A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

"Reserve? How much do you need?" Yamauchi Yoshiharu listened to Xiaoheita's analysis. He also knew the necessity of ensuring the survival of small self-employed farmers. Weddings and funerals are major events, and he can help if he can. willing. Although he would definitely have to add labor costs, he was still willing to spend this amount of money.

Moreover, this reserve fund system is nothing new. From the Warring States Period to the Edo Period, many daimyo feudal lords established such special funds within their territories. It is generally used to support poor feudal lords, or to support smart and motivated young warriors to study, or to open local elementary schools.

This policy has a long history and has been implemented for at least three to four hundred years. Since it was aimed at ordinary poor feudal lords, the daimyo feudal lord was relatively restrained, and the influence was too great. No one dared to take advantage of this kind of money. Even companies like Shimadzu and Mori borrowed money to invest in it to ensure operations.

"Not a penny, not a penny!" Xiao Ping said loudly!

"Xiao Ping Tai, I have nothing to say before you. How can you lend money if you don't have the capital." The accountant Yamauchi who was listening finally spoke.

"Please give me one year, Your Highness, and give me three thousand guan. All of it will be returned to Your Highness after one year. Use the profit generated as the principal."

At this time, Yamauchi Yoshiharu and Yamauchi's chief planner were a little confused. According to their estimation, the cost would be at least three to five thousand guan before this matter could be taken care of. But is there any business that can instantly double the capital or even make more in one year? This is too difficult.

"Koheita, you already have a case?" Yamauchi Yoshiharu was a little confused. Although Koheta's political and financial skills have long been spread throughout Kanto, things with such high profits are always unreliable.

"What does Your Highness think is the most profitable?" "Of course it's a gold mine. If you mine it well, you can get thousands of taels of gold for a few hundred guan a year, which is ten times the profit." Mashino Jinshan produces thousands of taels of gold annually. , is one of the pillar industries of the Yamauchi family.

"Golden mountains are not found everywhere, and there will always be a day when they are all mined. It is not a long-term business." Xiao Pingtai looked like a master, and the old god was there.

"Profitable products such as raw silk, silk cloth, war horses, iron cannons, etc. are expensive and sell well." Yamauchi Yoshiharu named several relatively expensive products produced in Yamauchi that could be exported.

"Although it's not a hit, it's not far off." Xiao Pingtai finally said this golden saying.

"Your Highness, what are the disadvantages of iron cannons?" Xiaoheita heard Yamauchi Yoshiharu talking about iron cannons, and started to follow this idea.

"Iron cannon, it cannot be used in rainy days, foggy days, strong winds, or humidity," Yamauchi Yoshiharu began a series of unavailability.

Of course Xiaopingtai did not interrupt him, but quietly waited for the leader to finish speaking, and nodded from time to time to express his agreement.

Iron cannons, also known as matchlocks, are already the product of hundreds of years of development of gunpowder weapons. Although the flintlock will soon replace it, the matchlock is still a very advanced firearm in East Asia.

But since he will be replaced, the flaws must be huge. Excluding unavoidable reasons such as manufacturing processes, for example, the quality of British steel is good, while the quality of Spanish steel is second best. This is in addition to external factors. His biggest flaw is his ignition!

Since gunpowder needs to be ignited and the energy generated by the gunpowder explosion drives the lead bullets to be ejected, whether the gunpowder can be ignited during wartime becomes a top priority. Iron cannons and fire sticks that cannot be ignited are stronger than him.

However, the setting of the iron cannon is to install gunpowder in an open gunpowder pool, and then press the lit match rope into the gunpowder pool by pulling the trigger, igniting the gunpowder to complete the shooting.

The current black powder is afraid of strong winds and moisture. Once the wind and rain come, the gunpowder will lose its effectiveness and be blown away and soaked. But not only that, even the match rope used to light the fire was very expensive. It would be easily extinguished if it was too wet, and it would burn quickly if it dried out. If the wind is too strong, it is easy to extinguish. Without direct exposure to high temperatures, there is a risk of spontaneous combustion.

So fire and water are ruthless, and playing with firearms is equally ruthless. This thing is full of risks and minefields. If you don't get it right, you will be asked to go to heaven to meet God, and your death will be extremely tragic.

However, Koheta didn't know how to make flintlock guns, and the Yamauchi family's cannon workshop produced forty or fifty cannons per month, with more than twenty barrels. An iron cannon is worth twelve taels of gold, or twelve guan of Yongle money, or more than 48 guan of Japanese money. It has become a big business that makes a lot of money every day, and Yamauchi Yoshiharu likes it very much. It is unrealistic to directly stop production and develop flintlock guns. It is better to try to improve iron cannons.

Although the iron cannons are produced in Yamauchi, most of the supporting gunpowder, lead bullets, and match ropes still have to be purchased in Omi or Sakai, because Shinano cannot produce these items.

Gunpowder is sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. Lead bullets only require melted lead ingots. Xiaoheita's goal is a match rope.

Match ropes are generally made from hemp ropes made from hemp fiber or cloth ropes made from kapok cloth strips. They are soaked in acid (potassium nitrate, lead acetate), fully soaked and then dried, and then they can be burned slowly for use. . Of course, there are also examples in other parts of the world where castor oil or petroleum is used to soak hemp rope and then use it as a match rope.

However, Japan has no oil at all, so there is no need to think about those strange methods. If you want to improve the quality of the match rope, you still have to think of a way from the match rope itself, and Xiao Pingtai has indeed already figured out this method.

First of all, it is resistant to burning. The fibers in hemp fiber and kapok are definitely much more resistant to burning than the fibers in grass. Of course, raw silk is more resistant to burning, but linen and cotton are already very expensive. Using raw silk to make rope is really equivalent to burning gold. Therefore, the choice of materials is actually very narrow and cannot even be changed.

Then consider issues such as the wind blowing out and the moisture not burning. This is actually a problem, that is, the material selection of the match rope needs to be more adaptable to the battlefield, more weather-resistant, and more convenient and practical for soldiers in harsh environments.

After going around in such a circle, Yamauchi Yoshiharu and Yamauchi Chief Accountant were finally figured out by Xiaoheita. Emotional Xiao Ping Tai wants to do the match rope business, and the weapons accessories business is indeed pretty good.

But although hemp and kapok are not too expensive, you can sell them for forty or fifty yuan if you twist them into a match rope. It seems to be a huge profit. But Qingma, also known as Qingma, happens to be sold exclusively by Teruhu Uesugi, Yamauchi Yoshikatsu's brother-in-law, and this is the one who clearly settles the accounts between his brothers. The price of buying hemp fiber is not too cheap, plus the labor and the acid soaked in it, you can't make much money from a match rope.

How could it be possible to double three thousand guans in one year? It’s completely impossible! If matchlocks could make a lot of money, Uesugi Teruhora would have done it long ago, and it would not be the Yamauchi family's turn.

"What if instead of using hemp, we use grass?" Xiaopingta smiled slightly.