warring states careerist

Chapter 664 The City of Virtue

He is not from Handan, and he is completely unfamiliar with the name Guo Zong, and he has no idea that behind this pile of dried corpses is the struggle of industrial and commercial people in Handan area to stand in line.

The essence of this struggle is about the dispute over the distribution of spoils after the Zhao Civil War: the struggle between the emerging industrial and commercial forces dominated by the Mohists against the original large industrial and commercial forces in Zhao State that were closely related to the nobles.

The winner takes all, including the iron smelting market, grassland trading market, salt industry and other industries in Zhao State.

The gallows swaying like wind chimes, silently pronouncing who is the winner and who is the loser.

It was originally just a simple and common coup, but it was turned into a major reshuffle of Zhao's monopoly of industry and commerce by the Mohists.

Those who cooperate will make more money.

Those who do not cooperate will send you to death and force you to go bankrupt.

Under the feudal appearance, among the industrial and commercial people, the Mohist is the uncrowned king and the uncrowned king.

This invisible crown is the huge wealth and principal accumulated by Sishang for 20 years, which can overwhelm any wealthy businessman or even prince in the world today.

Concubine Mi is no better than those students who have studied economics in school for several years. Regarding this matter, they can only see the appearance of "this rich family named Guo Zong colluded with the son to cause chaos and was killed".

Soon, the people gathered came from all directions, and the concubine Mi also began to perform her duties, patrolling nearby on horseback to maintain order.

The whole morning was full of speeches about "victory", "relief from siege", "removal of soldiers", "non-attack".

However, everything is afraid of comparison.

When the Mohists on the wooden platform started to talk about the "grassland trade franchise", the whole meeting place became lively, and even the concubine Mi was taken aback.

He felt that the previous speech was like heating up a pot of oil, just like the kind of hot oil used by the village community to fry meatballs in the New Year, and some bubbles were churning.

But now, it's like suddenly adding a spoonful of water to the hot oil, causing the oil to splash everywhere, wishing the whole pot of oil would jump up.

Many people shouted from below: "That's right! This is real profit! Why do we fight? Why do we lend money to Gongzizhang? Isn't it for profit?"

"I said, just tell me, how much profit will you get?"

"Gong Zizhang won't do if he doesn't pay back the money!"

"If he doesn't pay back the money... why do we support him? It's the only thing in heaven and earth to pay back the debt!"

The crowd kept asking questions like this. As the prisoner Mie rode around on horseback, he saw a person outside the crowd shaking his head and saying, "A city without virtue, a city without virtue. Disloyalty, injustice, only knowing profit, such a world, How can it last? This world, I am afraid it will end..."

The concubine Mi couldn't help curling her lips and smiling, thinking that this is the end?Then you didn’t go to Sishang to take a look. For those caravans that invest in trading in Chuyue and even further south, I heard that more than a hundred retired fighters went to Fulou to buy a whole city for money. I came down and snatched a large number of jade and gold from the nobles there, but I don't know whether it is true or not.Anyway, to Sishang, it was said that it was trade income, and there was no one to sue, so a large group of people retired and sold their land and followed these people to the south to make a fortune...

He didn't bother to pay attention to this person, and rode his horse around from the outside to the side.

On the stage, the Mohist said: "How can I repay the borrowed money? You said that if it is repaid by taxation, then it is not the wool that comes from the sheep? Originally, the tax was levied for ten qian, but now it is levied for twenty qian It’s not good to pay back the tax to ten more of you.”

"So we discussed it and there are two ways."

"One, is to use this money to buy a trade license for the entire grassland. Let's raise some more money to transport ironware, spirits, silk, and kilin, and exchange cattle, sheep, horses, and alkali from the barbarians. You know, alkali It’s been expensive these past few years, the Mohists say that there’s a soda lake near Gaoliu to the north, where you can burn Qilin and invest money…”

"Then, based on the interest, the money you originally invested will be returned annually..."

As soon as he finished speaking, many people who looked rich in their clothes shouted, "Okay, this is a good way!"

"I can see it!"

But most of the people shouted: "No way! How can we have so much money in our hands? Those big businessmen have given away some money before, which is the hair on the cow. If we invest more money, that is It’s time to peel our own skin. Although it’s beneficial, we want to regenerate money in addition to the original profit.”

"That's right, you can't listen to them. It's not worthwhile for us small households!"

The concubine Mi understands this time. When he was in Sishang, he had come into contact with this kind of trade chamber of commerce, and what was involved was the matter of future profit distribution.

This method, after a little thought, must be beneficial to the wealthy households, because although the wealthy households invested a lot of money before, it is still small compared to their own net worth, and they can continue to increase in the future to obtain annual dividends.

But some small industrialists or farmers, who don’t have much savings themselves, first borrowed money from Gongzizhang as a war loan, and exchanged this batch of war loans for franchise rights. They have seen the Mo family start the iron smelting industry here. As for the ability to make money, I am sure that the principal and interest promised can be recovered, but the subsequent interests have nothing to do with them. In the long run, this will definitely not be agreed.

The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the love of the world is for profit. This is probably what it means.

The Mohist on the stage said again: "Then there is a second way."

"The Mo family pays in advance for the exclusive right to trade in the grassland, and then the money and grain that everyone originally lent to Gongzizhang, as well as the grain collected by the city guard, will be calculated and counted as the principal."

"Afterwards, according to the principal and interest, we will return the money paid by the Mo family when we distribute dividends every year. By the way, since it is a franchise, we have to strictly investigate and patrol. If you don't have money, you can't raise soldiers. If you don't have money to raise soldiers, there will be people." Secretly bring goods to the grassland, some people secretly take goods to the grassland, not to mention whether this will bring swords and gunpowder to the grassland to murder us in the future, even if we sell a lot less things that we specialize in, the things we sell If it’s a lot less, then we’ll make less money, right?”

"Originally, we wanted to collect taxes at the border. Later, we thought that it is not good to collect taxes on our own things. There is nothing that the barbarians can bring in. The taxes collected are our own. Originally, we thought Relying on taxes to support border inspection soldiers, but now that I think about it, it can also be converted into a capital dividend.”

"How do you see it?"

Before this, they had already taken advantage of the opportunity of the besieged people being organized to gather dozens of times. Who knew the huge profits?

After a little calculation, as long as the franchise can be achieved, one hundred thousand dollars a year will not be a problem, especially when I heard that Zhao Guo wants to reform the cavalry, which is another big investment, wouldn't it be beneficial?
It sounds like it would be extremely beneficial to the people.

Talking about the essence, that is, the development of the Mohists in the north and the development in Sishang cannot follow the same path. The Mohists in Sishang are in power, and some methods cannot be used here.

On the other hand, this franchised chamber of commerce is used as the second government of the industry and commerce of Zhao State and the Handan area; the people of Handan area and the industrial and commercial people of Zhao State are tied together by the interests.

This kind of monopoly development in the later stage is definitely not conducive to social development, such as hindering more advanced technology, using public goods for personal gain within the chamber of commerce, carrying private goods more than public goods, etc., but there is no need to think so far now, and the advancement of technology I don't expect natural development and natural accumulation. It's completely counterproductive command research. This is the best model for those who can clearly guide those who can "see the future and tell the future" without detours.

At that time, the Zhao government's orders will be considered a fart within the chamber of commerce.Dare to take back the franchise, and the people who participated will blow up the "tyrant"'s dog head every minute. Taking people's interests is like killing parents. Even if the king kills his parents, he must take revenge. This is a very simple way of thinking in the Yanzhao area.

The uncrowned king and uncrowned king of businessmen, the real government of Handan, this is the goal of the Mohists.

In fact, the rich businessman who really stands in the right direction has already reached an agreement with the Mo family in private.

What the Mohists have to do is to pull the bottom to contain the middle, so that the Mohists can occupy absolute dominance in the franchise.

Now for grassland trade, it must be extremely profitable.

Wars are frequent, leather armor needs leather, cavalry needs horses, new farming technology urgently needs cattle and horses, and kiln burning needs a lot of grassland lake alkali in Zhangjiakou and Datong areas of later generations, and the emerging woolen textile industry needs a lot of wool. The north is not very suitable for growing cotton.

And the new technologies brought by Zhao Guo and the Mohists, such as ironware, linden, silk, cotton cloth, wool, spirits, tea, etc., have cultivated a certain market, and at the same time, the pricing power is in the hands of the Mohists. here.

At the same time, the new crops and the land reform required by the Handan area can increase food production and support more non-agricultural people engaged in industry and commerce.

The military reforms of gunpowder, iron swords, stirrups, chariot formations, and star-shaped border forts also made the Hu people completely lose their tactical advantages. There has not yet been a unified grassland enemy country. The balance can be maintained, and by the way, the land in Yunzhong and Jiuyuan that are very suitable for farming under the precipitation line at this time can be obtained, and the naturalized population can be obtained.

Some Hu people who are close to the border and within the farming line can also use the method of "class struggle" to pull the bottom of the Hu people to fight against the noble leaders. s method.

It is not wrong for the people to seek profit.

Too much profit, in this era, is a natural resistance to the oppression of the times.

It is not uncommon for the leaders of the Mohists to see a society where "farming is not as good as industry, industry is not as good as business, and embroidery is not as good as laughing at the door". Now the leaders of the Mohist school have seen it, and even think that it would be great if it could be like this now.

The reason why Handan is now evaluated as a "city of no virtue" is mainly because the people bargained with Gong Zizhang. After being organized by the Mohists and using the external environment to deceive the nobles of Zhao State and trigger a civil war, this kind of bargaining can be done.

However, judging from the current "virtue", the actions of the people in Handan are indeed immoral-Qiujia's tax is a tax, and the monarch has the right to collect it. How can the monarch pay it back?Gong Zizhang enfeoffed Handan, if it weren't for Gong Zizhang's fiefdom, wouldn't the people in Handan have to eat shit and starve to death?How can you let Gongzizhang sell the benefits?
Moreover, the people of the country force the king to reach a common agreement, which is not only immoral, but also has no king and no father.The Mohists don’t really care. I’ve memorized the evaluation of No Monarch and No Father for more than 40 years. Long before I joined the Mohist School, I opposed the Confucianism as having no father and a beast. It’s not bad, but the people in Handan were innocently accused Seduced and bewitched, bear this infamy.

(End of this chapter)