Chapter 254 A bustling crowd
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Wang Qin opened the curtain of the sedan chair and urged the bearer: "If you go late, you will have to wait for a while!"
When the four bearers heard this, they had to speed up their pace. Fortunately, the road leading out from the east city gate was smooth and walking was quite brisk. After exiting the east gate and walking forward for about a mile, you can see the mansion with blue tiles and high walls in front of you. After the sedan stopped at the gate, Wang Qin hurriedly got out of the sedan and saw several sedans parked outside the door. A group of sedan bearers were sitting under the wall drinking water and chatting. He knew that he was still a little late.
Wang Qin walked to the gate and saw two young men in black short clothes standing on the left and right of the gate. He stepped forward and handed over the post and said: "I represent the Haifeng of Huizhou Prefecture and come to pay a visit to you." House.”
One of the young men signed a greeting card and said, "Please wait a moment." After saying this, he took the greeting card and returned to the courtyard. After a while, he came out and asked Wang Qin to follow him in.
Wang Qin felt a little relieved, but he was still not completely relieved because he had been here once yesterday, but in the end he left because it was too late and he was worried that he would not be able to return to the city. As a result, he failed to meet the owner of this place. But today Wang Qin has made up his mind to wait until he meets the other party no matter what.
Sure enough, after being brought into the hospital, Wang Qin did not see the real owner immediately. Instead, he was taken to a side room to wait, where he saw several familiar faces.
"Boss Gao? Nice to meet you!" "This is not shopkeeper Zhang, are you here too?"
After some pleasantries, everyone sat down again. A servant brought Wang Qin tea and snacks, and then asked him to wait patiently here.
Wang Qin was not surprised at all to see several colleagues here. Ever since Haihan goods began to appear on the market in Guangzhou a few months ago, merchants all over the city have been looking for where these exquisite things are trafficked from. Wang Qin, as the person in charge of the Haifeng in Guangzhou, naturally There will be no exception. However, the "Furuifeng" trading company that sells Haihan goods does an excellent job of keeping it secret. After so many people inquired about it for a month or two, they only knew that this batch of goods came from the direction of Qiongzhou, but where did it come from? It comes from everywhere, but no one can explain it clearly.
It wasn't until the "Haihan Bookstore" opened in Guangzhou a few days ago that the businessmen knew that the original owner had arrived in Guangzhou quietly, so many people began to take the initiative to visit the Guangdong Office in an attempt to buy some of the most popular books on the market. In-demand Haihan goods. However, the door-to-door purchases by these people did not seem to be going well. The Guangdong Office of the People's Republic of China in Guangdong announced that "Furuifeng" is the only local agent for Haihan products. They do not intend to sell the same products in Guangzhou, but they intend to Merchants who trade with Haihan can go to a port on Qiongzhou Island to purchase.
Most of the businessmen who heard the news felt that the Haihan people had taken the wrong medicine. We are now coming to buy goods with money in hand. If you don't sell, forget it, and let us go to a remote place like Qiongzhou Island to buy goods? Who doesn’t know that Qiongzhou Island is a poor place and most of the residents on the island are Li barbarians. How could they possibly produce such fine glassware? These Haihan people must have some conspiracy! Maybe their place is just a pirate den, waiting for the merchants from Guangzhou to take their ships full of silver and throw themselves into their traps!
Regarding this matter, "Furuifeng", 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 a bit embarrassing to evaluate this matter from the perspective of "Furuifeng". On the one hand, they do not want other merchants to become Haihan's distributors to share the market they currently dominate; on the other hand, they also It is very clear that Haihan people will never allow the current situation of one company to continue for a long time, and Haihan people's distribution strategy will definitely bring prosperity to Shengli Port, which actually has many benefits for "Furuifeng" - —Otherwise they wouldn’t be rushing to invest in the Victory Port enclosure.
However, the silence of "Fu Ruifeng" was regarded by the outside world as a sign of guilty conscience. Therefore, except for a few bold companies who decided to go to the South China Sea to find out what was going on, the vast majority of trading houses still maintained their views on the Haihan people. He took a wait-and-see attitude and waited for the situation to develop.
It was not until a few days ago that this batch of merchant ships returned from Qiongzhou Island that the business situation in the Guangzhou market suddenly exploded. These merchants who formed a group to go south this time have more or less purchased some Haihan goods. The limited edition glass stationery set known as the "out-of-print of the year" has doubled in value to thousands upon its appearance. two. Then everyone knew that there really was such an undiscovered treasure on Qiongzhou Island. Those who were hesitant at the beginning were beating their chests and regretting that they should not be so timid and missed this wave of market.
Then these businessmen heading south broke the news, claiming that the local ports were exempt from all taxes and that maritime merchants did not need to pay additional "travel money" in various forms to obtain the qualifications for entering the port.
As soon as this news came out, all the merchants in the sea could not sit still. The taxes they pay to the Municipal Shipping Department every year range from a few thousand taels to tens of thousands taels. Now that a port that does not collect taxes suddenly appears, the temptation is simply irresistible. Although this port is a little far from Guangzhou, even including the freight, it is more cost-effective than paying taxes to the Municipal Shipping Department. What's more, the Haihan people also have a lot of supplies to purchase from the mainland. It's a very cost-effective deal to directly transport the supplies they need and sell them there.
As a result, the Office in Guangzhou immediately became the focus of the Guangzhou business community again. Businessmen from all walks of life came to visit, either to inquire about the specific location of Victory Port, or to join the next fleet heading south. "Feng Hao" is also one of them.
As a foreign company, it is difficult for merchants like "Haifenghao" to grab the hot-selling products in the Guangzhou market at the first time. The quantity of Haihan goods for sale has always been extremely limited. Wang Qin has been able to get it in the past few months. There are not even as many Haihan products as there are displays in the "Fu Ruifeng" store. Several large families in Huizhou Prefecture have already said hello to "Haifenghao": as long as they can get the Haihan products that are hotly speculated in the Guangzhou market, the price is not a problem.
Of course Wang Qin wanted to, but he had been struggling to find the source of goods. After arriving in Guangzhou this time, he happened to hear about the Haihan Port and felt that this was a great opportunity, so he hurriedly took the time to visit. He heard that the Haihan people have a habit of doing business. They often only find one merchant as an agent in a region. For this reason, they will not even directly sell the products sold by "Furuifeng" in Guangzhou. If this time because of manipulation, If other colleagues from Huizhou Prefecture were to rush ahead, it would be too late.
Wang Qin felt a little calmer when he saw that these people here were all local merchants in Guangzhou, and he took the initiative to say: "I thought I would be able to be at the front of the queue when I waited for the city gate to open this morning, but I didn't expect that all the bearers would be there." The pace was so fast that we arrived early.”
The boss Gao said: "I and the shopkeeper Zhang were resting in Zhuangzi outside the city last night. Today, the sky is just bright, although earlier than you, but there is still earlier before us."
Wang Qin said in surprise: "Do you know that the sky is not here? I wonder which shopkeeper is so eager?"
"Not just one, but two." Shopkeeper Zhang took over and said, "Have you heard of Chenghai Bank in Chaozhou Prefecture? It is said that Shopkeeper Liu Da from Chenghai Bank came over from Chaozhou in person. He stayed here last night and stayed here early this morning. Let's talk about business. "
"So it's Chenghai Bank!" Wang Qin nodded silently. This trading firm is also one of the largest trading firms in Guangdong Province. It is based in Chaozhou Prefecture, and its scale is comparable to the local "Fu Ruifeng" in Guangzhou.
"I wonder if there is another one?" Wang Qin couldn't help but asked proactively when he saw that shopkeeper Zhang didn't continue. "There is another family..." Shopkeeper Zhang lowered his voice and said: "It is said that they are people from the government office, most likely here to ask for this..."
Shopkeeper Zhang made a circle with his index finger and thumb after speaking. Wang Qin understood that this gesture referred to copper coins, and nodded with understanding without further questioning. With the popularity of Haihan products on the market, the local government will not ignore the existence of the Guangdong Guangdong Office. Apart from a local bookstore, the Haihan people have no other direct sales channels. All goods are handed over to other merchants for sale. The local government cannot even collect taxes from the Haihan people. This phenomenon must be Not very reasonable - Wang Qin suddenly thought that the Haihan people insisted on letting mainland merchants go to their ports to purchase goods. Could it be that they also wanted to avoid 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 take money out of the Haihan people's pockets without any effort are probably the local government. Even if there is no tax, there will still be "voluntary" donations under various names, such as building 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, which is very important to merchants. It is already the norm. As long as you pledge a donation, then it's all good for you, me, and everyone. If anyone doesn't obey, the government will naturally have a hundred ways to slowly repair the thorn.
Wang Qin sat down and drank a cup of tea before he could finish it. Representatives from three trading firms came one after another, both from Guangzhou and from other places like Wang Qin. The merchants were waiting for nothing to happen and began to exchange business information from various places. Of course, the theme is still the Haihan product that everyone pays most attention to.
Nowadays, Haihan products have 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 been very small, the prices of these in-demand products in other places far exceed Guangzhou. The farther away from Guangzhou, the higher the price. For example, the lowest-end white glass Haihan calligraphy brush can be bought in Guangzhou for only one or two to one or two and a half yuan of silver, but in the neighboring Huizhou Prefecture, the price has doubled, while in Lianzhou Prefecture, which is far away from Guangzhou, the price has doubled. It has been sold for five taels of silver each, which is a sky-high price compared to Guangzhou. As for Haihan silver mirrors with lower output, the regional price gap is even greater than that of stationery. Several merchants who bought the silver mirrors in Shengli Port last time did not sell the goods locally in Guangzhou, but transferred them directly. other state capitals 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 time for the meeting. However, it was not difficult for Wang Qin to get along during this period. Not only did he learn about the business conditions in various places through the introduction of other merchants, but he also saw the "sanitary ware" system being promoted by Haihan people. I have to say that this set of household items is very popular with Wang Qin. If the price was not too expensive, Wang Qin would have the urge to buy a set immediately.
Under the leadership of the servant, Wang Qin came to the reception room located in the second entrance courtyard, where he finally met the owners of the place - Schneider and He Xi, the first and second leaders of the General Office of the People's Republic of China.
These two people have been very busy these days. They have to meet with visitors from all walks of life from dawn to dusk, and they have talked about it so many times. Moreover, these visitors are also of all kinds, with all kinds of purpose, which often makes them both laugh and cry. For example, those sent by the state government to fight against the autumn wind are easy to deal with. They just want to get some money to buy some peace and quiet. For example, those who came to learn glass manufacturing technology, those who came to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Shengli Port and Guangzhou Port, and those who sold rural fields to them were all in disarray. What's more, a Taoist priest in disguise came yesterday. When he entered the door, he said that the two of them were in trouble and there would be trouble in the near future. Before he could finish reporting his family background, Yu Yao, who happened to be here to listen, told him that and Xiao Liang were kicked out.
If the early operation mode of the General Office of the People's Republic of China was followed, this kind of meeting and negotiation could usually be handled by one person. When there were many people, Schneider and He Xi could even receive visitors separately. But after the second echelon arrived, the daily operations of the Guangdong Office also began to be standardized. One of them was that two or more people must be present when meeting visitors. In principle, individual meetings are not allowed - the entire Guangdong Office Only He Xi does not need to comply with this rule under special circumstances due to the nature of his work.
The Executive Committee added such a rule for units stationed abroad to prevent the units' people's hearts from changing when they are far away from the base camp. All resources here in the base camp are under the control of the executive committee. Everyone has a plan to eat and use as much as they want. Even if someone is corrupt, there are actually no additional benefits that can be enjoyed - even "Fu Ruifeng" "In the brothel opened in Shengli Port, you can enter and spend money with special tickets issued by the executive committee. It is a dream to have more whores with the many circulation tickets you have on hand.
Victory Port can implement a strict planned economy, but the units stationed abroad certainly cannot, especially the Liaison Office in Guangdong, which is far away from the base camp and in the colorful world of Guangzhou in the 17th century. In addition, it has a lot of interests with all walks of life in the local area. In fact, it is easy for uncontrollable situations to occur. You must know that these time-travelers are not determined revolutionaries. Under various external temptations, I am afraid that a considerable number of them may not be able to maintain their integrity. Therefore, the Executive Committee has added a number of management regulations for units stationed abroad to ensure that the possibility of personnel stationed abroad being corrupted and bribed by the outside world is minimized.
Although it is troublesome to implement, rules are rules. Among the second echelon, Yu Yao and Xiao Liang, in addition to being responsible for the safety and security of the personnel of the Guangdong Guangdong Office, also have some internal tasks, that is, supervising the implementation of the management regulations of overseas units. Of course, those who are unwilling to comply will not be sent to a labor camp, but they will definitely be transferred back to the base camp and will be recorded in the executive committee's blacklist from then on. Schneider and He Xi, who were well aware of the power of this, also changed their past free and loose behavior and began to set an example of obeying the law.
However, in this way, the speed of receiving visitors is much slower, so in recent days, the Guangdong Office has been bustling with people. Schneider took the opportunity to take a sip of water and quickly started a meeting with Wang Qin.
Although this was the first time for Wang Qin to deal face-to-face with the Haihan people, he had heard many rumors about the Haihan people before. He also knew that they like to get straight to the point when discussing things, so he directly stated his purpose: First, he wanted to He asked the Liaison Office in Guangdong to purchase Haihan products, and secondly, he wanted to send a ship to Yazhou Victory Port.
Schneider said: "Boss Wang doesn't know something. Our Guangdong Office only talks about business and does not sell goods directly. If Boss Wang has any goods he wants to buy, he can place an order with us and then go to the Port of Victory for shipment. .”
Wang Qin hesitated and said: "But I heard that the quantity of your goods is extremely limited. I placed an order here. If there is no goods when I go to Victory 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 real goods in the warehouse at Victory Port before you can place an order with us, and we will never ship goods. If you sell two, you can complete the delivery and shipping procedures within twelve hours of arriving at Victory Port, and there will be no problems you are worried about," Schneider explained patiently.
Wang Qin was moved by what he heard and asked: "How can I pay you for the goods?"
Schneider smiled and said: "If you are asked to pay it all in one lump sum now, it is definitely impossible. You only need to pay us a deposit of 10% of the total order amount, and the remaining part 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 thirty days. If the goods are not picked up at the port within thirty days, then we have the right to sell the goods to other merchants. ”
"Then what happens to the deposit if we fail to arrive at the port to pick up the goods after the delivery period?" Wang Qin asked nervously after hearing this. After all, we are traveling to the sea to eat. No one can say whether unexpected situations will occur at sea. If there is a problem with the ship, it may exceed the delivery period mentioned by Haihan people.
"If you are willing to continue the order, the deposit is still valid. If you are unwilling to continue the order, half of the deposit will be refunded. This is also to prevent someone from maliciously placing orders. I believe Boss Wang can also understand our difficulties." Schneider explained in detail.
(End of chapter)