Chapter 292 Trade Negotiations (1)
Among the Ming Dynasty maritime merchants during this period, the only one with official permission to do foreign trade business with the Dutch was Xu Xinsu. From the time Xu Xinsu accepted the recruitment and obtained official status in 1626, all business between the Dutch East India Company and the Ming Dynasty was monopolized by Xu Xinsu, and one can imagine the huge benefits. If the Dutch did not go through Xu Xinsu's channels, they would hardly be able to buy even a single silk from Daming. This kind of monopoly operation naturally attracted the jealousy of others - such as the "Eighteen Zhi" that had long been eyeing Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Pirate group.
The total amount of raw silk shipped from the coast of Fujian to Taiwan and traded with the Dutch every year is one hundred thousand taels. It would be strange if such a large transaction did not attract competition. The "Eighteen Zhi" desperately attacked Xu Xinsu's territory, with the ultimate goal of monopolizing the foreign trade rights of Fujian's coastal ports. In the original history, after Zheng Zhilong defeated Xu Xinsu and took control of the Fujian coast, he also chose the same path as his predecessors. He quickly accepted the Ming Dynasty's recruitment and continued to monopolize foreign maritime trade after obtaining official status.
Relying on this kind of monopoly operation, Xu Xinsu has accumulated a huge net worth. It may be an exaggeration to say that he is as rich as the enemy, but his wealth is definitely far greater than that of the current time travel group - maybe even worse than being dragged to death by the civil war. The North Vietnamese regime was relatively wealthy. Hundreds of thousands of taels of cash were shipped directly by ship without any prior notice. This style of work was truly a wealthy man that had never been seen before.
The three people from Haihan exchanged glances quickly, and Tao Donglai said: "Mr. Dong, regarding the arms trade, I think the Guangdong Office has given you a detailed explanation. The arms we export are not You can buy whatever you want with your money.”
Dong Yanyun nodded and said: "I also learned about it before coming down. For local transactions, cash must be exchanged for banknotes issued by your bank. This is no problem. We will send someone to handle this later."
"You misunderstood, that's not the problem." Tao Donglai shook his head and said: "We have many restrictions on exporting weapons. Who to sell to and how much to sell can only be decided after collective discussion. Mr. Dong, I say this Well, the weapons you bought through 'Furuifeng' are basically the quantity we can sell to you."
Dong Yanyun's mind was not slow, and he immediately said: "So you are selling these weapons to us on purpose?"
"That's right." Tao Donglai nodded and did not deny the other party's guess: "We know that the 'Eighteen Zhi' suppressed you miserably before this. If it weren't for the Zhongzuo Institute still having a fortress to defend, I'm afraid the sea outside Zhangzhou would have been It was occupied by the "Eighteen Zhi". We don't want the coastal areas of Fujian to be controlled by pirate gangs like the "Eighteen Zhi", so we chose to provide you with some assistance by selling weapons."
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"Since you are willing to provide assistance, why do you want to impose restrictions on the sale of weapons? The silver I brought here is of high quality. You three can send people to the ship to check the authenticity!" Dong Yanyun was about to be killed by Tao Dong He was confused by the arguments that came here and there. After much deliberation, he could only think that the problem might be money: "If you think the price is negotiable, you can also put forward conditions and negotiate slowly."
From Dong Yanyun's point of view, excuses such as out of stock and limited quantity were all ploys by the Haihan people to try to raise the price of weapons. He had already been prepared before coming. If the Haihan people want to extort money, it's not a big deal. The money they spend on purchasing weapons now can be quickly earned after defeating the "Eighteen Zhi". However, judging from previous contacts with the General Office of the People's Republic of China in the People's Republic of China, it seems that it is not that easy to get the Haihan people to open this door. There seems to be no solution to the problem.
Sure enough, Tao Donglai immediately shook his head and said: "It's not a matter of price... It's mainly because our production capacity is limited and we can't produce a large number of weapons for sale in a short time. Mr. Dong, even if you can come up with gold and silver, we don't have it." Method.”
It was naturally impossible for Tao Donglai to tell the truth about the Executive Committee's attempt to control the war situation in Fujian through weapons output, and Xu Xinsu, who was far away in Fujian, would never have thought that in a small seaport thousands of miles away, there was actually a group of people who had already He is secretly plotting against himself and "Eighteen Zhi". The truth cannot be told, so the best excuse is insufficient production capacity.
But having said that, what Tao Donglai said was not entirely an excuse. After the North Vietnam expedition ended, Zheng's response came faster than expected. Before the statistics of the results of the Battle of Zhengjiang were completed, the envoys from Thang Long Palace had already rushed to the front line and expressed to Qian Tiandun that they would increase the purchase of weapons. Thang Long Palace plans to train and arm at least 5,000 firearms troops within the year, and then deploy them to the Hengshan Zhengjiang Defense Line.
This means that the Crossing Group has received a large arms order at the beginning of the year. Within the year, it must export at least 4,000 matchlocks and more than 80 artillery pieces to North Vietnam in order to meet North Vietnam's army formation needs. This may involve a series of other exchange conditions, such as political conditions, military aid cooperation, immigration numbers, etc. It is very likely that North Vietnam will send senior military generals to visit Victory Port in person for this large order to meet with Haihan executives met face to face to discuss the specific matters of the transaction.
Of course, North Vietnam has not forgotten to propose a ship purchase plan to Haihan, but the Victory Port Shipyard is currently overloaded. The orders for the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Military and Police have been scheduled for next year, and it is impossible to have the energy to take them. There are commercial orders outside. The only thing the Shipping Department can sell is probably some second-hand ships on hand that are gradually declining in condition. But no matter what, if the North Vietnamese regime wants to complete this purchase package this year, it must be prepared to hemorrhage a lot of money.
Dong Yanyun also didn't expect Tao Donglai to speak so harshly. He frowned and said: "I have come all the way here to come to buy with sincerity. You can't even shoot a shot, right?"
"It's not that we don't have any inventory at all, it's just that we have an exclusive agency agreement with Furifeng, so it's not convenient to sell to you directly." Tao Donglai continued to adopt roundabout tactics.
Dong Yanyun showed an unhappy look on his face and said: "With my master's reputation in Fuzhou and Guangzhou, 'Fu Ruifeng' is not qualified to interfere in the transaction between you and me. Mr. Tao can rest assured!"
Dong Yanyun had the confidence to dare to look down on "Fu Ruifeng" so arrogantly. In the past, Fujian could only trade with "Furuifeng" because it could not find a first-hand supply source and was unable to do anything due to many restrictions. But now that a manufacturer has been found, how can Fujian be willing to let Furifeng intervene? Even if the price is the same, Xu Xinsu would naturally prefer to let the manufacturer earn the money, rather than a middleman like "Fu Ruifeng" who purely relies on flipping hands to make profits.
Compared with the naval merchant Xu Xinsu, the strength of the "Furuifeng" is indeed a bit lacking. In terms of the number of ships under its command, the difference between the two sides is more than ten times. Although Xu Xinsu cannot compare with the "Eighteen", which is the number one ship in East Asia. "Zhi", but there are still two to three hundred boats, large and small. In terms of armed forces, "Fu Ruifeng" already has a militia group equipped with matchlocks under his command, but Xu Xinsu has thousands of former pirate members with Ming army trademarks under his command, and they have also begun to gradually equip Haihan production of firearms. In terms of influence in the business world, the gap is even more obvious. Xu Xinsu not only monopolized all transactions between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands, but also controlled part of the trade between the Ming Dynasty and Japan. Before being hit by the "Eighteen Zhi", the coastal areas of Guangdong In fact, there are many places that fall within Xu Xinsu's control.
Now Dong Yanyun has made it clear that in the arms trade, Xu Xinsu has decided to kick "Fu Ruifeng" aside and directly trade with Haihan. If "Fu Ruifeng" is not convinced, he can also try to challenge Xu Xinsu's authority - of course, this possibility is slim. After all, one side is a pure businessman, and the other side is a powerful man with the triple identities of merchant, pirate, and navy. Armed forces, as long as Li Jifeng did not take the wrong medicine, he would not go to Xu Xinsu for such a thing.
"This...since Mr. Dong said it this way, it can be considered very sincere." Tao Donglai felt that the circle was almost complete, and it was time to get to the point.
"Then it's worth selling? Well, we'll buy as much as you have!" Dong Yanyun couldn't wait to finalize the arms sale immediately. "It's okay to buy weapons, but we also have some conditions. Of course, I have said before that it is not directly related to the price of weapons." Tao Donglai began to pave the way for the conditions he would offer next.
"Mr. Tao said it doesn't matter. As long as we can do anything, we will do our best to satisfy you." Dong Yanyun urged. In his opinion, Tao Donglai was just trying to hide it, saying it had nothing to do with money, but it really had nothing to do with money. Why did you go around in circles for so long?
"I think Mr. Dong probably also knows that we are short of sea-going ships here... No, no, no, you don't have to stare at me. We are not asking you to continue to provide sea-going ships." Tao Donglai paused and said: "We hope You can recruit a group of shipwrights in Fujian. As for the specific remuneration, we can discuss it in detail with Mr. Ning later.”
As the coastal province with the most developed maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty in this era, the number of sea-going ships owned by Fujian is still quite large, and the corresponding shipbuilding industry is also relatively developed. The population base of this industry is still very considerable. According to some information that the Executive Committee has learned through various channels before, there are more than 10,000 people engaged in shipbuilding or related industries in Fujian Province. Although most of them are just ordinary workers who are proficient in carpentry, there are actually many. There are few shipwrights with real skills.
The local shipbuilding industry in Qiongzhou Island is far less developed than that in the mainland. Only Danzhou and Qiongzhou Fucheng in the north have shipyards. Last year, he even went to Qiongzhou Fucheng to order two sea-going ships. However, since the Ministry of Shipping opened its own shipyard, the Executive Committee has started to poach people from other shipbuilding organizations through various channels. 80% of the shipbuilders in the north who have some skills have moved to Victory Port. Like Yazhou, which is just around the corner, Luo Shengdong even looted all the shipwrights who repaired the warships in the water village and sent them to Victory Port. So now when the warships in the Yazhou water village need maintenance and repair, they must also Just go to the Victory Port Shipyard to schedule.
The shipwrights on the island had almost finished digging, so the executive committee naturally turned its attention to the mainland. In addition to the continuous recruitment by the Guangdong Office in Guangzhou, Fujian, which has a very developed shipbuilding industry, has naturally come into the Executive Committee's sight. Zhang Tiangui, the top technician among naturalized civilians at the shipyard, was recruited after he fled to Guangzhou from Fujian to escape the war. The Ministry of Shipping was very satisfied with the technical level of Fujian shipwrights.
Dong Yanyun didn't quite understand Tao Dong's purpose, and asked hesitantly: "How many shipwrights do you want to recruit?"
"The more the merrier, we are recruiting on a long-term basis and there is no limit on the number of people." Ning Qi took over the conversation. He has always been responsible for arranging human resources matters: "Anyone who is willing to come to work in Victory Port, we will provide A certain amount of settling-in expenses. We will be responsible for moving the whole family, studying for the younger ones, and supporting the older ones. As long as you are really capable, we can guarantee that your income will be at least double what you would get in mainland China.”
In fact, the income of the shipwrights who moved to Victory Port is much higher than what Ning Qi described. Shipwrights of Zhang Tiangui's level were only paid two to three taels of silver per month in Fujian. When a new ship was launched, they were still paid. I can get some red envelopes from the shipowner, but other than that, there is basically no other income. But at the Victory Port Shipyard, his basic income as a third-level worker is already more than ten yuan in circulation coupons. Overtime pay will be given for overtime work on rest days, holiday benefits are provided during holidays, and he can also get shipping for making reasonable technical suggestions. With the bonus from the ministry, the actual income is at least five times that in the mainland, and the life of his family has been properly arranged by the civil affairs department. Zhang Tiangui has long given up the idea of moving back to the mainland and is ready to live in Shengli Port. Been doing this for a lifetime.
"Then the number of shipwrights recruited, will it affect the number of weapons you sell?" After going around in circles for so long before starting to raise conditions, Dong Yanyun certainly understood that the other party was not aiming for nothing, and I am afraid that there is no talk about recruiting shipwrights. It's as simple as it sounds.
Sure enough, Ning Qi nodded and said: "In principle, we still focus on quality rather than quantity. The main thing is to look at the actual technical level of the shipwrights we recruit. We are not short of labor now, what we need are craftsmen who understand the technology, so the shipwrights we recruit We will first go through a simple skill test to confirm their level, and then we will give you corresponding feedback - for example, for every ten qualified shipwrights recommended, you can exchange for ten Type 27 muskets, or Discount on purchasing a Type 27 artillery piece at a 30% discount.”
Dong Yanyun's eyebrows trembled, and he couldn't help but be a little shocked at the conditions offered by the Haihan people. According to the price at which the Fujian side purchased arms from "Fu Ruifeng", the price the Haihan people paid for the shipwrights was at least twenty taels of silver per person, and this was just the recruitment fee. The shipwrights' treatment after arriving at Victory Port It is calculated separately. This poaching effort is not insignificant, and Dong Yanyun estimates that it will be difficult for his boss to resist such temptation.
Just listen to Ning Qi continue to add: "... In order to ensure that you can do your best in the recruitment process, we will require that the number of shipwrights you recruit reaches a certain level before each weapons purchase, and you will follow up. Directly linked to the number of weapons sold.”
"In other words, if we don't recruit enough shipwrights for you, you won't be able to sell weapons to us?" Dong Yanyun said in shock.
"That's probably what it means, but it's not entirely true. I just said that as many qualified shipwrights as you can recruit, you can get the same number of matchlock guns. At least your work will not be in vain. But if you want to purchase in bulk, Then we have to do better." Ning Qi explained succinctly: "Especially if you want to buy the artillery produced here, you must accumulate a certain number of shipwrights before you can trade!"
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"This... this is really a bit embarrassing!" Dong Yanyun shook his head and said: "It is possible to recruit a hundred and eighty shipwrights, it just takes some time. But if the number is large, how can we proceed? Besides, the amount of arms we want to purchase is not a small amount. If we need a large number of shipwrights in exchange every time, this deal will be impossible.”
Haihan had already anticipated the possible problems. As soon as Dong Yanyun finished speaking, Tao Donglai took over and said: "So in addition to the plan to recruit shipbuilders, we have also prepared other compromises for you. ”
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details!" Dong Yanyun quickly asked.
It is indeed not difficult to recruit shipwrights. There are at least one or two thousand shipwrights in the area controlled by Xu Xinsu. It would not be a bad idea to give some of them to the Haihan people in exchange for weapons. But Dong Yanyun is not a fool. Naturally, he will not expose his actual situation easily. He has to complain and bargain first. He didn't expect the Haihan people to be so easy to talk to. As soon as he complained, something else would immediately turn around.
Of course, this is not actually a turn of events, it is just a strategy prepared by the executive committee in advance. Although shipwrights are important, obtaining some other benefits and conveniences through the power of Fujian Xu Xinsu is also the goal pursued by the executive committee. Ning Qi just raised the shipbuilder's conditions so high, in fact, it was to make the other party take the initiative to counteroffer, and then use this to propose other exchange conditions. Although Dong Yanyun can be regarded as an experienced maritime businessman who has seen a lot, he may not be able to escape the fate of being deceived in the end when he encounters these skilled talkatives on the Executive Committee.
"As far as we know, Fujian's raw silk production has always been very good. Raw silk also accounts for a large proportion of the transactions between Xu Daguan people and the Dutch." Tao Donglai began to slowly talk about the second point to be made. quid pro quo.
Dong Yanyun didn't wait for Tao Donglai to finish his words, he shook his head and said: "Mr. Tao, I'm afraid this raw silk trade is out of control. The raw silk produced in Fujian is sold out a year or more than half a year in advance. , if you want to purchase in large quantities, it is already too late.”
(End of chapter)