Chapter 299 Behind the Armed Escort
Since the establishment of commercial relations with mainland merchants, the commercial department has been committed to building a product distribution network based in Guangzhou and extending to other places. However, in view of the backward transportation conditions and relatively strict floating population in this era, Control, the commercial sector's progress in this area is very slow, and they basically rely on the independent operations of local merchants such as "Furuifeng", which is very low in efficiency and reliability. In particular, it is very troublesome to transport contraband such as arms and illegal salt to other places. Even a local snake like "Furuifeng" has to do a lot of cover-up work carefully.
Although the current production capacity of Chuanchuan Group's various industrial products is far from being able to supply a market as large as mainland China, with the gradual expansion of production capacity, the business department must also open up a wider sales market before the products become unsalable. The actual situation is far from the fast and efficient product distribution network expected by the business department. If you want to change this situation, you must first solve the problem of distribution channels.
To establish a specialized logistics transfer system, the current Guangdong Office in Guangzhou is still unable to do so, so Schneider and others, after summarizing, came up with another compromise yet effective method, which is an armed escort agency.
Although there was no real "escort bureau" in this period, private security agencies with similar functions were nothing new in this period. During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, an organization called "Da Xing" appeared, and by the Wanli period it had gradually become popular in major cities. This kind of private security agency with a fist logo as its logo is publicly listed for business. Its business content is to provide security protection services for travelers, merchants and wealthy families. The local government also recognizes its existence and operating rules. The valuables being transported under escort can also be sealed by the official, so that the cargo owner can rest assured that no one will open the box privately during transportation.
As the capital of the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, Guangzhou City naturally has similar organizations. However, its scale and organizational structure are still at the level of "amateur players" in the eyes of the Guangdong and Guangdong Office. They are far from the requirements of the Guangdong and Guangdong Office and are not very cooperative. Or the value of the acquisition. However, the Li family who came to Guangdong Office on their own initiative gave the Guangdong Office a new idea - didn't the Li family themselves maintain a sizable militia group? It would be better to let them pull out this militia group and then set up a new organization to realize the initial plan of the General Office of the General Office of the People's Republic of China for the construction of distribution channels.
This idea is undoubtedly very feasible. Since last year, the Li's Militia Group has been gradually equipped with Type 27 matchlock guns and a full set of individual equipment purchased from Victory Port, and the commanders of the militia are also arriving in batches. Victory Port received unified training, and the training time was even longer than that of the North Vietnamese Army. Its combat effectiveness is still guaranteed to a certain extent. In addition, this militia group has performed several escort missions before, successfully transporting tens of tons of private salt to prefectural cities in Guangdong and Guangxi, which has proven their potential in this regard. As long as some more targeted training is done, this militia can be turned into an armed escort team for use in the short term.
Of course, the issue that the Li family is concerned about is not just the combat effectiveness of their own militia, but more importantly, how to turn this combat effectiveness into money-making ability. The Li family has now invested more than 10,000 taels in this militia. Even if they cannot get their capital back, it would be good to be able to earn out the daily maintenance expenses.
In this regard, the General Office of the People's Republic of China has prepared a plan. From now on, the main content of this armed escort agency will be divided into two parts: internal and external. Externally, it will mainly undertake the escort work of valuables, including gold and silver, etc., and this external business will cover It is the transportation of contraband operated by "Furuifeng" itself.
At present, "Fu Ruifeng" is still transporting contraband such as arms and salt from Guangzhou in the name of a caravan. It is secretive and often does not even dare to walk on the main road for fear of being punished by the local inspection department. Check. After the establishment of an armed escort agency, "Furuifeng" can use the method of sealing the escorted objects to deal with various inquiries that may occur on the way - of course, the seal of this seal must be obtained by the government, otherwise Its legality is questionable. As for how to communicate and cooperate with local governments, there is no need for the Guangdong Office in Guangdong Province to provide guidance on such small matters. Li Jifeng, a veteran, naturally knows how to handle it.
The Li family and his son have certainly realized the fishy nature of the Guangdong Office's remarks. When the escort team takes on the task of escorting one box of goods, they can take ten boxes of goods on the road. As for the contents of the other nine boxes, no one will tear off the official seal to check on the way. From now on, the escort team can blatantly transport all kinds of contraband across the state without worrying about being interrogated. To put it to the extreme, wherever Furifeng wants to transport goods, it can completely invent a client and then transport a batch of goods that do not actually exist on the road.
Of course, it will not be easy to achieve this level. First of all, we have to take care of all the yamen in Guangzhou. The cost is definitely not a small amount. However, the Guangdong Office generously stated that the start-up capital for the establishment of this organization could be split 50-50 with "Fu Ruifeng". From now on, it would be treated as a business in which both parties share shares. Loss would be shared together, and profits would be divided in half according to this ratio. .
Regarding this proposal, the Li family and his son seemed to have no reason to object - if this organization was established, then the goods transported through the secret line would definitely come from Victory Port, and it was reasonable for the Haihan people to get involved. Moreover, by doing this, the Haihan people will undoubtedly bear nearly half of the daily maintenance costs of the Li Jia Vigilante Group. Regardless of whether this organization can make money in the future, at least they can save a lot of money from here.
Of course, the Guangzhou Guangdong Office does not have too much money and no place to invest. There are exchange conditions for jointly engaging in this business with "Furuifeng": First, the daily management and decision-making of this armed escort agency must involve the participation of Commissioner Haihan. , all affiliated personnel must participate in the professional training courses arranged by Haihan; secondly, Haihan has the right to send personnel to accompany the escort team to participate in the entire escort process. Haihan will also dispatch personnel to branch offices stationed in other places in the future.
The purpose of these two requirements is quite clear. The second requirement is simply a copy of He Xi's original words. Its function is not only to establish distribution channels, but also to rely on the business network of this escort agency. The mainland intelligence network affiliated to Haihan was gradually established.
He Xi has been in Guangzhou for half a year, but the establishment of the intelligence network has been limited to Guangzhou, and it is difficult to have suitable opportunities to expand to other places. This joint venture escort agency undoubtedly provides a good opportunity. In the future, as long as the escort team can go, Haihan's intelligence network will be able to quickly extend there, and it will be able to have a certain degree of armament in a legal form.
When Tao Dong came to Guangzhou, the Guangdong Office had already had discussions with the Li family and basically reached an agreement on cooperation. After listening to the in-person report from the General Office of the People's Republic of China, Tao Donglai also believed that this was a relatively feasible plan - the progress in the commodity distribution network would not be as great as expected by the General Office of the People's Republic of China. The promotion effect of the mainland's construction of an intelligence system is unparalleled. For this reason alone, Tao Donglai felt that the money was well spent.
The actual cost of the Cross-Travel Group is actually much less than the figures in the two agreements. This is because the Cross-Travel Group's investment is more in the form of discounts on equipment and professional training courses, and it really doesn't cost much in cash. Calculated based on the size of the 200-member Li Jia Militia, the amount of investment from the Crossing Group is only two to three thousand taels of silver per year, and they will get back the money by selling an additional 20 to 30 tons of salt. Even if the scale of the Li Jia Vigilante Group expands in the future, it will actually be within the affordability of the Cross Travel Group. This amount of money is really just a small number compared to the activity funds approved by the Executive Committee to the Intelligence Department of the General Office of the People's Republic of China.
Of course, weapons of mass destruction such as muskets cannot be openly equipped by armed escort agencies. At best, such things can only be packed in boxes and travel with them. It is absolutely impossible to carry muskets across the market in broad daylight. However, this problem should be solved within this year. The military industry department in Victory Port is already developing a short version of the musket. Although the range will be shortened, the power will be further increased. Its main purpose is to provide it to Qian Tiandun in North Vietnam. Used by special operations companies to facilitate their transport in mountainous and jungle environments.
In addition, there is a slightly less powerful police version that will be equipped with the soon-to-be-established police department. Now that there is a demand for this in Guangzhou, it can be downgraded to another level on this basis and a short-barrel version with weaker performance can be equipped. Lee's Vigilante Group. As for the matchlock guns originally used by the Li Jia Militia, they can be sold to the Fujian side. If they are operated well, they can even make a small profit - Xu Xinsu and others are selling weapons with money. The Li Jia Militia is expected to become the first armed force outside Victory Port to be equipped with flintlock weapons.
After taking care of the Li family, the Guangdong Office immediately used its business relationships to start looking for customers for the armed escort agency that was still being planned, and prepared to promote the armed escort business as an ancillary business of the bank. At present, these foreign merchants who have accounts in the "Haihan Development Bank" and have a huge amount of money transactions have become the focus of Schneider and others. For example, although the number of money transactions of the "Haifeng" is not among the top, it is very regular. Almost at the beginning of every month, Wang Qin, the business manager of the "Haifeng" in Guangzhou, will go to the Guangdong Office to pick up the money. Cash amounts ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 were transported back to the Huizhou headquarters through other methods.
It happened that Tao Donglai also planned to find customers to understand the operation of the bank, so Schneider came forward to invite Wang Qin to the inner courtyard for an interview. Sure enough, after asking, Wang Qin was very interested in this matter, and Schneider seized the opportunity to introduce the planned business to him.
After hearing this, Wang Qin asked: "Since it is the escort team organized by you, I am naturally relieved. However, I am a little unclear. Why is your escort team lower than others? This is usually associated with "Haihan" 'I have never heard of a bargain. ”
Schneider smiled and said: "The price is linked to the scarcity of the product. The price of our Haihan products is high because there are too many people who want to buy it and our production capacity is very limited. When the production capacity increases, the price will naturally It will decrease. However, this escort business is different from commodities. We are not trying to make much money from this, but we just want to use this business to expand our business lines.”
Wang Qin nodded thoughtfully, not sure whether he believed it or not. Schneider naturally had something unspoken. The low escort price was not entirely the reason he just mentioned. Part of it was the profit from transporting his own private goods along the way. In addition, he also expanded this armed escort team into a logistics company, relying on the expansion of transportation. The plan is to reduce the cost of a single shipment through volume. Even with a slight early loss, Schneider is still full of confidence in this business in the long run.
Tao Donglai then turned the topic back to the bank's business and persuaded Wang Qin to try out the bearer small-amount banknotes that "Haihan Development Bank" was about to launch. In addition to being usable in Shengli Port, several local merchants in Guangzhou such as "Furuifeng", "Yongfeng Buhang" and "Haihan Bookstore" will also begin to accept this type of banknote. In addition, "Chenghai Bank" in Chaozhou Prefecture, as well as Xu's Commercial Bank in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, Fujian, have reached agreements with the Guangdong Office on the use of such small-amount banknotes, and within the year "Haihan Development Bank" The branch will be opened to Zhangzhou, and merchants in Fujian will also be able to enjoy deposit and withdrawal services at local branches.
Wang Qin's "Haifeng" headquarters is in Huizhou, which is just across the Chaozhou Prefecture from Zhangzhou. It also has a lot of business dealings with Fujian. This news made him very tempted. After getting used to the universal deposit and withdrawal service provided by "Haihan Development Bank" in Guangzhou, Wang Qin really felt its convenience. If such a service can be provided in Zhangzhou, then his own business will have to sell goods from Zhangzhou in the future. When goods arrive in Guangzhou, it is much more convenient to deliver them in cash.
Wang Qin immediately agreed and asked Schneider to immediately withdraw 500 taels from his account and exchange it for such an anonymous small-denomination banknote. After Schneider gave the order, Yu Xiaobao came in with a tray. On the tray is a stack of new-style banknotes with face values of ten taels, fifty taels and one hundred taels respectively, with a small brocade box on top.
"A small gift is not a sign of respect, so don't mind it, Boss Wang!" Schneider smiled and pushed the tray in front of Wang Qin.
Wang Qin opened the small brocade box and took a look. He saw an inch-square glass seal with the inscription "Haifeng Wang Qin" in small seal script. He thanked him profusely and said, "How can I afford such a precious gift?" ! Mr. Shi is so polite!”
Due to insufficient production capacity and conscious hype, Haihan's glass products have always been at a high level in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, and customized products that are only sold to a small number of collectors are even rarer. Wang Qin had previously asked the Guangdong Office to customize a set of glass stationery for a wealthy Huizhou businessman. The owner's name and two poems were engraved on it, and the price doubled. The product list of the Guangdong Office has clearly marked prices. The price of customized glass engravings is 10 taels per word. If the size exceeds 5 cents, there will be an additional fee. Customized products like glass seals have a minimum starting price of more than eighty taels. With engraving, the market price is well over a hundred taels. Wang Qin is not pretending to be so polite.
Schneider said: "If Boss Wang needs anything from now on, all he has to do is write a letter, seal it with this seal, and send someone to the Guangdong Office. We will send someone to your door to handle the business, saving Boss Wang the trouble of running around."
Wang Qin closed the lid of the box and responded with a smile: "That's not possible. If I don't come, how can I always get Mr. Shi's guidance?"
Schneider said: "Speaking of this, I have an idea recently. I wonder if Boss Wang is interested in participating in it."
"If it's a good thing, Mr. Shi, don't forget to count me in it!" Wang Qin was in a good mood and began to speak casually.
Schneider explained: "That's right, our Guangdong Office plans to unite merchants in Fujian and Guangzhou who have business dealings with us to establish a new organization..."
"Chamber of Commerce?" Wang Qin asked before Schneider finished speaking.
Schneider shook his head and said: "It's not just a traditional chamber of commerce. The targets of this organization are merchants who are willing to cooperate with us and make a fortune together. There are no restrictions on geography or business scale. This is because the business we want to do is relatively large, and a single company The combined strength of the two is far from enough.”
Wang Qin said in astonishment: "As far as I know, there are at least twenty or thirty merchants in Fujian and Guangzhou provinces doing business with you. What kind of business requires so many merchants to join forces to do it?"< br>
Schneider smiled and said nothing, and Tao Donglai took over the conversation: "Has Boss Wang been to Victory Port?"
Wang Qin nodded and said: "Fortunately, I went there once a month ago, but I was in a hurry that time and had no time to visit Mr. Shi."
Tao Donglai asked: "What do you think, Boss Wang, of Shengli Port?"
Wang Qin thought for a while before responding: "When I first arrived, it was hard to imagine that this local port was just a new port that had been opened less than a year ago. Whether it is port facilities or the local environment, it is one of the best among the ports I have been to! I have heard that you are good at engineering construction a long time ago. It was only after I went to Victory Port that I saw the indescribable power in the rumors. I also heard some rumors at that time that the Yazhou government intended to hand over some wasteland under its control. Developed for you.”
"It is indeed true, but we did not have so much energy to operate areas other than Victory Port at that time." Tao Donglai nodded and confirmed Wang Qin's statement: "If there are new opportunities now, we can create a second , the third Victory Port, will Boss Wang be interested in participating? ”
Wang Qin's eyes lit up: "Mr. Tao, are you kidding me? Do you really plan to open a new port? Can you reveal some details?"
"Of course." Tao Donglai nodded and said: "The new institution we just mentioned is prepared for this."
(End of chapter)