Chapter 131 Visit [Part 2]
Facts have proved that as long as you are not embarrassed, the only ones who will be embarrassed are others. The Prince of Duke Mu finished reading the long and boring manuscript calmly, picked up the wine glass and greeted everyone around him. After drinking the wine, he hurried out, probably to go to the next place. Only the businessmen stood there in a daze, holding their wine glasses, at a loss as to what to do.
Fortunately, the person who actually presided over this meeting, Hai Gangfeng, the governor of Zhejiang and the prefect of Shaoxing, was very capable. Although he felt very uncomfortable and had a hard time, he still stood up and took up the topic. He tried every means to divert from the long and disastrous speech just now, and with great effort, he turned the topic of the meeting back on track:
Simply put, the Da'an court summoned all the merchants here in order to use this "special zone" as a sample to pilot opening up to the outside world and free trade; to have full exchanges with countries all over the world, and to implement the spirit of freedom of the current Master Feixuan.
To be honest, if you talk about "freedom" and "openness", the maritime merchants will definitely not understand you; but if you say that you have opened the country's borders to sell goods, everyone will understand immediately. After a brief silence, Paul, who was the leader of the maritime merchants, bravely spoke up and carefully asked the governor what exactly this "free trade" was about. How is the price of trade determined?
There was nothing wrong with the previous greetings, but when it came to the important matter of foreign trade, Prefect Hai pondered for a moment and recalled the so-called "key points for foreign affairs" issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times before he carefully replied. He said that with Shangyu's current output, traditional cloth, pottery, and porcelain can be bought and sold freely, and the prices follow the market without being restricted by the government; but some bulk commodities need to be approved by the court and meet certain special requirements, otherwise they will be regarded as smuggling. In view of the fate of the previous batch of smugglers who colluded with the Japanese pirates, it is recommended not to try it casually; Master Feixuan's guillotine is not satisfied yet.
"Commodities." Paul, who spoke a rough Chinese, repeated this strange new term: "What is 'commodities'?"
Hai Gangfeng thought for a moment and took out a booklet from his sleeve. This is also the "restricted trade list" issued by the Office of Foreign Affairs, which requires each special zone to compare one by one when engaging in foreign trade, without any mistakes. This list is long and boring, and many of the weird things on it are unrecognizable, so the Office of Foreign Affairs has to issue more information for training. Hai Gangfeng flipped through the book for a long time before he found something that he was very familiar with.
"For example, ironware." He read from the booklet: "Nowadays, Shangyu has a large number of iron smelting workshops. After approval by the court, some of the surplus production capacity can be exported..."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of several merchants who knew Chinese characters immediately lit up, and they couldn't help but lean forward - they could also sell ironware? !
It is true that China’s exports are now famous for cloth and silk, but the only two high-tech flagship products of this mysterious oriental country, the high-end goods that have stood out for thousands of years and have strangled the whole world, are iron and porcelain. If porcelain is still a luxury enjoyed by only some nobles, then high-end iron produced in China is truly a necessity for all civilizations from the east to the west, an oriental sacred object that barbarians dream of, and one of the lifelines of national and ethnic development.
——Let me put it this way, the original spirit of the Mongolian leader Toghan Temur, who was driven to the end of the grassland without a single one left by Emperor Gaozu, means "iron pot".
High-end commodities such as silk, porcelain, and lacquerware are certainly classy and stylish, but necessities such as iron pots and tea are the basis for the Eastern powers to bully and act like the big daddy over tributary states for thousands of years. Weapons are dangerous tools and should not be used too often, and it is impossible for the superior country to strike its vassal states at will. But why, after hundreds of years of stumbling, are the vassal states always willing to obey the superior country? ——Because if you don't please Emperor Zhu, the angry Emperor Zhu might ban the buying and selling of iron pots, and that day will come.
From this point of view, the so-called Silk Road should be renamed the Iron Pot Road. Buying and selling silk and porcelain requires getting connections with nobles, but buying and selling iron pots is a highly profitable business that is guaranteed to make a profit. A shipload of ironware can be sold out without any shouting when it is shipped to a European port; and roughly speaking, a high-quality iron pot shipped to Vienna or the Mediterranean can be worth at least an equal amount of silver... Who wouldn't like such profits?
In general, the Chinese have been famous for iron and steel smelting for thousands of years. The technological advantages accumulated since the time of Emperor Xiaowu of the Western Han Dynasty are still unsurpassed today. Yes, Europeans’ technology has improved and their horizons have broadened. But precisely because of the broadened horizons and technological progress, Europeans are now more deeply aware that Chinese iron pots are the best iron pots in the world, and Chinese ironware is the best ironware in the world. This advantage cannot be shaken without a revolutionary technological revolution.
...But it's strange, there aren't any top-grade iron mines in the East, right? Why are the Chinese so advanced in iron smelting technology?
Before the completion of the Industrial Revolution, Europeans did not dare to dream of surpassing the status they had enjoyed for thousands of years. So they just bowed humbly and asked in the most gentle and earnest tone, wondering how they could obtain permission from the court and have the right to sell ironware? They can't guarantee the rest, but money is definitely not a problem.
"Money is not the key," said the governor. "But ironware involves security and stability. We can only trade with countries we can trust."
The standard for the chief official, "a country that can be trusted", is really too vague. The merchants were still pondering, trying to figure out whether they and their countries met this standard. If they did not, could they be exempted from bribery? If they could not be exempted, should they change their nationality? Only Paul, who was the most knowledgeable, heard something wrong, and he asked sharply:
"'A country you can trust', but I heard from the Chamber of Commerce that the Portuguese also bought a shipload of iron equipment from the East."
The so-called "iron utensils" was still a polite statement; according to the Chamber of Commerce's accurate intelligence, at least half of the cargo on this ship were steel knives and swords, the quality and quantity of which were quite astonishing - the supply of bulk commodities has always been limited, and the ports in the Central Plains that can provide a stable supply of iron pots to the outside world can be counted on one hand; but after counting them again and again, no one could figure out the origin of this ship's cargo. It was not until Paul visited Shangyu that he got a glimpse of clues from the row of chimneys that were as dense as a forest.
“Make a fortune in silence”, right? The hearts of the Portuguese are so dirty!
"Can the Portuguese be trusted friends of your country?" Paul asked. "I don't know your customs, but didn't China and Portugal just have a naval battle?"
"It's not impossible to make peace after a naval battle." Prefect Hai was obviously prepared, so he answered calmly: "We have had some conflicts with Portugal. But Portugal has sincerely repented and expressed full sincerity. After the court accepted this sincerity, it agreed to trade ironware with the Portuguese."
Paul was very perceptive: “May I ask what kind of sincerity is this?”
This question was actually quite normal, but when Hai Gangfeng was about to speak, he was stunned: In fact, the inclusion of the Portuguese in the exemption list and the agreement to open up the iron trade were almost entirely the decisions of Prince Mu. This decision was made against all odds, and all different opinions from the cabinet and local governments were suppressed. Mu made a 180-degree turn and agreed to resume trade with Portugal, only asking Portugal to give some medicinal plants (such as cinchona trees) and cede a few worthless pieces of land. The Portuguese did not care at the time, and openly pointed out in front of everyone that those were all remote islands with no products at all. It was just that the land on the islands would inexplicably ooze black grease, and when the weather was hot, it would spontaneously combust without fire, and the smell was extremely unpleasant...
Such strange stories are probably only valuable in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". But the prince seemed very interested and insisted on taking the land, even agreeing to such big things as ironware. Hai Gangfeng was accompanying them at the time, and although he was also confused, he could do nothing because of his status. Even when asked about this now, he still didn't know how to explain it. He could only remain silent for a moment and answer according to the training of the Foreign Affairs Office:
"The Portuguese presented a unique gift, showing their sincerity in seeking peace and reconciliation. Your Majesty will naturally grant their approval, mindful of their sincerity..."
Paul’s eyes visibly lit up at the words and sounds. "Unique gift" - that is to say, as long as the gift satisfies the Da'an court, the iron trade can be discussed, right?
The facts turned out to be just as he expected. Hai Gangfeng made a quick perfunctory remark, then clapped his hands and signaled the yamen runners to bring over a booklet. This pamphlet was nominally intended to demonstrate the "sincerity" of the vassal states in paying tribute to His Majesty the Emperor and to express the "expectations" of the court, but its actual intention was obvious. Of course, the "sincerity" that can satisfy Emperor Da'an must be rare. Even if the sea merchants are well-informed, they can only recognize one or two after reading carefully...
"Oh my!" Enli suddenly shouted, "We also have this 'oil field' that produces oil!"
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