Chapter 2174

Ma Zhengping's original intention was to test Xuan Xiangming's tone to see if he could help him, but he didn't expect that Xuan Xiangming knew far more information than he did, and he was fascinated by it for a while. After all, these two countries

The war does not involve the Ming Dynasty, and the opportunity to watch the excitement and listen to gossip with confidence is rare in this era.

Of course, he also noticed that many of the details in the information Xuan Xiangming had should come from the accounts of those who had experienced it. It was obvious that the other party had more direct sources of information and did not come entirely from hearsay from various rumors on the market.

Ordinary people only know that the Haihan Army won a great victory in the battle in Hirado, but only the soldiers who participated in the battle know how it happened. This is exactly what Ma Zhengping wants. He originally planned to try to pass

Xuan Xiangming found an opportunity to get acquainted with people in the Haihan Army, and now it seemed that there was a real possibility of success.

"Boss Xuan knows so much about this war, he must have close friends in the Haihan Army, right?" After Xuan Xiangming had finished explaining, Ma Zhengping asked tentatively.

Xuan Xiangming smiled and said: "I'm not a close friend... I have a distant relative who happens to be serving in the Haihan Army. He also participated in the conquest of Hirado this time, so he will know better.

"

Ma Zhengping's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly asked: "I didn't expect Boss Xuan to have such a relationship, so can I do it for you and listen to this military master tell the story of the war in person?"

"I didn't realize that Boss Ma was so interested in marching and fighting."

Although Xuan Xiangming talks a lot, he is also not stupid. He can naturally detect that Ma Zhengping has an unusual interest in this matter. When the two of them were watching the military parade at Dinghai Port earlier, Boss Ma was very interested in the Haihan Army.

It seems that his interest is not as great as it is now. It is obvious that in the past two months or so, Ma Zhengping's thoughts have undergone some wonderful changes.

Ma Zhengping said calmly: "I am coming here this time to purchase land and build a business store on Zhoushan Island. I will operate it here for a long time in the future. Zhoushan is where the Haihan Kingdom's troops are stationed, so of course I have to try to get to know some military personnel."

Only the right person will do the job. If Boss Xuan can introduce me to you, I will definitely reward you in the future!"

Ma Zhengping's words sounded reasonable. Xuan Xiangming also didn't expect Ma Zhengping to have other motives. In his opinion, it was not a big deal to help Ma Zhengping introduce him. Since the other party said he would remember this favor,

Xuan Xiangming felt that it would be worthwhile to help him out. Maybe if he had any needs in Yangzhou in the future, Ma Zhengping could also help him.

Yangzhou salt merchants want to set up a business store in Zhoushan. Even if Xuan Xiangming is not in this business, he can still taste some unusual flavors. After all, everyone with a discerning eye knows about the semi-public bloody battle that took place in Yangzhou a few months ago.

It was Haihan who taught the local salt merchants a lesson. The conflict between the two was not only about business.

Haihan did not openly declare war on the Yangzhou salt merchants at that time, so even if the local officials knew that the perpetrators were most likely from Zhoushan, they could only pretend to be deaf and dumb and define the fierce fight with many casualties as a civil conflict to settle the matter.

Fang then hastily closed the case. Although the Shanxi salt merchant who had suffered a huge loss was unwilling to accept it, he also knew that it was unwise to openly challenge Haihan, so he could only swallow the knocked out teeth in his stomach.

Because Xuan Xiangming had distant relatives in the Haihan Army, he happened to know more about the inside story. For example, he knew a little bit about the internal fighting between the two factions of salt merchants in Yangzhou. Now Ma Zhengping visited Zhoushan for the second time.

He also stated that he would build a business store here for long-term operation. It seems that Haihan officials have reached an agreement with some Yangzhou salt merchants, including Ma Zhengping. Haihan may be involved in the salt business in Yangzhou in the future.

.

Xuan Xiangming's knowledge was certainly not enough to infer from this fragmented information the direction in which the salt industry of the Ming Dynasty would change, and what impact this change would have on the economy of the Ming Dynasty. He only subconsciously

He believes that the cooperation between the Yangzhou salt merchants and the Haihan people is a strong alliance. They need money and guns. I am afraid it will be difficult for anyone to stop them from dominating the salt industry.

As for whether the local salt merchant struggle in Yangzhou has ended, and whether Ma Zhengping will still face huge competitive pressure, it is not a problem at all to an outsider like Xuan Xiangming. After all, they have already embraced Shanghai and Han, so do they still need to worry?

Can't you make money from this business?

Based on this judgment, Xuan Xiangming thought it would be a good idea to take this opportunity to introduce his distant relatives to Ma Zhengping. The fact that Ma Zhengping can open a business store in Zhoushan shows that he has received official recognition, as long as his contacts do not involve those in the military.

It shouldn't be a big deal if it's confidential.

"Since Boss Ma is interested, I will contact you later and arrange another time to meet. What do you think?"

Ma Zhengping naturally agreed and said that he would find a restaurant with a better environment in the city and invite Xuan Xiangming and his distant relatives to eat and chat. Of course, the sooner the better, he hoped to get

After getting more information, you can decide whether to spend money to build a business store in Zhoushan immediately.

After all, the establishment of this store is equivalent to making the cooperative relationship with Haihan public, and the Shanshan and Shaanxi salt merchants have been quietly paying attention to the goings-on in Zhoushan. Their big moves in Zhoushan will definitely not be hidden from their eyes and ears.

If the fight between the two sides further intensifies, there may be more troubles for the Huizhou salt merchants. Naturally, it is necessary to first determine the attitude of the Haihan military before building a business warehouse, so that the safety factor will be higher.

But the only problem is that Ma Zhengping still doesn't know what position Xuan Xiangming, a distant relative, holds in the Haihan Army. Xuan Xiangming only revealed that he was an officer, so there was no more information. Ma Zhengping could only

I pray that this man will not be a junior officer at the lowest level. In that case, don't expect the other party to help at critical moments. Maybe he doesn't know about the cooperation discussed with the Huizhou salt merchants at all.

Ma Zhengping said goodbye to Xuan Xiangming with anxiety and left. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came out of Xuan Xiangming's shop, he heard someone greeting him. He turned around and saw that he recognized this person. He had seen him last time in Zhoushan.

Mu Jian, the contractor.

Ma Zhengping remembered that Mu Jian took him to go through the land purchase procedures at that time, but because the government temporarily imposed restrictions and stopped handling land purchase procedures for foreign businessmen on Zhoushan Island, the establishment of a business store was temporarily shelved. Previously, he recalled that in Zhoushan

Ma Zhengping only thought of Xuan Xiangming, but forgot that he had dealt with Mu Jian before.

Of course, having said that, Mu Jian was just a contractor who directed the construction of a house, and his importance in Ma Zhengping's eyes was definitely not as important as that of his colleague Xuan Xiangming.

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Mu Jian took the initiative to ask him if he had purchased land in Zhoushan. The implication was that if he wanted to build a commercial warehouse, he hoped that Ma Zhengping could still leave the business to him.

Ma Zhengping thought that he could really start preparing for the construction of the store, otherwise he would wait until he had sorted out the Haihan official affairs before taking care of this end, and it would take a lot of time. So he asked Mu Jian to take care of it first.

Pay attention to suitable land in the city. After completing the relevant procedures, you will hand over the project of building the store to the other party.

Mu Jian was overjoyed when he saw that Ma Zhengping was so willing to give him a big deal. He quickly said that he would select the land as soon as possible and invite Ma Zhengping to check it out on the spot.

Ma Zhengping's requirements for the land are also very simple - the area is large enough and close to the port area. The large area allows him to build a habitable house for himself in addition to building a business store; the area is close to the port area to facilitate the sea route.

For import and export goods, after all, we will purchase large quantities of salt and other commodities from Zhoushan in the future. Finding a place close to the port area will not only improve the transshipment efficiency, but also save a lot of freight in the long run.

Of course, the land that can meet his two requirements will definitely not be cheap. If Mu Jian does it well, he can get another commission from it. This kind of transaction is not something that can happen all the time.

Jian will definitely pay special attention to this.

Xuan Xiangming did not keep Ma Zhengping waiting too long, and sent someone to the hotel where Ma Zhengping was staying the next day to inform him that a meeting time had been arranged.

Ma Zhengping was not ambiguous. He booked a suite at a high-end restaurant in the city that night and hosted a banquet for Xuan Xiangming and his military officer relatives.

Ma Zhengping naturally had to be the first to arrive as a host, but he did not wait too long. Xuan Xiangming and the person he wanted to introduce to Ma Zhengping arrived a moment earlier than the agreed time.

After meeting, Xuan Xiangming took the initiative to introduce: "Boss Ma, this is my distant cousin Duan Tiancheng. He is now leading troops in the Haihan Kingdom's East China Sea Fleet and has the title of major. Tiancheng, this is what I mentioned to you yesterday.

The Yangzhou salt merchant Ma Zhengping Ma has arrived!"

Ma Zhengping saw that Tiancheng was tall and strong, with dark complexion. He had a Haihan-style haircut, and he looked quite young. Although he was dressed in casual clothes, he had the chilling aura unique to soldiers.

It was very obvious. He immediately stepped forward to greet him and said: "I have heard that Major Duan is a first-rate general in the Haihan Army. When I saw him today, he was indeed very powerful. Ma is really lucky to meet him!"

Duan Tiancheng also smiled and clasped his fists in reply: "Boss Ma is overly complimentary. Duan is just an ordinary soldier in the Haihan Army and cannot deserve such praise!"

Ma Zhengping had done some homework beforehand. When Xuan Xiangming reported the opponent's military rank, he knew that this person's status was indeed quite high, and that a Han from the Ming Dynasty could rise to the rank of major in the Haihan Army at such a young age.

Either he has outstanding abilities and outstanding military achievements, or he is favored by his boss, or both. In short, he is an unusual role. Based on this view, Ma Zhengping also gave the opponent a few top hats first.

, to show their respect.

Ma Zhengping has a sharp eye, and indeed he did not make a mistake. If one were to select the most promising young officers in the East China Sea Fleet, Duan Tiancheng would probably be among the top few.

Duan Tiancheng came to Zhoushan to make a living when he was young. At that time, this place was still a mixed place. Duan Tiancheng followed a group of armed merchants and engaged in maritime smuggling business for several years. Later, when the Haihan army captured Zhoushan, Duan Tiancheng's employer broke up and he worked for

In order to make a living, he simply joined the Haihan Army. Because he was familiar with the local sea conditions, he was quickly promoted to the flagship of the Haihan Fleet as a temporary navigator, assisting the fleet in wiping out the civilian armed forces in the Zhoushan Islands.

After going back and forth, Duan Tiancheng quickly got the opportunity to study based on his accumulated military achievements. In the newly established East China Sea Fleet at that time, he was one of the first batch of reserve officers sent to Sanya Naval Academy by Shi Diwen for further training. After returning to Zhoushan, he

In the past few years, he has participated in various military operations of the East China Sea Fleet, and it is not surprising that he has been promoted to major.

A few months ago, the Zhoushan authorities and the Ningbo government jointly arrested Sun Feizhou, a remnant of the Eighteenth Zhizhi Party, in Ningbo City. Duan Tiancheng acted on behalf of Haihan and jointly carried out the operation with Cui Hongfang, the commander of Ningbo Dinghaiwei.

Although that operation failed to capture Sun Feizhou alive in the end, and he was allowed to commit suicide by taking poison before being arrested, it still successfully destroyed the stronghold of the Eighteen Zhiyu Party in Ningbo City, and seized the secretly hidden muskets and ammunition. It was basically completed.

predetermined goal.

In fact, because the arrest was carried out in Ningbo City, it was not convenient for the Haihan Army to carry out the mission. Cui Hongfang's people were responsible for the entire arrest. Duan Tiancheng was only supervising the operation at the scene as a military observer. It could be said that it was relaxed and easy.

Happy. Putting him in charge of this task is partly because Shi Diwen arranged for him to improve his record.

Of course, this arrangement was also based on the trust in Duan Tiancheng's ability. Shi Diwen would not have wine bags and rice bags under him. Later, he went to fight in Hirado. Of course, Duan Tiancheng was also in the fleet. After he came back, he described it to his cousin Xuan Xiangming.

Some combat experiences were spread to Ma Zhengping through Xuan Xiangming.

Duan Tiancheng was born in the Ming Dynasty, so he had no objections to meeting people from the Ming Dynasty. Xuan Xiangming said that he wanted to introduce a businessman who admired him to get to know him. Duan Tiancheng agreed after asking about his identity.

Why did the salt merchant from Yangzhou take the initiative to get to know him? Duan Tiancheng certainly would not ignore such a question. He probably knew much more about what happened in Yangzhou than Ma Zhengping, the person involved. At that time, he and Gong Shiqi led a team to Yangzhou

Ji Yuanqing was a good friend of Duan Tiancheng. Duan Tiancheng also understood the attitude of the Zhoushan authorities towards the Yangzhou salt merchants.

It goes without saying that the Yangzhou salt merchants who can come to Zhoushan Island must belong to the group that is attracted by the Zhoushan authorities. After arriving in Zhoushan, it is expected that these salt merchants will try their best to get acquainted with officials and take the upper-level route. After all, their future operations in Yangzhou

The prospects largely depend on how much support the Zhoushan authorities will give them. Duan Tiancheng believes that the other party may have some special purpose after this roundabout way of finding his own head.

However, Duan Tiancheng doesn't mind this. Since he wants something from himself, he will definitely provide some benefits in exchange for his cooperation. The Yangzhou salt merchant is one of the richest in the world, so he probably won't be shabby at all, so he can look forward to it a little.
Chapter completed!