Chapter 62: Huizhou Guild Hall

  "The partridges are full of trees, and the new year is still alone. The fallen flowers follow the flowing water, and they all go to Zhuyuan Bay." Zhuyuan Bay is filled with bamboo forests everywhere, and every family raises geese. Geese play in the water, extremely rich in life atmosphere. Who would have thought that the world-famous Huizhou Guild Hall is located here? This is one of the holy lands of the Ming merchants, and issuing an order from here can make the entire Ming dynasty shake."

  Wang Dajun turned the letter in his hand over and over, muttering to himself: "Jingzhou Lin Chunhong... who is this guy?" The teacher stood by and quickly said: "It's the owner of the three-masted sailboat from half a month ago, Lin Chunhong."

  Master Wang's words were superfluous, as Wang Dajun was extremely wealthy and relied on being well-informed and skilled in calculation. As soon as Lin Chunhong arrived in Yangzhou, he had thoroughly figured out the situation. With his abilities, he was elected by the Huizhou merchants as the president of the Yangzhou Huizhou Guild Hall, handling some disputes between Huizhou merchants, uniting them to face outward, and enjoying extremely high prestige.

  Wang Dajun threw the visiting card aside, sneering: "You rose to prominence during the Tianqi era, and in less than five years, you're already trying to get involved in everything. Not bad, not bad, I'll take care of you today! Heh heh, you poor rural bumpkin, running into me is your bad luck!"

  Lin Chunhong, Li Chongde and Gu Xiulin were led into the guild hall by the shopkeeper, looking around constantly. Upon entering the main hall, they found a statue of Zhu Xi being worshipped, Lin Chunhong thought to himself: "Could it be that Zhu Xi also understood the art of commerce?" Li Chongde saw Lin Chunhong staring at the statue of Zhu Xi and said: "Zhu Xi was from Huizhou." Only then did Lin Chunhong suddenly realize. Behind the main hall was a reception room, the shopkeeper brought tea and asked them to wait for a moment, Lin Chunhong looked carefully and saw that on the southern eaves of the reception room there were dougong and large wooden carvings, while on the northern eaves there were dougong outside and carvings of fish and dragons inside. The horizontal beams in the hall had carvings of "Jade Pool Auspicious Picture", with more than 20 immortals, all of which were high-relief carvings: Eight Immortals crossing the sea, heavenly maidens scattering flowers, Mazu offering longevity, extremely vivid and lifelike. The surrounding mountains and rivers surged forward, auspicious clouds presented good fortune, cranes danced in the wind among the pines, quite majestic. Inside the hall there were several couplets, one of which read: In the nine thousand miles of journey, on the three thousand miles of road, this guild hall is a place for gathering and recreation, bringing together the beauty of the southeast; under the thirty-six peaks, by the twenty-four bridges, moving here the flowers and grasses, all relying on the light of the sun and moon.

  Li Chongde nodded in admiration, and Lin Chunhong sighed: "Indeed, it is a merchant who combines commerce and Confucianism, with subtle details showing ingenuity, and cleverness that surpasses the craftsmanship of heaven."

  After a moment, Wang Dajun's bright and clear voice came: "Three people have arrived here, but they haven't come to greet you from afar, please forgive them."

  Lin Chunhong was secretly surprised, this Wang Dajun welcomed guests too quickly, are we a few people so important in his mind? He clasped his fists and said: "Junior greets the president, please also ask the president to support more."

  "Alright, alright." Wang Dajun said with an air of authority. After finishing speaking, he warmly invited the three to sit down. Lin Chunhong carefully observed Wang Dajun, who was at least sixty but full of energy and vitality, exuding cleverness and efficiency, making Lin Chunhong secretly applaud in his heart.

  Wang Dajun laughed and said: "Lin Boss's giant ship has appeared, we Anhui people should retreat three houses!"

  Lin Chunhong hastily stood up and said: "From Jingzhou to Yangzhou, several thousand miles, it's not easy to come once, reluctantly, built this large boat."

  Wang Dajun was quite satisfied with Lin Chunhong's attitude, the young man knew when to advance and retreat, which was rare. He nodded and said: "That's right, a thousand miles of waves, this kind of big boat is just suitable. What business does Mr. Lin usually do?"

  "It's just going into the mountains to cut some wood, selling some miscellaneous goods in small places like Jingzhou and Yiling. If it doesn't work out, I'll be laughed at by the head of the association!"

  "Haha... With over 3,000 tons of goods, it's not even worth mentioning the weather. Boss Lin is too modest. Moreover, the reputation of Baili Zhou's wooden island has spread far and wide, and everyone along the Yangtze River knows about it!" Wang Dajun's business had also ventured into the timber industry, so he was naturally aware of Lin Chunhong's large stockpile of wood.

  "It's just a small business, what's there to make a fuss about?"

  ……

  Both sides kept flattering each other, trying to get a sense of the other's intentions. The excessive flattery made Gu Xiulin, a practical person, feel uneasy, shifting in his seat. After about two minutes, Wang Dajun brought up the main topic: "I don't know what brings you, Mr. Lin, to see an old man like me amidst your busy schedule?"

  Lin Chunhong busily pulled out a wooden four-wheeled horse carriage from a wooden box, which was carved with precious purple sandalwood. The craftsmanship was rare, and both the horses and the coachman were vividly lifelike. Lin Chunhong held the carriage in his hands and said, "First meeting, a small gift, I hope the president won't be polite."

  Wang Dajun looked at the horse-drawn carriage, overjoyed and without hesitation took it over, holding it in his palm to admire it nonstop, saying: "Hehe, before even speaking, the gift has already arrived, Lin Boss has put me in a difficult position. Do you think I should accept or not?" After finishing speaking, he placed the carriage on the table.

  A remark made Lin Chunhong and others burst out laughing, Lin Chunhong laughed: "It's like this, we have some rotten wood in Baili Zhou now, thinking of selling it to Yangzhou, but the wood is bulky, after transporting it to Yangzhou, it can't be sold immediately, urgently need a place to store. The president said a word in Yangzhou and Yangzhou will shake three times, we also couldn't think of any solution for the time being, so we had to ask the president for convenience."

  "Haha, it seems that receiving this gift comes with a price. My old man, Wang Daoren, is not worthy of being valued so highly by Master Lin." King Daoren pushed the carriage gently in Lin Chunhong's direction, saying regretfully.

  Gu Xiulin cursed Wang Dajun in her heart, calling him a son of a bitch. If it weren't for the fact that you people from Anhui control the timber trade association, who would bother to come and pay respects?

  Lin Chunhong stroked the carriage and smiled: "I and my brothers have been logging for almost five years, and we've accumulated a lot of valuable timber. This carriage is made from precious purple sandalwood, and there's plenty more where that came from. As for talented people to manage these businesses, there are many. All of this requires the support of our leader." After finishing speaking, he pushed the carriage towards Wang Dajun again.

  Wang Dajun looked at the carriage that had moved to his side and smiled slightly: "Boss Lin doesn't know, Yangzhou is a gathering place for wealthy merchants, it's not easy to find a piece of land, especially for rough goods like timber, which occupies more space. How could I, an old man, have such skills?"

  "The president has been in the business for many years and is indeed a model for us younger generations. During the Wanli era, he even did business in the Forbidden City. Whatever business was handed over to the president, it was guaranteed to be safe and secure. We younger generations just want to take a shortcut and hand over all the wood to the president to sell, as long as the president provides a small piece of land to sell some miscellaneous goods."

  "What groceries?"

  "It's nothing but rough goods like Xilankapu woven tapestries and Rongmei green tea, later on maybe some iron products and crude handicrafts, who knows how it will turn out?"

  Li Chongde and Gu Xiulin heard that Lin Chunhong was going to hand over the wood agency rights to Wang Dajun, and they couldn't help but frown secretly. This concession is too big! It's worth noting that after years of logging in Jiangnan and Huainan, there is a severe shortage of timber talents, and even a rotten log can be sold at a good price.

  Wang Dajun listened, secretly shocked, this kid has a really big handwriting, either he has a clear plan or he's an idiot! He thought for a moment, constantly calculating the benefits in his mind. After a while, he burst out laughing: "Lin boss is really bold, making old man admire him! The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead!"

  After finishing speaking, he hugged the carriage into his arms and stroked it continuously.

  Lin Chunhong's heart was greatly settled, and a smile appeared on his face.

  "Lin's lumber is piled up like a mountain, and I'm just an old man who can't finish it by myself. This matter still needs to be discussed with others. Is the iron product Lin mentioned referring to a four-wheeled horse cart?"

  "It's just right, but it's not mature yet, let's make a few more and take a look."

  "This thing is worrying in Yangzhou, Jiangnan area has dense rivers, going out by boat, horse-drawn carriages may not be useful."

  "Thanks for the reminder from Director Xie, I just made a few trial products to try them out, and if they don't work out, I won't sell them!"

  "Haha, Lin boss has quite a few skilled craftsmen under his command..."

  After finishing, Wang Dajun took Lin Chunhong and the others to the back hall to continue discussing the details. At this time, the problem had entered a substantial stage, both sides had removed their veils, neither gave in, directly clashed, and there was no warmth or elegance as before.

  The two parties finally agreed that Lin Chunhong would transfer the wood agency rights to Yangzhou Huishang Wood Material Association, with Wang Dajun holding 70% of the shares. In return, Wang Dajun would provide a free 20-mu plot of land along the canal for Lin Chunhong to build a warehouse, which was not allowed to sell cotton cloth, silk, rice, tea leaves (except for Congou green tea), salt and other goods. The two parties also reached an intention to build a dock that could accommodate three-masted sailing ships, and would jointly construct the dock when the time was ripe.

  After signing the agreement, both parties clinked their cups together and had a joyful time on the Qinhuai River, but that's for now.

  Lin Chunhong was quite satisfied with finally having a foothold in Yangzhou, while Li Chongde and Gu Xiulin were worried about handing over the wood proxy rights. Especially Gu Xiulin, who was still hurting, said: "Ah, a good piece of meat has been cut off, it's always hard to accept. If we also had the foundation of Huishang, it wouldn't have come to this."

  "The Huishang appear strong, but are actually weak. Their business is all over the Ming dynasty, and they have produced many high-ranking officials in between, but ultimately they are like a rootless reed. If there is any wind or movement, it will be like that great house collapsing, and once it starts, it cannot be stopped. But we are different, transporting goods is just a minor matter, producing things is the foundation, let alone our goal is to control the Batang Tusi, how can the Huishang compare with us?"

  A word made Gu Xiulin and Li Chongde nod endlessly. Li Chongde and Gu Xiulin's understanding of liquidity has reached a new level, and in future business dealings, Gu Xiulin particularly emphasized the social effects of buying and selling, becoming one of the few business people with political acumen in Bangtai Commercial Corporation. This is another story.

  Actually, Wang Dajun was particularly fond of Lin Chunhong's three-masted giant ship. Huishang goods were frequently transported, and having such a giant ship would greatly reduce costs. However, Wang Dajun was also patient, never mentioning the giant ship during negotiations. He wanted to see the official attitude towards the giant ship first.

  As expected, the letter from the prefect of Yangzhou regarding the three-masted giant ship was immediately sent to the Nanjing government office, causing the governor a great headache and not knowing how to deal with the giant ship. After much hesitation, in the end, he had no choice but to report it directly to the emperor, letting the cabinet struggle with it.

  Actually, since the opening of the sea route in Longqing, the ships built have been getting bigger and bigger. Five-masted giant ships are everywhere, but on the Yangtze River, there are only small boats, never big ones, and no one knows what decision the court will make. Moreover, there is a severe lack of hydrological data on the Yangtze River, and no one knows which route three-masted sailing ships can take.

  Li Mengshen's previous hydrological survey is of extraordinary significance, and it lies in this! Especially for that Jingjiang River, with its nine bends and twists, without reliable hydrological data, how can the three-masted sailing boat navigate?

  As for the possibility of the imperial court opposing three-masted sailing ships, Lin Zexu thought he had taken effective precautions and did not put it in his heart.