It's so convenient to sit and dress up in front of you. Why is it only one piece? If it's two pieces, why don't you bother Brother Guo asking for it?
Lin Wan'er's eyes widened. She used to complain about her eldest brother taking the Lin family's money to advance. Now she realizes that her eldest brother is the most powerful and has seized a way to make a fortune.
Lin Tiansheng also knew that he had made the right bet. He tapped his fingers lightly on his thigh and his mind was spinning rapidly. After a long while, he finally said: "Don't worry, Mr. Guo. Lin will do his best to do a good job in this business for Mr. Guo."
Let’s give some help to our great cause.”
Guo Dajing smiled and nodded, and said: "If I didn't believe Brother Lin, I wouldn't have come up with everything. As for the distribution strategy, Brother Lin has been working hard in the business world for many years, and he is 100% better than Guo."
"Things are rare and valuable." Lin Tiansheng said slowly: "If you want to sell it at a good price, you can't sell it in large quantities."
"This thing is extremely difficult to make." Guo Dajing reminded: "If you want to sell more, you can't do it."
According to Guo Dajing's estimation, it can bring in an income of 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver every year, which is enough for him to start his plan. Because he also has a great way of moving!
"Huh?" Lin Wan'er made a surprised sound, pointed at the mirror and said, "Master Guo, the quality of this mirror seems to be different."
Guo Dajing took a casual look, smiled, and said: "Yes, these are mirrors of two qualities. One is slightly worse and easier to make; the other is excellent and extremely difficult to make."
There are five or six silver-plated mirrors, but there are more than a dozen tin mirrors. When placed together, they reflect sunlight, so it is not immediately obvious.
"How to sell these two kinds of mirrors and how to price them? Brother Lin needs to think about and plan a lot."
Guo Dajing separated the two types of mirrors and said: "The profit sharing is as agreed before. With Guo's income, please ask Brother Lin to buy iron materials, cloth, cotton, and muskets and artillery for the trench."
"And -" Guo Dajing said solemnly: "The money advanced by Brother Lin will be delivered in full tomorrow and will not be mixed with the mirror business."
Lin Tiansheng hurriedly waved his hands and said: "If Mr. Guo is like this, it will make Lin very ashamed. The value of these precious mirrors cannot be compared with the little money Lin paid. Guo Dajing should not mention this matter again.
"
Guo Dajing gave in again. Seeing that Lin Tiansheng was very resolute, he stopped being pretentious. Originally, he wanted to use a mirror to offset the situation, but now he got his wish.
"Brother Lin, please go to Hao Jing for a run after you go back." Guo Dajing poured Lin Tiansheng a cup of tea and said: "Send Mr. Fujino the money to buy weapons. And tell the Portuguese that if they can be delivered within half a year, the muskets will be
Three thousand more branches."
Even if we could make our own muskets under the guidance of Portuguese technicians, the output would not be very high.
Guo Dajing believes that one or two major wars may break out around Jinzhou next year. With thousands of muskets, he has a high degree of confidence in defending Jinzhou and can also cause great damage to the Jianlu.
Three thousand muskets, which is more than 20,000 silver. Lin Tiansheng nodded vigorously, once again shocked by Guo Dajing's generosity.
In particular, Guo Dajing opened his mouth and seemed not to care about how much money he spent. He just wanted to get the musket as soon as possible. You can tell that he was going to do something big.
Coupled with the large quantities of grain, cloth, cotton and other goods, even Lin Tiansheng wondered where General Guo got so much money? Just a mirror? It hasn't been sold yet, obviously not.
Is this guy going crazy? Where does he get so much money?
Fujino Hide glanced at Guo Dajing in surprise, and suddenly felt that her understanding of Guo Dajing was still superficial.
However, he still trusted himself and did not tell these confidential matters behind his back.
"Mr. Guo." Lin Tiansheng said thoughtfully: "If we want to establish a long-term relationship with the Portuguese, wouldn't it be better for the Portuguese to be the middlemen?"
Guo Dajing lowered his eyes and said slowly: "A certain person also has such an idea. What do you think about Shedra?"
Lin Tiansheng thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and said: "It seems appropriate. Come to think of it, every time a transaction is successful, give him some compensation. There is no reason why he should not facilitate the business."
Guo Dajing pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Lin, can you only do domestic business in this mirror business?"
Lin Tiansheng understood what Guo Dajing meant and immediately smiled and said: "The Lin family does not have such a wide network of contacts, and there are no ships that can go to overseas countries. However, at home, they have to do their best."
Guo Dajing cupped his hand to express his gratitude and understanding.
Even tin mirrors can be sold at very high prices overseas, or in Europe. Guo Dajing wanted to use mirrors to tie the Portuguese to them and establish a long-term cooperative relationship.
In this case, Lin Tiansheng's agent sales can make a fortune, and the Portuguese can make a lot of money. As long as the sales market is divided well, there will be no conflict between the two sides, and the shipment volume can increase.
Obviously, Lin Tiansheng can also realize that the output of mirrors may not be as small as Guo Dajing said.
But this does not conflict with the Lin family's domestic sales. The quantity given to him is large, but the advantage of scarcity is lost.
Of course, this also depends on the specific sales situation. Lin Tiansheng knows how big the domestic market is and how wealthy Jiangnan is. If the business is doing well, he can just ask Guo Dajing for more.
Lin Tiansheng had no idea how much money he could make from the first batch of mirrors. He only knew that he would not lose money.
"You two will rest here. If you need anything, tell the manager." Guo Dajing estimated that the food was ready, so he ended the business discussion and said with a smile: "The servants are all hired temporarily, so they are inevitably rough.
You are clumsy, please bear with me."
Lin Tiansheng hurriedly said some polite words and followed Guo Dajing out of the side hall. Lin Wan'er, however, was still interested, looking around and touching, and was very curious about the mirrors on the table.
Guo Dajing said goodbye and left. Before leaving, he made an appointment with Lin Tiansheng to host a banquet tomorrow.
On the way back to the village, Fujino Hide finally couldn't help but ask, and revealed that he wanted a big mirror.
"Wealth should not be exposed." Guo Dajing explained patiently: "If word spreads about the mirror, do you think someone will covet it? At least a large profit must be shared before it can be settled."
"When Guo no longer depends on others and is no longer restricted by others, it won't be a problem at all what you want to use."
Fujino Hide blinked and understood Guo Dajing's difficulties. It was not that he would not give it, but that it would not be given in time. He couldn't help but feel comforted in his heart.
"Shuai Mao still appreciates and respects you." Fujino Hide changed the topic and said: "It's okay for you to say it in front of me, but you must never say it to outsiders."
You are not an outsider, are you still an insider?
Guo Dajing glanced at Fujinohide, laughed twice, and said: "Mr. Fujino is fine. He will be back at the end of the year, and you and your daughter will be reunited. In the future, you can buy muskets and artillery and give them to the Portuguese."
"Is there going to be a big war next year?" Fujino Hide asked curiously: "We need muskets so urgently."
Guo Dajing sighed softly and said: "War is unavoidable, especially these two years, it is even more critical. The sooner you get the muskets and the sooner you train into the army, the sooner you can improve your combat effectiveness. Time is waiting for us, we have to go all out.
!”
Fujino Hide didn't understand very well, but Guo Dajing didn't elaborate, so she wisely stopped asking.
"Please stay with Miss Lin these days." Guo Dajing smiled and ordered: "The Lin family will be one of our financial resources, so don't neglect it."
Fujino Hide nodded and said with a smile: "She and I can still chat. I want to play with her. Don't force me."
"After they leave and the potatoes are harvested, I'm going to Shandong for a trip." Guo Dajing gently shook his riding crop and said, "If Liu Xingzuo doesn't come back, I'll have to trouble you and Uncle Chen to handle the chores on the island."
Fujino Hide thought for a while, but did not agree. Instead, he shouted: "I am also going to Shandong. I have stayed on this island for several months. It's just a good time to relax."
Guo Dajing explained: "I'm not going for fun, I have business to do."
"I won't delay you from doing your business." Fujino Hide did not back down and said, "You promised my father that you would take good care of me."
Guo Dajing rolled his eyes and was so blocked that he didn't know what to say.
Care is care, and it doesn’t mean that you have to carry it with you wherever you go! You are wrong to understand it this way, but if a woman is unreasonable, nothing you say will be of any use.
………………..
The arrival of the Portuguese and their entourage quickly spread throughout the island.
The people on the island were stunned by the strange appearance and skin color. Although they did not dare to watch openly, they could not help but point and talk about it from a distance.
Guo Dajing has already released the news that the gunners he hired are here to help the army build captives. He will not interfere with the rest.
Don't be surprised if you are surprised, it will get better as time goes by. There is no need to forcefully suppress the people's surprise and amazement, just let it take its own course.
In ancient times, transportation and information were not developed. Many people had never even left their own county in their lives. How could they know how big the world was and how many strange people and things there were?
Guo Dajing still believes in the professional ethics of the Portuguese.
As for his skill level, when the gunner training officially starts, he will still sit in and learn. Whether he has real skills or not can still be seen.
According to Guo Dajing's estimation, if he made his own hawkbill musket, the cost should be controlled to about five taels. Even if he could only make a hundred guns a year, the money saved would be enough to pay for the hiring fee.
The most important thing is that Guo Dajing has taken another big step towards self-reliance. Purchasing from outside is long and time-consuming, and more unexpected difficulties are also difficult to predict.
For example, pirates, the rise of the Zheng Group is not far away. There are also many pirates such as Liu Xiang and Li Kuiqi, who are fighting in the southeastern sea. Shipping is not very safe.
Counting on the stable supply of weapons by the Portuguese in the trenches, Guo Dajing did not dare to go all-in unless the Portuguese shipped them for sale. This was also a trading model he wanted to secure.
The Portuguese Xiedra was slightly surprised. He did not expect that General Guo wanted him to be the middleman responsible for the arms trade between here and Macau.
But the conditions were relatively generous, and the commission was much higher than his bride price. Moreover, Shedra's eyes almost fell out when he looked at several glass mirrors.
Mirrors that can only be made by Venetian craftsmen are very fashionable in Europe. Kings, nobles, wealthy businessmen, are all proud to own a Venetian mirror.
Many European celebrities and nobles did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to show off their possession of precious things, but this Mr. Guo took them out casually.
"If Mr. Shedra is willing, he can not only act as a middleman in the transaction, but also be an agent for the sales of glass mirrors." Guo Dajing's tone was very calm, as if he was talking about a very small and ordinary thing.
"But it cannot be sold in the Ming Dynasty -" Guo Dajing pondered for a moment, then added: "There are also Japanese countries and North Korea for sale."
"Overseas sales agent?" Shedra immediately understood what Guo Dajing meant. After receiving the confirmation, he stroked his beard and fell into thought.
Guo Dajing is not in a hurry. There are many Portuguese people, even Han Chinese, and they can sell mirrors to the Portuguese people in Macau. However, they need to provide ordering and delivery services.
For Xiedela, it is very convenient to be the intermediary contact. After all, he is Portuguese and it is easier to establish a trusting relationship with the Macau gun factory.
Not only can he get the commission from the transaction, but also the huge profit from the mirror, which is not too beautiful. Guo Dajing felt a bit ridiculous for pretending to think.
Obviously, Shedra is also a smart person and knows that he is not the only one to do it. General Guo takes a fancy to him. It is the blessing of the goddess of luck. The opportunity to make a fortune is presented to him, and it is only a fool who refuses.
"Okay, I agree in principle." Shedra quickly ended his consideration and said, "We still need to discuss some details with General Guo. For example, the pricing of the mirror..."
Since it is sold overseas, Guo Dajing cannot engage in any sales model such as auction bidding like Lin Tiansheng. The larger the quantity, the better.
The European guys are rich and have plundered so much gold and silver from South America. They are just robbers. Just buy a mirror and look at your own ugly face.
Guo Dajing didn't know exactly how much a glass mirror could be sold for, but he told Fujino Masaru that he could find out at Haojing.
According to Fujino Masaru's letters, the glass mirror may have been brought to the Ming Dynasty by missionaries. However, the actual glass mirror has not been seen and has not appeared on the market.
According to Xi Yi, the glass mirror should be worth at least one thousand taels of silver. In other words, it is equivalent to more than 700,000 yuan in later generations.
Historically, the Queen of France once received a small mirror as a wedding gift from the Venetians, worth 150,000 francs.
At that time, one franc contained about 0.3 grams of gold, so for 150,000 francs...
Guo Dajing felt that the price of one thousand taels of silver was acceptable, and could even be reduced to seven or eight hundred taels, excluding the cost of shipping to Europe.
After all, glass mirrors are huge profits, and the cost does not even cost a tael of silver. If he can get a huge sum of money, Guo Dajing even plans to sell the tin amalgam mirror making method.
As for the silver-plated mirror, Guo Dajing plans to sell it for 2,000 taels or 1,560 taels. The quality is there. You get a tin mirror, and others get a silver mirror. Are you embarrassed?
Block the way for Venetians to make money and let them cry to death!
Guo Dajing felt secretly happy, discussed the details with Shedra, and finally determined the price, which was completely within his acceptable range.