Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

As we all know, the arms trade is notoriously lucrative.

Huang Quan knew that if he could facilitate this, the Ming Royal Chamber of Commerce's profit targets for this year might be met in advance.

Coupled with Ciel's face, he didn't mind delivering a message to the superiors on his behalf.

It's just a pity that Huang Quan is really not sure whether this big business will be successful in the end.

Because the arms trade is never a simple transaction, it represents huge political factors.

To a certain extent, buying and selling arms can actually be regarded as a way of taking sides.

And it was no secret that the Netherlands was now at war with Britain.

The Ming Dynasty had just completed peace talks with the British, and trade between the two sides had officially begun, with the trade volume rising steadily.

As a traditional maritime power, the Netherlands was also one of the most important trading partners of the Ming Dynasty.

Huang Quan was not sure whether the imperial court was willing to choose sides between Britain and the Netherlands and provide arms to one of them.

Besides, Huang Quan knew that his precious son-in-law had always been thinking about the Dutch Batavia.

The Fifth Army Governor's Office has also been making a battle plan to send troops to Southeast Asia, capture Luzon, Batavia, and Malacca, and completely bring the entire Southeast Asia under the control of the Ming Dynasty, as well as corresponding war preparations.

According to Huang Quan's estimation, once the Ming Dynasty has dealt with the threats on the northern grasslands, it is likely that it will launch troops in Nanyang immediately.

If we sell arms to the Netherlands at this time, we will inevitably be suspected of supporting the enemy.

It is estimated that many people in the DPRK, especially the Fifth Army Commander's Office, will oppose it.

The three most important arsenals of the Ming Dynasty, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing, were all affiliated to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion.

If the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army does not relent, this arms business will definitely not be successful.

Therefore, although Huang Quan was moved, he could not give an accurate answer.

But Charles and Anthony didn't know this. Seeing that Huang Quan was willing to work hard for this matter and try his best to facilitate it, Anthony quickly expressed his thanks.

Charles looked proud.

Because in his opinion, it was precisely because of his existence that Huang Quan paid so much attention to Anthony's application.

Several people chatted for a while, exchanging views on Mingfa, Minghe trade, economic exchanges, cultural exchanges, etc., and then Huang Quancai asked someone to see off the guests.

After Charles and Anthony left, Huang Quan returned to his study, preparing to write a memorial himself and send it to the capital.

Ask the capital for their opinions!
Just when he was about to write, his personal secretary came to report again.

"Your Excellency, the British Ambassador to the Ming Dynasty, Charles, is outside to see you."

Huang Quan raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

I probably have some guesses about Charles's purpose.

As soon as Charles and Anthony left, Charles came. Huang Quan didn't believe it if there was no causal relationship.

After all, there are not so many coincidences in this world.

Soon, Huang Quan saw Charles in his study.

Charles pushed open the door under the leadership of a secretary. Huang Quan, with the intention of making money by being friendly, took a few steps forward and said with a smile.

"Ambassador Charles, you and I haven't seen each other for quite some time."

"Why did you think of coming to my place today?"

"Please, please!"

Charles took a few steps forward, took the initiative to extend his right hand, and shook hands with Huang Quan.

"Haha, I was busy with something before. Didn't I just come to visit Mr. Huang when I had time?"

The British in this era were still very arrogant. With the British as his back, Charles naturally had confidence in his heart and was not like the Dutch ambassador who took the initiative to salute Huang Quan.

But he just took the initiative to shake hands with Huang Quan.

Although the initiative is the same, the attitude expressed by shaking hands is only friendly, while bowing is respectful.

Huang Quan also held Charles' hand and said.

"Ambassador Charles came just in time. I recently got a new box of good tea."

"Ambassador Charles will sit down first. I will order people to boil water and make tea..."

Huang Quan welcomed Charles into the reception room, and soon the attendant brought a pot of brewed tea.

Then he poured a glass for Huang Quan and Charles.

Charles picked up the teacup and took a sip of the hot tea. His eyes lit up instantly, and his expression couldn't help but be a little amazed.

"Good tea, good tea!"

“The entrance is mellow and slightly astringent, and the aftertaste is long and sweet. It’s really a good product..."

Seeing this, Huang Quan said with a smile.

"Haha, this box of tea is a tribute given by the emperor. It is a fine product produced from the Dahongpao mother plant in Wuyi Mountain. The output is limited, only a little each year, so it is naturally good tea."

When Charles heard this, his eyes brightened even more, and he took another sip of the clear tea, his expression full of enjoyment.

As a British man, he naturally likes to drink tea.

But the tea he drank before was of average quality at best.

In addition, the time it took to transport tea from China to England and cross the ocean was often measured in years.

Tea leaves will inevitably go bad!

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with him saying that the wild boar has never eaten fine chaff.

At the very least, he had never tasted the exquisite products produced from the Wuyishan Dahongpao mother plant.

Not to mention him, even the Queen of England has never tasted tea of ​​such good quality.

Now that he could drink such good tea all at once, it was needless to say that Charles was astonished.

Huang Quan held the tea cup in his hand and asked while sipping the tea.

"I wonder why Ambassador Charles came to see Huang today?" Upon hearing this, Charles pondered for a moment, and then said.

"I came to see Mr. Huang today because I have a piece of business I want to do with Mr. Huang."

"I want to purchase a batch of arms from Ming Dynasty on behalf of Great Britain."

When Huang Quan heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, as expected.

But he still pretended to be embarrassed and moved, and spoke with a complicated expression.

"Arms trade?"

"I am quite moved, but the arms trade is of great importance. I need to ask the court for instructions before I can make a decision..."

Huang Quan still used the same statement as before to answer Charles.

Hearing this, Charles said with a smile.

"In this case, Minister Huang will have trouble to deal with it."

"If this matter can be accomplished, Daying will be grateful."

After speaking, Charles pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"No matter how much arms the Dutch want, we in Great Britain will want double the amount. The price is also negotiable and will definitely be higher than what the Dutch can offer."

When Charles said this, he looked rich and wealthy.

His current idea is very simple. The number of arms in Ming Dynasty is limited.

The more he bought, the less Ming could sell to the Dutch.

Although he did not think that the Dutch could make a comeback after obtaining the Ming Dynasty's advanced firearms.

But he still wanted to be as safe as possible to prevent any unexpected situations from happening.

When Huang Quan heard this, his eyes couldn't help but light up, but he still spoke.

"Ambassador Charles, don't worry, I will do my best to facilitate this matter..."

"I believe the imperial court will reply soon."

Anyway, the promise doesn't cost money, so Huang Quan doesn't mind giving Charles a promise.

The two chatted for a while and exchanged views on the commercial, economic and cultural exchanges between Ming Dynasty and Britain.

Then, Charles said goodbye and left.

Huang Quan returned to his study and continued to write a memorial, preparing to report the matter to the court.

After writing the memorial, Huang Quan called his secretary and asked the secretary to take the memorial to the telegraph office in Nanjing.

Prepare to send your memorial to the capital by telegram!

Unlike the long time required to build a railway, the erection of telegraph lines was much simpler.

Now the Ming Dynasty has set up a telegraph line connecting the north and south Beijing to ensure the smooth flow of information between the two capitals.

The original communication time between the north and south Beijing was shortened from the three or four days required for express delivery to less than one hour.

This is because the current technology is not in place and the telegram needs to be relayed several times on the way. Otherwise, the speed will only be faster.

The rapid increase in the speed of information transmission has made the connection between the North and the South even closer.

In addition, the imperial court is also stepping up the construction of telegraph networks connecting provincial capitals and cities, and the progress is quite rapid.

This made everyone in Ming Dynasty very happy about this.

Because information travels faster, it’s a good thing for everyone.

The only ones who were unhappy might be those officials who usually write memorials and like to talk long and nonsense to show off their literary talent.

Because after the telegraph line was set up, the imperial court immediately issued regulations.

Whenever a memorial is urgently delivered by telegraph, the content of the memorial must be concise and to the point, with the number of words within 300, and no lengthy speeches.

If the number of words in the memorial exceeds the stipulated limit, the excess cost will be borne by the official at his or her own expense.

Well, it is worth mentioning that telegraph charges in Ming Dynasty are very expensive now.

One silver dollar per word is still the internal price.

If someone really dares to continue to feed the emperor useless information and publish a few 10,000-word articles, he will probably go bankrupt.

Since the telegraph was set up, the memorials reported by officials have become more concise and to the point, greatly reducing Zhu Jianzhuo's workload.

This made Comrade Lao Zhu feel quite happy.

He finally no longer had to read the long nonsense in the memorial. It really made his eyes hurt.

Of course, the telegraph line open to the private sector was more expensive, five silver dollars per word.

Except for some wealthy businessmen and gentry, most people would definitely not be able to afford it.

But as that saying goes, the timeliness of information is priceless.

Many times, information is more important than money.

……

In the grassland outside the pass, wolves live in Xu Mountain!
Zhu Jing'an climbed the mountain and looked out, his eyes a little disappointed.

Langjuxu Mountain is actually the Kent Mountain in later generations, located to the east of Kulun City.

The distance is about two to three hundred kilometers.

Although the traces left by Huo Qubing when he sealed Lang Juxu, have long since disappeared under the wind and sand of Mobei and turned into dust.

But the mountain is still there!

When Zhu Jing'an didn't find the remains left by Huo Qubing at first, he was inevitably a little disappointed.

But he soon recovered. Since the relics left by Huo Qubing could not be found, it would be up to him to leave new relics.

He wants the glory of Han civilization to shine on this land forever! (End of chapter)