The weapon tycoon who traveled to Daqin

Page 418

"It's true that Qin's merchant fleet can't berth temporarily, but our wooden ships can, but a comparison between the merchant ships of the two countries will show the result."

"The cargo capacity of Qin's merchant ships is twice that of ours, and the speed is faster than ours. As a result, the goods we transported from Qin have not yet been sold, and the goods from Qin have already begun. Our advantage is that we can load and unload at the shore quickly, but with We absolutely can’t compare the speed of Qin’s merchant ships. Now that the wharf facilities are repaired, it will be difficult for us to make money. The people of Qin are going to cut off our money.” An emotional nobleman said loudly

"The taxes and fees paid on the Yangtze River for ships from the Qin State to and from our Chu State should also be increased so as to make our local business easier to do," a short Chu State nobleman proposed loudly.

"Yes, just raise the tariffs like this." The other nobles agreed. This proposal has been approved by many nobles. This is probably the first idea to propose a tariff trade war, and Qin himself did not understand why such a situation occurred.

The nobles of the Chu State absolutely did not want their own interests to be damaged, and the earliest letters sent by the Qin State did not consider this point. The later letters realized this and sent them in time. Shang Wen also understands that if all countries learn about trade and tariff wars, then The trade war will be endless. This is what Shang Wen did not want to see at the beginning, but at the same time tried his best to avoid it. Unexpectedly, the situation that Shang Wen carefully avoided still happened.

The thinking of the upper class of the nobles of the Chu State is really too advanced, which greatly exceeded Shang Wen’s expectations. In fact, this is only the thinking of the upper class nobles of the Chu State. What kind of measures should be taken? It is not time for the two sides to tear their faces, and the current situation is also very good. The nobles can still make money. The Qin people have not yet negotiated with the Chu people because they cannot make money.

However, this is only the thinking of the nobles of the Chu state, and the people of the Chu state don’t think much about it, especially those businessmen who have no support. Trade and they tasted the sweetness from the slave trade and began to expand their business rapidly

However, the merchants of the state of Chu thought of another way to make money quickly, that is to transport various industrial products of the state of Qin on the return journey. These industrial products are bought along the Yangtze River along the Yangtze River trade gold line that can also make a lot of money. is slowly opening the curtain

737 prototype of the colony

".

Chu merchants have no choice but to engage in the slave trade business, and this kind of business is also the easiest to make money. It is also a business that the nobles do not monopolize or interfere with. They can avoid the invasion of water pirates without paying protection fees and various taxes and fees, but merchants are different. They not only have to pay protection fees because their armed forces can only deal with the aborigines but cannot deal with water pirates with advanced weapons and water pirates. The tactics are extremely strange. To deal with the merchant ships of Chu merchants, they often use the method of mooring and sneak attack. Because the ships do not have a sealed cabin and are made of wood, it is easy to break them down when black powder is used. Therefore, Chu merchants face water robbers. Offensive has to adopt a method of avoiding disasters, otherwise the losses will be greater

In the state of Chu, such things happen every day. The reporters of the state of Qin reported such a similar thing in Jiangbei Port without on-site interviews.

"Water pirates are extremely cruel. If businessmen take the initiative to pay the protection fee, usually the protection fee will be paid according to the relationship and the length of time. The most ridiculous thing about the protection fee is that the water pirates charge the same tax as the government. The taxes and fees of the family are usually very high. Not only that, there are many different factions along the Yangtze River, such as the Wuyue region, the Jiujiang region, etc. There are also many small factions in these regions. The fees paid along the way have almost exceeded other factions. 70.00% of the profit. This is an important reason for the price increase of Chu’s commodities in Qin’s.”

"Of course, you can also choose not to pay, but the consequences are extremely cruel. Listening to a businessman from Chu State who inadvertently said that one of his companions is also in the business of dumping goods, because it is a loan from Chu State, which is a kind of usury with compound interest calculation. The interest is usually much greater than the principal. This kind of interest calculation is illegal in Qin State, and the law will not recognize it, but it is the most normal legal business in Chu State. Due to the high interest cost of usury, this businessman had to choose an extremely risky way not to pay the protection fee. and the taxes and fees along the way are usually unsuccessful, but this businessman had to do it."

"As a result, it is conceivable that water pirates make a living. Although merchants can avoid the official checkpoints in the daytime, merchants have adopted the method of sailing in the dark without using navigation lights, but what they did not expect is that water pirates will use iron chains in some narrow areas of the Yangtze River. The armed merchant ships of the Qin State have encountered such a situation before, but relying on the firmness of their hulls, they directly smashed through it. However, this blockade iron chain is a disaster for the merchants of the Chu State who use wooden ships. Their ships suffered. There was a lot of damage, and two sailors were chained to death on the spot. The superstructure of the hull also suffered a lot of damage, and the hull was also severely damaged, but luckily the ship did not sink.”

"But luck ended here. The pirate leader interrogated the merchant overnight. The merchant's behavior was immediately seen through by the pirates. The pirates thought it was a challenge to their status and power, so they severely punished the merchant and other sailors. means of attack”

"You don't know what we businessmen feel when we see those dozen or so cooked corpses? It's bitter, helpless, fearful, and full of bitterness. It's not easy for us to confide. Is there a lot of money? We are just supporting our family.”

"The consequence is that the water thieves cooked it, that is, it was boiled." It should be pointed out that the water thieves used water instead of oil. You should know that oil is a relatively expensive thing in this period, which is rarely seen in ordinary people's practice. There are a lot of oil stars, of course, it is different in Qin State. The same is true in the developed areas of South Korea, Zhao State, and Yan State.

For pirates, oil, especially cooking oil, is lacking. The price of finished cooking oil is comparable to that of salt, and it is still a necessity in life, otherwise the food has no fragrance.

"Water pirates are so cruel. They not only rob merchants of their money, but also take their lives. This practice has seriously threatened the survival and safety of merchants. Therefore, extremely severe measures should be taken against water pirates. Don’t be soft on your hands” This article is obviously promoting the fight against water piracy

No matter what the starting point of the article is, water piracy has indeed hindered the further expansion of commercial activities, so water piracy, whether it is Qin or Chu, must be seriously faced

However, the merchants of Chu State had to choose another commercial development path, which is to actively carry out the slave trade, especially the expansion of overseas business bases.

Some Chu merchants set out to expand their business after experiencing the benefits of the slave trade. The first thing they did was to establish their own "buying" locations.

"Look, this is a sketch and our location is here," said a burly man from Chu State with a bullet belt on his body

The location the man pointed to is the place where the two provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian meet today. As for the specific place, there is no way to verify it, because there is a big difference between 2000 years ago and 2000 years later, especially where there are rivers near the coast, because of the combination of various natural forces. The effect, especially the influence of the earth's deflection force, will lead to a great change in the geographical overview, so it is impossible to verify the position pointed out by the people of Chu on the map.

But the only thing that is certain is that the location chosen by the Chu people is very convenient for ships to dock, and it is also a natural safe haven. A river flows out from here. This river provides the necessary source of fresh water for the Chu people to settle here. This is the most important Chu people. The ships can go here after drifting along the coast to supply fresh water, and at the same time provide drinking water guarantee for the people who settle here.

The location is in a natural coastal fjord. The water is calm in the fjord. Ships can dock here quietly. At the same time, checkpoints can be arranged on both sides of the fjord to provide them with the necessary security alert. Not only that, it will be angry here at night, and the bonfire plays an important role as a lighthouse.

"Here and here we can set up security checkpoints to prevent sneak attacks by other foreign forces and also pay attention to the situation at sea," the man continued, pointing to the positions of the two checkpoints.

"We can build defensive fortresses by the river and seaside. We can not only defend against attacks from the local aborigines, but also defend against attacks from the sea. You must know that this is not a place that Chu State can control. If necessary, we can further build a second defense. We can reclaim some arable land in the shallower inland along the coast, and these arable land can grow food to ensure our own supplies," said the man

"Well, we can not only guarantee our own supplies, but also grow some other things, such as rapeseed and mulberry trees, especially some economic crops such as sugarcane, which can expand our commercial profits. What do you think?" the businessman asked back

"Yes, but we don't have anyone who knows how to plant," said the man

"That's no problem. I can just buy some seeds from Chu and find some people who can plant them. Also, we need to expand our scale a lot. You should know that there are a lot of aboriginals near us. These aboriginals are cheap labor." The businessman said treacherously

"The problem is these natives will run away," the man asked

"We will not build such a stronghold in the future. There are many strongholds. At that time, we can exchange slaves from the two places so that these indigenous people cannot escape because of strangers. At the same time, our plantation can also be expanded." It is estimated by the businessman The idea of ​​the plantation economy was the earliest

"Not only us, but also more Chu people come here, not only us merchants and militants, but also more people come here to settle and develop, and finally become our beautiful homeland," the businessman said with longing

"En" the man nodded

"Then shall we still use the name of Chu State?" the man continued.

The "Chu State" businessman thought for a while and said

"As for us, we should use the name of the state of Chu. According to newspapers, the people of Qin state have occupied the most northern territory, so we Chu people should also have our own expanded territory. Our flag of the state of Chu should also fly over these overseas territories. This is the state of Chu. It is a new world for Chu people," said the businessman full of excitement.

Businessmen also have primitive political needs. Their demand is to get a government with low taxes that can issue policies to protect their legitimate rights and interests. For others, they are more supportive.

Later, merchant groups established an early stronghold here and planned a blueprint for future development. They want to build and expand their stronghold here. At the same time, more Chu people who are dissatisfied with the actions of the local government will immigrate here. This expanded stronghold has evolved from history. From the point of view, it is very likely that it will expand to become an overseas colony of Chu State, and this trend is very clear.

Because from the perspective of colonial history, the earliest colonies started from commercial activities and established a large number of commercial bases for commercial purposes. With the prosperity and development of commercial activities, commercial bases began to expand continuously. This expansion will bring various business opportunities and is also full of opportunities. There are various risks, but in general, the opportunity brought by expansion is great. Then this stronghold will gradually develop into another model, that is, the independent territory will be merged into the hands of these immigrants. Finally, the immigrants need to establish a new government. Manage everything and finally the new owner of the land begins the colonial life

738 private talk

".

Chu’s colony prototype is entirely an individual action rather than a centralized action by the state, but this action is very promising. I believe it will not be long before it becomes an action of the state, especially when some resources that are not available are used.

Regarding the personal behavior of Chu merchants, no one noticed when the news media focused on enough exposure, and this kind of business was regarded as a job that could not be put on the table because of the particularity of the slave trade. Conditional reports because everyone knows that this business is huge profits, but this kind of business has a great conflict with Qin's human rights policy. Qin has always taken conditional avoidance of such reports.

The merchants of Chu State are actively expanding their business, and the representatives of various countries at the four-nation meeting also represent their own countries to immediately expand their business. The relationship between Qin State and Zhao State is close. The two countries had a close discussion during the break of the meeting.

"You should send troops as soon as possible. Only in this way can we comfort the country of Yan. We can take some weapons from our arsenal in advance and provide them to you, and we can provide enough air power." Shang Wen said that he had a long-distance call with King Qin yesterday. The content of the phone call is that Qin can use air power at most, but ground power is absolutely not allowed.

"Well, I agree with this, but the army from the Yan State must also catch up as soon as possible. If an army from Zhao Jun appears, I am afraid the situation will be difficult to explain." Guo Kai expressed his concern.

"I agree with this very much. We will train the Yan army as soon as possible and then put them into the battlefield. You must know the situation on the battlefield, you and I don't know what will happen," Shang Wen said.

The state of Qin is stepping up efforts to train the princely army of the state of Yan. The fighting spirit of the princely army of the state of Yan is extremely high, because their wages and salaries are higher than that of the new army of the state of Yan. At the same time, they are equipped with a large number of new weapons. Some weapons are not even equipped by Qin himself, such as armored chariots. At present, China does not have a well-organized army equipped with armored combat vehicles, but some infantry units in Qin State intend to order armored combat vehicles to provide fixed fire cover for infantry, because machine guns are too heavy for mobile operations, so what they need is to be able to provide them. fixed fire weapon

"As for the transportation issue, I think Zhao State should build the railway system and road system in the east of Zhao State as soon as possible. Only in this way can Qin State start from Xianyang and put these effective forces into the battlefield. What do you think?" Shang Wen asked.

"This is natural," Guo Kai said.

Then the two countries began to discuss how to obtain more military orders from Yan State. Qin State first asked for the cost of weapons on the grounds of supply, and then the military factories in Qin State began to concentrate on sending orders to Yan State. In addition to these military weapon orders, there are also a lot of logistics. Supply orders are more important to the Qin State than these logistics supply orders. We know that weapons can be consumed but cannot be provided for a long time because the consumption of weapons is limited, but the logistics supply is unlimited. There are a large amount of food and medicine, etc. Qin is determined to win.

But South Korea went ahead of Qin. Zhang Liang and Yan Guo's special envoy, Ju Xin, had some private meetings. The purpose of their discussion was very simple, and that was logistics supply orders.

"Presumably Master Ju also understands the purpose of my trip," Zhang Liang said straight to the point

"This is naturally understood because of the war in Yan Kingdom." Ju Xin also understood

"Since everyone understands, let me just say it straight. I think what Yan State lacks is not weapons, but a large number of logistics supplies, soldiers and weapons. I think Qin and Zhao can solve these, but logistics supplies, I think this is a big problem, my lord. You should understand what I mean," Zhang Liang said confidently.

Zhang Liang's self-confidence comes from South Korea's outstanding performance in espionage warfare, especially in electronic information collection. South Korea was the first to decipher the codes used by Qin, and even the latest codes of Qin know this. I am afraid that the people of Qin do not know their own codes. Has been cracked by the Koreans

The collection of electronic information in South Korea started when the telegram was transmitted to South Korea. At that time, the cipherbooks were commonly used in the state of Qin, but the security of the cipherbooks was not considered because the ciphers were in the hands of the people of Qin, but later the Koreans learned how to send them. Some Koreans specially went to Qin to learn this technology because the job was well paid. Telegraph operators were definitely the easiest job in that era. Then a certain number of telegraph operators began to appear in South Korea. These telegraph operators could not only send and receive Korean telegrams. It is also possible to send and receive telegrams from Qin State. At that time, Qin State’s telegrams were not encrypted. Later, Qin State realized that it was inappropriate to do so, and then began to encrypt again. But encryption is a mathematical game. Qin State only used addition and subtraction as encryption methods. This kind of encryption method can be found after a short period of deliberation, because some common words will appear repeatedly, such as "the you and me", etc. Some words appear frequently, so there is a certain regularity. Lack of mathematicians Although Qin State has surpassed South Korea in mathematical theory, especially in calculus, Qin State is original in this area, but Koreans have a wider range of mathematical applications than Qin State. For example, Qin State is not as good as Koreans in construction engineering.