Chapter 3184
As the main sponsors of this reception banquet, the Yangzhou salt merchants were not in a hurry to come over and make friends with the big shots on the executive committee. Instead, they waited patiently for most of the people who were qualified to toast at the main table to complete the process before they calmed down. He stepped forward without haste and was introduced to everyone by Shi Diwen himself.
The seven most prestigious salt merchant families in Yangzhou, except for Dai Yingda who had been seen outside the city before, the heads of the other six families of Yang, Ji, Ma, Xu, Cui and Guo were also present.
It is no exaggeration to say that these families are as rich as the rest of the world when they come together. Hundreds of people were invited to attend this reception banquet. For them, this cost was just a drop in the bucket.
Being able to get an opportunity to be interviewed by the Executive Committee is a very good deal for them.
According to Shi Diwen, the projects funded by Yangzhou salt merchants are far more than just this banquet. Yangzhou salt merchants have also actively participated in many large-scale infrastructure projects in the capital relocation plan in various ways.
These Huizhou salt merchants, who are known for their shrewdness, are so enthusiastic and proactive. Of course, it is not out of charity. Although most of the money they spend is in the name of sponsorship, there is no doubt that they regard it as a long-term investment, which is not completely inappropriate. Ask for something in return.
Everyone on the executive committee naturally understands this truth. The other party went to great lengths to ask Shi Diwen to arrange a meeting. Of course, it was not just to show groveling in front of the executive committee.
As a representative of the salt merchants, Dai Yingda stated his intention straight to the point: "We came from Yangzhou. In addition to meeting with the adults of the Executive Committee, we also prepared some business plans, hoping to get the permission and support of the Executive Committee."< br>
Since it was a matter in the commercial field, Schneider, who was in charge of the Ministry of Commerce, naturally came forward.
Schneider said: "Boss Dai might as well briefly talk about what kind of plans he has. To save time, there is no need to talk about small projects here."
Dai Yingda responded quickly: "The little man said it bluntly. We intend to target the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River and invest in expanding the inland shipping business. We also hope to get the support of the Executive Committee."
Schneider responded with a half-smile: "Boss Dai has good vision, but the two areas you mentioned are not simple!"
Dai Yingda said: "If there is no difficulty, we will not come here to trouble the adults of the Executive Committee."
The Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River mentioned by Dai Yingda are both extremely important inland waterways. One runs north-south and the other runs east-west, connecting many provinces rich in products.
For Haihan, who has always attached great importance to shipping, the value of these two inland waterways goes without saying. If there is a suitable opportunity, he will definitely win them.
But the problem is that the territory currently controlled by Haihan does not cover these two inland waterways. Only a small part is under Haihan's control.
Most of the north-south Beijing-Hangzhou Canal from Hangzhou to Yangzhou is controlled by Haihan. The river section north of Yangzhou from Jiangsu to Shandong and then to Hebei basically still belonged to the Ming Dynasty.
As for the Yangtze River, which flows east-west, the portion currently controlled by Haihan is limited to the lower reaches of Zhenjiang to its outlet. If you want to go further upstream, although according to the trade treaty signed with the Ming Dynasty, Haihan's merchant ships can theoretically go to the cities in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, but of course those places are not Haihan's sphere of influence.
The inland shipping business is of course a big piece of meat, but if Haihan's shipping companies want to do business in areas controlled by the Ming Dynasty, they will inevitably be subject to various overt and covert restrictions. Many places will still ban Haihan ships from sailing on certain sections of the route due to military restricted areas or other reasons.
With the wealth of the Yangzhou salt merchants, if they just wanted to open a few shipping companies and buy dozens of ships for transportation, there would be no need to go through so much trouble to ask for favors from the executive committee. What they want to do is probably the same as running the salt industry in the past, forming a monopoly in this industry, and then using this to gain considerable profits.
In terms of financial resources, the wealthy Yangzhou salt merchants naturally have the capital to implement such a plan. However, they had chosen to join Haihan twenty years ago. Of course, they would not receive any preferential treatment if they went to do business in the Ming Dynasty. They might even become fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered in the eyes of others.
The large and small organizations on the Yangtze River that rely on water for their livelihood, and the governor-general's water transportation department and the yamen, which have been in charge of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal for more than 200 years, are not easy people to deal with. The Yangzhou salt merchants' past practice of relying on money to open up joints may not necessarily work well in these special fields.
Therefore, what Dai Yingda said about "seeking support from the Executive Committee" was obviously not as simple as verbal support, but asking the Executive Committee to take substantive measures to support Yangzhou salt merchants.
These measures may be political, diplomatic, or even military, but no matter which one they belong to, they are probably not to the extent that Schneider can operate independently.
Schneider looked at everyone present and said, "What do you think?"
Tao Dong glanced at Shi Diwen, nodded and said, "I think it's a good thing that the bosses in Yangzhou are so enterprising. If you have a detailed plan, you might as well submit one first."
Dai Yingda responded quickly: "Yes, yes, I have prepared a plan and will send it to the place where you adults are staying later."
Dai Yingda has been dealing with Haihan for so many years, and his family members are also officials in Haihan, so he naturally knows the process of doing things in the government. If he can't come up with a decent charter, people will just think he's talking nonsense and won't take it seriously at all.
So before coming to Hangzhou, he convened six other salt merchants to discuss a plan. He also specially found a few gentlemen with outstanding calligraphy to write a written plan.
However, Dai Yingda also knew that the reason why this stage went so smoothly was not because the plan he proposed was so extraordinary, but also thanks to enough preparations made in the early stage, and Shi Diwen introduced in the middle, these executive committee members Only big people who know how to do it will give themselves a chance.
If they think it is feasible after reading the plan, there will probably be one to several interviews. At that time, they will inevitably have to deal with various questions raised by senior officials. That will be the really difficult stage.
But no matter what, it was finally a good start, and Dai Yingda was quite satisfied with it.
And looking at the guests at the banquet, it seemed that the salt merchants had been interviewed for a relatively long time.
Several magistrates from Yangzhou were only qualified to stand in a row at the table and toast. In comparison, they can speak a few words with the senior officials of the Executive Committee, and their treatment is already quite good.
As for whether the proposed plan can interest the Executive Committee, Dai Yingda is 90% sure, because those involved in formulating this plan are not only salt merchants like them, but also big figures in the government, and the purpose of the plan is not only It is to obtain commercial benefits, and there is more official will to implement it.
(End of chapter)