After hearing this, Lao Zhu asked noncommittally: "Even if merchants want to go to sea for trade, they can go to Longjiang Bao Shipyard to buy ships. The news I have received these days is that the merchants who go to Longjiang Bao Shipyard to buy ships are not Less. Why do these merchants insist on buying navy warships?"
"Your Majesty, as far as Wei Chen knows, Longjiang Bao Shipyard originally did not have any extra ships. Even if they went there, they still can't buy the ships. They can only pay the money first, and then Bao Shipyard will slowly give the ships to They made it.”
"But this is too slow, and it will take at least several months. For merchants, this much time is enough for them to run back and forth between Daming and Old Port. For merchants, waiting for the ship Time will cause them to miss out on great money-making opportunities.”
After hearing the explanation, Lao Zhu nodded without any trace, "Then what do you think about selling the boat to them?"
"I thought I could sell the boat to them."
Lao Zhu tapped his fingers on the imperial case, "What's the reason?"
"First, the navy's warships can no longer keep up with the navy's war needs. I went to sea twice and experienced several naval battles, both large and small. I won by relying on the strength of the ships and the power of artillery. Whether they were Japanese pirates or pirates, they also had Ships such as Fu Chuan, Cangshan Chuan, Haicang Chuan, etc., like the Ming Dynasty, were instantly bombarded to pieces when faced with artillery. Even our warships could not get close, and even the boats and people were sunk into the sea. The pirates are like this, even if it is replaced by the Ming Dynasty navy to drive these ships to fight against the new warships, the outcome will not be different. From a practical point of view, the large number of Fu ships, Cangshan ships and other ships in the navy are very important to the Ming army. The combat power is not of much use, but a lot of money is spent on ship repairs every year."
"Instead of doing this, it is better to take this opportunity to sell to those businessmen. Now they are in urgent need of ships. Even if it is sold to them at the price of a new ship, I am afraid they will accept it."
If these old warships don't take advantage of this trend and take action quickly, what are they waiting for? Do we really have to wait until the merchants don’t want it anymore before selling it to them? At that time, these old ships can only be chopped up and burned as firewood, and they are worthless.
Lao Zhu heard Han Du's insightful analysis and felt that his words were reasonable. Since the combat power of these ships is no longer good, why not take this opportunity to sell them? The money from selling these ships can be used to build new warships.
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. The price doesn't have to be the price of a new ship, even if it's a little cheaper." Lao Zhu was persuaded by Han Du and made up his mind.
In Lao Zhu's opinion, it is impossible for these old ships to be sold at the price of new ships. Those businessmen were not fools. How could they give Han Du whatever he asked? If the price is the same as that of a new ship, then they might as well wait a while for a new ship from Longjiang Bao Shipyard.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will handle it properly and will not let the court suffer."
"Well! I can rest assured that you are doing things." Lao Zhu nodded, and then asked: "But how did I hear that you withheld half of the tax received by the Shipping Department?"
As he said that, Lao Zhu glanced at Han Du dissatisfied. This guy is so courageous. He even dared to take half of my money. If I hadn't seen him as my son-in-law and because he could make money, I would have killed him long ago, and I wouldn't have asked him calmly here. Well, mainly because he can make money.
"The Emperor's Mingjian..." Han Du explained to Lao Zhu. The main reason is that the Municipal Shipping Department only collects one-in and one-out sea trade tax, but the governors along the way have to provide corresponding services, and the Ming Dynasty The navy also needs to protect merchants. In this way, it seems unreasonable not to provide some benefits to the governor and navy.
After hearing the explanation, Lao Zhu became even more dissatisfied, "You mean, the governors of various places are also qualified to share money with me?"
My money is my money, and the governor's money is still my money. Which governor in the world dares to share money with me? I am afraid of them.
"Your Majesty, only when the Governor of Nanyang and the navy escort maritime merchants all the way can more merchants have the courage to engage in maritime trade. Only in this way can the Municipal Shipping Department be able to collect more taxes."
"Every bustle in the world is for profit, and all the turmoil in the world is for profit. If the governor and navy cannot benefit, although they can obey the orders of the court, they will definitely not care about maritime merchants. In this way, It will definitely dampen the enthusiasm for maritime trade, and there will definitely be too many maritime trade taxes.”
"I believe that sharing a little profit with the Nanyang Governor and the Navy will allow the Shipping Department to collect more maritime trade taxes, which is a sure-fire way to make money without losing money."
Lao Zhu's face looked a little ugly, "Half of it was taken away. Isn't it still a loss to me?"
Han Du was immediately choked by Lao Zhu, "Your Majesty, this is actually the principle of small profits but quick turnover. In the past, when there was no sea trade, there was not even a penny of sea trade tax. If there were less sea trade, there would be no sea trade tax." How much tax is there?”
"Then you usually withhold too much," how could Lao Zhu not understand this truth? He was simply reluctant to part with such money and felt that Han Du had withheld too much.
"Thirty percent." Lao Zhu stretched out three fingers and gestured towards Handu.
"Your Majesty, this..." Han Du suddenly became anxious.
Before Han Du could speak, Lao Zhu's eyes suddenly widened, "If you talk too much, you won't even get 30% of it."
Seeing this, Han Du had no choice but to lower his head and gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll leave."
After Han Du left, Lao Zhu suddenly felt that Han Du's retreat was too easy. Suddenly he woke up and said, "No, I fell into this kid's trap."
After Han Du left the palace, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. From the beginning, Han Du never thought about dividing it into 50%, and it was already good to be able to intercept 20%.
Sea trade tax revenue may not seem like much now, but it will definitely be a terrifying figure in the future. Take the Song Dynasty as an example. At its peak, the annual income was 180 million yuan, of which 140 million was in commercial taxes alone, and 80% of the commercial taxes were maritime trade taxes. In other words, the sea trade tax alone can amount to 112 million yuan.
20% of 112 million strings, that is also 22 million strings. A yamen can earn so much wealth in a year. Although the profits have to be divided among the governors of Nanyang, it is still astonishingly rich.
Unexpectedly, Lao Zhu gave himself 30% with a wave of his hand. What a good person!
Han Du walked with wind in his eyes and trotted all the way back to Shibosi.
Huang Yuanwai and others were so eager to get on board that they did not leave at all. Seeing Han Du coming back, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Lord Marquis, what is the emperor's holy will?"
