hard and decent surface in downtown Shanghai, and said in amazement: "I knew that this ground could not be made of a stone slab, it turned out to be the function of cement, excuse me, where can I buy cement?" ”

The translator pointed out: "There is a building materials sales company in the north of the city, which can be bought there, and its tariff rate is relatively low, only five percent. ”

The Englishman on the side, Aros, hurriedly reminded Frost: "Sir, there is a law in Congress, and we cannot buy foreign manufactured goods at will and sell them in the colonies or in the mainland. ”

Frost asked rhetorically: "So, tell me, which British factory can produce this building material?" That's right, it's a building material, it's a raw material, and a building is a finished product, and it's going to sell very well. I think our Governor-General would also be happy to pave our colonial cities with hard ground that symbolizes civilization, damn the ghost weather of India, where it rains at every turn and is covered with mud, you see, how clean it is. ”

Arros couldn't refute it, he also remembered the terrible ground in Dhaka, and he was really fed up.

So Frost asked the interpreter to take him to the building materials company, and the interpreter called a car and carried a few people there.

"It's a car, I've heard of this thing, you can run without being pulled by an animal." Frost exclaimed.

The translator drove the car and said casually: "That's right, local cars are more popular in Datang because it brings convenience to people, isn't it?" ”

Frost said: "That's true, but this thing is very picky, not a good road in the city, and I'm afraid it can't be traveled." ”

The translator said: "In my country, the highways extend in all directions, so this is not a problem, even in Shanghai, where we are now, the municipal government plans to build the highway more perfectly." ”

Frost flattered: "Datang is really a country that is good at building and creating. ”

The translator half-sarcastically said: "Yes, we really don't look like those countries that only destroy and rob. ”

Frost pretended not to hear who he was referring to, but it was already getting dark, the street lights were on, and Aros looked out the window in the car and said, "This ...... It's beautiful. ”

Frost was equally shocked: "It's so bright, the whole road is lit, and the darkness is completely dispelled." Is it all kerosene? ”

"Sir, that's an electric light." The translator seemed a little tired of explaining what to do to the hillbilly.

Immediately afterwards, Frost turned to Aros and said, "I said, Mr. Governor of the East Indies will certainly not install electric lights on the streets of colonial cities, but he will certainly be willing to install them in his mansion." ”

Frost seemed to have forgotten the ban on the import of foreign products into the British colonies, and Frost saw business opportunities everywhere, and everything here that could be brought to India and England could bring great profits, while Aros wanted to live in a place that did not look like the countryside in comparison.