Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2239 Appearance ([-])

"Have you heard? The East African Transportation Company publicly issued additional shares to raise funds to carry out business activities in India." On March 1694, 3, in a high-end resort hotel by the seaside of Hue Port, two brothers, Ku Youfu and Ku Youcai, were small talk.

The operator of the resort hotel is the state-owned Oriental Hotel Group, which has encircled a large piece of land by the beautiful beach of Hue Port and built a series of entertainment facilities including hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, teahouses, and bathing beaches. ——I believe that if gambling is not banned on the east coast, they may still build a casino.

As a rival who has been in love with each other for many years, Xu Hao, a restaurant and entertainment tycoon, also built a high-end restaurant and resort next to it, attracting many wealthy middle-class people in China to come for vacation.Especially in the economically developed east coast prairie, where the offshore waters are relatively turbid, there is no top-level beach, and the temperature is colder, so they like to go to the beach in Hue for vacation-the transportation for vacation is Liner, Nanhai Liner Company and Messenger Liner Company invested a lot of resources for this, and created many sailings, which effectively met the market demand.

When it comes to this matter, we have to mention the fact that the people on the east coast are relatively rich now.In fact, over the years, although the local wages on the east coast have not increased due to the impact of non-national laborers, the price level has indeed dropped a bit, so it is tantamount to a disguised increase in wages.The reason is thanks to the rapid development of various sectors of industry and commerce. These fast-growing industries have brought a lot of profits, so they can support a certain level of wages.

On the other hand, in the old continent, its slowly rising industries are highly concentrated in a few industries such as textiles, shipbuilding, timber, construction, machinery, etc., so the competition is very fierce.For example, England's dominant textile industry faced fierce competition from France.Louis XIV established a number of state-run textile factories in Paris, using the most advanced technology available, desperately keeping wages down, and fiercely competing with the English.Another example is the shipbuilding industry. The British are also facing fierce competition from France, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Although they have a slight advantage because of their high industrial level, they have no way to obtain high profits, so they are also very hard.

There are many more similar to these, so I won't list them one by one.All in all, the industries of the late-developing countries in the old continent are highly overlapping, and they are chasing after each other in a limited track, doing everything they can.Although the English were the leaders, they did not dare to take it lightly. They were forced to improve their technical level and keep their wages down in order to maintain an advantage when they competed with foreign goods.

Under such circumstances, the income level of their workers—not just ordinary workers, but even senior technicians and engineers—can be imagined, and it is really incomparable with the east coast.Similarly, the wages of a skilled mechanical repairman on the east coast must be much higher than in England. This is not determined by their level, but by the profits of factories and industries. , Technicians can realize the knowledge they have learned hard, but it is not so easy for others.

In addition to satisfying the needs of food and clothing, the wealthy middle class on the east coast also tend to travel abroad with the development of transportation.As for tourist destinations, generally speaking, there are three popular destinations. One is the "ends of the earth" in the south, that is, the area around Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. There are popular tourist attractions in summer, and many people come here with a curiosity-seeking mentality. Playing and recuperating here has brought a lot of income to the local residents-except for the extra income from fishing and leather industry.

The second tourist hotspot is the beaches in Hue and other places.Perhaps driven by the founders of the first generation of the country, people on the east coast are very keen on going to the seaside, which is very different from traditional Chinese in this regard.Especially in winter, the warm beaches of Hue and other places are very attractive to people, making wave after wave of people come for vacation.Even, many business meetings are held here, which further promotes the development of local tourism.

The final tourist hotspot is the Andes to the west.The majestic and majestic mountains themselves have a sense of mystery, and many Taoist temples are built on the mountains, so the halo bonus is even more charming, making many devout believers willing to travel thousands of miles to start a pilgrimage.The only disadvantage here is probably that the traffic is not very convenient. You have to take a steamboat or a horse-drawn carriage in the South Cone area, and it takes a long time to get there.Fortunately, the wool transportation dedicated railway has been advancing steadily. I believe that after it is fully opened to traffic, the Andes, where the traffic conditions have been greatly improved, will usher in a new wave of tourism.

Both brothers Ku Youcai and Ku Youfu are the sons of Captain Couette.Captain Couette made great contributions to the East Coast in his early years, and later his family immigrated to the East Coast, and their status has always been relatively detached.After the death of Captain Couette, the two brothers inherited the family property and managed it separately. Now one is a shareholder of the Southern Railway Company, and the other runs a small-scale fleet. It cannot be said that they are very rich, but they are also famous on the east coast. characters.

The two brothers had just attended an investment lecture organized by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Hue Port. After the event, they did not plan to leave. Instead, they took the whole family to the hotel and planned to relax.But business people, even if it is a so-called vacation, it is inevitable to talk about economic knowledge when they get together.No, Ku Youfu talked to his brother about the news he just inquired about.

"Because of what? What happened in India?" Ku Youcai was very sensitive, and immediately grasped the point: "The government doesn't have enough money, so the private sector needs to raise funds? Isn't that possible?"

"Why not?" Ku Youfu raised his eyebrows, and asked back: "The government spends so much! Local construction, various facilities, and resettlement of immigrants are required. The construction of railways, highways, and docks has never stopped. It is the biggest blood loss of the Ministry of Finance. In addition, the construction of some key overseas colonial sites has also been included in the agenda. I don’t know how much it will cost, but it will definitely not be less. Therefore, the colonial trade action in the direction of India is socially oriented. Is it strange to raise a batch of funds?"

Ku Youcai smiled when he heard the words, and asked, "Are you moved?"

Ku Youfu nodded without hesitation, and said: "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I think it's something to do. I plan to subscribe for some debts and buy some stocks. Brother, you don't know what our country looks like now, you Do you think everyone can still do without the colonial trade? Can you adapt to the days when there is no supply of colonial goods? I’m afraid you can’t?”

In fact, as Ku Youfu said, overseas goods are prevalent on the east coast today, not to mention the two large chain commercial enterprises, the state-owned department store and Sun Chunyang Nanhuo Store, and even many small local stores are also buying in large quantities. It is also very good, which in turn fuels the further development of overseas trade.

Nowadays, tropical foods such as chocolate, cocoa powder drinks, and coffee have almost become daily consumer goods for urban residents on the east coast, and their popularity is much higher than that of the old continent.In addition, commodities such as tobacco, sucrose, and spices are in great demand regardless of urban or rural areas, and the prices have always been within the affordable range of the people, which can be described as mass consumer goods.Under such circumstances, it is understandable that overseas trading companies can reap huge profits. This is a bonus for the overall prosperity of the people—of course it is also a bonus for the great development of the maritime industry.

A few years ago, the east coast government aimed at the opportunity and determined a grand strategy to take advantage of the situation to carry out commercial and colonial expansion in northwest India.For this reason, the Ministry of Finance not only approved a large amount of funds, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mobilized contacts and persuaded the Portuguese to participate.At present, their expansion is still very smooth. The only obstacle is probably the lack of money, and they have to issue bonds and raise funds in the East Coast.As the number one executor of transporting and selling Indian goods, the East African Shipping Company had to raise funds in the Qingdao market, because they ordered a considerable number of steamships, and their funds were very tight (they themselves owed a lot of loans to the bank). Youcai and Ku Youfu brothers are talking about this matter now.

"And I heard that the business model in India will also change in the future. The management of the East African Transportation Company has proposed that when purchasing goods from Indians in the future, only a small part of cash will be paid in advance, and the rest will be sold out. Then pay according to the situation. This is tantamount to asking local farmers, manor owners and middlemen in India to advance funds first. If the East African transportation company can’t make money like this, it should be disbanded.” Ku Youfu continued.

"The Indians are not stupid, can they agree to such a condition?" Ku Youcai asked hesitantly.

"If they don't agree, they have to agree, otherwise who will buy their things?" Ku Youfu said indifferently, and the meaning behind the words is very clear. The waters off the northwestern part of India are basically dominated by the east coast navy. Without permission, it is impossible to come to trade.Even local small boats in India do not go to sea because of the unstable security situation at sea and the frequent appearance of "pirates". Therefore, people from the east coast basically monopolize the export channels of most specialty products in northwest India.In such a situation, how could they not squeeze those Indians desperately?It is already polite to advance the production of funds, and the pricing power is a bigger killer.

"How are the Indian goods purchased by the East African Transportation Company sold locally?" Ku Youcai continued to ask without rushing to make a statement.

"Of course it's on consignment. The goods they transported are unloaded at Dongfang Port, Qingdao Port, Ping'an Port, Nancun Port, Yancheng Port, etc., and then kept by local trustees. These trustees are generally wealthy and can rent them locally. Warehouse with a large area, and then invoice the East African transportation company according to the expected value, and master how to sell, when to sell, and at what price. The trustee must be very alert, familiar with the market conditions, and have certain connections. It is possible to sell the goods under the competition of other homogeneous products.” Ku Youfu picked up the coffee cup and took a sip of the fragrant coffee, and then said: “Of course, this is not a big problem. Spectrum."

"So, in fact, the East African transportation company may not be able to guarantee how much money it will make? After all, the British, French, Dutch and even the Portuguese are also trying to sell Indian goods to our country, and the competition is still very fierce. Moreover, as a colony, the overall tariff level between Diu Island and the mainland has dropped to less than 2%, but it has not been completely abolished after all. Local goods in India pay tariffs when they enter Diu, and pay tariffs again when they arrive at the mainland. The cost is quite high. There are also channel fees, and the factors of market fluctuations should not be underestimated. In short, it is better to be cautious." Ku Youcai was somewhat disapproving.

Of course, this is not to say that he is not optimistic about the prospects of the East African transport company.In fact, he still has basic judgment, knowing that this business will definitely not lose money, the only difference is that he earns more and earns less.But the problem is, now that the domestic shipping market is booming, and the small fleet he runs is doing well, why spend precious funds on the East African shipping company?He is conservative by nature, it is really difficult to make such a determination, even if the business can indeed make money.

"Brother, why are you still hesitating?" Compared with Ku Youcai, Ku Youfu was much more radical. He looked at his brother with incredible eyes and said, "Look at the things in our room." Where did the tapestry come from? A little from Turkey, mostly from Punjab or Kashmir! What about the gemstones that ladies like? Some from Ceylon, some from India, maybe more of the latter! What about spices such as fennel and benzoin? India! What about gold? India! What about medicinal materials such as Helile fruit and opium, which are rare in the local area but commonly used in medical treatment? Or India! Brother, the import value of Indian goods is increasing almost every year, and the growth rate is not low , the growth rate of some types can even be compared with that of Chinese products, why do you hesitate?"

Indeed, as Ku Youfu said, the people on the east coast have done a really good job in industry and commerce, which has led to a large inflow of funds.The broad working class, as the backbone of industry and commerce, has also shared the dividends, and they can spend money on various overseas commodities.Even non-industrial and commercial practitioners, benefiting from the net inflow of the country's overall funds, have seen their income rise, making them also start to pursue quality of life and consume Indian goods in large quantities.To put it bluntly, this is the inevitable result of the growth of the overall national power on the east coast. Gold and silver are inedible and cannot be worn. Why don’t they exchange them for overseas products and consume them, waiting to be cast into wax gourds?

Ku Youfu's investment in the shares of the Southern Railway Company will not make much money for a while, and he has long been considering other ways to make money.It just so happened that a batch of bonds on hand were about to be due for payment this time, so he planned to invest in the East African Transportation Company, hoping to maintain and increase the value of his property by relying on the booming Indian trade.He once had an in-depth understanding of the current social outlook of the East Bank, especially the consumption tendency of ordinary people, and finally came to the conclusion: the people have money, and they have formed a habit of consuming overseas goods, so they have a lot to do!

Of course he did not forget his brother.No, taking advantage of the opportunity of vacationing together, he invited Ku Youcai to invest in an East African transportation company and make money together.It’s just that he didn’t expect his elder brother to be so conservative, and the domestic shipping market is in a boom period. Ku Youcai is thinking about buying two new boats—of course, sailboats. Steamboats are too expensive for him. ——to open a new route and expand his own fleet, so in the end, the two of them didn't talk about going together, which made him quite regretful.

Fortunately, the stock offering of the East African Transportation Company has not yet officially started. This state-owned enterprise designated by the higher authorities to participate in Indian trade still has a lot to do with the Diu Management Committee.Moreover, they originally mainly engaged in the trade routes of the West Indian Ocean, focusing on Xinhua Island (the company headquarters is located in Xinhua Port). After participating in the Indian trade in the future, how to take into account the transportation tasks of Xinhua Island and the coast of East Africa? Have to think carefully.There are many things involved in this. It is conservatively estimated that the stock offering will be launched to the whole society this fall. He still has time to persuade his brother to participate in this matter.

The east coast is a country founded on seafaring. The citizens should have a little international vision, a little ambition and drive, and a spirit that is different from others. Ku Youfu thinks this is a matter of course.

(End of this chapter)