Chapter 2174
Ma Zhengping's original intention was to test Xuan Xiangming's tone to see if he could help him, but he didn't expect that Xuan Xiangming knew far more information than he did, and he was fascinated by it for a while. After all, these two countries The war does not involve the Ming Dynasty, and the opportunity to watch the excitement and listen to the gossip with confidence is rare in this era.
Of course, he also noticed that many of the details in the information that Xuan Xiangming had should come from the accounts of those who had experienced it. It was obvious that the other party had more direct sources of information, and it did not come entirely from hearsay from various rumors on the market.
Ordinary people only know that the Kaihan Army won a great victory in the battle in Hirado, but only the soldiers who participated in the battle know the specific details. This was exactly what Ma Zhengping wanted. He had originally planned to try to find an opportunity to meet people in the Haihan Army through Xuan Xiangming, but now it seemed that there was a real possibility of it happening.
"Boss Xuan knows so much about this war, he must have close friends in the Haihan Army, right?" After Xuan Xiangming had finished explaining, Ma Zhengping asked tentatively.
Xuan Xiangming smiled and said: "I'm not a close friend... I have a distant relative who happens to be serving in the Haihan Army. He also participated in the conquest of Hirado this time, so he will know better. ”
Ma Zhengping's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly asked: "I didn't expect Boss Xuan to have such a relationship, so can I do something for you and listen to this military master tell the story of the war in person?"
"I didn't realize that Boss Ma was so interested in marching and fighting."
Although Xuan Xiangming talked a lot, he was not stupid, so he could naturally detect that Ma Zhengping was unusually interested in this. When the two of them were watching the military parade at Dinghai Port earlier, Boss Ma didn't seem to be as interested in the Haihan Army as he is now. It was obvious that Ma Zhengping's thoughts had changed over the past two months. some wonderful transformations.
Ma Zhengping said calmly: "I am coming here this time to purchase land and build a business store on Zhoushan Island. I will operate it here for a long time in the future. Zhoushan is where the Haihan Kingdom garrisoned troops. Of course, we must try to get to know some military personnel." If the boss Xuan can introduce me, I will be rewarded in the future.”
Ma Zhengping's words sounded reasonable. Xuan Xiangming also didn't expect that Ma Zhengping had other motives. In his opinion, it was not a big deal to help Ma Zhengping introduce him. Since the other party said that he would remember this favor, Xuan Xiangming thought it would be worthwhile to help out. Maybe Ma Zhengping can help him if he has any needs in Yangzhou in the future.
The Yangzhou salt merchants wanted to set up a business store in Zhoushan. Even if Xuan Xiangming was not in this business, he could still taste the unusual taste. After all, in the semi-public bloody battle that took place in Yangzhou a few months ago, anyone with a discerning eye knew that it was Haihan who taught the local salt merchants a lesson. The conflict between the two went beyond business.
Haihan did not publicly declare war on the Yangzhou salt merchants at that time, so even if the local officials knew that the perpetrators were most likely from Zhoushan, they could only pretend to be deaf and dumb and define the fierce fight with many casualties as a civil conflict and settle the matter. After that, the case was hastily closed. Although the Shanxi salt merchants who had suffered heavy losses were unwilling to accept it, they also knew that it would be unwise to openly challenge Haihan, so they could only swallow the knocked out teeth in their stomachs.
And because Xuan Xiangming had distant relatives in the Haihan Army, he happened to know more about the inside story. For example, he knew a little bit about the internal fighting between the two factions of salt merchants in Yangzhou. Now Ma Zhengping visited Zhoushan for the second time and expressed his intention to establish a business store here for long-term operation. It seems that the Haihan official has reached an agreement with some Yangzhou salt merchants, including Ma Zhengping. In the future, the salt business in Yangzhou may be There will be Haihan involved.
Xuan Xiangming's knowledge was certainly not enough to infer from this fragmented information the direction in which the salt industry of Ming Dynasty would change, and what impact this change would have on Ming Dynasty's economy. He only subconsciously It is believed that the cooperation between the Yangzhou salt merchants and the Haihan people is a strong alliance. They need money and guns. I am afraid that it will be difficult for anyone to stop them from dominating the salt industry.
As for whether the local salt merchant struggle in Yangzhou has ended, and whether Ma Zhengping will still face huge competitive pressure, it is not a problem at all to an outsider like Xuan Xiangming. After all, they have already embraced Shanghai and Han, so do they still need to worry? Can't you make money from this business?
Based on this judgment, Xuan Xiangming thought it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to introduce his distant relatives to Ma Zhengping. The fact that Ma Zhengping was able to open a business store in Zhoushan meant that he had received official approval. As long as his interactions did not involve military secrets, there should be no serious problems.
"Since Boss Ma is interested, I will contact you later and arrange another time to meet. What do you think?"
Ma Zhengping naturally agreed and said that he would find a restaurant with a better environment in the city and invite Xuan Xiangming and his distant relatives to eat and chat. Of course, the sooner the better. He hoped to get more information before deciding whether to spend money to build a business store in Zhoushan immediately.
After all, the establishment of this business store is equivalent to making the cooperative relationship with Haihan public, and the Shanshan and Shaanxi salt merchants have been quietly paying attention to the goings-on in Zhoushan. Their big moves in Zhoushan will definitely not be hidden from their eyes and ears. If the fight between the two sides further intensifies, there may be more troubles for Huizhou salt merchants. Naturally, the attitude of the Haihan military should be determined before building a business warehouse, so that the safety factor would be higher.
But the only problem is that Ma Zhengping still doesn't know what position Xuan Xiangming, a distant relative, holds in the Haihan Army. Xuan Xiangming only revealed that he was an officer, so he had no more information. Ma Zhengping could only pray that this man would not be a junior officer at the lowest level. In that case, let alone expect the other party to help at critical moments. Maybe people don't know about the cooperation discussed with the Huizhou salt merchants at all.
Ma Zhengping said goodbye to Xuan Xiangming with anxiety and left. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came out of Xuan Xiangming's shop, he heard someone greeting him. When he turned around, he recognized this person. He had seen him last time in Zhoushan. Mu Jian, the contractor.
Ma Zhengping remembered that Mu Jian took him to go through the land purchase procedures at that time, but because the government temporarily imposed restrictions and stopped handling land purchase procedures for foreign businessmen on Zhoushan Island, the establishment of a business store was temporarily shelved. When recalling his connections in Zhoushan, Ma Zhengping only thought of Xuan Xiangming, but he forgot that he had also dealt with Mu Jian.
Of course, having said that, Mu Jian is just a contractor who directs the construction of a house, and his importance in Ma Zhengping's eyes is definitely not as important as that of his colleague Xuan Xiangming.
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Mu Jian took the initiative to ask him if he had purchased land in Zhoushan. The implication was that if he wanted to build a commercial warehouse, he hoped that Ma Zhengping could still leave the business to him.
Ma Zhengping thought that he could really start preparing for the construction of the business store. Otherwise, he would have to wait until he sorted out the Haihan official affairs before taking care of this end, and it would be a lot of time wasted. So he asked Mu Jian to look for suitable land in the city for him first, and after completing the relevant procedures, he would hand over the project of building the store to the other party. Mu Jian was overjoyed when he saw that Ma Zhengping was so willing to give him a big deal. He quickly said that he would select the land as soon as possible and invite Ma Zhengping to check it out on the spot.
Ma Zhengping's requirements for the land are also very simple - it is large enough and close to the port area. The large area allows you to build a habitable house for yourself in addition to building a business store; the proximity to the port area is to facilitate the import and export of goods by sea. After all, in the future, salt and other commodities will be purchased in large quantities from Zhoushan. Find Being close to a port area can not only improve transshipment efficiency, but also save a lot of freight in the long run.
Of course, the land that can meet his two requirements will definitely not be cheap. If Mu Jian does it well, he can get another commission from it. This kind of transaction is not something that can happen all the time. Jian will definitely be particularly concerned about this.
Xuan Xiangming did not let Ma Zhengping wait too long. He sent someone to Ma Zhengping's hotel the next day to inform him that a meeting time had been arranged.
Ma Zhengping was also unambiguous. He booked a suite at a high-end restaurant in the city that night and hosted a banquet for Xuan Xiangming and his military officer relatives.
Ma Zhengping naturally had to be the first to arrive as a host, but he did not wait too long. Xuan Xiangming and the person he wanted to introduce to Ma Zhengping arrived a moment earlier than the agreed time.
After meeting, Xuan Xiangming took the initiative to introduce him: "Boss Ma, this is my distant cousin Duan Tiancheng. He is now leading troops in the Haihan Kingdom's East China Sea Fleet and has the title of major. Tiancheng, this is what I mentioned to you yesterday. Boss Ma Zhengping, a salt merchant from Yangzhou, arrived! ”
Ma Zhengping saw that Tiancheng was tall and strong, with dark complexion. He had a Haihan-style haircut, and he looked quite young. Although he was dressed in casual clothes, he had the chilling aura unique to soldiers. It was very obvious, and he quickly stepped forward to salute and said: "I have heard that Major Duan is a first-class general in the Haihan Army. When I saw him today, he was indeed very powerful. Ma is really lucky to meet him!"
Duan Tiancheng also smiled and clasped his fists in response: "Boss Ma is overly complimentary. Duan is just an ordinary soldier in the Haihan Army and cannot deserve such praise!"
Ma Zhengping had done some homework beforehand. When Xuan Xiangming reported the opponent's military rank, he knew that this person's status was indeed quite high, and that a Han from the Ming Dynasty could rise to the rank of major in the Haihan Army at such a young age. Position, either outstanding ability and outstanding military exploits, or being favored by the boss, or both, in short, it is definitely an extraordinary role. Based on this view, Ma Zhengping first gave the other party a few high hats to show his respect.
Ma Zhengping has a sharp eye and he did not make any mistakes. If one were to select the most promising young officers in the East China Sea Fleet, Duan Tiancheng would probably be among the top few.
Duan Tiancheng came to Zhoushan to make a living when he was young. At that time, this place was still a mixed place. Duan Tiancheng followed a group of armed merchants and engaged in maritime smuggling business for several years. Later, the Haihan Army captured Zhoushan, and Duan Tiancheng's employer broke up, so he simply defected to the Haihan Army in order to make a living. Because he was familiar with the local sea conditions, he was quickly promoted to serve as a temporary navigator on the flagship of the Haihan Fleet, assisting the fleet in eradicating the civilian armed forces in the Zhoushan Islands.
After going back and forth, Duan Tiancheng quickly got the opportunity to study based on his accumulated military achievements. In the newly established East China Sea Fleet at that time, he was one of the first batch of reserve officers sent to Sanya Naval Academy by Shi Diwen for further training. In the years after returning to Zhoushan, he participated in various military operations of the East China Sea Fleet and rose to the top. Naturally, the Major was not surprised.
A few months ago, the Zhoushan authorities and the Ningbo government jointly arrested Sun Feizhou, a member of the Eighteenth Zhi Party, in Ningbo City. Duan Tiancheng acted on behalf of Haihan and jointly implemented it with Cui Hongfang, the commander of Ningbo Dinghaiwei.
Although that operation failed to capture Sun Feizhou alive in the end, and he was allowed to commit suicide by taking poison before being arrested, it still successfully destroyed the Eighteen Zhiyu Party's stronghold in Ningbo City and seized the secretly hidden muskets and ammunition. It was basically completed. predetermined goal.
In fact, because the arrest was carried out in Ningbo City, it was not convenient for the Haihan Army to carry out the mission. Cui Hongfang's people were responsible for the entire arrest. Duan Tiancheng was only supervising the operation at the scene as a military observer. It could be said that it was relaxed and easy. joy. Putting him in charge of this task was partly because Shi Diwen arranged for him to improve his record.
Of course, this arrangement is also based on the trust in Duan Tiancheng's ability. Shi Diwen will not have a lot of people under his command. After that, they went to fight in Hirado. Duan Tiancheng was of course also in the fleet. After returning, he described some combat experiences to his cousin Xuan Xiangming, and then spread them to Ma Zhengping through Xuan Xiangming.
Duan Tiancheng was born in the Ming Dynasty, so he had no objections to getting to know people from the Ming Dynasty. Xuan Xiangming said that he would introduce a businessman who admired him to get to know him. Duan Tiancheng agreed after asking about his identity.
Why would a salt merchant from Yangzhou take the initiative to get to know him? Of course Duan Tiancheng would not ignore such a question. He probably knows much more about what happened in Yangzhou than Ma Zhengping, the person involved. Ji Yuanqing, who led the team to Yangzhou with Gong Shiqi at that time, was a good friend of Duan Tiancheng. Duan Tiancheng is also aware of the Zhoushan authorities' attitude towards the Yangzhou salt merchants.
It goes without saying that Yangzhou salt merchants who can come to Zhoushan Island must belong to the group that is attracted by the Zhoushan authorities. After these salt merchants arrived in Zhoushan, it was expected that they would try their best to get acquainted with officials and take the upper-level route. After all, their future business prospects in Yangzhou will largely depend on how much support the Zhoushan authorities will give them. Duan Tiancheng thought that this roundabout way of finding his head probably had some special purpose.
However, Duan Tiancheng doesn't mind this. Since he wants something from himself, he will definitely provide some benefits in exchange for his cooperation. The Yangzhou salt merchants are the richest in the world, so they will certainly not be shabby in their dealings, but we can look forward to it a little.
(End of chapter)