Chapter 2289
Zheng Zha had already made plans before coming to Guangzhou as to what the name of the permanent office that Annan would set up in Guangzhou should be, what functions it would need to carry out, and how it would operate. However, when it comes to the specific implementation process, he must also listen to the opinions of his partner Furifeng. After all, he knows very little about the situation in Guangzhou and does not have much first-hand information.
Furifeng has cooperated with Haihan for many years and has won the trust of Haihan. Zheng Zha can see from the various courtesy Li Nai received in Sanya that the Haihan executive committee attaches great importance to Furifeng. He believes that Fulifeng can get such treatment not only by doing business with Haihan, but also that its comprehensive capabilities must far exceed those of ordinary merchants.
This time Zheng Zha came to Guangzhou with Li Nai, and gradually learned more about Furifeng's situation on the way. The so-called wealth that rivals the country is not bragging, Furifeng's influence in Guangdong is even greater. Better than Haihan. If Annan wants to set up an office in Guangzhou, then cooperation with Furifeng should be a very wise choice.
As the helmsman of Furifeng, Li Jifeng's attitude and views on this matter are very important. This may allow Annan to avoid many detours in the process and avoid the possible troubles he mentioned before. .
"Since the young prince asked, I still have some humble opinions for the young prince's reference." Li Jifeng said slowly: "If there is anything I said that is wrong, I hope the young prince will forgive me!"
Zheng Zha nodded and said: "Boss Li just said it doesn't matter."
"I guess what the young prince wants is for this organization to imitate the Haihan State's Office in Guangdong. On the one hand, it manages trade affairs between the two places. On the other hand, it also uses this window to collect various information and at the same time spread its influence outwards. Power.”
As Li Jifeng spoke, he paid attention to Zheng Zha's reaction. Seeing that his expression was calm and he didn't mean to refute, he should be consistent with what he said, so he continued: "I suggest that the young prince should be as low-key as possible during the preparation stage, and there is no need to rush. In order to gain influence and make the government notice the existence of this organization prematurely, although the Guangzhou government will not interfere with Haihan's various activities here, it does not mean that they will treat Annan's organization with the same attitude. Before establishing official connections, it is not appropriate to draw the government’s attention to the Annan background of the organization.”
When Zheng Zha heard this, he realized that he wanted to carry out the matter secretly. Although he did not agree with Li Jifeng's view, he did not rush to raise objections and continued to listen to Li Jifeng quietly.
Li Jifeng continued: "The young prince has a distinguished status and has many things to do. He probably doesn't have time to guard here personally. The person sent to Guangzhou to take charge of affairs should have an understanding of the social sentiments here and be able to handle them on his own. All aspects of affairs. Otherwise, if there is an emergency, we have to seek instructions from our superiors first, which would be too much of a delay.”
This time Zheng Zha felt that what Li Jifeng said made sense and immediately nodded in agreement.
Li Jifeng asked: "Does the young prince know who the official Haihan sent to Guangzhou to take charge of affairs?"
Li Jifeng paused for a moment, then announced the answer on his own without waiting for Zheng Zhuo's answer: "There were two people presiding over affairs here at that time. One is Mr. Malikoma, the current person in charge of the Haikou area. I wonder if the young prince knows him?"< br>
Zheng Zhuo immediately nodded in response. He had also been to Haikou for inspection before and had met Malik several times. He had the impression that he was an extremely shrewd middle-aged man, but he was not well-known to the outside world. However, he had studied relevant history before and knew that Malik had presided over the affairs of the Guangdong Office in the early years. But as for who the other person in charge of the General Office was, he had not seen any relevant information in Haihan’s official information, so he always thought that the first official of the Office was Malik, not Know that there is another person.
Li Jifeng continued: "At that time, Malik was responsible for trade and civil affairs in the Guangdong Office, while another official was responsible for matters related to military and intelligence. Once the identity of this person is revealed, I believe The young prince will be familiar with this, he is Mr. He Xihe who is now in charge of security affairs in Haihan Kingdom.”
Zheng Zha was slightly startled, but even Xuan felt that this situation was reasonable. Of course he was aware of He Xi's special functions in Haihan's official system, but he didn't know that He Xi had stayed in the General Office for a period of time before. It seemed that Haihan valued the General Office far more than own imagination.
Li Jifeng said: "I don't need to say more about Mr. He's status in the Haihan court. I think the young prince knows better than me. The establishment of the Guangdong Office was not smooth sailing. How can He be able to take root safely in Guangzhou? The role played by adults cannot be ignored. If the young prince wants to follow the example of the Haihan Office in Guangdong, it is best to have experts in this field among the local personnel who are responsible for handling various special situations. "
Li Jifeng's words were still rather vague, but Zheng Zha had roughly understood what he meant. This was to remind himself that even if Fulifeng provided local assistance, it might not be able to guarantee that Annan's Guangdong-based agency would start smoothly. There may be some uncontrollable variables, which need to be dealt with by the people on Annan's side who can handle the situation.
As for what kind of variables there would be, Li Jifeng had no intention of going into details, and Zheng Zha also wisely did not ask further questions.
In fact, even if Li Jifeng didn't say it, Zheng Zha could have guessed it to some extent. Annan's office in Guangzhou needs to be prepared in a low-key manner in the early stage. It cannot attract the attention of local officials because of its special background. However, if the establishment of the office involves large-scale construction near Guangzhou City, how can it not attract attention? It is very likely that it will be established by then. He was treated as a fat sheep with no background, and people from all walks of life came to ask for benefits. Maybe there would be some local snakes with official backgrounds among them.
Haihan's Office in Guangzhou may have encountered these things at the beginning, but it should be due to He Xi's ability that he later settled the trouble quietly. If Annan's office in Guangdong encounters this kind of thing, whether they should ask Furifeng for help will reflect their level of ability, and this will probably directly affect their evaluation of Annan.
Zheng Zha believed that Li Jifeng's words had two meanings. On the one hand, it was to make him realize that the establishment of the Haihan Office in Guangzhou was not smooth sailing. On the other hand, it was also intended to test himself. If the agency in Guangdong handles the matter well, perhaps the future cooperation between the two parties can reach a higher level and develop towards a relationship similar to that between Fulifeng and Haihan.
Zhang Jinbao was not that familiar with the deeds of the senior figures in Haihan, so he was only half-informed and did not fully understand the intention of the conversation between the two men. However, he was roughly certain that Furifeng still had some doubts about Annan's intention to open an office in Guangzhou, and these doubts would not be completely resolved just because Zheng Zha personally came to Guangzhou to preside over the preparatory work.
However, Zhang Jinbao believed that Li Jifeng's reaction was normal. Zheng Zhao mentioned the Haihan Office in Guangdong Province first, so Li Jifeng naturally wanted to compare them. No matter how you look at it, there is a gap in strength between Annan and Haihan. If something happens to Annan's office in Guangdong, it is very likely that his partner Furifeng will be involved.
Compared with the politically charged projects of the Annan Office in Guangdong, Zhang Jinbao believes that his own project is much simpler. At least Haihan officials have no plans to directly intervene in it yet.
So when Li Nai took the initiative to mention Qiongxi Academy's branch plan to Li Jifeng, Zhang Jinbao confidently introduced his school plan to the other party in detail, and highlighted the practical benefits that Fulifeng could obtain from it. "What President Zhang means is that the Guangzhou branch of your academy can set up some training courses specifically for Furifeng in the future?" After Li Jifeng listened, he confirmed with Zhang Jinbao again.
Zhang Jinbao nodded repeatedly and responded: "Yes, the academy can train professionals according to Furifeng's employment needs. For example, navigators for shipping companies, accountants who specialize in accounting, and even shopkeepers who manage stores. Our academy also Can provide training for you.”
Li Jifeng nodded slightly and said: "I have actually wanted to do this a few years ago, but I have never found the right time or partner. Dean Zhang's plan is very feasible."
Zhang Jinbao said: "The specific implementation plan, the third young master and I have repeatedly discussed it on the way here, and it has basically been finalized. I will give a detailed explanation when it is convenient for Boss Li."
Li Jifeng obviously did not attach as much importance to this project as Annan's office in Guangdong. After hearing Zhang Jinbao's self-recommendation, he did not show much interest, but turned to Li Nai and asked: "Lao San, what do you think of Zhang Yuan?" What’s the long-term plan?”
Li Nai responded: "If it can be implemented as planned, then within one or two years, we should be able to solve the employment needs of most special positions. As for other issues, there are only some variables in terms of start-up funds. The child has done With a rough calculation, there shouldn’t be any difficulty.”
Li Jifeng said: "Okay, since the third child also thinks there is no problem, then we can put it into practice as soon as possible. If Dean Zhang has any needs while he is in Guangzhou, just ask the third child and he will handle it as appropriate. When the academy opens, I will invite local celebrities in Guangzhou to attend and make the name of the college known.”
With Li Jifeng's influence, he said that if he wanted to invite local celebrities, it would probably not be a small scene by then. This kind of publicity method is absolutely impossible for Zhang Jinbao himself to achieve, and its value is difficult to measure in terms of money.
Zhang Jinbao quickly toasted to thank Li Jifeng for taking care of him. He could tell that Li Jifeng did not intend to handle the matter personally, but as long as the other party could fulfill his promise when the academy opened, it would be a great favor. Li Jifeng gave Li Nai full responsibility for this cooperation project, which played into Zhang Jinbao's plan. After all, compared to a shrewd old fox like Li Jifeng, it was of course more comfortable to deal with the young and easy-to-talk Li Nai.
After finishing the meal, Li Jifeng invited the guests to drink tea in the flower hall. After sitting and chatting for a while, Li Jifeng said he was tired and had to leave to rest. When Zheng Zha and Zhang Jinbao saw this, they stopped staying and stood up to leave together knowingly.
Li Nai sent the two of them out of the manor and asked them to return to their residence to rest peacefully. Someone would contact them later to arrange follow-up matters.
Zhang Jinbao was still quite excited after returning to his residence. He originally thought that his school plan would be strictly scrutinized by Li Jifeng, and he had specially prepared several plans to deal with it. However, he did not expect that the other party would only briefly ask two or three questions. In one sentence, the cooperation project was finalized.
Of course, Zhang Jinbao also understood that this was not because his plan was so seamless that the other party could not find fault with it, but because Li Jifeng probably did not treat the project of opening an academy as a major event at all, and he had great trust in Li Nai. When Li Nai agreed to the matter, he stopped asking about the details. From this, it seems that the smooth passing of the test is also due to Li Nai's credit.
At this time, in the Li family manor, Li Jifeng, who was supposed to go to rest, was discussing with Li Nai the matters discussed at the banquet just now in the study.
"For small things like running an academy, you can make your own decisions from now on, and there is no need to ask me for advice. However, it is best not to get too involved in the matter of Young Prince Annan. This Zheng Zha looks polite, but he can tell He thinks very highly of himself and may not be able to listen to what I said before. We don’t know much about the Annan people’s behavior, so it’s better to be cautious.”
When Li Nai heard this, he couldn't help but interjected: "Father, do you think there are hidden dangers in the Annan people?"
Li Jifeng said: "People from Annan want to do business with us, that's fine. Everyone just wants to be happy and make money. But if you want to get us, Furifeng, to do other things, you have to stand firm and don't waver easily!"
Li Nai said: "Does the Annan people have other purposes for setting up offices?"
"They want to be the second Haihan!" Li Jifeng revealed Zheng Zao's purpose in one sentence: "Set up a permanent office in the name of trade, and then imitate Haihan's method to absorb various resources from the Ming Dynasty. If in the future When the right opportunity arises, it is not unusual for the Annamites to send troops to occupy a piece of land along the Pearl River."
Li Nai said: "According to my father's wishes, Zheng Zhuo's idea should be that Haihan can do it, and I, Annan, can naturally do it too."
"The Haihan people do things in a measured way, but the Annan people may not be so." Li Jifeng shook his head slightly and said: "Look at the business deals with the Annan people in the past few years, every transaction is not exploited at all levels, whether it is a person or a ghost, everyone will reach out to catch it. The advantage is that compared to Haihan, there are really no rules at all! When dealing with the Annan people, you can’t expect them to follow the rules completely. You have to be careful.”
Although Li Nai was a little dissatisfied with his father's words, he also knew that this was indeed the truth. Almost everyone in Annan's officialdom had the bad habit of asking for cards. When foreign merchants came to Annan to do business, the first thing they did when they got off the ship was to Pay the entry fee to the port defenders, otherwise you will be harassed in every possible way, and you may even be ordered to leave the same way.
(End of chapter)