1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 242 Promotional Means of the Guangzhou Office
Wei Ping knew that this was probably the last chance the Haihan people gave him. If he missed this village, he would really lose his use value. With the current speed of development of the Haihan people, in one or two years, they might lose their value. The existence of the shield of the Yulin Inspection Department is no longer needed.After this matter is done, it will be much easier in the future. With Luo Shengdong in front of him, Wei Ping guesses that he can be qualified as an "agent" at the worst. Personal freedom will be restricted again by the Haihan people.

But if this matter is not done according to the requirements of the Haihan people, then the best result for me in the future is to be imprisoned in the Yulin Inspection Department until I leave my job, or until the Haihan people no longer need the inspection department.Comparing the two sides, Wei Ping already knew what to do.

Neither Ren Liang nor the executive committee took Wei Ping's role too seriously.The time-traveling group's encroachment on Yazhou is already in progress, no matter whether Luo Shengdong's father-in-law can be pushed to the position of Zhizhou in the end, this trend will not change.Even if it fails to achieve this goal, it is nothing more than spending some more hands and feet in the future, and it will not affect the expansion plan of the time travel group.

On that afternoon, Li Nai and Wei Ping witnessed the arrival of the largest wave of overseas immigrants since the opening of Shengli Port.Five sea-going ships of [-] materials sailed into the harbor one after another, and each ship contained hundreds of immigrants.These people were the first batch of "legal immigrants" brought back in large numbers from the Tu Son Peninsula in North Vietnam after the Crossing Group reached an agreement with the North Vietnamese regime.

There were more than 500 immigrants in this group, of which nearly 100 were South Vietnamese soldiers or civilians captured in the war, more than [-] were severe prisoners raised from the prison of Thang Long Mansion, and the remaining few were Zheng He was recruited from war refugees near Thang Long Mansion.For Zheng, this kind of population-for-arms transaction is very cost-effective in the short term. North Vietnam has a large number of prisoners of war, prisoners and tens of thousands of war refugees to deal with, and those in power are not willing to take out food to send these Instead of letting these people stay in Annan and become a security risk, it is better to give them to the Haihan people who are in urgent need of population in exchange for Haihan products, especially long-term discounts and stable supplies of arms.As for the overall quality of these immigrants, they were basically young and strong, and the North Vietnamese side showed no signs of mixing the old, weak, sick and disabled among them.

Li Nai and Wei Ping were amazed to see so many young and strong coming ashore from the boat.They also know that there has always been a relatively large labor gap for the Haihan people, but the number of immigrants in Victory Port has been maintaining a slow pace of importing hundreds of people per month, and when they come, they are all scattered. , at most one or two hundred people, never seen such a large scale.

Li Nai was puzzled and said, "Brother Wei has lived in Shengli Port for a long time, have you ever seen this situation before?"

Wei Ping shook his head again and again and said, "This is the first time I've seen them transport so many people back at once! No wonder they've been rushing to build houses at the foot of the mountain to the west this month. It turned out that it was to receive these people."

In order to receive this group of immigrants, the civil affairs department has already started making preparations since Tao Donglai returned to Shengli Port.During the 20-plus days in the middle, the size of the original immigration isolation area has been more than doubled. Currently, 200 people can be accommodated in the isolation area at the same time, which can basically meet the monthly immigration of between [-] and [-]. input volume.

After the new immigrants disembarked, they were gathered in units of a hundred people to sit on the open space of the pier, surrounded by a large number of security guards and militiamen mobilized in advance.Since there were a large number of prisoners of war and criminals in this group of immigrants, the executive committee also paid special attention to the security issues they might cause, and specially deployed heavy troops to the dock to maintain order.The Military and Police Department has also been authorized in advance. If some of the new immigrants take the lead in causing trouble, the Military and Police Department has the right to take any on-site measures that will help calm the situation—for example, directly shoot a few disobedient thorns to make an example of others.

But in fact, the situation that the military and police departments were worried about did not appear. The new immigrants generally behaved very obediently, which probably has something to do with the Haihan policy they accepted during the voyage.For the immigrants brought back this time, the civil affairs department also specially recruited a group of Vietnamese naturalized people who had performed well before, and asked them to act as propagandists on the ship that transported immigrants to Vietnam this time. On the way, they will know what kind of place their destination is, and what rules they need to abide by in order to live well after arriving here.

Most of these immigrants are prisoners of war and criminals, and it is precisely because of this that they value the life they have gained from crossing the ocean.If they hadn't come here, most of them would have been executed in the end, and their heads would be hung on the gate of Shenglong Mansion to show off their martial arts or deter the public.

Of course, even if these people came to Port Victory, it didn't mean that their lives were relieved.In fact, quite a few of them will be sent to Tiandu Iron Mine for mining. Basically, they will be assigned directly to the establishment of labor camps—the current labor reform personnel are all concentrated in Tiandu Iron Mine to facilitate monitoring and management.After working in the mine for three years, these people have the opportunity to obtain the status of naturalized people, but this depends on whether they are in good enough health to survive these three years.

According to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Military and Police in October, since the establishment of the labor camp for half a year, a total of more than 10 people have been imprisoned and punished for labor reform. Among them, more than 70 people were released because of good behavior or serving their sentences, but failed to make it through. The number of people who died in labor camps due to high-intensity labor has remained at double digits every month, and more than [-] people have died before and after.That is to say, among the four prisoners who were taken into the labor camp, there was one unlucky guy who would not survive the day when he regained his freedom. As for Gao Qiaonan, who was born in a labor camp and could make a name for himself, it was even rarer.

The arrival of this batch of immigrants has supplemented the establishment of the labor camps, and it just shows the forward-looking vision of the military and police department in advance to request the expansion of military strength-if we don't train a group of militiamen, how can we guard them? Hundreds of hard labor came out?
However, some of these people will be lucky enough to escape the hard labor in the labor camp. The civil affairs department will screen these prisoners of war and prisoners, and select those with skills among them, such as craftsmen, sailors, grooms, etc. These people will They are assigned to various counterpart units to perform hard labor, and the time it takes for them to obtain the status of naturalized citizens will be much shorter than that of their friends in labor camps. As long as they do not make serious mistakes within three months, they will be considered to have passed the test. Having meritorious service will further shorten this time.

And a small number of refugees will be assigned to the newly built Iron Furnace Harbor after the short isolation observation period ends.The Executive Committee intends to centralize the resettlement of North Vietnamese immigrants there, in order to reduce the social turmoil that the arrival of a large number of North Vietnamese immigrants may cause to Victory Port.The first phase of the development of Iron Hearth Port will require thousands of laborers to settle in the area. After the first phase is completed, the executive committee will also plan to gradually develop the vast coastal plain between the north of Iron Hearth Port and Lingshui, and then settle more North Vietnamese Immigration will not be a problem either.

On the same day, the "Haihan Bookstore" opened by the Guangzhou Office in Guangzhou also officially opened for business.This bookstore was opened under He Xi's initiative, with the purpose of preparing for the future cultural export to Ming Dynasty. For this reason, the Guangzhou Office paid another 1000 taels of silver and bought a small yard in Guangzhou City.

Of course, since the current Tiandu Paper Mill is still in the stage of technological exploration mainly for the manufacture of toilet paper, the Transit Group itself does not yet have the ability to print and publish, and it is unlikely that it will publish its own books in the short term. Not for the purpose of profit, the books displayed in the store are also a subset of various classics and histories circulating in the Ming Dynasty.As an important partner of Time Travel Group, "Furuifeng" also sent several sets of hardcover engraving books purchased from Jiangsu and Zhejiang as congratulatory gifts to the bookstore on this day.

Compared with other counterparts in Guangzhou, "Haihan Bookstore" also has its own characteristics. The books in the store are not just for sale. Customers can borrow them for free in the store, which is more similar to the nature of a small library. .With Schneider, a business prodigy, in charge of the operation, hype is naturally not a problem.A week before the opening, the whole city of Guangzhou was already rumored that the backstage owner of this bookstore is the most popular supplier of glass stationery in Guangzhou city today. Businessmen from all walks of life looking for sources of goods also sent people to find out.

Regarding this way of hype, "Fu Ruifeng" has also expressed dissatisfaction, because according to the agreement between the two parties, "Fu Ruifeng" is the only agent of Haihan glass products in Guangdong and Guangxi, although this qualification is time-limited , but there is also a stipulation in the agreement that Haihan cannot directly sell glass products to other businessmen in the mainland.

It can be seen that when Li Nai signed the agreement, the talkers of the executive committee took advantage of the loopholes-although Haihan people cannot directly sell goods to third parties in the mainland, if the third party goes to Shengli Port to purchase by itself, they will It is not included in this restriction, and this is exactly one of the publicity goals that the Guangzhou Office wants to achieve.As long as these merchants are told where to buy goods, they will naturally send ships to Victory Port for transactions under the trend of interest, and this will also promote the reputation of Victory Port's free port to be known more quickly and widely.

For Schneider's explanation, even the old fox Li Jifeng could only knock out his teeth and swallow it. Who told him to send an inexperienced third child to Shengli Port to discuss business?Fortunately, "Furuifeng" has already received the most favorable treatment from Haihan. At least in the future, the purchase cost will not be higher than that of any competitor.Moreover, Schneider also said that the existing agent products of "Furuifeng" still enjoy exclusive agency rights. Even if Haihan wants to sell to others, it will not sell them in Guangzhou, and it will never sell exactly the same things. Appease the "Fu Ruifeng" side.

According to the prior agreement, the Guangzhou Office will not sell those exclusive products that make Guangzhou businessmen jealous at "Haihan Bookstore", but this does not prevent Schneider from using this to do a big publicity campaign, and by the way teach "Fu Ruifeng" "Good things don't necessarily need to be sold directly for cash to generate income.On the walls on both sides of the door of the bookstore, there are a large series of notices, all about the activities during the opening period.

The so-called activity is simply two words - lottery draw.This kind of trick that has been played by various merchants in later generations is still relatively new in this era, and the prizes are indeed attractive, not only the popular matches, soap, glass stationery, etc., but also the first prize. Even a five-inch Haihan silver mirror that is hard to find on the market!
Of course, not everyone is eligible to participate in this kind of lottery - spend first, then draw, the more you spend, the higher the prize level you can get.You can participate in the lottery by spending one tael at the bookstore. There is at least a box of matches as a commemorative prize in every case. If you want to draw Haihan stationery, you need five taels to start. The amount is 50 taels to start.All the prizes are piled up behind the settlement counter, and the accounts are settled on the spot and the lottery is drawn on the spot, which looks very attractive.

At first, the spectators were just watching from the sidelines, but when someone actually pulled out a note saying "Hainan Glass Stationery Set" from the box and received the real thing, the spectators couldn't restrain themselves any longer—the notice says But it is clearly stated that the number of prizes is limited, and they will only be drawn while stocks last!Although the price of the books sold in the bookstore is 15% higher than that of the counterparts in Guangzhou City, this still cannot stop the consumption enthusiasm of many spectators, who flock to the store and start to choose books. luck.

Although the scene was a bit smoky, it has to be said that the effect of this promotion method was astonishingly good.Within two hours of opening the store, [-]% of the various books prepared in the store had been sold out, and some people who couldn't buy the books they wanted would buy some books that were not in the plan for the lucky draw.There are also some people who bought the books at the beginning and didn't get the prizes. After returning home, they couldn't think about it, so they came back to buy the books and continue to draw. The steward sent by "Fu Ruifeng" to watch the ceremony was stunned in the yard. It turns out that the business of the bookstore can still be done like this.

Schneider and He Xi were sitting in the middle, grinning from ear to ear. When He Xi proposed to start a bookstore, everyone in the Guangzhou Office thought it was a loss-making business, because they did not have the ability to print and publish. Books must be purchased from outside, and there is no cost advantage at all, but Schneider alone believes that this business will not lose money, but will bring more business opportunities to the Guangzhou Office, and the facts have also proved Schneider's unique vision .

"When the tent is set up at night, it must be profitable, right?" He Xi said with a smile.Although he doesn't know the purchase cost of these books, he knows that Schneider has increased the price by 15%. Just this part of the increase has far exceeded the value of the lottery prize.

Schneider crossed his legs and said triumphantly: "I have already figured this out. If I want to draw all the prizes, at least 1000% of the books in the store must be sold. According to the current situation, if I don't draw all the prizes, these people I’m afraid they won’t leave the store. Excluding the purchase cost, we can earn at least [-] taels today. We’ve held lucky draws for three consecutive days after opening, and we’ll be able to earn back all the investment in the bookstore and still have some left over.”

"Boss Shi, you're really good at counting!" He Xi fiddled with a lot of posts on the table: "Not only has it attracted the attention of all the literati in Guangzhou, but also so many merchants have come to make appointments, which is more than before. Our door-to-door visits worked much better."

Schneider nodded and said: "After going out for a few closed doors in the first few days, I felt that visiting at home was not the way, and I still had to rely on publicity. Look, now these people have come to the door by themselves, and 'Fu Ruifeng’s side has nothing to say, and this is the initial opening of the situation.”

"However, this bookstore can't do this for a long time, otherwise it will become a casino. After these few days, we still have to find ways to start cultural undertakings. This is a task that the executive committee has emphasized." He Xi was not rushed by Shengli Dizzy, he quickly returned his attention to the business.

"Don't worry, I've thought about it a long time ago." Schneider took a sip from the teacup, and said slowly: "In this era, the literati of the Ming Dynasty are ashamed to talk about profit and value their reputation even more. Although our lottery activity can attract It is popular for a while, but in fact, many of the people who came here today are just to join in the fun. This way of doing things is definitely not a long-term solution. From next month, we will hold a poetry meeting in Guangzhou, as the exclusive sponsor, and take some money to invite a few people If the local literary figures are the judges, and a few sets of high-end stationery are presented as prizes, are you afraid that the local literati will not flock to it?"

"As long as you spend more money, you will definitely be able to win a few spokespersons." He Xi basically understood his purpose after hearing what Schneider said.

"It's not urgent. Cultural output is a long-term job, and there is no rush." ​​Schneider also began to flip through various posts on the table: "Suddenly there are so many choices, it's really nerve-wracking!"

He Xi found a post and said: "This seems to be a bit tricky, why don't we meet first?"

Schneider took it over and saw that it was a greeting card from a company called "Yongfeng Cloth".This cloth shop is well-known in Guangzhou, and it is not a local merchant. According to Schneider's understanding, the foundation of this cloth shop should be in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, and Guangzhou is just a semicolon.Schneider visited once at the beginning of the month, but the shopkeeper of the other party was not in the store at that time, and no substantive contact was made.Unexpectedly, half a month later, the cloth shop came to the door by itself.

"Isn't the executive committee looking for a source of canvas? I think we can get in touch with the cloth dealer, at least to understand the market." He Xi continued to persuade.

(End of this chapter)