Chapter 756： Crazy big purchase (on)

At the time when the two political emissaries were in a dilemma, Kong Tai ’s previous act of giving Fran machine guns and matchlock guns to Chen Jin had a wonderful effect-Chen Jin, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and Guangdong Governor shot ...

The Guangdong Chief Secretary has only the right to control Guangdong's fiscal and taxation and civil affairs. There is no right to make a decision on whether to approve Beihai's purchase in Guangzhou.

However, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi can ...

As the Governor of Daming, Guangdong and Guangxi, although Chen Jin does not directly manage local government affairs. However, because it was a minister sent by the court (the governor of the Ming dynasty was not a local permanent official, it was equivalent to a minister of the mission, and generally also held the post of Yudu Yushi. Moreover, the governor of the Ming and Guangxi provinces was mainly responsible for suppressing Guangxi Shanmin During the uprising, the Governor ’s Mansion was generally located in Wuzhou, Guangxi), which represented the emperor. Therefore, Chen Jin can "decide before the opportunity" some embarrassing things that are difficult to handle.

Of course, this kind of "prompt decision" is not a right to be granted tribute to the Beihai Kingdom. This is because "prompt decision" can only be used to temporarily deal with some difficult problems, but it cannot form a common example. In other words, this right is one-off, without continuity, and cannot be used as a reference for dealing with similar issues later.

However, for the North Sea State Mission, it is not necessary to obtain the tribute trade qualification all at once. What Kong Tai asked for was only this time to be able to obtain a purchase qualification in Guangzhou.

Chen Jin has just received Kong Tai's gift, and is considering how to return to the other party. Kong Tai begged to come to the door. After repeated considerations, Chen Jin decided to use the Governor's imperial imperial power to temporarily grant Kong Tai and his party the right to purchase in Guangzhou.

Of course, Kong Tai and others bought in Guangzhou, not in the name of the tributary country, but in the name of the cooperative businessman of the Governor General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Chen Jinfa, published an official document stating that through introduction by the Chinese, I met Kong Tai, an "overseas foreign merchant", and "purchased" 10 Fran cannons and 100 matchlock guns from his hands for a price of two thousand two silver. In addition, Governor Chen Jin granted Kong Tai and his party the right to purchase once in Guangzhou in the name of a mission, as a reward for this gun transaction ...

In fact, Chen Jin won 10 Franc cannons and 100 matchlocks this time without paying a penny. However, in the official document, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi "expenditure" two thousand and two silvers ... Needless to say, these two thousand and two silvers naturally entered Master Chen's pocket ...

You know, before trading with the West, Daming's silver was still very rare. Two thousand two hundred silver is definitely an astronomical figure.

How to say, in this era, the annual salary of Daming Qipin County Commander is 45 two silver. Two thousand silver is equivalent to the salary of 44 years of the "county head" of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty can spend money to buy a diploma. During the period of Jingtai, civilians (as long as they are not "cheap" such as merchants, craftsmen, and happy households) can donate 800 stone meters to buy a place for Guozijian. In the Chenghua period (the era when Hongzhi Emperor Hongzhi just died), it took only 100 stone meters to donate a supervisor. How much is 100 stone meters worth? Only 50 silver.

But what can supervisors do after graduation? Although it is not the right way for the imperial examination, it is impossible to award such an official as the county magistrate. However, the prefecture of Zuo County can be granted. What is Zuo'an's position? Generally, they are deputy officers such as state tongzhi, county Cheng, and master. Until now, it is equivalent to the deputy county magistrate ... And, if it is done well, it is not without the opportunity to be upheld as the county magistrate ...

You can buy a diploma that can serve as a deputy county magistrate for 50 silver, and the gold content of this diploma is far from Huaqing and Beijing University ...

And 2000 silver can buy 40 diplomas as deputy magistrates during the Chenghua year ... This Nima is definitely a huge sum ...

Of course, it will not be mentioned in the late Ming Dynasty. Because the huge silver mines in Mexico and Peru in the Americas and the silver produced in Japan ’s Ishimi Silver Mountain, a large amount of silver flows into Daming every year, leading to the flooding of silver in the late Ming Dynasty. As a result, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet tycoons usually started with hundreds of thousands of silver in their family property ... For example, Zhang Juzheng was already relatively clean. After his death, he was copied by Wanli liquidation, and he copied out 22,000 gold and more than 100,000 silver ... This is just cash, not including the land purchased with silver-those are the big heads ...

But that was the end of the Ming Dynasty. As far as this era is concerned, because the massive silver in the Americas and Japan has not been obtained, silver is still very valuable in Daming. Generally speaking, the Minister has a wealth of more than 10,000 silver, which is definitely a large sum ... And Chen Jin, through this operation, obtained 2,200 silver, it is also a big profit ...

Counting Kong Tai's luck, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Qing dynasty, although more powerful, has been regarded as a permanent local official, and is no longer regarded as the emperor's mission. Therefore, he has no right to "decide by chance." Therefore, Chen Jin opened a great convenience for the Beihai mission.

Not only that, Chen Jin also sent several government offices to assist Kong Tai in purchasing. It ’s called Surveillance. Chen Jinbai got 10 Folang machine guns and 100 matchlock guns, and also took the opportunity to fish 2,000 two silver, which naturally gave face.

If you let Kong Tai buy it yourself, as a foreigner, it is not like a foreigner who will be a grandfather in China in the later generations, but will be looked down upon by the arrogant Daming businessmen. Maybe, the goods sold to others for one or two silver, dare to offer you a high price of 5 two.

However, with the help of the governor ’s office, those businessmen would not dare to mess up. At least, I dare not ask the price indiscriminately ...

With this convenience, two people who understand Chinese, Kong Tai and Skandar, started the crazy purchase in Guangzhou with the assistance of the Governor's Office ...

Kong Tai first acquired the seeds of tung tree and sumac ...

The products of these two trees are definitely strategic materials for the North China Sea, which is engaged in large-scale navigation. Why? Tung oil squeezed from the fruit of the tung tree is a much-needed material for shipbuilding.

Currently, the European shipbuilding industry uses olive oil and linseed oil when processing wood. However, they are far less effective in treating wood than tung oil, and the cost is still very high.

After Marin owns the Americas, there is no shortage of wood for shipbuilding, and shipbuilding craftsmen are also being trained in large numbers. However, the oil necessary for shipbuilding is in short supply.

Moreover, after the wood is treated with tung oil, it will not only be waterproof, but also its anti-corrosion ability will be greatly improved. For wooden boat manufacturing, tung oil is definitely the best choice among oils.

Similarly, sumac also has a significant effect on shipbuilding. If tung oil and lacquer produced by sumac are used together, the water-proof and anti-corrosion effect of the boat is better.

But, by no means, there are no tung trees in Europe, nor lacquer trees, nor in America ... these two plants, only China and nearby countries have ...

At present, the paints used in Europe are all a mixture of various precious materials, which are very expensive and expensive ...

Therefore, the reason why Marin is anxious to open the Daming trade route does not necessarily pay more attention to the trade's highlights, silk and porcelain, but pays special attention to the introduction of tung and lacquer trees. Only with a large amount of low-cost tung oil and lacquer can Marin mass-produce ships in the Americas at low cost, form a sea of ​​ships, and pile up all nautical competitors ...

As it happens, the southern part of North America is also a subtropical region, similar to the climate of southern China where tung trees and sumacs grow, and it can be planted on a large scale. The premise is-you have to have seeds ...

In order to purchase enough tung oil seeds and sumac seeds, Kong Tai directly put up a big sign-"a large amount of high-priced purchase of tung oil seeds and sumac seeds, the purchase price of one twelve silver per catty of seeds" ......

This news directly brought the merchants of Daming Guangzhou to town-Nima, a pound or two of money!

You should know that in Daming, a stone of rice weighs a few hundred pounds, and the price is only half a silver. And the purchase of seeds of tung oil from this product, the price of one or two silver a catty, is simply a big deal ...

As a result, many people began to hunt for tung tree seeds and sumac seeds in exchange for big money ...

...

At the same time, Kong Tai also played the banner and bought bamboo seeds ...

At this moment, the Ming Dynasty people in Guangzhou were brought to Lei-Nima, bamboo and other things, and some people bought its seeds. "Is it everywhere? When it rains in spring, bamboo shoots can sometimes grow tall overnight ...

However, when you go to find Phyllostachys pubescens seeds, you encounter a problem-Phyllostachys pubescens generally only blooms and bears fruit once in a lifetime, and the cycle is several decades ... Therefore, even if Phyllostachys pubescens is everywhere, it is very difficult to find Phyllostachys edulis seeds of……

Because, Phyllostachys pubescens usually blooms only once every 60 years and then produces seeds. Once flowering and seeding, the bamboo body of moso bamboo may wither and die.

Therefore, bamboo shoots are easy to find, and the seeds are really hard to find ...

Kong Tai raised the purchase price of Phyllostachys pubescens seeds to 10 ounces per catty, but did not receive it. Unlike oil tung seeds and sumac seeds, some hundred pounds were collected for each.

Finally, after a high price reward and many inquiries, Kong Tai learned that there was a hermit in a bamboo forest in the north of Guangzhou. Because of his passion for bamboo, he had a chance to collect a few catties of bamboo seeds.

But when Kong Tai personally went to the door to buy bamboo seeds, he ate a closed door ...

It turned out that the hermit uncle was indifferent to fame and fortune, and did not love wealth. Moreover, the old man treats the bamboo treasure very well. The old man ignored the high price of 10 two silver a catty out of Kong Tai. Even if Kong Tai offered a sky-high price of 20 two silver a catty, the old man didn't let go ...

But ironically, although the old man is indifferent to fame and fortune, his son is not ... In the end, the two sons of the old man swindled the old man together, and then stolen the 5 pounds of bamboo seeds that the old man's baby was tight, and sold it for 100 yuan After Kong Tai ... Then, the two divided the 100 pairs, each got 50 pairs, and each bought ten acres of land, which is regarded as a stable and affluent farm life. Before this, the two sons of the old man had only 5 acres of land each and lived a very difficult life ...

Kong Taicai didn't care how the bamboo seeds came from. After getting the bamboo seeds, he hurried back to Guangzhou City, lest the old man come back and regret it ...

Why should Marin buy bamboo seeds? Because, Marin wants to make concrete ...

If you are engaged in reinforced concrete, the production cost of reinforced steel is too high in this era. Marin had built an artificial reservoir before, because of the massive use of reinforced concrete, it actually cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Then, Marin did not dare to engage in reinforced concrete. Because the cost is too high ... Unless it is the palace and the city walls of the capital, Marlin is generally reluctant to use reinforced concrete ...

Therefore, Marin thinks of a compromise product popular in later generations-bamboo reinforced concrete ...

Bamboo is cheap and easy to handle. But the biggest problem is that there are no bamboos in Europe and the Americas ... There may be native bamboos in the Americas, but when it comes to the growth rate, no one can catch up with bamboos ...

Phyllostachys pubescens grows fast, and it can grow into building materials in two to three years. Moreover, the bamboo grows badly ~ www.novelhall.com ~ plant a bamboo, as long as the climate is suitable, and within a few years, there may be a bamboo forest here ...

Therefore, Marin asked Kong Tai to buy moso bamboo seeds at a high price in Guangzhou. With the seeds, they will be scattered in the Americas, and within a few years, there will be a large bamboo forest ...

Although bamboo reinforced concrete is not as strong and durable as reinforced concrete, it is barely usable. Some civil facilities, such as dams, can be constructed with bamboo-reinforced concrete. Even the small clay artillery of this era may not be able to blast bamboo-reinforced concrete fortifications.

If you use bamboo oil and lacquer to improve the anti-corrosion ability of bamboo before you get concrete, maybe it will be no problem for bamboo reinforced concrete construction for tens of hundreds of years ...

In fact, the propagation method of Phyllostachys pubescens is not just seeds. Intact bamboo shoots and even some bamboo roots are fine. But there is a problem-Phyllostachys pubescens grows too fast. If carrying bamboo shoots and bamboo roots, the Phyllostachys pubescens sometimes rises one or two meters at night. The Columbus fleet will take about a year to go back. The space on board is already small. Where can the bamboo grow crazy?

Therefore, it is more convenient to carry the bamboo seeds back. After all, the seeds of Phyllostachys pubescens will not grow without planting. It's just that it's very rare for Phyllostachys edulis to bloom and grow in 60 years ...