1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2235
"Li Nai, you're lucky today! Chef Fan heard that you're here, and even cooked a few big dishes himself. After talking about it, it turns out that it's not you, but us who are eating!" Later, Ning Qi joked to Li Nai at the banquet.

Li Nai responded with a smile: "Then I'll give Chef Fan a few more glasses of wine later!"

Fan Wei, who was in charge of the logistics and cooking work of the Time Travel Group back then, is now the big boss of several restaurant chains, with hundreds of disciples and grandchildren under his command.Naturally, he no longer needs to do the daily meals for the people in Victory Fort, and there are only a few special occasions where Fan Wei will make an exception and cook by himself.

The reason why Li Nai was able to receive such special treatment was mainly because he had organized a group of young people with cooking experience from Guangzhou at the request of Fan Wei in the early years, and sent them to Sanya to serve as his apprentices and helpers. , It can be said to have helped Fan Wei a lot.Fan Wei later developed his own industry, relying on the manpower provided by Li Nai, so he also has special gratitude to Li Nai.

In fact, there were quite a few travelers like Fan Wei who had private contacts with Li Nai. At that time, Furuifeng, as Haihan's main business partner in Guangdong, provided Haihan with various resources and also dealt with them by the way. There are many things that help these traversers privately.And these favors were naturally recorded on Li Nai who came to Sanya most frequently.

Therefore, every time Li Nai came to Sanya, the treatment he received was indeed far from that of ordinary foreign businessmen. After all, many high-level people in Haihan had long regarded Li Nai as one of their own.And this kind of special interpersonal relationship formed in a special period, I am afraid that it will be difficult for anyone to replicate it in the future.

Of course, this is not a big deal in Li Nai's view, he has long been used to getting along with these high-ranking Haihan officials in this way.He knows that although these people are extremely majestic on the outside and follow the law with their words, they are all normal people with emotions and desires in private. If there is something different, it is probably that these Haihan people are far behind in knowledge and intelligence. Super ordinary people, but this will not prevent me from interacting with them.

During the meeting, everyone in Haihan also took the initiative to ask about the current situation of Li Nai's family and Fu Ruifeng, and Li Nai answered them patiently.

Today, the scale and geographical scope of the industry operated by Freeform have far exceeded those of the past. Almost every month, some new industries will be launched overseas. Even Haihan, an important partner, may not understand the recent situation of Freeform. Development.And Li Nai also learned about Haihan's demand for overseas markets through such exchanges, so as to make adjustments to the management direction of the family business.

The two parties have cooperated for many years, and the tacit understanding between each other is already very high. Many cooperation projects do not even need to hold a meeting to discuss and study. They only need to discuss a few words in an informal occasion such as a dinner party to set the intention and framework, and then hand over the specific matters to each other. It's fine to go down and make arrangements.

Regarding the special cargo personally escorted by Li Nai this time, he also took the initiative to mention something, but he knew that these high-ranking Haihan officials would not care too much about these trivial matters, because even if Haihan did not impose any restrictions on these small actions of the Dutch, and The amount of steel that can be purchased from Daming is only a fraction compared to Changhua's production capacity, and it is not enough to pose a real threat to Haihan.

Haihan imposed restrictions on it, one is to allow Freedom to obtain some direct benefits while monitoring the Dutch trade situation in Guangdong for him, and the other is actually to put pressure on the Dutch in disguise to make them realize that they are His behavior is under the supervision of Haihan, so don't try to use any tricks.

Sure enough, after listening to Li Nai's explanation of his intention, Tao Donglai smiled and said, "You can take care of these things, as long as you don't miss the formalities when handing over the transfer. But the Dutch are probably more nervous than you, after all If they are found to have incomplete procedures, they will be completely cold!"

Li Nai responded: "When I came to Sanya at the beginning of the year, Su Keyi from the East India Company had mentioned to me in a veiled way that he hoped to have a wider cooperation with Furuifeng, so that the East India Company could use Furuifeng. Carried out trading activities in various shops. But I didn’t take this issue at the time, and when I handed over the goods to him today, he offered to invite me to dinner again, so I guess he will bring this up again.”

"It's a good idea!" Schneider heard it clearly from the side, and immediately tasted it: "Using your Freedom's store in the name of cooperation to carry out trade activities is to go around It's past the restrictions of our country... This Su Keyi has stayed in Sanya for a few years, and it's not in vain, he has learned a lot of strange things!"

It is not uncommon in Haihan to engage in joint ventures relying on a storehouse or other industries of a certain firm, but if it is the Dutch who intends to do this, the situation is a bit different.

Out of wariness against the East India Company, Haihan imposed many restrictions on the Dutch trade activities in the mainland coast area north of Abunna Island, especially limiting the area where they were allowed to carry out trade activities to Haihan There are various trading ports under its jurisdiction, with the exception of Dayuan Port on Taiwan Island.

In this way, most of the business activities of the Dutch in this area are under the direct supervision of Haihan, and they can adjust the supply and market price of certain commodities according to the development of the situation at any time, just like controlling the Dutch Purchasing steel products in Foshan is the same.

And Su Keyi's plan is obviously to try to bypass these restrictions and expand the trade freedom of the East India Company in these areas.If it succeeds, it is really possible to hide from the sky and avoid Haihan's surveillance.

"Su Keyi has been in Sanya for so long, how could he not know about the relationship between Fu Ruifeng and our country? He asked Li Nai to discuss this matter, so how can there be any possibility of keeping it secret?" Ning Qi raised a new question in puzzlement.

Schneider explained: "I think Su Keyi knows this, but he probably still thinks that money can make ghosts go round, and he wants to try to see if he can get this way. It's just that he miscalculated the relationship between Li Nai and us. Before reaching the step of proposing specific conditions, Li Nai had already exposed him!"

Li Nai smiled and said, "It's probably because I didn't have so many visits to Sanya in the past two or three years, which made him have an illusion! But even if I reject him, he may go to another company to lobby again. You must guard against it."

"Li Nai's reminder makes sense. Let's not forget that the Dutch are also very shrewd in doing business. They have experience in trading around the world, and they will definitely have many means..." Schneider paused at this point, then changed the subject Said: "Of course, we will also have targeted measures. I will arrange it later. First, the batch of goods that Li Nai sent this time will be withheld for two months, as a reminder to Su Keyi."

Haihan, who was in a strong position in the South China Sea, wanted to give the East India Company's overseas agencies some eye-salting, that was really an easy thing to do.If Su Keyi didn't figure out the taste from the punishment he received and tried to find other merchants to join forces, then Schneider would naturally use more serious methods.

"This time in Sanya, there is only one Su Keyi who plans to find you for dinner? You boy is not doing well now!" Tao Donglai jokingly changed the subject.

Li Nai replied: "Speaking of this matter, there is another person who wants to treat me to dinner, and even invited officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come to the port and wait for me."

"Who?"

"The Prince of Joseon." While Li Nai reported the answer, he was also observing the expressions of Ning Qi and Schneider. Since Tian Zheng from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted this matter, he felt that these two should know about it.

Sure enough, Ning Qi took over the conversation and said: "This son of the Joseon Dynasty seems to want to ask you something, Tian Zheng reported it, and I asked him to arrange it. It seems that Tian Zheng is very efficient in handling things, so I will contact you so soon pass."

"Please teach me?" Li Nai was a little confused when he heard Ning Qi's words, so he said, "I don't have anything to teach this prince, even if it is about business, there are famous teachers like President Shi in Sanya. Be a teacher to others!"

Schneider said with a smile: "You don't need to belittle yourself. I have taught you almost all the knowledge I can teach you. In terms of business skills, at least in Daming, there should not be many people who can be better than you."

Although Schneider and Li Nai did not have the names of masters and apprentices, they did teach him a lot of business knowledge. These things are different from Li Nai's family skills, and they are more theoretical knowledge of business and economics. There is really no semicolon in this era, which can only be learned under Schneider.

Based on the theoretical knowledge that Schneider imparted to Li Nai, if he could understand [-]% or [-]% of it, it would be enough for him to be a legend in the business world.However, Li Nai's interests are too complicated, and it is impossible to concentrate all his energy on doing business, so Schneider does not have much expectation for him to fully inherit his mantle.

In fact, Ning Qi probably knew why Li Nai wanted to meet Li Nai, but he didn't want to give Li Nai too many hints in advance, otherwise Li Nai might communicate with him too purposefully, and the effect might be counterproductive .Therefore, regarding Li Nai's doubts, he finally did not express any more opinions.

Li Nai finished his dinner in Fort Victory, and sat and chatted with the senior officials for a while, until these people all went home to rest, he got up to say goodbye.

The carriages of the senior Haihan officials returned to their residences under the escort of the private guards, and Li Nai also boarded his own carriage and returned to his private estate.

This manor is now idled much more than when it is inhabited. Usually, a few people have to be arranged here to clean, build plants, and maintain houses, but Li Nai is still very happy to spend money to maintain the daily operation of the place, so that every time he When you come to live in Sanya, you will really feel like going home.

Back at the manor, the housekeeper sent several invitations.Although Li Nai only arrived at Victory Port this afternoon, it is clear that someone with a heart has already received this information and has taken action quickly.

Li Nai flipped through it, and sure enough, there was an invitation card sent by the son of the Joseon Dynasty, inviting Li Nai to gather at the Qingfeng Building in the city at noon tomorrow.The time and place were previously set by Li Nai. Obviously, the information conveyed by Tian Zheng was very accurate. The only difference was that the host became the son of Joseon.

"Tomorrow, I will go to this appointment first. If there is a time conflict, I will return it for me first." Li Nai was exhausted from the boat and car, and had a little more dinner. If it is posted, it will be handed over to the housekeeper for processing.Although I don't know why the Prince of Korea asked me to meet him, but since Tian Zheng has already agreed, it's hard to refuse.

The next morning, when the sun was high, Li Nai woke up from his sleep, washed up and got ready, checked that it was almost time, and went out in a carriage.

After arriving outside the Qingfeng Building, Li Nai got out of the carriage, and the sharp-eyed Xiaoer at the door immediately greeted him: "The third young master has not been here for a while, please come inside!"

Li Nai smiled and said, "I'm here for a banquet today, is the host's home here?"

The little one replied: "It's here, third young master, please come with me!"

Xiaoer took Li Nai to a private room on the second floor, and sure enough, Tian Zheng and the son of the Joseon Dynasty, Li Yi, had already arrived.When they saw Li Nai, they got up together to greet him.

When Li Nai first came to Sanya for business, he had already met with Li Yan, so there was no need for Tian Zheng to introduce his identity.

After taking his seat, Li Yan took the initiative to say: "It's a bit presumptuous for me to ask Mr. Tian to invite Brother Li to meet on my behalf. Please don't blame Brother Li!"

Li Nai said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you are welcome. Usually, when someone invites me to dinner, I am very happy to go to the appointment. What's more, I am still the Majesty's host today, so I should bother you next time."

Seeing Li Nai's relaxed expression, he should have no resistance to this meeting, so he relaxed a little at the moment, and replied with a smile: "Brother Li can thank Mr. Tian, ​​if it wasn't for his help, it would be difficult for me to make an appointment so smoothly To Brother Li."

Tian Zheng quickly waved his hand and said, "Small things are nothing to worry about. Both of you are young talents. It's rare to have the opportunity to sit together and communicate. Of course, I'm happy to facilitate this matter."

Li Nai tested Ning Qi's attitude during the meeting yesterday, and confirmed that the meeting was indeed facilitated by the government.No matter what the real purpose of the son of Joseon is, Haihan officials should be happy to see it, and knowing the attitude of Haihan officials, Li Nai can better grasp the scale of conversations with the other party.

Although Li Yan is not very old, but his temper is very calm, he first greeted the two of them to the table, and then chatted with Li Nai about some current affairs and knowledge, and did not rush to get to the point.

After three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, everyone was a little bit tipsy, and then Li Yan began to introduce the topic: "After I came down to Haihan, I heard all kinds of rumors about Brother Li, and I was lucky enough to meet him in Sanya last time. , I admire Brother Li's talent so much, I have always wanted to find another opportunity to ask the teacher face to face, but Brother Li is busy with work, and I can't leave Sanya for the time being, so I can only invite you to meet him when Brother Li comes to Sanya .”

(End of this chapter)