Royal Road

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

Hearing the report from the servant below, Chen Yue frowned slightly: "Isn't this Xingang? How can there be so many ships?"

The servant was also careful: "I've inquired about it. It seems that this port does not charge tariffs. Therefore, there are a lot of maritime merchants."

Chen Yue was shocked immediately, no tariffs? How can there be any official ports that do not collect taxes? Even in Panyu, the Guanjin tax collected is not a small amount. In addition to the tithe tax at Jinkou Ferry in Yangzhou, there are also Niudai Tax and Hangdu Tax. Could it be that this port is just a small port, and the throughput is not much, so it will give up such a big profit?

This is related to his own personal interests. Chen Yue immediately said: "Put down the boat and I will enter the port first."

The boats were all experienced sailors, and soon Chen Yue boarded the boat. When he bypassed the bay and entered the harbour to see the foreground, he couldn't help but gasp. Where is Xiaogang? As far as the eye can see, the masts are connected, and the number is uncountable for a while. The wharf is even more crowded, and there are as many people unloading and loading as colonies of ants. As soon as a fully loaded ship leaves the port, a new ship will take over the previous position.

Such a port is not much worse than Nandi!

And this scene made Chen Yue feel uneasy, and she wanted to fly ashore to find out. How can the new port, which has only been built for a long time, have such a scale? Is it true that no tariffs are imposed?

Although the harbor was too difficult to navigate, his boat was narrow and squeezed onto the shore not long after. However, just standing firm, before distinguishing the east, the west, the north and the south, a group of men swarmed around.

"Langjun, but he's a business man? The villain is very familiar with the portman, and there is no delay in unloading and loading!"

"Langjun! Every small city in the city is familiar with it, so let's hire a villain!"

"Check the goods and order the room, and the mule and horse can take, only five hundred words..."

The sound came and went one after another, making people dizzy. Only then did Chen Yue understand that there were still yamen soliciting customers in the port. But this is also a good way to understand the situation here. Chen Yue didn't hesitate, and beckoned to a neatly dressed, articulate boy.

The person reacted quickly and immediately ran forward: "Lang Jun is just here in Haixing? Little Wang Er, who has been in the port for ten months, and is very familiar with all the affairs of the city. There is also a mule cart. , The journey is extremely fast. Only five hundred texts are accepted for one day's accompany!"

Five hundred texts, even a small maritime merchant like Chen Yue would not take it seriously. Let the servant hand over half the money, he first asked: "I heard that there are no tariffs here? Is there anything wrong?"

Wang Er received the money and beamed his brows. He immediately said: "General goods are not taxed! But salt and iron can only be sold by the government. Imported spices, treasures and other valuables can be collected at about 800 yuan for 10,000 yuan."

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

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

"The port barge requires money. According to the size of the vessel, it is calculated by the day. The unloading and unloading of goods also requires money."

Wang Erzui was very neat, and quickly reported the price of ships of various sizes. Chen Yue's rough calculations are less than 30% of the ordinary tariffs. Moreover, these fees will be spent in other ports, which still saves a lot.

"Then if the business is negotiated, the two ships will be loaded and unloaded at the same time, and it's not just a small amount of money?" Chen Yue's voice couldn't help being louder. If so, this route is really a great opportunity!

"Isn't it!" Wang Er smiled, "I don't know how many ships are loading and unloading here every day. If the negotiation is right, there is no need to stop more a day!"

"Then if the goods can't be sold, do they need inventory?" Chen Yue asked again.

"There are many mansions in the city, all can be stocked!" Wang Er said immediately, "The city mansions are government-run, with the largest place, and guards, and the price is reasonable. But most of them are occupied by people and it is not easy to make appointments. Private individuals. The Dipu is more expensive, but it is also extremely convenient to provide meals and lodging for merchants."

"There is still an official residence here?" Chen Yue Daqi.

Wang Er laughed: "Lang Jun knows something. The land in the city rents more and sells less, and the price is not cheap. Therefore, the official houses have the most mansions. Only those high-profile guests can build mansions, and there are some commercial houses that don’t. It’s rented out."

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

Wang Ershuang responded, and soon brought a small car. The mule looks quite strong and the car is clean. Chen Yue got into the car, let his servant follow the car, and the group drove towards the city.

Here, it is indeed a city. Less than a mile west of the port, I saw a chain of warehouses, and the market had to go further east. There were still plenty of vacant lots, where houses were busy building. Obviously only a few months, here is like a city on the ground, and the prosperous appearance has already begun to appear.

Chen Yue's eyes were kept intently, and his heart was even more surging. The places he has walked are not too few, but the Northland has been fighting for years. How long have you not seen such a situation? The Jin, Ma, and Southern cities of Luoyang back then were nothing but the case!

He rushed to the mule without rushing, and Wang Er asked, "Where should Chen Langjun go first?"

"Where are the goods bought and sold?" Chen Yue asked.

"If it's a large quantity, you can go to the East Market. Small transactions are all in the Denghai Building. This building is a must in Haixing City. The food is extremely delicious, not to be missed!" Wang Er immediately praised.

Chen Yue was amused secretly. It's not Denghailou who made money for these toothmen, right? Soliciting customers in this way is also hard work.

But Wang Er seemed to know what he was thinking: "Lang Jun, don't underestimate me as a vulgar person. I know the rise and fall of the goods in the city. I don't know what kind of goods Lang Jun is bringing this time?"

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

Wang Er patted his thigh: "You don't have to bring too much raw silk. Now the price is very slippery. Tung oil is on the rise, and it should be able to sell at a good price. By the way, you didn't bring food, right?"

Chen Yue only heard the price of raw silk drop, and his heart was cold. This thing is easy to sell everywhere, so he only took half of the ship. There are not many tung oils. If this is the case, I am afraid that profits will be limited. But food...

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

"Langjun doesn't know something. The price of grain in Haixing City is the most stable, and it is the official decision. The profit seems not to be much, but when the grain is transported to a certain limit, it can be divided into the purchase of white porcelain and colored glaze. It’s because of this that I pulled the big ship away.” Wang Er sighed as he thought of the magnificence of the business. “If you don’t have food and want to buy official goods, you have to use silk and gold. The price is very high. "

Chen Yue was surprised: "Can't you use money?"

"It's all precious things, how much is enough?" Wang Er said lightly, "In Haixing City, money is nothing more than daily expenses."

Bartering things is indeed a method that maritime merchants like to use. But how can this Xingang do so simply? Chen Yue's heart moved again. It seems that the government here is preventing someone from using bad money. There are still a lot of Dong Zhuo's small coins in circulation on the market, and there are three or four types of straight hundred and five baht, not to mention the counterfeit money. It would be a good thing to be able to talk less about 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 is not rich, I am afraid it is hard to reach. Let's first see how to sell the things on board.

With a general plan, Chen Yue first asked Wang Er to take him to Dongshi. Although the land price is not low, the scale of the shops here is not small. It is estimated that they were all placed by the family. The purchase price of raw silk is really as low as Wang Er said. It should be that many merchants carried the goods in order to be safe, but instead drove down the market price. Tea and tung oil are not bad. But the number on his ship is not too large, and he can't buy the ideal number.

After visiting a few places, Chen Yue rested his mind and went to Denghai Tower. When I arrived at the place, I was immediately surprised by the lively scene here. Before, inside and outside the building, many servants held up signs stating what they wanted to sell or buy. If you are interested, you can enter the store with them and negotiate with the owner. They are all valuable seafood. How can you ever see such a deal? If you are deceived, won't you lose everything?

But after inquiring carefully, Chen Yue understood. It turned out that the sale was negotiated here, and you can go to the government to sign the deed, and the government can 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 four hundred for ten thousand. The seller pays three and the buyer pays one. Compared with the usual ten taxes and one, it is much cheaper. Without delay, Chen Yue entered the building immediately and found the seller after only half a day. A ship of cargo is emptied.

Afterwards, he went on a non-stop and negotiated the merchandise to be brought on the return journey. In addition to the tapestry produced in Bingzhou, there is also fur. It's about to enter winter, and these things will be sold in the south without worry.

One shipment of cargo, after deducting the round-trip expenses, the profit is 30% higher than in the past! This number is really shocking. Chen Yue was in a good mood and rewarded the king with two or five hundred dollars.

Wang Er smiled so that his eyes were narrowed, and he kept saying: "Chen Langjun will definitely benefit the market this time and business will be prosperous! By the way, I heard that Bingzhou is about to open a department recently. Chen Langjun will not go there. Explore? It won’t take long to take a boat. You know, Binzhou is the most prosperous area in our Northland!"

"Bingzhou is not close to here..." Chen Yue hesitated. He took too few people, even if he took the waterway, he might not be able to protect himself. In the event of a robber, wouldn't it be a waste of money and wealth?

Wang Er seemed to know his scruples, and smiled: "Lang Jun is too worried. Now no one in Jizhou dare to rob the caravan. The heads are hanging at the gate of the city. No matter how greedy for money, how many heads do you have?"

what? When Chen Yue heard this, both eyes lit up: "Really?"

"How can you fake it?" Wang Er snorted, "Moreover, the grain transport team will be heading to the county town in the past two days. If this opportunity is missed, it will have to wait for another half of the month."

The daily delivery of grain and grass from Haixing Port is an astonishing number, so naturally it is not possible to lay it all in the city. It will also be transported along the river to the northern states. How can the size of the fleet be smaller? Therefore, many businessmen want to take this opportunity to follow the food team. Not to mention safety and reliability, there are still many business opportunities.

Chen Yueguo was really excited, gritted his teeth, and fate to take the boat home first. And he took some servants, prepared goods that he might be able to sell, and followed the food team.

When I walked out of the city gate, I saw the endless new flat gravel road beneath my feet. The last bit of anxiety in his chest was also swept away. But it was from the seaport to the ferry to build such a good road! Jizhou, and even the entire Northland, really attach great importance to commerce!

If you arrive at Binzhou, what will it look like? It is rumored that Liang Jungong in Binzhou is a man of wealth. Not to mention the goods of Shangdang paper, white porcelain, and glazed ware, just look at this Haixing Xingang, you can compare Tao Zhufanli!

It was expectation and excitement. Mixed in the mighty caravan, Chen Yue embarked on a journey to Bingzhou along the gravel road.