Chapter 1749: All for profit
Although the landscape avenue is wide enough for several carriages to travel side by side, Haihan still underestimated the current prosperity when he originally designed this main road. He did not remind businesses to leave enough space on both sides of the main road. There is a wide space to park vehicles such as horses and horses. Even if this rule is enacted now, businesses may not be willing to free up valuable land for parking lots, so they can only make do with it for now.
As soon as it's time for dinner, some of the street restaurants with good business inevitably have distinguished guests coming in and out. The carriages, sedans, and rickshaws at the door are all mixed together, which can easily block the road without proper guidance. This was the situation today. After these coachmen and sedan bearers dropped off the passengers at the door, they wanted to take a seat nearby and wait to pick up the passengers. Naturally, they were quickly blocked on the roadside.
However, at this time, the nearby patrol police arrived and began to instruct the coachmen and sedan bearers at the entrance of the restaurant to clear their positions, trying their best to restore the traffic of the landscape avenue. The coachmen and bearers, who were already quarreling over their row positions, had to quickly move their food and belongings under the scolding of the patrol police. To do this business in the local area, they have to register at the police station and obtain a special license before they can open their business. The purpose of picking up and dropping off customers is to fight for seats, but if they offend the police and have their license revoked for a few days, it will be really serious. There's nothing to eat.
The reason for this situation is actually very simple. More and more people are pouring into Sanya, and most of them are ordinary people with no special skills. If you want to make a living in Sanya city, you have to drive cars and lift sedans. Errands like this are indeed very profitable, and they also require hard work. At the end of the day, they can earn at least 20% more than the laborers on the dock.
But after such an income gap emerged, some people who originally worked as laborers at the port also wanted to switch to higher-paying errands, so the transportation industry soon began to become saturated. There were more sedans and rickshaws than two years ago. The number has more than doubled, and even the higher-cost box-type horse-drawn carriages now have sixty or seventy in urban Sanya.
Although these privately operated carriages charge higher fees, they are the best means of transportation for many face-conscious people. After all, the leaders of Haihan also traveled in this kind of carriage. Who wouldn't want to have the same kind of pomp when going out? In addition to the official official carriages equipped by various departments of Haihan, as well as the carriages purchased by wealthy businessmen, there are at least more than 300 carriages in the entire urban area. At a meal like today, there may be hundreds of carriages coming and going on the scenic avenue alone, so it is naturally easy to become jammed.
But when the municipal authorities noticed this situation and began to realize that the stock of transportation vehicles must be controlled at a certain level, it was actually a little late. Issuing road licenses is one of the control measures, which can at least bring this originally disorderly industry under the direct management of municipal departments.
However, there is no clear solution yet as to whether this industry should be handed over to the management committees of Victory Port and Sanya Port, or whether it should be under the vertical management of the Ministry of Transport. After all, after the industry began to charge management fees, it was a direct benefit that could not be ignored for the competent authorities.
Although municipal administration and transportation are not Qingshui Yamen, they will not ignore inputs such as transportation in Sanya. Having said that, who would dislike having too much income? In addition to about half of the management fees paid by these practitioners are turned over to the national treasury, the remaining part is put into the small treasury of the competent department in the name of "operating funds". During the holidays, it is used in the name of filial piety. Distributed to people.
Of course, with the climate in Sanya, there is no need to pay for heating. It is just a name to pay. Although Haihan was a new regime, the benefits and rules that each yamen should have were similar to those in the Ming Dynasty. Whether it is municipal administration or transportation, officials in charge want their subordinates to enjoy better benefits. Therefore, the issue of management ownership of these practitioners is still unresolved. The executive committee has not given clear instructions yet and will only transfer the management of these practitioners to The administrative expenses that come up will first be supervised and handled by the Ministry of Finance.
When Fei Cexian got out of the car, the sharp-eyed patrol officer had already noticed the Haihan flag hanging on the carriage carriage. To be able to ride on a carriage with the national flag, either a high-ranking official of the country or a diplomatic envoy, even those businessmen who are extremely wealthy do not have this qualification. Therefore, a patrol officer immediately stepped forward to guide Fei Cexian and clear the way to prevent this distinguished guest from being affected by street congestion.
Fei Cexian seemed accustomed to such courtesy. Although senior officials from Haihan often embarrass him in diplomatic situations, in fact, in front of the public, Fei Cexian's treatment as a diplomat is still quite good. He is picked up and dropped off by cars when he comes in and out, and Haihan is visited every month. The so-called "office expenses" allocated specifically for this purpose will be respected by ordinary people as long as they identify themselves outside. As for public servants like the police, after knowing his identity, they will take the initiative to take care of him and make it as convenient as possible for him.
When Fei Cexian was on duty in the capital, although he had an official status, his treatment might not be as good as here. If a signboard fell and hit ten people in the capital, probably half of them were officials. He, the deputy Zuo Si, a layman of the Ministry of Rites, was just an ordinary member of the thousands of officials in the capital. Want to enjoy the privilege of having someone clear the way outside? It would probably take another twenty years in officialdom to get a chance.
But in Sanya, as a diplomat, you are automatically superior to others and can enjoy corresponding special treatment. This is one of the main reasons why Fei Cexian likes Sanya.
Being able to get clearing treatment from the patrol police immediately attracted the attention of many passers-by. Fei Cexian, who had just suffered a blow at the arms exhibition, finally regained some confidence in this environment - after all, in the hearts of ordinary people, he still belongs to a superior existence.
However, this kind of vanity did not last long, because people who can enjoy such treatment are not uncommon in Sanya. He soon met another man who was cleared by the patrol, and this man had just met him not long ago. It was the Dutch envoy Su Keyi who left the arms exhibition early.
Su Keyi also saw Fei Cexian almost at the same time and took the initiative to clasp his fists and bow. Of course, Fei Cexian couldn't pretend not to see it, so he quickly stopped and returned the courtesy.
"Why didn't Mr. Fei stay for the dinner?"
"It's not enough to talk about speculation...Didn't Mr. Su leave the venue early too?"
The two asked each other, and then laughed in unison. In the world of diplomacy, they did have similar situations in Sanya. They both faced targeted suppression from Haihan. It can be said that they were the two people who suffered the most humiliation in the past two days.
As for why they had to leave early, the two of them knew each other tacitly. This is not only a catharsis of personal emotions, but also a way to express one's dissatisfaction to Haihan officials. It may seem impulsive to outsiders, but those involved understand that this is a last resort. If they don't leave voluntarily, they may have to continue to face the harshness of Haihan's senior officials. Since I don't have the confidence to break up, I can only choose to actively avoid it, so as to at least leave a little buffer. Both of them are diplomats with certain experience. Naturally, there is no need to waste time explaining this method. Both of them can understand the other's difficulties. Although the countries they each represent do not have friendly relations at all, at least at this moment, they have found common ground in their attitudes towards Haihan.
"It's better to meet by chance than to invite. Since it's fate to meet Mr. Fei here, why not have a casual meal together?" Su Keyi took the initiative to extend the invitation.
Fei Cexian wanted to politely decline, but then he thought that the Dutch envoy might have some unique information to exchange. Even if there is no gain in this regard, if it can find an ally with similar interests overseas for Ming Dynasty, it will be very valuable.
There is no history of friendly exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands. After the Dutch settled in Penghu in 1604, they also spent a lot of effort to get the Ming Dynasty to open the country and grant them trade privileges. However, Shi Dezheng, the commander-in-chief of Fujian Province at the time, rejected the Dutch's request and asked them to withdraw from Penghu.
In 1622, Governor Cohen of Batavia sent twelve ships to raid Macau in an attempt to seize the port from the Portuguese, but suffered two defeats in Macau. This fleet later detoured to Penghu and occupied the area. It also captured 4,000 Ming people as slave labor and built fortresses such as Hongmucheng there. At that time, the two governors of Fujian, Shang Zhou Zuo and Nan Juyi, expressed a tough attitude towards it. Finally, the general Yu Zigao and the garrison Wang Mengxiong led the attack. After seven months of hard fighting, they recaptured Penghu and captured the Dutch generals. Gao Wenlu and others were escorted to the capital and beheaded.
After the Dutch retreated to Tai Yuan Port in Taiwan, the Ming Dynasty stopped pursuing them. Later, the Fujian Strait gradually turned into a battlefield for confrontation between Shibazhi and the local government headed by Xu Xinsu, and the Ming Dynasty gradually lost its ability to control this area. But historically speaking, the relationship between Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands was indeed not very harmonious.
However, more than ten years have passed since the Battle of Penghu. Now the Netherlands is no longer able to threaten the security of the Ming Dynasty. The armed forces occupying Penghu have changed from the Dutch to the Eighteen Zhi, and from the Eighteen Zhi to the After conquering the Han people, one group became stronger than the other, and the Fujian garrison became a local force divided by warlords, with no intention of regaining Penghu. Now for Ming Dynasty, there is only one real threat on the long coastline, and that is the Haihan Kingdom, which is still expanding externally.
Under the threat of Heihan, Holland, who seemed to have had old grievances in the past, also became a partner on the same front. Although Fei Cexian also knows that his idea is too one-sided, it is true that there are very few countries that are willing to stand with the Ming Dynasty. Even North Korea, a once loyal servant, has a tendency to become a white-eyed wolf. . Since even vassal states have the possibility of changing their faces, why can’t the old grudges from more than ten years ago be resolved?
"Master Su is so polite, so I'd rather be respectful than obey your orders!" Fei Cexian quickly made a decision and agreed to the other party's invitation.
Since Su Keyi took the initiative to invite him, he had the intention of being a host and invited Fei Cexian to dine at a nearby Cantonese restaurant. However, after the two of them arrived at the restaurant, they were told by the shopkeeper that there were no tables for the time being. If they were willing to wait for a while, they could listen to some books in the lobby on the ground floor first, and then arrange for them when seats became available.
Although the two of them had special status, they were not noble enough to allow the store to move customers to make room without a reservation. At that moment, they were a little hesitant to find another restaurant. The shopkeeper observed the words and took the initiative to introduce: "If you two gentlemen are willing to wait, the store can give you a pot of new tea that was just delivered from Zhejiang this month. Moreover, today the storyteller is talking about the Battle of Manila. Among them are people from the army." News that you can’t hear anywhere else.”
In fact, there are storytellers here in Sanya who have already been interpreting the book about the Battle of Manila. However, some people's notebooks are adapted from newspaper news, some are pure jokes, and some are mixed with true or false gossip, each with its own routine. As diplomats, Fei Cexian and Su Keyi were naturally very concerned about the news about the Battle of Manila. They had heard several versions of the interpretation before, but since the shopkeeper claimed to have exclusive information, they decided to sit down and listen to it. listened.
Immediately, a waiter came over and led them to sit down in the lobby, and then quickly brought them a pot of freshly brewed green tea and two plates of snacks. Although the tea and snacks were given by the store, Su Keyi still took the initiative to pay the waiter. The waiter received the money and thanked Su Keyi with a smile. He walked around and brought a few newspapers over to let the two of them go first. Just kill some time, the storyteller will be out soon.
Fei Cexian took a sip of tea. It was really not the kind of broken tea used to treat ordinary tea drinkers, but genuine Dongting green tea. If you pay for it yourself, then this pot of tea will cost at least two or three yuan. The shopkeeper is quite discerning and is willing to bring out good things to entertain guests.
Su Keyi took a sip and praised the tea highly. He said with a smile that he could buy a few taels of tea leaves from the store after dinner. Of course this is a joke, but judging from the quality of tea provided by the restaurant, this store is indeed willing to spend money.
Not long after, the storyteller in the store came out and sat down at the exclusive seat in the center of the store. He wiped his hands with a hot towel, drank two sips of tea to moisten his throat, and then slapped himself awake and started his performance: "General. Born to be brave, with a wild goose feather sword on his waist, the wind blowing, drums and mountains and rivers moving, and lightning flashing flags flying high! Today I will tell you the story of our country's army marching to Luzon and conquering the city of Manila! "
Fei Cexian's face darkened after hearing this opening poem, and he almost dropped his glass.
(End of chapter)