Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 480 New Market ([-])

The climate in the Ottoman Empire in June 1645 was still cool.On the wharf of Smyrna Port (Izmir), one of the country’s largest external ports, Mo San, sitting on the second floor of a cafe, is attracted by the scene inside the port.Two cargo ships from the Netherlands are slowly entering the berth next to the pier one after the other. The two ships are beautiful in shape, with a length-to-width ratio of about five to one.This ratio is not large, but it is already a revolution for the traditional ship type built in the Netherlands. This type of ship not only takes into account the wave breaking performance and speed, but also has a certain hull structure strength. It is a little problematic to sail in the big bathtub of the Mediterranean Sea. nothing.

"Nima, it's a domestic ship model that was copied. Is Meiguan a group of pigs? The Dutch have opened up the idea of ​​​​a flying clipper ship. With their strong shipbuilding technology and industrial strength, they will not be able to fly spices in the future. Grass, Even the design of the schooner was copied, bark, your sister, the Dutch are going to turn upside down in the future." Mo San cursed in a low voice while drinking coffee, his gloomy face made Hornician who was sitting opposite Very surprised.

He glanced outside, his complexion changed, and then cursed bitterly in French: "Why do the Dutch have this kind of ship? Damn it! Although it is not as beautiful as the fast cruisers of the Egyptian fleet, it is quite large. Not bad. But this kind of ship can’t put too much artillery when it’s a battleship, and it can’t load too much cargo when it’s a transport ship, so I guess what they’re bringing over are some commodities that are in short supply.”

"What is the scale of Dutch business in your country?" Mo San turned his head to Hornician and asked.

"Business was very good in the past, almost half of the entire port of Smyrna was occupied, and of course it is not bad now." Hornician waved his arms and said exaggeratedly: "When the war with the Venetians started before, Austria , Spain, Portugal, and all the Italian states in the Apennines will blockade us. At this time, only the Dutch, English, and French are willing to trade with us. Among them, the Dutch account for the largest share of trade, followed by England Man, the French don't have much of a decent share."

"During those years the Dutch brought cotton, glass, guns, armour, corn, and everything else that could be sold to the port of Smyrna for sale, while the English concentrated on Indian calico and cloth. The supply and transportation capabilities of the Dutch were so strong that His Majesty the Sultan at that time specially ordered to give preferential treatment to the Dutch merchants. Their commercial house in the port of Smyrna occupies several times the area of ​​the English, and this situation has always been It lasted until your arrival a few years ago." Hornician gently stirred the fragrant coffee with a spoon, and then continued: "You have ruined their cotton cloth business. I saw a lot in those years and pretended to be happy. The Dutch shipowners who came with a ship full of cotton cloth but returned disappointed. Their cloth is not as good as yours in terms of quality, color and price. The gap may be as far as from Kaffa to Alexandria, so they failed .”

Mo San smiled lightly, but did not speak.Over the years, people from the East Coast have exported more and more cotton cloth to the Ottoman Empire.Although the consumption level of the people in this country is not as good as that of France, after all, this country has a population of more than 3000 million, and the potential market is huge.According to statistics, in 1643, 56 pieces of cotton cloth (white cotton, printed cloth, and dyed cloth) were sold to France on the east coast, while the cotton cloth sold to Ottomans in the same period had just reached 10,000+ pieces due to factors such as transportation capacity.

By 1644, the cotton cloth sold to France had fallen sharply due to various reasons, and it could barely reach 40 pieces for the whole year.Just when everyone on the east bank was a little frustrated, the Ottomans stepped forward at the right time, and they purchased more than 25 bolts of cotton cloth from the east coast throughout the year.Although the gap still cannot be smoothed out, the sales pressure of cotton cloth on the east coast has been greatly reduced.

This year, according to the customs export data of the port of Rocha in the first three months, it is not difficult for the Ottoman Empire to consume more than 30 pieces of cotton cloth or even reach 35 pieces.As for the French market, it is showing signs of decline as usual. It is expected that the annual sales volume will fall below 30 pieces, and it is likely to be surpassed by the Ottoman market for the first time, losing the title of the largest cotton cloth market on the East Coast.

The rise of the new market has brought great comfort to the people on the east coast, preventing them from having problems in the domestic economy due to the decline of the main market, which they cannot bear.Along with the Ottoman market, Portuguese East Africa, Angola, Brazil, La Plata, Florida, Chalkas, Chile and other markets are also growing. The contribution of increased sales is less than [-] horses.And it was the vigorous development and rise of these new markets that kept the financial income of the people on the east coast from falling rapidly, so that they had a certain amount of capital to start a cotton trade war with the Dutch and French.

"His Majesty Ibrahim is very disappointed with your refusal to sell the battleship 'Bayezid', and so is the Navy Pasha. Otherwise, you can open business in Smyrna, Suez, Thessaloniki and Burgas You can even set up offices in Istanbul, Kaffa, and Odessa. If the relationship between the two countries is further improved in the future, these three offices will of course also be able to carry out trade activities. This is almost a certainty. It’s a pity. It was you who gave up, and I guess God couldn’t bear to see such a disharmonious ending.” Hornician suddenly said sadly, “Now, your business stations are limited to Suez and Smarck. Well, the Kaffa office also strictly limits the scope of business. Even if you go to Istanbul to meet Nasukh Pasha, you have to make an appointment in advance, which is really bad."

Hornician had reason to be sad, because he was the largest agent of goods on the east coast of the Ottoman Empire at this time, high-quality and cheap white cotton cloth, colorful printed cloth, beautiful dyed leather clothes, eye-catching dyed leather bags, without a trace of peculiar smell leather gloves and boots, whale leather goods and soap for the upper class.It can be said that apart from being unable to represent the sales of ships and guns, Hornician almost monopolized the civilian market.

Of course, that was only the initial situation. His backstage Egyptian Pasha, Navy Pasha, and Nasukh Pasha have not yet been able to cover the sky with one hand. Don't want to put all your eggs in one basket.Therefore, in the past two years, people on the east coast have gradually come into contact with businessmen backed by the Sudanese teacher Xinsi Hauka, the comprador group headed by the Empress Dowager Kosem Sultan, and the guards headed by Aga (commanders). military forces, and signed supply agreements with them respectively.In this way, the people on the east bank seem to be more detached in this country, at least they can get acquainted with all forces and be superficially friendly.

"Unfortunately, after comprehensive consideration, our government temporarily shelved this proposal. Of course, this does not mean that this transaction will no longer be carried out. Maybe when the national situation undergoes major changes, our government will restart this proposal again. Arms sales agreement." Mo San opened his mouth and said some nonsense. In fact, he himself didn't know the process of the rejection of the agreement, and whether it would be restarted again in the future. At this time, he could only say so.

"It's such a pity. The road from Istanbul to Edirne, the mining railway of the Kaffa Iron Mine, and the expansion and reconstruction of four ports including the Port of Suez. Of course, we must not forget the huge commercial benefits brought about by the opening of the four treaty ports. You know, the tariffs of these treaty ports are so low that they can be ignored.” Hornician is still a little brooding until now, maybe he and the masters behind him are very disappointed.However, people on the east coast have their own considerations. They have to carefully decide every policy based on the international situation they face.

However, Mo San is actually quite optimistic about the prospect of this deal finally going through.After all, where the real commercial interests lie, major domestic companies and the New China colony are all looking forward to it.At present, the only concern that the executive committee does not agree with the sale of battleships is probably the reaction of Spain, Austria, and Venice. If the people on the east coast really sell this kind of big killer to Ottoman, then they will definitely get extreme hostility from Spain. The international environment will deteriorate rapidly.If you really come to this step, then it's not worth it, so it's better to hold off for a while, and wait and see the situation first.

Of course, Mo San couldn't directly express these concerns to Hornician, so he could only consolation by laughing at this moment.The two of them chatted while drinking the fragrant coffee.At this time, the Dutch merchant ship on the dock had already started unloading. It was a package of things packed in a special bag, which looked relatively high-end.

"The coffee beans transported from the West Indies, planted by the Dutch in a small amount, are sold at a high price in big cities such as Istanbul. No wonder they use this kind of ship to transport them." Hornician glanced out the window, and suddenly realized Said: "By the way, have you already started planting this kind of thing?"

"Yes, we started planting half a year ago." Mo San nodded.He also saw it from the summary of various domestic affairs handed over by merchant ships from the east coast, and it was indeed a good deal when it was done. ***Because of alcohol prohibition in the world, they have a huge demand for coffee, which has almost become a necessity in many people's lives, so the business opportunities here are indeed huge.

"That's good." Hornician nodded, "After a few years, we will be able to carry out this kind of business. Believe me, you will make a lot of money."

(End of this chapter)