Chapter 370 Opening up a new salt field

Taking into account safety factors, private salt shipped from Shengli Port to the mainland will not dock at the Pearl River Wharf outside Guangzhou for unloading, so as not to let the salt department people get caught. In the early days, "Fu Ruifeng" was the exclusive agent

At that time, the cargo ships departing from Haihan basically took the goods to the dock outside Lijiazhuang, Panyu for delivery. Now, with the increase in agents in the mainland, the main delivery location of private salt has also moved south from Lijiazhuang to the Pearl River.

From Zhangzhou in the east to Leizhou in the west, many salt merchants from the coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian come to Wanshan Port to buy high-quality and low-price "Sanya refined salt".

After the sales opened, more and more powerful and wealthy businessmen of the Ming Dynasty were involved in this huge profit network. These salt merchants who cooperated with Haihan were not just small private salt dealers, but low-level distributors.

There is no qualification to establish direct trade relations with Haihan. Most of the people who control the distribution channels are local powerful and wealthy gentry. There are even people from the local government and the Salt Department who are also involved to get a share of the pie.

Haihan's private salt was dumped at low prices and supplied to the Ming Dynasty. The most significant effect was not to lower the price of salt on the market, but to drive a large number of small and medium-sized salt farms in coastal areas into bankruptcy in a short period of time.

In the past, salt merchants used salt guides to resell private salt, and the source of their goods was still these official salt fields. However, after Haihan private salt appeared on the market, it quickly took away the market share of the official salt fields. The shipping price of Haihan people,

The production cost is even lower than that of most salt farms, and the quality of the salt is significantly higher than that of the official salt farms. As long as the salt merchants are not burned out, they will naturally choose Haihan to purchase goods.

Due to its state-owned nature, the official salt farm has had a single industrial structure and business model for a long time, and it does not have the ability to resist market risks. Once the products are unsalable, the production process will soon be affected because the funds cannot be withdrawn.

The only business strategy that can change this situation is to reduce production costs and regain the market by increasing sales. However, no matter how hard these salt farms try, they cannot compete with the Haihan Salt Farm, which has a generation-changing production capacity. It is just a victory.

The annual output of the Hong Kong Salt Farm exceeds the salt needs of the entire Qiongzhou Island. Together with the Tielugang Salt Farm, its production capacity is almost equivalent to the combined production capacity of all the salt farms in Guangdong and Guangxi. The salt processing capacity of the two salt farms

Together, it is not even one-tenth of the Daming Saltworks. There is no chance of a price war by reducing costs.

In addition to the advantages in output and cost, the advanced business concepts brought by the time travelers from later generations also played an important role. After the establishment of Haihan Salt Company, almost all foreign distributors used the corporate management theories of later generations.

In operation, under the advanced management system, the operating efficiency of the entire sales system is simply different from that of private commercial banks in this era.

It took "Furuifeng" nearly two hundred years and several generations to grow from a small one to a large one, and spread its business organizations to various state capitals and cities in Guangdong and Guangxi.

There are only a dozen locations. However, in more than a year, Haihan Salt Industry has developed dozens of large and small channel distributors in various places. The coverage area has almost reached the county level. In terms of the speed of building sales channels, it is far

Super "Furuifeng". Faced with such a huge sales network, without an efficient management system, it would be difficult to achieve the current large sales of salt, and the executive committee's plan to suck blood from the Ming Dynasty's finances through private salt business is also

This will significantly slow down the speed.

Haihan's private salt sales are booming, but the sales of official salt have plummeted. After this increase has subsided, Haihan's private salt has become even more irresistible in sweeping the southeastern coastal salt market. This year has just passed.

In nine months, the current monthly sales have tripled from the beginning of the year.

However, this did not satisfy the Executive Committee, because Qiongzhou Island and Yinggehai had long been in the Executive Committee's sight, but due to various reasons there had never been a large salt farm officially developed. If this area could be

If fully utilized, the salt production of Haihan Salt Industry, in addition to its own consumption and supply to Qiongzhou Island, North Vietnam and Guangdong and Guangxi regions, will even have spare capacity for export to Fujian and even further Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

Since the local coastal areas are covered with large saline-alkali tidal flats with very little vegetation, to develop and build salt fields there, all daily necessities, including building materials, must be transported by ship from Sanya, which requires a lot of manpower.

and resources are quite large, and relevant departments are silently preparing for this matter. However, with the arrival of a large number of Guangdong immigrants, the manpower gap has suddenly been alleviated, and there are thousands more waiting for job assignments.

After weighing the labor force, the executive committee decided to settle in Yinggehai and develop the local salt industry resources.

While the relevant departments began to prepare for the development of Yinggehai in full swing, good news finally came back from Macau. With the joint efforts of Wang Tom and Enrique, the local Portuguese Council finally agreed to use the original

On the basis of the trade exchange agreement, military cooperation will be added.

This part of the agreement is mainly based on the arms trade agreement. Although the two parties did not clearly define the position of military allies in the agreement, they still stipulated the corresponding bottom line, that is, the two parties shall not assist or collude with a third party in any way, or threaten with military means.

Or harm the interests of the other party. If such a situation occurs, the cooperation agreement will be automatically terminated immediately.

The reason why this clause was added to the trade was because both sides were still wary of each other. The Haihan side was afraid that the Portuguese would go back on their word and contact other Western countries to attack the Sanya area; while the Portuguese side was also afraid of the Haihan people.

If you don't keep your word, you might one day join forces with the Ming Dynasty or North Vietnam to completely drive the Portuguese out of the Far East waters. As a supplementary clause to this agreement, the two sides also reached an agreement in principle not to send armed ships to operate near each other's ports.

So as not to cause unnecessary tension.

As for the arms trade, which is regarded as a highlight by both sides, the details are much more complicated. A series of issues such as pricing power, delivery cycle, delivery location, payment method, etc. all need to be finalized one by one, and

During this process, in order to maximize their actual interests, both parties also experienced many quarrels at the negotiation table.

Although Tom Wang does not belong to the business department, under the influence of a group of shady veterans, he has learned some business negotiation skills. In addition, he already masters Portuguese and does not even need a translator.

There were not many obstacles in communicating with the Portuguese Council. Judging from the content of the final agreement, although Haihan was not able to take advantage of much due to the caution of his opponent, he basically did not suffer any loss.

Haihan only listed one condition for the Portuguese regarding the destination of the exported weapons, that is, they cannot sell the guns and bullets made by Haihan to the Ming Dynasty. Yes, that’s right, the Executive Committee does not intend to trade arms in the Far East.

No matter how many agents are found in the world, especially the Ming Dynasty, a market with huge consumption potential, it cannot tolerate the intervention of Western countries. As for the weapons they bought, whether they were transported back to their colonies as a means of defense, or whether they were shipped as lucrative commodities.

When they return to Europe for sale, that is their freedom, and the executive committee will not send anyone to interfere - at most it will only provide some reference opinions.

Of course, during this process, Wang Tom also did not forget the instructions of Tao Donglai and others. He made some magic tricks in front of the Portuguese Council and made some predictions about the recent results of the European battlefield - of course these

The predictions were compiled by relevant departments based on relevant historical data and asked to be memorized in advance. The purpose was actually to convince the Portuguese that the path Haihan guided them was the most correct one.

Although Wang Tom knew the historical information compiled by the staff department by heart and was very expressive, because the Portuguese merchant ships traveling between the Indian Peninsula and Macau took several months or even half a year to go back and forth, some of the information he disclosed about

The "secret" of the European war situation will have to wait until the next time a ship comes from the Indian Peninsula to be verified.

On this issue, Enrique helped Tom Wang a lot. He used what he saw and heard in the Sanya area as a reference and tried his best to convince the council to believe some of the situations that Tom Wang said would happen. For example, Wang

Tom accurately said that three years ago, the Protestant King Christian IV of Denmark, with the support of Britain, France and the Netherlands, launched an attack on the Holy Roman Empire and occupied northern Germany and western Bohemia.

This is true news that has been verified. Tom Wang also revealed that in April this year, the Holy Roman Empire launched a counterattack and defeated the British commander Mansfield in Saxony. The general who made the meritorious service was the Bohemian nobleman Hua Hua hired by the emperor.

Lenstein - This news has not yet reached the Far East from the European battlefield, and the Council does not quite believe this unfounded prediction.

The victory or defeat on the European battlefield has no direct relationship with the Haihan people tens of thousands of miles away, but Wang Tom reminded the Portuguese not to miss a good time to do business, because based on the inference of Haihan's exclusive technology,

It becomes clear who will have the upper hand on the European battlefield in the coming years.

For the Haihan people, it doesn't matter if these countries are stupid, but for the Portuguese, the victory or defeat will directly affect their ever-increasing plan to restore the country. You must know that Spain is one of the two parties, the Habsburg dynasty.

The main force, at least in the whole European process, can be regarded as a powerful actor with many roles. If there is a way to take advantage of the war situation and consume the Spanish army and national power, these Portuguese people will definitely spare no effort to do it.

So in the end, the Portuguese Council chose to listen to Wang Tom’s advice with some doubts, and followed his instructions to first target Denmark for sales of weapons. In the original history, Denmark submitted a request to the Holy Roman Empire in May 1629.

The empire proposed peace, signed the "Lübeck Treaty", and promised not to interfere in German affairs. This contract also marked the end of the second phase of the 30-year European War. In this phase, the Holy Roman Empire should be considered the winner, because

His power has extended from the heart of Europe to the Baltic Sea in the north through war.

At this stage when the Danes are beginning to be unable to withstand the offensive, if Haihan's powerful weapons are sold to them, I believe it will help them fight the Spanish for a longer time - the more Spanish people die, the more likely it is for the Portuguese who are eager to restore their country.

The better the news is.

As for where the future war situation will go, Wang Tom did not disclose any further. He would not tell the Portuguese that the good days of the Habsburg Alliance would only last two or three years. With the Swedish king in 1630

Gustavus II announced the dispatch of troops, and a new round of war would begin again. During this five-year period, the intensity of the war would only be worse than the previous wars.

Although they did not completely believe Wang Tom's lies, the Portuguese Council decided to purchase a batch of weapons produced by Haihan for research purposes to see if the Haihan people had any secrets in their manufacturing technology that could be imitated.

, and secondly, you can also transport this batch of weapons to Europe and earn economic benefits.

As for whether to secretly sell these goods to the South Vietnamese court, the council did not dare to go into this muddy water. South Vietnam's economy is now on the verge of collapse, and there is no cash in the treasury. Even if they want to buy it, they are unable to do so.

They can get credit, and the council will never take any military risks for a regime with such a poor economic situation. Wang Tom has already stated his position in front of them that within one or two years at the latest, the Nguyen regime in South Vietnam will be overthrown.

. With such clear words, the Portuguese, who had just reached a cooperation agreement, would naturally not be able to interfere in the internal affairs of Annan. Otherwise, they would really offend the Haihan people, and I am afraid that more than one South Vietnam would be unlucky by then.

Of course, this agreement is only passed by the Portuguese Council in Macau and cannot be fully effective. It must be reported to Goa on the west coast of India, and then the news will be sent back to the country through a long sea route. However, in this long period

Before the waiting period, the Portuguese Council of Macau can fully represent the Kingdom of Portugal and implement this agreement first.

On October 2, 1628, Enrique boarded the "Lightning" sailing ship driven by Wang Tom himself and arrived at the Port of Victory from Macau again. The mood when entering the port this time was undoubtedly the most relaxed among his three visits here.

, there are no longer specific tasks assigned to him, and there is no need to report everything to Macau. At least for a period of time in the future, Enrique will live a very relaxed and comfortable life in Port Victory.

Almost at the same time as Enrique visited Port Victory for the third time, a fleet sailed out from the adjacent Sanya Port. After leaving the port, this fleet turned to the west and moved along the coastline. This fleet

The team traveled on the sea for a whole day and arrived at their destination, the Yinggehai area in the southwest corner of Qiongzhou Island, just as it was getting dark.

Regarding the situation here, the relevant departments have sent ships to survey eight times if not ten times. They have a very clear understanding of the geographical environment here. The fleet sailed along the narrow channel with a width of less than fifty meters and entered the inland saltwater lake.

Middle - Most of the water in this saltwater lake comes from the inflow of seawater. Coupled with the surrounding flat terrain, it is simply a perfect place to build a salt farm.

But there is a reason why no one has developed this place since Yacheng opened as a port for hundreds of years. It is a vast area with sparsely populated areas, and the soil is highly alkaline. It is basically impossible to grow food, and there are no nearby forests that can provide timber for building houses.

, if we want to develop this place, it will be a thankless task for the people of Ming Dynasty who need to be self-sufficient in everything and lack detailed social division of labor.

The only people in the surrounding areas with rich immigration experience and practical capabilities are the Haihan family. Although the natural conditions in Yinggehai are relatively harsh, Haihan has not carried out large-scale immigration relocations once or twice.

He has very rich experience in handling this kind of affairs. After the fleet docked, the workers filed off the ship. They needed to build temporary shelters on the shore that could accommodate hundreds of people overnight before the sun completely set.

Most of the first batch of immigrants sent to Daqian Station in the Yinggehai area are engaged in construction-related industries. They will not become residents here. The main task they shoulder is to build temporary residences and various supporting facilities in the local area.

living facilities.

Due to the characteristics of the local saline-alkali land that has been soaked by seawater all year round, the water quality here is somewhat bitter, similar to the taste of seawater. In order to allow the people and animals who settle here to drink healthy water, the Ministry of Construction also specially moved two derricks here, hoping to

Several artesian wells were dug here. Considering that fresh water is a scarce resource here, several large freshwater reservoirs were specially designed to store special items that cannot live without water.

This group of people has ten days to build the camp, and after ten days, the first batch of immigrants transported from Sanya New Port will arrive here. No matter where these immigrants came from before or what occupation they were engaged in, they will spend the next few years

I'm afraid I have to deal with salt water here.

Everyone in the salt company also attached great importance to this matter. On the third day after the advance team arrived here, Anxi, the head of the salt company, also personally visited the site and decided to stay here for several days and wait for him.

I saw with my own eyes that the first batch of immigrants settled down and started working according to the standard salt field excavation method before leaving.

In mid-October, the group of immigrants who crossed the ocean and arrived at Victory Port last month received a transfer order from the Executive Committee. They set off again from the temporary residence of the immigrants and took a boat to their real destination.

Gehai Saltworks. Although being a saltworker is not a pleasant thing, the immigrants still chose to believe the propaganda of the cadres and experience for themselves what kind of environment the saltworks under the rule of the Haihan people was like.
Chapter completed!