Chapter 2100

But at that time, the Yangzhou salt merchants did not have a deep understanding of the scale of the salt industry operated by Haihan, and they lacked enough respect for the fierce competitors. Therefore, they did not give a positive response to Haihan's willingness to cooperate at that time.

In response, he believed that he had the ability to control the existing salt market. But who could have expected that his indifference at the time would turn into the unattainable thing he is today?

Today, the production capacity of the Xiangshan Salt Field alone is equivalent to the sum of all the salt fields in Jiangsu. However, the number of labor forces engaged in salt production in the two places is more than ten times different. The cost gap caused by the difference in production efficiency has caused Yangzhou salt merchants to

The supply of goods seems to be uncompetitive, and they can only rely on force to bully the market to prevent Southern Sea Salt from entering their traditional market.

However, when the Yangzhou salt merchants discovered that the force they relied on was actually just a show of force in front of Haihan, they had to find other ways to resolve the existing conflicts of interest. The experiences of the Shanshan and Shaanxi salt merchants have shown that this is a tough road.

There is no way, so the only option left for Huizhou salt merchants is to take the initiative to negotiate peace with Haihan, and it must be done quickly. If it drags on for another year and a half, even if Haihan does not take action, Shanshan and Shaanxi will

The salt merchants will definitely liquidate them first to consolidate the resources of the Huaiyang salt merchants.

Ma Zhengping came to Zhoushan this time, and of course he was mentally prepared to run into trouble. Therefore, although Yang Yun's teasing was meant to ridicule, he was not angry at all. He said with a smile: "Mr. Yang is joking, I'll wait."

How dare you underestimate your country? It was because the battle with the Shanxi salt merchants was in full swing at that time and we had no time to look around, so we let this matter remain on hold. But in the final analysis, it is really because we are short-sighted and fail to distinguish priorities. I hope Mr. Yang will not

Strange. The grassroots came to Zhoushan to see you this time to apologize to your country on behalf of the Anhui salt merchants."

Ma Zhengping's attitude was very humble, which made Yang Yun unable to use the topic anymore. He could only smile and said: "If Huizhou salt merchants all had the same thoughts and attitudes as Boss Ma, many unnecessary misunderstandings could have been avoided.

.”

"At this time, it's not too late to have the courage to come to Zhoushan and tell the adults face to face." Ma Zhengping responded quickly when he saw that the other party's tone had softened.

Yang Yun is not a monolith. Leaving aside the generous gift list presented by Ma Zhengping, Haihan's attitude towards the Yangzhou salt merchants is not to kill them all, but to try to win over one faction and take advantage of the conflicts between the local salt merchant camps.

The purpose of integrating salt trade.

The distribution channels and upper-level connections that Yangzhou salt merchants have in the area north of the Yangtze River are exactly the resources that Haihan lacks. If some of these resources can be integrated into Haihan's economic system through salt trade, their value will be considerable.

Huge. Of course, the premise is that Yangzhou salt merchants are willing to establish economic and trade cooperation relations with Haihan.

Two years ago, the Yangzhou salt merchants believed that they had the capital to reject Haihan, but now the situation has changed. The positions of the two parties have been reversed, and the initiative has fallen to Haihan. In order to survive, the Huizhou salt merchants in Yangzhou have

He had to lower his attitude and seek cooperation from Haihan, which was exactly what Haihan wanted to achieve.

Yang Yundao: "Boss Ma makes sense. Only by being open and honest can we solve the problem. It's time to talk about cooperation."

However, it was almost dinner time at this time, and Yang Yun was already hungry, so he simply invited Ma Zhengping to find a place to have dinner with him. Ma Zhengping was eager to have a good relationship with Yang Yun, so he agreed immediately, already thinking in his mind

Okay, I'll have to rush to pay later.

But the place arranged by Yang Yun was not an outside restaurant, but a public canteen exclusively for officials on the island. Of course, due to the special status of the service recipients, the quality of the food provided in this canteen was no worse than that of outside restaurants.

, even the quality of ingredients is even better.

However, Yang Jun actually had other considerations for this arrangement. If he ate in private during his first meeting with the salt merchant from Yangzhou, he might make others gossip behind his back. Instead, he took the initiative to show up in the public cafeteria, firstly to show that he was acting above board.

, to get rid of any bad rumors that may arise in advance, and secondly, to let Ma Zhengping understand that the relationship between the two parties has not yet reached a level where private talks can be arranged.

No one paid attention to what the two talked about during the meal. After all, there are too many people coming in and out of the cafeteria every day. The number of businessmen from various countries who followed Yang Yun these days is at least double digits, including some locals from Zhejiang.

A respectable big shot. A stranger like Ma Zhengping will not immediately attract the attention of others.

However, after the meal, Ma Zhengping left with a face of joy. Although the two parties failed to reach any agreement during such a short communication time, Yang Yun had made it clear to him that Haihan had no intention of entering into an alliance with the Huizhou salt merchants.

Enemy, as for cooperation in salt industry operations, we still need to ask our superiors for specific measures, so we cannot start negotiations with Ma Zhengping on specific cooperation terms yet.

But this attitude has made Ma Zhengping feel that there is room for maneuver in this matter, which means that the Huizhou salt merchants have the opportunity to embrace Shanghai Han, and he can also have a reasonable excuse to stay on the island and continue

Waiting for the news.

After Ma Zhengping landed on the island, he learned that there were festivals and trade fairs to be held on the island recently. The accommodation had been booked long ago, but he had already asked his men to spend five times the price and sublet two rooms from others.

He bought a house and renewed it for one month. But this was just a trivial matter to him. After talking with Yang Yun, he was already considering sending someone around the island tomorrow to find out if there was any house for sale, or simply renting a house.

Just spend money to build your own house on a piece of land on the island.

This is not because Ma Zhengping is rich and reckless. His idea is that if the cooperation negotiations with Haihan can proceed, then a permanent office will be set up on Zhoushan Island in the future. Instead of renting an inn or B&B for a long time, it is better to build one by himself.

Staying at a store can actually save you a lot of money in the long run.

The most important thing is that after arriving in Zhoushan, Ma Zhengping carefully observed the natural conditions, port facilities and operating conditions of Dinghai Port, and confirmed that this was definitely the highest-level trading port he had ever seen in his life. He invested in building a business store here.

, the convenience and benefits that can be enjoyed in the future should go far beyond the salt industry.

Of course, whether you want to build this store and whether it can be built are two different things. Dinghaiport is not only a trading port, but also a military port where Haihan stationed its armed fleet, so there will be certain restrictions on outsiders purchasing properties on the island. Ma Zhengping also

He didn't have time to inquire about the specific regulations, but in his opinion, the procedures for this matter would probably be more troublesome, and even if he was willing to spend money, it might not be possible. And if he could negotiate a cooperation with Haihan, then this matter would probably be done.

Much easier to handle.

Yang Yun did not rest after finishing the meal. He rushed to Shi Diwen's official residence without stopping to report the news that Yangzhou salt merchants had come to Zhoushan. Of course, the main purpose was to ask Shi Diwen for instructions.

Give clear instructions on whether to cooperate with them.

"I'm finally anxious!" Shi Diwen could roughly judge why the Huizhou salt merchants took the initiative to come to Zhoushan to ask for a meeting. He was still happy to see the outcome of the matter: "If the other party can show enough sincerity, then we can talk to them

Let’s talk about the specific conditions of cooperation. But one thing must be clear. If they want to cooperate with us, they have to purchase from our salt farm, and the proportion must account for more than 70% of the salt they handle.”

It is one of the long-term goals of Haihan Salt Industry to let the sea salt produced by Haihan enter the Ming Dynasty market and squeeze out the share of official salt in the Ming Dynasty. The salt business operated by Haihan in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is completely open, and there is no need to avoid taboos.

The meaning of Ming Dynasty. But when the salt merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang gradually shift their purchasing channels from official salt farms to the supply sources provided by Haihan, the income of salt classes in these areas will undoubtedly drop rapidly, and the impact on the treasury income of Ming Dynasty is almost certain.

However, this business method has direct benefits for the salt merchants in Daming. As long as they spend money to buy salt from the salt class, they can turn the refined salt produced in Haihan into something that can be sold legally in Daming.

Official salt. Salt merchants can effectively reduce purchase costs, and at the same time, they can escape most of the salt taxes without leaving a trace. In the end, the profits they get will be much more than before. This is why salt merchants in Ningbo and other places decisively give up their original plans.

The main reason why some purchasing channels turn to Haihan.

Interest groups like Yangzhou salt merchants have many means to influence the output of salt farms and market price trends. Shi Diwen hopes to force the salt merchants to purchase more salt produced in Haihan through cooperation conditions, thereby increasing the demand for salt.

The degree of dependence of merchants on Haihan, the main source of goods. As for those official salt farms with high production costs and relatively low efficiency, their income will drop sharply until they cannot make ends meet and go bankrupt. By then, salt merchants will continue to rely on Haihan

If it increases, it will be much easier for Haihan to influence and control the salt merchants and even the Daming salt market than it is now.

Yang Yun understood Shi Diwen's request, and after he agreed, he asked for instructions: "Yangzhou salt merchants also want to apply for a piece of land on the island to build a business warehouse..."

"We'll wait until the East China Sea Fleet completes its mission." Shi Diwen paused and confirmed, "Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand!" Yang Yun responded quickly: "The East China Sea Fleet is about to set off, and the island's defense force will be weaker during this period, so we need to minimize security risks!"

Shi Diwen nodded with satisfaction and said: "Yes, it's good if you can understand the stakes. If the Yangzhou salt merchants don't have the patience, or have other plans, they can just take this opportunity to observe. They are here

If you behave dishonestly during this period, then decisively terminate cooperation to avoid losses."

Haihan's military operation to attack Hirado required dispatching the main force of the East China Sea Fleet. As the local leader, Shi Diwen had to consider the local defense deployment after the troops went out. It was a trivial matter for Yangzhou salt merchants to build a trading post on the island, but in the end

It is best to avoid this sensitive period and make other arrangements.

Shi Diwen thought for a while and then added: "If your negotiation with the other party goes smoothly, you can also promise them the land first, but the start of construction will be postponed later."

"I understand." The instructions Yang Yun received were very clear, and he no longer needed to figure out how to respond to Ma Zhengping's request.

The next day was Haihan National Day. Ma Zhengping knew that there would be a Haihan Army military parade that morning, so he got up early and followed the innkeeper's instructions to the viewing area in the middle of Dinghai Port.

As Zhoushan's annual National Day celebration, the military parade, an activity that shows off force, is naturally open to all the public on the island. This is also the time when there are the largest number of outsiders, so the publicity effect is far better than usual. Xiaozhu Mountain is dedicated to

A grand stand was set up for VIPs to enjoy the military parade. Ma Zhengping had already received a VIP invitation letter from Yang Yun yesterday, so he was also qualified to enter the area with the best view.

Although it was just a temporary stand built with wooden scaffolding, and the people sitting on it were just ordinary rattan chairs, Ma Zhengping soon discovered that the people around him were either rich or noble, and they all seemed to be respectable people, which made him feel

The heavy gift he gave yesterday was worth it. Otherwise, his current treatment would not be to sit in the stands, but to be crowded with the sailors and porters in the public viewing area across the road.

Not long after, a black box carriage with four horses, surrounded by a group of armed cavalry, came to a stop in front of the stands. Everyone stood up to show respect. Ma Zhengping asked curiously, and someone next to him told him that this was

The chariot of Zhoushan garrison general Shi Diwen was a big man who made the entire Hangzhou Bay tremble when he stomped his feet.

Of course Ma Zhengping knew who Shi Diwen was, and he quickly stood up. It was not that he was in awe of Shi Diwen, but because everyone around him was standing, he would not be able to see this person if he continued to sit.

He looks like a big shot.

Immediately he saw a dark-skinned, strong middle-aged man getting out of the carriage, wearing a gray coat and a strange hat on his head. After this man got out of the carriage, the people across the street took the lead in applauding

, someone shouted slogans such as "General Shi is mighty" in the crowd, and then the people around Ma Zhengping also clapped. When he saw this, he also clapped his hands a few times to show his welcome.

Shi Diwen raised his hands to everyone, then stepped onto the stand and sat in his exclusive seat. When Ma Zhengping saw Yang Yun, he sat not far from Shi Diwen, knowing that everyone sitting next to him should be

They are local officials, big and small. However, there are still many guards guarding the perimeter, so no one else can get through.

Ma Zhengping thought that he would have the opportunity to deal with Shi Diwen face to face in the future, so he was not in a hurry now. He had heard a lot of stories about Haihan Jian's ships and cannons in the past, and there were indeed some

I am curious about what the Haihan Army, which is said to be invincible in the world, looks like, so I can take advantage of the opportunity of watching the military parade to see it with my own eyes.
Chapter completed!