"Damn it, these Chinese actually established settlements on the north shore of China. How many people did they come to?" Simpson lost his temper in Resoluschenberg.
During this time, he was still wondering why no indigenous people came to trade.
He was still wondering if it was because of what happened to these indigenous people on the road.
But winter is coming soon. If these people don't come to trade, then when winter comes, no one will come to trade.
However, this year the trade target assigned to him by the Northwest Company was less than half of the original one.
What should I do?
In desperation, Simpson could only take the risk and send a small team to the north shore to investigate the situation.
I didn’t know this, but it turned out that these Chinese also established settlements on the north bank.
Why are there so many Chinese?
Then the matter can be easily explained. The natives who were trading from the north to the south must have been intercepted by these Chinese.
Let the Eagle Tribe hold back the Chinese on the south bank of the Great Lakes, preventing them from developing properly and accumulating supplies.
This is the limit of what Simpson can do.
The north coast is even more desolate than the south, and there are not even large-scale indigenous people.
Simpson's plan to kill someone with a borrowed knife simply wouldn't work there.
In other words, he currently does not have the ability to cross the Great Lakes to conduct expeditions to those Chinese settlements.
"Mr. Black, the number of these Chinese is obviously more than we thought. Oh my God, how can there be so many of them? With so many people staying in this desolate place, have their brains rusted? I think your Excellency
It's best to report the situation here to the Governor." Simpson could only tell Black about this matter. The current situation was no longer something he, the head of a small trading post, could solve.
Simpson's first priority now is to find a way to complete this year's trade tasks.
The company has already collected deposits from customers in advance, and will hand over the furs to them in winter.
Everyone knows that the colder the place, the better the quality of the fur.
The sea otter skins and fox skins of the northern Indians, as well as the white bear skins and seal skins of the Inuit people, are all very popular furs.
Nowadays, the international fur market is basically occupied by the Chinese and Tsarist Russians.
Originally, the Tsarist Russians were the largest suppliers. However, as they lost most of their hunting lands and the hunting land resources decreased, the Tsarist Russians have taken a back seat.
The Chinese have now become the main suppliers.
And their Northwest Company guards the indigenous trade in northern Canada and North America, and also controls part of the high-end market.
The people doing business with them are all big shots in Europe.
In order to better occupy the market, Northwest Company adopts an ordering system.
Customers place an order in advance and then select the goods according to the order of the order.
Each fur is unique. Customers who place an order first have priority in selecting.
I have to say, this is a very good marketing strategy.
It can lock in customers. However, there is also a problem, which is to ensure the stability of the supply of goods. If the goods cannot be called, a large amount of liquidated damages must be paid to them.
Northwest Company has summarized the rules over the years and can calculate a rough amount.
Then they will place the order according to that minimum value, which is considered a safe approach of the Discipline Inspection Commission.
Well now, Simpson can't complete the task here, there is still such a large quantity shortage.
And they are all the rarest white bear skins, sea otter skins, seal skins...
Where can these shortfalls be filled?
At this time, the Sanchahe settlement in the north.
Zhang Sen is taking the settlement's trade manager to count the harvest of these days.
Ten white bear skins, fifty-five sea otter skins, eighty-two seal skins, one hundred and sixty-three deer skins, one hundred and ten fox skins...
Zhang Sen touched the white bear skin with his hand.
It's so damn soft and smooth! It's as smooth as the skin on a big girl's legs. If this was made into a mattress and you stripped naked and lay on it, I don't know how comfortable it would be.
"Captain Zhang, these are all good things. This kind of white bear skin and fox skin can only be obtained in winter. And in that season, only Inuit people can survive on the ice sheet." The trade team leader also talked to a native
Like a rich man, he caressed the leather with his hands.
"Captain, I told the Inuit people to get some seabird down and bring it over next year. They catch seabirds in the summer, and most of the bird feathers were wasted by them in the past. These Arctic sea birds
If the bird down is brought back to the country, it will definitely sell for a big price." To engage in trade with these indigenous people, it is not just about letting them know what they need to buy.
Let them discover more things that are useful to them.
For example, they used to only trade for some tools.
This time Zhang Sen deliberately let them understand the usefulness of tea to them and that seasonings can improve the taste of food.
They are also shown how to use more tools.
Later they will know that these things also need to be exchanged.
At the same time, you have to tell them what they can exchange for.
In the past, they only knew that animal skins were useful. Now let them know that seal oil, seabird down and even the gold sand they picked up can be exchanged for things.
This way they will deliberately collect these things in the future.
Some things they used to just throw away, but now they know they will keep them, which not only avoids waste, but also generates value.
This is the business experience summarized by the Renaissance Army in Siberia and the Far East. When doing business with the indigenous people, you must be like a parent and teach them step by step how to do it so that both parties can benefit.
This time, Lao Zhang sent some tea, corn and potatoes to each of these people when they returned.
In the future, they will gradually understand that tea can replace the internal organs of animals to a certain extent and provide them with vitamins and minerals.
Plants such as corn, which are easy to preserve, can be used in emergencies when they migrate.
In the future, they will gradually become inseparable from these things.
In this case, the trade between the Renaissance Army and them will become bigger and bigger.
"Hahaha, we have made a fortune, we have made a fortune, we must keep this trade line. Wait until next year, we will take a boat to the lower reaches and trade directly with these people. Our Fuxing Army's business is to provide perfect service." Zhang Senle said.
Laughing loudly.
It turns out that he, Lao Zhang, is not only good at cutting down trees and becoming a carpenter, he is also doing a very good job in this business.
"Captain Zhang, a fleet has arrived from upstream." At this time, a militiaman on guard came over to report.
"Is it from the south or the west?" Zhang Sen asked.
They were here at the confluence of two rivers. The militiamen did not say clearly where they came from.
"They came from the west," the militiaman quickly explained.
After a while, Gao Jun came over with hundreds of people.
Most of them were Indians wearing animal skin clothing.
They drove dozens of boats in total, all of which were large canoes that had just been built.
"Platoon Leader Gao, why are you here? Have things been settled over the river bend?" Zhang Sen asked.
"Well, yes, Uncle Zhang, our first season of food has been harvested, and the construction of the camp has been basically completed. We conquered many Indians some time ago, and most of them have been arranged to build ships. You see, these canoes
They were the ones who made it."
Zhang Sen is a carpenter, and he can see at a glance that the workmanship of these canoes is very fine.
The thickness of the ship's walls is uniform, and the carvings on the bow are also very elegant.
"Well, the workmanship is very good. Are these made by Indians?" Zhang Sen asked in disbelief.
"Well, yes, Uncle Zhang, I have to say that these Indians are all natural carpenters, and they have very strong hands-on skills. If you give them the tools at hand, they can do carpentry work very well." Gao Jun continued to explain.
.
Originally, Zhang Sen's eyes lit up when he looked at these ships, thinking about how many to keep, but now he couldn't move his eyes away when he saw the Indians carrying things.
That's right, that's really good. These Indians cannot be wasted, and all of them must be left for him, Zhang Sen, to be his apprentice.
Hahaha……
Zhang Sen laughed in his heart, as if he had discovered some treasure.
"Gao Jun, we have no shortage of supplies here. You can send them all to the Hunan settlement, which is our farthest settlement on the southern shore of Hunan. Team Zhao is personally stationed there, and your leader, Company Commander Wang, is also there. I heard that there is no shortage of supplies there.
In peacetime, the British have caused the prairie Indians to constantly harass the settlements. They probably don't have the energy to reserve enough supplies."
"Originally, I was planning to send things there, but there were not enough ships. Your fleet arrived just in time. Using these ships to transport supplies is much faster than rafts."
Zhang Sen said, and then he talked about his key points.
"Gao Jun, look at the settlement I'm responsible for. From now on, our area of wood processing will definitely be placed here. The Indians you brought here can be placed here and left to me to take care of."
"We must use good steel on the blade."
"But, Uncle Zhang, I only brought dozens of my own people, and there are not enough people to row the boat!" Gao Jun and these Indians all helped with the work.
He brought dozens of his own people mainly for security purposes, and all the work was done by the Indians.
"Oh, Gao Jun, this is easy to handle. There are people here, Uncle Zhang. Without further ado, you guys have something to eat and rest for a while. I'll let someone pack the food. After you have eaten, I will assign another hundred people to you. You will
Send the supplies to Team Zhao and the others." Zhang Sen said as he arranged Gao Jun's itinerary.
Just keep the Indians for Zhang Sen.
Originally, these Indians were also planned to be placed downstream.
Both he and Ji Qiang felt that there were too many Indians around their camp.
Of course Grizzly Bear couldn't stay. He had to continue to follow Gao Jun.
"Team Gao, this is the territory of the prairie people, it's very dangerous." The grizzly bear became a little restless after entering the lower reaches.
The Indians on the grasslands are ferocious and cruel, and they are like a nightmare to forest tribes like them.
"Don't worry, Grizzly Bear. Our Dragon Tribe is here. If these prairie people don't behave well, we will destroy them." Gao Jun comforted.
After resting at the Sanchahe settlement, Gao Jun continued to take the people out, and this time the people rowing became members of the pioneering team.
The north wind has started to blow recently.
At that moment, Zhang Sen had already led people to install simple sails on these small boats.
This way they will go much faster if they continue going south.
"Uncle Zhang, thank you very much. You are still very good. Our canoe can be regarded as a shotgun for a cannon." Gao Jun said gratefully.
His next stop was the river mouth settlement managed by Xiang Yong. This was the estuary area where the Mackenzie River and the Great Slave Lake met.
The excess water from Great Slave Lake flows into the Mackenzie River from this estuary, and then into the Arctic Ocean.