Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 672 Black Sea Chaos ([-])

It is said that the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venetia on Crete has lasted for a long time, but perhaps the political struggle in the rear affected the morale of the frontline soldiers (a large number of Praetorian generals were killed), perhaps the Imperial Navy The incompetence and repeated defeats of the Venetians have kept the supplies of the Venetians unbroken. Perhaps the Venetians' stronghold on the island is really strong.

Tens of thousands of Ottoman troops lost troops and generals under the city of Gandia, which made the prestige of the Venice city defense force.After realizing that it was difficult for their troops to capture the fortress city in battle, the Ottomans wisely stopped the battle, and then asked the East China Republic to purchase a series of equipment including heavy siege artillery.The outdated equipment and outdated tactics of the Ottoman army could no longer support the ambitions of the sultans and the Aghas. They fought so hard against Venice, which was only a second- and third-rate player, let alone face Austria, Poland and Moscow in the future. The big country is strong.

Before the war with the Venetians, the Ottomans had already ordered a batch of weapons from the east bank, and they were still standard equipment for the army on the east bank.This kind of weapon is a copy of the Ottoman Empire musket, so they feel very friendly when using it. In addition, the parts produced by large industrial machines in a unified manner have good versatility and good quality. The most important thing is that it is cheap enough, so Ghani The Aghas (Kara Murad, Bektash, etc.) of the Shari Guards decided to order an additional [-] rifles, [-] sabers, and [-] Spears, three thousand armors.

The total value of the above-mentioned weapons should be 30 yuan according to the prices quoted by people on the East Coast in recent years (due to currency depreciation, inflation and other factors, the price has generally increased by 40-54%), and the profit margin is about 40%.Because the technology is not too far beyond the Europeans, it is still taking the path of small profits but high sales, but fortunately, its own cost is low enough, so the profit margin is still quite good.

The profit margin of musket armor is average, but the profit margin of the cannon that the Ottomans crave is extremely amazing.This time the Ottomans ordered four 18-pound siege artillery and 12 large and small field artillery, with a total amount of about 2000 yuan and an average profit rate of 400%.As far as this is a friendly price, ordinary people can't buy such cheap goods at all.Of course, the barrels of these cannons are not as long as those used by people on the east coast, and their service life is generally only about 2000 rounds. However, compared with the bronze and brass cannons in Europe at this time, they are still extremely shocking weapons.

When Ma De saw the list handed over by Nasukh Pasha at the first time, he immediately calculated it calmly, and then he couldn't help being overjoyed.The estimated total amount of the arms order plus some spare parts and professional equipment is about 60 yuan, the profit is about 26 yuan, and the gross profit rate is 43%.

What the Ottomans asked for was to pay in two years, that is, pay once before the end of December 48, and then pay the balance before the end of 12.The delivery date of the Dongan people is to deliver all the equipment at one time before the end of next year. Even if the profit of 49 yuan is divided into two years, it is still a profit of 26 yuan per year.Coupled with contracts in transportation, shipping, infrastructure, etc., in the next few years, the East Coast Republic of China has locked in an annual profit of about 13 yuan from the Ottoman Empire.

And this is not counting the normal annual trade (textiles, dyed leather goods, steel bars, metal farm tools, hardware products, etc.) income. If these are included, it is not a problem to earn more than 100 million from Osman every year.Of course, most of the money earned from trade with Ottomans will obviously be spent first. Generally speaking, people on the east bank balance their purchases by buying female slaves, livestock (camels, horses), wool, raw hides, ores, raw silk, spices, Turkish blankets, etc. one time.However, if this is the case, according to this situation, there will still be a large amount of surplus every year in the future, which shows that the trade situation is booming.

The orders from the Ottomans can at least stimulate the two major industries in the country, namely the building materials and military industries, which are the two industries that benefit the most.In addition, truck manufacturing and shipbuilding have also benefited, not to mention steel as an essential industry.In short, these orders from the Ottomans (a considerable part of which were signed at the end of 46) have almost enabled many domestic industries on the east coast to enter a state of strong recovery.Due to the war, more than a dozen upstream and downstream factories in these industries have been underutilized for more than a year and have been in a state of weak demand.If Ottoman's orders are implemented one by one this time, the prosperity in the next few years should be almost inseparable.

After getting the purchase list from Nasukh Pasha, Ma De immediately expressed cryptically that he would not forget that Pasha himself would get a copy, and Nasukh Pasha also smiled cryptically, saying everything without saying anything.Made knew in his heart that Nasuhe must have put in a lot of effort in this business, because he had always had a good relationship with the Ajias in the military, and he must not forget to give him a benefit if this business would be successful.

Just like when the shipbuilding contract was signed at the end of 46, the people on the east bank secretly gave Nasukh Pasha and the Navy Pasha a bonus fee, because the order for ten flute-shaped ships was carried out by the two of them. Up.Without their contribution, maybe the business would have gone to the Dutch.

After bidding farewell to Nasukh Pasha in a hurry, the excited Ma De was about to find a boat to go to Istanbul when the head of the East Coast Republic's business office in Kaffa reported to him that a businessman from Moscow wanted to meet him.Mader was very surprised by this news. He had dealt with the Cossacks, the Poles, the Crimeans, and of course the Ottomans, but he had never dealt with Russia. Do you have a relationship?Since people come to ask to see you, then you might as well meet them, anyway, it won't delay anything.

"Honorable Mr. Ma, please accept my sincere greetings from Moscow. I am Borisov, you can call me Ivan, can we sit down and talk?" The Russian businessman dressed like a Tatar lord pointed to the room The chair of the East Bank Taishi, asked bluntly.

"Of course." Made was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized, so he immediately asked Borisov and his two entourage to sit down.

"I came from Astrakhan. These two are my attendants. They are both good fighters of the Don Cossacks." Borisov introduced the two weather-beaten middle-aged men behind him, He said in Turkish with a strange pronunciation: "Sorry to bother you, I brought a business group to trade in Kaffa, and I am preparing to return to Astrakhan today, but I heard that there is your business hall here, and it is here all the year round. There are envoys, so I want to come and have a look."

"There are no envoys here, and I only come here occasionally." Ma De corrected the mistakes in the other party's words, and then asked tentatively: "So, Mr. Borisov, what do you want to come here today?" Do you want to trade with us? Then you have to get something good..."

"Of course I want to trade with you, but not now. Some of the horses, leather, and wool I brought are not good goods, and my capital is still very limited, so I can only buy some urgently needed salt from here. "Borisov smiled heartily when he heard the words, and then continued: "Actually, we have been trying to contact you recently. Last summer, one of our merchant ships set off from Arkhangelsk and visited your merchant in Riga. But you didn’t send plenipotentiary envoys there, and the head of the local commercial station was not very enthusiastic about us, so our boys can only return to the country before winter in disappointment. In fact, we want to buy some weapons from you, um , mainly matchlock guns, big axes, machetes, spears and so on. In addition, do you provide military instructors? Our shooting army is now recruiting experienced soldiers from various countries all the year round to help the shooting army realize military modernization. I heard that you It is not easy to defeat the Spaniards! If you are willing to send some outstanding soldiers to serve in our country, we will definitely give you satisfactory rewards."

Hearing Borisov's words, even though Made had thought about many possibilities in advance, he couldn't help but froze on the spot.Depend on!Now the east bank is famous, and this has spread to Russia, which is located in the corner.However, selling weapons to the Russians was of course no problem before, but now it is quite sensitive!After all, the relationship between the East Bank and Ottoman is becoming more and more stable. Although at this stage, Moscow and Ottoman have no direct conflict of interest (the thing about the Crimean Khanate is another matter), but with the pissing nature of the Russians , They are extremely obsessed with expansion and will fight the Ottomans sooner or later!

If the two sides go to war, and the Aghas of the Ottoman Guards suddenly find that the Russians are equipped with muskets and cannons produced on the east coast, they will not be furious!At that time, if it is impossible to say, it will affect the commercial interests of the East Bank in Ottoman.Therefore, the matter of selling weapons to the Russians really has to be considered in the long run.

Besides, the Russians say to buy weapons, but the question is do they have money?Russia in this era has never been a rich country. They can only export primary products such as timber, asphalt, flax, wax, rope, honey, and grain, among which timber and grain are the two largest export commodities.

But the problem is that since Russia lost its own seaport (lost in the Livonian War), they currently only have one port of Arkhangelsk, which has been frozen for a long time.This route has just been opened up by the Dutch, and they have just begun to try to introduce rye and oats from Russia to the European market.In other words, Russia in this era has just entered the international trade market, and its main products of grain and timber face fierce competition from Poland and Sweden, so its financial capacity is very worrying.

However, financial issues are not the primary consideration for Ma De at the moment. He is now considering the situation in the entire Eastern European Plain.The Ottomans bought weapons to fight against Venice. Let’s not mention it. The Crimeans, Ukrainians and Russians are vying to buy weapons to expand their arms and prepare for war. weapon?If it is, then the fun will be great, maybe the forces of all parties in the entire Eastern European Plain will fight together.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Borisov." After thinking for a while, Ma De still shook his head and said: "I am only in charge of the affairs of the Black Sea region. As for your country's request for military purchases, I think you can go to Danzig Port to find the representative of our government. Lieutenant Zheng Yong, the plenipotentiary diplomatic envoy, will have specific consultations with you."

Ma De said so, but he knew in his heart that Zheng Yong was not in charge of this matter, not even Mo San, who was in charge of the entire European foreign affairs, and most of this matter would ultimately need to be decided by the country.There seems to be no conflict between the East Bank and Russia, one at the southern end of the earth and one at the northern end of the earth, but if Ottoman, Crimea, Poland and the East Bank’s own Blackwater Pioneering Team’s jurisdiction in the Far East are involved, then this relationship may be difficult. It is much more complicated, and the final decision must be made after comprehensive consideration.

(End of this chapter)