Qiwei's success in Guangzhou was largely due to Zhang Xin's introduction of the old-time transportation concept in Qiwei: providing convenient, comfortable, and safe passenger and cargo transportation services at relatively low prices.
Although Shanghai is a small county in this time and space, it plays a vital role in the transportation planning map of the Planning Institute. Setting the powerful Jiangnan headquarters in Shanghai instead of Nanjing or Guangzhou fully illustrates Wu De's attachment to this place.
degree of attention.
Mao Sansheng, the naturalized manager of the Shanghai headquarters, knew that his boss had arrived in Hangzhou through the coded rolling order sent by the general administration. He did not dare to neglect. Soon after arranging the inspection team to go to Hangzhou, he immediately came to Hangzhou with his entourage to ask for instructions.
Reporting,
As the person in charge of the Hangzhou station, Zhao Yingong has the highest supervisory and management authority over the specific operations of the entire Shanghai headquarters. However, in terms of external status, he has no connection with the Shanghai headquarters of the Qiwei Escort Bureau. Therefore, when Mao Sansheng went to Hangzhou, he was not a subordinate but saw his superiors.
It was the boss meeting with a big client. Except for him, no one else in the head office - including naturalized citizens - knew Zhao Yingling's actual identity.
Zhao Yingong met Mao Sansheng at his private residence in Qinghefang - he was planning to build the Fenghuang Mountain Manor, prepare for the sericulture industry and establish the Piaotian Literature Network.
From Mao Sansheng's mouth, he knew that transportation in the south of the Yangtze River mainly relied on ships, and few people, rich or poor, traveled long distances by land. The business of traveling in sedan chairs could be postponed for the time being and focus on shipping.
The inland waterway shipping business in the Jiangnan area is basically self-employed. One family operates one ship. Ships are big enough to carry dozens of people and travel between towns and counties, and small ships like Wuxi Kuai. Except for self-employed people,
, there are also some shipping companies, but the scale is small and they mainly engage in shipping activities on the canal and the Yangtze River.
But it is not easy to join in the shipping business. The most valuable thing about the north-south shipping in South Zhili and Zhejiang is the Grand Canal. This canal is a thoroughfare from north to south. There are countless people who rely on the river to eat. The most untouchable is the canal.
Ships - There were no water gangs in the Ming Dynasty, and the personnel responsible for water transportation were soldiers in their status. They were affiliated to the health posts in the prefectures and counties along the river. Each health post had a fixed quota of caoding and special official land.
Caoding has a heavy transportation task. Due to various shortcomings in the system, Caoding often has to pay for the transportation of grain, so it suffers a lot. However, Caoding has the status of a government official, and ships sailing on the canal enjoy a special status of passage and customs clearance, regardless of whether the grain is transported.
Whether they go north or go south by empty ship, collecting goods and taking passengers along the way is an important business income for them. If the ship line run by Qiwei wants to travel through the canal and form competition in business, I am afraid it will be resisted by Caoding.
The people of Caoding are numerous and powerful, united with each other, and have the official status of transporting grain from Caoding. Once a conflict occurs, whether it is an official move or a private fight, they will definitely not be their opponents.
Zhao Yingong frowned and said: "So, we can't touch this canal?"
Mao Sansheng said: "It's okay to go from Hangzhou to Nanjing and Yangzhou. The canal boats go north with heavy loads. Even if they bring passengers and collect goods, the quantity is limited. People with a little money are not willing to crowd with grain bags. That's it.
Going south from Yangzhou, the ship is empty. They are definitely not willing to give up this profit."
Regardless of whether the watercraft goes north or south, it is a matter of taking passengers and goods along the way, so the charges are relatively low. It can form a competitive relationship with the powerful public routes. Even if the watercraft cannot be coaxed or corrupted, simply competing will not create power.
It may not be a sure win.
After Mao Sansheng arrived in Shanghai, he had already traveled around Jiangsu and Zhejiang, inspected the local conditions, and was not sure about opening a boat shop.
"If it is to be opened, it would be difficult for us to intervene in the business on the canal. There are too many bad regulations on the canal," Mao Sansheng said,
Zhao Yingong said: "Since it is not easy for us to intervene on the canal, let's start from the Yangtze River."
Mao Sansheng wondered: "I'm afraid it won't be easy on the Yangtze River either."
The Yangtze River is a natural golden shipping waterway, but in this time and space, shipping on the Yangtze River is risky. Except for the water bandits who roamed the water, the Yangtze River waterway at that time had not been dredged, and there was no hydrological data. It all depended on the sailors' knowledge.
Experience passed down by word of mouth. People who are not familiar with sailing are in danger of running aground even in the Yangtze River section where the river is wide and the water is deep.
The sailors sailing on the Yangtze River also formed gangs and shared the same views. Recruiting sailors who could pilot the ships did not happen overnight. The structure of ancient society was extremely stable, and ordinary people rarely left the group to find another place.
, not to mention a complete outsider like Qiwei.
"It's not a problem." Zhao Yingong said, "They are not the only ones who can sail a boat. Aren't they the ones who have been sailing on the river for a few more years? They just have a little experience. If they refuse to apply, we can also find a way to do it.
The waterway is measured."
Measuring the Yangtze River waterway was originally an important mission of the Hangzhou Station. Therefore, Zhao Yingong was not concerned about the possible lack of pilots - they have waterway surveyors trained with modern technology, and there is no need to use purely empirical traditional sailors.
Zhao Yingong and Mao Sansheng discussed for a day and finally decided to first set up direct sales counters in five cities: Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Huzhou.
The direct-operated outer cabinet is mainly engaged in the passenger and cargo transportation business. The brand name "Qiweizhan" is displayed externally, and the small characters "Qiwei Escort Co., Ltd." are marked below.
Each Qiwei Inn is equipped with a warehouse, an inn, a carriage shop and a boat shop. In addition to providing transportation services, it also provides accommodation for merchants and stores goods. In the future, it is also planned to act as an agent for Delong's exchange business and mail services in the warehouse, forming a real
One-stop service.
According to Zhao Yingong's instructions, whenever possible, each outer cabinet should be as close to the waterway dock as possible - it is best to build a self-built dock so that ships can be used nearby.
Because building your own fleet is not something that happens overnight, the business of the shipping company at this stage mainly adopts the "joint operation" model. That is, the ship owner brings his own ship to participate in the joint operation, and Qiweizhan is responsible for soliciting business. Passenger and cargo transportation are unified according to the regulations of the head office.
Freight rate.
The ship owner transports goods according to the passenger and cargo transportation orders issued by each semi-colon, and transports them to the station along the specified route according to the order. The ship owner does not charge any fees from the cargo owner or passengers, and all the fees are paid by the cargo owners and passengers to the semi-colon - starting from the Guangdong era
, Zhang Xin got rid of the bad rule of "rewards". It was stipulated that all charges should be based on the price list, and no "rewards" were allowed to be collected.
The reason why foot shops in car and boat shops are so disgusting is largely due to the extremely meager treatment given to the clerks by the bosses, and some even do not pay wages. The clerks' income depends entirely on "rewards", so as long as there is something to be coerced, the clerks will definitely
Asking for "rewards" has led to the formation of bad rules in the industry. Although the escort agency never asks for rewards, it is also customary for clients to give "rewards" after the escort tour is over. It is an important income for the escorts. When Zhang Xin got rid of the bad rules, he clearly
Staff salaries and allowances are also added to the transportation price, completely eliminating this bad habit.
After the ship owner arrives, he will go to the dispatch station with the stamped waybill to settle the freight on a monthly basis. 2% will be deducted from the monthly freight settlement. As transportation accident insurance: Once the ship is dispatched, it will follow the prescribed route and
If the ship is sunk, damaged, robbed by bandits, or the ship owner or sailor dies unexpectedly during the voyage, Qiwei will be responsible for compensation.
This insurance money is actually collected and underwritten by Delong Shanghai Branch. In addition to shipping insurance, Qiwei also sells cargo damage and passenger personal insurance. The insurance money is included in the freight price, and compensation can be provided in the event of an accident.
Originally, when Zhang Xin promoted this insurance system in Guangzhou, he wanted to list the insurance as a clear charge item, and passengers and cargo owners could freely choose whether to purchase it. However, Sun Kecheng thought it was not necessary. Because ship owners in this time and space do not have a guarantor.
Cargo safety obligations. In the event of cargo damage or death, whether the ship owner will compensate depends first on the status of the cargo owner. If he is a gentry or a powerful figure on the ground, the ship owner will have to pay compensation even if he loses his entire family. If he is an ordinary person, it all depends on the ship owner.
With respect to your credibility and conscience, there is no compulsion to accompany you as much as you want.
However, escort agencies have always had rules for compensation for lost escort items. Of course, the charges of escort agencies are much higher than those of ship and foot agencies. Therefore, Sun Kecheng suggested that there is no need to explicitly mention the insurance premium, just enter the freight price and clearly state that the goods will be compensated for damage, and the casualties will be compensated.
That’s it. This not only avoids the debate about whether to buy insurance, but also brings goodwill to Qiwei.
Shipowners who participate in joint transportation must accept the dispatch of the dispatch center and each branch, ship people and goods in accordance with the passenger and freight bills issued by the outer container, and are not allowed to transport privately. The ship must sail according to the prescribed route and time. When sailing and
As for the return registration time, each flight has a clear arrival and return time. If the return time is delayed without justifiable reasons, the "delay fee" will be deducted. Ensure that the joint shipowners do not take detours during the journey.
Depending on the condition, the ship will receive "minor maintenance" every three months and "major maintenance" once a year. In addition to maintaining the hull, it will also be repainted and renovated to keep the hull clean and tidy. During the maintenance period, Qiwei Boating
Living expenses are paid. Expenses required for maintenance are also paid by the boat company.
Boat owners are paid according to their work, and the more they work, the more they get. In order to encourage boat owners to serve for a long time and avoid frequent losses, Zhao Yingong stipulated that during the off-season, basic living expenses should be paid to those who do not leave the ship.
Every ship participating in the "joint operation" of the Qiwei Escort Bureau must fly the Qiwei escort flag, uniformly inlay the Qiwei emblem on the bow, write the semicolon, the nature of the passengers and cargo, and then use a thousand-character number to make it clear at a glance