Chapter 2829
Haihan's superiority in military strength is unquestionable. It was only after many years of fighting with Haihan that the Manchus and Qing Dynasties realized that they could not come back and win anyway, so they finally surrendered. But this does not mean that the Haihan Army can advance the front indefinitely to the north. Considering the cost of combat and the maintenance of the occupied area after the war, reaching an armistice agreement with the Manchu and Qing border lines is already the optimal solution. .
Bai Letong continued to ask: "Is it possible that we first achieve military occupation and then gradually digest these places through traditional immigration methods?"
Chen Pingliao said: "The approach you mentioned is of course feasible in other areas, but the areas from the Liaodong border further north are almost all bitter cold places. One-third of the time every year Covered in ice and snow, there are many inconveniences in life and production. We have conducted surveys and found that even if we offer good conditions, very few immigrants are willing to go to those places. ”
After hearing this, Bai Letong also realized the helplessness of this situation. He was not ignorant of the situation in Liaodong. The problems Chen Pingliao talked about did exist objectively. If it is difficult to bring in immigrants, it will be difficult to transform and develop the area. At present, Haihan's ruling area in Liaodong still has a large labor gap, and the bitter cold lands outside the northern border will obviously not become a priority for resettling immigrants.
Ning Zijing asked: "It is said that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was just a tribal armed force. It started with thirteen suits of armor, but its military strength later made it difficult for the Ming Dynasty to resist. We just drove the Manchu Qing Dynasty back to their original territory and left it alone. Over time, Will raising tigers cause trouble? ”
Chen Pingliao explained: "I want to correct your view. Although the two countries have signed an armistice agreement, our attitude is not to let it go. We have been exerting influence on the Qing Dynasty through various channels. The outside world may not be too We are aware of the current situation of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, but in fact, our country’s main trading partner in the Liaodong region is the Manchu and Qing Dynasty. We can achieve many goals through trade activities. I think you will not be unfamiliar with this. ”
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Ning Zijing, who has been engaged in business for several years, is indeed no stranger to this. In fact, it has long been Haihan's usual method to penetrate and influence other countries through trade channels.
However, the productivity level of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties was backward. Even daily necessities such as salt, iron, tea, sugar, and cloth had to rely on the outside world. Therefore, they had almost no resistance to the various commodities imported from Haihan. This also gave rise to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. A group of vested interests.
Among them were compradors who acted as middlemen between the two countries, as well as nobles and officials who controlled the internal commercial resources of the Qing Dynasty. In addition, there were also a large number of middle- and lower-class people who relied on trade activities to make a living.
As long as such a group exists, Haihan can continue to exert influence on the Manchu Qing through trade channels, cultivate connections, and even become a political force that can participate in its high-level decision-making. However, it is difficult to achieve the same effect by using traditional military means to exert pressure. As long as the two sides do not go to war, trade is undoubtedly the most effective means of containment.
Now that he had talked about his own job, Ning Zijing also wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the trade situation related to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so he asked Chen Pingliao for details.
Chen Pingliao had no intention of keeping it secret, so he briefly explained the border trade situation. In fact, this information will be disclosed after the inspection team goes to Liaodong. Now it is just informed in advance.
The Northern Region currently has a border market in Qingyangbao north of Shenyang, while the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have established a border market in Sarhu on the south bank of the Hun River east of Fushun. Each country controls a market. At present, more than 90% of the trade between the two countries is completed through these two markets.
If Shenyang City is the center, the distance to Sarhu is shorter, but because it is located in a mountainous area, transportation is not convenient, and it is even more difficult to transport goods smoothly in winter. Although Qingyang Fort is farther away, the road to Shenyang is very flat, and the traffic conditions are much better than that of Saarhu.
Since last year, the Northern Region has put a number of transport ships on the Hun River, which has greatly improved the cargo transportation capacity between Shenyang and Sarhu. However, this mode of transportation must also be shut down during the long winter and cannot be restarted until the Hun River thaws. As a large border city, Shenyang, in addition to serving as a military and political center, has now also become a cargo distribution center in this region. All goods related to border trade enter and exit through Shenyang, and then transported to Liaodong Bay via inland rivers, and then transported to other regions.
Of course, the scale of local border trade is far less than that of Shandong. According to last year's statistics, only Haihan's trade volume in Shandong was less than 30%.
In the current border trade, Haihan's trade surplus is huge, and the proportion even far exceeds the trade between Haihan and Ming Dynasty.
The reason is mainly due to the backward productivity level of the Qing Dynasty. The goods exported by Haihan are almost all industrial products or deeply processed agricultural products, while all the goods exported by Manchu Qing are raw material-level goods, such as various medicinal materials, mountain products, animal skins, etc.
Even some materials that the Manchus were able to produce themselves were affected by the influx of cheap Haihan industrial products, and related industries were affected and became the targets of elimination.
There are also some supplies that were originally non-necessities, but under Haihan's operation, they have now become popular commodities in the Manchu and Qing markets.
Speaking of this, Chen Pingliao also deliberately put it off: "You two can take a guess, which is the most profitable product currently sold to the Qing Dynasty in our country."
Bai Letong said: "I guess it's salt. Now that the Qing Dynasty has no outlet to the sea, it can't make a large amount of salt. It can only buy it from our country. This business must be very profitable."
Ning Zijing shook his head to express his disapproval: "Although salt is a necessity, our country's export of salt relies on the low-cost advantage brought by industrialized production. How can we take the initiative to raise the price too high? Besides, this thing is not only Our country produces it, and the Ming Dynasty and North Korea, which are adjacent to the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, also have supplies. People can also shop around and choose the cheaper one. ”
Chen Pingliao said: "Zijing's words make sense, so what do you think it should be?"
Ning Zijing smiled and said: "This question is considered a steal. I was inspecting the port area a few days ago, and I happened to ask the manager of Qiong Lianfa about this information. It is said that Qingzhou and Laizhou have many Farmers began to grow tobacco leaves, and among the materials shipped to Liaodong and sold to the Qing Dynasty, there were also a large number of cigarettes and tobacco leaves. I generally knew the profits of these things, so I made a bold guess that this was the profit Ping Liao mentioned. The most generous products ”
Chen Pingliao didn't say anything, but gave him a thumbs up with a smile.
(End of chapter)