1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 254
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Wang Qin lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and urged the bearer: "If you go late, you will have to wait for a while!"

The four bearers had no choice but to quicken their pace when they heard the words. Fortunately, the road from the east gate was very smooth, and they walked briskly.After leaving the east gate and walking forward for about a mile, you can see the house with blue tiles and high walls in front of you.After the sedan chair stopped at the gate, Wang Qin hurriedly got out of the sedan chair, and saw several sedan chair bearers parked outside the door, and a group of bearers were sitting at the base of the wall drinking water and chatting, knowing that he was still a bit late.

When Wang Qin walked to the gate, he saw two young men in black jackets standing on the left and right of the gate, so he stepped forward and handed over a post saying, "This is the representative of Huizhou Prefecture Haifeng, and I'm here to pay a visit to you." government."

One of the young people wrote a post and said: "Please wait a moment." After speaking, he took the greeting post and went back into the courtyard. After a while, he came out and asked Wang Qin to follow him in.

Wang Qin breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still not completely relieved, because he also came here once yesterday, but in the end he left because it was too late and worried that he would not be able to return to the city, but he failed to see the owner here.But today Wang Qin has already made up his mind, no matter what, he has to wait until the meeting with the other party.

Sure enough, after being brought into the hospital, Wang Qin did not see the Lord right away, but was taken to a side room to wait, where he saw several familiar faces.

"Boss Gao? It's a pleasure to meet you!" "This is not shopkeeper Zhang, your old man is here too?"

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats again.A servant brought tea and snacks to Wang Qin, and asked him to wait here patiently.

Wang Qin was not at all surprised to see several colleagues here.Since a few months ago, when Haihan goods began to appear on the Guangzhou market, merchants all over the city were looking for where these exquisite goods were trafficked. As the person in charge of Haifeng in Guangzhou, Wang Qin naturally No exception.However, the "Furuifeng" firm that sells Haihan goods has done a good job of keeping secrets. So many people have inquired for a month or two, and they only know that this batch of goods came from Qiongzhou, but who exactly came from it? They come from everywhere, but no one can explain clearly.

It wasn't until the "Haihan Bookstore" opened in Guangzhou a few days ago that the merchants knew that the owner had arrived in Guangzhou quietly, so many people began to take the initiative to visit the Guangzhou Office, seeking to buy those very popular in the market. Haihan goods are in short supply.However, these people’s door-to-door purchases seem to be not going smoothly. The Guangzhou Office released a message that "Furuifeng" is the only local agent of Haihan products. They do not intend to sell the same products in Guangzhou, but intend to Merchants who conduct trade with Haihan can go to a certain port on Qiongzhou Island to purchase by themselves.

Most of the businessmen who heard the news felt that the Haihan people had taken the wrong medicine. Now we are holding money and come to the door to buy. If you don’t sell it, forget it, and let us go to such a remote place as Qiongzhou Island to buy it?Who doesn't know that Qiongzhou Island is poor and white, and most of the residents on the island are barbarians of the Li nationality. How could it be possible to make such excellent glassware? These Haihan people must have some kind of conspiracy!Maybe their place is a den of pirates, waiting for the merchants in Guangzhou to fill their boats with silver and throw themselves into the trap!
As for this matter, "Fu Ruifeng", which has always maintained a close relationship with the Haihan people, responded silently and did not express its position on various speculations in the market.It is indeed embarrassing to evaluate this matter from the perspective of "Furuifeng". On the one hand, they do not want other merchants to become distributors of Haihan to share the market they currently dominate; It is very clear that the Haihan people will never allow the current monopoly situation to continue for a long time, and the distribution strategy of the Haihan people is bound to bring prosperity to Shengli Port, which actually has many benefits for "Furuifeng"— —Otherwise, they wouldn't rush to invest in the Victory Port enclosure.

However, the silence of "Fu Ruifeng" was regarded by the outside world as a manifestation of a guilty conscience, so except for a few boldly decided to go to the South China Sea to find out what happened, most of the business houses still maintained their views on the Haihan people. Take a wait-and-see attitude and wait for the development of the situation.

It wasn't until a few days ago, after these merchant ships returned from Qiongzhou Island, that the business situation in the Guangzhou market was suddenly detonated.These merchants who organized a group to go south this time have more or less purchased some Haihan goods, the limited-edition glass stationery set called "annual out-of-print", and its value has doubled by a thousand at the same time as it appeared. two.So everyone knew that there really was such an undiscovered treasure on Qiongzhou Island, and those who were hesitant at the beginning beat their chests, regretting that they should not be so timid, and missed this wave of market as a result.

Then these businessmen who went south broke the news, claiming that the local ports were exempted from all taxes, and maritime merchants did not need to pay additional "road money" in various names to obtain the qualifications for entering the port.

As soon as the news came out, the big merchants couldn't sit still.The taxes they pay to the Shibo Department every year range from a few thousand taels to tens of thousands of taels. Now that a port that does not collect taxes suddenly appears, this temptation is simply irresistible.Although this port is a little far from Guangzhou, even if the shipping fee is included, it is more cost-effective than paying taxes to the Shibo Department.What's more, the Haihan people also have a lot of supplies to purchase from the mainland, and it is also a very cost-effective business to directly transport the supplies they need to sell.

As a result, the Guangzhou Office immediately became the focus of attention of the business community in Guangzhou again. Businessmen from all walks of life came to visit, either to inquire about the specific location of Shengli Port, or to hope to join the next southward fleet. Fenghao" is also one of them.

As an out-of-town merchant, it is difficult for merchants like "Haifenghao" to grab the in-demand products in the Guangzhou market in the first place. The number of Haihan products on sale has always been extremely limited. Haihan's products are not even as many as the exhibits displayed in the "Furuifeng" firm.And several big families in Huizhou Prefecture have already said hello to "Haifeng Hao": as long as they can get the Haihan products that are hot in the Guangzhou market, the price is not a problem.

Of course Wang Qin wanted to, but he had been suffering from not being able to find a source of goods. After coming to Guangzhou this time, he happened to hear about the Haihan port.He heard that Haihan people have a habit of doing business. They often only find one merchant as an agent in a certain area. If you are overtaken by other Huizhou counterparts, then it is really too late to regret.

Wang Qin saw that these people were all local merchants in Guangzhou, and his heart calmed down a little, and he took the initiative to say: "I thought I would be at the front of the queue when I waited to open the city gate this morning. I didn't expect all the bearers The footsteps are so fast, and it has arrived early."

Boss Gao said: "Shopkeeper Zhang and I both rested in Zhuangzi outside the city last night. We came here just after dawn today. Although it was earlier than you, there was even earlier before us."

Wang Qin was surprised and said: "Then don't you know that it's already here before dawn? I wonder which shopkeeper is so eager?"

"It's not just one, it's two." Shopkeeper Zhang took over the conversation and said, "Have you heard of Chenghai Branch in Chaozhou Prefecture? It is said that shopkeeper Liu Da of Chenghai Branch came from Chaozhou in person, and he rested here last night. This morning Let's get on with business."

"It turned out to be Chenghai Bank!" Wang Qin nodded silently. This firm is also one of the largest firms in Guangdong Province. It is based in Chaozhou Prefecture, and its scale is comparable to the local "Furuifeng" in Guangzhou.

"I wonder if there is another family?" Wang Qin couldn't help asking, seeing that shopkeeper Zhang didn't continue to talk.

"There is another one..." Shopkeeper Zhang lowered his voice and said, "It is said that they are from the government office, most likely they came to ask for this..."

Shopkeeper Zhang pinched the circle with his index finger and thumb. Wang Qin understood that this gesture meant copper coins, so he nodded knowingly and did not continue to ask further questions.With the popularity of Haihan products in the market, the local government will naturally not ignore the existence of the Guangzhou Office.The Haihan people have no other direct sales channels except a bookstore in the local area. All the products are handed over to other merchants for sale. The local government can't even collect taxes from the Haihan people. This phenomenon must be Unreasonable——Wang Qin suddenly thought that the Haihan people insisted on letting mainland merchants go to their ports to buy goods. Could it be that there is also a reason for avoiding tax collection by the local government?
But regardless of whether the Haihan people pay taxes or not, everyone knows that they have money in their pockets, and the only people who can easily get money out of the Haihan people's pockets are the local government.Even if there is no tax, there will still be "voluntary" donations in various names, such as repairing bridges and roads, digging rivers and embankments, suppressing bandits and providing disaster relief. The government will always have many reasons for local gentry to donate money. It is already the norm.As long as you pledge to donate, then hello, me, hello, everyone, if anyone refuses, the government will naturally have a hundred ways to slowly repair the thorn.

Wang Qin sat down with a cup of tea and hadn't finished drinking it. Representatives from three commercial firms came in succession. Some were from Guangzhou, and some came from other places like Wang Qin.All the merchants waited for nothing to happen, and began to exchange business information from various places.Of course, the theme is still Haihan products that everyone is most concerned about.

Now Haihan products have gained a certain reputation in Guangzhou Province, and a very small amount of glass stationery and silver mirrors have flowed into Jiangsu and Zhejiang.Since the supply of Haihan products has always been very small, the prices of these in-demand products in other places far exceed those in Guangzhou. The farther away from Guangzhou, the higher the price.For example, the lowest-grade white glass Haihan writing brush can be bought in Guangzhou for only one or two to one or five renminbi silver, but in the neighboring Huizhou Prefecture, the price doubles, while in Lianzhou Prefecture, which is far away from Guangzhou, It has already been sold for five taels of silver, which is a sky-high price compared to Guangzhou.As for Haihan silver mirrors with a lower output, the regional price gap is even greater than that of stationery. The few merchants who bought silver mirrors in Shengli Port last time did not sell the goods in Guangzhou, but directly transferred them. Other state capitals, in order to seek higher selling prices.

It was almost noon when Wang Qin's stomach was almost filled with tea and snacks, and it was finally his turn to meet.However, this period of time was not difficult for Wang Qin. Not only did he learn about the business conditions of various places through the introduction of other businesses, but he also got to know the "sanitary ware" system that Haihan people are promoting.I have to say that this set of furniture is very much in Wang Qin's heart. If the price is not too expensive, Wang Qin would have the urge to buy a set immediately.

Under the leadership of the servants, Wang Qin came to the living room in the second courtyard, where he finally met the owners—Schneider and He Xi, the first and second leaders of the Guangzhou Office.

These two people have been very busy these days. The various visitors they have to meet every day are lined up from dawn to dark, and they don't know how many times they drool.Moreover, these visitors are also of all kinds, and the purpose of visiting the door is all kinds of surprises, which often make the two of them dumbfounded.Those sent by the state government to beat the autumn wind are easy to deal with, they just buy some money for quietness.For example, those who came to learn glass manufacturing technology, those who came to discuss with them the advantages and disadvantages of Shengli Port and Guangzhou Port, and those who sold rural fields to them, all kinds of mess.What's more, a Taoist priest in disguise came yesterday, and when he entered the door, he said that the seal of the two of them was black, and there must be disasters in the near future. He and Xiao Liang were kicked out.

According to the early operation method of the Guangzhou Office, this kind of meeting and negotiation can usually be handled by one person. When there are many people, Schneider and He Xi can even meet the visitors separately.But after the arrival of the second echelon, the daily operation of the Guangzhou Office also began to be standardized. One of the rules is that two or more people must be present when meeting with visitors. In principle, individual meetings are not allowed. Only He Xi, because of the nature of her work, does not have to abide by this rule under special circumstances.

The Executive Committee added such a regulation to units stationed abroad to prevent changes in the hearts of units stationed abroad when they are far away from the base camp.All the resources here in the base camp are under the control of the executive committee. Everyone has a plan for how much they eat and use. Even if someone is corrupt, there is actually no additional benefit that can be enjoyed—even "Fu Ruifeng" "The brothel opened in Shengli Harbor is also based on the special bills issued by the Executive Committee to enter the venue. It is a dream to want to prostitute more times with more circulation coupons in hand.

Shengli Port can implement a strict planned economy, but the units stationed abroad are definitely not able to do so, especially if the Guangzhou Office is far away from the base camp and is located in the [-]th-century fancy world of Guangzhou, and it has a lot of interests with all walks of life in the local area. Communication, in fact, can easily lead to uncontrollable situations.You must know that these traversers are not resolute revolutionaries. Under all kinds of external temptations, I am afraid that quite a few people may not be able to maintain their integrity.That's why the executive committee has added a number of management regulations to units stationed abroad to ensure that the possibility of personnel stationed abroad being corrupted and bought by the outside world is minimized.

Although difficult to enforce, rules are rules.Yu Yao and Xiao Liang in the second echelon, in addition to being responsible for the safety and security missions of the personnel stationed in the Guangzhou Office, part of their tasks are internal, that is, to supervise the implementation of the management regulations of the units stationed abroad.Those who are unwilling to do so will certainly not be arrested and sent to labor camps, but they will definitely be transferred back to the base camp, and will be recorded in the small blacklist of the Executive Committee from then on.Schneider and He Xi, who are well aware of the power of it, have also changed from their past freedom and laxity, and started to set an example of obeying the law.

However, in this way, the speed of receiving visitors will be much slower, so in the past few days the Guangzhou Office has been crowded with people.Schneider seized the time to take a sip of water, and then quickly started a meeting with Wang Qin.

Although it was the first time for Wang Qin to deal with the Haihan people face to face, he had heard many rumors about the Haihan people before, and he also knew that they like to get straight to the point when discussing things, so he directly explained the purpose of his visit: one is to He asked the Guangzhou Office to buy Haihan products, and the other wanted to send a ship to Yazhou Shengli Port.

Schneider said: "Boss Wang doesn't know something. Our Guangzhou Office only talks about business, and doesn't sell products directly. If Boss Wang has any goods he wants to buy, he can place an order with us, and then ship it to Shengli Port by himself. .”

Wang Qin hesitated and said: "But I heard that your goods are extremely limited. I placed an order here. If there is no goods in Shengli Port, wouldn't it be a waste of time?"

"You can rest assured that the orders we place here are spot goods, not futures. In other words, there are already real goods in the warehouse at Victory Port, so you can place an order with us, and we will never make goods Sell ​​two, and within twelve hours after you arrive at Victory Port, you can complete the delivery and loading procedures, and the situation you are worried about will not occur." Schneider explained patiently.

Wang Qin was moved when he heard it, and asked again: "Then how will the payment be paid to you?"

Schneider smiled and said: "If you want to pay in one go now, it is definitely impossible. You only need to pay us a deposit of 30% of the total order amount, and the rest will be paid when you pick up the goods at Victory Port. Of course , Boss Wang also knows that our goods are in short supply, so the delivery period after paying the deposit is only 30 days, if the goods are not picked up at the port within [-] days, then we have the right to sell the goods to other merchants."

"What about the deposit if you fail to pick up the goods at the port after the delivery date?" Wang Qin asked nervously after hearing this.After all, it is going to the sea to eat, no one can say whether there will be accidents on the sea, if there is a problem with the ship, it may exceed the delivery period mentioned by the Haihan people.

"If you are willing to continue ordering, the deposit is still valid. If you do not want to continue ordering, then half of the deposit will be refunded. This is also to prevent malicious ordering. I believe that Boss Wang can understand our difficulties." Schneider explained without leaking.

(End of this chapter)