Royal road

"Lord, there is a port in front! But there are too many ships moored, and they will not be able to enter the port for a while."

Hearing the servant's report below, Chen Yue frowned slightly: "Isn't this Xingang? Why are there so many ships?"

The servant was also careful: "I have inquired about it, and it seems that this port does not charge customs duties. Therefore, there are a lot of sea merchants."

Chen Yue was shocked, no tariffs?How can there be a port set up by the government that does not collect taxes?Even in Panyu, the Guanjin tax collected is not a small amount.In addition to the tithe tax at the Jinkou Ferry in Yangzhou, there are Niudai Tax and Crossing Tax.Could it be that this port is just a small port, with little throughput, so that such a huge profit will be sacrificed?

This is related to the vital interests of her family, Chen Yue immediately said: "Put down the boat, I will go to the port first to have a look."

There were experienced sailors on board, and soon Chen Yue boarded the boat.When he walked around the bay and entered the harbor, he couldn't help but gasped when he saw the scene in front of him clearly.Where is Xiaogang?As far as the eye can see, the sails and masts are connected, and the number can't be counted for a while.The pier is crowded with people, and there are as many people unloading and loading as ants.As soon as a fully loaded ship leaves port, a new ship takes its place.

Such a port is not much worse than Southland!

And this scene made Chen Yue even more uneasy, wishing to fly ashore to find out what happened.How can Xingang, which has only been built for a year, have such a scale?No tax, is it true?

Although the port was difficult for boats, his small boat was narrow and squeezed ashore after a while.However, just as he was standing firm, before he could distinguish between east, west, north, and south, a group of men swarmed up.

"Lang Jun, are you here to trade? The villain is very familiar with the porters, and there will be no delay in unloading and loading the ship!"

"Your Majesty! You know everyone in every town in the city, so let's hire a villain!"

"I'm going to make an appointment to see the goods, and there are mules and horses to ride, and I only charge [-] Wen..."

The voices came and went, making people dizzy.Only then did Chen Yue realize that there were solicitors at the port.But it's a good way to get to know the situation here.Chen Yue didn't hesitate, and waved to a well-dressed, articulate kid.

The man reacted quickly, and immediately ran forward: "Your Majesty, you just came to Haixing? The little Wang Er has been in the port for ten months, and he is very familiar with all the affairs in the city. There are also mule carts. , the footsteps are extremely fast. I only charge [-] Wen for a day's company!"

Even a small sea merchant like Chen Yue would not pay attention to five hundred Wen.Asking the servant to hand over half a coin, he first asked: "I heard that there is no customs duty here? Is there something wrong?"

Wang Er took the money, his brows were beaming with joy, and he immediately said: "Ordinary goods are not taxed! However, salt and iron can only be sold by officials. Imported spices, treasures and other valuables will cost about [-] yuan per [-] yuan."

Spices and other items are priceless, and this tax rate is really nothing.Not to mention the tax exemption for ordinary goods.No wonder it attracts so many businessmen!This place is not far from Jieshi and Huanggang, so it is not difficult to attract well-informed maritime merchants.

"What about other expenses?" Chen Yue asked again.

"Port barges cost money. According to the size of the ship, it is calculated in days. Moving and unloading cargo also requires money."

Wang Er's mouth was extremely sharp, and he quickly quoted the price that the large and small ships would cost.Chen Yue made a rough calculation and found that it was less than [-]% of the normal customs duty, and these fees would have to be spent in other ports, so it saved a lot.

"Then if the business is negotiated, the two ships will be loaded and unloaded at the same time, and it will only cost this little money?" Chen Yue's voice could not help but become a little higher. If so, this route is really a great opportunity!

"That's right!" Wang Er laughed, "I don't know how many ships are loaded and unloaded here every day. If the negotiation is good, there is no need to stop more than one day!"

"Then if the goods cannot be sold, do we need to stock them?" Chen Yue asked again.

"There are many mansions in the city, all of which can be stocked!" Wang Er immediately said, "The city mansion is government-run, the largest place, and there are guards, and the price is fair. It's just that most of them are occupied by people, so it's not easy to book a place. Private The mansion is more expensive, but it is also very convenient to be able to provide meals and lodging for merchants.”

"There is still a government-run mansion here?" Chen Yue was amazed.

Wang Er laughed: "Your Majesty, I don't know that the land in the city is rented more and sold less, and the price is not cheap. Therefore, the government houses run the most mansions. Only those rich people can build mansions, and there are some business houses, which are not cheap at all. It’s a rented shop.”

In a few words, he explained the situation in the city clearly, but nothing he had heard before.Chen Yue couldn't help being interested: "Where is your car? Take me into the city first."

Wang Er responded quickly, and soon brought a small car.The mule looks solid and the cart is clean.Chen Yue got into the car, asked his servants to follow the car, and the group drove towards the city.

Here, it is indeed a city.Less than one mile to the west from the port, you can see a series of warehouses. The market is further east, and there are still many open spaces. Everywhere they are, they are busy building houses.It's only been a few months, but it's like a city has been built on the ground, and the prosperity has already appeared.

Chen Yue couldn't take his eyes off it, and his heart was surging even more.The places he has traveled are not rare, but the war in the Northland has been raging for years, how long has it been since he has seen such a situation?The three cities of Jin, Ma and Nan in Luoyang back then were probably nothing more than this!

Driving the mule unhurriedly, Wang Er asked, "Where is Mr. Chen Lang going first?"

"Buying and selling goods, where is it?" Chen Yue asked.

"If it's a big deal, you can go to Dongshi. Smaller deals are all in the Denghai Tower. This building is a must in Haixing City. The food is extremely delicious, so you can't miss it!" Wang Er immediately praised it.

Chen Yue laughed secretly, wouldn't it be that Denghailou gave money to these jerks, right?Soliciting customers like this is also working hard.

But Wang Er seemed to know what he was thinking: "Your Majesty, don't underestimate me as a vulgar person. I know the ups and downs of the goods in the city. I don't know what kind of goods you brought this time?"

Chen Yue hesitated before saying, "It's just some raw silk, tea, and tung oil."

Wang Eryi slapped his thigh: "Don't bring too much raw silk, the price is so slippery now. Tung oil is going up, so it should be able to sell for a good price. By the way, you didn't bring any grain, did you?"

Chen Yue only heard the price drop of raw silk, and her heart became cold.This thing is easy to sell everywhere, so he only brought half the boat.Tung oil is not much.If this is the case, I am afraid that the profit will be limited.But food...

"What? Is the food price high in the city?" Chen Yue asked.How could a small sea merchant like him do grain business?No matter how high the price is, there is not much profit.

"Lang Jun, I don't know. The price of grain in Haixing City is the most stable, which is determined by the government. It seems that the profit is not much, but when the grain transportation reaches a certain limit, it can be divided into the purchase share of white porcelain and colored glaze. At the beginning, Wu's That’s how we took away the big ships and the good stuff.” Seemingly thinking of the brilliance of that single business, Wang Er sighed, “If there is no food, if you want to buy official goods, you have to use silk and gold, and the price will be high. "

Chen Yue asked in surprise, "Can't you use money?"

"It's all expensive, how much money is enough?" Wang Er clicked his tongue lightly, "In Haixing City, money is just daily expenses."

Bartering is indeed a method that maritime merchants like to use.But how can Xingang do it so simply?Chen Yue's heart skipped a beat again, it seems that the government here is guarding against someone using bad money.There are still a lot of Dong Zhuo small coins circulating in the market now, and there are three or four types of straight one hundred and five baht, not to mention those counterfeit coins.It would be a good thing if we could avoid wrangling over this.

It's just that those pretty goods in Bingzhou can only be exchanged for grain, silk, and gold, which is not good news for me.His family property is not rich, and it may be difficult to touch.Let's see how to sell the things on your ship first.

With a rough plan, Chen Yue asked Wang Er to take him to Dongshi first.Although the land price is not low, the shops here are not small.It is estimated that they are all placed by the wealthy family.The purchase price of raw silk, as Wang Er said, was extremely low.It should be that many merchants carry goods in order to be on the safe side, which lowers the market price instead.The tea and tung oil are not too bad.But the number on his ship is not too much, and he cannot buy the ideal number.

After visiting several houses, Chen Yue took a rest and went to Denghai Tower.As a result, when we arrived at the place, we were immediately surprised by the lively scene here.Before, inside and outside the building, many servants held signs, stating what they wanted to sell or buy.If you are interested, you can enter the store with him and negotiate with the owner.They are all expensive seafood, how have you ever seen such a transaction?If you are deceived, wouldn't you lose everything?

But after careful inquiry, Chen Yue understood.It turns out that the business has been negotiated here, you can go to the government to sign a deed, and the government will witness the transaction between the two parties.Of course, the deed is subject to tax, but the tax is not too high, it is only [-] yuan, the seller pays three, and the buyer pays one.Compared with the usual ten tax one, it is much cheaper.Chen Yue didn't delay, and immediately entered the building. It only took half a day to find the seller.A shipment of goods, all emptied.

Afterwards, without stopping, he negotiated the goods for the return trip.In addition to the brocade produced in Bingzhou, there are also furs.Winter is coming soon, and there is no need to worry about selling these things when they are shipped to the south.

A shipment of goods, after deducting the round-trip expenses, the profit is [-]% more than before!This number is really shocking.Chen Yue was in a good mood, and rewarded Wang with another two to five hundred coins.

Wang Er smiled until his eyes were narrowed, and he said again and again: "Mr. Chen will be able to make a big profit this time, and the business will be booming! By the way, I heard that Bingzhou is going to open a department recently, and Mr. Chen is not going to visit there." Exploring? It won't take long by boat. You know, Bingzhou is the most prosperous territory in our northern land!"

"Bingzhou is not close to here..." Chen Yue hesitated.He brought too few people, even if he took the water, he might not be able to protect himself.In case of encountering robbers, wouldn't people and money lose money?

Wang Er seemed to know his scruples, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is worrying too much. No one in Jizhou dares to rob the caravan now. The heads are all hanging at the gate of the city. If you are greedy for money, how many heads will you have?"

What?When Chen Yue heard this, her eyes lit up: "Is that true?"

"How can it be fake?" Wang Er snorted, "And the grain transportation team is going to the county town in these two days. If you miss this opportunity, you will have to wait another half a month."

The grain and grass delivered to Haixing Port every day is an astonishing number, so naturally they can't all be stored in the city.It will also be transported along the river to the northern states.How can the size of the fleet be small?Therefore, many businessmen wanted to take this opportunity to travel with the food team.Not to mention safety and reliability, there are still many business opportunities.

Chen Yue was really moved, gritted her teeth, and ordered her confidants to take the boat back to the south first.On the other hand, he took some servants, prepared goods that might be sold, and followed the food team.

When you walk out of the city gate, you can see the endless, brand-new flat gravel road under your feet.The last bit of uneasiness in his chest was also swept away.It's just a delivery from the seaport to the ferry, and such a good road has been built!Jizhou, and even the entire Northland, really value business and trade!

What would it look like if it came to Bingzhou?It is rumored that Liang Jungong of Bingzhou is a man who can make money.Not to mention Shangdang paper, white porcelain, and glazed wares, just look at Haixing Xingang, which can be compared to Tao Zhu and Fan Li!

Full of anticipation and excitement, mixed in the mighty caravan, Chen Yue embarked on a journey to Bingzhou along the gravel road.