Balanov talked endlessly about his plan, while constantly observing Zhao Xin's expression in order to adjust his speech in time.

However, Zhao Xin has been leaning on the back of the chair since the beginning, and his expression on his face remained basically the same. Only the index finger of his right hand occasionally taps the armrest. This state made Balanov very uncomfortable. He took a long time to spit but couldn't get any feedback, and he was really unsure.

Finally, the plan of "Huamei Trading Company" was finished. Balanov, who was dry-mouthed, picked up the teacup and took a big sip. As soon as the cup was put down, Zhao Xin spoke.

"How many people are you on Kodiak Island?"

"34.28 males, 6 females. In addition, there are two hundred indigenous workers from Aleutian."

“How many indigenous people are there now in the Aleutian Islands and Kodiak Island?”

Balanov thought for a while and said, "We conducted a population survey two years ago. The Aleutian Islands are 6,000 and the Kodiak Islands are about 6,500."

Zhao Xinxin said 234 to 6500. If this annoys the Indians, it will be destroyed in minutes! So he asked: "How is your relationship with the indigenous people?"

Balanov said confidently: "It's very good. We buy a lot of fur from them every year. In addition to iron products, we also use them to trade wine and glass beads."

By the way, this guy has a glass factory in his hand, so it’s not easy to get some beads. Zhao Xin asked again: “How much did you produce last year?”

Balanov was able to find business data at will, and said without thinking: "There are 61,056 animal skins of all kinds, with the most fox skins, more than 48,000, and 2,916 sea otter skins. In addition, there are a small number of walrus and whales."

"Most of them were acquired by locals, right?"

"Yes. Mainly Tlingits, there are also Athabaskas."

“How to solve the food?”

"Fishing and hunting, I raised some sheep, mainly to make cheese. To be honest, our food is very scarce. Mr. Serryhof led his men to reclaim a small amount of arable land on Unarasca Island. We also reclaimed more than a dozen Russian acres in Kodiak Island, and only planted some potatoes, and the yield was very low. In general, if you immigrate on a large scale, you still need your help. We will regularly purchase grain and fruit from Kinmen. If you can send famous doctors, that would be great."

"Where are you going to recruit people?"

Balanov said carefully: "As long as the funds are sufficient, you will definitely be able to recruit enough personnel. If you allow it, I want to recruit some from those prisoners of the Tsarist army."

Zhao Xin didn't expect that this guy would come to him. He pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, I'll allow you to recruit five hundred people first. If the development is good, recruit another five hundred."

It has been four years since the end of the "Battle of Usolier". In the two battles with the Russian Empire, the Northern Navy captured more than 20,000 Russian troops. One-third of these people joined the "Cossack Emirates", and a small number were released through negotiations. Now there are more than 10,000 left and have been organized into four engineering regiments, with their main work being to build railways.

The plan of the "29-person committee" is to wait until the "Bobei Railway" is completed before letting these people go back. After all, the cost of managing them is also a considerable expense. As for absorbing naturalization, no one is interested. In other words, Zhao Xin had some ideas and asked the Intelligence Bureau to try to develop a few eyeliners.

Balanov was overjoyed when he heard this. He had no choice. Don’t look at the abolition of the serfdom after Beihai Town occupied Siberia, and the exiled serfs and prisoners became free people, but the free people would come to America only if they were crazy!

Although Siberia is desolate, but who else can I compare with? Alaska is no longer desolate, it is a wilderness that is not suitable for survival!

In 1784, Serihof, the founder of the Northeast American company, finally recruited more than 100 people and sent them to Alaska to settle down. Ten years later, only 34 were left, and almost all alcoholics and ruffians. Most of the fewer people died of illness, so Balanov asked the Kinmen side to send a doctor.

In his previous correspondence with Serihoff, he learned about the prisoners of war, and after thinking about it, he had the idea of ​​those people. He had thought about it. As long as Zhao Xin nodded, he would deceive people by deceiving them, sign a contract, engage in debt traps, and deduct documents and not allow them to go back... Anyway, it would not be enough to last seventy or eighty or ninety years.

Well, in the history of another time and space, Balanov really did this, otherwise the Russians would not be able to stick to it in Alaska. Therefore, the methods in the northern Myanmar park were not new, and people had already played with them in the 18th century. By the 19th century, the methods of Chinese workers being "selled piglets" were almost the same. Their own people cheated on their own people, and they have been like this from ancient times to the present.

Zhao Xin didn't know Balanov's abacus. At this moment, he was thinking about whether to transport a batch of immigrants to Alaska.

The Qing army captured the Manchu powerful people? But he quickly gave up on this idea, or he did not consider it for the time being.

Siberia is so big that the ice city of Yakutsk alone can make people die. The problem is that Yakutsk can still walk on water in summer, but Alaska... living supplies and medical insurance cannot keep up, and they will soon die. It is better to kill them with one shot.

If you want to occupy a wild land, you must first solve the problem of eating and build a stronghold. The next step is to reclaim arable land. But to engage in agriculture in Alaska? Not to mention the 18th century, it is impossible to handle it in the 20th century.

Speaking of historically, after the United States acquired Alaska, no one except gold diggers were willing to settle down. Later, although some towns were established, they were all mining cities and military bases, and grain had to be transported from outside. In 1935, Roosevelt implemented a new policy, in the name of the "Masu Valley Experimental Agricultural Zone", recruited 203 families with rich farming experience from states with developed agricultural experience such as Minnesota and moved into the valley to live. Each household could be assigned to 16 hectares of permanent land for free. Since then, Alaska has agriculture.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content later! The total investment of this plan exceeded US$5 million, and the 5 million at that time was equivalent to 100 million in 2023 according to purchasing power. However, no one expected that half of the new immigrants left in just five years. By 1965, there were only 20 families left in the first batch of 203 families.

In a frost-free period every year, the temperature is only 100 days, the temperature in summer is only 13 degrees to 26 degrees, and the entire winter is sub-zero, regardless of day or night, and agricultural development is always carried out in areas with blizzards for two or three months, which is simply a disaster!

In another time and space history, there is a major reason why Tsarist Russia has difficulty operating Alaska in depth. It is that its necessities are heavily dependent on external provisions, including food, salt, beef, and vegetables, all of which have to be purchased from the UK, the United States and Spain, making the maintenance costs of immigration areas remain high.

So for Beihai Town, if you want to develop Alaska, you must first gain a foothold in Northern California, develop the Central Valley and build a grain base. Then go north along the West Coast, take the later Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia into their pockets, and eventually connect with Alaska. As for gold mines, it is not a big worry. As long as Americans can't get in, they will be their own sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xin said to Baranov: "The concession can be given, but it must be a ten-year period. And if you are alone, you must have competitors."

What?! Balanov's face drooped in an instant, becoming like bitter gourd.

Zhao Xin smiled faintly and said, "Dear Alexander, as a businessman, I think you should know what a monopoly means. That's right, monopoly can certainly bring huge profits, but it will also become a breeding ground for laziness and corrupt the company's enterprising spirit. Even if the company will bring prosperity due to franchise in the first few years, this prosperity will be destined to be short-lived and false!"

Balanov admitted that Zhao Xin said something is true, but now colonial companies in European countries are engaged in long-term monopoly, so why can't I do this?

He is a businessman and a capitalist. Although Europe advocates free capitalism in the industrial revolution, it is only an early form, and the next step will be to monopoly capitalism. If you have the opportunity to achieve monopoly, who will still play competition? Dominance is the dream of all capitalists, otherwise how did the trust come about?

However, for Zhao Xin, what he wants is competition. What he is most worried about is that one day the Russians in Alaska will secretly hook up with the Tsarist Russian government and then do three or four in North America.

The old saying goes, do capitalists have a conscience? Especially in this era of wild growth, you really need to have a conscience. What kind of opium and fur can you sell? You can sell the Bible.

If Balanov doesn't agree, he will do his best and let the Russians get out of here. The company with a total share capital of one million rubles has only accumulated more than 700,000 taels of silver. Who, and the adults, pay the final payment!

The reason why he didn't want to end in person was nothing more than asking Balanov to lead a group of Russian prisoners to expand territory for him, and fight against the British and Americans in front. If the North Navy had to end in person, it would have become a declaration of war.

So Zhao Xin did not give Baranov the opportunity to explain and continued: "Alexander, have you ever thought about a question? Even if you introduce competitors, it is our own people. Everyone manages that wild land for the same goal. Faced with the cold winter, fighting alone is not a trend, but joining together to keep warm is the king.

Although Alaska is the dominant player in Northeast America today, the British, American, and Spanish have already reached in. The British claimed that Vancouver Island belonged to them, and signed a treaty with the Spanish to get Nucart Bay. The Hudson Bay Company will soon become our biggest competitor, and the era of annual output of 60,000 furs will never return.

There are also Americans, Captain Grey bought 2,600 acres of land on Vancouver Island? Have you ever thought about the consequences of this? Not to mention anything else, if I were an American, in order to gain a foothold in Vancouver Island and to seize fur resources, I would secretly contact the Tlingits and buy their furs at high prices. When they taste the sweetness, they would threaten to stop trade and force them to attack the strongholds on Kodiak Island!”

The more Balanov heard, his face became ugly, and he thought it was really possible. At this moment, he had already vaguely understood what Zhao Xin wanted him for. These days, the merchants who dared to leave home and come to the wilderness were not good at it, and the business was often bloody killing. What he did not expect was that the King of the North Sea in front of him had a more thorough understanding of Alaska than himself, and his little thoughts were really not enough.

"What is the second company you are going to introduce?"

“Beihai Trading Company.”

Ah!! Balanov is well-known for this name. Not long after Irkutsk was occupied by the Northern Navy, the "Beihai Trading Company" brand appeared in the most conspicuous commercial area in the city. Later, this company completely monopolized the entire Far East's tea and rhubarb trade, and even the five people at that time had to purchase goods from there.

He was suddenly discouraged and thought that no matter how much he did, he could not deal with this giant beast.

Zhao Xin saw Balanov's uneasiness and immediately said, "Don't worry! Their stronghold will be located in northern California, near the Columbia River, Alaska will still be yours. The main business of Beihai Trading Company is agriculture, fur is both business, and the business dividing line between your two sides is divided by 50 degrees north latitude."

The 50-degree dividing point in the north latitude is actually Vancouver in another time and space. In this way, Zhao Xin also had the excuse to intervene in Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Of course, there was no "British Columbia" in this year, and it is currently only the territory of the Nukat Indians. However, with the influx of fur merchants, the god of death has been shrouded on the Nukat people, and the rampant smallpox will cause the population of that area to plump.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content behind! Zhao Xin is also out of reach. Even if he can send a medical team to help, he may not appreciate it. Besides, the medical ability of Kinmen Town is only worth it, so he has no energy to take care of others.

Oh! Balanov let out a long sigh, and his heart was relieved. At this time, he heard Zhao Xin say: "When you recruit people, your first priority is to seize the American territory on Vancouver Island and build a second immigration site there!"

"What if the British and Spanish oppose it?"

"Did you see the two ships that came this morning? Let me tell you the truth..." Zhao Xin roughly talked about the annihilation battle a few months ago.

Balanov suddenly realized. When he fired the gun, he was still thinking, why did the Spanish come? So that's it!

Zhao Xin decided to add another handful of firewood and continued: "In the first ten years, I will grant you the only two fur trade rights in Anping Port, free of import tax. In addition, Kinmen Town will give you priority to providing daily necessities and arms to you in the future, and only cost prices will be charged. When you go back this time, you can take away two hundred tons of wheat and twenty barrels of gunpowder first, which is the gift I give you."

Balanov's eyes shone when he heard this. Although gifts and other things were very good, the exclusive trade at Anping Port made him even more moved. Now the trade prosperity there is comparable to Guangzhou, and almost everyone knows it along the coast of Northeast Asia.

But he soon thought of another thing, so he said bitterly: "Your Majesty, I have a request. If you can agree, I will explain to Mr. Serihof about the ten-year concession."

"Tell me."

"Ship, the company's existing ship is too small, even if it is full, it is only 800 tons, and its speed is not high. I know there is a shipyard under your rule. If you can permit it, I hope to order two 1,500 tons in the name of the company."

"Yes." Zhao Xin thought about it for a while and said, "It's better to do this. I invest in two new sailing boats and part of the cash, with a shareholding ratio of 30%.

"this......"

Balanov showed a embarrassed expression and pondered without saying a word. In fact, he had thought it over and over again before coming. The shareholding ratio left to Beihai Town is at most 20%. However, Beihai King in front of him opened his mouth and reached 30%, which is seriously inconsistent with expectations!

"You think about it first." Zhao Xin didn't urge Balanov. He knew that his conditions were a bit ruthless. But then again, Beihai Town could provide much more support than Alexander I in another time and space.

When the "Russia-US Trading Company" was founded in another time and space, the Tsar held 20% of the stake. Not only that, the Tsarist government also made trouble for the company's business and even arranged for many officials who only paid and did not work as managers. For example, between 1808 and 1820, these guys not only had 15,000 rubles per year, but also had pensions and food expenses, and even when the company was financially in a tight position.

Faced with this situation where "the manager is easy to be a manager and the shareholders are suffering", the company has to adopt the method of eating the money and paying dividends in advance from future income, making the business worse and worse.

Zhao Xin looked at Baranov's entangled look and decided to tease him, so he raised his right hand and hooked him back. He Xianyang behind him was bored. When he saw him hurriedly walking closer and bowing to listen, he heard Zhao Xin whisper: "Don't worry about what I say, let me say something. Look up at Baranov, shake your head first, wait for me to say the next sentence, and nod. Also, go and see if Li Shi is back, look back at him before going out."

He Xianyang blinked, then looked up at Balanov, then lowered, shook his head, and asked in a low voice: "What if he is back?"

Zhao Xin glanced at the watch and it was already 11:30. He pretended to be careless and glanced at Balanov, then said: "Just say that Chief Lu has something to do with him and ask him to go to Chief Lu's residence at 12:00. Don't mention me for now."

"Yes." He Xianyang nodded, and then walked towards the door. When he opened the door, he turned around and looked at Balanov again. Before the other party could look at him, he ran out and closed the door casually.

Seeing the young officer whispering to the King of the North Sea, Balanov unconsciously raised his ears. Although he couldn't understand a word, he could hear Zhao Xin mention his name. Especially the young officer shook his head and nodded, and glanced at him when he went out, which made him feel even more uneasy.

This is not waiting for others to come to him on his own territory. He has been waiting for so many days since he has been asking for food! Those who can eat a lot of fritters these days are Europe and China.

Forget it, 30% will be 30%! In the words of the Russians, you can’t even catch fish in the pond without spending any effort! As long as you satisfy the person in front of you, your ideal will become a reality.
Chapter completed!