De Mons was a Westerner under forty years of age, and he couldn't tell which country he was, with a wig on his head and brass buttons on his red and white clothes, but he had a bit of an aristocratic temperament.

But in the Far East of this era, there were no real European aristocrats at all, only adventurers who had courage, dreams, wisdom, greed, and stupidity, and Liu Chang certainly did not really think that he was a nobleman from Europe.

However, he would not debunk this, he just said, "It must be the Count of Mount Gido, right?" ”

Desmond's face became more enthusiastic: "That's right, it's the Earl of Mount Gido, I came to the mysterious East in search of the legendary Mount Gido Island. ”

The Earl of Mount Gido was published about 1845, about ten years from now, and when the novel was published, it tasted like Luoyang paper, and in Europe, both celebrities and ordinary people loved to read this work that fascinated them, and De Mons was no exception.

Before starting a small bank, the Dutchman Demmons had already mixed into the class of so-called successful people, he started from the lowest small clerk, step by step on the corpses of others and tears climbed up, just reached the age of 30 and became a senior manager of this small bank, and even proudly called himself a successful banker at the banquet.

But ambition and greed ruined everything, and before the bank could close, Demons took the last of the bank's money, which he used to buy a ticket to Shanghai, ready to start his own business in the Far East.

As a successful banker, De Muns was ready to engage in foreign trade, but just as he was about to recoup his investment, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army swept through the Far East, and he lost tens of thousands of silver yuan.

The Taiping army occupied the vicinity of Nanjing, while the Qing army controlled the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the rebellion of the Shanghai Daohui forced Demons to engage in a riskier illegal trade in raw silk and tea.

Every illegal trade made De Muns fearful, but it was also full of extreme excitement, and Liu Chang's title of Earl of Mount Gidu satisfied his twisted psychology.

"That's right! I am also an Aladdin of Arabia. Liu Chang replied to him: "I am also looking for China's Jidu Mountain Island, my friend." ”

De Mons was very familiar with the Chinese, but with a slight Shanghainese accent: "Well said, friend, welcome to my ship, there are all the weapons and military supplies you want here, even the British and French troops in the Shanghai Concession do not have such good equipment." ”

"And you can't find a cheaper price in the Far East," he said enthusiastically, "and it's definitely the best price." ”

Liu Chang asked him in a word: "So is there a Mini rifle?" I'm going to get a lot at a high price. ”

If there is a most advanced rifle of this era, it is definitely the Mini rifle, and the British and French forces of the ongoing Crimean War used the ultra-high range of the Mini rifle to deal a devastating blow to the Tsarist Russian army armed with the old rifle.

"Mini rifle?" De Mons's tongue suddenly widened: "What guns do I not have?" It's just that the Mini rifle is not easy to load, it is not easy to train, and it is very demanding for the troops, and the price is too high, so let's go and see other guns first. ”

Liu Chang insisted that Qingshan did not relax: "I just want to buy a Mini rifle?" Take me over and see it. ”

De Mons knew that this must be a knowledgeable Chinese, and the Chinese in this era did not know anything about foreign guns and foreign cannons, so he expected that there was such an anomaly: "Friend, the Mini rifle costs a hundred silver yuan." ”

"No problem!" Liu Chang agreed: "Take me over to see, I bought a batch of Mini rifles when I was in Tianjing." ”

"Your Excellency belongs to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?" De Mons confirmed that this was a really knowledgeable man: "I haven't asked Your Excellency for your name yet. ”

"Thirty-six checkpoints in front of the Heavenly King Hall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

Such a title is difficult for Chinese to understand, let alone a foreigner like Demons, but Demons heard the number "thirty-six" and knew that this must be a high-ranking officer, if placed in Europe, it is about the level of brigade commander or regiment commander, and I heard Ms. Ye introduce that this General Liu is very interested in Western arms.

De Mons continued to persuade: "Since Your Excellency has purchased a Mini rifle, you should know that my price is not watery, and the price of a hundred silver dollars is too high. ”

"One hundred silver yuan is the price sent to Tianjing, and it also includes bullets and a full set of accessories, how much is the Minnie rifle in the Shanghai Concession, Count De Mons should know very well." Liu Chang was very bold: "Take me over to see your Mini rifle, if it is appropriate, I will buy a large number of them." ”

Speaking of this, De Mons can only tell the truth: "I came in a hurry this time, and the 500 Minnie rifles were placed in the Shanghai warehouse and did not bring them. ”

In fact, he didn't even have a Mini rifle in his hand, that is, in addition to the British and French garrisons in Shanghai, there were not a few Mini rifles for sale.

After all, the Mini rifle is the most advanced military technology in this era, and the British ** team did not begin to equip a large number of Mini rifles until 1851, although the British and French troops who participated in the Crimean War were all equipped with Mini rifles, but there were still many colonial troops in remote areas equipped with more backward firing rifles and flintlock muskets, and the ongoing Crimea swallowed up most of the production capacity of the Mini rifle.

The Far East, especially Shanghai, has always been the import place of all kinds of retired rifles, and everyone is more willing to buy the old rifles retired by the first team at the price of cabbage, and then transport them to Shanghai to sell them at several times the price, so up to now, only a very small number of Minnie rifles are sold in the entire Shanghai concession.

As a banker who had gone bankrupt once, De Mons said in the tone of a successful businessman: "But I have a lot of good guns and military supplies here, why don't you take a look at them first, and make sure they are good and cheap." ”

As he spoke, he invited Liu Chang into the cabin: "I believe that these things will definitely satisfy you!" ”

It was a little dark in the cargo hold, and Demons carefully led the way with a candlestick in front, and he pointed to the barrel on the side of the road: "You see, this is the military gunpowder used by the Royal Navy, and the powder keg contains a full twenty-three pounds of gunpowder, the highest quality, which is real granular gunpowder......"

He is well aware of the advantages of his products: "Only such granular gunpowder can be called real military gunpowder, and the use of such granular gunpowder not only doubles the power and range, but also is resistant to storage." ”

"I know that you China also made a large amount of black powder, but those gunpowders are just inferior products, and the Chinese gunpowder captured by the Royal Navy in the Opium War has always been poured directly into the sea."

"Even if the Chinese arquebus you are equipped with, after switching to such granular gunpowder, it can increase the firing range by at least thirty percent, and after firing, it will turn from black smoke to white smoke, Liu Checkpoint, do you want to buy a few barrels?"

"A barrel of such granular gunpowder only costs six silver yuan, and you can't find a better price."

In fact, a barrel of black powder was sold to the Chinese for only three silver yuan, and this was only the retail price, and De Mons bought a barrel of black powder in small quantities from other foreign trading houses for less than two silver yuan, and these foreign trading houses allowed him to owe him three months on credit because of his former successful banking.

This is a 300% profit, a super windfall profit for the capitalists who risk going to the guillotine, and Demons is boiling with all his heart, just waiting for Liu Chang's reply.

Liu Chang nodded: "Twenty-three pounds of black gunpowder per barrel?" Granular gunpowder of high quality? ”

"That's right!" De Mons replied categorically: "The finest granular gunpowder, the best price, only six silver dollars per barrel, and a quarter of a silver dollar per pound." ”

Liu Chang asked again: "How many barrels of such gunpowder did you bring?" ”

"Only fifty barrels!"

"I've bought them all!" Liu Chang was very dissatisfied with this amount: "It's too little, I hope you can come up with arms that satisfy me next." ”

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