Daqin still has a lot of room for long-distance and small-scale exploration overseas. Firstly, it can harvest information about the world. Secondly, Zhao Si traveled around the world and there are still many key crops that he has not brought back.
For example, rubber seeds, cinchona trees, cotton seeds...etc., Zhao Si traveled around the world at that time, and after hurriedly finding sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn seeds, his first task was to lead the crew back to the voyage, rather than committing to overseas.
As for these, Daqin can continue to bring back overseas seeds and crops through small-scale overseas exploration, and continue to enrich Daqin's ecological structure. Of course, biological aspects can also be introduced appropriately, but care must be taken as it may cause biological invasion. At this stage, there is no unnecessary way to deal with it.
"Great Qin's true foray into the distant seas was not the result of ten or twenty years, but a hundred years of work!" Zhao Si gave his own conclusion.
From a historical perspective, the sea was the top priority at the end of the feudal era and even in modern times, but it was too early for Da Qin.
Da Qin's internal land has not yet been fully developed, the handicraft industry is not developed enough, the goods are insufficient, and the population is not large enough. How can we talk about the distant sea?
Zhao Si's trip could only be regarded as a detour at best. Next, Da Qin continued to explore on a small scale, and there were many surprises beyond the distant sea.
"Hundred years!" The First Emperor frowned slightly.
A hundred years...how long is that?
The First Emperor is already forty-eight years old and will be forty-nine next year. In ancient times, he was definitely not considered young at this age.
In other words, if there is no accident, the First Emperor will definitely not see the day when he sets foot in the open sea, and the world map will only be hung on the wall.
"Starting with a hundred years..." Zhao Si nodded heavily.
He knows the general direction, and a hundred years is only the minimum. In fact, with the current situation of Da Qin, a hundred years is even less.
No matter how many inventions Zhao Si can come up with, industrial development will still take time.
"However... Da Qin cannot set foot in the distant sea in a short period of time, but it is not impossible to enter the offshore sea." Zhao Si smiled.
When it comes to maritime navigation, it is necessary to distinguish between distant seas and offshore seas. They are two completely different concepts. The current Daqin cannot meet the needs of large-scale distant sea voyages, but it can barely survive in the offshore seas.
At least for the surrounding offshore islands, Daqin’s navigation pressure is not too great.
Moreover, there are indeed benefits to be gained.
"Where Xu Fu stayed, there were gold, silver and copper mines!" Fusang is a good place!
Crossing the Golden Island on the left, you can see the Silver Mountain in the stone.
"Huh?" The First Emperor frowned slightly.
"A lot?" Looking at Zhao Si's energetic expression, the First Emperor asked.
"very many!"
At its peak, Iwami Ginzan produced one-third of the world's silver production, and Zuodu Jindao's gold and silver production ranked first in the world at its peak.
Not to mention that in addition to these two famous places, Fuso also has a large number of other gold, silver and copper mines... This poor place has always occupied the first position in gold and silver production during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In fact, objectively speaking, Fuso is not rich in mineral resources, it is just easier to mine. As for the land of Shenzhou, although it is rich in mineral resources, until modern times, some places still cannot make ends meet when mining, or even cannot mine at all.
To put it bluntly, Fuso's rich mineral deposits are superficial, mainly due to its special geographical location, located in the intersection zone of tectonic plates, and relatively violent geomorphological activities. Therefore, most of the mineral deposits are rich ores, that is, gold, silver, copper, and iron ores that are easy to mine.
Therefore, in ancient times when the demand for this metal was relatively small, Fuso was indeed a blessed place, with gold, silver, copper and iron everywhere. However, in the modern era of industrial development, the demand has increased sharply, and Fuso's natural resources are not enough. .
In the feudal era, the rich gold, silver, copper and iron deposits in Fuso were no different from money bags.
Daqin's mineral reserves are abundant, but most of them are of no use if they cannot be mined, and the mining technology cannot be used even if they are not up to par. Compared with the feudal era when mining technology was relatively poor, the gold and silver deposits in Fuso are definitely much larger.
The First Emperor looked at Zhao Si's extremely serious expression and tapped his fingers slightly on the table.
"A lot? How many!"
Xu Fu's detention in Fusang has not yet been resolved. Da Qin currently has twenty ships, but they cannot take too many people. If the mineral deposits in the place where Xu Fu is detained reach a certain level, then it may have to be recalculated.
"In terms of gold and silver alone, there is more than the current Great Qin!" Zhao Si replied after pondering.
"A corner of the land?" The First Emperor looked at Zhao Si in surprise. Is there really so much gold and silver in a corner of the land, in a remote place?
"yes!"
"Within a hundred years, the Qin Dynasty can search for mineral deposits on offshore islands and mine them! Although gold and silver cannot be smelted to smelt weapons, armor, or make tools, they can be bought!" Zhao Si grinned.
Theoretically speaking, if gold and silver are regarded as currency, the current total amount of commodities in Daqin is limited, and it is useless no matter how much gold and silver currency there is.
But it cannot be calculated like this, because the Qin government and the nobles of various places must be treated separately.
These two forces are not used together.
"Enough gold and silver are mined, which can be used to purchase goods produced by nobles everywhere, including grain, cloth, goldware... and can even be used to replace copper coins." Zhao Si made a heart-breaking argument.
There is no reason why nobles should not sell real gold and silver. After all, gold and silver can be used for burials, right? How cool would it be to be buried with a lot of gold and silver after death?
Zhao Si suddenly discovered an interesting point. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, and even the Qin and Han Dynasties, a large number of nobles liked to be buried with gold and silver vessels. This directly led to the serious scarcity of gold and silver for hundreds of years.
It even indirectly affected the prosperity and flow of goods, otherwise Cao Cao would not have done the business of digging graves. This thing is so delicious. Once a small grave is dug, the economy will be free. Objectively speaking, Cao Cao made a lot of money from tomb robbing.
Looking at it now, Zhao Si was surprised to find that this tradition of burial with gold and silverware was an out-and-out good tradition.
A large amount of gold and silver flows into the market, and the nobles may not be able to react in the early stage. In the middle and later stages, the value of gold and silver will definitely depreciate, and the purchasing power will decrease. At the same time, as the gold and silver flowing into the market continues to increase, the purchasing power of gold and silver will continue to decrease.
After all, theoretically speaking, if gold and silver are mined and turned into currency, gold and silverware will not decrease. This thing is not a consumable. In theory, it will continue to circulate, and the base will only increase but not decrease.
The greater the quantity, the lower the corresponding value. Things are more valuable when they are rare.
However, nobles will be buried with a lot of gold and silverware!
Those buried underground have, in theory, disappeared from the market. Who would pick up the graves of their ancestors? Tomb robbing in this era is extremely punishable by heaven and earth.
At this stage, the value and purchasing power of gold and silver are actually rising, because a large number of gold and silver vessels are buried with the people, the mining technology is underdeveloped, and the production cannot keep up with the consumption.
Theoretically speaking, Da Qin obtained a large amount of gold and silver from Fuso, flowed into the market, and eventually fell into the hands of nobles from various places. Then when the nobles died, they were buried underground. Well... on the contrary, it relatively offset the large amount of gold and silver flowing into the market. The phenomenon of price depreciation.
The logic formed a perfect closed loop. Da Qin used a large amount of gold and silver to purchase a large number of products, and the nobles obtained a large number of burial objects, so they could be buried in glory.
The current production model is divided into two and a half types.
One is Qin's official production, which basically accounts for about 50% of the production quota.
One is the production park of the aristocracy, which is a slave society. The production park of the aristocracy is the largest local productive force, accounting for about 40% of the country's production quota.
The other half is private production, which accounts for 10% at best.
Li Shu had no production technology, no production tools, no market, and no rights. Basically, the production in all parts of the world was formed by local monopolies by the nobles. Except for food, Li Shu's handicraft production was ridiculously poor.
The Qin Dynasty could have used a large amount of gold and silver to buy the rich productivity of the nobles. The nobles of this era were also like that. They were just hoarding grain and goods and money. They couldn't use it all, but they wouldn't sell it cheaply.
It is nothing new for a large amount of cloth and grain to rot in the warehouse and then be disposed of at a low price. Even in the barren ancient times, there was a lot of wasted productivity.
No one is willing to sell at a low price, and no one will buy at a high price. Now someone has bought it. The Qin government directly used top-level currencies such as gold and silver to buy it. How could it not be possible?
Objectively speaking, Da Qin used a large amount of gold and silver to leverage productivity that was completely wasted. You can buy anything, even exchange gold and silver directly for copper coins. Copper coins, he must first be copper!
What is the use of keeping gold and silver in your hands? Money has to be spent to be considered money.
The First Emperor looked at Zhao Si who was talking eloquently and nodded slightly. What Zhao Si said made sense, and the First Emperor could understand this relatively novel point of view.
"Money has to be spent before it counts!" the First Emperor repeated silently and then looked at Zhao Si.
"So, we need to get rid of Xu Fu first. What suggestions do you have?" the First Emperor said in a deep voice.
Since Zhao Si said that Fusang existed, it meant that he did. Zhao Si had no reason or motive to lie. How to deal with Xu Fu, who had escaped from the control of the Qin government, has now become a problem.
No matter how bad Xu Fu is, he is still a grass-headed king. The Qin Dynasty can only take out twenty ships. Although it has many troops, it is still a problem not to send them out.
Zhao Si seized the ship from Fusang and learned more about the situation there. The First Emperor wanted to listen to Zhao Si's advice.
"Your Majesty, you don't have to go to a lot of trouble! To deal with Xu Fu, you only need an imperial edict, a royal flag, and some letters from home." Zhao Si raised his head confidently.
"Xu Fu and his crew were stranded in Fusang. It was not because the crew was homesick and disloyal to the emperor, but it was actually because of Xu Fu's deception. There were many casualties while wandering at sea, and he searched for elixir to no avail. Xu Fu took the opportunity to deceive the crew, saying that they would die if they returned to Qin, and would also implicate their family members. , people have the will to survive, which gives Xu Fu an opportunity. Your Majesty only needs to send ships, envoys, edicts, and find some family letters of the crew members who went to sea. Xu Fu's power collapsed, and Da Qin did not even need a single soldier. , Xu Fu will be captured without hesitation." Zhao Si explained to the First Emperor seriously.
The basis for Xu Fu's self-proclaimed king was deception.
No one in history exposed his lies. After the death of Qin Shihuang, the world was in chaos, and Xu Fu really took root in Fusang.
In fact, it’s not that easy in the beginning. Who doesn’t feel homesick? The hometown sentiment in the land of Zhuxia has always been the strongest. Who doesn’t want to return to his roots after falling leaves, and who doesn’t want his homeland to be far away from the ocean?
Xu Fu's rule was not so easy at first, and there were even more than one rebellion in the early stages.
Zhao Si seizing the ship and running away was a phased event, and it was also the one with the greatest impact, because too many people left!
If Zhao Si and the others return to Fusang alive, Xu Fu's lies will be self-defeating.
Then there are Wang Chen, Wang Qi and the edict, and if you take some trouble to find the relatives of the stranded Fusang crew members to write family letters and biographies, Xu Fu's rule will be self-defeating.
There was only one thing the First Emperor had to do, and that was to state in the edict that only the chief culprits would be punished, and the crew would be given a chance to make meritorious deeds, and a chance to return to their hometown.
At that time, people's hearts will be scattered, and the only people Xu Fu can rely on are the local conquered natives...
"Not bad!" The First Emperor nodded slightly.
"But it's not enough to kill the first culprit!" The First Emperor smiled.
Zhao Si was surprised when he heard that the crew members were also deceived by Xu Fu... Just when he was about to ask, the First Emperor knocked on the table.
"think carefully!"
The First Emperor spoke meaningfully, then looked at Zhao Si and continued to ask: "Apart from islands like Fusang, what other maritime affairs can Qin get involved in?"
"Fishing! Offshore fishing and hunting!" Zhao Si temporarily put away his doubts and answered.
"I heard that before Xu Fu went to sea, His Majesty ordered Qin soldiers to shoot dragons at Langya. Is there anything wrong with that?" Zhao Si asked.
The First Emperor nodded.
"Have you ever fished after shooting?" Zhao Si asked.
The First Emperor shook his head.
According to Xu Fu, after being shot and killed, they must be sacrificed to heaven and earth. Da Qin did not catch the corpses.
"The body of a dragon fish is comparable to gold and silver!" Zhao Si sighed with emotion.
The so-called dragon fish is actually just a whale to put it bluntly. Whales are a good thing. Their oil, meat, bones, leather, fascia... can all be put to great use.
What about ancient whaling? In fact, the efficiency is not high, but the whale is full of treasures.
Modern whale fishing is a matter of opinion, but in ancient times we should not expect too much so-called environmental protection. With the hunting efficiency of ancient times, hunting whales in coastal areas for one or two hundred years may not have much ecological impact.
Only when people are alive can they consider the environment.
As long as it is not wasted, it is the greatest respect for whales in this era.
At worst, when the fishing and hunting industry develops, fishing protection can be implemented. Moreover, in Zhao Si's vision, whale fishing should be mainly official fishing in Daqin.
The official fishing efficiency is higher, the casualty rate is smaller, and secondly, it is easier to control. If the ecological impact is caused, the fish can be changed to another place or stop fishing with a single order, so that the fish will not be exhausted.
"What about the rest?" The First Emperor nodded, and made up his mind, he sent someone to shoot another dragon fish to see if it was worth wasting manpower and material resources to kill it on a large scale. This thing is not difficult. Killing one is not difficult for Da Qin. It is rare because it can be done on a large scale.
"There aren't many others... Maybe we can capture some local natives and use them as concubines?" Zhao Si originally wanted to exile the prisoners overseas.
Later I thought about it, there are simply not enough people in this era, so how can you be thrown overseas? If you dare to commit crimes, it would be a bad idea to drag you to build the city wall.
The First Emperor nodded and remembered Zhao Si's advice on maritime matters.
Far out in the sea, beyond our capabilities.
Offshore, gold and silver deposits, hibiscus.
Hunt panfish and develop fisheries!
Hmm... you can also catch some natives to build the Great Wall!
Strictly speaking, gold and silver were not currencies in ancient times, but their purchasing power was unquestionable and they had certain monetary attributes.
(End of chapter)
