From Chief to Ball

It is absolutely impossible for Ming Dynasty to allow Chen Jian to create a land outside China. Japan’s location is too far away, and it will be difficult to reach out if you want to set foot here in the future. If you go south, the Dutch will jump their feet. Qi is thriving and still a sultanate.

Apart from Thailand, there is really no place to gain a foothold, so in Chen Jian's view, this place is very important.

Similarly, the business here basically loses money, but if you don't do business, you can't quickly catch up with the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spaniards here.

Although the two sides have not reached any consensus on the issue of trade, the alliance with the Nanyang Trading Company can be regarded as a hit it off.

These two matters can continue to be discussed, and the king of Thailand is most concerned about the other two points.

One is to help train the new flintlock new army, and the other is the matter about mining proposed by Chen Jian.

"Your country's musketeer army is indeed extraordinary. I don't know how long the envoy thinks it will take to build an army? How much does it cost each year?"

This question is actually difficult to answer.

The advantage of musketeers is that they can be trained quickly and can be quickly replenished as consumables.If the Musketeers are regarded as an elite group, although they can rule the roost for a while, it is of little significance if they really want to wage a long-term and comprehensive war.

However, this is exactly what Chen Jian hopes, and it is also within the scope of his ability.If you want a strong army, you need to change not only a new army, but an all-round change. Thailand does not have this foundation, and it is easy to scare the king of Thailand.

Chen Jian made some calculations and said: "If you count thousands of people, it may take three years to form an army. However, if you want to control the cannon and the officers can issue orders, this new army can win the battle. This is not only It's the soldiers' problem."

"If His Majesty really wants a new army, you can hire instructors to train the soldiers. Guns and artillery can be purchased from the shop. The price is not much more expensive than the Portuguese arquebus, but after all, the structure is complicated, and it is still slightly more expensive. of."

"In addition to soldiers, there are also thirty or fifty noble children who need to learn trigonometry, arithmetic, and geometry. This majesty can hire talents from our country, and we can also open schools to teach these fishing skills."

Thousands of soldiers are not many, but the military strength of the Portuguese or the Dutch here can only be at this level, and only [-] soldiers are enough to attack Malacca.

These 1000 people are regarded as a new army of disposable items. If they are organized and formed, they can still show their hands when fighting Myanmar and Cambodia. There is absolutely no problem with this.

But a one-time army is a one-time army, and no matter how well trained it is, it can only be a one-time army.Thailand has no ability to produce flint guns and can only import them.The matchlock gun system of Portugal and the Netherlands is completely different from the flint gun system, which ensures that only a certain amount of contact can be maintained with the ethnic group behind Chen Jian.

Once we turn our faces in the future, there is no capital to turn our faces. The navy cannot be built, and it is useless to block the mouth of the Chao Phraya River.Even if the new army of thousands of people can have the strength to fight, if it is defeated, it will be defeated.

Furthermore, consumables such as muskets, cannons, military uniforms, soap, and tobacco for these thousand people are also a stable income.

At this time, the King of Thailand has great ambitions and worries about the enemies around him.The shock of the flintlock is not only the volley, but also the fact that it is completely different from the previous white mercenary system, but it looks more powerful.

The plan proposed by Chen Jian is very tempting, and the King of Thailand also knows that this new type of army must be equipped with corresponding young officers.

Chen Jian said again: "We have our own system for training the new army. There are also accountants in the mission. I can make a detailed list after I go back. The annual expenditure, purchase quantity, officer training, and barracks construction can all be listed. It's clear. Your Majesty only needs to choose loyal, brave and trustworthy people, calculate the amount of expenses, and after three years, you will have a new army that is not inferior to the Portuguese army."

The king of Thailand was moved, and said: "Then there will be a labor messenger. Besides, I don't know about the mining that the messenger mentioned, but is it sincere?"

Chen Jian nodded quickly.

Thailand has two good things. The upper reaches of the Chao Phraya River are rich in carnallite minerals, which are important raw materials for potash fertilizers.There is no such thing as artificial synthesis of potash fertilizers, and they must all be extracted from minerals containing potassium. This thing is not nitrogen fertilizer, and there is nitrogen in the air.

The starting point of the chemical fertilizer industry was supported by phosphate and potash fertilizers.First, there was a simple way to treat phosphate rock with sulfuric acid to produce phosphate fertilizer, and then there was potassium fertilizer, plus natural Chilean saltpeter, which constituted the troika of chemical fertilizers before the synthetic ammonia industry.

Potassium is an active alkali metal, and there are almost no water-insoluble compounds. This is a mineral that is worth mining. Even if it is used locally in Thailand, if there are some major famines in the future, you can quickly buy food from here.

In addition to potash fertilizers, Thailand also has a large number of tin mines.This thing is not very useful at this time, but there are many gold mines and rubies in the name of these tin mines.

In the eyes of the king of Thailand, there was absolutely no reason to refuse Chen Jian's conditions.

Trading companies will send prospecting teams to help Thailand find minerals. After finding minerals, they will have priority mining rights, and the mining period can be negotiated.

According to the land occupied by the mine, a certain tax is paid every year according to the amount of land occupied.

The annual mining profit will be paid according to a certain percentage, abide by the local laws, hire local residents, and pay copper and silver as wages.

As for what to mine, that is decided by the trading company. Those without value will definitely not be mined, and those with value will always be earned.

As long as you are given a chance to move freely and inspect minerals, you can use this opportunity to do many other things.This kind of harm cannot be seen in a day or two, nor is it the mainstream practice at this time, so the king of Thailand did not arouse enough vigilance.

On the contrary, when everything was waiting to be done, Chen Jian showed a lot of amazing things, which made King Tai feel that the technical level here is really advanced.

The Thai king is not worried about possible ambitions.He felt that he could reach a delicate balance with the help of the Dutch, Portuguese and the newly emerged Chinese. He needed the power of these people for the time being, and he could naturally use the other two parties to drive them away when he didn't need them in the future.

However, he didn't know that schools, instructors, mining, hospitals, embassies... These things are like gangrene. Once it can be removed, it is unknown. Even if they want to get rid of it, it will cost a strong man to cut his wrist OK.Coercion by force is at most a small knife that cuts a finger. The bleeding can be seen, but the gangrene of the bone cannot be seen.

Chapter 48 Up, Middle, Down Three Strategies

In the process of negotiating with officials at all levels in order to place the gangrene in Thailand, a small boat floated from Pattani and arrived at Chen Jian's residence unimpeded with the letters from the Pattani business hall.

After checking the seal of the letter, the messenger came to Chen Jian's room together with a Ming Dynasty businessman who followed him.

The businessman from Daming was in his thirties, and he was out all the year round on the extremely dangerous sea, so he inevitably had a look of arrogance on his face.

The letter said that the businessman had a strategy to do business and had a way to help him communicate. The businessman said that he was not waiting for the time and looked anxious, so he sent a boat to Ayutthaya for an interview with Chen Jian.

The businessman sat sideways on the chair, and Chen Jian called someone to bring tea, but he didn't open his mouth to directly ask about trade and the like, but asked with a smile: "What's your name, brother? Where do you live?"

The businessman also hurriedly got up halfway, and told his name, and Chen Jian said something about the dangers at sea, and the atmosphere gradually became familiar, but he still didn't call him brother Chen as Chen Jian said, but just the governor.

After talking for a while, he turned to the main topic. The businessman smiled and said, "If Your Excellency Governor wants to do business, I have a few ways."

"But it doesn't matter. As long as it is useful, the property promised at the beginning is indispensable."

The businessman quickly thanked him and said, "If your Excellency wants to do business, there are three strategies you can choose. I will tell you that you can choose one of them."

Chen Jian laughed and said: "Since there are three strategies of top, middle and bottom, it must be the best strategy. Is it possible that he will also take the bottom strategy? In the past, Tian Ji raced horses. Yes, but it’s just a strategy after all.”

After holding back for so many years, I was finally able to say a familiar allusion. I knew it was not appropriate to use it here, but I couldn't help but blurt it out.This can be regarded as a very special feeling, and I know that saying this is suspected of being arty, but I still can't help it.

It's like returning to the hometown where you have been away for many years. Even if the accent becomes weird, you always want to speak a local language that is not tasteful.

It's a nostalgia.

The businessman just smiled, not surprised.

One is that Chen Jian's attire is different from Hongyi's but somewhat similar to his own, and the other is that he is familiar with his appearance and cannot tell the difference.If the Hongyi people said these words, it would be different.

"Your Excellency, Governor, let me talk about the best policy first. You are walking around the Beida Nian Commercial Hall and asking more about Fujian affairs. I think you are also concerned about it. If you want to do business, Zhangzhou is the only way. It's just that the matter of Xiangshan O is the first, and the governor will not answer if you want to come. allow."

Chen Jian was also worried about this, and the businessman said again: "However, if you refuse to agree, you may not be unable to agree. In the south of Zhangzhou, there is an island called Penghu, which is far away from the coast. The Fujian navy only goes there in spring and autumn every year. Inspection, it is already April, if you prepare early, wait until the end of July for the navy to leave, lead the warship soldiers to seize Penghu, and build fortresses... I have also seen the warship soldiers under the governor's command, the Fujian navy will be invincible. Wait until At the beginning of the autumn flood season, the Fujian navy inspected Penghu, and took this opportunity to propose a trade agreement. Presumably they would not agree, and if they disagreed, they would bombard them and scare them."

Chen Jian frowned and said, "I want to do business, but not to fight."

The businessman said with a smile: "This is called advancing as retreating."

"Losing Penghu is a serious crime for the defenders. At that time, you only need to firmly occupy Penghu, and they will have nothing to do. If you don't enter, you can't retreat. At that time, the governor can put forward conditions to give up Penghu and retreat to the officials. In this way, the guardian will not be responsible for losing the land, and if he offers a large bribe, he will readily agree. Occupying Penghu is just a ulterior motive, just as a businessman needs to ask for a price to pay back the money, so this matter is also the same."

"If you want to retreat, go one step further. After advancing and retreating, you are still advancing. If you don't advance, then retreat, then you are really retreating."

"Your Excellency can also plunder merchant ships along the coast, attack the navy, and disturb the coast. If you come, you may recruit security as a general. But the purpose is the same."

Chen Jian was noncommittal, and asked again: "What about the middle policy?"