Chapter 1185 Profit comes first
Taking into account intelligence security issues, Pan Yan's letter of introduction also stated the level of access he had to intelligence secrets, which was limited to semi-public personnel and operations, as well as written documents with a confidentiality level of "Ding and others". Of course, Lin Si himself is actually just a non-staff intelligence officer of the Ministry of Security, and his authority is only one level higher than that of Pan Yan. He has 80% contact with the intelligence officers and information channels lurking in Hangzhou. less than. However, Lin Si's main job in Hangzhou is to welcome and send people off to work and deal with people from all walks of life. According to what was marked on the letter of introduction, Pan Yan's mission for this trip was "research" and required public activities in Hangzhou, so the superiors handed over Pan Yan's reception work to Lin Si, who made arrangements for Pan Yan's stay in Hangzhou. A corresponding matter.
Lin Si first took Pan Yan to have a general tour of the inside and outside of Fengsheng Rice Store, and then took him into the flower hall in the inner courtyard to sit down. Pan Yan asked curiously: "I just saw that there are tens of thousands of kilograms of grain stored in the warehouse. Could it be that this rice business is not just used for show, but is actually in business?"
Lin Siying said: "Master Pan, don't underestimate this rich rice line. Last year, the amount of grain transported to Zhoushan Island through here was no less than one million catties! I heard that Master Pan came from the north. When the Zhoushan fleet went north to Shandong last year, Some of the food supplies he brought were purchased by organizations here, and Mr. Pan might have enjoyed them before he went south. ”
After Pan Yan was captured at Lushunkou, he spent some time in Zhifu Island and Pi Island. He also roughly knew Haihan's arrangements for transporting grain from the south and aiding Pi Island. This sounded consistent with what Lin Si said. The grain-producing areas under Haihan's rule were mainly concentrated in Fuzhou and Guangzhou and the coastal areas of Indochina. Due to transportation capacity constraints, it was difficult to meet the needs of the colonies in Zhejiang and Shandong at the same time. The current grain output in these two places was still difficult to achieve. We are self-sufficient, so we also purchase food locally and nearby.
If freight and labor costs are included, the price paid is actually almost the same as the grain shipped from the south. Especially last year, Haihan began to provide assistance to Pidao. Suddenly, there were tens of thousands more mouths to eat, and the demand for food became even greater. As a result, Fengsheng Rice Store's trade volume has greatly increased, and it has become one of the largest grain merchants in Hangzhou and even eastern Zhejiang. It is also Haihan's main grain procurement channel in Zhejiang.
Pan Yan asked: "The masters of Haihan are behind the planning and management of Mihang. Is it possible that no one in Hangzhou noticed it?"
Lin Si smiled and said: "Do you think all the 100,000 people in Hangzhou City are blind? Of course there are people with eyesight, but so what if they know? This rice shop is an open business, and all business is legal. No stealing. If you don’t rob, you can’t bully a child. The government can’t impose charges and close this shop.”
Pan Yan still refused to give up and asked: "But the two sides were confronting each other outside the city a few days ago, and no one came to trouble you?"
Lin Si picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and then responded unhurriedly: "This rice store has more than 70 employees directly under my jurisdiction, most of whom are Ming people, but indirectly rely on this rice store There are only a few thousand people eating. Among them are some grain dealers and people from the government. Anyone who wants to touch this rice shop will lose the jobs of thousands of people, not to mention people from the government. You are not a fool. You are confronting the Ming army outside the city. If they confiscate this rice bank, they will lose their only communication channel. If the war gets serious, wouldn't it mean that you will have no way out? "
Pan Yan slowly understood Lin Si's words and tried to interpret: "This means that some people know that this is Haihan's business, but they will still maintain Fengsheng Rice Shop for the sake of profit and future?"
Lin Si nodded and said: "Most of those who are opposed to Haihan in Zhejiang officialdom are those whose interests have been harmed because of Haihan's arrival. However, there are also many people who have benefited from Haihan and have turned to invest. Haihan camp. For example, our brothers were relatively well-known maritime merchants in the East China Sea before the leaders came. They seemed to have freedom but were subject to many restrictions. We felt that it would be difficult to achieve anything big after joining Haihan. Knowing that the situation in the past was too small, there are still many things to do in this world. It is easy for people in the officialdom to get promoted and make a fortune, as long as they lower their heads and serve. Not many people can resist the temptation of benefits. Look at that. Isn’t Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, one of the best examples? ”
Regarding the causes and consequences of Qu Yutong playing for Haihan, Pan Yan had heard Wang Tom and others mention it earlier, so he was relatively clear that the truth behind the negotiations two days ago was actually an exchange of interests that had been arranged long ago. As for officials in Zhejiang official circles who are in a similar situation to Qu Yutong, it is obviously not just an isolated phenomenon. Although Lin Si does not have specific information, from the level he has come into contact with, he can indeed feel that there are many in the yamen. People are trying every possible means to protect Haihan-related industries, and this behavior can probably only be explained by the fact that they are actually safeguarding their own interests - just like Qu Yutong's motivation for cooperating with Haihan.
Lin Si is in charge of daily operations at Fengsheng Rice Bank, so he has regular contact with the accounts of the rice bank. The amount of funds flowing in the dark account is no less than the purchase and sale of grain and daily expenses on the surface, and the whereabouts of the funds in these dark accounts are more than half. It's the pockets of people in the government. Anyone who wants to start Fengsheng Rice will first have to face resistance from these protective umbrellas, large and small.
Although Pan Yan didn't know much about the situation in Hangzhou, he had a pretty good mind. He roughly understood it after hearing what Lin Si said. Coincidentally, Haihan operates in a similar manner in Dengzhou, Shandong Province, but it is just short-term. In addition, there are not many projects that Dengzhou can operate at present, and the situation is not as extensive as in Hangzhou. And it is said that behind the largest grain merchant in Dengzhou is the prefect. It is definitely not as easy for Haihan people to get involved in the grain business as it is in Hangzhou. After all, Jiangnan is a grain-producing area, and the supply of goods is much richer than in Dengzhou, which is still short of food and clothing. .
"But this grain business is basically about putting money into it. I heard that all kinds of Haihan products on the market are extremely popular and very profitable. Why not take back these profitable transactions and take control of them in your own hands?" Pan Yan continued to ask.
Lin Siying said: "Master Pan, you can't make all the money. If you only think about making all the money yourself and leaving nothing for others, then who will be willing to do things for you? The leaders are extremely sophisticated and will He broke up the sales of regional franchises for various commodities and recruited a large group of wealthy and powerful businessmen to work for him. Although it seemed that he made less money, the effect was completely different. Say you don’t understand. I have been doing business for many years before. At the beginning, I couldn’t understand the leader’s methods, but as time went on, the power of it gradually became apparent.”
The series of business systems promoted by Haihan are quite advanced operating methods in this era, and not many people can truly understand the beauty of them. Lin Si himself is not a business wizard. Although he is in this system, the extent of his understanding is still very limited. He is still at the stage of knowing what is happening and not knowing why. It is difficult to explain it to Pan Yan thoroughly. secret. However, using his personal experience as an example can also give Pan Yan an initial understanding of Haihan's success in commercial promotion.
Pan Yan said: "Although I don't know how to do business, I have seen the methods of the chiefs in running the place in the north, and I really admire them. If you only occupy a piece of land on the coast, you can open a port, station troops and immigrate , but within two or three months, the local government was taken over and a county was taken over. However, the leaders did not seem to be very interested in occupying the local area. After controlling a safe area, they stopped expanding."
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"As for what Mr. Pan said, I have asked the chief for advice." Lin Si explained to him: "Actually, there are two reasons. One is that there is not enough population and troops to control a large area, and the other is that he does not want to Therefore, Ming was provoked and the two countries fell into a state of war."
Pan Yan said: "I feel that in addition to these two reasons, it is because the leaders have a lot of affection for the Ming Dynasty and do not want to conflict with the Ming Dynasty. Brother Lin, did you know that the Haihan Army had gone to Liaodong, and he also took action to teach the Ming Dynasty a lesson? "Is there such a thing?" Lin Si immediately became interested when he heard this: "Master Pan, please wait a moment. I'll go and order the kitchen to prepare some dishes, heat up two pots of rice wine, and chat while we eat." ”
Not long after, a table of simple wine and food was set up in the kitchen. Because some confidential topics were to be discussed, Lin Si did not find anyone else to accompany him. After the two sat down, Lin Si sent all his men out of the room, and then replaced Pan. Yan poured the wine and then continued the conversation: "Mr. Pan, what is the situation of the Haihan Army's activities in Liaodong that you mentioned earlier? If it does not involve military secrets, can you tell me about it? Inside story?”
Pan Yan said: "Seeing that Boss Lin is so interested in fighting, why didn't he join the army? As far as I know, the recruitment of the Haihan Army does not seem to be strict. As long as the age is roughly the same and there are no obvious illnesses, you can apply to join the army on your own. .”
Lin Si sighed: "Master Pan can see clearly that I have indeed had the idea of joining the army. Why is it that the elders in the family have always believed that good men should not be soldiers? Whether it is the Ming army or the Haihan army, You are not allowed to go. My brother even asked the chief to say hello not to be accepted into the army. Alas... now I only listen to the stories of the military men who escorted me to Hangzhou, and I am satisfied. "
Pan Yan was also a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that this man acted like a businessman but actually had a dream of joining the army. However, it is obvious that his dream of joining the army is really just a dream, and he probably has no chance to change his identity and truly experience the profession of a soldier. In this case, it is understandable why he is so concerned about the news of the Haihan Army fighting abroad. enthusiasm.
Pan Yan said: "I feel ashamed to say that I originally served in the Dengzhou Navy, but now I have been transferred to Dongjiang Town to take orders. I haven't dealt with the Haihan leaders for too long, and I don't know many war cases. If Boss Lin doesn't dislike it, Let me pick out a few things that I can talk about and just listen to them as casual stories, don’t take them seriously.”
Lin Si responded understandingly: "I understand, everything told at the wine table is just a story and cannot be taken seriously."
Naturally, Pan Yan would not talk about his experience of being captured. As for the covenant between Haihan and Dongjiang Town, it seemed that it also had a relatively sensitive political meaning and was inconvenient to mention to outsiders. The actual experience of the Haihan Army fighting against the Hou Jin Army mainly occurred in two battles in Jinzhou Bay on the Liaodong Peninsula, and when the Haihan Fleet went to Jinzhou Bay the previous time, he was one of the prisoners of war detained on the ship. .
Pan Yan thought for a while, and then based on the experience of the Haihan Fleet during its second visit to the Liaodong Peninsula, he picked out a few battle processes and told them to Lin Si.
There has been basically no war in Zhejiang since the Zhoushan Boat Gang was destroyed. Although the Haihan Fleet was dispatched in large numbers this time and arrived at the city of Hangzhou, Lin Si did not have the opportunity to witness this "grand occasion" in the city, so the battle news from the north, Moreover, it was described personally by one of the parties involved, which is extremely precious for him, a "military fan".
After the Haihan Army defeated the Jinshui Division in Liaodong, because it was not publicly publicized, very few people in the Ming Dynasty knew about it, and Zhejiang did not get any information at all. Although Lin Si works under the Haihan people, he is not yet exposed to this level of intelligence, so he is naturally very excited to hear about the battle situation in Liaodong.
Pan Yan was on the Haihan flagship at the time. Thinking of the tense situation during the battle that day, Pan Yan's emotions naturally increased. There were many northern slangs in his words, which further showed the heroic spirit of the soldiers. Lin Si drank while listening, and as she got more drunk, she couldn't help but cheer at the card table when she heard the pleasure, she was so happy.
Lin Si was originally from Zhejiang and had never been to the north before. He did not understand the horror and hatefulness of Hou Jin like the people in the northern border. However, he generally knew that Hou Jin went south to kowtow to the border every year. The court was tired of dealing with it and lost it. Many territories outside the Pass were in a passive situation. At this time, when I heard that the Haihan Army had severely attacked the Jin Army in Liaodong, I couldn't help but feel the same hatred of the enemy.
After Pan Yan finished telling a story, Lin Sicai sighed: "Now Jin is a powerful enemy of the Ming Dynasty. It is really commendable that the leaders of Haihan can take the initiative to lead troops to attack without being greedy for military glory. Such strong ambitions and fierceness are the true nature of hot-blooded men. When Come on, Mr. Pan, I’ll give you another drink!”
Pan Yan thought that I had contributed a lot at that time, and I was worthy of your glass of wine. He raised the glass and drank it in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and said: "When it comes to friendship and friendship, the leaders of Haihan can compare with this dynasty." The mediocre ministers in the hall who deceived the emperor are much stronger. The Ming army originally stationed in Liaodong can't even get supplies, and they are losing territory every year. Instead of strengthening their armaments, the imperial court is trying every means to withdraw the Ming army's establishment. You. What is this called? ”
Lin Si sighed: "Before coming to Hangzhou, I heard the chief say that the emperor was deceived by treacherous ministers and did not know how to deal with the enemies in the north. Haihan was so weak that even if he wanted to help, it would be difficult to save him from internal and external troubles. Daming.”
(End of chapter)