New Shun 1730

Liu Yu's words made a good start, giving these new classes a sense of hope.

But then, Liu Yu did not directly talk about "rights and interests", but first talked about the "obligations" that these new classes hate the most.

"I know what you care about most, and the court is not unintentional in asking you to get rich together. In business, it's not wrong to want to get rich."

"But everything in Nanyang is not as simple as getting rich. Now the court is using troops in Nanyang. Nanyang is vast, and it is common to crack down on smuggling, station troops to guard strictly, and prevent Nanyang goods from being sold privately to Westerners. All of this requires money."

"Now the court is using troops, and the military expenses required are nothing more than the land tax and salt tax."

"They are all scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. Farmers pay taxes to fight and serve as soldiers. In the end, all the profits go to you. Isn't this inappropriate?"

"If you want to say that the northwest is using troops, you may feel uncomfortable paying for it. You think that the northwest is thousands of miles away, what does it have to do with us in the southeast? Why should we pay for it? I won't argue with you. Arguing is useless, but it seems to make sense more or less."

"But this time in Nanyang... do you think it's appropriate?"

After the voice fell, these new classes of Dashun were speechless.

The vast majority of people definitely only want to enjoy rights and do not want to fulfill obligations.

The farmers of Dashun belong to the class that does not expect to have any rights at all, but the merchant class is very different.

Is it appropriate?

Not to mention the Nanyang, even the defense of the Northeast and Northwest, it is not appropriate to say that it has nothing to do with them.

Merchants can actually understand the model of the East India Company in Europe.

Whether it is Britain, the Netherlands, or France. The garrison expenses and war expenses of the East India Company are all included in the company's operating costs.

It is impossible to say that the state uses national finances to fight for the company, and then the company takes all the profits.

Is this possible? Of course it is possible, but the premise is the dictatorship of the commercial bourgeoisie, and the state completely represents the interests of the commercial bourgeoisie.

But in Dashun, let alone the dictatorship of the commercial bourgeoisie. To put it bluntly, the status of merchants is not even qualified to be "united front".

The Dashun court cares more about the interests of small farmers than the views of the merchant class. Because what the common people can do, from Chen Sheng and Wu Guang to Emperor Taizu of Dashun, has proved a lot, and also proved their united front value.

But the merchant class of Dashun...

The British bourgeoisie can make the country pay attention, because they can talk to the king.

These emerging classes of Dashun are still far from it, they are just a group of fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

A tiger can compromise with a group of wolves, or even with a group of trillions of ants, but it will never compromise with a group of big fat sheep.

The worries of these emerging classes of Dashun are also due to this.

The story of Shen Wansan may be false, but it is widely circulated among businessmen.

Liu Yu talked so much about "money" right at the beginning. These emerging classes are worried that the court is going to eat alone?

Not only eating alone, but also cutting their meat as equity?

In other words, Liu Yu's reputation among the merchant class is still good, and in recent years the court has also done some "personnel affairs" according to some "rules" of the merchant class.

It has not surprised all these people.

Everyone looked at each other, and then turned their eyes to Lin Yunwen, the director of the Japan Trade Company. He and Liu Yu had known each other for a long time. When Liu Yu went to the Japanese shogunate to discuss things, it was this person who served as Liu Yu's Japanese teacher.

Some people had a lot to say, and they felt that it was better to let Lin Yunwen speak out.

Seeing that no one spoke, and everyone winked at him, Lin Yunwen had to speak out: "What the Whale Lord said is very true. There is no right without obligation, and there should be no obligation without rights."

"The court went to Southeast Asia, and it spent the money of the farmers of the scholars, farmers, merchants and industrialists. We all know it. If we are allowed to monopolize the benefits, it is indeed not appropriate."

"But, please let the Whale Lord make it clear, what exactly does the court mean? We are stupid and it is really hard to understand."

The words sound good, but in fact, there are very few people who can truly understand and implement the sentence "There is no right without obligation, and there should be no obligation without rights."

If they had a little understanding, the situation that China almost sank would not have occurred at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

There is no need to talk about morality with merchants. Merchants all over the world are the same, and the Dashun ones are not much higher.

What those European merchants did, Chinese merchants did the same.

Although Liu Yu often ridiculed Dutch financiers for lending money to the enemy country when the Netherlands was at war, it was common for Chinese merchants to transport food and ironware to the enemy country during the war a hundred years ago.

Although Liu Yu often complained about the pirate style of Western European merchants, Chinese merchants were not much better. In history, when Ryukyu was paying tribute, the merchants were looking for swords on the boats. They used their experience during the sea ban to load more goods, but they couldn't sell them. They forced the Ryukyu king to eat all the goods and even smashed and looted Shuri Castle.

Although Liu Yu often ridiculed the cruel colonial policies of Western Europeans, Chinese merchants occasionally sold medicinal materials such as "Fan Gao", "Fan Xin", and "Fan Wu Wan". You can tell what they are just by hearing the names.

Since the business class is all the same, we should just listen to Lin Yunwen's politically correct words.

Expecting these people to truly understand the unity of rights and obligations is like expecting the landlord class in the late Ming Dynasty to actively maintain the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Yu was not in a hurry to tell the method after going to Southeast Asia, but asked back: "Since you all think it is so inappropriate, I wonder what you think is the best way?"

When Liu Yu was asked the question just now, Lin Yunwen dared to speak. Now Liu Yu asked back, Lin Yunwen dared not speak.

If the court is not satisfied with what he said, he will suffer.

If the court is satisfied with what he said, his colleagues will definitely be dissatisfied, and he will inevitably be excluded in the future.

At this time, saying nothing is the choice of a smart person.

In the long silence, these emerging classes thought a lot.

If they really speak from the heart, what do they want? In fact, they have a plan in their hearts.

Although there is no Qing Dynasty in this era, there is no Thirteen Hong system of the Qing Dynasty, and since Dashun has gone to Southeast Asia, there is no possibility of worrying about the Western ships approaching the starting point of the canal transportation and moving the trade center.

However, if the trade model that these merchants can imagine and best meets their expectations is of course similar to the Thirteen Hong model.

However, after going to Southeast Asia, this appearance will change a little, and the inside is still the same.

It was nothing more than the imperial court using the land tax and salt tax for military expenses, shipbuilding, military expansion, and control of Southeast Asia.

Like the Dutch ruling Southeast Asia, they strictly controlled spices and prohibited private operations.

Then, the monopoly of Western trade was granted to the guilds and businesses formed by these big merchants.

In this way, they made money and the imperial court spent money, and they didn't have to worry about anything. The handicraft base of Dashun plus the spices of Southeast Asia really made it possible to sit at home and count money.

If this is true, the real big merchants would not make 30 to 50 million taels of silver, not be creditors of the East India Company, not buy real estate in New York, and not invest in the fur trade in North America. This would be unworthy of their monopoly position.

This model is what Liu Yu hates the most and has always tried to avoid.

From a purely commercial perspective, this model is undoubtedly the favorite of businessmen: if you want to control the market and transportation in your own hands, you have to fight and spend money, which are all costs.

Who would think about spending high costs and earning potentially higher profits when you can get excess profits at extremely low costs?

However, among the emerging classes of Dashun present, those of lower status did not dare to speak at this time; those of higher status had already had some contact with Liu Yu and knew that Liu Yu did not like this unprogressive profit model at all.

Moreover, Liu Yu's words just now had made it quite clear that it was impossible to use the land tax and salt tax paid by farmers to make profits for the merchant class unless Dashun was a dictatorship of the financial bourgeoisie.

Seeing that these people were silent, Liu Yu sighed and thought to himself that it was really a hopeless case.

"Since you are silent, I will speak."

"I also guess what you are thinking, but I want to say one thing: if you really want to collect money, the court will spend the treasury silver and use the country's army, so why should you share the benefits?"

"If you think that even if the court does this, it will have to find merchants to set up a business, take the status of official merchants, and in the end it will have to use you as brokers and imperial merchants."

"But I want to say, do you think I don't understand trade? Or can't I do this myself? Do I have to use you?"

After saying that, his eyes suddenly became cold and wandered around the people at the banquet, extremely sharp. With the pressure accumulated by the central court for two thousand years, the merchants present were uncomfortable.

In addition to the pressure they were used to two years ago, there were also the things Liu Yu had done before, which forced these merchants to seriously think about Liu Yu's words.

Indeed, if they really wanted to collect money, why would the court use them?

Everyone was thinking, before the Whale Marquis went to Japan, engaged in trade, and established the Sino-Swiss Joint Company, if he really wanted to engage in foreign trade, who among those present knew more about the Western Yi countries than him?

In terms of business means, he was not weaker than those present.

Indeed, the court is now fully capable of official monopoly, and can completely bypass these businesses as middlemen.

Some people heard anger in Liu Yu's tone.

But some people also sensed business opportunities.

Thinking in reverse, they felt that this was a good thing.

Now the court is not short of money.

It is not short of relationships.

It is not short of understanding of Western trade.

It is not short of navigation skills.

It is not short of people who can organize large-scale trade.

It is not short of anything. In this case, the Whale Marquis still said that the court can give opportunities to all businessmen, so isn't it really a chance?

Lin Yunwen, who had been Liu Yu's Japanese translator and Japanese teacher, took the initiative to say after observing his expression: "Calm down, Lord Whale. We admire Lord Whale's ability. Who doesn't know that if Lord Whale presides over the trade, we will make a lot of money?"

"It's just... although going to Southeast Asia is not unprecedented, how to trade is indeed unprecedented."

"In the past, Sanbao went to Southeast Asia, and the profits from Southeast Asia were all shipped back to China for sale. Now many years have passed, and the trade in Southeast Asia has never been interrupted. Even with the Dutch monopoly, the smuggling of spice trade has never stopped. There is not much room for profit growth in China, so it must be sold to the West."

"This is the first difference from the story."

"Second, the Holy Emperor is kind and the court is generous, which also gives us the opportunity to make a fortune. This is different from the time when Sanbao went to the West."

"There is no story to learn from before and after, so we can only look at the present."

"However, both the Dutch and British East India Companies, although they had merit, were inconsistent with the Chinese system."

"Soldiers cannot be used as soldiers unless they are saints."

"Politics cannot be controlled except by the emperor."

"I can't wait for businessmen, so how can I dare to hope for the military and political affairs of the East India Company?"

"So, we really don't know what to do."

This is the key point of today's matter. Lin Yunwen's words were like an enlightenment, awakening all the businessmen who were still unaware.

There was a sudden chorus of echoes.

"Ran Ye! Ran Ye!"

"How can we, a simple commoner, dare to have ambitions in matters of military and political affairs?"

"We will definitely not be able to learn from the British and Dutch systems; if we learn about the old affairs of the Three Protectors, it will be like waiting for a rabbit to catch a boat. So I leave it to your lord to make your decision."

Some people who had not thought of this section before were sweating coldly at this time, thinking that the Marquis Jing had just been talking about military expenditures, garrisoning and other matters, so it turned out that he was mentioning our section.

Is this something we can do?

Seeing Lin Yunwen talking about this key point, Liu Yu nodded slowly and said: "If you think so, it is not in vain that the imperial court also wants to support you and ask you to make a fortune together."

"Conquering Nanyang is just the beginning. If you want to make a fortune in the future, you need to control Nanyang."

"Otherwise, if British smuggling ships came around and bought spices, how could they be willing to buy from us? Or, local merchants collected the spices and quietly smuggled them to Bengkulu, Luzon, or even India on boats. , this can’t make any money either.”

"Monopoly, monopoly, if you can't even control the supply of goods, how can you call it a monopoly?"

"But I also said it before, the opposition and unity of rights and obligations."

"You don't want to spend money or contribute to the Nanyang garrison, then you don't want to think about Nanyang trade. Is this reasonable?"

"It can't be said that the money from the imperial treasury only makes you rich. There is no such reason in the world. That ancestor followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the world. This cannot be said that when conquering the world, he worked hard and shed blood and waited for the world to be awarded a meritorious official. At that time, you found someone who had done nothing and was living in seclusion at home to become a duke, right? "

When asked this question, the businessmen present said repeatedly: "It's reasonable, reasonable, very reasonable."

"If we can participate in trade and maintain our monopoly, it is natural for us to pay."

"It's just...this..."

They said it was reasonable, but in their hearts they were wondering how much money the court was going to charge?

The imperial court frequently made donations, collected donations, and assessed taxes, but there were not many real clear taxes.

If it were like the previous dynasty, it was still known as one tax per thirty, but the first tax was light, the second tax was heavy, and the apportionment was a bottomless pit. This is a truth that has been valid since ancient times.

This is what businessmen are afraid of.

It’s not like Dashun has never established similar monopoly companies, such as trading companies with Japan. But things in Nanyang are different from things in Japan. This became even more obvious after Lin Yunwen mentioned that "military and political affairs" were not things that businessmen like them could touch.

The Japanese monopoly companies adopt a buy-and-buy style.

Spend money and buy a monopoly.

Done.

Need to check for smuggling? No need, because Japan has locked down the country and directly assisted in anti-smuggling.

Do we need a garrison? No need, Japan has just opened its ports, and trading companies with Japan only need to transfer freight and sell them for money.

Do you need to be responsible for Japan's land reform, land policy, and tax changes? There is no need, because there is no way to interfere. Whether it is the shogunate or the princes, they are very strict.

You don’t need anything. Can this be the same as Nanyang?

Nanyang cannot bypass the military or the government.

Military power, political power, and governing power.

Given the political environment in Dashun, is it possible to contract this thing out?

It is even said that feudal Nanyang is more likely than contracting out to establish a monopoly company. Although the former is also nonsense, at least it is a kind of nonsense that can be discussed within Dashun.

The emerging classes have their own expectations, but their expectations are expectations that Liu Yu vetoed. Under this situation, no matter how you look at it, you feel that the court wants to cut their flesh and shear their hair.

At this point, Liu Yu did not directly delve into this topic, but changed the direction and asked: "The bustling world is all for benefit; the bustling world is all for benefit."

"When talking about business, it's just about making money. You don't have to shy away from it."

"Okay, let me ask you a question first."

"What do you think the average annual rate of return will be, and what will you choose to invest?"

"Give you some time, you can discuss it and come up with a rough amount."

"I have an approximate number in my mind."

"If the number in my mind is higher than what you think, then we can talk."

"If the number in my mind is lower than your bottom line, then I don't have to waste my breath."

"Most of you are not interested in talking about the prestige of the Celestial Dynasty and domination of the seven seas. It may not be able to convince you. From the time when the Celestial Dynasty conquered the Rakshasa, conquered Japan, and built a navy, there are not many people who have devoted themselves to military service or abandoned business to join the army."

After saying that, he took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, waved his hand and said, "I'll give you two quarters of an hour to discuss. After two quarters of an hour, you come up with a number."

Putting away his pocket watch, Liu Yu sat there without talking, just eating tea by himself slowly.

The merchants below were suddenly like water dropped into a pan of oil, and like flies disturbed by a stone dropped into a summer cesspool.

The buzz of discussion was endless.

Since Liu Yu was so straightforward, these merchants did not shy away from discussing cheap things like "Aduwu" in front of the court ministers.

The people sitting between the tables were all acquaintances. They knew that Nanyang would make a fortune, but they had no idea how much profit Nanyang could make.

It's not that they had no idea at all. At first, they thought that the court would adopt a model of collecting money from the spot, monopolizing the business by officials and businessmen, and let them be the exclusive merchants.

If that was the case, the profit would be huge.

It was estimated that under such a model, the court would only collect a monopoly fee every year, and when the court needed something rare every year, they would pay tribute, and every year they would make arrangements for various gods.

Not to mention 200 to 300 percent profit, 70 to 80 percent profit would definitely be obtained.

But now Liu Yu directly punctured their fantasy and made it clear that if you want to make money, then you have to pay for the garrison and anti-smuggling money.

How much profit would be left?

They didn't know, and they had never thought about it before.

Now asked about their inner bottom line, no one could come up with a unified opinion for a while.