The Rise of the European Emperor

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In the ancient times without modern mining machinery, mining, beneficiation and smelting relied entirely on manpower. Therefore, in areas with a large number of people, the development of mineral resources is more convenient.

Why were prices in China and India so cheap in ancient times? Because the two countries have abundant human resources! In deserted places like Siberia, even if super large mines are discovered in this era, they are still unable to mine them. Without him, there is no one there!

In ancient China and India, once a large ore vein was discovered, tens of thousands of coolies could be mobilized at will to mine, ore-dress and smelt. Therefore, under normal circumstances, prices in ancient China and India were much cheaper than those in Europe.

However, Japan is an exception. Japan is very rich in human resources, with a population of 17 million in this era, 2 million more than France. However, Japan is poor in mineral resources. Although it has a lot of cheap labor, there are many mountains and few lands in the country, and mineral resources are not very rich. So, prices are quite high.

Of course, that's because Japan's prospecting technology in this era was relatively poor, and large-scale mineral deposits were not discovered. Later, with the discovery of super large mines such as Iwami Ginzan and Ashio Copper Mine, Japan has a wealth of money in a short period of time. Needless to say, the silver produced by Iwami Yinshan is the world's currency, so it's amazing. Copper from the Ashio Copper Mine, which was discovered in the 17th century, is also very popular.

During the Tokugawa shogunate era, the Edo shogunate was not only able to use a large amount of copper produced in Ashio Copper Mine to cast "Kanei Tongbao", but also exported a large amount.

In the 17th century, because of the huge production of copper in Sweden, the price of copper in Europe fell from 15 to 1 with silver to about 44 to 1. However, as the Dutch shipped copper back to Japan from Japan, the price of copper fell directly to a copper-silver ratio of more than 80 to 1, which fully doubled. In this way, the Dutch also made huge profits.

At that time, not only the Dutch shipped Japanese copper back to Europe for sale, but the Qing Dynasty, when it was first established, also relied heavily on crude copper imported from Japan for casting copper coins.

In addition, Southeast Asia at that time also relied heavily on importing copper from Japan to cast its own currency, and even to cast cannons...

It can be seen that Japan's copper production at that time was so large that it could not only meet domestic demand, but also export a large amount to Europe, the Qing Dynasty and Southeast Asia. At that time, the most famous copper mine in Japan was probably the Ashio Copper Mine.

At that time, the annual copper output of Ashio Copper Mountain reached 1,200 tons, or 2.4 million catties. If it was cast into small copper coins of about 3.5 grams, it could cast more than 340 million coins. According to the conversion of one thousand taels of silver into one tael, it can be worth about 343,000 taels of silver.

And Marin, a history student, has read history and knows that during the heyday of the Qing Dynasty,

The annual output of copper is only over 10 million catties. At that time, the copper of the Qing Dynasty was almost heavily dependent on the Yunnan copper produced in Yunnan. The output of Yunnan copper in the entire Qing Dynasty once reached 95%. Of course, this is the data of the Qianlong period. When the Qing Dynasty was first established, during the Kangxi period, it still relied heavily on Japanese copper imported from Japan...

"Yeah, why did I forget about Yunnan Copper?" Marin slapped his head and thought of the problem.

A big difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty is that the Qing Dynasty developed the Yunnan Copper in Yunnan, so it no longer relied on imported copper in the middle and late stages. In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, they were very dependent on Japanese copper.

Ma Lin remembers a paper he read by chance in his previous life, saying that during the Ming Dynasty, the production of Yunnan copper was not taken seriously. However, since Kang Mazi defeated Wu Sangui and took control of Yunnan in the Qing Dynasty, in view of the serious shortage of copper coins just like the Ming Dynasty, they vigorously developed the copper mines in Yunnan. By the Qianlong period, the annual output of Dian copper in Yunnan had reached more than 10 million catties, accounting for most of the national output.

That is to say, the Ming and Qing dynasties were also short of copper at the beginning, but the Qing Dynasty later alleviated the copper shortage by developing Yunnan copper. It is said that the copper coins of the Qing Dynasty were basically cast with Yunnan copper. At that time, several large copper mines such as Dongchuan in Yunnan almost became the treasury of the Qing Dynasty...

The Ming Dynasty was miserable, because the Yunnan copper was not developed, so there was a serious shortage of copper in the country. It was okay in the early days, because there were precious banknotes supporting it, which could also alleviate the need for copper coins. In the middle and late stages, with the abolition of banknotes and the rapid development of the economy, there is a huge gap in copper. Fortunately, it happened that the Europeans sent a large amount of silver later, which relieved the pressure of the Ming Dynasty's currency shortage. Otherwise, there would have been a serious money shortage in the Ming Dynasty.

It was also because of bad luck that Marin happened to meet Zhengdechao. At this time, the Ming court was discussing the issue of abolishing the banknotes. Once the treasure banknotes were abolished, the Ming Empire could only rely on copper coins as its main currency. At that time, you will find that there is a very, very copper deficiency. Even now, the Ming cabinet has discovered a copper shortage. Therefore, a warning was issued for Kong Tai's large amount of copper collection.

If you want to continue importing cheap copper from Daming, unless Daming has no shortage of copper...

"Do you want to tell the potential of Yunnan Copper in the Ming Dynasty?" Marin fell into deep thought...

To be honest, as a college student with both Chinese history and geography in later generations, Ma Lin not only knows the important historical position of Yunnan Copper in the Qing Dynasty, but also knows another super copper mine-Dexing Copper Mine.

The Dexing Copper Mine is one of the largest copper mines in China in later generations, and, most importantly, it is actually an open-pit mine! I don't know how the ancients did it, but they missed such a large copper mine, and they are so short of copper...

Marin remembers that the Dexing Copper Mine seems to be located in the Guanmao Mountain area in the northeast of Dexing City, at the junction of the three provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anhui...

"No wonder..." Thinking of this, Marin suddenly realized...

After all, it is at the junction of the three provinces, and it must be a remote mountainous area. No wonder the Dexing Copper Mine was not discovered in time. If it was located in an area with convenient transportation, such as Tongling in Anhui Province, such a riverside area would have been discovered long ago.

The Dexing Copper Mine is a super large mine with reserves of more than 10 million tons of copper metal. The output of copper in later generations has reached more than 100,000 tons a year, which is very scary.

If the Ming Dynasty developed the Dexing Copper Mine... it is estimated that the financial problem can be greatly alleviated... After all, copper means coins in ancient times...

Once the Ming Empire had money, it would definitely not collapse so quickly. As long as the Dexing Copper Mine and the Dongchuan Copper Mine, the main force of the Yunnan copper mine in the Qing Dynasty, are developed, the Ming Dynasty will not be short of money at all. What? The household department has no money? Dig copper coins! Mint a few hundred million more coins, and it's over...

Moreover, the Ming Empire is not afraid of making too much money at all. Because, the money of the Ming Dynasty itself was seriously lacking and not enough. With two major copper mines as the foundation, the economy of the Ming Dynasty can be stabilized.

"However, what good does it do me?" Marin fell into deep thought...

After thinking for a long time, Marin decided to help Daming Dynasty. However, he only planned to tell the Ming Dynasty about Dongchuan Copper Mine and Dexing Copper Mine. Because, if the Ming Dynasty is too rich, Marin will also be under pressure...

After thinking about it, Marin finally decided to tell the Ming Dynasty about the Dexing Copper Mine and temporarily conceal the Dongchuan Copper Mine. Because, even if the reserves of the Dongchuan copper mine in the Ming Dynasty were told, it would be very difficult to develop there. After all, the Dongchuan Copper Mine is located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the external transportation is extremely inconvenient. Even if copper is produced, transportation is troublesome. Didn't you see that the development of Yunnan copper began during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and it was not until the Qianlong period that it was able to meet domestic demand?

The Dexing Copper Mine is different, it is located at the junction of the three provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anhui. This place is close to the core southeast region of Daming, rich in human resources, and the transportation is very convenient. As long as you get out of the Shangrao Mountains, you can quickly go north to the Yangtze River, which is very easy to develop. In this way, the Ming Dynasty wanted to develop the Dexing Copper Mine, and the effect would be seen soon. Unlike the development of Yunnan Copper, it will take many years just to build the road to Yunnan. Moreover, the southwestern region of the Ming Dynasty was unstable, and a huge copper mine was developed. Who knows if a chieftain will jump out and seize the copper mine.

Therefore, it is better to let Daming develop the Dexing Copper Mine near the southeast core area. And once the crisis of copper shortage in the Ming Empire eased, Marin could also smoothly purchase a large amount of cheap copper from the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, this is faster than developing the Ashio Copper Mine in Japan.

Because, Japan is now divided. As for the Shimo country, which belongs to the Ashio Copper Mine, it seems that its strength is not strong. Even if Marin informed the existence of the Ashio Copper Mountain, the small country would not be able to develop the Copper Mountain immediately.

The Ming Empire is different. Although this empire has various problems, its execution ability is definitely strong enough. Perhaps in areas such as Southwest China and Northern Saibei, the Ming Empire did not have enough control. However, in the Dexing Copper Mine near the southeast core area, as long as the Ming Empire worked hard, it would definitely be able to develop it quickly. There is no shortage of personnel and funds in the Ming Dynasty. As long as it erupts, copper can be produced in a short time. At that time, Marin can also benefit.

In addition, providing information about the Dexing Copper Mine can also be regarded as a great contribution to Daming, which can increase the favorability of the Ming court. At that time, it will be much more convenient to do other things.

As for Ashio Copper Mountain... Marin thought about it, and decided to notify Shimono Country to let them develop it first. Under the strength of the wild country, it will take a ghost to know how many years it will take to develop the Copper Mountain. And when they developed the copper mountain, Gan Fu Nobunaga almost grew up, just in time to swallow this copper mountain...

In other words, the existence of the Dexing Copper Mine that ruled the Ming Dynasty allowed Marin to obtain enough cheap copper in a short period of time. As for the Ashio Copper Mountain, Marin now only uses it as a future profit point. Anyway, as long as the Ming Empire develops the Dexing Copper Mine, a world-class copper mine, whether it is the Ming Dynasty itself or Marin, I am afraid that there will be no shortage of cheap copper in a short time. At that time, Marin can take the silver and come to Daming to exchange for cheap copper into the ship. Then, it was cast into a 12-pound Napoleon gun, and it was used to show off its might in Europe. And other European countries, because it is difficult to get in touch with Ming Ting, can only watch Marin, a big dog, showing off more copper...