Chapter 37

ps: This chapter is a transitional one, mainly to clarify the future development direction. Additionally, I will be on a business trip to Anhui at around ten o'clock, and it's uncertain how long I will be away. This week, I will try to maintain two updates per day. I studied engineering, and as a new writer, my writing techniques, style, and character portrayal may not be up to par. I will do my best to make the story engaging, and I hope for your support.

Branco returned to Rio de Janeiro with half of the supplies: 10 cannons, 150 matchlock guns, and 150 military sabers. Of course, the two ships of coal and one ship of Brazilian specialties he brought also sold for a good price. After deducting the cost of the goods, he netted over 3,600 yuan. The remaining half of the goods will be delivered next month, and the delivery of 50 sets of full-body armor per month will begin from next month. Both parties agreed that by the end of 1633, two ships of immigrants from the East would dock at the port.

The agreement was not binding, but the time-travelers were not worried that the Portuguese would renege. Currently, the Portuguese were at a disadvantage on the battlefield, and the war would continue for several years.

In the evening, Gao Mo reported the situation to the other members of the executive committee. Historically, this war, which lasted for several years, did not end until 1637, with the Dutch emerging victorious and gaining complete control of northeastern Brazil, further expanding their influence to the Maranhão River Basin.

The support provided by the time-travelers should have partially alleviated the difficulties the Portuguese faced in Brazil historically. However, this also carried certain risks, as selling weapons to the Portuguese would certainly not please the Dutch West India Company. The time-travelers must be fully prepared for any reaction from the Dutch West India Company.

As of today, the total population under the jurisdiction of the time-travelers has reached 4,895 people, and the grain reserves have also set a new record. Over 3,500 tons of potatoes, 20 tons of fish products, and 45 tons of soybeans have nearly filled the warehouses, providing enough food for everyone for more than a year.

In addition to the grain, the livestock situation is also very promising. The number of horses has grown to nearly 250, with over 80 Andalusian and Lusitano horses suitable for use as warhorses. The number of cattle has exceeded 200, with an equal number of beef and dairy cows. There are also over 100 pigs and more than 400 sheep. As for chickens, ducks, and geese, there are even more, and they have already begun to be distributed to households for breeding.

It can be said that after two years of hard work, the material foundation of the time-travelers has greatly improved.

In addition to agriculture, the development of industry and commerce is also very promising. The monthly production of the steel mill has stabilized between 30 and 35 tons, and the increase in steel production has released the capacity for multiple military products.

The casting workshop of the Big Fish River Arsenal, which is currently the largest steel consumer, has greatly increased its production. Recently, they have been working overtime to produce large numbers of coastal defense guns for the port artillery emplacements, and even cast two 32-pound long-barreled cannons. After these heavy guns were installed on the port artillery emplacements, they demonstrated extraordinary power during the test firing. As a result, the naval commissioner, Wang Qian, requested that the executive committee award a special bonus to the casting workshop.

The workshop for the production of armor and cold weapons, after adding some hydraulic equipment, has stabilized the monthly production of the 1931 full-body armor at over 200 sets with a stable supply of 7.5 tons of steel. The monthly production of the 1932 command knives is 2,000.

The firearms workshop currently has five hydraulic boring machines, over 70 craftsmen and apprentices, and can produce 150 32-乙型 (Type 32-B, which has an additional powder pan cover design to mitigate the effects of rain and humidity) flintlock muskets per month. Over the past few months, they have produced 50 32-甲型 (Type 32-A) flintlock muskets and 300 32-乙型 (Type 32-B) flintlock muskets. The workshop is also researching and developing flintlock pistols for cavalry use, and results should be available soon.

In addition, the comprehensive workshop produces various tools, farm implements, and small knives. The workshop has fewer people, mainly consisting of blacksmiths, and uses a semi-manual, semi-mechanized production method, which is not very efficient. However, it is sufficient to meet the needs of daily life.

Most of these industrial products are for export. Except for the casting workshop, which has temporarily halted exports for the past two months to focus on the artillery emplacements, the other workshops are producing at full capacity. The 1931 full-body armor and 1932 command knives are mainly exported to Russia, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark. The farm implements, tools, and other goods produced by the comprehensive workshop are also selling well in Brazil and the La Plata region, which is suffering from the trade monopoly of the colonial powers, as evidenced by the increasingly prosperous smuggling trade.

The smuggling trade routes are currently controlled by the Portuguese. Ships from Lisbon or São Paulo often carry large quantities of coal, Brazilian rosewood, cotton, sugar, indigo, and tobacco to Tartan Port. After unloading the coal and some agricultural products, they load up with a large amount of tools, farm implements, knives, small hardware, and even building materials such as bricks and cement, then head to the secret trading ports near the mouth of the La Plata River to trade with the Spanish. On their return, they load up with high-demand goods such as hides, tallow, cheese, cured meat, wool, and even horses from the La Plata region and sell them in Tartan Port. After the goods are sold, they load up with the specialties of the time-travelers and return to Brazil for sale.

The cities of Buenos Aires and Asunción in the La Plata region are in dire need of various trade goods. Local-born white noble farmers and a large number of mid-to-low-level colonial officials have also joined in, sharing the benefits that originally belonged to the Spanish king and the noble merchants.

This coastal trade route, which flows with gold, is estimated by the finance commissioner Tang Yuan to have a monthly smuggling trade volume of no less than 50,000 yuan. The East Shore Company's monthly profit from this trade exceeds 3,000 yuan, making a significant contribution to the financial balance of the time-travelers. Not everyone is unaware of the risks involved. The civil affairs commissioner, Xiao Mingli, strongly opposed trading with Portuguese smugglers, believing it would attract the attention of the Spanish. However, after seeing the East Shore Company's monthly financial deficit of nearly 5,000 yuan, he was speechless.

Moreover, this issue is also related to the long-term development of the time-travelers. In the future, as the population increases and a state is established, the state will need to develop its industry. Referring to the historical development of Britain, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Britain gained maritime supremacy and accumulated enormous wealth through maritime trade and colonization. This wealth objectively promoted the advancement of British industrial technology and the growth of the bourgeoisie. By the mid-18th century, the Industrial Revolution erupted, and the advanced industrial production capacity and vast colonial markets together provided strong momentum for British industrial development, ultimately propelling Britain to the throne of the British Empire.

For the time-travelers, historical Britain is a ready-made teacher, and the nearby Brazil and La Plata regions are natural sources of raw materials and markets for industrial products. They will become the first stepping stones for the industrial development of the time-travelers. At this time, the British economy still primarily relied on wool exports and re-export trade, and although industrial products were sold in large quantities to European countries and American colonies, most were small-scale workshops.

To develop the economy, to compete in industries, and to compete with established colonial powers, the only way out is industrialization. With the powerful productivity of industrialization, they can crush and defeat the competition, turning them into sources of raw materials and markets for industrial products.

The executive committee has a clear understanding of this. Uruguay, with its suitable climate and fertile land, can probably ensure a basic living standard even after the current 500,000 yuan in cash is spent. But what about the future? Is everyone's time-traveling just to huddle in Uruguay and live a secluded life? And with the current lack of science and engineering talent and knowledge among the time-travelers, it is likely that in a few decades, even their small lives will be unsustainable. If the enemy attacks in overwhelming numbers and their technological advantage is not much greater, the situation will be difficult to handle.

The only way out is to develop industry now, earn profits through various means, and then reinvest the profits into industrial technology research and development, forming a virtuous cycle. At the same time, large-scale immigration is needed to ensure a sufficient population base. This is the only way the executive committee believes the time-travelers can survive and thrive in this time and space without being assimilated.

Specifically, what industry to develop first is not difficult to choose. Considering that a few industrial talents among the time-travelers have knowledge of the textile industry, and given that Uruguay's climate and natural environment are very suitable for the development of livestock, the executive committee, after discussion and research, believes that the initial focus of industrial development should be the wool textile industry, with the possibility of also developing leather processing in the future.

The textile industry, a magical industry that seems to have been born with the Industrial Revolution, was initially spurred by the invention of the Spinning Jenny, which led to the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Now, the time-travelers have also chosen this industry as the starting point for their industrial development. Of course, the metallurgical and military industries, which are currently two to three hundred years ahead of Europe in technology, will also continue to develop, as this industry is the current lifeline of the time-travelers.

With the思路理清了，下面就是朝着目标努力了。

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翻页上AD结束

With the思路理清了，下面就是朝着目标努力了。

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束

(Note: The last two sentences are repeated and may need to be adjusted for clarity in English.)

With the思路理清了，下面就是朝着目标努力了。

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束

(Note: The last two sentences are repeated and may need to be adjusted for clarity in English.)

With the思路理清了，下面就是朝着目标努力了.

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