On the one hand, the entire Delhi Sultanate's sugar industry produces and sells its own products, and it is up to them to decide how much oil and water they can extract.
On the other hand, the sugar industry is monopolized by neighboring countries, and the big sugar country has to rely on others to survive.
The difference is huge.
Gandhi's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and even the beads of sweat flowed down his cheeks. Gandhi hesitated and said,
"Master Xia, can you let me ask first?"
Xia Yuanji smiled and said, "Of course, I have pen and paper, please do as you please."
"real?"
Gandhi was shocked;
Initially, it looked like the Ming Dynasty's household officials were trying to force him to death and wanted him to make a decision on the spot. But in the blink of an eye, they actually gave him room for accommodation.
"Of course, please do."
Although Xia Yuanji pressed hard, he still left a gaping hole for Gandhi. Anyway, he was able to dodge Gandhi enough with one pull and one blow.
Xia Yuanji's kindness only made Gandhi even more frightened. The officials of the Ming Dynasty were so at ease.
It can only mean one thing... They are not afraid of any accidents at all. They are sure of victory, but they are sure that you will have to lower your head in the end.
"Master Xia, can I go back and write letters?"
"It's okay of course."
Gandhi thanked him and hurriedly turned around to leave. Little Marco Polo looked at him completely dumbfounded.
Obviously, little Marco Polo had no way to travel to China by land just by relying on his family fortune.
Like his grandfather Marco Polo, their travels were supported by the Italian royal family, and young Marco Polo also came with a mission,
He just came to see with his own eyes whether China is a land rich in resources and full of gold.
The Italian royal family spent a lot of money to support little Marco Polo's trip, not just to let little Marco Polo take a look and confirm that China's next step, which is rich in resources, is of course invasion.
In today's European continent, there is a general consensus that China is rich in materials, but at the same time, it is a country with backward systems and military.
But what little Marco Polo witnessed today proved that the Europeans were wrong.
What an arrogant idea!
Ming Dynasty is the most powerful country! And in this era, there is no one!
Little Marco Polo didn't know it yet, but he had become the first person in the West to open his eyes to the world.
"Sir, I will also retreat."
Little Marco Polo bowed and retreated with fear in his eyes.
After the two left, a monk with a peach-colored scar on his head appeared from behind and said with a smile,
"Master Xia, you are really majestic. In the eyes of this poor monk, this matter is already a sure thing."
Xia Yuanji took a deep breath and seemed to be in a good mood.
After all, I have done such a big thing for His Majesty. This is also the well-deserved first achievement of the Shengwen Dynasty.
“This really gives Ming Dynasty another breath of fresh air.”
Xia Yuanji said with lingering fear.
Even though the Ming Dynasty was at its peak in the Spring and Autumn Period, Xia Yuanji, as the Minister of Household Affairs, knew very well that there was one biggest problem in the Ming Dynasty.
That is, there is not enough money!
There were wars and infrastructure construction, and even though the Chang family had a steady stream of business, opened up territory, and captured the Jiangnan gentry, it was still not enough.
In other words, without these three ways of making money, Ming's economy would have collapsed long ago, and it would be impossible to support His Majesty to do so many things.
To put it bluntly, it is only in recent years that the Ming Dynasty’s treasury has been sufficient.
Although Lord Hongwu yells and drinks every day, when it comes to money, Lord Hongwu never says a word. The Ming Dynasty's treasury has been empty since the founding of the dynasty, and the national finance has been overdrawn.
Yao Guangxiao said,
"Silk, porcelain, tea. Now that two arms have been broken, Mr. Xia is using sugar to reconnect the two broken arms."
Xia Yuanji turned back to the table, made tea for Yao Guangxiao, shook his head and said,
"No.
It's not bad to say that tea leaves broke off an arm. Porcelain sales have always been a weakness in the Ming Dynasty. They don't have this arm in the first place, so how can they talk about breaking off their own arms? "
Yao Guangxiao took the tea handed over by Xia Yuanji, thanked him, and said in confusion,
"Master Xia, what do you mean?"
Xia Yuanji said lightly,
“Tea was the largest exporter of foreign trade in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is not an exaggeration to say that all other exported commodities combined are not as good as tea.
Who is this tea sold to? Yuan Ren.
In the Tea-Horse Mutual Market, the price of tea sold is much higher than that of tea sold in the Central Plains region by 30 to 40%, but Yuan people can only buy it from the Tea-Horse Mutual Market.
They bought it if they could afford it, and robbed it if they couldn't afford it. But just relying on the tea distributed to the north made Daming a lot of money.
But what’s going on now…”
Yao Guangxiao's eyes flashed with confusion and he answered,
"Now Mengren is no longer an outsider, but a member of his own family."
"Yes," Xia Yuanji sighed, "Since you are not an outsider, you can't risk your life. On the contrary, the tea leaves given to the north are half bought and half given away. This shows His Majesty's benevolence, but for our Ming Dynasty Financially, it's a huge blow.
Also, there is still a war going on in the north. It will be difficult to distribute tea northward, and all commercial routes to Central Asia will be cut off... It will be difficult..."
Yao Guangxiao also looked embarrassed, and then asked,
"The inability to sell the tea, or rather, the inability to sell the tea, really caused the Ming Dynasty to lose countless money.
But what does Mr. Xia mean when he says that the porcelain cannot be sold? "
"Unlucky."
Xia Yuanji sighed, and a look of surprise suddenly flashed in Yao Guangxiao's eyes.
Porcelain is one of the most special foreign trade commodities. It is completely different from tea and silk. Although porcelain sells well, its fragile nature makes its transportation particularly laborious.
If transported by land, one carload of porcelain can leave two to three Chengdu, which is considered good.
The reason why the sales of porcelain soared during the Song and Yuan dynasties was because of the development of maritime transportation in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Familiar large trading ports such as Quanzhou and Xiuzhou were the basis for the flow of porcelain overseas.
In the Ming Dynasty, Lord Hong Wu did not like maritime affairs. Even though His Majesty the Seventh Prince now occupies Sun Moon Island, he still has not fully developed the advantages of overseas trade.
Xia Yuanji changed the topic, clenched his fists and said excitedly,
"However, the shipping line will be opened soon! Now that His Majesty is in power, he attaches great importance to maritime trade.
I heard that Ma Sanbao, the most capable person under the Seventh Prince, was also transferred back to the capital in order to discuss the shipping matter. "
"Ma Sanbao?"
Yao Guangxiao frowned slightly. He was quite unfamiliar with this name.
Ma Sanbao had supported His Royal Highness Shengsun during the previous floods in Jiangnan. Xia Yuanji was also in Jiangnan at that time and had a relationship with Ma Sanbao.
"Well, this person is not like an ordinary person."
Yao Guangxiao nodded slowly and wrote down the name carefully. To be so highly praised by His Highness Seventh Prince and Xia Yuanji, this person must be something special.
