Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 313 Market Segmentation

Within Xinhua's borders, especially in densely populated towns, people's daily routines often begin with a thorough and meticulous washing and grooming process.

As soon as they get out of bed, they will start washing their face and brushing their teeth (or rinsing their mouth) while wearing short clothes or a coat, trying their best to maintain personal hygiene.

It is said that the founders of Xinhua instilled this habit in the hearts of every immigrant with an almost unquestionable and mandatory requirement, making all immigrants who set foot on this land have to abide by such a hygiene system.

In the propaganda materials from Xinhua's epidemic prevention and health departments, the vivid pictures and texts and the simple explanations clearly pointed out that various harmful "swimming insects" are hidden in the air and unclean water sources.

These tiny organisms, invisible to the naked eye, can silently cause various diseases and even ignite a plague that ravages the land.

Therefore, the health department has repeatedly emphasized the importance of cleanliness and hygiene, and earnestly advised the public to remove any "migratory worms" they carry on their bodies to prevent the presence and spread of pathogens.

Removing dirt from one's body is a hygiene principle that is repeatedly emphasized to every immigrant or visitor to Xinhua, as it is considered a good way to protect individuals and families from disease.

For the average new Chinese immigrant, the washing utensils needed every morning consisted of nothing more than a wooden basin, a bucket of dirty water, a woolen towel, a little soap, and a kettle of hot water just brought out of the kitchen.

Even in winter, many people still choose to wash with cold water.

They are generally new immigrants from the Ming Dynasty. Although they are in this new world of Xinhua, they still continue the "minimalist" lifestyle of the Ming Dynasty. They are reluctant to burn firewood or charcoal and wash themselves directly with cold water.

In fact, the people of the Ming Dynasty also wanted to maintain cleanliness and hygiene every day, and they also longed to take a comfortable hot bath to wash away their fatigue and dust.

This is because fuel suitable for boiling water is extremely scarce within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

In towns and villages where the people of the Ming Dynasty lived, the trees within a radius of several kilometers had been almost completely destroyed, leaving a barren landscape everywhere.

Of course, there are also lush forests, but they are usually far from towns and very difficult to access.

It's not easy to cook a hot meal, let alone "waste" firewood collected from all over the place to boil a pot of water just to take a bath.

You should know that in the Ming Dynasty, there was a profession called woodcutter, who made a living by cutting and selling firewood.

However, Xinhua has an abundance of timber resources.

Everywhere you look, there are towering trees, dense shrubs, and overgrown weeds.

In addition to timber, Xinhua also developed several coal mines with huge reserves. Coal from Fenzhou and Hejiang was transported by ship to Shixing Port and other coastal towns.

Besides being refined into coke for steel mills, a significant portion of this coal is also made into coal briquettes for ordinary residents to use for cooking and heating.

However, apart from high-income groups such as government officials, senior sailors, and experienced craftsmen who would buy these coal briquettes, most ordinary people would never be willing to spend money to buy them.

Outside the town and around the villages, there are trees and weeds that don't cost money, as well as a lot of crop stalks, which can be said to be an inexhaustible source of fuel. Why waste money on that?

Even so, the traditionally frugal Ming Dynasty immigrants were still reluctant to spend the time and effort to boil a pot of hot water early in the morning to wash their hands and faces.

We're all rough around the edges, so there's no need to be too particular.

A ladle of cool water is enough!

Moreover, washing your face with cold water can instantly wake you up from the groggy state of morning, making it easier to get into the workday.

However, the soap made by Xinhua cannot dissolve in cold water, which means it cannot produce soap bubbles and its cleaning effect is greatly reduced.

Therefore, even if you wash your face with cold water every day to save money or out of habit, it is best to use hot water every few days to remove excess oil and deep dirt from your face.

As the representative of the Alamo family, the largest smuggling group in Spanish America, Luis Siganza Alamo didn't have to scrimp and save by washing with cold water like the poor.

At this moment, he was comfortably soaking in a huge wooden tub in a luxurious suite at the Xinhua State Guesthouse. The tub was carved with exquisite patterns and emitted a faint woody fragrance, like a fine work of art.

In the warm water, a layer of snow-white, fragrant soap bubbles floated. He half-closed his eyes, fully enjoying this wonderful bath time, as if all the noise and disturbances of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

At the behest of his brother Pedro, Louis arrived at Shixing Port ten days ago aboard a Xinhua merchant ship to negotiate with the Xinhua people on further expanding the scale of smuggling trade between the two sides.

The Alamo family learned through various channels that the new Chinese seemed to have "colluded" with a heavyweight smuggling partner in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which greatly affected their business in the region.

What the Alamo family found even more objectionable was that the new Chinese not only imported large quantities of Ming Dynasty-style goods into Mexico, greatly squeezing their market space and eroding their smuggling profits, but also resold various precious furs to Europe through their new partner, making a considerable profit.

This move made the Alamob family extremely uneasy, sensing a deep sense of crisis.

Therefore, his brother Pedro sent him secretly to Xinhua to sound out their opinions.

Is it that the new Chinese have found a better "mistress" and are preparing to discard the Alamobo family after using them, or is it that they have found a new partner in Mexico to expand their smuggling network and share trade risks?

If it's the former, the Alamober family needs to plan ahead and gradually shift their previously thriving smuggling trade to other stable businesses or expand their plantations to ensure the family's wealth continues to grow steadily. If it's the latter, it means that the New Chinese have created a formidable competitor for the Alamober family, forcing them to compete with each other so that neither can completely monopolize the New Chinese's sales channels.

Pedro was extremely indignant about the actions of the new Chinese, and he expressed his strong dissatisfaction in a private family gathering.

In his eyes, this was undoubtedly a chilling betrayal.

Back when you Chinese were still in power, who was it that took huge risks to be the first to cooperate with you and open the door to trade (smuggling)?
And who was it that, just before the Viceroyalty of New Spain was about to launch a military attack on you, Xinhua, used their family's deep connections and intelligence network in the Americas to provide you with a great deal of crucial and life-or-death intelligence information?
It can be said that our Alamobe family has made a great "contribution" to the gradual growth of your Xinhua and its current strength, which can rival the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

What? Having defeated the military offensive of the Mexican colonial authorities and gained a rare opportunity for peaceful development, are you now prepared to quickly abandon us?
What you're doing is incredibly unethical and lacks any sense of business integrity!
When Louis, representing the Alamober family and his brother, expressed his dissatisfaction to the Chinese in a very tactful tone, they were immediately reassured.

The representative in charge of Xinhua Trade looked sincerely into Louis's eyes and earnestly told him that Xinhua would not abandon the Alamober family, their closest partner, nor would they do anything to harm their business interests.

All goods operated and produced by the new Chinese will continue to be supplied to the Alamo family without reservation or restriction—provided that they can fully consume and absorb all the goods.

To show their sincerity, Xinhua hosted a high-profile, luxurious yet dignified welcome dinner for Louis.

The banquet was laden with Xinhua's signature delicacies, a dazzling array of rare and exotic foods, and fragrant wines. Important Xinhua leaders were also present, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, showing him great respect.

In the following days, Xinhua led him on a tour of more than ten manufacturing plants and showed him many of the latest products.

From everyday essentials like soap and whale oil candles, to hardware, glass, and iron materials necessary for production and construction; from warm and comfortable wool and fur, to exquisite and practical metal utensils and pottery, and even leather boots and saddles that showcase superb craftsmanship…

There are about thirty different types of items, covering all aspects of production and daily life, and each one is well-made and of excellent quality.

What surprised Louis even more was that these daily necessities were priced at only half the cost of those smuggled into Europe, and two-thirds the cost of those produced in local workshops in the American colonies.

He couldn't help but wonder how the Xinhua people controlled the production costs of these goods.
"Dios, why do you think the Chinese are so interested in the guano islands near Pisco, and even willing to spend extra gold and silver to buy guano from them?"

As Louis slowly dressed, he asked his servant.

“Sir, I suspect the new Chinese may intend to use the bird droppings from those islands as fertilizer for their farmland.” Juan de Dios thoughtfully draped a luxurious woolen coat over his host’s shoulders. “After all, using animal manure to fertilize fields has a significant effect on increasing crop yields and has long been proven to be an extremely feasible method.”

"Perhaps, the Chinese from Xinjiang discovered that guano also has similar magical effects, which is why they are so interested in the guano islands near Pisco."

“Oh, is that so?” Louis raised an eyebrow slightly, a thoughtful smile playing on his lips. “I thought the Chinese were doing this as a way to balance the trade deficit between us. Well, you know, we have almost nothing to sell them except livestock and copper.”

"This forced us to pay them a large amount of extra silver pesos. To be honest, it was heartbreaking to see those lovely silver coins flowing into the pockets of the new Chinese!"

"..." Dios listened, but just smiled and remained silent. He squatted down and carefully straightened Dios's clothes, smoothing out every wrinkle.

The Alamo family had only been involved in smuggling with the new Chinese for eight years, but they had rapidly amassed a huge fortune.

Although he didn't know the exact size of his master's family's total assets, as the most loyal member of the family, he had participated in the intricate smuggling trade process. Based on what he had seen and heard in his daily life, he could roughly understand that the annual profit was an astonishing amount, enough to make countless people look up to and envy him.

The Alamo family has grown from an obscure small-time trader in the Viceroyalty of Peru into a highly influential group throughout the Americas, with sales channels spanning not only the Americas but also extending their business reach to Spain, Italy, and even the Netherlands (Spanish territory).

I still remember that two years ago, Panama City was attacked by "pirates" and the entire city was burned to the ground. When the Viceroyalty of Peru launched the reconstruction project, the Alamo family generously donated 50,000 pesos to the colonial authorities, enjoying unparalleled prestige.

It can be said that it was through smuggling trade with the new Chinese that the Alamo family was able to rise to their current economic and political status.

Yes, Mr. Pedro, the head of the Alamobo family, not only wields considerable influence among businessmen in the Viceroyalty of Peru due to his extensive supply channels, but also obtained a position as a Lima municipal councilor four years ago and is currently planning to run for the vice-presidential seat (mayors and presidents are generally Spanish officials, but native-born whites can obtain some mid-level positions such as vice-president and councilor by purchasing or electing them).

Therefore, the Alamo family valued their cooperative relationship with the new Chinese community highly, fearing that something unexpected might happen and cut off this valuable source of income.

Several years ago, after learning the location of Qiming Island, the Mexican colonial authorities repeatedly spread rumors that they were going to mobilize a large army to launch a military strike against Xinhua. The Alamo family was very nervous.

Therefore, three years earlier (1632), Louis was commissioned by his family to accompany the Xinhua business representative stationed in the Americas on a trip to Qiming Island. In addition to conveying their concern, he also wanted to investigate the actual strength of the Xinhua.

Are they even able to take a beating?
Fortunately, the new Chinese did not squander the smuggled gold and silver. Instead, they actively introduced immigrants and strengthened their military. They not only built several sturdy castles but also formed a formidable army.

Moreover, the new Chinese confidently told Luis that they had the absolute strength to repel the Mexican colonial authorities' attack and protect the territory they had created.

Sure enough, two years ago, the New Chinese dealt a heavy blow to the expeditionary fleet assembled by the Mexican side, forcing the Viceroyalty of New Spain to cease hostilities and negotiate peace, which can be regarded as an acknowledgment of the New Chinese presence in the north.

After the war ended, everyone could happily resume their smuggling trade, and the wealth continued to flow into the pockets of the Alamobe family.

Everything was so beautiful.

“However, the new Chinese have divided the entire American market in two, so much so that we need to put in much more effort to earn the same level of trade profits as before.” Louis stood by the window, watching the snowflakes falling outside, and couldn’t help but sigh.

New Chinese people don't seem to be so easy to handle.
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(End of this chapter)