A sextant was not enough to explain the problem, but when the night passed and the morning sun rose, Liu Yi suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. Because the fleet had arrived at the focus of the trip - Piaoyujin.
This was not the first time Liu Yi came to Piaoyujin. The last time he came here was in the autumn when he was studying on a study tour. At that time, he thought the scenery in Piaoyujin was very good, and he also praised the person who named this small port.
, I think this name is just right, as it is as famous as its scenery.
The elm tree is a kind of tree that can be seen everywhere in Youzhou. In this area of Quanzhou, a kind of white elm tree with large leaves grows particularly abundantly. Every autumn when the vegetation withers, the elm leaves fall all over the ground and are blown into the river by the autumn wind.
, like small boats, flowing eastward with the water, straight into the vast sea.
This is a very poetic and picturesque scene, especially in such a sparsely populated place full of natural scenery. It makes people feel sad about the past and think about the present.
Although he has not been there since then, Liu Yi can be sure that before the Qingzhou Army marched northward, this small port must have maintained its original appearance. Even if there were changes, it would only become more sparsely populated, and definitely not the opposite.
However, after many years of separation, when he returned to his old place, he was filled with shock. Earth-shaking changes had taken place here!
When inquiring about the information about the war in Youzhou, Liu Yi once imagined what Piaoyujin would look like after being used as a shipping hub by Wang Yu. The first thing that appeared in his mind was a heavily guarded city or camp, with all the people inside it.
It is a granary like a hill, surrounded by heavy soldiers and impregnable.
More than half of the Qingzhou Army's supplies for the Northern Expedition were transported by sea, and Piaoyujin stockpiled millions of grain and grass. Isn't this how it should be?
But now, Liu Yi didn't see the tight security and high walls and deep trenches he imagined. He only saw a place full of people and horses, like a super-large market or a construction site.
Dozens of long embankments stretched out from the shore, and a ship docked at the end. Ships kept leaving, and ships kept docking. Whenever a new ship docked, there would be a group of people pushing carts.
, or rush over with sleeves rolled up, pick up the goods from the ship step by step, and transport them back and forth.
There are indeed some warehouse-like buildings on the shore, but these goods are usually not sent to the warehouses, but directly to the cargo ships docked at the mouth of the river. The sailors on the sea ships will also help when all the goods are moved.
, they will open the doors of those warehouses together, take out other goods from inside, and then transport them to the ship.
After all this is done, the undamaged ship will begin to prepare to set sail again. But apart from the ship itself, the sailors and cargo on board are completely different.
The sailors who got off the ship smiled and said goodbye to the sailors who got on the ship, and then the ships left the port one by one. After picking up speed, they formed a formation and set sail.
Everything on the dock seemed so chaotic, but amidst the chaos, everything seemed rhythmic and orderly. This contradictory feeling was unclear and unclear, as if there was a kitten scratching in my heart.
Yes, it itches very much.
Although there are dozens of docks, they still look like they are not enough for use. Many ships are lined up outside the harbor, including Taishi Ci's fleet, which has an important mission.
The river mouth also seemed overwhelmed.
In fact, the estuary is also an important landscape in Piaoyujin. Here, the clear water combines with Qi, Zhang, Huan, Qi, Yi, Ru, Gu, Hutuo and other waters to flow into the sea, forming a fan-shaped river structure with unified flows. But even with this
The channels can be diverted, but the river mouth is still crowded with cargo ships, like a school of fish caught in a fishing net.
Liu Yi has been engaged in sea trade, pirates, and even people transporting people, but he never thought that sea trade, or maritime transportation, could be achieved in this way and on such a scale.
"This is really..." He had no time to delve into whether Taishi Ci's obedient queueing was a sign of contempt and neglect for Liaodong. He just allowed surprise and shock to fill his mind, but could not find the right words to express this emotion.
Let it out.
"It's breathtaking." Gongsun Du came out at some point, stood next to Liu Yi, let out a long sigh, and said what his beloved general wanted to say but had not yet said.
"...Indeed." Liu Yi praised sincerely.
Everything he saw at the port was not an unbelievable move. From these years of maritime trade, Liu Yi realized a truth. The key to doing business is not how high a single profit is, but how much is transferred.
quick.
In the past, Liaodong could go back and forth to Qingzhou twice a year at most. At first, Qingzhou had no fleet, and maritime trade was dominated by Liaodong. They could buy low and sell high, but Gongsun Du didn't care.
After Taishi Ci crossed to the east, Qingzhou's own sea-going ships became large-scale, and they began to go to Liaodong on their own to carry out trade. Some caravans could travel once a month. The surge in trade volume and profits caused Gongsun Du and the Liaodong generals to
I was so frightened that I almost jumped up several feet in the air.
Even though Qingzhou's shipping price was half lower than Liaodong's official price, the surge in trade volume still made up for the lack of single trade profits. Not only did it make up for the lack, but Liu Yi calculated that the actual trade volume actually increased by multiples.
Yes, and it’s more than doubled!
However, these profits did not enter Gongsundu's pockets. Qingzhou maritime merchants certainly made a large profit by shipping goods. Their model of selling goods as soon as they arrived at the port without stopping was destined to allow local tycoons with a keen sense of smell to take advantage.
.
Liaodong's merchant fleet only takes the Dongda-Donglai route, but Qingzhou's fleet comes as conveniently as possible, often suddenly appearing in ports such as Liaokou and Pingguo that are not officially controlled by Liaodong. To be precise, those
The place has no port facilities at all, it is just a deserted beach.
Because of the style of the Qingzhou Merchant Fleet, the powerful in many places would let people drive cattle, horses, sheep, furs, ginseng, thatched houses and other herbs and other goods to the seaside. If they found a ship, they would light it on fire and set off smoke.
, after the two parties contacted each other, they made a direct transaction of first-hand money and first-hand goods.
From a monopoly business to this, Gongsun Du was certainly not happy, and he protested to Qingzhou more than once. However, Qingzhou's answer also left him speechless. Wang Yu believed that as long as the merchants paid the full amount of taxes in Qingzhou according to law, then
No matter what he does outside, he is a legitimate businessman and should be protected and maintained by the General's Office.
Of course those merchants will pay taxes. They can find any place to stop in Liaodong and find people to trade with. When they return to Qingzhou, they will be much more honest. They will take the initiative to find the tax officer at the port and report all the details of the transaction in a disciplined manner.
Pay the taxes properly to avoid suspicion and being traced to the root cause.
Since he paid taxes, he was a legitimate businessman. Gongsun Du had lost a lot of profits and had nowhere to redress his grievances.
It's not that he doesn't want to learn from Wang Yu and take care of everyone below him, but the problem is that the situation in Liaodong is different from that in Qingzhou. There are too many mountains, big and small, and a single move can affect the whole body.
Even with Gongsun Du's strength, it was impossible to completely suppress all the local tycoons. Originally, he formed his own fleet and did trade by himself. Those powerful tycoons had complaints in their hearts, but they could not ask Gongsun Du to share it with them. Now there is Qingzhou
Maritime merchants came to your doorstep on their own initiative, so how could they let it go?
You, the Marquis of Liaodong, are allowed to eat meat, but everyone is not allowed to drink soup? How can this be justified in the world? If Gongsun Du really wants to forcefully monopolize, then within a few days, Liaodong will be at war.
Speaking of which, the relationship between Qingzhou and Liaodong turned from hot to cold, maybe it started from this.
After realizing that the problem could not be solved internally, Gongsun Du turned his attention to the Qingzhou maritime merchants. Of course, he would not take action openly and directly quarrel with Qingzhou. He thought of a way to kill someone with a borrowed knife and tacitly allowed some Han and horse thieves to enter the country.
It is suggested that they can pretend to be merchants and rob Qingzhou maritime merchants.
He thought very well. He felt that businessmen were timid and avoided disadvantages while seeking advantages. As long as they suffered a few losses, they would not dare to dock in the wild at will. They could only dock at the two official ports of Liaokou and Dongda.
, transact according to his rules and prices, and regain a monopoly.
But I never thought that merchants in Qingzhou are different from ordinary merchants.
The merchants behind the merchant fleet have various identities, but the captains and shopkeepers who lead the fleet are all veterans.
Ordinary businessmen have a deep-rooted fear of the ocean. Only these veterans are brave. They have experienced swords, mountains and fires. Are they still afraid of the waves?
They are said to be veterans. In fact, these people are not very old, usually in their thirties. Those veterans who first followed Wang Yu to conquer the world, if they have not been upgraded to officers above the rank of lieutenant, are basically retired now.
.
Wang Yu’s explanation for this is that it is not easy for these meritorious veterans to survive a hundred deaths, but swords and guns have no eyesight, and heroes will inevitably die on the battlefield. We cannot let all the heroes die in peace. Moreover, these veterans have many wounds on their bodies.
It is not appropriate to let them continue to work hard.
Some of the veterans worked as errands in the yamen, maintaining law and order. They served as militia instructors once a week and organized local military training. Some of them went home directly to farm and do business. After Taishi Ci went eastward, the new business of maritime trade emerged. Generally,
The businessmen were afraid to move forward, but the veterans in business immediately responded to the commander's call.
Although they have retired from the army, the military quality of the veterans is still poor. If they encounter masters like Yan Rou and Xian Yufu, they may not be able to resist them, but ordinary horse bandits are here to deliver food.
Strong bows, powerful crossbows, long halberds, large spears, and even a veteran from the Destroying Camp directly took out a huge horse-slaying sword, killing the robbing horse bandits with blood flowing into rivers, and running away with their heads covered.
Gongsun Du suffered this secret loss again, and his favorability towards Qingzhou also plummeted, so he refused to support the Qingzhou Army's Northern Expedition, which laid the groundwork for the Qingzhou Army's Eastern Expedition.
In the final analysis, it is the trouble caused by interests.
At this moment, Gongsun Du was shaken when he saw the endless traffic of ships and the popularity of Piao Yujin. He seemed to understand where the biggest gap between himself and Wang Yu was. (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature for more novel updates.