Chapter 352 New Industry
The Harland Fair has been held for six years, the first two years in early November.
Because of the severe cold weather in northern Xinjiang in November, Richard moved it forward to October.
However, the autumn harvest in the Harland Territory started in mid-September. After the autumn harvest began, the territorial civil servants were very busy. They not only had to collect taxes and grains, but also made random checks and statistics on the agricultural production throughout the year.
Holding a commodity expo is not an easy task and requires a large number of public servants to communicate and connect with external caravans.
Especially in the past three years, during the commodity expo, hundreds of caravans will rush to the Harland Territory. During this period, the foreign population integrated into the territory exceeds tens of thousands.
To manage these migrant populations, it is necessary to deploy personnel from all aspects of business, security, and taxation. In addition, the territory also needs to be responsible for the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the foreign caravans, and the odds and ends are particularly troublesome.
The commodity expo was held for two years in October, but because there were not enough civil servants available, the management seemed a bit chaotic.
After deliberation for a long time and weighing the pros and cons, Richard settled on November again from last year.
The Harland Territory has been developing for more than ten years. There have been more than 10,000 students graduating from territorial schools, and more than 20,000 students are currently studying there. A large part of these people have entered the territorial civil service system.
Compared with other territories, these grassroots civil servants have been educated for five years, can write official documents, and are proficient in elementary mathematics, so their quality is obviously higher.
Although there are relatively high-level civil servants responsible for various tasks, holding such a large-scale commodity expo is a test for Haaland's organizational and coordination abilities.
On the sixth day of November, the fourth day of the Commodity Fair, the sky near Fort William was filled with dark clouds and heavy snow began to fall.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the streets in the southern city of Fort William were still crowded with people, the sound of bargaining was everywhere, and the merchants' interest remained undiminished.
After years of operation, this street has become the largest wholesale market in Harland.
Most of the shops on both sides of the street are government-run businesses. Although private chambers of commerce are also developing, the accumulation time is still too short and the funds are also relatively low.
Odaye was walking on the street, grabbed a businessman, and tried hard to sell him the flour he produced.
"Mr. Malan Nisolan, look at the selected flour we produce. The quality is really good. Not only is the color beautiful, but there are also very few impurities. Even if it is placed in the Nolan Palace, it is considered a top-quality product. Our The product is not only of high quality, but the price is also very low. You can buy twenty bags for only three gold coins. I think this is a product that is in line with the eating habits of the nobles. You should buy some.”
Malan Nisolan is a member of a hereditary baron family in the province of Sodamia.
The province of Sodamia is located in the southern part of the Gascoigne province, about 360 kilometers away from Fort William from the territory of the Nisolan family.
Every year in late September, the Nisolan family organizes caravans to trade with the nobles of the three northern Xinjiang provinces and participate in the commodity expo in the Harland territory.
Although the Nisolan family is average in strength, it has formed a horned rabbit breeding industry in its territory.
Although the Magic Horned Rabbit is of average strength, it is a very low-end magical beast. Breeding this kind of magical beast cannot help in combat at all. However, the Horned Rabbit's horn is a material for various pharmaceutical formulations. The fur can be used to make magic gloves, and the blood from the internal organs can also be used to make Tenghui potions. As long as the scale is established, profits can continue.
Although the Nisolan family looks unremarkable, they can earn five thousand gold coins every year from selling horned rabbit materials, which is far more than many barons who farm.
Seeing Odaye trying hard to sell his flour, Malan Nisolan waved his hand and refused clearly: "There are not many rich people in our territory, and eating black bread is their habit."
"Mr. Nisolan, black bread is as hard as a rock and tastes so hard to swallow. Eating such things will make us look as pitiful as livestock. As a person from a civilized world, white bread should be placed on the table Up. Devouring unpalatable black bread as only an orc can do.
For only three gold coins, you can get a thousand yani flour, which is only more than twice as expensive as black bread and doesn't cost much. As long as you are in the middle or upper income class, you can afford it. You can let your entourage taste the white bread in my hand. "
Yani, dat is the mass unit of the Grant Kingdom. One yani is converted to about 0.46 kilograms, and one dat is 240 yani, which is about more than 110 kilograms.
However, in Harland, the Yani and Dart systems were abandoned, and kilograms and tons were used as mass units.
The Haaland Territory was created by Richard hand by hand, which was equivalent to drawing on a blank piece of paper. There was very little resistance to reform. Compared with the more complicated yani and dat systems, kilograms and tons are obviously simpler.
As the Harland Territory's influence grows, many territories in northern Xinjiang begin to use kilograms and tons as weight units. Nisolan territory is not very far from Fort William, and Nisolan certainly understands the conversion between kilograms and yani.
Large-scale flour manufacturing was also a new industry in Haaland territory.
Although many water-powered mills were built in the Harland territory in the past, the flour ground by the original stone mill was very rough, and it was difficult to separate the flour and bran. Flour ground with stone mills can only be made into black bread and steamed buns, which are difficult to eat.
With the invention of the steam engine and the development of steel smelting technology, various types of machinery began to appear. The steam flour mill successfully manufactured last fall uses a steam engine as power and fine wire as a screen, which has greatly promoted the development of the flour manufacturing industry.
With Richard's support, Harland Territory established the Graveson Flour Mill, which soon bankrupted various manual and water-powered mills.
Odaye had been in the catering business and was a major customer for selected flour. He quickly discovered this change, consulted with comrades such as Jennings and Sura, found out the policies of the territory, and found that the city hall did not prohibit private capital from developing in this direction.
Then he quickly raised capital, borrowed money from several old comrades who were doing well, and entered the flour production industry as soon as possible.
He customized a steam mill from the Mechanical Research Institute and hired some workers to establish the Salamander Flour Mill, which had a momentum of development that was catching up with the state-owned Graveson Flour Mill.
The flour ground with steam engine power was not only good in color and quality, but also not particularly expensive, only twice as high as the black flour on the market, and soon occupied most of the flour market in Harland Territory. Most of the free people had enough coins in their hands, so they naturally wanted to eat better.
Whether it is Harland Territory or the Northern Frontier Region, the living environment has been fierce for more than a hundred years, and there is a strong threat of orcs, so there is no habit of hiding silver coins in the cellar.
The consumption desire in the Northern Frontier Region is very strong. Whether it is soldiers with strong consumption power or ordinary free people, most people don’t like to save money. On the contrary, the population that migrated from the Kingdom of Delong has the habit of saving money.
Because of the strong consumption demand, white flour has almost completely replaced the black flour industry in Harland Territory, and it has spread to nearby areas since the autumn harvest.
In less than a year, the flour mill opened by Odaye recovered its investment and started to make money.
"According to the wholesale price of the Commodity Fair, one hundred gold coins can buy about fifteen and a half tons of flour, less than thirty-four darts, which can just fit a ship.
Go downstream from Fort William, go south along the Powell River into the Black River, then go upstream along the Starks River and disembark near the Victory Castle. This 260-kilometer journey relies on water transportation, and the transportation cost is very low.
From the Victory Castle to the Nisolang family territory, there is only less than 100 kilometers left, and the transportation cost can be fully borne by the Nisolang family.
Even if the retail price is increased by 50%, professional families can also consume a lot. This business should be profitable?"
After listening to Odaye's introduction, Malan thought for a while and decided to buy 100 gold coins of flour first to see if he could make money?
Although the area of the Nisolang family baronial territory is only more than 600 square kilometers, it is very rich. The territory is fertile plains and the population exceeds 40,000.
Because of the magic horn rabbit breeding industry, the Nisolan family has less oppression on the population of the territory and has supported a group of middle-class people. The population with consumption capacity exceeds 15%, which adds up to about 6,000.
These consumers can sell all the goods if each person eats 2.5 kilograms of flour.
After completing the transaction, Odaye took a few workers and loaded the flour on a transport ship. After loading, Odaye asked politely: "Mr. Nisolan, do you need to buy insurance?"
This ship is also the property of the Harland family. It comes from a shipping company. It takes about three days to transport it once, and the freight is nine gold coins, which is much cheaper than carriage transportation.
It takes at least 30 carriages to transport 15 tons of grain from the road, and it takes about 12 days to travel 260 kilometers. Moreover, the road from Malte Castle to Black River Castle is very difficult to travel, and more horses and personnel are needed.
Malan has been to Harland Territory many times and knows what insurance is.
Insurance business is a new business promoted by Harland Territory last year. Any merchant who hires Harland Territory's freight company can pay a fee equivalent to 12% of the goods to buy insurance.
If there is a problem during transportation and the goods are lost, as long as insurance is purchased, the loss will be borne entirely by Harland Territory's transportation company.
Although the Kingdom of Grant is a unified country, the internal trade routes are actually not safe. In particular, some greedy hereditary nobles often play the role of bandits and rob.
When Richard first went to Nolan to buy slaves, he encountered this kind of thing. If Richard hadn't kept a hand and strengthened the guard force, he might not have been able to ensure safety.
There are people openly robbing in the mountains near the capital, and this kind of thing is even more common in the northern border area where the people are barbaric.
After the insurance business was launched, many caravans with insufficient strength would buy insurance from Harland Transport Company.
Then the transportation company spent money to hire city defense forces or mercenaries to ensure the safety of the goods.
Although the city defense army led by Harland is a second-line force, it has been fully equipped over the years. The quality of the soldiers can be compared with that of ordinary baron private armies, and surpasses most mercenary groups.
The city defense army and the public security army add up to more than 30,000. In wartime, they have to undertake garrison tasks to fill the defense line. In peacetime, their training tasks are not heavy, and they can earn some money by escorting tasks.
The three provinces in the northern border rely on the tributaries of the Heihe River, and the water transportation is relatively developed. It is rare to hear of strong water bandits. Generally speaking, it is difficult for the barons and viscounts to have the financial resources to support the navy. At the level of the Duke of the Northern Border, they don’t care about the little money from looting goods, but value the family reputation. It is basically impossible for them to participate in looting.
Moreover, the goods of Malan and others were entrusted to the ship of the Harland territory for transportation. The flag of the Duke of Harland was erected on the ship. Even if there were scattered pirates, they would not dare to provoke the Duke of Harland easily. The water transportation passed through several large cities such as Black River Fort and Light Fort. There were endless cargo ships along the way, which was relatively safe.
The remaining section of the road was only a hundred kilometers away. Malan Nisolang's caravan already had sufficient guards and was unwilling to spend money in vain.
After the deal was reached, it was already late. Odaye invited Malan and others to dinner, and then invited the caravan's managers to stay at his home for a few days. As for the remaining personnel, they could only live in a simple hotel.
During the commodity fair, in order to make room for the caravan, Harland thought of many ways to convert the contract slave camp built in the early years into a simple hotel. Because the conditions were not very good, the living price was very low, three copper coins per person per day, and hot water and two meals were also provided.
Because the influence of the commodity fair is getting bigger and bigger, more and more people are participating. Although the simple hotel can accommodate tens of thousands of people after large-scale expansion, it has not been enough in the past three years. If you want to live in it, you need to make a reservation in advance, at least three days in advance.
In the past three years, during the commodity fair, the city defense army has to vacate the barracks, and the two primary schools near Fort William will also be closed for more than ten days to vacate the house for outsiders.
This problem is almost impossible to solve in a short period of time. Within ten years, we can only make do with it for a while. When the population near Williamburg exceeds one million and many hotels are established, it will be relatively easy to solve this problem.
Although Harland Territory has made many arrangements, many caravans that arrived late cannot live in simple hotels at all and can only set up tents in the wild.
The climate in November is already very cold. Although Harland Territory can provide some coal, it is still very inconvenient to live in the wild.
In addition to buying flour worth 100 gold coins, Malan Nisolan came to Harland Territory this time. He also planned to buy some scarce resources, such as enchanted armor and alchemical bombs. He even wanted to buy some magic hot air balloons.
However, the competition for these scarce extraordinary resources is very fierce. Basically, they will only be sold to the hereditary nobles of the three provinces in the northern border. Malan only grabbed five first-level snake scale armors and ten enchanted long swords this time.
In the next few days, Malan Nisolan bought some Harland Territory specialties such as white wine, brown sugar, soap, and medicines, and went south all the way to the City of Victory.
Since the rebellion of the Crimson Horn Cultists, the population of Victory City has been reduced by more than half. Although more than ten years have passed, the vitality of this area has not recovered.
However, as the Harland Territory has grown and expanded, the population market has increased by more than one million, and the business in the northern border has become more prosperous.
Victory City is located at the southern entrance of the Dragon Canyon, which is considered a key place in the three provinces of the northern border. The Harland family still has some industries in this castle.
In addition to the business station in the castle, the Harland family also bought land outside the castle and built docks and cargo stations along the Starks River. There are more than 20 people staying at this cargo station all year round.
The white flour purchased by Malan Nisolang a few days ago was stored in this cargo station.
After loading 15 and a half tons of white flour on the carriage, Malan and others returned to the territory smoothly, although he doubled the selling price to four copper coins per yani.
Four copper coins per yani white flour is only slightly lower than brown sugar. Although the price is four times that of black flour, the middle and upper classes still want to try it.
In the consumer market of 6,000 people in Nisolang Territory, the supply of 15 tons was pitifully small and was quickly sold out.
The first time he wholesaled flour, Malan quickly earned more than 90 gold coins.
More than 90 gold coins were not a small amount of money even for a baron, and this money was enough to support ten grassroots officers.
After realizing that this business was very profitable, Malan came to Harland again with only his entourage and began to place additional orders with Odaye. This time he planned to hire the Harland Territory Transportation Company to be responsible for the transportation work and purchase insurance.
As for the Nisolang family, they only needed to lie down and make money.