When Gao Heng was about to ask again, Pudman said: "General, please come with me." Fan Yu came forward with a team of guards to protect Gao Heng's safety. Gao Heng said to Amu and Lu Tao: "First arrange for the brothers to go around the port, familiarize themselves with the situation here, and tell them that all activities are operating normally and we will not interfere with them. As for the supplies they want to sell to the army, this Let’s put this matter aside, at least, not today.”
Gao Heng followed Pudman all the way to the pier of the pier. Pudman pointed to a Dutch ship parked on the sea and said: "Your Excellency General, although this ship is not very big, it is just a medium-sized merchant ship of our Netherlands. , but you know, the situation at sea is very complicated, and we must have weapons to protect our own safety, so there are corresponding weapons on this ship, if you are interested, you can take a look."
Gao Heng's heart moved. When he was studying in the military academy, he had some knowledge in this area. Soldiers are naturally interested in weapons. Pudman is from the Netherlands, so it is very likely that his ship is equipped with a recently invented sharp weapon. Gao Heng was not sure, and quickly said: "Of course I am interested in taking a look, please ask Mr. Pudman Lead the way."
Pudman bowed and led the way. The merchant ship docked, the bridge was lowered, and a group of people immediately boarded the ship.
Arriving on the ship, Gao Heng's vision suddenly became clear. It was obvious that the Dutch were very good at hygiene and the deck was very tidy. Pudman introduced: "Your Excellency General, sailors need to sail across the ocean, so they must be kept clean. Otherwise, if they get sick on the ship, we will not be able to find a doctor."
Gao Heng nodded. The Dutch's concept was correct. At that time, the sanitary environment in Europe was worrying. Paris, for example, was called a city built on shit. Why Europeans invented high-heeled shoes is to avoid stepping on feces. The reason why people hold umbrellas on the streets of London on sunny days is because many residents tend to pour their feces directly out of the windows, leaving passers-by covered with excrement. .
From this point of view, it is not difficult to understand the outbreak of the Black Death in Europe in the Middle Ages. By the 17th century, ocean-going sailors were the first to realize the importance of sanitation work. After all, on the vast sea, once you get seriously ill, it is basically as good as death. The equal sign is drawn.
Therefore, Gao Heng can understand what they are doing very well. Although the Xinghua Army is on land, it must also pay attention to the internal affairs. After all, in this era, the army often encounters plague epidemics when going on expeditions, so the troops have not yet gone to the battlefield. , has lost its combat effectiveness. Gao Heng will never allow such a situation to happen in his army.
Gao Heng looked at the ship, and the Dutch people on the deck, who were leaning on the side of the ship in twos and threes to bask in the sun, were also looking at this strange person. In their opinion, these people were completely different from the original Xin'an Port garrison, at least from the equipment. Look, this group of people is very elite.
"General, look, what's covered under that black cloth?" Suddenly, Fan Yu pointed forward. Gao Heng looked in the direction of his finger, and sure enough he saw the group of things covered by black cloth on the side of the ship. Judging from experience, it should be artillery, because the position of this thing was exactly on the side of the ship. Launch ports on both sides.
Gao Heng said to Pudman: "Mr. Pudman, can I go and see that?"
Pudman gave a thumbs up and said: "Your Excellency, the general, really has a good eye. What I want to introduce to the general is this. You should like it."
Pudman stepped forward and pulled away the black cloth, revealing a slender cannon barrel in front of Gao Heng. "This! This is!" Gao Heng said with his eyes widened.
The soldiers behind them were also surprised. As soldiers, they also have natural sensitivity to weapons. Everyone instinctively felt that this artillery was definitely extraordinary. Just looking at the gun body, it was stronger than anything they had ever seen. Every artillery piece is big, and a big general's artillery is just a little brother in front of it.
"Hongyi Cannon!" Gao Heng blurted out.
"What? General, can you repeat it again?" Pudman said.
"Ah, um, it's nothing, nothing." Gao Heng blushed all of a sudden. This statement was not very pleasant, especially in front of Pudman.
Gao Heng once visited this kind of artillery in the military museum. In the mid-seventeenth century, Western Europeans took the lead in manufacturing this kind of artillery. Its prototype was the spindle-shaped structure artillery invented by Europa in the sixteenth century. In the Ming Dynasty, It was not introduced to China at the end because it was obtained from the Dutch. Most of the Dutch had red hair and blue eyes, so the Ming Dynasty simply named it the Red Yi Cannon. However, this kind of artillery was introduced later. Although the Ming Dynasty successfully imitated it, , but with the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the dynasty where this kind of artillery was really widely used was the Qing Dynasty.
Whether in Yaksa, Galdan, or during the San Francisco Rebellion, this kind of artillery can be seen. In this era, the Hongyi cannon should be the most powerful of all the artillery in the East.
Pudman introduced: "Your Excellency General, this is the cannon equipped by our Dutch army. This kind of artillery has a long barrel, thick wall and large caliber. And the spindle-shaped structure is very consistent with the principle of pressure from high to low when gunpowder burns. , plus we have installed a front sight and a rear sight, we can use parabolas to calculate ballistics, the accuracy is much higher than the general cannon equipped by the Annan army, and the range is far enough. You know, this kind of artillery was once used by the Ming Dynasty. Yes, but theirs is an old model and can only hit two miles, but our latest naval battle model can hit five miles."
"Oh! Five-mile land?" Everyone was shocked when they heard Pudman's introduction. If there are still artillery that can hit five miles in this world, then the war in the future will be nothing. The current combat mode generally involves armies from both sides forming a formation two or three miles apart, followed by artillery bombardment and cavalry and infantry charges. According to what the Dutchman said, this artillery can hit five miles, then simply put a row of these artillery, and blast fiercely from five miles away, and the opponent will be destroyed before they see anyone.
Pudman was a little proud. This cannon was an invention that the Dutch were proud of, and its performance was even better than the cannon of the Franco. Even the current Franco had introduced a lot of Dutch artillery technology.
Gao Heng swallowed his saliva. Obviously, he was very greedy for this kind of artillery. Although the essence of war is people, weapons are the most important part. In the absence of generation difference, the competition is between the soldiers of the two armies. Will, but if there is a generation gap, it will be useless no matter how strong the soldiers' will is.
For example, in the Battle of Bali Bridge, no matter how many cavalry you have, it will be impossible to pass through the blockade composed of modern guns and artillery. Otherwise, after Maxim's invention, the nomads became good at singing and dancing. Because in front of machine guns, flesh and blood can only become a living target.
Gao Heng immediately asked: "Why don't you sell such good artillery to the Annan people or the Ming court?"
Pudman smiled bitterly, "Of course we have promoted it, but Mingting already has imitations of old models. Their imitation costs are lower than ours. They already have mature processes for producing old models, so they are not too interested in new models. Interest, and most importantly, the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, the general, you should know that no one has the time to pay attention to our promotion."
He paused and then said: "As for the Annan people, they didn't know the goods, but they bought a few, but they never purchased again. The Ruan regime in the south bought some from us, and the quantity was not too large, so We are still looking for customers.”
Gao Heng shook his head, "Mr. Pudman, you didn't tell the truth. I'm afraid it's not the reason at all, but the price of your artillery is too high."
"This, this." Pudman smiled unnaturally.
Gao Heng said: "Tell me the truth, if I want to buy your artillery, how much does one cost?"
The main reason why Pudman came to Gao Heng was because he saw him spending lavishly at the rice cake stall. Although he had heard of the Xinghua Army, he didn't know anything about it. He traveled on the sea all year round and only stopped on land for a relatively short time. The most important thing is that the Xinghua Army rose in just a few months. Not to mention foreigners like Pudman, even many Annan people had never heard of the Xinghua Army.
So Pudman mistakenly thought that Gao Heng was very rich. He was just one of many Dutch businessmen. He had some connections, but his business was not particularly big. He had only recently started to get involved in the arms business. He had just told Gao Heng that he was selling new artillery. If you go out, you can only say that it is half the truth. The artillery was sold, but it was not sold by him, but by people from the East India Company.
Pudman was a businessman who came from the Netherlands to prospect for gold. He also had his own ambitions. If he directly joined the East India Company, most of the profits would be taken away by the company, and he would have nothing left. Just like the monopoly mechanism of later generations, since its establishment in the early 17th century, the East India Company has basically monopolized the trade in Southeast Asia and the Far East with decades of development, making it difficult for a solo businessman like him to survive. I can only pick up other people's leftovers to eat.
In this way, Pudman was very passive. If he did not rely on the East India Company, he would not have a stable source of customers. He could only rely on himself to find them. However, others may not necessarily trust him, and the customers he found would not be the same. What the big customers will be is another aspect. If he joins the company, most of the profits will be taken away by the East India Company, leaving a small businessman like him in a dilemma.
Hearing Gao Heng's direct attack on him, Pudman spread his hands and said: "General, as you know, sea routes are different from land routes. The transportation time is long and the risk factor is high."
Gao Heng shook his head and said: "Mr. Pudman, I personally don't like dealing with unpleasant people." After that, Gao Heng turned around and got off the boat.
Pudman quickly shouted: "Ten thousand taels! Your Majesty General, one door for 10,000 taels!"
"What?" Fan Yu and other guards exclaimed, and even Gao Heng was startled. Is this Pudman crazy about money? What artillery can be worth ten thousand taels apiece? No wonder people don't buy it. You are fooling the buyer into thinking he is a fool.
Gao Heng said: "Mr. Pudman, you have to know that the actual cost of a general cannon is only about five or six hundred taels of silver if it is just cast. Plus the supporting gunpowder and ammunition and the shooter's training costs, the maximum cost is one hundred and six hundred taels of silver." A thousand taels of silver is as high as the sky. Even the later maintenance and repairs only cost a few hundred taels of silver. I know your cannon looks very powerful, but the price of 10,000 taels apiece is prohibitive."
Pudman quickly explained: "Your Excellency General, I also give you gunpowder and ammunition, and I can even give you two gunners. These are free of charge and are included in the price of ten thousand taels. You know, we come from the Netherlands." It is not easy to transport this latest cannon. My fleet is not large, only four or five ships. This is my flagship Black Pearl. The two cannons on the deck are for my self-defense. If the general If necessary, we can also transport it from China, but it will take time.”
Gao Heng said: "Even including the shipping fee, this artillery piece of yours should not be sold for ten thousand taels of silver. If I am right, your purchase channel may not be first-hand, but from someone else. After layer by layer, the capital comes up.”
Pudman looked at Gao Heng in disbelief. This guy was simply amazing. Every word he said spoke to Pudman's heart. In fact, as Gao Heng said, Pudman was also a second-rate dealer. His purchasing channel was the East India Company, which included his friends, so the two conspired to resell some firearms.
It was also difficult for him to obtain supplies for sharp weapons such as new cannons. In fact, he only had these two on the ship, so he tried his best to smoothen the relationship and get them. The normal selling price of this artillery is about 5,000 taels, but he increased the price by smoothing the relationship and other expenses, and the quantity was small. He also wanted to make a profit from Gao Heng, so he directly raised the price to 10,000 taels. .
Gao Heng said: "Mr. Pudman, it is impossible for me to buy it at this price. I am a military general, not a fool. The price of this kind of artillery is about five thousand taels."
Pudman is really convinced. Does this guy named Gao Heng have special powers and can see through other people's thoughts? Pudman sighed: "Okay, General, you are really awesome." Then he poured out his bitterness to Gao Heng and explained the whole story clearly.
He didn't make any big money when he went to sea this time. He managed to get two cannons but couldn't sell them. He hoped that for the sake of God, Gao Heng could buy these two cannons. He was willing to lower the price to eight thousand. Two, and provide the best after-sales service, definitely better than the East India Company.
Gao Heng really wanted to laugh. This guy really didn't know how to do business. There was no point in asking buyers to buy at a high price. At eight thousand taels, the price was still too high. Seeing Gao Heng's attitude, Pudman looked sad, as if he were mourning for his heir.
Gao Heng changed the subject and said, "Haha, Mr. Pudman, I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?"
