Daming: I, the emperor who trains the carpenter

Chapter 720 The Birth of the Ming Working Class!
This feast,
It's not just for colleagues to understand each other.

As a scholar of the current dynasty and a cabinet assistant, Zhang Haogu and the others cannot talk about other topics when they get together, and they will always be related to state affairs.

And this time, the reception banquet held for the new colleagues was actually to let Qian Qianyi understand the current operation of the cabinet and have a general understanding of the important affairs of the court.

Not everyone knows how it works when they enter the cabinet.

The cabinet is not only a few cabinet assistants, but also many auxiliary staff secretaries such as Zhongshu Sheren, General Political Consultant, Six Ministries and many departments.

The cabinet is the center of the Ming Dynasty, coordinating the overall situation, and it is a very complicated organization.

This reception banquet actually has the function of a cabinet meeting.

As a newcomer to the cabinet, Qian Qianyi just listened and watched.

He watched Zhang Haogu communicate with several other ministers, and many matters and important matters in the six books were settled in a few simple words.

Zhang Haogu's voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it clearly: "The roads started by the Ministry of Industry are the core of the future of the imperial court. Starting from the current Beijing-Tianjin Chi-Tao and the Beijing-Jin-Jin Chi-Tao, the future will spread throughout the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty. The Chidao of the 24 provinces is not only the basis for the imperial court to control the world, but also the vein of the world's transportation."

"I have discussed with His Majesty many times about the issue of Chidao, and we have decided on the current Chidao plan. This is based on the national line, and we should not rely on one party's self-interest to raise troubles."

"Take the case of the Yang family in Tianjin as an example, not to mention the arrogance of the Yang family, nor Wei Guangqing's rebellion and rebellion. A local gentry dared to blackmail the local area and obstruct the way just because of their background in the court."

"In my opinion, they still don't know enough about the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and they still have some luck. Such luck is not advisable, and the popularization of court laws also needs to be strengthened."

The Yang family is arrogant and arrogant, Wei Guangqing is rebellious and rebellious, don't worry about these things, after all, it is to characterize the dead, so it doesn't matter.

What is the point of Zhang Haogu's words?

Is it a galloping problem?

No, Zhang Haogu is using the Chidao issue to point out the Ministry of Punishment.

As a scholar of the current dynasty, a senior cabinet minister and secretary of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, Qiao Yunsheng knew what Zhang Haogu meant, and he took over the conversation: "The Ministry of Criminal Justice will issue official letters to various places, asking local yamen to clean up laws and regulations, and increase the promotion and promotion of the new law. publicity."

Huang Liji then said: "The court's laws are strict, but although it is a legal system, in fact, the world is still ruled by people. The laws must be strict, but some aspects should also consider human sophistication."

Qiao Yunsheng said: "Huang Xiang's words are very true. Yuan Fu, looking at the past dynasties, the laws of the Han Dynasty, the laws of the Tang Dynasty, the laws of the Song Dynasty, etc., the laws of the court cannot be too strict or too loose. If they are too strict, people will be born." If it is too loose, the people will be separated from the court; if it is too loose, people will have no fear, and the world will be chaotic."

Zhang Haogu nodded: "Mr. Qiao's words are not bad. This law still needs to be relaxed. Now the Ming Dynasty is in its heyday, the world is peaceful, the people live and work in peace and contentment, life is better, and there are more nights in places."

"Small crimes and major crimes are clearly distinguished, and the proper way of strictness and leniency is the way to long-term peace and stability."

Lu Xiangsheng said: "Leaving aside the question of strictness and leniency, the most important thing today is to popularize the law at the local level. The key is to let the people know the law and fear the law and not break the law."

Zhang Ruitu took a sip of the fine wine, stroked his beard and smiled, "The Ministry of Rites can make some columns on the law, and then list the stories of some people who committed crimes, so that the people know what the consequences of breaking the law are."

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "Master Zhang's words are the key point. In a prosperous world, harsh punishments and harsh laws are easy to lose people's hearts. The key point is to do a good job in popularizing the law and let the people know the law. The Da Ming Law is not suitable for the people. The Ming Law that the people knew before is no longer suitable. It’s the same. Over the years since the new Great Ming law was launched, it has been constantly revised and added. Speaking of it, even the old officials of the Ministry of Punishment may not be able to figure it out, let alone the people who are struggling all day long for food and clothing? Do some law popularization, yes As it should be."

Qiao Yunsheng said: "The 24 provinces in the two capitals have to carry out legal popularization, and this can even be used as an assessment for local officials."

Lu Xiangsheng agreed: "Yes."

Zhang Haogu also nodded: "You can try to implement it."

After talking about the popularization of the law, Lu Xiangsheng said: "This year, there have been many new projects in various places. Some of these projects are practical things to benefit the people, some are dispensable, and some are even an excuse for the local government to ask for funds. It still needs to be investigated carefully."

Zhang Haogu also frowned when he heard this: "The imperial court's money comes from taxation, and every penny is the people's fat and hard-won. Right now, the imperial court's tax revenue of 6000 million taels a year, after throwing away all kinds of hard expenses, The rest will be kept in reserve.”

"Speaking of which, allowing the local government to allocate additional funds is for the development of the local economy and people's livelihood. If the local government asks for money and fails to implement it, it should be severely punished."

Huang Liji asked: "In Liaodong, the imperial court used to ask for more than 200 million taels of silver every year. Now as the court's taxation increases, the asking price in Liaodong is getting more and more ruthless. Now it costs more than 300 million taels of silver a year."

"If it was said that it was to defend the Manchus in Liaodong before, then don't say much, it should be given. But now the Manchus have been surrounded by the imperial court in Liaodong, and they can't move at all. Liaodong needs so much money a year. Where are they used? went?"

Lu Xiangsheng also said: "Yuanfu, those military towns in Liaodong dared to open their mouths one by one, and all kinds of funds came to them. On the Manchu side, it was the grassland and southern Liaoning that contributed, and Liaodong was useless. Now Liaodong There is still two or three million taels of silver a year, so if you can save this money, you can save it."

Hearing that even Huang Liji mentioned the general of Liaodong, Zhang Haogu nodded slowly: "The problem of Liaodong should be resolved."

"Before, the imperial court's new army was not trained enough, and they needed to rely on the Liaodong generals to contain the Manchus. Now the Manchus are cowering in the white mountains and black waters, and the new army has replaced the role of the Liaodong generals."

"But I have to mention that there are still many generals in the Liaodong Army Town, and the banning needs to be done step by step."

"How much money does Liaodong need this year?"

Lu Xiangsheng said: "350, 560, three taels, they have already listed the expenses and submitted them."

Zhang Haogu sneered: "For 350 million taels of silver, they really dare to open their mouths."

"The imperial court gave them compensation for the loss of soldiers before. These people didn't pay a tael of silver, and they didn't even issue all the pension funds allocated by the imperial court. Now they dare to ask for so much silver."

"Let's allocate funds first according to the old practice, and see if they know what they are interested in."

Lu Xiangsheng nodded: "That's the only way to go. In this Liaodong military town, each of them sits as king and is no longer under the control of the court."

Zhang Haogu said: "Nine borders and nine towns are no longer needed by the imperial court. They will be gradually banned in the future and replaced by the new army. There is no rush right now."

Listening to the chats of his colleagues, Qian Qianyi gradually learned about the situation of the cabinet, and he also had a general understanding of the current situation in Ming Dynasty.

He had been in Nanzhili before, and he only knew that Daming was in a prosperous age, but he didn't have a detailed idea of ​​how powerful it was. Now that everyone said it, he probably understood how much power is hidden in Daming today.

After talking for a while, Zhang Haogu suddenly said: "Speaking of which, Mr. Qian, aren't you curious about who paid for this feast?"

Qian Qianyi nodded: "I'm really curious."

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "Although I treat guests, the person who pays is next door."

"Now that we're done chatting, it's time for someone to come and say hello to Qian Xiang."

Zhang Haogu summoned the servant to give some instructions, and soon the door of the private room opened, and two businessmen came in dressed up.

"Guo Zhang, so you paid for this table." Huang Liji looked at the visitor and smiled.

Only then did Qian Qianyi know that this table was actually paid by Zhang Guoji, the patriarch of the dynasty.

Zhang Guoji said with a smile: "Yuanfu treats guests, and I will pay for it, which is just right."

After everyone chatted for a while, Zhang Guoji and Zhou Kui also sat down, and Zhang Haogu said slowly: "Speaking of which, your steel company is about to go public, right?"

Zhang Guoji nodded: "That's right, the commercial office has already approved it, and it's going to be listed tomorrow."

Listening to the chat between Zhang Haogu and Zhang Guoji, Qian Qianyi was still a little confused, going public?

Can private steel mills also go public?

Zhang Haogu saw Qian Qianyi's doubts, so he explained: "Qian Xiang, do you know why there is such a welcome banquet? Tomorrow, it will be the first private enterprise in Ming Dynasty to go public with financing."

Qian Qianyi said: "I have already learned about financing and listing. Is this private enterprise's financing and listing the mainstream in the future?"

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "This financing listing will become the mainstream of large enterprises in the future."

"Speaking of which, many chambers of commerce and enterprises in Ming Dynasty today are mostly small workshops or a combination of several large commercial firms. It's not that this is not conducive to the commercial development of the imperial court, but that it cannot fully mobilize private capital. "

"The people have money and deposit it in the bank. The money deposited in the bank is like a stone. Only the money that flows is beneficial to Daming."

"This financing listing, on the one hand, mobilizes the enthusiasm of the people, and on the other hand, it is also a reminder to those big chambers of commerce, so that they can also mobilize private capital and hot money."

"The funds can't flow and gather together. How can the imperial court concentrate on developing some industries?"

Lu Xiangsheng said: "At present, the imperial court is developing with all its strength. The research and development of steam engines has greatly changed the world. In addition to today's Chidao and subsequent steam ships, etc., these are undoubtedly changing the world's perception."

"It's not enough to rely solely on the promotion of the imperial court. The imperial court should contribute, and the people should also contribute. Only by working together can we make Ming Dynasty develop faster and better."

"Yuanfu means that the imperial court grasps the general direction and promotes some projects, and then private capital enters to broaden and develop them."

"Taking today's Chidao as an example, there is no doubt that a large amount of coal and iron is needed. This does not mean that the imperial court can't provide it, but that it can take the opportunity to develop several large private coal and iron companies, so that the people also have relevant capabilities and resources. technology."

Qian Qianyi blinked, he knew every word Zhang Haogu and Lu Xiangsheng said, why did he feel so dizzy when they were linked together?

Zhang Haogu continued: "Right now, the first private iron and steel plant will go public tomorrow. We need to promote it well so that everyone in the world can see that the benefits brought by the financing and listing will make those who have capital in their hands People are willing to use their money for development.”

Zhang Guoji patted his chest and said, "Yuanfu, don't worry, we brothers will do whatever you say in the future, and we promise to listen to the court."

Zhou Kui also said: "That's right, that's right, we listen to the court, and we will do what the court tells us to do."

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "It will be listed later, what do you two want to do, buy a house, buy a carriage, buy a Silla maidservant, buy a Kunlun slave, in short, the two want to let the whole capital and the whole Zhili watch I see, the two of you are rich, a lot of money, enough to rival a country."

Zhang Ruitu understood what Zhang Haogu meant: "In this way, businessmen all over the world and those landlords and gentry will be jealous, and each of them will think about integrating their own industries and listing them on the market. At that time, the stock market will gather a large amount of gold and silver, not only It can promote economic development, and it can also develop industries.”

Zhang Haogu said with a smile: "That's right, what we want is for the people to independently develop industries."

As he said that, Zhang Haogu looked at Qian Qianyi: "Qian Xiang, you can also buy a share of this steel plant when it goes public tomorrow. You can make a lot of money in a few days."

Hearing Zhang Haogu's words, Qian Qianyi was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "Think about it, think about it."

Zhang Ruitu chuckled: "In the past few years, I have saved a lot of money by writing dramas and stories. I made a lot of money by buying Beijing-Tianjin Chidao stock a few days ago. Next, I will also get involved in the steel stock. Already, the abbot will welcome you, right?"

Zhang Guoji also laughed loudly: "Zhang Xiang wants to buy stocks, that is the blessing of my Zhili Iron and Steel Works, how can I not welcome it, and leave a share for Zhang Xiang at that time."

Huang Liji recalled the miracle of Beijing-Tianjin Chidao's stock change from [-] to [-], and he also said quickly: "Guo Zhang, leave me a share too."

Living in Beijing Normal University is not easy. Huang Liji's family has money and can't spend it recklessly. He can only rely on these to earn some extra money.

As for the money earned through these regular channels, Zhu Youxiao actually doesn’t care about it, and Zhang Haogu also welcomes all officials to follow the right path. .

A group of people chatted in full swing. Seeing that everyone was so optimistic about stocks, Qian Qianyi was also cruel, gritted his teeth, and said, "I didn't catch up with the stocks of Beijing-Tianjin Chidao before. I can't miss the stocks of this steel factory." .”

Zhang Guoji's eyes lit up: "Qianxiang, you are courageous, I will also leave you a share, you just wait to get rich."

Everyone stopped talking about business, chatted about the world, gossip, romantic affairs, and waited for everyone to have fun before leaving and going home.

After sending off Qian Qianyi, Huang Liji and Qiao Yunsheng, Zhang Guoji asked: "Mr. Zhang, do you think these people are with us?"

Zhang Ruitu chuckled: "Is it important to be a group? Now that they bought stocks and made money, can they still get off the boat?"

"As long as we don't fight against us, is it that important whether it is the New Party or the Donglin Party?"

Zhang Guoji also laughed: "What Zhang Xiang said is very true, what he said is very true."

Zhang Ruitu asked again: "Have you kept Yuanfu's shares?"

Zhang Guoji said with a smile: "Although Yuanfu didn't want it, I still can't keep it."

Zhang Ruitu nodded reassuringly.

The next day, Zhili Iron and Steel Company, which had been publicized for several days, went public in Tianjin.

Zhili Iron and Steel Company, based on Zhang Guoji's Xiangfu Iron and Steel Works and Zhou Kui's Kuigang Iron and Steel Works, together with the two men each contributing 15 taels of silver, made up 30 taels of silver, and the total price was 70 taels of silver.

And Zhang Guoji and Zhou Kui took out 300% of the shares at one time, and made 300 million shares. One share only cost one penny, and 30 million shares were [-] taels of silver.

As soon as the 300 million shares were listed, they were sought after by many people. Zhang Ruitu and Huang Liji, who made money early, all bought a lot of stocks, and Qian Qianyi also bought several hundred taels of stocks.

Not only that, the Tianjin branch of Daming Bank also purchased 50 shares of stock, and now businessmen and people can't sit still.

This Zhili Iron and Steel Plant looks like a high-quality asset!
All of a sudden, people rushed to buy the shares of Zhili Iron and Steel Plant. A penny a share has risen to five cents, and it's still rising!
300% of the shares, 300 million shares were sold out in three days. Zhang Guoji and Zhou Kui have never seen such a profitable thing. 50 million shares, [-] million taels of silver in one hand, this money grab is not so fast. , and these are all actively sent to the hands of others.

Seeing this, Zhou Kui and Zhang Guoji released another 200%, and this [-]% stock was divided into [-] million shares, with a starting price of five cents per share, but even so, they were still sold out. Now, the shares of Zhili Iron and Steel Works were completely sold out. It's taking off!
Those who are interested have calculated that in just one week, the total value of the Zhili Iron and Steel Works changed from 70 taels at the beginning to more than 240 million taels!
Simply appalling!
Because of the Zhili Iron and Steel Plant, Zhang Guoji and Zhou Kui directly received 170 million taels of cash, which was all cash!
With so many taels in hand, Zhang Guoji and Zhou Kui were very excited. They soon announced that they would expand the Zhili Iron and Steel Plant and build the largest steel plant in Ming Dynasty. The investment in this steel plant was as high as 50 taels from the beginning.

It took 50 taels of silver to build a factory, and also used a large sum of money to buy coal and iron ore from Shanxi, Henan, and Zhili. Everyone's confidence is doubled.

Subsequently, the Jingjin Chidao Division announced that it had reached a cooperation with the Zhili Iron and Steel Works. The construction of the Jingjin Chidao will use all the steel from the Zhili Iron and Steel Works. Dow's stocks all rose again.

Now that Ming Dynasty has become more and more magical, it is becoming more and more incomprehensible to ordinary people. Is Chidao so profitable?
The expansion of the Zhili Iron and Steel Plant, large-scale recruitment, and Beijing-Tianjin Chidao are also constantly recruiting workers. The people of the entire Zhili are attracted by its high-paying recruitment. With such a high salary, what land are they farming?
So a large number of people walked into the factory and Chidao to become a steel factory worker or a Chidao worker.

After Zhang Haogu got the news, he nodded in satisfaction, and liberated the people from the fields and sent them to the factories. The pace of industrialization in Ming Dynasty accelerated again.

(End of this chapter)