Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 394 Commerce and Diplomacy ([-])

There is no doubt that Poland was a serfdom state.

When Gamo and others rode horses through the Polish countryside, they saw many noble manors and their farmland.According to records, at the beginning of this century, on average, each Polish peasant had to work on the land of the lord for one day a week, but now, it has increased to 4-5 days.They basically didn't have much time to take care of their own land, and some nobles even strictly prohibited them from leaving the village where they lived. The peasants lost their personal freedom and were basically bound to the land and became serfs.

Moreover, the number of nobles in Poland accounted for as much as 20% of the domestic population, and the land and wealth were greatly dispersed, which further stifled the possibility of the emergence of capitalism in Poland.When Western European countries developed rapidly after the Renaissance, Poland was still operating as a medieval serf country.A large number of handicrafts, metallurgy, and mining are controlled by small and medium-sized local nobles. They are unable and unwilling to expand production, and the speed of urbanization is extremely slow. The social development of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with a population of 1000 million seems to have stagnated. His defeated opponents Austria, Sweden, and Russia surpassed themselves.

The destination of Gao Mo and others arrived soon. This is an estate of the Valeglevsky family in the countryside of Danzig.Even in an area with an extremely strong commercial atmosphere like Danzig, the vast countryside is still dotted with manors of nobles.Poor Polish serfs worked hard to cultivate the land and graze livestock. The fruits of their labor were shipped to the port of Danzig through the Vistula River, and then transported by Dutch merchant ships to Western Europe for sale.There are also people who are not willing to be serfs all their lives, so it is obvious that this person has no other choice but to serve as a soldier for food.

Konrad Valeglevski stood at the gate of the manor wearing brightly colored Polish national costumes. When he saw Gao Mo and others coming on horseback, he immediately stepped forward and said in proficient Spanish: "Dear friends ,welcome."

"Nice to meet you, Your Excellency." Since he didn't know the etiquette of the Poles, Gao Mo greeted each other in his own way.He noticed that the young aristocrat who called himself Conrad seemed to be wearing clothes cut from the high-quality dyed cloth of the East Coast, because this kind of bright and bright colors cannot be deceived, neither the Dutch nor the English have such clothes. Dyeing technique.Could it be that the other party is deliberately showing favor by dressing like this?Should not be!In that case their posture is too humble.

The two sides then introduced their entourage to each other.Gao Mo introduced Zheng Yong and Schneider, while Conrad introduced his sister Veronica and his housekeeper Peter.After exchanging pleasantries, both parties sat down in the manor.

The estate of the Valegrewski family is a typical medieval castle estate. It is thick, solid but dark and damp. It is not so comfortable to live in, but these Poles are obviously used to it.Years of war have made them feel a strong sense of crisis. Perhaps in their subconscious mind, if the manor they rely on is not built very solidly, they will not have any sense of security.

The roots of the Valeglevski family are in Krakow, the old capital of Poland.The current capital, Warsaw, was moved there by the Poles after they seized the excellent port of Danzig from the Teutonic Knights for the convenience of communicating with the outside world.Poland's economy is very dependent on this port, which is one of the best in the Baltic Sea. Timber, grain, livestock, and flax on the vast Polish plains are transported to this port through the Vistula River, Oder River and other rivers in the territory, and then handed over to the Dutch. The British shipped it off for sale.Today, when Western Europe is mired in the quagmire of war and the production order has been severely damaged, the demand for Polish commodities, especially grain, in Central and Western Europe is increasing, and this has also stimulated the abnormal development of the manor-style serf economy in Poland from the other side.

However, the people from the east bank did not come to Poland this time to discuss food trade with them.Gaomo came to Poland this time mainly to discuss the army arms trade between the two countries, and the possible naval ship trade, of course, he had to go to Warsaw.But before going to Warsaw, he doesn't mind staying in Danzig for a short time, and discusses with the Valeglevski family, who has some trade ties with people from the east coast in Riga, to see if there is any cooperation between the two sides in other fields possible.

"Your Excellency Valeglevski..." Gao Mo cleared his throat and said in Spanish.

"Please call me Conrad." Conrad interrupted Gao Mo with a smile and said.

"Okay, Conrad, I heard that your family is an ancient family in Krakow, so I think there may be some cooperation between us, such as materials such as lead and sulfur, which are urgently needed in our country." Gao Mo said.

"As you said, the Valeglevsky family has a long history. It can be traced back to the time of Grand Duke Kazimirz IV of Jagiello 200 years ago. At that time, my ancestor was still a guard of the Grand Duke." Kang La De said slowly, with a gentle and reserved smile on his face, and his sister Veronica also sat quietly on the side, listening to her brother's family history quietly.

"As for the lead mines, my family owns a lot in the territory of Orcush. But as you know, the price of food has been rising all the way over the years. At present, the family's main energy has turned to agricultural planting. For this reason, the family even abandoned Two logging camps, a salt mine, and a sulfur mine. As for lead mines, there are still some in operation, but the annual output is limited, maybe less than three hundred quintals." Conrad seems to be in a certain extent He is involved in the family business, so he is very familiar with these data and can speak easily.

Gao Mo was a little disappointed when he heard this.Three hundred quintals is only thirty tons, how can such a small amount be enough.An army of 20 will consume more than 8 tons of lead for training with 43 rounds of live ammunition per month, and more than 220 tons of lead per year.This is still normal training. If a war breaks out, it will consume a lot. Sometimes a battle will consume a whole year's training.According to statistics, the army on the east bank (including the militia, military academy, and Bingtuanbao) consumed about [-] tons of lead last year ([-] years); this is not counting the small amount of lead bullets used by the navy, army and artillery and other industrial consumption. If all counted, it would be more than [-] tons.

Now that the war in Europe is in the ascendant, all countries have increased their procurement of strategic materials such as sulfur, lead, and matchlocks, making it difficult for people on the east coast to buy some lead.These more than 300 tons were obtained through multiple channels from multiple places. Money is not a problem, but the main reason is that there are too few purchase channels and it is too troublesome.Therefore, if there is a stable supply point, then even if the price is more expensive, some people on the east coast will recognize it.After all, wars may break out in the Far East this year and next, so the country has almost moved most of its stocks there, and it is not yet known whether there will be enough.How to purchase next is still a headache.

Poland is rich in both sulfur and lead resources. If we can cooperate with these local nobles and let them expand their production capacity, it is best to expand their annual production to hundreds or even a thousand tons a year. Will eat it without hesitation.The same is true for sulfur. The navy and army on the east coast now have more than 800 artillery pieces and nearly 3000 gunners (including a large number of indigenous gunners). The annual consumption of sulfur is tens of tons, plus the production of sulfuric acid and other aspects. Some of the consumption, the country consumed a total of about [-] tons of sulfur last year.If these materials can be imported from here, it will save the people on the east coast from searching hard.

However, although sulfur and lead are important, they are not the top priority. The most urgent import "goods" for people on the east coast are still women.When the two sides talked about this topic, Veronica, who was sitting quietly by the side, coughed lightly, and then invited the young Zheng Yong to go out for a walk with her.Immediately after the lady left, the unscrupulous men had a lively discussion on the subject.

Strictly speaking, although the nobles of all sizes in Poland have a large number of serfs, in the final analysis they are not the private slaves of the nobles, but they are artificially bound to the land.If only from the legal level, they are still free.Therefore, if you want to import "women" from Poland, you must not buy them directly. You still have to persuade them to go to the east coast, and then the people on the east coast can find a way to transport them away by boat.Of course, you have to obtain the consent of these nobles before this, because in the eyes of these feudal lords, young and middle-aged women are of great value. They can give birth and work at the same time, so they are not objects that can be easily discarded.

This is especially true in Poland, which is dominated by manor plantations. If people on the east coast want to attract a large number of women from Poland with a population of tens of millions to the east coast, they will have to bleed a lot.But in the eyes of people on the east coast, things that can be solved with money are nothing!Therefore, Gao Mo's trip is to take advantage of the good relationship between Poland and the east coast to finalize these matters first.For example, on Conrad's side, Gao Mo is going to persuade him to "give up" some school-age girls in the village, and the people on the east bank will give him an "introduction fee" ranging from 60 to 80 yuan per person for this.

A few tens of dollars for a woman can be worth one to two tons of grain. This price is not low. After all, these people are not their private slaves.Introducing fifty young girls to the east bank every year can harvest tens of hundreds of tons of grain, which can be equivalent to the harvest of dozens of hectares of farmland.Moreover, now that the flames of war in many parts of Europe have been gradually extinguished, and the production order has been restored, their demand for grain in Poland will definitely not be as strong as it is now, and it will become inevitable for grain prices to fall by then.

At that time, will there still be so many people planting land in the manor?If we give those bumpkins some money and food to encourage them to have more children, wouldn't this business last for a long time?Well, although this hurts my noble face, but what are these in front of the lovely silver coins!

Seeing Conrad lost in thought, Gao Mo smiled and did not speak.Next, not only the Valeglevski family, but also other Polish nobles and lords he knows, large and small, are going to talk one by one, trying to attract as many people as possible who are willing to cooperate with the people on the east coast.For this reason, he is going to be a money-spreading boy, spending money to open the way!

(End of this chapter)