Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 536 The money giver is here 1
The meeting finally determined the military budget for next year. Even with the expansion of the military and the construction of warships, next year's military expenditure will be more than 50 taels of silver. This figure made everyone gasp.Although Nanyang's family property is good now, it is quite difficult to come up with 50 taels of silver all at once!
Xue Siming asked worriedly: "Can we really spend so much money on military expenses?"

Yang Menglong didn't care: "There are so many people giving us money, how could we not get the money? If it doesn't work, just ask Qin Mai and Wang Rui!"

These young generals looked at each other, yes, how come you forgot about Qin Mai and Wang Rui?With them around, a few 10 taels of silver would not be a problem at all!

Since there are no problems, let's end the meeting and prepare separately.Shen Tingyang went back to his hometown by boat to recruit sailors, and Han Peng, Xue Siming and others also split up to recruit recruits.The conscription work must be completed before the new year, and the training will start next year. The time is very tight, so we must hurry up.

As for Yang Menglong... Of course he is responsible for making money!There is no way, a lot of his family property was destroyed in a Lushun battle, he had to find a way to get it back, otherwise how would he survive with so many people under his command?
The first step in making money: find beautiful women in Venice.

"Miss Catherine, are you still used to staying in Nanyang these days?" In the private teahouse, Yang Menglong looked at the Venetian beauty who was one in a thousand in terms of figure and face, and smiled like a weasel who saw a chicken. .I have to say that Venice, which has inherited a lot of the essence of ancient Roman civilization, is indeed a good place. Its economy, culture, medicine, and architecture are all quite developed. It has bred such a beautiful woman full of classical elegance and knowledge of both Chinese and Western. It's all pleasing to the eye.

Catherine took a sip of tea gracefully and showed a charming smile: "Nanyang is a good place. The local customs, food, and cultural atmosphere here are all fascinating. I have a great time here."

Yang Menglong said cheerfully: "Let's have more fun if you have fun. After a while, we will hold a large-scale sports competition. Thousands of athletes will compete on the same stage here. It will be a carnival for the whole city." If you don't participate in the festival, it means you have come in vain."

Catherine said with a smile: "The priest in the cathedral mentioned to me the sports competition last year. The wonderful competition process and the fanatical atmosphere he described all reminded people of the Olympic Games in ancient Athens and the ancient Roman gladiators. I am very yearning for the competition, even if Your Excellency the Governor does not say, I will stay here to participate in this grand event, but I don’t know if I, as a foreign woman, have the right to enter the stadium? You must know that in ancient Greece, Foreigners have no right to enter the stadium."

Yang Menglong said: "We don't have so many stinky rules here, you can go if you want. If you are interested, you can even sign up for the competition!"

Catherine was happy: "That's great. I'm good at archery, running and javelin throwing. I must sign up for these three events. Maybe I can win a championship!"

Yang Menglong said: "If you feel tempted, just participate. There is nothing to say. By the way, I wonder how your goods are selling?"

Ok, let's get to the point.Catherine put down her teacup reluctantly, and said, "To tell you the truth, all my goods have been sold and I have made huge profits. I heard that Governor Yang's wife likes to play billiards, so I specially asked someone to take an ivory Go make a set of billiard balls as a gift for the governor, and the gift will be ready in a few days."

Yang Menglong narrowed his eyes: "You actually gave me such a precious gift? How embarrassing."

This kid's "sorry" is equivalent to "then I'm not polite", so don't take it seriously.Catherine said with a smile: "A meeting ceremony is a must. If there is a chance, I would also like to meet the governor's wife. They are all beautiful and wise oriental beauties. I think it must be a pleasure to talk to them."

Ouch, Yang Menglong is really good at talking, his bones are lightened several times, and he smiled from ear to ear: "If there is a chance, I will definitely invite you to my house as a guest. Well, Miss Catherine, let's talk about business. I heard that you are interested in cement. very interested?"

Catherine said: "Yes, this is the main purpose of my coming to the East. In fact, when I was in Shandong, I approached the local officials and wanted to buy cement, but they said that the output was insufficient and they refused. Nanyang's cement output is from Shandong. I think the governor will be able to spare some of it for me, of course, it would be even better if he could also sell the technology to us.”

Yang Menglong waved his hand and said, "Don't think about the technology. What else can we eat after selling it to you? However, it's easy for you to ask for cement. Tell me, how much do you want?"

Catherine raised three fingers: "At least three thousand tons!"

Yang Menglong said straightforwardly: "Three thousand tons, right? No problem! I'll prepare enough for you within a month!"

Catherine was a little surprised: "Three thousand tons is not a small amount, is it really okay?"

Yang Menglong said: "If I say no problem, then it's no problem. By the way, do you want steel? High-quality steel!"

Catherine became excited.Apart from cement, the most urgent thing Venice needs is steel. This is a strategic resource that even money cannot buy!Until now, the metallurgical industry in Europe has been relatively backward, with very little steel production. City-states like Venice have even less steel production.However, the battle is all about steel. Without steel, no matter how good the strategy and tactics are, they are in vain. Forced by the aggressive offensive of the Turks, the Venetians, who were almost breathless, tried every means to plunder steel resources from all over the world, but the effect was not ideal. .After learning through the missionaries' letters that Nanyang could produce nearly [-] tons of steel every year and was allowed to export to foreign countries, the Venetians were ecstatic and asked Catherine to get a batch of steel at all costs!She also thought of many ways in advance for this, including money bribery, beauty and seduction, etc., but she never expected that before she could use these tricks, Yang Menglong would ask her carelessly if she wanted steel!Her voice was so excited that she said, "Yes! Yes! Of course I want it!"

Yang Menglong asked someone to bring a small steel ingot to Catherine.Catherine's family does all kinds of business, so they are no strangers to steel. Once they took it, they realized that it was a good piece of steel, which is rare.In the perception of Europeans, the best steel in the world is Damascus steel. The Arabian scimitar made of Damascus steel makes Europeans shudder. Two pieces, coupled with the high speed endowed by the high-speed sprint of the Arabian horse, can often break the European cavalry rushing towards you in half or decapitate with a light stroke. The blood vessels are broken, and if it is not treated in time, it will die.And the quality of this piece of steel does not seem to be inferior to that of Damascus steel, and even surpasses it, which is incredible!

Yang Menglong said: "This is our special high-carbon steel. The sword cast from it is extremely sharp and indestructible. If you want, you can even make it as sharp as a razor!" With a wave of his long sword, a corner of the hard log furniture was cut off, just like peeling tofu, it was so sharp.

Catherine exclaimed in surprise: "Do you have many such steel products?"

Yang Menglong said: "You can have as much as you want."

Catherine called: "I want three thousand tons!"

Yang Menglong said straightforwardly: "Three thousand tons, no problem! But, what do you plan to pay for it?"

Catherine said: "I will pay in gold, money is no problem!"

Yang Menglong Maliao's quotation... of course made the lion's mouth open, and Catherine bargained with him as a matter of course, picking out one copper plate after another, and finally settled the deal for fifteen thousand ducats in gold coins - five gold coins per ton, Ducat. Carter gold coins are all made of pure gold. A gold ducat coin is equivalent to 1000 yuan today. A ton of steel sells for 5000 yuan, which is also a sky-high price. You must know that when Venice was at its richest, its annual fiscal revenue was no more than 100 yuan. Just [-] million ducats in gold coins.

Make big!
Three thousand tons of cement was also sold for a pack of one silver coin at a good price. Compared with merchants from the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, the Venetians were more than generous.Of course, the shrewd Miss Catherine would not return empty-handed after she finally made a trip to China. After finishing her official business, she started to do her own private affairs, and used her own funds to purchase tea, silk, sugar and other goods that were extremely in short supply in Europe. lavish.

Yang Menglong's eyes widened when he made it!

"By the way, General, I am very interested in the naval guns you are equipped with. I wonder if you can sell us a few?" After placing enough orders, Catherine came up with the idea of ​​arms.The powerful performance of the Transformers fleet to sink an enemy ship with one shot left a deep impression on her. You must know that whether it is a cannon or a mortar, they all use solid shells. Solid shells want to sink an enemy ship. Warships of hundreds of tons and thousands of tons are really too difficult. Dozens of warships are lined up, and hundreds of cannons are bombarded face to face. There are a lot of wounded.However, the naval guns used by the Decepticon and the Megatron are completely different. The number of naval guns equipped by these two warships is not very large, but they have a long range, high accuracy, and great power. Damage or even sink an enemy ship!According to Catherine's observation, the most ferocious thing about this kind of naval gun is that it will explode violently after hitting the enemy ship. All the warships exploded like a gunpowder keg. What warship could withstand such a blow?If you can buy a batch of such naval guns, the strength of the Venetian navy will be greatly increased!With the Venetian navy's rich naval battle experience, the Venetian sailors' ability to maneuver the boat, and this powerful naval gun, they will surely become the kings of the Mediterranean again and drive the Turks back to the shore to eat sand!

Yang Menglong looked surprised: "What? You still want to buy our naval guns?"

Catherine said seriously: "Yes, we hope you can export some naval guns. As for the price, it's easy to say!"

(End of this chapter)