Chapter 242 Promotional methods of the Guangdong 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 its use value. And with the current development speed of the Haihan people, in another year or two, they might The existence of the Yulin Inspection Department as a shield is no longer needed. Once this matter is done, life will naturally be much easier in the future. With Luo Shengdong as a model in front of him, Wei Ping estimates that at best he can be qualified as an "agent". By then, he will definitely have a lot of money, and there will be no shortage of money. His personal freedom will be restricted again by the Haihan people.
But if he fails to handle this matter according to the requirements of the Haihan people, the best result for him in the future is to be locked up in the Yulin Inspection Department until he resigns, or until the Haihan people no longer need the Inspection Department. After comparing the two sides, Wei Ping already had an idea in his mind what to do.
Neither Ren Liang nor the executive committee took Wei Ping's role too seriously. The Chuan Chuan Group's encroachment on Yazhou is already in progress. Regardless of whether Luo Shengdong's father-in-law can be promoted to the position of governor of the state in the end, this trend will not change. Even if this goal is not achieved, it will just be more effort in the future, and it will not affect the expansion plan of the Crossing Group.
Just that afternoon, Li Nai and Wei Ping witnessed the arrival of the largest wave of overseas immigrants since the opening of Victory Port. Five ships of 400 tons each sailed into the harbor, each carrying hundreds of immigrants. These people were the first batch of "legal immigrants" transported back in large numbers from the Tushan Peninsula in North Vietnam after the Crossing Group reached an agreement with the North Vietnamese regime.
There are more than 800 immigrants in this group. Nearly 500 of them are South Vietnamese soldiers or civil servants captured during the war. More than 100 are severe prisoners who were taken out of the Thang Long prison. The remaining few are It was Zheng who was recruited from the war refugees near Thang Long Province. For Zheng, this kind of population-for-arms deal is very cost-effective in the short term. North Vietnam has a large number of prisoners of war, prisoners and thousands of war refugees to deal with, and those in power are not willing to spend food on these. Instead of letting these people stay in Annan and become a security risk, it is better to hand them over to the Haihan people who are in urgent need of people in exchange for long-term discounts and stable supply of Haihan goods, especially arms. As for the overall quality of these immigrants, they are basically young and strong, and North Vietnam has no signs of adding the old, weak, sick and disabled among them.
Li Nai and Wei Ping were both surprised to see so many young people disembarking from the ship. They also know that there has always been a relatively large labor gap among the Haihan people, but the number of immigrants in Victory Port has been unhurriedly maintaining a rate of several hundred people per month, and they all come in scattered pieces. , only one or two hundred people at most, and it has never appeared on such a large scale.
Li Nai was surprised and said: "Brother Wei has lived in Shengli Port for a long time. Have you ever seen such a situation?"
Wei Ping shook his head repeatedly and said: "This is the first time I have seen them transporting so many people back at once! No wonder they have been rushing to build houses at the foot of the mountain in the west this month. It turned out to be just to receive this group of people."
In order to receive this batch of immigrants, the civil affairs department has already started making preparations since Tao Donglai returned to Shengli Port. In the past twenty days, the original immigration quarantine area has more than doubled in size. Currently, the quarantine area can accommodate 1,200 people at the same time, which can basically meet the needs of between 2,000 and 3,000 people per month. of immigration input.
After the new immigrants disembarked, they were gathered in groups of hundreds to sit on the open space at the dock, 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 among this group of immigrants, the Executive Committee also paid special attention to the security problems they might cause, and specially deployed heavy troops to maintain order at the dock. The Military and Police Department has also been authorized in advance. If any of the new immigrants take the lead in making trouble, the Military and Police Department has the right to take any on-site measures that will help calm the situation - such as directly shooting a few disobedient thorns to scare the monkeys.
However, in fact, the situations that the military and police department were worried about did not occur. The new immigrants generally behaved very submissively. This may have something to do with the Haihan policy propaganda they received during the voyage. For the immigrants transported back this time, the civil affairs department specially recruited a group of Vietnamese naturalized citizens who had performed well before, and asked them to act as propagandists on the ship transporting immigrants to Vietnam this time, so that these immigrants could come here. 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 were prisoners of war and criminals, and because of this, they valued the vitality gained from crossing the ocean even more. If they had not come here, most of them would have been executed in the end, and their heads would have been hung on the city gate of Shenglong Mansion to show off their martial arts or to shock the people.
Of course, even if these people come to Victory Port, it does not mean that their lives are freed. In fact, a considerable number of them will be sent to Tiandu to mine, and they are basically directly assigned to the labor camp establishment-all current labor camp personnel are concentrated in Tiandu Iron Mine to work, so as to facilitate monitoring and management. After working in the mines for three years, these people can have the opportunity to obtain naturalized citizenship, but this depends on whether they are in good enough health to survive these three years.
According to the latest statistics released by the Military and Police Ministry in October, more than 300 people have been detained in the labor camp for half a year since its establishment to undergo labor reform punishment. More than 70 of them were released because of good behavior or after serving their sentences, but they did not survive. The number of people who died in the labor camps due to high-intensity labor remained at double digits every month, and more than eighty people had died. In other words, one out of every four prisoners admitted to the labor camp will not be able to survive the day of freedom. It is even rarer for people like Takahashi Minami who came from a labor camp to be famous.
The arrival of this group of immigrants has replenished the labor camp's establishment, which just shows the forward-looking vision of the military and police department in requesting to expand the military strength in advance - if we don't train a group of militiamen, how can we suddenly have more guards? Hundreds of hard labor?
However, some of these people will be lucky enough to escape the hard labor life 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, horsemen, etc., these people will They are assigned to various corresponding units to perform labor service, and the time required for them to obtain the status of naturalized citizens will be much shorter than that of their friends in the labor camp. As long as they do not make serious mistakes within three months, they will be considered to have passed the test. If in the middle Having meritorious service will further shorten this time.
A small number of refugees will be assigned to settle in the newly built Ironforge Port after the short quarantine period. The Executive Committee planned to centrally resettle North Vietnamese immigrants there to reduce the social unrest that the arrival of a large number of North Vietnamese immigrants might cause to Victory Port. The first phase of Tielugang development will require thousands of workers to settle there. After the first phase is completed, the executive committee is also preparing to gradually develop the vast coastal plain between the north of Tielugang and Lingshui, and then resettle more North Vietnamese. Immigration won't be an issue either.
On the same day, the "Haihan Bookstore" opened by the General Office of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou also officially opened to the public. This bookstore was opened at He Xi's initiative, with the purpose of preparing for future cultural exports to the Ming Dynasty. For this purpose, the Guangdong Office spent another thousand taels of silver to buy a small courtyard in Guangzhou City.
Of course, since the current Tiandu Paper Mill is still in the technical exploration stage of manufacturing toilet paper, Chuanchuan Group itself does not have the printing and publishing capabilities, and it is unlikely that it will publish its own books in the short term. Therefore, the bookstore did not It is not for profit, and the books displayed in the store are also collections of various classics and histories circulating in the Ming Dynasty. As an important partner of Chuanchuan Group, "Furuifeng" also sent several sets of hardcover engraving books purchased from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the bookstore as a congratulatory gift 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 wizard, directing operations, hype is not a problem. One week before the opening, rumors had spread throughout Guangzhou that the owner of this bookstore was the most popular supplier of glass stationery in Guangzhou. Therefore, on the day of the opening, in addition to attracting a large number of literati and calligraphers to watch, there were also a lot of people. Various merchants looking for sources of goods also sent people to find out.
Regarding this kind of hype, "Furuifeng" has also expressed dissatisfaction, because according to the agreement between the two parties, "Furuifeng" is the only agent of Haihan Glass Products in Guangdong and Guangxi, although this qualification is time limited. , but the agreement also stipulates that Haihan cannot sell glass products directly to other businessmen in the mainland.
This shows that when Li Nai signed the agreement, he was taken advantage of by the mouthpieces of the Executive Committee. Although the Haihan people could not sell goods directly to third parties in the mainland, if the third party went to Victory Port to purchase on their own, This restriction is not included, and this is one of the publicity purposes that the General Office of the People's Republic of China wants to achieve. As long as these merchants are told where to purchase goods, they will naturally send ships to Victory Port to trade under the trend of interest, and this will also help Victory Port's reputation as a free port to be known faster and more widely. Regarding Schneider's explanation, even the old fox Li Jifeng could only knock out his teeth and swallow it. Who asked him to send an inexperienced third person to Shengli Port to discuss business? Fortunately, "Furuifeng" has received the most favorable treatment from Haihan. At least in the future, the purchase cost will not be higher than that of any competitor. At least it has an early appearance, which is a bargain that impresses customers. Moreover, Schneider also said that "Furuifeng" still enjoys the exclusive agency rights for its existing agent products. Even if Haihan wants to sell them to others, they will not sell them in Guangzhou, and they will never sell exactly the same things. This is what counts. The "Fu Ruifeng" side was appeased.
According to the prior agreement, the Guangdong Office will not sell those exclusive products that make Guangzhou businessmen jealous in the "Haihan Bookstore", but this does not prevent Schneider from using this to conduct a major publicity event and teach "Fu Ruifeng" a lesson. "Good things don't necessarily need to be sold directly for cash to generate profits. On the walls on both sides of the bookstore door, there are a large number of notices posted about activities during the opening period.
The so-called activity simply means two words - lottery. This kind of trick, which has been played out by various merchants in later generations, is still relatively new in this era, and the prizes are indeed attractive, including currently popular matches, soaps, glass stationery, etc., and the first prize There is even a five-inch Haihan silver mirror that is rare to see 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 level of prizes you can draw. If you spend one tael in the bookstore, you can participate in the lottery. If you win every time, you will get at least a box of matches as a commemorative prize. If you want to draw Haihan stationery, you need to start with 5 tael. As for the precious colored glass stationery and Haihan silver mirror, if you want to draw, then spend Well, I have to start with fifty taels. All the prizes are piled behind the settlement counter, and the accounts are drawn on the spot, which looks very tempting.
At first, the spectators were just watching, but when someone actually pulled out a note saying "Haihan Glass Stationery Set" from the box and received the actual object, the spectators could no longer restrain themselves - the notice said However, it is clearly stated that the number of prizes is limited and while stocks last! Although the prices of the books sold in the bookstore are 15% higher than those of their counterparts in Guangzhou City, this still cannot stop the enthusiasm of many onlookers. They rush into the store to start selecting books. Besides buying books, they also want to try their own experience. lucky.
Although the scene was a bit chaotic, I have to say that the effect of this promotional method was amazing. Within two hours of opening the store, 40% of the various books prepared in the store had been sold out, and some people who could not buy the books they wanted did not hesitate to buy some books that were not originally planned for the sake of the lottery. There are even some people who initially bought books but didn’t win any prizes. After returning home, they couldn’t bear to think about it, so they came back to buy books and continue to win prizes. The steward sent by "Fu Ruifeng" to watch the ceremony was stunned in the yard. It turned out that the bookstore's business could still be done in this way.
Schneider and He Xi were sitting in the room laughing from ear to ear. When He Xi originally proposed to build a bookstore, everyone in the Guangdong Office felt that this thing 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. However, Schneider is the only one who believes that this business will not only not cause losses, but will also bring more business opportunities to the General Office. The facts also prove Schneider’s unique vision. .
"By the time we set up the tent in the evening, we must have made a profit, right?" He Xi said with a smile. Although he didn't know the purchase cost of these books, he knew that Schneider had increased the selling price by 15%. Just this increase was far more than the value of the raffle prizes.
Schneider crossed his legs and said proudly: "I've already figured this out. To draw out all the prizes, at least 70% of the books in the store must be sold. In this situation, if we don't draw out all the prizes, these people I’m afraid it won’t go away. After taking into account the purchase cost, we can make at least one thousand taels today. We can make back all the investment in this bookstore by holding a lottery for three consecutive days.”
"Mr. Shi, you are still very smart!" 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. This is better than before. The effect of visiting each family is much better.”
Schneider nodded and said: "After I went out to eat a few times and was rejected in the first few days, I felt that visiting people's homes was not the solution, and I had to rely on publicity. Look, now these people are coming to the door themselves, and 'Fu' Ruifeng's side has nothing to say, and this is the beginning of the situation. ”
"However, this bookstore cannot operate like this for a long time, otherwise it will become a casino. After these few days, we still have to find ways to develop cultural undertakings. This is a task that the executive committee has particularly emphasized." He Xi was not overwhelmed by the victory. Feeling dizzy, he quickly returned his attention to business.
"Don't worry, I've thought about it a long time ago." Schneider picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said slowly: "The Ming Dynasty literati in this era are ashamed of talking about profit, and they value reputation more. Although our lottery can attract The popularity is temporary, but in fact, many people who came today are just joining in the fun. This approach is definitely not a long-term solution. Starting from next month, we will hold a poetry festival in Guangzhou, be the exclusive sponsor, and pay some money to invite a few people. Local literary celebrities serve as judges, and several sets of high-end stationery are presented as prizes. Are you afraid that local literati will not flock to you? ”
"As long as we spend money, we will definitely be able to get a few spokespersons." He Xi basically understood Schneider's purpose after hearing what he said.
"There is no rush in this matter. Cultural output is a long-term task, and there is no rush." Schneider also began to look through the various posts on the table: "Suddenly there are so many choices, it is really nerve-wracking!"
He Xi pulled out a post and said: "This seems to be a bit confusing, how about we meet first?"
Schneider took it and saw that it was a greeting card sent by a company called "Yongfeng Clothing Company". This cloth shop is relatively 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 it is just a semicolon in Guangzhou. Schneider visited once at the beginning of the month, but the shopkeeper was not in the store at that time and there was no substantive contact. Unexpectedly, more than half a month later, this cloth shop came to the door on its own.
"Isn't the Executive Committee looking for a source of canvas? I think we can contact the cloth shop to at least understand the market situation." He Xi continued to persuade.
(End of chapter)