unclear

Chapter 668 Community of Interests

"Oh, since you are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Revenue, I would like to ask you, how has the sales of wool been in recent years? Have the Han officials in the wool spinning mill accepted bribes and deliberately made things difficult?"

After the interpreter explained, Hong Tao probably understood 80% of what he said. Tushmer was a bit like the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, helping the Grand Taiji to handle government affairs. There were four of them. Demoqi helped the Grand Taiji collect taxes and arrange labor, which was somewhat similar to the responsibilities of the Minister of Revenue.

Since they brought professionals with them, let's talk about economic issues first. The wool spinning mill has been open for several years and business is very good. Felt, wool yarn, and woolen cloth are in short supply, and 30% to 40% of them are sold back to the north.

We have made a lot of money, but what about the income of our partners? We cannot just listen to the reports of our own officials. It is better to listen to opinions from different perspectives.

"Thanks to Sun and Yue Khan, the wool of our tribe sells very well, and the woolen cloth and felt produced by the factory are also very good. The herders like to use them to make felt tents and clothes, which are very warm.

The Han officials in the factory were fair in their business dealings, but they were too meticulous. They would always open the wool rolls and divide them into many portions, and set many different prices. The herders couldn't figure it out, so they always had to trouble my subordinates.

The amount of sugar and sugarcane wine is a little low, and the winter in the north is bitterly cold. The officials of the market always say that the quantity is insufficient. If more sugarcane wine can be transported, the herdsmen will live more comfortably.

Demoqi from the Kharchin tribe must have had a lot of contact with factory buyers. He spoke Chinese with a heavy accent, but his choice of words was very expressive and he could make his meaning clear in just a few words, expressing both satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

"I have a lot of wine, but I can't give them too much. The ancestors of the Han people once said that wine is a poison that penetrates the intestines. Drinking a little can make you happy, but drinking too much can hurt your body. My wool spinning mill is still counting on them to herd more sheep and shear more wool. If they get drunk all day, they will miss important things.

White sugar is produced in the south, thousands of miles away, and it is afraid of water and tides, so it is quite difficult to transport. Now I don’t have enough large sea vessels, and I can transport more in a few years.”

Among his fellow time travelers, many like to exchange strong liquor for the goods of the northern nomadic peoples, thinking that they are getting a good deal, but Hong Tao doesn't think so.

Alcohol is indeed addictive, and can bring huge profits. But this is tantamount to disguised robbery, which will make the northern nomads poorer and poorer. It may be profitable in the short term, but it is very detrimental to long-term stability.

The ancients said that poverty breeds change, and the poorer the people, the stronger their fighting power. Because they have nothing but their lives, if they win, they can turn things around, and if they lose, it is better than starving to death or freezing to death.

On the contrary, people who have enough food and drink and a little savings are less willing to fight. This is the reason why people who have constant property have constant determination. When people have a certain amount of wealth and a stable life, they are unwilling to smash what they have and start over.

Hong Tao definitely wanted to deal with the various Mongolian tribes, but he didn't just rely on force to destroy them, as that would be too costly. He wanted to try to win over a group of them first, using benefits to get them to stand with him. Then he would deal with the tribes that were difficult to win over or didn't need to be won over, and the Kharchin tribe was a pilot.

As for whether the Mongols would trust the Han emperor, there is no need to discuss this matter. The Han and Mongolian nationalities are actually collective names for many ethnic groups. For example, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty and a large number of nobles were all Xianbei ancestors, and the ancestors of the Kharachin tribe were also Central Asians.

As the saying goes, those who are not of our race must have different hearts. It is only because of different interests that we cannot integrate together. Even if they are of the same Han ethnicity, if there are too many conflicts of interest, they will still kill each other and leave corpses everywhere, and they are no more lenient than foreigners.

The same is true for the various Mongolian tribes. Since the Northern Yuan Empire retreated to the northern desert, they have been fighting each other every day. To this day, the Right Mongols, Left Mongols, and the Northern Mongols still dislike each other and will fight each other in a minute if they have the chance. "Respected Sun and Moon Khan, if we can provide more wool, a lot, will the wool mill buy it all?" Bai Hong Da Taiji did not refute this explanation, but discussed the wool mill's production capacity through Demoqi.

"If there is enough wool, I can build another wool mill. But sheep won't suddenly grow more wool. If there is only a small amount of wool occasionally, building another mill will be a loss, and we will lose a lot of money!"

Hong Tao was very much in favor of increasing production and was very pleased. See, the interests are converging. This leader has tasted the sweetness of sitting at home counting money, and has also enjoyed the benefits of trading with the Ming Dynasty, and has begun to actively seek progress.

However, no matter how happy you are, you still have to say something ugly first. Otherwise, if you lose money, they will not be reasonable people and will resort to violence if you can't explain it clearly in a few words.

"Riyue Khan, the Tumed tribe has more wool, and they also want to build a factory with the Ming Dynasty!" Although Shunyi King Bushitu was canonized by the Ming Dynasty, this was the first time they met. He was quite honest and didn't say a word of courtesy. He spoke the real stuff right from the start.

"Prince Shunyi, the factory should be built on the bank of a large river, the closer to the wool producing area, the better. Do you have a suitable location?"

The wool industry was dispensable to the Ming Dynasty, but it was of utmost importance to the Mongolian tribes. Wool, which was originally worth little, suddenly became a big moneymaker, and could be exchanged for cloth, ironware, and food that were previously difficult to obtain. No leader could ignore it.

What is this called? This is called a seller's market. As a seller, Daming is more proactive. If the conditions are met, they can cooperate. If the conditions are not met, the transaction will not be successful. Hong Tao is very familiar with this trick and does not feel any pressure at all.

"There is a big river, a very big river. If Sun and Moon Khan can come to Guihua City to build a factory, I will be very grateful!"

The King of Shunyi was obviously not unprepared, and had already thought of the best place to build a factory, which was Guihua City. It was close to the Heihe River, a tributary of the Yellow River, and had a large area of ​​land available for use. It was also under the control of the Tumed tribe and was as close to the wool producing areas as possible, which was particularly in line with his requirements and more in line with his interests.

"Guihua City... is indeed a good place, but building a factory requires a large amount of machinery and equipment in advance. I heard that the Tumed tribe has other ideas. If we can't correct them, I'm afraid it will be difficult to implement it, right?"

Hong Tao smiled at the proposal of the Shunyi King. Good fellow, building a factory in Hohhot is indeed close to the raw materials, but it is also close to death. If there is no effective safety guarantee, the larger the factory is built, the more losses will be made. If you can push it aside, the Ming Dynasty court that invested in it will be in trouble.

"I am the Khan of the Tumed tribe, and Su Nang is a traitor!"

Shunyi Wang was so angry that his face turned purple, and he hurriedly assured that he was able to protect them. But the more he did so, the less confident he seemed, and the Great Taiji Baihong of the Kharachin tribe grinned.

You are still too young and not sophisticated enough. How can family scandals be spread outside? Even if Kharaqin has different opinions on the negotiation with the Ming Dynasty, they can only be discussed internally and must not be made public, otherwise they will be looked down upon by outsiders.

(End of this chapter)