A convoy of up to four short shirt-class clippers slowly sailed into the port of Twin Bays in Bermuda, adding fuel to the fire of the overseas trade of the isolated overseas territory of the Chinese American Republic of China.

A large number of arms that were supposed to be sold directly to Europe were "restricted" by the "European Neutrality Act", and a considerable share fell to the city of Shuangwan in Bermuda for entrepot trade.

Bermuda, with a total area of just over 50 square kilometers and the surrounding islands, became a peculiarly neutral trading port where merchants from the belligerent countries of Europe gathered.

Spanish or Portuguese merchant ships always occupy the most favorable wharf for loading and unloading goods; English merchant ships from England mainland or from the Virginia colonies were carefully kept a few berths away from Spanish ships, keeping a low profile; The Dutch merchant ships were very diligent, but they were still "sneaky", and they always chose to dock in the most remote corners of the port.

It has to be said that the Dutch continued to play their maritime advantages, even during the Thirty Years' War, Dutch merchant ships were still the main cargo carriers in the Atlantic, and even a considerable part of the ocean-going freight in the Spanish Caribbean was undertaken by Dutch merchant ships, which was also one of the reasons why Dutch pirate privateers have been rampant in the Caribbean. This is also a kind of irony for the Kingdom of Spain, which has always used the Caribbean Sea as its bathing tub.

But at least in the waters around Bermuda, the maritime adventurers of various countries have tightened their grip. Due to the Guadeloupe occupation plan, the Sino-American shipping between Bermuda and Guadeloupe is very busy, and in order to ensure safety, in addition to the offshore patrol ships stationed at the Bermuda Naval Base to maintain a high level of security, the Navy's capital ships are also frequently moving around. Since last year. Pirate attacks on merchant ships passing through Bermuda to and from Europe have all but disappeared. Naturally, this is inseparable from the "brutal and clean" anti-piracy patrols of the Chinese and US Navy.

……

The latest batch of immigrants from Europe was accepted. and after a wave of newborns at the beginning of spring, Bermuda's officially settled population in Double Bay finally exceeded 1,400. Although there is no compliment to the population growth rate compared to the sprawling towns in the country, under the guidance of Mayor Di Zugong, the proportion of the city's commercial population is perverted.

In addition to the manpower that serves the port. Up to 25% of the population specialises in various types of trade. Many small local traders have gone directly to Guadeloupe's Butterfly Island, cutting into the business opportunities for the development of the twin ports with the advantage of being close to the water, and even Havana, the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba, has appeared Bermuda businessmen.

Nearly half of Bermuda's population is ethnic Chinese. Naturally, it has become an important part of local traders, and over the past few years, the local Chinese who have been immersed in the business atmosphere of Shuangwan City for many years have gradually integrated into this mercantile economy.

The port's domestic commodity logistics area is still bustling with people, with several merchant ships loading and unloading goods to and from mainland China or Guadeloupe, and a number of merchants in gorgeous Western or Han attire chatting at the docks.

"Yo, Boss Zhao! In such a hurry, you just got off the boat and ran in a hurry, you have to pay attention to your step. ”

Zhao Mingchuan, dressed as a Ming scholar, grabbed an account book and hurried over. A Chinese businessman on the side of the road greeted him warmly.

In less than half a year, Zhao Mingchuan's name was called in the business district of Shuangwan City. This Mingxing Trading Company, which seems to be a natural businessman, is in charge of the Ming Xing Trading Company. Within a few months of opening, business was booming, and it is said that they had recently had business dealings with state-owned import and export trade groups, which attracted the envy of some Chinese businessmen who had joined the maritime trade earlier.

"Shame, shame! See you another day! Zhao Mingchuan waved his hand again and again in embarrassment, but his feet still did not stop, and he walked directly along Ganggang Avenue in the direction of the city government residence.

Zhao Mingchuan had to be anxious, because he had recently contacted two big contracts in Mancheng, the contract objects were the state-owned fishery company under the wealthy state-owned agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry group, and the Meilin canned food company, which monopolized domestic canned food.

The former had a good impression of Mingxing Company because of Zhao Mingchuan's salt supply that "saved the field" last month, and decided that all the salt used to marinate and preserve whale meat on whaling ships that sailed to sea in the future would be provided by Mingxing Company; The latter inexplicably approached Zhao Mingchuan, hoping to supply refined sugar and Bermuda-produced fruits for a long time.

In the past, this kind of business was almost entirely taken over by Ren Changle's COSCO International Trade Group, but as the group's business became bigger and bigger, its business energy was greatly tilted towards the overseas import and export trade of Europe and Central and South America, which was more profitable and had a larger scale of commodity supply, so there were many unpleasant delays in the supply of raw materials for the production of the above two companies.

The change of trading suppliers happened naturally, and although some people in COSCO International Trade Group were deeply dissatisfied with this, they really did not have the energy to take care of these "small transactions" in a comprehensive manner.

Zhao Mingchuan was shocked and frightened when he received these two business contracts, which meant that the monthly trade income would directly increase by nearly two times, which was a sleepless thing to think about.

……

"Siniang, bring a good pot of tea to Mingchuan!"

In the study room of the mayor's official residence, Di Zugong leisurely drank green tea imported from the Far East, while quietly listening to the report of the "student", very satisfied with the other party's newly won business, and at the same time greeting the wife next to him who only got married at the beginning of this year. Seeing the full transaction income records in the account book, Di Zugong was also secretly surprised that the luck of this great talent was really good.

Mi Siniang, whose ancestral home is Jimo, Shandong Province, Daming, is 24 years old this year, and has been in Shuangwan City, Bermuda for 3 years. When he was 17 years old, he signed the marriage contract before he officially passed the door, and Xu Rong's husband died, and as a result, Mi Siniang was widowed at a young age.

Later, with the spread of famine and man-made disasters, Mi Siniang could only flee with her "husband's family" and was sent to a Portuguese ship to North America. Mi Siniang, who was lonely and helpless, had no relatives in Shuangwan City, and got off the boat to be seriously ill, but after recovering, she was hired by Di Zugong as the family's nanny and maid. Over the years. Carefully serve Di Zugong, the "Diamond King and the Old Five". Especially Mi Siniang, who already knows Di Zugong's private life well. In this way, she became the mayor's wife "naturally".

In a few years, Mi Siniang not only got rid of her blindness under Di Zugong's personal teaching, but even after marriage, in order to cooperate with her husband's social identity and diplomacy, Mi Siniang actually took the initiative to learn Latin from last month. This kind of consciousness of dealing with people. Coupled with his virtuous and simple character, Di Zugong was deeply gratified, and he had the feeling of "if you have a wife like this, what more can a husband ask for".

"It's all legal business. There is nothing to hesitate about, and they are all our local superior products, not afraid of any competition, just do it. However, you should pay attention to the company's staff training, goods purchase, sales, escort, delivery can not always be you alone all the time, employment and management is the most important thing for a company head to do. Di Zugong listened to the other party's statement, put down the teacup, and had a teachable expression of pretending to be forced, "I've been running business for several months, what." Any thoughts? I heard that you went to the tax bureau last month to buy a large number of fixed amount invoices, and it seems that you are very confident! ”

"I'm ashamed. The class got an axe, and it was just a small profit, which made Master Di smile...... The students tasted the business of Chinese goods and commerce, and they were really touched. The tax system of Huamei commercial law is strict and relaxed, and the various functions are well controlled, so that the natural income is rich day by day, the state is abundant, and the business people are also happy and diligent. However, there is still nothing unclear about the students...... Students look at China in the United States, salt, iron, sugar, tea, wine, cloth, everything, businessmen devour the benefits of a country, it is really rare, are they not afraid of hurting the country in the long run? ”

Facing Di Zugong, who was like a teacher, Zhao Mingchuan, who was sitting in the guest seat, directly adopted the etiquette of a teacher and student, and his attitude was extremely respectful.

In fact, the biggest impact on Zhao Mingchuan in the past few months is the commercial freedom of China and the United States. Salt, iron, sugar, and other commodities that have been monopolized by the imperial court since ancient times can be purchased and sold at will in China and the United States, and there are hardly any restrictions except for the difference in tax rates.

Taking advantage of the natural climatic environment and geographical advantages, the snow-white refined salt and refined sugar produced by the Shuangwan Sugar and Salt Company in Bermuda not only supply a considerable share of the local market, but also export a large number of goods to Europe, Central and South America, and even the Portuguese colonies in East Africa. In addition to arms, the iron trade is still one of the largest export economic revenues of China and the United States, and traders across the country share in the profits. As for the other commodities that were once monopolized by the imperial court in the Ming Dynasty, they were even more free and open.

"Haha, hurt the country? Whose country did it hurt? ”

Di Zugong was stunned for a moment, and suddenly burst out laughing. This smile made Zhao Mingchuan very embarrassed, and he quickly stood up and bowed his head, with a good baby attitude of not being guilty.

"Zhao Mingchuan, Zhao Mingchuan, you've been in business for almost half a year, and you just see these things?" Di Zugong smiled and gestured to take a seat, "Mingxing Trading Company has a registered capital of 5,000 US dollars, and within a few months, the company has made a profit of more than 6,000 US dollars, and you can be regarded as a business talent." ”

"Running for profit all day long, interests are consumed, and students are ashamed......" Zhao Mingchuan smiled bitterly, and he was still a little embarrassed.

"The supply and demand of the market are changing rapidly, the east is overflowing and the west is lacking, and the market has one price a day. Under free trade, businessmen can give full play to the initiative and mediate the logistics of goods. If the state controls the monopoly of commodities, how could you seize the opportunity to sell dozens of tons of refined salt to the state-owned fishery company last time? Di Zugong pointed to the company's trade account book sent by Zhao Ming, and said with a pleasant face, "The country does not have the ability to grasp the business opportunities and demand information of the whole world, if it is a monopoly policy, I am afraid that now the dozens of tons of refined salt are still piled up in the warehouse of the local salt and sugar company waiting to be damp, and more fishery products will rot directly at sea." ”

"But how can this monopoly be indulgent, Mingchuan knows that in this world, 'people's hearts are not enough to swallow elephants'." Although Zhao Mingchuan agrees that there are many advantages to the liberal and liberal encouragement policies of China and the United States, he still believes that the national salt and iron monopoly from ancient times to the present day is the foundation for a country to ensure financial security and trade order, rather than being eroded by the greed of private businessmen who are unbearably restrained.

"It's easy to get caught up in business, but have you noticed that every time you trade, the country is also involved?" Di Zugong knocked on the table, his expression became more and more serious, "The frigates Enterprise and Delaware sail alternately, escorting along the way, and inspecting the safety of the route; The management of port terminals, cargo tax clearing and other work are non-stop day and night; The planning and development of local economic specialties and policy support are constantly being innovated. Even the Mingxing Trading Company has a $1,000 low-interest bank loan guaranteed by the city government...... From the very beginning, the state is with you! This is not only for the country, but also for yourself! The more you are interested, the greater the country's benefits! Even now, the army and navy of China and the United States are still fighting for you on Butterfly Island in the south, and the specialties there are still waiting for you to develop! As for maintaining the benign order of adjusting market supply and demand, it is natural that the national commodity tax rate will be the overall control. ”

"Not only the current Ming Dynasty, but almost from the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the monopoly policy of the Eastern Imperial Court has been in opposition to you merchants. In fact, the production and circulation of goods in a country are all suppressed in the 'big treasury' of the imperial court. And you, the merchants who could have urged the circulation and production of goods, were confined to an invisible crack, either eating by looking at your face, or doing things based on relationships, or even taking risks, waiting for the day when you would be sheared by the imperial court. No one can agree on a relationship of interests with the state, because the interests of the country are not yours! If you can't feel that the Ming Dynasty is in league with you for a day, you can't think about the survival of the Ming Dynasty for a day. The emperor takes turns to sit, the people are like two-legged sheep, and in the end, the catastrophe is coming, how can the life and death of a country be what the Confucian and Mencian scriptures can really maintain? ! ”

"The state monopoly certainly guarantees profits, but the state is not a businessman, and the interests of the state are not monopolistic monopoly tax differences. It is to guide the needs of the people, meet the needs of the people, and maintain the needs of the people. After the needs of the people are satisfied, they will give back to the state, and the benefits of the country should come from this! If you go to sea and are robbed by the Dutch, the navy can even go directly to Amsterdam to ask for an explanation! It's not that they don't have anything to do, it's that your trade is too important for this country! ”

After talking for a few minutes in one breath, Di Zugong gasped and picked up the teacup, took a sip beautifully, and then looked at Zhao Mingchuan with a strict expression of hatred for iron and steel.

In fact, Di Zugong did not say a paragraph: the commodity monopoly may not be the only expression of the Ming Dynasty's suppression of the merchant class, but as long as this antagonistic relationship is not broken for a day, and the core interests of the Ming court and the merchant class do not coincide for a day, no matter how much "so-and-so sprouts" will be stifled, the so-called Ming Dynasty in later generations can enter in advance if it is not because of how to enter it in advance.

In China and the United States, under the concept of modern commodity economic management, the government and merchant capital have been a combination of interests from the very beginning, not a simple monopoly and monopoly relationship of "supply and demand", let alone a master-servant relationship of "top and bottom".

Being reprimanded by Di Zugong's deafening "scolding", Zhao Mingchuan just looked at it blankly, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but he couldn't say a word.

After a long time, Zhao Mingchuan tidied up his clothes and bowed respectfully.

……

Mingxing Trading's company's new supply contract suddenly added 20 tons of refined salt and 10 tons of refined sugar to Zhao Mingchuan's personal memo book. The expansion of business scale and commodity types has brought about the problems of business talents, goods warehousing, and long-term procurement channels, which will bring more problems in cost control and management.

But Zhao Mingchuan, who is full of "exploring the way of a gentleman to enrich the country", these are worth paying energy and exhaustion in his eyes, and at the very least, he needs to personally experience and digest what Di Zugong said in his future business. (To be continued.) )