What Lawrence didn't expect was that Henry, the manager of the Tiger Defense Company, was so aggressive that the security fee was 50% of the total freight.
Fake, didn’t I become a part-time worker for you?
Moreover, Lawrence also learned that the defense company charged 20% of the freight for other companies' ships, but when it came to Flowserve Company, it became 50%. This was obviously an unequal quotation against Flowserve Company.
As expected, none of these Americans are good.
But he also knew that Fox's size was not comparable to other companies. The average company has two or three small steamers of several hundred tons, which is great, but their company, Fox, has four freighters of several thousand tons. If necessary, with their financial resources, they can purchase several more at any time. It doesn't matter how big the ship is.
A fleet of this size has already exceeded the Yangtze River Company's shipping volume. The Yangtze River Company must be on guard against their Fox Company, and maybe they even signed an exclusive agreement with the Tiger Defense Company.
Just when he was hesitant, Bi Shunchang decided to give him another gentle push and said softly: "I heard that Hukou County has set up a river defense brigade, equipped with several gunboats, to control the water in Jiangxi and Hubei." The bandits are all scared. Recently, the waterway of the Yangtze River has become much safer than before, and there are more and more ships on the river."
After hearing this, Lawrence's eyes flashed brightly, and he asked: "Then what do you think, we send a ship to test the water first?"
Bi Shunchang pretended to think for a while and said: "I think it's okay. Our ship doesn't transport external cargo anyway, it just hauls its own cargo, so it won't attract much attention."
What Bi Shunchang said is also true. Foss & Co. is different from Qichang Co., Ltd. Yangtze River Shipping is not the company's main business. Foss & Co. is mainly engaged in mining and trading.
Their captains travel between Nanjing and Shanghai for many years, usually unloading goods at Nanjing Xiaguan Wharf, and then transporting them to Wuhang and other cities by rail. The problem brought by this kind of waterway combined transportation is that it is time-consuming, laborious and expensive.
Moreover, the transportation between Shanghai and Nanjing is relatively developed, with roads, railways, and water transportation. The market competition is fierce. It is good enough that Fox & Company can maintain a balance of payments, and there is no profit left.
If the ships can reach Wuhan directly and load their mineral products on the return journey and transport them back to Shanghai, it will at least increase the overall profit of Foss & Co. by more than 30%. This is the most critical factor why Foss & Co. is reluctant to part with the Yangtze River shipping business. And once it goes smoothly, it will be openly transported to the outside world, and the money will not just roll in.
"Then let's try out a ship first. From Shanghai to Nanjing, we will still use the flag of our British Empire. After twenty miles from Nanjing, we will change it to the tiger flag. Remember, the workmanship of the tiger flag must be meticulous. Better get a real flag and follow suit."
"Yes, I'll make arrangements right away."
Lawrence looked at Bi Shunchang's back as he walked out, thinking that this kind of trick could only be used temporarily, not a long-term solution. They also had to propose to the consulate that it would be best to send a few warships from the British Empire back to revive the former glory of dominating the Yangtze River.
After thinking about it, he slowly drank the red wine in the glass in one gulp.
But he didn't know that Zhou Wen was notified of Foss's plan to eat mixed noodles only a few hours later.
But Zhou Wen didn't take it seriously. Now, not only Fox & Company, but also some other small companies' ships have begun to fly the tiger flag. Only a small number of them have signed agreements with defense companies, and the rest are bastards.
During the Republic of China, there was no property rights and brand protection. There was nothing you could do about it even if others took advantage of your brand. Zhou Wen had already expected this. Just leave the small shrimps and fish aside for the time being, and just keep an eye on the biggest ones.
Zhou Wen, on the other hand, has a long-term strategy for Fox & Company to catch the big fish. Either he won't move you, or if he wants to move, he will have to eat a lot of meat, and he will make you lie down completely in one go.
Fox & Company just wanted to fish in troubled waters and take advantage, while Zhou Wen was drooling at his four thousand-ton cargo ships.
In the end, whoever can scheme against the other will depend on whose method is smarter.
What's more, Zhou Wen doesn't have time to care about such trivial matters now. He wants to arrange things in Shanghai as soon as possible and rush back to Nanjing to arrange his marriage.
Mr. Situ left. Since he was going to the United States with a visiting delegation sent by the Nanjing government, he naturally did not need to consider safety issues. Just because assassinating diplomatic missions of other countries is a serious violation of international norms no matter what era it is in, little Japan cannot afford the consequences.
That morning, just as a cargo ship belonging to Fox & Company quietly sailed out of the dock, in the living room of Du Mansion, Zhou Wen was chatting enthusiastically with a sturdy man in his thirties with a face as sharp as a knife.
"Brother Paul, I didn't expect you to speak Mandarin so well. I'm really surprised."
The sharp-faced Kanji was wearing a crisp silk shirt and a pair of polished pointed leather shoes under his bloomers. He looked a bit nondescript, but it matched his casual and lazy temperament.
This man is Paul Pu introduced by Mr. Situ.
Zhou Wen also didn't expect that Mr. Du actually attached great importance to this Pu Bao Paulo. Perhaps he was afraid that he would have an unruly personality and would easily cause trouble in Shanghai if he was unfamiliar with the place. So he arranged for him to live in his own mansion and sent a few subordinates when he went out. Follow. So Zhou Wen found the real owner as soon as he came to the door.
Although Pu Bao Paulo was a little surprised by Zhou Wen's visit, he knew that those who could come directly to Du Mansion were not ordinary people, so he did not look down on Zhou Wen because of his age.
At first, Zhou Wen was afraid that this person had been abroad for many years, so he greeted him in English. Little did he know that this person spoke pure Mandarin, which surprised Zhou Wen, so he praised him half-jokingly.
"Oh! There is no way, I was forced to do it by my father. I don't want to get beaten, so I have to learn."
Zhou Wen laughed when he heard what he said was interesting, and said with deep sympathy: "My little brother was in a similar situation to Brother Paul when he was a child. My father also forced me to read and read, and I was beaten a lot!"
Paulo Pu also burst out laughing, and the previously unfamiliar relationship between the two suddenly became much closer.
In fact, when Zhou Wen saw Paul Pu, he could tell that he had a wild and unruly temperament, and his eyes were shining brightly when he looked at people. He seemed casual on the surface, but he was very wary on the inside.
He knew that most people in the underworld were like this. They usually dealt with monsters and monsters, and over time, they developed a subconscious mentality of guarding against everything.
It is difficult for such people to trust others, and it is even more difficult for them to make friends.
Therefore, Zhou Wen took advantage of the atmosphere between the two parties to relax and stopped beating around the bush and decided to go straight to the point and explain his purpose.
