Kai Fu Han

Chapter 171 Jeju Strait
This price is too high. If the Xinghan League smelted its own iron, the cost for 100 kilograms would not exceed [-] taels. However, Liu Xinqi was taking a long-term approach this time to catch the big fish, not to mention that the cost of steelmaking in Goryeo was much higher than that of the Xinghan League.

After inviting this person to the stage to sign a contract, Liu Xinqi continued to present a contract.

"This is an iron ore contract. The contract stipulates that within ten days after three months, Party B must provide Party A with 100 million kilograms of iron ore with an iron content of more than 1000%. The contract price is 1000 taels of silver. The starting price is [-] Two taels of silver, each price reduction should not be less than ten taels."

This price is also considered high. Ten stones of iron ore cost one tael of silver, which is twice as expensive as buying it from Laizhou.

This price is also used to cultivate the market in the long term. Only if it contains huge profits can these Korean businessmen be mobilized to vigorously develop iron ore. When the output increases, the price will naturally come down.The Xinghan League now has an additional source of iron ore to avoid being choked by Laizhou again.

The cargo of 100 million kilograms of iron ore was so large that only one businessman quoted a starting price, and then the deal was completed directly.

Next, Liu Xinqi auctioned seven more contracts, ending the last auction.

After the meeting, a deposit of 100 taels was paid directly to the ten contracted merchants, and they were asked to write receipts to formally establish the contract.

The afternoon of August [-] was spent in the busy process of delivery, shipment, and replenishment.

All the certificates auctioned that day and the certificates auctioned in the previous days were completed. Several certificates were obviously traded privately. However, as long as the party purchasing the certificates is present and provides the certificates and payment, Cui Wu will supply them. .

Before leaving Kaijingxigang, Liu Xinqi called together six translators and guides who could speak Korean:
"How do you think about what I told you before? Do you plan to stay and work in Korea?"

The reward Liu Xinqi promised was very high, more than three times Dengzhou's salary.

And they have been told in advance that they only need to stay in Korea for two years and then they can go home.

Several people reported one by one, and only two people were willing to stay. One was from the Xinghan League and the other was a young man from Laizhou.

Liu Xinqi did not force the remaining four people. After letting the four people go down to rest, he sent the two people who agreed to stay ashore, and the fleet began to leave Kaijing West Port.

After the fleet anchored in Ganghwa Bay for one night, it began to split into two teams the next day.

The Weizhou escorted eight cargo ships and returned to Dengzhou fully loaded with grain, iron ingots, cloth and other materials bartered at Kaijing West Port. Liu Xinqi went to Japan with ten large ships and two small boats.

After these eight cargo ships return to Dengzhou, four of them will join the four cargo ships of the second fleet to form a trading fleet, escorted by the warships of the second fleet, and regularly run the route from Dengzhou to Kaijing. The trade route became fixed.

The Weizhou will take four cargo ships directly to Hizen Country on the Japanese Kyushu Island, where Liu Xinqi will trade while waiting for the Weizhou to rendezvous.

The coastline of Hizen Country is complex and there are many good ports. It is the closest communication line between Japan and the mainland, and has always been valued by the Japanese government. During the Tang Dynasty, the port here was the main anchorage area for ships dispatched to the Tang Dynasty.However, after the Japanese state abolished sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty at the end of the Tang Dynasty (895 AD), Hizen's port economy gradually declined.

Although ships from the Tang Dynasty continued to be dispatched, Hizen Country's geographical conditions were so advantageous that a large number of pirates gathered here. These pirates plundered along the coasts of Goryeo and Zhao Kingdoms, and were called Japanese pirates by the people of Zhao Kingdom.

After the absence of cargo ships in the third fleet affected the speed, the fleet's overall sailing speed was much faster. It started from Ganghwa Bay on August [-] and took four days to reach the southernmost tip of the Koryo Peninsula on August [-].

"After returning this time, with the good wood from Goryeo, the dock at Baishiwan should also be built. Our Xinghan League must build a fast warship dedicated to combat as soon as possible." Liu Xinqi looked at the ship tied with a cable behind the Qizhou. A barge said to Li Cang.

Because the hull of the barge is too small, it is too dangerous to sail for a long time at sea. Therefore, as long as it is a long-distance voyage, the sails will be lowered and then tied to the back of the big ship with a cable and towed.

"There is indeed a need for warships specially used for combat. The current sand ships are too slow, and the fortune ships are not suitable for northern coastal operations. They will have a great impact on the combat effectiveness of our navy."

The fleet began to adjust its direction, turning from south to east.

"Is that island over there Jeju Island?" Liu Xinqi pointed to a large island in the south and asked a guide who had been to Japan.

"Your Excellency is really knowledgeable. This island originally belonged to Silla Kingdom. After Silla Kingdom was destroyed by Goryeo 90 years ago, Goryeo established Tamna County here. It used to be called Tamna Island, but it was changed to Jeju in recent years. , even many locals in Goryeo don’t know that this island is now called Jeju Island.” The guide replied, briefly introducing the history of Jeju Island.

How did Liu Xinqi know that Jeju Island had this history? It was just because in later generations, this island was very famous, and few people in later generations did not know about this island.

"Have you been to this island? What are its specialties?" Liu Xinqi asked the guide.

"I haven't been there, but I heard that it produces horses that can fight." The guide replied.

"What a great place." Liu Xinqi said secretly.

……

After the fleet passed through the Jeju Strait, it sailed on the sea surface of the Koryo Strait. From time to time, some ships could be seen in groups of twos and threes. Liu Xinqi looked at those ships and estimated that they were all Japanese pirate ships.

However, because the size of the third fleet is too large for this era, those small groups of pirates did not dare to come up to find trouble.

"The watchman reported just now that there are three small boats behind the fleet." Li Cang reported to Liu Xinqihui.

"This trip to Japan is really like entering the den of jackals, tigers and leopards. I originally planned to leave some goods to go to Heianjing. Now it seems that it will be good if we can reach Hizen Kingdom safely and smoothly." Liu Xinqi replied.

"Do we have to take this trip? We can wait until our Xinghan Alliance navy becomes stronger before we open up this sea trade route for Japan." Li Cang was a little worried. Along the way, Japan's pirates were really too powerful. too much.

Liu Xinqi explained:

"Although this country has a larger land area than Koryo, because it is an island country, the natural environment is not good, and earthquakes occur frequently, so the population is not much larger than that of Koryo. I was in Kaijing before and heard that Koryo has a population of 300 million. So, It is estimated that the Japanese population is only about 500 million."

"Hizen Kingdom is just one of the 8 or 11 small countries in the Japanese Kingdom. The total population is definitely less than [-] people. Our Xinghan League now has a population of more than [-] people. In comparison, we are more powerful."

Li Cang was a little speechless: "Can it still be calculated like this?"

(End of this chapter)