In September 1881, a large ship flying the flag of Osman Turkey sailed from the Mediterranean Sea out of the Strait of Gibraltar. High freeboard, wide hull, beautiful ship. The large ship elegantly and calmly sailed through the sea, continuing to the north along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
There were many ships along the European coast, passenger ships, cruise ships, merchant ships. As long as they saw the figure of this large ship, many people would run to the deck to see. This all-metal merchant ship nominally belonged to the Osman Empire Shipping Company, with a capacity of 10,000 tons. The huge hull was like a moving castle on the sea, the reddish-brown lower part and the blue-gray upper part looked particularly eye-catching. If the merchant ship was flying the British flag, it would be fine, but the ship was flying the flag of the Osman Empire, which was particularly surprising.
Most of the sailors on the merchant ship were Chinese, and it was a very pleasant thing to look down at the "short" ships of other countries from the side of the ship. Many of the China sailors came from the navy. In addition to the daily measurements, it was also the job of these personnel to collect intelligence on the European route, especially the intelligence of the European navies.
Of course, it was impossible to brazenly play the signboard of intelligence work. The ship was full of Sudan alfalfa, and its destination was the Netherlands, a large dairy country.
The Sudan alfalfa was originally planned to be shipped back to China. This fine pasture not only played a great role in China, but also played a very good role in Europe. China began the second industrial revolution, and Europe was also carrying out the second industrial revolution. The rapid development of the industrial level brought about a rapid increase in the urban population, and the food supply became quite tight.
Dutch dairy products were extremely famous in Europe. Cheese and butter tasted good, easy to store, and had always been the favorite food in Europe and the United States. With the sharp increase in exports to Europe and the United States, the number of dairy cattle in the Netherlands skyrocketed. Importing cheap alfalfa became very profitable. For China, it was good to ship all the alfalfa back to China, and it was also good to sell some of it to Europe. The money earned from buying alfalfa in Europe could subsidize the cost of transporting the alfalfa back to China, which was a very cost-effective business.
It was really reading books from thousands of miles away. From the Red Sea to the North Atlantic, the China personnel on the ship saw the figure of the new Italian warship. The Italians' design was very smart. They did not stubbornly pursue the backpack turret structure, but instead adopted the hexagonal layout that the British had already used.
The British Mediterranean Fleet was still the same old battleships of about ten thousand tons, but there were some modifications on the decks. At least in the eyes of China's personnel, the mixture of the new and the old looked a little nondescript.
There were also some French ships in the Mediterranean Sea, and if not for the French turrets, they looked more like Chinese warships. The Mage Battleship was speechless when it placed the cannons on the centerline without grasping the crux of the problem.
After leaving the Mediterranean Sea, the merchant ship traveled for half a day and finally saw the Spanish fleet. The Spanish Navy was no longer using the famous Spanish galleons, but ironclad warships. It was powered by a combination of sail and steam, and it had a wooden deck. The Chinese staff worked hard to take pictures, but they also found it interesting. The European countries had an indescribable fascination with wooden decks, but China had no such need.
Vézé was no stranger to wooden decks, especially teak ones. As early as the early 1960s, the name teak appeared in the urban greening of several southern provinces. When the country was committed to promoting science exhibitions, it was far more efficient than any other organization. China's species collection department quickly obtained a large number of teak seeds. Not only were they planted in southern cities and southern mountains, but teak was also introduced to Lanfang, Java, Sumatra, and other places.
Vézé only made this movement, but did not actually push the wooden deck. Vézé believed that it was not cost-effective to use wood to build merchant ships for ocean routes. China lacked good wood, and it would take a few years for the wood to dry. Not to mention the time it took for the wood to grow, just the time it took for the large wood to dry could produce thousands of tons of steel.
Supporting the steel industry was one of China's basic industrial policies. Thousands of tons of profiles processed by the hydraulic press were made into keels and ribs. A large number of steel plates and iron plates were riveted and installed with three-stage steam engines. After the commissioning of the merchant ship, thousands of tons of tons of merchant ships could be used for transportation. After the merchant ship was used up, most of the materials could be recycled, but there was no room for recycling the shells of wooden ships. Comparing the two, metal ships had a higher utilization rate.
The deck of China's ships was made of steel, and the steel deck was painted with anti-rust paint. The navy had a very simple point of view. Steel could provide more effective protection than wood. Under the same high temperature, wood would burn, but steel would not. Combining these characteristics, the warship would not use wood if possible. The Chinese Navy really could not understand the wooden deck of European ships.
Bypassing the Iberian Peninsula, they arrived at the French coast. It would not be long before the ship crossed the English Channel. These days, everyone was on high alert. The Chinese Navy's biggest opponent, the Royal Navy, could appear in sight at any time. According to intelligence, the Royal Navy's latest warship had already been launched for sea trials, and now it might have already been incorporated into the British Navy. China's 14,000-ton battleship had already entered the sequence, and the basic conditions for war were beginning to mature.
China was willing to be "blockaded" by Britain for seven years, and the time for the two countries to fight it out had arrived. Whether Britain was willing to maintain peace with China, it would be clear after this naval battle.
To the disappointment of the observers, there were indeed British warships in the English Channel. What appeared were all small ships, and there was not a single real large warship. The merchant ship arrived in Rotterdam, and the people of Rotterdam appeared in large numbers at the port, watching the giant merchant ship. The alfalfa merchants happily came to check the goods. They had been waiting for the alfalfa hay for a long time.
The Dutch agriculture was very good. The Dutch divided the land into three pieces, and every year, one of them was planted with alfalfa to raise cattle, and at the same time, used to raise fertilizer. In addition to wheat in the summer, they also planted short-season oats, barley, and spring wheat in the spring and autumn. After adopting the rotation system, the planting area decreased, but the total food production did not decrease. The amount of meat supply greatly increased. The Dutch cheese industry developed and became a famous product throughout Europe. The exports to Europe increased.
As the number of dairy and beef cattle increased, the rotation system could not provide enough pasture. After learning that Sudan began to export pasture, the Dutch merchants tried to contact them. The two sides hit it off and quickly reached a supply and marketing agreement. The average summer temperature in the coastal areas of the Netherlands was 16c, and the average winter temperature was 3c. The average summer temperature in the 6 inner regions was 17c, and the average winter temperature was 2c. The average summer temperature in the 6 inner regions was 17c, and the average winter temperature was 2c.
The CIF price of Sudan pasture was 20% lower than the price of Dutch and European alfalfa. In this era of strangling competition, the export price of Dutch cheese was also reduced by more than 10%. The German cheese industry, which once tried to compete with the Netherlands, was once again defeated.
After the pasture arrived in Rotterdam, the telegram was immediately sent from Rotterdam to Paris, London, Berlin, and Frankfurt. The Netherlands exported at least 100,000 tons of cheese to Europe a year, and the news of the arrival of pasture caused a certain fluctuation in the European financial industry. The basic reaction of the market was profit.
In the VIP room of the Frankfurt Exchange, the British, French, German, and Dutch agricultural brokers were entertaining a distinguished guest. Wei Changrong's eldest daughter, Wei Wenrui, brought her husband and son to visit the Frankfurt Exchange. From a European point of view, Wei Wenrui was a real princess. Her Royal Highness was wearing a beautiful dark blue high-count cotton dress, a dark blue wool coat, a dark blue octagonal hat, and a pair of black mid-heeled boots. Like China's Type 65 military uniform, this clothing was also called "China worker style" in Europe. The appearance borrowed many elements of China's factory uniforms, and it was full of fashion elements.
The dress style of the Chinese princess was a little weird in the eyes of the Europeans. This kind of gender-neutral style made the financiers feel an indescribable feeling. A woman in such a dress was having a business negotiation with the men, which made them feel a faint sense of offense. But they didn't dare to say this to a princess, especially a China princess.
"Gentlemen, what do you think of my suggestion?" Wei Wenrui had already finished her words, and the rest of the time was given to the financiers.
"Will the cheese futures trade be unstable?" The Frankfurt Exchange was the host, so their first reaction was to question.
"Our Dutch cheese supply will not be unstable." The Vice President of the Dutch Cheese Association immediately defended his country's export product.
The French side didn't care. They came to see if there were any opportunities to lend. After receiving the contact from the Netherlands and China, the French financiers didn't really want to participate in the cheese business. The invitation clearly stated that this was related to the futures trade.
The Netherlands had a large cheese production and high quality. After hundreds of years of tempering and accumulation, Dutch cheese had a grade and quality assurance that Europe recognized. If they wanted to increase the total amount of Dutch cheese exports, they had to invest in the Dutch cheese industry. France was more interested in the usury business. The cheese futures trade was not usury, but the business of the Dutch cheese production and export forecast.
Britain, France, and Germany were big importers of Dutch cheese. For example, Dutch cheese was expected to export 100,000 tons of cheese to these three countries in 1882. In order to produce 100,000 tons of cheese, a certain amount of investment was needed. In the futures market, according to the production cost of 100,000 tons of cheese, some businessmen would buy the futures in advance. The money would be paid to the production company. When the time came, the quality and quantity of the cheese would be delivered, and the producer would complete the business contract. Based on the delivery of the cheese futures, the sales forecast contract could be carried out normally.
The purpose of futures was to allow producers who lacked funds to get the production working capital in advance and carry on the production normally. The investors could also have a prediction and understanding of the production and supply of the entire market in advance. With the improvement of market transparency, the problem of the sharp rise and fall of agricultural products could be solved to a certain extent. The clearer the future supply, the more stable the future price.
The first round was the British financial representative's turn. The British representative only asked one question with a straight face. "If there is a war between China and Britain, then how can we ensure a stable supply of Sudan pasture to the Netherlands?"
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