Sure enough, for this kind of Rumi gun, which is extremely delicate in appearance, but extremely difficult to process, and cannot be equipped with troops on a large scale because of its Achilles' heel such as high processing cost, long manufacturing cycle, and low output, the Ottoman envoy Koplulu also regarded it as a chicken rib.

Therefore, at the beginning of the talks between the two missions of the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of England, when the two sides put forward their respective demands, Copleurus proposed to purchase a large number of weapons and armor made in Nanzhong.

"The whole country is unanimously optimistic about the armor and weapons that you have produced, and if you can, the 40,000 soldiers and horses recruited in the Japanese country this time are willing to equip all of them with armor and weapons in your place, and it is best to have no less than 10,000 musketeers during the period. In addition, we are ready to purchase at least fifty cannons. A castle to deal with the infidels. ”

Coplulu opened his mouth very loudly, and threw a huge order to the Nanyue army at once. With 30,000 cold weapons, 10,000 muskets, and 50 siege guns, there is no doubt that the Ottomans saw the power of the Kron cannon and the mortar cannon, and it was the most suitable thing to use against the noble castles of the Balkans and the mountains of Central and Southern Europe.

However, when he said this, next to him was Winstanley, the envoy of the Kingdom of England, and he was a little embarrassed to hear this.

With the exception of the Terracotta weapons, the rest are relatively normal trade varieties.

Grain! Grease! Alcohol! Tea! Cloth! Silk! Chinaware! And sugar blah blah!

It is the main variety of foreign trade output of the Nanyue Army. Especially grain! (Don't tell me that the staple food of Turks is pasta.) At this time, the territory of the Ottoman Empire was far from being comparable to that of the current native chicken. The great empire that spanned Europe, Asia and Africa was really not built. Even if they eat their own noodles instead of rice, many of the newly conquered regions, such as Greece, Hungary, the Two Rivers Valley, and the Balkan Peninsula, like to eat rice. They could have imported rice to feed them, and they could save wheat for themselves. ）

As for saying like rapeseed oil, tea. The export of cloth, silk, porcelain, sugar, and other materials could increase the financial resources of the Southern Guangdong Army a lot. Well, it seems that the Ottomans at this time were Muhammad, how could they import alcohol in large quantities?

(Don't forget, their predecessor Sultan died of cirrhosis caused by alcoholism.) There is such a sultan, the mainstream society of the country. Will alcohol be rejected? ）

Especially now that we are fighting, spirits can be used to treat wounds, so it is also necessary to import them in large quantities!

"We will naturally organize the export of these commodities that your envoy wants. However, I wonder what currency your envoy will use to pay the price? ”

The export of grain and other bulk goods has always been a sharp weapon for the Nanyue Army to quietly exert its influence and control other people's regimes. It can't be helped, people have to eat. The only way to live by drinking dew is to know. Nowadays, several major grain-producing areas in the southern and central regions have been in good years for several consecutive years, and the warehouses such as Guancang, Changping, and Siwucang are even more full of rice, and in addition to the replacement of old grain in previous years, they urgently need to be exported.

These grains were transported to the beach around the clock and loaded onto ships. It was transported north to Shanghai, Dengzhou, Tianjin and other places, and then the grain merchants related to the Southern Guangdong Army continued to be transferred to the interior. Take advantage of the huge grain price gap between the mainland and South China. Earn huge profits, and at the same time, provide all kinds of raw materials needed for the factory in Nanzhong. It is also a prosperous scene in the south of the Yangtze River.

From the beginning of Longqing to the end of Chongzhen, the inflow of silver from overseas was as high as hundreds of millions of taels, and the area south of the Yangtze River was there. But there is often famine, which is a strange phenomenon, the main reason is that Suzhou and Hangzhou have the reputation of "Suzhou and Hangzhou are ripe, and the world is full". The crops in the field are replaced by raw silk, raw cotton, etc.

There was a Ming person who wrote: "In Suzhou, there were still few people who were at the end of the past, and now there are three times as many people who go to agriculture and change their careers to become businessmen." In the past, there were no wanderers, but now they go to the farm and take advantage of the food. In the words of about 10 people, 6 or 7 points have gone to farming. ”

The temptation of commerce has made the local people change to cash crops and rely on the sale of raw silk, cotton yarn, cotton cloth, etc. to buy grain.

During the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, the price of a stone of rice was two coins and five cents of silver, two hundred and fifty dollars of copper money, and it rose to five coins in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and this price was maintained for about a hundred years, until the end of Wanli before it rose to seven coins, before the first year of the Apocalypse, the price of rice in the Ming Dynasty, unless it encountered a major disaster, never exceeded one or two per stone.

Since the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Suzhou and Hangzhou, the price of rice has been hovering between two and three taels, according to the ancient times this kind of rice price, if one or two silver can buy two or three stone rice, it is a peaceful year, one or two silver to buy a stone of rice, for a normal year, slightly nervous, if a stone of rice more than one or two silver, there is often a famine.

Just imagine, if the entire plain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River relied on the grain and rice transported from the south and central to survive, what would it be like?

On several occasions, when the bigwigs of the imperial court deliberately wanted to be unfavorable to Li Shouhan, the Nanyue army immediately threatened to withdraw the grain ships, and at the same time cut off the transportation from the north to the south, which immediately made the price of rice in the prefectures and counties north and south of the river soar, and the price of japonica rice was 5267 yuan per stone of silver, and the price of wheat per stone also rose to 3256 yuan, which made the government and the opposition speechless. The threat of food is even more powerful than that of tens of thousands of troops.

"I would like to ask you to quote it. I, the Ottoman Sultan, His Majesty, have given me carte blanche to do so. "As for the payment method, as long as you propose it." Whether it is a silver dollar from your place or an Ottoman gold coin, it can be written in the treaty. ”

The gradual promotion of the circulation of silver dollars is also the unanimous goal of the Southern Guangdong Army. If it can be promoted to trade with the Ottoman Empire, it will naturally expand the radius of use for thousands of miles at once.

"Good! Then the silver dollar issued by our Nanyue Army will be used as the unit of valuation for trade between your country and our Nanyue Army. ”

From then on, the silver dollars issued and minted by the Nanyue Army would appear in the treasury of the Ottoman Empire, in the treasury of the Ottoman Empire, in the treasury of the governors, the Pashas, and the chieftains of the Arab tribes. In the cash box.

"My trade between England and the Nanyue Army is also willing to accept such a settlement method!" Although it was a little hoarse, Winstanley's words, in addition to the copywriter in charge of the record, were recorded faithfully and meticulously, and unfortunately, they were automatically ignored by the officials present. Compared to trade activities with the Ottoman Empire. England's chips are too few, and they are a very light weight on the scales of the Southern Cantonese Army.

What's more, Coplulu immediately threw out a heavyweight weight! It is necessary to cooperate with the Nanyue Army on political issues and diplomatically!

"I, Your Majesty the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, will respect your country's power in India. India is the land of your country. I, Your Majesty the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, respect all the power of His Royal Highness the Duke Li in India and the surrounding seas. ”

This kind of initiative of the Ottoman Empire was naturally sent to Li Shouhan as soon as possible.

Regarding His Majesty the Sultan's betrayal of his teammates, Li Shouhan, who was drinking tea and chatting with his in-laws, children, son-in-law and several confidants, couldn't help but smile at the corner of his eyes.

"This time. In the Indian Ocean, the Ottoman navy doesn't want to come again! From then on, the navy of the Nanyue Army could completely control this sea area and lock the sea passage for Tianzhu to enter and exit outward. The various bases established by the army along the coast can then advance inland in great strides. Those disobedient landlords can be turned into slaves at once. Those who are obedient, but whose geographical location and production are too important. You can't stay on earth, so you should go and serve Shiva or see Allah!

"Father. Why did the Ottomans suddenly abandon this large area of the sea? Give up the Indian sea to my Nanyue army? Zheng Sen was a little confused, even if he wanted to show goodwill to the Nanyue Army, he didn't have to invest such a big capital, right? All it takes is for the two armies to maintain a friendly attitude on the sea. Why give up the struggle for control of the entire Indian Ocean?

"Second brother, you just saw that this generation needs to show favor to me. But he never thought that the current focus of this generation is not on the Eastern Front. but in the west. The Ottoman sultans were to compete with the kings of Europa for supremacy and unification of the nations. Naturally, it is necessary to use the power of the sea. If there is a large number of ships and artillery forces on the Eastern Front, they will compete with our army for control of the Indian seas. Isn't it to leave sharp weapons idle in a useless place? Therefore, this envoy generously courted us, and also to transfer troops and horses to the west to start a war with the countries of Europa! Shi Lang, who returned from traveling overseas, naturally knows a lot more about things outside than Zheng Sen, and his analysis. was reasonable, so that Li Shouhan and Zheng Zhilong also nodded and expressed their approval.

The so-called investment is reciprocated by peach and plum, and Qiong Yao is reciprocated. Since people took the initiative to show favor and gave up such a large piece of territory, Li Shouhan, as the commander of the Southern Guangdong Army, would inevitably be invisibly crushed by the Ottoman sultan in terms of bearing.

"Brother Zong, you send someone to the Reites, pass on my words, and tell them. And the Ottoman arms trade, give a good discount. In addition, the tariff is worth five out of 100 according to the tax rate between us and the mainland! ”

When this was reported to Koplulu by the negotiator of the Ministry of Rites, a smile tinged with fanatical joy suddenly appeared on his thin face.

"I wonder at what price you plan to sell my Ottoman firearms?" Coplulu began to care about practicality.

The official in charge of negotiating with Koplulu gave a low command, and an attaché went to the guards outside to fetch a firecracker, and very skillfully removed the spur, turned off the dragon's head, removed the flint, took out the ammunition in the barrel, and put the firecracker, which was completely free of danger, on the negotiating table.

For the firearms of the Nanyue Army, Koplulu has also had close contact more than once these days, and has even used them to cast them a few times. I appreciate this kind of firearm whose performance is no less than that of the Lumi gun, and it can also be used as a short spear with a spur.

"May I ask your envoy, how much silver does it cost to build a fire gun in your country?"

"Converted into the currency of Nanzhong, it is about one hundred and fifty silver dollars!" (The cost of the original Lu Mi gun of the Ottoman Empire has not been found, so I have to use the cost of the Ming Dynasty.) Everyone's forgiveness. ）

A smile mixed with contempt and weirdness appeared on the face of the official of the Ministry of Rites, and he affectionately addressed the official title of Koplulu, "Lord Kull, if my lord sells thirty firecrackers to you at the price of two firecrackers made by your country, what do you think?" ”

Other words. The money to build a Lumi gun can buy fifteen standard firearms of the Nanyue Army!

This immediately made Kopluru and other Ottoman officials very happy, with the cost of not being able to fully equip the Sultan Guards, they could pull up a group of tens of thousands of musketers, this merit, this temptation is too great.

A general officer of the Nanyue Army who served as an interpreter for negotiations. By making tea in the cup of Koplulu, he whispered in his ear, "Of the fifteen, five are for you." How to dispose of it, please show me. ”

How to dispose of it, the meaning is obvious, that is, to ask Koplulu whether he wants money or something else, which is the common problem of kickbacks in the international arms trade. Generally, it is paid at least five percent of the contract amount.

So, friends who saw this text above. It should be understood why the factories established by the Westernization Movement in the last years of the Qing Dynasty collapsed quickly after 1927. Heavy industry, which could have made 10,000-ton wheels and heavy artillery, collapsed even faster. The reason is very simple, you can make everything yourself, where can the bigwigs in Nanjing go to find someone to ask for kickbacks? The so-called "it is better to build than to rent, and it is better to rent than to buy" is this truth.

It's a pity that the soldiers of the grassroots troops are not even short of bullets. You can only use your flesh and blood to meet the shells and bombs of the Japanese invaders. Even more hateful is the one used to make these bombs. Maybe it's the iron sand that Han Yeping exported to Japan, or even simply made in the arsenal in Northeast China.

The flesh and blood of patriotic officers and soldiers have been turned into the bricks and tiles of a certain lady and her family's mansion on Long Island, New York.

Sure enough, such a trick is common in ancient and modern China and abroad. Hearing the promise made to him by the Nanyue Army, Koplulu nodded slightly, but his eyes glanced at the members of the mission.

"Don't worry, sir. Since my father-in-law has such intentions, the attaché of the adults will naturally be embellished. That thing is also a seven-trick exquisite heart, and the last bit of doubt of Koplulu will be dispelled at the moment.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Duke on my behalf. I ask him to arrange the ships with the firearms, and I will report to His Royal Highness the Duke of the port where they have arrived. ”

With these firearms in hand. And then there are those mercenaries who are not afraid of death, and Copulus is full of confidence in his future and achievements.

The ensuing negotiations went exceptionally smoothly.

As the plenipotentiary representative of the Ottoman Sultan, Kopluru was very generous in positioning the import and export tariffs of both sides at the rate of 5 out of 100. Moreover, it is a one-way tariff. In other words, it is sufficient to pay the import tax once on the customs tariff card of the other party only when exporting to each other. As for the rest, sorry, no.

During the negotiations, the Nanyue Army sent people to the Wa Kingdom on their behalf to recruit 50,000 mercenaries, and explained to Master Koplulu in advance that these mercenaries would inevitably suffer death, injury and illness when they were transported by sea, and the loss would be made up from the extra 10,000 posts. Both horizontal and vertical signed a life and death contract. These people had already received pensions before they went to sea.

As for whether the extra 10,000 people should be handed over to His Majesty the Sultan, the Nanyue Army did not say, and Koplulu seems to have forgotten to mention it.

An extremely detailed catalogue has been drawn up of the main trade varieties of the two sides. All the products that the Southern Guangdong Army approved for export are listed above. On the Ottoman side, the goods exported to South China were much less.

It's just horses, swords, and so on. However, there were a few things that Koplulu had never thought of, which surprised him, but he was very proud.

"Your Excellency, it is said that the Misr region is known as the land of cotton. Why not export cotton from this region? The negotiator of the Nanyue Army kindly pointed to an area on the map and asked Koplulu.

The area he was referring to, which Koplulu could see clearly, was the Nile Plain.

In Arabic, Egypt is called "misr", which means "vast country" in Arabic. It is also known as the country of pyramids and the country of cotton.

Although we continue to expand and promote the planting area of cotton in the interior by various means, we are trying to purchase cotton, a vital raw material. However, how to feed those who have an astonishing appetite and are insatiable to get off the horse loom has always troubled the high-level of the Nanyue Army. On the one hand, there is a huge benefit from exporting fabrics, and on the other hand, there is a widening shortage of raw materials. Thinking about it, it gave Li Shouhan and others a headache.

"How should the price of cotton be calculated?" Koplulu didn't care about anything else, he only cared about what these white and soft things could be exchanged for when they were transported to the port of the Nanyue Army.

"It's a ready-to-go commodity. Xia Guan didn't dare to guarantee it. However, if you sign a long-term supply contract, you want to get a bag of cotton in exchange for a firecracker. A steel sword, or a piece of armor, shouldn't be a big problem. ”

Hearing such a generous price, Koplulu's eyes were red. He was going to write to the governor in Egypt at once, asking him to immediately expand the area under cotton cultivation, even if the entire Nile Plain was to be turned into cotton fields for long-staple cotton! "When the time comes, I will use Nanzhong's rice to trade cotton with him!"

Master Koprulu muttered viciously.

And another major trade commodity. It was accidentally discovered while feasting and drinking with Zheng Sen, Shi Lang and others.

At the banquet, when Coplulu learned that the second son-in-law of Duke Li in front of him had quelled the rebellion of the Nanyang Islands in just half a year, turning an archipelago that was constantly attacking and killing into a peaceful world. For such a feat, Master Koplulu greatly appreciated. In his view, this was tantamount to the Ottoman Empire's great achievement in pacifying the Balkans.

Well? It seems that he saw something strange again, the envoys of the Ottoman Sultan actually praised Zheng Sen, Wu Liuqi and others for their wanton massacre and enslavement of Muslim brothers?

"His Majesty the Sultan intends to appoint me governor of the provinces. At the moment, I just don't know where I'm going to send it. But today, I learned about the outstanding exploits of the two horses, and I quite appreciated the wonderful tactics of your army. Wait until I get back. He asked His Majesty the Sultan to be appointed governor of the Balkans and to govern Greece. It is impossible to say that the experience of your army should be well replicated in the Balkans. ”

After saying this, Koplulu raised the golden cup in his hand and raised his glass to Zheng Senyao, "The general is mighty!" ”

Zheng Sen was very proud of the fact that Koplulu called him the second colt, stood up, drank all the wine in the cup, and then said with a smile: "Master Koplulu." This officer has found that you Ottomans have always had a problem with the bandits. That may be why you have been unable to manage the Balkans and have kept the rebellion in the region. It has restrained a large number of your troops, consumed countless food and money, and slowed down the development of your Ottoman Empire and the pace of your westward conquest! ”

"I want to hear about it!" When Kopluru heard that this young nobleman who had succeeded in suppressing bandits was going to make a comment on the bandits of the Ottoman Empire, he immediately put down the wine glass in his hand and looked humbly taught. At the same time, he signaled to the officials beside him to be sure to record Zheng Sen's words carefully.

"This official has also heard the words of those Japanese volunteers. There are two main reasons why banditry is rampant in the Balkans. One is that the mountain fortress is difficult to overcome, and the other is that the people have a large number of livestock, and they are good at mountain life, and they travel back and forth to guerrillas. Offensive. There is a mountain bunker in front of it, and it has been stationed for a long time, but it is flowing everywhere, which makes the officers and soldiers unable to defend themselves. ”

Zheng Sen's words hit the nail on the head of the long-term unrest in the Balkans. Suddenly, Koplulu became awe-inspiring towards the young nobleman in front of him.

"When you suppress bandits, you always regard armed enemy troops as combat targets, and do not treat civilians as combat targets, which is not good. Pay less attention only to fighting the army and less to destroy the enemy's war potential. It is important to know that wildfires are inexhaustible, and spring breezes blow and regenerate. If you want to completely turn that wild land full of weeds and thorns into a grain field, you have to dig out the roots with great effort! ”

Zheng Sen obviously drank too much, and his mouth was chattering endlessly.

"What if your army slaughtered cattle and sheep in the spring, slaughtered the population in the summer, burned crops in the fall, and swept the mountains and forests in the winter? It won't be long before these rebel forces entrenched in the mountains can't stand it anymore! If you think it's too cruel to do this, huh, won't you just get a family and a village?! Livestock is concentrated in the spring, and the population is concentrated in the summer. In this way, after you control the population and livestock in the countryside, those mountain fortresses are ripe peaches! People always have to eat, drink, and supply their soldiers! Even if you don't pick them, they'll fall on their own. Remember, Lao Ke, the suppression of bandits, in fact, fighting the army is not the main thing, the main thing is to clean up law and order and eliminate the enemy's war potential. Duoduo formed a crusade team and a security army, carried out the battle against the embers by gathering families and villages, and at the same time, a large number of maintenance committees were formed to maintain law and order. ”

Zheng Sen's drunken words, listening to Koplulu is like an initiation, it turns out that this is the case!

"Second brother, you've drunk too much! Don't talk nonsense! Present in front of your guests! Shi Lang put on the posture of a big brother-in-law and scolded Zheng Sen a few words, it seems that he does not intend to let Zheng Sen teach others all the skills of housekeeping.

"Your Highness! Second Highness! The lord and the lady invite the two of you to the back hall! A servant woman who hurried from the inner house interrupted Zheng Sen's momentum of preparing to fight with Shi Lang.

"Congratulations to Your Highness! The eldest lady is happy, and the second lady is also behind. Lord and Madame, please come over quickly. ”

Originally, he planned to take out some more true scriptures from Zheng Sen's mouth, but he had to look at the back of Xing Chong Chong and sigh with regret. However, with his political wisdom, he can draw inferences from others, but he also has a lot of experience.

"We can use the prisoners of war we have conquered everywhere to trade slaves with you! An adult slave in the prime of life is worth the price of half a bale of cotton! ”

With the assured experience of pacifying the Balkans and other long-standing rebel areas, Coplülu had one more commodity to trade at the negotiating table.

Accountants and craftsmen from Venice, Arabs from North Africa, blacks from East Africa, and various nationalities of the Balkans were driven into the hold by Ottoman warriors with long knives and leather whips, and transported to the East in a steady stream.

In addition to the trade of people, the Ottoman governors in Egypt strictly carried out the will of His Majesty the Sultan, and turned all the fertile land in the Nile valley and delta into cotton plantations. Among them, the area of cotton fields near Cairo and the delta region is the largest, almost reaching more than 20% of the arable land area in Egypt!

The soil of this land belongs to the alluvial soil and saline-alkali soil type in arid areas. The climate is dry and hot, the sunshine is strong, the cloudless days reach 360 days a year, and the irrigation is convenient, the soil is flooded with silt fertilizer every year, and the cotton is easy to obtain high yield and high quality, which is the most suitable for the cultivation of long-staple cotton and medium-staple cotton.

"Whoever dares to disobey His Majesty's will and not plant cotton is a traitor! It's all slaves! "The governor of Egypt, who had faithfully promoted the cultivation of cotton by His Majesty the Sultan in exchange for military equipment and food, also benefited greatly from the hands of Kopluru. Boxes of gold coins and hundreds of firecrackers crept into his treasury.

Bags of cotton were loaded onto ships and transported eastward around the clock. At sea, they meet westbound ships carrying rice, gunpowder, armor, weapons, and cloth.

Again and again, they brought raw materials and labor to the Nanyue Army, and provided strong support for the Ottoman Sultan's conquest of European countries.

At this time, Copleurus had cleaned up the Balkans, developed plump wings, and began to prepare for the great affairs of his family. That was a few years later, though. (To be continued.) )