"Today, I invite you to discuss the shortage of copper resources. Everyone will mention any ideas!" While eating, the other two elders from Shengzi rushed to the garden. Zhao Qi said when they sat down.

"Second Master, if we want to ensure the supply of copper, we would better have our own mine special supply workshop!" Zheng Lu said after thinking about it.

"Now, several mines in the Song Dynasty have reached their maximum output, and most of the products have been given to our workshops, but they can only find new mines to increase their output. In addition, copper is related to the lifeblood of the country. For the time being, the country is temporarily in charge of the situation.

It will not be left to the people for management!" Zhao Qi shook his head and denied his suggestion.

"Now, only the price of copper is increased to prevent the copper from flowing out!" Zheng Shou suggested again.

"How much does it increase?" Zheng Fu asked with a smile, "Fusang mainly sells materials to our dynasty, wooden boards and gold, but the copper ware it manufactures is particularly good at in my country, but it has less copper. The coastal states of the Maritime Bureau landed in the local people at high prices to collect copper coins and return to the country to cast goods and then sell them back to make a profit of ten times or a hundred times. Similarly, the trade gold and spices of Southeast Asian countries such as Jiaozhi and Java agreed to exchange them with small flat coins, and Xu Ru was not allowed to sell the small-scale money in his country, so they bought copper with goods and then barred copper with copper when they returned home, making ten times the profit between round and trips!"

"Yes, such huge profits, the price of copper is simply useless. Excessive rise will hurt ourselves and make the cost unbearable!" Zheng Shou denied himself without anyone saying this. He sighed.

He said, "The best way is to stop relying on copper cast cannons, so we will no longer be so worried!"

"Well?! You can consider this idea!" Zhao Qi suddenly reached out to stop them from continuing. He fell into deep thought. Many iron cannons were passed down in the world in later generations. He chose the bronze cannon because he initially considered the convenience of processing and success rate.

, but forgot that iron can cast cannons, causing himself to enter a dead end.

"What is the yield and quality of our iron now?" Zhao Qiong asked after thinking for a moment.

"Second Master, since you proposed to use coal to make coke, the quality and output of iron smelting have improved. It is easier to turn into steel!" Zheng Lu replied immediately.

"Okay, let the workshop use iron instead of copper to test cast iron cannons!" Zhao Qi slapped the table and said excitedly.

"The Second Master has a good idea. If we can successfully test the cast iron cannon, we will not be subject to the lack of copper, and the weight will also drop a lot." Zheng Lu nodded, and everyone also felt that it was a good way to fundamentally solve the problem.

"Second Master, even if we use iron cannons instead of copper cannons, bullets, bead guns and cannon stands also require a lot of copper, which can only alleviate the current tension. In the long run, there is still a shortage." After excitement, Zheng Shou smiled bitterly and smiled bitterly afterwards.

He said, and he thought of these things again. Copper is a necessary product for making bullets. It cannot be recycled after being fired. Although a bullet cannot be used for much, it consumes a huge amount. The Northern Expedition consumed nearly ten million bullets, which was a small amount.

The amount of bullets will not be small in number. In the future, as the power expands, the amount of bullets will only be more or less.

"There are many copper in Dali. I have asked the Ministry of Rites to discuss mining with them. Once it succeeds, our copper shortage can be fundamentally changed. You must also recruit craftsmen and workers to prepare. After reaching an agreement, you will go to Dali to mine!" Zhao Qi said.

.

"That's best. But can Dali agree? Their king's words seem to be counting, and the prime minister is in power!" Zheng Lu said with some doubt.

"Haha. I haven't gotten what the second master wants any time. Not to mention the little Dali, even the second master of Jin Kingdom wants to give them everything they want!" Zheng Fu said with a smile.

"Of course, the second master discussed with them that he had already given them face. If the army did not know what was going on, the army would destroy their country in an instant, and then it would be ours!" Zheng Shou also said with a word. At this moment, they were no longer the three ounces of the past.

It's time for a hundred people to have a gun, and the small caravan with people looking at people everywhere.

"Hehe, you are really crow-mouthed. The negotiations are not going well now. If you don't do it well, you have to start another war!" Zhao Qi listened to the three old men praising him and grinned, "It will take time for things to come here to complete."

On the day, we cannot let those speculators free up our Song Dynasty copper dumps, we have to find a way to teach them some lessons.”…

………

In two months, trade winds will start, and all maritime merchants are busy preparing for stocking and loading ships. Of course, hard currency such as copper coins have become a necessity for each company to prepare. However, this year, I heard that the emperor ordered a strictly prohibited going to sea, and violators will be subject to

Heavy punishment, but everyone doesn't care. I don't know how many emperors have said this. In the end, it's thunder and rainy, and it's a matter of catching a few shrimps and beheading them.

The big merchants in Southeast, Jiangsu and Zhejiang were either rich in financial resources or colluded with the government. If they caught it, they would spend some money to avoid disasters. No one cared about it. According to convention, they sent their subordinates to collect copper coins. Now the country is in Jiaozi and

Silver coins have replaced copper coins and have stopped minting copper coins, so copper coins are becoming increasingly rare and the prices are rising, so they have to start earlier, but this time many of the people they sent back empty-handed.

After careful investigation, it turned out that a group of people have now purchased copper coins at a price twice the market price, which is three times higher than the official price. These big merchants didn't care at first, and they all thought it was just a gimmick because it was so

The profit will drop a lot after receiving copper coins at a high price, just to attract people to send the money, and when there are too many people, the price will drop, so they all calmly wait.

More than ten days have passed, not only did those people not stop, but more people participated. Some hawkers did not hesitate to go to remote places where news was blocked and paid at a high price, and then sold them to those people at a higher price, and even

Some people hoarded the money after receiving it and waited for the price to rise again. Therefore, the black market price of copper coins not only did not drop, but instead showed a trend of rising again. Seeing that the day of the trade wind was getting closer and closer, merchant ships were going to sea, and the foreign ships

They also have to rely on the port, but they have not received the hard currency yet, so they can't help but be anxious, but they still want to wait and see how much capital the people who collect the money have.

But this time these big merchants bet on the wrong treasure again, and the price of copper coins increased by 20%. The wind quickly spread to the coastal prefectures, and some people took out all the accumulation of famine in preparation for famine.

They couldn't sit still, and they began to suspect that the purpose of those who paid high prices was not only to receive more money, but to monopolize the market, eat the goods sold by foreign ships and overseas markets, and cut off their financial path.

.

After understanding the truth, these big merchants could no longer sit still and joined forces to purchase copper coins with a higher price. At this time, the price of copper coins had doubled on the original basis, but at this time they had no way out.

It was all his money. The result was still good. They still laughed. In the end, no one dared to compete with them anymore. Copper coins kept flowing into their hands, and the copper coins acquisition war lasted for two months.

They ended successfully.

The wool still had to be on the sheep. After the fleet of the merchants docked, they suddenly found that their goods were worthless. The Song Dynasty merchants holding a large handful of copper coins in their hands collectively broke the price. If they wanted the copper coins, they had to pay more.

Price. Just when the foreign merchants were stunned, the savior appeared. They traded with foreign merchants in barter, but the price was naturally cheaper, and the desperate merchants could only cut their losses.

Now it was the turn of the Song Dynasty that the maritime merchants were stunned. Their money was all over the copper coins, so they naturally had no remaining funds to purchase goods. However, they still refused to lower prices and placed their hopes on the smuggling process. They had calculated the copper coins.

Although it has increased by five times, if it is trafficked to various vassal states, it will still make a profit if it is sold to those foreign ships who evade tariffs and dock at sea without entering the port.

Just as the big merchants were looking for the second best, news suddenly came from the news that the navy and the states and prefectures had increased their efforts to investigate the smuggling of copper coins. The original troops were all adjusted to defend themselves, and the inspections of the states and prefectures were replaced by the imperial guards of the garrison.

The law enforcement team, these people could not be able to get through the water. When they wanted to smuggle through the government's internal line, they found that the road was not working, and the censors had already controlled it and took it to the capital to question.

Bad news came one after another. It is said that the navy launched an encirclement and suppression of smuggled ships berthed outside the port. Anyone who found copper coins from the Song Dynasty on the ship confiscated the ship and seized the personnel. Those who found that they were incorrect and fled were bombarded by the navy's gunboats.

As a result, the ship was destroyed and the people were killed, and the board was not returned. Then, the governments began to track down the merchants of the Song Dynasty who participated in the smuggling based on clues. Many people were arrested. The minor ones confiscated their income and were exiled, and the serious ones were confiscated and their homes were beheaded.

Copper coins cannot be traded, the market price began to fall rapidly, and the official price exchange also lowered. At this time, the government also issued a notice that since copper coins have withdrawn from circulation, the various Jiaozi Shops and Money Conciers will stop exchanging copper coins. At this moment, the big merchants pawned and mortgaged.

The house and the fields are about to expire, but no one is willing to take over the large amount of copper coins that can be purchased to the market price. There is only one way to go, which is to drive the copper coins to the government at the last moment when the government stops exchange!

The big merchants were in tears and were on the verge of bankruptcy. After thinking about it, they realized that they were being plotted against, but even if they knew that the person who cheated them was unable to take revenge. Because they had such great financial resources to acquire copper coins, they instructed the merchants.

The team exchanged a large amount of goods with the foreign merchants, mobilized the army to investigate and smuggle, and used the censors to clear the borers in the government. In the Song Dynasty, there was only one person - the emperor!

The big merchants respected and hated the emperor. This action cannot be achieved by just financial resources and power. They also need to be proficient in the tricks, have a meticulous mind and grasp of the situation and timing, and any part of the action.

There will be mistakes that will lead to failure and huge losses, which makes them have to admire the emperor's business acumen. It's hateful and can't hate it. The emperor let them go at the last moment and did not kill them all, and bought the copper coins in their hands.
Chapter completed!