evil slave

Before leaving Yask, Zhao Qiang met Duncan, Guo Youcai, and Guo Youshou. 【】The three of them stayed in Yask for a few days, but they didn't wait for Zhao Qiang to summon them. It seemed that the general had forgotten them. Pass on, but Yask is so big, except for Zhao Qiang, no one wants to see them.The three of them begged to see the door, and they had to look at the gate of the security team every day. Zhao Qiang's residence in Yask was temporarily set up in the security team, hoping that the general would come to them and remember why they came here.It's a pity that they were depressed because they didn't see Zhao Qiang for a few days, and the only gain was that they were scolded by the guards a lot.

When Zhao Qiang saw the three of them, he remembered that he still had something to do. Seeing that it was still early, he was not in a hurry to leave now, so he asked Yan Qian to bring Duncan and the others in.

"Your Excellency General, it's a great honor that you took time out of your busy schedule to summon us."

Finally being summoned, Duncan was overjoyed and led Guo Youcai and Guo Youshou to salute Zhao Qiang respectfully.

Seeing the three foreigners knelt on the ground in front of him with no obstacles at all, Zhao Qiang laughed uncontrollably. The knees of the foreigners are not very different from those of the Chinese, they can still be stretched and bent.

"There's been a lot of business recently, and I'm so busy running around. If I hadn't seen you just now, I would have almost forgotten you." Zhao Qiang chuckled, and motioned for the guards to give Duncan and the others some tea.

"Your Excellency, your career is like every day, and your army is invincible. I believe that under the leadership of Your Excellency, the Guan Ning Army will become the real master of the Far East! Compared with the General, those Russians really do not deserve to have this They should go back to Moscow.” Duncan was ashamed to ask about the purchase, so as not to leave greedy thoughts in the other party’s heart, so he complimented Zhao Qiang first, but what he said was not true Pure flattery, it is true.Under the leadership of Zhao Qiang, the current Guan Ning Army has indeed replaced the Russians, and in the near future, he even believes that the Guan Ning Army is likely to go south to compete with the Tatar Qing people.

"Well, this commander has always believed that the Russians are not worthy of being the masters of this land. They should not come to the East at all." Zhao Qiang smiled and glanced at Guo Youcai and Guo Youshou who were at a loss because they couldn't understand Chinese: "Both The treatment of my Guanning Army wounded in Shouyi City Hospital was quite effective, and here I would like to thank you two on behalf of the more than [-] soldiers under my command."

After Duncan translated Zhao Qiang's words, Guo Youcai and Guo Youshou hurriedly became humble and said a few polite words.Zhao Qiang asked some more questions about the hospital, and Guo and Er Guo answered them one by one, but it can be seen that the two of them were very absent-minded when they answered.

"Not long ago, I told you that the commander needs a large number of Frang machine firearms to arm his subordinates. When I said this, the commander did not have enough money to purchase them. Now, although there are not many, it is barely enough. I can buy a batch for this Commander." Zhao Qiang didn't bother with them anymore, and went straight to the topic: "You guys are from Macau, do you know how much money a musket costs, and how much money a cannon costs?"

Hearing Zhao Qiang's question about this, Duncan and Er Guo cheered up, and the three talked for a while, and then Duncan replied: "Back to the general, in addition to us Spaniards, there are also Portuguese, The English and the Dutch, and most of them are Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch merchants. According to the size of the general’s current army, we believe that the number of muskets purchased by the general in the future should be less than 20. This is a huge number. Buying from a merchant from one country is definitely not enough for His Majesty the General, so if the General needs us to purchase on his behalf, we will purchase from several countries at the same time." Speaking of this, Duncan paused, and then said cautiously: "According to According to the market prices we knew before we left Macau, the price of a muzzle-loading musket was around 500 taels of silver, while the price of a small cannon weighing [-] jin was around [-] taels.”

"A musket costs 20 taels of silver!"

Zhao Qiang was taken aback by the price, because although he came from later generations, he also knew what a tael of silver represented.

Many people in later generations have no idea how much a tael of silver is worth.In particular, the idiot TV series of the later generations that gave Zhao Qiang a headache was the most extreme. There were two steamed buns and a bowl of soup that cost five taels of silver, and a young woman lost 1000 million taels of silver in a gambling, etc. Absurd plots, you must know the treasury during the Ming Dynasty Wanli The annual income has only reached 200 million taels, and it is only after the reform of Zhang Juzheng that the treasury has a rich income.Some novels are also full of loopholes in the use of gold and silver. Zhao Qiang remembers that the gold masters he admired all had descriptions that did not know the real price of silver: Guo Jing met Huang Rong for the first time and was slaughtered by her. Seven cents and four cents".

Cao Xueqin, who has not yet been born yet, wrote in his "Dream of Red Mansions" that Grandma Liu went to Jia's house for a meal of crabs and ate 24 taels of silver, and lamented that the silver could be used by a small family for a year. "History of the Ming Dynasty" also mentioned that the proper annual salary of the seventh-rank magistrate is only 45 taels of silver.However, in the era of "Shooting the Condors" in the late Southern Song Dynasty, the circulation of silver was still lower than that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and its value could only be higher. The extra meal of 19 taels, no matter how rare and delicious it is, seems too much.It is recorded in the history that during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver could buy rice of normal quality and two stones. At that time, one stone was about a catty, and one tael of silver could buy a catty of rice. That is, in Zhao Qiang’s previous life, the price of a catty of rice was one five to one seven. It can be calculated as one or two taels of silver in the Ming Dynasty. Although the story of "A Dream of Red Mansions" is based on the Qing Dynasty, the living conditions are based on the Ming Dynasty. Let’s calculate the value of the Ming Dynasty’s silver. I was happy; while Guo Jing paid more than 3000 yuan for a meal, and it was still in such a small place as Zhangjiakou, which cannot but be said to be too exaggerated.Even if Guo Jing is stupid, but he comes from a poor background, it is impossible for him not to know the value of money. A shrewd person like Huang Rong is even less likely to be slaughtered by the shopkeeper. Then I wrote it.

Based on the memories of later generations and the personal experience of the owner of the body, Zhao Qiang couldn't help being surprised at the price of 20 taels of silver for a musket. After conversion, it would cost more than 1 yuan to buy one, which is too high. It was a bit outrageous, far beyond what Zhao Qiang could bear.

"Your Excellency, this price is the market price before we came here. I'm afraid it's not that high now." Seeing Zhao Qiang hearing the price, Duncan froze there, thinking that the price he quoted had frightened the other party. discussion.

"The general buys in large quantities. The price is definitely negotiable. Merchants from all over the world are just asking for money. Now that the general has such a big demand, they can't just do one transaction with the general. In addition, I will wait for mediation. This price It can definitely be lowered.”

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency General, we swear in the name of the emperor, we will definitely fight for the best price for you from those profit-seeking businessmen."

The price Duncan quoted was not as high as usual, but more than double the original price. This figure was discussed by the three of them a few days ago, and how to divide the mess after the matter was completed was decided.Seeing that Zhao Qiang was frowning tightly, with a look of astonishment on his face, Youcai and Youshou were worried that if the other party thought the price was too high and stopped buying Western firearms, they would be empty, so they stood up hurriedly, They vowed to Zhao Qiang that they would stand in the position of Guanning Army and consider for the general.

Niang Xipi, counting on you three, I have even been swallowed by you.Of course, the price is ridiculously high, I'm afraid I won't even need ten taels of silver!God knows how Duncan had the nerve to report it, Zhao Qiang glanced at them angrily, and thought about it in his heart, the silver seized from the Russians was 2000 taels, if they were all used to buy muskets, it would be 20 taels of silver per shot. He could buy [-] rods, and he could also transfer a few hundred taels of gold. The total number of muskets he could buy would not exceed [-] rods. This figure was too different from his needs.Besides, you can't allocate all the money in your hand, otherwise, how will the general government make a turnover?

If it weren't for the fact that the silver mine would not be expected for a while, Zhao Qiang didn't care too much about the price. Anyway, he had the silver mine in his hand, so he would just dig it when it was used up.But now it is no different than before, and there are many more places where money is used in all aspects. With the increase in territory and population in the control area, the use and circulation of money is inevitable.Where there are people, there will be trade and exchange. This is a natural law, and it cannot be changed by Zhao Qiang. What he can do now is to maximize the occupied area based on the existing basis and the planned economy model. All the wealth of the Guanning Army was transformed into the fighting power of the Guanning Army.

The price is high and the silver is low, but he has to buy it. After much deliberation, Zhao Qiang finally decided to give out 300 taels of gold and 8000 taels of silver for Duncan and the others to go to Macau. He didn't ask, but they had to do one thing for Guan Ningjun.

"I have thought about it. Although the price is a bit high, I can still bear it, so I will trouble the three of you to buy firearms." Before Duncan and the others could smile, Zhao Qiang changed the subject and said:

"However, in addition to purchasing during your trip, I also hope that you can bring those arms dealers to Yask. In addition, I want you to hire some workers and technicians who are familiar with the manufacture of firearms for my Guan Ning Army. "

"this…"

Bringing the arms dealers to Yask is not digging their own way of making money. It is no problem to help hire some workers and technicians. Duncan and Er Guo looked at each other and said nothing.

Zhao Qiang didn't understand what the three of them were thinking, and he patted Duncan on the shoulder before smiling slightly: "It's just a trivial matter to purchase firearms for my Guan Ning army. This commander intends to preside over the development of silver mines in various places for him after you come back. I don't know you Wait if you want to."

"Develop a silver mine?"

Oh god!Duncan could hardly believe his ears, didn't we come to the East just for the silver mines!Compared with the wealth of silver mines and the profits of buying firearms, there is a world of difference. I am afraid that the emperor will nod his head without hesitation after hearing such things.

"Your Excellency, thank you for your trust in us, and we will faithfully manage the silver mine for you."

Duncan and Er Guo looked at each other very seriously, which made Zhao Qiang laugh secretly.

"Well, for the safety of your road, I am going to let my guard, Yan Baihu, go with you. Firstly, to protect your safety, and secondly, for this commander, besides firearms, I can also buy something." Zhao Qiang pointed at Yan Qian: "Yan Baihu is from a family of maritime merchants, and his martial arts skills are superb. With his protection, I believe that the three of you will be able to arrive in Macau safely."

Duncan, who was not thinking about purchasing for a long time, smiled enthusiastically at Yan Qian, and then said sincerely: "With the protection of General Yan, we will be able to better complete the mission entrusted by Your Excellency the General. Here, thank you, Your Excellency General, for your concern for us. .”

Yan Qian is a family of maritime merchants. Although the family has been ruined, the influence is still there. Zhao Qiang asked Yan Qian and Duncan to go to Macau together. Qian went to the South China Sea to contact his old friends, and some pirates, and promised to lure them north to serve the Guanning Army with a lot of money.

It is imperative to build a navy. In the case of one owner, sea merchants, sailors and pirates who are familiar with the sea are undoubtedly the best choice.Zhao Qiang once said in history that from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the pirate forces entrenched in the South China Sea were very powerful, and even the Dutch and Spaniards could do nothing to them for a period of time. In their heyday, they even controlled the Strait of Malacca and some small countries in Southeast Asia.Zhao Qiang didn't expect Yan Qian to persuade all the pirates to come north to vote, he just hoped that he could bring back a group of people.Whether it is a high-ranking official or a generous salary, as long as the pirates are willing, Zhao Qiang will provide as much as possible. Of course, the premise is that they must build a navy for themselves that can cross the sea.