Zhou Changfeng actually felt that it was a bit devalued for this group of powerful people to argue over the interests of the small country.
It's like a giant company acquiring a small company. It's obviously no big deal, but the board members are quarreling.
The Japanese archipelago lacks natural resources, or mineral resources that are easy to mine. Although there were relatively abundant copper, gold and silver deposits in ancient times, they have been gradually exhausted in modern times, and they are at a natural disadvantage in terms of industrialization conditions.
And after the failure of gambling on the national destiny, it is in a state of division and economic collapse. Under such circumstances, how can we rely on huge compensations to vigorously develop industry as in history?
After Western forces established themselves in each vassal, their investment was basically limited to light industry and municipal construction, with the aim of better selling goods.
Therefore, the industrial system owned by the Japanese vassals today is completely incomplete and chaotic, with very few heavy industries. Even the technological level of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. and Nakajima Aviation Co., Ltd. remains at the level of relying on foreign technology transfer and importing core components.
The famous Yawata Iron Works in history was built with part of the compensation, but now there is a similar steel factory in the Fukuoka Domain under the influence of the Ming Dynasty, called Fukuoka Metal Industry Co., Ltd., and the ownership of the company mainly belongs to Xuan. A group affiliated with Weiji.
Statistical analysis by the Metropolitan Governor's Intelligence Office believes that even if Japan is reunited and integrated today, its industrial capabilities will only be roughly at the level at the turn of the century.
Seeing that the dignitaries present were still negotiating with each other, Zhou Changfeng couldn't help but murmured: "This is just Japan. If we rob Nanyang's assets of all sizes in the future, I'm afraid not all of them will be addicted..."
Zhu Lingjing, who was in the upper seat, also sighed secretly in her heart. Although it was indeed not profitable, she couldn't stand it. This was the first time in many years that people paid great attention to it and subconsciously regarded it as a template for future profit distribution.
If you get less points this time, who can guarantee that you will get more points next time?
"Short-term gains cannot represent the pinnacle of future achievements. How can we ruin the harmony for a mere small business?" Xu Zhiyan smoothed things over and eased the somewhat anomalous atmosphere.
"In the future, we may not be able to intervene in Nanyang's oil industry. I'm afraid the court will trust Ge Yanzhi more in that regard." The president of Hangzhou Zhongsheng Aircraft Company expressed his concerns.
Ge Yanzhi was the current Guangxin Hou Ge Mao. Although 35% of the shares of the Ming Dynasty National Oil and Gas Company belonged to the Ministry of Industry, he was basically fully managed by him.
Unlike other nobles who like to invest in name, Ge Mao is completely personally involved in the business. He is devoted to the petrochemical industry and has great enthusiasm for it. In addition, he also likes antiques, calligraphy and painting.
The most important resources in the Nanyang region are undoubtedly oil and rubber. In addition, there are also mineral resources and medical resources such as tin, copper, and quinine. Among them, the importance of oil resources ranks first for the Ming Dynasty.
The rich and powerful realized that although it was a huge profit, it was difficult for them to get involved in the oil resources, which were vital to the country and the military. The biggest piece of the big cake was taken away by default from the beginning, and they could only Competing among the rest of the cakes.
"Spin-off businesses seem to be possible. It is said that Americans are researching petrochemical synthetic fibers. If they can be successful, they will be able to mass-produce fabrics. Our raw silk will definitely be affected."
"I heard? This has been confirmed a long time ago. The so-called 'nylon' fiber has been studied in China."
"In this case, you might as well consider investing in a new industry."
In addition to discussing profit distribution and light industry, everyone also discussed medical resources.
Since the Dutch planted cinchona trees extensively in Southeast Asia, in just a few decades, Java, Borneo, and the Philippines have become the most important raw material producers of quinine in the world. During the same period in history, their output accounted for 10% of the world's total. The ratio can reach as high as 95%.
Although it is now widely cultivated in Yunnan, Qiongya, and Xiaoliuqiu in the Ming Dynasty, the quality and scale are still inferior to those in Nanyang, which is more endowed with unique climate and terrain conditions. The latter exports 90% of commercial quinine raw materials to the world.
In the future battlefields in Southeast Asia and even the Pacific, malaria, a widespread disease, cannot be ignored. Its impact on the military's combat effectiveness is no less than a lack of food and ammunition.
Malaria is mostly infected through the bites of pathogen-carrying mosquitoes. The main symptoms are hot and cold, excessive sweating, and high fever that can reach 40°C. The mortality rate is 9%-31%. According to incomplete statistics, the malaria incidence rate among US troops fighting in the Nanyang region has been as high as 400% in history, which means that each soldier has been infected with malaria four times on average.
At the same time, due to the occupation of the main producing area of quinine, a specific malaria drug, the US military, after depleting its stocks, had to switch to the chemically synthesized drug adipine, which was less effective and had side effects.
If you look at this situation with a businessman's mindset, future wars will undoubtedly be huge business opportunities - the military's medical needs must be given top priority, and since the main raw material production areas have been taken over, the production cost of quinine will also plummet. .
Demand has doubled and costs have been greatly reduced. It is impossible not to make a lot of money.
Zhu Lingjing, who looked as usual, held the tea cup without using her sleeves to cover it. She took a sip and said calmly: "Money and silk attract people, so remember that greed is not good and can easily lead to bad things."
This is not a warning or a slap, but a reminder to the dignitaries present - making money is making money, and the court also allows war fortunes to be made, but if the wrong intentions are used, it will be embarrassing for both parties.
For example, when the European War was in full swing twenty years ago, the British and French had to look for additional suppliers around the world to purchase rifles, machine guns, bullets, tents, carrying gear, cans, etc. due to equipment shortages. However, a certain food manufacturer in the Ming Dynasty accepted an order that exceeded the limit of its own capabilities, so it had to sell substandard products and ended up cheating many British and French soldiers.
This matter was complained about by Britain and France, but they did not delve into it.
The profit-seeking nature of businessmen and their willingness to take risks for the sake of profit have long been something that monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty have been wary of, because there have been too many examples of people who suffered losses because of this throughout the ages.
Another example is that after the Jiajing and Wanli years, the government-run iron smelting industry gradually declined, and the famous government-run Zunhua Iron Works was also abolished and closed. Since then, the government began to regularly purchase iron materials from the private sector, and from time to time, encounters such as this A situation of pretending to be good and getting through.
On this basis, the later Ming Dynasty went even further. The government was accustomed to purchasing needed goods from the private sector, which objectively promoted the further prosperity of private companies and the commodity economy, but also caused a lot of troubles.
The Ming army was deceived several times during its expedition to Junggar and Uszang - the government subcontracted military supplies to local merchants to purchase and build them, but the result was that the military supplies were fake and the frontline generals were so angry that they scolded their mothers.
"...Then let's do it. I wish our country good luck." Pingdu Bo Yu Yongyu took the lead in raising his glass and doing so as a token of respect.
With him taking the lead, the others also raised their glasses and drank in blessing.
The cake-sharing matter that has been on everyone's mind these days has been completed. After communicating with each other, more than a dozen powerful people have figured out the general division of their interests.
As an "auditor", Wu Zhengren also understands all this. He will truthfully report the situation on Zhu Lingjing's side to the crown prince and coordinate well.
Now that the matter is settled, this dinner seems to have suddenly become boring?
The topic of everyone's conversation returned to the random trivial matters at the beginning.
Xu Zhiyan, who was sitting a table away, suddenly looked at the table where Zhou Changfeng was sitting, and then said with a smile: "This must be Zhou Kexing. I have heard of his name in the past, but today I saw it with my own eyes. He is indeed a talented person. He must be the leader of the country." Pillar."
The three people sitting at the table to the left of Zhu Lingjing were by default her confidants or retainers. Luo Fu and Fang Shu were already familiar faces, but it was the first time for Zhou Changfeng to appear on such an occasion, which somewhat attracted some powerful people. interest of.
Objectively speaking, in their eyes, Zhou Changfeng can still only be regarded as a nobody, at most a nobody with some fame and appreciation.
But they also know very well that war is different from peacetime, and the possibility of a jump in status is much greater. A businessman may follow the right path and become rich in a few years; a soldier may make meritorious deeds and be quickly promoted, even becoming a general.
There are too many examples of thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi. What's more, it is not impossible for a young man like Zhou Changfeng with an unlimited future to grow into a military boss in the future. By then, everyone can look after each other.
At the moment, a few compliments, a little help, and some favors are all appropriate early investments. This is how network resources are accumulated bit by bit. Over time, you can find helpers for all kinds of difficulties.
Being praised one after another by a group of political, military, and business figures was so stressful that Zhou Changfeng found it difficult to resist.
"Leading an army is not an easy task. Marching and formation are very particular." Wu Zhengren stroked his beard and said, "His Royal Highness has heard about your deeds and said that you are extremely talented. You may be able to achieve unparalleled achievements in the future." It’s gong.”
"Uh... Your Highness the Crown Prince is ridiculous. I... have always just fulfilled my duties."
"Oh? Are you fulfilling your duties?" Wu Zhengren joked with a smile: "Does it count if you lied about being ill and went to Folangji alone?"
Zhou Changfeng: "..."
Seeing his slight embarrassment, Zhu Lingjing, who was standing behind him, couldn't help but feel particularly amused, with a smile on her face.
Awkward? Aren't you very capable? Keep going.
Ever since, the banquet was full of joy.
To be honest, Zhou Changfeng felt that these guys, who were also powerful people, felt much better to others. Although they were not approachable, they were generally kind.
Thinking back to my experience of being pulled under Zhu Lingjing's control last year, and the inexplicable conversation when I first met her, I can only say that there is no harm without comparison.
After the business was settled and the dinner was full, there was no need to delay the dinner, and it soon ended with Zhu Lingjing leaving first.
Zhou Changfeng and Luo Fu stood by the window, looking to the southwest, with a panoramic view of thousands of lights in the vast capital city.
The latter took out two Taihu brand cigarettes worth more than one yuan each, gave one to Zhou Changfeng, and then lit it with a match.
"How's it going? It's the first time you meet these wealthy people. It feels a lot different than what you imagined in the past."
"Indeed, they look kind, but the actual words and vision contain interests and concerns. To be honest, they and His Highness give people completely different feelings."
Zhou Changfeng has always believed that those in power have affinity and charisma, and that arrogant and vulgar guys are by no means qualified dignitaries.
It was like this before time travel, and he also took it for granted that it would be the same after time travel. But after meeting Zhu Lingjing, this understanding was shattered, making him feel that the quality of the powerful people in the Ming Dynasty varied. But what he saw today allowed him to regain his original understanding.
Luo Fu couldn't help but laugh, "His Royal Highness is quite friendly to ordinary outsiders. He only shows his true temperament to his close associates. This is normal both emotionally and rationally."
"Too."
"What are your future ambitions?"
"Huh? It's hard to say. The main reason is for the prosperity of the country."
Luo Fu beside him laughed, "Better than people like me who have no ambitions and just want to live a good life."
"Actually, it's almost the same. The difference is that I want more people to live a good life."
"You are really good at talking. Okay, no more talking. I have a wife and children at home, so I'll say goodbye."
After lingering alone by the window for a long time, Zhou Changfeng ended his wandering thoughts and took the elevator downstairs to leave.
The true face of the powerful people did not exceed his expectations. What these people pursued were two things, one was to maintain influence and maintain status, and the other was to strive for as many benefits as possible.
Perhaps this is the highest pursuit of most people?
Fortunately, at least for the time being, their pursuits coincide with the interests of Ming Dynasty, or China, and appropriate external expansion is indeed necessary.
Even if you look at it from a more conservative attitude, if you don't want to dominate the world, but just want to live a stable life in the Asia-Pacific region, you must have the Japanese Islands and Nanyang region at your fingertips. In this way, not only can we feed back the local area with abundant natural resources, but we can also deploy garrison troops to block external threats thousands of miles away, without having to face the frustration of being blocked at the doorstep.
What Zhou Changfeng found quite interesting was that the Ming Dynasty actually had a plan to attack Australia - when I went to the Governor's Palace before, I saw several staff officers carrying a 1:1.5 million Australian sand table, which was also filled with inserts. Little red and blue flags.
Although he cannot access highly confidential combat plan documents due to his authority, this alone can actually determine the high ambitions of the upper management.
As one of the places with the richest mineral resources, having Australia in your pocket is equivalent to owning a mountain of warehouses and endless farms. Whether it is iron ore, wool, or milk, it is extremely tempting no matter how you look at it.
He couldn't help but sigh: "If it really happens, it would be so nourishing. It's just that it's easy to capture but difficult to hold on to."
After driving to the dock and taking a boat back to Jiangxinzhou Station, Zhou Changfeng realized that he had received two private telegrams in succession today.
One letter was sent by Hengguang Company, stating that they had initially made a rough idea of "making a simple portable machine gun" and listed some of the indicators they had determined.
The other letter was from my sister. It was very brief, and the central idea was just one sentence - you kid, you didn't even say a word about your engagement last time, how is it going now? !
(End of chapter)
