Jiangnan merchants’ coming to Beijing was proposed by him. He originally wanted to talk about the development of Nanyang and even Annan, but he didn’t expect that the Weng family’s reply said that there would be more guests, and mentioned the Zheng family and the Shen family. , Xu's family, Xu's family and many others were far from Feng Ziying's surprise.

Feng Ziying used to deal with Jiangnan businessmen usually because the Weng family mostly participated, and occasionally the Zheng family would also participate. Others generally did not meet formally, and they mostly talked. But this time Weng Qiming mentioned in the letter that the businessmen had some ideas. It made Feng Ziying vaguely guess something.

  Of course he won't refuse.

   In other words, I also had some ideas in this regard, but I didn’t think about it maturely, and felt that some conditions were not yet mature, but the influence of Jiangnan businessmen should not be underestimated, and I might be able to get some more information from them.

  In the past few years, the connection between Feng Ziying and Jiangnan businessmen seems to have decreased a lot on the surface, but inside they have become closer. From the development of Nanyang to the prosperity of the Yangzhou Stock Exchange, all of them have touched the biggest points of interest of Jiangnan businessmen.

Jiangnan merchants' business sense is indeed sharper than that of Shanshan merchants, and their actions are also more aggressive. In contrast, Shanshan merchants are more willing to follow up under the guidance of the court, while Jiangnan merchants like to go first by themselves and win the victory. The first chip, because eating soup is always the most profitable, and finally come to the court to guarantee.

However, Feng Ziying's intuition and foresight go further than those of the Jiangnan merchants, which also makes them feel that Feng Ziying is the real leader of their Jiangnan merchants. Whenever there are novel ideas and paths, Feng Ziying's advice can make them refreshed, and then they are overjoyed .

  Because of this, countless Jiangnan businessmen sighed why Feng Ziying was not a Jiangnan scholar.

They felt that Feng Ziying's temperament should not be considered to be a scholar from the North, let alone a Wuxun background. He has become the most intimate and sympathetic partner and ally of Jiangnan businessmen, and no one can match him.

Both Gu Bingqian and Xu Guangqi are authentic Jiangnan gentry, but one is obsessed with fighting for power in the court, and the other is immersed in research and agriculture. The gentry in Jiangnan felt more and more that geographical boundaries were no longer a problem. The key was who could represent their interests and who could bring them benefits.

  No one can do it except Feng Ziying.

  Facing a world of change, Jiangnan businessmen certainly have their contacts, channels, and contacts in the court. The next spring's cabinet change will become the focus of everyone's attention.

  Although the development of Dazhou has been very good in the past few years, the cabinet and even the DPRK and China have been constantly entangled in disputes, which have also affected many policies.

  And every class and group hopes that their interests should be protected and supported, and their wishes should be reflected.

  Especially the business class thinks that the taxation of industry and commerce increases at a fairly high rate every year, which of course gives them a stronger confidence.

  So they hope to have a good talk with Feng Ziying, communicate with each other, and express their hearts.

   Feng Ziying was a little surprised that the Weng brothers came at the same time.

  In my impression, the Weng brothers never appear together, either Weng Qiming or Weng Qiyang.

Including Jiangnan merchants, their own Dongting merchants or Longyou merchants are also the same. It is rare to see these two appearing in a public and formal occasion at the same time. It may be when their Weng family's own family gatherings or ancestor worship. get.

  Two representatives from the salt merchants came, besides He Tingfa, there was Gu Jia Gu Zuming, a representative of the so-called Huizhou salt merchants.

  Although Yangzhou salt merchants were Yangzhou salt merchants in name, they were actually mainly composed of three parts: Huizhou salt merchants, Shanxi salt merchants and local salt merchants in Yangzhou.

  But since the Ming Dynasty, these salt merchants from Shanshan and Huizhou have been living in Yangzhou for generations. Although their ancestral home is Shanshan or Huizhou, they have already settled in Yangzhou, so they should be regarded as new Yangzhou people.

It’s just that in the past hundred years, the children of the clan in their hometown have continued to come to Yangzhou to develop and start businesses, so they are constantly adding new blood to the salt merchants from Huizhou and Shanshan. Therefore, there is still a slight distinction within the group of salt merchants in Yangzhou. .

  Jiangyou merchants are mainly Anfu merchants, and two of them came.

  Longyou merchants also came two.

  Maritime merchants are mainly from Fujian and Zhejiang, with one in Fujian and one in Zhejiang.

   In this way, the scale is quite grand, with a total of ten people.

  In the past, Feng Ziying and Jiangnan merchants met at most three or four people, and most of the time it was two or three, but this time it doubled and more, which shows how much Jiangnan merchants attach importance to it.

  Feng Ziying has met most of these people, and has even had acquaintances, but there are also some who have only heard of their names and have never seen them, but they can represent the local business gang group, and naturally they are the most influential among them.

  Looking around, Feng Ziying couldn't help but sigh with emotion. If these people want to fully support them, it is no problem to spend hundreds of millions of silver. They represent the most powerful capital group in this era, and even Shanshan businessmen are a little less coquettish.

  It's a pity that the courtiers in the court have subconsciously ignored this power. They are still indulging in the reputation of the gentry and the word-of-mouth of the land gentry, but they don't know that capital has the ability to change everything, and this era is coming.

  The atmosphere was not serious, and Feng Ziying was even in the mood to joke with the businessmen, talking about the business of this year and the coming year.

"Keding, Dongfan has become your sphere of influence. I heard that Dongfan has set up a mansion, but the magistrate often listens to the opinions of you Anfu businessmen. Do you think this is a good phenomenon or not? A sign?" Feng Ziying said with a smile.

  Liu Keding is the chief representative of Anfu merchants. He has been cooperating happily with Feng Ziying for so many years, and he has also unswervingly followed Feng Ziying's baton to rotate, from Dongfan to Palawan, and then to Ezo.

  However, the Anfu businessman still prefers the south. The success of Dongfan has greatly boosted the confidence of the Anfu businessman, and he began to cooperate with Duan Xigui to make efforts in Palawan.

  The number of immigrants in Palawan is increasing day by day. Immigrants from Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi have all begun to enter Palawan. They are well adapted to the climate of Palawan, but it is somewhat difficult for them to go to Ezo.

  The rice planting on Palawan Island can be done three times a year, which is unmatched by these places on the mainland of Dazhou.

Of course, the threat and impact of the typhoon is also a problem every year, which makes the food planting here fluctuate greatly, but for the tenant farmers who are used to poverty and have no land in their hands, we can give them a piece of land that they can cultivate and plant on their own, and can make their own decisions. Land, that simply gave them a second life, no matter what difficulties and obstacles could stop their enthusiasm and passion.

  The development of Palawan has entered a period of rapid development, but Feng Ziying is very clear that Palawan cannot accommodate many people, and Annan and Old Port are the future.

However, there are still some promising places around Palawan Island, such as Panay Island and Mindanao Island, which have good water and heat conditions for rice production. The Frangji people are expanding, but they are powerless. Great opportunity for business people in Anfu.

  There are too many islands in Southeast Asia, and the water and heat conditions are good. Even if any island is not as good as Dongfan, it is almost the same.

With the deepening of the exploration of Nanyang, the most detailed map of Nanyang has been placed on the desks of the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Agriculture. A national policy direction.

  As the Great Zhou entered a period of stability, the explosive growth of the population was inevitable, so how to solve the livelihood pressure brought about by these population growth, in addition to working **** crops, relocation and expansion has become a national policy.

Feng Ziying attaches great importance to Anfu merchants, because he knows very well that in the next few decades, Dazhou will have to force the imperial court to go on the road of expansion, whether it is the need for external commercial development or internal population pressure. It's population pressure.

Liaodong in the north is okay, but further north, it is unrealistic to say how many people it can accommodate, and the same is true in the west, unless the Yarkand Kingdom is completely resolved and enters the Fergana Basin, it may still be able to absorb part of the population, but This does not have 20 or 30 years of operation, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to control that area.

   In comparison, Nanyang is much easier.

  The three major naval divisions are useless now, and the imperial court has already questioned the necessity of spending a lot of money on them, so it is inevitable for the navy divisions to go south to **** the immigrants and open up new areas.

  Exploitation is not a simple matter. It requires careful planning and deployment, and involves too trivial and complicated matters.

  Anfu merchants have been in business for so many years, and they are already familiar with the road. If another group of people do it, they may not be able to get started in a few years.

  So Feng Ziying attaches great importance to this group, especially the large number of management talents cultivated by this group.

"My lord, we have always respected the government's laws. Dong Fan's situation may be more special. The newcomers to the government may not be familiar with some aspects, so they often ask for advice, but we are all seeking truth from facts and offering advice and suggestions for the government. "

  Liu Keding's answer made all the merchants present laugh. These words are beautiful, but they cannot conceal the influence of Anfu merchants in Dongfan.

  But it’s no wonder that the officials who went to the newly established mansion don’t know anything, so I don’t know how to rely on Anfu merchants to get familiar with it, what else?

"Keding, you Jiangxi people can also select some trustworthy people to enter the government. Jinshi is unrealistic. It's okay to raise people, scholars, and white bodies. Wouldn't this complement each other?" Feng Ziying suggested leisurely: "In addition, the imperial court intends to There have been reforms in the imperial examinations, not only the classics and current affairs, but also the examination of things, business calculations and laws,..."

   It was deafening, and everyone stood up for a while.