"The beauty of the West Sea is spread from the eastern soil, and the people love tea, but the tea style is vulgar and very indecent. The drinking method of the people in the Middle East is the same as before, while the Westerners often use sugar, milk, fruit slices and other miscellaneous ingredients to azeolate, lose their fragrance, and the taste of tea is far different, thinking that it is a miracle medicine, and drink it indiscriminately. If there is a shipwreck and other things, the tea road is stagnant, the West Market has no goods, the price of tea rises viciously, the people are resentful, and the country is afraid. ”

“…… Since the beginning of the 10,000 calendar year, there have been Francos (now Portuguese people) to buy tea. At the beginning, it was a medicine introduction, and then it was the door of the Western nobles, and the tea wind was flourishing. In the year of the Apocalypse, Huamei ship merchants arrived in the southeast, the tea trade in the four seas began to flourish, and the transportation and sale of Jiangnan tea goods increased over the years. In the first year of Hongxing, Longxing Liangguang, Emperor Hunting Lingnan, opened the sea administration, and the dynasty set up a South China Sea transshipment envoy, specializing in Nanyang sugar, salt, silk, and tea administration, with tea goods as the first priority. In the ten years of Hongxing, Guang (Panyu, Guangzhou) Haihai (Qiongzhou, Haikou) Quanzhou (Quanzhou) Fu (Fuzhou) City declared nearly 100,000 quintals of tea goods, and the number of smugglers who escaped customs was unknown. Every spring and autumn tea harvest, the Western tea ships gather in the southeast, like bees and locusts, which is spectacular......"

“…… Westerners mostly lured bribes with money and profits, lured tea farmers from the east to grow tea, and moved to the islands of the West Sea. However, there are clouds in ancient times: oranges born in Huainan are oranges, and oranges are born in Huaibei. The seeds of East Tea are far away from its soil terroir, there are occasional live seedlings, and the tea quality is also inferior, its color, fragrance, taste, and affection are lost, and the drink is scarce, and the taste is boring. Therefore, the Huamei high-ranking family abandoned it and did not hear it, and still took the East tea as the positive. ”

——Excerpt from "Western Tea Examination" (Huang Zongxi)

……

……

Sunday, April 1, 1646.

The famous April Fool's Day is still just an inconspicuous social farce in the interior of France. Judging from the military blockade of Quebec by China and the United States, and the tendency of the French to move further and further away from the colonial cause of North America, it is unlikely that this popular European custom will spread in North America.

The situation in the Far East and a series of rumors that seem to be true and false finally brought a new wave of influence to the New World of North America at this time.

The frenzy of the European war and the massive amount of local infrastructure brought extraordinary economic heat to Huamei, but the deterioration of trade in the Far East caused by the warlords in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the warlords had already made the local people in China and the United States vaguely feel a kind of personal malaise.

In the first three months of 1646, the number of merchant ships carrying all kinds of industrial and agricultural raw materials from the Far East to the mainland of China and the United States was actually only a pitiful one, which was the lowest record in the past decade.

At the futures trading center in the state-owned securities trading building in Manchester City, the forward contract prices of raw silk, silk, tea, pine resin, pig bristles, tung oil, lacquer and other commodities have risen sharply. And directly lead to the spot spot trading price followed by a frequent rise.

In order to ensure domestic industrial consumption, even though there is not much production cost advantage in the labor-intensive industry, the Huamei cabinet still took advantage of the abundant natural pine resources in North America, and stepped up the support for local pine resin production a few years ago, which is better than nothing to alleviate the demand for this strategic industrial raw material. But for lacquer, tung oil, raw silk and tea, which are more demanding in terms of geographical and climatic conditions and the size of the labor force, Huamei can't help.

In particular, tea, which is closely related to the lives of ordinary people in Huamei, has been particularly affected by the decline in the number of imports from the Far East.

The change in income and quality of life has greatly increased the hobby of tea drinking in this era. Not only Chinese families with traditional tea drinking habits, but also in Huamei, where meat, poultry eggs, and dairy products have accounted for 50% of the people's daily food intake, at least two cups of tea a day to clear the fire and clear the intestines, and the mellow and fragrant tea is undoubtedly one of the invisible necessities of life in Huamei's society.

Gorgeous sweet green tea, sweet black tea, and special milk tea and fruit tea are added with sucrose to bring a sense of sweetness and happiness. It is very popular among the Chinese public, especially European families, and even drinks much more than Chinese families, and has surpassed other fashionable foods, such as coffee and cocoa (chocolate). On ocean-going merchant ships and naval warships, seafarers consume twice as much tea as ordinary people due to the enforcement of the relevant maritime health and health protection system.

Whether it is coffee, cocoa or tea, such a 100% labor-intensive industry, unless it is an irreplaceable strategic need, the successive cabinets of Huamei have not specifically promoted it in China. Agricultural capital from the United States. It is only a small number of tea plantations invested in the overseas territory of Yueshan Island, Nanshan Overseas Territory, the Viceroyalty of South Africa and Portuguese Brazil, which have a more suitable climate and low labor costs, but whether it is quality or output, it can be said that it is not enough to affect the current tea import pattern of Huamei in a hundred years.

The main supplier of Huamei tea demand was still the southern provinces of the Ming Dynasty in the east.

Old History: An 18th-century French merchant once said, "From the noble duke to the humblest milkmaid." Everybody has to drink tea...... Tea was the main driving force for European merchants to come to China, and other goods were just decorations. In this new time and space, the Huamei, dominated by Chinese consumption, has made the Far East tea trade across the intercontinental ocean more than half a century ahead of schedule and enter a period of vigorous development.

The last two years. Combined with the amount of tea re-exported to Europe, the total amount of tea imported by Huamei from the Far East exceeded 3,000 tons, of which more than 90% was consumed by Chinese and American citizens. The Dutch East India Company and the Portuguese and Macau Councils have experienced the huge tea consumption capacity of Huamei. is also trying to compete for the supply of tea in Daming, and then resell. The Oriental Union Union Corporation even specially modified three tea merchant ships to rush to transport Far Eastern tea in spring and autumn.

In the first quarter of 1646, the import of tea from the Far East to the North American mainland was as low as a few tens of tons, causing the retail price of tea in the capital Manchester, which was already tight on inventory, to rise one after another. The price of the cheapest tea powder is 50%, while the better-tasting tea is up to 100%. As for the more upscale ones, they are simply priceless.

Tea retailers were happy, but ordinary people were gone, and some of the city's residents even took the owner of a tea shop on the high street to court for taking advantage of the opportunity to raise prices. The Ministry of Defense and the Navy Command have explicitly announced that they will invoke the provisions of the National Security Law to forcibly buy stocks from tea wholesalers to meet the needs of the Navy.

As soon as the military's "coaxing" posture unfolded, the supply of tea in the domestic retail market has deteriorated, and many citizens in remote towns have been unable to buy tea from the market normally.

The Financial Times even quipped: "How frustrating people would be if the market supply of tea could not improve within a year." It is estimated that the operational efficiency of all merchant ships and factories will decline by at least ten percentage points, and it is perhaps understandable to start a war for this. ”

The Manchu invasion of the Ming Dynasty led to a sharp decline in the import of tea from the Far East, which can be said to have deeply hurt the Chinese people.

In order to ensure the supply of tea in the local market, Twin Ports, the capital of the Chinese and Caribbean states, is located in the Far East Tea Logistics Distribution Center of the Atlantic route. Under pressure from Congress, the local councils of Caribbean states forced a 10-year local temporary bill in March to impose heavy taxes on all tea re-exported to Europe by the state.

The interim bill provides for a special tariff of 100 percent on all tea re-exported to the outside market when the retail price of tea in the Chinese and American domestic markets is 30 percent higher than the average price of the past 12 months. This kind of bill, which did not hesitate to offend a group of old European customers in order to prevent the flow of tea to the outside market, is historically known as the "Tea Act", which is similar to the "Grain Act" enacted by England in history.

……

……

The former Manchester City Entertainment Company has changed its name to Manchester City Art Media Group, and the group's chairman, Cheng Daxiong, has recently finalised a share sale agreement. The company will sell a 10% premium of the group's individual shares to Guotai Fund, one of the five largest funds in China.

In Huamei, there are many financial investment institutions established in the name of funds, but most of them are leather bags that are convenient for crossing the public to control the layout of finance, in fact, there are only about 20 or so that really have actual energy, of which the five major funds are the mainstay.

UnionPay Fund is the first of the five major funds, with the most abundant capital, and it is the fairest fundraising project within the group. UnionPay controls the country's vast but innumerable upstream economic lifeline, and almost every Chinese American company above the middle size has a stake in UnionPay or its financial institutions. Every dollar of profit dividends from these enterprises will go directly or indirectly into UnionPay's account.

Orient Fund, the second of the five major funds, holds the vast majority of the shares of OUCC Group, and has invested extensively in various small and medium-sized trading or transportation enterprises in China. The core directors are almost exclusively liberal camps.

Ocean Fund, the third of the five major funds, was originally co-founded by Lin Youde and Jiang Zhaolong, and is now a symbol of the capital strength of the neutral camp. The influence spreads all over the domestic small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

Guoxing Fund, the fourth of the five major funds, was founded by Wu Yuanyi, a former prime minister and progressive leader. And thus was born Guoxing Group, which can barely compete with the Oriental Union Group.

Cathay Fund, the last of the five major funds and the weakest one, is the only important financial capital in the hands of the conservative camp. Although Guotai Fund is far behind the other four in overseas trade and overseas industrial investment projects, it mainly operates financing projects that belong to national infrastructure, and has a considerable advantage in domestic highway, railway, canal, mine and port operating enterprises.

Cheng Daxiong's public posture can be regarded as giving up his previous position of never taking sides politically and officially joining the conservative camp.

The sale of part of the group's individual shares to Guotai Fund at a premium of double also made Cheng Daxiong's family rich instantly, which means that once the regulatory authorities pass the approval procedures for equity changes and the bank completes the relevant fund transfer procedures, Cheng Daxiong will receive more than $200,000 in account cash.

In the Huamei crossing group in recent years, the total assets of the family are much higher than those of the Cheng family, but most of the assets are gold custody, corporate stocks, financial bonds, land and real estate, etc. There are only a few companies that can have hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash that can be called on immediately.

What worries Cheng Daxiong next is not how to explain his political position in public, but how to use the money that can almost buy the latest improved frigate of the Navy's Alfalfa class.

Today, Cheng Daxiong's Manchester Entertainment & Arts Group has three branches, namely Manchester City Song & Entertainment Company, Observer Culture Publishing Company, and Manchester City Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company.

Manchester City Song & Entertainment Art Company is the most well-known veteran cultural enterprise in China and the United States, whether it is the national diva Jenny, or Tao Xinmei, who died young, or the angel lover Alice, who is now popular all over the country, they are all superstars brought out by Cheng Daxiong and his wife, and there is the only professional-level Manchester City Symphony Orchestra in the country.

The Observer Culture Publishing Company is the most troubled property of Cheng Daxiong in recent years, with the weekly newspaper "The Observer" and the monthly "Observer Monthly" magazine. There are also a variety of books on the theme of life and art that are independently published every year.

With a circulation of more than 10,000 copies a week, the Observer is far less popular than other established newspapers, but its influence is gradually rising, and the Observer's monthly circulation last year surprisingly exceeded 100,000 copies, making it one of the most widely circulated monthly magazines.

Whether it is the "Observer" weekly newspaper or the "Observer Monthly" monthly magazine, the readers are all middle- and lower-class nationals, the content is keen and novel, and the content is more exploratory, and a large number of low-level literary and artistic young people have become fans, and the most letters and contributions from readers are among the major media publishers.

As for the Manchester City Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company. Cheng Daxiong's earliest private property was a whim, with an initial investment of only $5,000, and now it is the only company in China that can produce a variety of strings, wind and percussion instruments.

The luxury limited edition top piano is staggeringly profitable, and many wealthy families are vying to buy one to display at home, and it is also exported to European royal families and high-ranking aristocratic families, becoming one of the highest symbols of the Chinese culture and art industry.

In addition, the long-planned "Manchester City Gospel Private Girls' Secondary School" will be officially launched this summer, becoming the second private education institution in Manchester City to only admit girls after the Ivy League Girls' High School.

……

Because I had rheumatism a few years ago. On this wet and slightly cold spring day, the fireplace is still burning in the office of the chairman of the board of directors of Manchester City Art Media Group, and Cheng Daxiong is sitting quietly behind his desk writing papers.

Signing an investment document, Cheng Daxiong gently struck the copper bell at hand. Then he continued to open the next group business document without raising his head.

The door opened, and a series of light and steady footsteps came from far and near, and finally stopped at Cheng Daxiong's desk.

"Miss Ada, please send me the document on my right. Remember that it must be the recipient's registered signature. ”

"Also, please help me contact Romus, the general manager of the publishing house, and ask him to come to the group headquarters tomorrow. There are important work items. ”

Cheng Daxiong said as he picked up his pen and drew key paragraphs on the new document, still not looking at who was standing in front of him.

"It's Sunday, my dear, Miss Ada, the secretary, doesn't go to work."

A gentle and familiar voice came into his ears, and the pen in Cheng Daxiong's hand paused, and then raised his head embarrassedly.

His wife, Jeanne, who was over forty years old, was standing in front of her with a gentle smile, and although her dress and appearance were as beautiful and elegant as ever, the years still left a cruel mark on her delicate face.

"Hehe, look, I almost forgot again, people are old...... Oh, I'm going to church in the afternoon, I'll go later! Cheng Daxiong looked at the wall clock on the wall and quickly accelerated the speed of reviewing the documents.

Jenny didn't urge her husband, but sat quietly beside the other party, and began to act as the other party's temporary secretary, taking a stack of documents that had been processed and sorting them out.

"In another week, I will officially sign a personal share sale agreement with the people of Cathay Fund, and there will be an extra 200,000 yuan in the bank account at that time, what do you want to do?" Cheng Daxiong pointed to a certain document in his wife's hand, his eyes flashed with love, "Money is of little use to us now, we want to do something meaningful." ”

Although she is the artistic director of Manchester City Entertainment & Entertainment, Jenny never asks about any financial matters, let alone interferes in the management of the family business, so she has always been slow to pay attention to the amount of money. But the money figures that her husband said at the moment also made Jenny stunned for a while, and it took a while to come back to her senses.

"Well, a while ago, an old friend of West Point sent me a letter, and if you want my help, it should be related to project investment, right? Maybe you can tell us about it. ”

Jenny thought about it for a long time before she remembered something she had mentioned in a personal letter she had received not long ago.

"Hehe, it's good, I've heard for a long time that the people in Union City are very entrepreneurial...... By the way, Alice's kid is applying for some kind of 'personal charity performance donation meeting' again, and I heard that you are very supportive of her idea. Cheng Daxiong smiled and took out an application letter, the font was beautiful, and it looked like a girl, "I think this child is very caring, so I support her personal charity performance scheduling application, and I also plan to donate 1,000 yuan to her Angel Charity Foundation in your name." ”

Jenny was not surprised at all that her husband made this decision, and it can even be said that the current Cheng family is the family that has done the most in Huamei charity. Alice's own charitable foundation was influenced by this.

"And this, I had a brief chat with Guan Ruzhong and An Shaoqing after the National Assembly meeting last month, and they are going to organize a 'Huamei Youth Science and Education Association', with An Shaoqing as the president. I think it's very meaningful and I want to join in. ”

"If you want to do it, you will become bigger and stronger! On the basis of this Association of Science and Education for Young People, we intend to invest in the creation of a youth award fund dedicated to encouraging young people under the age of 30 to participate in scientific research and technological innovation, which will be awarded once a year. There are five awards in each of the two fields of academic research and scientific and technological patents to commend young people who have made outstanding contributions! ”

"Also, there are plenty of funds right now. I also plan to continue to increase the investment in the girls' secondary school, buy the land of the adjacent community that is planned to be demolished, expand it, and open a primary school next year. ”

Looking at her husband's energetic and eloquent appearance, Jenny just listened carefully and kept smiling, as if everything her husband did was the most correct in her eyes, and she had only the only choice but to give support and encouragement.

"The last item is more interesting, it is the result of my conversation with Su Zining, and we plan to work with the Congressional Commission of Science and Technology. Funding for a large land expedition. This is completely different from previous cartographic expeditions, which will be a large-scale exploration directly into the western interior! The first phase is planned to reach the central river plain, and it is planned to officially start the preparatory work next month, with a view to implementing the ...... next spring."

I'm going to explain to my wife about my latest spending plan. The door rang, and I saw an administrative clerk on duty at the group headquarters push the door in.

"Sir, Madam, Senator Mr. Su is here. Now waiting in the living room. ”

Just as they were talking about it, Cheng Daxiong and his wife suddenly had a feeling that Cao Cao and Cao Cao were coming.

……

……

In the elegantly decorated living room, Jenny quietly withdrew after serving hot tea herself. Only Su Zining and Cheng Daxiong were left, sitting face to face on the sofa and silent.

"A series of Far Eastern rumors about the 'Manchu Qing Massacre to the South' that suddenly flooded the capital some time ago, and the results of the Department of Homeland Security's investigation, all point to you." Su Zining sniffed the aroma of the hot tea, and the expression on his face was calm, "So I think it's necessary to come over and solve this problem together." ”

"These rumors have not stopped, and from the point of view of hearsay, the expatriate reporter is actually no different from an ordinary crew member who likes lace news, and there is no need to make a big fuss. At least we believe these are facts, and perhaps more brutal than we think. ”

Cheng Daxiong is very calm, and he is very unimpressed with this kind of private investigation under the name of national security, and he will never forget to experience it once, so it is not strange. Speaking of identity, he is also a senator and does not care about these investigations at all.

About a week ago, a rumor from the far East once again caught the attention of the citizens of the Chinese capital. The various rumors of the Far East brought back by the merchant ships of the past year finally converged at this time into a very graphic content that surprised the citizens of the gorgeous capital, who had had had little access to the new Oriental immigrants for many years.

The invasion of the Central Empire by ethnic minorities in the north of the Asian continent has developed into a life-and-death chaos for Eastern civilization, with millions of Ming Empire civilians slaughtered or uprooted from their homes in the flames of war, beautiful cities reduced to ruins, and military defeats caused by the corruption and incompetence of imperial officials continue to be staged one after another.

The bustling lights and wine still seem to be the main theme of the gorgeous capital, and the national infrastructure is still the most popular topic in taverns. But in some civilian communities, there is a growing whisper among Chinese citizens about their homeland.

In other words, the associative shock caused by large-scale war and slaughter seems to have surpassed the natural disasters and famines they had suffered firsthand. Especially for most of the older generation of Chinese immigrant families from the Jiangnan area of the Ming Dynasty, it is even more impossible to believe that the beautiful homeland in their impression will suddenly one day become a bloody morgue full of corpses.

In the end, there is cruelty in the outside world, and the younger generation can be said to be completely black. No matter how much the rumors add fuel to the content, the older generation of Chinese immigrants who maintain their old memories still have the painful experience that has been precipitated in their hearts for many years.

"Well, we all know this, and it's true that the citizens are used to these overseas rumors full of all kinds of exaggerated descriptions, so the investigation is over." Su Zining nodded.

"Then you came to the door solemnly, I thought you were here to report the news. When will you be able to get first-hand information from the Department of Homeland Security, that should be Guan Ruzhong's concern, right? Cheng Daxiong was stunned. didn't seem to understand the significance of Su Zining's trip.

"Lao Guan told me, and that's why I'm here today." Su Zining suddenly pointed to the eastern sky, "In the course of its covert investigation, the Department of Homeland Security discovered that the Observer Press has a very interesting project underway. Investigators found that the Observer Press is planning to publish a book on the subject of "Oriental Observations." ”

"Well, I'm about to apply for a publication number. A set of three volumes is a kind of grassroots popular reading, allowing the new generation to understand the various customs and customs of Asia, and the name is relatively high, I think the sales should be good. The project was established at the beginning of last year. It is still in the process of being prepared and is estimated to be a year away from publication. Why, do you think this set of books may involve sensitive content? ”

"You may be mistaken, Cheng Daxiong. I am not here to emphasize the limits of the country's current control over public opinion over publications, nor do I have the authority of the General Administration of Press and Publication of the Ministry of Culture and Education. ”

Seeing that the other party showed a familiar look of resistance, Su Zining hurriedly explained.

"Lao Guan means, do you revise the publication plan, or start a new book to write a book on the theme of the Ming Dynasty, such as officialdom infighting, official corruption, natural disasters, and war massacres! And the sooner the better. It's best to be available this fall! ”

After Su Zining finished speaking, a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

"Guan Ruzhong interferes with the normal business of a publishing house at every turn, and only gives him a few months, don't you think it's a bit difficult? If you have any ideas, just say it! ”

Cheng Daxiong was a little confused.

"Because we have two problems to solve now: first. It is a question of the moral position of the state for large-scale military intervention in Europe and the Far East. This will involve the various temporary tax hikes that can be foreseen next year for war operations in Europe and the Far East, and the huge cost of allowing the people to support us as the world's policeman without any complaints. At that time, in addition to the cooperation of the news media, we will also need all kinds of published reading materials to strengthen the propaganda theme and stimulate their sense of justice and the mission of the times. ”

"The second. It is the homesickness and homesickness tendency of some elderly Chinese immigrants. This one affects us more than the former. They were cornered at the beginning, and they were abducted and deceived by all kinds of tricks to get here, and it is absolutely impossible to say that they are willing. Although fate has changed. Life is stable, there are many children, but people are also old, if their homeland complex affects future generations, it is absolutely unacceptable to us. ”

"The various propaganda of the official tone is always unable to get close to the bottom of the public in terms of emotional investment, while your observer publishing house has a simple style, delicate content, very close to ordinary citizens, and more and more young people love to watch it. So Lao Guan thinks it's best for you to take the lead in this kind of publication. No, he went to Yunzhou to do an inspection, and I helped run errands. ”

After Su Zining finished speaking, he had an expression of being entrusted by others, but being embarrassed by a strong man.

"I understand that the outside world should be portrayed as mysterious, barbaric and backward as possible, so that ordinary people can read it and sprout an unknown sense of saintly pity, self-luck and superiority. Even because the content is authentic and the expression is close to the people, it can make the new generation question, reject and even resent the beautiful depiction of the homeland by the older generation. ”

"Like the set of "Europe Under Darkness" that the Ministry of Culture and Education asked me to publish a few years ago, through the real and even exaggerated depiction of natural disasters, official corruption, civil strife, foreign invasions, and massacres in the Ming Dynasty, a stupid, bloody, and cruel hell on earth is created, and some of the influences of the new generation instilled by the older generation are eliminated as much as possible. I guessed right? ”

Cheng Daxiong finally understood the other party's intention, and unconsciously stood up and walked around the living room.

"Maybe we're just telling the facts of this era, and we don't need to add fuel to it. In fact, I always encourage young people to see for themselves. ”

Su Zining spread out his hands and was noncommittal.

"If we add all kinds of fanfare to the patriotic education of young people, we will vilify the outside world and carry out independent local cultural development, so as to achieve the goal of cultivating the idea of world hegemony. On the one hand, they desperately preach the importance of Far Eastern trade to the country, and on the other hand, let our descendants maintain an emotional distance and a sense of superiority towards the East. Is it appropriate to do so? ”

It took a long time for Cheng Daxiong to stop, and then quietly looked at Su Zining.

"Can you stop this? A few years ago, Manchester Cityans were already discriminating against out-of-town accents, but they don't hate out-of-town goods. ”

Su Zining replied helplessly. (To be continued.) )

PS: The first update on New Year's Day.