Most of what was shipped was rice and cloth. The value of table salt is very low, and the demand is not as high as the first two. Zhang Yikun knew that most of the rice came from Siam and the East Indies. Vietnam's rice supply status has been surpassed by the latter - the melee between the Northern and Southern Dynasties drew away too many farmers, making Vietnam's food production less than before. The Dutch took the opportunity to take over. They brought ship after ship of rice from the East Indies in exchange for sugar and silk. Because the Australians were willing to import rice almost unlimitedly, the Dutch East India Company for the first time got rid of the dilemma of outflow of large amounts of silver in its trade with China and achieved a rare trade balance. The price paid was nothing more than a large number of empty ships: the value of rice was extremely low, and it took several ships of rice to exchange for one ship of sugar and silk. But achieving a balance of trade was a great success for the East India Company's Board of Directors in Batavia. For this reason, the Dutch stepped up their efforts to collect rice through various means throughout the East Indies to supply the Australians - their appetite for rice was simply endless.
Thanks to our mastery of international trade in East Asia, otherwise this drama of currency reform would really not be possible. Lin Baiguang thought.
The sight of a steady stream of brown rice arriving at Dachang Wharf seemed to have a calming effect. Although Dachang has not yet started wholesale grain sales, grain prices in Guangzhou have stopped rising. Lin Baiguang knew well that there would be no shortage of grain in various grain stores and warehouses of Yahang - every year when there was a shortage of food, it was their opportunity to make a fortune.
"Chief, several grain merchants are already here..." his secretary behind him whispered.
"I'll come right away." Lin Baiguang said.
In a reception room in the big world, a dozen men with different looks and shabby or luxurious clothes gathered together. They were all invited by Zhu Fuyuan, the boss of Dachang Guangzhou branch. They are all grain merchants who frequently travel between other provinces and Guangzhou.
Seeing him come in, the group of people immediately came over and greeted him noisily.
"No need to be polite, just sit down." Lin Baiguang waved his hand. Because there were many people invited, several benches were placed in the office, and Lin Baiguang sat in the middle for everyone to sit down.
This is the first time that all grain merchants have been summoned by Australians - this is really unexpected. After Guangzhou changed hands, everyone in Guangzhou's business community was trying to find ways to tap Australians, but so far no Australians have been seen. Even Gao Ji, a big businessman with deep connections with Australians, only met Liu Fuyin for a cup of tea, which is already a great honor.
Unexpectedly, these grain merchants, who sell rice long distances and are trapped in the guild hall, are actually summoned by the Australians--this man, according to Boss Zhu, is an authentic Guangzhou second house! It's such a great honor.
Unexpectedly, when they met, the other party did not act like a master. Inviting them to sit down together and asking for tea, this is really the treatment of distinguished guests. Several merchants were surprised and happy.
Zhu Fuyuan introduced the grain merchants present one by one. These grain merchants are so-called "traveling merchants" and are engaged in the long-distance grain trade. Lin Baiguang said:
"I invite you all to come to my place today for no other reason than to discuss the grain business in Guangzhou." He said, lighting a cigar, "We are all grain merchants, so naturally there is no need for me to repeat how much grain there is. It’s important. It’s a matter of great importance to people’s livelihood, and I hope everyone has something to say. Everyone knows everything and tells everything.”
Weiwei, one of the oldest among the grain merchants, stood up and said: "Master, I have questions, so of course you will answer truthfully. We are the only merchants who are engaged in long-distance trafficking business. This is the case in Guangzhou." I know very little about the situation. If there are any mistakes, please forgive me."
Lin Baiguang nodded and smiled: "Of course. Don't worry. Since you are long-distance grain merchants, let's talk about your business first. Where does Guangzhou's grain come from, and how much does it sell every year?"
The old man was about to stand up again. Lin Baiguang waved his hand and said, "Sit down, sit down. No need to be polite."
"Reporting to the Master: Most of the food in Guangzhou comes from Guangxi..."
Guangxi has been an important grain supplier to Guangdong since the Ming Dynasty, and Guangdong's grain consumption is mainly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta, the most prosperous and developed region. Not only does this area gather the main population of Guangdong, but due to the large-scale planting of cash crops and the excavation of fish ponds, food crops are far from meeting demand. Food shortages are particularly serious. Therefore, the so-called Guangxi-Guangdong grain trade is, in a sense, Guangxi-Pearl River Delta grain trade.
"Grains are all shipped from Wuzhou." The old man said, "The young people have a grain warehouse in Wuzhou. After purchasing the rice grains, they are transported here along the Xijiang River."
Part of the transported grain is unloaded in Foshan and then distributed to various places in the Pearl River Delta. Part of it is transported to Humen, and then exported from Humen to eastern Guangdong, Fujian and other places. The remainder is shipped to Guangzhou for sale.
"How much grain do you transport to Guangdong every year, and how much does it transport to Guangzhou?"
"The amount of grain shipped from Wuzhou is uncountable. It's always around one million dan." The old man said, "Those of us transport about 200,000 dan of grain from Wuzhou to Guangzhou every year."
Lin Baiguang did some mental calculations and found that 200,000 shi is approximately 19,000 tons of grain. This number is quite impressive according to the standards of this time and space.
"This business is not small."
"The business is not small, otherwise who would be willing to endure this hardship!" The old man sighed, "From Wuzhou below, there are so many bandits on the Xijiang River, and the boatmen are unscrupulous. You need to spend money to be safe. Even so, sometimes you encounter The wind and waves, if one ship is swept away, then everything is really lost!"
Another businessman in his thirties answered: "Even if we arrive in Guangzhou safely, we still don't know if we can make money! We are foreign businessmen. From officialdom to city foxes and community rats, we are not allowed to burn incense and show filial piety to the gods! The gods have all received the incense, but the matter is not over yet: they still have to suffer the torture of tooth decay..."
The old man coughed, and the young man fell silent. Lin Baiguang summoned them here with the intention of collecting information about Ya Xing. It seemed that Ya Xing was quite powerful here.
At that moment, he said pleasantly: "Why don't you say it? It must be because this tooth shop is not easy to deal with. Don't worry, I, the Song Dynasty, will regain Guangzhou and make some reforms. If you have any grievances, please tell me. I, Guangzhou The city government will make the decision with you!"
After saying this, the merchants were still a little hesitant, and Lin Baiguang said again: "You must also know that our senate values fairness and credit, and I have heard about what Yaxing did in the past. If you have anything to say, just say it - -The Senate in Guangzhou is engaged in commercial and military revolution, and even relatives of the Ming Emperor are not worth a penny here, let alone a few teethers holding the Ming Dynasty's dental certificates?"
The young businessman was already eager to give it a try, but now he said loudly: "Shopkeeper Ding, Mr. Lin is right! No matter how proud he is, he still has the Ming Dynasty's teeth. Guangzhou is now the world of the Song Dynasty! What are you afraid of him doing? ?”
As soon as these words came out, all the grain merchants who had been silent seemed to have a sense of enlightenment and were eager to speak. Lin Baiguang smiled and said: "Don't be anxious, speak one by one." He looked at the young merchant and asked , "What's your surname?"
The young businessman quickly stood up, bowed and said: "Report to the master: Little He Gao."
"You go ahead and say it."
"Yes, I forgive you for being so crazy." He Gao said, "Sir, speaking of it, this system of tooth-to-mouth merchants is doing a lot of harm to the country and the people but no benefit at all! The so-called car and boat shop's legs and teeth are useless. Those who commit crimes deserve to be killed, that’s the extreme!”
As soon as these words came out, the faces of all the merchants turned pale. The Yashang system has been used by the government since the Tang Dynasty. Although it has many disadvantages, it has many "benefits", so it has been used by successive dynasties. No one knows what the "Great Song Dynasty" plans to do in the future. It would be too bold to directly say that "a hundred harms and no benefits".
Lin Baiguang said: "I also know a little bit about the bad reputation of the tooth people. That aside, let's talk about your hardships."
He Gao shook his head and sighed: "This matter is not limited to us grain merchants. Almost all merchants who sell bulk goods over long distances are poisoned by the dental industry. We will make profit and go through all the hard work of trafficking. The goods arrived. This person was originally set up to facilitate foreign businessmen such as us. He was the mediator and introduced me. I made a profit from selling the goods, so I deserved to give him some helpers. Now, every purchase and sale has to be controlled by The tooth shop. Without going through the tooth shop, one cannot buy or sell goods. The owner of the tooth shop, relying on his official reputation, is just taking huge profits. He also bullies us foreign traders at will. He calls us grain merchants and goods. As soon as we arrived in Guangzhou, we had to go into the warehouse of Yashi. We were not allowed to sell it privately. Since ancient times, we had no worries about selling grain. He would sell it to local grain merchants in bulk. He took the payment and refused to give it to us. He often had to keep it for several months. …”
"Since the goods have been sold, why do they have to withhold the payment? Aren't they asking for dental help?"
"The master doesn't know something. As long as the payment is not made, the rice and grain will still be counted in his warehouse, and he will still charge warehouse rent from us. Besides, once he gets the money, he can also transfer it first and make a profit. Some interest. But the expenses of being trapped in Guangzhou will naturally be borne by ourselves..."
"Wait a minute," Lin Baiguang asked, "How can the tooth servant get the payment? The so-called tooth man should be the one who introduces and collects the tooth servant. The transaction should be done with the local grain dealer."
"I don't know something about this. According to the elders, this was true in the early years. I don't know when it changed to the current bastard rules. They said they were Ya people, but they actually didn't recommend introducing merchants to us. In fact, they did. They took the grain from our hands and sold it to the customers in batches. It's a pity that we have to go through all kinds of hardships and go through many difficulties to sell the grain to them in vain. We get the benefit of both ends! They have earned the majority of the profit, so what's the point? You have to ask for help! It’s even more difficult to get your money back.” (To be continued.)
