Compared with the Liangguang and Fujian regions, the region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which is more north geographically, is the richest place in the Ming Dynasty in this era, and the profit of Yangzhou salt merchants alone in one year has exceeded the income of the Ming treasury at this time. And this area with the most wealthy people is also the most popular market in the business department of the crossing group. Of course, in order to develop this market in the future, the group must first solve the problem of sales channels.

Fuguang and Guangzhou, including most of the areas of Zhejiang, are mountainous areas, land transportation is very poor, and is not suitable for long-distance transportation of bulk goods, and the sea route has always been the main freight channel from Jiangsu, Zhejiang to Huguang. However, the Taiwan Strait, as a major maritime communication route, has never been a stable place, and now Zheng Zhilong with the "Eighteen Zhi" is constantly fighting with the Fujian Ming army, and Yan zhòng has affected the safety and smoothness of this transportation channel. Now if you want to pass through the waters of the Taiwan Strait safely, you have to rely on luck, or you have to pay Zheng Zhilong to buy the road.

In the eyes of the Crossing Group, this kind of "road rage" behavior of "Eighteen Zhizhi" will definitely be the target of the key attack in the future, not to mention that Zheng Zhilong, this guy is still famous in history for his lack of discipline. When the Executive Committee discussed the future policy towards Fujian, it did not even consider cooperating with Zheng Zhilong, this guy turned his face faster than turning a book, and what he did was really difficult for people to have a sense of trust.

However, if you want to resist the most powerful maritime power in East Asia, there is still a long way to go for the Crossing Group, whether it is enough warships or sailors to control the warships, it will take a long time to prepare slowly. Due to the influence of the objective environment, the difficulty of naval operations is far greater than that of land warfare, although the military science and technology of the crossing group has been greatly ahead of this era, but the experience disadvantage of naval operations is also quite obvious, the existing military training subjects at sea are almost all from a variety of historical records, although Luo Shengdong also took the initiative to provide some training experience of the Ming Dynasty sailors, but it is not suitable for the requirements of the Military Police Department, the goal of the Military Police Department is not to train a navy with combat effectiveness similar to Yazhou Water Village, but to truly form a maritime military force that can still be at the leading level in the world。

At present, the preparatory work of the Navy of the Crossing Group is set at a high level, but its own foundation is really poor, and the vast majority of the reserve sailors are mainly fishermen and sailors from Hainan, who have neither military skills nor any combat experience, and the instructors are all halfway monks, and they do not even have a genuine navy, so the progress of the training can be imagined. A few days ago, Xiao Liang and Yu Yao chose and chose the islands at the mouth of the Pearl River for a long time, and in the end, they could only stay on paper for the time being, because the existing sea forces of the crossing group were too weak, and even the handful of pirates who attacked Dangan Island could only plan for civilian ships to carry out this kind of plan, let alone bring it to the executive committee for discussion, even if it was the internal review of the military police department, it could not pass the test.

Even a small group of pirates at the mouth of the Pearl River is temporarily unable to deal with it, let alone enter the Taiwan Strait, which is more complex. Therefore, when Schneider said this, Yu Yao shook his head again and again: "Mr. Shi, if there is no warship escort, the Executive Committee probably will not agree to send merchant ships directly into the Taiwan Strait." It will take at least a year and a half for us to send our own boats. ”

Schneider said: "This is not a big problem, as long as we beat the reputation of Haihan goods, the profit-seeking merchants will naturally slowly flow to Shengli Port." If the 'Yongfeng Cloth Company' can get a big order from us, will other people not be tempted when they see it? The only thing we suffer is that we have to bear the high cost of the goods sent from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. ”

"Fortunately, most of the raw materials we need now can be found in Fuzhou and Guangzhou, and what really needs to be transported from Jiangsu and Zhejiang in large quantities is now only textiles. Sha Xi responded.

"You have to add one more thing to the purchase list. Chen Tianqi took a piece of paper and returned to the study: "This is the news that the Executive Committee just sent. ”

Schneider took it and looked at it, then handed it to He Xi, and then everyone circulated it in turn. When the Executive Committee heard that the CDEMO had reached a trade agreement with cloth merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it immediately asked them to purchase an additional material, cotton, an important material.

"The Executive Committee is still preparing to engage in the textile industry?" You Yihan asked in surprise when he saw the contents of the telegram for the last time.

"I'm afraid it's not the textile industry. Schneider shook his head and said: "The cost of transporting cotton from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to Hainan for processing is too high, and how much cloth can be spun from a boatload of cotton? Without sufficient supply of raw materials, it is impossible to engage in industrial production, and if the output is not high, it is better to buy finished products directly." ”

"Are you going to make absorbent cotton?" Ma Yu had already picked out the fabric, sat on the Taishi chair and said calmly: "The medicinal cotton we brought has been used up in September, if we don't get some goods, our medical department will not be easy to deal with traumatic wounds in the future." ”

Although the medical department has also prepared a lot of cotton wool, this thing, like gauze bandages, also has the problem of the expiration date of zài. Although these medical supplies are currently exclusive to the public, if a war breaks out, the rate of consumption is absolutely fast. The manufacturing process must use industrial-grade lye, and there is no finished product to purchase, so you can only buy cotton to make it.

He Xi shook his head and said: "I'm afraid it's not just medical absorbent cotton, it should be some new plan for the chemical department." ”

"Nitrocellulose!" Yu Yao and Xiao Liang replied at the same time.

At present, although the three-acid and two-alkali production line in Tiandu Industrial Zone is still in a state of construction while R&D, industrial-grade concentrated nitric acid can actually be produced in small quantities in the chemical industry. It was from this that the Germans discovered nitrocellulose in the 19th century, a dangerous substance with explosive power several times greater than black powder, has been used in the military field since its inception. Later, Nobel, the representative of the Great Bombing Doctrine, used nitrocellulose to add nitroglycerin to nitroglycerin, and made explosive glue, a new type of gunpowder that changed history.

These chemical products that can be used for military purposes have naturally been on the list of science and technology tree planning of relevant departments for a long time, but if you want to really make things, you still have to do it step by step. Although these things had been invented long before the time travel, and it was not a secret to make zuò industries, it was not as easy as paper to achieve large-scale manufacturing in this time and space. Up to now, the group is still stuck in the non-industrial production level of using saltpeter and concentrated sulfuric acid to make zuò nitric acid, and the actual production capacity of nitric acid is simply not useful.

But since there is this production capacity, the military industry department will naturally not miss it, and immediately list a series of products such as nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and yellow explosives in the next research and development plan. It happened that the medical department also had a certain need for absorbent cotton, and absorbent cotton was one of the raw materials for the production of nitrocellulose, so the Executive Committee dealt with the two things together and sent a message to the Guangzhou Office to ask them to increase the cotton procurement plan.

Of course, in addition to yellow explosives, the military industry has not been idle during this time. There is a very important by-product toluene in the coal tar provided by Heitu Port, and toluene reacts with concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid to obtain a very powerful explosive trinitrotoluene, commonly known as TNT. This light yellow powder explosive is more stable and safer than the yellow gunpowder invented by Nobel, and can only be triggered by a detonator, and is a weapon that the military industry attaches great importance to. However, the production of coal tar is already frighteningly low, and if you have to extract very low levels of toluene from it, the quantity is even smaller, and you can make a small amount of finished products, but at least for two or three years, you will not be able to use it on a large scale.

Although the Executive Committee has no intention of starting a war with the outside world at present, the sooner these epoch-spanning sharp weapons can be manufactured, the more confident the crossing group will be when it faces the enemy in the future.

However, the military industry department has no right to interfere in the specific methods of the military industry department, and everyone can only make up their limited brains based on the information they know in their heads, and procure all kinds of materials for the needs of the base camp, which is the right thing that the Guangzhou Office should do.

Early the next morning, the shopkeeper who had not yet figured out what was going on received a new order from Schneider at the breakfast table, although the amount was not large, but it was a few hundred taels of silver to be earned, and the shopkeeper was naturally happy to laugh. However, this shopkeeper can be regarded as having dealings, and he turned his head and ordered three sets of flush toilets from Schneider, and the reason why he wanted to order three sets was because he had one wife and two concubines at home, and one set was installed in one room, and no one suffered. As for the boiler equipment that can provide hot water at any time, he didn't pay attention to it for the time being. Schneider happily gave him an "internal discounted price", three sets of a total of 500 taels of silver, and another 50 taels of silver for the installation fee, and after a few words, he recovered the money spent on buying cotton from the "Yongfeng Cloth Company".

After the shopkeeper came to the Guangzhou Office to see it with his own eyes, he also had a new understanding of these Haihan people who spent money lavishly, and these people can not only spend money, but also spend money. All the arrangements of this office in Guangzhou, from the ornaments on the table and the handle of the door, to the design of the courtyard and the construction of the drainage system, all reflect the ingenuity of the side. Most of these Haihan people only wear clothes made of cotton, and they don't even show much interest in silk and satin, but the kind of temperament on their bodies is a very typical high-ranking person, and the shopkeeper thinks that this is the style of a really big family.

Schneider's compliment to the shopkeeper only smiled indifferently: "We Haihan people believe that low-key luxury can show a person's connotation." ”

The shopkeeper heard the loud shout, and a commode in the bedroom cost a hundred taels of silver, and this luxury was indeed low-key enough. Before leaving, the shopkeeper said that he would invite his colleagues from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce to visit him another day to feel the advanced "Haihan lifestyle".

In the next few days, there were many merchants from all walks of life, and most of them came for Haihan glass products, which are currently in short supply in the Guangzhou market. The Thirty Years' War in Europe has concentrated most of the maritime capacity of Western countries in the European continent, and the number of ships and merchants going to the Far East has been greatly reduced in the past year. In particular, the emergence of Haihan glass stationery is to meet the needs of the literati of the Ming Dynasty or the wealthy class who intend to enter the literati circle, and the glass products are no longer just the collections of a few rich people, but have become a practical tool that can really be integrated with the Ming culture.

Although up to now, the group has supplied hundreds of sets of glass stationery of various grades to the mainland, but there is still a considerable market demand in Guangzhou City, and a small amount of glass stationery flowing out of Guangzhou to some other surrounding cities has brought a large wave of buying trends. Since there is very little stock in the market, the value of glass stationery that has been sold is also rising. Whether it is for the desire to collect, the need to pretend, or even the means of investment, Haihan glass stationery is an excellent choice in the current cultural market, as for the unit price of more than 500 sets of high-end custom orders, "Fu Ruifeng" here has also received a thick stack, and in Guangdong everywhere to collect skilled carvers, ready to send to Shengli Port to speed up the production of these high-end goods.

Among these merchants, there are also businessmen from Fujian, Zhejiang, Huguang, Jiangxi and other neighboring provinces, most of whom are similar to "Yongfeng Cloth Company", who have a local branch or come to Guangzhou to buy seafood. These people have a great interest in the wide range of industrial goods displayed by the Office and are intuitively aware of the lucrative profits that can be made when these goods are trafficked back to their places of origin. But the only problem is that the mouths of the Haihan people are too tight, no matter what, the supply is surprisingly small, and it is a great victory to be able to negotiate more than ten sets of Haihan stationery in one place.

At first, the businessman thought that Schneider was just taking Qiao and wanted to take advantage of this to increase the price, but later found out that this matter was not particularly directly related to the price, and the Haihan people did have limited supply capacity, and there were not many goods that could be shipped to Guangzhou every month. However, this discovery not only did not dampen the purchasing enthusiasm of the merchants, but made them feel that the price of Haihan goods will be strong in the future for a period of time, and they will be more happy to pay for it.

Of course, for those merchants who have their own ships and are willing to go to sea, Schneider will be very "kind" to instruct, let them ship some raw materials required through the group to Shengli Port for direct trading, you guard the door of the glass workshop, it is better than guarding me here, as soon as the workshop is shipped, you will immediately buy it and load it without paying taxes, it is definitely much better than grabbing so many limited goods with people in Guangzhou.

Schneider's rhetoric really moved many people, and there is no need to pay taxes to trade in Victory Port, and it is only a few days of sailing, if you are lucky enough to buy 100 good things from Haihan locally, then you will really earn it. A few brave merchants immediately expressed their willingness to form a fleet to go to Shengli Harbor to have a look.

At the beginning of November, after the cargo ship of the Ministry of Shipping from Shengli Port arrived in Guangzhou, Schneider immediately notified the merchants who were willing to explore the way to Shengli Port and went south with the cargo ship of the Ministry of Shipping. Of course, adhering to the principle of not letting go of the ship, the ship that went south from Guangzhou this time also carried a large number of materials needed to cross the group, from production to life, in addition to dozens of craftsmen from all walks of life, as well as a group of immigrants collected during this time, were also transported to Shengli Port, a total of eight ships of all sizes formed a fleet.

With the lead of the first ship, this fleet did not make too many detours on the route, and it took only five days after leaving the mouth of the Pearl River to reach the sea area off Shengli Port. Here they happened to encounter a fleet of North Vietnamese immigrants from the west, a fleet of three large ships that brought back more than 100 tons of coal and nearly 500 North Vietnamese immigrants to the port of Victory.

At the same time, more than a dozen ships arrived at the port of Shengli, and all of them had people and goods to be unloaded, and this lively situation was the first time in the port of Shengli. The last time a large-scale fleet arrived here was in October, when Luo Shengdong brought a ship to help load supplies and personnel to Tielu Port, but that time they were all empty ships, and the scene was far less lively than this time.

Both fleets had a large number of personnel who had arrived here for the first time, so they were full of curiosity about the situation in Victory Port. When the North Vietnamese immigrants saw the size of the port, they were convinced that the propaganda they had heard before they boarded the ship was true, and that it was indeed a seaport city under construction, rather than a domestic battlefield in a state of war.

Merchants from Guangzhou, on the other hand, noticed more of the layers of forts built near the shore when they entered the port, as well as the huge steel ships moored in the depths of the harbor. Some merchants who have been to Yazhou have begun to mutter: This Shengli Port looks much larger than the port outside Yazhou City, and looking at the buildings on the shore, it has become a climate. When did such a big town come about, and why did you never hear of it when you came to Yazhou in the first two years?

However, when the fleet approached the dock, the merchants saw the scene on the shore and finally relaxed. There is a flag erected next to a grass hut on the shore, on which is written the words "Daming Yulin Inspection Division", and there are several people wearing official uniforms and swords at their waists sitting or standing next to them.

It's still the original recipe, it's still a familiar taste, and seeing the storage of these people in the Inspection Division, the merchants finally don't have to worry that they will be led into a pirate's den in a daze.