1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2170
The Business Management Office under the Administrative Committee of Zhoushan Colonial Area is a small two-story building with a gray exterior wall.This office was only completed and put into use last year, and now from early morning to sunset every day, the open space outside the business office is always full of various horse-drawn carriages, sedan chairs, and rickshaws, all of which are used to pick up and drop off various official affairs here. Businessmen of various countries.

Before that, the business department was crowded with the management committee to work together, but the constant stream of visitors every day would inevitably affect the normal work of other departments. Later, Shi Diwen also felt that it was a bit troublesome, so he approved it with a big stroke of a pen. The newly built office building is used by the busy commercial office.

It was not the first time for Yu Chengli to come here to do business. Not long after he arrived in Zhoushan, he went to the commercial office to go through the relevant registration procedures according to the official instructions, so that he could purchase land and properties on the island.But he found that as long as he came here to do business during working hours, it seemed inevitable to wait in line, and today was no exception.

Looking at the conspicuous slogan on the outer wall of the office building, "Attracting investment and doing real work", Yu Chengli couldn't help admiring the straightforwardness of the Haihan government, and the ability to elevate the social status of businessmen to the level of setting up a special office to handle related affairs. To a certain extent, he was unheard of during his time in Ming Dynasty and Japan.

However, this method of using eye-catching language to publicize the people seems to be very common in the area under the Haihan rule. When Yu Chengli visited the towns and towns on Zhoushan Island, he also saw the words "grasp production and promote development" written on the dirt walls of the village head. ", "Raise more pigs and grow more trees, build roads first if you want to get rich" and other slogans.

How effective this kind of propaganda can be, Yu Chengli is not clear about it, but in his opinion, it at least shows that the Haihan government attaches great importance to propaganda work, while the local government of Ming Dynasty is not careful about the governance of the people. to such an extent.If the function of the Daming government is mainly to ensure local stability, then the Haihan government is more active, actively guiding the people to engage in production and business activities.

Whether such an approach is good or bad, Yu Chengli has never been an official, and he can't tell the pros and cons of it, but one thing is obvious, that is, the wealth of Haihan's people is indeed far greater than that of Daming.Moreover, Zhoushan was just an overseas enclave that Haihan had taken from Daming, so it was able to operate with great success. One could imagine how rich the country was.

And this is exactly why Yu Chengli decided to stay and wait and see for a while after getting a preliminary understanding of the local situation after he came to Zhoushan. He didn't choose to leave Zhoushan quickly because he felt that he couldn't compete with local businessmen like some other businessmen.

Yu Chengli's idea is very simple and straightforward. Since the people of Haihan Kingdom are so rich, it must mean a strong purchasing power. The purchase of silk cloth by Baiquan Town as a reward for the labor force proves this from the side.

Although the town office used public funds to purchase, the recipients of the distribution were the families of ordinary soldiers, which was absolutely unimaginable in Ming Dynasty.The high-grade silks and satins in their own inventory may not be able to be sold directly to these farmers, but if the target of sales is enlarged to Haihan Country, it should be completely easy to sell.

Yu Chengli believes that as long as he takes a long-term view, he will definitely be able to make money from Haihan Country. Although the process may not be as smooth as when he was in Hirado, the business prospects should be better.After all, the trade scale of Zhoushan Dinghai Port alone has far exceeded that of Hirado, and the Haihan government's support for trade activities is obviously greater. As long as we get through the difficult period at the beginning, it will definitely get better later.

He came to the business office again today because he wanted to visit Yang Yun and see if he could get the officials to provide him with some help so that he could go to other islands under the jurisdiction of Zhoushan Management Committee for trade activities.

Although foreign businessmen can enter Zhoushan's Dinghai Port with a simple registration, they need to apply for another permit from the authorities to engage in trading activities on other islands under the Zhoushan Management Committee.The official did not explain in detail why there are such strange regulations. Yu Chengli believes that this may be because there are secret military facilities on some islands, so foreigners will not be allowed to come and go at will.

In any case, since it is an official regulation, follow it.Yu Chengli looked at the queue in front, and Yu Chengli could only shake his head silently, telling Yin Changxing to help him line up first.

After waiting for about half an hour, it finally arrived.Yu Chengli entered the reception room and explained his purpose to the staff.

"Master Yang has gone out to do errands. If you are willing to wait, I can take you to the second floor to wait."

Yu Chengli felt a chill in his heart, but decided to try his luck, otherwise even if he came back tomorrow, he might still have to wait in line.

So the staff took him to the meeting room on the second floor and asked him to wait for the notice here.Yu Chengli groaned secretly when he saw it. It turned out that there were several people sitting in the conference room before him, and they were all businessmen from Daming in their attire. Obviously, he was far more than the only one who was waiting to see Yang Yun today.The queue downstairs is not over yet, and you have to queue again when you go upstairs.

Fortunately, the reception conditions on the second floor were not bad. You could sit in the conference room and wait slowly. There was even a cup of hot tea served by someone specially assigned for it. It was considered a good courtesy, and Yu Chengli couldn't find any faults.

After waiting for about half an hour, someone entered the meeting room to announce that Mr. Yang was back, and asked everyone to enter one by one in order.Yu Chengli had no choice but to continue to wait patiently. At this time, he was no longer the last in line. After him, three more businessmen came, and they were all waiting to see Yang Yun.

After waiting until lunch time, they finally lined up with Yu Chengli.But the notice from the staff made him feel cold again: "It's getting late, Mr. Yang said, we will go to work after lunch..."

However, the staff member changed the topic, and continued: "Master Yang said that you have been waiting for a long time, so you are invited to lunch, please come with me!"

Naturally, the businessmen would not miss this opportunity to have private contact with senior Haihan officials, so they followed the staff to the group cafeteria of the management committee and arranged a separate table for them.

Not long after, Yang Yun came over and apologized to everyone: "Today is too busy, everyone has been waiting for a long time, it's a sin!"

Everyone hurriedly stood up to greet each other, and they dared not take it for granted.Yang Yun greeted everyone to sit down, and then ordered the dishes.

"I still have business to do in the afternoon, so I won't be serving wine this lunch. Everyone eat more food. Although our food here is average, we must be full!" Yang Yun didn't put on airs, and greeted everyone to eat when the food was about to start. .

Yu Chengli originally planned to talk a few words about the things he had to do while eating, but seeing that Yang Yun had already picked up the bowl and started eating, he didn't want to be too abrupt, so he could only swallow the words that came to his mouth.It seems that Yang Yun's previous notice that he would go to work after lunch was not a lie.

This collective canteen provides services for the staff of the management committee and subordinate organizations, so the quality of the food is naturally not bad.Although they are all common ingredients on the market, the cooking method has strong Haihan characteristics, paying attention to the use of spices and various seasonings, and it tastes very good with rice.

Yang Yun ate three big bowls in one go, and drank another bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, before putting down his chopsticks.

Yang Yun put down the chopsticks, so the other people at the same table would naturally not continue to eat with their bowls unwisely, and they also put down the bowls and chopsticks to wipe their mouths in a tacit understanding. Come again.

Yang Yun was also very satisfied with everyone's knowledge and interest. He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table and said, "Everyone is ready to eat? That's fine, let's go back to work!"

Back in the office building of the Commercial Office, Yu Chengli finally got the opportunity to meet alone.

Yu Chengli only reported his name, and Yang Yun asked, "If I remember correctly, Boss Yu came to Zhoushan from Hirado, right?"

Yu Chengli quickly responded: "Your Excellency Yang really has a good memory. This villain is one of the merchants who withdrew to Zhoushan with the East China Sea Fleet."

Yang Yun nodded: "Then how is the situation recently? Have you selected a suitable location on the island? If you need to build a commercial warehouse, I can recommend the official construction team to you to ensure that the price is fair and the quality is reliable. Even the construction cost can be paid to you." Haihan Bank borrowed money in advance."

Yu Chengli said: "Thank you, Mr. Yang, for your kindness. However, the villain has not yet decided whether to buy land or real estate in Zhoushan. Recently, he is still going around towns and villages to investigate the market conditions and sell the inventory on hand."

Yang Yun said with a smile: "Boss Yu is very patient! I remember that Boss Yu is in the textile business. How about the local market?"

When it comes to sales, Yu Chengli couldn't help but smiled wryly and said: "The local textile business in Zhoushan is highly competitive. It's really hard for a villain to compete with big merchants for such a small business with little profit, so I can only run to the countryside to try it out. Luck. But the effect is mediocre, so far, even half of the inventory has not been sold."

Yang Yun put away his smile and asked with a sincere expression: "Then I wonder if there is anything I can do to help Boss Yu?"

Yu Chengli felt that dealing with an official like Yang Yun was really comfortable. The other party had no airs of officialdom, and would take the initiative to ask the operator about the actual difficulties encountered, and said that he could help. Isn't this exactly the purpose of my visit to him? ?

Yu Chengli said: "The villain has traveled all over the towns on Zhoushan Island recently, and wants to visit other islands within the jurisdiction. I heard that there is a separate application procedure for this, so I would like to ask Master Yang if there is any convenience. A way to make the villain go as soon as possible?"

Yang Yun was silent for a moment and responded, "Is that the only requirement?"

Yu Chengli couldn't tell what Yang Yun meant, so he said cautiously: "If Master Yang thinks this is inappropriate, you might as well point out the way for the villain."

Yu Chengli thought that if Yang Yun wanted to ask for benefits, the price he could pay would not be too high. After all, it is already very difficult to make much money with the goods in stock, so if you lose less, you will win.Although he had already prepared in advance, if Yang Yun's asking price was too high, he might as well just discount the inventory to his local counterparts.

Then I heard Yang Yun say: "Boss Yu's request is not difficult. I will just issue you a permit, which will state the islands you can go to. If someone asks you, you just need to show this certificate."

Yu Chengli didn't expect Yang Yun to agree so readily, and quickly got up to thank him.Yang Yun motioned him to sit down, Dang even took a pen and paper, wrote a certificate of permission by hand, signed and stamped the seal of the Zhoushan Commercial Office, and handed it to Yu Chengli: "Look again, is there anything missing?"

Yu Chengli got up and took it with both hands, and carefully read the content written on it. Even the validity period was specially marked 30 days from today, which was indeed consistent with Yang Yun's description. Presumably, with this official document in hand, he can be free. In and out of the big islands of the Zhoushan Archipelago.

"Thank you, Master Yang, for your success!" Yu Chengli carefully put away the official document, then took out another envelope from his pocket, and presented it to Yang Yun's desk: "A little heart, please don't dislike it, Master Yang."

Yang Yun didn't reach for Yu Chengli's envelope, but motioned him to sit down first: "I just happen to have something else, I want to ask Boss Yu."

Yu Chengli didn't understand what it meant, but he knew that Yang Yun would not have any ill intentions towards him, so he sat back in his seat and waited for the other party to ask questions.

"Is Boss Yu familiar with the situation in Nagasaki Port?"

Yang Yun's question was completely beyond Yu Chengli's expectation, he was taken aback for a moment before recovering and replied: "I've been there a few times."

Yang Yun nodded and continued to ask: "Has Boss Yu had any trade activities in the local area before? Have you dealt with Nagasaki officials?"

Yu Chengli became more and more uncertain about Yang Yun's intentions, so he could only reply cautiously: "The villain's purpose in going to Nagasaki is only to deliver the goods, and he has no dealings with the government, nor has he done any detrimental actions to Haihan Kingdom. "

Yang Yun said with a smile: "Boss Yu misunderstood. I'm not here to investigate whether you have done anything unfavorable to our country. I just want to hear your views and opinions on the transnational trade activities in Nagasaki Port."

Yu Chengli thought to himself, could it be that the Haihan people think that hitting Hirado is not enough, and they also want to take away Nagasaki Port?As a result, Japan will no longer have a formal foreign trade port, and it may not be as convenient for foreign businessmen to do business with Japan in the future.

Yu Chengli believed that it was extremely unlikely that Yang Yun would only ask himself this kind of question, so he didn't dare to hide anything, and could only answer honestly according to what he knew: "In terms of the prosperity of Nagasaki Port, it is not as prosperous as the war. The former Hirado Port, but because Nagasaki Port is under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate, many businessmen are more optimistic about the future development of Nagasaki Port. In addition, in recent years, the shogunate has continuously revised the trade system, slowly changing the destination of Western merchants to Nagasaki, in order to strengthen the control of cross-border trade. To be honest, if this war did not break out, it is estimated that in a year or two, the villain will go to Nagasaki to open another shop."

(End of this chapter)