Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 478: Changes in Europeans (Part 2)
the next day.
"Father, I have thought about it seriously for a whole night and I think what you said makes a lot of sense. I am willing to follow your instructions and cut off all ties with those independent organizations."
"...Very good, George." The fat man nodded with satisfaction: "You are the only adult man in our family besides me. I am very happy to see you back on the right path. Then, next, please get ready. We will set off in a few days."
"Where are you going?"
"Go to Bayern, which is now a direct-controlled territory of Spain. We Dutch people can get full national treatment when doing business there. So, I plan to buy a new large estate there. George, let me test you. When I went to Bilbao this time, I found that the steel plant there had expanded its scale and the number of workers had at least doubled. What does this mean?"
"...Well, father, based on my observations at the docks over the years, I've found that people who do heavy physical labor generally like to drink beer. Does the expansion of the steel plant mean an increase in beer sales?"
"Of course!" Very satisfied with his son's answer, the fat man also patiently pointed out: "Beer is brewed from the essence of grains, known as liquid bread. For those who do heavy physical work, a bottle of beer after work can not only relieve fatigue and stress, but also replenish body consumption. It is simply a necessity for workers. Therefore, the great development of Spain's local industry will inevitably lead to the rapid development of the beer industry. This is the best era for our family to develop rapidly!"
"So, father, you want to buy a large estate in Bayern because you want to control the raw materials for beer production from the source?"
"Hahaha, George, you are obviously a genius in business." The fat man stood up excitedly: "We can see this, can't other beer merchants see it? Next, everyone wants to expand the scale of the brewery. But a brewery alone is not enough without malt and hops. If we get ahead, then we can not only produce and sell beer ourselves, but also sell malt and hops directly to the outside world."
"Father, your wisdom is truly admirable."
"Hahaha, my son is not bad either! Anyway, we have to act quickly, otherwise, it will be troublesome when that old thief Lambic in Brussels to the south also reacts."
In some history textbooks of later generations, it is written: "The failure of the Spanish Armada's invasion of Britain in 1588 marked the beginning of Spain's decline." This is undoubtedly a compliment to the British: after the failure in 1588, Spain still firmly controlled the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean sea power for nearly a century!
What really led to Spain's decline was actually the independence of the Netherlands: Spain was completely exhausted in this 80-year war and had to allow the Netherlands to become independent. From then on, not only did it lose its largest source of tax revenue, but it also gained a direct commercial competitor.
However, after the Netherlands became independent, the Dutch did not prosper for long: after independence, Spain's vast colonies all imposed a trade blockade on them. The Dutch lost the American market with more than 10,000 merchant ships on the sea and had to expand eastward. Although they also made a name for themselves in Asia, they were no longer protected by a large empire with a population of more than 20 million. Big countries like Britain and France easily defeated the Netherlands after the Dutch pig became fatter. As a result, Spain and the Netherlands became second-rate countries after the separation, and then continued to move forward towards third-rate countries...
In fact, the reason why the Netherlands wanted independence was because the British coveted Spain's wealth and robbed the Spanish merchant fleet in the English Channel. The Dutch fleet suffered the most due to geographical reasons. The Spanish royal family was indeed a little arrogant at that time and did not do enough to protect Dutch merchants. This made the Netherlands think: After we become independent, the British will not target us, right?
After this idea came up, the Reformation happened. At that time, the Spanish kings were all fanatical Catholics, and they frantically suppressed the Calvinist-dominated Netherlands. Therefore, the Dutch, who had long been dissatisfied, simply overturned the table: Let's rebel!
Their rebellion quickly received strong support from Britain and France. However, history has already shown how the British treated them after they became independent.
As a historian, Philip certainly saw this. Because of this, he was extremely cruel in suppressing the independence movement of the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands during the Western European War six or seven years ago. But when the war subsided, he comforted the merchants of the Netherlands and gave them more favorable conditions: His Majesty the King knew very well that the people of Castile in this term were good at fighting, but not so good at business. The Dutch still had to deal with commercial taxes.
…
The carriage was traveling on the vast plains of northern Bavaria, with the Danube, Main and Isar rivers crisscrossing each other and many lakes dotted in between. The whole scenery was very beautiful and pleasant.
"George, how do you feel after walking around Bayern for two or three days?"
"Feelings? Father, your question is too broad."
"It's okay, just talk."
"Well, generally speaking, I feel that the Germans are quite conservative, um, even backward."
"Huh, what do you mean by that?"
"Look, along the way, the buildings here are all classical, which is fine, after all, Baroque has only just emerged. But the colors of the buildings here are mainly gray-black and gray-yellow, which makes them look old and ugly. Let's talk about the people here. The city is small, there are almost no factories, and there are many handicraft workshops, but they are all small. When you get to the countryside, a large number of people gather on the land..."
"Hahaha, George, my son, you are really a genius!" The thick fleshy palm patted his son's shoulder vigorously: "Wesley, are we almost there?"
"Sir, the manor in front is the old Hans' manor that we contacted in advance."
Old Hans was a typical German: tall, fair-skinned, blond, green-eyed, with sharp features and a square face. After seeing the team of carriages in his attic, he came outside the house early and stood upright waiting.
The carriage stopped steadily dozens of meters away from Old Hans, and the fat man got off the carriage swiftly: "Hey, Hans! Long time no see, how are you?"
"William, I feel bad because you are coming to take my land."
"Hahaha, Hans, my price will surely satisfy you."
"Humph, money is just a bitch. After it has ripped you off, it will quickly leave you. It will never be as loyal as land."
After saying this, Old Hans waved his hand and said, "Come in and talk."
After the group entered the house and sat down, Old Hans nodded to his butler, a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, and said, "Mr. Worm, according to the price that your butler came to discuss with us last month, the total area is 25 ko (an old Germanic unit of area, 1 ko equals 30 acres, about 12 hectares, or 180 acres). It is mainly wheat fields, a small forest, a small number of lakes and rivers, and the water area accounts for about 2.5%. There is also a villa and 298 ordinary houses. In addition to Mr. Hans' family, there are 23 servants including me, 431 adult farmers, and farmers' families serving Mr. Hans in the manor, a total of 1,021 people.
The temperature here is quite suitable, with an average annual temperature of about 15 degrees. In addition to raising a small number of cattle and sheep, winter wheat is basically planted. As long as there is no disaster, wheat can be harvested every year... Well, I converted it, according to the current EU common unit, it should be 540,000 kilograms. According to the agreement of 50% land rent, you can get 270,000 kilograms every year. After paying a land tax of 10% to the Bavarian state government, you can finally get 243,000 kilograms.
Our request is that if you want to get this farm, you must pay Mr. Hans 38,500 double pillars . At the same time, you must promise not to lay off the workers here, the existing farmers, and not to increase their land rental fees. "
"...Hmm." After tapping his fat fingers on the table for a while, the fat man William van der Worm spoke: "The price is not a problem. I can temporarily not lay off the workers and farmers here, nor increase the land rental fees. However, I hope to add a time limit to this promise. Three years, I will not make any changes within three years. After three years, I will gradually make fine adjustments based on the operating conditions of the farm."
"William." Old Hans, who had been silent at first and just staring out the window, spoke now.
"Please go on?"
"I know it's a bit too much to ask you to stay as a farmer after selling the land to you. But you can see that I'm not asking too much for the price."
"Yes, judging from the price of the farm, I got a bargain. I don't deny that."
"The main reason why I am willing to sell the manor at such a low price is of course because my two sons died . I no longer have any heirs, and there is no point in keeping so much land. But on the other hand, these workers and farmers have lived with our family for several generations, and I hope to find a good employer for them. So, you see..."
"Hahaha, dear old Hans." The fat man stretched out his fat palm again: "Please rest assured, I will find a way out for them all. To be honest, your farm is not small in size, but there are too many people who rely on it for their livelihood. If you keep going like this, this farm will become increasingly poor, and the people here will eventually run away. Therefore, there must be some changes here."
"So, how do we change it?"
"To the factory! I will build a new brewery in Munich and use the wheat here to produce beer. A large number of workers will be needed there, and I will give priority to selecting outstanding young people from the farm to work in the factory. I guarantee that the wages they get will be much more than farming on the farm."
"...Well, you Dutch people are good at doing business. In comparison, we Germans are much more honest. We can do almost nothing except farming and fighting. Well, this manor is yours now."
