Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 615 Cooperation ([-])

In mid-August, Dongfang Port has entered the mid-winter season, and the sleet outside the window whizzed against the glass windows, making crackling and crackling noises.However, in this luxurious suite of the Dongfang Hotel, because of the well-designed heating facilities, it looks unusually warm.

Mario Doria, who came from the warm Mediterranean Sea, was discussing matters with his followers in the house. They were using an unintelligible dialect in a certain area of ​​Italy, while tasting the New Huaxia coconut ( At this time, coconuts have not yet spread to Europe and America), while discussing enthusiastically.

"Their agricultural officials showed me their farmland agglomeration belt in the northern lake area. To be honest, I have to say that I was shocked by their work." Viano Xinyi from the Fengyu Office of Genoa (equivalent to the grain storage in later generations) He took a sip of the prepared cocoa coconut milk, and then continued: "They built incredible farmland water conservancy projects there, and I saw a lot of projects going on when I visited. There are many Greeks there, Also there are a lot of Tatars - well, they are not Crimean Tatars - and there are a lot of orientals digging irrigation canals, widening the canals, clearing the bushes, leveling the land. They are like hardworking ants , They are so hardworking and obedient, really, they are more industrious than the most docile serfs I have seen in Bohemia."

"The 'cadres' in black uniforms are calculating with paper and pen all day long. It seems that completing the set workload before the specified deadline is an important condition for their promotion. More importantly, this kind of excavation of rivers and irrigation It seems that the large-scale projects of the system do not need to pay the workers any wages at all, they only need to pay the river diggers for clothing, tools and daily rations, and the compensation is part of the reclaimed land and the right to buy cheap cattle.”

"Having said this again, Mario, I have to say maybe God is particularly partial to this place - damn it, they're heathen - and the cattle here are insanely high, like Jutland As much, don't know where they got it from. Maybe from La Plata, where the environment is very suitable for cattle and sheep, lucky people on the east coast. Uh, far away, yes, their cattle A lot! In some well-developed agricultural areas, according to my observation, the average farming family has more than 6 cattle - 80% of which are Andalusian black cattle. They are widely used in the Netherlands, England and the North The three-crop rotation system that appeared in Germany ensures that one-third of the land falls fallow every year to plant alfalfa, and at the same time uses a large amount of manure produced by livestock to fertilize the field, so the grain harvest is very high. "

"Their former Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Kinkola, told me that if the honorable Republic of Genoa and the Doria family are willing, they can sell us more than [-] tons of wheat from the east coast every year, and this does not violate their agreement with the West of the Netherlands. The cooperation agreement signed by Indian companies. They think that it is not cost-effective for us to promote corn planting in the areas affected by us in central Italy and Sicily. Firstly, there are many political risks in it; secondly, this crop has not yet adapted well to the Italian environment; Finally, although this crop has a high yield, long-term consumption will cause a lot of adverse effects on health, such as pellagra, etc. So he suggested that we give up our plan to promote the cultivation of this crop and import wheat from us instead. And They are willing to give us a monopoly right to sell wheat on the east coast within a certain range to ensure our commercial interests."

Viano was an official of the Fengyu Office, which represented the official interests of Genoa.But the so-called official interests of Genoa are just that. Isn’t the Republic of Genoa just the toys of those big families, and the Doria family is one of the most important ones, so the so-called official interests and the interests of the Doria family are to some extent It is also highly unified.This time, Viano was seconded by Mario to discuss food cooperation with the people on the east coast. It is best to give the Genoese the exclusive agency in the western Mediterranean region that is plagued by food shortages.

When most parts of China were plagued by the abnormal climate of the Little Ice Age, famine broke out on a large scale in the vast European regions.The original traditional grain-producing areas such as south-central Italy, Sicily, and southern France often experienced grain harvest failures. Fortunately, Europe's commerce is extremely developed and transportation is relatively convenient (the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea are convenient for sea transportation), so no serious impact was caused. .

For example, a severe famine broke out in Naples in a certain year. When the last grain was about to be eaten, some merchant ships loaded with Egyptian wheat from Alexandria docked at the port on time, saving this big city with a population of more than 30 at its peak. safety of the city.And when the traditional wheat-producing areas of Sicily, Egypt, and the Levant also experienced famines, the Dutch, who were doing business all over the world, would transport wheat and rye from Poland and Moscow to the ports of these countries, effectively guaranteeing the survival of the people in these areas.

The granary of the Republic of Genoa is in Sicily. Most of the nobles on this island are deeply influenced by the Genoese, and it can almost be regarded as an economic colony of the Genoese.However, in the past ten years, Sicily's wheat production, which has always been stable, has often experienced poor harvests. In addition, many landowners have given up planting wheat and planted sugar cane, which is more profitable. alert.A few years ago, the Venetians, who also suffered from food shortages, also set their sights on the traditional agricultural areas of Sicily and central Italy, and resolutely competed with the Genoese, which further accelerated the Genoese's search for new sources of food. pace.

"The diversification of food sources is our established policy, and there is nothing to discuss about it." Mario commented, "The Republic of Genoa needs 5 lasts per year (about 10 tons, lasts generally refers to the shipping weight unit , commonly used in the Netherlands and Northern Europe, usually 2 tons; sometimes 1 ton, such as 1 Rast fish is 1 ton; sometimes also refers to the grain of the shipping volume unit). At present, Sicily supplies half of us (wheat), The Netherlands supplies us with a third (mixed wheat and rye) and the rest comes from other regions. It is a good thing that the people on the east coast are willing to sell us grain, because their price is lower, and they promise to sell 8 tons Wheat, [-] tons of miscellaneous grains (sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, and soybeans), this is already [-]% of our annual demand. And judging by their posture, it is inevitable that grain production will increase year by year if there is no accident, then I I think it is necessary for us to talk about formal cooperation with them, because this is a commodity supplier with great potential-it just so happens that they also have this meaning now."

"However, our own policies must be unswervingly implemented. The cultivation of corn must be implemented in Sicily and certain friendly city-states in the central region, because this can greatly increase our total food production. Those poor Chinese sailors, soldiers, and farmers do not need to eat high-grade food such as wheat, rye or even sea wheat (a crop produced in the Levant region, which is cheap and has low nutritional value. Farmers in the grain-producing areas of southern France often eat Selling wheat and buying seaweed for their own consumption) is enough to send them away. And this kind of corn is also tailor-made for them, and the problem of eating habits is not a big problem, because people will change themselves when they are hungry." Mario drank He drank a glass of Xiangshan dry red wine produced on the east coast, and then continued to express his opinions.

"By the way, don't people on the east coast still produce that kind of snow-white flour? I've seen it. In terms of quality, it surpasses the so-called high-quality flour produced by most mills in the Old World, and the price is still extremely low. I think even after The flour was still profitable after a long sea journey of several months to the port of Livorno. Churches, nobles, merchants, and official families now demanded high-quality white bread, and this high-quality white bread on the east coast I think there will be a big market for flour. Among other things, Genoa alone can consume 2000-3000 lasts per year. Even if each lasts earns 50 bank lires, then this is a business of more than 10 lires. Besides, the profit may be far more than this when it is actually sold, and the market demand may not be more than this at all, this is a good deal, Viano, write it down, and discuss it with them when the time comes."

"The last point, Viano, they may have approached you too, and that is their so-called soybean oil business." Mario took a sip of the red wine and said casually: "It seems that soybeans are popular in their traditional agricultural area. After harvesting wheat in summer, they either plant soybeans or corn, so soybean oil extraction is a new industry for them. And from the current situation, their domestic production of soybean oil is obviously in excess, and they cannot consume so much Therefore, we hope that we can use our strong distribution network to promote their soybeans. However, considering that there is no habit of eating soybean oil in the Old World, Viano, can you judge from a professional point of view, is soybean oil in the Old World? A profitable business?"

"It's hard to say." After Mario frowned and thought for a long time, he said this sentence uncertainly: "As far as the current situation in the Mediterranean region is concerned, olive oil is very popular, which is mainly produced in the Ottoman Empire; while in the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions Butter is the most important edible oil - it is mainly produced in the Jutland area, but it is mainly operated by the Dutch. I can't give an accurate conclusion whether there is a market for soybean oil, because it needs market feedback information, I think Maybe we can import a small amount, first try to promote sales in our various distribution outlets, and then decide whether to increase our efforts to operate this business according to the situation."

"This is a safe suggestion. I agree, Viano." Mario nodded in agreement, "Then from tomorrow onwards, you will bring your assistants to discuss food cooperation with the people on the east coast. The specific content of the negotiations You will report to me personally every night."

(End of this chapter)