Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 653 Europeans are about the same as Mongolian tribes

In Europe, where white sugar is scarce at present, there is still a lack of a product that is inseparable from white sugar: iron pot.

An iron pot is a must-have for boiling sugar juice. The four-foot-diameter large iron pot produced in Foshan, Guangdong, can boil [-] catties of sugar juice in one pot, which fundamentally increased the production of sucrose, and also made a lot of silver overseas. It was continuously flowed into the territory of Daming.

And behind this giant iron pot is the support of powerful core technology - mold baking method.

The mold baking method is a unique pot-making technology in Foshan in the Ming Dynasty. It uses the unique Hongshan clay in Foshan to make a double-layered clay mold inside and outside, then bakes it at high temperature, and then pours molten iron into it to make it.

The iron pot produced by this technique is huge in size, durable, simple and efficient, and has a very high daily output. The finished iron pot is deeply loved by sugar owners and has become an indispensable product in the sugar industry.

In the world at the same time, iron pots are also scarce products, and large iron pots are even more difficult to find. It is precisely because of this that various types of iron pots produced in Foshan have become sought-after products in various countries. These neighbors of the Ming Dynasty, even the European fleet that traveled across the ocean, also listed iron pots as one of the must-buy commodities.

An iron pot in a commoner's home in Ming Dynasty cost only a few renminbi, but it was as much as four or five taels of silver when it was sold not far away in Japan. If it was trafficked to European countries, the price would be doubled or tripled. The pan is sold out.

This act of robbing money from all over the world was not terminated until the Qing Dynasty.

This mold baking technology was also stolen by missionaries and brought back to Europe, making it an essential technology for large steel parts required by modern industry, and it has been used until Zhu Youjian traveled over.

It can be seen how important it is to keep the core patented technology confidential. Once the technology is leaked, the losses caused will be incalculable.

Foshan Town has now been designated as a key confidential area, and all foreigners other than Ming Dynasty are also prohibited from entering this area. The Sihai Iron and Steel Plant has also been completed and put into operation. Its own fleet is sold to countries in the Confucian cultural circle such as Japan, Korea, and Ryukyu.

As for the Europeans, don't you like to eat medium-ripe steak and vegetable salad?

Then eat it first, the iron pot will not be sold to you for the time being, and when it will be sold depends on the mood of the Emperor Ming.

Of course, it's not that Zhu Youjian doesn't intend to sell, nor is it because the distance is too far away, but that he wants to take the opportunity to ruthlessly slaughter these Europeans who will blackmail China in future generations.

Zhu Youjian has already issued an order to suspend the sale of sugar, white paper, and iron pots to merchant ships from Xiyi. It will be a visit from Captain Jinyi.

Now, Europeans still have some of these items in stock, and they can be used for a while. If there are not many, then let the European friends feel wronged. We are stepping up production. There will be bread and milk.

A year later, when these scarce materials are estimated to be out of stock in Europe, Zhu Youjian will order the four-sea business line to form a large ocean-going fleet, full of such goods that the European people are looking forward to dumping In the past, it was sold to these distinguished friends in Europe at double the usual price to express the deep friendship of the Ming people to them.

The fleet of the Four Seas Trading Company currently only has three ships, mainly on the route from Daming to Mexico. Due to the long distance, three merchant ships made one trip and distributed a large amount of silk and porcelain loaded with the ship to Mexico.

The move of the Four Seas Trading Company across thousands of miles of oceans is actually quite shocking. At this time, the shipping routes of the Ming Dynasty are basically based on Southeast Asian countries. distance trafficking.

Even the Netherlanders, who are good at sailing on the ocean, only have three or four merchant ships between Daming and Europe every year. The vast ocean is full of uncertainties, and the extreme bad weather will come at any time. There are also pirates from various countries that you will encounter if you are not careful, which has become the most important obstacle hindering the communication between the East and the West.

Zhu Youjian only found out after checking the relevant reports that tea, the main export commodity known to everyone in the future, is actually mainly sold to Europe. After the merchant ships from the Netherlands arrive in Ming Dynasty, they will purchase a considerable amount of industrial belts. Back to Europe.

Although Southeast Asia learned to drink tea following Daming, and it gradually became popular in various countries, the planting and roasting of tea are not high-tech. South Asian countries have begun to widely plant and produce tea, and there is not much demand for Ming tea. The huge demand for tea in Europe will not come for another hundred years.

It seems that it is still necessary to quickly increase the production capacity of white sugar, and then use white sugar as one of the main export products to occupy the entire world market.

The birth of Sihai Sugar Industry will accelerate the development momentum of this industry.

Although the cane sugar production in Xinghua County was not low in the past, the income of cane farmers was not too high, which restricted their enthusiasm for expanding the planting area and scale. However, the establishment of Sihai Sugar Industry immediately changed the situation drastically.

According to incomplete statistics, before the establishment of Sihai Sugar Industry, the sugarcane planting area in Xinghua County was only more than [-] mu. If calculated based on the yield per mu of about [-] catties, the county can only produce about [-] million catties of sugarcane per year. After throwing away various losses, about [-]% of the sugar cane actually used for sugar production remains.

If it is fully utilized, more than 60 shi of sugar can be produced. According to the production ratio of brown sugar and white sugar, only less than 1000 shi of white sugar can be produced each year, which is about [-] jin. In terms of [-] million tons of sugar production, it is not worth mentioning at all.

However, after Sihai Sugar increased the purchase price of sugarcane substantially, the farmers in Xinghua County, who tasted the sweetness, began to plant sugarcane in large quantities. As of the sugarcane harvest this year, the area of ​​sugarcane field in Xinghua County has reached about [-] mu, and This momentum of expansion is continuing.

At the request of Zhu Youjian, the Xinghua County government has hired veteran farmers who have grown sugarcane for many years, organized local sugarcane farmers with large planting areas, taught and exchanged various experiences in increasing sugarcane production, and strived to increase the yield of sugarcane per mu to a higher level. increase in magnitude.

Zhu Youjian knew that the yield of sugarcane in the southeast region of later generations was often 10,000+ catties per mu, and now the yield of less than [-] catties is too shabby, so it is necessary to study how to increase production without expanding the planting area, which also means The sugar yield of sugarcane will also be greatly improved, and the sweetness of the white sugar produced will also be higher.

It is human nature to love sweets. In the foreseeable future, with the improvement of living standards and the sharp increase in population, sugar will become one of the foods that people cannot do without in daily life, so planting and production have a very bright future. It is also an important means of earning foreign money.

Speaking of making money, Zhu Youjian couldn't help looking forward to the return of the European missions.

He has told Zheng Zhifeng that in addition to trying to bring back more scientists, he should also bring back more craftsmen, including minting machines and related technical personnel.

The metal currency in Ming Dynasty must be changed, that is the most labor-saving way to make money.

　Thank you Yanhuang for your reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)