Chapter 2103
The mountainous terrain occupies 80% of the area on Zhoushan Island, which also makes the area suitable for building commercial districts relatively limited, mainly concentrated on the south side of the island. The coast near Dinghai Port has become the most prosperous because of its geographical advantage of being close to the port. business district.
If foreign merchants want to purchase land in this area, it is not just a matter of money. The Zhoushan authorities have corresponding regulations on their family background, business projects, land purchase purposes, etc. Ma Zhengping heard Yang Yun mention a few words during his previous meeting, but he did not have an in-depth exchange of views on this topic. So when he saw someone starting to build a house, he wanted to get closer and see if he could chat with the person in charge. Let’s understand the threshold in this regard.
However, after Ma Zhengping came forward to chat, he realized that the owner of this construction site was not here. He was invited to attend a luncheon hosted by the Zhoushan Management Committee. He was obviously a big businessman who was familiar with Haihan officials. But he refused to give up. After talking to the craftsmen on the construction site, he finally found the foreman responsible for directing the construction of the construction site.
"Do you want to buy land to build a business store on the island? Then you must first go to the management committee to apply for land." The foreman named Mu Jian was very enthusiastic about Ma Zhengping's inquiry on the island: "You go to the Yamen where the management committee works. , find the business office, register your identity information and construction plan, and then wait for notification. The business office will inform you if there is a suitable land, and then start preparing materials for construction. If you don't have a familiar construction team, you can also do it. Come to us.”
At this point, Mu Jian pointed to a less conspicuous sign hanging on the construction site and said: "We are an engineering team under the management committee. We have a construction qualification certification issued by the Ministry of Construction of Haihan State. We are similar to building a store." We will take care of sales as long as there is a deadline.”
Ma Zhengping didn't quite understand some of the proper nouns Mu Jian mentioned, but he could still understand the general meaning. He had to go to the Yamen to register and go through the formalities and wait for the official allocation of land, and then find a construction team to build a commercial warehouse. However, after following this set of procedures, I am afraid that it will not be possible to obtain the land and start construction in three to five days.
Ma Zhengping asked tentatively: "If you don't consider the cost, why don't you think about buying as much land as you want?"
Mu Jian smiled and said: "How is that possible? Even the merchants of Haihan Kingdom have to follow the rules."
Ma Zhengping quickly raised his hands and said: "I would like to hear the details."
"It's very simple. It's classified according to the volume of trade. The bigger the business you do, the larger the land area you can apply for. For example, for the construction site we are building, the number of transactions completed by the owner on Zhoushan Island every year is 50,000 taels. If you have more than silver, you can apply for the land you see. The land in the port area can only be used for commercial purposes. If you want to settle down and build a house, you have to apply for other places on the island." Mu Jian explained succinctly. Let’s take a look at the general rules for land purchase, and add at the end: “Of course, foreign businessmen can enjoy certain preferential treatment, and under the same conditions, they can apply for larger land.”
Ma Zhengping said: "Then I am a new comer and have never run a business on Zhoushan Island before, so what should I do?"
Mu Jianying said: "That's easy, you propose the trade level you can achieve, and replace it with a land lease in the first year. If the promised standards are not met, the land rent will increase significantly the following year, and the land will still be unavailable." It will be registered in your name. If it is achieved, you can pay for the land that year.”
Ma Zhengping felt a headache after hearing this, so he asked again: "Is there an easier way, which is to buy and sell in one fell swoop without delaying it for another year?"
"Yes, pay the deposit to the management committee. As long as you pay enough deposit, you can buy land at the highest trade level for the first time. The deposit will be returned after operating locally for a certain number of years." Mu Jian followed his request. Yet another solution was given.
"This is good!" Ma Zhengping finally heard a condition that suited him. For him, problems that can be solved with money are not problems. They are nothing more than spending a little more money. The boat he took to Zhoushan this time contained a large amount of money, which he originally planned to spend on managing various relationships here. Yes, if the construction of the business warehouse can also be finalized, then the efficiency of this trip can be considered to be quite high.
In fact, the deposit is also a threshold set by the government, mainly used to dissuade foreign businessmen who lack strength or have no long-term business plans in Zhoushan. After all, with the increasing prosperity of Dinghai Port, the land in the port area will become less and less, and the corresponding land prices will rise higher and higher. It is the most reasonable plan to leave the limited land to powerful merchants for long-term operations.
The purpose of buying land on Zhoushan Island for businessmen like Ma Zhengping is not to settle down, nor is it entirely for business needs. To a certain extent, they want to use this to establish a solid relationship and information channels with Haihan officials. As for the salt business, Ma Zhengping actually found out before he came that the private salt sold by Haihan to salt merchants was purchased directly from the salt field. Zhoushan was only responsible for the monetary settlement, so there was no need to build a scale. Huge warehouses are used to store goods.
Of course, in order to show his strength and sincerity in cooperation, Ma Zhengping is still willing to spend a little more money and build a relatively larger business inn here. At worst, he will build an extra courtyard in the name of high-end guest rooms. Your own private house, so you don't have to build a residence elsewhere on the island. Anyway, I shouldn’t be able to come here more than a few times a year, so I just need a place to stay.
In fact, most businesses who buy property on the island do this. Although the Zhoushan authorities have planned all the land in the port area as commercial land, they cannot prohibit these businesses from living in the shops or warehouses they built. , so there are not many outsiders who actually set up land on the island to build houses and settle down. In fact, the people who settle in the designated residential areas are basically fishermen, military families and other practitioners on the island.
Seeing that it was already lunch time, Ma Zhengping took the initiative to invite Mu Jian to have lunch, saying that he wanted to learn more about the details of hiring an engineering team to build a store. When Mu Jian saw that business was coming to him, and Ma Zhengping looked expensive in his outfit, he didn't look like he was joking, so he immediately agreed.
After this lunch, Ma Zhengping also learned more about related matters. The official engineering team can not only complete the construction tasks, but also undertake the preliminary design work, purchase various building materials, etc. Moreover, Mu Jian also gave Ma Zhengping a guarantee that as long as he is willing to hire an engineering team to build a commercial warehouse, Mu Jian can also teach him step by step how to complete various procedures for applying to purchase land as quickly as possible, and handle it on his behalf. From application to construction, all aspects of the relationship may need to be managed.
Ma Zhengping naturally wanted to have an expert to guide him, as this would save him the time of asking around for clues. As for why Mu Jian was so proactive, Ma Zhengping certainly knew it well. Although the industries were different, everyone was essentially a businessman, and in the final analysis they were just looking for money. Ma Zhengping didn't dare to say other conditions, but he would definitely have enough money - local officials at all levels in Yangzhou could feed him, not to mention a small contractor on Zhoushan Island. Ma Zhengping immediately asked his entourage to take out two ingots of silver and gave them to Mu Jian as a deposit, entrusting him with full responsibility for the affairs related to the store. Moreover, Ma Zhengping said that he would express his gratitude once everything is done and would definitely not disappoint Mu Jian.
Seeing Ma Zhengping's generous move, Mu Jian knew that he was lucky to meet a noble man, so he immediately reminded Ma Zhengping to go to the Haihan Bank on the island to exchange some Haihan banknotes. There are still not many such silver ingots circulating on the island. It's so convenient. When you go back to buy building materials, settle wages, and all other expenses, you have to use banknotes issued by Haihan Bank.
The difference in currency in circulation also made Ma Zhengping feel more clearly that this place was no longer the Ming Dynasty, but the territory of the Haihan Kingdom. However, he has no objection to the use of banknotes. In his opinion, it is the same thing as the banknotes issued by the bank. However, Haihan Bank is backed by the treasury of Haihan State rather than private ownership, and its credit is certain. Far better than private institutions.
After finalizing this matter, Ma Zhengping was in a good mood, thinking that he should be able to complete all the affairs of his trip quickly and return to Yangzhou. But things were not as smooth as he thought. The next day he and Mu Jian went to the location of the management committee to apply for land registration. The official in charge told them that due to recent policy adjustments, foreign merchants could only register for the time being. And the land cannot be distributed, even if a deposit is paid. The adjustment period could be as fast as one or two months, or as slow as he expected. In short, he would not be able to apply for land in the port area as quickly as he expected.
In order to maintain stability on Zhoushan Island during the East China Sea Fleet's expedition, Shi Diwen asked Yang Yun to suspend applications for land in the port area from outside merchants, and Ma Zhengping was the first to bear the brunt. Even if Ma Zhengping wanted to spend money on something like this that was decided by the big boss, no one would dare to take it on. This made Mu Jian, who had vowed just yesterday to help Ma Zhengping handle the registration application process, dumbfounded.
Coming out of the registration place, Mu Jian said apologetically: "Boss Ma, this special situation is really coincidental. How about I refund the deposit to you first, and then I can apply for land here, and then I will help you get the land here." The follow-up project is completed.”
Ma Zhengping didn't feel sorry for the little money. Hearing this, he shook his head and said: "There is no need to refund the deposit. This store will be built sooner or later. There will be trouble for you later. Please help me plan the plan first and see. Find the largest amount of land you can get, and then arrange a construction plan for me. When the land is obtained in the future, we will start construction as soon as possible!”
Ma Zhengping heard that it would take such a long time to wait here. He definitely couldn't wait for that long on Zhoushan Island, so he could only leave his manpower to watch on the island, and entrusted all the formalities to Mu. establish. He had already tried to verify Mu Jian's identity with the official when he registered just now. Since Mu Jian was an official, there was no need to worry about him being defrauded of money if the matter was not completed.
However, before leaving Zhoushan Island, Ma Zhengping still wanted to find Yang Yun for activities again to see if he could get the land through Yang Yun. By the way, he also wanted to see if he could meet with Shi Diwen and explain the things in Yangzhou clearly.
But when he asked to see Yang Yun again, the answer he received was that he had left Zhoushan Island to go out on business and would not be back for at least a day or two. Ma Zhengping had no choice but to wait patiently on the island.
Yang Yun was accompanying Shi Diwen to Zhujiajian Island east of Zhoushan Island. There is a bay recessed into the island on the east coast of Zhujiajian Island, but not many people know about this place. Shi Diwen came here on the second day of National Day mainly to meet with Fujian Navy general Xu Yuzhuo who arrived here secretly.
"General Xu, long time no see, how are you?" After Shi Diwen met Xu Yuzhuo, he greeted each other with his hands in hand. He lived in the West in his early years, but after traveling across time, he stayed in Zhejiang for a long time. He spent a lot of time dealing with people from the Ming Dynasty, and he inevitably acquired some words and deeds that were assimilated by this era.
Xu Yuzhuo also exchanged a few words with him, and then the two parties began to discuss business matters.
The Fujian side has made it clear that it will send troops to participate in this operation to attack Hirado Island. Xu Yuzhuo's arrival is to prepare for this joint operation. He first came to Zhoushan to discuss the action plan with Shi Diwen. The Fujian Navy troops participating in the war did not If you are eager to set off, you have to wait until Haihan confirms the date of action before setting off from the ports of Zhangquan and Zhangzhou.
For the Fujian Navy, this is not the first time that it has accompanied the Haihan Army in overseas campaigns, so the cooperation between the two parties also has a successful template to follow.
"This time our Fujian Navy will dispatch 100 warships and 5,000 sailors to cooperate with the Haihan Army. There will also be troop transport ships carrying musketeers and artillery, totaling 1,200 people, to move with the fleet. There will also be baggage and logistics. There are about eighty ships, all of which are in line with the combat troops and are mobilized under the command of General Shi.”
Xu Yuzhuo introduced in detail the general situation of Fujian's troop dispatch. In terms of troop scale, it is definitely the largest troop dispatch by Fujian in recent years. It even exceeded the sum of the two large-scale operations of the Battle of Manila and the War to Aid Korea last year. It can be seen from this that Fujian The importance attached to this action.
Of course, this is not difficult to understand. After all, the Fujian Xu family and Shiba Zhi are sworn enemies. The series of cases they participated in this time all point to the same mastermind behind the scenes. It is basically confirmed that it is the Shiba Zhi remnants who are planning and directing these small actions. Xu Xinsu will definitely not sit idly by and let it continue to grow and develop. Since Haihan took the lead in sending troops, Xu Xinsu also made up his mind to take advantage of this opportunity to eradicate the remaining members of the Eighteen Zhizhi Party hiding in Hirado, Japan, to avoid future troubles.
As for whether doing so would offend the Japanese shogunate or even trigger a war between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, Xu Xinsu did not have too many worries about this. He knew very well that his backing was not the Ming Dynasty, which was powerful from outside, but had strong military strength. Haihan.
(End of chapter)