My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 187 The Concept of a Sugarcane Plantation
June 21st.

After news of the elephant shed opening spread throughout the capital, many people flocked to the outskirts of the city, eager to see these rare imperial elephants.

People in the capital city could see imperial elephants in the past.

When the emperor held various ceremonies, he would bring his imperial elephants and line them up at the city gate. However, these ceremonies were heavily guarded, and everyone could only watch the excitement from afar.

With the elephant farm open to the public, allowing them to observe the elephants up close, it was naturally packed with people.

Su Ze, accompanied by his wife and servants, arrived at the entrance of the elephant breeding center. Seeing the long queue, Su Ze could only marvel at the considerable spending power of the people in the capital.

The entrance fee to the elephant pens was not cheap; it cost one brass coin per person, which was one-tenth of a silver dollar.

Moreover, during the last holiday, many people brought various kinds of coins, and the ticket sales process wasted a lot of time in order to identify the purity of the various pieces of silver and coins.

This time, the elephant pens simply stipulated that admission would only be accepted in brass coins, and no other currencies would be accepted.

This policy initially caused dissatisfaction among the people, but they soon discovered that brass coins were circulating widely in the capital, and that the coins were exquisite and had a stable value, making them a very convenient thing to use.

Although the procession was long, it moved very quickly. When they reached Su Ze, Wang San, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard responsible for maintaining order, rushed out enthusiastically upon seeing Su Ze.

Wang San, a commoner, had no psychological pressure when it came to pleasing people. When Su Ze insisted on paying for the tickets, Wang San didn't try to persuade him further, but he immediately became a guide, introducing the animals at the elephant sanctuary to Su Ze's family.

It must be said that Wang San's professional skills are quite good.

He was very knowledgeable about the origins and habits of the animals at the elephant sanctuary, and could even tell a few jokes about local life, which made Zhao Lingxian cover her mouth and laugh.

When they arrived at the elephant enclosure, Wang San brought some feed and gave it to Zhao Lingxian to feed the elephants herself.

Seeing the elephant use its trunk to pick up food and slowly put it into its mouth, Zhao Lingxian exclaimed in surprise, feeling that her eyes had been opened.

Su Ze, on a sudden inspiration, said:
"Commander Wang, the elephant shed can prepare some food and let the people contribute funds to feed the elephants. They can feed the elephants once for every penny they pay. This can be considered a good deed."

Elephants have been considered auspicious since ancient times. Many people from the capital come to the elephant farm to see the elephants, much like they go to a temple to worship Buddha, hoping for good fortune.

Su Ze's suggestion made Wang San's eyes light up, and he quickly said:

"Su Hanlin is truly our elephant keeper's lucky charm! This subordinate will take care of it right away!"

The elephant sanctuary opens for one day at the end of the first ten days of the month, and the ticket revenue is enough to cover the sanctuary's expenses for a month.

This is just a regular ten-day break; if it coincides with a holiday, you can earn even more money.

As they were about to leave the elephant pens, Zhao Lingxian noticed a fenced-off open space and asked in confusion:

What's the purpose of this vacant lot?

"In reply to Madam, this is a horse farm, but wild horses can easily injure people, so it has been fenced off."

Su Ze asked, "Are there still spirited horses in the capital?"

Wang San said:

"Originally there wasn't any, but didn't General Qi achieve a great victory at the Soutao Camp a while ago? He presented a thousand horses to the capital, most of which were sent to the Imperial Horse Administration, and the rest that couldn't be kept were sent to our Elephant Breeding Station."

Su Ze became interested, but fearing that the wild horse might frighten his wife, he asked the servants to stay and accompany Zhao Lingxian, while he followed Wang San into the horse farm.

The horse ranch was quite large, and Su Ze saw a group of horses running around on it.

Even from a distance, the sight of these horses running and neighing in herds clearly indicates that they are fine horses.

One of the stallions, in particular, was the most magnificent. When it saw Su Ze appear at the edge of the riding arena, it charged forward defiantly, startling several of the Imperial Guards accompanying him who stepped forward to stop it.

The stallion charged forward for a moment, then made a sharp turn before galloping away triumphantly.

Su Ze asked, "Why aren't these horses sent to the front lines in Datong?"

Wang Sanze said:
“Su Hanlin, warhorses aren’t necessarily better the stronger they are. On the battlefield, what’s needed is strict discipline. It’s best to use castrated horses.”

"Most of the horses that General Qi sent back were wild and untamed, and while they were fine as breeding horses, they were not suitable for going directly to the battlefield."

This demonstrates the different attitudes of nomadic peoples and those of the Central Plains towards horses.

For nomadic peoples, horses are a means of production and an integral part of their lives. They grow up on horseback, are skilled riders, and spend a lot of time training their horses.

For the Central Plains, horses were a luxury item and a tool of war, but they were also consumables.

So there is a counterintuitive result: actually, starting from the Tang Dynasty, the people of the Central Plains were more skilled at raising horses than the nomadic peoples of the grasslands.

Su Ze looked at Wang San beside him and was surprised to find that he actually knew a lot about raising horses.

Seeing that Su Ze was interested in raising horses, Wang San said, "Su Hanlin, my family has been raising horses for generations. I can tell at a glance what kind of horse is good and what kind is bad!"

Seeing that Su Ze did not react, Wang San simply climbed over the horse field and whistled at the stallion that had just run away.

The stallion, provoked, charged directly at Wang San.

Wang San chuckled and started hopping around the horse farm, which enraged the stallion, causing it to accelerate and charge at him.

This was actually very dangerous. The impact force of a warhorse running at high speed was no less than that of a chariot. Just then, Wang San shrunk himself and actually crawled under the horse's belly.

Su Ze exclaimed in alarm. If Wang San were trampled by a galloping warhorse, he would probably die.

Unexpectedly, Wang San grabbed the horse's belly in the blink of an eye and then flipped onto the horse's back.

The surrounding Imperial Guards cheered, clearly indicating that this wasn't the first time Wang San had performed like this.

Su Ze finally felt relieved; it seemed that Wang San really was skilled at training horses.

However, the horse training was not over yet. This wild horse clearly did not want anyone to ride on its back. The horse kept arching its body and jumping, trying to throw Wang San off its back.

But Wang San's buttocks seemed glued to the horse's back; no matter how much the wild horse struggled, it couldn't shake Wang San off.

After about fifteen minutes, the spirited horse exhausted its strength and finally gave in to Wang San.

Wang San rode steadily on the horse without a saddle, gripping its belly with his legs, and the horse strolled towards the edge of the riding arena.

When they reached the edge of the horse farm, Wang San nimbly dismounted, stroked the wild horse's mane, and then released it.

Wang San said:

"This horse is suitable as a stallion. If we breed it with a strong mare, it will be ready for the battlefield in just three years."

"Three years?"

Wang San said:

"Three years is the minimum. Ideally, the horse should be gelded when it is one or two years old. After that, it should be trained on the pasture for another two or three years, raising it for a total of five years. This is the most qualified cavalry warhorse."

Su Ze now understood why it was so difficult to train qualified warhorses.

The investment cycle is long, but the payback period is too long.

As Wang San said, the training cycle for a qualified warhorse is five years, which means that the new horse farm should not expect to produce any horses within five years.

The cost of raising horses was very high. The standard for raising horses in the Tang Dynasty was one circumference of straw, one dou of millet, and six spoons of salt per day. For a mare with a foal, the cost was double that.

Furthermore, the Tang Dynasty invented a semi-nomadic method of raising horses, which involved raising horses in stables during the winter and then releasing them to pastures in the spring when the grass grew.

Such warhorses do not lose weight during the winter, can run on the track without losing their wildness, and also save on feed costs compared to feeding them entirely in stables.

Therefore, warhorses cannot be raised by civilians; only a large-scale national investment can ensure their survival.

After seeing that Wang San had slipped up, Su Ze had a sudden inspiration and asked him:

"Commander Wang, would you be willing to raise horses for the imperial court?"

Wang San asked in confusion:
"Su Hanlin, aren't I the one who raises horses for the imperial court?"

Su Ze shook his head and said, "It's not about raising just a few horses, it's about raising an entire horse farm."

Wang San thought of Su Ze's reputation and probably figured out what Su Ze was going to do, and his breathing became rapid.

He said quickly:
"This humble official is willing!"

Su Ze nodded slightly, praised Wang San a few more times, and then led his wife away from the elephant pens.

Next, we'll go to the sugar workshop outside the city.

To Su Ze's surprise, the emperor's brother-in-law, Li Wenquan, was also in the workshop.

Upon seeing Su Ze, Li Wenquan hurriedly came forward to greet him. Su Ze asked in confusion:

"Your Highness, why haven't you returned to Laizhou yet?"

Li Wenquan said, "Su Hanlin, I'm still worried about the sugar workshop, which is why I'm personally overseeing it."

Li Wenquan had a strained relationship with his father, Wu Qingbo, but the two men actually had very similar personalities.

I heard that ever since Marquis Li Wei of Wuqing received the potatoes bestowed upon him by the Crown Prince, he has been spending all his time in his farm outside the city.

Last month's potato harvest was bountiful. I heard that the Crown Prince bought the potatoes at a high price, allowing Marquis Li Wei of Wuqing to make a fortune.

Potato dishes also became popular in the capital, and potato seedlings were sold at high prices there.

After bringing a batch of Jiaozhi sugar from Laizhou, the son of the Marquis of Wuqing was still not convinced by the sugar refining technology that Su Ze had mentioned, and insisted on seeing the sugar produced in the pot before he would go back.

"The sugar is ready!"

With a shout from the sugar craftsman, the sugar syrup in the pot flowed into the mold, and Li Wenquan rushed forward to check.

Upon seeing the originally dark brown cochinchinensis sugar turn into pale yellow white sugar, Li Wenquan smiled and quickly said to Su Ze:

"Su Hanlin truly has the ability to turn lead into gold!"

Su Ze watched the sugar cubes gradually cool down. Actually, this kind of sugar couldn't really be called white sugar; it could only be described as a relatively white sugar cube.

With current technology, it is impossible to produce the white granulated sugar of later generations, nor can it make crystal-clear rock sugar.

Su Ze didn't know the specific process of sugar crystallization, so this was all he could do.

Of course, this step is enough.

White sugar is ten times the price of black sugar from Jiaozhi, and Xiao Pangjun's shop has gained another batch of best-selling products.

However, Su Ze's goal is not just to make money.

After confirming that the business of Jiaozhi brown sugar was feasible, Li Wenquan hurriedly returned to Laizhou to place an order for more Jiaozhi brown sugar.

But Su Ze stopped him.

"Your Highness, are you satisfied with just this kind of business?"

In Li Wenquan's view, this was already a pretty perfect business deal.

Including transportation costs and various purification expenses, this business can generate a profit of two to three times.

Su Ze said:
"The profits are high now, but this business may not last long."

"The reason you're making money now is because merchants consider Koji brown sugar a useless ballast. If you buy it in bulk in Laizhou, the price might not be so low."

"Moreover, the supply of Cochin sugar is unstable. Sugar transported over long distances is prone to mold and spoilage, so it's not feasible to make money steadily in the long run."

Li Wenquan nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

During his time in Laizhou, Li Wenquan witnessed firsthand the ruthlessness of the business world, seeing how many businessmen became rich overnight, and how many lost everything overnight.

Maritime trade is a giant casino, never lacking adventurers and speculators.

Li Wenquan realized a truth: it's okay to earn less money; stable profits are more valuable than getting rich overnight.

Li Wenquan had already vaguely sensed the problem Su Ze mentioned.

He had his men buy up all the Koji brown sugar that no one seemed to want on a normal day.

Some merchants, upon hearing that someone was buying up Koji brown sugar, hoarded it and insisted on selling it only when the price increased.

Li Wenquan asked:
"So, what does Su Hanlin mean?"

Su Ze said:

"We produce our own sugar!"

“Sugar production? Su Hanlin, Shandong is not suitable for growing sugarcane.”

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Who said we should grow sugarcane in Shandong?"

"That?"

Su Ze said:

"I've heard that sugarcane thrives in hot weather and isn't suitable for growing in the north, but it can be grown in the south."

Hearing Su Ze say this, Li Wenquan smiled wryly and said:
“If we buy land and hire people in Guangzhou and Fujian to grow sugar and then transport it back to the capital to sell, the price will be much higher.”

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Who said they were going to buy land in Guangzhou or Fujian?"

"Didn't Su Hanlin say he was talking about the South?"

Su Ze said:

"Your Highness, where does this Koi brown sugar come from?"

"Jiaozhi."

Su Ze said:

"Yes, if that's the case, why must it be planted within the territory of the Ming Dynasty?"

Su Ze said:

“I heard that Penghu is very close to Fujian, but the land is unclaimed and can be used to grow sugarcane.”

“Besides Penghu, places like Ryukyu and Luzon are suitable for growing sugarcane and also have a lot of unclaimed land. The Crown Prince can have people establish plantations to grow sugarcane in these places, produce raw sugar, and then transport it back to the capital to be processed into white sugar.”

Li Wenquan's eyes lit up.

He also broadened his horizons in Laizhou, realizing that the world was much larger than the Ming Dynasty.

He knew about Penghu, Ryukyu, and Luzon, which Su Ze mentioned. In particular, Penghu, which is very close to Fujian, was still undeveloped despite the fact that the imperial court had nominally established prefectures and counties there.

Sugarcane is easier to grow than grain, and making raw sugar requires little technical skill; even the savages of Jiaozhi (Vietnam) know how.

Moreover, Li Wenquan was actually very familiar with the plantation model that Su Ze mentioned. Wasn't that the Ming Dynasty's commercial settlements?

The Ming Dynasty has been developing merchant settlements in the Nine Border Regions and Yunnan-Guizhou area for hundreds of years. As long as it can make money, it is not afraid of not being able to recruit people.

Of course, even if they can't recruit enough people, it doesn't matter. Li Wenquan had heard in Laizhou that the Portuguese were capturing natives in Luzon to work. If all else fails, they can just capture some natives from Luzon to grow sugarcane.

(End of this chapter)