On April 28, 4332 (the eighth year of Chongzhen), the construction of the largest wharf in Guangzhou was completed.
The large-scale cement pier can accommodate hundreds of ships.
There are also steam engine cranes on the dock to facilitate the rapid unloading of cargo ships.
The construction of the wharf was completed and the relevant yamen were started.
Zhou Qiniu, director of the Guangdong Shipping Department, came to the most prominent building at the dock and hung a sign next to the door.
[Guangdong Ship Division]
The Municipal Shipping Department has been preparing for a long time and has made all preparations for the opening of the sea ban.
Zhou Qiniu approached the Shibo Department, and other officials from the Shibo Department followed closely and walked in.
They are all elite tax police transferred from various places. After many trainings, they have mastered the relevant knowledge of sea trade.
There are also some people, who are veterans from the Hanshui Navy and the Yangtze River Navy, who form an anti-smuggling team dedicated to the Municipal Shipping Department.
The gate of the dock opened, and many businessmen waiting outside poured into the dock.
These businessmen quickly arrived at the gate of the Guangdong Municipal Shipping Bureau and waited for the official opening of the Municipal Shipping Bureau.
Yang Wencai is also waiting here. The company must be registered with the Municipal Shipping Department, and the goods must pay taxes through the Municipal Shipping Department.
The ship can sail out of the port and obtain a numbered certificate and flag.
With these two things in mind, the anti-smuggling team of the Municipal Shipping Department will let this cargo ship go when patrolling the sea.
The door of Shibo Division opened, and a strong man walked out with a serious look on his face.
When Yang Wencai saw this man, his calves were trembling.
Zhou Qiniu didn't expect that he would be transferred to Shibo Division.
The King of Qin transferred this guy here to strictly control the commercial taxes on maritime trade.
Zhou Qiniu is a guy who, to put it nicely, is called selfless, but to put it badly, he is called disowning his relatives.
Zhou Qiniu's original position was just one of the three tax inspection teams of the Baoji Prefecture Taxation Bureau.
His uncle knew the operating procedures of the tax bureau and evaded a large amount of tax.
Zhou Qiniu investigated the tax evasion case and found it on his uncle.
He did not tolerate the traitor and sent his uncle directly to prison, which was appreciated by his superiors.
Zhou Qiniu handled several important cases involving powerful people, and became famous.
Others did not dare to investigate thoroughly, but Zhou Qiniu used his recklessness to investigate the case immediately.
He arrested twenty-six nobles, one prefect, seven county magistrates, and countless minor officials and officials.
Yang Wencai personally saw Zhou Qiniu leading the tax police into Ding's factory and scrutinizing every account book.
In the end, it was discovered that there were no problems with other factories of the Ding family, only this factory was evading taxes.
A shopkeeper and three clerks were arrested, and Ding Wannian was fined more than 200,000 taels of silver coins.
If Brother Ding hadn't kept clear records in his accounts, every tax would have been paid.
After what Zhou Qiniu did, the Ding family was probably in trouble.
Who would have thought that a high-status family like the Ding family would be severely investigated by the tax police.
When Yang Wencai saw Zhou Qiniu, he felt that these maritime merchants in Guangdong would be in big trouble if they tried to evade taxes.
Zhou Qiniu walked out of the Shibosi Yamen and looked sharply at the many businessmen outside the Shibosi.
He waved his hand, and the officials from the Shipping Department took out a few official documents and posted them on the bulletin board outside the Yamen.
Zhou Qiniu said: “The Municipal Shipping Department’s import and export catalog and cargo tariffs are now being announced.
All merchants who want to engage in maritime trade, after registering their company with the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, come to us to register and pay taxes on related goods.
Sea trade is currently only carried out at Guangzhou Wharf. After other wharves are built, the Municipal Shipping Department will gradually allow sea trade at these wharves."
After Zhou Qiniu finished speaking, he approached the Shipping Department. The anti-smuggling team was about to kill the chickens and scare the monkeys. He was going to mobilize the anti-smuggling team.
Yang Wencai looked at the relevant policies announced by the Shipping Department.
What he is most concerned about is the tariff on silk.
Yang Wencai was the first to see the catalog that prohibited exports.
Exports of food, technical books, steam engines and other items are prohibited.
He found tariffs on silk, and the export tariff on silk was as high as fifty percent.
The price of silk is calculated based on the market price in Guangzhou.
The market price of a piece of silk is 5 taels of silver coins, and the shipping department charges a tax of 2.5 taels of silver coins for each piece of silk.
When Yang Wencai saw this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Goods are taxed based on the market price here in Guangzhou, not based on the total transaction amount.
A piece of silk in Luzon is worth about 23 taels of silver coins.
The price of silk he purchased from his factory was 4.5 taels of silver coins.
In this way, he does not count the profit of the textile factory. The cost of each piece of silk is 7 taels of silver coins. If the transaction is successful, the profit of each piece of silk is 16 taels of silver coins.
After deducting the cost of ships and personnel, these costs were higher, and each piece of silk could only make a profit of 10 taels of silver coins.
He prepared 60,000 pieces of silk. If the transaction was successful, he would make a profit of 600,000 taels of silver coins.
This is thanks to the current industrial development, 60,000 pieces of silk can be produced in two months.
If there were no machinery such as steam engines and flying shuttle looms.
It was impossible for Yang Wencai to produce so much silk.
The price of sea trade was too high, no wonder the southeastern gentry held on to it.
Yang Wencai was so excited that he couldn't help it anymore and wanted to go to sea as soon as possible to earn a lot of silver.
He immediately approached the Municipal Shipping Department, registered his ship, and prepaid taxes on the goods.
Before going to sea, if the cargo is loaded, the official of the Municipal Shipping Department will stamp it and issue a certificate after verifying that it is correct.
Yang Wencai personally experienced the entire process this time.
After going through the whole process, as an elderly person, he felt that the process was very simple.
In the future, you can rest assured that the shopkeeper will take care of your business.
After Yang Wencai had completed all the procedures, he saw Li Gong, the president of the Shu Chamber of Commerce, standing under the bulletin board in a daze.
"President Li Gong, I didn't hear that you also purchased sea ships to prepare for overseas trade."
“My factory is developing and I can’t leave it for now.
I came here today just to take a look at the import and export tariffs on sugar cane.
If I can get a lot of cheap sugar cane, I will adjust the production plan of the sugar factory in time."
When Yang Wencai heard what Li Gong said, he understood Li Gong's worries.
Silk is a unique business in China, and he is not worried about silk coming in to impact the textile factory's business.
But sugar cane is different. There must be many places suitable for growing sugar cane overseas. You must always pay attention to the prices of sugar and sugar cane.
Li Gong said with relief: "Fortunately, the Shipping Department protects related industries, and the import price of raw materials and tariffs are very low.
There are basically no tariffs on grain, and the tariff on sugarcane is only 0.5%."
"Chairman Li Gong, I see that the import tariff on sugar is very low, and it is still on the export prohibited list.
The sugar you produce cannot be exported overseas and you cannot make huge profits. I see how you are still very happy."
Yang Wencai asked doubtfully.
If the silk cannot be exported and all his preparations are in vain, he will definitely go crazy with heartache.
Li Gong said calmly: "The price of sugar was already very high, and now the supply exceeds demand.
The King of Qin will not agree to the export of sugar. I have been prepared for this for a long time.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed that all products that can be exported are either oversupplied or have little export impact.
All products that affect people's livelihood are not allowed to be exported."
Yang Wencai turned his attention to the import and export catalog again, and found that what Li Gong said was indeed true.
He wanted to comfort Li Gong with a few words, but found that this man was very open-minded.
When Li Shengli walked out of the Shipping Department, he found that his friend Liu Sanfeng did not come to the Shipping Department.
He thought in his mind: "It's over, Liu Sanfeng must have not listened to my words and wanted to smuggle goods.
He also said that he would start going to sea soon.
Liu Sanfeng was so anxious that he couldn't wait for a few days to see which way the wind blows before making a decision.
It’s hard to survive the war disaster, don’t involve your family again because of greed.”
…………………………
Zhou Qiniu came to the dock. There were three armed merchant ships and more than forty sailing boats.
The armed merchant ship is full of artillery, with more than thirty artillery pieces on one side.
He looked at the many tax policemen from the anti-smuggling team and said in a serious tone: "We got a tip.
The former maritime merchants of Guangdong, the Liu family and the stewards continued their maritime smuggling activities.
This is contempt for our shipping department, and they must be taught a profound lesson.
These three newly built armed merchant ships at the Guangdong Shipyard were originally intended for use by the military.
I tried my best to find Governor Su Xiong and Governor Li Qingmu many times.
Finally, these three armed merchant ships were allocated to our Municipal Shipping Department.
Each of these three armed merchant ships has six naval guns.
In the past, merchants and pirates were basically two sides of the same coin. Those people also had artillery on their ships, but they could never stop the armed merchant ships of the anti-smuggling team.
When you go on your first expedition, you must make a name for yourself as a shipping company, and you must only win and not lose."
Du Changqing, captain of the Anti-Smuggling Team of the Municipal Shipping Department, took the lead in replying: "I promise to complete the task and catch these two families."
If the Municipal Shipping Department tax police catch people who evade taxes, the yamen will get 10% of the case value reward, and they, the tax police, can get 1%.
The share may not seem high, but the total amount of maritime smuggling is so huge that every tax police officer who successfully handles a case will receive a large amount of money.
"I have definite information. These two families will set out from the Pearl River Estuary in Xinhui County tonight. We must stop them. The evidence is conclusive and the case is sealed.
Set off now, I'm waiting for your good news."
Zhou Qiniu waved his hand, and Du Changqing led the tax policemen from the anti-smuggling team, boarded the armed merchant ship, and all the tax policemen from the anti-smuggling team set off.
…………………………
On the edge of the Pearl River in Xinhui County, thirteen large ships were docked at a hidden pier.
"Move quickly and don't make any noise.
This is precious porcelain, as well as newly produced glasses from the glass factory.
Be sure not to break these glasses. I bought a glass for 800 taels of silver in Luzon Island.
The glasses sold in Guangzhou only cost ten copper coins, and you can buy a similar glass.
Even if we only sell it for eight taels of silver, we can make a fortune this time."
Liu Sanfeng longed for the scene where he would make a fortune.
When he saw a glass in Guangzhou, selling for a minimum of five copper coins, he felt dizzy.
Three years ago, he spent 800 taels of silver in Manila, Luzon Island, to buy a beautiful glass.
Package it in a beautiful box and send it to Nanjing.
I didn't expect this kind of thing to be so cheap now.
Then he thought that this was a good opportunity to make a fortune.
The red-haired man couldn't take something worth only ten copper coins and sell it to him for eight hundred taels of silver.
Guan Bao came over worriedly.
"Cousin, I heard that the Guangdong Shipping Company was established today, and we have been able to survive for several months.
Why are we conducting sea trade again today? Isn’t this provoking them?”
The Liu family and the housekeeper have been married for generations and have always had a good relationship.
Liu Sanfeng looked at his cousin and explained: "We can only go to sea after the establishment of the Shipping Department.
Small warships of the Qin Army's navy are constantly patrolling the sea.
Occasionally, there would be fierce conflicts with the Ming Navy.
Now the Qin Navy has beaten the warships of the Ming Navy so that they dare not approach the shore.
The Qin army's navy has many warships constantly patrolling the sea.
Our merchant ships, fully loaded with cargo, cannot run as fast as warships.
The appearance of merchant ships is also very different from that of fishing boats, and they can be recognized at a glance.
When we went to sea before, we were just a drop of ink on a white paper, very obvious.
Now that the Shipping Department has been established, many people are involved in maritime trade.
If we go to sea at this time, we will not be conspicuous and can deceive the Qin army and navy.
The anti-smuggling team of the Municipal Shipping Department only has a few people and a few ships. If they want to catch us, they are looking for a needle in a haystack."
After Guan Bao heard Liu Sanfeng's explanation, he understood why he was going to sea now.
All the goods were loaded and the boats were hidden among the reeds by the river.
Liu Sanfeng and others were eating the already cold food. They did not dare to light a fire to heat the food, for fear that the smoke released would be noticed by others.
Guan Bao said worriedly: "We haven't gone to sea for half a year, and we haven't sent money to the big bosses at sea.
I didn’t buy a traffic flag, so I don’t know if our ship will be intercepted by these people.
Especially the big pirate Liu Xiang, in order to intimidate us maritime merchants, he was extremely cruel."
Liu Sanfeng said in a relaxed tone: "Don't worry! These people also know about the changes in Guangdong.
There was still a little bit of incense before, and all beasts know the difference between a full meal and a full meal.
There are also smart people among these pirates who know not to fish in the marsh.
They also want to collect money with peace of mind in the future, and they will definitely contact us first after we go overseas."
Time passed quickly, and the sky turned completely dark.
Thirteen large ships slowly sailed out of the reed marsh under the moonlight.
For fear of being discovered by others, no lanterns were lit on the boat. They were all veterans of sailing and relied on their previous experience to sail the boat out of the Pearl River Estuary.
…………………………
Du Changqing was waiting on the sea outside the Pearl River Estuary.
"Captain, is Director Zhou's information accurate? It's so dark now, and we can't see any ships coming out.
Do we need to ask each ship to turn on the carbide lights on the bows and search the sea surface?"
"Use a small boat to inform each ship, continue to keep the lights silent, and wait for the signal from the small boat.
Even if we wait until tomorrow morning, we will never scare away this big fish just because we are trying to scare the snake away."
Du Changqing remained calm and calm, he believed in the accuracy of the information.
This is information provided by a small official in the Guangzhou government. He will never provide false information at the expense of his official position.
Small boats of the anti-smuggling team are constantly cruising off the Pearl River Estuary, waiting for prey to appear.
Suddenly, a small boat discovered traces of the target fleet.
He turned on the carbide lamp on the bow of the ship, which directly illuminated the surrounding sea area.
The tax policeman on the lookout atop the mast of the armed merchant ship shouted excitedly: "Thirteen sea-going ships were spotted ahead, which are very similar to the target."
Du Changqing looked ahead, and saw thirteen large sea ships illuminated by carbide lamps, preparing to enter the sea from the Pearl River.
"If you dare to resist the order to launch an attack, you will allow the shelling."
The flagship sends an attack signal.
Armed merchant ships from the Municipal Shipping Department's anti-smuggling team immediately surrounded these thirteen ships.
Liu Sanfeng saw a large number of armed merchant ships surrounding them.
He turned pale with fright.
"How is this possible? We are finished.
The news about going to sea is so secret, how on earth did it leak out?"
Liu Sanfeng sat slumped on the deck. These fully loaded cargo ships could not outrun the armed merchant ships.
There are three cannons on the cargo ship. If you fire them to resist now, you are seeking death.
He had seen how powerful the Qin army's artillery was.
Du Changqing led the armed merchant ships of the anti-smuggling team, surrounded the smuggling ships, took control of all the smuggling ships, and captured the smuggling gang.