***
Qin Mu thought for a while and said, "Longjiang Shipyard can be considered for selection. Ocean Trading Company is not short of funds, so it does not need to go public for the time being. Xu Qing, for the first batch of listed companies, it is best to select some small-scale companies with development potential as pilots. For companies like Longjiang Shipyard, we can select three or two as pillars."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Qin Mu was a little worried. The Ocean Trading Company was now a behemoth that was no less powerful than the Dutch East India Company. It was not short of funds and had background support that others did not have.
If it continues to be allowed to grab the first batch of listing quotas, it will only be a way to make money. Its development speed and excessive monopoly advantages may eclipse all competitors in the same industry, which is not conducive to the overall development of Daqin's maritime trade.
Xu Yongshun was a little disappointed, but he didn't dare to say much. Being able to let Longjiang Shipyard be one of the first listed companies was also Qin Mu's care for him. If he was not satisfied, Qin Mu might be disgusted.
Qin Mu took the time to write down some ideas about stock trading and supervision over the past few days and gave them to Xu Yingjie, asking him to take them back and have those financial researchers study and improve them. He planned to take a look at this matter first.
In his mind, no matter what he does in the future, he will try not to do it himself. He will come up with an idea and then hand it over to his subordinates to study and improve. In this process, he can better train some professional talents. Otherwise, if he continues to force things to happen, problems will arise sooner or later.
After Xu Yingjie left, Qin Mu seemed more relaxed and asked casually, "Xiao Shunzi, do you have any new ideas?"
Xu Yongshun looked confused and said quickly: "Your Majesty, you mean..."
"A year's plan begins with spring. It's already spring, don't you have any plans?"
"Hehe. Yes, there is, but Your Majesty is very busy, so I dare not bother Your Majesty to ask about my little plan."
Qin Mu said disdainfully: "If you don't tell me, I don't want to hear it either. Just keep it to yourself."
"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Well, my plan is actually very simple. This year's main goal is to enter the European market. My Great Qin's envoys should have arrived in Europe. Although no news has been sent back yet, I believe that with the great victory in the Indian Ocean as support, the envoys will definitely achieve good diplomatic results. I think the opportunity to enter the European market should have arrived."
"Hahaha... Not bad, not bad, Xiao Shunzi. I was right about you. But I want to warn you, don't overdo it in the ocean trading company. You have to leave some for others. Also, don't mess around with South China. If you have the ability, try to go to America. That's a huge piece of cake, we can't let the Europeans share it all. Go and take a look first. If others can go, why can't we?"
Qin Mu didn't know much about the current situation in America.
What we know is that after Columbus discovered the New World in 1492 AD, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Britain and other countries followed suit and established some invasion bases in the Americas.
The famous British Empire, which later became famous, fell behind almost all Western European countries in this massive campaign to colonize America.
Before Britain established the first colonies on the Atlantic coast, explorers from six European countries had already explored the coast of America. First, sailors from Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Britain, and Spain;
Then came armed Spanish conquistadors who traveled north from Mexico in the mid-16th century to explore the Southwest, and in the late 1500s, Spanish Franciscan monks established missions in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. But it was the British who first established permanent colonies.
In the first half of the 16th century, after conquering Mexico and Peru, Spain first established colonial outposts in the Gulf of Mexico along the Atlantic coast of North America in present-day Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.
After that, the New Spain colony was established in North America, which included the present-day southwest and adjacent areas of Mexico, as well as Central America, South America, and Spanish territories. In the first half of the 17th century, Dutch colonists established New Amsterdam (now New York) in North America, which was later expanded to the New Netherlands colony.
In the 16th century, France established the Norfolk colony in North America, which included the eastern part of Canada and the vast area along the Mississippi River in the United States. Britain also began to explore the southeastern part of America in the 16th century, but the large-scale invasion did not begin until the 17th century.
In 1606, the King of England authorized charters to two joint-stock companies composed of big merchants and land nobles - the London Company (also known as the Virginia Company) and the Plymouth Company (later merged with the Massachusetts Bay Company), granting them the privilege of developing North American colonies.
This was a comprehensive organization that combined overseas commerce, smuggling, piracy and slave trading. In May 1607, the London Company sent the first batch of immigrants to North America and established Jamestown.
The immigrants included speculators, bankrupt gentlemen, white indentured servants, etc., totaling 105 people. Jamestown was originally built as a wilderness covered with weeds. The immigrants built a church, a fort and a few huts here, and began their new life in North America. Due to plague, smallpox, yellow fever and the national revenge of the Indians, the mortality rate of immigrants was extremely high. Only 32 of the first batch of immigrants survived.
In 1607, none of the settlements established by the Plymouth Company were successful.
At this time, the bourgeois revolution in Britain was becoming increasingly fierce. The Separatists were the most radical faction of the British Puritans. Due to the cruel persecution of the Church of England, they left Britain for the Netherlands in August 1608. Some of them decided to move to North America and signed an immigration contract with the Virginia Company.
On September 1620, the 180-ton ship, 90 feet long, carried 102 passengers, including 35 separatists, and the rest were craftsmen, fishermen, poor farmers, and 14 indentured servants.
On November 21, they arrived at Cape Cod and landed in Plymouth on the first day after Christmas. Before landing, on November 21, the leader of the secessionists presided over the formulation of a "Mayflower Compact" to be observed by all in the cabin, and 41 free adult men signed it. Its content was: organize citizen groups; formulate fair laws, decrees, rules and regulations.
This convention laid the foundation for self-government in the New England states and was of great significance to subsequent developments.
After that, Jamestown gradually developed into the Virginia Colony. After the outbreak of the British bourgeois revolution, many royalists and land nobles also moved to Virginia, most of whom became new nobles and large plantation owners.
These include the Washington family, the Madison family, and the Monroe family, which became famous families in later generations.
Overall, most of the European colonization in the Americas is still predatory rather than constructive.
Especially for countries like Spain, their colonization of America was almost entirely destructive and predatory. Many places were plundered and then abandoned. The so-called colonies were more of a place for them to plunder resources.
Now that the power of the Qin Dynasty has not yet expanded to Europe, Qin Mu has turned his attention to America, which surprises Xu Yongshun.
Qin Mu said casually: "Europe's overall fragmented structure has been finalized, and it is difficult to unify. In other words, as long as my Great Qin continues to move forward, Europe will not be a real enemy of the Great Qin.
America is different. It has a superior geographical location, rich resources, and a suitable climate. More importantly, its overall structure is still in the process of being shaped and has not yet been finalized.
The Renaissance in Europe is in full swing, and the speed of its technological development cannot be ignored. Under the fragmented structure of Europe, it cannot pose a threat to the Qin Dynasty, but may very likely form a threat in the Americas, which is something I do not want to see.
Besides, the resources of the American continent are so rich. When our Great Qin has the ability to share a piece of the pie, or even take the lead, why not go? If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. You will never go wrong if you take a long-term view. "
************************(To be continued...)
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