Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1387 Countermeasures ([-])

On November 1664, 11, the port of Pusan, North Korea.

Shao Shuguang, the executive deputy general manager of the Bank of Taiwan, gently pushed aside his chair and stood up, politely seeing off Li Kaduo, the general manager of the East Coast Korea Company.This gentleman is of Portuguese origin. He came to the East Bank when he was a teenager. He is a student taught by Wei Boqiu himself, and he has always believed in his teacher's life philosophy.Since he took over the East Coast Korea Company the year before last, it only took more than two years to sort out the business of this company in an orderly manner, and its profitability has also increased. Compared with his predecessor, it is indeed a heaven and a world.For this reason, he even received a circular award from Chang Kaisheng and a number of company dry stock dividend awards. He has gained a reputation in the Denglai Pioneering Team area, just like a rising political star.

Of course, the profit growth of the East Bank North Korea Company in recent years also depends mostly on the economic growth of the North Korean Kingdom itself.For example, the cultivation of artificial wild ginseng in Kaesong has been gradually expanding due to overseas demand in the past ten years, such as the export of agricultural and sideline products such as peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, and poultry in Gyeongsangdo, such as Jeolla, Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon Sido Tobacco For example, the planting and export of rice and medicinal materials, such as the export of old ginseng, leather, honey, wild products and iron materials in Hamgyong Road, Hwanghae Road, etc., the number has increased by more than one percent compared with the initial period. times, even three or four times more!

From this, it can be clearly seen that the "hermit country" of the later generations of the Korean Kingdom had to bite the bullet and start the country under the compulsion of the people on the east bank at this time, and then organize production and trade according to the goods list designated by the lords of the previous country. , There is almost no autonomy, otherwise the soldiers from the east bank will come to the door.

After so many years of trade with people from the east bank, it is not surprising that a large number of new wealthy businessmen have been created in North Korea. The nouveau riche on the rise of speculation.Because the scale of trade with the east coast is getting bigger and bigger, they quickly accumulated a lot of wealth. At the same time, the scale of the workshops and land at hand is getting bigger and bigger, and the number of workers or tenant farmers hired is also increasing by leaps and bounds. An emerging force in North Korea.

It's just that whether this emerging force can compete with the traditional forces of the Korean Kingdom with prosperous Confucianism, according to the report summarized by the Denglai Pioneering Team, it is temporarily impossible, because their power is still too weak, and they have been opposed by many landlords and gentry. Hostility, once the compulsory trade demand of the countries on the east coast disappears, there is no doubt that they will be suppressed and even liquidated by the conservative forces in North Korea. It is a high probability event that they will be wiped out and eaten up—of course, because they gave the North Korean Kingdom Provided relatively generous financial revenue, the royal family does not intend to move them for a while, but under the watchful eyes of domestic conservative forces, it is really a question whether this small sprout of capitalism in the Korean Kingdom can grow. Kaisheng is not optimistic about this, and after talking with Ricardo, Shao Shuguang also feels that the possibility is unlikely, unless the people on the east coast force North Korea to fully open the country and reform the political and economic system instead of just maintaining There are two trade windows in Busan and Wonsanjin.

"The decaying kingdom that is sleeping..." Shao Shuguang sat back on his chair, asked the owner of the restaurant to remove the banquet, and served himself and his attendants a large pot of Baiyan camellia imported from Ningbo.The Korean owner of the restaurant and the waiters immediately got busy after hearing the news, and then brought over a large set of tea sets and teapots. Shao Shuguang's secretary grabbed a handful of Changping Tongbao and rewarded them. Make these guys smile.

Changping Tongbao is the legal currency of the Kingdom of Korea. It is a self-made copper coin with a short history to replace the previously circulated Wanli Tongbao.However, just as various currencies in Japan were impacted by fake money minted by the Dabo Mint, the current North Korean market is also flooded with Changping Tongbao minted by people from the East Bank, because the fake money is fine and beautifully made, and looks better than real money. Really, so it was immediately welcomed by all walks of life in North Korea, and was generally collected in the treasury by businessmen, farmers, and officials, and very few circulated outside. It is the so-called bad money that drives out good money.

People on the east bank are naturally happy to see this situation, because the profits are huge. Even though the large amount of Changping Tongbao imported for so many years has caused slight inflation in North Korea, the seigniorage is still weak. It became an important income for the Blackwater Pioneering Team when it was not split.

In addition to the copper coin Changping Tongbao, all kinds of gold and silver coins minted by the Dabo Mint (mostly silver coins with a face value of one yuan, two yuan, and five yuan, and few gold coins with a face value of 50 yuan and one hundred yuan) have gradually been sold in the Korean market. partially accepted.Although Koreans have little tradition of using silver as currency (it was only popular for the Ming army to purchase silver in North Korea when Wanli aided the DPRK), with the gradual expansion of trade volume, this de facto currency invasion also provided a great opportunity for the Blackwater Pioneering Team. The government grabbed a lot of benefits, so that later, together with copper coins, it became a sharp weapon for people on the east coast to search for North Korea's oil and water.

Busan, where Shao Shuguang was at this time, went further than the interior of North Korea, and even the genuine east coast copper and silver coins were popular, which were almost the same as those in the east coast.But in fact, it’s normal to think about it. After all, this is a leased land, and the law of the east coast is implemented. The administrative, economic and military systems are very different from North Korea. What’s more, Ming people account for 3% of the local [-] residents. , After immigration, there are only [-] or [-] people left. The tradition and influence of the Korean Kingdom have declined to the extreme in Busan, and it is not worth mentioning at all.

"Everyone, the manager Li Kaduo of the Dongan North Korea Company just now made it very clear that North Korea has alternated floods and droughts for two consecutive years, and the grain harvest has dropped sharply, and grain prices have skyrocketed. It is empty (of course, this is just a one-sided statement by the North Koreans, which is not to be believed). There is really not much surplus grain available for sale in the market, and the price is too expensive, so it is not cost-effective to purchase. If you want to prepare for tens of thousands of troops for a long time It seems that we still have to find a way from the Dutch for the grain and rice used.” Shao Shuguang took a sip of tea and said helplessly: “I just don’t know if I’m going to ask the East India Company to purchase additional rice now, it’s just a few months’ time. Time, they don’t have time to raise funds, transship and arrange the shipping schedule, so they can only try their best. If it doesn’t work, let the East Coast Japan Company go to Shimadzu’s and Date’s to try their luck, but I guess it’s not hopeful Big."

"If it really doesn't work, I have to go to Heishui to buy some livestock. I heard that there are a lot of wild sheep in Temple Street County. The number reaches more than [-]. Slaughtering a batch and bringing them back can cover a lot of grain consumption." Someone came up with an idea, and he said: "In addition, I heard that Heixiazi Port has developed very well in recent years, and can catch seven or eight whales every year. This is a pile of meat. It is said that many people cannot be sold, and they are pickled and buried in the underground ice cellar. Can we also send some ships there? You know, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Amur River must have been frozen now, but the Heixiazi Port There is a warm current there, but it is not frozen all year round. It is amazing that there are some fine drift ice on the sea surface, as long as you are careful, you can completely avoid it. Let's send a "Yacsa" class armed transport ship over there, and bring back two hundred tons of meat. Go back quickly, and then sell it (actually, half sell and half give away, this is a policy loss that the Bank of Taiwan must bear, there is no solution) to the Denglai pioneer team and the southern pioneer team, no matter what, it can be worth half a year’s military rations for thousands of people right?"

"That's a good idea. Write it down. You will send the boat there in the next two days, and the procedures will be done in the spring of next year. Grandma, the Blackwater Pioneering Team is just like this. In winter, the sea will be impassable. It's really troublesome." Shao Shuguang heard. His eyes lit up, he nodded approvingly and said: "The North Koreans can't let it go, let's go to Jianghua Island to cheat him of a sum of food, no matter how much it is, there must be a few thousand shi, otherwise it will be too cheap for them."

Everyone laughed when they heard this, and they all expressed that they would install the artillery of several armed transport ships, and then go to Jianghua Island to demonstrate, forcing the gang of grandsons to bleed, and they were very happy for a while.

Of course, they are happy, but the North Koreans are very unhappy!Without him, as the people on the east bank judged that the Qing government would carry out a large-scale invasion of the south next year, the Korean kingdom would not only have to pay for normal supplies, but also send an imperial army of at least 1 people. Go to Shandong to assist in the defense to cooperate with a series of military operations launched by the people on the east coast.Poor North Korea has suffered two consecutive years of catastrophe and its national power has been seriously damaged, but this society has no chance to recuperate. It can only bite the bullet and fight with the army of the suzerain country.But who made them the de facto slave country? The slave country must have the awareness of the slave country. If you can't get your position right, you won't repeat the act of Shao Shude leading tens of thousands of troops ten years ago. Have you found it?

"Ah, that's right! Why did I forget about this fellow!" Shao Shuguang suddenly thought of something, slapped his thigh suddenly, and shouted: "How did I forget about this bastard Quan Bongsu? Tian is doing things in Xinghai County. I heard that he is not only good at collecting money, but also openly robbing and extorting. The North Koreans in Gyeongsangyi dare not speak out. Damn, he can be so happy because of our Dadong An's tiger skin, the battle is imminent at this time, why don't you find him for a little luck?"

It is said that Quan Fengzhu, a bandit who was born as a "flame thief", was chased by the North Korean government like a bereaved dog. As a result, the army from the east bank invaded, and this guy was the first to join him. Not only did he lead the way well, he also acted as the vanguard many times. That's called hard work.Therefore, when the East Coast Army withdrew after the war, he arranged his troops in Xinghai County, and asked the Kingdom of Korea to agree to use this as the defense area of ​​the Ministry (which had expanded to more than [-] people at that time) to support and maintain them. The army under his command.

At that time, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty in North Korea only asked for a quick withdrawal of troops from the east bank, so that they would not waste any more land, so they agreed quickly, pinching their noses, and appointed Quan Fengzhu, a leading party and traitor, as the nominal governor of Xinghai County, and allocated a sum of money and food every year. That's it, beggars are dismissed.And this Quan Fengzhu's emotional intelligence is also very high. He is very clear about where his status comes from, so every year he sends his confidantes to carry a large number of gifts across the sea to Yantai to pay homage to the wharf, and even sent troops to participate in two outings in the Northeast. Small-scale military operations can be described as very obedient.

Therefore, although his ministry has repeatedly exploited the local people in North Korea over the years, because of the people from the east coast, North Korea's Gyeongsang-do cannot station troops according to the treaty, so it has not been able to deal with Quan Bong-soo.Over time, the local people all knew how powerful he was, and the Gyeongju government also took a calm attitude and gave a large amount of money and food every year as benefits, so Chun Bong-soo and his generals were well-fed. If the "big brother" needs money urgently, if he is a "horse boy", if he is sensible, he should donate a large amount of money and food to the military as soon as possible, so that he can continue to be covered in the future, otherwise, the downfall is just a sentence from the East Coast talk thing.

Thinking of this, Shao Shuguang has already decided to send someone to Xinghai County to remind Quan Fengzhu, lest he forget his duty and not know how much he has.

After talking about this, Shao Shuguang talked with his subordinates about the future economic layout of Bank of Taiwan in North Korea.Anyway, this large syndicate of theirs has now played more and more deeply the role of the steward and white glove of the three pioneering teams of Denglai, Blackwater, and the South, so use their tiger skin to raise the banner and make some money What are the benefits?Anyway, as long as you proceed carefully, don't exceed the tolerance limit of the East Bank North Korea Company. After all, the North Korean Kingdom is their territory, and it is not beautiful to fish too much.

Therefore, after discussing with his subordinates, Shao Shuguang decided that the Bank of Taiwan should set up a branch in Busan and Wonsanjin, and then purchase iron, copper, tin and other metal raw materials in North Korea on a small scale; Vellum and other paper; medicinal materials such as ginseng, alum, and dried ginger; dyes such as danmu and sophora japonica; dried and fresh fruits such as pears, apples, persimmons, chestnuts, plums, tomatoes, etc.; clothing, shoes, stationery, leather goods, lacquerware, etc. All kinds of daily handmade products - this last item is particularly important, because North Korea has a population of millions, and the labor price is extremely cheap, and the handicraft industry has a certain scale, so it is very suitable for people on the east bank to purchase from here and sell them to Heishui But, of course, this also promotes the development of North Korea's handicraft industry from the side, it depends on whether they can seize this opportunity.

After discussing these matters, Shao Shuguang and others chatted for a while before getting up and leaving.In the next two days, they planned to take a good look around the city of Busan, looking for a good place for the Bank of Taiwan to build a branch, and then they would go north to Xinghai County, to meet the unscrupulous guy Quan Bongsu for a while.

(End of this chapter)