Chapter 370 Opening up a new salt field
Taking into account safety factors, private salt shipped from Shengli Port to the mainland will not dock at the Pearl River Wharf outside Guangzhou for unloading, so as not to let people from the Salt Department get caught. In the early days when "Fu Ruifeng" was the exclusive agent, cargo ships departing from Haihan basically took the goods to the dock outside Lijiazhuang, Panyu for delivery. But now, with the increase of agents in the mainland, the number of private salt The main delivery location has also been moved south from Lijiazhuang to Wanshan Port at the Pearl River Estuary. From Zhangzhou in the east to Leizhou in the west, many salt merchants from the coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian come to Wanshan Port to buy high-quality and low-price "Sanya refined salt".
After the market opened up, more and more powerful and wealthy businessmen of the Ming Dynasty were involved in this large network of interests. The salt dealers who cooperate with Haihan are not small-time private salt dealers. Distributors with too low a level are not qualified to establish direct trade relations with Haihan. Most of the people who control the distribution channels are local powerful people. Rich gentry, and even people from the local government and salt department also participated in it to get a share of the pie.
Haihan's private salt was dumped at low prices and supplied to the Ming Dynasty. The most significant effect was not to lower the price of salt on the market, but to drive a large number of small and medium-sized salt farms in coastal areas into bankruptcy in a short period of time. In the past, salt merchants used salt guides to resell private salt, and the source of their goods was still these official salt fields. However, after Haihan private salt appeared on the market, it quickly took away the market share of the official salt fields. The shipping price of Haihan people, The production cost is even lower than that of most salt farms, and the quality of the salt is significantly higher than that of the official salt farms. As long as the salt merchants are not burned out, they will naturally choose Haihan to purchase goods.
Due to their state-owned nature, official salt farms have had a single industrial structure and business model for a long time, and are simply not equipped to withstand market risks. Once unsaleable products appear, the production process will soon be affected because funds cannot be withdrawn. The only business strategy that can change this situation is to reduce production costs and regain the market by increasing sales. However, no matter how hard these salt farms try, they cannot compete with the Haihan Salt Farm, which has a generation-changing production capacity. The annual output of just one Shengli Port Salt Farm exceeds the salt needs of the entire island of Qiongzhou Island. Together with the Tielugang Salt Farm, its production capacity is almost equivalent to the combined production capacity of all salt farms in Guangdong and Guangxi. The two salt farms The total number of salt workers in the country is less than one-tenth of that of the Daming Saltworks. There is no chance of a price war by reducing costs.
In addition to the advantages in output and cost, the advanced business concepts brought by the time-travelers from later generations are also indispensable. After the establishment of Haihan Salt Company, almost all overseas distributors were operated using the theories of corporate management of later generations. Under the advanced management system, the operating efficiency of the entire sales system was simply inferior to that of private commercial banks of this era. It cannot be said in the same way.
It took "Fu Ruifeng" nearly two hundred years and several generations to grow from a small one to a big one, and spread its business organizations to various state capitals and cities in Guangdong and Guangxi. Just a dozen places. However, in more than a year, Haihan Salt Industry has developed dozens of large and small channel distributors in various places. The coverage area has almost reached the county level. In terms of the speed of building sales channels, it far exceeds that of "Furuifeng". ". Faced with such a huge sales network, without an efficient management system, it would be difficult to achieve the current large salt sales, and the Executive Committee's plan to suck blood from the Ming Dynasty's finances through private salt business would also be greatly slowed down. .
Haihan's private salt sales are booming, but the sales of official salt have plummeted. After this increase has subsided, Haihan's private salt has become even more irresistible in sweeping the southeastern coastal salt market. This year has just passed. In nine months, current monthly sales have tripled from the beginning of the year.
However, this did not satisfy the Executive Committee, because Qiongzhou Island and Yinggehai had long been in the Executive Committee's sight, but due to various reasons, they had not been officially developed as super-large salt fields. If this area can be fully utilized, then in addition to its own consumption and supply to Qiongzhou Island, North Vietnam and Guangdong and Guangxi, the salt production of Haihan Salt Industry will even have room for export to Fujian and even further Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.
Since the local coastal areas are covered with large saline-alkali tidal flats with very little vegetation, to develop and build salt fields there, all daily necessities including building materials must be transported by ship from Sanya, which requires a lot of manpower. The resources and resources are quite large, and the relevant departments are silently preparing for this matter. However, with the arrival of a large number of immigrants from Guangdong, the manpower gap was suddenly alleviated, and thousands more laborers were waiting for job assignments. After weighing the matter, the executive committee decided to settle in Yinggehai and develop the local salt resources.
While the relevant departments were busy preparing for the development of Yinggehai, good news finally came back from Macau. With the joint efforts of Tom Wang and Enrique, the local Portuguese Council finally agreed to add military cooperation to the original trade exchange agreement.
This part of the agreement is mainly based on the arms trade agreement. Although the two parties did not clearly define the position of military allies in the agreement, they still stipulated the corresponding bottom line, that is, the two parties shall not assist or collude with a third party in any way, or threaten with military means. Or harm the interests of the other party. If such a situation occurs, the cooperation agreement will be automatically terminated immediately.
The reason why this clause was added to the trade was because both sides were still wary of each other. The Haihan side was afraid that the Portuguese would go back on their word and contact other Western countries to attack the Sanya area; while the Portuguese side was also afraid of the Haihan people. If they don't keep their word, they might one day join forces with the Ming Dynasty or North Vietnam to completely drive the Portuguese out of the Far East. As a supplementary clause to this agreement, the two sides also reached an agreement in principle not to send armed ships to operate near each other's ports, so as not to cause unnecessary tension.
As for the arms trade, which is regarded as a highlight by both sides, the rules and regulations are much more complicated. A series of issues such as pricing rights, delivery cycle, delivery location, payment method, etc. all need to be finalized one by one. In this process, both parties have gone through a lot of experience at the negotiation table in order to maximize their actual interests. A series of quarrels of words.
Although Wang Tom is not a member of the business department, under the influence of a group of shady old fritters, he has learned some business negotiation skills. In addition, he already mastered Portuguese and did not even need a translator, so there was not much of an obstacle in communicating with the Portuguese Council. Judging from the content of the final agreement, although Haihan was not able to take advantage of much due to the caution of his opponent, he basically did not suffer any loss.
Haihan only listed one condition for the Portuguese regarding the destination of the exported weapons, that is, not to sell the guns and bullets made by Haihan to Ming Dynasty. Yes, that's right. The Executive Committee does not plan to find any more agents in the arms trade in the Far East. Especially in Ming Dynasty, a market with huge consumption potential, it does not tolerate the intervention of Western countries. As for whether they buy weapons and transport them back to their colonies as a means of defense, or whether they transport them back to Europe as lucrative commodities for sale, that is their freedom, and the Executive Committee will not send anyone to interfere - at most Just providing some reference opinions.
Of course, during this process, Wang Tom also did not forget the instructions of Tao Donglai and others. He made some magic tricks in front of the Portuguese Council and made some predictions about the recent results of the European battlefield - of course these The predictions were compiled by relevant departments based on relevant historical data and asked to be memorized in advance. The purpose was actually to convince the Portuguese that the path Haihan had guided them was the most correct one.
Although Wang Tom knew the historical information compiled by the staff department by heart and was very expressive, because the Portuguese merchant ships traveling between the Indian Peninsula and Macau took several months or even half a year to go back and forth, some of the information he disclosed about The "secret" of the European war situation will have to wait until the next time a ship comes from the Indian Peninsula to be verified.
On this issue, Enrique helped Wang Tom a lot. He used what he saw and heard in the Sanya area as a reference and tried his best to convince the council to believe some of the situations that Wang Tom said would happen. For example, King Tom accurately stated that three years ago the Protestant King Christian IV of Denmark, with the support of Britain, France and the Netherlands, launched an attack on the Holy Roman Empire and occupied northern Germany and western Bohemia. , this is true news that has been verified. Tom Wang also revealed that in April this year, the Holy Roman Empire launched a counterattack and defeated the British commander Mansfield in Saxony. The general who made the meritorious service was Wallenstein, a Bohemian nobleman hired by the emperor. This news is not yet available. There was no transmission from the European battlefield to the Far East, and the Council did not quite believe this unfounded prediction.
The victory or defeat on the European battlefield has no direct relationship with the Haihan people tens of thousands of miles away, but Wang Tom reminded the Portuguese not to miss a good time to do business, because based on the inference of Haihan's exclusive technology, It becomes clear who will have the upper hand on the European battlefield in the coming years.
For the Haihan people, it doesn't matter if these countries are stupid, but for the Portuguese, the victory or defeat will directly affect their ever-increasing plan to restore the country. You must know that Spain is one of the two parties, the Habsburg dynasty. The main actor, at least in the whole European process, can be regarded as a capable actor with many roles. If there is a way to take advantage of the war situation and consume Spain's army and national power, these Portuguese people will definitely spare no effort to do it. So in the end, the Portuguese Council chose to listen to Wang Tom's advice with some doubts, and followed his instructions to target Denmark for weapons sales first. In the original history, Denmark proposed peace to the Holy Roman Empire in May 1629, signed the "Contract of Lübeck", and promised not to interfere in German affairs. This contract can also be regarded as a sign of the end of the second phase of the thirty-year European War. In this phase, the Holy Roman Empire should be regarded as the winner, because its power has extended from the hinterland of Europe to the Baltic Sea in the north through the war.
At this stage when the Danes are beginning to be unable to withstand the offensive, if Haihan's powerful weapons are sold to them, I believe it will help them fight the Spanish for a longer time - the more Spanish people die, the more likely they are to the Portuguese who are eager to restore their country. The better the news.
As for where the future war situation will go, Tom Wang did not disclose further. He would not tell the Portuguese that the good days of the Habsburg Alliance would only last two or three years. With the Swedish King Gustavus II announcing the dispatch of troops in 1630, a new round of war would begin again. In this stage that lasted for five years, the intensity of the war was only worse than the previous wars.
Although they did not completely believe Wang Tom's lies, the Portuguese Council decided to purchase a batch of weapons produced by Haihan for research purposes to see if the Haihan people had any secrets in their manufacturing technology that could be imitated. , and secondly, this batch of weapons can be transported to Europe and earn economic benefits.
As for whether to sell this batch of goods quietly to the South Vietnamese court, the council did not dare to go into this muddy water. South Vietnam's economy is now on the verge of collapse, and there is no cash in the treasury. Even if they want to buy it, they are unable to do so and can only buy it on credit. The Council will never take any military risks for a regime with such a poor economic situation. Tom Wang had already stated his position in front of them that within one or two years at the latest, the Nguyen regime in South Vietnam would be overthrown. With such clear words, the Portuguese, who had just reached a cooperation agreement, would naturally not be able to interfere in Annan's internal affairs. Otherwise, if the Haihan people were really offended, then more than one South Vietnamese would be unlucky.
Of course, this agreement is only passed by the Portuguese Council in Macau and cannot be fully effective. It must be reported to Goa on the west coast of India, and then the news is sent back to the country through the long sea route. However, before this long waiting period, the Portuguese Council of Macau can fully represent the Kingdom of Portugal and implement this agreement first.
On October 2, 1628, Enrique took the "Lightning" sailing ship driven by Wang Tom himself and arrived at Port of Victory from Macau again. The mood when he entered Hong Kong this time was undoubtedly the most relaxed among his three visits. He no longer had specific tasks assigned to him, and he no longer had to report everything to Macau. At least for a period of time in the future, Enrique's life in Port Victory will be very relaxed and comfortable.
Almost at the same time as Enrique visited Port Victory for the third time, a fleet sailed from the adjacent port of Sanya. After leaving the port, the fleet turned west and moved along the coastline. The fleet sailed on the sea for a whole day and arrived at its destination, the Yinggehai area in the southwest corner of Qiongzhou Island, when it was getting dark.
Regarding the situation here, the relevant departments have sent out surveys eight times if not ten times. They have a very clear understanding of the geographical environment here. The fleet sailed along a narrow channel with a width of less than fifty meters and entered an inland saltwater lake - most of the water in this saltwater lake comes from the inflow of seawater. Coupled with the surrounding flat terrain, it is simply It is a perfect place to build a salt farm.
But there is a reason why no one has developed this place since Yacheng opened as a port for hundreds of years. The land here is sparsely populated, and the land is highly alkaline. It is difficult to grow food, and there are no forests nearby that can provide wood for building houses. If this area is to be developed, it will be difficult for the people of the Ming Dynasty who need to be self-sufficient in everything and lack detailed social division of labor. It's just a thankless task.
The only people in the surrounding areas who have rich immigration experience and practical capabilities are Haihan and his family. Although the natural conditions of Yinggehai are relatively harsh, Haihan has carried out large-scale immigration relocations not once or twice, and has very rich experience in handling such matters. After the fleet docked, workers filed off the ship. They needed to build temporary shelters on the shore for hundreds of people to stay overnight before the sun set completely.
Most of the first batch of immigrants sent to Daqian Station in the Yinggehai area are engaged in construction-related industries. They will not become residents here. The main task they shoulder is to build temporary residences and various supporting facilities in the local area. living facilities.
Due to the characteristics of the local saline-alkali land that has been soaked by seawater all year round, the water quality here is somewhat bitter, similar to the taste of seawater. In order to provide healthy drinking water for the people and animals who settled here, the Ministry of Construction also specially moved two derricks here, hoping to build several artesian wells here. Considering that fresh water is a scarce resource here, several large freshwater reservoirs have been specially designed to store special items that cannot live without water.
This group of people has ten days to build the camp. Ten days later, the first batch of immigrants transported from Sanya New Port will arrive here. No matter where these immigrants came from before or what occupation they were engaged in, they may have to deal with salt water in this place for many years to come.
Everyone in the salt company also attached great importance to this matter. On the third day after the advance team arrived here, Anxi, the head of the salt company, also personally visited the site and decided to stay here for several days, waiting for him. I saw with my own eyes that the first batch of immigrants settled down and started working according to the standard salt pan excavation method before leaving.
In mid-October, the group of immigrants who crossed the ocean and arrived at Victory Port last month received a transfer order from the Executive Committee. They set off again from their temporary residence and took a boat to their real destination, Yingying. Gehai Saltworks. Although being a saltworker is not a pleasant thing, the immigrants still chose to believe the propaganda of the cadres and experience for themselves what kind of environment the saltworks under the rule of the Haihan people was like.
(End of chapter)