readytorunbook Chapter 317 Gems, Lasers, and Guided Bombs
Chapter 317 Gems, Lasers, and Guided Bombs
Inside the office, Zhang Chi put down the Militia Military Training Manual he was reading with great interest and looked at Bai Hongsheng, who was in charge of the business negotiations, with confusion:
"Fine sapphires and rubies. Doesn't this Special Envoy Harold from White Eagle look down on them at all?"
Bai Hongsheng shook his head:
"We secretly had someone slip his secretary a top-quality sapphire necklace, retrieved from the royal tomb in Pegu. It's 18 sapphires, over 5 carats in size, of royal blue. It seems like Special Envoy Harold really likes it."
"But when it comes to signing a contract to import rubies and sapphires from us on a large scale, he avoids the topic."
Zhang Chi tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously a few times and soon figured it out.
The ruby laser was not invented until the 60s. Of course, the various lasers, precision instruments and the like that filled the streets before he traveled through time are not available now.
Since rubies and sapphires lack these industrial application scenarios, their main role in the world now is to show off wealth.
The rich inlaid these gems on pocket watches, jewelry, scepters, swords and other items to show their wealth and status.
As a tool for showing off wealth, this gem is naturally more valuable for its quality than for its quantity.
Apart from those fine pieces that are over 5 carats and 10 carats, White Eagle has little demand for Pegu's specialty gems such as rubies, sapphires, jadeite, and spinels.
It is so small that it can only support a few thousand people working in the industry.
However, since Zhang Chi received the "World Resources Atlas (66 Edition)" as a system reward, he has circled out several gem mining areas in Bago, including the famous Hpakant and Mogok mining areas in later generations.
In his original plan, these mining areas were to be built into integrated gemstone industrial parks that would integrate industrial mining, industrial mineral processing, manual polishing and modification, and manual jewelry inlaying.
A huge industry where the upstream and downstream industries together can feed at least millions of people.
After all, many gem mining areas are located in areas where indigenous people gather, and the gem resources in those places are naturally abundant.
Local residents may trip over small stones exposed on the ground when walking casually in the mountains. When they pick them up and take a closer look, they will find that the luster of gems is revealed under the broken cracks of the stones.
It can be said that you can pick up money just by walking on the street.
Although the Anmin Army has taken over these gem mines, the local people still have a share of these gem resources.
Zhang Chi planned to relocate gemsmiths and ordinary immigrants from the Republic of China to the vicinity of these mining areas, while also incorporating local natives into the gem production system.
As long as these natives can make money and live a better life, it will be much easier to enforce Mandarin education, implement the policy of "transforming the natives into Han Chinese" and strengthen grassroots rule.
Zhang Chi, who came from later generations, knew very well that development is the only way forward.
If one can live a good life by integrating into the Chinese community, then the locals will naturally be happy to do so.
As for those few stubborn guys?
Hey, aren't the people from the militia and the Central Intelligence Agency all idle? Under Zhang Chi's command, they are guaranteed to enforce the law with force and hit with warmth.
However, the first step of this entire plan has not even begun, and it is already about to end.
Who would have thought that even the White Eagle, the richest country in the world, does not have such a large consumer market for gems.
"I estimate that the annual consumer market for affordable gemstone jewelry there is only around tens of millions of dollars."
Bai Hongsheng said this while scratching his head in annoyance.
"Except for those massive gemstones weighing tens or hundreds of carats that can fetch millions of dollars at auction, the rest of the ordinary gemstones we produce in large quantities have to be sold individually. I'm afraid the people behind Special Envoy Harold don't value this hard-earned money."
"Oh no, this is trouble." Zhang Chi also had a headache.
In his previous life, he remembered the Sotheby's auction house in the news, which often sold the "Imperial Green", "Pigeon Blood Red" and "Royal Blue" produced in Bago for tens of millions of dollars.
I thought I could easily make a lot of money from this gem.
However, he forgot that top-grade goods are rare after all, and most of the gems mined from the mines are of ordinary quality.
There are wars all over the world now, so the sales of gem products have naturally plummeted.
If we want to cultivate it again, we may have to wait until the 21st century?
"Well, let's find more gem craftsmen from the Republic of China and create a few more jewelry brands. We can promote them as using the same skills used to create jewelry for Empress Dowager Cixi and the royal families of past dynasties. These are high-end products that only emperors can enjoy."
Since there is no concept of luxury goods yet, Zhang Chi is going to give it a try first.
Anyway, they are all rich open-pit mines, and the cost of mining gems is extremely low at present. He feels that as long as he can sell them, he will not lose money.
After sending Bai Hongsheng away, Zhang Chi calmed down and opened the system interface in his mind.
Bai Minghui wiped out Mutaguchi Ren'ya's 15th Army in Sindhu in one fell swoop, including the devil Mutaguchi, and killed three Japanese lieutenant generals alone.
The major general also killed 5 of them, and as for the colonels and lieutenant colonels below him, there were countless of them.
It not only brought Zhang Chi rich income in silver lion coins and R&D points.
The lottery proceeds from killing the general also allowed him to collect the three great books of time travelers: "Barefoot Doctor's Manual", "Militia Military Training Manual" and "Friends of Military and Civilian Dual-Use Talents".
In addition, I also drew 10 industrial exchange coupons.
Adding the cards he had saved during the liberation of Bago, Zhang Chi currently has a total of 16 cards left.
(In addition to penicillin and semiconductors, Zhang Chi also exchanged for other urgently needed production lines.)
"This exchange voucher is really not banned. It is needed everywhere."
Despite saying this, Zhang Chi still clicked the confirmation button and used two redemption coupons to exchange for a complete set of red and blue sapphire laser generator production lines.
Since there is not enough demand for gems in the market now, Zhang Chi decided to simply create the demand.
"With a laser generator and semiconductors, copycat guided weapons are now a reality. Time to try out the 'Paveway' laser-guided bombs from the Vietnam War."
"With infrared laser lighting and photosensitive devices, we can start developing night vision devices."
"With the addition of a laser rangefinder and a computer, we now have the fire control system for the next generation of tanks."
"Even laser fiber transmission can be developed first, which will ensure the long-distance transmission of early warning radar signals."
In an instant, Zhang Chi came up with countless military applications of gem laser generators. He quickly took out a small notebook and wrote down his various ideas.
In addition to military, there are also many civilian applications.
Laser cutting, laser welding, laser engraving.
Especially when he thought of the frontline soldiers complaining that the piece of cloth with their name, blood type and hometown sewn on their clothes was easily damaged, Zhang Chi instantly thought of "dog tags".
As long as the laser engraving is done and an aluminum alloy plate is added, each soldier can be equipped with a set of "dog tags".
There is also laser treatment for myopia, which will definitely become the "black technology" of Pegu's medical industry at this time point at the end of World War II.
As long as the technology of the laser generator is controlled and not leaked, Zhang Chi feels that he can make a lot of money from these "black technology" products alone, and he will no longer have to worry about how to consume those ordinary gems.