Chapter 55: Sweet Harbor Storm - Countermeasures

“Speaking of molasses,” Wen Tong mused, “making alcohol is a bit of a waste. Many distilleries in Xuwen use it to make wine.”

“Xue Ziliang in my team,” Bei Wei said, “he can make many foreign wines. He mentioned that the molasses from the sugarcane factory can be used to make rum.”

“That’s great,” Wen Tong said quickly. “The economic benefits of rum are much greater than alcohol.”

“Isn’t alcohol more useful in industry?” Bei Wei countered.

“Yes, but alcohol can be made from anything with sugar or starch. Rum, however, requires molasses,” Wen Tong explained. “I’ve thought about making wine from molasses, but I didn’t know how to start. It would be great if you have a technician.”

“Then I’ll send him over after I go back,” Bei Wei said.

Chang Shide laughed. “Once this rum is produced, selling it back to Europe will be no problem. I’ve heard them talk about it. Cuba and Batavia were major exporters of rum back then.”

“After making rum from molasses, the remaining by-products can still be further refined,” Wen Tong added. “It’s better than just making alcohol.”

And so, the matter of building a rum distillery in Xuwen was settled. It was too inconvenient to transport the molasses to Lingao for processing. That night, Wen Tong drafted a report to the Executive Committee, requesting a still and the temporary transfer of Xue Ziliang to the South China Sugar Factory.

None of them, in their enthusiastic discussion of by-product utilization, realized the immense impact the South China Sugar Factory’s commissioning would have. In a sense, it even surpassed the various construction projects in Lingao. This was a factory completely open to the ordinary people of the Ming Dynasty. The convenience, efficiency, and low cost brought by mechanized, industrialized mass production left a deep impression on everyone who came into contact with it. And its consequences arrived much faster than anyone had anticipated.

Haian Street, the Sugar Guild Hall—Haiyitang.

This building, with its bluestone gatehouse and strong Cantonese style, occupied a prominent position on Haian Street. Haian Street was famous as “Sweet Harbor,” and those who controlled it, who almost completely monopolized the export of Leizhou sugar, were the merchants in this guild hall. Most were from the Chaozhou and Guangzhou regions. The twenty-plus sugar merchants on the street were no exception. Geographical proximity and shared interests made them a united force, jointly protecting their hard-won territory.

Ever since the chimney of the South China Sugar Factory began to spew black smoke, these sensitive merchants had smelled a change in the air. They began to feel uneasy. In the teahouses, in the restaurants, in the counting rooms of every sugar merchant, there were always whispers.

Everyone felt that something should be done, but no one knew what to do. Even those who had decided to meet change with constancy felt a little lost, always feeling that someone should come out and affirm their strategy.

Now, the managers and principals of these sugar merchants were all gathered in the flower hall of this guild hall. This tall and spacious hall, with its exquisite materials and fine workmanship, was second to none in the entire Leizhou Prefecture. In previous years at this time, the managers would gather here, drinking famous tea, eating fine pastries, sometimes with the gentle singing of songstresses, discussing the sugar price for the year. The rewards for the hard work of many people for a whole year were decided at such gatherings.

At this moment, however, a strange sense of panic filled the hall. As in previous gatherings, six octagonal tables were set up, laden with various small dishes, fine pastries, famous tea, and good wine. But today, none of these people, who were extremely particular about their food and drink, had any appetite. The managers and principals of each firm sat silently. Some had their eyes darting around, as if calculating something. Others sat calmly, as if unperturbed. Someone suddenly stood up, took a few steps, then sat down again, fanning himself vigorously.

“It’s spring now, it’s not that hot, is it?” a fat man said, unable to bear the strong wind from the person next to him.

“My heart is hot. I can’t cool down without fanning,” the person fanning himself looked younger.

“What’s there to be hot about? The number of people selling sugar to you hasn’t decreased. What’s there to worry about?” the fat man said with dissatisfaction.

“It hasn’t decreased now, but what about the future?” The person fanning himself was the young master of “Rixiecheng,” one of the ten largest sugar merchants on Haian Street.

“It probably won’t decrease in the future either,” the fat man said unhurriedly. “If he doesn’t sell to your firm, he’ll sell to mine. It’s all the same market. What’s there to fuss about?” The fat man was the manager of “Riyuelai.”

“I’m afraid of the South China Sugar Factory!” The young master swallowed. “Haven’t you seen their factory? It’s a nightmare to look at! That big iron roller, a person would be crushed to pieces if they went in! And that chimney that spews fire at night and smoke during the day, it’s like a ghost tree!”

The fat man said, “He makes sugar, we sell sugar. What’s it to us? Besides, the more sugar he makes, the lower the price will be, which is good for us.”

“If only it were that simple,” an old man sitting nearby sighed. “What if they want to get into the sugar merchant business too?”

“That’s impossible, right? Different trades are like different mountains.”

“It’s hard to say,” the old man sighed. “I heard that the owners of South China are from Guangzhou. This business is so profitable, how could they let it go so easily? What if they want to do ‘foreign trade’ directly here?”

This remark caused a flurry of whispers. Then someone shouted to the person who had been sitting in the middle, motionless and deep in thought, “Third Master Zhu, you are our backbone. Give us an idea and take care of this matter!”

This person, known as Third Master Zhu, was over fifty, short and stout. There was no trace of decadence about him; he exuded an air of shrewdness and competence. His real name was Zhu An, and he was the third in his family’s generation, so everyone respectfully called him “Third Master Zhu.” His family owned a sugar firm called “Riyicheng,” and he also had more than ten large ships, specializing in transporting sugar. Because the profits from sugar were so considerable, there was a specific group of pirates who preyed on sugar ships. As a local sugar merchant and a major ship owner, Third Master Zhu had organized the various sugar merchants to jointly establish a trade association called “Haiyitang.” They would jointly decide on the annual sugar price and then, from the profits, each firm would contribute a sum of money to be used to deal with the government and appease the various local powers. In addition, they hired many deserters from the navy at a high price to escort the ships. Since then, the incidents of losing sugar cargo had greatly decreased. This man was resourceful and decisive, and he maintained good relations with both the public and private sectors. He had a high reputation in the local area and was a leading figure. The various sugar merchants all followed his lead.

This Third Master Zhu had not said a word until now. Seeing someone ask him by name, he finally spoke, “An idea? What idea do I have? They are a legitimate sugarcane plantation and sugar mill. They don’t break the law or disturb the people. On what grounds can we interfere?”

He picked up his teacup and took a sip. “Managers, I, Third Master Zhu, know what you are thinking: you are afraid that they are rich and powerful and will come to squeeze us out, harming everyone’s profits.”

Someone said, “I’m not afraid of that. I just feel that there might be a problem with the sugar from the South China Factory!” He had a look of concern for the country and its people. “Now, more than half of the cane farmers in the county have them process their sugar, and boats are coming from Haikang and Suixi as well. If there’s some trickery involved and it ruins the reputation of Leizhou sugar, we’ll all be out of a job!”

“That’s right!” The young master of “Rixiecheng” perked up. “There must be something fishy about their sugar! I’ve been to a sugar mill before. There’s a limit to how much sugar can be produced from one mu of sugarcane. Even accounting for the skill of the master, the final output is always less, not more. How can they produce more? And so much more? It’s either adulterated or it’s sorcery!”

The word “sorcery” startled everyone. The large iron roller that spun so fast without a single ox in sight did indeed seem a bit unorthodox. After a while, the fat manager of “Riyuelai” said, “That’s impossible. There’s no such sorcery in the world.”

“If it’s not sorcery, how did the sugar appear out of thin air?”

“How should I know! If there really is such sorcery, I’d like to learn it too!”

Third Master Zhu silenced the clamor and asked, “Managers, have you all inspected the sugar you’ve recently received?”

Everyone said they had, and there was nothing special about it. Because this was the first year the South China Factory was producing sugar, they had specifically instructed their workers to carefully inspect any sugar said to be from there. The results were surprising. The sugar that arrived earlier was quite ordinary, but in the past half month, the sugar from South China was much better than that from all the other earthen mills, especially in terms of cleanliness—it was a world of difference, containing no impurities.

After hearing everyone’s words, Third Master Zhu was lost in thought for a long time. Seeing everyone looking at him, he finally said, “We can’t and don’t need to control how the South China Factory makes sugar. I’ve inquired in the county. They have nearly three thousand mu of sugarcane fields in Xuwen and Haikang under their own name. Now, with so much processing for others, they must have at least ten or twenty thousand dan of goods on hand.” He changed the subject. “Why haven’t they come to sell?”

“Yes, we were wondering about that too!” everyone said in a flurry. Anyone who wasn’t blind could see that the South China Factory would definitely be a major hoarder of sugar. Every firm had sent their “runners” to pay their respects and sound out their intentions, but unexpectedly, although the other party was very polite, they showed no intention of selling.

“The other sugar mills under their name are also sending all their sugar to South China. It seems they have no intention of selling. It’s more like they are hoarding goods for export.”

“They have large ships, so it’s possible.”

“It’s hard to say—”

As they were discussing, a young servant suddenly ran in and whispered something in Third Master Zhu’s ear. His face immediately changed. “Really?!” he asked in a low voice.

“That’s right. Everyone in the county is talking about it. The counting house is almost finished. It will open in a few days.” Though the servant’s voice was low, those nearby still heard some of it.

“What? Is it…”

Third Master Zhu’s face was grim. “You were right—the South China Factory is opening its scales in a few days!”

This news was like a splash of cold water into a pot of hot oil. The previously lifeless hall immediately erupted:

“What is this! This is outrageous.”

“They want to get into this business, but they don’t even have the courtesy to inform us. What kind of lawless people are they!”

“Third Master Zhu, this is not acceptable! The sugar in Leizhou has been exclusively sold by the twenty-one firms of our Haiyitang for decades. If we let them break the rules, how will we survive in this area in the future?!”

“That’s right, Third Master Zhu, say something! Our twenty-one sugar firms will contribute money and effort. We must not let them disrupt our situation!”

The young master of “Rixiecheng” fanned himself lightly and said smugly, “No need to trouble Third Master Zhu. I have a plan that will surely hurt them badly.”

“What plan?”

“Hmph, find a few corpses from the streets, and send them to their doorstep in the middle of the night. Arrange with the heads of the yamen to be waiting in the morning. If he doesn’t report it, we’ll arrest him for ‘concealing a corpse.’ If he does report it, we’ll have to take the manager in. Once they’re in the yamen, we can spend some silver to make them suffer…”

“Don’t show off your stupid ideas!” Third Master Zhu shouted. “Do you think they came empty-handed? Can you get a letter from the aide-de-camp in the governor-general’s yamen of Liangguang? When he takes out that letter, not only the county magistrate but even the prefect will have to politely see him out.”

The crowd was somewhat deflated. As the saying goes, a bare-footed man is not afraid of those who wear shoes. But all commoners, unless on the verge of rebellion, were afraid of officials. The rich were even more so. Moreover, the highest official they could reach was the Leizhou prefect. Hearing that the other party had connections in the governor-general’s yamen, they were already a little intimidated.

“Besides, if we do this, we’ll be enemies with the South China Factory! Do you know what kind of backing they have?” Third Master Zhu said. “Just that iron roller is not something an ordinary household can afford.”

Everyone’s eyes were on Third Master Zhu, knowing that he had a plan.

He smiled. “We can only use soft tactics in this matter, not hard ones. In my opinion, we should first find out their background. What is their origin, who are their owners, and what is their relationship with the aide-de-camp in the governor-general’s yamen? We need to get a clear picture of everything.”

“Third Master is right!” the fat manager of “Riyuelai” slapped the table. “If they are powerful, we’ll use soft tactics. If they are weak, we’ll use hard ones. Am I right, Third Master?”

“More or less,” Third Master Zhu said vaguely. “Know yourself and know your enemy.”

Some of the impatient ones were already shouting, “Third Master, just tell us what to do!”