It gets dark after seven o'clock in winter in Jinling. The salt merchants who came to Chenzhai to discuss business came in four cars. After getting off the bus, the driver hurriedly unloaded the things in the trunk and drove away.
He got in the car and left immediately. Those who didn't know better thought he was a thief selling stolen goods!
This is why the salt merchants are extra cautious to prevent the scene of visiting Chen Mingxiang from being seen and causing unnecessary suspicion and spoiling the matter. The people living in the Yihe Road Gongguan area are all senior officials of the Jinling government.
A group of things that fail more than succeed.
For this negotiation on salt sales, four people came from Anhui Province, two from northern Jiangsu, three from southern Jiangsu, two from eastern Zhejiang, plus Wu Ziying, a total of twelve people. They represent
Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province, as well as some new salt merchants in Hubei Province.
Of course, you can't visit empty-handed, as this is very impolite. Therefore, these representatives of the salt merchants naturally brought gifts to Chen Mingxiang. In order to show their strength and prove their qualifications to undertake the sales of salt from various places, the gifts were quite generous.
"Everyone, please sit down and don't be too restrained. Let's make a long story short. The Haiyuan Salt Company has a quota of 10,000 tons of salt from the Lianghuai Salt Fields. It is 4,500 tons in Suzhou, Xichang, and about 2,500 tons in Shanghai. Jinling has a quota of 10,000 tons.
One thousand tons, no matter how you compress it, you can only squeeze out two thousand tons at most."
"However, I am able to transport 4,000 tons of coarse salt from the Changlu Salt Field in North China every month. In terms of transportation capacity, there is no one in the whole of China. No one dares to compare with me. Six thousand tons of salt
, this is the quota I give you. Of course, this number is not the limit, but I have to take care of the relationship and operate according to this number for the time being."
"The price of salt in Shanghai cannot be used as a reference. It has now risen to 4.5 yuan per catty. This is still coarse salt. The price I give to Su, Wuchang, and Chang areas is one yuan in urban areas, 80 cents in rural areas, and 2 cents per catty.
The profit will not be changed before the end of the year.”
"Salt from the northern Jiangsu and Lianghuai areas is unloaded from Guangling and Anqing, southern Jiangsu from Zhenjiang, and eastern Zhejiang from Hangzhou. How to distribute it is your problem. My request is very simple. Pay first and then deliver.
I have purchasing stations in various places, so everyone must know this."
"Under my banner, the local officials will not cause trouble for you, nor will the gendarmerie. Private matters will be settled by yourself. Remember, you are not allowed to raise prices or lower prices. Everything will be based on my notice."
Subject to that." Chen Mingxiang said.
You have already formulated the rules of the game directly, and this is nonsense!
Chen Mingxiang spoke cleanly and neatly. This simple and crude way was conducive to the rapid running-in between the two parties. Moreover, the most critical points, such as purchase price, sales price, unloading location and payment method, were clearly stated. They can only be accepted and cannot be violated.
.
He has the power to distribute salt and also has the power to set the price. He is not afraid that the salt merchants will not be honest and obedient. If anyone has any objections, he will just keep cool and let the money go without making any money. How can he still be called a businessman?
"Director Chen, the old salt merchants of Lianghuai and Huaihe established Yuhua Salt Company with the support of the Jinling government. This company is officially licensed to sell salt. Your Haiyuan Salt Company is authorized by Huazhong Salt Industry Co., Ltd.
, but when the government's Huazhong Salt Industry Company is established, will we still have such qualifications in the future?" asked a salt merchant surnamed Hu in northern Jiangsu.
The meaning of this is very clear. Chen Mingxiang currently has the license of Huazhong Salt Industry Co., Ltd. to sell salt at will in central China. However, Huazhong Salt Industry Co., Ltd. will be acquired by the Ministry of Finance and become Huazhong Salt Company. In the future, this sales right will
Whether he still admits it or not is another matter.
"I wonder if you are in the business. Can a living person be choked to death by urinating? Is there any way around it? If the government dares not to recognize this qualification, you will list all the salt shops under my company.
Isn’t it over then?” Chen Mingxiang curled his lips and said.
No one dares to doubt the sales qualifications of Haiyuan Salt Company. If Huazhong Salt Company is looking for trouble, it will simply hang all the stores with the signboard of Haiyuan Salt Company branch. Isn't it just a fee for affiliation?
Compared with the benefits of salt, is that nothing?
What's more, the Haiyuan Salt Company's signboard is definitely a gold-lettered one. The gendarmerie gives face and the police station stays far away. The boss of the company is the boss of the Police Department. Anyone who is tired of living and dares to cause trouble in the boss's property is not seeking death.
Is this the way to find it?
"We have no objection to Director Chen's method, and there is no problem with the money. Starting from February, we will make centralized payments once a month. When will the salt be shipped to the dock?" said a representative surnamed Liu from eastern Zhejiang.
All salt merchants who dare to buy and sell salt are wealthy merchants. If you don't have any strength, you can't even think about being in this industry. Therefore, the supply and channels are the most important. As for the payment, that doesn't matter!
The time left for everyone is very tight. Before the establishment of Huazhong Salt Company, it is necessary to set up a sales network, prepare enough stores and manpower, and use this time to earn back the investment costs.
"Don't worry about this. The fleet has to go back and forth from Zhenjiang to Jincheng twice every month. It can transport 6,000 tons in mid-February. But before the end of this month, you must tell me the amount of salt needed in each place.
Shipping companies need to plan their transportation well.”
"My fleet has a very heavy task, and we must save time to complete the shipment at once. To be precise, the delay is half a month. In this way, you will pay for the goods on the 28th of each month, and on the 16th of the following month
When I deliver the goods, the error will not exceed two days, and we will execute it according to this time." Chen Mingxiang said.
"Director Chen, we learned through reliable people that Li Hongfei from the Salt Service Department is currently actively contacting salt merchants from all over the country to prepare for the establishment of local underwriters of the Huazhong Salt Industry Company. We have seized the site and taken the opportunity to wait until the company is established.
, conflicts will definitely break out." said a representative of a salt merchant named Zhang from southern Sunan.
No one is a fool, and salt has always been a semi-monopoly business. The fewer the number of people, the more money you make. Those old salt merchants rely on their seniority, long time in business, and wide coverage of their stores to suppress new salt merchants.
It is inevitable, shopping malls are like battlefields, and the law of the jungle is also the rule.
"This is also what I expected. Huazhong Salt Company itself has shares in the old salt merchants and will definitely not tolerate us snatching meat. A conflict will happen sooner or later."
"Right now, central China is still the territory of Huazhong Salt Industry Co., Ltd., and they dare not act rashly. But once Huazhong Salt Industry Co., Ltd. is established, they will soon fall out."
"I need you to be able to stand up at the critical moment. If they dare to go on strike and close down business, your salt shops must cover all areas in their respective areas and not cause salt shortages. This is the responsibility you must bear." Chen Mingxiang said.
