The triangular commercial alliance the Hohenzollern Conglomerate intended to form was, in essence, no different from local supermarkets banding together to resist outside competitors.
To be honest, neither of the two truly wanted to cooperate with the Hohenzollern Conglomerate, especially the Shanxi Merchants. The Hechingen Bank's expansion into North China had in fact encroached upon their original sphere of influence. However, the Shanxi Merchants' stronghold lay far away, and their influence over North Chinese local officials was weak. They did not possess the power of great local clans like those in Zhuhai. Among scholars, peasants, craftsmen, and merchants, the Shanxi Merchants were the most traditional sort of "merchants." Perhaps they still had some say in Shanxi, but in North China, their words carried little weight.
The Hohenzollern Conglomerate's willingness to cooperate was unquestionably a good thing for the Shanxi Merchants. Qiao Zhiyong was the first to say, "Cooperation is possible, but we must first draw clear boundaries for our respective territories. The dividing lines must be made explicit, and afterward, no one may cross them."
Anthony, the Hechingen Bank's Far East general manager, said, "Of course there is no problem. However, we must also stress that after our respective territories are defined, all three of us in the north must give priority to purchasing our allies' goods. Take grain and industrial products, for example—you should give us priority when purchasing, and when we import products from the north, we will likewise give priority to your two firms."
Hu Xueyan said, "What if your bank's goods have quality problems?"
Anthony said, "There can be no problems with the Hohenzollern Conglomerate's products. Of course, words alone prove nothing. We can establish unified standards for this matter, grading goods according to quality. Better products will naturally cost more, while poorer-quality goods will naturally