Chapter 1770
Multinational Combination
Chapter 1770 Multinational Combination
Annan wanted to open up a trade route leading to Northeast Asia. Most of the time, he could only start from the coast of the Beibu Gulf, go to Daming through the Qiongzhou Strait or Sanya Port, and go north to North Korea through the Fujian Strait.The fleet departing from Annan is likely to berth at several ports controlled by Haihan for supplies, purchase or sell some goods during this route. In any case, it cannot be hidden from Haihan officials, so this matter must be communicated to Haihan's senior management first. Just report.
Of course, with the good relationship that Annan Zheng's and Haihan's senior management have formed over the years, they will not encounter difficulties in requesting to open up trade routes on their own, not to mention that Fujian Xu's is also involved in this matter.And Schneider also understands that Zheng Zuo doesn't want to abandon Haihan and go it alone, on the contrary, he wants Haihan to join in and run this route together.In this way, Annan's fleet can obtain more trade opportunities at the Haihan port along the way, and can get Haihan's protection, which also has better security guarantees.
But Zheng Zuo didn't take the initiative to bring it up, and Schneider could hold his breath, and the three talked about this topic for a while, and finally talked about letting Hai Han join the gang.
"Mr. Shi, as far as I know, although your country has established diplomatic relations with North Korea for nearly a year, there is still no fixed trade fleet between the two countries. Should you consider asking the Ministry of Shipping to send a few ships?" ship to join our transnational trade fleet?" Zheng Zuo persuaded while observing Schneider's expression, hoping to judge the attitude of the other party.
"What size is your fleet going to be?" Schneider didn't rush to answer Zheng Zuo, but asked a question that interested him first.
As Haihan's long-term trading partner, Annan and Fujian are very clear about the size of Haihan's trading fleet.In the past few years, Haihan specially developed the Yugong-class heavy-duty sail with a displacement of [-] tons as a marine cargo carrier, and later built military and civilian versions, of which the civilian version was used by Haihan officials for ocean-going trade. The backbone of the fleet.
Among the existing heavy-load sailing fleets, ten ships are generally used as the basic establishment, and more than twenty ships are considered large fleets.When a large fleet sails, the navy will arrange one or two exploration-class warships to accompany it, both to perform escort missions and to conduct long-distance voyage training for sailors, which can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.
However, due to the high cost of the Yugong class sailboats, no buyers in other countries have purchased this kind of cargo sailboats yet. Therefore, if a fleet with the same tonnage as the Haihan Trading Fleet is to be formed, the number of sailboats must be at least three times that of the Haihan trade fleet. The amount of cargo carried can be balanced.And this is already a big move for Annan, who has concentrated his maritime trade on the South China Sea.
Zheng Zuo replied: "At present, we have agreed with General Xu that our family will ship [-] ships. If this business can be done, we will add more in the future."
Compared with Annan, Fujian, which has a well-developed shipping and shipbuilding industry, has better conditions, and its geographical location is exactly at the midpoint between Annan and North Korea. These twenty cargo ships are just a trivial matter for Fujian, and naturally they are not Next.
Schneider silently weighed it in his heart. If Qiong Lianfa and his gang plan to invest more in Liaodong and use Lushun as the main commercial port for long-term trade with North Korea, the number of ships that will be invested in the northern route may be far greater than forty. cargo ship.Zhan's Shipping Company alone can organize a fleet of this type on its own.However, Qiong Lianfa's main business direction is to open up the North Korean market after settling in Liaodong, which is still different from Zheng Zuo's attempt to operate the airline.
Of course, this is without the intervention of Haihan officials. If Haihan also joins the trade route led by Zheng Zuo, the carrying capacity of the fleet can easily be doubled.And Schneider couldn't help but think of a very practical question-how much trade can North Korea support?If a fleet of this size travels thousands of miles to North Korea but fails to purchase enough supplies, it will undoubtedly be a huge waste of shipping capacity.Schneider thought to himself that it would be better to find another time to talk with the North Korean envoy Li Xi, to find out what are the main materials that North Korea can sell at this historical stage, and how many of them are the raw materials and special products Haihan needs.And whether North Korea can open up trade in such a cooperative manner, Schneider believes that there is still a big question mark.
While talking, Tao Donglai finally arrived, and the short meeting did not reach a final conclusion on the issue of the garrison in North Korea, but Li Xi's proposal was good news anyway.Regarding the cross-border combined trade plan proposed by Zheng Zuo, Tao Donglai's attitude was consistent with Schneider's, and both recognized the feasibility of this trade route.Moreover, Tao Donglai was obviously more interested in sea ginseng, and asked in detail how Zheng Zuo planned to arrange the shipping schedule and the proportion of ships provided by the three parties.
However, since Schneider has not made up his mind to send a ship to participate in this matter, Tao Donglai will not make a statement at this juncture to mess up his Minister of Commerce, so although he appreciates Zheng Zuo's proposal, he still does not make a clear statement. statement.This also made Zheng Zuo feel a little disappointed. He didn't understand why the two high-ranking Haihan officials still refused to place a bet when his plan was clearly appreciated.
This topic was not the main topic of the meeting between the three parties today, so after Tao Donglai asked a few questions, he quickly ended the discussion and brought the topic back to business.
The trade volume between Haihan and Annan Fujian is considerable, and has been showing an upward trend over the years. These cross-border trades have brought huge benefits to the three parties, and the trade items that need to be increased or adjusted every year will be represented by the three parties. mutual agreement.Having said that, it is precisely based on such a trade relationship that Zheng Zuo had the idea of taking the lead in operating transnational trade routes.
What Haihan imports from these two places are mainly native products and various raw materials, while the export commodities are mainly various industrial products. Basically, the scissors difference between industry and agriculture is used to ensure the annual trade profit.Annan and Fujian, as raw material exporters, have always maintained a deficit in trade with Haihan. Fortunately, the salt and iron industries that Haihan assisted them in operating are quite profitable, and the Haihan products imported from Fujian can also be exported to Daming. Inland distribution is for profit, so the cooperation between the three parties has always been smooth.
The two parties have cooperated for many years, and the various quotations will not be too outrageous. Generally, they will review each other's quotations, and if there are no major problems, they will directly finalize the main import and export trade content for the next year.Of course, in terms of specific business items, the three companies will still have some disputes over the pricing of various commodities, but in the end they will make concessions to each other and choose a price that both parties can accept.
However, this year Xu Yuzhuo put forward a new request to Haihan on behalf of Fujian: "My father hopes that your country can export steam engines to Fujian, and the price is negotiable."
Zheng Zuo also followed closely behind: "This is really a coincidence, my father also has the same idea, and I hope your country can open the export of steam engines!"
Tao Donglai and Schneider looked at each other, and they both saw a hint of vigilance in each other's eyes.The steam engine can be said to be the cornerstone of Haihan's industry, and it is also one of the main black technologies that travelers can perfectly replicate in this time and space. For the manufacture and use of steam engines, Haihan has always included it in a state of strict control. Even technicians who can touch and use steam engines are under official supervision.
As for external sales?I'm sorry, Haihan never had such a plan.Even if it is a steam engine that has been scrapped, it will never flow into the hands of other forces.
The reason for such strict monitoring is actually very simple. The structure and craftsmanship of the steam engine are not irreproducible. As long as they understand its operating principle, craftsmen in any country can design and manufacture a steam engine according to the gourd painting.Of course, whether simple imitations have practical application value is another matter.
Of course, the Haihan executives don't want any country other than themselves to master the manufacturing technology of steam engines, even if they are hard-core allies.Although Fujian and Annan should not have any bad intentions towards Haihan, if they master this technology, it may be lost to some western countries in a few years. unacceptable.
According to the original history, Europeans will create early industrial steam engines by the end of this century, and put them into a wide range of applications in the 18th century.Although Haihan may have been ahead of the West in the use and manufacture of steam engines for decades, and it may even promote the research progress of Western scientists on steam engines, but this first-mover advantage is enough for Haihan to enter this field before competitors enter this field. To develop the next generation of power technology.However, if the Westerners had obtained the key technology of the steam engine decades in advance, then Haihan's advantage may not be so great.
But Tao Donglai and Schneider couldn't explain the reason to Zheng Zuo and Xu Yuzhuo in front of them. They couldn't tell each other. I can't trust your secrecy measures.And even if they tell the reason, it will probably only be regarded as an excuse by the other party, which will arouse more suspicion on the contrary.
Tao Donglai responded: "The matter you both mentioned is indeed of great importance. I'm sorry that I can't answer you immediately. After I've been busy these days, I will arrange a meeting of the executive committee to discuss your request."
It's not easy for Tao Donglai to reject them directly, so he can only use his best procrastination tactic, first perfunctory the present, and then deal with it slowly later.However, his set of coping methods obviously couldn't fool the two people who had been dealing with Hai Han for many years, Zheng Zuo immediately expressed dissatisfaction with this response.
"President Tao, as your country's most loyal ally, our country has always cooperated with your country in any field of politics, economy, trade, culture, and military affairs. Even the territory can be permanently leased to your country, allowing your country's The army is stationed at the coastal gateway of our country. But why can't your country give our country the same trust, and even block exports to our country on items such as steam engines. I would like to ask, isn't this in line with the equal diplomacy advocated by your country? ?”
Zheng Zuo obviously came prepared, and his doubts about Haihan were well-founded, and he obviously did not intend to accept Tao Donglai's delaying tactics.
"My little prince is serious." Tao Donglai saw that the other party deliberately raised the political significance of this matter and raised it to the diplomatic level to exert pressure. He also had to respond immediately: "The steam engine is one of our country's state secrets. According to our country's The law stipulates that at this stage, any type of steam engine cannot be exported overseas in any form, even for civilian use. This is not aimed at the two of you present, nor should it be used as a reason to affect our diplomatic relations."
Schneider added: "Even if you are willing to pay a high price, it will not work. The steam engine is not for sale and has nothing to do with the price. We do not intend to sell it as a commodity."
Xu Yuzhuo grasped the words in Tao Donglai's words very keenly and asked, "Current stage? Then Mr. Tao means that it may still be sold in the future. I don't know when the next stage is?"
Tao Donglai shook his head and said: "I don't have an accurate answer to this question, but I think that at least we have to wait until our country successfully develops and begins to popularize the next generation of power equipment that can replace steam engines. It may take decades, two or three generations human time?"
Replace the steam engine?Both Xu Yuzhuo and Zheng Zuo were a little confused. They are still trying to get Haihan Songsongzi to sell a few of the oldest and most primitive steam engines. They call on skilled craftsmen to study and see if they can imitate them in three to five or seven years. But the Haihan people are already considering the development of the next generation of power equipment.And from Tao Donglai's tone, it is obvious that the next generation of equipment will be more powerful than the steam engine, and the operating principle must be completely different.
But they have to wait decades for results, which is an unacceptable time span.Zheng Zuo couldn't help complaining: "Mr. Tao, who can tell clearly what will happen decades later? But we just want to get a chance to get in touch with the steam engine at this moment. Couldn't your country open the Internet for the most loyal allies?" One side?"
Tao Donglai said sternly: "As an ally, other issues can be discussed, even if your country wants to borrow money from our country, but there is no room for bargaining on some issues, such as steam engines. Please trust us, my little prince. The time is right, we will definitely give priority to selling steam engines to allies, and this is the only condition I can promise you at present."
Seeing Tao Donglai's resolute attitude, Zheng Zuo knew that he might not be able to get through.He turned to look at Schneider again, trying to open the door from this side. After all, Schneider is a businessman, and many things can be solved slowly by negotiating conditions.
But Schneider didn't give him a chance at all, and just rushed ahead and shook his head: "Little prince, you don't need to waste your saliva. I don't want to repeat Mr. Tao's words again. There is really nothing to talk about."
(End of this chapter)
Annan wanted to open up a trade route leading to Northeast Asia. Most of the time, he could only start from the coast of the Beibu Gulf, go to Daming through the Qiongzhou Strait or Sanya Port, and go north to North Korea through the Fujian Strait.The fleet departing from Annan is likely to berth at several ports controlled by Haihan for supplies, purchase or sell some goods during this route. In any case, it cannot be hidden from Haihan officials, so this matter must be communicated to Haihan's senior management first. Just report.
Of course, with the good relationship that Annan Zheng's and Haihan's senior management have formed over the years, they will not encounter difficulties in requesting to open up trade routes on their own, not to mention that Fujian Xu's is also involved in this matter.And Schneider also understands that Zheng Zuo doesn't want to abandon Haihan and go it alone, on the contrary, he wants Haihan to join in and run this route together.In this way, Annan's fleet can obtain more trade opportunities at the Haihan port along the way, and can get Haihan's protection, which also has better security guarantees.
But Zheng Zuo didn't take the initiative to bring it up, and Schneider could hold his breath, and the three talked about this topic for a while, and finally talked about letting Hai Han join the gang.
"Mr. Shi, as far as I know, although your country has established diplomatic relations with North Korea for nearly a year, there is still no fixed trade fleet between the two countries. Should you consider asking the Ministry of Shipping to send a few ships?" ship to join our transnational trade fleet?" Zheng Zuo persuaded while observing Schneider's expression, hoping to judge the attitude of the other party.
"What size is your fleet going to be?" Schneider didn't rush to answer Zheng Zuo, but asked a question that interested him first.
As Haihan's long-term trading partner, Annan and Fujian are very clear about the size of Haihan's trading fleet.In the past few years, Haihan specially developed the Yugong-class heavy-duty sail with a displacement of [-] tons as a marine cargo carrier, and later built military and civilian versions, of which the civilian version was used by Haihan officials for ocean-going trade. The backbone of the fleet.
Among the existing heavy-load sailing fleets, ten ships are generally used as the basic establishment, and more than twenty ships are considered large fleets.When a large fleet sails, the navy will arrange one or two exploration-class warships to accompany it, both to perform escort missions and to conduct long-distance voyage training for sailors, which can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.
However, due to the high cost of the Yugong class sailboats, no buyers in other countries have purchased this kind of cargo sailboats yet. Therefore, if a fleet with the same tonnage as the Haihan Trading Fleet is to be formed, the number of sailboats must be at least three times that of the Haihan trade fleet. The amount of cargo carried can be balanced.And this is already a big move for Annan, who has concentrated his maritime trade on the South China Sea.
Zheng Zuo replied: "At present, we have agreed with General Xu that our family will ship [-] ships. If this business can be done, we will add more in the future."
Compared with Annan, Fujian, which has a well-developed shipping and shipbuilding industry, has better conditions, and its geographical location is exactly at the midpoint between Annan and North Korea. These twenty cargo ships are just a trivial matter for Fujian, and naturally they are not Next.
Schneider silently weighed it in his heart. If Qiong Lianfa and his gang plan to invest more in Liaodong and use Lushun as the main commercial port for long-term trade with North Korea, the number of ships that will be invested in the northern route may be far greater than forty. cargo ship.Zhan's Shipping Company alone can organize a fleet of this type on its own.However, Qiong Lianfa's main business direction is to open up the North Korean market after settling in Liaodong, which is still different from Zheng Zuo's attempt to operate the airline.
Of course, this is without the intervention of Haihan officials. If Haihan also joins the trade route led by Zheng Zuo, the carrying capacity of the fleet can easily be doubled.And Schneider couldn't help but think of a very practical question-how much trade can North Korea support?If a fleet of this size travels thousands of miles to North Korea but fails to purchase enough supplies, it will undoubtedly be a huge waste of shipping capacity.Schneider thought to himself that it would be better to find another time to talk with the North Korean envoy Li Xi, to find out what are the main materials that North Korea can sell at this historical stage, and how many of them are the raw materials and special products Haihan needs.And whether North Korea can open up trade in such a cooperative manner, Schneider believes that there is still a big question mark.
While talking, Tao Donglai finally arrived, and the short meeting did not reach a final conclusion on the issue of the garrison in North Korea, but Li Xi's proposal was good news anyway.Regarding the cross-border combined trade plan proposed by Zheng Zuo, Tao Donglai's attitude was consistent with Schneider's, and both recognized the feasibility of this trade route.Moreover, Tao Donglai was obviously more interested in sea ginseng, and asked in detail how Zheng Zuo planned to arrange the shipping schedule and the proportion of ships provided by the three parties.
However, since Schneider has not made up his mind to send a ship to participate in this matter, Tao Donglai will not make a statement at this juncture to mess up his Minister of Commerce, so although he appreciates Zheng Zuo's proposal, he still does not make a clear statement. statement.This also made Zheng Zuo feel a little disappointed. He didn't understand why the two high-ranking Haihan officials still refused to place a bet when his plan was clearly appreciated.
This topic was not the main topic of the meeting between the three parties today, so after Tao Donglai asked a few questions, he quickly ended the discussion and brought the topic back to business.
The trade volume between Haihan and Annan Fujian is considerable, and has been showing an upward trend over the years. These cross-border trades have brought huge benefits to the three parties, and the trade items that need to be increased or adjusted every year will be represented by the three parties. mutual agreement.Having said that, it is precisely based on such a trade relationship that Zheng Zuo had the idea of taking the lead in operating transnational trade routes.
What Haihan imports from these two places are mainly native products and various raw materials, while the export commodities are mainly various industrial products. Basically, the scissors difference between industry and agriculture is used to ensure the annual trade profit.Annan and Fujian, as raw material exporters, have always maintained a deficit in trade with Haihan. Fortunately, the salt and iron industries that Haihan assisted them in operating are quite profitable, and the Haihan products imported from Fujian can also be exported to Daming. Inland distribution is for profit, so the cooperation between the three parties has always been smooth.
The two parties have cooperated for many years, and the various quotations will not be too outrageous. Generally, they will review each other's quotations, and if there are no major problems, they will directly finalize the main import and export trade content for the next year.Of course, in terms of specific business items, the three companies will still have some disputes over the pricing of various commodities, but in the end they will make concessions to each other and choose a price that both parties can accept.
However, this year Xu Yuzhuo put forward a new request to Haihan on behalf of Fujian: "My father hopes that your country can export steam engines to Fujian, and the price is negotiable."
Zheng Zuo also followed closely behind: "This is really a coincidence, my father also has the same idea, and I hope your country can open the export of steam engines!"
Tao Donglai and Schneider looked at each other, and they both saw a hint of vigilance in each other's eyes.The steam engine can be said to be the cornerstone of Haihan's industry, and it is also one of the main black technologies that travelers can perfectly replicate in this time and space. For the manufacture and use of steam engines, Haihan has always included it in a state of strict control. Even technicians who can touch and use steam engines are under official supervision.
As for external sales?I'm sorry, Haihan never had such a plan.Even if it is a steam engine that has been scrapped, it will never flow into the hands of other forces.
The reason for such strict monitoring is actually very simple. The structure and craftsmanship of the steam engine are not irreproducible. As long as they understand its operating principle, craftsmen in any country can design and manufacture a steam engine according to the gourd painting.Of course, whether simple imitations have practical application value is another matter.
Of course, the Haihan executives don't want any country other than themselves to master the manufacturing technology of steam engines, even if they are hard-core allies.Although Fujian and Annan should not have any bad intentions towards Haihan, if they master this technology, it may be lost to some western countries in a few years. unacceptable.
According to the original history, Europeans will create early industrial steam engines by the end of this century, and put them into a wide range of applications in the 18th century.Although Haihan may have been ahead of the West in the use and manufacture of steam engines for decades, and it may even promote the research progress of Western scientists on steam engines, but this first-mover advantage is enough for Haihan to enter this field before competitors enter this field. To develop the next generation of power technology.However, if the Westerners had obtained the key technology of the steam engine decades in advance, then Haihan's advantage may not be so great.
But Tao Donglai and Schneider couldn't explain the reason to Zheng Zuo and Xu Yuzhuo in front of them. They couldn't tell each other. I can't trust your secrecy measures.And even if they tell the reason, it will probably only be regarded as an excuse by the other party, which will arouse more suspicion on the contrary.
Tao Donglai responded: "The matter you both mentioned is indeed of great importance. I'm sorry that I can't answer you immediately. After I've been busy these days, I will arrange a meeting of the executive committee to discuss your request."
It's not easy for Tao Donglai to reject them directly, so he can only use his best procrastination tactic, first perfunctory the present, and then deal with it slowly later.However, his set of coping methods obviously couldn't fool the two people who had been dealing with Hai Han for many years, Zheng Zuo immediately expressed dissatisfaction with this response.
"President Tao, as your country's most loyal ally, our country has always cooperated with your country in any field of politics, economy, trade, culture, and military affairs. Even the territory can be permanently leased to your country, allowing your country's The army is stationed at the coastal gateway of our country. But why can't your country give our country the same trust, and even block exports to our country on items such as steam engines. I would like to ask, isn't this in line with the equal diplomacy advocated by your country? ?”
Zheng Zuo obviously came prepared, and his doubts about Haihan were well-founded, and he obviously did not intend to accept Tao Donglai's delaying tactics.
"My little prince is serious." Tao Donglai saw that the other party deliberately raised the political significance of this matter and raised it to the diplomatic level to exert pressure. He also had to respond immediately: "The steam engine is one of our country's state secrets. According to our country's The law stipulates that at this stage, any type of steam engine cannot be exported overseas in any form, even for civilian use. This is not aimed at the two of you present, nor should it be used as a reason to affect our diplomatic relations."
Schneider added: "Even if you are willing to pay a high price, it will not work. The steam engine is not for sale and has nothing to do with the price. We do not intend to sell it as a commodity."
Xu Yuzhuo grasped the words in Tao Donglai's words very keenly and asked, "Current stage? Then Mr. Tao means that it may still be sold in the future. I don't know when the next stage is?"
Tao Donglai shook his head and said: "I don't have an accurate answer to this question, but I think that at least we have to wait until our country successfully develops and begins to popularize the next generation of power equipment that can replace steam engines. It may take decades, two or three generations human time?"
Replace the steam engine?Both Xu Yuzhuo and Zheng Zuo were a little confused. They are still trying to get Haihan Songsongzi to sell a few of the oldest and most primitive steam engines. They call on skilled craftsmen to study and see if they can imitate them in three to five or seven years. But the Haihan people are already considering the development of the next generation of power equipment.And from Tao Donglai's tone, it is obvious that the next generation of equipment will be more powerful than the steam engine, and the operating principle must be completely different.
But they have to wait decades for results, which is an unacceptable time span.Zheng Zuo couldn't help complaining: "Mr. Tao, who can tell clearly what will happen decades later? But we just want to get a chance to get in touch with the steam engine at this moment. Couldn't your country open the Internet for the most loyal allies?" One side?"
Tao Donglai said sternly: "As an ally, other issues can be discussed, even if your country wants to borrow money from our country, but there is no room for bargaining on some issues, such as steam engines. Please trust us, my little prince. The time is right, we will definitely give priority to selling steam engines to allies, and this is the only condition I can promise you at present."
Seeing Tao Donglai's resolute attitude, Zheng Zuo knew that he might not be able to get through.He turned to look at Schneider again, trying to open the door from this side. After all, Schneider is a businessman, and many things can be solved slowly by negotiating conditions.
But Schneider didn't give him a chance at all, and just rushed ahead and shook his head: "Little prince, you don't need to waste your saliva. I don't want to repeat Mr. Tao's words again. There is really nothing to talk about."
(End of this chapter)