Chapter 900: Inspection to the North (2)
Those people who boasted about their great abilities probably didn't expect that they would actually succeed, so they quickly stood aside with gratitude and waited for orders. Seeing that there was no hope of getting a job, the rest sighed and dispersed.
"Do you think I'm being taken advantage of by doing this?" Chen Yixin asked Amakusa Shiro's disapproving expression, so he took the initiative to ask.
"I don't dare to speculate on the leader." Amakusa Shiro quickly bowed and responded: "But the skills these people brag about may not work, and they are mostly bluffing."
"Of course I know this. It would be outrageous if the officials who manage Nagasaki Port would give in for such a small amount of money." Chen Yixin responded with a smile: "This kind of cowhide can be broken without poking it."< br>
"Then why, Chief..." Amakusa Shiro was a little confused now. Although Haihan is indeed a man who is not short of money, he should not deliberately waste such unnecessary expenses. It's just that these words have the flavor of accusation. As a subordinate, he would not dare to use this tone to evaluate his boss.
"This is just to show an attitude to the locals that we have money and are willing to use money in exchange." Chen Yixin explained: "If we announce that we are going to inquire about some information, and you happen to have this relevant information in your hand, hear If you have people like us who are being taken advantage of, why don’t you give it a try?”
"That's it!" Amakusa Shiro suddenly realized: "This is like buying a horse bone for a thousand gold!"
Chen Yixin didn't mind spending a small amount of money in exchange for the locals looking at outsiders like him differently, even if this attitude might not be entirely well-intentioned. The expedition team could only stay in Nagasaki for a limited time. There was no way to slowly play some tricks and could only collect intelligence in a simple and direct way. Of course, personnel from the Ministry of Security will be responsible for the specific operations, and there is no need for the military to intervene too much. Chen Yixin only needs to check and determine the direction of the work.
Chen Yixin nodded and said: "There are many local businessmen from the Ming Dynasty, and there should be Han guides. Remember to hire one."
Shiro Amakusa quickly agreed. He knew that Chen Yixin was not worried about the language barrier, but that he would not completely trust the locals. People who are not from my race must have different minds. He still understands this very well.
"Fortunately, I have been naturalized, otherwise the chief would not even believe my words." Amakusa Shiro could only comfort himself silently in his heart at the moment. At least Chen Yixin still trusts him now. As for his original nationality, Amakusa Shiro didn't care much. He was now proud of his Haihan identity and couldn't even speak Japanese very well.
Compared with Zhoushan and Haojingao, the scale of Nagasaki Port is obviously larger, and you can also see more diverse cultures on the streets. You can see people of all colors and races at any time, even more than those in Sanya Port. The proportion of foreigners is higher. The guide knew that this group of people came from Daming, so he specially introduced them to an inn opened by Han people.
Amakusa Shiro asked the shopkeeper about the number of remaining guest rooms. When he heard that there were more than a dozen rooms, he simply made up his mind. There are more than 200 people in their fleet. In addition to the dozens of people who take turns on duty on the ship, there are at least more than 100 people who want to stay ashore. This cannot be accommodated in just a few rooms. Even a Datong shop that can sleep more than ten people would have to open more than ten rooms.
However, there are a lot of fleets coming and going here, and situations like this with a fleet of two to three hundred or more people often happen. The innkeeper also helped contact another inn not far away and booked a few large rooms on his behalf. , let these guests stay separately.
Chen Yixin thought that no one would come to visit him in this place, but not long after they settled in, someone actually came to visit.
"My Excellency, Li Zian, is from Zhenjiang. I heard that a friend from Haihan has arrived, so I came here to pay him a visit!"
After seeing Chen Yixin, this person took the initiative to introduce himself. Chen Yixin saw that he was dressed in silk and satin, with a piece of pure jade inlaid on his belt. He thought he must be a wealthy businessman, so he also came forward to greet him and asked his entourage to make tea for him.
"I went to Zhoushan Dinghai Port to participate in the bidding for franchise rights during the investment fair next month, but this is the first time I have met Mr. Chen. I am so happy to meet him!" Li Zian also spoke very neatly, and took the initiative to say without waiting for Chen Yixin to ask questions. He revealed how he got involved with Haihan. He had met Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen at the Zhoushan Investment Promotion Conference. When he saw Chen Yixin, they both had the same short hair and a general confident look. He knew that he was not an ordinary Haihan naturalized citizen. They are genuine Haihan people.
"When the investment fair was held in Zhoushan, I was still in Fujian, and I had just arrived in the north recently. It's normal that Boss Li has never seen me." Chen Yixin still couldn't figure out the purpose of the other party's visit, so he could only respond without missing a beat.
"That's it." Li Zian nodded, and then continued: "When I went to Zhoushan earlier, I heard that you had not opened a commercial channel with Fusang Kingdom. I felt very sorry at the time. I didn't expect that it would only be more than a month later. I saw the Haihan sailing ship in Nagasaki Port.”
"Boss Li often comes here?" Chen Yixin asked.
Li Zian responded: "It's just a small business, Chief Chen is laughing at it. If Chief Chen needs to purchase goods locally, I can do it for you, and the price may be one or two cents lower than the market price."
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Hearing what he meant, Chen Yixin was obviously very familiar with this place, and immediately said: "Actually, this time I just came to explore the way and see the situation here. If it is convenient for Boss Li, please tell me about the local situation. What is there? You can do some buying and selling.”
Li Zian smiled and said: "This doesn't need any introduction. Haihan goods are sold all over the world and are popular everywhere, and it is the same in Fuso Country. If you are dissatisfied, I came here this time and shipped some. The goods purchased from Zhoushan were sold out on the day the ship arrived. All the goods were not overnighted. In a few hours, nearly ten thousand taels of silver were obtained. Do you think it is profitable?" Chen Yixin said: "Boss Li? Tell me about this profitable business, and you won’t be afraid that I’ll come over with the goods to negotiate the price?”
Li Zian said disapprovingly: "If Haihan's business vision is so short-sighted, how can he specialize in investment promotion and find us, merchants, to sell on his behalf? The world is so big, and you can't go to many places just by selling on your own. , even if you do business with Fuso, don’t you still have to find local merchants to sell the goods on your behalf? It’s just a left-handed trade for you, which is completely meaningless.”
"Boss Li sees things thoroughly." Chen Yixin couldn't help but praise. Those who do business with Haihan come here for the huge benefits, but not many people can sort out the interest relationship clearly. Li Zian understands the problem so thoroughly, which can be regarded as some ability.
"Thank you, thank you." Li Zian clasped his fists as a gesture, and then continued: "To be honest, I took the liberty of visiting you today because I have something to ask for."
This is where we get to the point! Chen Yixin nodded and responded: "Boss Li, please speak."
Li Zian has been engaged in import and export trade in Nagasaki for more than a day or two, and he is basically familiar with local people from all walks of life. But recently, businessmen from Western countries have united and asked Nagasaki officials to ban Li Zian from trading locally. The reason has something to do with Haihan, because the glass products recently sold by Li Zian in Nagasaki have greatly affected the business of Western merchants. Originally, this business was almost monopolized by them, but after the arrival of Haihan products, , the best-selling product suddenly turned into a slow-selling product. This change was difficult for Western businessmen to accept. They were unwilling to lower prices for the goods in their hands, so they planned to unite to boycott Li Zian.
Chen Yixin already understood after hearing half of it. This was the impact of Haihan goods entering the Japanese market on Western maritime merchants. No matter how good the goods they ship from the West are, their cost cannot be lower than Haihan's industrialized production model. Coupled with the freight and process development capabilities, there is naturally not much competitiveness compared to Haihan's goods. Western goods were squeezed out of the market by Haihan goods. This phenomenon has occurred many times in the southeastern region of the Ming Dynasty. After all, market rules cannot be stopped by a few businessmen joining forces.
However, the entry of Haihan products into the Japanese market is probably a recent matter, so it inevitably caused dissatisfaction among competitors. Faced with such a situation, Li Zian also lacked measures to deal with it. Now the official seems to be intending to expel him from here, so that the results of his many years of local business will be in vain. Li Zian is also in urgent need of medical treatment. Today he happened to see a sailboat with the Chinese and Chinese flags on the dock, and immediately asked all the way to the inn.
To be honest, Chen Yixin didn't want to meddle in such nosy matters. Japan's current policy of isolation from the country is extremely abnormal, and what happens here cannot be measured with common sense. Although Li Zian's experience is worthy of sympathy, it seems unreasonable to insist that it is related to Haihan. After all, it was his own decision to transport these goods to Japan for sale, not the instructions given to him by Haihan. At most, Li Zian has signed a franchise agreement with Haihan, so he can buy Haihan goods in batches from Zhoushan Island. However, this franchise does not include force protection, and the franchise area in the agreement is also certain. It’s not the port of Nagasaki in Japan, which is separated by a sea.
Li Zian shipped the goods that were supposed to be sold to a certain place in the Ming Dynasty to Japan to sell them at a high price, which was to take advantage of Haihan's loophole in franchise management. However, this loophole was intentionally left by Haihan, otherwise there would be no Haihan in the past. Chinese goods are sold to places like Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Taking advantage of loopholes is not a problem. After all, profit comes first, and it is normal to want to make more money, but wanting to seek Haihan's asylum when something goes wrong is a bit beyond Haihan's ability. There are currently hundreds of businessmen who have signed various exclusive agreements with Haihan. If something happens and everyone comes to ask Haihan for help, it will really be impossible to protect them.
But since he was a guest, Chen Yixin couldn't refuse him directly, so he came up with an idea: "Western businessmen can blackmail the government, and they probably get benefits. How about you spend some money to buy peace of mind?"
Li Zian said: "I'm not a money-lover and can't bear to spend that little money, but even if I can temporarily bribe the government, the businessmen from those countries are unwilling to let me go. Sooner or later, the same thing will happen again."
Chen Yixin smiled and said: "Do you want to drive them all away from Nagasaki?"
Li Zian said seriously: "If you can do it, I'm willing to spend more money. Chief Chen, this Nagasaki Port is Fuso Kingdom's only foreign trade port. If you can take over this country's maritime trade, you can Think about what the situation would be like?”
Monopolizing a country's foreign trade market has not been possible even in the Annan Kingdom supported by Haihan. However, the situation in Japan is indeed quite special. There is only Nagasaki Port, a legal international trade port. Monopolizing this port is almost equivalent to monopolizing all of Japan. The benefits that the latter can bring are so great that it is indeed difficult to refuse. .
Chen Yixin smiled and said: "So you actually want to use our force to drive away all the businessmen from other countries here, and then integrate the Ming businessmen here under the banner of our Haihan, and finally achieve the goal of monopoly?"
The look on Li Zian's face was slightly embarrassing: "Chief Chen's statement is too biased. I am just for the purpose of self-protection. It's just that these Xifans bully others too much. If I don't teach them some lessons, I'm afraid they won't be able to remember them. It's a small thing for me to suffer some losses, but it is hurting your interests by blocking the Haihan goods from Fusang Kingdom."
Chen Yixin said: "Whether our goods can enter Fuso Country is our business. If we want to enter, neither these Western businessmen nor the officials of Nagasaki Port can stop us. But if you want to use this They are using us to eliminate dissidents and competitors. I think you can give up this idea. We are just here to see and do not intend to deal with anyone.”
Li Zian's expression became more and more ugly: "What if someone bullies you?"
Chen Yixin responded expressionlessly: "I'll beat up anyone who messes with me. That's the truth. But when I do it, I usually beat up the person who provokes the trouble as well."
Chen Yixin had already noticed that Li Zian, who came to the door, was not a simple character. First, he used some tricks to get closer to each other, and then he quickly sold out his feelings and cried out his pain to gain sympathy. Finally, he lured him with benefits and forced himself to follow his train of thought. If you are a simple-minded person, you may be confused by his wandering around, and you may finally agree to something from him. Not to mention whether Li Zian's words are true or false, and how credible they are, even if they are all true, Chen Yixin will not change his trip plan for a businessman and carry out military operations beyond what is needed to protect himself during the trip.
However, Chen Yixin had to admit that Li Zian's idea still had some allure. With Haihan's strength, it was indeed possible to expel the foreign businessmen here with peace of mind. Even the monopoly on a country's trade that he said was possible. . However, this is not the mission of the fleet, and Li Zian's credibility has yet to be verified. In Chen Yixin's opinion, this man is too scheming and not trustworthy.
(End of chapter)