Wang Xiaoxi had a huge sum of 12,000 taels of silver, which he exchanged for tea.
Five thousand taels of silver came from Yan Ci, and the other five thousand taels came from Huang Qubing.
The rest of the loose change would be used for travel expenses. Once he reached the northwest, he would consider buying some local goods to ship to Xiliang.
Huang Qubing's willingness to invest money in Wang Xiaoxi's small business really surprised everyone.
Yan Ci teased him, "Boss Huang is also interested in this small business?"
Huang Qubing said solemnly, "Boss Wang already has a stable business, yet you're willing to leave your family and business behind and make the personal journey to Xiliang. I deeply admire you. Five thousand taels is my support for you, Boss Wang. I dare not give more. I'm also worried that you might run into danger on your own journey."
Wang Xiaoxi's eyes were red with excitement. "I am just a commoner. How could I have imagined that I would receive such strong support from you in my lifetime?"
"Boss Wang, you're welcome! I'm not some kind of boss."
"Your Excellency once served as the Minister of the Imperial Household. You will always be a great figure in the hearts of common people like me."
Wang Xiaoxi felt deeply moved, like a fan meeting his idol, and his eyes were always starry as he looked at Huang Qubing.
The words were harsh and sarcastic, and he was full of sourness.
It’s the same 5,000 taels, but the treatment is worlds apart.
"It's a pity that I'm not a Jinshi, otherwise I would have been an official for a few days." He joked to himself.
Wang Xuecheng laughed so hard that tears came out. "Brother Yan is always unkempt. I'm afraid he's not fit to be an adult."
"After washing up, I'm also a handsome man."
"Brother Yan, before you say that, why don't you go wash it first to make it more convincing."
…
Wang Xiaoxi bought some tea and registered with Sanhe Express.
Type, quantity, and value must all be filled in truthfully.
After filling it out, Sanhe Express also gave him a prepaid tax bill.
"You can entrust us to pay the tax on your behalf, or you can wait until you reach the border and pay the tax yourself with this tax bill."
Only then did Wang Xiaoxi realize that if he wanted to ship his goods out of customs to Xiliang, he would have to pay a tax.
However, all the money was used to purchase goods, and the remaining silver was used for travel expenses, and no tax was prepared at all.
In desperation, he could only shamelessly approach Yan Ci for help.
"I've never been outside of China and didn't know I had to pay customs duties to do business. How foolish!"
Yan Ci comforted him, "It's okay, I'll take care of the tax."
Yan Ci chose to let Sanhe Express pay the tax on his behalf.
While paying taxes, he muttered, "Whoever came up with this idea is truly amazing. Any caravan that entrusts you, Sanhe Express, to escort goods will be forced to evade taxes."
The Sanhe Express staff chuckled and said, "Our express company has always had close ties with the Ministry of Households."
Wang Xiaoxi asked, "How do you know the caravan's reported cargo quantity and value are true? What if there are 200,000 taels of goods, but they only register 100,000 taels? What will you do?"
The Sanhe Express staff laughed. "Don't worry, no one would dare do that. All goods bound for Xiliang must be loaded onto our Sanhe Express special carriages. Only our special carriages can reach Xiliang. Before loading, the quantity, type, and approximate value of the goods are clearly displayed."
"Merchants can also form their own caravans and hire someone to escort them through the border to Xiliang. Maybe they can save some money." Wang Xiaoxi said again.
The Sanhe Express staff laughed when they heard this.
"Boss Wang, going to Xiliang is not going to the northwest. Without Sanhe Express, you won't be able to reach Xiliang no matter what kind of escort you hire."
"Why is that?"
"Let me put it this way. The road from the capital to the northwest is completely free of bandits and is essentially safe. Merchants along this route can hire guards to escort them. But once you get past the border, it's a completely different story. Beirong was defeated, and those previously timid tribes on the grasslands have all emerged, transforming into bandits and preying on caravans traveling to and from Xiliang. They move like the wind, familiar with the terrain, and though they're few in number, they're all murderous and fearless. Without the three of us and the express guards, every single one, even ten, would be killed. No caravan would be safe from these bandits."
"Aren't the guards of Sanhe Express afraid of these bandits?"
"Do you know why Sanhe Express charges a fee based on the value of the goods sold?"
Wang Xiaoxi shook his head honestly, how would he know.
He only knew that the fees charged by Sanhe Express were shockingly high.
"The fees we collect aren't just for the guards, they also cover fortresses along the way. We'll hire the military to escort us through the most dangerous sections of the road. It's expensive, but as long as we can save our people and goods, it's worth it. Throughout the world, only Sanhe Express has connections with the military. We can stay in fortresses on the grasslands at night and hire soldiers to escort the caravans. Other carriage companies are useless on the grasslands. They'll just be killed by bandits."
"That's why all goods must be loaded onto Sanhe Express's special horse-drawn carriages. Our special carriages can still run smoothly even in the grasslands and deserts, without any delays. Merchants' own carriages, no matter how many they have, will break down in the grasslands and deserts, causing huge delays."
"Delaying time is a minor issue. The real concern is that if we rest in the desert at night, bandits will take advantage of us. Even if we avoid the bandits, we still have to be wary of wolves. Prairie wolves, desert wolves. All the way west, it's a risky journey. Sanhe Express is the only company capable of guaranteeing the safety of people and goods."
"And we at Sanhe Express promise that even if something happens to someone along the way, we'll still bring you the goods and the payment. Similarly, if the goods are lost, we won't charge any fees. It'll be like taking you to Xiliang for free."
The staff of Sanhe Express were talking at once, making Wang Xiaoxi's heart beat wildly.
"This trip to Xiliang is full of dangers!"
Yan Ci asked him, "Are you scared? It's not too late to regret now. At worst, you can just dispose of the goods."
Wang Xiaoxi frowned, thought deeply for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said with a firm look, "I've already taken fifty of the hundred steps. With Sanhe Express guarding me, there's nothing to be afraid of. Mr. Yan, don't worry, I will definitely take the goods to Xiliang and will definitely come back safely."
"I believe you."
Sanhe Express informed Wang Xiaoxi that they would depart in five days and asked him to be prepared.
…
Meanwhile, in Yuhua Lane.
Several northern businessmen, led by Wu Dabiao, gathered together, all with serious expressions.
Back then, they relied on the "Exclusively for the Royal Family" signboard to rise rapidly and once competed with the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan.
Those years were truly glorious.
However, the Jiangnan merchants were incredibly powerful. Thanks to years of maritime trade and the prosperity of Jiangnan, they had amassed a terrifying amount of wealth.
The wealthy merchants in Jiangnan united together to form the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, and they would spend millions or even tens of millions of taels of silver at a time.
If so much silver falls down, it can kill someone.
The northern merchants were unable to withstand the pressure and had to give up part of the capital's market.
The current market in the capital is headed by the Sihai Shaofu, with the local wealthy merchants in the capital having an advantage, followed by the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce.
Even the Southwest and Lingnan Chambers of Commerce are catching up.
The Northern Chamber of Commerce is under tremendous pressure and is having a hard time.
The market in the capital is too big and the wealth is too staggering.
The key is that the population of the capital is still increasing year by year.
The population of the capital city alone, together with Xinmin County, is estimated to have exceeded three million.
Outside, there is the vast Gyeonggi Township market, which has been developed by all corners of the country. Although it seems that there are only small businesses, they add up to a large number, which can be called a terrifying market.
Everyone wants to get a piece of the pie in Beijing, the holy land of wealth.
As the saying goes, if you don't advance, you will retreat.
We can't keep living off our past achievements.
"This shipment to Xiliang must go. 'Da Zhou Life Show' is calling on everyone to go to Xiliang to pan for gold, which is equivalent to the Empress calling on everyone to go to Xiliang and explore the Western Regions. We are where we are today, able to gain a firm foothold in the capital and compete with the local merchants and the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, thanks to the Empress's support in our early years."
"However, in recent years, everyone has been clinging to their past successes, guarding their own niche, and no one has ventured into developing new markets. As a result, our advantages have been gradually eroded by the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan. Have you ever calculated how long it's been since anyone from the palace contacted us?"
"The Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce next door is booming. From what I've heard, they've sent at least three caravans to Xiliang, and they're even planning to venture deeper into the Western Regions. Because of this, the eunuch in the palace personally met with the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce's Beijing branch."
"The Empress needs someone to run the Western Regions market for her and completely open the door to the Western Regions. Our Northern Chamber of Commerce still wants to gain a foothold in the capital and still expect the Empress to give us some sweet treats, so we must go to the Western Regions."
"I've decided to purchase goods worth between 500,000 and 1,000,000 taels of silver and have my eldest son personally lead a team to the Western Regions."
Wu Dabiao slammed the table and said in a loud voice.
He glanced at everyone, "What do you think? Tell us. If you're willing, everyone can contribute money and effort, and you'll naturally have a share of the benefits in the future. If you're not happy, you can leave now. And don't be sour when the benefits don't come your way in the future."
Everyone looked at each other.
"Purchasing goods and traveling to the Western Regions is certainly feasible. After all, the profits in the Western Regions are quite good, and business is all about making money. But how do we transport the goods? Sanhe Express has almost monopolized this market, but they charge 10% of the selling price in Xiliang. If we purchase goods worth one million taels, the fees to Sanhe Express alone will probably be hundreds of thousands of taels. It's too expensive."
"And when goods are shipped by Sanhe Express, not a penny less in terms of customs duties. All goods must be loaded onto Sanhe Express's special carriages. Once loaded, the type, quantity, and value of the goods are clearly visible."
"The tariff plus the courier fee to Sanhe is basically equal to the value of the goods. In other words, for goods worth one million taels, we have to pay an additional cost of one million taels. If the goods are not shipped to Xiliang with a profit of more than five times, this business is not worth doing."
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