Chapter 2829

Haihan's superiority in military strength is unquestionable. After many years of fighting with Haihan, the Manchu Qing Dynasty realized that it was impossible to come back and win anyway, so they finally surrendered. But this does not mean that Haihan's army can

Pushing the front infinitely northward, taking into account 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 further north from the Liaodong border are almost all bitter cold places, and one-third of the time every year

Covered in ice and snow, there are many inconveniences in life and production, and it is not a livable place. We have conducted surveys and found that even if we offer good conditions, there are very few immigrants 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 immigrate, then it will be difficult to achieve

Transformation and development of the area. At present, there is still a large labor gap in Haihan's ruling area in Liaodong, and the bitter and cold land outside the northern border will obviously not be a priority for resettlement of 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 Manchu Qing through various channels. The outside world may not be too cautious.

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 this point should not be unfamiliar to you."

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 salt, iron, tea, sugar, cloth and other daily necessities had to rely on the outside world. Therefore, they had almost no resistance to 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, using traditional military means to exert pressure will be difficult to achieve the same goal.

The effect. As long as the two sides do not go to war, trade is undoubtedly the most effective means of containment.

Since he talked about his own job, Ning Zijing also wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the trade situation related to the Manchus, so he asked Chen Pingliao for details.

Chen Pingliao had no intention of keeping it secret, so he briefly explained the situation of border trade. In fact, this information will be disclosed after the inspection team arrives in 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 set up a border market in Sarhu on the south bank of the Hun River east of Fushun. Each country controls one market. Currently, 90% of the total is owned by the two countries. The above trade 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 the distance to Qingyang Fort is longer, it is The road between Shenyang and Shenyang is very smooth, and the traffic conditions are much better than those in Saarhu.

The Northern Region has launched a number of transport ships on the Hun River since last year, which has greatly improved the cargo transportation capacity between Shenyang and Sarhu. However, this mode of transportation must also be suspended during the long winter until the Hun River thaws. Only then can it be restarted.

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 border trade-related goods enter and exit through Shenyang, and then transported to Liaodong Bay via inland rivers, and then to other places. area.

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 stage of border trade, Haihan's trade surplus is extremely large, 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 Manchu and Qing Dynasties. Almost all the goods exported by Haihan were industrial products or deeply processed agricultural products, while all the goods exported by the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were raw material-level goods, such as various medicinal materials. , mountain products, animal skins, etc.

Even some materials that the Manchus were capable of producing on their own were affected by the influx of cheap Haihan industrial products, and related industries were impacted and became objects 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 commodity currently sold to the Qing Dynasty from our country."

Bai Letong said: "I guess it's table 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 disagreement: "Although salt is a necessity, our country's export of salt relies on the low-cost advantage brought by industrial production, so 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, so people can 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 my fault. I was inspecting the port area a few days ago and 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 know the profit of these things, so I made a bold guess that this is the profit Ping Liao mentioned. The most generous merchandise.”

Chen Pingliao didn't say anything, but gave him a thumbs up with a smile.
Chapter completed!