At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 388 Liu Bang's Ambition and the Prosperous Financial Industry
Liu Bang listened to Zhou Bo's words and nodded in approval, saying, "Indeed, if you have the opportunity to become the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, you can even give up the State of Pei."

Then he sighed, "I haven't been to Chang'an for only two years, but it has become extremely unfamiliar. Compared with Liaodong, which has never changed, Guanzhong is changing with each passing day."

During this period, Liu Bang led the Hu leader to visit the Han Dynasty's steel plant, and he was amazed by the new 10-jin blast furnace.

But for the Hu people's leaders, this was a divine weapon. People like Ke Hu knelt down and kowtowed in front of the blast furnace.

King Hunxie and King Xiutu were so shocked that they were speechless. In the past, Maodun collected cattle and horse taxes from the entire desert in order to make steel, and almost forced the entire desert to revolt. However, he only made thousands of iron furnaces and produced tens of thousands of iron armors, but this was already a great achievement for the desert. Now, the Han people can make thousands of furnaces of steel with one furnace. The gap is so big that their defeat is not unfair at all.

Then Liu Bang took them to see the Han Dynasty's military assembly line. Under the action of the hydraulic force of the forging hammer weighing hundreds of pounds, a set of plate armor or a sword could be made in just a few times, and hundreds of weapons could be made in a stick of incense.

Then he took them to see the Han Dynasty's new artillery factory and let them watch the Han Dynasty's artillery test firing.

"Boom boom boom!" The power of the destructive force frightened all the leaders of the Hu tribes. They dared not say anything anymore and decided to make a pasture for their people in the desert. In their eyes, Xu Fan, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was no different from a god.

After demonstrating the Han Dynasty's abundant martial virtues to these Hu tribal leaders, they finally became obedient. King Hunxie and King Xiutu settled down peacefully in the Ten Kings House and thought of using their annual pensions to build a family business.

Tribal leaders like Ke Hu also became obsessed with listening to operas and storytellers in Chang'an City. Like Liu Bang, Ke Hu was even more fond of football, and the football field in Chang'an City almost became his permanent residence.

Through Liu Bang's relationship, he also joined a football team. Because Ke Hu was tall, agile and energetic, he became a star player of the football team in a short time and even had quite a few fans in Chang'an City.

At that time, Chang'an City was the best city in the world, with the best infrastructure and welfare benefits.

Most of the tribal leaders who entered the city of Chang'an were just like Liu Adou, who was happy there and didn't miss his homeland.

Only a few determined tribal leaders proposed to return to their own tribes, and Xu Fan did not stop them and let them go back.

After completing his mission, Liu Bang did not return to his fiefdom immediately, but continued to observe the changes in Guanzhong.

He saw the scene of black powder causing the earth to collapse and the huge mountain to be blown to pieces by the black powder in the mine.

He also saw the huge supply carts at the coal mines, carrying tens of thousands of pounds of coal to the steel mills to make steel, and to the honeycomb coal factory to make honeycomb coal. He also saw something like a large iron furnace at the coal factory, which could pump out water from the mine by burning coal.

He went to the Chang'an Coach Factory and watched the heavy-duty carriages rolling off the production line like flowing water. In less than an incense stick of time, he saw two carriages being assembled.

Seeing the Changan Automobile Factory, Liu Bang finally understood why the imperial court was able to obtain 3000 to heavy-duty carriages in such a short period of time, and why they could be sold at a low price of coins. If the imperial court had not allowed it, Liu Bang would have wanted to buy several hundred of them, as the price was too affordable.

Seeing all this, he finally understood that a carriage could really be made like flowing water.

He didn't even understand it all, a carriage was assembled right before his eyes.

Guanzhong and Liaodong are completely two different worlds. Liu Bang was a little unwilling that he could only bring some wild men to hunt and farm in Liaodong. He also wanted to build his own vassal state in Guanzhong like the present one.

So he said, "Old Zhou, Chang'an is very rich here, and it is completely different from our Liaodong. Nai Gong can't eat well, can't sleep, and can only hug some wild women to live every day. But His Majesty asked us to go to Liaodong to educate the wild people, not to become wild people ourselves."

Zhou Bo said angrily, "It would be more effective if you tell the emperor these words. I don't know you, Liu Laosan. If you want something good, just ask the emperor for it. What's the point of telling me? You don't even know how much money I have in my sleeve."

After the tax inspector began to issue the order to publicize property, Zhou Bo reported how many acres of land, how many shops, how many caravans his family owned, and how much money his family had. The information was then made public in the Han Monthly Report, open to supervision by people all over the world.

No tax collector dares to be clever in this regard, because what you disclose does not match what you own, which means that the source of your property is unknown and you can be directly convicted of a felony.

Other tax collectors had to find ways to transfer their property to their relatives, but Zhou Bo had no such concerns. He openly published his millions of assets in the Han Monthly.

He was a founding earl of the Han Dynasty and had fiefdoms in his hometown. Zhou Bo's family had a net income of about 30 coins every year. Zhou Bo also had a large family to support. His two older sons were studying at Mozi College and Agricultural College respectively, and his youngest son had just started elementary school this year. Several relatives helped him manage the family business, and the money his family earned every year was simply not enough to spend.

Zhou Bo despised Zhuang Jia and Wu Pan extremely. With their status as elders, if they really wanted to enjoy wealth, they didn't need to engage in corruption. They could easily earn millions of dollars a year by establishing a country outside the Han Dynasty. When the amount of money reaches a certain level, what difference does a million or tens of millions make?

These two people are not willing to go overseas to fight and suffer, but they are also reluctant to give up the glory and wealth in the Han Dynasty. They clearly have a way to go, but they are going to a dead end. Such people are real fools, throwing away the wealth of their family for hundreds of years.

Zhou Bo's biggest expense was actually the annual relief for the injured old brothers who had followed him to conquer the world.

The nobles of the Han Dynasty were particular about giving away clothes to wear and giving away food to eat.

He took very good care of the old brothers who followed him to conquer the world.

This is because the Han Dynasty implemented a feudal system. Every noble of the Han Dynasty had a great possibility of becoming a local lord. If one wanted to develop a vassal state outside the Han Dynasty, he must have a group of trustworthy subordinates. And there was no better suitable subordinate than the old brothers who had followed them to conquer the world.

Therefore, every noble of the Han Dynasty, even the lowest baron, will take care of their comrades.

Zhou Bo is now vying for the position of prime minister, but these old brothers are his backup plan. If he really can't stay in the Han Dynasty anymore, he can also rely on these old brothers to establish vassal states overseas.

Liu Bang laughed to cover up his embarrassment and said, "You have been in the Han Dynasty for many years, and you have been an official in Sanchuan County and Guanzhong. You can talk to Nai Gong about it. I also want to develop industries in Liaodong. Do you think it is feasible?"

Zhou Bo nodded and said, "Now it is indeed more profitable to start an industry than to farm. Liaodong is far away from the Han mainland and surrounded by barbarians. You can make money by setting up a textile factory in Liaodong. Millions of people in Liaodong are your customers."

Liu Bang said disdainfully: "You look down on me like this. There are many men in the textile factory. I think the carriage and horse farm is pretty good. The money it makes in a year is more than what you get from the country."

Zhou Bo rolled his eyes when he heard this and said, "How dare you think that? The Chariot and Horse Factory is the most technologically advanced factory in our Han Dynasty. Even within the Han Dynasty, only Guanzhong and Sanchuan County can create such an industrial chain.

Other places get parts from these two places and assemble them themselves. Do you think that the most important assembly plant is the one that produces a horse-drawn carriage?

Not at all. It is the hundreds of parts production workshops under the general assembly plant, which have tens of thousands of highly skilled craftsmen in Luoyang, Guanzhong. Without these workshops, you can't even produce a qualified part without these highly skilled craftsmen. "

"Don't blame me for not reminding you, brother. If you dare to go to Liaodong to build a horse and carriage factory, be prepared to put all the money of your fiefdom into it."

Liu Bang didn't get angry after hearing this. Instead, he clapped his hands and said, "I knew it was right to discuss this with you. Please help me think about what kind of industry is suitable for Liaodong. Whether Nai Gong will live a life of luxury or a life of plenty depends on your advice."

Zhou Bo said contemptuously: "Half of your body is buried in the ground, and you still have the rest of your life to live. I am here to show my nephew a way." Then Zhou Bo began to ponder. Pei State was located in Liaodong Peninsula, which was the most backward area of ​​the Han Dynasty. Due to the lack of talents, the development of its textile and steel industries could not compare with that of the inland areas of the Han Dynasty.

From the information he got from the tax inspectors, he could tell that the number of wealthy households in Jianghuai, Central Plains, Guanzhong, and Hebei had been increasing in the past two years, and taxes were also increasing. However, there was not much increase in Yan area, and even the population was attracted away from Hebei.

The only relatively well-developed industry in Yan is the shipbuilding industry. Ever since the Han Dynasty discovered the Spice Islands, the Han Dynasty's exploration of Southeast Asia has been increasing, resulting in a continuous increase in the demand for sea vessels throughout the world. Although Yan is barren, it has a small population and hundreds of years old timber is everywhere. These are all high-quality timbers for shipbuilding. Now the sea merchants in Kuaiji County will go to Guangyang County to order sea vessels.

Zhou Bo said, "If you are really ambitious, you can sell everything you have to develop the shipbuilding industry. This industry should have a development prospect of hundreds of years. But even for this shipbuilding industry, the threshold is still very high. Small seagoing ships are no longer suitable for maritime trade. Nowadays, sea merchants generally pursue seagoing ships of 2,000 or 3,000 tons. Kuaiji County is already manufacturing seagoing ships of 10,000 tons. It is said that the keels of seagoing ships are made of 100-year-old wood and can withstand any storm."

Liu Bang asked: "How should Naigong develop the shipbuilding industry?"

"Naturally, you should first recruit technical talents and invite them to Liaodong with high salaries. At the same time, you should send a group of talents to Mozi College and Luban College to study and cultivate your own talents. If you work hard for 10 years, with the resources of Liaodong, you may have a place in the shipbuilding industry."

Then he said, "To develop an industry, you need talent and money. The fifty counties of the Han Dynasty are developing industries, but the best ones are Guanzhong, Sanchuan County and the birthplace of the Han Dynasty. The development speed of other counties is far less than that of the birthplace of the Han Dynasty. They are even suppressed to a certain extent because talent and money have gone to these wealthy places."

Unlike other Han officials, Zhou Bo had always been dealing with taxation. He could understand which place was rich, which place was poor, which place was developing rapidly, and which place was stagnant through the changes in taxes.

So Zhou Bo could feel that the richer the Han Dynasty, the more people there were, and the richer the place, the richer it was. But it was still difficult for Zhou Bo to systematically propose the Matthew effect.

After Liu Bang and Zhou Bo had discussed it, they immediately found Xu Fan.

He first recounted the great contributions he had made in the Battle of Mobei, and then he reiterated that he had brought these tribal leaders to witness the Han people's abundant martial virtues and eliminated their ambition to fight against the Han people.

In the end, these Hu tribal leaders fell into the arms of a beautiful woman and enjoyed themselves in Chang'an City without wanting to leave.

Then he just looked at Xu Fan straight, seemingly saying nothing, but in fact he said everything.

Xu Fan said helplessly: "What reward do you want?"

Liu Bang said, "My Liaodong is too far from the Han mainland. It takes three months to travel from the Han mainland to the mainland by land. The only quick way is by sea. But now the sea vessels in the north are in short supply. I almost missed the meeting of princes several times. I really want to come to Liaodong. If there is a shipyard that can build 10,000-ton sea vessels, I won't have to worry about missing the meeting of princes."

"Ahem!" Xu Fan said, "Ten thousand stone sea ship, you really dare to say that."

Liu Bang smiled and said, "I can accept a smaller one, but I am not worried about the safety of my brothers. A ship of 1,000 tons will capsize if it encounters a storm. This ship of 10,000 tons is not said to be able to withstand any storm and is said to never sink."

Xu Fan said: "The court is now in debt, and there is a fierce storm in order to repay the debt. It really does not have the financial resources to support you in building a shipyard. The court can support 100 students in Luban College and Mozi College. As for the money, you can go to the bill exchange to raise it yourself. Success or failure depends on your own ability."

Last year, the chief clerk of Duyang County raised money from the bill exchange and built a 200-mile track.

There are many people in Dahan who have entrepreneurial ideas and they loudly promote their business plans in the hope of gaining support from angel investors.

Ten counties in Guanzhong have learned from Duyang County's practice and come up with plans for more than 10 miles of branch rail lines. Some of these plans have just started construction, while others are about to be completed.

There are now more than a dozen stocks in the bill exchange, among which the Duyang County rail has been completed.

The number of rail carriages in operation that month reached 2000, with a revenue of 40 yuan. Based on this number, the original five-year payback period can be advanced by one year, and the remaining 5 years will be pure profit. After this financial report was released, the stock price of Duyang Rail increased by 16%, but there is still potential for growth.

Liu Bang asked Zhou Bo to make an investment plan for him, and then went to the Bill Exchange.

The bill exchange was crowded with people and the atmosphere was lively. Everyone who traded there was dressed in silk, satin, and gold and silver, for fear that others would not know that they were rich.

In other places in the Han Dynasty, such a show of wealth would certainly be despised, but in the bill exchange, this is the best name card. It is clear at a glance whether one has money or not, which can greatly save everyone's time.

Seeing this scene, Liu Bang was excited and said: "There are so many rich families in our Han Dynasty. We have harvested them all, but we haven't harvested them all yet."

Thinking of his own vassal states, the only ones who could be considered wealthy were his relatives and confidants, and he could not cut them off at all. He admired and said, "Your Majesty's ability to grow leeks is really worth learning from."

Of course, Liu Bang did not forget his mission today. He walked to a high platform, took out his seal and said loudly: "I am Liu Bang, the king of Pei State. I want to build a shipyard in Liaodong that can produce 10,000-ton sea vessels. The emperor has supported hundreds of craftsmen from the Mohist and Gongshu schools. If you are willing to make a fortune with me, please come here."

After hearing what Liu Bang said, a large group of people gathered around him. They first checked Liu Bang's seal, and then the Han clerk from the bill exchange came over, looked at Liu Bang and said, "This man is indeed Liu Bang, Marquis of Pei."

Only then did the people around him become interested in Liu Bang's plan.

There was no way. The Han scammers evolved too quickly. They used stocks from Duyang County to raise funds for track construction.

Many scammers learned this method. They pretended to be nobles and officials of the Han Dynasty and proposed an extremely tempting plan, claiming that they could make a profit in two years and pay back the investment in one year.

Rich businessmen from the Han Dynasty invested money one after another, but these noble officials disappeared without a trace along with their money.

Five such scammers appeared in a year, defrauding tens of millions of dollars and even causing several wealthy businessmen to become bankrupt and jump into the Wei River. This finally attracted the attention of the Han court.

Therefore, the Han Dynasty sent Han officials to verify the identities of entrepreneurs. Only after their identities were clearly checked would people dare to invest.

Of course, people without official backgrounds can usually only get projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Because even if their identities are verified, these people may run away with their money. Investing in these people is like gambling, with high risks and high returns. If you win, you can get several times the profit, but if you lose, you will lose everything. The shrewd Han merchants only dare to invest 10,000 or 20,000 yuan in such investors, which is equivalent to gambling.

Only those with noble and official status could give the first generation of angel investors in the Han Dynasty a sense of security, because these people could escape from the temple, and no matter how badly they were treated, they would never abscond with the money.

After confirming Liu Bang's ID card, a wealthy businessman asked, "How much does the Marquis of Pei need to raise? How many years will it take me to get my money back?"

Liu Bang spread the map of Liaodong on the ground and said, "This is the map of Liaodong. The century-old wood that is extremely precious in the Central Plains is everywhere in Liaodong. The price of wood is 5 times lower than that in the Central Plains. The cost of building a sea ship in Liaodong is only half of that in the Central Plains. To the east of Liaodong is Japan. There is a large fishing ground here. As long as the sea ship goes there, it can return with a full load. There is also a Whale River Sea. As the name suggests, there are many whales in this place, just like the sea. In addition, if Liaodong wants to come to the mainland of the Han Dynasty, sea transportation is the fastest way. In addition, maritime trade is now prosperous, so the shipbuilding industry has great potential.

I plan to raise 10,000 gold to build a large shipyard that can manufacture five ships at the same time. According to the current 50% profit of the shipbuilding industry, plus the cost of craftsmen, it will take at least two years and at most three years to recover the investment. I will own half of the shares of this shipyard, and the remaining half of the shares will be divided among you. First come first served, and no one will be allowed to wait after the expiration date. "

(End of this chapter)