1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 776 Agreed Details
To set up a newspaper office in Guangzhou, there are still many bits and pieces that need to be dealt with one by one, and the two of them cannot finalize all the details in a short time.Therefore, even if Ning Qi verbally agreed to Li Nai's proposal, it is only a rough consensus of intention.Next, Ning Qi has to report this matter to the executive committee, and then coordinate with relevant agencies, and deploy personnel to Guangzhou to prepare for the implementation of this project.In addition, the equipment, equipment, paper ink and other materials required for printing newspapers probably have to be transported from Sanya, and there are many departments that need to make overall arrangements.

Li Nai went to visit Victory Fort again the next day, but was told that the senior officials of the executive committee were having a meeting behind closed doors, and no one would be there.After asking the familiar staff, they said that the relevant meeting agenda would probably take two or three days to complete. Although Li Nai was eager to know Haihan's attitude towards the development of Dayuan Island, he had no way of urging Haihan, so he could only Continue to wait patiently for news.

Three days later, Schneider finally sent someone to inform Li Nai to go to Victory Fort for an interview.

"The two things you mentioned this time have been approved in principle by the Executive Committee." After the meeting, Schneider gave Li Nai good news: "It can be implemented as soon as next month."

"Then what preparations do I need to make here?" The unconcealable joy on Li Nai's face showed his current mood.If these two things can be implemented, it will definitely greatly promote the future development of the Li family.In particular, being able to step on the springboard of Dayuan Island will be of great help to the Li family in expanding their business to the north in the future, and there is no need to worry about the near-monopoly management of the channel in the Straits by the counterparts in Fujian.

"Let's talk about the arrangement of the newspaper office first." Schneider replied: "It is best to place the newspaper office outside the city, close to our Guangzhou Office. As for the place, a courtyard with three entrances is almost enough in the early stage. , as the editorial department in the middle, and the printing workshop and warehouse in the courtyard at the end. You have a lot of connections on the ground in Guangzhou, so spend a little time to organize and settle the venue, and we will send people and materials there as soon as possible.”

"It's easy to handle. I'll send a telegram later, asking my family to get things done about the venue as soon as possible." Li Nai replied confidently, "It will take seven days at most to finalize this matter."

At present, Fort Victory has opened up to a very small number of partners to provide paid telegram services. The information to be conveyed can be transmitted to the Haihan Office in Guangzhou through the radio, and then the Guangzhou Office will send people to the door to deliver it to the recipients.Of course, the charges for this communication method, which is regarded as "immortal art" in the eyes of outsiders, are also quite considerable. The content of each word of the telegram requires two seas of Chinese yuan, which is equivalent to two taels of official silver. The average monthly income of ordinary Guangzhou citizens.

Don't think the price is too expensive, because ordinary people are not eligible to enjoy this kind of high-end service even if they have money, and those who are able to use it don't particularly care about this small amount of money.After all, the voyage from Sanya to Guangzhou takes several days, and the efficiency of information transmission is extremely slow, but Haihan's wireless telegraph service can deliver the information within half a day. To put it bluntly, spending a few hundred taels of silver can save several days of time, and this deal is simply a bargain.

"In addition to the venue, we also need to recruit a group of people from Guangzhou." Schneider carefully explained to Li Nai: "The people we send here are mainly responsible for collecting and editing news, organizing printing and distribution, but specifically doing typesetting and printing. , It is more convenient to recruit people from the local area to sell these physical laborers.”

"That's okay." Li Nai nodded and said, "Lijiazhuang Academy has been running literacy classes for the past few years, and there are more people who can read. It's safer to use your own people."

"I heard from Ning Qi that you guys will come forward to manage the relationship in the officialdom. You are more professional than me in this area, so I won't play tricks." Schneider laughed.

Li Nai repeatedly waved his hands and said, "Boss Shi's words really annoy me. I have learned all my tricks from the leaders of Haihan."

Li Nai's words are really not deliberately modest. When he first came into contact with the Haihan people a few years ago, he was still a half-baked businessman who had just abandoned literature and started a business. He was also ignorant of things about the world and interests.But later, I often hang out in Guangzhou Office, and I am very familiar with Schneider, He Xi, Maliko, etc., and these people are all veterans who have worked hard in the shopping malls, officialdom and society for many years, and various fancy routines emerge in endlessly. They have been together for a long time, so naturally they have learned a lot, and gradually learned a lot of methods.

Schneider said sternly: "Director Malikoma, who is in charge of Guangdong affairs now, is an old acquaintance with you. Although he is not from a background in propaganda, he is still relatively stable in policy matters. If there is anything wrong with the operation of the newspaper, Where you understand, you can also ask him for advice nearby.”

Li Nai responded, "I've put this matter in my mind. When I get back to Guangzhou, the first thing I will do is send a message to Director Ma to invite him to dinner."

Schneider smiled, and changed the subject: "Let's talk about running the newspaper first, and then talk about Taiwan. Well, Dayuan Island has always been marked as Taiwan on our map, and you know that."

"I know, I know, in fact, the name is not important, the key is who owns the place." Li Nai replied with a smile.

Lin Nai's words are quite essential. The first Western colonists who arrived on Taiwan Island called it Formosa, which means "beautiful island".But Ming Dynasty, which faces each other across the sea, did not use this name. The folks called the northern part of Taiwan Island "Chicken Coop", the west coast "Beigang", and the southern part "Dayuan", "Taiwanese", "Taiwowan", etc. etc. Officials also refer to it as "Taiwan" or "Dongfan".But it was actually during the Qing Dynasty that the mainland regime took over the island and officially named it "Taiwan".In the current period, there is no official or private name for this big island across the sea from Fujian.

Li Nai has done so much homework on Taiwan Island, so he naturally knows that the Haihan people's name for this place is different from the more common public perception, just like they call Qiongzhou Island Hainan Island.However, Haihan people's changes to place names are often carried out simultaneously with the expansion of their control area, and they will only rename the area that has been or is being brought under their control.As for the naming of places by the Westerners, probably only they themselves will use them, and the Haihan people will definitely not buy it.When the Haihan people take over the actual control of Taiwan Island in the future, they will call it Taiwan or Taiwan, which is a matter of an official document issued by the Executive Committee.

"You are one of my own, and I will not deliberately hide some situations from you, but you also know our confidentiality system, so it is best not to spread the news you hear from me. After all, it involves future investment. Planning, you also know that spreading the word won't do your family any good." Schneider slowed down his speech, so that Li Nai could have enough time to digest the meaning of his words.

Li Nai naturally understood, and nodded repeatedly: "I understand the rules, President Shi can rest assured. Even if it's for future business, I will definitely keep my mouth shut."

Schneider nodded, stood up and walked to the rear wall. On the wall was a large map of two meters by two meters. The upper right corner of the map was where Taiwan Island was located.

"The west coast of Taiwan Island is basically a coastal plain, and there are not many natural ports. We have already visited several alternative locations in the previous investigation, and we have basically finalized the first choice." Schneider's finger is in the The coastline of Tainan was poked, but the specific location was not pointed out.However, Li Nai was very interested in not asking for such details. Since Schneider is now willing to talk about the local development plan in detail, it is only a matter of time before he gets specific information.

"When we landed on Taiwan Island, the biggest scruples were the Dutch. But before that, we had already dealt with the Dutch and told them to shut up and not interfere with our colonial plan." Schneider said proudly: "As long as the Dutch If we don’t come out to get in the way, we will send immigrants to the local area and build preliminary projects, so there won’t be too many problems.”

"Why don't you just drive them away? Letting the Dutch stay there won't be good for your future plans, right?" Li Nai asked puzzledly, but seeing Schneider's smile and silence, Li Nai suddenly woke up Lai: "No! With your shrewdness, how could you only ask the Dutch to keep their hands off? I'm afraid there must be some kind of dirty deal hidden behind this!"

"What is a dirty deal! Don't talk about the slang you learned from He Xi all day long." Schneider replied with a smile: "It's actually nothing, but the Dutch are willing to trade people in exchange for It’s just a period of peace.”

"Using immigrants to buy peace?" Li Nai immediately understood Schneider's meaning: "They have sensed the pulse, knowing that there has always been a gap in your population demand. But where do they get people for you? 2000 people?"

"Introduce immigrants from Japan and North Korea. The Dutch have their own channels. Since they are willing to make such a condition, let's see how it is implemented. If they can only talk about it, they can't meet the promised conditions. , then it will not be too late to consider the plan of forceful expulsion.” Schneider did not try to hide this matter, because these two countries are not within the reach of the Li family’s business empire, and the trade between the Dutch and these two countries is similar to that of the Li family. There is no competition of any kind.

"But if the Dutch do this, isn't it the same as feeding the enemy on the battlefield and making you stronger?" Li Nai shook his head, feeling incomprehensible to the Dutch's strategy.

"They have no choice. The blood transfusion can at least ensure that we will not take drastic measures for a period of time. If we don't do this, they may not have the opportunity to stay in Dayuan Port until the end of next year." Schneider made no secret of it boasted.

The military has indeed proposed to pull out the nail of Dayuan Port many times before to ensure the safety of the channel in the strait. The staff has even formulated several sets of combat plans for attacking Dayuan Port.If the Dutch showed hostility to Haihan's entry into Taiwan Island, then the militia troops stationed in Penghu might take some more radical measures to deal with the Dutch in Dayuangang.

Of course, the conditions offered by the well-informed Dutchman later made it impossible for Haihan's senior management to refuse outright. After weighing the pros and cons, they reached an agreement to continue to live in peace with the Dutchman.Although both parties are very clear that the binding force and timeliness of this agreement are quite limited, but one side is unwilling to waste military power in unnecessary battles, and the other side hopes to use this to linger on, muddling along, and when it can be mixed. , so there is such a wonderful agreement as the "Penghu Supplementary Terms".

Although they knew it was an act of drinking poison to quench their thirst, the Dutch could only pretend not to know and continue this business.As for whether the East India Company headquarters in Batavia would be furious at Hans's muddled behavior after knowing that Hans signed the agreement, that's not what Hai Han needs to worry about.Of course, judging from the current situation, the damage suffered by Batavia City due to this year's war is extremely serious.

However, Li Nai is not particularly concerned about the future of the Dutch. As long as there is a Haihan militia in the area, he feels at ease.What he cares about is another question: "Is the local development still carried out in the previous investment mode?"

Schneider did not directly respond to his question, but continued to explain the situation: "The port we are investigating locally is very large, and the coastline that can be used to build a wharf is longer than the sum of the existing large ports in Hainan Island. Therefore, in terms of civilian wharves, We will leave enough space for investment.”

Li Nai tentatively asked: "That means that even if my family competes with the one from Fujian at the same time, there is still enough room for us?"

Schneider laughed and said, "Ten or eight more families can be accommodated."

"Then is there anything that needs to be prepared in advance?" Li Nai continued to ask.

"It's not the first time your family has participated in the construction project of the colonial area, can you stop pretending to be a novice?" Schneider mercilessly exposed Li Nai's purpose.

Li Nai didn't care about it, and said with a sneer, "If you can learn more about the situation, you can make better preparations. But the planned port is so large, so I'm afraid it can't be completed in one or two years, right?"

"If two years are not enough, it will be five years, and if five years is not enough, it will be ten years. Things like infrastructure can only be completed slowly." Schneider sees this very clearly: "The slowness now is mainly due to the lack of available labor. The larger the population under the rule, the faster the construction speed will be. Thinking back to when the Victory Fort was built, it took more than a year to complete. By the middle of this year, the Penghu base will be built, and it will be put into use in just one or two months. It's progress."

(End of this chapter)