Lu Ming

Chapter 151 Double Gift Package
Among the invoices received by the Lin brothers, there was one commodity that had to be purchased in bulk: salt.

The land of Fujian has always been short of salt, especially the four prefectures of northern Fujian, where the foothills stretch, the transportation is inconvenient, and the local production is insufficient.

Ironically, Fujian, which lacks salt, has evolved from cutting (boiling) salt technology to advanced drying salt technology in the middle of Ming Dynasty.However, this is of no use. Fujian, where you can go to see the rain at any time in spring, summer, autumn and winter, depends on the weather to eat salt.

There are also huge conservative groups hindering this: Lianghuai salt merchants, salt government yamen, Haoqiang, salt farms, salt workers and so on.Vested interest groups are not willing to overthrow the extremely huge salt distribution rules and start over. Even if a fierce man like Xu Guangqi tried to promote sun-dried salt in Shandong a few years later, he would still fail.Until the demise of the Ming Dynasty, the Lianghuai Salt Fields were still using the ancient method of boiling salt to produce salt.

Funing Prefecture, where the Lin family is located, is a remote prefecture and county in northern Fujian, and it has never been easy to eat salt.Fortunately, now that the law of salt has collapsed, it seems that local tyrants like the Lin family have lost sight of the law of kings. Every time the Lin Baoquan brothers go to Hangzhou by sea, they always threaten to bring some salt goods back.Whether it is official salt or private salt, whether there is salt or not, the Lin family will never refuse anyone who comes—as long as the boat returns to Funing Prefecture and says it is official salt, it is official salt.

From the first sight of the salt on the manifest, Lin Baoquan determined the main cargo for the return journey in the future.What Lin was most afraid of before leaving was that the red hair of the senior officials was the same as the Frangji in Taipei, with only silver and no goods.

Now that Hongmao has been replaced by a Chinese-speaking Kunren, there is also more salt on the invoice. Lin Baoquan is quite satisfied with this.

What made him more satisfied was yet to come: Professor Luo had turned into a robot cat today, and as soon as Pu met him, he took out a bunch of gift bags aimed at the Xing'an Ping, or a friendly merchant ship.

The first package is the nautical spree: First, the Xing'an Ping can return in advance.

Doraemon said: "Right now, there is a fleet in Dayuan that is going back to Hangzhou soon. The Xing'an Ping can drop by and go home, instead of waiting until May or June to return."

If the Fuchuan can set off from northern Fujian and take advantage of the north wind in winter to cross the strait; then the Xing'anping will never be able to return to the other side of the strait against the wind.When the wind is headed, the ship needs to make twists and turns at various angles on the sea surface. If you play this trick in the strait, the Fuchuan will lose its direction in the first hour after the night comes.

The Xing'an Ping arrives in March. According to the usual practice, the Fuchuan will not return to cross the strait until the southeast monsoon is strong in May and June.And Professor Luo made it very clear today: through the fleet of the public, the lucky boat can be carried to the coast of Zhejiang, so that the Xing'anping can quickly return to northern Fujian according to the landmark.

This plan really surprised the Lin family.When the two brothers learned that the Kun people's fleet actually had the ability to observe the sky and measure their positions, they couldn't help but be overjoyed—in this case, the Xing'an Ping can definitely catch the tail of the north wind season and make another trip to the officers.

The sailing packs are not over yet.

From Brother Lin’s previous statements about sea routes, Professor Luo has already heard the helplessness of Ming maritime merchants in this era for unfamiliar sea routes.

As early as the early Ming Dynasty, maritime merchants could still use crude nautical surveying tools such as star boards and compasses to support their business.However, under the brain-dead policy of the Zhu family emperors who banned the sea and sealed the boat wave after wave, over the past few hundred years, Westerners have invented various measuring tools that do not need to look directly at the sun, while Ming merchants have degenerated to using the naked eye. The realm of radar, which is ironic.

For this point, Professor Luo launched a survey package: including a chart, a quadrant, and an electronic watch.

The nautical chart was revised, with a rough depiction of the southeast coastline and several key cities along the way, and then marking the latitude and longitude numbers above the heads of these cities.People who use this chart can calculate the azimuth relationship between their ships and several big cities on the sea.

Of course, the chart is to be used with the quadrant.The quadrant is self-produced in the kiln area - a mold brought by later generations, and the kiln area is cast with copper water.

The quadrant was invented by the British navigator, and it is the greatest invention of this era. It was the era when various quadrants flourished in the hands of the colonists in the early 17th century.

The quadrant, which can measure latitude relatively accurately without looking directly at the sun, not only saved the Cyclops captains around the world, but also drove all previous latitude-measuring nautical instruments into the garbage dump, just like matchlock guns eliminated knives and axes.

Crossing Zhong's own fleet doesn't use this. Crossing Zhong has Minigun-level sextants and machine-gun-level electronic sextants.The sextant was not invented until the 18th century in history, and it is standard equipment for ordinary sand ships. The pilot ship is equipped with an electronic sextant, which can output data in seconds.

In this way, the Xing'an Ping can improve the level of latitude measurement to the same level as the European colonists. In addition, in the measurement of longitude, the technology of the Xing'an Ping surpasses the colonists: the electronic watch.

Using an electronic watch is well thought out, because the electronic watch is not afraid of losing it.

Every six months or so, this waterproof electronic watch with only the simplest dual timekeeping function will experience a power outage and must return to the staff to replace the battery.In this case, even if hostile forces or colonists get it, it will be fine. In the 17th century, the aborigines could not understand the circuit board. This step is too big, and it is already a split. Instead, the mechanical watch needs to control the amount of outflow, and the aborigines Can understand gears and mechanical structures.

"I don't know how much is the price of these sacred items?" After listening to Professor Luo's description, Lin Baoquan asked this question immediately.At the same time, Lin Baoan, whose excitement was beyond words, asked another question: "Is there a master teaching the Dharma?"

Professor Luo laughed and stretched out five fingers: "Policy support price, 500 taels a set."

When Lin Baoquan heard this number, he didn't blink: "Yes."

At this time, Professor Luo turned to Lin Baoan again and said, "In the afternoon, we will arrange a lecture to go overseas to teach the Fa, including teaching and meetings."

After all the first gift packs are opened, the next is the second gift pack: weapons.

The two brothers were taken to a remote warehouse, where all the weapons of the Dutch captured in the War of the Commercial Hall were piled up in this warehouse.

Professor Luo first recommended the Dutch arquebus to the brothers.For the Lin brothers, there is no reason to refuse a matchlock gun with the same style and good workmanship: whether this thing is used to resist pirates on the ocean, or used by the clan to resist bandits, pirates and She people in the mountains, it can be used Useful.

Professor Luo smiled and sold 30 matchlock guns to them.Next is the artillery. What is left in the warehouse is only a dozen or so iron cannons of different sizes. The larger copper cannons have been pulled away by the kiln area and melted away.

The performance of the bronze cannon is perfect in all aspects, but there is only one unbearable shortcoming: the price.At the beginning of the 17th century, the cost of a bronze cannon was at least four times that of an iron cannon. In a few decades, with the development of iron and steel smelting technology, the cost of a bronze cannon would be as high as seven times that of an iron cannon.

The ascendant era of the Great Discovery and the 30-year war in Europe are in full swing, making all war weapons evolve at the fastest speed.In this era, Europeans are replacing bronze cannons with increasingly mature cast iron cannons.

These loot cannons in the warehouse have already reflected this trend: among the Dutch cannons obtained from merchants and naval training ships after traveling through the public, the 8-pound and 10-pound cannons that are more difficult to smelt are bronze cannons, which are the so-called The "half-snake gun", and the remaining iron cannons, the "little snake gun" that is not even qualified as a "half-snake gun", all have a caliber of less than 6 pounds.

Most of these guns are produced in the UK, and the production process has been quite perfect: the gun barrel is smooth, the gun lugs, the gun mount, the reinforcement hoop, the raised post at the gun tail, these parts are all missing, and the gun body has inscriptions, patterns and crosses. Flag pattern, the product is quite exquisite.

The progress of European weapons brought about by the great voyage and the 30-year war is clearly reflected in these artillery.

"They are all good things, and the workmanship is very good." Professor Luo is stroking the smooth cast iron barrel at this moment, and he almost said that this thing travels at home, kills and sets fire.
"It's not easy to handle on the boat, so it's cheaper to invite one or two of you back to the town house." Lin Baoquan said with a smile, stroking his long beard lightly.

My family knows their own affairs. Fuchuan's "V"-shaped bottom and no ribs are not designed for firing guns.Lin Baoquan had seen the local cannons firing on Fuchuan, which had no aim and range, and the gun positions could only be placed on the centerline of the bow—using the keel to offset the recoil.

Professor Luo can understand the meaning of Boss Lin: it is difficult for artillery to exert its power without professional operation.For the sailors on the Fuchuan, it is a bit difficult to complete a series of steps from ranging to launching when facing the enemy, with the wind and waves and the constantly shaking bow.

"It's easy to say, if Boss Lin is willing to give up his subordinates, he might as well send a few over. Hehe, go to Dayuan Island to practice with the army for a few days, and be whipped for a few days. In the future, they will be good at keeping cannons and shooting guns."

When Lin Baoquan heard that there was actually a commissioning business, he hurriedly responded, ordered two small four-pound cannons, and prepared to take them back to the town house.

After opening the double gift package, the customer was very satisfied: the gift package solved the biggest risk after going to sea—the problem of positioning, and the second-level problem of pirates was also greatly alleviated by the arrival of dozens of matchlock guns.

Lin Baoquan made a rough calculation, and found that the money earned during this trip had been filled back unconsciously.
Although table salt and iron materials are crude goods, the price of table salt is much higher.In Jianghuai, you can buy a catty of coarse salt for one or two cents of silver. Even in the coastal areas of Funing Prefecture, it has never been less than eight cents per catty.

As for the She people in the inland mountains who want to eat salt, it is delusional to take out ten cents, that is, one coin and silver, for a catty of coarse salt in the hands of coastal local tycoons like the Lin family. Dou Mi Jin salt is not a legend in northern Fujian. but the norm.

The ship of iron and raw silk that Lin Baoquan brought was offset by the salt and guns of the crossing crowd. The Lin brothers, who were originally worried that they could only bring some money home, now had to worry about the goods. Insufficient value problem.

(End of this chapter)