After hearing this, Xu Renjie sighed: "Actually, it's a black businessman!" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled: "It is indeed a black businessman, but they are world-class black businessmen, which is not comparable to the people of my Dameng country......"

Speaking of this, he was gloomy in his heart, when the Ming Dynasty was established, he came up with some more old-fashioned policies, and also let future generations not change, the result was a drag on the country's scientific and technological development, so that the entire Ming Dynasty was complacent and did not want to forge ahead. At this time, the navigation technology of Westerners has far surpassed that of the Great Meng Country, and the Westerners have traveled all over the world, and their horizons have also been broadened, and even the earth is round has been figured out, but the people of the Ming Dynasty can't even figure out what place is across the sea.

Once you lose at the starting line, the back will be worse and farther, and hundreds of years later, foreign guns and foreign cannons will sweep through the Celestial Empire, which is almost the bane planted at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang believes that he has a certain responsibility in it, so he must do something about it.

He was still thinking about what he didn't have, but he heard Xu Renjie say triumphantly: "What world-class black businessman?" Brother Zhu, you are growing the ambition of others and destroying your own prestige, if you want to talk about world-class black businessmen, we should be the businessmen of the Ming Dynasty...... The Silk Road runs through the east and west and has existed for thousands of years, and the eastern part of the Silk Road, Xi'an, is not around us? I've also dealt with Arabs, and if you want to talk about world-class black businessmen, I Xu Renjie can also be counted as half, hahahaha......"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his foot and kicked him in the head: "Don't be arrogant!" The Silk Road is only a thing of the past, and it has now come to an end. Soon it will be completely replaced by shipping, and your self-righteous mentality will lead you to the path of destruction. ”

"I don't believe this!" Xu Renjie got up from the ground: "I don't believe anything, the Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, how can it be replaced?" Brother Zhu, when it comes to war, I have always served you, but when it comes to business, you have to listen to me. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his foot and planned to kick him again. But seeing Xu Renjie's firm eyes, he suddenly felt soft again, can he convince him with a kick? That's impossible! This is the limitation of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also the limitation of every Celestial Empire person, if he doesn't use his own eyes to confirm the development of shipping, even if he kicks him into a pig's head, he will not believe it.

Zhu Yuanzhang put down his feet and said seriously to Xu Renjie: "I will send Xia Erduo to find Westerners, I hope you can go with him." ”

"Huh? Don't! Xu Renjie exclaimed: "I want to learn to fight." I don't want to run a business. ”

"You can learn to fight by meeting Westerners." Zhu Yuanzhang said deliberately: "Do you know the name of the cannon we use now?" ”

"Of course I do, it's called Furlong Cannon." Xu Renjie replied immediately.

"This Franc cannon. In fact, it was seized from Westerners and then copied from them. Zhu Yuanzhang said lightly.

"Huh? That's how the Furlong cannon came about? Xu Renjie was taken aback.

"Do you know where the bird gun came about?" Zhu Yuanzhang continued.

"We invented it ourselves." Xu Renjie immediately replied: "Both the Song and Yuan dynasties have records of the use of firearms. ”

"No......" Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "The torch invented in the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty is very bad to use. The real importance and manufacture of firecrackers by our Ming Dynasty was in the Battle of Tuen Mun in the 16th year of Zhengde, when the Ming Dynasty fought a battle with the Portuguese, and in this battle for the first time realized the power of foreigners' firearms. After that, in the twenty-seventh year of Jiajing, the battle of Shuangyu Island, our Ming soldiers captured the new firecrackers from the hands of the Japanese invaders. Ma Xian, Li Huai and others analyzed the production method of the new type of firecracker, and studied and improved it on the basis of it, until the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing, we made the bird's beak gun used now. ”

Xu Renjie was dumbfounded and at a loss, he always thought that these good things were all invented and created by the Ming people, but he didn't expect that they were all from Westerners.

Zhu Yuanzhang said seriously: "In terms of the technology of making firearms. The Westerners have already outdone us, and I wonder if they have any new weapons...... Don't you want to see if there is anything better in the hands of the Westerners that can be captured? Those new weapons are definitely more fun. ”

Before Zhu Yuanzhang's words fell, Xu Renjie jumped over and roared like a monkey: "I'm going." I'm going...... Let me go to the Westerners and tell them to bring out all the weapons that are useful. His anxious appearance frightened Xue Hongqi and Li Jieqiong next to him, and gave him an angry look.

However, Xue Hongqi immediately figured it out, this monkey had rubbed his face against the crossbow before, and his preference for strange weapons was not comparable to ordinary people. I heard that rich people like to collect some strange things, for example, some people like to collect jade bottles, some people like to collect jewelry, some people like to collect calligraphy and paintings, but this monkey likes all kinds of weapons, what kind of hobby is this?

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but remind him: "Westerners are not stupid, they are unprofitable people who can't afford to be early, if you can't come up with enough goods to attract them, their good things won't be given to you." ”

"Want benefits? That's not simple, we have grown so many potatoes, and we can transport tens of thousands of catties at will, and I'm afraid that he won't obediently hand over his weapons to play with me? Xu Renjie laughed.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but smile: "People don't want food." ”

"Oh? Don't want food? Xu Renjie was surprised: "Grain is a good thing, those mine thieves saw that we had food, and they couldn't wait to kneel down and shout long live." ”

This is the difference in national conditions, in the drought-ravaged Ming Dynasty, food is more precious than gold. But for the Westerners who sailed thousands of miles, the transportation cost of grain was too great and not in line with the interests, and they wanted to transport the fine porcelain, silk, tea and other goods of the Ming Dynasty, and only these things could bring huge profits to Western merchants.

Zhu Yuanzhang briefly explained this concept to Xu Renjie, thinking that Xu Renjie would not understand it for a while, but in this regard, he underestimated Xu Renjie, after all, he was a big businessman, as soon as he heard the problem of transportation, Xu Renjie immediately understood why Westerners did not want food, and through his understanding of the Silk Road, he guessed what foreigners liked in an instant.

"Brother Zhu, you can leave this matter to me! Hehe, I know what to give to Westerners. Xu Renjie said proudly.

"Oh?" Zhu Yuanzhang and Xue Hongqi were both interested.

However, Li Jieqiong, the little girl, didn't have any curious expression, and snorted: "Bad man!" Isn't it celadon and green tea? Look at your virtue. "This little girl is the daughter of a merchant family, and although she may not be able to do business, she still knows a little about the goods that her father is making. She is usually gentle and delicate, with the style of a young lady, but recently she has learned from Xue Hongqi, and she has begun to have a bit of Xue Hongqi's tone.

Shaanxi green tea, also known as "Shaanxi green", has a very long history of carrying and cultivating, mainly produced in more than 10 counties and districts of Ziyang, Ankang, Langao, Pingli and Xixiang in the south, which is to refine the fresh and tender tea leaves that have just been picked down, through the processes of brake greening, rolling, roasting and screening. Therefore, the tea leaves are soft and tender, containing many aromatic oils, the cords are even, the color is green, the water color is clear, the drink is fresh and mellow, and the aftertaste is sweet and pure. Although it is not as famous as Longjing and Biluochun, it is also quite a good tea.

Speaking of Shaanxi celadon, the most famous is called Yaozhou kiln, some readers in Yaozhou may vaguely remember that we have mentioned in the previous chapters, Helin'an and Lone Ranger were once entrenched in Yaozhou Awl Mountain, and were later defeated by Cao Wenzhao. Yaozhou has been a famous production area of celadon since the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty further reached its peak, becoming the largest kiln system among the six major kiln systems of the Celestial Empire.

This celadon and green tea are very important commodities in western Shaanxi, not only exported to Arab countries through the Silk Road, but also resold by many merchants in the Ming Dynasty for profit.

Xu Renjie was shocked by the little girl's mouthful, his old face was slightly red, and he snorted: "You little girl actually knows a little bit about business, not bad...... But ah, how does this tone of voice become more and more like some guy who can't get married? ”

"What did you say?" Xue Hongqi was furious.

Xu Renjie was afraid of being kicked, so he quickly jumped away and said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Brother Zhu, when I return to Baishui this time, I want to take a batch of grain to Xi'an for a trip to exchange for some celadon and green tea." Now that there is a great drought in the world, the price of grain is extremely high, and the price of porcelain and tea must have fallen to the lowest point, I should be able to exchange a little grain for many commodities, and then use these exchanged celadon and green tea to talk to foreigners about business! ”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "This plan is feasible!" But keep in mind that new weapons aren't your first priority, the most important thing is to solve the gunpowder problem. Without gunpowder, you won't be able to use a new firearm. ”

"Understood!" Xu Renjie said with a hippie smile: "Of course I can save this." ”

Everyone went out of the Lushi Mountains, returned to the Yellow River, re-boarded the boat and returned to Chengcheng, and then returned to Baishui through Chengcheng. Before Xu Renjie entered the city, he resumed his identity as a rice merchant, went to prepare food, and planned to go to Xi'an.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Xue Hongqi, and Li Jieqiong returned to Baishui City together, and as soon as they arrived at the city gate, they saw Yang Hong hurriedly spinning, it seemed that they had been waiting for a long time, and when they saw Zhu Yuanzhang coming back, Yang Hong rushed up with an arrow, approached Zhu Yuanzhang's ear and whispered: "Brother Zhu, big news ...... it"

"Oh? Don't worry, speak slowly! ”

Yang Hong coughed and said seriously: "Our spies who stayed in Shanxi sent back the news, saying that the boss of the 36th Battalion, King Chuang (Gao Yingxiang), had issued a secret order, which was passed on to all the rebels in various places. He said that it is not okay for everyone to wander around like this, they will always be a group of lost dogs, and they will not be able to achieve great things. He planned to gather all the leaders of the rebel army for a general meeting this winter to discuss how to deal with the imperial court...... In order to prevent a mole from leaking the news, let's not talk about the place where the conference will be held now, and we will notify it at the end of the year, just let everyone get ready and think of a strategy first. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, and his heart moved: In the winter of the seventh year of Chongzhen, a conference? Oh, it turned out to be the "Xingyang Conference"!

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