Chapter 2633
No one present would sympathize with Zhu Zian's thoughts, because when Tao Hongfang and others began to understand, Zhoushan Island was already controlled by Haihan. In their perception, it can be said to be the inherent territory of their country. One of the important reasons why Haihan forcibly captured Zhoushan at that time was to open up the northern sea route and then obtain more immigrants from the northern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty.
In their view, the function of the Ming Dynasty at that time was to provide raw materials, markets, and labor force for Haihan. The introduction of immigrants from the Ming Dynasty was just a conventional practice, and there was nothing wrong with it. Haihan's immigration measures helped the Ming Dynasty solve a large number of famine-stricken people and war refugees, and avoided more serious civil strife in the Ming Dynasty. This was a beneficial approach for both parties. It cannot be said that Haihan unilaterally harmed the interests of the Ming Dynasty. .
Local officials in some areas of the Ming Dynasty pretended to be deaf and dumb to Haihan's immigration measures, perhaps because they wanted to use Haihan's help to reduce local pressure. It is better to let the Haihan people pick up the homeless refugees than to watch them rise up and cause chaos.
Of course, even if such an approach could not be supported by Daming, Haihan had no intention of seeking consensus from both parties. As Ha Jianyi said, what can Ming do if he disagrees? Is it possible to mobilize troops and horses to launch an all-out war with Haihan in the coastal areas?
Of course Zhu Zian knew that was impossible. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was suffering from internal and external troubles, and it was simply unable to start a war with a powerful enemy like Haihan. Even if he was unwilling to accept Haihan's cannibalizing methods, he could only swallow his anger and avoid the outbreak of conflict. Even the Ming Dynasty is still so conciliatory. If you think about it, the situation of North Korea and Japan will only be worse, and there is no possibility of resistance.
If Zhu Zian had just asked Xiu Nian from the Foreign Affairs Office a few more questions, he might have a clearer understanding of this situation. When the Kaihan Army invaded the Hirado Domain, after the war, they kidnapped almost all the living people on Hirado Island and burned Hirado Castle to the ground, leaving no room at all. In comparison, Haihan's measures to obtain immigrants in the Ming Dynasty can be considered very mild.
Tao Hongfang and others have limited interest in immigration issues. They are more concerned about the current international trade situation. Although they can get relevant information from other channels, it is definitely not as intuitive as getting first-hand data here. Moreover, Yang Yun has been based in Zhoushan for more than ten years, and he knows the trade development situation here best. If you have any questions, you can get more reliable answers from him.
The first question Yang Yun answered was which of the two countries, North Korea and Japan, has stronger purchasing power and is more suitable to become Haihan's trade partner: "In terms of purchasing power, Japan is much stronger than North Korea. The reason is also very simple. Japan There are Sado gold mines and Iwami silver mines that can produce large amounts of gold and silver, so their purchasing power is not bad. However, North Korea has not many proven gold and silver mines, which is slightly inferior to Japan's purchasing power. Ten points, then North Korea is probably around six to seven points.”
Tao Hongfang interjected: "But I have heard people say that North Korea is rich in mineral resources. The Mining Department of the Ministry of Industry sends people to North Korea every year to prospect and organize mining work. Isn't it possible to make money from developing these minerals?"
Yang Yundao: "I'm a layman on this and don't know much about this. However, most of North Korea's minerals are in the northern part of the peninsula, and the most trade with Zhoushan is in the southern region. I probably won't benefit much from it. And even if they can mine minerals, We also have to rely on our country for smelting and processing. Even coal and iron, which produce the most, were built with the help of our country. I heard that they don't understand the value of some precious minerals that are used in Sanya, and they don't know. With processing capabilities, it is natural that it cannot be sold at a good price.”
Although Yang Yun claims to be an outsider, he has actually stated the objective current situation. North Korea actually has far more mineral deposits than Japan, and its reserves and quality are also very valuable for mining. In addition to coal and iron, there are still quite a lot of undeveloped mineral deposits that can be used for industrial development. Such as copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, phosphorus, graphite, mica, etc., there are many mineral deposits that Haihan needs.
However, North Korea, which is sitting on the cornucopia, does not have the ability to mine and utilize these mineral deposits, and it does not even know their uses. This naturally makes it easier for Haihan to mine and transport some precious minerals back at very low cost. Domestic, used in industrial manufacturing. But for North Korea, selling these mineral deposits to Haihan at extremely low prices did not bring much profit. It was just in exchange for the benefits Haihan gave in other aspects. Ha Jianyi asked: "Excuse me, Mr. Yang, what are the commodities that these two countries buy the most from Zhoushan?"
Yang Yun responded: "What they buy the most are actually relatively traditional commodities, such as porcelain, tea, high-end textiles, etc., accounting for about 60-70% of the overall trade volume. The remaining part is unique to our country and is produced in large quantities. industrial products, such as glassware, ironware, daily necessities, books, etc. There are also some more special trade items, such as shipbuilding, real estate, arms, etc., which are not included in the general trade because there are dedicated yamen in charge. Statistics."
Zhu Zian couldn't help but ask after hearing this: "Mr. Yang, you mentioned before that North Korea is rich in coal and iron, so why do you still import large quantities of iron from Haihan?"
Yang Yun smiled and said: "The reason is very simple, because our country's iron tools can be produced in large quantities, so the cost is extremely low. Even if freight is included, the selling price is much lower than what they produce locally. For example, iron farm tools, Almost all of the products with high demand, such as kitchen utensils, have been occupied by our country. In recent years, I heard that most of the Korean folk blacksmith shops have closed down, and even those that are still open have basically switched to selling products made in my country. Finished product.”
Zhu Zian asked: "In this case, what should the local iron ore be used for?"
Yang Yundao: "It mainly supplies smelting plants run by the government to make iron, and then makes some handmade ironware that requires high craftsmanship. Ordinary people cannot afford it. As for the parts they can't use, it is said that they will be disposed of at a very low price." Our country is used to smelt refined steel. Hey, North Koreans can’t learn these advanced smelting technologies!”
What Yang Yun said reminded Zhu Zian of some of his previous experiences in Shandong. He had seen the weapons and armor made in Haihan obtained by the Ming army through some secret channels. They were all made of fine steel and were superior to the Ming army's own equipment, but their prices were higher than those of the Ming army. The internal procurement prices of the Ordnance Bureau and the Military Warfare Bureau are lower.
Someone pointed out to him at the time that there was obviously only one reason why such a situation would occur, and that was Haihan's ability to produce these equipment at extremely low costs. In other words, Haihan's military production capacity is so high that it can keep costs down to such a low level.
(End of chapter)