Dominate the Country

The local salt merchants who gathered in Yangzhou City were arranged to live in several specially cleaned houses.

He Zongxiang and He Jizhong were also the top figures in Jingzhou. They had hired famous craftsmen to clean up their houses and other courtyards. But when they arrived in Yangzhou, they looked at the courtyards they lived in. He Zongxiang and his son, who had never suffered hardship since birth, were dazzled and couldn't control themselves.

He Zongxiang immediately asked someone about the owner of this house, and then sighed: "Jiang Guangda, it turned out to be Jiang Guangda!" This is the house of the general merchant of the Lianghuai Salt Industry in the Qing Dynasty. It is no wonder that the house of Jiang Chun and Jiang Guangda, who "piled up salt to build a white tower overnight and served Hui cuisine to welcome Emperor Qianlong", is so rich and exquisite. He is the most powerful Huizhou merchant + salt merchant in the world who made friends with the emperor in plain clothes.

He Zongxiang never paid attention to the Yangzhou salt merchants. The distance is too far and the gap is too far. He raised his eyes and paid attention to the overall situation of Han and Qing.

"Jiang Chun? He ran away a long time ago." The attendants in the courtyard spoke of Jiang Chun without a trace of respect. When the Fu Han Army first entered Jiangnan, the Yangzhou salt merchants fled one after another. Jiang Chun first ran to Huai'an, and then all the way to Beijing.

There are now countless rich and magnificent mansions in Yangzhou City. Some of the villas outside the city were destroyed by war and looted, but the ones in the city are well preserved. They are all registered and maintained by the Fu Han Army. Chen Ming chose a few to keep as spares, and the others are ready to be sold for silver.

This salt merchant conference is also the first appearance of the Salt Industry General Company, which has been established. Of course, the drama must be performed well.

The Salt Industry General Company was proposed by Chen Ming. The salt industry in the Qing Dynasty at this time was too bad. Before the Chen family started the war, the price of a pound of salt was generally close to or more than 20 coins. After the war, the price of salt soared. Some places in Henan and Shaanxi had to wait and see, and how much did it cost? After the Fu Han army captured the area along the Yangtze River in northern Jiangsu again, they recruited cooks to dry and boil salt. The production cost of each kilogram of salt - firewood plus iron pot loss, is only one penny.

The Chen family has been selling private salt for many years, and everyone knows the evils of the salt permit law. From the late Kangxi period to the middle of the Qianlong period, the price of official salt has been rising. The reason is not that the salt produced by the cooks is not enough to eat, nor is it that the output of salt itself is insufficient, but that under the salt monopoly system, the price of salt is affected by the complicated transportation and sales process, and the strong autonomy of salt merchants, which raises the market price of official salt. Therefore, during the Qianlong period, the Qing court repeatedly raised the weight of each salt, but the effect was not obvious. Now that the Chen family is in charge, of course they will no longer use the salt permit law that they have hated for many years.

Chen Ming proposed that the government supervise the sales of salt, combine the power of production, transportation, sales, taxation, and seizure of salt, simplify the transportation process and channels of private salt, and establish a general salt company to unify salt affairs. The so-called "sale" is the right to sell salt to the people at the first line. "Sale" means selling to salt merchants. The boundaries of their salt trading are abolished, and they can "compete across boundaries". As long as they have the ability!

The Salt Industry Corporation set up branches in various provinces and built salt warehouses in various prefectures. Local salt merchants bought tickets with money from provincial branches, paid taxes with the tickets, and showed the tickets at the salt warehouse to receive salt. Regardless of the amount of capital, they can operate according to their ability and go as they please.

Some regulations were made to strictly control the behavior of salt warehouse officials. Salt must be seen within three days after the salt ticket is shown. If anyone dares to delay and shirk the salt warehouse's lack of salt to ask for bribes, the salt merchant can report it directly.

Chen Hui felt that if the salt was well done, it would greatly win people's hearts. He asked for a guaranteed salt price, limited to 10 wen per catty, and it was not allowed to exceed it. In the coming years, it will be gradually reduced, because if the salt fields for drying salt are replaced with cement ground, it will be much better than the current mudflats, the cost will be cheaper, and the quality of salt will be more guaranteed.

The official salt stipulated by Chen Han must not be yellow in color like the official salt in the past, and there will be sand, soil and stones in it.

If found, once verified, both the upper and lower levels will be severely punished.

This reform certainly cut a lot of meat from the salt merchants. There was no such thing as a maximum price limit in the past Qing Dynasty.

Now the cost price of the private salt smuggled from Sichuan by the Fu Han Army is more than 20 coins per catty.

If such a rule is implemented without a warning, it will definitely cause chaos.

The He family father and son have arrived in Yangzhou for five days. They also visited Dahong Garden [Slender West Lake] for a tour. This was the 30th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign. Emperor Qianlong went on a southern tour to Yangzhou. Yangzhou salt merchants spent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to build a palace for him and renovate Dahong Garden for him to enjoy.

In a few days, He Zongxiang met with many "old friends". The government also organized two dinners. It was a good time for a big gathering, and he also got some information.

Chen Han's method directly took away too much of the salt merchants' profits, but..., the He family was able to enter this conference because of the "old friendship" with the He family. Being able to participate in it itself gave the He family a golden layer, so they didn't dare to think too much.

"What time is it now? It's a blessing to be safe and sound. My son doesn't dare to dream of Jiang Guangda's wealth." He Jizhong said.

This wealth and honor made Jiang Guangda have no chance to jump off the ship. He was tied to the broken ship of the Qing Dynasty. Whenever He Jizhong thought about it, he could not help but sigh three times. Jiang Chun was so glorious and wealthy back then. He wondered what kind of life he was living in Beijing now.

"Yes. Those who are content are always happy. Our family is not limited to this business." The roots of the He family are still in food. He Zongxiang now feels that he and others were arranged to live in the Yangzhou salt merchant's house because they all have special reasons. Meaningful.

So, just let it go. The news of the opening of ports in Shanghai and Ningbo has spread all over the world. If the He family can get a share of this, they will truly be rich and powerful.

He Zongxiang thought this way, among the salt merchants who came here, how many of them had the same idea as him?

…

In Shanghai at night, there is a small courtyard that is not very big. It looks ordinary on the outside, but inside it is beautifully decorated and decorated, and the scenery changes with each step, making it unique.

All the singers and dancers who played and sang withdrew, and all the beauties who had been waiting at the wine table disappeared. Zheng Wenjun and Han Teng sat across from each other, with the windows open, and a trace of night breeze finally brought some coolness.

The two have been friends for a long time, and they finally got down to talk.

"Brother Wenjun, if you really want to settle down in Shanghai, I would like to advise you. Now, don't go to Wusongkou, and don't go to Shanghai County. The head there has been watched for a long time, and there are only a few points. You can't get into the background. "Why did Zheng Wenjun invite Han Teng? It is because he is not living a satisfactory life in Shanghai, and the land he has been promising has been snatched away several times. Zheng's brand is really hard to use in Shanghai.

Han Teng would not support Zheng Laosan, so he made it clear to Zheng Wenjun that Wusongkou and Shanghai County were good places, and no one outside would dare to open their mouths without first keeping an eye on those giants to get their fill.

"I just want Brother Han to give me some advice, give me some advice." Zheng Wenjun hit the wall again and again. Zheng Wenjun was not a fool. Of course he knew why. The big players have just entered the market. Small players like you should wait behind.

"Buy land. There is a lot of land in Sichuan and Shaanxi. Before the land price rises, hurry up and stock up on some land. The closer to the Huangpu River, the better." Han Teng is now doing more and more interesting things, the Industrial and Commercial Department His power is astonishing, because Chen Han attaches great importance to commerce and industry. The latter is a very new vocabulary, but Han Teng can understand it very well. When his family was prosperous, his father told him clearly that the Han family's wealth was not gold and silver, but salt wells and cooking pots.

This is just like the fields that landlords and squires often talk about. Gold, silver, grain, clothes, and other things are all superficial wealth. Fields are the true roots of a squire.

The Han family’s salt wells and cooking pots, and the land owned by the landlords and gentry are the real wealth. Because they can continuously produce salt, grain, and cotton, and they can continuously produce wealth. Han Tengruo realized something.

King Lu Gong of the Han Dynasty paid more and more attention to commerce and industry, and the prospects of the Industrial and Commercial Administration became brighter and broader.

The more he got to know him, the more he felt that the King of Han had given him an excellent opportunity. First it was the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, and then it was the Industrial and Commercial Administration. He was only the deputy director of the General Affairs Department. If he could become the director and then the deputy director... that would be a great prospect. "Shanghai's prospects are much greater than you think."

If there is more, Han Teng will not be able to fall out. His Highness Lu Gong is extremely optimistic about Shanghai and has said privately that it will be the largest port in China. Since Lu Gong believes so, Shanghai in the future must be a gold and silver nest flowing with endless wealth. If you hoard land now and buy it at a low price, you will earn several times or even ten times the profit in the future.

As for the land in Wusongkou, as well as the land inside and outside the city of Shanghai County, Han Teng knew the price very well. Compared with the current price before the news of Shanghai's opening of the port came out, wouldn't it be a sudden increase of ten times or dozens of times? ?

His Royal Highness the King of Han in Henan has personally inquired about the income from land in Shanghai. Han Teng also knows that in addition to repairing Shanghai and Wusongkou, most of the money from land sales in Shanghai will be used to establish a commercial bank, whose main targets are foreign trade loans and Storage, and currency exchange.

Chen Han's new regulations stipulate that silver, gold and foreign currencies are not allowed to circulate in the domestic market, and there is a 2% exchange fee. This is a bare-bones robbery policy. Those foreigners used to be able to trade silver ingots and eagle oceans with boatloads of silver ingots, but now they have to exchange them for silver dollars. Otherwise, the Chinese businessmen who have traded with them will have to go to the bank to deal with the outside world, and they themselves will lose money.

Although the exchange fee seems to be very low, only 2%. It was much lower than the 'submission' collected by the Manchu and Qing government more than ten years ago, which could reach as high as 10% at that time.

China has always been in a leading position in foreign trade. Foreign trading ships often carry large amounts of cash in preparation for purchasing goods. Payment - This additional item comes from the tax on imported cash. However, the "handling fee" has not been collected for more than ten years. Isn't this "handling fee" of Fuhan Army just "paying money"?

Old wine in new bottles?

This morning, Han Teng, as the Chinese representative, held a meeting with Robert and Perrier in advance. First, they determined the exact decision to open ports in Shanghai, Ningbo, and in the future, Fuzhou, Xiamen, etc., and the other was some mutual trade rules. and some restrictions on personnel behavior. Western countries, led by Britain and France, did not ask for trouble by proposing "consular jurisdiction" or anything like that. If foreigners committed crimes on Chinese territory, they would definitely be punished in accordance with Chinese laws. However, China will also invite personnel from the countries involved to attend and observe. In the eyes of Robert, Perrier and others, this was much more enlightened than the Manchu system. Even the state personnel involved in the incident have no rights at all.

Even Ribeiro was delighted by the many conditions listed by Chen Han. If there were no troubles with the Macau issue, what a wonderful 'trip' it would be. Compared with the current situation, Blanco and others are just extras.

When European merchants and sailors arrived at the Chinese port, they had to stay in the port area for the first half month to prevent the spread of diseases. The sanitary conditions on the sea were poor, and diseases were inevitable. This was to prevent them from happening. They could move freely in the port city after half a month. But they could not leave the port city. Chen Han promised that when the time was right, they would completely open up inland business, tourism, etc. to them.

Europeans could set up offices and trading houses in the port. When the time was right, Chen Han would sincerely reach diplomatic exchanges with Western countries at the national level. For this reason, Chen Han planned to set up a special college of interpretation and warmly welcome scholars from various countries who were proficient in Chinese to come and serve as teachers.

In terms of accommodation, every European must apply for a temporary residence permit at the customs office of the port on the first day of arrival, which indicates the start time and end date. Before the end of the time, Europeans must either return to their own country or return to the customs to apply for a new temporary residence permit. If you want to live in the port city for a long time, you must apply for a residence permit. Every foreigner who arrives in China must apply for an identity certificate at the customs, which will list every criminal record of theirs. If there are too many, or if the crime is serious, Chen Han has the right to expel or refuse entry to this person...

The series of regulations are very common and normal regulations in the 21st century. Chen Ming can only remember a few, but such a regulation document is an extraordinary surprise in the eyes of Robert, Perrier and others!

——"Entry and Exit Management Regulations"!

The implementation of this regulation can well manage foreigners on the country's territory, and to a certain extent, it can also understand their whereabouts and even prevent spies to a limited extent. [There are no cameras in this era]

But this is only limited to exchanges between the East and the West. If they are Koreans or Japanese, as long as they wear Hanfu and speak Chinese without rolling their tongues, how many people can recognize that they are not Chinese?

The same principle applies to Europe, who can recognize who?

The management regulations are really good and have certain value, but they cannot be accepted in their entirety.

"And the Chinese are developing an ID card system."

It cannot be said that the ID card system is bad, but in this era, it cannot be scanned, cannot be connected to the Internet, and even verification is difficult. The ID card seems to be considered more from the perspective of national security and restrictions. Chen Ming did propose it to Chen Hui from the perspective of national security. Besides, this thing is not the first time in China.

The ID card is combined with a detailed resident registration, and this is all that can be done in the current era.

Robert returned to his residence, and not long after, one of his followers knocked on the door and walked in.

"David, have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, I have. The candied potatoes tasted great."

"Haha, there are so many dishes, did you only eat the candied potatoes?"

"The dishes are rich, but the taste is weird." David shrugged, and then quickly changed the topic. "Robert, I have been paying attention to those soldiers all day."

"Their muskets seem to be no worse than ours, and all the bayonets are slot-type. Although they are all wearing ridiculous armor, these soldiers are well trained. In today's weather, the guards outside the hall stood outside, the sun shining on them, for two hours without moving."

"When changing shifts, they each The amplitude of each step is exactly the same, as if measured with a ruler, and all the movements are neat and powerful. "

"This army is not specially selected to deal with us. Their movements are exactly the same. If they were selected in a hurry, the Chinese would be too terrible."

"I don't know if the rebel soldiers are all so well-trained. But just looking at the guards in front of me, this rebel army is completely different from the Tatar army in Guangzhou."

"Once this army arrives outside Guangzhou, I personally think that the Tatar army in Guangzhou will have no chance of winning."

"South China will really be theirs."

David Osman, a senior staff member of the British East India Company-Lieutenant Colonel!