As early as when the plan was finalized, the Secretariat spread the news about the year-end celebration to several major cities in Shenzhou through audio equipment.
However, since these branches are still in a preliminary state, the publicity effect is far less than that of Jinxia City. Coupled with the impact of the snow season, Xia Fan has no idea how many people will be attracted.
Facts have proved that businessmen are indeed the group of people who are most sensitive to transaction information. On the first day of the exhibition, the square was packed with crowds of people, many of whom were businessmen from other towns and cities. And the purpose of their coming here is precisely for the brand of cooperation with Jinxia Affairs Bureau.
If there is any difference between a trade fair and a market, it is that all products entering the exhibition must be reviewed by the organizer to confirm that they are unique or innovative before they are eligible to be put on the exhibition stand.
The new gadgets Xia Fan prepared for the exhibition were "crystal glass", canned hairtail fish, and refined salt condiments mixed with various spices.
These booths are also the most crowded areas.
The Secretariat has already announced that it will promote the production and sales of these three goods. The cooperation method will provide technical support and policy preferences to the officials, while the businessmen will be responsible for preparing funds, building factories, manufacturing and selling products. Although the Secretariat has stated that it is responsible for its profits and losses, anyone with a discerning eye knows that any of these three items is a good product that is guaranteed to make money without losing money.
Crystal glass is undoubtedly the most popular favorite.
The more than 100 items on display for trial sale have been snapped up by residents long ago. If it were not marked as not for sale, it is estimated that not even a single glassware would be left in the exhibition booth.
As early as the Yongguo period, people had already mastered the method of firing sand and gravel into crystals. Those with good appearance and color were called colored glazes, but these were actually characteristics caused by low firing temperatures and high impurity content. If you want transparent and clean crystal products, only natural crystals can do it, and their high price is naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The so-called "crystal glass" is just an inevitable product after the furnace temperature increases and impurity removal technology advances. It can be regarded as a by-product of Dragon Scale Steelmaking. Even though it is still far from being truly clear and flawless, and its feel is not as good as that of carefully polished crystal products, its low price is enough to make it cause a bloody storm in the market.
If it weren't for the price of the trial product clearly marked on the product manual, the merchants wouldn't believe that this thing is actually several percent cheaper than copper and iron utensils.
Through those crystal clear samples, they seemed to see an unimaginably huge business opportunity.
But in Xia Fan's eyes, canned food is the highlight of the exhibition and the product with the highest technical content. Only Jinxia Machinery Manufacturing Bureau can mass-produce goods of the same specifications and sizes - the iron sheets need to be rolled, and tin plating is required before making cans. Both of these can be done by a blacksmith, but they can produce thousands of them a day. Canned food, that’s another level.
We chose hairtail because it is easy to obtain local materials. In fact, any food that can be pickled or preserved with salt and sugar can be canned. Compared with dry food that has no taste and flavor and is as hard as a rock, canned food tastes much more delicious. It can not only enrich people's daily dining tables, but also alleviate food problems during crisis years. As for long-distance marches and long voyages, this kind of portable food is even more urgently needed.
There are also many businessmen who have set their sights on canning projects. Although they could not immediately realize the strategic significance of the can, the official acquisition guarantee listed in the instructions gave them a lot of confidence. The capital investment in this cooperation seems to be limited, and there is no need to worry about selling the finished product after it is made. It is still a very good choice for businessmen.
As for the final refined salt seasoning, it is somewhere in between. It can be said that the greater the output, the greater the market. After all, everyone has to eat, and as long as they have some spare money, people will not refuse to eat better. But its revenue is also obviously the lowest - refined salt is controlled by Jinxia officials, and the cost of spices is not low. The main task of merchants is to promote it. How much they can get depends entirely on the ability of their own channels, and their capabilities are not in place. There is also the possibility of losing money.
Of course, not all businessmen are focused on the cooperation projects of the Secretariat.
The goods displayed by the elves also attracted the interest of many people.
For example, the "Bishui Mandarin" with its unique taste has become the king of fruits. As long as everyone has tried it, no one has been shaken by its clear taste and rich floral aroma, and there are many people who paid for it on the spot.
There are also brocade garments made of golden silk vines, and several clothing shops have expressed their intention to cooperate with Shuzhou.
As for the product viewing and mutual transactions between businessmen, there are more.
Vendors who were unable to enter the venue set up stalls on the street, selling small items such as candied haws on a stick or paper pinwheels, and they were able to get a piece of the pie.
Although the exhibition itself is not a celebration event, it brings more enthusiasm than ordinary celebrations.
As the organizer, Xia Fan naturally dressed up and took the fox demon to experience this unique Spring Festival holiday in Jinxia City as an ordinary person.
"If all these businesses are done by the Secretariat, it will only do better, right?" Li asked while chewing candied haws, "The Secretariat has been spending so much recently, why don't they use these things to make more money?"
"Doing it all by yourself can indeed alleviate the pressure on income and expenditure, but it will also turn the relevant market into a stagnant water. If we use fired glass as an example, it is impossible for the Secretariat to set up several departments to bake the same products, right?" Xia Fan explained, “But businessmen will—businessmen in the same industry are all competitors, and they have to compete with each other to ensure that their products can occupy a larger market. This process will allow them to improve their processes, increase product types, and To fill the market gap, the Secretariat has difficulty making improvements in this area.”
"Furthermore, the cooperation stipulates that production workshops can only be located in Shenzhou, and the money earned by merchants will not be easily drained out. The more money gathered in one place, the more dynamic the market here will be, and the benefits brought by this will It’s far higher than the money the Secretariat makes itself.”
"Hmm..." Li shook his ears, "You mean to buy bones for a thousand gold, attract all the money from the merchants to Shenzhou first, and then kill them after they are fattened up?"
Xia Fan burst into laughter. The fox demon's understanding was quite in line with the concept of the times. In the eyes of rulers, merchants are usually an emergency ration. Whenever they are in trouble, the idea of grabbing will hit them. superior. Compared with the land-occupying gentry and high-status literati, merchants are indeed easier to manipulate.
"It's not necessary." He shook his head. "The reason why money is limited is because people have not yet realized the nature of money. They can only be limited by the annual mining volume of gold, silver and copper. Once output drops or the number of goods in circulation increases, , it is easy for money shortages to occur. Once you understand what money is, the money in the hands of a qualified ruler is unlimited."
"Infinite?" Li said slightly surprised, "Are you saying there is too much money to spend?"
"It cannot simply be described as more or less, but it is always in a state of being a few cents more than the amount required."