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Xu Changde also has some understanding of Zhao Junchen's character of retribution!
Now, seeing that he was in trouble looking for Zhao Junchen, but Zhao Junchen was eyeing him, and there seemed to be hidden meanings in his words, which gave Xu Changde some bad premonitions.
However, Xu Changde still forced himself to calm down and asked Zhao Junchen: "Oh? I wonder what you have in mind, sir? Please make it clear."
Zhao Junchen said with a smile: "As Boss Xu said, after the United Shipping Company is officially established, smuggling activities in the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River Waterway must be suppressed, so that the United Shipping Company can expand as soon as possible. Although the United Shipping Company relies on the court's policies, Support and the advantage of scale will eventually monopolize the shipping business of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River Waterway, but the results will be slower after all.”
After saying that, Zhao Junchen nodded to Xu Changde with a smile, and then said: "Now, after being reminded by Boss Xu, I suddenly have some ideas. All of you here used to be experts in the smuggling business. You have a lot of knowledge about the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the I also know the situation of the Yangtze River waterway thoroughly, so I am willing to let you supervise the Ministry of Revenue. With you watching, I don’t have to worry about the officials below the Ministry of Revenue being secretly smuggling despite my orders. But since you all If we can supervise the Ministry of Household Affairs, why can’t we supervise other smuggling activities?”
Then, Zhao Junchen waved his hand and saw Xu Qingyan quickly walked up to Zhao Junchen and handed a thick account book to Zhao Junchen with both hands.
After Zhao Junchen got the account book, he opened it and looked at it for a while, and then said: "Speaking of which, although everyone here has different origins and backgrounds, and there are also differences in net worth and property, one thing is exactly the same, that is, everyone used to be the same. They are involved in the smuggling business, and the scale is not small. They all own at least ten large ships of more than 500 dan, at least 30 medium-sized ships of more than 100 dan, and countless small boats of less than 100 dan. The most powerful one among them even owns seventy-three large ships and more than two hundred medium-sized ships. This scale is really amazing... But now, you have completely changed your past and plan to fight with Cooperate with the imperial court, join the joint shipping line, and cut off the smuggling activities from now on!"
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, the expressions of all the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants present changed slightly.
They didn't expect that Zhao Junchen knew their details so well!
At the same time, Shi Kesong's expression was even more serious - the most powerful smuggler Zhao Junchen was referring to was obviously talking about him!
On the other side, all the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants focused their attention on the account book in Zhao Junchen's hand, secretly thinking about how much content was recorded in this account book!
Zhao Junchen's smile grew wider and he continued: "Just now, I calculated that there are thirty-seven of you here, but as far as I know, among the many businessmen involved in smuggling activities, the strength is no less than that of all of you here. Yes, there are still fifty-two people in total! Regarding these fifty-two people, since they did not appear here tonight, they do not take the court, the officials, and everyone here seriously. It is obvious that their attitude is very clear. They knew that the imperial court wanted to rectify commercial taxes and smuggling, but they still took chances and had no intention of joining the United Shipping Company. They still planned to continue to fight against the imperial court and still carry out smuggling activities! My patience has always been limited, and for these people I don’t plan to fight anymore. Since they made the wrong choice, they will suffer the consequences in the end, but they can’t blame us!”
At this point, Zhao Junchen's expression suddenly turned cold and he slowly concluded: "In other words, these fifty-three people are our main enemies in the future and the main opponents we will fight next! As long as they are defeated With them, the joint shipping company can achieve the fastest development in the shortest time, the smuggling phenomenon of the imperial court can be suppressed to the greatest extent, and the future income of everyone here can also be maximized! Everyone, a story about the shipping business The war is inevitable! Moreover, we have the support of the imperial court, we stand on the commanding heights of morality and law, and we have the advantage of strength. Whether it is the right time, the right location, or the right people, they all favor us. , Therefore, the final result of this war must be our complete victory!"
After a pause, Zhao Junchen narrowed his eyes and finally expressed his thoughts: "According to my opinion, after the establishment of United Shipping Company, the distribution of share income will depend on the specific circumstances! The ships, manpower and The more funds you have, the higher the dividends from the shares you own! Theoretically, the imperial court’s controlling stake in each shipping company will not exceed 40%! In addition, if you have additional contributions, the imperial court will also give you additional discounts, further increasing your Share dividends! And the so-called 'extra credit' refers to your performance in this war!
Next, I will fully punish those smugglers who have not joined the United Shipping Company! And you all used to be experts in the smuggling industry, so you naturally know the situation of your former colleagues very well! The smuggling methods, smuggling time, smuggling scale, etc. of these people cannot escape your eyes and ears! If you can provide evidence of their crimes so that the imperial court can easily catch them all, then you will naturally be a credit to the imperial court, and the imperial court will also make concessions in terms of profit sharing! "
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, the expressions of all the Huizhe merchants present became eager! They are all gleaming in their eyes and full of enthusiasm, ready to collect evidence of their colleagues' crimes in order to increase their own interests in the future!
After all, the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants here and the smuggling merchants who are unwilling to join the joint shipping company are originally competitors, and their relationship with each other is not good. If they can not only attack their opponents, but also increase their own interests, they will Why don't you want to? ——In fact, even if they have a good relationship with each other, a deep friendship, or even family friends and relatives, in the face of absolute interests, they will never hesitate to sell out!
However, Zhao Junchen still felt that everyone's mood was not enthusiastic enough, and continued: "Once you have performed meritorious services, in addition to concessions in income dividends, the court will also have other rewards! That is, once you report a certain smuggler, And they also presented tangible evidence, and the court successfully punished the smuggler based on the information you provided. At that time, the smuggler's property will inevitably be confiscated by the court! Then, the smuggler's subordinates will inevitably be confiscated by the court. Regardless of the size of the ship, the court will allocate part of it as a reward to the person who reports it! The minimum reward for this part of the reward will not be less than 10%, and the maximum can even be as high as 50%! Also, after the smuggler's property was confiscated, the court His fields and properties will also be auctioned, and those who provide tangible evidence will have priority in purchasing some of them!"
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants present suddenly went into an uproar!
The reward proposed by Zhao Junchen is really too generous!
"If I can successfully report five smugglers and provide a lot of tangible evidence, doesn't it mean that I have at least doubled the size of my ships without investing any capital? In addition, according to Zhao Junchen , after the scale of his fleet is expanded, and then invested in the United Shipping Company, his share dividends in the United Shipping Company can also be increased! In addition, after a successful report, the court will also make concessions in terms of income dividends... In this way, not only can the scale of one's own fleet be greatly expanded, but the income and dividends can also increase again and again! In addition, you can have priority in purchasing the other party's land and real estate... This method is a hugely profitable deal no matter how you calculate it! Definitely do it! "
For a moment, such thoughts flashed through the minds of all the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants present.
Even Shi Kesong, who had always been calm and composed, and Xu Changde, who had ulterior motives, were all agitated at this moment, secretly thinking about who they could provide Zhao Junchen with key evidence of their crimes. After defeating these people, they would How many benefits can be obtained...
After secretly imagining it, not only did their moods not calm down, but they became even more excited!
As for other Hui and Zhejiang merchants, let alone them.
For a time, everyone expressed their full support for Zhao Junchen's decision to "start a war"! And their attitude is actually much more urgent than Zhao Junchen!
*
"What Mr. Zhao said is absolutely true! For the sake of the imperial court's commercial tax and the future of the United Shipping Company, smuggling activities must be curbed! Those stubborn and recalcitrant smugglers must also be punished!"
"Master Zhao is wise! Please rest assured, Master Zhao. I will immediately follow your instructions and do my best to collect evidence of the crimes of those smugglers. These smugglers really need to be punished!"
"I will fully support Mr. Zhao's decision. We must fight against those stubborn smugglers to the end! We will never let any smugglers go unpunished!"
"Master Zhao..."
For a time, the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants present spoke one after another, all of them impassioned and righteous.
At this moment, they all forgot their original identities and positions, and completely became staunch defenders of the imperial commercial tax. This change was so sudden and so natural that no one would feel uncomfortable. OK!
Even Xu Changde, who originally had evil intentions, temporarily forgot his original position and felt that he might be able to join the United Shipping Company sincerely. After all, the benefits promised by Zhao Junchen were too tempting.
However, although Xu Changde temporarily forgot his original position, Zhao Junchen did not forget it.
Zhao Junchen proposed such an idea, of course, to "drive away wolves and swallow tigers" and mobilize the enthusiasm of everyone present, so that they can take the initiative to become the vanguard of the court's crackdown on smuggling, but at the same time, he also wanted to take the opportunity to retaliate against Xu Changde's secret troubles, and also to give Xu Changde Shen Changmao behind De is looking for some trouble!
So, after everyone's enthusiastic support ended, a smile appeared on Zhao Junchen's face again, and he turned his gaze to Xu Changde, and said slowly: "Speaking of which, I can think of this method thanks to many people." Boss’s reminder, if it weren’t for Boss Xu’s honest speech, I would not have thought of the usefulness of your supervision, let alone the method just now, so Boss Xu can be said to have contributed a lot to this matter! In the future, the imperial court After successfully cracking down on smuggling, Boss Xu’s name will definitely be on my merit list! At that time, Boss Xu will definitely be rewarded by the court in terms of share dividends!”
At this time, Xu Changde was a little wavering. He didn't know whether he should change his position in time and temporarily support Zhao Junchen's plan. As for Shen Changmao's instructions, such as secretly causing trouble for Zhao Junchen, waiting for opportunities to sabotage the joint shipping line, etc., they could be postponed. and then execute it.
When Xu Changde heard Zhao Junchen's statement, he was even more surprised. Although he didn't know why Zhao Junchen wanted to retaliate with kindness. He was clearly causing trouble for Zhao Junchen secretly, but Zhao Junchen ended up giving him benefits, but the benefits appeared out of thin air. , Xu Changde will naturally not give up.
So Xu Changde quickly stood up and bowed to Zhao Junchen to thank him. Compared with before, Xu Changde's attitude at this time was much more humble.
However, Xu Changde didn't know that all of this was a trap set by Zhao Junchen for him!
Zhao Junchen had thought of the strategy of "driving away wolves and devouring tigers" a long time ago, and even mentioned some of it when he was in Taierzhuang, Yanzhou. But now, Zhao Junchen gave part of the credit to Xu Changde! It seems that Xu Changde has benefited, but in fact Xu Changde has been involved in a big trouble while accepting Zhao Junchen's "goodwill"!
After all, according to Zhao Junchen's plan, a large number of smugglers will be knocked down in the future. After these smugglers are knocked down, it is discovered that Zhao Junchen's plan all originated from Xu Changde's reminder. By that time, those smugglers will How should a businessman hate Xu Changde? What kind of revenge will Xu Changde face?
In addition, most of the smugglers in the Ming Dynasty had backers in the court, and these backers strongly opposed the court's rectification of commercial taxes, and the chief minister Shen Changmao was the leader of these people!
When a large number of smugglers were defeated, the backers of these smugglers discovered that all this was due to Xu Changde, and Xu Changde's backer behind the scenes was their leader Shen Changmao. At that time, some people would inevitably question Shen Changmao's true position, the ministers who oppose the imperial government's rectification of commercial taxes will be divided internally. At that time, not only Shen Changmao's momentum will be hit, but Zhao Junchen's resistance to rectifying commercial taxes will also be reduced a lot.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen has never been a good person who repays evil with kindness. Xu Changde, under Shen Changmao's instructions, wanted to secretly sabotage Zhao Junchen's plan, and Zhao Junchen naturally wanted to take revenge several times!
It's a pity that Xu Changde was unaware of Zhao Junchen's revenge and thought he had taken advantage of him!
Seeing Xu Changde's overjoyed look, a hint of sarcasm flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes!
Soon, Xu Changde may be extremely happy and sad!
…
PS: Well, it’s still two chapters in one, four thousand words!
…(To be continued.)
