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Chapter 361 Good news one after another

"Your Majesty may have misunderstood... Please continue, I will truthfully convey your suggestions to Governor Aguna." The emperor actually knew so much inside information, which made Juan unable to deny it any longer. However, he also acted like a bachelor. He simply showed his authority and pretended that Baron Silva was not there, and continued talking about business.

“According to my judgment, a new governor will not come in the near future, and Manila and the entire Philippine Islands are still governed by Governor Aguna.

Guangzhou and Fuzhou have allowed foreign merchant ships to enter and exit freely. In this way, the status of Manila Port will inevitably decline. The most direct impact is income, and the indirect impact is Governor Aguna's reputation in Spain and his importance in the king's heart. .

I am a very nostalgic person. Since the two sides have already had friction and understood each other, there is no need to find a new governor to continue the friction. In order to reduce conflicts and misunderstandings, Governor Aguna should not only continue to stay in the Philippines, but also gain deeper trust from the King of Spain.

The method is very simple. The Ming Emperor, that is, I will write a letter for you to forward to Governor Aguna, who will then find a way to send it back to the mainland as quickly as possible, and make sure that the King of Spain or the Chief Minister sees it.

The general content of the letter can be revealed in part. I would propose to the King of Spain that the two countries should jointly operate and protect the route from Europe to the East. Goods from the Ming Dynasty were only sold to Spanish and Portuguese merchants, while goods from Europe, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the New World could only be sold to Ming merchants.

This should be beneficial to both sides, especially in terms of attacking the Dutch and English. Due to lack of supply, they will be slowly squeezed out of this market and have to buy markup goods from Spanish merchants.

Of course, they may also join forces to rob Spanish merchant ships in a certain sea area. This is the difficulty that both of us need to overcome. After all, anything that makes money is accompanied by risks. In fact, even if our two countries do not cooperate, the Dutch and British will not be too polite to Spanish and Portuguese merchant ships. "

How to cooperate? Hong Tao didn't go into too much detail. It was all about strategic intentions. He didn't even mention the types, quantities and tax rates of the products that were the exclusive agents of both parties.

It’s not that I’m not smart or I don’t understand the current international situation, but the cooperation between two countries is much more complicated than individuals, and there are too many changes. It’s useless to plan too carefully. The specific links have to go through the two sides again and again. It will take a round of negotiations to finalize it.

"Please allow me to record it in writing! Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will keep the record very carefully and use my life to ensure that it is not known to anyone except the Governor!"

Juan listened very carefully, clasping his hands tightly together, and his breathing became obviously heavier and heavier. In the end, he even asked the emperor to speak again, and he had to record it to avoid misunderstandings caused by missing a certain sentence.

The emperor's proposal was too important, too timely, and too wonderful for him and Governor Aguna. If it could be achieved, it might change the fate of a lifetime. And he personally believes that the conditions are very fair, at least it will be of great benefit to Spain, and maybe it can restore the decline.

As for why the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty took the initiative to propose cooperation with Spain, which is thousands of miles away, and what he can get from it, that is other people's business secrets, and it is neither right nor easy to ask.

In less than an hour, the special envoy came and left, taking nothing with him except the majestic palace. Oh, no, there was a thin piece of paper hidden in his tied up hair, with Spanish written all over it.

Now he has lost interest in any beautiful scenery and delicious food. He only wants to return to Manila Port as soon as possible and quickly discuss the feasibility with Governor Aguna. Once there are no major problems, he will return to the mainland as quickly as possible and in the safest way. Show it to the First Minister.     Why not a king? Because at this time, King Felipe III of Spain was obsessed with hunting, singing, dancing, banquets and bullfighting, and handed over all state affairs to Duke Lemar, which was worse than Jiajing who was practicing alchemy and practicing Taoism, and Wanli who had not been in court for more than 20 years. Nothing less.

In June of the eighth year of Jingyang (1612), Li Zhizao received good news from Yongping Prefecture. After more than three years of construction, Luanzhou Ironmaking Plant successfully smelted the first batch of pig iron and the first batch of refined steel. The quality was very good. , and the cost is lower than that of Yongdinghe Iron Works.

Because the iron ore near Luanzhou is not only of higher quality but also easier to mine, and is rich in good coal, the costs of transportation, mining, and refining from mining to coking to ironmaking are very low. The people engaged in these supporting industries are all border residents who entered the customs from Liaodong Town, and the labor cost is also much lower.

According to Li Zhizao, in about half a year, when the second batch of craftsmen who went to Yongdinghe Ironworks for training come back, the production capacity of Luanzhou Ironworks can be doubled, which is roughly estimated to be more than five times that of Yongdinghe Ironworks. .

This is not the final production capacity. If necessary, he can carry out a second or even third phase of expansion within a year. As long as there are enough craftsmen, production capacity can be doubled and doubled again. No matter how Haihe Machinery Factory expands, the problem of raw materials has been completely solved.

When the emperor was happy, Li Zhizao was given the title of casual official of Zizhi Shaoyin and the title of Yazhong doctor, and he was given a bullfight uniform. As for the official position, it cannot be moved for the time being. The doctor of the Camp and Maintenance Department of the Ministry of Works is already the highest official position that can direct specific work. The ministers and ministers who are higher up are all playing people rather than working.

If a technical official like him were to stay in the yamen all day long reviewing and approving official documents, scheming with colleagues, superiors, and the emperor, he would be useless in a few years. The Ming Dynasty not only had no shortage of vain professional politicians, but also had too many.

Perhaps out of jealousy of Li Zhizao's honor, less than ten days later another piece of good news came from Haihe Machinery Factory. After more than a year of research, trial production, and modification, the Zhenni spinning machine has finally been finalized and mass-produced. It has 36 spindles, the efficiency is twelve times that of the traditional spinning machine, and the quality does not decrease but increases.

Although the contribution of a spinning machine may not be as great as that of the Luanzhou Ironworks, which integrates coal mining, mining, mineral processing, coking, ironmaking, and steelmaking, its emergence can still drive the upgrading of the entire industry. It’s not small either, so it deserves a reward.

"Your Majesty, the spinning mill in Songjiang Prefecture has been built, and we are just waiting for the spinning machine to start working. Can you let one of the two doctors, Xu and Wang, go over first and train the workers while installing the machine?" The emperor and the cabinet were discussing. When Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng were disbanding their official titles, Ye Xianggao made a small suggestion with a flattering look on his face.

"It's built! It's been built in just a few months? The Zhenni spinning machine is not like the spinning machine in the workshop. You can just find a flat place and start work. This thing needs a factory building to protect it from wind and rain, and the ground must be very To make it smooth, it is best to use cement as a pavement and then find a good level."

Hong Tao thought that the bachelors in the cabinet were anxious when they saw others being awarded honors and wanted to show their merit. Instead of being rewarded, they made serious criticisms. Setting up a factory means setting up a factory, and it must not turn into a farce of giving gifts to so and so.

(End of this chapter)