Zheng Hongkui turned around and asked Zheng Zhiguan: "When I first went to Lingao, what did they say about selling guns?" Does Governor Xiong's face work? ”

Zheng Zhiguan replied: "The surname Xia said that this cannon is difficult to cast, and it is not enough for his own family, so he is very embarrassed by his words. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoAs for Governor Xiong's face, I don't think it works. Governor Xiong has just taken office in Guangdong, and there is another governor below to divide power, and I heard that the surname Xia and the new governor have been in close contact with each other privately......"

"In other words, the official set is not very useful." Zheng Hongkui said, "Big brother, the relationship between Governor Xiong is not good for him, and in terms of official rank, he is still slightly higher than you, and he can't be pressed on the surface." If you follow the second brother's method to play a black hand in Fujian, although it can be pushed to other sea lords, and you won't admit it, but you can't hide it from the clear-eyed person, it can be regarded as tearing your face with this Xia Shen general, and then he can't do business with Japan, we can't buy cannons, it's a lose-lose situation. ”

Zheng Zhilong sighed: "That's what I'm worried about. Everyone is a military attache of the imperial court, and they can't openly merge, and it won't be good for anyone if the matter gets bigger. Governor Xiong is now an official in Guangdong, and on the surface, he still has to defend this surnamed Xia, so it is not good for him to be too difficult; The new governor of Fujian Zou doesn't like me very well, and maybe he will take this opportunity to suppress me, how can I give him a handle. ”

Zheng Zhihu stood up irritably: "Could it be that you can only form an alliance with the surnamed Xia?" Our Zheng family has had many ups and downs, but we have never begged others, and we have survived by gritting our teeth. At the beginning, Li Kuiqi stabbed him in the back, and we only had a thousand people left, and it was not a comeback that laid down the current situation. Now that the situation is very good, how can we let outsiders come to our territory to intervene? ”

While the Zheng family was discussing, Xia Nan and the others were also discussing the other party's attitude and their own countermeasures in the post house.

Although the post house was set up by the government, it is actually the private property of the Zheng family now, and the maintenance expenses are naturally much more generous than the government, not only the house is clean and tidy, but the food and drink are not bad.

"Zheng Zhilong is a soil emperor in the Zhongzuo Institute, you look at this post house, it is really their own private property to maintain!" Summer South quipped.

"Even if Nanjing's Honglu Temple is not as good as this small Zhongzuo Post House." Sima De also came to make fun.

Lin Weiye smiled and said, "We still enjoy the treatment of super foreign guests." ”

After laughing and laughing, Xia Nan cut the topic to the point: "Today's drill seems to have shocked the Zheng family brothers, and they must be salivating over our cannon." He gave Murong Longcheng a thumbs up, "Good job today!" ”

Murong Longcheng smiled indifferently: "This is what subordinates should do." ”

Xia Nan said: "The question now is: will they form an alliance? If we don't form an alliance, will we sell guns or not? How much silver is the right amount of silver for a cannon? ”

Lin Weiye replied: "I will answer you first for the last question. Iron ore and coal mines are all dug by themselves, and the cost of casting a caron cannon is almost no material cost, it is all labor cost. Not to mention the premium of patented technology, the value of the labor condensed in each link plus the shipping cost of coal, the cost of each cannon is about two hundred taels of silver, and the selling price of more than two hundred taels is pure profit. ”

"The cost is so low?" Xia Nanping didn't usually ask about these details, and originally thought that the cost of a cannon would cost five or six hundred taels.

"At present, the Caron gun is only 32 pounds, the iron mold is ready-made, and the experience and time required are much less than the clay mold, and the grinding and polishing after casting the rough embryo is also simple, and each process is responsible for each process. If it weren't for the fact that bituminous coal for coking needs to be shipped by sea, the cost could have been further contained. Lin Weiye suggested, "Now what we plan to sell to Zheng Zhilong is a cannon made of white iron, eliminating the link of coke, the cost is reduced by nearly half, and selling him for three hundred taels is a 100% profit." ”

"Three hundred taels? Laugh at it! Xia Nan's eyes widened with an incredulous expression.

"Is it expensive?" Lin Weiye was a little embarrassed.

Sima De interjected: "General, three hundred taels is not expensive at all, the imperial court can spend around two thousand taels to cast a three-thousand-pound Hongyi cannon, although our cannon is a little shorter, but the power is far superior." ”

"The cost of waste like the Hongyi cannon is 2,000 taels, so why should we sell this cannon for 3,000 taels!" Summer Nan stretched out two fingers leisurely.

Lin Weiye said that he was thirsty, and he was holding up the teacup and taking a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and squirted out all the tea when he heard the words.

Sima De and the others were surprised: "Three thousand taels? Is Zheng Zhilong willing to do this wrong? "If I offer a price of 1,000 taels, Zheng Zhilong will definitely feel that this is a conscience price, and if I offer 3,000 taels, he will definitely think it is expensive, but he will still buy it."

"Why?" Lin Weiye didn't understand it at all.

"Three thousand taels of silver to buy a short cannon, anyone knows that it is expensive. But with Zheng Zhilong's strength and vision, he will never stare at these little money, after defeating Liu Xiang and the Dutch, he is expected to become the overlord of the southeast coast, and what he gets is a hundred times or a thousand times the price he pays now, and he will calculate this account. Xia Nan cocked Erlang's legs, "After defeating Liu Xiang and the Dutch, I am the only one left who is a threat to him, how can I allow others to sleep on the side of the couch, he will have to do something to me sooner or later, if you don't knock his bamboo pole hard, you won't have a chance in the future." ”

"I see, you have figured out Zheng Zhilong's thoughts, and you have decided to eat him, and you know that you have to buy it." Lin Weiye nodded, "But what about the alliance?" Aren't you afraid that he will be angry and unwilling to form an alliance because the price of selling guns is too high? ”

Xia Nan looked at Sima De with a smile: "Mr. Sima, tell me what you think." ”

Sima De knew that this was also a kind of examination for himself, thought about it carefully, and said: "Zheng Zhilong started from scratch and became the lord of the sea rampant in Fujian and Japan, and he was also officially awarded a guerrilla, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a sea hero. He can lay down such a situation, his vision and the city government will not be so shallow, and whether a few cannons are sold expensive or cheap will not affect the decision of whether to form an alliance or not. In other words, he wants to form an alliance, and he still forms an alliance if the cannon is expensive, he doesn't want to form an alliance, and he won't form an alliance if the cannon is given to him. ”

"Well said!" Xia Nan high-fived and applauded, "Whether to form an alliance or not is between Zheng Zhilong's thoughts, and it depends on our own strength." The dignified Zheng family is a family, and his eyelids are not so shallow, and he will turn his face with such a little silver. It's just that the strength we show can neither be too strong nor too weak, this is not easy to grasp! (To be continued.) )