mtl008 Chapter 368: Abolition of the Slave Trade
Chapter 368: Abolition of the Slave Trade
"Very good. They have written the letters, haven't they?"
Ning Quan continued to ask.
"Your Majesty, most of it has been written, but there are a few parts that have not been written."
"Why?"
"Your Majesty, these people said their families couldn't afford the ransom."
"Haha, if you can't pay the ransom, then you can only go mining."
Ning Quan said with a sneer.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The deputy general responded quickly.
"Who was the highest-ranking officer captured?"
Ning Quan suddenly asked.
"Your Majesty, the highest-ranking prisoner is French Admiral Béria, who is also the deputy commander of the combined fleet," the lieutenant general replied.
"Bring him here, I want to see him." Ning Quan said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the deputy general replied, then left quickly.
A moment later, Beria was brought before Ning Quan.
“Greetings to His Excellency the Great Emperor Daqian.”
Belia saw Ning Quan kneeling down and said.
Ning Quan looked at Beria.
Beria was in his forties, had a beard, and was quite handsome, but his face was pale and his lips were chapped, and it was obvious that life in the prisoner-of-war camp was not easy.
"Someone, come and give him that stool to sit on." Ning Quan said.
"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor Daqian."
Soon, a soldier moved a chair next to Beria.
After expressing his gratitude, Belia slowly sat down.
"Beria, I want to know the situation in Europe. Would you be willing to introduce it to me?" Ning Quan said lightly.
"What do you want to know, Your Majesty? I will tell you everything I know."
Belia said after a moment's hesitation.
"Okay, then tell me about the current situation in European countries, including military, political, and economic aspects."
Ning Quan said.
"it is good."
Beria nodded and began to describe the current situation in Europe in detail.
After a while, Beria paused for a moment and said:
"Your Majesty, the current situation in Europe is extremely serious. Countries are constantly fighting for territory, and wars are frequent."
"If it weren't for His Majesty the Great Qian Emperor, there wouldn't even be a joint fleet."
"Haha, it seems like things are pretty lively in your European countries."
Hearing this, Ning Quan sneered.
"Hehe..." Belia smiled awkwardly and said nothing.
"How much do you know about the situation in Africa?" Ning Quan asked again.
"Your Majesty, Africa is also in chaos right now, but France and Britain both have an absolute advantage."
"We occupy the west bank of the Nile, and England occupies the east bank of the Nile, both of which are the most fertile lands."
"What about other countries, like Spain and Portugal?"
"Your Majesty, Spain and Portugal also have influence in Africa. Spain occupies Algeria, and Portugal occupies Morocco."
"Plus Italy occupied Mauritania."
"It's all North Africa? What about Central and Southern Africa? Is it unoccupied? The slaves you're selling are obviously not North Africans."
"Your Majesty is wise. The slaves certainly came from Central and Southern Africa, but European countries had no actual control over these areas. They basically established strongholds along the coast and then sent out slave-hunting teams or mercenaries to capture them."
"Oh, so that's it."
"Yes, Your Majesty. These places are barren and have no wealth. They are not worth occupying at all. The only valuable thing is the black slaves."
"Is the slave trade large?"
Hearing this, Ning Quan continued to ask.
"Your Majesty, it's not really that big."
"why?"
"Your Majesty, even if we capture too many black slaves, we can't sell them. There simply aren't enough of them to sell." Belia said with a wry smile.
"Oh, you're right. There's no market for it."
After hearing this, Ning Quan suddenly understood.
Europe is such a small place, how could it possibly absorb so many black slaves?
The real big player is America.
But now America is controlled by Daqian, which means that only Daqian has the ability to digest and absorb these black slaves."
"But I have also been purchasing black slaves in America. Haven't you heard the news?" Ning Quan asked immediately.
"Your Majesty, I have received the news. It is mainly due to the price. Your ministers in America have pushed the price too low, making it difficult for slave traders to make money."
"oh."
Upon hearing this, Ning Quan showed a look of enlightenment.
It turned out that the reason was Zheng Chenggong, Chen Qianzhi and others, who were trying to lower the price.
But this is also true. If you have the ability, why not lower the price?
Moreover, the development of America was gradual. It wouldn't take that many black slaves to be given to millions of black slaves at once, right?
"Well, thank you for explaining the situation in Europe to me. Please leave. I will order someone to give you special treatment."
Ning Quan said lightly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Belia bowed happily and turned to leave.
After Belia left, Ning Quan narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
He just suddenly thought of something.
That is whether he should continue to use black slaves.
As a modern man, Ning Quan also deeply hates slavery.
But now he became the largest buyer of slaves and almost the only buyer.
This fact made Ning Quan feel a little guilty.
After all, this behavior goes against Ning Quan's conscience and can even be said to be inhumane.
And how will future generations evaluate us?
"No, I absolutely cannot do such a thing. I cannot leave behind a name that will be cursed for eternity."
"I have innate advantages. I have the system, the technology, and I have enough time to change the world in the future. I don't need slaves at all."
"At worst, I can implement family planning and encourage the people of Daqian to have more children. For every child born, I can exempt one year of taxes. I have money anyway."
Ning Quan quickly made a decision and decided to cancel the purchase of black slaves.
Not only should it be abolished, but the existing black slaves in America should also be restored to freedom, and it would be best if they were sent back to Africa.
The genes of black slaves are too powerful to be assimilated at all, and they are also extremely fertile. Once they reproduce, it will be a disaster.
Ning Quan did not want America to become a place where black slaves were rampant, including Australia and Asia.
Ning Quan did it as soon as he thought of it. He immediately returned home and issued an edict.
Soon, Qi Jiguang in Australia, Guan Yu, Chen Qingzhi, Zheng Chenggong and others in America received the order.
Although Qi Jiguang and others had doubts in their hearts, they still began to carry out the order. They immediately announced the suspension of the purchase of black slaves and began to improve the production and living conditions of existing black slaves.
At the same time, they also began to prepare to transport the existing black slaves back to Africa.
As Ning Quan's order was issued, the whole world was shocked.
No one expected that Daqian would suddenly stop buying black slaves.
This was equivalent to completely cutting off the slave traders' financial resources.
At this moment, slave traders from all over the world were furious.
That's a lot of money.