The second step is direct sales from the manufacturer, eliminating the intermediate links and no middlemen making the difference!
Hunan's climate, soil, topography and landforms are also more suitable for growing tea, but the quality is slightly inferior to Huainan tea and Sichuan tea. In the past, it was also cultivated on a small scale among the people.
After tasting the huge profits from the tea trade, Gao Yu suggested that Ma Yin take a bold step: opening the tea ban.
Tea, like salt and iron, is an important strategic resource for the country and is strictly controlled by the government. In layman's terms, it is a state monopoly. Selling smuggled tea among private individuals, like selling smuggled salt, is a serious crime punishable by death.
At Gao Yu's suggestion, Ma Yin lifted the ban on tea in Hunan and allowed the private sector to grow and trade freely, as long as part of the tea tax was paid to the government.
With the support of the policy, the people of Hunan planted tea on a large scale, and the output of Hunan tea increased explosively, quickly occupying the vast majority of the national market. Hunan tea was exported to all parts of the country, and tea merchants from all over the country flocked to Hunan. Rush to buy Hunan tea.
After Yang Xingmi died, Yang Wo took over the throne, and the "Huaichu War" broke out (for details, see Chapter 218 "Huainan Yang Wo 1" at the end). Before, we only analyzed it from a political perspective. Now, we will stand in another dimension, Examine this war from an economic and financial perspective:
To put it simply, Ma Yin created tension and sharply opposed Huaichu, thereby squeezing Huainan tea out of the national tea market dominated by Hunan. Use political conflicts and military conflicts to cover up the trade war.
Mayin Group achieved both political and economic harvests.
This is the charm of the trade war. It is hidden and invisible, but it often affects the overall situation. Often become the mastermind behind some major historical events.
Hunan tea successfully replaced Huainan tea, and Ma Yin quietly built a tea empire. What is his profit situation? Answer: N small goals every year!
Historical records record: "I earn tens of millions of dollars every year." I earn hundreds of millions every year!
However, Gao Yu's ambition is not just a few hundred million? This is just an important step in his financial strategy. Next, is Gao Yu’s cheating and highlight moment:
The third step is to cast lead iron money.
Hunan is rich in lead and iron, but little in copper. So Gao Yu suggested that Ma Yin restrict the circulation of copper coins and cast lead coins and iron coins as legal tender.
Whoever controls the right to issue currency controls the world.
The reason is easy to understand. Imagine that your home legally owns and has access to a money printing machine...
However, it is not easy to make good use of the seigniorage power and collect seigniorage taxes from the people. Many people in power have put the money printing machine's intentions into practice and printed money like crazy, which eventually led to the proliferation of currency, the collapse of government credibility, the complete collapse of the economy, and ultimately reaped the consequences.
If you want to make good use of this money printing machine, you must solve a basic problem: the collateral behind the currency. For example, is it a gold standard or a silver standard that is collateralized by precious metals? Or use national debt or foreign exchange as collateral?
If Gao Yu wants to replace copper coins with lead and iron coins, he must first solve this fundamental problem. In fact, this problem has been perfectly solved in the previous step: "tea standard" and silk standard.
After almost monopolizing the national tea trade, Gao Yu suggested that Ma Yin amend the tax law and require people to pay taxes "with silk in lieu of money." Previously, Hunan was not the main producing area of silk. Encouraged by the policy, the people of Hunan began to plant silk. Tea, planting mulberry, raising silkworms and spinning silk.
In ancient times, cloth was currency, just like copper coins. Ma Yin encouraged the people to raise silkworms and spin silk, which was equivalent to printing money for the whole people.
Tea and silk are international hard currencies. Like gold and silver, they are not only unimpeded in China, but also recognized as valuable commodities in surrounding countries and nomadic tribes.
With sufficient hard currency (tea, silk) as collateral and a broad market, theoretically speaking, no matter what form of currency Ma Yin issues, whether it is lead money, iron money, or even paper money, he will receive Success without worrying about malignant consequences such as excessive currency issuance and inflation.
Merchants from all over the country dumped goods in Hunan and got a bunch of lead and iron money. However, this currency can only be circulated in Hunan and is not recognized by other regions. Businessmen can only buy Hunan goods and take the goods to other places. Sale. As a result, Hunan's economy has been greatly boosted. Not only the tea trade has developed, but also various other commodities have become extremely popular.
Hunan suddenly became the most prosperous commercial region during the Five Dynasties period, and the people were prosperous and the country was strong. Until the Song Dynasty, Hunan's tea production ranked first in the country, especially Tanzhou and Yuezhou, which occupied the first and second places. By the end of the Song Dynasty, Hunan's economy was among the best. These were the solid foundations laid by Gao Yu in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.
Later historians could not help but sigh, saying that the reason why Ma Yin was able to rise up in a very short period of time, stand in the forest of vassal towns, invite the central court to be knighted, and compete with other vassals for hegemony was "mostly destructive".
It is precisely because of Gao Yu's outstanding contribution to Nanchu that Gao Yu has also become a thorn in the eyes of other forces, and they are deliberately trying to get rid of him.
Li Cunxu destroyed Houliang, and Ma Yin sent his son Ma Xifan to Luoyang for pilgrimage. Li Cunxu asked Ma Xifan: "How big is Dongting Lake?"
This sentence is obviously a threat and test from the central government to the local separatist regimes.
Ma Xifan humbly replied: "Only when you drive on a southern tour can you drink Mal." It wasn't very big, just enough to quench the thirst of the king's horses. This conversation was quoted by Qing Dynasty poet Cao Zhenji,
"How deep is the Dongting before the spring water is enough for horses to drink?" - "He Xinliang"
Li Cunxu was very happy, so he followed the trend, caressed Ma Xifan's back, and praised: "I often hear people say that Hunan will be captured by Gao Yu sooner or later. But if Ma Yin gave birth to such a clever and witty son, how could Gao Yu succeed? ?" Use such clumsy means to drive a wedge between Gao Yu.
People love to hear compliments. Ma Xifan believed it to be true, and when he came back, he truthfully reported to his father Ma Yin that Gao Yu was Sima Zhao's heart. Everyone knew about it, even women and children in Luoyang knew about it. It is recommended that Gao Yu be killed.
After hearing this, Ma Yin laughed "haha" and said, "This is Li Cunxu's deliberate attempt to set us up! He has the ambition to unify the world, but he is afraid that Gao Yu will help me complete my dominance and become his strong enemy, so he uses The plan is to sow discord, and you want me to repeat the stupid thing of deposing Wang Yanzhang's military power in the Later Liang Dynasty. Remember, if you kill Gao Yu, you will fall into the enemy's trap. Don't say such things again in the future!"
The spheres of influence of Li Cunxu and Nanchu were not directly adjacent to each other, and the strength of the two sides was not at the same order of magnitude. Even so, Li Cunxu took precautions and conspired to get rid of Gao Yu to eliminate future hidden dangers. So Jingnan, which is adjacent to Nanchu, Gao Jichang naturally would not turn a blind eye to his neighbor's genius strategist.
In fact, Jingnan Gao Jichang spared no effort to alienate the relationship between Ma Yin and Gao Yu.
