Chapter 274 Sensational response, the choice of the shogunate
In fact, since the harvest season has entered August.
The good news in Xujiazhuang comes one after another, which is dizzying.
First, there was a bumper harvest of grain in the Jiangnan region. The total output increased by 2% compared with last year, reaching 1.2 billion shi. However, due to the sharp drop in grain prices, no grain merchants were willing to purchase it, and Xujiazhuang offered unlimited grain at 5 Wen per catty.
Purchase (except organic rice) and sell it to the market at a price of 5 Wen/jin, that is, there is zero price difference in the middle, and you have to pay the cost of transportation and storage. This made other grain merchants simply give up the plan of dumping grain.
In the end, Xujiazhuang collected and stored 600 million shi of grain, and almost all farmers in the Jiangnan area sold their surplus grain to Xujiazhuang.
Today, the total population of the Ming Dynasty is only over 200 million. This amount of food can feed almost all the people of the Ming Dynasty and ensure that no one will starve to death.
It can be said that the hegemony in food is firmly in the hands of Xujiazhuang, and no one can challenge it.
besides!
Overseas and Southeast Asia.
Xujiazhuang has a total of 70 sugarcane estates (20 more in Luzon), 150 grain estates (20 more in Borneo), 50 fruit estates, 30 rubber estates, 20
Spice and tea estates, 15 core port cities (important nodes in the fishing, commercial and shipping industry) - a total of 335 overseas colonization bases, with a population of 10 million immigrants and resettlement, and most of the bases have begun to bring profits.
For example, each sugar cane estate can produce no less than 300,000 shi of sugar per year.
Each grain farm can produce 400,000 shi of shelled rice every year.
The taxes collected by many core port cities every year are enough to maintain the good operation of the city itself, without the need for financial support from Xujiazhuang.
The future financial prospects of the estates such as fruits, rubber, spices and tea are even broader than those of rice and sugar.
Not only that!
These more than 300 overseas colonization strongholds are also like economic engines. While driving their own rapid development, they can also provide industrial services to surrounding areas, export light coins, copper coins, silver coins and other currencies, and sell soap, farm tools, and lighters.
, bicycles, sugar, clothing and other commodities, and bring harvest of grain, gold and silver, minerals, wood, cotton and other raw materials.
Like resource collectors one by one, they absorbed countless resources from surrounding indigenous kingdoms, indigenous tribes, Ming merchant settlements, and royal estates, achieving equal exchange and mutual benefit.
But because Xujiazhuang has the advantage of a high degree of industrialization, it actually made the bulk of the profits.
Taking food as an example again, if some forces emerge in the Ming Dynasty and want to challenge Xujiazhuang’s food hegemony, Xujiazhuang does not need to take too many actions. He only needs to increase the purchase price of food. In the land of Nanyang, large quantities of
Collect and store grain, or temporarily organize manpower and assign tasks to expand the high-yield rice planting area, harvest in about three months, and transport it to areas with unstable grain prices within four months, or consume the surplus grain in Xujiazhuang's warehouse first, as long as there is enough left
Just eat enough food for four months.
Even if the surplus grain in Xujiazhuang's hands is only enough for four months, he can still win the food war.
all in all!
In terms of grain, Xujiazhuang is completely stable and is not afraid of any challenges.
I just didn't expect that Xujiazhuang, which had already taken over the position of food supremacy, would also achieve such amazing results in ocean fishing.
In the first six months of this year, the four major fishing fleets of Xujiazhuang's fishery catch in offshore waters reached 16 million shi (one million tons). Based on an average fish and seafood value of 2 silver dollars per shi, the economic benefits it brought
Reaching 32 million silver dollars!
In August of this month, the ocean fishing fleet organized by Xujiazhuang arrived at the Tianci Fish Sea and caught 320,000 shi (20,000 tons) of marine fish in just less than one day. If the fishing continued for two to three months, the amount of fish caught would be
Isn’t the goal of 10 million stones quite easy?
The value of fish in the open sea and deep sea, such as salmon, cod, sardines, king crab, pine leaf crab, lobster, etc., is generally higher than that of offshore fish, and the cost of fishing is also higher, so the price is 3 silver dollars per stone.
It must be necessary, which means that this distant ocean fishing competition held by Xujiazhuang can bring in at least 30 million silver dollars in revenue!
Moreover, only Xujiazhuang has the ability to organize such fishing operations, and only Xujiazhuang can make money. Others can only be jealous, and it is impossible to get a piece of the pie. The endless fish resources in the deep oceans are destined to be
It is a unique food that only belongs to Xujiazhuang.
Therefore, there were many voices of envy, jealousy and hatred in the public opinion field of Ming Dynasty.
"Can the people of Xujiazhuang eat up the fish and shrimp worth tens of millions of kilo? Are they going to eat the fish as food?"
"Xujiazhuang is too selfish. There are so many fish and shrimps in the sea of God-given fishes. They can't catch them all by themselves. Why don't they take our boat with them and catch a few nets? Doesn't Xujiazhuang often talk about win-win cooperation?
?”
"The God-given fish sea should belong to everyone. It is not Xujiazhuang's private territory. Others are also qualified to fish there. Xujiazhuang should provide convenience and lend us a boat. At the worst, I will pay Xujiazhuang a certain amount of renting fees."
"We also want to eat fish, okay? Don't catch all the fish that belong to everyone? Leave some for our descendants."
"Xujiazhuang! In terms of food, it is okay to block our way of making money. We admit it, but why are you, Xujiazhuang, rushing to do all the profitable businesses? You have also occupied the God-given fish and sea. Don't we have the right to make money and get rich?
What? If you always eat alone like this, you will offend more and more people, and you will never end well!"
"Yes, Xujiazhuang is too selfish. All the businesses that make a lot of money are monopolized, and no chance is given to others. The so-called tree that is more beautiful than the forest will be destroyed by the wind. This is a way to die. I advise Xujiazhuang to change its ways.
Take the initiative to give up some profits, sell us some sailing fishing boats and refrigerated cargo ships at cheap prices, and then take us to fish in the God-given fish sea and share part of the profits. Only in this way can people be convinced, and
Not everyone in the world is our enemy.”
"Indeed, Xujiazhuang is very powerful, but we are not without any means to deal with Xujiazhuang. We cannot win the war. We will not buy any future products from Xujiazhuang, such as the 'classic radio' that will be released in the second half of this year.
We need to carry out a resolute boycott so that Xujiazhuang can no longer make money from us. The lifeblood of businessmen is profits. If there is no profit, can Xujiazhuang survive for a long time?"
"That's right! If Xujiazhuang doesn't take us to make a fortune together, then we will resolutely resist. We would rather go back to the old days than buy anything from Xujiazhuang."
"..."
Facing these murmurs of dissatisfaction and anger.
Xujiazhuang naturally ignored it and didn't care, because after sending intelligence personnel to conduct a little investigation, they discovered that those who verbally clamored for boycott, as long as they had some status and status, were all 'Made in Xujiazhuang' at home, even the ones that had just been released not long ago.
They are also the main buyers of the 'classic radio' that costs 8,000 silver dollars each, and they listen to radio programs from Xujiazhuang every day. It can be seen that all of them are true fans.
Even so.
The senior leaders of Xujiazhuang also know that the act of eating alone will indeed cause a lot of jealousy and resentment. You don’t need to worry about it in the short term, but in the long run, it will still bring certain harm, so you still have to give up a small part of the benefits.
.
It just so happens that there are countless fishes in the sea of fishes.
Except for seafood made into dried fish and high-value frozen products such as king crab, which may be brought to modern society for sale, the rest can be made into canned products and sold in large quantities in Ming Dynasty, and the prices are not very high.
For example, canned herring is packed in 1.5kg and sells for only 60 Wen/piece.
Canned saury is 1.5kg, priced at 90 Wen/piece.
Canned sardines are packed in 1.5kg and sell for 90 Wen/piece.
Canned salmon is packed in 1.5kg and sells for 120 yuan/piece.
Canned eels are packed in 1.5kg and sell for 150 Wen/piece.
The above prices are unified reference prices for consumers.
If it is a strategic partner that has a good relationship with Xujiazhuang, its wholesale price can be 10 to 20 yuan cheaper per piece. When selling, it can also be added to the reference price by 10 yuan based on the economic development of each place.
Wen~30 Wen is sold, and the average profit margin of each can should not be less than 20 Wen.
But the prerequisite is! Only partners who have a friendly relationship with Xujiazhuang can get the best wholesale price. It is very difficult for those who have a less friendly relationship or even a hostile attitude to buy, let alone enjoy the wholesale price.
.
So after this rule comes out.
There are countless businessmen who apply for cooperation, and there are countless businessmen who take the initiative to fawn over and beg to become strategic partners. There are also some unscrupulous businessmen who, when they see the big shots in Xujiazhuang, they simply kneel on the ground and beg to become Xujiazhuang’s dog.
It means that he is willing to do anything.
After all, in this ancient society, meat was very precious. Taking fish into account, the average annual meat consumption per person was estimated to be only a dozen kilograms. A wealthy city dweller would only eat twenty or thirty kilograms, and things are so rare.
As a result of the lack of meat, the cheapest price is fifty or sixty cents, and the expensive one is hundreds of cents, which is ten to twenty times the price of grain.
Of course, under the influence and drive of Xujiazhuang, the Jiangnan area of the Ming Dynasty is an exception. The price of meat here is very cheap. Pork, mutton, chicken and duck meat are available at thirty or forty cents per pound. The per capita meat consumption has already exceeded thirty
Therefore, canned marine fish weighing dozens or even hundreds of dollars each has no price competitiveness here unless it is sold at a reduced price.
But it’s different if you put it somewhere else!
The average price of canned sea fish is about thirty cents per pound, which contains not only delicious and protein-rich fish, but also salt, oil, chili, spices, tempeh and other seasonings. It also satisfies people's needs for salt, oil, condiments and
To meet the demand for meat, there are also some cans containing fish liver, which can supplement a large amount of vitamin D to avoid night blindness, and some cans with kelp, sea vegetables and other side dishes added, which can supplement iodine and prevent some common diseases in inland areas.
Big neck disease.
Wait wait wait.
There are so many benefits to eating canned sea fish, and the price is not expensive. It can become an urgent food for many people. In any case, everyone has to eat about ten of them every year, so there is no need to worry about no market.
This is why businessmen who apply for cooperation are so enthusiastic.
…
the other side.
Within the Kingdom of Japan.
Many feudal lords rushed to Kyoto and came to the shogunate. They all asked to see the general Tokugawa Iemitsu for discussion. They must not give up the huge benefits contained in the God-given fish sea. They must defend their interests.
And some targeted actions must be taken.
Earnings of more than 30 million silver dollars.
And there are so many every year.
Iwami Ginzan is equivalent to a hundred mountains!
Even if you can get 1%, you will make a fortune!
How could they sit still and remain silent?
Inside the meeting hall.
"General, the God-given fish sea is closest to us and should belong to us. How can we allow outsiders to occupy it? We should form a fleet to expel Xujiazhuang's fishing fleet and take back the fish sea that belongs to us!" A more important person said
The Kanto Daimyo Road.
"But do we have the strength to defeat Xujiazhuang? One of their armored ships can easily destroy a hundred of our ships. No matter how many big ships we build, we are no match for them." Another official said with a clear head.
"Then send an envoy to negotiate with Xujiazhuang. If the negotiation fails, the envoy will commit suicide in front of us to show our will and determination. If the first envoy fails, we will send the second and third envoys to commit suicide until they give in!
Xujiazhuang claims to be a civilized people. If they can be ruthless and refuse to make concessions, it proves that they are just pretending to be civilized. If they give in, then we will win. The cost is only the death of a few envoys. And for the benefit of Japan, their sacrifices are worthwhile.
Meaningful, he will become a hero respected by everyone in future generations." The daimyo came up with an idea, which immediately attracted a lot of approval.
"This method is good and can be adopted!"
"For the sake of the country and the people, there will definitely be many warriors willing to serve as messengers for negotiation."
Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded, and if he didn't agree, he would commit seppuku immediately. This was indeed a good idea. A few years ago, there were Dutch missionaries who insisted on preaching in Japan and brought hundreds of firecrackers over to communicate with the locals.
A conflict broke out between the feudal lords, and Japan suffered a big loss. In the end, a few defeated samurai were sent to commit hara-kiri in front of the Dutch to admit their mistakes. They were so frightened that they pissed themselves and left quickly, thus safeguarding Japan's dignity and interests.
In this case, using this trick on an invincible opponent like Xujiazhuang might achieve similar results.
So the negotiators set off quickly, arrived at Hirado Port, and made representations to the representatives of Xujiazhuang.
On September 2, the envoy completed the negotiations and returned to Kyoto.
Inside the shogunate.
"Xujiazhuang has made concessions and will no longer occupy the fish sea that belongs to us?"
Seeing the envoy, Tokugawa Iemitsu said with a surprised expression.
"No, they didn't make any concessions. They also said that they would fish in the Tianci Fish Sea every year from now on." The messenger shook his head.
"Then the negotiation failed. If that's the case, why didn't you commit seppuku?"
Tokugawa Iemitsu's face darkened, and he looked at the envoy with great anger, wishing he could just draw his sword and kill him.
"But Xujiazhuang is willing to use a wholesale quota of 1 million stone fish every year to recruit strategic partners. There are only ten places in total. The first partner is 300,000 stone, the second is 200,000 stone, and the third is 10
Wanshi, the fourth to tenth place only have a wholesale quota of 40,000 shi, and the price is very favorable... General, Xujiazhuang is invincible in the world, we are definitely no match, so we should cooperate with them, 300,000 shi of canned sea fish a year,
The shogunate can earn at least three and a half million silver dollars, so this is an opportunity not to be missed."
The messenger said in a seductive tone.
"Baga! What we want is the entire sea of fish, not just a small amount. You should commit seppuku immediately. I will let the samurai with the best sword skills be your intermediary." Tokugawa Iemitsu said.
"General, even if Xujiazhuang gives us the fish sea, we don't have the ability to develop it. Moreover, Xujiazhuang's fishing fleet only fishes in the Tianci Fish Sea for three or four months every year. It is not a long-term occupation. After many years, we will have
With the ability to fish in the ocean, God-given fishing seas, you can go there if you want, it is impossible to escape. Besides, with a wholesale quota of 1 million stone fish, the general can recruit nine more powerful daimyo who support the shogunate.
If you can get all the quotas, Japan has a small population, and a fish catch of 1 million koku can meet the needs of the entire market. Those who cannot get the wholesale quota will probably not be able to sell it even if they find a way to catch a lot of fish.
These ten places are equivalent to the qualifications to monopolize the market. If you cannot obtain these qualifications, you will not be able to enter the market in the future and you will have to watch others make money!
In addition, Xujiazhuang will soon announce the recruitment of partners. If the general is unwilling to cooperate and does not take action, there are so many other daimyo lords who want to cooperate with Xujiazhuang that they will not hesitate to betray the general and compete for these ten spots.
, instead of doing this, why doesn’t the general take action first, so as not to regret it later after being betrayed?”
"this……"
Tokugawa Iemitsu hesitated and said: "If I grab the cooperation quota, wouldn't it be equivalent to the shogunate betraying them? How can such a thing be done?"
"I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me. Has the general forgotten this family motto?" the envoy asked.
"What you said makes sense."
Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded. Xu Jiazhuang's move was obviously a plan to kill three people with two peaches, and it was also a conspiracy. If faced with the fat bait Xu Jiazhuang offered, the Tokugawa family would not eat it, and some daimyo would rush to eat it. In the end, nothing would happen.
Can't get it.
It’s better to say ‘I would rather let the world down’!
It’s decided!
The shogunate should take the initiative to cooperate with Xujiazhuang, get the first quota, and become Xujiazhuang's dog, no, become Xujiazhuang's strategic partner.
…
A few more days later.
It was discovered that the Tokugawa shogunate actually took the lead in rebellion and became the first strategic partner of Xujiazhuang in the field of fishery. The entire Japanese upper class exploded. They were sold out, or they were sold out by the shogunate who had the qualifications to command the world, and they took the initiative to defect to Japan.
Xujiazhuang, how can we bear this? The curtain fell! The first wave of the curtain movement started vigorously, but the Tokugawa shogunate gave up a lot of benefits and won over the nine most powerful princes. The other feudal lords joined forces.
There was no great chance of winning. Most of them could only defeat the people with their words. After that, they became even more disloyal. Only a few die-hards were left who were willing to support the shogunate.
And there are more and more feudal lords who are willing to take refuge and be loyal to Xujiazhuang, lining up to fawn over them. If they are lucky enough to be chosen to become a loyal dog, it will be something worthy of ecstasy and cheers. After all, in Japan now, the shogunate
They are selfish and have no prestige at all. In this case, Xujiazhuang's thick thigh is the most worthy of hugging. In any case, Xujiazhuang is better than Xu Jiazhuang in order to get the wholesale quota of 300,000 stone fish, so he will not hesitate to sell them out.