During the time when the people arrived, Liu Yu asked Tian Ping to accompany him to visit the residence of Western merchants.

Westerners who can make all their brains out in Europe are very honest here.

A large row of European-style houses sits just outside the city, decorated with glass and various European styles.

Tian Ping explained: "These were built by local merchants, hired by Western masons, and then rented to Westerners. It's a few hundred taels of silver a year. ”

"The dynasty did not allow Westerners to buy land and build houses at will, in order to prevent a recurrence of the Macao incident. So they can only rent a house here. On weekdays, the management is quite strict, mainly because the sailors on the ship always like to make trouble. ”

"These houses were built by people here, and although it is expensive to rent them to Westerners, they also cost a lot of money. These glass windows alone cost a lot of money. ”

In the capital, Liu Yu has already seen flat glass.

I have it at home, I also have it in the Mansion of Qi State, and even a few pieces in the Forbidden City.

However, in a family like theirs, it doesn't cost money to install two pieces of glass, and someone below will bring them as gifts.

Buying information from the French at the expense of the French shows that the price of glass in England is not expensive at all.

Flat transparent glass, the kind that can be spliced with glass windows, is only a dozen pennies a pound, and it is sold by the pound.

A pound is two hundred and forty pence, and a piece of glass is three or five pounds, and a pound is about three taels of silver, and the price of a piece of glass is about five cents of silver.

This is certainly a luxury, and it is certainly unaffordable for the poor. At this time, the average daily wage in the north of Dashun was 4 grams of silver, and it was more expensive in the south, and it was impossible for a person with this income to spend a salary of one or two months to buy a piece of glass.

I just don't know what the price is for shipping here?

asked Tian Ping, Tian Ping smiled: "You really asked the right person." When I was in the capital, several windows in my house were glass, but they were all given by people. Where do I know the price? When I got here, I asked, a piece of glass costs nine taels of silver. If it is transported to the capital, it will be sold for fifteen taels in the capital. ”

"It's good, it's just too expensive. My house is not as big as yours, but it is not small. If you replace it all, you will need a few thousand taels of silver, and you will definitely not be able to change it. ”

Liu Yu said in his heart This is a huge profit, considering that Britain basically monopolizes the production of flat glass, and there is a great breakage rate for transporting this thing, a piece and a half of silver glass is sold here to nine taels, but it is also a little too expensive.

"Does anyone buy this thing in Songjiang?"

"Yes, there are many rich people in Songjiang......"

He pointed to a few teahouses in the distance and said, "Who is talking to foreigners about business inside, which one doesn't have a net worth of 100,000?" However, they generally don't buy glass windows, they just buy glass screens and the like. Painted with some flowers and birds? Looks good? It is extravagant, too. ”

Tian Ping's mind turned, and something suddenly came to mind.

"Brother Shouchang? You're not selling glass, are you? ”

Liu Yu stretched out his finger? He made a silent gesture on his lips and smiled: "Almost." ”

"Hey...... That's good. There aren't many things that Westerners can sell? Brother Shouchang did this, and the Westerners could only transport silver here by boat. ”

Worked at customs for a while? Tian Ping had already roughly figured out what Westerners were selling.

The Swedes are the worst? Except for the Spanish silver dollars, the ships that came were almost empty.

The Dutch are the most nourishing, and the mahogany and spices of the South Seas, and the fine woolen wool of Europe, which can also be exchanged for some silver here.

The French are not half miserable? What kind of velvet goods can't compare to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom? But the French can still sell some of the knick-knacks such as clocks, tapestries, and ivory.

Britain had not yet gained a foothold in India, and Dashun, especially in the Songjiang area, was in great need of cotton. However, before the total destruction of Bangladesh's handicraft industry, cotton will not make money by shipping here? Indian cotton cloth cannot be sold at all in Dashun. Although the average daily wage in India at this time is 2 grams of silver, the labor cost is lower than that of Dashun? But quality and productivity offset this advantage.

Dashun is not Uncle Black, take a few glass balls and exchange them for gold and silver here? Exists only in fantasy and mythology.

Tian Ping looked at these Western-style houses and sighed: "Brother Shouchang? It would be nice if our trading company could sell the goods directly to the West. ”

"That's what I thought. Look? These Westerners' ships? Most of them came empty, carrying silver. Then take our freight away, tens of thousands of miles away by sea, and there is no goods to sell to us, which is equivalent to running a one-way trip. But even if it's just a one-way trip, even if it's 80,000 miles away, these Westerners still enjoy it. ”

"You don't have to think about it, you just think about it with your ass, and you know how high the profits are here. Let's go to the Wa country, and we don't make much money by running a one-way trip, and we still want to take some copper back. ”

Liu Yu smiled and couldn't help but shake his head.

"Brother Tian, Britain, the Netherlands, France, Sweden and other countries all have monopolies. Their chamber of commerce paid to monopolize trade from the Cape of Good Hope to this side...... Even if you drive the boat over, you won't be able to stand. Not to mention the unfamiliar place, the monopoly bought by other people's real money, and the money of many people is like killing their parents, how can it be so easy? ”

"When will our warships be able to sail to Europe, and merchant ships will be able to follow Europe. Otherwise, you won't even be able to get to the shore. However, Brother Tian's idea is not wrong at all, if it can be transported there, it will indeed be a big profit. But it's not a matter of whether it can be shipped or not, but whether it can be sold. You may not know that there is a law in Britain that prohibits Chinese people from wearing cotton; Sweden prohibits the sale of Chinese goods from the Swedish East India Company in Sweden; France imposed heavy taxes on silk and porcelain; Britain even had a heavy tax on tea, and smuggling was rampant in the North American colonies. ”

"Westerners are closed off from the country, and if they want to make a lot of money, they still have to do gunboat diplomacy and force them to trade freely, abolish monopolies and monopolies. It's my brother, I have to build a navy. ”

If it had been three or five years ago, Tian Ping would have had a hard time understanding these things.

Now, he has invested 10,000 taels of silver in overseas trade, where does he not know the key to this?

Day by day, watching the Western ships run one-way with silver dollars on empty ships, fools also know that if the goods are transported to the Western Ocean, if the Western Ocean is the opening of the country's trade, it will be several times the profit.

The interests are related, and the butt rotates.

"That's what Brother Shouchang said. I support the construction of the navy, and if we can let the Japanese open the country, I think our dividends can be doubled. If there is such a profit, I am too lazy to buy land. The land in Jiangnan is good, but you can't buy it; The land of Gyeonggi is also fine, but the annexation is very strict. ”

"Actually, since Brother Shouchang gave some shares to our own people, the nobles of the DPRK and China have more or less known that this maritime trade has made more money. It's just that...... Brother Shouchang said that he said free trade, but he should not believe all the truths he said like those Confucian scholars. Naturally, we are looking forward to the free trade of Westerners, and our dynasty still gives us the monopoly power...... Hahahaha. ”

Both of them laughed, this kind of double standard play is pure, and it is not a day or two.

Liu Yu thought to himself that this is all a boundless matter, where can he have the ability to cross tens of thousands of miles to force Westerners to open the country? Thousands of "anti-thieves" in North America can almost toss Britain into bankruptcy, and even if technology advances by leaps and bounds in a few decades, it will not have the ability to deliver 100,000 people tens of thousands of miles away.

With such illusions, it is better to ponder how to replace the large export trade volume of the Netherlands after the war with the Netherlands.

This requires an intermediary in advance that has contacts with smugglers in the European market and is neutral in the upcoming war of the Austrian succession.

"By the way, Brother Tian, have you dealt with these Swedes?"

"Hit. What, what are you looking for them? ”

Liu Yu didn't tell the truth, but said: "Isn't this the time when the Western Regions were leveled, and a few Swedish prisoners were captured?" He gave an account of the Issyk-Kul copper mine and the cannon foundry, and in exchange I promised to let him return home. How can I say that when I agreed that day, I was also the main general of one party, and it was not easy to break my promise. ”

Tian Ping knew more or less about this matter, when he abducted Liu Yu to engage in the etiquette of interpreting to Russia, Qi Guogong said that there were Swedes and Poles in the quasi-department. Thinking of the last time I talked about this, it was seven or eight years ago, and thinking about the changes in the past few years, I couldn't help but smile at the corner of my mouth.

"Yes, yes. I remember a Swedish leader named Renat, right? Since Brother Shouchang agreed to others, this matter naturally has to be done, otherwise it would seem that our Celestial Empire does not have credibility. It's easy to say that the headquarters of the Swedes merchant house is in Fujian, and it mainly collects tea there. There is also a branch library for cloth and silk here. Let the people here send a message. ”

This is near those Western buildings, Tian Ping is in charge of customs, although he is a deputy, but he is stationed from the capital, this identity is very different.

On weekdays, it is necessary to strictly check whether the ship is carrying some goods that are prohibited from leaving the country, and also to do a good job in the relationship with the customs.

led Liu Yu to a building with a Swedish yellow cross flag fluttering on it.

Before he could enter, someone from outside the merchant hall hurried over, a local who was working for the Swedes, and knelt on the ground and made a big salute.

"Lord Tian, why are you here?"

Tian Ping nodded, and after calling the man up, he said with an official voice: "Is this Swedish merchant pavilion director available?" And he said that I would see him. ”

The man hurriedly responded, and after retreating in, Tian Pingcai whispered to Liu Yu: "On their boat, these Xiyi also kneel." Each has its own rules, and we can't follow their rules on our territory. I know that Brother Shouchang is not informal, but this matter is not a small matter, but the dignity of the country. ”

Liu Yu looked at the non-official uniform on his body and said with a smile: "This is not decent." Supposedly, I am an earl, and they welcome me by sweeping the floor and sprinkling water, and playing and playing it. ”

As he spoke, several Swedes went out to greet each other, and they all knelt on the ground according to the rules here. After getting up, he hurriedly greeted the two of them inside, asked someone to serve tea, and asked Tian Ping to sit on the throne.

But Tian Ping hurriedly resigned and asked Liu Yu to sit on the top seat, and the Swedes and translators were shocked, thinking of the news they had heard in the past few days, and suddenly thought of who it was.

The Swedish curator muttered a lot, and after his eyebrows fluttered, he translated: "I don't know if the eagle is coming, and I will miss the welcome." The curator praised the Eagle Sabo for fighting the Rakshasa and his martial arts skills are outstanding, and the Rakshasas are really barbarians......"

Liu Yuxin said don't be, is there a word barbarian in Swedish? It is true that Sweden and Russia are mortal enemies.

He tried to communicate a few words in Latin with the curator of the Swedish Merchant House, and when he understood it, he told the interpreter to go down first.