lcionline Chapter 186 Blackmail
Chapter 186 Blackmail
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Zheng Hongkui turned to Zheng Zhiwan and asked, "When we went to Lingao, what did they say about selling cannons? Did Governor Xiong's influence work?"
Zheng Zhiwan replied, "The man surnamed Liu said these cannons are difficult to cast, and there aren't even enough for his own use. He sounded quite troubled. As for Governor Xiong's influence, I don't think it will be of much use. Governor Xiong has just taken office in Guangdong, and now there's another governor under him to share power. Moreover, I've heard that the man surnamed Liu has close ties with the new governor in private..."
"In other words, the official rhetoric won't be very effective," Zheng Hongkui said. "Brother, Governor Xiong's connections won't work with him. In terms of official rank, he's slightly higher than you, so you can't pressure him openly. If we follow Second Brother's method and resort to underhanded tactics in Fujian, although we can pin the blame on other sea lords and deny everything, it won't fool anyone with eyes to see. It'll be a complete falling out with this Lieutenant General Liu. In that case, he won't be able to do business with Japan, and we won't be able to buy cannons. It'll be a lose-lose situation."
Zheng Zhilong sighed: "These are exactly what I'm worried about. We're all military officers of the court, so we can't just openly fight each other. If things get out of hand, it won't benefit anyone. Governor Xiong is currently an official in Guangdong, and on the surface, he has to protect this guy surnamed Liu, so it's not good to make things too difficult for him. The newly arrived Governor Zou from Fujian doesn't like me very much, and he might even take this opportunity to suppress me. How can I give him any leverage?"
Zheng Zhihu stood up irritably: "Is all we can do is ally with that Liu guy? Our Zheng family has risen and fallen many times, but we've never begged anyone. We've just gritted our teeth and survived. Back then, Li Kuiqi stabbed us in the back, and we only had about a thousand men left. But we still made a comeback and built up the situation we have today. Now that things are going so well, how can we let outsiders interfere on our territory?"
While the Zheng family was discussing their options, Liu Ye and the others were also in the post station discussing the other party's attitude and their own countermeasures, trying to come up with a good strategy to deal with that scoundrel Zheng Zhilong.
Although the post station was established by the government, it is now actually the private property of the Zheng family. Naturally, the maintenance expenses are much more generous than those of the government. Not only are the houses clean, but the food and drink are also quite good.
"Zheng Zhilong is practically a local tyrant in Zhongzuo. Look at this post station, they're treating it like their own private property!" Liu Ye joked.
“Even the Honglu Temple in Nanjing can’t compare to this small Zhongzuo Post Station,” Yan Guang chimed in.
Liang Xiaoming chuckled and said, "We're even receiving foreign guest treatment?"
After a few jokes, Liu Ye got down to business: "It seems like this drill today has really impressed the Zheng brothers. They're definitely eyeing our artillery." He then gave Li Fei a thumbs up, "Li Fei, well done today!"
Li Fei smiled calmly: "General, this is what I should do."
Liu Ye said, "The question now is: Will they form an alliance? If not, should we sell the cannons? And how much silver should we sell them for?"
Liang Xiaoming replied, "I'll answer your last question first. We mine the iron and coal ourselves. The cost of casting a Caron cannon is almost entirely labor cost, with almost no material cost. Not to mention the premium for patented technology, the labor value embodied in each step plus the cost of shipping coal by sea means that the cost of each cannon is less than two hundred taels of silver. If the selling price is over two hundred taels, it's pure profit."
"The cost is so low?" Liu Ye usually didn't care about these details, and originally thought that the cost of a cannon would be at least five or six hundred taels.
“Currently, the Caron cannon only comes in one model, the 32-pound version. The iron molds are readily available, requiring far less experience and time than clay molds. After casting the rough blank, grinding and polishing are also simple. Each process is handled by a specialist; the mold-casting team focuses on casting, and the polishing team focuses on polishing. This assembly line operation improves efficiency and naturally reduces costs. If it weren't for the need to ship the bituminous coal used for coking, the cost could be even further controlled,” Liang Xiaoming suggested. “What we plan to sell to Zheng Zhilong now are cannons cast from white cast iron, eliminating the coke step and reducing costs by nearly half. Selling them to him for 300 taels would be a 100% profit.”
"Three hundred taels? You must be joking!" Liu Ye's eyes widened, his expression one of disbelief.
"Is it expensive?" Liang Xiaoming asked, somewhat embarrassed.
Yan Guang interjected, "General, three hundred taels is not expensive at all. The imperial court spends around two thousand taels to cast a three-thousand-jin Hongyi cannon. Although our cannon is a bit short, its power is far superior."
“Even a piece of junk like the Hongyi cannon costs two thousand taels to make, so our cannon should sell for at least three thousand taels!” Liu Ye casually held up two fingers.
Liang Xiaoming said he was thirsty and had just picked up his teacup to take a sip to moisten his throat when he heard this, he spat out all the tea.
Yan Guang and the others were astonished: "Three thousand taels? Is Zheng Zhilong really willing to be such a sucker?" "If I asked for one thousand taels, Zheng Zhilong would definitely think it was a fair price. If I asked for three thousand taels, he would definitely think it was expensive, but he would still buy it."
"Why?" Liang Xiaoming was completely confused.
“Three thousand taels of silver for a short cannon is expensive, anyone would know. But with Zheng Zhilong’s strength and vision, he will never be concerned about such a small amount of money. After defeating Liu Xiang and the Dutch, he is expected to become the overlord of the southeast coast, and what he gains will be a hundred times or a thousand times the price he pays now. He will do the math.” Liu Ye crossed his legs. “After defeating Liu Xiang and the Dutch, I will be the only threat to him. How can one tolerate another sleeping soundly beside one’s bed? He will make a move on me sooner or later. If I don’t give him a good beating now, I will never have the chance again.”
"I see. You've figured out Zheng Zhilong's mind and have him completely under your control. You're willing to buy even though you know it's expensive." Liang Xiaoming nodded. "But what about the alliance? Aren't you afraid that he'll get angry and refuse to form an alliance because he asked for too high a price for the cannons?"
Liu Ye smiled and looked at Sima De: "Mr. Yan, tell me your thoughts."
Yan Guang knew this was also a test for him. After thinking carefully, he said, "Zheng Zhilong started from scratch and became a powerful maritime lord who dominated Fujian and Japan. He was also granted the official title of guerrilla commander. It's no exaggeration to call him a maritime hero. He was able to build such a situation, so his vision and shrewdness are not so shallow. Whether a few cannons are sold at a high price or a low price will not affect his decision to form an alliance. In other words, if he wants to form an alliance, he will still form an alliance even if the cannons are sold at a high price. If he doesn't want to form an alliance, he won't form an alliance even if the cannons are given to him for free."
"Well said!" Liu Ye clapped his hands in approval. "Whether or not we form an alliance is entirely up to Zheng Zhilong, but it also depends on our own strength. The head of the Zheng family isn't so short-sighted as to turn on us over such a small amount of money. However, we can't show too much strength, nor can we show too little. It's not easy to strike the right balance!"