Chapter 97 Qi Wei Zhan
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. [No pop-up novel website]
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 Qiwei's Jiangnan headquarters in Shanghai instead of Nanjing or Guangzhou fully illustrates the importance Wu De attached to this place.
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 identity, he has no connection with the Shanghai head office of Qiwei Escort Agency. Therefore, when Mao Sansheng went to Hangzhou, it was not for his subordinates to meet their bosses, but for the bosses to meet their big clients. Except for him, no one else in the headquarters, including the naturalized citizens, knew Zhao Yingong's actual identity.
Zhao Yingong met Mao Sansheng in the fourth house of Qinghefang - he was already very busy in building Fenghuang Mountain Manor, preparing for the sericulture industry and opening a bookshop, but he also had to deal with the matter of opening a long-distance transportation company: after all, the next step of collecting and collecting refugees The transshipment work relies on Qiwei's network.
From Mao Sansheng's mouth, he knew that transportation in Jiangnan mainly relied on ships, and few people, rich or poor, traveled long distances by land. The sedan car business can 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 a ship, which can be large enough to carry dozens of people and travel between towns and counties, or small like the Wuxi Kuai. In addition to self-employed businesses, there are also some shipping companies, but the scale is small and they mainly engage in shipping activities on canals 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 route. This canal is a thoroughfare from north to south. The most unprovoked thing for countless people who depend on the river for food is the water boats. There were no water gangs in the Ming Dynasty, and the people responsible for water transportation were soldiers. There are health stations affiliated to the prefectures and counties along the river. Each health station has a fixed quota of caoding and special official land.
Caoding's transportation tasks were heavy. Due to various system shortcomings, Caoding often had to pay heavy losses when transporting grain, so it suffered a lot. However, Caoding has the status of a government official, and enjoys a special status of passage and customs clearance when sailing on the canal. Regardless of whether Caoding grain goes north or empty ships go south, collecting goods and bringing customers along the way is an important business income for them. If the shipping company run by Qiwei If they want to walk on the canal and compete in business, they may be resisted by Caoding.
Caoding has a large number of people, united with each other, and has the official status of transporting grain. Once a conflict occurs, whether it is an official mobilization or a private fight, Qiwei will definitely not be their opponent.
Zhao Yingong frowned and said: "So, we can't get involved in 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 spit out this benefit."
No matter whether the boat goes north or south, it is a matter of taking passengers and goods along the way, so the charges are relatively low. A competitive relationship can be formed against the popular line of Qiwei. Even if the boats can't cause trouble, no, simply competing for power may not guarantee victory.
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 were 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 locks and locks." 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 was confused: "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 involves great risks. 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 was all based on the sailors' oral experiences. People sailing boats who are not familiar with navigation conditions are in danger of running aground even in the Yangtze River section where the river is wide and the water is deep.
Sailors sailing on the Yangtze River are also in cliques and share the same views. Recruiting sailors who can lead ships does not happen overnight. The structure of ancient society was extremely stable, and ordinary people rarely left the group to find another place, let alone 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 Hangzhou Station. Therefore, Zhao Yingong is not concerned about the possible lack of navigators - they have hydrographic surveyors trained with modern technology, and there is no need to use traditional sailors who are purely empirical.
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.
Directly operated foreign counters are mainly engaged in passenger and cargo transportation business. The name "Qiwei Zhan" is displayed externally, and the small characters "Qiwei Escort Bureau Co., Ltd." are marked below.
Each Qiwei Inn has a warehouse, an inn, a sedan carriage and a boat carriage. In addition to providing transportation services, it also provides accommodation and storage of goods for merchants. In the future, we plan to act as an agent for Delong's exchange business and mail services in the bank, forming a true 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 does not happen overnight, the current business of shipping companies mainly adopts the "joint operation" model. That is, ship owners bring their own ships to participate in the joint venture, and Qiweizhan is responsible for soliciting business. The freight rates for passenger and freight transportation are unified according to the regulations of the general number.
The ship owner transports the 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 shipowner does not charge any fees from the cargo owners or passengers, and all fees are paid by the cargo owners and passengers to the semicolon. Starting from the Guangdong era, Zhang Xin got rid of the bad rule of "rewarding money". It is stipulated that all fees should be charged according to the price list, and no "reward money" is 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 by the bosses to the clerks. 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 They want to ask for "reward money", which leads to the formation of bad regulations in the industry. Although the escort agency never asks for reward money, it is customary for clients to give "reward money" after the escort tour is over. It is an important income for escorts. When Zhang Xin got rid of the bad habit, he clearly added personnel salaries and allowances to the transportation price, completely getting rid of this bad habit.
After the ship owner arrives, he will go to the dispatch station with the stamped waybill at the arrival station to settle the freight on a monthly basis. 2% will be deducted from the monthly shipping fee. As transportation accident insurance: Once a ship is sunk, damaged, robbed by bandits, or the ship owner or sailor dies accidentally while sailing according to the prescribed route and itinerary, 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 is included in the freight price and will provide compensation in the event of an accident.
Originally, when Zhang Xin promoted this insurance system in Guangzhou, he wanted to list the insurance premium as a clear charge item, allowing passengers and cargo owners to freely choose whether to purchase it, but Sun Kecheng thought it was not necessary. Because ship owners in this time and space do not have the obligation to ensure the safety of people and cargo. In the event of cargo damage or death, whether the ship owner will compensate will first depend on the status of the cargo owner. If he is a government official or a powerful figure on the ground, the ship owner will lose his fortune. You also have to pay compensation; if you are an ordinary person, it all depends on the reputation and conscience of the ship owner, and there is no compulsion to accompany you as much as you want.
However, the escort agency has always had a policy of compensating for lost escort items. Of course, the charges of an escort agency are much higher than those of a boat or foot agency. Therefore, Sun Kecheng suggested that there is no need to explicitly mention the insurance premium. You only need to enter the freight price and clearly state that the goods will be compensated for damage and the casualties will be compensated. This not only eliminates 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, and ship personnel and goods in accordance with the passenger and freight bills issued by the outer container. They are not allowed to carry goods together. Vessels must sail according to prescribed routes and times. As for departure and return registration times, each flight has a clear arrival and return time. If the return time is delayed without justifiable reasons, a "delay fee" will be deducted. Make sure that the joint venture owners do not take detours in the middle of the journey.
Depending on the condition, the vessel will receive "minor maintenance" every three months and "major maintenance" once a year. In addition to maintaining the hull, maintenance also includes repainting and trimming to keep the hull clean and tidy at all times. During the maintenance period, Kaiwei Shipping Company will provide living expenses. Maintenance expenses 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 ship owners to serve for a long time and prevent them from being lost frequently, Zhao Yingong stipulated that during the off-season, basic living expenses should be paid even if there is no ship sailing.
Every ship that participates 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 number it in a thousand-character script, so that It's clear at a glance. ro@.
