As the name suggests, Tsushima is on the island of Tsushima.
According to the distance between the daimyo and the shogunate during the shogunate era, it is no surprise that Tsuima Domain was a remote and remote area.
After the Korean War, through long-term and arduous negotiations, North Korea and Japan finally signed the "Treaty of Keichang" in 1609. Relations between North Korea and Japan normalized and trade between them was restored.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was granted the title of Tsuima Domain's 100,000-stone daimyo for his contribution to the restoration of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. He was responsible for diplomacy with North Korea.
When it was decided to assist Mang Gurtai, General Wu and others from the direction of Sakhalin, Zuo Menggeng knew that Tsushima could not be avoided.
To get to Sakhalin Island, you must pass through the Tsushima Strait.
You can pass through at night once or twice, but it must not become the norm.
In this case, conducting diplomatic and commercial activities with Busan and Tsushima in North Korea became the first choice.
To accomplish this, you must obtain Zheng Zhilong’s permission.
This request may seem excessive, but in fact it has no impact on Zheng Zhilong.
What Zheng Zhilong values more is the route from Jiangnan and Nanyang to Japan.
As for North Korea, it was too poor to squeeze out two ounces of oil and its geographical location was too far north. Zheng Zhilong had no desire at all.
What's more, Liao Zhongjian made it clear that he is still solely responsible for Fuyao Glass's business in Japan.
His own interests were not damaged, he was eager to get the Napoleon cannon, and he didn't have enough money to pay for the goods. After some thought, Zheng Zhilong finally made a decision.
"Mr. Liao's words are very good. If the tax money paid by Shandong can be used to offset part of the payment for the artillery, it will be the best of both worlds."
Liao Zhongjian took advantage of the situation and said: "Before coming down, I have received full authorization from my general. The total price of the artillery purchased by Zheng is 350,000 taels. Of which, 200,000 taels can be used to offset the tax paid by our Shandong cargo ship. Is it okay?"
"
Zheng Zhilong thought about it for a while.
The discount of 200,000 taels is equivalent to a Shandong cargo ship that can run a hundred times, and it only runs the North Korea and Tsushima routes, which will have no impact on Zheng's business.
"good!"
Hearing Zheng Zhilong agreed, Liao Zhongjian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he felt that he had suffered a big loss in this transaction, this was what Zuo Mengeng had told him, and he could only follow it.
On that day, Liao Zhongjian and Zheng Zhilong signed several agreements on artillery sales.
According to the agreement, Shandong must provide Zheng with one hundred small Napoleon naval guns and thirty heavy Napoleon naval guns before six months.
Shandong obtained the right to pass one hundred duty-free passages to North Korea and the Tsuima-fan route, and permanently obtained the right to sell other commodities except glass to Tsuima-fan.
Since Zheng was unable to pay the remaining artillery money at once, the two parties decided to pledge the various furs in Zheng's inventory for 50,000 taels.
In this way, Zheng only needed to pay one hundred thousand taels of cash, which greatly eased the financial pressure.
The agreement was signed, and both parties were very happy. Zheng Zhilong ordered a banquet to be held, with all kinds of water and land presented, and it was extremely sumptuous. He already regarded Liao Zhongjian as the most precious guest.
On the second day, Liao Zhongjian set off from Quanzhou and rushed to Zhangzhou despite his hangover.
Here, there is also an important person waiting for his arrival.
Bao Yong, the largest velvet merchant in Zhangzhou City.
With his strong financial resources and fair prices, he was recognized by all the velvet weavers in Zhangzhou and almost monopolized the velvet business.
And he is also the largest partner of Tianzhi Company.
Liao Zhongjian came here not to discuss business, but to extend an invitation to him.
"Today's velvets are all produced by weavers individually. The quality varies, and the output is extremely limited. Not to mention other businesses, even if they meet the needs of weavers, they are unable to meet the needs of weavers. The commander-in-chief said that if velvet cannot be industrialized,
Then everyone’s business will be affected. Therefore, we sincerely invite Brother Bao to come to our Shandong Province to set up a factory and start a business, and explore ways to mechanize the production of velvet.”
Bao Yong didn't expect it to be like this.
However, as the person in charge of the current situation, he is still clear about the current situation. Not only that, he also went to Songjiang Prefecture to observe the operation of Tianwei Factory in person.
The countless various instruments, the sea of weavers, and the endless products all had an unparalleled impact on him.
Bao Yong has been in business all his life, and this is the first time he has seen the power of industrialized production.
Gu Yao
Traditional velvet is used as an independent textile. Because of its exquisite quality, gorgeous patterns and high price, it has become an aristocrat among textiles.
After seeing other uses of velvet at Tianzhi Factory, Bao Yong realized that velvet contained such great value.
The production scale of Tianwei Factory determines that its demand for velvet is massive.
For this reason, the market price of velvet is now more than five times what it once was.
Even so, Tianzhi Company did not get more velvet.
"My colleagues in Songjiang Prefecture have really taught Bao a lesson. To be honest with Brother Liao, after Bao came back, he was already planning to set up a factory."
Liao Zhongjian knew it well.
"Is it going well?"
Bao Yong's face was filled with bitterness and he just shook his head. His mood was self-evident.
"If you don't do anything, you really can't listen."
Why not?
Because velvet is not only a commodity, but also a royal tribute. Therefore, the royal supply must be guaranteed every year before the rest can be sold.
In addition, they are all hand-woven by weavers, and the output is extremely limited, completely unable to meet the needs of industrial production.
Secondly, Fujian has a large population but little land, and land is very expensive. Bao Yong searched for a long time, but could not find a suitable place to set up a factory.
When the local government learned about this, they repeatedly hinted and asked for benefits.
Although Bao Yong was a wealthy businessman with extensive connections, he was still a fat lamb in the eyes of the scholar-bureaucrats.
All these things have made him waste his time so far and there is nothing he can do.
Knowing these circumstances, Zuo Menggeng ordered Liao Zhongjian to persuade him and invite him to set up a factory in Shandong.
The most business-friendly place in the world can only be Shandong.
Moreover, Shandong is trying its best to absorb the excess population, labor force, and land costs in surrounding areas. It is the best place to promote industrialization.
As for mulberry trees, they can also be widely planted in Shandong, so you don’t have to worry about raw materials.
"Brother Bao, if you are willing to go north, Shandong has prepared two million acres of mulberry plantations for you. How big the factory can be and how many workers you need will all depend on your energy."
This condition has already made Bao Yong's heart beat.
In Fujian, let alone two million acres, even 20,000 acres is a luxury.
When you arrive in Shandong, you will not only have two million acres of plantations, but you will even have your own plantations. In other words, even the cost of purchasing raw materials will be saved.
Bao Yong didn't know that this condition was just the beginning.
"The commander-in-chief guarantees that if Brother Bao is willing to come to our Shandong Province to build a factory, all taxes and fees will be waived within five years."
Bao Yong jumped up with disbelief on his face.
"Is this true?"
This was the first time he heard that there were places in the world that did not charge taxes.
Liao Zhongjian's eyes were not good.
"Brother Bao, don't you know who the commander-in-chief of my family is?"
Only then did Bao Yong realize that he was cheating, and he apologized repeatedly, finally settling the matter.
"Brother Liao, Bao is so grateful for such deep friendship. There is nothing to say. Bao will definitely go north within three months at the latest. Not only Bao, I believe that there are many colleagues in Zhangzhou who share the same heart and same mind."
In the face of huge interests, Bao Yong knew that he was weak and did not have the strength to fully absorb them.
The plan for now is to gather more friends and make things bigger and stronger together.
For this reason, what does it matter if you abandon your family and career and leave your hometown?
He believed that sooner or later, he would return home in fine clothes.