Chapter 1742 Buy, buy, buy
The new model of rifle uses overall weight reduction as its selling point. Whether this is cutting corners or technological innovation, only Baikes can know the real conclusion. However, this propaganda theory is obviously effective. After listening to his story, the audience applauded and encouraged this technical improvement. For these buyers, only when the performance of the rifle has been significantly improved will they consider spending money to upgrade. If, as Baikes claimed, reducing weapon weight can increase the endurance of individual soldiers, it can indeed be regarded as an upgrade in weapon performance.
Of course, if it is just such a small improvement, it will definitely not be able to meet the requirements of buyers, especially those countries that have purchased Type 33 rifles for several consecutive years. If they have to spend more money to buy upgraded models, the gun alone The selling point of being half a pound lighter is not enough to impress them.
"Let's talk about the second feature of this new gun." Bai Kesi pointed to the eye-catching word "accuracy" on the background: "Why are weapons like rifles favored by the armies of various countries? It is because it can be used for a relatively long period of time. It is much easier to train soldiers to use rifles than to master bows and arrows. We cannot quickly train a large number of archers, but after one month of training, even farmers who have never been on the battlefield can use them. Rifles kill enemies! And the most direct way for us to further improve the efficiency of killing enemies is to make these rifles more accurate!”
Baix gestured with the gun in his hand to aim, and then continued: "If you want to explain in detail how to make this gun more accurate, there may be too many terms that you don't understand, so I will just explain it briefly. Okay. We have improved the processing technology of the barrel and sight, increasing the accuracy of bullets within the effective range by at least 30%! In other words, this improvement can increase the combat effectiveness of soldiers by 30%. Everyone, this will improve your army. Become stronger!”
Can a 30% improvement in shooting accuracy be converted into a 30% increase in combat effectiveness? This is of course a trick that Bai Kesi deliberately played to change the concept. Not to mention that there are certain human factors involved in measuring the improvement in accuracy. Even if the performance of the new gun can really reach the level claimed by Baikes, many objective factors that affect combat must be considered during use, and the improvement of weapon performance cannot be considered. It is simply equivalent to an increase in combat effectiveness.
Of course, this kind of propaganda method is very effective for the generals in charge of arms procurement in various countries. Isn’t rounding like what Baikes said? As long as the new gun performs so well, then buy it and you’re done!
But Fei Cexian felt very unhappy. As far as he knew, the rifles Haihan sold to Daming were almost all old models of Type 28 and Type 29, among which Type 28 was a matchlock gun with a slower firing rate. As for the relatively new Type 33 rifles, the Ming Dynasty only bought two hundred in total, so much so that the Ministry of War was reluctant to deploy them to the front line for use, and kept them all in the capital. Eighty of them were used to equip the Imperial Guards and deliver them to the emperor. One hundred were given to the Beijing camp for use, and the remaining twenty were given to craftsmen to dismantle and study, in an effort to imitate them on their own.
Among the countries that are qualified to sit here and participate in the event today, there are many whose individual soldiers have better equipment than the Ming Dynasty. For example, Annan has purchased far more than 200 Type 33 rifles in the past few years. Haihan sold these powerful weapons to other countries, but restricted exports to the Ming Dynasty. Fei Cexian believed that this approach was obviously intended to suppress the Ming Dynasty's armed level.
In fact, Fei Cexian is not the only one who holds this view. Su Keyi, who is not far from him, also feels the same way. The situation of the Dutch is not as good as that of the Ming Dynasty. At least since last year, Haihan has lifted the ban on selling weapons to the Ming Dynasty court, but the Dutch are still under more stringent sales restrictions. Last year, they spent a lot of money to buy a batch of Haihan warships, which is already the highest treatment the East India Company has received so far.
Of course, the Xu family from Fujian was not treated as Ming officials by Haihan, or the treatment received by the Xu family was actually better than that of the Ming court. Starting in 1628, Xu Xinsu established trade relations with the Haihan people, and began to purchase arms from Haihan to arm his subordinate troops. So far, Fujian has been one of the largest buyers of Haihan weapons exports every year, which can be said to be on par with Annan.
Xu Xinsu is already as powerful as a local emperor in Fujian, almost monopolizing the import and export trade of the entire Fujian coast. To him, money is really just a number. How can the Xu family maintain this prominent wealth for a long time? That's what Xu Xinsu cares about most at the moment.
The first priority is of course to consolidate his dominance in Fujian, and Xu Xinsu started his career in business and made his fortune through martial arts. He attaches great importance to the armament level of his troops. In addition, his fortune almost relies on the equipment and tactics provided by Haihan. Therefore, every year when it comes to military purchases, no matter the cost, we must buy the latest and best weapons to build our troops into the most powerful army under the Ming Dynasty.
Spending a lot of money to buy weapons produced by Haihan, in addition to arming oneself, is also a way to show loyalty to Haihan and obtain the other party's military protection. Xu Xinsu knew very well that although Haihan's military strength was far inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty, it actually posed a far greater threat to the Ming Dynasty than the enemies in the north. It could be said that it was a fallback route forced by his family. If the Ming Dynasty wants to rectify Fujian officialdom one day, then I am afraid that only the Haihan people can protect them.
Xu Yuzhuo, who came here today on behalf of the Fujian Xu family, understands the truth. To be honest, what new weapons the Haihan people will launch are secondary. The most important thing is to let the Haihan people see that the Xu family will continue to be in the arms business. Support. Even if Type 33 rifles continue to be sold today, Xu Yuzhuo will still place an order without hesitation. What's more, judging from Bai Kesi's introduction, the new gun does seem to have improved performance.
As for the price, Fujian Xu has never been a price-sensitive buyer. He only cares about whether he can buy it, how much he can buy, and when it will be delivered. Xu Yuzhuo has already thought about it. As long as the price does not increase too much compared to the old models, he will order two thousand new guns first.
However, Baikes' introduction was not over yet. He was spitting on the stage and talking about the third feature of the new gun - reliability.
"As we all know, due to the complex structure of rifles, it is troublesome to repair and maintain during combat, so the reliability of the guns will directly affect the combat effectiveness of the troops. The 33A rifle has also made corresponding technical improvements in this regard, adjusting The gunpowder formula doubles the frequency of cleaning the gun bore and extends the barrel life by a quarter. In addition, we will equip more spare parts for bulk orders, so that malfunctioning rifles do not need to be returned to the factory for repairs on the battlefield. can be repaired.”
The maintenance and repair of gunpowder rifles is of course more complicated than that of cold weapons, and the cost of use is also higher. Buyers will take these factors into consideration when purchasing weapons. A rifle that no longer requires frequent maintenance and has a longer service life is naturally more practical for soldiers, which also improves the combat effectiveness of the troops from another aspect.
Although the rifles made by Haihan have outstanding performance, they also have maintenance problems. Now that Baikes is promoting reliability as a new selling point, it shows that Haihan Ordnance has indeed worked hard in this aspect. However, as to whether the actual use effect can reach the level mentioned by Bai Kesi, that will probably have to wait for feedback from various countries after they buy it back and install it on a large scale. "...To sum up, the 33A rifle integrates my country's latest manufacturing technology and has significantly improved its combat performance. I suggest that everyone should consider equipping their own countries with this latest rifle." Baikes finally began. Concluding remarks for the promotion of this new rifle: "If you haven't touched this rifle yet, don't worry. We will also arrange live ammunition shooting demonstrations in the next few days. You can also operate it in person to experience this kind of rifle." Performance of the new rifle.”
After Bai Kesi finished speaking, he handed the rifle to his assistant, and then spread his hands to the audience below: "If you have any questions about this new rifle, you can ask me now. Okay, General Xu from Fujian has raised his hand, may I ask you What’s the problem?”
"I only have one question, how much can I buy for this gun?" Xu Yuzhuo is worthy of being the representative of the Xu family in Fujian. He showed his wealth and wealth as soon as he opened his mouth. He didn't even ask about the unit price of the gun, but only asked how much he could buy from Haihan. . Based on past experience, he knew that new weapons like this that had just been launched on the market would generally limit the first batch of orders due to limited production capacity to prevent a single customer from directly monopolizing Haihan's supply.
"General Xu, this question really touches my heart. I like buyers who are as cheerful as you!" Bai Kesi was very happy with Xu Yuzhuo's compliments and responded with a smile: "I believe everyone knows that the production capacity of new guns on the market is It is relatively limited, so we expect to only be able to produce about 3,000 to 4,000 Type 33A rifles before the end of the year.”
Seeing the varying degrees of disappointment on the faces of everyone in the audience, Bai Kesi added: "Don't worry, everyone. You can book orders for next year when the autumn trade fair is held in the second half of the year. Next year's production capacity will definitely be higher than this year's. Improved.”
"Commander Bai, please tell me directly. How many guns can each family purchase?" After receiving a nod from Zheng Zao, Zheng Ting, his deputy, asked Bai Kesi on behalf of An Nanguo. Of course, as a loyal supporter of Haihan's military industry, Annanguo was not lagging behind others and would not take the initiative to ask for a price on such an occasion.
"The minimum order is two hundred pieces." Bai Kesi gestured with two fingers, and then left only one index finger standing up: "The upper limit is one thousand pieces."
In the end, the Portuguese were more practical and raised the issue of price: "Can the price continue to be at the level of Type 33 rifles?"
"Due to manufacturing costs, the price of the new gun will be a little higher than that of the Type 33, about 10% higher... But compared to the improvement in performance, we think this increase is acceptable to everyone. "Becks said the price increase very tactfully, trying not to cause psychological pressure to buyers.
"Then how do you buy it? Is it still the same as in previous years?" The representative of the Champa Kingdom also asked.
Bai Kesi responded: "Yes, just like in previous years, we will still set a minimum price. Based on this, each company will give its own fixed price. The three companies with the highest prices will have priority in closing transactions and supplying goods."
Baikes has previously said that the number of 33A rifles put on the market this year is limited, and he has also given restrictions on the number of purchases. If there are only 3,000 guns, then it is likely that the top three buyers will divide it up directly, and even if there is any left, there will not be too much. Therefore, buyers who want to buy this new weapon as soon as possible must give a competitive fixed price in the subsequent bidding.
This was Li Xi's first time participating in this form of bidding. After asking the staff next to him, he understood the rules. After he figured out the beauty of it, he couldn't help but admire Haihan's business acumen. He could come up with such a way to balance the arms race among various countries and at the same time sell affordable weapons at a higher price.
However, North Korea is only participating as an observer this time and will not bid directly. Otherwise, Li Xi would also like to try to operate it himself. He knew the price of the Type 33 rifle. Due to limited military expenditures, North Korea still chose matchlock guns when purchasing weapons from Haihan last year, and only bought five of the more advanced Type 33 rifles. Ten sticks go back. The price quoted for the Type 33A rifle was more than 10% higher. In addition, there would definitely be a premium during the bidding process. Li Xi felt that in the end, it would have to be more than 20% more expensive than the Type 33A rifle before the deal could be completed. Such prices are indeed a bit unaffordable for the relatively poor North Korea.
The subsequent bidding was actually not as fierce as Li Xi imagined, and could even be said to be calm. The Fujian Xu family and An Nanguo family were still the most generous, each receiving an order of 1,000 tubes. The third place in the bidding was not the Portuguese as everyone expected, but the Champa State, which had only begun to gain international status in the South China Sea in recent years.
The Portuguese Thomas was obviously a little surprised by the positive performance of Champa. He did not expect that this kind of competition that he was determined to win would actually be lost to the Champa people, and he secretly had a high opinion of the country's financial resources.
But what he didn't know was that it was rare for Champa people to act generously, and they actually had an inside story. Haihan has reached an agreement with the Champa royal family through telegrams. The Champa Kingdom will reject the Dutch's request to purchase grain, and Haihan will give Champa a certain amount of compensation for the arms purchase during the National Day. In other words, the price offered by Champa in the bidding process will actually receive a special discount from Haihan during the settlement. The actual price paid is not as high as it seems. The Portuguese were attracted by these two countries. The secret deal was forced out of the game.
(End of chapter)