Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 127 Finalize the trade with Ming Dynasty worth 30 guan

The Xiu family didn't want to care about the background of the Li family. Anyway, it was not an existence that the current Xiu family could provoke. The Xiu family only cared about the reason why the Li family robbed their ships and sent them back intact. They showed such kindness. The Li family's request may not be small.

The Xiu family sorted out their thoughts and continued to say, "My family is new to sea trade, and there are many rules that I don't know very well. This time, I would like to thank the Li family for looking for it. The small country is poor and there is no way to repay it. But in the future, wherever it is useful to get my family, even Speak."

Li Guozhu and Li Zhongguo exchanged glances after hearing what the Xiu family said, and Li Guozhu continued, "In fact, our family has heard that Bizen of the Western Kingdom can make gunpowder by itself in Kyushu. The price is only half of that of Nanban merchants, and the power of gunpowder is almost the same as that of Nanban gunpowder."

"In the past, we didn't believe that there was no saltpeter in Japan, and gunpowder was only imported. We never heard of any country exporting it. We didn't believe it until we saw the real thing on your cargo ship to Kyushu."

"Don't worry, Your Highness, our Li family will never ask His Highness Yuchai about the source of the saltpeter, nor will we interfere in His Highness's internal affairs. The Li family only cares about trade. Our Li family wants to monopolize His Highness's gunpowder business, and the price will be increased by [-]%."

Xiujia was surprised to hear that Li Dan wanted to monopolize the gunpowder trade of Yuxi's family.

Don't look at Yuxi's family building toilets and developing local nitrate refining methods, but this thing will cause great environmental pollution, and it can only be produced near the mouth of rivers with large water volumes such as Gaoliangchuan, Sichuan, and Asahikawa. discharged directly into the sea.

Even so, since the development of the indigenous method of nitrate refining, Yuxi’s gunpowder is still limited by the output of saltpeter, and the total output of gunpowder cannot increase. Last year, a total of 10 gunpowder was produced, and 3 guns were used at home. The small profit was supplied to Hashiba's family and other close daimyos with 6 kan. What was making money was the gunpowder that cost 5 kan, and sold 2 kan.

Generally speaking, we generally believe that Japan does not produce saltpeter. For example, in the Japanese material "Nihon Yijian" collected by Zheng Shungong of the Ming Dynasty, it is said that Japan does not produce saltpeter. "So.

Although the above statement is not entirely correct, for example, some local saltpeter is produced in Etchu and Hida, Japan, but the above-mentioned local saltpeter output is negligible compared to the imported amount, so it can almost be considered that Japan does not produce much saltpeter , or that local saltpeter cannot meet the demand at all.

In order to expand the upper limit of trade, Hideka cooperated with Hashiba Hidecho to help him import saltpeter from Hida after the Battle of Kidake. It is estimated that 13 gunpowder can be produced this year.

Xiujia also understands that the saltpeter produced in China is not enough, and the saltpeter in East Asia is supplied by Siam and Sanqi Buddha. Li Dan buys the saltpeter imported from Siam from Zhejiang and Fujian, and then processes it and sells it to Japan.

Judging from the fact that the gunpowder sold by Ming merchants in Kyushu was only 1% lower than that of Nanban merchants, the cost of gunpowder for Ming merchants was actually not low, and most of the profits were made by saltpeter traders.

And if a stable gunpowder supplier can be obtained locally in Japan, not only can the purchase cost of gunpowder be reduced, but the transportation cost will also be greatly reduced. However, there is not much gunpowder supply here at Yuxiduo, so we can only settle for the next best thing and pay attention to others. One direction - the price of gunpowder.

Although the gunpowder sold by Yuxiduo already has a 70% gross profit, it is still much cheaper than Nanban and Ming Guo gunpowder. If it is not for the shortage of supply, it is completely dumping at a real price.

Thinking of this, the Xiu family understood what they meant. Although the low-priced gunpowder dumped by the Xiu family was not large, it had seriously affected their autonomy in pricing gunpowder, so they would rather add a [-]% premium.

More importantly, if it monopolizes the export of many cheap gunpowder in Yuxi and curbs the supply of low-priced goods, it can maintain its price in Kyushu gunpowder. After a while, who will remember that gunpowder once had such a low price? Woolen cloth? .

This logic is just like Coca-Cola came to China in the 90s to cooperate with local companies to set up factories. After going through price wars and subsidizing small factories for OEM production, the entire Coke business in China was taken over by foreign brands. Buying money, or being defeated by the trading post, Li Dan's thinking is so consistent with the European and American businessmen of later generations.

Although he wanted to understand the truth, the Xiu family still said, "We have always been open to anyone who comes to the gunpowder trade. Whoever sells is not selling. However, the priority of our family's production of gunpowder is to ensure the supply of gunpowder for our family. The surplus is to export to make money. .”

"At the same time, our family is the retainer of the Yuchai family. As a retainer, it is our duty to share the worries of the Lord. The Yuchai family needs gunpowder supply, and our family has no obligation to refuse to give it. These two items account for most of the gunpowder produced by our family."

"Now Mr. Li wants to purchase gunpowder from my family to supply Kyushu. I am afraid that my family does not have such a large supply for you. With this little trade volume, do you think Mr. Li is interested?"

"No problem, because the price is cheap, and you can save on shipping costs. Whether the quantity is large or small is nothing more than a question of how much the total cost will be reduced. For the family, it is already profitable."

It was Li Zhongguo who spoke, and he was the elder of the family, so he spoke impeccably.It means that I bought it to reduce the cost of 1 penny, which is also to increase profits, but compared to the Li family who trades in gunpowder with millions of pens every year, the cost reduction of these tens of thousands of pens is actually very rare.

Xiujia verified what he thought from his words, and he also understood in his heart that the other party hijacked your boat to give you a warning, and returning your boat is to show you kindness. I am afraid that the business in South Japan will not continue.

So the Xiu family had no choice but to agree to their request, and the two parties agreed that all the gunpowder produced by Yuxijia would be sold by the Li family in Japan except for their own use and supply to Yuchaijia, and the Li family would pay 2% more to Yuxijia.

Although the agreement did not indicate the consequences of breach of contract, Hideka knew very well that if Hideka secretly supplied the fleet of the third daimyo, Ukita, they would not be able to sail in southern Japan, but Bizen was in the Seto Inland Sea. , without the navy, Yu Xijia is like a turtle in a urn, and there will be no future.

Although this agreement was aggrieved, Hideka felt that they could draw inferences from one instance and recommended Bizen matchlock to them. Compared with gunpowder, the productivity of Bizen matchlock was not limited, and about 8 guns of matchlock were exported every year.

The key is that Bizen matchlock is not only cheaper than Nanban rope, but also more resistant to fire than Nanban rope. Once it is withdrawn, the supply will be in short supply. In the Japanese market, it has already impacted the matchlock market once monopolized by the Nanban people.

Merchants in the Ming Dynasty did not trade matchlocks themselves. This thing takes up a lot of land, and the Ming Dynasty itself relies on imports of matchlocks from Nanban, but it does not prevent them from picking up goods nearby for trade!

The Li family obviously came here after doing their homework. Now that Li Guozhu heard that the Yuxi family was willing to hand over the agency rights of the fire rope to them, he immediately made a decision. According to the gunpowder practice, the price will be increased by 2%, and the Li family will be fully authorized to act.

As the Xiu family took the initiative to open up business routes, the atmosphere in the side hall became more relaxed. Talking about the trade show family and Li Guozhu seemed to have found a common topic.

Previously, Yuxi's family had to transfer the supplies obtained from Ezo by themselves to Hirado for trade, and there were only a few times a year. If they directly signed a trade agreement with the Li family in the future, the two parties would trade in Takamatsu and Okayama. Greatly shortening the round-trip time of Ezo and increasing the number of round-trips, the key is to drive the development of Bizen and Sanuki.

Okayama and Takamatsu are originally located in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea. One south and one north control the Seto Inland Sea Channel. They are important fulcrums connecting Hirado and Sakai. If the trade between the Li family and Ukita can be traded in Okayama, It is absolutely possible to make the two towns develop into big ports second only to Sakai and Hirado.

Hideka couldn't help being excited at the thought of this, so he ordered someone to show Li Guosuke the leather goods, brown sugar and other materials that are specialties in Ezo, as well as three samurai swords made by Bizen Osafune with a new method.

Japanese samurai swords have always been very popular in the Ming Dynasty. This should be regarded as a typical example of Japan learning from Chinese skills and surpassing Han.

Although many people are unwilling to admit that there are indeed many famous knives in China that are exquisitely crafted and cut iron like mud, but these famous knives are too cherished.

Japanese swordsmiths may not be able to create the upper limit of Ming craftsmen, but they can mass-produce ordinary knives that surpass the quality of the same period in the Ming Dynasty.

As early as the Song Dynasty, famous Japanese swords were sought after by dignitaries, and since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, long boat famous swords have always been items that Japan must bring with them every time they pay tribute.

In the third year of Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty (1401), he sent envoys to express his love and "present things", including "ten waists of swords and one handle of a knife".

In the first year of Yongle (1403), the number of knives increased to one hundred during Japan's second "offering party objects".In the later offerings, knives became almost one of the most important items, and the variety of knives also increased.

Take the ninth year of Xuande (1434), which has records and can be checked, as an example, two katanas with gold sheaths, one hundred katanas with black lacquer sheaths, and one hundred long knives were "presented" at one time, a total of [-] knives.

According to the two preserved records of the 19th year of Jingtai and the [-]th year of Chenghua, the number of knives donated is the same as that of the [-]th year of Xuande.

These high-quality Japanese weapons were rewarded by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty to various military generals, and thousands of them were handed over to the imperial guards who were in charge of the palace ban. It can be seen that these knives are not only extremely sharp, but also majestic and beautiful. Can represent the royal face.

Li Guozhu, Li Zhongguo and others played with the famous knife sent by the Xiu family and couldn't put it down. Such a beautifully decorated long boat knife could be sold for more than 200 taels of silver in the Ming Dynasty, and it was converted into copper coins for about 3300 guan.

But here you only need 800 copper coins to get it, and you can get 4 times the huge profit every time you go back and forth. The only requirement of the Xiu family is that you must use Yongle Tongbao for transactions.

Then the two picked up an Ezo mink fur cloak, stroked the texture on it and couldn't put it down. Today's fur trade in the Ming Dynasty is completely monopolized by northern merchants represented by Shanxi merchants. The fur they bought from the Kanto for 5 taels of silver, It costs 50 taels to change hands after entering the customs, and there is no price lower than [-] taels when transported to the south.

Now that these high-quality furs are in front of their eyes, they can buy them all at a price of 500 taels. As long as they are shipped to Susong and Jiangning, they will be sold for 80 taels, 1500 taels, and the profit is more than three times.

Not to mention brown sugar, when industrial sugar extraction has not yet been invented and caramel is extremely expensive, people's love for "sweetness" will not deteriorate, especially in Susong, where there is a big sugar gap.

Although brown sugar is not as sweet as caramel sugar, it is not as sticky to the teeth as caramel sugar. It tastes very comfortable and can open up a lot of markets if you think about it.

The two secretly planned in their hearts, originally they just came to knock on this young daimyo, but they didn't expect that their home is still a treasure house, and the things they take out casually will be huge profits when they are transported to the Ming Dynasty, and they are ready to eat them all after a short exchange.

Although they expressed their wish to trade with silver, the Xiu family only wanted Yongle Tongbao.The reason is simple. Different from the gold and silver items in various countries, Yongle Tongbao is an international currency for the workers of the three parties in the trade between China, Japan and North Korea.

More importantly, the three parties seem to have an unspoken rule. The merchants who use Yongle Tongbao seem to have obtained the official endorsement of the Ming Dynasty, and they can even bypass the sea ban and log in to trade.

But with a large number of Yongle Tongbao that could be used in circulation.Buried underground by East Asians who lacked financial knowledge, this kind of currency in circulation among the three parties became extremely scarce, which was also the reason why Ming Dynasty lacked copper coins.

The Xiu family's thinking was still too simple. Although Yongle Tongbao is universal, the hundreds of thousands of Yongle Tongbao are still extremely large and difficult to transport.

In the end, after discussion, it was decided that the Li family would buy silk and brocade in the Ming Dynasty and ginseng in North Korea and transport them to Okayama to trade with Ukido by barter. Of course, the price would be much cheaper than the market price in Japan.

Although the Xiu family knows that this is a way of bartering, the price of their goods will inevitably be made by the Li family, but this is also a helpless choice. After all, they are the ones who really master the trade of the Three Kingdoms, and now they are willing to bring Xiu Drinking soup at home has already made a very big concession.

After an afternoon of discussions, the final agreement was finally finalized, and the Li family began formal trading with Yuxiduo, who will be the full agent of Yuxiduo's gunpowder and matchlocks, and the price will increase by [-]%.

The Li family fully represented Yuxiduo's transit trade with Ming Dynasty, using Ming Dynasty silk, brocade, and Korean ginseng as goods, and exchanged famous knives, leather goods, brown sugar and other materials with Yuxiduo at a price of 5% of the market price, and Yuxiduo Households can sell the exchanged silk, brocade, and ginseng in the market.

On the whole, Xiujia actually made a lot of hard money in this trade, and what they earned was only 100% of the profit from the sale of Ming Dynasty goods, and Li Dan took the bulk of the profits. When the goods were transported to the Ming Dynasty, they would earn several times the profit if they changed hands, making a lot of money.

Although there is some jealousy, this is the reality. If someone controls the important waterway, those who follow will prosper, and those who go against will be king. If the Xiu family disagrees, they will not earn a dime.

By the time Xiujia and the two finalized the agreement, it was already late, and Xiujia had planned to ask Seto Jiazheng about the matter, so he had to let it go. Report back to the city early in the morning.

After a few people left, the Xiu family fiddled with their fingers to calculate the future trade profits. Roughly speaking, it can bring about 30 yuan of annual profit to Yuxi Family, which is equivalent to a grain of one million stones. Tax revenue!
Sure enough, entrepot trade has been the most profitable since ancient times. Don’t you see that’s how Hong Kong developed?With this part of the income, he won't change the seal of Xiu's family!
Just when Xiujia walked through the small door and entered the inner hall contentedly, Xiujia suddenly had an ominous feeling in her heart, the atmosphere in the inner hall seemed to be a bit wrong~
(End of this chapter)