When Zheng Haizhu saw that both Qi Jin and Wu Bondang were interested in the shipping insurance industry, he became more confident in lobbying.
"Mr. Qi, Mr. Wu, this time I returned to Nanxiayue Port and contacted many businessmen. I had the opportunity to learn that this kind of shipping insurance existed two hundred years ago in Frankie, Venice, and Batavia. And it is indeed profitable. It is marine insurance, and it is very variable. We can try it from a certain section of the canal first and slowly explore it. In the future, it is not impossible to do it both on the sea and on the inland river."
The old general Qi Jin was quite cheerful and said bluntly: "I was born in the war, and I like ambitious children. As for how to handle this business, I don't know. It has to be done by you young people. I only want to ask two questions. Firstly, how much wealth do you want me to invest? Secondly, will the gentlemen from both capitals take part in this deal?"
Qi Jin's frank attitude in the first half of the story is awe-inspiring.
The worries that followed were embarrassing.
The old man is afraid that the civil servants and censors will slip into his shoes at any time.
Zheng Haizhu had already thought of the answers to these two questions raised by Qi Jin before he came to discuss cooperation.
"Mr. Qi is very happy, and I will definitely tell the truth. During the test voyage, I took a fancy to the canal from Songjiang to Zhenjiang. I have connections in Songjiang, but I have a dark eye in Zhenjiang, so I rely on Mr. Qi to take care of me." . Therefore, I will contribute the capital of the trading company first. Not only does Mr. Qi not have to invest money, but he can also get shares. At the end of the year, we will distribute dividends according to the proportion of the shares. If this business is really done, Mr. Qi wants to spend money to increase his holdings. The share of shares will be discussed later.”
Qi Jin smiled and said: "Girl, you know the world. If your man wants to collect insurance at Zhenjiang Pier, there will be green-skinned thugs who want to ask you to collect protection money. There are old soldiers who often go there to sit around. Such trouble will not happen. I found a girl. I won't be disappointed in getting this stock. In the future, when the shortage of troops is not so tight, I will definitely invest real money in it for the girl."
Zheng Hai's face was full of joy: "With Mr. Qi's words, our aunt and nephew are not afraid anymore. Here in Zhenjiang, Shoukuan will be stationed at the store to accept insurance policies. I also have a godbrother named Zheng, whose nickname is Yiguan, who knows Zhenjiang, We run both ways in Songjiang. The head office of the insurance company is located on the other side of Songjiang. Firstly, in case of disputes, I am more familiar with the government office and the official office, so it is convenient to litigate. Secondly, and more importantly, Shanghai County in Songjiang Prefecture , it is possible to open and close like Haicheng County in Zhangzhou Prefecture and allow maritime traders, and then we will also be able to drink the first hot soup of maritime insurance."
Listening to this well-organized plan, Qi Jin really fell in love with the girl in front of him who claimed to be from a grassroots background.
If she were a boy, it would be good to follow him into the war and use it when strategizing.
The old general then nodded with satisfaction: "Your Zheng family name is on both sides of the business. Come to think of it, the censors won't be so busy that they even have to take care of my soldiers when they come to have a cup of tea, right?"
"Yes, we people from Songjiang deliver business taxes to Zhenjiang, just like merchants from Huizhou pay money to Chaoguan along the way. What can the court be dissatisfied about? Besides..."
Zheng Haizhu paused deliberately, pursed his lips and said: "Besides, now the Zuodu censor of the Yingtian Prefecture Metropolitan Procuratorate, Wang Yinglin and Wang Zongxian, are not only the former Zhenjiang magistrate, but also have singing credits with our famous Songjiang gentleman Dong Qichang and Dong Gong. And our young lady’s uncle is a close disciple of Mr. Dong.”
"Okay," Qi Jin clasped his hands in approval, "then hurry up and get it together. Bond, you first help Miss Zheng go to the government office to find out whether to open a trading company, whether to pay industrial and commercial taxes or dental payment to the court. This is a question. It's a new business, if the people in the yamen don't respond, you can go to the dental shop. In this way, paying the dental post money once a year is the most cost-effective for Miss Zheng."
"Yati" is a business license issued by the imperial court to private intermediaries.
When a new license is issued every year, a sum of money is collected, plus a small fee for the clerk, so the burden on the merchants is not too heavy.
If taxes on bamboo and wood, sales and transaction taxes, and transport money taxes were constantly paid based on estimates of batches and categories, it’s hard to say how much the bosses would have suffered in the turbulent world of official governance in the late Ming Dynasty. .
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, the old general is okay. He claims that he only knows how to fight, but in fact he has a strong sense of compliance in business and is also good at reasonable tax avoidance.
It is much better than those local gentry in the late Ming Dynasty who just wanted to avoid all kinds of taxes, and some Donglin Party members who raised their arms and shouted, "I just don't want to pay taxes."
Zheng Haizhu struck while the iron was hot and said to Wu Bangdang with a smile: "Yes, Mr. Wu, it would be better if you could help me go to the docks in Zhenjiang to ask about the number of shipwrecks, salvage, cargo damage, etc. of passenger and cargo ships in recent years."
The information Zheng Haizhu mentioned is very important to actuarial insurance.
The general rate for freight insurance in later generations is 8%, but the safety of transportation in later generations and the security of the Yangtze River Delta region are unmatched in this world.
In Jiangnan in the late Ming Dynasty, when trying to do shipping insurance, terms such as rates, carrier liability, subrogation, grounds for exemption, and designs to prevent insurance fraud all had to rely on actual research.
Now that Qi Jin has nodded his head to take the role of a local snake, Zheng Haizhu is going to spend the money and use his godson Wu Bondang as a mule.
…
On the way Wu Bondang sent Zheng Haizhu back to the inn, he held it in for a long time and finally asked: "Miss Zheng, how much money do you have to pay first to open this insurance company?"
"At least five thousand taels."
"So many!" Wu Bondang said in surprise.
In the past few days, he has seen that although this woman looks very simple and does not even have a gold hairpin on her head, she must have more than one big business in her hands, but he did not expect that this one is called shipping. In a new insurance business, people will pay thousands of taels of silver as soon as they buy it.
Zheng Haizhu said calmly: "There is no way. Playing in insurance is not like playing in selling goods. You can borrow goods on credit. When the downstream money arrives, it will be settled to the upstream. The expenses when opening an insurance company include renting a shop, salary, and various management The bulk of it is called the compensation reserve, which is used to settle claims to cargo owners in distress, because at the beginning, the premiums collected may not be much, and the reserve is not enough to withdraw from the premiums."
Wu Bondang digested these words full of fresh terminology carefully and said clearly: "Therefore, we still need to let the cargo owners buy it as soon as possible to increase the trading company's silver reserves."
Zheng Haizhu suddenly stopped. Wu Bondang was startled and also stopped.
Zheng Haizhu stared at him: "Master Wu, I have an idea. I dare not tell the old man directly. You can help me weigh it up. I want to pick a dock in Zhenjiang and put on a play."
Wu Bang Bang's eyes flashed: "What show?"
Zheng Haizhu said: "It's very simple. When a tea boat was capsized, the tea merchant happened to ask me to buy insurance and get the compensation. Of course, the tea merchant and the boss of the boat were actually our people pretending to be the owner."
Wu Bang studied it carefully for a moment, and then he understood, and said knowingly: "In order to say that insurance is a good thing, it does not harm others, but it is beneficial to oneself, what can't you dare to do?"
Zheng Haizhu sighed: "Yes, acting is also a last resort. We Ming people are not like Fan people. We Ming people are timid, and we are the most suspicious of being deceived. We don't like to accept new things."
The corners of Wu Bondang's mouth twitched slightly. He felt that even if Zheng Haizhu pretended to complain, he still pretended to be quite interesting.
He gave her a high look and began to think more deeply about her "trick".
"Miss Zheng, you can't use tea leaves for acting. You should use your Songjiang cotton cloth. If the cotton cloth sinks, you can pick it up and dry it, and you can sell it at a discount. What we pay is the residual value, not the total value. In this way, we can avoid those who wait and see. The cargo owner thinks that as long as the ship sinks, he will be compensated in full, so he will not bother to rescue the cargo in the future. Secondly, the cotton is not a total loss, and you can save a lot of acting expenses. The money you have earned so hard is just acting. , it’s more important to be able to save money, right?”
Hahaha……
Zheng Haizhu couldn't help laughing loudly.
Mr. Wu's brain is so good, so wise, so wise.
It is a real pleasure to deal with these wise ancient people.
Zheng Haizhu was happy for less than three seconds when his heart suddenly moved.
Although Wu Bondang has a good temperament, his facial features are not outstanding. He is of medium height and his skin is neither black nor white. If he were to wear ordinary civilian clothes and trousers, he would not be able to find him in the crowd.
His mind is quite bright, and his understanding and on-the-spot reaction are very quick.
He also speaks with a northern accent, presumably because he lived with his grandfather Wu Weizhong in the Jiliao area when he was a child.
If he didn't go to Liaodong to work as a spy, wouldn't it be a bit embarrassing for his awesome name "Bond"?
While Zheng Haizhu was pondering this secretly, she heard Wu Bang Bang ask again: "Miss Zheng, according to your arrangement just now, is your nephew planning to be the girl's arm and go directly into business instead of starting a career?"
Zheng Haizhu sighed: "I have an academy in Songjiang, which is his name. I originally thought that he would not be a servant, practice hard in the academy, write eight-legged essays well, and one day be able to become a Jinshi, and he would be worthy of me. Brother and sister-in-law. But now it seems that he prefers to go out and run around in the world. But nowadays, in business, you must have fame and fame, otherwise you will not be able to enter the circle of officials and gentry. "
A layer of disdain appeared on Wu Bondang's face: "The eight-part essay is written in a dazzling light, and it is just a superficial article. It is of little use in cultivating one's self, harmonizing the family and serving the country."
But instead of amplifying such complaints, he began to share his own approach.
"Actually, you can spend some money and go to the Nanjing Imperial College to donate your honors. In the first year, you can spend a few days in prison, nod and hold hands with the doctors, and if they don't dislike it, invite them to the Qinhuai River for a few drinks. Flower wine, let the famous female ambassador recognize her face, and from then on she can be regarded as half a scholar. Ordinary scenes will not be ugly. Don't really think that you can be on an equal footing with those serious gentlemen who came from Jinshi. .”
Hearing this, Zheng Haizhu immediately showed an expression that said, "What you said makes sense."
When she was in Songjiang, she originally wanted to find out about this connection, because from Huang Zunsu to Han Zhongwen, they were all candidates for Jinshi and Juren based on their ability, and they highly praised the clean and upright style of the Imperial College in Nanjing. Asking people about this by herself would be like asking the Northern Qing Dynasty. Let’s retaliate against those proud first-degree alumni who say, “Hey, how much does it cost to buy a degree from your school?”
At this moment, Wu Bondang saw that Zheng Haizhu was very interested and said cheerfully: "I can find a broker for the girl to buy it. The Confucian scarf on my head was donated to the Imperial Academy last year."
Ah this...
This Wu Bond is so frank that he opens the door to frankness. He is so frank.
Looking further, that is to say, this person has no interest in taking the imperial examination and becoming an official?
"Then, what does Mr. Wu have in mind for his future?" Zheng Haizhu asked.
"If there is peace in the world, I will be Lord Tao Zhu. If war breaks out again, I will follow my foster father into battle to kill the enemy."
Wu Bondang's tone did not have the high-pitched excitement at all, but was calm and calm, just like when he took Zheng Haizhu to the General Military Mansion today and said, "Girl, please go this way."
It seems as if the road he talks about, whether it is doing business all over the world or fighting bloody battles, has already been paved in a certain future time and space, waiting for him to step on it and then continue on steadily.
Zheng Haizhu's thoughts that had just been ignited became even more intense.
When Beiguting first met this young man, Zheng Haizhu thought he was an introverted social fear. Later, when he took a large group of people to visit Zhenjiang's scenic spots, he made the tour guide interesting but not greasy. Today when we were having a conversation at the General Military Mansion, even General Qi couldn't help but sigh emotionally, but he still looked calm.
When he had a deep conversation with himself alone at this time, many of Wu Bond's reactions could be switched in an instant, but he was never carried away or exaggerated.
He is different from heroic men like Yan Siqi and Ma Xianglin, from a dignified gentleman like Huang Zunsu, from a dashing Tan Lang like the Zhang brothers, from a versatile man like Lu Xiangsheng.
His multifaceted talent for transformation is permeated with a gloomy feeling like a lead cloud in the sky, but unintentional passers-by may not notice it and regard it as just an ordinary background.
Perhaps, he is really a chosen intelligence officer.
Zheng Haizhu stopped for the second time, looked at the position of the sun, and said to Wu Bangdang: "As a foreigner, I would like to go back to East China and invite you to a place to have soup."
…
Along the canal outside the old city.
In the distance, Guazhou Ferry, which once featured prominently in Wang Anshi's poems, has become an abandoned beach due to the new waterways built by the Yuan people.
The nearby section of the canal was in full swing at this time.
The trackers, who were almost naked except for their boxer shorts covering their private parts, looked like prawns with red backs. They stretched their heads and bent over, pulling the canal in a difficult but uniform gait amidst the hoarse trumpets.
There are a few tea stalls scattered along the river.
A stall owner saw Zheng Haizhu and greeted him enthusiastically: "Is the Bodhisattva girl here again?"
He glanced at Wu Bondang, but he was a little embarrassed, as if he didn't know how to greet him, but he obviously didn't recognize that this was the adopted son of Qi Jin, the commander-in-chief of Zhenjiang.
Zheng Haizhu said generously: "Please give me and this friend two bowls of mung bean soup, and a few buckets for the trackers. I will pay the money. Each of you tea stalls will send a bucket. I am responsible for everyone's business." All taken care of.”
"Okay, just blink. When will the girl return to her hometown?"
"Let's go in a few days. The scenery in Zhenjiang Mansion is so beautiful, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave it when I leave."
Zheng Haizhu spoke softly, sat down at the simple wooden table, and brought a bowl of mung bean soup to Wu Bang Bang.
Wu Bangde asked: "Girl, after visiting these days, have you come here to do good deeds?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled: "It's just a few bowls of mung bean soup, how can it be worthy of the word 'doing good'."
Wu Bangde's eyes were full of meaning: "Wu would like to ask, if you came here specifically, did you have some connection with the tracker business in the past?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled brighter: "There was no connection in the past, but there may be stories in the future. I want to recruit some servants from these people to support."
When she said this, Wu Bondang's doubts dissipated a lot.
"Miss Zheng, many of the trackers on both sides of the Nanzhili Canal have fled from Shandong. They are willing to endure hardships and have strong skin. Carefully select young and strong ones to be a nursing home. It is really good. If you can trust me, girl, I will help you take care of the nursing home. Eye."
The corners of Zheng Haizhu's eyes shrank: "I just want to ask someone like the young master from the Qi family army to help me look at their faces and bones. However, the final purpose of raising them is not just to serve as a nursing home for our uncle and young lady."
Wu Bangdang looked startled again.
Zheng Haizhu continued: "Mr. Wu, you just said that if war smoke breaks out again, you will follow General Qi to the battle to kill the enemy. In fact, killing the enemy does not necessarily have to be in front of the two armies facing each other. There are many possibilities behind the enemy's rear and even in the enemy's nest. Articles can be made.”
