open sea

Chapter 708 Double Half
To be honest, Acosta still hasn't figured out what occupation the 'general' of the Ming Empire is.

In the past, he thought it was the same as their generals, but later found out that this is not the case. For example, in the Philippines, Chen Mu, the general of the Ming Empire, would double-time pirates and raid shipping routes like the shameless English generals.

And also in the Philippines, their generals govern the region like a governor, make laws like a committee, and buy and sell goods like a merchant.

Now I have to work part-time as a tailor and artist.

Acosta suspects that the translation of the word 'general' in both languages ​​may have been misunderstood by both sides.

In fact, Yang Tingxiang just mentioned it casually, because in his opinion, when Acosta talked about their views on military uniforms, he slightly wanted to express his opinion of "you are flashy", and he wanted to suppress them from another angle. This idea shows the powerful manufacturing industry of the Ming Empire.

As for actually making military uniforms for Spain, where did you go?Can Westerners accept Marshal Chen's usual pricing level for such trivial things as military uniforms?
But what he didn't expect was that the Chief Quartermaster of the Bernal Legion who followed Acosta really wrote down his jokes, and asked him very seriously about the pricing of military uniforms and armor.

No one can imagine how outrageously weak Spain's manufacturing industry is compared to Ming Dynasty.

For example, the textile industry, because there is a nomadic sheep herding class in the country, which can produce a huge amount of high-quality merino wool every year, people usually think that the textile industry in the country that can produce this raw material should be full of vitality, and the fact is just right on the contrary.

Since the establishment of the Inquisition, a large number of Jews have left the country with goods and funds. Barcelona has been completely destroyed, and there has been no industry or commerce left.

The farmland in Spain was also abandoned due to the existence of mesta. Farmers hoped to change their way of survival whenever they seized a chance. They even needed to import a large amount of food to feed the people. In addition, the uncontrolled inflow of silver caused prices to skyrocket. , Agriculture is in a mess.

Only the animal husbandry industry is thriving.

But most of their wool was sold to other countries. The decree stipulated that no more than one-third of the wool should be kept in the country each year. Philip II’s father, Charles V, wanted to increase this ratio to one-half, so that Protecting the country's woolen textile industry, but was opposed by Mesta and failed.

Who would have thought that the border dispute, which was originally inclined to be tense, would evolve into a negotiation between two "true allies" with "100% enthusiasm" for arms sales because of Yang Tingxiang's casual remark?
More than forty big men from New Spain and the Eastern Army gathered in a spacious wooden house. The fireplace was burning brightly, and the tea was being refilled over and over again. Business matters were discussed in full swing.

So that every moment Yang Tingxiang took his subordinates to another room to discuss and report the matter to Chen Mu who was waiting, he reported to the chief in doubt: "Marshal, do the Spaniards not care about the territory of the west coast at all? Never in a hurry!"

"Just because I mentioned it casually, they have been chatting with us for half an hour about the purchase of military uniforms, even down to the price of leather belts, jackets, trousers, and even a helmet and a pair of breastplates. Soju, tea, candles, and lamp oil are all the daily necessities.”

Chen Mu was dizzy, and he speculated with the greatest malice: "Is this their negotiating strategy to paralyze us in order to gain a greater advantage in the next border demarcation?"

Yang Tingxiang didn't speak, but Zhao Shizhen, who had experience in negotiating with the Spaniards, said, "I don't think so, Commander, their quartermaster specifically mentioned the price of buying a pair of armor in Milan, and tried to lower the price by comparing it with ours." Price, very seriously."

"I think they're trying to lower the price, but they're not."

Zhao Shizhen said to Chen Mu very helplessly: "They said that the kind of plain breastplate worn by our flag army is from a place called Genoa or Milan. According to their name, it only takes ten florins to buy it. It is said that we have to wait to order this breastplate, and seven florins are a suitable price."

"Students, look at the small gold coins they call florins. One coin weighs one penny, and ten pieces are worth one tael of gold or eight taels of silver, Chen Shuai!"

Zhao Shizhen's exaggerated appearance of wanting to shout and lowering his voice successfully made Chen Mu laugh, and he heard Zhao Shizhen say: "He said that one or two gold is to lower the price. I guess the last one or two cents can be negotiated. Let's pay for this breastplate." Six cents of silver, wages of nine cents of silver, a lucky boat twice a year can transport at least five or six hundred sets, even if you add five cents of silver, a boat can earn him tens of thousands of taels of silver!"

Apparently, the half-hour-long discussion made Zhao Shizhen ecstatically suppressed for too long. The smallest mechanics unit of the Ming Dynasty clenched its fists tightly and said in a low voice: "Unloading in Asia is not empty, bring special products such as Western wool, good wood and big wood back Also, at least ten times the profit, invested in three ordnance bureaus to expand production, seven or eight years later, the world will be turned upside down!"

To be honest, Chen Mu opened the door to a new world because his group of talents successfully led an important border negotiation between Ming and Western countries.

This negotiation made him realize that Spain, the overlord across the European continent for decades, is a country completely dependent on foreign trade for armaments.

Armor relies on Milan and Genoa, iron-cast artillery, shells, and gunpowder rely on the Netherlands, and the only things the country has are shipbuilding and musket manufacturing.

This was something he had never thought about in the past, and he had even been thinking about the relationship between the two countries with a competitive and confrontational mindset. It was because he felt that Spain, which was in Europe, was more modernized than Ming Dynasty, which was relatively far away and lacked communication. There are advantages, but don't think of it that way now.

Chen Mu took the paper and sketched the situation in Spain.

The world is developing and cultures are communicating. Modernization is an inevitable part of development. The world environment has undergone major changes since this era. Rise does not mean strength and decline does not mean weakness, but whether it can adapt to the new era environment , or whether we can find a way to change from the old way of living to a new way of living that is more suitable for the times.

Spain's deformed production structure should have seen Yingxiang Juan Gao and Al Zicheng Li long ago like the Ming Dynasty in history, and the huge country collapsed or declined rapidly.

But America saved Spain, but it also kept its own production structure unchanged. It was only a small step forward from the Middle Ages, and its huge financial resources and strong military power still allowed it to spread across Europe.

After analyzing these few things, Chen Mu raised his hand and tapped his temple lightly with his knuckles in distress, muttering to himself, "Why should I be obsessed with fighting against such a country?"

On the paper, Chen Mu clearly outlined a formula for how Ming and Xi will get along in the future.

You worked so hard to dig mines in Asia, gold mines, silver mines, iron mines, and copper mines; you worked hard to farm land in Asia, cotton, sugar cane, tobacco, peppers; in the end, they all stuffed into my pocket without warming them in my pocket .

Because these commodities are used as currency to pay the guardians of Sulu, Borneo, Japan, North Korea, Malacca, the Ming Dynasty, the grassland tribes, the emperors of Luzon, Burma, and America, and the old friends of Spain and Portugal—great and powerful His Majesty Zhu Yijun, the defeated Chinese Emperor Wanli, purchased artillery, military uniforms, armor, and various handicrafts and daily necessities to meet Spain's needs for foreign wars and the needs of domestic nobles and peasants.

Chen Mu slowly tore up the piece of paper and threw it into the fireplace. His subordinates had already engaged in a new round of discussions. In the huge room, he was the only one left walking slowly by the fireplace with his hands behind his back, speaking with compassionate words. The voice-over voice mutters to himself.

"In the Iberian Peninsula of Europe in the late sixteenth century, an already powerful kingdom will become even stronger, like a war machine at full speed, no, like a war machine at full speed, crushing everything in front of it Formally, His Majesty Philip still has an independent court, but in fact his country’s politics, economy and other aspects of society are controlled and enslaved by foreign colonialism, which is a historical sinking in terms of social development.”

"So far, the country controlled by Philip II has entered a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and the powerful dynasty has left endless grief for future generations-hahahahahaha!"

On the first morning of the sixth year of Wanli, the perverted, rampant and unrestrained laughter of the young commander of the Ming Empire came from the sky above Majiagang in Asia, as if his brain had been frozen by a cold wave.

　Good morning, it's three o'clock today

　　
　
(End of this chapter)