Chapter 298 New business of Guangdong Office
"Master, it's time to set off."
"Got it." Wang Qin responded and carefully put a stack of "Haihan Banknotes" with a face value of one thousand taels and the transaction documents from both parties into a thick paper folder, and then put a small rosewood official document into it. In the box, close the lid. This flat square file box was a gift he received when he opened an account at Haihan Development Bank. The name of the recipient was engraved on the back of the box.
According to the Haihan people's style, all kinds of documents and bills that need to be carried with them are placed in boxes of this shape to avoid being stained. Wang Qin had seen Mr. Shi and Mr. He from Haihan's Guangdong Office carrying similar-shaped boxes when they went out. They seemed to have an indescribable style. However, the Haihan man's box didn't seem to be made of wood, but was shiny and made of silver, but seemed to be very light in weight.
Of course Wang Qin didn't know where the Rimowa brand of aluminum-magnesium alloy briefcases came from and how much they were worth, but even with his 17th-century perspective, he could tell that the Haihan people's portable equipment was very high-end, so after getting it After this gift, Wang Qin also started to have the habit of carrying a briefcase with him.
Wang Qin carried the briefcase out of the yard, turned around and told the housekeeper: "If anyone comes to visit, just tell me that I went to the Haihan Office in Guangdong." The housekeeper nodded quickly in agreement.
Two months ago, Wang Qin negotiated with the Guangdong Office in Guangzhou on behalf of Huizhou's "Haifenghao" trading company to exchange ores for Haihan commodities. "Haifenghao" quickly became the number one trading house in Huizhou Prefecture in a short period of time. Local dignitaries came to visit one after another and asked "Haifenghao" to purchase Haihan products that were in high demand on the market. In accordance with the requirements of the Haihan people, the "Haifeng" organized transportation capacity to transport two batches of four cargoes, mainly ore, tin ingots, and lead ingots, to Victory Port, and exchanged a large amount of Haihan glassware for the goods on the ground in Huizhou. I made a lot of money. According to Wang Qin's own estimation, the profits made by the "Haifeng" from these two transactions were at least nearly ten thousand taels of silver.
Wang Qin, who made the greatest contribution in this process, was rewarded by the big boss and purchased a small courtyard in Guangzhou as his place to stay. From now on, he no longer needs to stay in a private room in an inn for a long time. Wang Qin's personal salary has also improved. He even had enough money to hire a few servants in Guangzhou, and spent several hundred taels of silver to redeem a poor man from a flower boat on the Pearl River. His living standard has been greatly improved compared to before. improvement.
Wang Qin certainly knew where his enjoyment today came from, so he went to the Guangzhou Guangdong Office more frequently than before. Even if he had nothing to do, he would visit him at least every three to five days to keep in touch. Wang Qin did not know why the Haihan people imported tin ore and lead ore from Huizhou every month, and he was not interested in asking. However, as long as the Haihan people still had needs in this regard, the "Haifeng" would continue to purchase more from Shengli Port. Buy more Haihan products and get huge profits.
Since the General Office of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou launched the currency deposit and exchange business between Guangzhou and Shengli Port, Wang Qin has become one of the first to try this. When placing an order at the Guangdong Office, just hand over the money directly to the Haihan people, and then take the banknote issued by the Haihan people to the Victory Port to pick up the goods. This avoids various risks that may arise in transporting tens of thousands of taels of silver across the sea. , and this bank note can be reported as lost. Even if it is accidentally lost or even robbed, Wang Qin does not have to worry about actual losses.
The most convenient thing for Wang Qin is that since the transactions between the "Haifeng" and the Haihan people are settled in Guangzhou, there is usually a large amount of cash turnover. If it were left at home, I might not even be able to sleep well at night. But when I put it with the Haihan people, I felt much more at ease. The young people in the nursing home in the Guangdong Office are all very capable, and they all use muskets made by Haihan. Wang Qin heard from an acquaintance of the boss that the Haihan people's muskets were said to be more powerful than the Lumi gun equipped by the government army. Only "Fu Ruifeng" who had a close relationship with the Haihan people in Guangzhou could buy the guns made by the Haihan people. Musket. With such a powerful guard, Wang Qin naturally safely and boldly deposited all the cash in the name of the "Haifeng" in the Liaison Office in Guangdong.
The sedan that Wang Qin was riding in left Guangzhou City from the Dadong Gate and walked a short distance eastward along the main road before arriving outside the Liaison Office in Guangzhou.
Today's Guangdong Office is not only bustling with people at the main entrance, but also a large number of sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages parked at the back door. Two months ago, the people of Haihan built a courtyard behind the courtyard of the General Office of the People's Republic of China in Guangzhou and put up a signboard of "Haihan Development Bank". Since then, the back door of the Guangdong Office has become lively. Not only have bearers and horse-drawn carriages come here to attract customers, but also laborers who come here looking for work, and some small shops selling hot food have appeared nearby. Stalls - of course their business targets are not the wealthy men in the Guangdong Office, but ordinary people waiting for work here.
After Wang Qin got off the sedan, he met an acquaintance: "Isn't this Shopkeeper Ma? I'm glad to meet you!"
Wang Qin has stayed in Guangzhou for a long time, and has gradually become familiar with the people on the ground. Naturally, he recognizes the shopkeeper Ma of "Yongfeng Cloth Shop". It is said that "Yongfeng Cloth Co., Ltd." is the number one fabric supplier for Haihan people. More than 80% of the fabrics purchased by Haihan people from the mainland are supplied by "Yongfeng Cloth Co., Ltd." Moreover, the Haihan people had a huge demand for fabrics. Wang Qin didn't quite understand why they bought so much fabrics and returned to Victory Port. Could it be that they were made into clothes and sold back to Guangzhou?
Shopkeeper Ma responded with a smile: "Boss Wang, we are here to collect the money again! Do you want to call a few laborers to wait for you first, so that they can help you carry the money out later?"
Wang Qin also responded with a smile: "Shopkeeper Ma really loves to joke! I do this small business just to support my family. How can I compare with Shopkeeper Ma, who laughs and laughs!"
There are two stone braves as tall as one person standing outside the gate of this newly built courtyard. A plaque with gold letters on a black background "Haihan Development Bank" hangs above the gate. There are also doormen in black clothes and black trousers standing on both sides of the gate. When the guard guarding the door saw that both of them were carrying rosewood briefcases presented to them by their family, they nodded and motioned for them to enter on their own.
The courtyard is divided into three areas: north, east and south, with a small patio in the middle. To the south is the "business office" where general money deposits and withdrawals are handled. Money deposits and withdrawals of less than 20,000 taels can be handled here. To the east is the "Advanced Business Office", responsible for handling the deposit and withdrawal of more than 20,000 taels of money, but Wang Qin has never entered it even once. To the north is the "Special Affairs Processing Room", which specializes in handling various troubles encountered by customers, such as disputes over the quality of money, reports of lost banknotes, etc. In order to prevent first-time customers from being confused, a special sign was erected in the patio to briefly explain the different functions of the three areas.
This was not the first time for both of them to come here to do business. They went to the "business office" due south to complete the formalities. The layout in the "Business Room" is also very simple. A black marble counter runs across the room, dividing the entire room into two parts. Behind the counter, there are two Haihan staff members handling business for the merchants. One of them There is an open wooden box on the counter in front of the merchant. It is full of silver ingots, at least two to three thousand taels. It seems that it is here to save money. In addition to the customers who were going through the procedures at the counter, there were several people waiting in the room, and it looked like they wouldn't be able to get their turn for a while.
After the two of them entered, a waiter came over and took them to the seating area next to them. He quickly served hot tea and snacks, and gave them two number plates. Wang Qin picked up the number plate and looked at it, then turned around and asked: "Shopkeeper Ma, what do the numbers on it mean? Why are you A-7 and I am B-4?"
"Boss Wang hasn't come here to do business recently, has he? This is a new rule set by the Haihan people." Shopkeeper Ma explained to him: "This is to facilitate everyone's queue. When it's your turn, someone will notify you You. This way everyone can sit and wait without worrying about disrupting the order.”
"That's it." Wang Qin said it clearly, nodded and praised: "Haihan people really pay attention to rules and regulations in doing things, and it can be seen in the details!"
Sure enough, after the previous customer at the "A" counter finished the formalities and left, a waiter shouted loudly: "Customers of No. A and No. 5, please go to the counter of No. A to complete the formalities!"
After waiting for about half a stick of incense, it was Wang Qin's turn. Wang Qin stood up and came to the counter, opened the briefcase, took out the banknote and handed it over: "I want to exchange eight thousand taels of cash."< br>
"Please wait a moment." The clerk took the banknote, inspected it, wrote a receipt, and asked Wang Qin to sign it.
After Wang Qin signed the document, the clerk pulled a rope next to the seat. Soon someone came over and took away the document. A moment later, someone came out pushing several boxes on a flatbed trolley.
"Haihan Silver, one hundred taels per ingot, eighty in total. Do you need to check the quality?" the clerk asked.
"No need." Wang Qin was very relieved about the quality of the silver ingots issued here. The first few times he tried to withdraw cash, he was a little worried and asked for inspection. The clerk randomly cut the silver ingots with silver scissors in front of him. Facts have proved that the quality of Haihan's silver ingots is better than most miscellaneous silver on the market, and it belongs to the same category as official silver. A grade. Of course, it is not so easy to save silver. If the quality of the silver is obviously insufficient, the Haihan people will ask for it to be discolored. In order to avoid such disputes, Haihan people have also been promoting bearer banknotes to customers like Wang Qin - so that they no longer need to take cash out of Haihan people's warehouses when conducting transactions with other people. , just give the banknote to others. However, Wang Qin still has some doubts about this. He always feels that anonymity seems to lack a sense of security.
"Do you need escort service?" the clerk continued to ask.
"Yes." Wang Qin nodded. Eight thousand taels of silver weighed several hundred kilograms, which was not something he could carry around alone.
"Local or remote?"
"Local, let's go to Guangzhou City." Wang Qin paused and asked, "Can we still escort money to other places now?"
Since "Haihan Development Bank" started operating, it has been providing a local escort service in Guangzhou to deliver money to your home - of course this is not a free service, but charges one thousandth of the escort fee. Local merchants generally do not choose this service, so they transport the money back with a few servants. However, out-of-town merchants like Wang Qin take safety issues into consideration and are generally willing to pay for the money to be delivered directly to their homes by Haihan people. But before that, Wang Qin had never heard of sending money to other places.
"This is a new service we have launched recently. Within Guangdong and Guangxi, you can go to Zhaoqing, Shaozhou, Nanxiong, Huizhou, and Chaozhou. In the direction of Fujian, you can go to Zhangzhou, Tingzhou, Quanzhou, Yanping, and Hexing. Huafu and Fuzhou Prefecture are expected to be opened within two months," the clerk introduced to Wang Qin in a serious manner, looking at the documents on the table.
Wang Qin asked with some disbelief: "This... you have even opened a bodyguard bureau now? Do you have a special bodyguard team to guard the bodyguards?"
The clerk shook his head and said: "I'm not sure who will escort him."
"Let me explain this problem to Boss Wang."
Wang Qin turned around when he heard the voice and quickly said, "It's Mr. Shi!"
"Boss Wang, do you have time to chat alone?" Schneider also smiled and cupped his hands.
"Yes, yes, since it is President Shi who invites me, I still have time no matter how busy I am!" Wang Qin responded repeatedly. For businessmen of his level, most of their interactions with Schneider are business discussions, and they rarely have the opportunity to chat privately with Schneider like some local businessmen do. Now that all wealth and honor are tied to the Haihan people, Wang Qin naturally takes this kind of invitation very seriously.
"Count Boss Wang's money and arrange for it to be delivered to Boss Wang's home as soon as possible without any mistakes!" Schneider gave a few instructions to the clerk behind the counter, and then said to Wang Qin: "Boss Wang, please!"
Feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on him, Wang Qin's vanity was greatly satisfied. Regular customers knew that Mr. Shi from the Guangdong Office rarely appeared here to greet customers - he was usually in charge. Trade negotiations rarely show up at the bank. Only big merchants such as the local "Fu Ruifeng" or "Chenghai Bank" in Chaozhou Prefecture handle banking business can be qualified to receive him in person.
After leaving the bank's courtyard, Schneider took Wang Qin directly to the inner courtyard and into a study. After Wang Qin entered the house, he saw that in addition to two acquaintances, Schneider and He Xi, there was also a middle-aged man in Haihan attire.
"Let me introduce, this is Mr. Tao from our Tao Dong Lai." Schneider introduced the two of them to each other: "This is Wang Qinwang, the boss of the Haifeng Hao in Huizhou."
The two of them greeted each other, said a few words of long admiration, and then took their seats. Wang Qin was very sensitive to the fact that the two managers of the General Office were sitting on either side of Mr. Tao, and he seemed to have heard that the leader of the Haihan people was named Tao before, so he asked about the identity of the middle-aged man in front of him. I had already expected seven to eight points.
"I have no other intention of inviting Boss Wang here today. I just want to ask Boss Wang what thoughts and opinions he has while using the business of our Haihan Bank." Tao Donglai got straight to the point: "Boss Wang, there is no need to avoid anything, we understand these Just to be able to provide better services to customers like 'Haifenghao', if you think we have anything worth improving, please tell us and let's take a look at it together."
Wang Qin said in astonishment: "Of course I think the service provided by Haihan Bank is... excellent."
Schneider smiled and said: "Don't be nervous, Boss Wang. We are not interrogating you, we are just asking for your opinion. If you feel that you can't find anything wrong, you can also tell us what other services you hope our bank can provide, or Is there anything you don’t understand about business? ”
Wang Qin suddenly remembered the conversation at the counter just now, and asked casually: "I just heard that the silver can be escorted to another place? What's going on?"
Schneider explained: "This is also a new service content we have launched based on customer requirements. For example, if a foreign customer like you, Boss Wang, needs us to safely escort a large amount of cash to Huizhou, then we will send a professional armed force The escort team will complete this matter, and the fee will be much lower than that of the traditional escort agency, and in order to give customers peace of mind, we will also provide a full compensation service for lost escorts.”
As the largest foreign trade port in Guangdong and Guangxi, Guangzhou brings together a large number of merchants from Guangdong, Guangxi and even other provinces. For some of the foreign merchants, there are certain safety issues when transporting large amounts of cash back to the local area. In recent years, pirates have been rampant along the coast of Fuguang, and transporting large amounts of silver by sea is extremely risky. Land transport has begun to become a common choice for more and more merchants with this need. However, based on the garrison strength of the Garrison Office in Guangzhou, which is only one platoon after two additional personnel adjustments, the most it can do is engage in local armed escort business, which can be used as a military subsidy to some extent. However, it is somewhat difficult to undertake the escort of gold and silver from other places. It's beyond reach. Therefore, in the early days of the establishment of "Haihan Development Bank", the Guangdong Office in Guangzhou did not launch relevant services.
However, recently "Fu Ruifeng" has seen the bank's development and proactively came to ask for a shareholding. Schneider would naturally not distribute the bank's shares to outsiders. You must know that "Haihan Development Bank" is the prototype of the future central bank. This share cannot be controlled by private individuals in any case, let alone a merchant in Ming Dynasty. After rejecting Li Jifeng's proposal, Schneider proposed another method of cooperation to them, which was to open an escort agency to undertake the external gold and silver escort tasks of "Haihan Development Bank".
As a large merchant with multiple chain stores in Guangdong and Guangxi, the geographical layout of "Furuifeng" does have advantages that the Cross Group cannot match, and Schneider hopes that "Furuifeng" can make more effective use of its early layout to expand The existing business model that relies on terminal sales has gradually transformed into a channel-based and logistics-based business model. Of course, neither Li Jifeng nor Li Nai understand these terms at all. They only care about what Schneider calls this "new money-making model." "How to operate, how to get more profits, and what does opening an escort agency have to do with the new business model.
(End of chapter)