Chapter 2572

Money is not everything, but money can indeed accomplish many things that ordinary people cannot do. Yangzhou salt merchants with deep pockets do not need to worry too much about projects that require money to invest. As long as they feel that the project can bring benefits to themselves in the future, they can do it.

You can spend money in it first, and you can make arrangements in advance.

For a risky operation like Wang Tom organizing an advance fleet to sail to the other side of the ocean, the prospect of obtaining profits is actually not clear. However, the Yangzhou salt merchants still contributed money and efforts and actively participated. In addition to wanting to be in front of high-ranking Haihan officials such as Wang Tom and Shi Diwen,

In addition to making a good impression, there should also be plans to take this opportunity to prepare for in-depth participation in the military and political affairs of Haihan in the future.

According to what Li Fa knew, the Yangzhou salt merchants, under the leadership of the Dai family, raised 228,000 taels of silver and made public donations in the name of rewarding the East China Sea Fleet. Later, the money was probably used as

The military expenses of the advance fleet were increased.

In addition, Yangzhou salt merchants collectively pledged a majestic-class battleship two years ago. This battleship was also included in the advance fleet establishment when it was commissioned, and was eventually named "Yangzhou", which can also be regarded as Wang Tom

A special commendation for the Yangzhou salt merchants. As for the personnel configuration of this warship, Li Fa did not know the details, but he thought that there should be many Yangzhou nationals among the soldiers serving on the ship.

As a reward in a sense, when the advance fleet set off, there were also two more civilian ships from Yangzhou in the team. As logistics supply ships carrying supplies, they sailed with the fleet to perform expedition missions.

Now the advance fleet has already established a base on the other side of the ocean, realizing cross-ocean colonization, and the Yangzhou salt merchants should have naturally set up local operating agencies and started engaging in ocean-going trade. This step is so big that it has probably exceeded this

Most of the people of this era have done so.

Tao Hongfang was a little surprised at first, but he was relieved in a blink of an eye. Since the Yangzhou salt merchants had long had official connections, it was not surprising that they participated in the trans-oceanic expedition. As for engaging in ocean-going trade, in his opinion

It was no surprise that he came here. He had been used to seeing businessmen from all over the world since he was a child in Sanya. Many of the Western businessmen even came from the Europa continent tens of thousands of miles away. Now the Han people are also going out to sea to explore the unknown world in the same way.

, this kind of action is actually in line with Haihan’s development momentum.

Ning Zijing raised a question at this time: "Since the Yangzhou salt merchants are determined to develop outward, and even sent people to follow the advance fleet to the other side of the ocean to expand territory, why did they rarely develop southward before this? According to me

As far as I know, they don’t seem to have any industry in Hainan Island.”

Li Fa corrected: "It's not that there is no industry, it's that there is no direct industry."

Either because of concerns about unfamiliar territory or because they don’t want to compete commercially with their counterparts in the south, Yangzhou salt merchants do not invest in many industries in Hainan Island. At most, they participate in operations in the form of investment and shareholding, and rarely directly participate in operations.

Publicity. Therefore, in Ning Zijing's impression, he felt that the Yangzhou salt merchants did not have much presence in the southern region, especially Hainan Island, the base camp of Haihan.

But the actual situation may be far from Ning Zijing's impression. According to the information Li Fa has, Yangzhou salt merchants have actually purchased a lot of real estate in Hainan Island quietly, but very few of them are used as business projects.

Most of them are real estate purchased in big cities such as Sanya and Danzhou as residences for Yangzhou children while they study or work in Hainan Island.

Although the market price of real estate in Hainan Island is no longer cheap, for the well-funded Yangzhou salt merchants, these expenses are indeed just drizzle. As long as it can bring convenience to their children, the money is well spent.

Done.

As for those business projects that only involve shares but not operations, salt merchants do not need to expend energy. They only need to wait for the calculation of the accounts and dividends at the end of each year.

"You may not know that Yangzhou salt merchants are also big buyers of my country's official bonds!" Li Fa revealed another piece of news that surprised Tao Hongfang and Ning Zijing.

As far as he knows, Yangzhou salt merchants have actively participated in subscribing for various bonds issued by Haihan official through Haihan Bank in the past ten years, and the total amount may be in the millions.

Tao Hongfang sighed: "They are so willing to spend money, so it's no wonder they are looked at in a different light!"

Ning Zijing said: "I just wonder if they were like this in the previous dynasty?"

Li Fa shook his head and said: "How can the treatment in the previous dynasty be compared to today! In the early years, the Ming Dynasty was financially tight. Every year, the Liao, Lian, and Suppression taxes collected from the people, fat sheep like salt merchants had to lose a layer.

Skin! Nowadays, the salt tax set by the state does not have so many messy miscellaneous items, and the cost of salt provided to salt dealers is lower than before. They can actually earn benefits, and only then will they take the initiative to support the country. Not to mention the money

It's more cost-effective to use it to buy bonds issued by the government and still collect interest than to cast the silver into silver winter melons and bury them in the cellar!"

Regarding the allusion of silver winter melon, Tao Hongfang and Ning Zijing heard it from their parents when they were young, so they didn't find it strange. However, the Yangzhou salt merchants were willing to spend their money to buy officially issued bonds. This behavior can indeed be regarded as a violation of the

The full trust of the government. And such performance will naturally win the favor of the government and even the executive committee. As long as you relax your fingers a little and leak some benefits to the Yangzhou salt merchants, it will be enough for them.

When Tao Hongfang heard this, he gradually understood the mutually beneficial relationship between the Haihan official and the Yangzhou salt merchants that Li Fa had mentioned before. The official provided shelter and commodity resources to the salt merchants, while the salt merchants contributed commercial channels and considerable funds to the official

, both parties have gained enough benefits from the cooperation.

Of course, Li Fa also sensed the two young people's interest in Yangzhou salt merchants from the conversation, so he took the initiative to say to them: "If you want to know more about Yangzhou salt merchants, how many of them can I introduce to you later?"

Tao Hongfang hesitated and said, "Is this convenient?"

Li Fa nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course it's convenient. Someone from Yangzhou should come over in a few days and introduce it to you then?"

"Then let me thank my uncle first!" Tao Hongfang thanked him quickly.

Tao Hongfang actually had the idea of ​​visiting Yangzhou salt merchants for a long time, but the journey from Hangzhou to Yangzhou, which is more than 500 miles, would take several days whether by water or land, and it would take half a month to go back and forth.

I was also worried that this arrangement would delay my errands in Hangzhou, so I never considered putting it into practice. But if I could meet with the salt merchants in Hangzhou, there would be no time worries. And Li Fa would be the one to introduce it.

, presumably the talks can be more candid and open.
Chapter completed!