There is no need to go into detail about the darkness of the officialdom in the late Qing Dynasty. Civil servants have their own routines, and military generals have their own ways. Civil servants suffer from fire, taxes and lawsuits, but the most important way for military generals to make money is smuggling.
In the bitter cold land outside the pass, the population is small and the land development level is low. If you hope to extract oil from the people, even if the bones are broken, there will not be much oil or water.
But there is also an advantage outside the customs, that is, you can smuggle. There are Mongolia to the west, Rakshasa ghosts to the north, and the Central Plains on the other side. In the early days, Ningguta even occasionally encountered merchant ships from northern Japan, secretly selling some samurai swords, Seafood and so on, and tiger skin and ginseng from outside the customs are also Japanese favorites.
Where there is foreign trade, there is naturally smuggling. In the three provinces outside the customs, almost all military generals are involved in the smuggling trade. They do not have to pay any taxes, and they can also get good goods that cannot be bought on the market, such as Western self-ringing clocks, pocket watches, Muskets and glass are high-priced goods in the world.
Matches, lanterns, kerosene, nails... these are all indispensable items in ordinary people's lives.
Then silk, salt, ironware, and grain from the Central Plains, cattle and sheep skins and dairy products from the Mongolian grasslands, and medicinal materials, animal skins, wood, etc. from outside the customs began to circulate in the hands of these garrison troops.
This kind of thing is an open secret, and the court actually knows it well, but it is to make the country poor. The officers and soldiers are fully paid, so who cares about this kind of business? It's not nice to say that you don't let these big soldiers get rich. Why should they show their loyalty to you?
Although Hunchun is a good official, he still has to earn this kind of wealth, but even after he earns it, it goes to the belly of his subordinates, unlike those like Tepuxin, who all pockets it.
Only senior officers can get involved in this kind of smuggling activity. Lower-level officers can only get a share of the boss's business. But Lao Lin's level is enough. With Hunchun's acquiescence, he also has a small caravan making money. Money, but on a very small scale.
This kind of illegal business also pays attention to territory. Big cities such as Jilin and Ningguta are Hunchun's territory. Even if you, Lao Lin, are a direct descendant, you can't come here to make money unless your goods are a gap in the market. In this way, maybe I can open a crack for you.
As for big cities such as Qiqihar and Aihui, they are naturally Tepuxin's territory. If you want to do business here, it is absolutely impossible not to tap him privately.
Look, there are rules in the underworld, and these rules are enforced more strictly than the law.
There is business and there are rules, and naturally there are people who challenge the rules. The profession of brokerage was actually born in this context. People who live in black, white and gray scenes eat the unspoken rules between the rules.
When you, Lao Lin, ship goods in Qiqihar, you have to spend at least 40% to settle various relationships, but if you want brokers like Bastard to come forward, 30% is enough. This is the market foundation for their survival.
There was no flaw in everything Lao Lin showed today. No matter how shrewd the bastard was, he couldn't find any flaw. When he saw the goods brought by the pack horse, his eyes turned blue. Even if he knew it was a trap for him now, I couldn’t bear to come out either.
"Good boy! Mr. Lin, you are so proud! They are all good products that cannot be found in the market!"
"Ryukyu rum! Hey... do you know how much a bottle of this liquor costs in the city? Thirty silver dollars! And you can't grab it..."
"Citizen's cans, this is beef, this is fruit, these are meatballs...baby, really precious, such a can can cost one silver coin per can..."
"Mr. Lin! You know that nowadays when adults go out for hunting and fun, they don't barbecue themselves. If anyone doesn't light these canned foreign goods by the campfire to make the scene, it will be laughed at!"
What the bastard said is indeed true. Since ancient times, we have valued the value of rare things. Rum and canned products were nothing at all in the years when supplies were abundant in later generations. Spirits with a higher alcohol content were just canned goods. People call it junk food with no nutrition.
But in an era of scarcity, this kind of thing is a treasure, and because it is a new thing, it is highly sought after by the market. People also pursue it in order to satisfy their own illusory face.
In fact, this trend of foreign goods also gradually emerged with the rise of the Volunteer Army. The Chinese transported large quantities of these assembly line foods by sea. Since the supplies were sufficient, some of them would naturally flow into the private sector.
The common people were reluctant to eat these good things, so they secretly sold them on the black market. The unique taste and strange appearance of canned food, coupled with the ancient love for strong alcohol outside the customs, made these munitions for the Volunteer Army an instant hit.
Heilongjiang is not within the sphere of influence of the Volunteer Army, so such military supplies are naturally rare, which has pushed up the market price even more. The foreign goods brought by Lao Lin today are really a timely help.
"Leave it to me, brother, I'll handle this business for you. It's absolutely beautiful!" The bastard rubbed his hands in excitement.
"Look at your worthless look! Is this thing worth being excited about? Come and see this place again..." After speaking, Lao Lin secretly opened a crack in a wooden box.
"Hiss... the Mauser used by the volunteer army? And the American rotor pistol?" The bastard put the lid back on at that time, "Master Lin! You, you, you... Where did you get this treasure? Don't do any harm. Brother, that Xiao Letian is cruel and ruthless, and he has too many friends from all over the world..."
"What if your goods are not clean and are exposed when the time comes, and you lose your life if you don't make any money? We are so worthless that we can't stand up to someone else's finger!"
"Shit! Am I that kind of person? To tell you the truth, I paid for all this with information..." The bastard finally understood. He also made a lot of money from information trading, so it makes sense to say so. .
"Oh my God, you scared me to death... Just tell the truth, how many of these things are there? Give me the total number..."
The scribbled list was stuffed into the arms of the bastard. This kid was really a born businessman. He knew all about the market in the city just by looking at this list.
"Oh my god, it turns out that this group of people is just the vanguard? There are actually others behind... This batch of goods is actually worth millions? My mother, I'm getting rich, I'm really getting rich!"
"Shh...shut up!" Lao Lin pulled him aside. "Do you have to make your noise so that everyone knows? When there are more wolves sharing the meat, I will be the first to slap your head!"
"Haha, look at my mouth. It deserves a beating. It really deserves a beating... Master Lin, what do you mean? Tell me clearly!"
"Well, my plan is to secretly store all these good goods in the city. You can find a warehouse for me, and we will slowly sell them out bit by bit. Don't just sell them in Qiqihar! Sell them in pieces, so that the price is reasonable. Isn’t it high?”
"My large team is eight miles outside the city. We will go into the city first to unload the goods! Don't be stupid. So many things are rushing to the market at once. Just wait for the price to drop!"
The bastard blinked and asked weakly, "My Lord Lin, with so many goods, how many people did you bring in total?"
"Not much, only eight hundred..." Old Lin looked at him with a sneer.
