Foreign businessmen who come to Siam are dealers.

Places like Europe and Central Asia are naturally retailers.

When Li Jinglong went to the West, he brought most of the luxury goods with him, hoping to get rid of the middlemen and make a profit on the price difference.

Zhu Ying's request is very simple. You, Cao Guogong, lead the expedition to the West. Making money is the first factor.

This does not count Zheng He's cheap cost, but includes labor and materials.

Don't say how much you make. If you lose money, you will be punished.

On the contrary, earning more is also merit.

In any case, Li Jinglong took so many troops to the West, even if the first priority was to make money, it was also a promotion of the majesty of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty's economy has now begun to move towards a high degree of prosperity.

Youdao means being favored and confident.

Zhu Yuanzhang caught corrupt officials and killed them, while Zhu Ying caught and killed businessmen.

The so-called reason is that I have been caught in the rain, so I want to tear up my umbrella for others.

Of course, Zhu Ying would not engage in small business and peddling. What he would engage in were those big merchants who were supported by aristocratic families.

Seize military power, carry out reforms, build factories, divide shares, etc.

These methods were nothing in the previous life. Maybe if others were in Zhu Ying's position, they could do better than him.

A big trap trapped a big businessman from aristocratic families.

The wool would always run out, so Zhu Ying promoted the opening of the sea and let merchants earn money at sea. He also asked the Ming Navy to escort the maritime merchants, and he also participated in it, such as the Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce.

He let go of the so-called great power style and began to reduce the number of countries in tribute trade.

Tribute trade may have the effect of stabilizing borders, such as the influence of the Ming Dynasty, but Zhu Ying didn't care.

For example, if you occupy the city of Zhenla and I won't give you any discounts in tribute trade, what can you do? If I don't give you a large reward, how can you still defeat the Ming Dynasty?

The only exception is Beiyuan. After all, that place is really poor.

Specialty products such as beef, mutton, and furs may look good, but in fact, the economic benefits they generate for the entire Ming Dynasty are really just that.

The only thing that can be used is manpower.

Therefore, Zhu Ying established the Beiyuan Employment Association in order to stabilize these grassland guys and stop them from always fighting the autumn wind, affecting the Ming border, and causing wars here in the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Beiyuan Employment Association has spent a lot of money on the national treasury. From another perspective, it is tantamount to fattening the grassland.

In fact, officials have already reported that the Northern Yuan Dynasty is indeed a threat. With such strength, once they fall out, it will be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty.

However, neither the grandfather nor the grandson adopted this suggestion.

Zhu Ying is confident that on the basis of simultaneous development, the grassland will be far behind.

Just like today's steam ironclad ships.

This thing cannot currently travel far, but it is an absolute deterrent to countries in the sea area.

The role of steam engines is not only reflected in military aspects.

Among them, for industrial development, it is also a qualitative improvement and a leap-forward progress.

The transition from manual production to machine production means that Daming's productivity has increased dozens of times based on its original level.

In addition to steam ironclad ships, steam trains can also be truly built.

Not to mention the railway lines opened throughout the Ming Dynasty, we only need to open the line from Nanjing to the border.

With the transportation capacity of steam trains, you, Beiyuan, are nothing.

The most terrifying thing about steam trains is the speed at which troops can be transported.

Even today's steam engines, whose power is by no means comparable to the horsepower.

The most important thing is that it can run in different stages for twelve hours.

Zhu Ying originally wanted to build a railway, but unfortunately it was abandoned in the end.

And now, the steam engine, here it comes!

The running speed of the steam train, according to later calculation methods, is about 60 kilometers to 80 kilometers per hour, which is equivalent to one hundred and twenty miles per hour according to the Ming Dynasty algorithm.

From Nanjing to the border is about 2,400 miles.

A steam train can travel more than 1,400 miles in twelve hours.

This also means that in less than two days, the steam train can transport the army directly to the border to fight.

Even if you include steam failure, minor malfunctions, etc., three days is still enough.

Of course, if a large amount of baggage is loaded, it may be slower and the speed cannot be increased, but this speed is also beyond the times.

This means that the Ming court's dominance over local areas will be greatly strengthened.

In reality there will be some discrepancies.

With the current industrial base of the Ming Dynasty, it is naturally impossible to open mountains and cross rivers by railway, but it does not matter much.

These sections of road are directly manned, and the soldiers are idle on the train. At most, just build a few more sections of road.

It is still difficult for Ming Dynasty to complete these tasks.

The scarcity of iron ore is a big problem.

It’s not that there are few iron ores in the Central Plains, but that the iron ores in the Central Plains have been mined vigorously since ancient times. As a result, the mineral deposits in most places are now very scarce, and most of the easy ones have been mined.

This is why the first thing Zhu Ying wanted to do was to build a steam ironclad ship.

Because the steam ironclad ship means that the distance at sea is shortened and the transportation capacity is strengthened, it can vigorously transport iron ore from coastal and island countries to the Ming Dynasty.

"If I remember correctly, Japan has the most silver mines, and Australia has the most iron ores?"

Zhu Ying came back from shipbuilding and started to develop the idea of ​​​​iron mining.

Since it was the advent of great navigation and the advent of the steam age, iron ore was the top priority during the industrial revolution.

"It's just that Australia now is a completely deserted island. If the imperial court were to develop it, it would be too difficult."

Australia's geography is terrible, and as a whole it is not suitable for large-scale colonization.

The northern part of Australia faces the Ming Dynasty, and is full of deserts and savannahs.

For Ming Dynasty, if it wants deserts, I have them in the Western Regions. If it wants rainforests, I can just go to Vietnam. Why bother going to Australia?

And if they set out from East Asia to land in Australia, what awaits them is either the desert of Western Australia or the rainforest of Northern Australia.

For Daming maritime merchants, going to Australia is worse than going to Africa.

Distance is not measured in terms of geographical length, but in terms of sailing time.

There are mature routes and complete technologies to go to Africa. You can ride the trade winds to Southeast Asia, ride the monsoons to India, and then to Africa. Countless people have traveled this route and it is very convenient.

Going to Australia would be much more troublesome, as it is a new route.

As far as the current routes are concerned, they are all based on the lives of countless predecessors. It is not that easy to open up a new route.

Moreover, today's Australia is not even a tribal civilization, it is completely a primitive society.

They have different shapes, both male and female, they do not weave or wear clothes, they cover themselves with bird feathers, they eat no fireworks, they only eat hair and drink blood, and they just live in caves.

Zhu Ying wants to get the iron ore in Australia, but given the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, it is difficult to achieve it.

"It seems that we can only rely on external help."

After thinking hard, Zhu Ying really came up with an impossible solution.

Naturally, they would be reluctant to let the people of Ming Dynasty develop Australia.

But what if it’s a Kunlun slave?

Although Australia is not suitable for rice, wheat and sorghum can still be grown. There are also many pastures, and animal husbandry can also be developed.

In fact, Zhu Ying didn't bother to think about these issues in detail. In later generations, Australia was developing anyway and could always grow something to eat.

Now that he was very annoyed about the Kunlun slaves in the Ming Dynasty, he now has a good place to go.
Chapter completed!