Chapter 696 Sino-Russian Trade Zone

In the Manzhouli Trade Zone, in a Russian shop with a sunflower symbol, a young Russian with curly short hair, a high nose and a pair of blue eyes was expressing his anger to his father's good friend, Andrei, who was also the owner of the shop.

"The unreasonable Chinese, they regard the Russian flag as a clown, I wish I could duel with them..."

What made him even more angry was that the Chinese soldiers took away two sets of exquisitely crafted nesting dolls, a gold-painted music box, and a barrel of wine left by the caravan members from the young man's truck. The young Petrov was furious.

The bilateral trade between Russians and China has a history. Although the early Chinese merchants held the exquisite and precious sources of rhubarb, tea and silk, they were very humble. The only people who left a bad impression on Russian merchants were the Chinese officials, who were a group of greedy people. Older Russian merchants who travel between the East and the West can still remember that 20 or 30 years ago, when they came here, even if they casually ridiculed and teased the ridiculous braids behind the heads of these ugly Chinese, these Chinese merchants, although they could probably understand Russian, would still treat them warmly. At that time, Chinese merchants were really humble. They didn't seem to care about being ridiculed. As long as you had money, Chinese merchants entering Russia would be even more humble.

But when the Sino-Russian trade that had been cut off for many years began again, these Chinese no longer had those ridiculous braids behind their heads. Although they were still humble in their attitude and would still greet you with a smile, anyone who dared to ridicule and mock them like they did back then would definitely be in trouble. At the least, he would not be able to do any business, and no Chinese in the entire trade zone would do business with him; at the worst, he might be arrested by the Chinese police and army...

He would be severely fined, and if he didn't have enough money, he would directly use the goods to offset it, and the price was very low. If they resolutely refuse to pay the fine, they will be sentenced to labor reform, which can be as short as three or two months, or as long as one or two years, that is, hard labor. There is really no place to cry.

In the past, if something happened here, you could go to the Russian Border District Office across the street to complain, and the latter could help you. If you are willing to increase your investment, the Border District Office can also move faster. But by last year, it was useless. Not only did the Border District Office no longer support them, but it followed the Chinese's wishes and posted the "Precautions for Sino-Russian Friendly Trade" in Russia. There are many rules and regulations on it. All Russians must remember the above regulations seriously. If they violate the above regulations and suffer losses, they will not be responsible. It is really a place where a bunch of bastards live.

As an old man on the Sino-Russian business road, Andrei knew very well why that was. The people in the Border District Office "rely on the mountain to eat the mountain". They raised money to invest in more than one caravan, and then immediately made a lot of money. They don't want to have too intense conflicts with the other party.

Therefore, the Chinese police and soldiers in the south of the trade zone are becoming more and more brutal, and even the Chinese merchants are shaking with fear, while the Russians are becoming more and more cautious.

A hotel not far from Andrei, everyone who has been to Manzhouli knows this place, because this is the place where the most authentic Western food is made in the entire Manzhouli area, and there is a security office opposite it, which can be said to be the place with the highest safety factor in the entire Manzhouli trade zone.

There are more than two policemen in the security office, and soldiers and police patrolling along the streets come here to rest from time to time.

Summer is better, when winter comes, these security offices are the favorite places for patrolling soldiers and police. The cold winter in Manzhouli can freeze people's noses off. Here they can drink a cup of hot water, warm up by the fire, and even drink a bowl of hot soup.

Three-quarters of the entire trade zone is in China, and one-quarter is in Russia. The entire area exceeds two square kilometers, because large tracts of land here have been fenced off for warehouses.

Half of the entire customs police are here, and the main force is the border guards and the Manzhouli police.

Whether they are merchants from Russia or inland China, everyone likes to gather here. At first, it was because of the food, and later because of safety. It gradually became an invisible rule, and it became a good place to talk business and make friends.

"Brother, you must have made a lot of money on this trip! I see that your warehouse is almost full of furs, and you have collected a lot of good goods." In the corner of this teahouse, one person smiled and clasped his fists, and the other person also stood up and returned the greeting. They spoke in the Jin dialect, obviously from Shanxi.

Although a group of Shanxi merchants were cleared out by Chen Han, the latter had been active on the grassland for hundreds of years and had deep connections and foundations. When everything stabilized and Sino-Russian trade resumed, Shanxi merchants quickly recovered the "lost land".

In the construction of railways and national roads, many Shanxi merchants generously donated money. In addition to buying bonds, they also donated money, because no one knew the significance of the national road and railway leading to Mongolia better than them.

"TOEFL, TOEFL, the journey was smooth this time, and Luosha Gui'er was generous in selling furs."

Russians still sell more furs to China and Europe, but China's fur market is also developing rapidly. In the past few years, the largest commodity sold by Russians to China was furs.

As the largest trading country in the world today, Chen Han did not ban gold and silver currencies in foreign transactions. As long as the handling fee is paid, commercial banks in various ports across the country can give you all the gold and silver coins you need, including not only Spanish eagles, but also British and French precious metal coins. However, the Russian government strictly prohibits the export of gold and silver.

During the pre-Qing Dynasty, just a few years after the opening of Kyaktu, the two sides began to "instruct barter, and it was not appropriate to sell gold and silver."

Russian businessmen enjoyed bartering. On the one hand, the Russian government strictly prohibited the export of gold and silver. On the other hand, after a period of Kyakhta trade, Russian businessmen found that they could get higher profits from bartering; and they were equally happy. It also comes from the hearts of Chinese businessmen. Just like the Russians, they find that their interests have become higher through barter.

This is caused by the difference in the gold-silver ratio between the two sides.

Through Kyakhta Port, what did Russia export to China back then? That is velvet, which is a textile made of cotton as defined by Europe. It originated from Egyptian technology and was carried forward by Genoa. It uses cotton as the material and weft pile fabric. Weft pile is formed by cutting part of the floating length of pile weft to form pile; unlike Chinese silk, warp pile is woven into loops by pile warp and then cut to form pile standing on the surface of the fabric.

Velvet has nothing to do with swan hair. It is a top-quality textile material in Europe, and part of it is also exported to China.

In addition, what the Russians can really sell are sea otter skins, mink skins, cattle and sheep leather, wool coats, and various wool textiles and leather products; while the goods exported from China to Russia are mainly traditional tea. The bulk is followed by rhubarb, silk and satin, cloth, porcelain, tobacco, iron products, paper, flour, sulfur, gunpowder, etc.

Now iron products, flour, sulfur and gunpowder are all prohibited items. At the same time, the sales volume of tobacco has quickly surpassed that of porcelain and cloth, ranking fourth after tea, rhubarb and silk.

The two Chinese businessmen had not been talking for long. When they were talking about the price of fine Russian leather goods, they suddenly heard the sound of crying and fighting coming from outside. The two of them got up hurriedly and went to the window to look out. They saw several strong men walking by proudly carrying large and small bags. The hair of these men was all in the traditional Mongolian style - three-piece hair. . Shave off all the hair in the middle and back of the head, leaving only three patches of hair in the middle and two sides of the forehead, just like the style of Han children's three patches of hair. The middle piece of hair is cut short and hung loosely, and the two pieces on both sides are tied into two buns and hang down to the shoulders to block the squinting sight on both sides and prevent people from looking like a wolf. The Mongolians call it "not a wolf".

Outer Mongolia does not belong to Inner Mongolia. Many Mongolians in Inner Mongolia have shaved their heads and left braids, but Outer Mongolia has obviously retained its own characteristics to a greater extent. It was even more difficult for the Manchu and Qing dynasties to exert effective control over it.

If there is no compulsion, who would kneel down and lick his head before shaving it? Is the money rat tail pretty?

After the Mongols surrendered to Chen and Han, nobility still existed whether it was Inner Mongolia or Outer Mongolia. Chen Han attracted many Inner Mongolians by giving him pastures, rewards and money. The spread of settlements gradually overshadowed the nobles of Inner Mongolia. Although the latter resisted, they did not fluctuate much.

But Outer Mongolia and the princes of Outer Mongolia still have great control over their people.

Chen Han's plan is to let the Mongolian tribes in Outer Mongolia migrate to the west little by little in the future war with Russia. Chen Ming wants to build a 'natural chasm' that separates Greenland from China. Mongolians who have a strong belief in Buddhism and Tantra Just the best choice.

Therefore, Chen Han did not have any mandatory regulations on the dress of Mongolians in Outer Mongolia. These people were wearing leather robes and carrying bundles in their hands. They were very happy. The contents of the bundles did not belong to them at first glance.

As soon as these Mongolian men walked under the hotel, a young Han man in his twenties wearing a cotton robe caught up behind him, begging and saying: "Please do me a favor, those baggage are the goods of the villain." , Without these, the villain can’t even return home.”

After walking a few steps quickly, he stretched out his hand and grabbed the hem of one of the men's robes. The man struggled a few times without moving. He immediately became angry and turned around and kicked the young man to the ground. He took a fierce sip at the young man and said, "You don't have a good eye. The seal on the door of your store is stamped with the official seal of the Border Guard Corps. Your master may be in jail now. The police have not Arresting you already counts as your merit.

These items were our reward for providing clues, and the police confiscated much more than we took. If you want to cry, go to the police! "

The two Chinese businessmen who were standing at the window looking out immediately turned around and returned to their original seats. They understood this as soon as they heard it, although the Chinese tone spoken by the Mongolian was a bit strange. But how many Chinese businessmen in Manchuria are unaware of the government's "anti-smuggling" operation?

I've been hearing rumors a lot lately. This is not a good thing, it is a black mark that cannot be washed away.

"Haha, you Mongolian fool. Do you really think he is doing it for his master? This is for himself..."

"What a fool, you can't even see this."

"He's afraid that he won't be able to interact with his mother-in-law when he goes home, and it's none of the master's business..."

The Han Chinese laughed at the door of the inn. The Han Chinese youth didn't care about the kick he received at all. He continued to hug a Mongolian's thigh. Several Mongolians looked at the tearful Han Chinese youth and laughed loudly. Then they exchanged a few words in Mongolian. Finally, they were very happy, threw a small bundle on the ground, and walked away with a "hahaha".

The young Han Chinese held the bundle and sat on the ground crying for a while. Finally, he stood up and left, wiping his tears.

Was he crying for his master or for himself? With such a resume, what caravan would dare to recruit him?

Yes, the shop was swept and the young man was caught by the police. From one side, he was indeed innocent. But what is the real situation? Who can tell? Who dares to say that this young man didn't confess some information, betrayed his shopkeeper and companions, and then got away?

There are many innocent people in this world. Why can't you choose anyone else? Why choose someone with a "stain" on his resume?

It is hard to say what this young man will do in the future, but everyone knows that it will be difficult for him to develop in the Sino-Russian border trade. Not only Manchuria, but also the trading city in Kyakhta will not welcome him.

The two merchants sighed a few times about the young man's experience, and sighed a few words about the recent crackdown on smuggling by the government. They took a sip of tea and lowered their voices and said, "The government is checking more and more strictly. Sulfur and gunpowder are not allowed to cross the border, and ironware and grain are also not allowed to cross the border. Business is getting harder and harder." Who in the trade doesn't know that smuggling is more profitable?

The ancestors of Shanxi merchants trafficked ironware to Mongolia, which was definitely more profitable than pure tea. Moreover, they could use ironware to exchange for the scarce war horses in the Ming Dynasty, and then sell them to the country. The profit was higher.

But what about now?

The government has just released information that if you find a smuggling caravan, you can report it nearby, or you can deal with it directly. Once verified, there will be a huge reward. Just like the packages carried by these Mongolian men.

The government doesn't care about the lives of the people in the smuggling caravan, and they will kill them. In one sentence, smugglers have no human rights. They are even worse than the thieves and robbers caught by the government. The government provides defense lawyers for the latter when they are tried in court.

The two continued to lament that business was not easy to do, expressing their envy of the smugglers' super high profits.

Yes, smugglers are all "collaborators with the enemy", not good people, and can be regarded as traitors.

Every year, the Shanxi Merchants Association repeatedly requires Shanxi merchants to abide by the law, support the court, and be patriotic. But the reputation of Shanxi merchants across the country is still bad. The bad things done by their ancestors in the past have not been cleared up now. It's a bit shameful to talk about it, but this shame doesn't seem to be a big deal in front of money. Are they businessmen?

Suddenly, there was a cheer outside. The two stopped talking and looked out again with curiosity. A waiter got the instruction from the shopkeeper and walked out quickly. Not long after, he came back and reported to the shopkeeper loudly.

"Another banner slave escaped back. It is said that this time he will be incorporated into our Manchuria." What is a banner slave? It is a bannerman who ran back and went directly to the labor camp. Banner slave is a derogatory term used by the Han people for them.

"How many people are there?"

"How many camps can be organized?"

"Are the Russians fighting famine again?"

"Finally, it's our turn in Manchuria. We have to clean up the main road outside..."

"Some sections of the road outside are bumpy and almost unrecognizable..."

The guests who were eating and talking in the hotel suddenly raised their voices. The lobby immediately became lively. Even people on the second floor ran out and leaned on the railing.