Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 425: At the negotiation table, the sinister Jiangnan gentry "attacked" the arrogant London gentry
When the Saxon fleet passed through the waters off Quanzhou, the Fujian Navy of the Qing Dynasty hid on Jiahe Island (now Xiamen Island) in Tongan County and refused to fight.

Continuing to sail north, they encountered pirates in the Taishan Islands.

at night,

A merchant ship berthed outside was attacked by a water ghost~
Fortunately, the officer on duty was well-trained and mobilized nearby ships to surround the merchant ship in time and sent marines on board to provide support.

The two sides fought fiercely.
The pirates left behind 11 bodies, and the rest jumped into the sea, dying.

The pirates stabbed the necks of 21 merchant sailors one by one while they were sleeping and they died in their hammocks.

……

the next morning,

Adelaide boarded the ship for inspection.

He checked the eagle hook hanging from the side of the ship, and the blood sprayed around the bulkhead.

Write in your diary:
"The dignity of the Royal Navy is only 10 meters away, within 2000 meters."

"Within 10 meters, it's considered barbaric."

"Beyond 2000 meters, it belongs to God."

He ordered two armed merchant ships to search nearby islands and bombard several fishing villages to vent his anger.

Afterwards, he headed north in disappointment.

……

After Du Ren arrived at Jinshanwei, he took a sampan to board Adelaide's flagship, the second-class sailing battleship "Boyne River".

This is a new ship, but it uses an old name.

The displacement is about 2000 tons, with three gun decks, 3 shipborne guns and a crew of 99 people.

As the Minister of Industry, Du Ren naturally remembered the data of the Wu Army Navy's main battleship "Jiangnan Class", with a displacement of 1000 tons and 36 shipboard guns.

The difference between it and the "Boyne" under your feet is extremely huge.

……

on deck,
The military band played music, and Adelaide wore a neat and complicated woolen naval admiral's uniform and a small curly wig.

After the two sides chatted in the cabin for half an hour,

Adelaide, along with 42 company executives and fleet officers, boarded an inland vessel arranged by the State of Wu and entered Taihu Lake from the Jinshanwei inland river.

There were also 100 marines and 100 mercenaries accompanying them, all carrying light weapons.
This is also the biggest concession that Wu can make~
Simultaneously,

Jinshanwei Fortress is responsible for supplying the fleet with food and fresh water at an affordable price.

In response,

All the warships of the East India Company closed their gun ports and lowered their sails as a sign of friendship.

……

The inner waterway from Songjiang Prefecture to Suzhou Prefecture is narrow and the navigation speed is slow.

Adelaide liked to be on the deck, pull out the telescope and look at the scenery on both sides of the river, the farmland, houses, roads, and the clothes and spirits of passers-by.

These ones,

All of these can help judge the true strength of the emerging kingdom in order to gain a more advantageous position in the upcoming business negotiations.

Especially in towns~
He visited several counties along the way with great interest and bought some new and interesting things.

Adelaide was very excited when she learned that the Minister of Industry who accompanied her throughout the trip was once a well-known barrister.

Together!

So, I took him to have an in-depth discussion on the legal issues.

Unfortunately,
It was like talking at cross purposes and both sides were confused.

Du Ren vaguely found that the set of laws that Adelaide talked about seemed a little familiar, and similar to some of the ideas that His Majesty occasionally expressed~
……

When the ship passed by Xishan Island,

Du Ren briefly introduced it - "the monarch's resort".

Adelaide expressed her understanding, saying that it was the "Windsor Castle" or "Versailles Palace" of the East, and there was nothing wrong with it.

The fleet sailed across the moat and headed directly east to the Wu imperial palace, which had not yet been fully completed.

Adelaide finally met the real owner~
however,
When it came to the issue of etiquette, the harmonious atmosphere between the two sides suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Adelaide refused to kneel, but bowed in tribute~
The reason is simple,
The Wu Kingdom did not completely replace the Qing Empire and take over his territorial heritage.

So far,

It only had an advantage in some areas south of the Yangtze River. At least, Guangzhou was still in the hands of the Qing court.

……

Everyone present had a changed look on their faces.

Li Yu looked calm and asked someone to move a chair.
"Aiqing, please sit down!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I personally admire and respect your great achievements. However, I am the Governor-General of the East India Company, appointed by the King and supervised by the Parliament. In the words of the Oriental scholars, etiquette is the most important thing! Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"It's okay. My dear, have you read the Four Books?"

"No."

"What about the Five Classics?"

"No. Sorry, but I don't know Chinese characters."

"You can read them when you have a chance. These books are very suitable for you."

Adelaide was confused and wondered whether she should buy two copies on the way back. She was bored at sea and asked the translator to read to her.

……

Li Yu smiled as usual and made arrangements as usual.

It's about testing your limits, I understand.

The east wind cannot overwhelm the west wind, but the west wind will overwhelm the east wind.
First there was a sumptuous welcoming banquet, and then a small military parade was held in the square.

Actually,
Adelaide was very interested in the surrounding palace buildings, especially the gray and white building materials.

The Guards Regiment conducted artillery drills.

Horse-drawn vehicles pulled four 4-pound cannons, followed by ammunition carts, and slowly entered the venue.

Drive into the big circle drawn by lime and unload the truck~
Li Yu smiled and said:

"Aiqing, can you point out a target?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty. That grove."

The artillerymen who received the order immediately got busy~
The movements are skillful and everyone performs their duties.

Adelaide held up a telescope to observe, secretly praising in her heart, but appearing calm on the surface.

The officers following behind him were not so reserved, whispering and commenting.

……

The gunfire sounded.

The grove was enveloped by a sudden barrage of shells.

The tree trunks broke and black smoke rose from the treetops.

A Saxon Army officer whispered:
"Very good, our colleagues have definitely mastered the firing tables and trigonometry."

My companion immediately replied:

"One more thing to add, their cannon-casting technology is also very mature."

"One more thing to add, they must have mastered the most scientific gunpowder ratio. The estimated range of the bombardment is close to three miles."

Everyone nodded frequently.

Over the past 30 years, the Royal Navy has invested heavily in two areas:
The most scientific ratio of black powder.

And the most scientific ratio of artillery caliber and length.

Could it be that people in the East, thousands of miles away, are also studying this?
……

The sound of cannons rumbles,

It was obvious that the artillerymen of the Guards Corps had no intention of saving gunpowder and kept reloading and firing.

suddenly,

Adelaide put down the telescope and whispered:

"Your Majesty, your artillery is also equipped with flintlocks?"

Li Yu nodded.

There was an uproar all around!
"What's so strange about this? Don't you guys use it?"

"Your Majesty is saying that the Royal Navy has actually been equipped with flintlocks for a long time, but they have not been widely used."

"Really?" Li Yuyun said calmly, "Why isn't it popular? Is it because the gunners don't like it?"

"Adding a flintlock requires opening the rear of the gun to fix it, which is complicated and expensive!"

……

"My dear, what do you think of my light infantry phalanx?"

The Guards Corps dispatched two infantry companies to practice marching, horizontal formation, hollow square formation and other subjects, and conducted five rounds of live-fire shooting.

The Saxons watched intently.

Laymen watch the excitement, while experts watch the doorway.
Many people privately discuss that the probability of Wu replacing Qing is at least 6%.

Don Quikinde, the cousin of the Iberian Governor-General in Manila and personal representative, who was invited to the event, also watched the entire process, and the little bit of covetousness in his heart completely disappeared.

He decided to remind his cousin in his next letter.

Don't have any unrealistic expectations, just do business honestly with the State of Wu to earn money.

and also,

If we can win over the red-haired brother of His Majesty the Wu Kingdom, the pirate Smith, we can find a few small islands and let him serve as a tax collector.

Manila is far away from the mainland, but very close to Guangzhou~
……

A long table.

On both sides sat officials from the Wu State Commercial Bureau and senior executives of the East India Company.

The negotiations officially began.
Adelaide handed over a long list of goods~
Above are the goods, quantities, and corresponding prices brought by 30 merchant ships.

The value of all kinds of goods was 159 million taels, in addition to 200 million taels of silver and 12 taels of gold sand.

Hu Xueyu was also well prepared.

With a wave of the hand:

"Someone is coming."

A dozen samples were placed on the table.

Each item has a corresponding price, origin, and a brief introduction.

……

This intuitive way of trading amazed everyone present.

Among them, the export price of ordinary quality tea in southern Anhui is 1 taels per dan (100 jin).

Adelaide said:

"Minister Hu, regarding the export price of tea, silk and porcelain, it seems to be much higher than in normal years. Also, can the place of delivery be changed to Guangzhou?"

Hu Xueyu shook his head:

"I have calculated it for you. In the past, Guangzhou was the only port for trade. In addition to the payment for goods and customs duties, you also had to bear various fees, such as tolls, tea fees, joint fees, and transportation fees. All these added up to a considerable amount. I, Wu Guoqingming, converted the total price. In other words, in addition to the payment for goods, you don't need to pay any other fees."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. If you have any additional expenses, you can come directly to this minister to take you to see His Majesty."

"Minister Hu, I have made an estimate. Taking last year as an example, the amount of tea imported into Europe through official channels should be no less than 5000 million catties. Based on 20 taels per hundred catties, this is a huge market worth up to 1000 million taels of silver, and it is still growing rapidly. The upper limit is unpredictable. With all due respect, your country has made too much money."

……

When it comes to settling accounts, Shaoxing lawyers are not afraid of anyone.

Even if Descartes came, he would have to admit his mistakes in tears.

Hu Xueyu sneered:

"You traveled thousands of miles, risking a 2% mortality rate for sailors on a single voyage, to deliver the silver to us. What did you want? Was it God's call? No, it was for the huge profits."

"Tea worth 1000 million taels of silver was shipped across the ocean to London, Paris, Rotterdam, and Boston, and the profit was tripled or even quintupled after it was resold."

"You middlemen are making a lot of money. In my opinion, 20 taels is too low. 30 taels is more appropriate."

Adelaide said, feeling that he had met his match.

20 taels is 20 taels, after all, it’s still a lot of money!

however,
Hu Xueyu didn't intend to let him go just like that, pointing at the list:

"If the Qing dynasty still ruled the South, would it buy your cotton? Would it buy your wool? Would it buy your broken machinery?"

……

"Your Excellency, these are not rags, but a complete set of the latest cotton spinning machinery, representing the most advanced science today. This set of machinery can replace 1 textile workers."

Hu Xueyu looked at this guy who was obviously too excited and asked quietly:
"What do you do?"

"I am William, the vice president of the London Mechanics Society and a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Oxford University. I swear on my personal honor that this machine is not a piece of junk, but the most advanced textile machinery on the planet. Please allow me to guide the entire production process. When the machine rumbles into motion, you will be deeply shocked."

Fu Cheng, the Deputy Minister of Commerce, who was sitting on the left, suddenly laughed wildly.
Tears of laughter came out.

He delivered an assist in time:
"Master Hu, you are talking about something that is not the same as the other. My Great Wu has its own national conditions. Why don't you let me speak a little?"

Hu Xueyu nodded.

Signal to Fucheng that the performance can begin.

……

Fucheng stood up and put his palms on the table.

People lean forward:
"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to say a few words from the bottom of my heart."

"The territory is vast and the population is billions. Do you know what these two words mean?"

"It means we can live well without any of Guo Jia's stuff! As for what you said, one set of machinery is equivalent to 10,000 female workers. Do you know the population of this land?"

"At least, 3 million!"

Fu Cheng's voice gradually became louder:

"3 million people!"

"If we all move over there, we'll sink your three islands."

"I heard that there are more sheep than people in your area?"

"Only a small country like yours would be so keen on inventing machines to replace human labor! We have plenty of people in Great Wu. What machines can do, humans can do. What machines cannot do, humans can also do."

"Have you ever seen the Great Wall? Have you ever seen the Grand Canal? They were all projects built more than a thousand years ago. Would they have the machines you're talking about?"

……

Poor William was so confused and incoherent that he didn't know how to begin his defense.

People who do serious research are often not good at speaking!

They also lack the experience of being humiliated in public.

Fucheng was afraid of scolding people to death, so he slowed down his speech.
Words of truth:

"I bought these junk of yours because I felt sorry for you and wanted to give you something to eat."

"Your Majesty said that just earning your money without buying your products is not good and is not the behavior of a responsible empire."

"Okay. Everyone, do you want to continue talking?"

Everyone looked towards Adelaide.

The old noble looked at Fucheng deeply.

The look in his eyes is 3 points of resentment, 3 points of depression, 3 points of helplessness, and 1 point of pleading.
Fu Cheng suddenly felt a current running from his tailbone to his forehead.
People are numb.

He coughed awkwardly twice, picked up the tea bowl, and lowered his head to drink tea~
I didn’t dare to look the old man opposite me in the eye again.

The old London Union Jack people are not simple, the taste is so authentic~
……

"19 taels. This 1 tael is used as compensation for the shipping fee from Jinshanwei to Guangzhou, okay?"

There was silence for a while.

Hu Xueyu nodded:
"make a deal!"

In the Oriental three-piece set, tea is the well-deserved eldest brother, silk is the second youngest brother, and porcelain is the third youngest brother, ranked according to the total amount~
Therefore,
Now that the price of the tea has been set, the rest is relatively easy to negotiate.

Ordinary goods with a weight of 19 liang (5% tender leaves, 4% old leaves, and 1% tree stems) are the mainstream. After all, Europeans are not picky at this time.
High-end goods are rare and are supplied to nobles, factory owners, and royal family members.
Paris is the main battlefield for high-end goods.

Louis XVI married a spendthrift woman, Queen Marie, who did only one thing in her life - spending money.

Moreover, Mary was particularly keen on consuming high-end goods imported from the East. Her biggest regret in life was that she could not buy the same goods used by the Eastern royal family, even if she spent money.

but,

In view of Li Yu's open-minded thinking, it is expected that Mary can double her wish in this time and space.

The price is,

The Parisians' belts were tightened while the Bastille prison was expanded.
……

Jinshanwei Wharf is very lively.

Dozens of merchant ships docked one by one and lowered the gangplank.

The Commercial Bureau organized thousands of laborers to unload the mountains of cargo in the cabin.

The sailors were busy cleaning the empty cabins, killing rats, and clearing sewage.
it won't be long,
The cabin can be filled with porcelain from Jiangxi, tea from southern Anhui, and silk from Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing and Hangzhou.

This is a big business worth nearly 500 million taels of silver.
However, the proportion of saltpeter is very small.

This made Li Yu very disappointed, but he didn't show it.

Saltpeter was not abundant in the entire South Seas region, but the Saxon East India Company had huge reserves of natural saltpeter mines, which it sold to Europe in shiploads.

……

Hu Xueyu, Minister of Commerce, suddenly came to the door:

"Your Excellency, although it may be a little rude to say this, this is a matter of diplomatic importance between the two countries, so we still have to go through the necessary procedures. So, where is your letter of credence?"

Adelaide, who was enjoying her meal at the table, was stunned:

"What letter?"

"Aren't you a diplomatic and commercial mission from London under the orders of King George III of your country?"

Adelaide's facial muscles twitched violently
Bad dish!
Fell into a pit!
(End of this chapter)