Chapter 1492 - New Business Principles
Liu Deshan thought for a moment. "Because each sea lord controls his own territory?"
"Correct! But the larger problem is the government!" Chen Huamin said bluntly.
Qin Haicheng and Liu Deshan nodded in unison. True enough—as long as one purchased their command flags, the great sea lords posed no threat to merchant vessels. On the contrary, the various yamens, local brokers, government naval forces, and sundry monsters and demons wearing official skins were the characters who demanded both money and life. Water and land routes offered no guarantee of safety, yet merchants and travelers were squeezed mercilessly. Ordinary merchants simply dared not venture far.
"Long-distance trading requires bribing too many powers—and sometimes there's simply no way to make the bribes. Upon reaching your destination, encountering wicked local brokers means suppression for years on end, or even losing both goods and capital. The roads are hardly peaceful, either; mountain bandits and river pirates are as numerous as ox hairs. Small merchants like us, lacking guards or influence, might not even keep our lives should we cross paths with them. Unless our destination is 'familiar territory' with local connections looking after us, we truly dare not trade over long distances." Liu Deshan specialized in domestic commerce and felt this most keenly.
"At least you, brother, manage to reach many places—that counts as traveling far."
"Only thanks to connections my father cultivated in earlier years! Otherwise, how would I dare run about like this?" Liu Deshan gave a long sigh. "These days I'm extremely cautious. Places not linked by major waterways I absolutely refuse to visit. Land routes are too treacherous. How many opportunities to make substantial profits can only be admired from afar, never touched."
Warming to the subject, he continued: "Ideally, traveling merchants transport goods desired by the other party for sale, then purchase goods our side needs to bring home—round trips that waste nothing. Especially now that we have our own ship, squandering empty cargo space represents an irretrievable loss. But the reality is, bulk goods in mutual demand between cities are rare."
"For instance, sugar produced in Guangdong fetches excellent prices in Jiangnan—but Jiangnan porcelain and silk are also manufactured locally in Guangdong. Those same porcelain and daily necessities, transported across the sea to Taiwan, become high-demand commodities—yet deerskin produced in Taiwan finds little market here. Taiwan deerskin is mainly sold to Japan, while the copper and silver received in exchange cannot be absorbed by Taiwan itself and must be shipped onward to the Ming mainland."
"So when these goods are trafficked by small merchants, the cost of an empty return voyage must be factored in. Add to that the tollgate survived at nearly every port along the way, with the expenditures and commissions generated at each stop, and the price of long-distance goods remains stubbornly high."
Chen Huamin nodded. "That is precisely my point. Now that the Australians have defeated the Zheng family, their influence extends from Japan and Korea all the way to Hainan and Annam. This enables us to allocate goods and plan destination ports ourselves, conducting long-distance trade. As long as we plan carefully, arrange routes sensibly, and do our utmost to ensure the ship never sails empty, we can earn greater profits with lower costs."
He spoke with mounting excitement, snatching up a sheet of white paper and sketching rapidly upon it:
"Please look, gentlemen. The Australians maintain a trading port on Jeju Island, where Japanese and Korean business can be transacted. From Jeju south, one can sail all the way to Longkou and trade in Shandong goods—simultaneously conducting bulk trade from Henan and Beizhili. From Longkou south again, one can proceed to Shanghai, then on to trade in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and finally Hong Kong. Along this entire route, the Australians hold sway. Not only are the shipping lanes safe, but the various trading ports boast complete facilities and diverse goods. Most critically, there are no endless corrupt customs houses. Doing business becomes, one might say, comfortable and satisfying."
"Pity we cannot reach Tianjin Wei—that is the great wharf of the North..."
"Tianjin Wei lies outside Australian control for now—somewhat imperfect. But once it reaches even the level of that Shanghai wharf, Tianjin Wei will not be impossible to visit."
"If only the Australians would just take Shanghai in one sweep. As it stands, we still must haggle somewhat with the government..."
Chen Huamin's remark was extraordinarily bold and presumptuous—practically an endorsement of rebellion. Yet Liu Deshan and Qin Haicheng had both witnessed Australian capabilities firsthand and were not surprised in the slightest.
Chen Huamin made up his mind. "There's no time to lose. While news of Liu Xiang's surrender to the Kun hasn't yet spread, we'll personally run a voyage with our ship and blaze this new trade route. The timing will be exhausting—just returned, and already heading back to sea before catching our breath!"
Liu Deshan smiled calmly. "No matter. Where effort doesn't reach, wealth doesn't follow! But for this voyage you're planning—what cargo, and where to?"
"I have a proposal. Look—" Chen Huamin drew a large sheet of paper from his sleeve. This was a folio tabloid recently launched for sale in Guangzhou called the Hong Kong Price Current, published every seven days and hawked by children in the streets. The newspaper served as a commercial information digest, publishing primarily the types, quantities, and transaction prices of goods transported from various locations to Hong Kong for trade. It also included shipping information—schedules, cargoes, and cargo space availability on vessels plying the regular routes—as well as supply and demand intelligence from various ports. Though sold mainly in Guangzhou, it was in fact edited and published by the Ministry of Colonization and Trade's commercial representative office in Hong Kong.
Previously, although Guangzhou's merchants were relatively familiar with Australian or Lingao goods, most of this knowledge came through hearsay; few possessed comprehensive, systematic understanding of the details. The Price Current filled precisely this gap for large and medium merchants demanding reliable commercial intelligence. Information flow in ancient society was painfully slow; supply and demand data depended largely on years of accumulated experience. Timely, explosive market intelligence simply could not be grasped—only a handful of major merchants could exploit government postal systems to carry fragments of information.
Lingao enjoyed the convenience of wireless telegraphy; commodity and supply-demand intelligence from Japan to Manila could be transmitted instantaneously to every port under Lingao control. This conferred immense advantages for facilitating commodity circulation.
Promoting commodity circulation, encouraging merchants to transport and sell goods—this had always been the Senate's consistent aim. Only when goods circulated could value be created. Otherwise, relying solely on the Senate's own ships and imperial merchants would mean struggling perpetually to meet ever-growing logistical demands. Moreover, the more frequent such commodity circulation became, the greater the various revenues the Senate reaped from it.
Chen Huamin opened the newspaper; it was already covered with circles and brush-ink annotations. His finger slid quickly across the page, then stopped.
"Look here. A large shipment of Leizhou white sugar has just arrived in Hong Kong, and the price has dropped. Meanwhile, white sugar prices in Zhejiang and Nan Zhili remain very high. If we transport white sugar to Shanghai, we can turn a handsome profit! Then we load grain in Shanghai, transport it to Shandong, and earn another round!"
"Excellent!" Liu Deshan nodded. "We set off immediately."
"In that case, I'll take a stake as well." Qin Haicheng withdrew a banknote from his drawer. "This is a one-thousand-tael note from Delong, cashable on sight, usable directly as silver. Take it for working capital—count me in for a share of any profits."
Liu Deshan and Chen Huamin were overjoyed. Their operations remained modest, after all—especially after the ship purchase, working capital had grown extremely tight. With the big boss Qin Haicheng willing to invest, this venture could be scaled up considerably. More importantly, with these additional funds, they could take delivery of the new Dongshanju ahead of schedule. Equipping the vessel and hiring sailors would also require a substantial sum.
The two expressed their thanks and immediately departed to arrange ship and cargo.
"I'll handle the ship delivery right now. Huamin, go notify the deputy captain first—immediately gather the crew, prepare provisions and water, proceed to Huangpu and prepare to board. This time we use the new ship. Tell the deputy manager to have the clerks unload our current cargo overnight, then replace it with a full load of Leizhou white sugar. Then go to Delong and convert all the silver we have stored there into notes to bring along."
"Done! I'll see to it at once!" Chen Huamin clasped his hands in farewell and hurried off. Liu Deshan exchanged a few more pleasantries with Qin Haicheng. Qin Haicheng expressed keen interest in their newly ordered vessel, asking Liu to pay close attention to its performance in use—he was considering purchasing one himself for voyages to the Western Ocean.
After seeing him out, Qin Haicheng stood on the stone steps at the gate, gazing toward Shamian by the White Goose Pool. A small steam launch with paddle wheels mounted on its sides spewed black smoke while towing a long string of barges past. Countless masts and sail-shadows on the river moved or stayed; ships loading and departing, ships stopping to unload—a scene of bustling prosperity.
"Australians... ah, Australians..."
Guangzhou's Huangpu Port basked under a sky of endless azure, gentle autumn breezes spinning white clouds into wisps that drifted slowly from north to south. The air was crisp, the season perfect—an ideal day for setting out.
A brand-new three-masted seagoing ship lay moored at the pier. This vessel was entirely unlike those surrounding it. Though retaining certain echoes of Guangzhou ship design, it more closely resembled a European ocean-going craft: the hull displayed characteristic Western shipbuilding techniques—keel and rib structure, planked with nailed strips, then sealed with pitch. The bow featured a sharp prow and keen bottom more exaggerated than any Eastern or Western vessel, complemented by a long bowsprit. The hull lines were smooth and elegant. From the deeply pressed waterline, one could see the ship was fully laden, riding steady regardless of how the tide beat against it, rising and falling only gently with the waves. Red and blue ribbons festooned the entire ship, vivid against the three large ink-brush characters "Dong Shan Ju" on the bow. On the foredeck above the name, an altar table stood arrayed with roast pig, fruits, wine, and offerings—the ship was holding its worship ceremony, ready to hoist sails and depart.
"Big Master..." Manager Liu called softly to Chen Huamin, who stood before the altar table gazing out at the sea. Chen Huamin started, then waved dismissively. "Don't call me 'Big Master'—it makes us sound like bandits. From now on, follow the Australians' custom and call me 'Boss.'"
"Yes, Big—Boss. The cargo and funds on board have been fully registered. Second Mas—Second Boss has finished the count and verification."
"Good. I know." Chen Huamin answered absently, then turned back to face the sea once more.
(End of Chapter)