In addition to engaging in some intrigues and scheming abroad, Marin was busy forming multiple chambers of commerce during this time to sell grain.

This time, Marin planned to sell most of the old grain from his family and other noble families. As for those that could not be sold, they were kept and used for the rations of the common people, as well as for pig raising and winemaking.

In order to hide the true source of food, Marin formed more than a dozen chambers of commerce. However, all of them are registered in foreign countries. For example, Marin registered a Polish chamber of commerce, employed several Poles, and claimed that the rye they sold was from Poland. In fact, Poland is indeed a major producer of rye, and Marin sent people to sell "Polish rye" under the guise of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, and there was nothing wrong with it, and no one suspected it.

In addition, Marin has registered with the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce, the French Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Chamber of Commerce to sell rye throughout Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, where rye prices are high. Especially in Spain, the land area is quite large, but there are many mountains, and it is okay to engage in animal husbandry, and the conditions for agriculture are too far worse than those in France, and even inferior to Germany. It is certain that this time Marin threw hundreds of millions of pounds of rye, and it will definitely make European food prices turbulent. And a large amount of money will inevitably flow to the Grand Duchy of the North Sea.

Of course, Marin is not confined to collecting coins, and other valuable goods can also be used to offset the payment for goods. For example, excellent horses, cattle and sheep. In addition, metals and metal products such as gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin can also be used to offset food prices. In short, Marin did not want the grain to be moldy in the granary, so he had to replace it with a large number of usable materials that were easy to store for a long time.

Suddenly, one of his men reported that Amerigo and the fleet to India had returned......

Marin was stunned at first, then ecstatic. Last spring, Marin sent his fleet, led by the navigator Amerigo, south to Spain, and set off for India with the Spanish fleet.

The reason for this is that the army under Marin began to lack gunpowder. In particular, there is a lack of saltpeter. This also led to the fact that after Marin's dispatch of troops and horses to fight with the Bosa coalition army, gunpowder began to be scarce. If the German princes had united to fight against Marin, Marin would not have enough gunpowder to fight them...... Otherwise, Marin would not have yielded to those princes......

Marin's Spanish phalanx and artillery ships consumed a great deal of gunpowder. Especially the artillery ships, with a salvo, the consumption of gunpowder is simply amazing. The sea battle, which took place in the western waters of Jutland, consumed almost half of the gunpowder. Although the fight was very good and the Danish fleet was defeated, it also made Marin dare not use the gunboats easily. Then, a fleet was sent to India to continue buying saltpeter.

Only by having enough saltpeter can you prepare enough gunpowder and have enough right to fire. Otherwise, all the muskets under Marin's command will become burning sticks, and the artillery will be reduced to scrap iron lumps. The British were able to dominate the sea, and the hundreds of tons of saltpeter that the East India Company got from India every year were inseparable.

The problem, however, is that in the future, Spain and Portugal will share India. If the two countries join forces to cut off Marin's saltpeter supply, Marin's army's combat effectiveness will immediately be reduced by a few grades. Therefore, the development of Chilean saltpeter is inevitable. Moreover, Chile has large reserves of saltpeter and abundant surface mines. Except for the severe lack of water and the heat in the desert, the other costs are relatively low.

However, Marin will not stop sourcing saltpeter from India in the future. Why? Because Marin doesn't buy it, Spain and Portugal will buy it. If they buy it, it will increase the firepower at sea and affect Marin's maritime supremacy.

Therefore, Marin's plan is to continue to buy large quantities of saltpeter from India, even if Chilean saltpeter is developed in the future. If nothing else, so that no other European country can buy enough saltpeter from India......

When the sea battle broke out, there was plenty of saltpeter on Marin's side, and the opponent was short of saltpeter, and as soon as the cannon was fired, the difference would be obvious. The naval guns on your side can shoot as much as you want, while the opponent's artillery ammunition is limited, so it is clear who wins and who loses......

Moreover, even if there is too much saltpeter, Marin is not worried. Because, saltpeter can be used as a special nitrogen fertilizer, which is much stronger than manure......

Marin remembers that after the great development of saltpeter in Chile in the 19th century, the British Liverpool trading group took control of the saltpeter trade in Chile. In addition to some of it is used to make gunpowder, the other part is exported to Europe and the United States as special effect fertilizer. Among them, American agriculture was once very dependent on saltpeter from Chile. It was not until the Germans developed synthetic ammonia at the beginning of the 20th century that the world's demand for Chilean saltpeter was greatly reduced. Then, the Chilean saltpeter trade declined.

For now, Marin can only consider buying saltpeter from India in large quantities. As for saltpeter in the Chilean desert, I don't know where it is, and even if I find it, it is very complicated to prepare for mining it in a harsh environment.

Therefore, in two or three years, Marin still does not want to mine saltpeter from Chile in large quantities, and still has to rely on Indian saltpeter first. Of course, if the route of Daming is opened, saltpeter can also be imported from Daming, and the price is lower. You must know that the price of saltpeter in the Ming Dynasty is very cheap, and the refined and purified ones are only thirty or forty yuan a catty, which is cheaper than Indian saltpeter. The price of Indian saltpeter is equivalent to about 54 wen per pound, and it has not been refined, and the purity is lower than that of Daming saltpeter.

In fact, the saltpeter purification technology at this time in the Ming Dynasty was also very simple, that is, the saltpeter was dissolved and boiled together with the radish slices, and the adsorption of the radish slices was used to absorb the magnesium sulfate and some other impurities in the saltpeter, making the saltpeter more pure.

Because, the normal MgSO4?7H2O hydrate of magnesium sulfate is very easy to deliquescent. Saltpeter is very afraid of water, so the presence of MgSO4?7H2O is easy to make saltpeter fail. If it is not removed, saltpeter cannot be stored for a long time.

Therefore, the saltpeter imported back from India by Marin has actually been processed. That is, the turnip, turnip, is sliced and boiled with saltpeter solution, and then the water is evaporated to obtain saltpeter with MgSO4?7H2O removed.

This purified saltpeter can be stored for a long time when put into a sealed oiled paper bag. Unlike saltpeter, which has not been treated, even if it is sealed and stored, it will deliquescent and fail after a few years.

……

In fact, when his men reported to Marin that Americago's ship had returned, Americago's fleet had not yet returned to Emden, and was still in the Atlantic.

This was due to the fact that Amerigo's fleet was accompanied by the Spanish fleet and stayed for a long time in the Spanish port of Cádiz. However, when the fleet of Americans stopped in the port of Cádiz, the intelligence officers sent by Marin to report to Marin by land.

Of course, in a few days, Americago's fleet will appear in the port of Emden. When the time comes, Marin will have enough saltpeter to fight another large-scale war.

In order to purify these Indian saltpeters, Marin has issued an order to send people to various places to purchase large quantities of European turnips-turnips, which are used to further purify saltpeter to facilitate the long-term preservation of saltpeter.

Marin himself, on the other hand, went to the port of Emden, where he awaited the return of America's fleet......