Walsh slightly emphasized the pronunciation of the word 'a large number' as a reminder.

So I would like to know, Lord Gudern, what is the lowest price you can give me?

Facing Walsh's question, Gooden thought for a moment.

Naturally, he knew the actual value of manganese steel very well, and now facing the large-scale procurement by the imperial military, he also wanted to give a win-win price.

After all, the order of up to 30,000 gold coins made him extremely greedy.

Even though there are now small batches of manganese steel, fine salt, crystal sugar, and even pure water for sale, it is obviously difficult for these items to support the construction of Qingyuan Town in the long term.

The cost of building the school alone, including labor, materials, corresponding equipment, etc., totals more than 150 gold coins, and the cost of each building is more than 50 gold coins.

This is still a naked teaching building without electricity, water pipes and other supporting facilities.

Especially in the face of the subsequent urban construction, where a large amount of money is needed for city walls, sewers, roads, etc., it is obviously not enough to rely solely on trade of thousands of gold coins every month.

Gudern quickly calculated the cost of manganese steel in his mind, and used this to come up with a minimum bottom-line price.

The core cost of manganese steel lies in iron and labor. Manganese ore is our own mine. As long as we pay for labor and transportation costs, we can continue to produce it.

Only iron needs to be purchased in large quantities. The underground iron mines have not yet been fully developed. It may take until the end of September for stable mass production.

And now the price of iron ore has also begun to skyrocket, from the original price of 1 silver per pound to 2 silver and 30 copper per pound, more than double.

The price of finished iron ingots has also increased from the original price of 5 silver per pound to 7 silver and 60 copper per pound. This is simply a money grab.

Based on this calculation, 10 pounds of manganese steel requires 8.5 pounds of finished iron, plus 1.5 pounds of manganese. The material cost alone is 64.6 silver.

Coupled with manganese ore mining, limestone flux, refining labor costs, and furnace fuel, the cost will rise to about 1 gold and 20 silver if the series is evenly divided.

Of course, this is the lowest cost price for 10 pounds of manganese steel. If converted further, the cost of 1 pound of manganese steel is estimated to be at most 15 silver coins.

Gooden would definitely not quote this price stupidly. He also had to make money. After subtracting the cost price, Gooden silently gave a price range in his heart.

3 gold to 4.5 gold.

This price is half the price of the sale to Kanehara City. For Gudern, only at this price can he get the maximum profit possible.

The thought was completed, but Gooden did not bid directly, but asked Walsh a question.

Before I bid, can I ask a question?

Please.

Is the order the army needs a one-time deal or a long-term cooperation?

If the price and the feedback after installation are good, the senior management will definitely continue to add more after this transaction.

Understood.

Gooden nodded. What the other party said was that if the price is right, there will definitely be follow-up cooperation, but if the lion wants to open his mouth, then forget it after this order.

After thinking for a moment, Gooden made his offer.

In that case, I can reduce the military purchase price to four gold per pound.

The price was halved, which was undoubtedly a huge surprise for Walsh.

He originally thought that Gudern could only lose two gold coins at most, but he didn't expect that he would cut it in half.

It seems that Gooden is also going straight for the highest order amount. This result is undoubtedly the best for Walsh.

Now the surprise is a surprise, but Walsh still has to look calm and plans to try Gudern's bottom line again.

Faced with Walsh's continued temptation, Gooden did not relent, even though he had no talent in business.

But he still has experience in this kind of bargaining. It's just like selling clothes. One hundred and one pieces of his clothes were discounted to fifty by the other party. Although the other party said it was still too expensive, he had the idea of ​​​​purchasing and paying for it. Heart.

In this situation, after two more rounds of procrastination, it will basically be over. When the time comes, you will give the other party an excuse to step down, and the deal will be complete.

But what Gooden didn't expect was that Walsh's persistence was too outrageous.

The two of them talked for more than half an hour about the price of four gold coins, but the other party showed no intention of purchasing unless the price was lowered.

For a moment, Gooden wondered if his price was still too high.

At the same time, Walsh was also thinking and hesitating. Is this price really the bottom line of Gooden?

Otherwise, bring out the trump card?

While both parties were thinking about this issue at the same time, there was a rare silence in the living room.

After a moment, Walsh spoke.

Well, Lord Gudern, if the military provides the necessary basic materials, how much further can the price of four gold coins be reduced?

The military provides materials?

Faced with this problem, Gooden quickly began to calculate in his mind.

The basic materials are nothing more than the cost of iron and fuel. If the military were to provide the basic materials, the price might go down to 3.5 or even 3 gold?

After thinking for a while, Gooden put forward his request for a price reduction based on Walsh's proposal.

If that's the case, I can make another concession on the price of manganese steel, but in advance, the military can provide sufficient iron and coal.

The refining of manganese steel requires a large amount of iron. For every 10 pounds of manganese steel, 13 to 14 pounds of iron are consumed. In addition, the smelting temperature is also key. This should be clear from military research.

Faced with Gooden's last words, Walsh acquiesced.

Since the manganese steel first appeared in Jinyuan City's auction house, it attracted the attention of the lord of Jinyuan City. The manganese steel he took out later also made the other party understand that Gudern must have much more than that.

This was reported to the upper echelons of the military to study and see if they could decipher the elemental composition of manganese steel to understand the elemental formula and use it to imitate smelting.

But without the periodic table of elements, they don't know the properties and appearance of manganese. Even if they can successfully isolate manganese, they have no way to find a mine for this thing.

In this way, a natural 'patented lock' protects the formula of manganese steel.

Of course, someone may be able to successfully discover it one day in the future, but by that time, Gooden will no longer need to keep this kind of thing a secret.

Iron and coal are all fine. Apart from these, do you have any other needs?

As for other materials... I can handle them myself, and the military may not be able to provide some materials.

Gudern did not continue to 'cheat' the other party. A wrong iron consumption ratio was enough to give the other party a headache for research.

If I report another material that does not belong to manganese steel, the other party will not be stupid, and it will be easy to see through the problem.

Okay, then let's make a simple contract based on what you said.

Walsh nodded, then took out a piece of white paper, wrote down his needs, Gudern's demand price, etc., and made a simple contract.

Gooden also took a look at the contents of the contract, which roughly means:

The imperial military needs to purchase 30,000 gold of manganese steel at a price of three gold per pound, and at the same time provide enough basic materials, finished iron, coal and other materials for manufacturing.

And after receiving the materials provided, Gooden will complete 70% of the quantity within one month, which is 7,000 pounds of manganese steel based on the price.

The imperial military will also pay a deposit of 5,000 gold coins while providing the first batch of materials. When 70% of the quantity is completed, another 20,000 gold coins will be paid. Then the remaining 30% will be completed before the final 5,000 gold coins are paid.

At the same time, if Gudern cannot complete the order quantity within the stipulated time, in addition to being delayed in receiving the balance, he may even be refused payment and charged with delaying military funds.

When cooperating with the imperial military, Gooden felt that such overbearing regulations were normal.

Gooden did not make any proposed changes to the contract written by Walsh, but he did have his own calculations regarding the deposit to be paid.

Immediately, he told Walsh his idea, and the other party was a little surprised after hearing it, but he did not refuse.

What Gudern proposed was to use copper ingots to offset part of the gold coin payment, and at the same time, one thousand gold coins of silver coins were needed.

This kind of payment request did not seem to be a deliberate problem for Walsh, so he immediately agreed.

After the two completed the remaining details of the contract, Walsh got up and left, preparing to return overnight.

In response to the other party's anxious look, Gudern did not ask him to stay, but instead gave him two bottles of pure water.

This...Lord Gudern, this thing is too valuable. I can't take it. I can't bear it if the wolf cubs from the Military Investigation Department find out about it.

Looking at the pure water vodka that Gudern sent him, Walsh quickly shook his head and refused, but his eyes were still full of eagerness.

He had heard of this stuff at the auction in Jinyuan City, and was lucky enough to taste it once.

But such a small cup was worth a few gold coins. For Walsh, he had to save two or three years of salary before he could afford a bottle.

Haha, Kroger, it seems that your previous military investigation work was very unpopular.

Looking at Kroger who was escorting him off, Gooden laughed and joked, then looked at Walsh and continued.

This thing is expensive outside, but in Qingyuan Town, it is not that expensive. You are in a hurry and have no time to enjoy it. Just treat this as something you bought to try. It only costs one gold coin a bottle. , it’s not too late to pay next time you come.”

Faced with Gudern's enthusiasm, Walsh looked at Kroger, and when he saw the other person nodded slightly to indicate that it was okay, he accepted it with confidence.

Thank you Lord Gudern for your kindness. The next time we meet will be at the end of the month. The higher-ups attach great importance to this order. I hope you can prepare this order in advance. Let's go.

After accepting the pure water, Walsh revealed the news to Gudern in a dignified manner.

The meaning of his words can also be made clear. As long as this order can be completed, the arrival of the next order will only happen sooner or later, and Gudern should be prepared for the follow-up.

After watching Walsh go, among the group of people, Kroger suddenly spoke quietly.

Master Gudern, if you can hold an official position in the empire, I think many inspectors will be laid off.

After listening to Kroger's words, Gudern touched his chin and asked a little shamelessly.

Is this a compliment to me?

Hahaha……

The group of people laughed loudly when they heard this.

However, I have to disappoint Kroger. It is impossible for me to hold any official position. Being a lord is already the limit.

After a casual explanation, the group returned to the castle to do their own work for the time being.

Gudern did not receive everyone throughout the whole process. He also had to start arranging orders for the imperial military.

At about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, under the afterglow of the sun, a group of people appeared outside Qingyuan Town.

Is this Qingyuan Town? Why does it look worse than Snow Valley Town?

We...were we deceived?

Don't worry, I have relatives here. I will visit them later and ask. If something goes wrong, we will go to Jinyuan City tomorrow.

That's okay...

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