But there is one thing that makes a maritime merchant like the Xia family very troubled, Japanese goods are not needed by the Ming Dynasty at all. There are only a few of them, such as fans, lacquerware, Japanese swords, etc. And it doesn't sell well at all, at most I want to buy a few pieces freshly. And they can't be sold at a high price, and those barbarian broken things don't conform to the aesthetic sense of the Celestial Empire at all.

That's why the Xia family wants the port of Shandong so much, if they can load the northern goods in Shandong on the return trip, they can make a lot of money. Relatively speaking, sending a few ships is nothing at all. In those days, there was no competition on the sea, and as long as you went to Japan, you didn't have to worry about selling your goods. On the contrary, each family is looking forward to more people partnering, hoping to grow themselves quickly. Because the biggest enemy is in the maritime merchants, they often turn into pirates.

Facing the shopkeeper Wu's courtesy for no reason, Qin Bai was a little wary: "This is not very good, right?" I want to buy all of these twenty, and you can make a price, right? ”

Shopkeeper Wu said with a smile: "That's it, I happened to see the kind of matches you sold yesterday, and I also bought a few boxes below." It's very convenient, you can exchange this match for it! This sword gives you twenty taels each, how much can you change for yourself? ”

When the twenty boxes were sold short, the remaining boxes were urgently shipped from Xiaohongling. This time, I didn't dare to sell it openly, so I broke it up and sold it in Jingjiazhuang. is nothing more than a propaganda effect, and this shopkeeper Wu should also be promoted.

Because of his vigilance, Qin Bai was unwilling to take advantage of this: "My match box is five taels, and a knife is four boxes, a total of eighty boxes." However, Shao Dongjia and Wu shopkeeper, I am all handmade, and the output is not high, and the eighty boxes can only be delivered within two months. ”

First, Qin Bai didn't want outsiders to know his true output to prevent others from becoming red; Second, it is also necessary to set aside a part for self-sales, and it is necessary to give priority to the development of the local market.

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper Wu agreed very happily: "Then three months!" Delivery within three months, we will pay for the silver goods. ”

For such a small business, the Xia family didn't care about anything at all. And I also think that these matches are very convenient to use on the ship, not for external sales.

Speaking of this, Shopkeeper Wu glanced at Xia Jinhong. And Xia Jinhong understood: "Brother Bai, there are a few words I want to say to you alone, I don't know if it's convenient?" ”

When the others retreated, Xia Jinhong asked directly: "Brother Bai, there is something to ask for below." It is said that you are from Hefu, can you talk to the third grandmother and give our Xia family a private port? As long as you can help, the conditions are easy to say. Do you want money, or do you want anything else, as long as our Xia family can do it, it is guaranteed that it will not be discounted. ”

As soon as Qin Bai heard this, he understood that this old man and young man must have misunderstood something. Indeed, because they had just arrived in Jingjiazhuang, Xia Jinhong and Shopkeeper Wu could only inquire about some very superficial things here, including "Bai Er from Xiaohongling is a person from Hefu". Moreover, Qin Bai's rise was too fierce, so that people couldn't believe it, and they all suspected that he was charging everywhere for the He Mansion.

And this misunderstanding is too big, if it is not clarified in time, it will really die. Qin Bai hurriedly explained: "Brother Xia, shopkeeper Wu, it's not that my brother refuses to help with this, but he doesn't talk at all. To tell you the truth, as of today, I have not even seen a single steward of the He Mansion of sufficient weight. Only Zhenwei's masters listened to the order. If you really want to, I can introduce you to Zhenwei's Feng Ye, but if he doesn't agree, I can't guarantee it here. ”

Xia Jinhong and Shopkeeper Wu looked at each other, and some were suspicious. Xia Jinhong continued to ask: "Brother Bai, is there such a possibility?" You go and open a private port, which is not far from the sea. If you can really do it, we will give money if you want money, and we will give people if you want people? ”

This is the Xia family's backup plan. It is ready to be completed first, and then attract the He Mansion to join with huge benefits. And Qin Bai is a more suitable candidate. I want to get ahead, but the foundation is not deep, and it has a little to do with Hefu. It will also be easier to control at that time.

However, Qin Bai didn't have the slightest interest at all: "I'm really sorry. Brother Xia, shopkeeper Wu, I'm not afraid of your jokes, just a few mines, I'm about to be unable to protect myself. How do I help you open a private port? There's nothing I can do about it? ”

Speaking of which, there has been an impasse. And Xia Jinhong and Shopkeeper Wu made eye contact a few times, and then Shopkeeper Wu suddenly smiled and said, "Second Master Bai, there is still something to ask for advice below." A few days ago, I saw that your shopkeeper Tang (Tang Dong's uncle) was buying sulfur everywhere, and we Xia Ji was able to provide a large amount of it, I wonder if you are interested? ”

"Well, interested. How do you sell it? "There are very few places in China where sulfur is produced, and it is basically only sold in pharmacies. With the mass production of matches, the supply of sulfur will definitely become a bottleneck in the future.

"Second Master Bai, can you do this? Let's barter, don't exchange 100 catties of sulfur for your two boxes of matches? ”

"How much can you offer?"

"After half a year, we can give you at least 200,000 catties. If you still want it, we can give more. You can exchange it for matches, and of course you can buy it for silver. ”

Japan is located in a volcanic seismic zone, where sulfur is simply not valuable. And a large ship of 500 materials can hold almost 200,000 catties. If Qin Bai needs it, at least it can solve some no-load problems. And you can make a profit of one or twenty thousand taels.

"That's good. I'll set 200,000 catties first. But can you give some first, to solve my urgent need? ”

"Yes, you are really in a hurry, we can help to purchase in major cities on both sides of the canal."

“……”

Waiting for Qin Bai to leave, Xia Jinhong couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Wu, Bai Er didn't lie to us?" Is everything he says true? ”

Shopkeeper Wu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I can't judge, even if he is lying to us, we don't know." But the brimstone deal that can be negotiated has at least pulled him onto our ship. Want to go down later? It's not that easy. Also, we can't open up the situation here, and we can't spend our money all the time. If the sulfur business can really be successful, it can also make a lot of money, and it is also the credit of Young Master Jinhong. ”

"It's better to do that." Xia Jinhong also smiled bitterly, "I didn't expect the matter of private Hong Kong to be so difficult?" Eh, Uncle Wu, can that match make money? Are you so optimistic? ”

"Try it out there and sell it. Just want to be able to protect the capital. That Bai Er doesn't have any family background, how much silver do you think he can come up with? ”

"Huh. Did that really get brimstone for him to go to the canal? ”

"It's the only bet we can press, do we have any other options? Again, try it first. It was not difficult to get the sulfur, and the treasury of the Caoding Guard was everywhere. Spend some money to find those poor Qiu Ba, they are even willing to sell their own mother! ”