Chapter 1648 - The Tender

"What kind of efficiency is this!" Staff Officer Hong muttered. "They send me a few line drawings without telling me how many vessels are actually available. Am I supposed to work from my imagination?"

He glanced at his watch—already close to one in the morning. Sleep was essential; tomorrow would bring even more work. He would eat the fish maw and snow clam stew from the wugeng ji, then turn in for the night. As for his personal secretary—freshly bathed and fragrant, now wearing a gauze nightgown—she would have to wait. He simply lacked the energy.

Early the next morning, he appeared punctually in the "negotiation room" at the Great World. Seated inside was a man dressed as a small merchant. Though autumn had arrived and he wore a lined silk robe, sweat still streamed continuously down his face.

The visitor was Liu Deshan. He had dealt with the Australians before, so the perspiration wasn't from fear—it was excitement. Unprecedented excitement: an Australian Chief wanted to discuss business with him personally!

Every merchant in Guangdong knew that simply "establishing a trade relationship" directly with the Australians was tantamount to inviting the God of Wealth into one's home. The Australians possessed excellent appetites and enormous demand for all manner of goods. Most crucially, their credit was impeccable—whether paying cash on delivery or settling accounts at the three annual festivals, there was never any delay or petty haggling. Everyone clamored for such opportunities.

Liu Deshan had conducted business with the Australians before, but only through their subsidiary trading companies. Now, to discuss matters face-to-face with a Chief—and any transaction requiring a Chief's personal involvement was surely a "major deal"!

All thanks to Master Qin's generosity! Liu Deshan felt the truth of that saying: "When traveling, rely on friends." This opportunity had come through Qin Haicheng's introduction. Otherwise, how could a small merchant like himself have secured such a grand business prospect?

Reflecting on this, he felt once again that his decision to give his daughter as a concubine to Master Qin's eldest son had been the right one. How else would a preeminent figure among maritime merchants deign to take special notice of him? His cousin Chen Huamin had vehemently opposed the match, calling it "undignified." But Liu Deshan cared little for such considerations—daughters were money-losing commodities regardless. Besides, what dignity did merchants have to protect? He wondered whether the Australian Chiefs took concubines. He still had several unmarried daughters back at the family home...

While he was lost in such speculation, Hong Huangnan stepped into the negotiation room. Liu Deshan sprang to his feet and greeted him with utmost respect: "Chief..."

Hong Huangnan waved his hand casually. "Liu Deshan, yes? Sit, sit. No need for formalities."

"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Deshan seated himself cautiously.

Hong Huangnan sized up the small merchant before him. He appeared to be a sturdy northerner, yet when he spoke, it was in authentic Guangzhou Cantonese. According to Qin Haicheng, this Liu Deshan was actually a Dongguan native.

"You were introduced by Master Qin. He says you specialize in the north-south trade route and are an expert at dealing in goods from both regions."

"Yes, yes, you flatter me. I wouldn't call myself an expert. But your humble servant has spent years traveling the southern and northern seas and knows a thing or two about the north-south trade." Though he said "a thing or two," his expression betrayed a touch of pride.

"On the northern sea route, how far north have you traveled?"

"For proper commercial ports, that would be Tianjin Garrison. Further north to Liaodong isn't difficult either. But the court closed the Liaodong trade route when I was young. The farthest north I've been was Shanhai Garrison."

"Tianjin aside, Shanhai Garrison is not a commercial port. What kind of business could you do there?"

"The business at Shanhai Garrison is trade with the garrison soldiers and their officers," Liu Deshan explained. "You can buy Mongol goods there."

"Ah! So that's why Master Qin said you can obtain Mongol hides. Now I understand!"

"Indeed!" Liu Deshan nodded. "Mongol goods can also be purchased in Tianjin Garrison, but that trade is controlled by the Shanxi merchants—outsiders can't get a foothold, and they charge whatever they like. Real profit requires buying from the Guan-Ning garrison officers—nearly every one of them deals in Mongol goods. Of course, it involves a degree of risk."

"We want to buy cowhide," Hong Huangnan said, getting straight to the point.

"Cowhide is not a major Mongol commodity," Liu Deshan said, taken aback. From Hong Chief's earlier remarks, he had assumed interest in Mongol goods—but then came this sudden mention of cowhide. "For cowhide, there's actually more supply in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan."

"I never said I wanted Mongol goods specifically," Hong Huangnan replied. "To be precise, I want cowhide, horsehide, donkey hide, mule hide..." He listed only the hides of large livestock. "However much you can secure, I'll take."

"These are all rough hides, not precious goods. The shipping costs are worth more than the hides themselves." Liu Deshan was puzzled by such demand. Hides from large livestock, being coarse and stiff, had limited uses. They were less valuable than sheepskin—and even sheepskin commanded no great price. Poor northerners often wore sheepskin for warmth. "Horse, mule, and donkey hides are plentiful in the north. But for cowhide, you'd have to go to the southwest..."

"That's your concern. Whether you send agents to the southwest or go searching in the north—I want as much of these hides as you can obtain."

"No problem!" Liu Deshan trembled with excitement. These large-animal hides were cheap, slow-moving goods that cost little to procure. If the Australians were buying in unlimited quantities, the sheer volume would yield considerable profit.

"Go back and think it over, then submit your price quotation," Hong Huangnan said. "Here's the tender document. Fill in everything as detailed as possible. I need the first shipment delivered in two months. Can you manage that?"

The timeline was rather tight. Since he and Chen Huamin had pooled funds to purchase the Dongshanji, their shipping capacity had increased severalfold. But rough hides were slow-moving commodities that few merchants stocked in quantity—collecting and consolidating shipments from various locations would take considerable time.

Yet contemplating the rolling wealth that would come once the deal was concluded, Liu Deshan gritted his teeth. "Yes! I can't promise exactly how much I'll deliver, but I will definitely deliver something!"

"Good! Shopkeeper Liu, you're certainly a man of few words and swift action!" Hong Huangnan nodded. "Then I look forward to your performance."

"I'll set about acquiring the goods immediately. I absolutely won't disappoint the Chief's expectations!" Liu Deshan rose and made to take his leave.

Hong Huangnan thought this showed him to be a decisive person, unlike those merchants who loved to sit and pontificate endlessly. The rough-hide business should be safe in his hands.

His reason for procuring rough hides on such a scale was primarily to make shoes for the soldiers. Wearing straw sandals for extended periods damaged the feet, while cloth shoes wore out too quickly. Taking advantage of the Guangdong Campaign, he had decided to completely reequip the army with new footwear. Even if they couldn't wear full leather shoes, the soles at minimum should be leather.

"Send in the next one," Hong Huangnan instructed his secretary after sipping his tea.

Next to enter was Zhu Fusheng, manager of the Dachang Rice Shop's Guangzhou Main Branch. This Shopkeeper Zhu had originally operated a shop in Leizhou. After connecting with the Leizhou Sugar Mill, he had gradually prospered, expanding from a small rice store into a major trading company with branches throughout the province and even reaching into Vietnam and Thailand. The main branch had relocated to Guangzhou, squeezing out the Chaoshan merchants who had previously dominated the trade. Shopkeeper Zhu was now one of the prominent Guangzhou Prefecture merchants with "Australian backing." In reality, he was already a non-shaven naturalized citizen—and of the thirteen total shares in the Dachang Rice Shop, the Zhu family now held only half.

This did not affect Zhu Fusheng's mood, however. Though he now effectively served as a "manager" for the Australians, his wealth and status had risen far beyond anything the small rice shop owner in Xuwen County could have imagined. And it was not only him personally—his entire Zhu clan had risen with him under the Australians. Even the least successful among them held at minimum a "cadre" position.

"Chief..." Zhu Fusheng was well acquainted with this Chief Hong. As the transmigrator in charge of Joint Logistics operations, he frequently dealt with the Dachang Rice Shop.

"Old Zhu, have a seat," Hong Huangnan said. Since Zhu Fusheng was a naturalized citizen who regularly "served the Council of Elders and the People," excessive courtesy was unnecessary. "How are the grain procurement arrangements we discussed last time coming along?"

Hong Huangnan's supply policy prioritized "local procurement," which meant purchasing sufficient rice and grain in advance. He had decided not only to buy in advance but also to pre-position these provisions in the various counties where troops would be stationed.

"For those dozen or so counties you specified, I've arranged warehouses and guards in all of them," Zhu Fusheng reported. "But currently there isn't enough grain on the market—the autumn harvest hasn't come in yet, so prices remain elevated. I plan to start buying once the autumn grain hits the market."

By the Ming dynasty, Guangdong had become a province that could not achieve grain self-sufficiency. Though the Pearl River Delta boasted fertile land with excellent hydrological and thermal conditions, the extensive planting of cash crops had displaced food production. Grain had to be imported from neighboring provinces to meet demand.

"You need to move quickly. Each of those dozen counties needs to store thirty thousand kilograms of grain—whether rice or miscellaneous grains." This calculation was based on one thousand soldiers' rations for thirty days. "If it's unhusked rice, prepare milling equipment in advance."

In addition to grain, each county would also need to pre-position five hundred kilograms of salt and ten thousand kilograms of pickled vegetables. By the time the troops arrived, they could draw from these stores immediately.

"Chief, grain is no problem. Once the autumn harvest comes in, we can easily store even more. But with so much grain distributed across various locations, if something goes wrong, the consequences would be devastating..."

"Rest easy about that. The counties where you're storing grain will all have security guarantees. Just make sure your people watch for fire and theft." Hong Huangnan continued, "How are the preparations for the autumn grain procurement going?"

"Warehouses, baskets, hemp sacks, and personnel are all ready. The only issue is that the procurement targets Director put forward this time are too ambitious. Our operating capital is nowhere near sufficient, and Delong's allocation hasn't arrived yet..."

"I'll coordinate with Delong. You focus on getting everything ready," Hong Huangnan said. "Have your clerks at the various branches pay close attention to the local grain situation—any official granaries, charity granaries, ever-normal granaries, or any other locations with large grain stores. Compile thorough intelligence on all of them."

(End of Chapter)