When summer came, Margery's river fleet arrived at Border Town.
Roland specially received the businesswoman at the dock and checked the goods she brought.
The most important thing is the three ships of saltpeter. Now the gunpowder in Border Town has basically been exhausted, and even the shooting practice of the First Army has stopped. Although revolver rifles have begun to equip troops on a small scale, they only stop at practicing reloading, gun maintenance and reloading ammunition. Now with this batch of saltpeter, we can finally resume live ammunition training.
In addition to saltpeter, she also brought two shipments of ore ingots as agreed, mainly iron and copper, and some green alum ore. It would take two or three days for these goods to be unloaded.
Roland also placed the two steam engines in a conspicuous position in the yard, and dressed them in red satin and red flowers as usual for Margery's acceptance. In fact, the Westland Industrial Company only managed to piece together one steam engine in nearly a month, which was based on hundreds of scrapped parts, so Roland had to let Anna go out, and those deviations were not too bad. The parts were reworked so that the second steam engine could meet the scheduled delivery time.
To Roland's surprise, Margery didn't come alone this time, she also brought a business group from the capital.
After the goods were delivered, Margery and her party followed Roland back to the castle and had a hearty lunch in the parlor.
"His Royal Highness, this is Hogg, my old friend, and one of the best mining merchants in the capital." Margery introduced them one by one, "This is Garmore, who belongs to the Crescent Moon Bay caravan with Marlan. They are mainly engaged in the cross-sea trade between Greycastle and the fjord. They are very interested in steam engines. I have known them for many years, and I am embarrassed to sell them at a higher price, so I brought them to introduce to you.”
"Greetings to you, Your Highness," said Hogg, with a big belly and a shiny face, "Listen to Margery, this machine can replace manpower, quickly pump water and ore from mines, and also It's so powerful that you don't have to rest all day? Can I see it with my own eyes?"
"Of course," Roland took a sip of the wine. At first he couldn't get used to the sour taste at all, but now he's getting used to it. "But if you want it to carry the ore, you have to install a track system. After lunch, I can take you to the North Slope Mine to see it."
"His Royal Highness, I am very curious about the use of the steam engine you described. Can it really be installed on a sailboat to drive the boat forward instead of a sail?" Marlan said, "If it is a three-masted to four-masted ship like a sea ship What about the big masted ship? I'm afraid it's not strong enough."
"Steam engines are just like horses. Some are powerful and some are weak, depending on the model they were made. Of course, a machine with a high output is naturally more expensive. And if one is not enough, you can have more than two or four. Taiwan." Roland replied with a smile.
Putting a steam engine on board, even the most primitive paddle steamer, is a complex system involving power, transmission and control. Except for Border Town, there is no other place in Graycastle that has the technical power to modify it. The cost of rebuilding such a ship is bound to exceed the steam engine itself.
"That being the case, the Crescent Moon Bay Caravan also wants to order this kind of machine from you." Gamore forked a bun that had just come out of the cage and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes narrowed by the scalding gravy.
Sure enough, things cluster together, people are divided into groups, and the friends of the big dog are still big dogs. They don't even look at the actual effect, they just make the decision and place the order, as if they don't care about the thousands of golden dragons at all.
Roland shook his head, "It's a pity that Frontier Town lacks manpower, and the steam engine is very complicated to manufacture. I'm afraid it will be difficult to make additional machines before Margery's order is fulfilled."
"I can provide you with manpower, Your Highness," Gamor patted his chest. "Whether it's a carpenter, a blacksmith, or even a shipbuilder, there are quite a few in my port, and there's no need to pay for it!"
"And then let them learn how to make it for you?" Hogg interjected.
"No! Of course not!" he said with round eyes, "How dare I play such a trick in front of His Royal Highness. Ten years, Your Highness," he opened his palms, "I am willing to let them work for you for ten years, The salary is paid by me. There is only one requirement, that is, the steam engine made by them will be sold to the Crescent Moon Bay caravan first.”
This is an interesting proposal, Roland thought, similar to the technology partnership of later generations, who only provides technology and earns a lot of money. Of course, the other party can also get a steam engine as soon as possible, and a group of technicians can be obtained ten years later. Workers are paid as much as technology purchases.
"Don't rush to make a decision, we can talk about these details after seeing the real thing," Roland pressed his hand down, "and I don't only have steam engines worth buying here, there are some things that you must also be interested in, such as this ." He snapped his fingers, and the guard beside him took out a lot of things from the wooden box at his feet and placed them on the table one by one.
"These are all new products in Border Town. No matter what they are, they are of high quality and fair prices, such as this simplest mug," Roland said, pointing to the colorful cups on the table, "light, beautiful, and not like a crystal cup. It’s so fragile. The pattern on it can be customized, and it’s not wet, so it’s super easy to clean.”
"Not wet?" Margery picked up a cup and looked carefully.
"You can try it with wine," the prince quipped. "After drinking it, you can pretend to be drunk and throw it on the ground, and it will be mine if you break it."
"This workmanship, tsk tsk, is really exquisite... I'm afraid every cup can't guarantee such quality, right?" The big belly Hogg had filled himself with wine and took a sip, "Hey, it's actually dry inside."
Of course, it is dry. It is essentially an ordinary wooden cup, but it is covered with a layer of Soraya's painting, and the patterns on it are designed by herself. "It doesn't conflict with the crystal cup. It is more suitable for appearing in the boudoirs of the eldest ladies than for a formal palace banquet." Roland said, "As far as I know, they are more interested in bright colors and beautiful appearances. Things never resist."
"I think so too," Margery nodded with interest. "You do seem to be very experienced."
"Cough," the prince coughed twice, "Look at this again, the overall thickness of the breastplate is completely uniform, with a total of two pieces, both made of wrought iron. It is lighter than a knight's plate armor, and can be worn by one person. , there is no gap after closing, suitable for caravan guards who have no entourage to follow. The most important thing is that it is cheaper than plate armor... "
…
After introducing all the products, the merchants couldn't help but whisper. Roland simply left them some free time for discussion, got up and left the hall, and went to the garden promenade to disperse.
"His Royal Highness, I haven't seen you for a month, and you have a lot of new things here." Margery also walked out.
"Don't you have to exchange opinions with them?"
"No, I don't need to listen to other people's ideas for what I like, whether it's goods or people." She smiled and shook her head, "The caravan will probably stay here for three or four days, can you… let me See the lightning again?"
"Although she didn't recognize you, at least she didn't express her dislike last time, so I don't think it's a problem."
"Thank you!" said Margery gratefully.
"Hands up," Roland smiled, "By the way, since you've stayed for so long, why not watch a play? Border Town will hold its first play in three days."
"In a month, you built the theater?" she asked in surprise.
"Of course not. It's an open-air show, right in the square in the center of town, and I think it's definitely going to be different."
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey, Your Highness." Margery stroked her chest and bowed her head. (. If you like this work, you are welcome to come and vote, your support is my biggest motivation. Please come.)