Chapter 531 - Guangzhou and Leizhou Join Forces

Yan Maoda's initial role at the Guangzhou Station had been overseeing Purple Treasure Studio, the station's front for luxury goods and curios. That business was now mature: production and sales were thriving, and it was even attracting deposits. With operations running on autopilot, Yan found himself bored. As a former jewelry company manager, he had no desire to simply repeat his old career in this new timeline. He needed a new project, if only for amusement.

Meng Xian approached the problem from a different angle. Trade between the Guangzhou Station and Gao Ju generated massive cash flow. While much was reinvested to purchase materials and labor for Lingao, a significant surplus inevitably sat idle. This left the Delon Bank Guangzhou Branch, which Meng Xian managed, with very healthy—but unproductive—cash reserves.

Holding cash was fine, but deposits didn't grow on their own. To generate profit, money had to be lent. Yet Meng Xian dared not wade lightly into the deep waters of traditional Chinese credit markets; the customary rules of 17th-century finance were a minefield for an outsider.

So far, the branch had only lent a fraction of its reserves, mostly to borrowers within the Gao Ju network. While secure, the scale was too small—less than twenty percent of available funds.

The "Sugar War" changed his perspective. The Leizhou Station's enormous demand for capital during that crisis highlighted a new market: the Leizhou sugar industry.

The capital requirements for sugar were staggering—not just for procurement during milling season, but for upfront investment in cultivation. Beyond the plantations directly controlled by the South China Sugar Company, the station was promoting "sugar-cane cultivation cooperatives." To boost output, they needed to issue small loans to individual farmers. These loans demanded more capital than the micro-finance initiatives run by the Tiandihui in Lingao, and the administrative burden was heavy. The Leizhou staff viewed the paperwork as an ordeal.

The two sides found common ground instantly. Meng Xian proposed that the Guangzhou Delon Branch establish a dedicated office in Leizhou to handle these agricultural loans.

"Don't worry about staffing. Even if Lingao can't spare people, I can run a training class right here in Guangzhou. Micro-loan officers don't need advanced financial degrees," Meng Xian assured them, patting his chest.

"Will the Finance Commission approve this?"

"Cheng Dong won't refuse. Leizhou is unique—cash flow is explosive and volatile, with little steady commercial banking business. He'd be reluctant to waste a financial expert there. But if we open a branch office to support production, he'll agree."

For Chang Shide, the alliance made sense. Guangzhou was Leizhou sugar's primary market for both domestic sales and export. The station relied heavily on Guangzhou's support, and the financial muscle Yan Maoda had flexed during the Sugar War had left a deep impression.

"How will personnel be managed?"

"Administratively, they'll answer to you. Since they're indigenous staff, we need our own people keeping an eye on them," Meng Xian said. "But operationally, let the indigenous professionals manage themselves. That transition has to happen eventually."

"Do you think they're up to it?"

"Ha! Do you truly think we're innately superior?" Yan Maoda laughed. He pointed at himself. "Without Lingao's industrial system backing us, the locals would sell us into slavery and we'd be counting the money for them."

"I'm just afraid they won't understand our methods…"

"Relax. Their learning ability is no worse than ours. Some might even be sharper than certain comrades among us."

The second joint venture concerned trade with Vietnam. The Leizhou Sugar Company had opened a "sugar-for-rice" route, exchanging sugar for Vietnamese rice to secure a stable food supply for the collective. This single achievement laid the foundation for large-scale immigration and made Chang Shide one of the top contributors among all transmigrators.

This trade route fascinated Yan Maoda. If Leizhou sugar could find a market in Vietnam, so could Lingao's light industrial goods. Vietnam had its wealthy elites—Chang Shide had mentioned the plantation owner Wu Yujia. If a man like that could buy sugar, he could certainly afford mirrors, glassware, and other luxuries.

Conversely, Vietnam offered payment in rice—and potentially women. Yan had heard rumors of Vietnam's severe gender imbalance due to decades of civil war. Whether scientifically accurate or not, the prospect of a surplus of young women was enticing.

Since Guangzhou was too far away, Leizhou—only a day or two by sea—was the natural staging ground.

Thus, at Yan Maoda's proposal, they agreed to form a joint trading company headquartered in Leizhou. Guangzhou Station would supply the capital and merchandise (beyond sugar and rum); Leizhou Station would provide premises and logistics. Yan Maoda would handle operations.

"Old Zhan! How about you serve as general manager of this Vietnam Trading Company?" Yan Maoda suggested. "I can't be in Leizhou full-time; I need a steady hand on the tiller."

"I'm in intelligence. Trade is outside my scope," Zhan Tianxiong demurred cautiously. "And I'm no merchant."

"It doesn't matter. It's just a cover—keep the company running smoothly, and I'll handle the business deals," Yan Maoda pressed. "Besides, it's a perfect vehicle for gathering intelligence on Vietnam."

That point intrigued him. "Let me think about it. If I do this, my cover changes. I prefer keeping a low profile."

"If we're targeting Vietnam for intel, we need more comrades. We're shorthanded," Chang Shide noted. "I have the sugar guild and the cooperatives; I can't be everywhere."

"That's easy. There are plenty of comrades still without assignments. Anyone offered an overseas posting will jump for joy," Yan Maoda said with a sneer. "Mark my words—once the news is out, they'll beat down our door."

"Overseas work carries risk. And a Vietnam run…"

"Ha! A Vietnam run means the chance to buy Vietnamese girls at will. Do you think they'll care about risk?" Yan Maoda clapped Chang Shide on the shoulder. "The power of example is limitless. How many people denounce you publicly while secretly dreaming of becoming 'Chang Shide the Second'?"

"Heh." Chang Shide laughed awkwardly. "If that's the case, I'd recommend Bei Kai. He went to Vietnam with us before. Good man. Also Zhang Dabala—the old pirate speaks the language."

"If possible, we should set up a forward outpost in Vietnam," Yan Maoda mused ambitiously. "Yu Eshui says the north and south are at war, generating huge demand for arms. The Portuguese and Dutch are meddling; we should stick our oar in too. Fish in troubled waters, maybe force a few unequal treaties."

"First order of business should be taking out Wu Yujia," Chang Shide grumbled, still seething over the humiliation he'd suffered during their sugar deal. It had shattered his 'protagonist aura,' and he wanted payback.

Guo Yi remained silent through most of the discussion, nodding only when addressed. He agreed a joint venture was necessary, but he worried about the optics. The overseas stations were already "tall trees catching the wind." Even with Executive Committee approval, the internal gossip would be vicious.

"We need a PR campaign," Guo Yi said thoughtfully. "Our image right now is terrible."

"Nobody notices that Lingao's industry only runs because of the materials and labor we send back," Yan Maoda agreed. "They take it for granted."

"All they talk about is the women we've taken—they can't let it go," Chang Shide complained. "Is it easy for us? When we were dodging machetes to earn money for the collective, nobody gave a damn."

"We should talk to Ding Ding," Meng Xian suggested. "Get him to run some feature reports on the overseas stations. Show the hardship. Prove we're not just drinking and chasing skirts all day."

"The Lingao Times?" Yan Maoda sneered. "The masses hate that paper right now—and they hate Ding Ding. Mostly because they're jealous he gets to sleep with his foreign girlfriend whenever he wants."

(End of Chapter)