Faced with the difficult behavior of Qi, Song, Cao Wei and other countries, Li Ran actually proposed to "retaliate" directly!
After hearing the doubts from the clan elders, Li Ran said loudly in public:
"Please listen to what Li Ran has to say. If what Li Ran said is wrong, isn't it too late to discuss it later?"
When everyone heard what Li Ran said, they immediately became quiet. They all wanted to hear for a moment what he, the master of the family, had to say.
At this time, Li Ran also cleared his throat and explained:
"Please think about it carefully, if I, the Shi clan, cut off business relations with them, then who should be anxious, or us?"
"I think I, the Shi clan, am a generation of business hegemon who sits in the world and reaps the benefits of the world! Whether it is from Jin to Chu, or from Qin to Qi, I am the one in charge of all material exchanges in the world. half."
"Since Qi, Song, Cao Wei and other countries are not willing to trade with us now, then we simply don't do anything, and we will directly and temporarily suspend all trade with them! If they want them, they will not respond to the sky and the earth. It’s not working!”
As he finished his last words, the clan council hall suddenly fell silent.
Even Ji Xian, who had been prepared for it, couldn't help but take a breath when he heard these words.
Temporarily suspend trade with other countries? Do the entire Ji clan want to drink from the northwest wind? Isn't this tantamount to ending Ji's life? !
Doing this can be said to be a blood loss!
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Such... such arrogant words, shouldn't it be possible for a family leader to say this?!"
"Li Ziming, Li Ziming! Are you crazy?"
For a time, many clan elders criticized Li Ran verbally and writtenly. It was as if Li Ran was designated as the biggest sinner of the Ji clan.
In an instant, the clan council hall was filled with saliva and anger. The scene was truly spectacular!
However, Li Ran, who was sitting at the second seat, remained unmoved. No matter how many people pointed at him, his expression remained unchanged.
By the time the clan members were tired of scolding each other, their mouths were dry and they all wanted to take a breath. Li Ran then turned his attention to Ji Xian.
After all, Ji Xian is the head of the family, so his reaction is naturally much calmer.
At this time, he also turned to look at Li Ran. After meeting his eyes, he lowered his voice to a very low tone and asked very coldly:
"This matter is not a trivial matter. If trade with other countries is suspended, then my clan will lose more than just the benefits we see right now!"
The so-called benefits are not necessarily just money.
If Ji Shi really cuts off trade with Qi, Song, Cao Wei and other countries, then in the eyes of these countries, Ji Shi will have completely lost credibility.
How can a priest with no credibility at all convince the public?
Therefore, all the connections, relationships, and political resources involved will be lost in the end.
"Father-in-law, don't be anxious, my son-in-law hasn't finished speaking yet."
Li Ran stood up at this time and glanced at everyone present, his eyes sharp for a moment.
"Everyone should also know that the Qi and Song Dynasties are prolific in fish and salt, and they have traded more with Qin and Jin in recent years. However, Qi and Jin have been fighting openly and secretly for many years, and the Taihang natural barrier serves as a barrier. Therefore, whether it is their monarch or their officials, During the period, the relationship between the two sides was very delicate. Therefore, most of the fish and salt from the Qi State were first transported to Zhengyi, and then from Zhengyi to the Jin State."
"And you should also know very well that although Qi State has fish and salt, now apart from Qi State having fish and salt, the Jianghuai River in the southeast of Zheng State is also a hometown rich in fish and shrimp?! As for that, it is absolutely impossible. Not only is the sea salt of his state of Qi unique, but the salt of Ba in the west of our state of Zheng is also extremely famous."
"So, you all should be very clear about this. Without me, the Ji family, to connect people and make connections, would those merchants from Qi still be able to earn money from Jin? Hum, in my opinion, it's not optimistic! "
"And if I, the State of Zheng, cut off all trade with the State of Qi, then who should I sell those fish salts to? So, who is really worried about me or the State of Qi? ?”
"Furthermore, in recent years, the grain harvest of our country, Zheng, has been quite abundant. If we can directly cut off the supply of Qi's grain through this, then it is natural that our grain, of Zheng's country, can be sold at a high price."
"At that time, we will be able to make up for the losses caused by the interruption of trade with Qi State from such profits and losses. Haha, as the saying goes, 'There is no way for blessings and misfortunes, they can only be called upon by people.' Is this a blessing or not? The disaster is still unknown! In this case, you think, what do I need to worry about? "
"As for the three kingdoms of Cao, Wei, and Song, there is no need to be afraid. Without the strong support of my ancestors, these three kingdoms can only be dead bones in the graves. Even if they bring this matter to the Jin State, it will not matter. of!"
"Li Ran is here. I can't guarantee anything else. Only the Jin State. Based on the current status of the Zheng State, it is by no means comparable to these three!"
In fact, the reason is very simple, precisely because Zheng Guonai lives in the world. Therefore, the unique geographical advantage of Zheng State is completely superior to other vassal states. This is an indisputable fact.
What's more, the State of Zheng was the first barrier for the State of Chu to advance northward into the Central Plains, so for the State of Jin, the importance of the State of Zheng was self-evident.
Moreover, there is another reason for this, which Li Ran has not mentioned yet, and that is because of him, Li Ran.
The reason why the relationship between Jin and Zheng has such a honeymoon period today is that Li Ran played a very important role.
Therefore, if the matter is really decided by the Jin State, then it will be Zheng Guo who will be protected by the Jin State in the end.
After Li Ran said this, all the clan elders finally reacted.
Yes, the current losses are ultimately small profits, but are the real big profits not limited to these?
"It makes sense to hear this! Since these treacherous people are so ignorant, they want to stop the trade with my clan. But if I, the clan, really cut off all contacts with them, Then what they lose will no longer be the small profit in front of them!"
"Yes, we, the Ji Clan, have always been just plucked geese. But for them, once they lose the support of our Ji Clan, the livelihood of the people in their country will be unsustainable!"
"It makes sense, and even if this matter becomes a big deal, we will all have reasons to say it. And the Jin State will definitely favor us to sacrifice our clan. When the time comes, when there is a chance for trade to turn around, we will I can give them another hard blow!"
One of the clan leaders suddenly mentioned the key point of Li Ran's method.
Yes, as the saying goes, if there is no destruction, no establishment, when trade is restarted in the future, it will be the time when they sacrifice the clan and slaughter the lambs.
This kind of hard-to-get approach is no longer a novel tactic for the whole family.
In fact, any businessman who is proficient in business can actually play tricks like this kind of intrigue and back-and-forth.
Li Ran just applied this trick to a higher level and dared to try boldly in trade disputes between countries.
And this kind of courage is where Li Ran can really be slightly better than these people.
Of course, these clan elders who worship the clan are not ordinary people after all. The reason why these people were able to wake up as soon as they heard what Li Ran said was naturally attributed to their inherent strong business genes. M..coM
As mentioned earlier, the State of Zheng has always attached great importance to merchants since the beginning of Zheng Huan's rule. Before Zheng established a capital, he and the merchants formed an alliance in the wilderness, agreeing to support each other and never deceive each other.
And since Wu Gong, Zheng Guo's merchant group has always been the strong backing of Zheng Guo Gong's office!
After receiving the support of the official, the merchant group immediately rushed to all directions like spring water, bringing Qi's fish salt and ironware, Jin's cattle and horse salt, Chu's ivory and leather, and Qin's fine horses. Department stores are all concentrated in Zhengyi.
In this way, merchants' trade routes not only brought abundant materials and taxes to Zheng, but also delivered various scarce materials to other countries.
And this eventually made Zheng Guo gradually become the most important link in the activities of merchants in the world.
Therefore, once the merchants of Zheng State really start to become ruthless, then other vassal states, even if they are as powerful as Jin State, will probably be shaken three times.
Chapter 189 The Way of Profit and Loss
It is no longer necessary to overstate the importance of the Zheng Guo merchant group to the world. So similarly, regarding the important status of the Ji clan, it is naturally self-evident.
Now that Chu has become the leader of the alliance, all the countries want to use this as an excuse to hinder trade with the Ji clan.
In fact, no matter how you say this, it seems a bit far-fetched.
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; So to put it bluntly, those are just excuses. I'm afraid only they themselves know what the logic behind this is and what the plans are.
Perhaps, he also wanted to use this to coerce the Ji clan to give up more benefits to them? Or perhaps, it may have something to do with standing up the bull?
After all, Shu Niu was the butler of the Ji clan back then, and he knew very well about the responsibility of the Ji clan's family. Therefore, this time when various countries unite to boycott Zheng Guo's clan sacrifice, it is difficult not to think of the family traitor of the clan sacrifice - Shu Niu.
Perhaps this Shu Niu wanted to use this opportunity to start anew by sanctioning Jishi and snatch Jishi's business in various countries?
Of course, such a vision can be called a beautiful one, but unfortunately the means are too crude.
Because they seem to have never thought that the merchant group, which has always been "shun", will actually get angry sometimes!
When a strong man is angry, his blood will be splashed five steps; when a king is angry, his blood will be splashed across the river.
When the merchants of Zheng were angry, all the princes in the world were frightened.
Once the goods of various countries are hoarded on a large scale and cannot be sold, once the finances of various countries are so tight that they are unable to provide sufficient military pay to support the army, once a natural disaster strikes, the countries will not be able to provide sufficient supplies for disaster relief. When the time comes, they will truly feel the power of Zheng's merchants.
"However, please remember! At this time of crisis for our clan, you must not make secret arrangements with the ministers and officials of other countries, causing my clan to reveal this strong spirit! This is related to our clan's affairs. Life or death is at stake, you must not take it lightly!"
Li Ran emphasized one point in particular at the end.
He knew that among the clan elders present, there were many who had good personal relationships with ministers and officials from various countries.
At this moment, if they ruined the sacrifice family's fortune just for their own petty gains, he, Li Ran, would not let him go!
Ji Xian also nodded in agreement for this.
"Since you are all members of our clan, you should know that everything must be done with the overall situation in mind!"
Ji Xian's gaze was very sharp. After a week of glaring at him, all the clan elders saw this and nodded repeatedly without saying anything to refute.
"Then I dare to ask the family leader, if we really implement this, our family will suffer losses soon, and we will definitely have a lot of extra cash on hand. Please also make it clear, since this business is no longer done, what else do we have with this much money? Where to go? You can’t just sit back and have nothing, right?”
At this time, another tribe asked the same question.
After all, by interrupting trade with other countries, the Jishi's daily losses are visible to the naked eye. And before the trade dispute is completely resolved, how can businessmen like them, who can't afford to start early without profit, stay idle?
They also all know that Li Ran has always used strange moves to win, so they naturally hope that Li Ran can find a way to make up for it through other means.
Businessmen attach great importance to profits, but they really value it from the bottom of their hearts.
Hearing this, the elders of other tribes also whispered to each other for a while, and all looked at Li Ran again.
"Why is this necessary? According to Ziming's method, losses are only temporary and will be repaid in the future. Why do you have to rush for this moment?"
Before Li Ran could answer, Ji Xian was already a little displeased in the face of the "embarrassment" of the clan elders, and his face could not help but darken.
He was worried that someone in the clan would be eager for quick success and cause Li Ran's plan to go bankrupt, so he was naturally a little unhappy after hearing this.
But who knew that Li Ran was overjoyed when he heard the sound.
"Haha, that's a good question! The second thing in today's clan discussion is how to make up for this loss!"
Great, doesn’t this bring the reason directly to your door?
Li Ran also lamented that it was the right time and the right place. This was the first time he had encountered such a coincidence.
"Oh? Is there such a good thing?"
"Ziming, tell me quickly!"
All the elders of the clan can't wait. After all, losing money every day when they open their eyes is really more uncomfortable for them than killing them.
Therefore, Li Ran brought to the stage yesterday's discussion with Dr. Zichan about the country's "zi money".
"Ziqian was initiated by Dr. Zichan in the official family. We, the Ji clan, and several other large merchants and wealthy families can make initial investments. After the principal and interest are collected, half of the profits will be turned over to the office, and the rest It will be yours.”
Li Ran specially emphasized this point at the end, because he was worried that these groups would not understand the truth and thought that all the benefits they gained were their own.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he aroused another wave of strong opposition from the clan elders present.
"What a mess! What kind of idea is this?! Lend money to those common people for no reason?"
"This is simply unheard of! Since ancient times, I have never heard of anyone lending money to the common people!"
"Ziming, what's wrong with you? Why are you so confused all of a sudden?"
The main reason for their strong opposition is that the common people have no money and no assets.
The common people have no money, and you lend them money. If there is a natural disaster, their fields have no crops, and their families are impoverished. What will they give in return?
Who is willing to do such a big risk and such a small profit?
Moreover, they themselves will face losses due to interruption of trade with other countries. Once they try to achieve nothing here, won't it be even worse?
"Those common people are extremely poor. If you lend them money, it would be more economical than raising a dog."
"The common people are the most trustless! Even if they finally get a harvest, how can you guarantee that they will really pay you back?"
"Yes! These common people are the most dishonest and unjust people. To do business with them, I would rather be in secret collusion with the ministers of other countries!"
Some people would rather go against Li Ran's method than do business with these common people.
The difficulty of this matter is evident.
Rao Shiji heard this method first and frowned for a moment.
He really didn't know what kind of bad thing Li Ran was going to do this time.
"Ziming, can you speak more clearly? All the clan elders, and even me, are a little confused."
However, he was still willing to give Li Ran another chance.
Li Ran saw the anger among the crowd and was not in a hurry. After the scene calmed down, he slowly said:
"The losses you are facing now may not be recouped from other places in a short period of time. But right now, I think this is the only way with the lowest risk."
"I would like to ask everyone here, who has ever farmed?"
Li Ran glanced at him, and everyone present fell silent.
Yes, they really haven’t farmed yet!
Because starting from the ancestors of Ji Ancestors, the Ji clan has already embarked on the road of running the family through commerce. Their fields are planted by tenants. They only care about the harvest. Where do they need to plant it themselves?
"Farming is the only thing that all the common people in the world can do, and it is the only thing that they can do well!"
"Doctor Zichan's new policy is to encourage the common people to reclaim wasteland and collect taxes per acre. Logically speaking, it can naturally greatly mobilize the enthusiasm of the common people. However, because these common people have no agricultural tools in their hands, the two They have no capital, so even if they are willing to open up wasteland, they still have to worry about their future.”
"Nowadays, the Ziqian method proposed by Dr. Zichan in the court is endorsed by the country's taxes and uses the national credit as its capital. As long as you are willing to contribute capital and lend money to the people, the money can be used by the people. Ziqian bought farm tools and received young seedling seeds from officials, so why don't they open up wasteland?"
"Although the Zheng State is small, once all the people cultivate wasteland, the land tax they will receive will be three times or even five times more than what it is now! With such a size and such a scale of fields, how can the benefits you will gain by then be comparable to those of other ministers? Can it be compared to what the doctor secretly communicates with me?"
Li Ran made it very clear that ordinary people are willing to farm and reclaim wasteland, but they lack capital and the ability to withstand risks.
As long as someone is willing to lend them the capital to buy farm tools, and someone can protect them from behind, there is no reason why they should not cultivate new land.
Because this is the only way they can live better now!
At this point, all the clan elders present fell silent.
They looked at each other for a long time, but could never find the right words to refute. What's more, after all, this is a major policy issue related to Zheng Guo, so how can they dare to say anything more?
However, their silence does not mean that they have been convinced.
