Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1116 1111 [I don’t dare to go home after making money]

The urban areas of Zhuhai and Zhongshan in later generations were located on the same offshore island. The urban area of ​​Panyu in later generations was on another offshore island. The urban area of ​​Jiangmen was directly on the seashore, and the area of ​​Shunde was full of sandbars of various sizes.

Panyu County Government is located in the East City of Guangzhou, and Nanhai County Government is located in the West City of Guangzhou.

As Guangzhou's maritime trade became more prosperous, the largest offshore island was converted into Guangzhou's outer port. Berths were designated along the northern coast of the island, and there were many official institutions and warehouses on the island.

The seagoing ships could only reach the outer port of Guangzhou (the urban areas of Zhuhai and Zhongshan in later generations, as well as the large area between the two cities).

This island is Xiangshan County, including Macau and other surrounding islands, all of which are under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County.

Overseas goods are sold in Xiangshan County, most of which are transshipped to Guangzhou by offshore vessels, some to Dongguan in the northeast, and some to Xinhui in the west.

Guangzhou, Dongguan and Xinhui are all connected by rivers and can radiate to inland areas.

Goods from the inland are naturally transported to these three places, and then transferred by offshore vessels to Xiangshan County for export. (In fact, there is also a town called Foshan in the northwest, which is also a transportation hub and is currently designated as a sub-county level.)
As Guangzhou's outer port, Xiangshan Port has many pilot ships.

Vessels with a seagoing license and having paid taxes can be taken to the open sea by a pilot ship. Foreign vessels must also be taken by a pilot ship to pay port entry taxes.

Any ship or fleet without a pilot ship will be regarded as a smuggling ship. Once the target is found, the navy near Macau will be dispatched immediately!
Institutions such as the Guangzhou Maritime Customs and the Guangzhou Stock Exchange have all moved to Xiangshan Port.

Baoquan Bureau also set up a branch in Xiangshan County, which had currency storage and exchange business. Foreign gold and silver entering the port had to be exchanged for currency at the Baoquan Branch. Copper ingots entering the port also had to be reported to the Baoquan Branch.

In late summer and early autumn, a fleet arrived at Xiangshan Port.

They came from Australia, stopped at Coconut City on Java Island for supplies, and bought many spices, pearls, furs and other goods before returning north.

There is no exchange in Coconut City, but there is private futures trading.

Some Ming merchants with strong capital had long-term cooperation with the dignitaries of Sunda. They built warehouses, stockpiled goods, and pre-sold the goods six months or a year in advance. When the time came to pick up the goods, they traded at the contract price. This kind of contract could be freely resold before picking up the goods.

Wang Chongdu does not speculate in futures contracts. He always picks up the goods directly in Coconut City and returns home.

The fleet was taken to the unloading area by the territorial ship and the dock was bustling with activity.

Countless coolies were moving goods back and forth, and there were also human-powered cranes. Those goods that were not afraid of being damaged were tied into a large pile on the deck and could be brought to the shore with human-powered cranes.

After the goods land, officials will conduct random inspections, register basic information, and immediately transport them to the tax declaration area.

There are many tracks on the dock, and carriages pulled by mules and horses will be loaded with goods and run to the tax declaration area. The cargo owners will naturally follow and receive more detailed inspections in the tax declaration area.

"Through the exchange or in private?" asked the tax collector.

Wang Chongdu's goods have been piled up into a mountain, so it is impossible to conduct a detailed inspection. Here, they are also subject to random inspection: "I have already contacted the buyer. We are doing the transaction privately and not through the exchange."

The tax collector asked again, "Do you want to rent a government warehouse?"

"Rent a warehouse for five days." Wang Chongdu's several buyers are located in Guangzhou, and five days is enough to transport all the goods away.

The sales contract had been signed long ago, and Wang Chongdu would pay for everything from tax returns to warehouse fees. If the goods were not picked up within five days of the lease, the buyer would have to pay for the subsequent warehouse usage fees, which were all clearly stated in the contract.

If the buyer fails to pick up the goods after the contract deadline, it will be considered a breach of contract. Wang Chongdu can eat up the other party's advance payment and sell the relevant goods to another buyer.

"What are those bags? Open them and take a look," said the tax collector.

Wang Chongdu said: "Gold."

The bags were big and small, one bag contained gold nuggets, one bag contained fish-scale-shaped gold flakes, one bag contained granular gold beans, and the rest were some gold sand.

When Wang Chongdu returned, most of the gold diggers were willing to sell their gold to him in exchange for equivalent silver dollars and copper coins.

In addition to the premium of the gold nugget, Wang Chongdu's purchase price of gold is slightly lower than the official price in Guangzhou, so he can make a profit from it.

But the gold diggers were still quite satisfied with this, because if they came to the government to exchange the gold themselves, the officials would most likely find excuses to maliciously lower the price. It would be better to sell it to Wang Chongdu!

"This... is so big?" The tax collector's eyes widened when he saw the gold nugget.

Wang Chongdu chuckled.

This thing is not under the jurisdiction of the Maritime Customs, but is taken over by people from the Baoquan Bureau.

Due to the shortage of precious metals at this stage, the imperial court encouraged the inflow of precious metals from overseas, and all major ports exempted gold, silver and copper from tariffs. However, they had to be sent to the local Baoquan Bureau, where gold and silver were exchanged for legal tender, and copper ingots were reported and the buyer was clearly stated.

Wang Chongdu said to his followers, "Show it to everyone."

There were many merchants filing taxes nearby, and when the attendant raised the largest gold nugget, it instantly caused a commotion.

The merchants didn't even bother to pay taxes. They just threw the goods to their trusted associates to look after them, and swarmed over to ask all sorts of questions.

Wang Chongdu pushed the honest gold digger out and said, "You tell the story!"

The gold digger was a little scared: "I found it in the river and thought it was a rock, but it turned out to be a piece of gold."

Wang Chongdu said in a loud voice: "More than 30 kilograms ( kilograms), more than kilograms! This brother is from Guangdong. His family is very poor, but he was brave enough to go to sea with me to pan for gold. He only panned for days and found this nugget of gold. His family will never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives. I won't tell you his name and place of origin, so as not to be targeted by bad guys."

A businessman obviously knew Wang Chongdu and asked quickly, "Mr. Wang, is this the Australia you mentioned last time?"

Wang Chongdu nodded and said, "Yes, it is Australia. Australia Gold Mountain, the name was given by His Majesty himself. After winter comes, I plan to recruit another group of gold diggers. There is so much gold there that it is impossible to mine it all. You see, in addition to this 24-jin piece, there are many other gold nuggets weighing several jin or half a jin."

The attendant carried a bag filled with gold nuggets and walked among the crowd with the bag open, attracting bursts of exclamations.

"There are also fish scale gold and golden beans. Give them to them to open their eyes!" Wang Chongdu laughed.

Another businessman asked: "There are many people mining gold in Australia. Can we ship our goods over there?"

Wang Chongdu said, "Sure, go ahead and open a shop and do business there. But you have to pay me taxes. His Majesty said that within five years, I will be in charge of that place, and the court will send officials there after five years."

Five years of exclusive management rights?

Many businessmen were jealous after hearing this and wished they could take his place.

Wang Chongdu smiled and said, "His Majesty asked me to tell you that whoever goes out to sea to explore similar places will be given five years of operating rights by the imperial court. If you can't handle the natives yourself, you can also apply to the imperial court to send troops for protection. But if the imperial court sends troops, you will definitely not get so many benefits." The merchants chatted one after another, constantly asking for details about Australia.

When they heard that Australia was so large, many people had already started to think about it. They planned to first transport a small amount of daily necessities over, gather information along the Australian coast, and then recruit people to occupy a piece of territory.

Or, if you organize a prospecting team to land and explore, you might be able to find gold mines.

They kept messing around in the customs declaration area for a long time, seriously affecting customs work, so the tax collectors had to come over and ask them to disperse.

There were actually some businessmen who surrounded Wang Chongdu and went to the Baoquan Bureau next door to watch him exchange a pile of gold into currency with their own eyes.

Wang Chongdu exchanged all his gold for Ming Dynasty treasure notes, and only a small portion was exchanged for silver and copper coins.

The guy who picked up the biggest nugget only wanted metal currency, and then stood there holding a pile of gold, silver and copper coins. It was too heavy for him to move, so he could only exchange some of it for paper money.

He was carrying too much money, so he didn't dare to leave Baoquan Bureau...

Wang Chongdu took the opportunity to say, "I organized you to go out to sea to pan for gold, so I'll just send you back home with a musket and help you buy a house and land. I'll also spread the word in your hometown that anyone who dares to take your property will have a problem with me, Wang Chongdu!"

Then he said to everyone: "As long as you make a lot of money at sea, I can send someone to send you home. If you want to go to Australia with me, don't worry! Even if you die in a foreign land, I will bring your ashes back. This time I brought back the ashes of more than ten brothers!"

"Prime Minister Wang is benevolent and righteous!" Everyone praised.

Wang Chongdu said: "I will rent a house outside Guangzhou and hang a sign on the door saying 'Australian Gold Rush Registration Office'. Anyone who wants to come and pan for gold can sign up, and businessmen who want to go to sea together can also register. We can all make money, and I will never eat alone!"

Within five years, the more people who were deceived into going to Australia, the more profit Wang Chongdu could make.

Two days later, Li Bin led a group of armed men and rented an inland vessel to escort the rich old man home.

He was even given a big red flower on his chest.

This man's name was Zhang Guan. His family had been farmers for generations, and the closer he got to his hometown, the more afraid he became.

Not only was he afraid of being targeted by criminals, he was also afraid that relatives and neighbors would come to borrow money from him, because once he lent the money, he would definitely not be able to get it back.

When the ship arrived in Heyuan County, Zhang Guan finally couldn't help asking: "Captain Li, you are knowledgeable, can you give me some advice?"

Li Bin smiled and said, "Are you willing to spend money?"

"Pay money to hire bodyguards?" With Zhang Guan's knowledge, this was the only thing he could think of.

"You suddenly became rich, and the guards you hired are unreliable," Li Bin said. "After returning home, take out 100 strings of cash, wear clothes as raggedly as possible, and make your face and hands dirty. Take the money and donate it to the county school. Say that you have never been to school, but you admire those scholars and hope that there will be more talented people in your hometown."

"Donate one hundred strings of cash?" Zhang Guan subconsciously protected his money.

It was impossible for such a large piece of nugget gold to be traded at the normal gold price. Even the Baoquan Bureau bought it at an 8% premium - it was really evil.

With the influx of large amounts of overseas silver and copper, and the acquisition of copper mines in Yunnan, the Ming Dynasty now has more silver and copper than gold, and the gold-silver price ratio has risen to 1:9.

Zhang Guan’s gold nugget was sold at the Baoquan Bureau for a high price of 3600 strings of cash!
Li Bin said: "Donating to the school is just the first step. I will act as a middleman and ask the school professor to take you to see the county magistrate, and you will donate another 200 strings of cash to the county government. Privately, you can also give some money to the clerks for tea. The county magistrate will send a clerk to escort you home and give you a sign that says 'Scholarship Volunteer'."

Zhang Guan asked in confusion: "Will the county magistrate give me a sign?"

Li Bin said, "I will help you make connections. His Majesty encourages overseas development, and you are a model of development. You also donate money to the government and schools. How could the county magistrate not give you a righteous citizen badge? Not only will he give you a badge, he will also help you buy land. After you return home, give some money to the head of the baojia, treat your fellow villagers to a meal, and pay to build a small bridge or pave a section of road. Oh, and donate money to the village school, and make sure to have a good relationship with the village teacher."

"How much money will that cost?" Zhang Guan's heart was bleeding.

Li Bin said: "You have to pay at least 3600 of your 800 guan."

Zhang Guan said with a bitter face: "Too many."

"There's no other way. You can't hide so much money without showing it off," Li Bin said. "Since you've already shown off your wealth, why not make a big show of it. From now on, tell everyone you meet that you have connections with the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the professor, the bailiff, and the head of the village police station. Give gifts to the village school teacher from time to time. And since you're building bridges and roads, whoever wants to take advantage of you won't think twice."

Zhang Guan muttered, "Bad guys don't care about that."

Li Bin said, "What about us? I'll take people to your village and fire a few shots into the air, and then say that you are ours and we are His Majesty's people. Anyone who dares to steal your money is disrespecting His Majesty! By the way, do you have a son?"

"There are three." Zhang Guan replied.

"Have you ever been to school?" Li Bin asked.

Zhang Guan shook his head: "I have never been to school."

Li Bin said, "Choose the smartest one and send him to the county primary school to study as a foreign student (self-funded official student). If the county magistrate and professor come forward and you donate some money to the county primary school, they will definitely accept your son. The rest will go to the village school and give more tuition to the village teacher."

"Is that all?" Zhang Guan was still worried.

Li Bin said helplessly: "If you are afraid, just take your whole family to Australia. No one will dare to touch you there."

Zhang Guan thought about it for a while, and suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I will bring my family to Australia!"

Li Bin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Li Bin patted Zhang Guan on the shoulder and said, "Then there is no need to hide it. You bring the big red flower and I will protect you as you go around the county town and the surrounding villages. When we get to Australia, I will sell you the land and the shop. If you have any difficulties, come to me at any time!"

Zhang Guan was suddenly enlightened. He gritted his teeth and took out a hundred-guan note and said, "Please take good care of me in the future, Master Li."

Li Bin collected the banknotes without hesitation and said, "I am not taking this hundred strings of cash for myself, I am also going to treat my brothers to a drink. After we stop the ship, I will introduce you to those brothers. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can find any of them."

Seeing Li Bin take the money and make a promise, Zhang Guan felt relieved instantly.

The situation of returning to his hometown to settle down was too complicated, and he simply couldn't handle it. Not only was he afraid of robbery and oppression by officials, he was even more afraid of neighbors or relatives asking to borrow money. If they borrowed once, they would borrow again. If they didn't lend money, they would definitely throw a tantrum, and there was no way he could live a peaceful life.

It would be better to move to Australia.

He could even trick some fellow villagers into going over there. When they arrive in Australia, they will definitely ask him for help, and they can then take care of each other.

(End of this chapter)