1novels #155 - Complex transactions
#155 - Complex transactions
The Border Region's reaction was faster than Ren Zhong had imagined.
On the third day, an unexpected person arrived.
"Brother Ren, this comrade is Staff Officer Ye. He will be responsible for negotiating with Qilu Ban. He's here today to visit you, Brother Ren, and to fully communicate the key points of the negotiation with you."
Jiang Chongjing, in high spirits, brought a familiar person to find Ren Zhong.
Although shocked inside, Ren Zhong remained calm on the surface.
"Welcome, Comrade Ye, to the Dawn Research Institute. Please, have a seat. Regarding the transaction with Qilu Ban, what would Comrade Ye like to know?" Ren Zhong invited the two guests to sit down while pouring tea.
The tea was brick tea, known for its strong flavor.
"I apologize for my abrupt arrival, Mr. Ren," Staff Officer Ye said with a smile, showing no airs. He simply glanced at the cave dwelling where Ren Zhong lived, as casually as a neighbor dropping by, and nodded slightly as he sat down on a long bench.
He didn't seem like one of the top leaders of the Border Region at all.
"Mr. Ren, after our discussion, we believe that the transaction you proposed is very constructive, but there are a few questions we don't understand," Staff Officer Ye said directly.
"Regarding the Wuyuan mineral resources, can you confirm their existence, especially how can we prove the existence of these iron and copper mines to Qilu Ban?"
Although his expression was gentle and calm, the question was sharp.
"I can solve this problem," Ren Zhong said seriously. "In fact, the first phase of our negotiations with Qilu Ban is to explore and discover the existence of this iron ore. As for the copper mine, that is something we need, and we can talk about it later. We only need to give Qilu Ban the right to explore, mine, and smelt on-site, and then allow us to bring the crude copper back to the Border Region."
"If the iron ore is not found, Qilu Ban will not suffer any losses, right? I can't imagine they would refuse."
Staff Officer Ye nodded slightly, obviously agreeing with Ren Zhong's explanation.
"The second question, regarding the indigenous blast furnace technology you provided, if it is built for Qilu Ban, will the technology be learned by them, and then they will build new indigenous blast furnaces themselves to greatly expand production?"
Ren Zhong carefully recalled for a moment before answering seriously, "It's possible, but there are several key technologies involved. Even if they dismantle a blast furnace for research, I estimate it will take at least two years to fully understand and successfully replicate it. Most importantly, unless they use the same iron ore, the smelting ratio parameters we give them may not be able to produce qualified gray cast iron when used with other iron ores."
"Because I will personally research and formulate this formula before confirming it. Currently, only I can master this research method."
After hearing Ren Zhong's words, Staff Officer Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, this was what he was most concerned about. Ren Zhong's answer, even if it didn't completely dispel his doubts, at least dispelled most of them.
"No, they won't be able to replicate our equipment successfully for at least ten years," Ren Zhong said with a smile. "They can't produce the special steel required for these equipment. If they use other steel instead, the lifespan of the equipment will be very short."
Without tool steel, Qilu Ban wouldn't be able to replicate it, and even broken spare parts would have to be repaired by Ren Zhong.
"The fourth question, we want to expand the scale of this transaction and obtain 5,000 tons of grain from Qilu Ban. How much do we need to pay? How can we transport so much grain back?"
Thinking of the powerful organization behind Ren Zhong, Staff Officer Ye really wanted Ren Zhong to bring the grain back with him, but unfortunately...
"I'm not sure about 5,000 tons, I can only say I'll do my best. As for the grain transportation issue, I think the safest place for delivery is at the junction of Wuhai and Yanchi. This place is relatively safe. We can agree on a time, and transport 500 tons at a time, which can be pulled back with hundreds of large carts."
Ren Zhong had no other choice. Transportation in this era was basically on foot. Although he had developed several transportation tools...
But developing these transportation tools now is useless. There are not many highways that can run cars. The so-called main roads now are just large carts that can be pulled by horses, mules, or oxen!
Although he often bluffed others by saying that he had a powerful organization, it was purely a boast.
Staff Officer Ye was slightly disappointed after hearing this.
But he didn't say anything, and instead continued to ask, "The last question, after the autumn harvest this year, can the newly cultivated land yield 10,000 tons of grain?"
This series of interconnected questions clearly showed that the Border Region was extremely concerned about grain.
"If there are no major natural disasters, such as severe drought or floods, 10,000 tons of grain should not be a problem," Ren Zhong thought for a while and decided to be conservative, even though he believed in his heart that anything less than 30,000 tons would be a failure.
Staff Officer Ye nodded slightly, finally having no major questions, and began to discuss the details of the negotiation with Ren Zhong.
In principle, Staff Officer Ye, as the head of the delegation, would lead the team to Wuyuan, while Jiang Chongjing would serve as the deputy head, making a secret visit under the guise of coordinating defense and communication. Ren Zhong, as one of the experts, would be responsible for leading people to explore the iron ore and assist Jiang Chongjing in completing technical exchanges.
Although the mountains were high and the rivers were far, Ren Zhong was not worried about going to Suiyuan. Qilu Ban would not kill the delegation for this matter.
The location of the iron ore was naturally found in the main world. Even if the place name had changed in the Bright Sword world, Ren Zhong was not afraid. After the Heyuan iron ore exploration, Ren Zhong already had a complete set of equipment to support the exploration of metal minerals.
As long as he ran around the general area on horseback, he definitely couldn't go wrong.
A day later, the delegation of more than twenty people, prepared and ready, set off on horseback.
Traveling north at a speed of seventy to eighty kilometers a day, Ren Zhong didn't expect the delegation to be so anxious. Obviously, the grain shortage in the Border Region was more serious than he had imagined.
Ren Zhong thought for a moment and understood. Due to his participation, in this timeline, the Great Counteroffensive did not fight the Hundred Regiments Offensive, so the losses were not as severe as in the original timeline. The complete sets of military industrial production lines that Ren Zhong provided to the Border Region and base areas enabled the Border Region to absorb more people and expand its troops than before.
Although Ren Zhong didn't pay attention to these changes, just looking at the weapons created by the Border Region's military industry, which had increased several times in manpower, was enough to arm 5 regiments!
Although most of these weapons had to be sent to Northwest Shanxi, the weapons eliminated by the original troops would not be discarded. Many old-fashioned Hanyang rifles and other dilapidated weapons would be brought back for repairs and continued use, which was perfect for the Border Region's second-line training regiments.
In this way, including the troops and workers, the Border Region's grain supply increased by at least ten thousand!
Even if calculated according to a supply of 30 catties of grain, there would be more than 400,000 catties of grain per month, no wonder Staff Officer Ye wanted to exchange for 5,000 tons of grain.
This additional supply of nearly 30,000 people, at one catty of grain per day, would consume more than 5 million catties in 6 months.
If 5,000 tons were exchanged, the Border Region would have enough grain to get through the current difficult period. Even if only 2,500 tons were exchanged, the Border Region would not have to endure hunger for more than half a year.
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