Daming Yinghua

Chapter 108 The Chosen Intelligence Agent

Seeing that both Qi Jin and Wu Bangde are interested in the shipping insurance business, Zheng Haizhu boosted his confidence in lobbying.

"Mr. Qi, Mr. Wu, this time I went south to Yuegang, and I met many merchants. I had the opportunity to learn that Frankie, Venice, and Batavia had this kind of shipping insurance 200 years ago. And it can indeed make money. That kind of marine insurance has a lot of variables. We can start with a certain section of the canal and explore slowly. In the future, it is not impossible to do both sea and inland rivers.”

Veteran general Qi Jin was straightforward, and said bluntly: "I was born in war, so I like ambitious children. As for how to manage this business, I don't know how to handle this business. You young people have to do it. I just ask two questions. One thing, first, how much money do you want me to invest in? Second, will the masters of the two capitals participate in this business?"

Qi Jin's candid attitude in the first half is admirable.

The worries that followed were embarrassing.

This is the old man, he is always afraid that he will be put on small shoes by the civil servants and censors.

Zheng Haizhu thought about the answers to these two questions raised by Qi Jin before he came to talk about cooperation.

"Mr. Qi is very angry, and I must tell the truth. During the voyage of testing the water, I have taken a fancy to the canal from Songjiang to Zhenjiang. I have connections in Songjiang, but I have black eyes in Zhenjiang, so it is all up to Mr. Qi to take care of me." Therefore, I will pay the capital of the business company alone. Not only does Mr. Qi not need to invest money, but he can also get dry shares. At the end of the year, we will distribute dividends according to the proportion of the shares. The share of shares will be discussed again."

Qi Jin smiled and said: "Girl, you know the rivers and lakes. Your buddy needs to collect insurance premiums at the Zhenjiang wharf, and there will be green skin thugs who will ask you to collect protection fees, and old men's soldiers often go to sit. Such troubles, will not I found the girl. This dry stock, the old man is not guilty of taking it. In the future, if it is not so difficult to raise soldiers, the old man will definitely give real money to the girl."

Zheng Hai's face was full of joy: "With Mr. Qi's words, our aunts and nephews will not be afraid. In Zhenjiang, the Shoukuan Association is stationed in the store to receive insurance policies. I also have a younger brother named Zheng, nicknamed Yiguan, who knows Zhenjiang, Songjiang runs on both sides. The head office of the insurance company is located on the other side of Songjiang. First, if there is a dispute, I am familiar with the government and officials, so it is convenient to file a lawsuit. Second, and more importantly, Shanghai County in Songjiang Prefecture , it is possible to switch and allow sea traders like Haicheng County in Zhangzhou Prefecture, and we will also drink the first hot soup of the sea insurance at that time."

Hearing these well-organized discussions, Qi Jin really fell in love with this girl in front of her who claimed to be from a humble background.

If she was a boy, she would go to war with her and use it when she was planning a strategy, it should be good.

The old general then nodded in satisfaction: "Your Zheng's name is hung on both ends of the business. Come to think of it, the censors won't be so idle that even the old man's soldiers come to have a cup of tea, right?"

"That's right, we came from Songjiang to send merchant taxes to Zhenjiang, just like Huizhou merchants hand over money to the bank along the way. How can the court be dissatisfied? Besides..."

Zheng Haizhu paused deliberately, then pursed his lips and said: "Besides, Wang Yinglin and Wang Zongxian, the Zuodu censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate of Yingtian Mansion, are not only the former prefect of Zhenjiang, but also have a singing remuneration with Dong Qichang, a famous Songjiang gentry. And our young lady's uncle is Dong Gong's closed disciple."

"Okay," Qi Jin clasped his palms together and praised, "then hurry up, Bond, first help Miss Zheng go to the government office to find out, if you want to open a business company, should you pay the imperial court for industrial and commercial tax or toothpaste money. This is a matter of choice." It’s a new business, if the people in the yamen don’t realize it, you can rely on the dental office, so it’s the most cost-effective for Miss Zheng to pay the toothpaste money once a year.”

"Yatie" is a business license issued by the imperial court to private intermediary agencies.

When a new license is issued every year, a sum of money is charged, plus a small fee for the officials who handle the affairs. The burden on the merchant is not too heavy.

If, like the bamboo and wood tax, transaction tax, and transport banknote tariff, it is continuously paid according to the batch and category estimates, it will be hard to say how much the bosses will suffer in the chaotic world of the late Ming Dynasty. .

Zheng Haizhu thought in his heart, the old general can do it. He said that he only knows how to fight, but in fact he has a sense of business compliance and is good at avoiding taxes reasonably.

It is much better than those local gentry in the late Ming Dynasty who just wanted to pay 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 hit the iron while the iron was hot, and said to Wu Bangde with a smile: "Yes, Mr. Wu, if you can help me go to Zhenjiang's wharves to ask about the number of shipwrecks, salvage, and cargo damage of passenger and cargo ships in recent years, that would be even better."

The information Zheng Haizhu mentioned is very important for actuarial calculations.

The general rate of freight insurance in later generations is [-]%, but the safety of vehicles in later generations and the public security guarantee in the Yangtze River Delta region are incomparable in this world.

In Jiangnan in the late Ming Dynasty, trying to do shipping insurance, the rate, carrier's liability, subrogation, grounds for exemption and other clauses and the design of insurance fraud prevention must rely on actual research.

Now that Qi Jin has nodded to Na Gangu and patted his chest on playing the role of the local snake, Zheng Haizhu will sell the land now and use his godson Wu Bangde as a mule.

……

On the way to send Zheng Haizhu back to the post station, Wu Bangde held back for a long time before asking, "Miss Zheng, how much do you have to pay to open this insurance company?"

"At least 5000 taels."

"So many!" Wu Bangde said in surprise.

In the past few days, he has already seen that although this woman is extremely simple in appearance and does not even have a gold hairpin or pearl hairpin on her head, she must be holding more than one big business in her hand, but he did not expect that this woman is called Shipping. For the new business of insurance, people have to pay thousands of taels of silver as soon as they make a move.

Zheng Haizhu said indifferently: "There is no way. Playing insurance is not like playing peddlers. You can borrow goods on credit. The money from the downstream reaches the account, and then it is settled to the upstream. The expenses for the opening of an insurance company include renting shops, salaries, and various management. In fact, it’s not too much, the bulk is called the compensation reserve fund, which is used to settle claims for cargo owners in distress, because at the beginning, the insurance premium collected may not be much, and the reserve fund is not enough to withdraw from the premium.”

Wu Bangde digested the words full of new terminology carefully, and said clearly: "Therefore, it is still necessary to let the shippers buy it as soon as possible, so as to increase the silver reserves of the trading company."

Zheng Haizhu stopped suddenly, Wu Bangde was startled, and also stopped.

Zheng Haizhu stared at him: "Mr. Wu, I have an idea. I dare not tell the old man directly. You can weigh it for me. I want to choose a pier in Zhenjiang and put on a play."

Wu Bangde's eyes flashed: "What play?"

Zheng Haizhu said: "It's very simple. When a tea boat was overturned, 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 are actually our people."

After taking a closer look, Wu Bang understood it, and said knowingly: "It's a good thing to shout about insurance. It doesn't hurt others, but it benefits yourself. Why don't you dare?"

Zheng Haizhu sighed: "Yeah, acting is also a last resort. We Ming people are not like Fan people. We Ming people are timid and most suspicious of being fooled. We don't like to accept new things."

The corners of Wu Bangde's mouth curled up slightly.He felt that even if Zheng Haizhu pretended to complain, it was quite interesting.

He looked at her very high, and then began to think deeply about her "trick".

"Miss Zheng, you can't use tea leaves for acting, but use your cotton cloth from Songjiang. The cotton cloth is heavy, you can pick it up to dry, and you can sell it at a discount. What we pay is the residual value, not the total value. In this case, first, to avoid those wait-and-see The owner of the cargo thinks that as long as the ship sinks, he will pay all the compensation, so that he will be lazy to rescue the cargo in the future. Secondly, the cotton cloth is not a total loss, and you can save a lot of acting expenses. The hard-earned money is just acting. , it’s even more important to save if you can, right?”

Hahaha……

Zheng Haizhu couldn't help laughing loudly.

This Mr. Wu's mind is so good, wise, wise.

It was a real pleasure to deal with these wise ancients.

Zheng Haizhu was happy for less than three seconds, when his heart suddenly moved.

Although Wu Bangde has a good temperament, his facial features are not outstanding. He is of medium height and has neither dark nor white skin. If he changes into civilian clothes and trousers, he will not be able to find him among the crowd.

His mind is quite bright, and his comprehension and on-the-spot reactions are very fast.

He still 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 doesn't go to Liaodong to be a spy, isn't he a little sorry for his awesome name "Bond"?
When Zheng Haizhu was thinking about it secretly, he heard Wu Bangde call and asked: "Miss Zheng, according to your arrangement just now, your nephew is going to be the girl's arm and go into business directly instead of taking the road of career?"

Zheng Haizhu sighed: "I have an academy in Songjiang, which is his name. I thought that instead of being a servant, he would practice hard in the academy, write good stereotyped essays, and one day be a Jinshi and rank, and I would be worthy of me." Brother and sister-in-law. But now it seems that he prefers to go out and run around. But now, businessmen have to have fame and fame, otherwise those circles of officials and gentry will not be able to enter."

On Wu Bangde's face, there was a faint disdain: "The stereotyped writing is extravagant, and it's just a superficial article. It's useless for self-cultivation, family and country."

But instead of amplifying such complaints, he began to share his own ways.

"Actually, you can spend some money and donate to Nanjing Guozijian. The meaning of the first year is to sit in prison for a few days, nod and shake hands with the doctors. If they don't mind, invite them to the Qinhuai River for a few drinks. Huajiu, let the famous female envoy recognize her face, and she will be regarded as a half-literate man from then on. Ordinary scenes will not be ugly. Don’t really think that you can sit on an equal footing with those gentlemen who have a serious background, it’s fine .”

When Zheng Haizhu heard the words, he immediately showed a look of "you make sense".

She was in Songjiang, and she wanted to inquire about this avenue, because from Huang Zunsu to Han Zhongwen, all Jinshi and Juren were tested on the basis of ability, and they highly respected the integrity of Nanjing Guozijian. Asking people about this by themselves is like asking Beiqing Returning to those proud alumni of the first degree, "Hey, how much is a degree from your school", looking for scolding.

At this moment, Wu Bangde saw that Zheng Haizhu was very interested, and he said straightforwardly: "I will find a broker to buy it for the girl. The Confucian scarf on my head was donated by the Imperial College last year."

Ah this...

This Wu Bangde, really frankly opened the door for frankness, frankness has reached home.

Taking it a step further, that is to say, is this person not interested in taking the Jinshi examination and becoming an official?
"Then, what is Mr. Wu's vision for the future?" Zheng Haizhu asked.

"If the world is peaceful, I will be Tao Zhugong, and if the flames rise again, I will follow my father-in-law to fight the enemy."

Wu Bangde's tone was completely devoid of the impassioned and impassioned voice, but 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 that the road of doing business all over the world or bloody battles in his mouth has already been paved under a certain future time and space, waiting for him to step on it, and then walk steadily.

Zheng Haizhu's thought of igniting just now became more and more intense.

When Bei Guting 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 places of interest in Zhenjiang, he made the tour guide interesting and not greasy.During the discussion at the General Military Mansion today, when even old General Qi couldn't help but sigh emotionally, he still looked calm.

When I had a deep talk with myself at this time, many of Wu Bangde's reactions could be switched in an instant, but there was absolutely no complacency or exaggeration.

He is different from a heroic man like Yan Siqi and Ma Xianglin, a dignified gentleman like Huang Zunsu, a handsome Tanlang like the Zhang brothers, and an all-rounder in civil and military affairs like Lu Xiangsheng.

His multi-faceted transfiguration talent permeates the gloom of the sky, but unintentional passers-by may not pay attention to it, and just treat it as an ordinary background.

Perhaps, really a chosen intelligence officer.

Zheng Haizhu stopped for the second time, looked at the position of the sun, and said to Wu Bangde: "I am a foreigner, and I would like to do something right now. I invite you to go to a place for soup."

……

By the canal outside the old city.

In the distance, Guazhou Ferry, once a highlight in Wang Anshi's poems, has become an abandoned wasteland because of the new waterways built by the Yuan people.

The nearby canal is in full swing at this time.

The trackers, who were almost completely naked, with only boxer shorts covering their private parts, looked like prawns, with red backs, bowed heads, and pulled the tank boat in a difficult but uniform manner amidst the hoarse horn sound.

There are a few tea stalls scattered along the river.

When a stall owner saw Zheng Haizhu, he greeted him attentively, "Miss Bodhisattva is here again?"

He glanced at Wu Bangde, but he was a little embarrassed, as if he didn't know how to greet him, but he obviously didn't know that this was the adopted son of Zhenjiang General Soldier Qi Jin.

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 for it. You tea stalls, each of you will send a bucket. Everyone's business, I will give you money." It's all taken care of."

"Okay, it's all right in the blink of an eye. When will the girl go back to her hometown?"

"In a few days. The scenery of Zhenjiang Mansion is so beautiful, I'm afraid I'll be reluctant to leave when I leave."

Zheng Haizhu spoke softly, sat down at the simple wooden table, and brought a bowl of mung bean soup to Wu Bangde.

Wu Bangde said: "Girl these few days, after visiting, 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 gaze was meaningful: "Wu, if you take the liberty to ask, you only picked this place. Could it be that you have some relationship with the tracker business in the past?"

Zheng Haizhu smiled brighter: "There was no relationship in the past, and there may be stories in the future. I want to recruit some servants from these people to raise them."

When she said this, Wu Bangde's suspicion dissipated a lot.

"Miss Zheng, many of the trackers on both sides of the South Zhili Canal escaped from Shandong. They are willing to endure hardships and are also solid. Carefully select the young and strong, and it is really good to be a nursing home. If you trust me, I will help you. Eye."

The corners of Zheng Haizhu's eyes shrank: "I just want to ask young master, someone from the Qi family army, to help me see my face and bones. However, the ultimate purpose of raising them is not just to serve as a nursing home for our aunt."

Wu Bangde was startled again.

Zheng Haizhu continued: "Mr. Wu, you said just now that if the flames rise again, you will go to the battle with General Qi to kill the enemy. In fact, you don't have to kill the enemy in front of the two armies facing each other. Behind the enemy, or even the enemy's nest, there are also great opportunities. Articles can be done."

(End of this chapter)