Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 687 Please Dream as You Want
"Before we determine how we should deal with India, we first need to understand India. And to understand India, there is nothing better than to be a little familiar with the history of this continent... In short, starting from the Aryans, to the later Yuezhi, the Antars, the Turks, the Mongols... countless brave and warlike nations entered here from the Khyber Pass in the northwest, conquered here, and then were quickly corroded by the warm climate, rich output and decadent caste system here, becoming soft and powerless, waiting for the next nation to conquer them.
Our battle with the Chinese began about 20 years ago, in the Philippines, Burma, and America... Generally speaking, although despicable and shameless, their combat skills and fighting spirit are not bad. But after just over a month in India, I heard many frontline commanders tell me that the Chinese's combat effectiveness and fighting spirit are declining - and they have only conquered India for three years.
Now that we Europeans have become the new conquerors of India, are we also going to quickly become corrupt and weak, so that the Chinese will turn around and drive us away in a few years? "
"No, never!"
"Well, I have sensed your will. But what is the truth? Lord Wallenstein, I heard that you have a new lover almost every month in the few months you have been here? Young Durreni, you actually want to marry a Brahmin woman here and reject the pursuit of so many princesses in Europe? Ladies and gentlemen, on this magical continent, we have a huge advantage over the Chinese. We are white people. The religion of Hinduism naturally makes it easy for us to gain the recognition of people of all castes from top to bottom here. However, this advantage is also our disadvantage, because the caste system will corrode us faster than the Chinese!"
Taking a deep breath and fiercely scanning the somewhat ashamed generals, Philip said: "Ladies and gentlemen, the situation in the world is very clear now. The Chinese are our most powerful opponent in gaining control of the world. The Ottomans? Humph, everyone knows that when the Chinese are weakened, we will have the final battle with the Ottomans! So, gentlemen, please cheer up and be vigilant. Now is not the time to fall!"
After an awkward silence, Durenne was the first to speak up: "Your Majesty, I am very sorry that I have betrayed your trust. If you allow, please transfer me back to Europe, or let me go to America. Perhaps my will is not strong enough, and the temptation here is too great for me."
"Your Majesty, after listening to your story, I feel very ashamed. I will withdraw from the reward of Indian land this time. In fact, the land I have in Austria is already large enough and sufficient..."
"No, no, no, Mr. Wallenstein, you misunderstood me." After gently pressing down with both hands to restore order in the venue, Philip said, "We Christians are different from Hindus. The latter cultivates the afterlife and places all hopes on the afterlife. Therefore, believers of this religion are often lazy and escapist. When they can't escape from reality, they just accept it. I believe that you have experienced it in the past few months in India. If I am not mistaken, the mines where Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans are the main people are definitely digging much faster than those where Indians are the main people, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Although the East Asian prisoners of war are a headache to manage and their docility is far inferior to that of the Indians, as long as they are coaxed into happiness, their efficiency is at least five times that of the Indians."
"So, this is the difference between cultivating the afterlife and cultivating this life. And we Christians also cultivate this life. Therefore, spiritually, we must avoid being corrupted by Hindu culture, but materially, you have conquered such a large territory for the European Union, and you still have to get the rewards you deserve."
"What does your majesty mean?"
"Before coming here, I convened a new EU summit in Milan. At the meeting, the Union has made it clear that the entire India is a colony of the EU and does not belong to any specific country in the Union. The income from this land will be directly transferred to the account of the EU Fiscal Committee. After that, the funds will be allocated to the corresponding countries based on their contributions to the Union."
After Philip said this, Austrians like Raimondo and Frenchmen like Turenne were fine - they all pledged allegiance to the King of Spain. But the King of Sweden like Gustav had a strange expression.
In the current EU, Spain alone has a 35% voting weight. Adding Austria, which is under absolute control of Spain, and a number of small countries originally within France, it firmly exceeds half. In this case, all the benefits of India go to the EU, but in fact, don't they all go to Spain?
Without waiting for Gustav to object, Philip said, "The second resolution of the League Summit regarding India is to open up applications for fief transfers . That is, nobles with fiefs in Europe can apply to the League to return their fiefs to the League, and at the same time obtain a new piece of land in India that is no less than three times the area of their original fief."
This is a powerful move! After all, as the king of a country, Gustav quickly understood the meaning of this: it can be predicted that in the near future, those useless nobles in Europe who have no outstanding figures and only rely on the legacy of their ancestors will be sent to India in large numbers, either voluntarily or by force.
No matter how useless these people are, they are Europeans after all. When they are on the front line against China, no matter how incompetent they are, they will do their best to organize the locals to prepare for a new round of war. At the same time, since these people are useless to begin with, it is no loss for the EU itself if they are corrupted after coming to India.
Not only was there no loss, the land they returned to the alliance...
Sure enough, he soon heard Philip's voice: "The third agreement reached at the Alliance Summit is that the recovered land will be distributed to everyone present based on the merits of this expedition to India!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Hail, my Lord!"
Looking at the young officers in the hall, who were so excited that they could not control themselves, Gustav completely gave up the idea of standing up to express his objection: His Majesty Philip is really smart. When he and His Royal Highness Rudolf formed a new army decades ago, they consciously recruited the second sons and illegitimate sons of small nobles who could not inherit the family business. Now, these officers who have followed him for decades will obtain the land in mainland Europe, although the output of the land in mainland Europe is far less than that in India. But, that is mainland Europe! For those second sons and illegitimate sons who have been discriminated against since birth, what could be more satisfying than becoming the new owner of the land that originally made them suffer discrimination?
"So, Mr. Wallenstein, please lead the officers of the General Staff to formulate a reward and scoring standard as soon as possible. Please note that this standard must be fair and reasonable, so as not to discourage those soldiers who have made great contributions in this battle."
"Thank you for your kindness and generosity, Your Majesty. I will complete this work with the boys in the staff within a month."
"Very good, then everyone, let me talk about the economic treatment of India. The League's summit has decided that this year, that is, in 1639, paper money will be issued. Hmm..." He reached into his trouser pocket and took out a few colorful banknotes: "These are banknotes printed by the first European banknote printing factory, which was established not long ago. The denominations are 10 yuan, 5 yuan, 2 yuan, 1 yuan and various cents. The 10 yuan denomination has a picture of the crucifixion of Jesus on the front and a panoramic view of Jerusalem on the back. The 5 yuan denomination is Caesar... In short, the League has decided that in 1639, paper money will be issued first in India. Before the League has new regulations, paper money can only be issued in India."
"Your Majesty, am I right to assume that we use paper money to buy things in India, and Indians must accept it. And if Indians want to buy our things, they must pay with real money?"
"Your understanding is generally correct."
"Hahaha, your majesty is wise! Long live the alliance!"
Looking at the cheering officers, Philip's signature smile was filled with helplessness: Although the expedition to India did not last long, the distance to transport supplies from Europe was too far. Therefore, after nearly a year of war, both the European Union and Spain suffered huge financial deficits.
At the same time, Europe and Spain also encountered the same problem as the Ming Dynasty: the tremendous development of productivity led to a sharp increase in social wealth. However, the limited increase in precious metals could no longer meet the market's demand for currency. Therefore, the issuance of paper money has only happened in Europe in recent years.
Combining the two, the EU, under the guidance of Philip , naturally decided to issue paper money in India first: to test the waters with India, the latest conquest and the colony farthest from the mainland. At the same time, through paper money, plunder India's wealth to fill the fiscal deficit of European countries.
As for the lives of Indians? Who cares?
"As for the next step, my task is to continue to accept the supplies sent from the mainland and build military camps in less populated areas. Ladies and gentlemen, our soldiers should remain pure in their devotion to the Lord and must not be polluted by the degenerate religion of this land. Therefore, we must keep a certain distance between our soldiers and officers and the decadent class in India.
The Alliance has now started the first batch of reserve recruitment work. By August this year at the latest, a new batch of soldiers, about 100,000 people, will arrive here. When they arrive in India, it will be time for us to head east again and take over Indochina and Malacca! Ladies and gentlemen, I promise you that once we take over Indochina, the land there will be taken out directly to reward everyone present!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Long live the Alliance!"
"Take over Indochina and blockade Malacca!"
"Fight to Beijing and capture the Chinese emperor alive!"
