Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1174 Iron Smelter Under Construction
"Several businessmen came to us to inquire about steel. They saw the steel samples we brought and were very interested in our samples. They thought our steel was superior in quality to the country called Sweden and Britain. The wrought iron and steel exported, hoping to obtain the monopoly of our steel."

"These guys really have a keen sense of smell. Not long after we took out the steel piled up in the cabin, their merchants found the door." Li Jinde was inspecting the construction of the Western Company's factory building on the royal land.

Because the wood-based workshops used can be quickly built as long as you have money.

As for some special crafts, steam engines and textile machines brought from the mainland have also been installed, and only modern blast furnaces for ironmaking are still being manufactured.This is a coke blast furnace with a steam blower that uses the stirring method, a metallurgical technology that is so advanced that it is unimaginable for Britain, where almost all charcoal furnaces are used.

In order to maintain their monopoly on metallurgical technology, Li Jinde and others used engineers and craftsmen brought from the mainland instead of hiring local craftsmen.The number of engineers and craftsmen who came with the fleet from the mainland was not large, so the progress was relatively slow.

Iron smelting can be regarded as another major industrial sector besides the textile industry. Almost all large industries are based on steel.

"Originally, some of them thought that it was a waste of money for us to come here to smelt iron for no reason, but when they learned that the quality of our steel is far better than that of Western steel, they were relieved. Not to mention our high-quality Steel can be sold at a higher price and produced at a lower cost," said the director of the Western company.

They found that if they produced in the mainland, their private workshops and factories did not have the advantage compared with state-run factories with the most advanced technology.But after they arrived in Europe, they found that their technology was far ahead of this side.

The leading technology allows them to quickly open up the local market with low-cost, high-quality products, and then transport a steady stream of raw materials and wealth back to China!

"Before the steel is put into production, we still need to determine the supplier of coal. Fortunately, it is said that Britain is already the largest coal exporter on the Western side. We can obtain coal from them, which is much cheaper than transporting it directly from the mainland. After all, With a journey of thousands of miles, there may be shipwreck on the way..." Li Jinde said.

"The military department requires us to control the supply of high-quality steel. These high-quality steel may allow them to make more reliable artillery and guns. Even if the price is raised to a certain level, they will buy it, especially their King. If the steel produced is sold to several countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and France, the war between them may escalate." The director sent by the government said.

On the surface, the western trading company has Li Jinde as the executive director, but in fact the government has more seats on the board of directors, and Li Jinde has to rely on the opinions of the government.

If it is a normal businessman's thinking, he will try his best to obtain the maximum profit in the shortest time.For example, Western businessmen sold muskets and cannons to backward places such as Zulus and Annans for livestock and furs, and then these places used the purchased muskets and cannons to cause a lot of trouble to Britain.

However, as a Western trading company involved by the government, it must consider issues such as technological monopoly and limited supply. Even if it exports arms, it will be an obsolete product that is one or two generations behind.

"There are also suppliers of iron ore...we can purchase raw materials from the whole West, and then sell the finished products to them to earn processing fees." Li Jinde said.

"By the way, shopkeeper Li, there has been a rumor going around in London recently. The king convened a high court to sue a squire named Hampton in Buckinghamshire, who was our former landlord, for refusing to pay 20 shillings. It is said that Hampton was originally summoned to the Crown Taxation Court, but Hampton appealed to the court, which eventually led to the Financial Appeal Court composed of 12 prestigious senior judges to hear the case." When a director inspected the construction of the factory with Li Jinde, he mentioned the tax resistance case of the squire Hampton, which was raging in London.

"The boat tax of 20 shillings is not a problem for a squire, right?" Li Jinde was a little surprised.

With only 20 shillings, it can even go to the king's capital, and the king has to sue the other party himself?

"The businessman in Buckinghamshire revealed some news to us. This Hampton not only refused to pay taxes, but also organized people he knew in the country to refuse to resist taxes. Therefore, the king regarded him as a stubborn tax resister and wanted to make an example to others. Also Only ordinary citizens and uninformed people think it’s just a matter of 20 shillings, but the real discerning people understand it very well.” The director who mentioned the tax resistance incident said.

"I've been busy negotiating with more than a dozen coal mine owners and mine owners recently, but I haven't paid much attention to this matter. Who do you think will win the case between King and Hampton?" Li Jinde said.

After he got acquainted with the situation here, he was no stranger to the strange things here.

"This matter looks like a 20 shilling tax case, but from my outsider's point of view, this is a contest between the king and the gentry group. The king is a British tradition, and the judges of the financial appeal court are also appointed by the king. The result may be biased To the king. But the squires are powerful, and there may be some judges who are lobbied by the squires to side with Hampton. The result is really hard to say, otherwise there would be no uproar in the city of London." said the director.

"The contest between the king and the squire... If the king loses power, it will not be a good thing for us. All our privileges come from the royal family. Only when King Charles can be stronger can we guarantee that the privileges we have won will last for a long time. We spent a lot of silver in order to get their king to grant us special privileges." After Li Jinde knew about it, he was quite worried about this matter.

The contest between the king and the country gentry, as foreign businessmen, did not just sit on the sidelines, and the final result of the contest would also affect the mainland's foreign policy towards Britain, as well as the trade privileges of their western trading companies.

"Why don't we apply to the king to attend the court before the opening date, just as the matter at hand comes to an end. Let's take a look at their battle in court and respond to the result as soon as possible." Li Jinde thought for a while, and planned to take the Western Trading Company The director of the company went to attend the tax resistance case, and supported King Charles by the way.

(End of this chapter)