Chapter 107 Establishing a Trading Company
Chen Cao has been visiting the study every day recently. When doing business during the day, he calls Bai Xinlan and Zhang Chunyao to the study to work directly. Occasionally, he takes off his pants and plays with Xu Ling in the kitchen.
"Uncle..." Zhao Xin knocked on the door outside the study: "My subordinate is here."
"Come in..." Zhao Xin walked in and closed the door. Chen Cao smiled and said, "I heard that your wife and several other women in the Liu family are pregnant. You can do it, kid..."
Faced with Chen Cao's ridicule, Zhao Xin smiled awkwardly: "Hey... since I saw my uncle in the woods last time who was strong, my subordinates tried every means to send people to Wudang Mountain to find the secret recipe for aphrodisiac left by Master Zhang... .hehe..."
Chen Cao squinted at him: "Zhang Zhenren still needs that kind of thing, aren't you afraid that you will be deceived?"
"No..." Xin Zhao waved his hand: "Wouldn't this be effective..."
"Well," Chen Cao casually took out a luminous pearl from the pile of drawings in the study: "I heard that this thing comes from Great Britain. It is very precious. I reward you."
"Uncle Xie..." Zhao Xin was not polite and quickly put it into his arms.
"How's the thing I asked you to do?" Chen Cao lowered his head and continued to draw.
Zhao Xin put the baggage in his hand on Chen Cao's desk: "According to my uncle's instructions, I bought four entire shops in the Zhengyangmen Street section for 50,000 taels."
"Only fifty thousand?" Chen Cao squinted his eyes: "Is it so cheap?"
Zhao Xin rubbed his head and said with a smile: "Hey, uncle, I don't know, but the boss is from Fujian. He had to leave because of family matters and was in a hurry to exchange money. His subordinates found out about it, so he got it."
"Only inducements and no coercion?" Chen Cao asked again.
"hey-hey..."
Chen Cao raised his head: "Is that a threat? How many times have I told you not to use my name to make trouble. Do you think I'm easy to talk to?"
Xin Zhao quickly clasped his fists and said, "Uncle, please calm down. This subordinate is going in the name of Zhenfusi."
"This will not happen again," Chen Cao waved his hand, and then changed the subject: "There are many things, let's figure them out one by one. By the way, where is Lao Xu?"
"There are too many things to do in the Zhenfu Division. Han Shizhong went to Japan again. Gao Chongshu, who is in charge of Zhejiang affairs, has not returned yet. Liao Yaowen is too busy to sit in court. Lao Xu has a disabled leg, so let him sit in court to handle the Zhenfu Division." Make the arrangements clear.
"Old Xu has gone through several times, and he can be regarded as a meritorious service. Starting from tomorrow, you will not be allowed to sit in the position of envoy. Later, you will take my appointment letter and send someone to the capital. How about you?" , just do the commanding work." Chen Cao wrote quickly as he spoke, and soon wrote the two appointment letters, stamped his own seal and handed it to Zhao Xin: "Do your job well."
"Thank you for your promotion..." Zhao Xin quickly handed over.
"First of all, the first thing is to establish our own trading firm. Although the ancestral precepts of the Emperor Ming Dynasty stipulate that officials are not allowed to engage in business to compete for profits with the people, but you see, no official today does not have a large business bank for his own benefit. Therefore, Shen Zhuangling After becoming mine, I decided to hand over the business to her."
Chen Cao packaged the first piece of information and handed it to Zhao Xin: "Give her the things and let her look at them carefully. Don't miss anything."
"Uncle, didn't you say that you want Xia Yunyi to be your Xiao He?" Zhao Xin asked in return.
Chen Cao shook his head: "He is suitable for working in the military or officialdom. Only Shen Zhuangling can deal with the cunning of businessmen." After saying that, he handed him the second packaged information: "As for the bank matter, I will get it for him." You have to do this in person. There are many big banks in Jinling City and around Nanzhili. Most of them belong to nobles and officials. Don't offend them. After the investigation is clear, we can negotiate and negotiate. This is a technical job. If you mess up, I will treat you as the escort of the escort agency..."
Zhao Xin felt excited all over, and then nodded: "Don't be careless about this matter, I will save it for you."
"I'm sorry you don't dare to make a mistake," Chen Cao said and took the remaining things in his hand: "You go to do things first, and then wait for me outside the Jinshan Marquis' Mansion. I want to visit the Duke of Guo first. Let’s go find Pu Xiang again.”
...
"Da Ming Foreign Trade Group?" Shen Zhuangling looked at the information in her hand, carefully read what Chen Cao had written, then raised her head and looked at her own person and said: "My uncle is named Foreign Trade Group, and he has many other things under his command." 'Subsidiary company', these are things written by my uncle, please read them carefully, and we will make a decision after I ask my uncle."
...
"Thank you, Brother Pu..."
Pu Xiang hurriedly returned the gift: "Brother, you don't have to be polite. This is just a misunderstanding. Besides, their group did this to cater to me. If anything goes wrong in the future, please don't take offense, brother."
Chen Cao sat up straight and then got to the point: "To be honest, I came to Brother Pu today because I have a good business deal to discuss with Brother Pu."
"Hey, people in Nanzhili say that as long as Chen Cao comes to do business, he will definitely make a lot of money. I trust your character, but I just say it's okay, brother." Pu Xiang was unusually upright.
Chen Cao laughed loudly: "Hahaha, Brother Pu, don't listen to what the market says. In addition to the rumors that I, Chen Cao, are lustful, they also say that I am a brave man who can only get in but not get out. If I only listen to good words, what will happen to my business in the future?" If something goes wrong, how can I explain it to Brother Pu?"
"Haha..." Pu Xiang also laughed, and then said: "Don't worry, I, Pu Xiang, speak and do one thing, one thing, two things, two things. Besides, since we first met, haven't you led a group of us to make money?" Money isn’t it?”
"Okay..." Chen Cao clapped his hands, and then said seriously: "There are many banks in the Ming Dynasty market now, and Brother Pu also knows that the six major banks are all under the hands of officials. When it comes to making money, these gangs compete with the people. After all the so-called clear money has been earned, the remaining small banks will either rely on the big banks or do some business to make ends meet;
And now, I am planning to recruit Brother Pu and other willing nobles to set up a bank together and name it 'Da Ming Bank'..."
"Da Ming Bank?" Pu Xiang frowned: "Brother, you also know how powerful civil servants are. The bank is small, and if it offends this group of people, the sin will be huge. You also know that even my brother, I am in Nanzhili There are also seven large and small banks, which can make nearly one million taels of silver every year. If those nobles can be brought in, I would be willing to do so, but I don’t know if these people are willing to do so."
Chen Cao nodded calmly, and then said: "Brother Pu, don't worry, I have already thought of this, hehe..." Chen Cao said with a sly smile: "Now both Bao Guo Gong and Wei Guo Gong have agreed to take shares. , the two of them each account for 15%, with them taking the lead, plus my signature, hahaha..."
Pu Xiang raised his brows: "If that's the case, then there's no need to worry. I'll make arrangements right now to transfer all the banks under my name to your bank."
"Brother Pu is so heroic..." Chen Cao clapped his hands: "I only have 50% of the shares to hand over. You also know that I also have Dingwu Army under my name. If I don't have money, I can't afford it."
"Understood..." Pu Xiang nodded.
"I'll give you 10%. After all, there is still 10% that can be given away. I'm going to divide it into two parts. Which two of the Jinling nobles do you think can make a fortune with us?" Chen Cao asked.
Pu Xiang immediately replied: "Brother, if you come to me, you have a case in mind. Why don't you tell me a few words and I will consider it?"
"Hahaha..." Chen Cao simply didn't expect Pu Xiang, who had always been carefree, to be so smart: "Zheng Guogong, Xin Guogong, Yingyang Marquis, Chengyi Bo, Chengshan Marquis, Anshun Marquis, Song Ninghou, Xiongwu Marquis, these people .”
"These are all the nobles who stayed in Nanjing. Our business is so big, what if there is no participation from the capital?"
Faced with Pu Xiang's question, Chen Cao smiled and said: "Don't worry, it is enough for the capital to have Duke Baoguo. I have actually visited several of these people, but some of them relied on their ability in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion. Those who show off their official positions and show off their authority, I feel that it is difficult for these people to achieve great things."
Pu Xiang knew who Chen Cao was talking about, so he didn't point it out and nodded: "I think Yang Can is a good person. He is just like my family. At least he doesn't have much scheming."
Chen Cao also knew that Pu Xiang would definitely recruit Yang Can to join the team, so he deliberately said this to give him face: "Okay, since he is the person recommended by Brother Pu, I can trust him. Is there anyone else?"
Pu Xiang thought for a long time before saying: "Actually, among the people you mentioned, brother, the most powerful ones are Bo Chengyi's family."
"What's the explanation?" Chen Cao frowned deliberately.
Pu Xiang knew that Chen Cao didn't know, so he said: "The Liu family has been in Jinling for a long time. When Emperor Shizong was at that time, Ren Chengyi also served as a civil servant in Nanjing. As far as I know, now the Chengyi family has offices in all the banks and banks in Nanzhili. There are no less than fifty banks, restaurants, gambling houses, etc. in total, the whole..."
"The entire income is no less than three million taels per year..." Chen Cao interrupted Pu Xiang.
Pu Xiang smiled: "I forgot, brother, that you are the commander of Nansi. We still have this news."
Chen Cao said slightly apologetically: "I just want to ask Brother Pu for confirmation. According to what you said, I also know what to do. How about asking Yingyang Marquis and Uncle Chengyi to come forward and ask Brother Pu to come forward?"
Pu Xiang shook his head: "I have a good relationship with Yang Can, so I can go there, but Chengyi's Mansion cannot. In the entire Southern Zhili, the relationship with the Liu family is okay. Only Wei Guogong can do it, and he can control it, otherwise. ..”
"I understand," Chen Cao nodded: "That's it for now. Leave the Marquis of Yingyang to Brother Pu and Uncle Chengyi. I'll go to the Duke of Guo again and ask him to come forward, at least. We have to implement this matter, if it really doesn’t work, then don’t let him go, and just put more thought into fighting them when the time comes.”
When Chen Cao came out of the Jinshan Marquis Mansion, Zhao Xin hurriedly came up and said, "Uncle, the latest news from the capital, brothers from the Bei Division came to report that Gu Dazhang died in the imperial prison."
Chen Cao raised his eyebrows: "What's the inside story?"
Zhao Xin looked around: "I heard that Wei Zhongxian wanted to attack the Donglin Party, and he was taking action step by step. He took out Gu Dazhang first. They made him admit to his illegal activities in prison. He had a lot of backbone and would rather die than admit it. In the end, He couldn't stand the torture and died."
Chen Cao breathed a sigh of relief. Although he and Gu Dazhang did not deal with each other because of Gu Linsheng's relationship, it could be seen from the moment Wei Zhongxian started to deal with the Donglin Party that Old Wei was serious about it: "We have to find a way to balance the two sides. ..."
