Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 113 Cotton Cloth Market ([-])

The day passed quickly.Early the next morning, Julian personally found the residence of Xu Xin and others.

"Xu, I need to go to Dongfang Port with you!" Julian yelled as soon as he entered the door. He didn't wear a top hat, and he didn't put pale powder on his face, which showed how urgent he was.

"Julian, you have already made a decision?" Xu Xin walked to the wine cabinet with sleepy eyes and poured himself a glass of brandy, "Why don't you have some?"

The three of them discussed for most of the night last night, and the discussion was mainly about the cotton cloth trade.Before coming to Bordeaux, they almost never imagined that they would encounter such a complicated situation.According to their usual way of thinking, isn't it just selling one thing? As long as my goods are of good quality and low price, and at most there are some sales channels that are not too bad, then it should be easy to sell.

But the extremely complicated reality still shocked them. The cotton cloth business is really not just a simple business, but also involves the local economic status, consumption habits, tariff barriers, local protectionism, and the entire industry. A series of troublesome and complex issues such as the chain of interests of the government, the disposal of unemployed workers, etc.Xu Xin and the others almost yelled: Is doing business so complicated?Is this fucking business or politics?

They really admire those British people now.Although these British men did not make much achievements in the cotton business, they almost dominated the woolen market in the entire European and American colonies.Even in a country like France with an extremely developed small-scale peasant economy and severe tariff barriers, even in a country like Spain that blatantly proclaims that it only purchases its own products, even in a country like Ottoman Turkey that produces a lot of wool itself and is still a pagan country, these The Brits can open up the market and make a lot of money.

Of course, this is a market and relationship that took them centuries to establish, and the people who travel through the world don't need to pay too much attention to it.

Several people discussed it in the middle of the night, but they still didn't have much clues, so they had to take things one step at a time.Fortunately, it seems that things are going well so far. At least the Pasquale family is quite proactive.With the help of nobles and big businessmen like them who have lived here for generations, many troubles can be easily solved.And what they paid was nothing more than some concessions on commercial interests.For the cross-travelers, the current priority is to open up and expand the market. As for commercial interests, they can still be negotiated with multiple parties in the future.

"No, I don't need these now." Julian sat down on the chair in the living room, the hard chair made his butt hurt a little. "God, all your furniture here could be used for chopping wood and making a fire. It's all stuffy medieval cathedral style, heavy, strong, and rigid, without the sprightly air of art."

"Julian, it's because you go to the salons of those noble ladies too much." Xu Xin laughed, "We people on the east coast pay attention to practicality and don't like empty talk, right, decent people①?"

Julian smiled helplessly, and was not angry: "What a bunch of rude guys. Well, Xu, I'm not here today to talk to you about these things. We're talking about business, cute gold coins, understand?"

"Julian, you are not reserved at all. You are more direct than all the Frenchmen I have ever met, but this is an essential quality for a successful businessman." Xu Xin sat back in the living room after drinking half a glass of brandy. Looking at Julian in front of him, he said: "Now tell me the result of your discussion with your father. It seems to be good news for us, right?"

"Haha, yes, Xu, it's all good news for us." Julian said with a happy smile, "Father thinks this is a gamble worth betting after careful consideration, and our chances of winning are not Not low. Our family still knows some people in the textile guild, and he has a way to persuade these people to join our camp. Now, before placing bets, my father and I need to make a final confirmation of how much you can produce each year Cotton coming out? This question is important."

"How much do you need? How much production can satisfy the appetite of your family and those big shots?" Xu Xin asked rhetorically.

"At least 5 horses per year, no less. There are too many people who need money, and no one will spend a lot of effort for a little profit." Julian looked into Xu Xin's eyes and slowly Said, "It is said that your current production capacity is only more than 1 horses per year, and the gap is still very large. You have to convince me that you have this production capacity."

"Hehe." Xu Xin took a sip of wine, thinking quickly in his mind while drinking, "Julian, my friend, we can easily increase the production capacity to [-] horses, [-] horses, [-] horses Even [-] horses, it's not a problem. You can trust us, I don't have to lie to you on this point, because it is an easy lie to be exposed."

"But I still need to see it with my own eyes." Julian insisted, "I need to go to your textile factory on the east coast to see for myself to confirm that you really have such a large production capacity."

"This is impossible, my friend." Xu Xin said solemnly, "I am not authorized to show you our factory, and this is related to our business secrets, please forgive me."

"It seems that you have indeed obtained a technology or machine that can greatly increase the production of cotton cloth. My father's guess is correct." Julian turned his green eyes, looked at Xu Xin and said.

Xu Xin smiled, lowered his head to drink, and did not speak.His attitude can be regarded as acquiescing to Julian's guess.

"Haven't you considered coming to Bordeaux to invest and set up a factory?" Julian continued, "My family has the site and workers on site, and you can invest in technology or equipment, so that you can avoid a lot of trouble. And your products can also be exempted from paying high tariffs, and can be sold unimpeded to the entire territory of Gascony and even some neighboring provinces. In this way, the profit rate can be doubled at least, and the total profit can even be doubled several times. How about it, my friend, don't you think about it?"

"It's impossible, Julian." Xu Xin refused without thinking, but he might feel that his tone was a little blunt, and then explained in a tactful manner: "Julian, in fact, I am only in charge of business matters. I have no right to ask about technology. Of course, you can go to Dongfang Port to mention your request to my superiors, but as your loyal friend, I do not recommend you to do so. Because the new textile production technology is our core competitiveness, we have no intention of sharing it with others in a short time.”

"But I still want to go to Dongfang Port." Julian insisted. "In fact, not only me, but many big people want to know the secret of your cheap cotton cloth."

"Well, since you have made up your mind to go, then I have no reason to stop you. But I think you'd better not place too much hope on this matter, just like the Venetians kept their mirror-making technology back then , we will take strict confidentiality measures for the technology or equipment we consider important." Xu Xin said, "When are you going to leave?"

"As soon as possible." Julian stood up at this time and said, "I have to go back and prepare. You can sort out the supplies you need. We may have more than one ship going to Dongfang Port this time. A qualified businessman is never allowed to leave the cabin empty. Of course, as for what kind of cargo to load, I think it’s better to leave the decision to those who really need it.”

"Thank you, Julian." Xu Xin said sincerely, "I will write you a list of goods in a while, you just need to purchase according to the order. Don't worry, we will give you a price that satisfies you. People from the East Coast don’t let their friends suffer.”

"I don't doubt this at all. People on the east coast have always had a good reputation." Julian smiled, "By the way, there may be a while before departure. You can try to go to some famous ladies or ladies in the city to drive They are very curious about you East Coast people, haha. Take it easy, Xu, my friend, it’s just a relaxed gathering, everyone talks about national affairs, literature and art, interesting anecdotes You don’t need to be too cautious about topics like affairs. Besides, maybe a certain enthusiastic wife will look at you differently, and that will lead to a romantic encounter.”

"Thank you for your kindness, but I really don't like such occasions. I'm not a qualified and decent person." Xu Xin smiled wryly, and said, "I think we should deal with the business as soon as possible."

In the following days, Julian was busy purchasing goods.But Xu Xin and the other three hid quietly in the house, waiting for the day of returning to the voyage in a low-key manner.They understand that they are the focus of attention at present, and many caring people in Bordeaux are watching their every move. At this time, it is better to keep a low profile and be quiet.

At the end of June, the procurement of materials was finally completed.Hundreds of barrels of gunpowder, copper, lead, tin, pig iron, graphite and other materials, dozens of Lusitano horses and some sheep filled the two galleons to the brim.Julian waited for the arrival of Xu Xin and others on the "Butterfly" with some strangers whom he met for the first time.

The three of Xu Xin temporarily hired a person to guard the business station, and then boarded the Pasquale family's "Butterfly" sailboat. "Butterfly" and another three-masted sailing ship "Nightingale" raised anchor and sailed slowly on the 7st of July along the clear water of the Gironde River to the Atlantic Ocean, then turned around and headed south, Go straight to Dongfang Port.

① Decent people: the gentlemen who participate in the salons organized by the ladies.They were either relatively well-off, or highly accomplished in art or literature, or both.

(End of this chapter)