Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 583 Slave Trading
"Hmm." Li Luoyou thought, the court probably didn't have the ability.Regardless of how sharp the Australians' firearms are, as far as the Australians' fortifications in Bopu and the clippers in the strait are concerned, if the imperial court does not dispatch tens of thousands of troops and one or two hundred warships, the Australians may not even bother to look at them.

"There's no need to worry about that. The Australians have strong ships and powerful guns. It may not be easy to move them." Li Luoyou deliberately kept his voice down. Seeing the nephew's expression and seeing that he was not panicked, he felt more and more that this matter was feasible.

"Even if there is any trouble, Baocheng, if you leave the shop and leave immediately, I will never blame you. If you leave the green hills there, you will not have to worry about firewood. It's not shameful."

"Yes, my nephew remembers the master's teachings."

The three of them discussed who they would send to Lingao to assist with affairs, how to do the business of this shop, what goods to prepare, how to get out in case of trouble, and how to deal with Guangdong.

While the members of the Li family were discussing matters, Quark was quietly invited to Liu San's office in the Wetting Hall.

He was led by a servant with a lantern, through the dark alleys, with no one in the lane, and when he turned around and became dizzy, he was brought to a courtyard.The courtyard is brightly lit.Liu San, who had negotiated with him just now, was waiting in front of the room.

Quark was welcomed into a wing room, and he was surprised as soon as he entered. Why are the lights here so bright?The courtyard where Li Luoyou lived was provided by the Yang family wholeheartedly. There were more than four candlesticks in the room, and the lights were dimly lit, but this room seemed to be lit with dozens of candles.

The light source came from a lamp on the table in the room, and a handful of flames were dancing under the glass cover, and the light emitted brightly illuminated the whole room.

The layout of the room is very simple, a Chinese-style desk, a few beautiful wicker chairs.Besides Liu San, there was a young man in the room that he had never seen before, with a medium to fat body and an ordinary appearance, with a scholarly face, wearing a pair of frames on his face, inlaid with two pieces of glass.Quark knew that these were glasses, but it was the first time he had seen the glasses directly on his face like this, so he couldn't help but look a few more times curiously.

The man sat in a chair, silent.Just looked him up and down a few times.

"Mr. Quark, please sit down." Liu San said with a smile, "We have another deal to discuss. You must be very interested."

"Very good." Quark thought, this deal was only discussed with him, obviously it was not a good thing.

Liu San got up and closed the door of the house, and drew the curtains tightly.Seeing that Liu San was so secretive and didn't know what to do, Quark showed a disturbed expression.

"Mr. Quark, we have to sit down and discuss business with peace of mind, so we have to be more cautious." The young man wearing glasses sitting on the rattan chair suddenly spoke.And speak English.

Quark was taken aback.In this time and space, English is neither an academic language nor an aristocratic language, but just one of the countless languages ​​in Europe.Very few people outside the UK speak English.

What he felt most painful when he came to Daming was that there were almost no English-speaking people, so he had to learn Chinese by himself.I have learned Chinese very well, and it is difficult to express meaning after all.Now I suddenly heard that someone can speak English, and I feel very relaxed.

There is still a big difference between Old English and Modern British English.However, there was an unimpeded communication between the two.

The English-speaking person is Xu Tianqi. This person is a college student studying languages, proficient in English and German, but he is useless after D-day, and has been reduced to the basic labor force. It was only after translating technical materials that he was seconded to a large library to do translation. After the translation was completed, he became a basic labor force again.
After the second plenary meeting, the majority of the basic labor force expressed excitedly: "Our spring has finally come."Xu Tianqi was officially transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.When I arrived at the foreign affairs department, there was actually nothing to do. The main job was to translate technical documents.This time it's an official job.

"Mr. Quark, have you ever traded slaves?"

Quark shook his head: "This is a very dangerous business!"

Selling slaves is a very profitable business. Even if half of a ship of slaves dies on the way, they can still earn hundreds of percent of the profit.But the risks involved are enormous.Ships stop at black slave trading posts in Africa, waiting for inland slave traders to bring slaves. Many people will catch terrible fevers and die; Stations happen frequently.If captured by the Spaniards on the way to South America, the captain and the sailors will probably be hanged alive or handed over to the religious court. Even if they abandon their faith and convert to Catholicism, they will have to serve years of slave-like hard labor to have a chance. get away.

Those who dare to do this kind of trade are the most daring, ruthless and unscrupulous people. Quark never thought of running this kind of business when he was at his worst.

"Now there is an opportunity—" Liu San explained through Xu Tianqi his business of trafficking Southeast Asian natives to Sanya. "...The natives you trafficked to Sanya we paid with sugar, tea or raw silk."

Quark hesitated and said: "You need slaves, I understand this. But why do you want this kind of natives? They are short, lazy, and very cruel. They are not suitable for work."

"Are slaves lazy and cruel?" Xu Tianqi said.

Quark nodded: "Okay. But it's a bit difficult to catch slaves."

"This calculation is within your cost." Liu San said, "I believe that British businessmen are suffering from not being able to find a suitable trading port with China."

British merchants had no foothold in Nanyang, so they had to operate in the territory of the Dutch.What the Dutch wanted was a monopoly on trade with China. They first created friction in Banten, and then killed eight British people in Ambon.The British held grudges and shouted "Ambon Massacre" every day, and wanted to use this righteous excuse to retaliate against the Dutch, but the strength of the British in East Asia was negligible, and they were not opponents of the Dutch at all.As for the Portuguese and Spaniards, they are deeply entrenched in East and Southeast Asia, and even the Dutch can't handle it, let alone the British.

"You mean—"

"Look." Liu San opened a map of the South China Sea.

"This map was drawn by you?" Quark was very surprised. The map was drawn so beautifully. Not only was it beautiful, but it also drew out many coastlines that had not been surveyed and were purely speculative.

"That's right," Liu San said. The map is a first-level control item, and he didn't want to get entangled in this issue. "This is Qiongzhou Prefecture." He pointed to Hainan Island.

"We are here." He pointed to Lingao County.

"Are you planning to open this place as a free trade port?" Quark asked.

"No, it's not here. Lingao still lacks as a trading port." Liu San said, "To be precise, it's here." He pointed to the southern tip of Hainan Island.

"There's nothing here," said Quark.

"No, there is one of our ports here." Liu San said, "As long as you transport the slaves there, we will pay you the best white sugar and rock sugar, as well as raw silk."

"You have a port there?!" Quark exclaimed exaggeratedly.Although he doesn't know the name of this place, but from the geographical point of view, it is the only way to go from mainland China to Southeast Asia, and the geographical location is very superior.Compared with Formosa occupied by the Dutch, this place is closer to mainland China.It is very convenient for British merchant ships to berth here.

If a warehouse is set up in this place... the gold in front of Quark's eyes begins to fly again.

"I want to see for myself. As for slaves..." Quark still hesitated.Although the slave trade is very profitable, it is not easy to start.Unlike African black slaves, a chain of production, supply and marketing has been formed.There is no such business in Southeast Asia. If Quark wants to do it, he has to build a chain by himself.

Referring to the African model, it is necessary to bribe several local chieftains to catch slaves, exchange captives with commodities, and establish a local trading station for hoarding slaves.This trading post must have considerable defensive capabilities to avoid attacks from jealous colleagues or local chieftains who may stab in the back anytime and anywhere.

This is a huge expense.Quark calculated the approximate cost.Finally shook his head:
"I can't do this deal. I can't bear the initial investment cost." In order to show that what he said was true, he listed all the inputs he needed to Liu San.

"I want to build or buy a ship, and I have to hire enough people to handle various affairs; the trading post needs to be fortified, I have to buy cannons and weapons, equip a small garrison, and provide local chieftains Give me valuable gifts, or they won't bother to hunt slaves for me, let alone a place to build a trading post."

"We will issue you a patent certificate for the slave trade." The business and diplomatic departments have already considered it. "You are allowed to enjoy the monopoly of the slave trade in Sanya for a period of five years."

Patent certificate!Quark's eyes lit up.With this patent certificate, he can use it to organize a joint-stock company, raise shares, and attract more businessmen to participate in this transaction, and the financial problem is easily solved.

"How about it? If you have this, you can form a joint-stock company." Liu San seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Yes, if there is such a patent, the funding problem will be much easier." Quark is no longer interested in the Li Luoyou Cannon Factory-this kind of thing is not as fast as the slave trader!

"But it will take quite a long time." Quark said, "I will go to Surat once to raise shares. I also need to buy a ship to recruit people. The first batch of slaves will not be shipped until the end of this year at the earliest."

At the end of the year, just in time for Tiandu's infrastructure construction to be basically completed, mining began, and the first batch of slaves arrived just in time for use.

"Okay, but you have to hurry up, if you can't ship the first batch of slaves by the end of December this year, the patent certificate will be invalid."

Seeing that the money is in front of him but he has to wait for more than half a year, Quark couldn't help but get angry all over his body, and immediately agreed: "Okay, I promise to deliver it."

"This patent certificate only covers the natives of Southeast Asia. Other than that, you are not allowed to traffic other slaves. Unless we ask for it." Liu San warned, "As long as it is found that other people are entrained, the patent certificate will be invalid."

"I request to set up a warehouse in this--San... Ya." Quark then made a request.

"Yes. Since this is a trading port, merchants are welcome. As long as you act according to our laws."

At the same night, a state affairs meeting was held in Baidiao City to discuss whether to sell arms to Li Luoyou.

Most people are against the sale of arms: the dangers of selling high-quality weapons to a potential enemy are self-evident.In case the Ming Dynasty came to attack, the people who traveled through would not want to taste the taste of the 12-pound shells of the Napoleon cannons they forged.If Li Luoyou was resold to Liaodong, the consequences would be even more serious - it would seriously damage the balance of the mainland.In history, the Guanning Army was a transport team that lost a lot of firearms to Houjin, and the Dengzhou Rebellion that will happen in a few years will make a large number of firearms, soldiers and technicians using firearms fall into the hands of Manqing , Later Jin began to make his own red cannon.If Li Luoyou resells, the advantage of firearms will be tilted to Houjin earlier.Daming's defense that relied on firearms might collapse just like that.

Some people think that it is possible to manufacture low-quality cannons, and the performance is slightly higher than that of Hongyi cannons. In addition, better-quality matchlock guns can be sold in batches.A special weapons workshop was set up to supply goods to Daming.

"Comrades, metal is needed to make weapons. Our iron and copper still rely on imports. They are strategic materials. How much pig iron or bronze is used for a cannon? Have you calculated it? The Guangzhou station worked hard to buy it, and we made it Selling the cannons—this approach is too strange! We don’t need the money.” Ma Qianju said, “Moreover, the production of cannons and guns also consumes energy, whether it is electricity or coal, and there is no way to say enough. point."

"How about processing supplied materials? How much copper, how much iron, and how much coal does Li Luoyou need to produce for a cannon, and what's more, it needs to be paid in excess..."

"It doesn't make much sense." Zhan Wuya said: "Everyone, don't forget that making guns also consumes labor hours and mechanical wear and tear. These are all costs."

Therefore, the export of weapons was rejected. Some people proposed to export the high-yield Type 30 revolver. This kind of gun consumes very little metal and man-hours, and the ammunition is uncertain whether it is Daming or Houjin. You have to buy it from Lingao, and it is easy to jam the opponent from the ammunition.

"In addition, the revolver can't be used to fight the enemy. In the eyes of the natives, it's just a tricky thing. It must be very popular for generals and civil servants to make a bodyguard."

"That's fine, but people may not want it. You know it's a tricky thing, and Li Luoyou is not stupid, so naturally he knows it won't be of much use. You can't buy much."

"Anything else, I'm very afraid that one day when a certain veteran is watching a play, the spies of Jin Yiwei will quietly cover up from behind and hit him on the head with a 30 revolver." Wu Mu, who attended the meeting, said.He was a representative of the State Security Bureau to assess the political security of arms sales.

In the end it was decided not to sell arms.However, Wu De said that he could consider helping Li Luoyou to build a gun factory.

"Don't the cannons sell the cannon factories?" Cheng Dong said he couldn't understand, "Why do I feel that the cart is putting the cart before the horse."

"Strictly speaking, it is to sell some simple equipment. Appropriate diffusion technology," Wu De's suggestion is to use the opportunity of Li Luoyou to open a gun factory to sell him simple industrial processing equipment.

"For example, the boring and rounding of the cannon bore is not available in traditional Chinese cannon-making technology. If we sell a few special cannon boring machines, we can greatly improve their ability to imitate Hongyi cannons. The power has improved, but the improvement limited, will not affect our own security, and will not have a great impact on the balance of the mainland."

In addition to artillery boring machines, he also proposed iron casting techniques.This technology can improve the yield of the artillery and make the barrel more durable.At the same time, the production efficiency of artillery can be improved.

"Iron mold casting is not an advanced technology in the field of artillery production. After we produce our own artillery, we mainly use the Rodman method and integral casting deep drilling. The iron mold casting technology will not affect our technical advantages at all. influences."

In addition, there are blowers, which are also equipment that can improve production efficiency.

"As for the power, do we still need to provide a steam engine?"

"At this stage, we will supply water turbines or windmills first." Wu De said, "Of course we must provide gearboxes, otherwise neither of these two can be used."

"What good will these devices do to us after they are sold?" Ma Qianju didn't quite understand.

"Selling guns and arms consumes resources, and selling machinery and equipment also consumes resources."

"We can sell services. As far as the quality of our parts is concerned, Li Luoyou will probably go crazy when he sees the maintenance bill," Zhan Wuya said.

"We can't just think about making money. As for the consumption of resources, we should look at it this way. Selling cannons to Chongzhen is a net consumption, and selling machines is a kind of hematopoiesis," Wu De said, "We can't produce everything by ourselves forever? This is very bad Economy. Sooner or later, some production fields should be opened to the private sector. Since it is open to the private sector, we certainly do not want them to continue to use the traditional manual method of manufacturing, otherwise our equipment manufacturing industry will never develop—there is a lack of sufficient orders. "

As long as you have seen the factories across the public, you will be impressed by the industrial production efficiency.Yang Shixiang is already eager to try to mechanize the pharmaceutical factory, but the local economic strength in Lingao is too weak, and few people have the funds to invest in the industry.Industry will occupy a large number of people.The labor force is already in short supply, and with the increase in the demand for private industries, the population bottleneck will become more prominent.

If the nearby Pearl River Delta, which has a lot of capital and a large population, also joins this industrialization process, Lingao's equipment manufacturing industry will be greatly developed.And it will form a dependence on Lingao industry.The supply, maintenance and upgrade of machinery and equipment all rely on Lingao's industry.

(End of this chapter)