I was the emperor in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 410 The Power of Capital

No matter what era, most of the people who dare to be the first in the world are not literati, but businessmen who are willing to take risks for their own interests.

In order to earn a little profit, they dared to cross the vast Gobi Desert in the Western Regions, traveled tens of thousands of miles to the western countries, and dared to sail to the sea despite the wind and waves, just to sell a few bolts of silk and a few pieces of porcelain.

In this world, merchants are the first to try new things, and merchants are the first to open up new business routes.

Promoting the change and evolution of the entire society through commercial activities is an inevitable evolution of the times, and it is also a process that capitalism must go through in governing the country.

Some people may say that what capitalism is decadent and low-level.

However, Li Tian said that in the middle stage of social development, using capital to drive social initiative is the most effective and convenient way of development.

What is capital-driven social initiative?

To put it bluntly, it is actually telling everyone in the world clearly what to do to make money and how to do it to make money.

What the imperial court has to do is to guide and guide behind the scenes. When appropriate, simple regulation and control can make the whole society full of vitality and aggressive desire.

Although it seems very cliché to talk about money with your mouth and talk about money with your mouth shut.

But this simple and crude way does work, and it works very well.

As long as you have money, the source of food is not a problem, nor is the problem of soldiers.

As long as you have money, someone will help you with weapons and horses.

In this era, if you have money, food, and soldiers, you have everything, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

The seemingly complicated political situation and the chaotic world situation are actually nothing that money can't solve.

The power of capital is endless, as long as you make good use of it, almost nothing is impossible.

Li Tian understood this truth a long time ago.

The royal bank, the workshop, and even the current capital exchange are actually paving the way for capital to control the world.

People in this era may not understand how a mere money can influence the general trend of the world.

But Li Tian, ​​who has experienced the baptism of the general environment of later generations, is very clear that even the leaders of the most powerful country in the world, the United States, can be manipulated by capitalists, which shows how powerful the power of capital is.

Compared with the calculations of future generations that require countless people to participate in it.

Today's Daming is as simple as a college student who has fallen into kindergarten.

He only needs to gently wave a few strings behind his back, and he can control the entire capital city.

Governing the world seems to be really not that difficult.

The exchange may seem simple, but in fact, what it represents is far from being as simple as it seems to outsiders.

Macro-control, controlling prices, and disseminating information are actually just superficial functions.

Its deeper role is actually to allow commodities to circulate in an orderly manner within the rules.

The circulation of commodities represents the flow of money, and the flow of money marks economic activities.

As I said before, only when money flows can it reflect its due value, otherwise it is just a pile of colorful paper, which is heavy and cold metal.

If the imperial court has money, it can solve many major issues. If the people have money, they will have more choices in life.

The flow of money is the movement of the entire society. Only by moving can stagnant water become a stream and more talents and opportunities can emerge.

Of course, promoting the orderly circulation of commodities is just one of the functions of the exchange.

For Li Tian, ​​mastering the real-time prices of goods in the capital can give him a more detailed understanding of all aspects of the lives of the people in the capital. He doesn't need to do anything to grasp the many changes in the people's clothing, food, housing and transportation.

This is like the big data of future generations, although for the time being there is no way to compare it with the future generations with the Internet.

But with such an extra window, Li Tian seemed to have countless extra ears and countless pairs of eyes.

He can see at a glance what the people need, what is lacking, and what is in excess.

Whether it is to promote the stability of the capital, or to grasp the sufferings of the people all over the world through the capital, it is of great reference value.

Through this window, Li Tian will have a basis and reference for any government orders he issues in the future, and he doesn't need to blindly test them a little bit.

Feedback on efficiency and results will appear in front of him much faster than before, making it easier for him to make timely adjustments and mastery.

If it is said that one small step for the imperial court is one giant leap for the entire Ming Dynasty, then nothing can reflect this change better than the Exchange.

In contrast, whether it is a reform, or the establishment of a royal bank or workshop, it can only affect a small number of people.

But the exchange can really affect everyone in the entire capital, including dignitaries, nobles, and even the royal family.

Its far-reaching impact, although not visible in a short period of time, will only take three to five years, when all commodities in the world are incorporated into this system.

That's when it truly reveals its power and unrivaled reach.

At that time, it only needs to release a message to mobilize the productivity of the whole world. This fantastic ability may no longer be a dream.

The exchange is like an introduction, while guiding and guiding the people of Ming Dynasty, evolution creates more opportunities.

And what this so-called opportunity may produce is very fascinating.

The most powerful organizations in the West during the Age of Discovery were the so-called East India Company.

They are large-scale trading companies that have been authorized and franchised by the European royal family, and then formed by multiple business groups.

It is actually the same thing to say that they are the embryonic form of those giant trusts of later generations.

The fundamental reason why the East India Company was able to use the power of capital to bring great benefits to the European royal family at that time was actually caused by information asymmetry.

In fact, in some respects, the exchange is just a variant of this giant trust.

It's just that one is a regional comprehensive trading venue, and the other is an act of plundering and dumping goods across several continents.

On the surface, they are essentially two different things.

But as long as you understand the nature of commodity trading, it is not difficult to see that the meaning of their existence is actually figured out.

The same is to release information, so that capable and courageous people can accomplish the goals that the information publisher wants to achieve.

As far as the results are concerned, they are actually not different.

Li Tian doesn't mind the exchange becoming something like the East India Company.

In his opinion, anything that can bring benefits to Daming can exist.

Even if he doesn't want to, the drive of profit will always lead to the emergence of this kind of thing at a certain point in history.

Since he couldn't stop the general trend from coming, all he could do was to make it a little more peaceful and humane.

(End of this chapter)