Soon after returning from Huai'an to Suzhou, where the Jiedu envoy was located, Tan Zhen went to Songjiang again.

This year is the first time to transport rice by sea, and it is his suggestion that he needs to come forward to set sail this time to show his attention.

When they arrived in Songjiang, the fleet led by Chen Qinghai also arrived in Songjiang. After a show of force against the Western Merchant Hall, Chen Qinghai took Liu Yu's gift and went to visit Tan Zhen, the envoy of Jiangsu Jiedu.

Tan Zhen is from Xiangyang and Chen Qinghai is from Gyeonggi, but the two are still very close.

They are all from good families, it is nothing more than that Chen Qinghai was not admitted to Wude Palace, and Tan Zhen was admitted to Wude Palace.

There is always a layer of separation from people born in the formal imperial examination, and people with similar backgrounds are naturally close, which is also a feature of the Dashun officialdom system.

Chen Qinghai presented gifts from Liu Yu, all of which were some exquisite Western playthings, as well as some glass windows and glass screens and other local goods that were once expensive but are no longer new, and the most expensive was a French pocket watch with crystal lenses.

"My lord, I greet you on the orders of the eagle. In Xiachen Qinghai, the Eagle Sabo sent to escort the Caomi fleet. ”

Although both of them are from good families, after all, Chen Qinghai is following a "crooked and evil way", and his behavior and conversation are too far from those in the officialdom.

When he was studying on Liugong Island, he squatted on the island all day; It's easy to get on the boat, and I don't get off the ship a few times a year.

There is a very blunt temperament in officialdom when he speaks.

Fortunately, Tan Zhen has also dealt with people over there in Weihai in the past few years, and it is not surprising that people from Weihai are in this tone.

For the sake of Liu Yu's face, he asked Chen Qinghai to sit down and asked, "What else does Uncle Ying have to teach?" ”

"Back to my lord, Uncle Ying said that this time my lord doesn't have to worry in the slightest. The people of the grain transportation company prepared several percent more grain, and even if there was loss, not a grain of rice would be transported to Tianjin. ”

"Moreover, many people in Heishuiyang have walked countless times, and they have not mentioned selling beans to Liaodong over the years, but this time our navy has escorted the way, and all kinds of navigation equipment are readily available. In addition, lighthouses have also been built in places such as Liugong Island, and there is no problem. Adults can rest assured. ”

"Ying Suo Boyan, although they have not met, they can be regarded as divine friends. This time, taking the black water and ocean to transport rice into Beijing is not only an adult's business, but also his business. In any case, it has to be beautiful. ”

After repeating Liu Yu's instructions, Tan Zhen didn't quite understand how the newly established companies and insurance in Songjiang in the past two years worked, and he didn't bother to understand. Whether he can trust these things made by Liu Yu, or trust Liu Yu's ability to make something out of nothing, he doesn't care at all.

As long as the tax is paid on time and there is no trouble, why not? Besides, Songjiang is more complicated than Huai'an, and there is also a Western customs that belongs to the emperor's family, stamp duty silver, etc., Tan Zhen also knows the depth of this, and it is not like stretching too long a hand here.

As far as Liu Yu's relationship in the capital is concerned, if there are no noble shares in these new industries, I am afraid that it is impossible. It is difficult to say whether there is even an emperor's shares or not.

"Now that Uncle Ying is ready, then I can rest assured. After all, the sea is not better than the canal, and if you want to really scrap the sea and change it, it is not only fast, but also stable, and it is necessary to save money. To sum up, it is fast, stable and economical. If you can do these three things, you will be able to straighten your waist when you meet in the future. ”

Chen Qinghai and Liu Yu have been together for a long time, and they have almost no impression of the attitude of speaking in the officialdom, and when they heard the words, they couldn't help but laugh and said: "Those of us who have studied astronomy, geography, and mathematics alone have studied for five years. Not to mention going from Songjiang to Tianjin, our navy has already begun to explore the Americas and leave Sweden. If you go to Tianjin, you have to worry so much, and adults really don't have to. ”

"Ying Sabo often said that Westerners can run from the West to the South Seas and walk tens of thousands of miles by sea, if I have to be afraid to even go from Songjiang to Tianjin, then what can I talk about comparing myself to the Han and Tang Dynasties? What was the level of the Xiongnu and Turks in the Han and Tang dynasties? What kind of bullshit strength is the current Mongolia and the quasi-department? The stars are moving, and the sea is going out, so that you can compare yourself with the Han and Tang Dynasties. ”

The extreme confidence he spoke of stems not from anything else, but from the expertise he has learned over the years. Knowledge makes people confident and powerful.

In Chen Qinghai's view, many people in the court do not support shipping, worrying about this and worrying about that, but they just lack knowledge and don't understand anything.

is much more confident on weekdays, and speaking at this time inevitably makes Tan Zhen feel a little frivolous. Fortunately, Tan Zhen, a person from Weihai, has seen a few, most of them are this virtue, and they all want to put their eyes on the top of their heads, although he is a little unhappy in his heart, but he also looks at Liu Yu's face and doesn't say anything.

In his opinion, the DPRK and China were still so worried about the matter of going from Songjiang to Tianjin, and the envoys of Jiedu came in person and escorted the navy, so that they did not know that they thought that this was going to be a war against Japan.

He thought to himself, if the war against Japan was started, this would be the battle.

The things that can be walked when Mengyuan is almost 400 years apart, and it is really boring to get on a sedan chair like a big girl now.

After following Liu Yu for so long, the last time I felt that Liu Yu attached great importance to the voyage was when Michael led a merchant ship to Sweden; And again this time.

But the problem is that this is not a difficulty at all, I really don't understand what is there to worry about? Japan's trade has been running for so many years, is it worth being so cautious about this slippery sea route that was played 400 years ago?

Tan Zhen saw that Chen Qinghai still had that look above the top, and said with a smile: "Since you have confidence, I don't have to worry about this matter." There's one thing, you go back to the eagle. ”

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"Let's just say that this year's festival envoy will enter Beijing, and I will play the matter of abolishing the water and changing the sea. Don't mention it, lest it be as if we were in tandem with each other. I don't write a letter about this matter, but just pass it on orally, and say it openly. ”

Chen Qinghai didn't understand the Tao, but he still wrote it down.

"It just so happens that you come with me to the place where the rice is transported."

At this time, the rice has not been completely put away and delivered, but the company established for the transportation of rice has long been in place, abandoning the previous way of individual shipowners, but by the joint-stock system of the company with strong capital, but also reduce the intermediate links, but also easy to manage.

Most of the newly built yamen in Songjiang were near trading companies, and whether it was a tax-paying company, an exchange, or a rice carrier, they were all in one complex.

Chen Qinghai accompanied Tan Zhen there, and the people in the company didn't pay much attention to Caomi, but they were all busy sorting out the goods to be carried in the north this year.

The imperial court saved money, the merchants benefited, and these tax-free goods were extremely profitable.

Several company managers made decisions, and when they saw Tan Zhen, they hurriedly bowed down, and after kneeling, they were slapped again.

"We are all grateful to the merchants. If it weren't for the trial implementation of Songjiang and Suzhou Caomi by sea proposed by adults, where would we have the opportunity to do our best for the country? ”

These words are said beautifully, and Tan Zhen also understands in his heart that this is just a scene. Isn't it profitable to do your best for the country?

But it's really a win-win-win situation.

The imperial court saved a lot of money.

Songjiang and Suzhou, nearly one million stones of grain and rice, if you take the canal, you have to double the original loss, there are real sinking, there are fake sinking, there are deductions, there are accidents, there are people's consumption, these all need money.

The people also saved the hardship of transporting grain.

It is impossible for grain to go to the canal by itself, and it is impossible to walk from the canal to the capital. Although the imperial court theoretically continued and inherited a whip law and developed it, theoretically it was necessary to pay money for repairing river embankments and transporting grain, but the money given was really not enough. If it's three taels of silver a month, it will definitely be rushed, but ...... But if you don't have money, don't mention any benevolent government.

Merchants can also take advantage of this opportunity.

It is indeed a win-win situation, and if businessmen say that they "do their best for the country", it is not easy to say that it is wrong. If you win the satoko, you also want to save face.

A few of the stewards said, "My lord doesn't know anything. In the past, the goods transported to the capital took the canal, although the imperial court stipulated that there were only a few customs customs, but along the way to eat and take cards, we and other merchants were really a little unbearable. ”

"Nowadays, when transporting rice, you can carry one-tenth of the goods tax-free, which is a lot of money. When I came back, I happened to be able to transport soybeans from Liaodong, and I made a lot of profits and the shareholders were happy. ”

"My lord is here, and it's not like I'm talking nonsense. It's just that the rice in Songjiang and Suzhou is really not worth mentioning. If you want to ship all the rice, as long as you say it in advance, the people who have invested in it will be eager to buy it. ”

"The shipyard in Weihai is even more capable of building big ships. Even if you don't use the newly built ships in Weihai, there are many sand ship owners who bring their ships into the shares and can't ask for them. If the imperial court ships all the rice by sea in the future, the threshold of our company will be broken. ”

Seeing the excitement of such a participant, Tan Zhen also relaxed in his heart, and seemed to understand why Chen Qinghai was so frivolous before.

The merchant seeks profit, and if the ship sinks, the merchant will have a loss. Whether it will work or not, the businessman is the most aware in his heart.

If it is really as some court officials say, the risk is extremely high, how can these businessmen be so shrewd, how can they drill into this?

The attitude of the businessman is more reassuring to Tan Zhen than Chen Qinghai's self-confidence.

Chen Qinghai's confidence in this sea transportation may be attributed to the virtue of the Weihai navy; The same goes for businessmen, then there really is nothing to worry about.

There are various reasons for the self-confidence of businessmen.

In addition to the fact that there have long been shipowners who often go to Liaodong to sell soybeans, some shipowners from Guangdong and Fujian who have come to buy shares also often go to Nanyang, and they have also been to Luzon, Batavia and other places.

Of course, there is also the risk sharing of the joint-stock system and the establishment of insurance companies. Pay a certain amount of insurance premium, if something really happens, the marine insurance company in the new city will pay for it.

If it was in the past, it would have taken a long time for this novelty to be accepted.

But this newly established marine insurance company, with Liu Yu's platform, with this reputation and its reputation in the business circle over the years, is naturally credible enough.

The trading company next door also had a business of selling rice from Nanyang, and if something really happened, Cao Rice could be replenished at any time, so there was no need to worry about it.

One person may not be able to bear the risk. In this form, the risk is shared equally, which is much easier to accept.

The court is also relieved that this group of people is worthy, and this group of people is also sure that there is no profit at all...... Someone has long calculated that the canal's tariffs and eating cards are too much, and this batch of sea freight used to have one-tenth of the capacity of duty-free goods, as long as it takes a year or two, it can make those who bring goods along the canal, and the mother who loses it will not be recognized.

At that time, it will be the time for the shipping and river transportation groups to face each other.

It's a pity that the businessmen of Dashun are not fighting for capital, technology, or cost, but to see who has a deep relationship in the officialdom, who has a loud voice in the court, and whose backstage kneels diligently in front of the emperor. There is nothing to do, but nothing can be changed.