Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1354 Is it good news?

On December 1663, 12, several fishing boats sailed into the special fishery wharf of Rocha Port in a low-key way under the sunset.

Zamparini was wearing worn military trousers, and he was sitting astride the bowsprit. He was a famous handsome man in Ping'an County in the past, but now his temples have been slightly stained with weather, but anyway, his mind is sharp enough. His limbs are still strong enough, his courage is not waned, and he can sail!

His good partner Zhu Chengdong was calling his men to move the barrels ashore one by one. He was so careful that he stood on the pier all the time, watching the dock laborers unload the last wooden barrel and put it on the car. I was relieved.The wooden barrel is filled with seal oil, which is as in short supply as whale oil in the east coast. It can be eaten or used to make daily necessities such as candles and soaps. Of course, its greatest role is to make high-grade lubricating oil, whether it is All kinds of mechanical transmission equipment and steam systems need to use this kind of industrial necessities, which can be described as expensive.

The reason why they got so much seal oil was mainly because they went around the coast of the Namib Desert, where there are a large number of seals, sea lions and other sea animals, which are too large for people to get in. This is evident.In recent years, due to the domestic implementation of the license system for hunting sea animals on the east coast, it is difficult for fishermen to hunt and kill these high-value animals as before. Therefore, many fishing boats on the east coast have to go to South Africa, using Hezhong Port as their home port, and continue to go north Going to the coastal area of ​​the Namib Desert, they hunt all kinds of sea animals to hunt for high-grade fur and fat-of course, they will not discard the seal meat like the Dutch do, but find a way to process it on the spot and then sell it to South Africa People on the east bank of the country try something new, or sell it to the Courlands at the mouth of the Congo River north, which is more or less an income.

"Boss Zhu, I haven't seen you for a long time. Everyone said that you went to the Namib Desert to make a fortune. It seems to be true." A familiar package buyer came over and patted the flat track car with his hands. Good wooden barrel, said: "Seal oil, it is really a good thing. Now that there are more and more domestic machinery and equipment, if any workshop does not buy a few machines, the business will simply be impossible. I will not hide it from you Zhu Boss, I have been working with you for many years. Now the domestic lubricating oil market is very hot and the demand is huge. The South China Sea Fishery Company is already buying more whaling ships. I heard that next year they will sail to farther places to look for whales. , and the sea animal killing quota in Fuego will also increase by 5%, all because of the heavy use of machines. It's good that you can get so much seal oil from the Namib Desert. How about it, I will give you this number, you will sell it all to me, and we will deliver on the spot."

Zhu Chengdong had already met his relatives on the pier before, knew the current situation of the lubricating oil market, and knew that the price offered by the familiar merchant in front of him was still reasonable, so after a little thought, he nodded and agreed with him. According to the request, all the seal oil was delivered.As for the high-grade furs in the cabin, he plans to send them to Luocha Tannery, where all kinds of leathers are open to purchase all year round, and the price is quite reasonable. For a businessman like Zhu Chengdong who has a large inventory on hand, it is perfect to find them for delivery. up.

"Why is the lubricating oil market so hot now?" After delivering the batch of seal oil, Zhu Chengdong couldn't help asking: "What happened recently? The price of lubricating oil has risen by a full [-]%. Multiple machines? What are they all used for?”

"It's actually very simple, and you'll know it after a while." The merchant who bought a large number of goods was in a very good mood, so he immediately said to Zhu Chengdong: "There are two main reasons. One is that the newly occupied land has begun to be gradually developed. The number of these machines will naturally increase, especially the inland water transport company has ordered hundreds of small inland river steamers at once, and plans to carry out transportation work in the Paraná River and Ludang River Basin. The demand for mechanical lubricants is surging Ah; the second is that many workshops or enterprises have begun to order machines, recruit apprentices, and plan to expand the scale of production these days. As for the reason, it is actually very simple, that is, England and the United Provinces may start to work."

"War is going to start?" Zhu Chengdong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood the meaning, and immediately raised his voice and said, "This is a great thing! Thinking about the war between Britain and the Netherlands ten years ago, our country ushered in It was a rare economic boom. At that time, a five-year supply agreement was signed with the Dutchman, right? Well, at that time, the goods were shipped to Amsterdam, Vlissingen, Enkhuizen, Hollen Waiting for the port, the whole country is making crazy money. If I remember correctly, some large-scale workshops or enterprises now rely on that export boom cycle to complete the accumulation of funds and then develop and grow? If this time Britain and the Netherlands will go to war again, and that will really be a blessing to our country!"

"Isn't it?" The businessman had nothing to do at the moment, so he sat down and chatted with Zhu Chengdong: "This news spread a few days ago, it should have been in the dock area at first, and then it gradually spread throughout the port area. Many foreign trade businessmen are crazy, especially at the Luocha Bulk Materials Trading Center, where businessmen are everywhere asking for news. Well, the situation in the capital should be almost the same now, where the capital is more concentrated and the factories are more concentrated. Many, people should pay more attention to this. However, according to the information I have, it is a bit reluctant to say that Britain and the Netherlands have started a war. At present, it seems that it is only between two colonial companies. It is hard to say whether it will affect the whole country. Although the backgrounds of these two companies are very deep, the upper echelons of the two countries should be sensible, and they should not easily fall into war."

"However, the possibility of a full-scale war between these two countries is also very high." The merchant continued: "If this is the case, then for our country, it will be another business cycle for exports, and this is obviously a The reason why many business owners began to improve, purchase equipment, and expand production capacity is that the products produced in the short term can be supplied to newly occupied areas in the country, and in the long run they can also be exported to supply the rich and powerful United Provinces. Their risk is not very high. High, but the future earnings expectations are quite high, so this is why many people flock to it.”

Zhu Chengdong nodded deeply when he heard the words, and then said goodbye to the merchants. Together with Zamparini, he called a horse-drawn railcar from the Rocha Street Car Company and headed for the city.Zamparini apparently also heard the conversation between Zhu Chengdong and the businessman just now. Regarding this, he can only say that this is great news, especially for businessmen like them who hunt sea beasts for a living. That's the case: All kinds of lubricants and high-quality furs are needed in the east coast, so don't the United Provinces need them?I can't see it, and their purchase price can only be higher.

Therefore, Zhu Chengdong and Zamparini looked at each other tacitly just now, and they both understood their inner thoughts.Since the war between Britain and the Netherlands is a highly probable event, they should also prepare in advance. I heard that the Dutch West India Company has many trading stations in West Africa, and Cape Town is a colony of the East India Company. It is also natural that the port or trading post will sell them a large amount of high-grade fur and seal oil-even meat if they need it-to sell them.

……

And while Zhu Chengdong and Zamparini were discussing how to deal with it in the future, in an office on the second floor of the Luocha Bulk Trade Center, just across the street from the wharf, Qiang Quansheng, chairman of the East Coast Republic of China, was also talking with Wu Jun, the county magistrate and director of the trade center, discussed some things.

"According to the report of the National Intelligence Agency, although this is only a battle between the British Royal Explorers African Trading Company and the Dutch West India Company, its impact cannot be overstated no matter how high it is." After taking a sip of the Xinhua coffee on the table, he said: "The British company has shares in James, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles. It has a high status and strong strength; as for the Dutch West India Company, of course there is no need to introduce it. Yes, the merchants of Zeeland Province created a product that competed with the Dutch Province, but its background is also very strong, and it has been operating in America and Africa for many years, and its power cannot be underestimated. Therefore, a war broke out between these two colonial companies, And the means are more intense, so it should not be simply regarded as a trade friction between companies, but should be considered more as a competition and confrontation between business groups in two countries. And once this kind of confrontation rises When it comes to the political and business elites of the two countries, the final war is basically inevitable. It may take some process and time, but it will never last long."

Wu Jun came from an enterprise exchange to a government department. At this time, he was appointed as a deputy bureau-level cadre to the county magistrate of Luocha County and the director of the Bulk Materials Trade Center. He was also 60 or [-] years old at this time.After hearing Qiang Quansheng's words, he immediately said: "Chairman Qiang, do you want our country to prepare for this war? So, is it material preparations or war preparations? Or is it something else?" What preparations?"

"Damn, of course it's material preparations." Qiang Quansheng scolded with a smile when he heard the words, and said: "We were a little unprepared for the last Anglo-Dutch war. Of course, this is also related to the population and strength of our country. But even so, we still made a lot of money by signing long-term supply contracts with Dutch businessmen. These profits were finally transformed into the strength of the country. Growing up? So this time, since our country already has such a certain wealth, it is necessary to prepare in advance and prepare for a big hug in wartime."

"In this way, I am not talking to you, Chairman Qiang, as the head of Luocha County, but as the director of Luocha Bulk Materials Trading Center?" Wu Jun also picked up the yerba mate tea on the table He took a sip and said with a smile: "Food, wine, sucrose, tobacco, salt, etc. are what we should prepare here? Once the war breaks out, the British and Dutch navies will fight in a small sea area, and merchant ships will pass by. That piece of sea was indeed easy to be intercepted. Britain is okay, they have many ports and are not easy to be blocked, but the Netherlands is depressed. Have a hard time!"

"It is enough to prepare only part of the food. After all, the cost of long-distance shipping from us is a bit high. This is a few yuan per ton. If insurance premiums are included, each ton is inherently more expensive than European food. From 40% to [-]%, although the Dutch may not mind the price too much at that time, and they will always come, but it is always not very beautiful.” Qiang Quansheng said, “The past two years have been good for the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate, and the grain The production has also begun to gradually increase. My idea is that it should be feasible to transport the wheat from the Black Sea, Syria, and Egypt to the United Provinces together with merchant ships from the Italian states and even France. Well, of course, we must not forget the Russians. But it's a bit far away and troublesome, of course that's something the Dutch should consider and has nothing to do with us."

"In fact, at the beginning of the war, the Dutch were short of more than food, alcohol, sugar, salt, tea and cigarettes. They also had a huge demand for military supplies. Not to mention, cannons! Lots and lots of cannons! Together with the naval battle, it is a tragic scene of hundreds of ships, tens of thousands of sailors, and tens of thousands of artillery arrays fighting between the two countries. In such a war, there is a huge demand for naval artillery, but the Dutch There is no such production capacity. I think we should try to contact the Tripp family and the De Hare family. The entire United Province does not have any production capacity for major military supplies such as cannons, muskets, and armor. Everything depends on Imported. Our artillery is world-renowned for its low price and high quality, and after using the 'Blacksmith' series of hydraulic presses, we can process all kinds of long barrel barrels at low cost and in large quantities. There are as many as there are. The Anglo-Dutch War, for our East China Republic, is a goddamn unprecedented piece of good news!" Wu Jun said with a smile while drinking tea.

"Old Wu, as expected, he is a cadre from the enterprise. He seems to know more about these things than we do." Qiang Quansheng smiled, "That's the reason. As long as they want to buy, we can sell them. There is no money to spend. Materials, there is no material that can be paid with land and population, we are open to supply. Even if the British want to buy some military or mechanical equipment, we can’t sell them at all, England and the United Provinces, for us Generally speaking, the more intense the fight, the longer the better, which will only make them lose more blood and lose energy, which is undoubtedly what we expect."

"There is no money for land..." Wu Jun was speechless when he heard this, and he said helplessly: "Chairman Qiang, are you interested in these two colonies in South Africa? I don't know if there are any in the Hezhong area This appetite digests..."

(End of this chapter)