(New books for collections, recommended votes, please, please!) Your attention is the motivation for my writing, thank you! ）

"Everyone's vision should be long-term. Your eyes should not only be fixed on this small place, the world is not just the continent under our feet. I'm sure you've all seen this map of the world on the wall. As you have seen, the world we live in is really big, and there are many ways to make money. After the case was finished, Geng Jingzhong said slowly.

The merchants here, all of you look at me, I look at yours, and they all bow their heads a little gloomily. Obviously, they all believe that Geng Jingzhong is definitely not joking this time. If he said so, he would do it. In the future, if everyone wants to make money through guò salt, it is absolutely impossible, hey, who is now under the control of Geng Jingzhong!

It's a pity, it's really a pity. The way to make money from salt is really too safe, and it is simply to collect money while lying down. They all couldn't figure out why Geng Jingzhong would take the initiative to give up this way of making money that has been passed down for thousands of years. Perhaps, Geng Jingzhong wants to invite the people to buy hearts. For ordinary people, it is indeed unprecedented happiness to be able to buy a pound of pure and good salt for ten cents, and the people's hearts will be charged.

"The Grand Duke, your mention is firmly in favor of it. In the future, I will not be in the salt business. It's just that I would like to ask the Governor to show us a clear path, so that we can have hope! As for overseas trade, the farthest we have gone is to the Nanyang area, and we have never been to any further places. Please also ask the Governor for some advice. A merchant representative stood up and said. He is Qu Rui, the head of the Qu family, the largest family in Songjiang Prefecture. Generations have been engaged in maritime trade. But it's all smuggling by sea. In the former Ming Dynasty, he had contact with cabinet ministers, and later took refuge in the Qing court and donated a large amount of silver. Five years ago, he joined Fujian Ocean Trade, built a textile factory in Fujian Mawei Development Zone, and brought a lot of skilled embroiderers from Jiangnan to teach Fujian workers, and brought technology to Fujian!

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Several other representatives of businessmen seconded the motion. To develop maritime trade, it is necessary to take into account the customs and folklore of various places, as well as the special products of resources. You have to have a good understanding. Only by understanding what the market needs and what can you buy, can you better organize your business. If you are blind, you must only lose money. And when it comes to being the most familiar with the world, there is no one more than Geng Jingzhong. Fujian's trade is now unknown to Jiangnan merchants, and the profits in it far exceed that of the salt business. Looking at the huge world map in front of him, it is said that it was depicted by Geng Dadu himself. All the merchants were eager to dig out all the qiē that Geng Jingzhong knew in his mind.

"I know what people are going to ask."

"I've got a gift ready for you." Geng Jingzhong smiled confidently, and then clapped his hands gently.

Several horse-tailed warriors came in carrying a basket. The eyes of a group of merchants. Immediately it fell into the basket. They thought Geng Jingzhong was going to distribute something, but they regretted seeing it later. Inside are scrolls that look like they should be maps. Beyond the map, there is a palm-sized book. "This is my latest map of the world, just much smaller than the one on the wall. It is marked as much as possible with the resources and specialties of various places, as well as the local customs and folklore. As long as you follow the map and spend a little effort to explore on your own, you can find the corresponding resources and specialties. I believe I don't need to teach you the rest. ”

"As for this book, it is a rough description of the world. If you want to know the origin of the Western powers and the situation in their own countries, read this book. If you want to know where in the world there are still human beings, who they are, and whether they are in danger, you can also read this book. If you want to know how to defeat your opponents, you must read this book even more. If you take it to heart, it will help you. Geng Jingzhong smiled and said.

This is a book that he spent a lot of time sorting out four years ago. Basically, the main knowledge about world geography is in this book. It is certain that if this book had been disseminated, the geographical discoveries of the world would have been at least two hundred years earlier. The great family of Fujian, who was tied to Geng Jingzhong, had already obtained this thing, but at that time, Fujian's trade was not legal, and it was only now that this thing could be generously handed over to all merchants.

Geng Jingzhong waved his hand casually, and asked the soldiers to give the maps and books to the representatives of these merchants. There were not many materials prepared by Geng Jingzhong, and the people present happened to have one copy per person. As for others, if they need it, they will naturally find a way to print or copy it separately. You don't need to worry about that.

"How did the Dutch get started? It started by relying on maritime trade. Actually, the Netherlands is really a very small country. It has a population of less than two million, which is about the same as the population of this Jiangning province. Their land area is not as large as that of Jiangning Mansion. However, they have the largest number of merchant ships and warships in the world, more than 10,000. ”

"Why can the Dutch do this? The most basic reason is that they have made full use of the advantages of the sea and actively developed maritime trade. On the seas of the whole world, there are Dutch ships sailing. The biggest advantage of the Dutch in maritime trade is low cost and small profits. The Dutch control more than sixty percent of the world's maritime transport business, which is why they have the title of sea coachmen. ”

"Think about ourselves. Our population is nearly 100 times that of the Dutch. We have a thousand times more resources than the Dutch. As long as we make up our minds to actively participate in maritime trade and ask for wealth from the sea, what can we not do against each other? We can have a large number of merchant ships, we can have a large number of sailors, and we can establish our own strongholds in every corner of the world. ”

"If we send a fleet at random, it will be in the tens of thousands. Can other countries do it? It simply can't be done. I can say that, if you don't count the indigenous populations, all the populations of the world combined. Not as much as in our country. Both in terms of resources. Or in the population. We can all completely overwhelm each other. Geng Jingzhong said confidently.

With nearly 400 years of advanced knowledge, Geng Jingzhong can fully cooperate with these big businessmen and talk to every corner of the world. The development of the Mawei Army was based on maritime trade. The seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries were the most fruitful of the seas. In many parts of the world, there is too much wealth waiting to be taken by those who are interested. Geng Jingzhong's original strategy was to preempt the Western powers and formally establish a base for the Mawei Army at every strategic point in the world. He wants to control most of the world's resources in his own hands. Originally, he had not yet turned against the Qing Dynasty. Everything needs to be planned well, but now it is different, and after a year of preparation, Fujian's great family has also begun to take action.

However, in order to complete the strategic deployment, it is impossible to quickly rely on the Mawei Army and Navy and the families and merchants of Fujian and Guangdong alone, and a large number of ambitious and powerful families and merchants must participate. He wants to fully stimulate the ambition, strength, and confidence of these businesses. A group of horsetail navy and ambitious businessmen is the most terrifying.

Desire is the basic driving force that drives people forward. Geng Jingzhong wanted to be the merchants under his rule. There is a motivation to expand outward, first of all. It is to stimulate their desires. Desire, quite simply, can be a beautiful woman, a golden gold, a sparkling gem, or a mesmerizing power. What a powerful businessman can enjoy is definitely not just money, and it is definitely not just a life of drunken money. They can also be empowered accordingly. In many colonies, the big merchant was the emperor. In the local area, they can be a soil king and enjoy the taste of "soil emperor". It was as if the top of the Dutch East India Company, in the stronghold of Southeast Asia, in front of the natives, they were the real kings.

At home, they may have few opportunities to seek power. The practice of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business will not be fundamentally changed in a short period of time. However, when it comes to foreign countries, it's different. As long as they do not violate the laws and regulations of the Mawei Army, no matter what they do, the Mawei Army will protect them. The premise is that they pay taxes according to the law.

"I'll build yì everyone to go here, here and here!"

Geng Jingzhong pointed to the locations of Oceania, the Americas, and South Africa, and said meaningfully.

For example, in Oceania, there are only indigenous people at the moment, and there are no colonists. To be precise, no explorer has discovered this place yet. In other words, it's a barren land, a pure virgin land. Except for Geng Jingzhong, no one knows about its existence.

"As far as I know, there's a lot of gold here." Geng Jingzhong pointed to the area around Melbourne and said intentionally or unintentionally.

"A lot of gold?" The eyes of the merchants suddenly lit up. Their eyes immediately fixed on the location of Melbourne on the map. Some people are in a hurry, and even start thinking about what they will need to do to reach their destination. Checking the reference book in hand, they quickly found specific information. For the average merchant, there is nothing more appealing than gold. What's more, it is a completely white land, with only indigenous people and no foreign colonists. If they get there first, they can do whatever they want!

"Yes, there's a lot of gold here. I've already marked it in my book, and this continent, which my fleet discovered years ago, happened to have discovered these things. Geng Jingzhong said affirmatively.

"There's a lot of gold here, too." Geng Jingzhong's fingers shifted to the position of southern Africa, and later South Africa. "Hehe, this is a foreign soldier from Europe who sued the governor of Ponto, it is said that some Westerners have begun to pass now, but the scale is very small, less than a thousand!"

There is indeed a lot of gold in southern Australia, and in the 18th century, there was a gold rush. However, the gold reserves here seem to be a drop in the bucket compared to the gold reserves of South Africa. South Africa's gold reserves, that's the real giant! As long as the Mawei army controls this place, it is equivalent to controlling a mountain of gold. "The small number of Western colonizers, though they have already arrived in South Africa. But it doesn't matter, they don't know that South Africa has more than just a little bit of gold. It's a lot of gold. They haven't explored it all. As long as we get the first step, we can grab this gold. Geng Jingzhong said eloquently. Of course, this Qiē Mawei Navy will escort my caravan, and now it depends on whether you are willing to join or not! ”

"But, it's too far!" A merchant representative looked at the map, gestured and frowned.

"Not far. When you come back after you go to Oceania, there will be enough time. Of course, if you feel too far away and are not interested, then forget it. Geng Jingzhong said with a smile quietly.

Those merchant representatives, you look at me, I look at you, they all want to stop talking. What is too far, that's all excuses. If South Africa really had the golden gold, and the escort of the Mawei Navy and the Horsetail Army, they would not be afraid of the long distance. I just said it casually.

"But how do we compete with others for territory? The Ponytail Army can't protect us everywhere, at every moment, all the time. A business representative said sharply.

If you want to snatch the gold-producing area from someone else's hands without bloodshed, it will definitely not work. However, once the fight starts, they are no match for others at all. In any case, those Western colonizers are quite fierce. The knowledgeable merchants knew that the warships of those Westerners were very powerful.

"Of course, the Mawei Army can't protect you anytime and anywhere, but you can organize your own arms, and my Mawei Army will sell weapons and armor to everyone, even cannons. See the rifle in my Ponytail's hand? This can also be sold to you in the future! It is convenient for everyone to explore overseas, as long as you get the approval of the Governor of Pontura, you can buy enough weapons, armor, guns, and ammunition from me. Raise your own private armed forces and use them exclusively for colony development. Hehehe, you heard it right, as long as you can lay down the territory, you yourself are the emperor of the soil, but you must also accept the dispatch of the governor of Pontus! Geng Jingzhong said slowly, word by word.

"What?"

"Sell us weapons and armor?"

"Raise your own private arm!"

"Earth Emperor?!"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the representatives of the merchants, all of them opened their eyes wide, and they could no longer be calm. Remove that soil character, that's the emperor, I'm afraid I won't be able to recruit people if I have money? Now that the Mawei Army is willing to sell weapons, armor, guns and ammunition, and artillery, isn't it easy to lay down a piece of territory? At that time, even if it is just a place, then he will become a veritable little king! (To be continued......)