Wild North America 1846

Chapter 543 Chicago Exchange and Evacuation of Reserves
On July 1870, 7, Prussian Prime Minister Bismarck issued a provocative "Emm Smith Telegram" on the issue of Spanish succession, which greatly angered the French government and regarded it as a blatant provocation.

Uncle can bear it, but neither can aunt.

On July 7, the French Emperor Napoleon III, who had already seen the Kingdom of Prussia unhappy, was determined to use force to teach the Prussians a lesson, and formally declared war without losing the opportunity, detonating the Franco-Prussian War.

the news spread
The whole of Europe is stunned, the war cloud that has been entrenched overhead for several months has finally turned into a thunderstorm, Europe will usher in a large-scale war that will affect one-third of its territory, and it will be a complete disaster.

The small and medium-sized European countries around France and Prussia feel the most deeply, falling into great panic and helplessness.

The French Empire and the North German Confederation headed by Prussia have a combined population of more than [-] million, and the fight will definitely be earth-shattering. This is a certainty.

As the traditional agricultural powers in Europe, France and the Austrian Empire not only have a surplus of agricultural products, but also can export nearby to meet the needs of other European countries.

it's good now
Once the war starts, more than 10 provinces in the southeast and northeast of France that are rich in agricultural products will be affected by the flames of war, and the provinces of Prussia and the North German Confederation countries near the French border will not be spared, and there will be a huge gap in the supply of staple products such as grain and oil. Inescapable fact.

look around the world

Only the Tang Empire has the ability to increase the export of grain and oil products on a large scale, so buyers from various European countries flocked to buy grain at high prices, which was the main factor that caused the market to fluctuate greatly.

And some European businessmen who had no trade channels before ran around like headless chickens. Some unscrupulous domestic businessmen saw this opportunity and took the opportunity to lure them wantonly, which led to chaos in the domestic bulk grain and oil product market and triggered economic crimes. Rapid growth.

In view of this
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of the Interior, the General Administration of Police Reform and the Audit Office, and other government departments have purged all kinds of chaos in the economic field. They have caught a group of illegal traders and punished them, maintaining the hard-won business of the Datang Empire. reputation.

Daming Palace, Qinzheng Palace

In the past two years, Emperor Li Cha restrained his love of running around, and stayed honestly in Chang'an City for a year and a half. This is a rare thing in previous years, and it also made it very easy for the imperial guards and the royal military attache's attendants who were in charge of safety. for a while.

Today is the day when the cabinet enters the palace to meet His Majesty and report a series of major events at home and abroad. The focus is naturally the Franco-Prussian War, which is about to start with the European army gathering.

After reporting some related matters, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Earl Dong Jie, changed the subject and mentioned the current chaotic situation in the domestic bulk agricultural product market, and said worriedly;
"...

After a series of rectifications, the domestic bulk agricultural product market has been preliminarily regulated, stabilizing the confidence of merchants from various countries in the imperial market.

However, considering that the European continent will be in turmoil for a long period of time in the future, and there is a large demand for bulk grain, oil products and food, how long the surprise joint rectification operation can last, and the effect is still questionable?
Many buyers from Europe do not have stable purchase channels, nor do they have trustworthy domestic business partners. If they go all over the world to find sources of goods, they will inevitably not be deceived again.

In view of this
The government plans to take two steps to solve it. The first is to establish a bulk agricultural product trading market. Considering the current situation of agricultural production areas and cities, it is inclined to establish this bulk agricultural product trading market in Chicago.

After the establishment of a bulk agricultural product trading market, foreign buyers can purchase spot or futures based on reliable market information provided by the market, which helps to lock in long-term orders and provides a reliable sales channel for the development of the empire's agriculture.

The second step is to consider the large-scale vacancy of the empire’s strategic grain reserves, and sell some of the long-stored wheat, black beans, rice, corn, oats, and some edible oils, and replace them with new grains.

There are also some other reserve materials, which should be sold in large quantities when the value is high, and the inventory should be emptied, and then purchased and stored according to the plan in the following years, so as to realize the replacement of the old and the new in the strategic reserve.

The longest period of grain stored in the empire has been more than 10 years, and many of them have suffered mildew, moths and rat bites, greatly reducing their nutritional value, and there will be a certain amount of loss.

Taking advantage of the current enthusiasm of the market to sell the grain reserves, firstly, it can stabilize the price, and secondly, it can be exchanged at a high price, and the total of 600 million tons of grain reserves can be sold at a higher price. 50%~70% higher.

According to government statistics;

More than 430 strategic reserve depots scattered all over the empire can be included in the evacuation plan to achieve an orderly replacement of old and new strategic reserves.

Although the prospect of a bumper summer grain harvest for the Empire this year is in sight, the traders from Europe have a huge appetite. This year's summer grain alone may not be able to meet the strong demand in Europe.

For this reason, the government plans to vacate warehouses and sell grain reserves on the one hand. On the other hand, it plans to mobilize farmers and ranchers all over the country to sell their grain reserves, clear their stocks, and prepare for the next year's bumper harvest.

From the current point of view, the prosperity of the international grain and oil trade market is a good thing. In the past few years, there is no need to worry about the excessive backlog of agricultural products. "

Speaking of here
All the important cabinet ministers in the Palace of Qinzheng had relaxed smiles on their faces. The harvest of agricultural and animal husbandry products was abundant but unsalable, which has always been a big problem in the agricultural field of the Datang Empire.

The large-scale collection and storage of the empire is on the one hand, and on the other hand, it mobilizes farms to raise pigs, chickens and ducks. For this reason, many agricultural feed factories have been set up, diverting a considerable part of the agricultural production.

Pigs must be fed with food, and the number of fattened pigs has risen rapidly from one million to tens of millions, and the annual growth rate is very large.

In 1870, the number of pigs on hand had reached more than 1700 million, providing the market with various pork products, which greatly enriched the lives of the people and improved the quality of life, at the cost of consuming nearly [-] million tons of grain.

If it weren't for a world-class agricultural production country, I really wouldn't dare to be so extravagant!

Another aspect is to vigorously develop the food and wine industry. Foods of various tastes and local snacks have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. There are tens of thousands of food processing factories and workshops, which solve the problem of a large number of labor and consume hundreds of people. tons of food.

The last aspect, of course, is food exports.

Now that the war broke out in Europe, the grain sales problem that has plagued the imperial government for many years has been solved, isn't it a happy event?

Emperor Li Cha was sitting high on the throne, and after hearing this report, he couldn't help showing a satisfied look on his face, nodded and said;

"These two moves are very good, I am very relieved!
Chicago is the core city located in the central Great Plains of North America. The surrounding provinces are major food producing areas, with dense farms and pastures. The railway transportation is very convenient, and the waterway transportation from Lake Michigan to Europe is also very smooth.

Hmm... It is very good that the bulk grain futures market is established here, and it can be quickly organized.

Such a new thing will definitely encounter many problems in the development, don't hesitate, don't be afraid, just find the problem and solve the problem.

It is a great thing to benefit the country and the people to constantly improve the trading rules and build a stable sales channel for European buyers and small and medium-sized farmers.

With my approval, I will immediately send cadres to prepare for the establishment of the Chicago Bulk Grain Exchange.

Dong Aiqing's plan to vacate warehouses is of great importance. It must be carefully planned and sold gradually according to the plan. The quantity of each batch does not need to be too much. Don't scare those European buyers.

I want to emphasize one point; that is, earmarked funds for exclusive use.

The proceeds from the sale of grain reserves and other bulk reserve materials sold at the Chicago Bulk Grain Exchange must go into a special supervision account of the Ministry of Finance for special purposes.

These funds are used to supplement strategic reserves in the future, and the General Audit Office and the Independent Commission Against Corruption must follow up the whole process to prevent anyone from getting involved.

Dear lovers, you must firmly remember;

Never use a golden mountain to test the greed of human nature. Any policy formulation must have power checks and balances, must have advance planning, must have process supervision, and must have post-event auditing, and assign responsibilities to everyone and every department.

Where problems occur in any link, the officials in that link will be investigated and severely punished.

Only by maintaining openness and transparency in the system, open supervision and power constraints, can a good policy be implemented, instead of making the crooked monk read the wrong scriptures.

These two plans are to be implemented as soon as possible. The cabinet will organize a special committee and dispatch elite soldiers from various ministries to participate in it. It will supervise the establishment of the futures exchange and the subsequent trading process. Complete.

This is the most important point, all lovers must not slack off! "

"Your Majesty is wise, and the ministers dare not disobey a little!" All the ministers stood up in unison, bowed and saluted.

As the saying goes, whoever plays with a bird!

With such a perceptive sage staring over his head, the cabinet ministers, including officials from various ministries, really dare not slack off in the slightest.

The imperial government has shown a high-efficiency operation situation, and the phenomenon of corruption and passing the buck has been greatly reduced. It can be said that it is the most clear and efficient government in the world today.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Army Staff Headquarters has drawn up a military observation group to go to Prussia and France. It is planned to leave today. Please show your Majesty." First-class Duke of the Town, Field Marshal Dai Guofu, stood out of the train and said. .

in this era

Once a large-scale war breaks out, it is customary for all the powers in the world to send military observers to observe on the spot. Even if France has various dissatisfaction and complaints about the Tang Empire, it will still receive the military observers from the Tang Empire very well and give them preferential treatment. aristocratic treatment;
Here, it reflects the chivalry spirit that Europeans have always advocated.

According to the plan;

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Kun, the seventh son of the emperor, served as the head of the military observation mission to Prussia with the rank of major general. There were also many underage royal members such as the seventeenth son, the nineteenth son, and the twentieth son in the regiment. The lineup was quite luxurious.

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Kun studied in Germany for 4 years. He is very familiar with the local conditions and has many contacts with the princes and ministers of the Kingdom of Prussia and the German states. He is an ideal candidate to serve as the head of the military observation team.

Emperor Li Cha has always advocated that the prince should be released for training. After hearing the words, he nodded slightly and said, "Since the arrangements have been made, let's set off immediately, and don't report any more. Everything is based on the orders of the military department."

"Qizou Your Majesty, the old minister takes orders." Marshal Dai Guofu saluted respectfully.

In front of His Majesty, any veteran who has made great contributions to the founding of the country would not dare to slack off in the slightest, let alone show any pride in taking credit for it.

In His Majesty's wise eyes that can see through people's hearts, who would dare to harbor small thoughts?
(End of this chapter)