Chapter 304 The mysterious visitor
Although the layout of Yazhou's officialdom has not yet been fully realized, the influence of the Chuangchuan Group in the Yazhou area, especially within dozens of miles around Victory Port, has been so great that it cannot be increased. Yazhou officials basically have no chance to intervene in military, political, and commercial affairs. Most of the time, they turn a blind eye and turn a blind eye to some side-stepping behaviors of the crossing group.
This kind of ostrich mentality is not entirely because the Yazhou officials are afraid of trouble. The key is that they can't find any reason to intervene. The Haihan people did not rebel in Shengli Port, nor did they commit murder or arson. There was an inspection department stationed by the Yazhou government, and there were border troops stationed in the Yazhou Shuizhai, plus the Haihan people's own militia, and the public security situation was better than that in the capital. Although the local government has implemented a tax-free policy for foreign merchants, the income gained by Yazhou is much higher than in previous years. Just by "leasing" the prisoners in Yazhou Prison to the Crossing Group as laborers, the expenses and income saved here are The labor fee received is not a small amount.
If "Qiong Lianfa" wants to carry out large-scale development in Yazhou, it can be said that it will basically not encounter much resistance from local governments. One possible scenario is that the Yazhou government will provide policy support for the Qionglianfa development project, because this means that the local government will receive a new "policy subsidy" from Chuanchuan Group. ".
Starting from the application of land certificates for the Shengli Port area, the Yazhou government has often received various "subsidies" from Shengli Port. There must be festival subsidies for fixed annual festivals, and office subsidies for handling affairs. Among the various subsidies, local policies to support Shengli Port have received the most subsidies. For example, the Yazhou government announced three months ago that local people will no longer bear separate taxes after moving to Shengli Port. The group came forward to pay uniformly. This decree completely dispelled the concerns of some people and accelerated the immigration from Yazhou to Victory Port. After announcing this decree, the Yazhou government immediately received one thousand taels of silver from the Yazhan Office as a "policy subsidy" - of course, how much of this money went into the official treasury, and how much went into private pockets, then Only the parties involved know.
With subsidies like this, the Yazhou government has received at least more than ten thousand taels of silver in the past year. From the bottom government servants to the top magistrates and tongzhi, it can be said that everyone has received more or less time-traveling subsidies. Group benefits. The vast majority of officials serving in Yazhou have gradually formed a consensus - the more money the Haihan people make, the more benefits they can get. Anyone who can't get along with the Haihan people is fighting against themselves. Money can't get by.
A very small number of relatively clear-headed official personnel who were wary and hostile towards the Time Travel Group were quickly wiped out by this one-sided money offensive. After the entire Yazhou officialdom has been purged for nearly a year, it can be said that there are basically not many people left who are willing to go against the Chuan Chuan Group. Even the two secret service agencies, Jinyiwei and Dongchang, have personnel stationed in Yazhou. He has also been bribed to a great extent. General Gong Qi of Jinyiwei was transferred to Qiongzhou Mansion years ago, and the Cliff Office specially sent him two hundred taels of silver as a congratulatory gift. The personnel of these secret service agencies didn't have much to gain in a remote place like Yazhou. The wealthy Haihan people were like gods of wealth to them, so there was no need to embarrass them.
Schneider's speech to the audience was not just bragging. In fact, if the area was limited to Yazhou, what "Qiong Lianfa" could do could even be described as "doing whatever they want." Some of the projects that "Qiong Lianfa" will implement at the beginning of its establishment are basically concentrated in the Yazhou area. After Chuanchuan Group's control in Yazhou is relatively stable, it will gradually expand its business scope outwards.
Although Schneider's speech aroused the enthusiasm of some merchants to participate, there were also some cautious people in the audience who raised questions: "Mr. Shi, there is no doubt about your influence in Yazhou, but if the pressure in the future comes from Qiongzhou Prefecture or even Guangzhou Government, how should we deal with it? ”
Schneider smiled and asked: "How did we get our influence in Yazhou? Is it simply relying on money or strong ships and cannons? In fact, it is neither. The reason why we were able to settle in Yazhou within one year The fact that Victory Port has been operated to its current level is due to our advanced system and structure.”
"This advantage of ours not only applies to Yazhou, but will also apply to Qiongzhou and Guangzhou after a period of time. You can wait and see." Schneider paused and said: "I know some bosses still have doubts, so' Qiong Lianfa will implement a policy of strict entry and easy exit, and everyone can join with confidence. The so-called "strict entry" means to raise the threshold for entry, and "lenient exit" means giving shareholders the freedom to withdraw at any time. "Qiong Lianfa" will not be embarrassed, and we will not ask you the real reason for quitting, but please remember that there is only one chance to join "Qiong Lianfa". Once you quit, you will never be able to enter again. An opportunity for this circle!”
Some of the merchants present calculated that this circle basically covers 80% of the wealthy businessmen in the business district near Guangzhou. The organization "Qiong Lianfa" is actually a small circle of top wealthy businessmen. I don't know how many people are thinking about it. Get into this circle.
Schneider looked around at the crowd and saw that no one was asking any more questions, so he continued the process: "Then I will tell you about the company's articles of association. Please listen carefully. The following contents are all related to your vital interests. .”
Schneider personally drafted the "Articles of Association of Qiong Lianfa Company", which focuses on shareholders' investment methods, shareholders' rights and obligations, methods of transferring equity, company structure and its formation method, powers and rules of procedure, and most importantly Important financial management, profit distribution methods and labor employment system. There is too much content involved, and there will be more than 40 detailed rules alone, each of which must be explained to shareholders individually. Schneider talked from two o'clock in the afternoon until it got dark, and he was only halfway through.
Since most people had to rush back to Guangzhou, this course could only be continued the next day. Early the next morning, the wealthy businessmen rushed to the Guangdong Office to meet together. What made Schneider even more gratified was that none of the wealthy businessmen who attended the symposium on the first day was absent. This means that so far, these big bosses have not People decide to quit the game.
Today, the wealthy businessmen obviously asked more questions than the previous day, and they were often more targeted. It seems that these people also spent a lot of time thinking about the company's articles of association after going back last night. Maybe many of them stayed up all night A think tank meeting was held to discuss the matter - this can be seen from the bloodshot red eyes of many people.
Due to the increase in questions, Schneider's explanation speed this morning was slower than the previous day. At noon, after eating the "secret seafood dinner" arranged by the General Office of the China General Affairs Office, everyone continued to discuss matters.
However, after the symposium on the second day, two merchants chose to withdraw, and the number of participants was reduced from the original fifteen to thirteen. But Schneider was not discouraged at all. Merchants who are willing to join after fully understanding the company's articles of association are the partners that Chuanchuan Group really needs. Those who are unwilling to accept the constraints of this charter for their own selfish interests are likely to become a hidden operating hazard for the company in the future.
By the third day of the symposium, the merchants had basically reached an agreement on the business methods and direction of "Qiong Lianfa", but there were still differences with Haihan on many details. Tao Donglai did not attend the discussion that day because a visitor with a special status came from the General Office of the People's Republic of China, forcing him to temporarily divert his attention from the "Qiong Lianfa" affairs.
When the visitor arrived at the Guangdong Office, he did not even get off the soft sedan he was riding in. Instead, he entered the gate of the Guangdong Office together with the sedan. The reason for concealing his whereabouts is because the visitor does not want to appear in public at the General Office of the People's Republic of China.
Accompanying this visitor was Li Nai, the third young master of "Fu Ruifeng" and now the boss of "Golden Shield Security". After receiving the news of the two men's visit, Tao Donglai immediately came to the study to meet them.
"Mr. Tao, this is the envoy of Fo Langji from Oyster Mirror." Li Nai introduced to Tao Donglai.
The Oyster Mirror was the Macau of later generations, and at this time, Macau had become the main supply port for trade between the Portuguese and China. It has been 70 years since the Portuguese obtained the right to reside in Macau in 1557. There are now thousands of Portuguese living in Macau all year round. However, for Ming people, their understanding of the "Francis" is very vague, and they don't even understand the difference between the Portuguese in Macau and the Spanish in Manila. This is recorded in "Foreign Biography" in "History of the Ming Dynasty": "Folangji was close to Manchuria. In Zhengde, he occupied the land of Manchuria and expelled its king." The official Ming Dynasty during this period regarded Folangji as After conquering the neighboring countries of Malacca, it suddenly changed the Franconian machine from Europe to Malacca in South Asia. But in fact, Portugal became an independent kingdom as early as 1143, but was annexed by neighboring Spain a few decades ago and became a vassal state.
As a large local merchant in Guangzhou, "Furuifeng" has been dealing with the Portuguese in Macau for more than a day or two. Regarding the sudden appearance of Haihan products in the Guangzhou market, Portugal, which is good at trading, has naturally noticed it for a long time. However, it is limited to news channels and they have not been able to get in touch with Haihan. Until recently, through various channels, "Fu Ruifeng" finally agreed to introduce the Haihan people to them - of course, the attitude of "Fu Ruifeng" was actually the attitude of Haihan. Without the nod of the Guangdong Office, this meeting would not have been possible. may appear.
"Dear Mr. Tao, please allow Joao Enrique Bardac Thomas to extend his most sincere greetings to you!" Standing in front of Tao Donglai was a standard European, wearing a baroque style glitz. The clothing, collar, cuffs and trouser legs are all decorated with lace-like lace and ribbons, while the lower body is made of loose, fat, flowing and pleated culottes, which is in line with the "peacock" clothing style popular in Europe during this period.
However, this guy with a difficult-to-pronounce name speaks Chinese with a hint of Cantonese Mandarin. It seems that he has lived in Daming for a long time.
"Hello, Mr. Thomas." Tao Donglai nodded.
Originally, it would be more appropriate for Schneider to take the initiative on this occasion. After all, he is a mixed-race person with a European face, and has long-term experience in living in Europe and the United States. There is no big communication barrier in terms of language. It is up to him to talk to the Portuguese. It might be easier to communicate through messengers. However, since Schneider was busy dealing with matters related to the establishment of "Qiong Lianfa", and at this juncture, "Qiong Lianfa" was obviously more important than the Portuguese's visit, so only Tao Donglai appeared in person at this meeting.
"If you can, please call me Enrique. My relatives and friends all call me that." The Portuguese was a familiar person and immediately established a relationship with Tao Donglai.
"Okay Enrique." Tao Donglai responded and invited the two people to take a seat.
This Enrique was obviously well versed in the ways of communicating with Akito. After he sat down, he was not in a hurry to express his intention. It was not until a servant brought hot tea that Enrique took the initiative to bring up the business: "I have the honor to work with you in a few months." I saw some glassware made by Haihan before, and it can be said that the quality is no less than that of the craftsmen in Venice. With all due respect, can Mr. Tao tell me whether the production technology of these glassware comes from Venice?”
"Of course not." Tao Donglai immediately categorically denied this statement: "This is our Haihan's unique craftsmanship. You may have noticed that our glassware is completely different in appearance and style from the products in Venice. In addition, we also have many products that have never been made by Venetians.”
"You are right. At least the Venetians never thought of using glass for the stationery used by the literati of the Ming Dynasty." Regarding Tao Donglai's denial, Enrique did not continue to delve deeper, as if the question just now was From another person's mouth: "I also saw a seal carved from glass at Mr. Li's house. It is really a very beautiful work of art."
"Thank you for the compliment, but I think we will meet here today. It's not that you plan to buy glass products from us, right?" Tao Donglai saw this guy going around and around without getting to the point, so he took the initiative. .
Enrique smiled and said: "If possible, I would prefer to hire Haihan craftsmen directly, but I know that this wish is probably impossible to realize."
Tao Donglai smiled when he heard this and did not answer. The European glassmakers of the same era were completely hidden treasures by various chambers of commerce. There was no chance of contact with outsiders. Enrique probably thought that Haihan was like this. The same situation exists on the edge. Although the Chuan Chuan Group also has technical confidentiality measures, it does not physically imprison the craftsmen like the Europeans do, because for the Chuan Chuan Group, the glass production process does not have a high technical content, and Hainan is not the only one who has mastered this technology. For the Han family, it doesn't make much sense to keep it secret.
The advantage of Chuanchuan Group in this industry does not lie in the high level of technology, but in the combination of industrialized production methods and market-oriented product research and development methods. Compared with the differences in production technology, this operating mechanism is ahead of its contemporary competitors. After several centuries, even if the Chuanchuan Group publishes all the manufacturing processes of glass products, it will be difficult for anyone else in Asia to organize an industrialized production method and pose a real competitive threat to Haihan Glass Products. This advantage is often something that outsiders cannot appreciate. All they see is the popularity of Haihan products, but they do not understand the real reasons behind it. Although Enrique has some knowledge, with his limited vision of this era, he still cannot realize the real advantage of the Time Travel Group.
Enrique continued: "As far as I know, Haihan has a wide variety of products, and glass products are just one of them. Our merchants are very interested in other products, such as matches, soaps, and ceramic toilets that can flush water. , even the guns you made, if you are willing to sell them, our merchants will be happy to buy them.”
The first half of what Tao Donglai heard was nothing. When he heard "guns", his eyes couldn't help but turn to Li Nai - although it was no secret that the Cross-Travel Group was able to manufacture guns on its own, exporting guns to the outside world was not a secret. But there are only a few two or three customers. In order to eliminate the possibility of buying arms by hand, Xu Xinsu of Fujian wanted to hide the secret of the arms supply as deeply as possible. The North Vietnamese regime and the Nguyen regime in the south, which was most likely supported by the Portuguese, were fighting to death, and it was even less likely that they would take the initiative to ask for arms. If this secret is leaked to outsiders, among these limited customers, the one with the closest ties to the Portuguese is probably the "Furuifeng" family.
Of course, Li Nai felt the doubt in Tao Donglai's eyes, and quickly coughed and said: "Mr. Enrique, where did you hear this talk about guns and cannons?"
Enrique said: "This is not a secret. Last month our merchants transported wood from Hue Prefecture in Annan to Oyster. They heard that the Zheng's army in the north was equipped with a large number of muskets and artillery, and those who cooperated with them in combat It is the Hai Han Militia. Obviously, there are no craftsmen who make muskets and artillery in the territory controlled by the Zheng family, and there is news that the new North Vietnamese army appears on the battlefield. , was trained by you for Zheng.”
Tao Donglai sighed secretly. He originally thought that these things could be hidden for a while, but he obviously underestimated the speed of information transmission in this era. It was an open matter for the Haihan militia to join the war in Vietnam. It would be easy for interested people to get accurate information just by making some inquiries. After all, there were thousands of South Vietnamese coolies imprisoned in Victory Port, so it was impossible to hide it. The South Vietnamese regime, which suffered a severe blow, probably learned the real reason for its failure soon afterwards, and the Western forces supporting the South Vietnamese regime behind the scenes would of course turn their attention to Hai Han, who provided military support to North Vietnam.
I wish you all a happy new year and all the best!
(End of chapter)