Chapter 368 Improvement of Colonial Policy
A breeze blows from the sea, and the waves crash against the boat. Wingdings: ♦︎♦︎⬧︎♦︎◆︎⌧︎♦︎♦︎□︎❍︎The East India Company fleet led by Mason and the Pacific Ocean fleet led by Zheng He have arrived in Ceylon.
Everything here was novel to Zheng He and his fleet. The mature local government had already hidden in the mountains, so Zheng He only docked at the Port of Colombo and conducted trade.
When they docked at Temasek, the different local customs and customs were an eye-opener for Zheng He's fleet. Mason was very satisfied with the other party's expression and began to introduce to them how they destroyed the pirates.
It can only be said that without the help of friendly countries, it will still take some time for them to destroy the pirates. After the establishment of the Old Port Propaganda Department, the fleet entered the Indian Ocean and finally arrived in Ceylon.
At this time, the port of Colombo was already under Roman control, and most of Ceylon's trade was conducted from here. Locally produced gems and sugar constitute the bulk of exports, and are exported to Aden in exchange for food and other daily necessities. Most of the local reclamation is used to grow sugar cane.
The Romans brought not only colonization, but also slavery and disease. Growing sugar cane requires a lot of labor, so some resisters were captured as slaves to work for them. However, the diseases they brought from Europe spread immediately with the local climate, especially infectious diseases like smallpox, which killed countless people.
In order to welcome the arrival of the fleet, the governor of Ceylon Province has imprisoned those who may have an impact. And he sent scouts to closely monitor the movements of other regimes, so as not to ruin the governor's good deeds.
Zheng He conducted many transactions here, and some porcelain tea and silk were sold. Those merchants immediately took these things to Europe. These were in short supply and could be sold at very high prices.
"Sir, what do you think of what I did?"
The chief asked Mason for credit. He had done his best to complete the task of the governor, allowing the envoys of Eastern International to feel the style and peace of the Roman Empire, proving that these people could live a better life under the rule of the Roman Empire.
"You did a good job. I think you can manage Aden better."
"Your Excellency is so complimentary"
As soon as he heard that he could be the commander of Aden in the future, he was very happy. Although it was nice here, he wanted to be closer to Europe so he could get home soon.
Ceylon is the third most populous province after Aden and Andronikos. There are more than 500 Romanians, and the local people are relatively compliant, as long as they can survive.
The local cash crops and geographical location have revitalized the place, and the ships here are provided by the East India Company, which creates a monopoly. After all, the ships are theirs.
On the Indian continent not far away, the two small kingdoms in the south have been conquered by the East India Company. The customs duties were in their hands, and the king was obliged to provide some troops at their disposal. Local businessmen who want to trade with foreign countries must go through the channels provided by the company.
The people do not feel this kind of overlord clause. Under the caste system, they only need to do their own thing. The Vaishya class also began to rely on the East India Company's trade to make money. The company's religious policies also made the Brahmins not object, and local troubles could be quelled by giving some money to the Kshatriyas. They are here to make money, not to govern.
It would be too troublesome to collect head taxes directly. The company decided to collect indirect taxes, including tariffs and the revenue generated from the exclusive sales of specific goods, which were all controlled by the company. With this they were able to maintain financial balance.
"Sir, our country's war with the Ottomans has ended. This is the news from Constantinople."
Mason quickly opened it to see that the Ottomans were destroyed and the empire's territory advanced to the city of Van. Such a huge amount of information gave them some relief. Such a vigorous development of the empire will definitely allow Eastern trade to develop again, and with the promise given to him by His Highness, the family will definitely gain a place in the East.
----Dividing line----
The Port of Androniko continues to develop as the only port connected to Abyssinia, and its status as a transit port cannot be shaken. In addition to white people, there were more black slaves in the area, who were responsible for building large local facilities and fortifications. The white people just watched them and couldn't escape.
Coffee trade and ship tolls are the two most important local incomes. The local climate and geography are not suitable for growing large quantities of food, so they cannot be self-sufficient and need to be imported from Egypt every year. Therefore, large quantities of coffee and other goods were exported to make up the balance sheet.
In comparison, Knights Castle on the East African coast appears much more dynamic. This place was originally quite prosperous, but when Roman merchants came here to do business, some people originally from France directly robbed some people's property. This led to local rulers attacking them directly, and they had no choice but to fight back passively. Use the muskets and ship's cannon to drive them away.
After the expulsion the port became theirs and they built a castle on its foundations. And build a market to encourage surrounding people to continue coming to trade.
The land here is fertile and the climate is good, suitable for large-scale cultivation. Therefore, with more than 150 people here, it has become one of the best places to immigrate.
In addition to producing food, the land here also produces a flower that is used to make insecticides. This flower is very popular in areas with many mosquitoes and is therefore planted in large quantities. Cotton and other crops were also grown here, and the local economy soon continued to recover.
The East India Company's main method of immigration was economic colonization. Through propaganda, it was said that as long as a person was willing to go to the East, a person could own 100 acres of land, a woman 50 acres, and a child and the elderly 20 acres. Those who go as a family can get 500 acres of land.
Such publicity does make some people excited, but the reclamation of Anatolia is easier to impress. Who wants to risk going east to reclaim the land.
In order to increase the population, Peter had to make a decision: exile the prisoners to replenish the population.
The exile of prisoners is not like that in England. Peter set strict standards for exile: for those who are imprisoned for debts, the government will pay for the debts, but they are also the country’s debt slaves. Before they pay off their debts, they will They can only obey the state’s instructions and work in the East. When the money is paid off, they will have a new identity in the East and become subjects of the empire again.
In addition, those who were forced to commit crimes due to poverty, or who were forced to fight back and hurt others could be exiled. They can still change their ways.
As for those who commit heinous crimes, treason, and murderers, don't even think about it. Just ask for the death penalty. Peter doesn't want to cause any hidden dangers to the empire. Rather than cutting off their political life, he prefers to cut off their physical life.