Throughout the afternoon, Dong Shuheng accompanied Wei Yuzhen to play in Yu Garden. In fact, they just took a walk, chatted, and occasionally said some love words.
Everyone should have noticed that Dong Shuheng is not good at talking about love. Every time he wants to please a girl, he seems naive and childish. Every time when a girl is attracted, he pretends to be stupid and dumbfounded.
…
For dinner, Yang Fang specially invited his daughter Yang Changmei and a group of Shanghai ladies to accompany the prospective "Mrs." of Huaihai Navy.
Yang Changmei is married to Liu Qingbei, and she is considered one of Huai Haijun's own. Her father, Yang Fang, originally started his career as a translator for foreigners, and now he is married to Liu Qingbei, who also has to frequently interact with the outside world. Yang Changmei is naturally generous,
In addition, she is well-informed and not comparable to ordinary women.
It was rare for Wei Yuzhen to meet a woman who was so easy to talk to, and she had a very happy chat with her. The two of them called themselves sisters. In the evening, there were two banquet tables, one for male guests and one for female relatives, and they all had a great time chatting with each other.
Among the male guests were Liu Qingbei, who was stationed in Shanghai in the Huaihai Navy, Hu Guangyong, the county magistrate Yuan Zude, and some celebrities and wealthy businessmen in Shanghai.
At the dinner table, everyone was chatting about the recent price increase. It is already October, and this year's raw silk, tea, and porcelain are all out of stock. The prices in the market have risen in response. The key is that there is a price but no market.
There is no telegraph connection between the East and the West, and information transmission is not smooth. Therefore, the news that there is no goods here has not yet reached Europe, and the merchant ships in the west are still rushing to the east one by one as usual.
In fact, Dong Shuheng's daring to fight this trade war this time is taking advantage of Westerners' shortcomings of long distances and poor information. If the submarine cable is connected in a few years, there will be no way to play like this.
On the one hand, the trade war depends on who controls production, and on the other hand, it depends on who controls the information.
Now the information is in Dong Shuheng's hands, and the source of goods is also in Dong Shuheng's hands. There is indeed no goods on the market, and Westerners have to buy. At this time, the decision-making power of price is in Dong Shuheng's hands.
…
"Recently, the prices of raw silk, tea and porcelain have been rising steadily. The foreign ships on the Shanghai pier are almost overwhelmed, and they are all waiting for the goods. The threshold of my foreign business is about to be crossed by those foreigners. It's good to say
I'm willing to pay a 30% premium for a basketful of baskets. I've never seen a foreigner talk to Ala in such a polite way before." The owner of a foreign bank said proudly at the table.
"Isn't that bad? The more expensive this thing is, the more profitable it is." Yang Fang said with a smile.
"Okay, okay, but those Cantonese guys are spreading rumors and saying that they want to increase supply from Guangzhou. What if all the foreigners go to Guangzhou?" The man looked at Hu Guangyong and said. This man was obviously a Zhejiang businessman.
It was Hu Guangyong who pulled me into this hoarding team.
"Boss Zhao, there's no need to worry. These guys from the Thirteenth Line won't be able to buy much. They've already shifted their focus to Shanghai. Just wait and see!" Hu Guangyong said.
Boss Zhao is obviously not at ease yet.
But at this time, Dong Shuheng spoke, and everyone's attention was attracted: "If you are worried, Huaihai and Yangtze are willing to buy your goods at the current price."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was silent for a while. Dong Shuheng's words finally gave everyone a reassurance.
These people are all smart people. They said so much just to test Dong Shuheng? They all know that this is the talker.
…
In Tianjing City, at a dock on the bank of the Yangtze River, Yang Ximei and Fu Shanxiang were receiving and counting two ships of goods.
"Master Yang, we have checked everything. There are 20,000 shi of rice in total. They are all new rice and no sand or gravel has been added." Fu Shanxiang reported to Yang Ximei. She is now assisting Yang Ximei in taking charge of the Taiping Army's foreign trade.
In fact, they are just trading with the Huai Navy. How can other people have the courage to trade with them? Even if they want to trade with the Taiping Army, the Yangtze River waterway is still watched by the Huai Navy.
"Transfer everything to the warehouse in Xiaguan." Yang Ximei ordered. What she is doing now is to use the power in Yang Xiuqing's hands to purchase tea from the Taiping Army's control area in southern Anhui and porcelain from the control area around Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. This
The two areas are precisely important tea-producing areas and porcelain-producing areas.
These supplies were then exchanged with the Huai Navy for food, salt, seafood, cotton and other living supplies. These supplies were exchanged by Yang Xiuqing, which greatly helped Yang Xiuqing expand his power.
The Taiping Army is not monolithic. There are so many kings, each with their own power. But people are all realistic. I have a lot of supplies, and my men can be fed and clothed, so everyone is naturally more willing to join me.
For this trade war, Dong Shuheng opened up a hole in the tightly controlled grain trade. However, these grains were all bought from Nanyang. In many cases, the ships were sailed directly into the Yangtze River and sent to Tianjing? Not halfway through.
With transfer.
This is already the fifth batch of transactions this month. Although the rice Dong Shuheng sold them is not cheap, it does not require cash, as long as it is delivered with the designated goods. And these are the best Siamese rice. If sold
To the powerful people in Tianjing City, the price can be twice that of ordinary grain.
Yang Ximei didn't know why her brother wanted so many supplies, and she didn't know why Dong Shuheng wanted these goods. These two men were somewhat unpredictable.
She herself just wants to give the people of Tianjing City more life. Those goods are inedible. When the food enters Tianjing City, it may not necessarily enter the hands of the people, but the total amount of food has increased, and more of it will eventually flow into the hands of the people. The rich
If they can't eat so much food, they will always exchange food for services or other things.
Yang Ximei stayed in Huaihai Haijun for a while and learned nothing else. She learned a lot of business principles from Dong Shuheng, two sisters who knew how to do business.
…
The room where the women of Yu Garden are.
Yang Changmei is the person who can bring the atmosphere at the wine table. Under the greetings of the sisters at the table, Wei Yuzhen also drank a little rice wine.
These women all have an average capacity to drink, and their chatterboxes are all open while they drink.
"Sister, I'm asking you, when are you going to marry our president?" Yang Changmei saw that Wei Yuzhen was not a shy and conservative girl, so she asked directly.
After Dong Shuheng's father passed away, Liu Mingyuan always regarded Dong Shuheng as his nephew. Liu Qingbei also always regarded Dong Shuheng as his younger brother. Compared to his older, rougher brother, he preferred Dong Shuheng.
Yang Changmei is also half a sister-in-law, so there's nothing wrong with asking about her brother-in-law's marriage. Anyway, it's just a whisper among women.
"Sister, you can't ask me this, you have to ask Shu Heng." Wei Yuzhen replied shyly, lowering her head.
"People like the president, who are young, occupy a high position, and have many things to deal with every day, are basically just sticks. If you expect them to take the initiative and think about it first, it is impossible. So, sister, we still have to take the initiative.
Some."
"Don't forget that he seems to be pampering you after something happens, but when he gets busy, he forgets everything."
"Sister, stop talking. I know it. I think we are still young, and I still want to do things outside for a few years. I'm worried that after getting married, I will have to stay at home." Wei Yuzhen was serious this time.
So shy.
"Sister, you haven't spent much time in Shanghai. Those foreign women still go out every day when they get married. And if you are married, the president will have to take you with him wherever he goes. This is called social etiquette among foreigners."
Dong Shuheng is not here. If he is here and has to take Wei Yuzhen away, he cannot let his sister-in-law lead him astray.
…
In the evening, Dong Shuheng and Wei Yuzhen lived in the same courtyard, and they walked back together. On the way, Dong Shuheng felt that Wei Yuzhen was always hesitant to speak.
When sending Wei Yuzhen back to her room, he clearly saw that Wei Yuzhen wanted to speak, but she didn't know why she swallowed it back. The two said to each other to have a good rest, and then went back to their rooms.
When Wei Yuzhen returned to the room, she stamped her feet angrily and cursed: "What a stick!"
Dong Shuheng has always felt that girls in this era are more conservative and shy. Therefore, he only dares to joke with Wei Yuzhen and never does anything inappropriate.
In the days after taking over, Dong Shuheng has been presiding over the trade war in Shanghai. The situation is changing rapidly. Dong Shuheng must be in Shanghai, the front line of the trade war.
Only here can he quickly grasp information. In Shanghai these days, the commodity transaction volume is very low, and Chinese businessmen are hoarding goods to cover their orders.
British and French merchants were now placing their hope in the big comprador of Guangdong No. 13 Bank to help them move goods.
At this time, Dong Shuheng needs a lever to break this balance.
Shanghai Customs Official Residence, where are basically all the businessmen from the Guangzhou Gang in Shanghai today?
"Where did the goods we transferred from Sichuan and Yunnan go?" Wu Jianzhang asked.
A businessman at the bottom got anxious and replied: "There has been no news for three days. We have agreed to report every day."
This time, these thirteen businessmen also fought hard. They were too tied to the foreigners and could not fight the foreign devils with real swords and guns like the businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
After the price of goods began to rise, the British and French consuls had already talked to him. They asked Wu Jianzhang to find a way to get the goods. In fact, in the past, most foreign goods were shipped from the 13th Bank.
But the goods of Thirteenth Line were also bought from other merchants. Now other merchants insist that there is no goods to sell. In addition, the Taiping Army has indeed occupied southern Anhui and most of Jiangxi.
Businessmen are also worried about future supply shortages. They think it’s okay even if they keep it in their hands, and at worst, they can sell it domestically later.
Anyone who does business knows that when goods are scarce, prices will inevitably rise.
Wu Jianzhang was very nervous when he heard such a report. The Thirteenth Party went all out to adjust the goods and used all their resources.
Wu Jianzhang even invited a 500-man foreign gun team to escort him. You must know that this long-distance escort operation costs a lot. Moreover, the goods were mainly transferred from Sichuan and Yunnan-Guizhou areas. Yunnan-Guizhou is also an important producing area of tea, and Sichuan is rich in tea.
Silk and porcelain are also produced in Henan.
In order to further ensure safety, in terms of cargo transportation routes, goods from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan go through Guangxi to the sea. Porcelain from Henan goes through Shandong.
But now there is a problem with these lines. Where exactly is the problem? I can’t tell clearly.