Ming politicians

The artillery base has already started to operate, and the technology for developing artillery is relatively mature. After Bi Maokang brought everyone to Yantai, after a short rest, he started the research and development of artillery. This time, what they need to focus on is the battleship. The required artillery, although this is a brand new technology, but for Bi Maokang and William, it is just a piece of cake.

There are two types of artillery on the warship. One is fixed on the warship and cannot be moved. For example, the artillery on the side of the warship is completely fixed and cannot be moved. As for the red cannon on the deck, The general cannon and Fran cannon, etc., can basically be moved, but on the deck, there are brackets specially used to fix the artillery. Once the artillery is removed from these brackets, it can also be used on land. This makes warships and patrol boats the best means of transportation for artillery.

The focus of artillery is power and range. The farther the range and the greater the power of the artillery, the more advanced the artillery. This also depends on two aspects. One is the design of the artillery itself, and the other is the power of the shell. Looking at the Ming Dynasty, and even the whole world, at this time, only Jiangningying possessed the mature technology of explosive bombs.

The technology of flower bombs belongs to the top secret of the Jiangning Camp and must not be leaked out. William and others have been in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and their identities have changed a long time ago. They have wives and children in Daming, and their lives have stabilized. It is also registered and belongs to the people of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, there is no problem with confidentiality. Besides, foreigners pay attention to their own credit. This is the education they have received since childhood. Man is the greatest shame.Can't forgive.

According to the requirements of the drawings, after researching with David and others in the shipyard, the artillery base was fully put into production. A shell specially used for warships was also in the process of development, fighting at sea.The range and power of the artillery play a decisive role. The new type of warship that Su Tiancheng requested to build has twelve cannons on both sides. These are all powerful artillery. If they fire at the same time, basically no warship can resist of.

The artillery base is very busy, despite their skilled technology, the production of artillery.It has always been kept secret. It is impossible to recruit so many craftsmen, and the technology cannot be leaked out. Therefore, the control of personnel is very strict, and the craftsmen are also happy. They have something to do every day.The remuneration received is naturally very high, if there are more people.They don't have so many things to do, so the salary they get is naturally lower. You must know that their family needs them to support them. When they come to Dengzhou, they want to live a good life, and the current life is very good.Everyone wants to maintain it.

Su Tiancheng decided to build such a large artillery base in Yantai, invested so much silver, of course he had to make money, it is impossible to always produce for his own use, and he needs to sell some.The arms trade accounted for about half of Song Sijun's profits. The artillery produced by Jiangningying was in short supply, and there was no market for the price. The Mongolian tribe watched eagerly, hoping to get the artillery. Unfortunately, Song Sijun mainly sold matchlock guns. and some flintlocks, rarely sold artillery.

A red cannon cost about 6000 taels of silver. It was sold to the Xibe and Daur tribes, and the price reached 3 taels of silver. They were so happy. Some of their red-clothed cannons, as for Houjin, the thirst for red-clothed cannons has reached the point of inexorability. When they were in Fort Anning, merchants who had Houjin offered them at a price of 5 taels of silver, but unfortunately they couldn't buy them.

Houjin's desire for red-clothed cannons is also very normal. In the Battle of Dalinghe, Houjin suffered the most heavy loss, which was the loss of [-] red-clothed cannons. Houjin would not produce red-clothed cannons, and there was no military factory. There is no refined iron either, so it can only be stared blankly. The firearms that Kong Youde and others had brought with them were also a large number of firearms brought by Kong Youde and others when they surrendered. It didn't work anymore, and there was also the problem of ammunition. Kong Youde and others tried to make ammunition, but the number of times the chamber exploded was astonishing, so they gave up.

Huang Taiji has already mentioned the importance of buying firearms to a very high level. Merchants from Houjin flocked to Fort Anning, and many of them went for firearms. It is not a big problem to buy matchlock guns and flintlock guns , but just can't buy artillery.

The profit of arms is astonishing, Su Tiancheng is very clear about this, so he will not stubbornly think that selling artillery to his opponent is just causing trouble for himself. Sometimes, in order to maintain your own operation, you have to carry out In arms trading, silver needs to be earned, and there is always no output for investment. No matter how big a family property is, it can be wiped out. Without silver, it is difficult to maintain anything. This is the simplest truth.

Song Sijun has been secretly trading firearms in Fort Anning, which was also allowed by Su Tiancheng. Making money is also a major task, especially during the construction of Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou, money is even more needed.

For this problem, Qu Qingze once had a different idea, thinking that Hou Jin bought matchlock guns and flintlock guns, which would inevitably pose a huge threat to the Jiangning camp, but Su Tiancheng said very bluntly, if these firearms were sold to It is still unknown whether the guard troops in the provinces can get so much money if they sell it to the Beijing camp. Moreover, if these firearms are in the hands of the guard sergeants, some people may trade them for money. If you can find a way to buy it, it is equivalent to Jiang Ning Ying making a contribution. Nowadays, doing things requires a lot of money, and the court cannot satisfy them. What to do, the profit of the mutual market is fixed. Although the profit of grain, tea, salt, cloth and other transactions is astonishing, it is nothing compared to the firearms transaction. Besides, in the firearms transaction, Jiangningying has the most crucial If it is a battle, the Jiangning Camp does not provide ammunition, and the firearms are a pile of scrap iron, and it is useless for Hou Jin to hold them.

Qu Qingze's understanding has barely changed, but Su Tiancheng is still very cautious. The situation in Liaodong may change. It is self-destruction of the Great Wall, and the frontier army will pay huge casualties in the fight with the Houjin Tartars.

Therefore, at present, it can only be produced at full capacity. As for the transaction, it is temporarily suppressed. The artillery needed by the Xibe and Daur tribes can be provided, but they need ready-made silver.

The price of the red cannon and the general cannon has been raised to 4 taels of silver, but the production cost has been reduced. After disdainful research, the cost of each red cannon and general cannon has dropped to about 5000 taels of silver up.

After Song Sijun made the request, Su Tiancheng personally made the decision and gave the Xibe and Daur tribes [-] red cannons and [-] general cannons. Each cannon was equipped with five shells. There were not too many. In fact, Su Tiancheng Both Song Sijun and Song Sijun know that the Xibe tribe and the Daur tribe also do resale business. It is not a big deal to resell these cannons to some tribes in the grassland. Giving artillery to the Mongolian tribes is in the interests of Ming Dynasty. Let the Mongolian tribes fight each other and weaken their strength. In this way, Datong, Yulin and Ningxia will be safer.

The price of sixty pieces of artillery is 240 million taels of silver, and the Xibe and Daur tribes send their own people, or entrust a transport team to transport them to Yantai. The cost paid by the Jiangning Camp is only 30 taels of silver, which is so huge With so much profit, even Qu Qingze shut up.

Su Tiancheng also warned Song Sijun that these artillery pieces are absolutely not allowed to go to Houjin, otherwise the Jiangning Camp will stop the artillery trading, even the Xibo and Daur tribes, it is impossible to buy artillery from the Jiangning Camp .

The profits of matchlock guns and flintlock guns are equally huge. This is the main source of Su Tiancheng's income. For a matchlock gun, the profit Su Tiancheng can get is 20 taels of silver. The transaction volume of matchlock guns is huge, at one hundred thousand pieces every year. Left and right, the probability of scrapping matchlock guns is very high, and the situation of bombing often occurs, but the Mongolian tribes have a special liking for matchlock guns, and they don’t care about the scrapping situation. They buy a lot of them every year. So this is also one of Su Tiancheng's main sources.

The supply of flintlock guns is not large, but the price is high. The profit of each flintlock gun is about 100 taels of silver. The hair gun is durable and will not be damaged easily. If you sell too much of this thing, you may really shoot yourself in the foot.

Another huge profit comes from ammunition. According to the data obtained from Song Sijun, the annual profit of ammunition exceeds 150 million taels of silver.

There are too many places that need money. The maintenance of the Jiangning camp, the construction of Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Qingzhou, including the shipyard, Weihaiwei Wharf, artillery base, Penglai City Navy garrison, etc., although the annual income is huge, it can be spent Bigger, Su Tiancheng sometimes feels that he is a real businessman, always calculating the amount of silver, the possibility of reaching out to the court for silver is too small, the huge Dengzhou and Laizhou, the court only gives After spending 200 million taels of silver, there is no whereabouts. It is impossible to accomplish anything with this amount of silver.

Reality forces Su Tiancheng to do arms trading, but with the completion of the Weihaiwei Wharf, the situation will definitely improve, and then he will not have to rack his brains to make money. Sometimes, Su Tiancheng also feels funny, and travels by himself. People who have worked hard and made great achievements have made great achievements, but they don't have much money to use. (To be continued..)