Going to work on Monday, at around ten o'clock in the morning, in Chen Zhongji's office of Invincible Seascape, he listened to a report on the incident of Hong Maofan's jumping from the building by the director of the Rising Sun City Police.

He just gave an order, and there were a large number of people running and breaking his leg for him. They had to work overtime on Sundays and prepare materials at night.

"The deceased was named Carter DuPont, a British person. This is the information registered by the customs. It is an ocean-going businessman who entered my southeast house seriously!"

"According to the investigation, before the death of this Mr. Carter, he brought a ship of binoculars, glass products and western clocks before he was selling his goods."

"Can't sell it?" Chen Zhongji asked.

"Yes, the Prime Minister is wise!"

"His asking price is as high as five or six times that of the same goods in our Southeast Mansion. If it drops to the same price as ours, we have calculated that the loss is inevitable, and half of the price is lost!"

"So, he couldn't look away, so he ended himself." The police chief said.

There was no internet in international trade in that era. You didn’t know the price of the other half of the earth without just a click of a mouse. This Mr. Carter had worked so hard to cross the storms of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, sending goods to Southeast Asia, and then found out , Lost half of the capital... It's really a hard work for someone!

Of course, a loss is common. It may be the last straw that overwhelms the camel's back. Mr. Carter is not allowed to borrow a loan shark to purchase the goods, so he will not make a lot of money and will not be able to repay the money after returning to China.

After Chen Zhongji listened to the report and waved to let the director out, his head started thinking nervously.

Others can't see the problem, but Chen Zhongji has grasped the crux of the matter.

In the past, binoculars, glass products and western clocks were the best-selling goods exported to Chinese regions. However, since the admiral Hong Xiguan of the southeast prefecture sailed around the world and arrived in Europe, he hired red hairs for making glass and western clocks at high prices. After the technician returned to China, the prices of glass products and western clocks plummeted immediately.

Chinese scholar-officials regard these technologies as strange and ingenious and do not pay attention to them, but private capital still attaches great importance to these things.

The first foreign clock was brought into China in 1582 and was dedicated to Governor Chen Rui on December 27 of the same year. Father Matteo Ricci came to China in 1601 and was treated by the Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty. Ricci gave a tribute to an iron clock with a driving pendant, which sounded 4 times an hour. The body of the clock is placed in a wooden cabinet with dragon ornaments engraved with an eagle beak to indicate the time in Chinese characters.

After the mid-Ming Dynasty, with the entry of European missionaries into China and the opening of Guangzhou trade, Western watches and clocks began to enter China as gifts and commodities.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Western clocks and watches were not only widely known to people from all walks of life, but also Chinese people had learned clock technology and imitated production. The Portuguese missionary Zeng Dezhao lived in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places for many years. After returning to Europe in 1640, he completed a book of "Travel Notes", which recorded "the most appreciated handicraft by them (the Chinese) is the gear clock. They have now made it. It's great. It can be put on the table. If the price is the same as ours, they can make the smallest one."

Liuli was unable to make a breakthrough due to technical reasons. At first, the Chinese could only make Chinese glass, that is, Liuli.

However, this shortcoming has been overcome by the Chinese using the skills of the Hongmao Fan technician and is in the hands of the Chinese!

As for clock-making technology, the Chinese also mastered the core technology. Not only that, the most advanced "pendulum mechanical clock" has been manufactured by the Chinese in large numbers.

That clock has a pendulum, and it swings there by gravity, which is more accurate than previous Western clocks.

Western-style mechanical clocks are driven by springs, which are less accurate than pendulum mechanical clocks. This time Mr. Carter brought the "single pendulum mechanical clock". Unexpectedly, the Chinese clock is better than him. He can't sell it!

The powerful Chinese have even made pocket watches.

Hong Maofan, who couldn't think of it, was in the twelve-story building and stepped into the air.

...

Chen Zhongji shook the clock and called his secretary Zhou Xingrui and said, "You are going to do a special topic these days, that is, our trade with foreign countries!"

Zhou Xingrui had just passed his thirtieth birthday, and he was very rich and capable, and nodded and accepted the task.

He used the information from the Prime Minister’s Office and went to the Department of Customs of the Ministry of Finance to turn up the sky. Both the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Customs sent people to assist him. They looked up the information and worked overtime until 3 a.m., finally on Friday morning. Chen Zhongji is on business.

The title of the report is very novel, for Chinese exports vs. foreign imports.

The name "China" has been around for a long time. The Southeast Mansion was mentioned by Yan Changwu. Everyone understands that it refers to the territory controlled by the Chinese regime, including the mainland and Southeast Asia. Anyway, the two places are purely one family.

China exports a large amount of silk, porcelain, tea, sugar, rum, cigarettes, oils, spices, medicinal materials and various handmade products to foreign countries such as gold silk, gold 襕, magnets, dishes, beautiful lacquer cages, water trays, and copper inlays. , Large cans, small cans, mercury, jewelry boxes, colored paper, calendars, gold watch paper books, mirrors, combs, glasses, sulfur, Chinese knives, lacquer sheaths, fans, Tang Umbrellas that cover the sun, etc.

And most of the goods imported from foreign countries are one kind, that is silver!

Of course more than that. Before, China imported foreign metals such as copper, iron, tin, gunpowder, cannons, medicinal materials, amber, linen, gems, Arabic spices, Southeast Asian spices, ivory, etc., as well as glass products and Western clocks.

China exports a wide variety of goods, good quality, and large quantities, which are steadily increasing.

The current situation of imported goods is seriously out of balance, leaving only silver!

Among Chinese imports, spices account for the most bulk, and the Maritime Silk Road is also known as the "Spice Road".

Chinese people like spices. They eat and use everything they need, such as sandalwood, agarwood, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, as well as fragrant rosin, sandalwood that can remove fishy, ​​dragon birthday incense, and camphor Arabian spices such as wormwood, benzoin, saffron, cocklebur tannin, and tamarind seeds can be found everywhere in China.

With the control of Southeast Asia by the Southeastern Government, the spices used such as sandalwood, agarwood, camphor, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, etc. have all become Chinese businessmen’s pockets. The spice business has turned upside down. Exporting to the outside world makes huge profits, while the red hair fans and Arabs make hard money...

When it comes to the gun business, the southeast government’s gun casting technology has been perfected. I would like to thank two people at home and abroad. One is Sun Yuanhua, a big cow who has been in charge of military production for a long time. The latest achievements include the breech flintlock, 12-pound marching gun, There are three main types of iron cannon casting technology; and the international friend Tang Ruowang is very selfless. While this Father Tang is casting cannons for the Chinese, he also knows the whole casting process of Western artillery such as smelting, casting, storage, transportation, performance and release. The preparation of gunpowder and the casting of artillery shells were summarized, dictated by him, compiled by Jiao Xie, and written into a book of high scientific value, "Huo Gongxu Yao", which was published in the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643).

After the work was completed, it was pirated in large quantities by the Southeast Government~lightnovelpub.net~ and did not pay any copyright fees to Father Tang...

Therefore, the Southeast Government does not import foreign guns anymore.

In the past, foreigners used to export gunpowder as much as they received. After Yan Changwu settled the mainland, it became the mainland's large-scale manufacturing of gunpowder, and it became the world's gunpowder manufacturing center.

Hmm, the nitrate made in gunpowder needs to be scraped in the toilet. There are so many toilets in China.

As for glass products, not to mention Western clocks. After being successfully pirated by the Chinese, they immediately seized the market for foreign goods. The quantity was large and the quality was cheap, and the foreign goods could not be sold. Therefore, Mr. Go to the earth.

Metal production?

Yes, China's metal production is like modern Chinese steel production. China has singled out the entire foreign country, so much more!

...

Chen Zhongji looked at the report and commented, "We follow our path, leaving nowhere else to go!"

.