Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 552: Arms Deal, Stereotypes

Ibrahim was very satisfied with the results of the inspection. The quality of both guns and artillery was far superior to the matchlock guns made in the Ottoman Empire and the flintlock guns supported by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The artillery was highly mobile and won Ibrahim's favor. The people were still in the test firing range, and he immediately decided to order 24 -pound cannons and rifles. As for the warships, although he wanted them very much, he didn't have that much money.

In order to win over this long-term customer, and because of the long distance, Jia Lian offered a preferential price.

How was the discount? According to the Great Zhou silver dollar settlement, rifles were delivered to the door for thirty yuan each (excluding ammunition), and twelve-jin cannons were one thousand silver dollars each (including a base amount of ammunition).

There is a difference between rifles and artillery. Rifles can be sold at a lower price, but artillery cannot. As heavy firepower, people often won't sell it to you even if you are rich.

Ibrahim calculated that after paying for the weapons, he still had about 10,000 silver dollars left, barely enough for the return trip. The problem was that he couldn't come here for nothing. According to the treaty, he would be accompanied by envoys from the Zhou Dynasty and escorted by a fleet.

"Sir, can we have a private word?" Ibrahim looked guilty.

Jia Lian could guess what he was thinking, and he dismissed his attendants without making a sound. When there was no one around, Ibrahim whispered, "Sir, when we go back, your envoys will have one ship, your fleet will also have one ship, and I will have one ship. It would be bad to have so many ships go back empty, right?"

Jia Lian understood and nodded slightly: "It is true that we can bring some goods to the warehouse."

Ibrahim said, "When the goods arrive in Istanbul, let me handle it. We'll split the profits equally!"

Jia Lian looked at him with a half-smile. This guy is not a good guy. Does he think I am a fool? Or was he too easy to talk to before?

Ibrahim was extremely thick-skinned and continued calmly: "Then it's four and six. I'll have four and you'll have six."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "That's not how business is done. The British control the seas, and your merchant ships can only sail in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. If our merchant ships deliver goods to your door, it means we have to compete with Britain and other European countries. Even if it's just the Ottoman Empire market, it's enough to drive European pirates crazy. My people bear the procurement and transportation costs, and they also have to bear huge risks. That's not how business is done."

Ibrahim, who turned into a businessman, didn't feel embarrassed at all and continued to bargain: "37, no more. Although my family is very powerful in the Ottoman Empire, it has never produced a pasha. Selling goods is not difficult, but how to collect the money is difficult."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "You buy our goods from the British, can you still buy them on credit? If it is not for the healthy development of the relationship between the two countries, do I need to take the political risk to do this business? I am just sitting in Guangzhou waiting for the Western merchants' ships to come to buy, do I still earn less?"

Ibrahim's eyes swam around after hearing this. He knew that what Jia Lian said was the truth. The merchant ships of the Great Zhou Dynasty had robbed the British market. The Royal Navy would really turn into pirates. Wasn't it because they were frequently stopped on the road and delayed the journey that it took more than a year to come here? Even though they knew it was an Ottoman Empire delegation, the British Royal Navy was not polite and detained it for three months before releasing it.

"Sir, how do you think the profits should be divided?" Ibrahim was sure that Jia Lian could not be fooled, so he simply handed over the initiative.

Jia Lian then smiled and said, "I'll give you 20% of the profits. Don't think it's too little, it's already a lot. You can take 10% for yourself, and use the other 10% to build good relationships. In addition, I have a batch of personal gifts for you, so you can take them back and give them to others as gifts, which will also be great."

As he spoke, Jia Lian clapped his hands, and Fan Ping came in, followed by two followers carrying a box. After they put it on the table and opened it, Ibrahim's eyes suddenly lit up like searchlights.

A box of revolvers, twelve in total, with a basic amount of ammunition.

"Is this for me?" Ibrahim asked unconfidently, his voice trembling.

Jia Lian smiled. This thing looked very precious, but its actual value on the battlefield was not as good as a rifle. However, no one could make it at present, and only the Great Zhou Empire could produce it.

After receiving Jia Lian's affirmative look, Ibrahim stood up excitedly, grabbed Jia Lian's hand, held it tightly, and shook it vigorously: "Sir, you are the best friend of the Ottoman Empire."

Jia Lian corrected him with a smile: "No, no, no, the Great Zhou Empire is a friendly neighbor of the Ottoman Empire, and you are my best friend in the Ottoman Empire. Only by distinguishing between public and private affairs can we achieve long-term success."

"Yes, yes, yes, distinguish between public and private." Ibrahim laughed.

With the arrival of the Zhou envoys in Guangzhou by land, Ibrahim's visit mission was basically over. After a short rest, he returned home.

In order to demonstrate the power of the Zhou Empire, six third-level battleships were dispatched for escort. Each ship carried some cargo without affecting normal navigation and operations.

There were also four clipper boats accompanying them as forward scouts. Jia Lian specifically asked the envoy Gu Ming to send a gift to Churchill when passing through India. This relationship still needs to be maintained. Don't say anything nonsense about not talking about relationships. Relationships are important everywhere. It is much easier to get things done with relationships. Apart from anything else, showing you the way can save a lot of time.

Being an envoy abroad is really a tough job. The only benefit is that you can get promoted quickly after you come back. Take Gu Ming as an example. He is now a sixth-rank official. He is sent to Ottoman Empire as an envoy and stays there for five years. When he returns to his country after his term expires, he will be at least a fourth-rank official. Of course, if this kind of official has no one in the court, the ceiling is not high. If there is really someone in the court, there is no need to take the risk of going out to sea.

Gu Ming, who came from the Honglu Temple, was very tactful and said that he would definitely give the gift to General Churchill.

After leaving Guangzhou, the fleet first went to Tainan Island, then transferred to Jakarta, and escorted a transport fleet with many exiled prisoners on board.

The reason why there were no merchant ships accompanying them was mainly because they were worried about irritating the British. After all, in terms of naval strength, there was still a big gap between them and the British Royal Navy. Before the emergence of breech-loading artillery, Jia Lian did not dare to take risks easily. In addition, the navy was a pioneer in exploring the Ottoman Empire, and later it would go to Britain and France for friendly visits. A round trip would take more than three years, no matter how fast it was.

In Jakarta, they learned that the British had withdrawn from the Strait of Malacca and handed over Penang and Lijiaopo to the Nanyang Navy, which truly confirmed that Nanyang was the inland sea of ​​the Great Zhou Empire. Jia Lian had essentially completed the expansion of territory. When the fleet arrived in India, it was indeed questioned by the British fleet. It was learned that it was a fleet of the Great Zhou delegation, which was on a friendly visit to the Ottoman Empire and Europe, and the Royal Navy fired a salute in salute.

The commander of the fleet, former Royal Navy Captain Duke, ordered the cannon to fire in return.

Major General Churchill received gifts from Jia Lian, a set of precious porcelain, a box of tea, and a box of revolvers.

Churchill was so happy that his business cells began to multiply rapidly. He thought that selling revolvers to Europe was a good business, so he wrote a letter to Jia Lian, expressing his gratitude for the gift and also proposing the possibility of doing revolver business.

To be honest, Jia Lian was a little surprised when he received the gift and letter. What can I say about revolvers? Dueling is still popular in Europe. The death rate of dueling with flintlock pistols is not low. If it is replaced with revolvers, wouldn’t the chance of both sides being injured be higher? Just thinking about it makes me feel that it is too evil. But what can I say? Selling revolvers makes money. The cost of a revolver is only 20 yuan. If I sell it to Churchill, it’s not too much to double it, right? Considering that it is an exclusive product, it’s not too much to double it again, right?
The deal is done, that’s it.

Jia Lian replied immediately, quoted a price, and came to pick up the goods. Each revolver was sold for one hundred silver dollars (with a basic amount of ammunition), and the minimum purchase was 500.

When he finally decided to sell it for 100 yuan, he did feel a little guilty about it. But when he thought about how others were making money by using luxury goods, Jia Lian quickly abandoned his conscience.

Of course, this batch of goods are high-end products, and the workmanship must be much more sophisticated. The carvings on the gun handles must be higher to show the exquisite craftsmanship.

The letter was delivered by a clipper and reached Bombay in a month. Churchill was overjoyed when he received the letter. He immediately used public resources for personal gain and sent a warship to Guangzhou under the pretext of a friendly visit.

After all, this business can only last for at least 30 years, or even longer. After all, Lavoisier was deceived into coming to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Without the father of modern chemistry, Europe would definitely be affected.

Back in Beijing, Jia Lian wrote back to set the tone for how to negotiate with the Russian envoys, and that made things easier. Jia Lian's attitude was clear: no one or any animal from the Russian Empire was allowed to cross the Caspian Sea, otherwise it would be considered a provocation.

The importance of the Caspian Sea can be seen from the map, so I won’t elaborate here. In short, if necessary, the King of Xining in Central Asia can cooperate with the Ottoman Empire to fight against Tsarist Russia at any time.

Of course, whether King Xining would obey the order is another matter. Even if he agreed verbally, it would not be surprising if he actually disobeyed the order.

But this does not prevent you from making harsh remarks during negotiations. Not to mention, you have no actual control over such a large area, and you have no idea whether others have crossed it.

As the leader of the Russian exploratory group, Rumyantsev had never expected that the hostility of the Great Zhou Empire would be so strong.

In order to safeguard the interests of the Russian Empire, Rumyantsev had to give a tough answer, advocating the actual control area as the boundary and dividing the power model, and at the same time demanding that the Eastern University should not intervene in the Russo-Turkish War.

At this stage, the Xining King actually does not control a large area in Central Asia because of the serious lack of population. The vast Central Asian region, including the army and immigrants, has no more than one million people. He barely controls the so-called Anxi old land. The Kazakhs in the north are actually controlled by Tsarist Russia. The so-called "cannot cross the Caspian Sea" is just an empty talk. It would be strange if Tsarist Russia could spit out the meat it has eaten.

According to the battle report of the King of Xining, the most troublesome opponent in the former Anxi Protectorate is the Kazakhs, and the two sides have been engaged in small-scale exchanges of fire. As of now, the King of Xining is going to send 30,000 troops to the north to fight the Kazakhs. This is what the King of Xining said, but I really don't know if he will do it. As for the Caspian Sea, the King of Xining's men haven't even touched the edge.

Li Qing had a very bad impression of Tsarist Russia. Not only did the two countries have a long history, but even the rebellion in the Western Regions was influenced by Tsarist Russia. The former Anxi Protectorate was severely infiltrated.

In contrast, the British, who signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, took the initiative to show goodwill and stated that they would never enter Burma. Even if someone entered, they would be merchants and missionaries.

You know what, Li Qing would fall for the British, but he was not in a good mood towards Tsarist Russia.

"Anyway, the true words are here and will never be changed." Li Qing didn't waste any words, he got up and left. He was really annoyed when he saw the Russian envoy.

Emperor Chenghui also disliked Tsarist Russia. If we have to find the reason, it should be during the reign of Emperor Taizu. At that time, the Zhou army besieged a Tsarist Russian stronghold in the Far East. After breaking through, they found that the local Tsarist Russian garrison had been cut off from food and had to eat rice and meat. This incident was recorded in the history books of the Zhou Empire and had an extremely bad impact.

The Zhou Empire had a very bad impression of Tsarist Russia from top to bottom, with stereotypes such as the country leading beasts to eat people, being barbaric, and difficult to educate.

Rumyantsev watched Li Qing leave, his head was about to explode. Where was the country of etiquette? This is it?

After a delay of a month, the negotiations were suspended again.

The Russian delegation was going crazy. One noble shouted in the inn: "The Khitans have gone too far. The Kazakhs should teach them a lesson with their sabers."

Rumyantsev looked at the nobleman as if he were a fool. There were many arrogant people like him in Tsarist Russia. Intelligence collected before coming here showed that Khitan was fighting with the Spanish and the Dutch for Southeast Asia. Logically, they should avoid fighting on two fronts. Is the Khitan emperor a madman? Is he determined to go to war with Tsarist Russia for the benefit of the Ottoman Empire?
Letters were exchanged between the north and the south, with the clipper ship making a round trip once a month. The communication was relatively fast, and there was no need to worry about the horse dying due to the 800-mile express delivery.

Jia Lian, who received the report from the capital, was not optimistic about the outcome of the negotiation. Given the nature of the Russian Empire, the most they could negotiate was a condition of an actual control line. The problem was that the army of the King of Xining was not the army of the Great Zhou Empire, but his private army. This made it difficult for him to fight the Russian Empire to the end for the benefit of the Great Zhou Empire.

It is very likely that while complaining to the country and constantly asking for aid, they were secretly colluding with Tsarist Russia and engaging in a tacit war.

As for the battle report, isn't that just written casually? And considering the actual situation of the Great Zhou, the original work of King Xining is not without bottom line.

Li Qing also mentioned this possibility when reporting to the emperor, and emphasized that the contract with Russia could not be implemented without expecting the other party to abide by it, but to find ways to help the Ottoman Empire and hold back Russia's power.

Emperor Chenghui knew from the map that the tentacles of the Russian Empire were close to the North Sea (Lake Baikal). Li Ni's troops had exchanged fire with scattered Russian forces on the west side of the lake. Knowing that he would not get any assistance, Li Ni proposed to increase trade efforts. He needed a large amount of tea and ironware. However, Li Ni could not come up with any bargaining chips, so he could only use a large amount of gold and wool for trading. In the long run, Li Ni's power would definitely become weaker and weaker. This was also one of the concerns of Emperor Chenghui.

Regardless of whether he is a traitor or not, he is now the King of Mobei recognized by the court. We must give him enough preferential treatment in trade to ensure his long-term foothold.

The grassland tribes now no longer have the confidence to move south, they are really scared. After the wool trade, there is basically no major threat in the southern grasslands.

Emperor Chenghui told Li Qing not to be anxious and to talk slowly.

Li Qingzhen was not in a hurry. He talked slowly and patiently.

Entering October, the weather became much cooler, and Jia Lian started his inspection tour to Nanyang. This time, he specially brought along two dancers who he had not had the chance to seduce, as well as Yuanyang and Xiren.

Why didn't he bring the third sister, Qingwen and Siqi? The third sister had to stay because she finally had news. Of course, there was also good news in the capital. The second sister stopped having period a month after Jia Lian left. The doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. In the main house, there was no news from Wang Xifeng, but there was some movement from Ping'er and Guixiang.

Thinking about having so many children in the future, Jia Lian felt a little nervous. Whether he could support them was not a big issue. The problem was that it would be difficult to take care of each of these children.

But as for Grandmother Jia, she was overjoyed, thinking that having many sons and grandsons was a blessing. She even said that there were still too few male descendants in the Jia family. At least the East Palace was not prosperous.

Jia Lian did not go around the big officials, but went directly to Jakarta, and sent 3,000 immigrants to Li Yuan.

Speaking of how these immigrants came, there is indeed a story. In the first half of the year, Jia Lian launched another severe crackdown and cut the leeks in the gray area. Some bad local customs in Guangzhou were severely beaten down. At the same time, there were prisoners from all over the province. The officials below flattered them. As long as they were criminals, except for those who were extremely evil and must be sentenced to death, all others were exiled and sent to Southeast Asia.

As the Dutch slowly withdrew from Java, the number of warships capable of long-distance voyages in the Nanyang Fleet now exceeded 100. Thirty warships were guaranteed to be ready for battle at any time in various parts of the Nanyang region, thirty were under maintenance, and thirty were on vacation. It can be said that there was no rival in the Nanyang region.

However, Jia Lian did not relax the construction of the fleet because he knew that the War of Independence of the Thirteen States in North America was about to end.

According to news from Europe, the War of Independence lasted for eight years. Although it has not ended yet, both sides still have spare strength and will most likely fight for another year.

Historically, the fight lasted for eight years, and in this time and space, even if it lasts another year, it will only be nine years. I just don't know whether Louis XVI, the locksmith, will be sent to death by the guillotine he invented.

When Jia Lian arrived in Jakarta and met Li Yuan, the two exchanged pleasantries. Li Yuan then said something shocking: "Sir, the Dutch told me that the British have started negotiations with the North American rebels."

Jia Lian was shocked: "No way, I don't have any news at all."

Li Yuan said: "It is said to be a secret contact. The Dutch have their own information channels. And the Spanish told me that the Netherlands is secretly negotiating with Britain to form an alliance. Britain is also an ally of Portugal." To be honest, Li Yuan's well-informedness greatly exceeded Jia Lian's expectations. It can be seen that in Nanyang, as long as commercial routes exist, they can get news from Europe before the country.

(End of this chapter)