1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2100
However, the Yangzhou salt merchants at that time did not have a deep understanding of the scale of the salt industry operated by Haihan, and they did not have enough respect for the fierce competitors, so they did not give positive feedback to Haihan's expressed willingness to cooperate. In response, they believed that they had the ability to control the existing salt industry market.But who would have expected that the love and indifference at the beginning would become the unattractiveness of today?

Today, the production capacity of the Xiangshan Salt Field alone is equivalent to the sum of all the salt fields in Jiangsu, but the difference in the number of laborers engaged in salt production in the two places is more than ten times. The cost gap caused by the difference in production efficiency makes Yangzhou salt merchants The supply of goods in the country seems to be uncompetitive, and they can only rely on force to bully the market to prevent the southern sea salt from entering their traditional market.

However, when the salt merchants in Yangzhou discovered that the means of force they had relied on were actually mere mere tricks in front of Haihan, they had to find other ways to resolve the existing conflict of interest.The experience of the Shanxi salt merchants has already shown that the road of reckless fighting is unworkable, so the only option left to the Huizhou salt merchants is to take the initiative to negotiate peace with Haihan, and it must be done quickly. In a year and a half, even if Haihan doesn't do anything, the Shanxi salt merchants will definitely liquidate them first, so as to integrate the resources of the Huaiyang salt merchants.

Ma Zhengping came to Zhoushan this time, and of course he was mentally prepared to run into trouble, so although Yang Yun's ridicule was meant to be ridiculed, he was not angry at all because of it, and said with a smile on his face: "Master Yang is joking, we will wait for you." How dare you underestimate your country. It was because the battle with the Shanxi salt merchants was in full swing at that time, and there was no time to take care of it, so this matter has been shelved. But in the end, it is true that we are short-sighted and unable to distinguish the priorities. I hope Master Yang will not Strange. Cao Min came to Zhoushan this time to ask to see you, but also to apologize to your country on behalf of the Huizhou salt merchants."

Ma Zhengping's attitude is very humble, which on the contrary makes Yang Yun unable to make use of the problem. He can only smile and say: "If the Anhui salt merchants have the same thoughts and attitudes as Boss Ma, then many unnecessary misunderstandings could have been avoided. .”

"At this time, it's not too late to dare to come to Zhoushan to ask the adults to clarify in person." Ma Zhengping saw that the other party's tone softened, so he quickly responded.

Yang Yun is not monolithic. Leaving aside the generous gift list presented by Ma Zhengping, Haihan's attitude towards Yangzhou salt merchants is not to kill them all, but to try to recruit as many factions as possible, taking advantage of the contradictions between the local salt merchant camps to achieve The purpose of integrating salt trade.

The distribution channels and upper-level contacts that Yangzhou salt merchants have in the area north of the Yangtze River are exactly the resources that Haihan lacks. If some of these resources can be integrated into Haihan's economic system through salt trade, their value will be considerable. huge.Of course, the premise is that Yangzhou salt merchants are willing to establish economic and trade cooperation with Haihan.

Two years ago, the Yangzhou salt merchant thought that he had the capital to reject Haihan, but now the situation has changed, the positions of the two sides have been reversed, and the initiative has fallen to Haihan's side.In order to survive, the Anhui salt merchants in Yangzhou had to lower their attitude and seek cooperation from Haihan, which was exactly what Haihan wanted to achieve.

Yang Yundao: "Boss Ma is right. Only by being open and honest can we solve the problem. It's time to talk about cooperation."

But it was almost past dinner time, and Yang Yun was already hungry, so he simply invited Ma Zhengping to find a place to have dinner together.But Ma Zhengping was eager to have a good relationship with Yang Yun, so he immediately agreed, already thinking in his mind that he would have to rush to pay the bill later.

But the place Yang Yun arranged was not an outside restaurant, but a public canteen exclusively for officials on the island to eat.Of course, due to the special identities of the clients, the standard of meals served in this cafeteria is no worse than that of restaurants outside, and the quality of ingredients is even worse.

However, there are actually other considerations in Yang Yun's arrangement. If he meets a salt merchant from Yangzhou for the first time and eats in private, maybe people will gossip behind his back, and he will take the initiative to show up in the public cafeteria. One is to show that he is upright. First, get rid of bad rumors that may arise in advance, and second, let Ma Zhengping understand that the relationship between the two parties has not yet reached the level where private talks can be arranged.

What the two talked about during the meal, no one paid attention to it. After all, there are too many people coming in and out of this cafeteria every day. The businessmen from various countries who followed Yang Yun these days have at least double digits, and there are many locals from Zhejiang. A big man with a head and a face.A stranger like Ma Zhengping would not immediately attract the attention of others.

But after the meal was over, Ma Zhengping left happily.Although the two sides failed to reach any agreement during such a short exchange time, Yang Yun has made it clear to him that Haihan has no intention of making enemies with Huizhou salt merchants. Therefore, it is not possible to start negotiations with Ma Zhengping on specific terms of cooperation for the time being.

But this attitude has already made Ma Zhengping feel that there is indeed room for maneuver in this matter, which means that the Huizhou salt merchant has the opportunity to embrace Shanghai Han's thigh, and he can also have a reasonable excuse to stay on the island and continue. Wait for the news.

After Ma Zhengping landed on the island, he found out that there are festivals and trade fairs to be held on the island recently, and the accommodation has already been booked out, but he has already asked his staff to pay five times the price to sublet two rooms Set up a room, and renewed for one month.But this is just a trivial matter for him. After talking with Yang Yun, he is already thinking about sending people around the island tomorrow to find out if there are houses for sale, or simply spending money to build a piece of land around the island by himself. house.

It's not that Ma Zhengping acted recklessly and richly. His idea is that if the cooperation negotiations with Haihan can continue, then a permanent organization will definitely be set up on Zhoushan Island in the future.Rather than renting a hotel for a long time, it is better to build a commercial inn, which can save a lot of money in the long run.

The most important thing is that after arriving in Zhoushan, Ma Zhengping carefully observed the natural conditions, port facilities and operating conditions of Dinghai Port, and confirmed that this is definitely the trading port with the highest operating level he has ever seen in his life.Investing in the construction of a trading post in this place, the convenience and benefits you can enjoy in the future should go far beyond the salt industry.

Of course, whether or not the storehouse wants to be built and whether it can be built are two different things. Dinghai Port is not only a trading port but also a military port where Haihan's armed fleet is stationed, so there will be certain restrictions on the purchase of properties by foreigners on the island.Ma Zhengping hasn't had time to inquire about the specific regulations, but in his opinion, the procedures for this matter may be more troublesome, even if he is willing to spend money, it may not be possible to complete it, and if he can negotiate cooperation with Haihan, then this matter It is estimated that it will be much easier to handle.

And Yang Yun didn't stop there after eating the meal. He rushed to Shi Diwen's mansion non-stop and reported the news that Yangzhou salt merchants had come to Zhoushan.Of course, the main purpose is to ask Shi Diwen for instructions and give a clear instruction on whether to cooperate with him.

"I'm finally in a hurry!" Shi Diwen can roughly judge why the Huizhou salt merchants came to Zhoushan to ask for an interview. Let’s talk about the specific cooperation conditions. But one thing must be clear, if they want to cooperate with us, they must buy from our salt farms, and the proportion must account for more than [-]% of the salt they handle.”

It is one of the long-term goals of Haihan Salt Industry to let the sea salt produced by Haihan enter the Daming market and squeeze out the share of Daming official salt.Haihan's salt business in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions is completely open, and he has no intention of avoiding Daming.However, when the salt merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions gradually shifted their purchase channels from the official salt farms to the sources provided by Haihan, the salt income in these areas will undoubtedly drop rapidly, and the impact on Daming’s treasury income is almost certain.

However, this mode of operation has direct benefits for Daming salt merchants. As long as they spend money to buy salt from the Salt Promotion Division, they can turn the refined salt produced in Haihan into legally sold salt in Daming. official salt.Salt merchants can effectively reduce the cost of purchasing goods, and at the same time avoid most of the salt tax without showing any traces. In the end, the profits will be much higher than before. This is why salt merchants in Ningbo and other places have decisively abandoned their original purchases. The main reason for the channel to rely on Haihan.

Interest groups like Yangzhou salt merchants have many ways to influence the output of salt farms and market price trends. Shi Diwen hopes to force salt merchants to buy more salt produced by Haihan through cooperation conditions, so as to increase the production of these salt products. The degree of dependence of merchants on Haihan, the main source of goods.As for those official salt farms with high production costs but relatively low efficiency, their income will drop sharply until they cannot make ends meet and go bankrupt.At that time, the salt merchants' dependence on Haihan will continue to increase, and it will be much less difficult for Haihan to influence and control the salt merchants and even the Daming salt industry market than it is now.

Yang Yun understood Shi Diwen's request, and after responding, he asked for instructions: "Yangzhou salt merchants also want to apply for a piece of land on the island to build a commercial warehouse..."

"Put this in advance, and wait for the East China Sea Fleet to complete the mission of this expedition." Shi Diwen paused and then confirmed: "Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand!" Yang Yun responded quickly: "The East China Sea Fleet is about to set off, and the island's defense force will be weaker during this period. It is necessary to minimize the hidden dangers to public security!"

Shi Diwen nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's right, it's good if you can understand the stakes. If the Yangzhou salt merchants don't have the patience, or have other plans, then you can take this opportunity to observe. They are in If you behave dishonestly during this period, then decisively suspend the cooperation to avoid losses."

Haihan's military operation to attack Hirado this time required the main force of the East China Sea Fleet to be dispatched. As the local leader, Shi Diwen had to consider the local defense deployment after the troops went out.It is a trivial matter for Yangzhou salt merchants to build a storehouse on the island, but it is best to avoid this sensitive period and make other arrangements.

Shi Diwen thought for a while and added: "If you have a smooth negotiation with the other party, you can also promise the land to them first, but the time to start construction will be delayed."

"I understand." Yang Yun's instructions were very clear, and he didn't need to think about how to respond to Ma Zhengping's request anymore.

The next day was the Haihan National Day. Ma Zhengping knew that there would be a military parade for the Haihan Army in the morning, so he woke up early and went to the viewing area in the middle of Dinghai Port according to the innkeeper's instructions.

As a regular program for Zhoushan to celebrate the National Day every year, the military parade, a show of force, is naturally open to all the public on the island, and this happens to be the time when there are the most foreigners, and the publicity effect is far better than usual.A large stand was specially set up under Xiaozhu Mountain for the distinguished guests to enjoy the military parade.And Ma Zhengping had already received a VIP invitation letter from Yang Yun yesterday, so he was also eligible to enter this area with the best view to watch.

Although it was just a temporary stand built with wooden scaffolding and sitting on ordinary rattan chairs, Ma Zhengping soon discovered that the people around him were either rich or expensive, and they all looked like decent people, which made him feel The heavy gift I gave yesterday was worth it.Otherwise, his current treatment would not be sitting in this stand, but he would be crowded with the sailors and porters in the public viewing area across the road.

Not long after, a black box carriage with four horses, surrounded by a group of armed cavalry, stopped in front of the stands, and everyone stood up to show their respect.Ma Zhengping asked curiously, and someone next to him told him that this was the driver of Shi Diwen, the general guarding Zhoushan.

Of course Ma Zhengping knew who Shi Diwen was, so he quickly stood up.It's not that he has much awe of Shi Diwen, but that everyone around him is standing, and if he continues to sit, he won't be able to see the appearance of this great man.

Immediately, he saw a dark complexioned, muscular middle-aged man coming down from the carriage, wearing a gray coat and a strange hat on his head.After this person got off the car, the people on the opposite side of the street started to applaud first. Some people shouted slogans such as General Shi's mighty in the crowd, and then the people around Ma Zhengping also applauded. Hands down to welcome.

Shi Diwen raised his hands to signal to everyone, then stepped onto the stands and sat in his exclusive seat.Seeing Yang Yun, Ma Zhengping sat not far from Shi Diwen, knowing that the people sitting next to him should be all local officials.However, there are still many guards guarding its periphery, and the idlers must not be able to make it through.

Ma Zhengping thought that he would have the opportunity to deal with Shi Diwen face to face in the future, so he was not in a hurry right now.He had heard a lot of stories about Haihan's strong ships and guns in the past, and he was really curious about what the Haihan army, which is said to be invincible all over the world, looked like. Now he could take advantage of the military parade Opportunity to see it for yourself.

(End of this chapter)