Baranov talked about his plan blatantly, and at the same time kept observing Zhao Xin's expression in order to adjust his words in time.
However, Zhao Xin has been leaning on the back of the chair and maintaining the same posture from the beginning, with the expression on his face basically unchanged. Only the index finger of his right hand occasionally taps the armrest. This state made Baranov very uncomfortable. He spent a long time spitting, but he couldn't get any feedback, and he felt really unsure.
Finally, the plan of "Huamei Trading Company" was finished. Baranov, who was thirsty and thirsty, picked up the tea cup and took a sip. As soon as he put the cup down, Zhao Xin spoke.
"How many of you are there on Kodiak Island?"
"34. 28 men, 6 women. In addition, there are two hundred indigenous laborers from the Aleuts."
“How many Native people are there in the Aleutians and Kodiak Islands now?”
Baranov thought for a while and said: "We did a population survey the year before last. The number in the Aleutian Islands was 6,000, and that in Kodiak Island was about 6,500."
Zhao Xinxin said 234 to 6500. If this offends the Indians, the team will be wiped out in minutes! So he asked, "How is your relationship with the Aboriginal people?"
Baranov said with confidence: "Very good. We purchase a large amount of furs from them every year. In addition to iron products, we also trade wine and glass beads."
By the way, this guy owns a glass factory, so it's not easy to get some beads. Zhao Xin asked again: "How much fur production did you produce last year?"
Baranov took the business data at his fingertips and said without thinking: "There are 61,056 animal skins of various types. Among them, fox skins are the most numerous, more than 48,000 pieces, and sea otter skins are 2,916. In addition, there are also a small amount of walrus tusks and whale baleen. "
"Most of them are purchased from local people, right?"
"Yeah. Mostly Tlingit, but also Athabasca."
“What’s the deal with food?”
"Fishing and hunting, raising some sheep, mainly making cheese. To tell you the truth, we are very short of food. Previously, Mr. Shelikhov led people to cultivate a small amount of farmland on Unalaska Island, Cody We have also reclaimed more than ten acres of land on Yake Island, and can only grow some potatoes, but the yield is very low. Generally speaking, if there is a large-scale immigration, we will still need your help. We will regularly purchase grain and fruits from Kinmen. It would be great if you could send a doctor.”
"Where do you plan to recruit people from?"
Baranov said cautiously: "As long as there are sufficient funds, we will definitely be able to recruit enough people. If you allow me, I would like to recruit some from the prisoners of the Tsarist army."
Zhao Xin didn't expect that this guy would actually have his mind set on him. He pondered for a moment and said: "Yes, I allow you to recruit five hundred people first. If the development is good, we will recruit another five hundred people."
It has been exactly four years since the "Battle of Usolye" ended. The Northern Navy captured more than 20,000 Russian soldiers in two battles with the Russian Empire. One-third of these people joined the "Cossack Emirate", and a small number were released through negotiation. Today, there are still more than 10,000 left, organized into four engineering groups, whose main job is to build railways.
The plan of the "Committee of 29" is to release these people back after the construction of the "Bobei Railway" is completed. After all, the cost of managing them is also a considerable expense. As for absorbing and naturalizing, no one is interested. That is to say, Zhao Xin had some ideas and asked the Intelligence Bureau to try to develop a few informants.
Baranov was overjoyed when he heard this. There was nothing he could do about it. After Beihai Town occupied Siberia, it abolished serfdom and made all the exiled serfs and prisoners free people. However, free people would only come to America if they were crazy!
Siberia is desolate, but it can't be compared to anyone else. Alaska is no longer desolate, it is simply a wilderness unsuitable for survival!
In 1784, Shelikhov, the founder of the Northeast North American Company, finally recruited more than 100 people and sent them to settle in Alaska. Ten years later, there were only 34 left, and almost all of them were alcoholics and ruffians. Most of the reduced number of people died of illness, so Baranov asked Kinmen to send a doctor.
In his previous correspondence with Shelikhov, he learned about the prisoners of war, and after much thought, he came up with the idea of those people. He had already thought about it. As long as Zhao Xin nodded, he would trick people into coming over by deception, sign contracts, set up debt traps, withhold documents and prevent them from going back. Anyway, the last seventy, eighty, ninety years would not be over.
Well, in another history of time and space, Baranov really did this, otherwise the Russians would not be able to hold on in Alaska. Therefore, the methods used in the northern Myanmar park are not new, and people have been using them since the 18th century. By the 19th century, the methods by which Chinese workers were "sold as piglets" were similar. One's own people deceive one's own people, this has been the case from ancient times to the present.
Zhao Xin didn't know Baranov's evil plan. At this moment, he was thinking about whether to transport a group of immigrants to Alaska.
Qing army prisoners? Manchurian dignitaries? However, he quickly gave up this idea, or said he did not consider it for the time being.
Siberia is such a big place, just the ice city of Yakutsk can make people want to die. The problem is that Yakutsk can still travel by water in the summer, but in Alaska, living supplies and medical support cannot keep up, and everyone will die soon. They might as well be shot.
If you want to occupy a wild land, you must first solve the problem of food and build a stronghold. The next step is to cultivate farmland. But farming in Alaska? Not to mention the 18th century, the 20th century couldn’t handle it either.
Historically, after the United States acquired Alaska, no one except gold diggers was willing to settle there. Although some towns were later established, they were all mining cities and military bases, and food had to be transported from outside. In 1935, Roosevelt implemented the New Deal. In the name of the "Ma-Su Valley Experimental Agricultural Area", 203 families with rich farming experience were recruited from Minnesota and other agriculturally developed states and moved into the valley to live. Each family was given ten free Six hectares of permanent land. Since then, Alaska has had agriculture.
The total investment in this plan exceeded US$5 million. Based on purchasing power, the US$5 million at that time was equivalent to US$100 million in 2023. However, no one expected that half of the new immigrants would leave in just five years. By 1965, only 20 of the first 203 families remained.
It is a disaster to engage in agricultural development in an area where the frost-free period is only 100 days a year, the daytime temperature in summer is only 13 to 26 degrees, the whole winter is below zero day and night, and there are frequent heavy snowfalls for two or three months!
In another history of time and space, one of the main reasons why it was difficult for Tsarist Russia to operate Alaska in depth was that daily necessities relied heavily on external supplies. Food, salt, beef, and vegetables all had to be purchased from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain. , making the maintenance cost of the immigration area high.
Therefore, for Beihai Town, if it wants to develop Alaska, it must first establish a foothold in Northern California and fully develop the Central Valley to create a food base. Then it went all the way north along the west coast, taking in the later states of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, and finally connected with Alaska. As for the gold mine, there is no need to worry about it. As long as the Americans cannot enter, it will be theirs sooner or later.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xin said to Baranov: "The franchise can be granted, but it must be every ten years. And you can't just do it, there must be competitors."
What? ! Baranov's face instantly drooped and became like a bitter melon.
Zhao Xin smiled lightly and said: "Dear Alexander, as a businessman, I think you should know what monopoly means. Yes, monopoly can bring huge profits, but it can also become a breeding ground for laziness and corrode the company. The enterprising spirit. Even if the company will be prosperous due to the franchise in the first few years, this prosperity will be destined to be short-lived and false!"
Baranov admitted that what Zhao Xin said made some sense, but now the colonial companies in various European countries are engaged in long-term monopoly, why can't they do it here?
He is a businessman and a capitalist. Although Europe advocated free capitalism during the industrial revolution, that was only an early form, and it would develop into monopoly capitalism in the next step. If there is a chance to achieve monopoly, who the hell would still compete? Domination by one family is the dream of all capitalists. Otherwise, how did the trust come about?
However, for Zhao Xin, what he wants is competition. What he is most worried about is that one day the Russians in Alaska will secretly collude with the Tsarist Russian government and then engage in mischief in North America. As the old saying goes, do capitalists have a conscience? Especially in this era of barbaric growth, you really need to have a conscience. You can sell Bibles instead of selling opium and furs.
If Baranov doesn't agree, he will go out of his way to do it himself and tell all the Russians to get out. A company with a total share capital of one million rubles only has a total of more than 700,000 taels of silver. So, sir, please pay the balance!
The reason why he didn't want to die personally was simply because he wanted Baranov to take a group of Russian prisoners, expand territory for him, and rush to the front to fight the British and Americans. If the North Navy were to be killed in person, it would be an act of declaring war.
So Zhao Xin did not give Baranov a chance to explain, and continued: "Alexander, have you ever thought about this question? Even if we introduce competitors, they are still our own people. We all operate that wilderness for the same goal. .In the face of the cold winter, it is not the trend to fight alone, but to stay together as a group is the way to go.
Although your Northeast North American company is the only one in Alaska today, the British, Americans, and Spanish have already put their hands in it. The British claimed Vancouver Island as theirs, and signed a treaty with the Spanish to gain access to Nucat Sound. The Hudson's Bay Company would soon become our biggest competitor, and the days of producing 60,000 furs a year were over.
And Americans, do you know that Captain Gray bought 2,600 acres of land on Vancouver Island? Have you ever thought about the consequences of this? If I were an American, in order to gain a foothold on Vancouver Island and seize fur resources, I would secretly contact the Tlingit people and purchase their furs at high prices. When they taste the benefits, I would stop the trade as an excuse. Blackmail and force them to attack the stronghold on Kodiak Island! "
The more Baranov heard, the uglier his face became, thinking that this was really possible. By this time, he had already vaguely understood what Zhao Xin wanted from him. In these days, all the businessmen who dare to leave their homes thousands of miles to come to the wilderness are not good people. Behind their business, there is often bloody killing. What he didn't expect was that the King of the North Sea in front of him had a better understanding of Alaska than he did, and his little thoughts were really not enough.
"Then what is the second company you are planning to introduce, Your Majesty?"
"Beihai Trading Company."
ah! ! Baranov knew this name very well. Not long after Irkutsk was occupied by the North Sea Navy, the sign of "Beihai Trading Company" appeared on the most conspicuous business district in the city. This company later completely monopolized the tea and rhubarb trade in the entire Far East, and even the five major companies at the time had to purchase goods from there.
He suddenly felt a little discouraged, thinking that no matter what he did, he couldn't defeat this huge beast.
Zhao Xin saw Baranov's uneasiness and immediately said: "Don't worry! Their stronghold will be in northern California, near the Columbia River. Alaska is still yours. The main business of Beihai Trading Company is agriculture, and fur is a side business. , the business dividing line between your two parties is drawn at 50 degrees north latitude."
The dividing point of 50 degrees north latitude is actually Vancouver in another time and space. As a result, Zhao Xin also had an excuse to intervene in Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Of course, there was no "British Columbia" in these days, and it was currently only the territory of the Nucate Indians. However, with the influx of fur traders, death has hung over the Nucate people, and the raging smallpox will drastically reduce the population in that area.
Zhao Xin is beyond his reach. Even if he can send a medical team to help, others may not appreciate it. Besides, the current medical capabilities in Kinmen Town are only adequate, so how can he have the energy to care for others.
Ouch! Baranov let out a long breath and felt relieved. At this time, I heard Zhao Xin say: "After you recruit people, your first task is to seize the Americans' territory on Vancouver Island and build a second immigration station there!"
“What if the English and Spanish object?”
"Did you see the two ships that came this morning? To tell you the truth." Zhao Xin briefly talked about the annihilation battle a few months ago.
Baranov suddenly understood. When the cannon was fired, he was still thinking, why are the Spaniards coming? I see!
Zhao Xin decided to add more firewood and continued: "Once every ten years, I will grant you the only fur trading rights in Anping Port, free of import taxes. In addition, Kinmen Town will give you priority in providing daily necessities and supplies in the future. We only charge the cost price for arms. When you go back this time, you can take away two hundred tons of wheat and twenty barrels of gunpowder as a gift from me."
Baranov's eyes lit up when he heard this. The gifts were nice, but the exclusive trade in Anping Port made his heart even more excited. Today, the trade prosperity there is comparable to that of Guangzhou, and almost no one knows about it along the entire coast of Northeast Asia.
But he quickly thought of another thing, so he said with a grimace: "Your Majesty, I have a request. If you can agree, I will go and explain to Mr. Shelikhov about the ten-year concession."
"Say it."
"Ship, the company's existing ship is too small. Even if it is fully loaded, it is only 800 tons, and the speed is not high. I know there is a shipyard under your rule. If you can allow it, I hope to order two ships in the name of the company. One thousand five hundred tons."
"Okay." Zhao Xin thought for a while and then said: "How about this, I will invest in two new sailboats and some cash, with a shareholding ratio of 30%."
"this"
Baranov showed a troubled expression and remained silent. In fact, he had carefully considered it before coming, and the maximum proportion of shares left for Beihai Town was 20%. However, the North Sea King in front of him opened his mouth at 30%, which was seriously inconsistent with expectations!
"Think about it first." Zhao Xin did not rush Baranov. He knew that his conditions were a bit harsh. But then again, Beihai Town can provide much more support than Alexander I of another time and space.
When the "Russian-American Trading Company" in another time and space was founded, the Czar held 20% of the shares. Not only that, the Tsarist Russian government also dictated the company's business and even hired many officials who were paid but did not work as managers. For example, between 1808 and 1820, in addition to a salary of 15,000 rubles per person per year, these guys also had pensions, food expenses, and even received huge bonuses when the company was financially strapped.
Faced with this situation of "good managers, shareholders suffer", the company has no choice but to adopt a prudent approach and use part of its future income to pay dividends in advance, causing its operations to go from bad to worse.
Zhao Xin looked at Baranov's entangled look and decided to tease him, so he raised his right hand and hooked it backwards. He Xiyang behind him was feeling bored. He hurriedly walked forward and knelt down to listen. Zhao Xin said softly: "Don't worry about what I say. I'll just say something. Look up at Baranov and shake your head first. Wait for me to say more." One sentence, then nod. Also, go and see if Li Shi is back, and look back at him before going out."
He Xiyang blinked, then raised his head to look at Baranov, then lowered his head again, shook his head, and asked in a low voice: "What if you come back?"
Zhao Xin glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 11:30. He glanced at Baranov pretending to be casual, and then said: "Just tell him that Chief Lu has something to do with him, and ask him to go to Chief Lu's residence at 12 o'clock. Don’t mention me yet.”
"Yes." He Xiyang nodded, and then walked towards the door. When he opened the door, he turned his head and glanced at Baranov again. Before the other party could look at him, he walked out and closed the door behind him.
Seeing the young officer whispering to the King of the North Sea, Baranov pricked up his ears unconsciously. Although he couldn't understand a word, he heard Zhao Xin mention his name. Especially when such a young officer shook his head and nodded, and glanced at him when he went out, it made him feel even more uneasy.
This is not waiting for others to come to him in his own territory. After coming all the way and waiting for so many days, he is begging for food! The only country that can eat a huge amount of fur goods these days, apart from Europe, is China.
Forget it, 30% makes 30%! As the Russians say, without effort, you can’t even catch the fish in the pond! As long as you satisfy the person in front of you, your ideal can become a reality.
Thinking of this, he gritted his molar teeth and said respectfully: "Your kind Majesty, it is the greatest honor of my life for you to become the company's major shareholder. I believe Mr. Shelikhov will also be very happy."
Here’s a question. There are twenty barrels of gunpowder. Each barrel has a volume of 20 liters. How much black powder can it hold?
(End of chapter)
