The so-called going out means taking the initiative to sell goods overseas.
In this regard, the Song Dynasty has always been encouraging, so private overseas trade has become increasingly prosperous.
Especially after the southern crossing, large-scale maritime trade flourished, and profit-making at sea became a common phenomenon in coastal areas. Many people followed this occupation from generation to generation, and the maritime merchant class came into being.
From East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf and even the east coast of Africa, the footprints of Song Dynasty merchants and sailors were everywhere, eventually replacing the maritime advantages of the Dashi merchants in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
It is a pity that this rapid development was suddenly interrupted fifty years ago, and its prosperity turned to decline.
It was during the Kaiju Year, when the powerful minister Han Yuzhou led a Northern Expedition against Jin Dynasty. However, firstly, the preparations were not complete, and secondly, there were too many people holding back, so the result could only end sadly.
Lao Han himself lost his life, and his head was chopped off and sent to the Kingdom of Jin to make amends. Not only that, but after the disastrous defeat, if he wanted to renew the peace treaty with the Kingdom of Jin, he would have to meet the other party's more unequal demands.
Originally, the emperors of the Song and Jin Dynasties were equivalent to nephews and uncles. This time, the relationship between the Jin Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty was changed to nephew and uncle. The annual currency was increased from 200,000 taels of silver and silk each year to 300,000. In addition, A compensation of three million taels of silver must be paid to the Kingdom of Jin.
This time, coupled with the consumption of war, the Song Dynasty's originally decent finances became tight, and they had to start increasing taxes.
Shi Miyuan, who came to power later, was a traitor and incompetent in governance. The relatively clean officialdom in the early Ningzong Dynasty began to deteriorate, and corruption became rampant.
As a result, maritime merchants not only had to bear heavier taxes, but also were robbed by officials, making overseas trade unprofitable.
Take the two-thousand-material sea-going ship that was most used at this time as an example. Its load capacity is about 200,000 kilograms, but it is impossible to load all the cargo. At least half must be left for the crew, merchants and their living supplies, and the remaining half can Loading.
The Song Dynasty exported hundreds of kinds of goods. Among them, the most cost-effective and profitable product was probably copper coins. A typical copper coin was about six pounds. Even if it were all loaded with copper coins, it would only be 15,000 to 6,000 guan. And so on. The value of exported goods is only about ten thousand yuan.
On the return voyage, if a shipload of frankincense was loaded, it would be worth about 200,000 to 300,000 guan, but it would have to be eaten in large quantities. In order to reduce risks, most Song merchants only went to Southeast Asian countries, and the goods they brought back were worth about 60,000 to 60,000 guan. Eighty thousand strings.
The gross profit from one round is at least six or seven times, so this deal is naturally very tempting.
In normal times, when all methods are taken into account, the Song Dynasty government usually takes three-tenths, which works out to more than 20,000 guan. After deducting the freight cost and the cost of goods, the maritime merchants still have a profit of 40,000 guan.
Under such circumstances, people became more motivated to engage in overseas trade and went overseas enthusiastically.
But when the tax increases to half, there are officials' extortion and extortion, and there are big merchants like the Pu family manipulating the market, then the profits of maritime merchants will drop to less than 20,000 guan.
It seems that there is still money to be made, but many small and medium-sized maritime merchants rely on loans to raise capital. At this time, private loan interest is usually doubled, so how much is left after filling the less than 20,000 yuan?
If you are not careful, you may even lose your pants. Therefore, a large number of maritime merchants went bankrupt and fewer and fewer ships went to sea.
Of course, if you have your own funds, you can still make a profit, but wouldn't it be better if you have the money to lend directly?
There are also some people who can avoid the extortion of officials and the exploitation of big businessmen, but these are the minority after all.
Moreover, although goods exported during the Song Dynasty did not need to pay taxes, they had to be registered with the government and receive a "public certificate". This meant that the goods brought back were reported by the government, and it was basically impossible to make profits from smuggling.
On the contrary, Tibetan merchants were not restrained. For example, the Pu family lived in the Song Dynasty and even became officials in the Song Dynasty, but they were still treated as Tibetan merchants. They were able to engage in smuggling like a duck in water.
For now, Zhao Mengqi is about to reform the shipping department system, and this decline will gradually change, but he is not willing to wait.
"In one or two months, the northeast monsoon will come. Time waits for us not to wait."
Hearing this, many people present nodded subconsciously.
In the age of sailing ships, navigation was highly dependent on climate, and sea trade activities were extremely seasonal. The wind direction and ocean currents in the three or four months of winter were conducive to sailing to the South Ocean. After spring, the southwest monsoon began to turn, which was just right. Return voyage.
How could these gentry and wealthy merchants in Quanzhou not know this rule? However, they are not adventurous. They usually take action only when the situation is too late. They have no plans to go to sea for the time being.
And when they think about it, King Yan will probably follow the example of Donghai Trading Company and establish a company like Nanyang Trading. Then they can just buy some stocks according to the situation. The return is not the best, but the risk is also much smaller.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard King Yan continue to say, "Gu's energy is mainly focused on countering rebellion and Liu Qiu, so he doesn't want to get involved too much in maritime trade, and is ready to let the people go. To put it simply, Gu is responsible. We’ll get the policies right, manage the officials well, and provide you with some support. You’ll be able to handle the business yourself. As long as you pay taxes according to regulations when you come back, it’s up to each family to make more or less.”
Let go?
King Yan actually doesn’t want to keep such a huge fortune in his hands?
Everyone present was surprised and began to guess the reason.
In fact, the real reason is that Zhao Mengqi really doesn't have that much energy, and he doesn't have enough manpower to start a Nanyang company.
Secondly, the journey to Nanyang is longer and the scope is larger. There are dozens of small countries. The situation is much more complicated than the Japanese country of Goryeo. It is not appropriate to establish a monopoly.
Sanlai Sea Trade is the backbone of Quanzhou and has a broad foundation among the people. Mobilizing these forces can shorten the time to restore prosperity.
Fourth, Zhao Mengqi has a lot of thoughts about those small countries in Nanyang, and many actions cannot be carried in the official name of the Song Dynasty...
After much thought, the gentry were able to guess a few things, especially the second and third items. They somewhat admired King Yan's rationality.
Then Chen Zhi asked on behalf of everyone, "I am willing to respond to His Highness's move, but going to sea is not something that can be done easily. It requires ocean-going ships, experienced sailors, and raising goods also requires funds and time." At this time, the sea is also unstable. Not to mention natural disasters, you can only tell bad fortunes when you encounter them. But the pirates wandering in the South China Sea are like crucian carp crossing the river. There are really many difficulties. "
Zhao Mengqi touched his chin, "How can a living person suffocate to death? The problems mentioned by Mr. Chen are not without solutions. First of all, there were nearly two hundred ships that captured the Pu family and other traitors this time, among which the ones that could go far across the ocean were There are sixty or seventy ships, and I plan to resell most of them at low prices."
At this time, building a new sea-going ship with 2,000 materials costs about 5,000 to 6,000 guan. The cost is not low, but it is not bad. It also requires about 10,000 workers, which means that it will take 100 craftsmen 100 days to build it. In fact, it will take longer. Some of them must have missed the monsoon when they were built.
Zhao Mengqi also needs ships himself, but what he wants is more for military purposes, so it is better to cash in the captured merchant ships and then build new ships.
"As for the sailors, I think you must have a way to recruit them, and I will release some from the prisoners as appropriate."
"In terms of goods, Fuzhou can provide some, and Quanzhou can also organize many locally. In addition, Gu Zai informed Feng Mengde, the pacifier of Guangdong, and asked him to organize a batch in Guangzhou. This should be able to meet the needs, and there is no need to worry about funds. In a few days, the Royal Bank will also arrive with the follow-up troops. As long as you provide collateral, you can get a loan, and the interest will not exceed three cents at most."
"The imperial court does not have the power to clean up the pirates in the short term, but it will vigorously recruit them. In addition, you must have channels to contact them. Recruiting them with huge profits for your own use should not be a problem. They are just seeking money."
Pirates are inseparable from the support and cooperation of "powerful people" on land in terms of logistics and the sale of stolen goods. This is an open secret, but Zhao Mengqi said it so straightforwardly, which made many people laugh.
Some pirates are actually smuggling fleets of some gentry. If they can make profits from legitimate trade in the future, they will try to transfer them to the public. Unexpectedly, King Yan simply gave them a chance to clear their names.
At this time, Zhao Mengqi tapped his forehead and considered, "Although the business is handled by your own family, the power is too scattered, and there may be conflicts between you, so I suggest that you establish a unified maritime merchant guild and elect your own The guild manages affairs by uniting, cooperating, helping each other, and coordinating disputes. In this way, the escort and defense force can be put under the name of the guild and avoid violating the ban. I just plan to retire some soldiers and generals in the army, so I might as well place them in this convoy. In addition, the storms and waves are indeed dangerous, so I am ready to let the Royal Bank and the Maritime Merchant Guild cooperate to carry out insurance business."
"May I ask Your Highness, what does this insurance business mean?" Chen Zhi couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Mengqi smiled and said, "The general meaning is that based on the value of the cargo shipped out to sea, a premium will be charged. If the ship is unfortunately in danger, full compensation will be paid. The crew can even be included in the insurance coverage in the future and compensation will be paid after the accident. This will also It can reduce the pension pressure of ship owners and cargo owners, and whether to participate in the insurance is voluntary and not mandatory."
The wise ones among the gentry soon realized that this was actually collecting export taxes in disguise, and it was not given to the government, but to the Royal Bank controlled by King Yan.
However, the export cargo is usually only worth 15,000 to 6,000 pounds. If you pay one-tenth and get full compensation, the risk will be greatly reduced, which is a good thing.
The so-called convoy was obviously controlled by King Yan, but the cost of raising the army was collectively borne by the merchants. What a good calculation.
With insurance and escort, King Yan can maintain a strong influence on the Maritime Merchant Guild, so why not participate...
The gentry are slandering, but they don't expect that the government or King Yan will really let go completely. The current level of control is still acceptable. As long as they can make a fortune, they can say anything.
At this time, the gentry all began to make calculations. Regardless of whether they had directly engaged in sea trade or not, they couldn't help but be a little ready to make a move when faced with the good opportunity given by King Yan.
If they could still get a share of the maritime trade by lending money in the past, but after the Royal Bank came in, it would inevitably monopolize the lending market with low interest rates, and this usury business would no longer be possible.
And based on King Yan's style, it is estimated that the room for profit from the land will become smaller and smaller in the future. If he does not find a new way to make money in the long term, his family will probably decline. 33
What's more, the land tax for twenty years was cut off by King Yan. Such a huge loss must be made up for. Not to mention the distance, wouldn't it be nice to make a lot of money first while King Yan is vigorously promoting this time.
Everyone flexed their fingers and calculated how much real estate they could use as mortgage at home, whether to buy a boat or hire a boat, whether to find someone to partner with, what kind of goods are easier to sell, where to go, what kind of illegal goods are more profitable...
But Chen Zhi had deeper thoughts. Now that the Pu family has collapsed, the Liu family will not be able to survive for long. The throne of the first family in Quanzhou cannot fall into the hands of the Lin family, the Cai family, and the Ke family. The Chen family should be the leader.
To achieve this goal, one is to hold tightly to King Yan's thigh, and the other is to seek the position at the head of this maritime merchant bank.
Although the direct line of the Chen family has not been deeply involved in maritime trade in the past, there are many branches of a large family like the Chen family. One of them, Chen Sijin, is one of the best among the local maritime merchants in Quanzhou. As long as he has his support and the reputation of the Chen family, , the position at the beginning of this line is almost 90%.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhi became even more enthusiastic, "Your Highness has worked so hard for us, and has thought out everything so thoroughly, which makes me very impressed. No matter what other families do, our Chen family will definitely cooperate with us. I dare not say more." , three large ships can still be bought, the Maritime Merchant Guild is indeed necessary, it is of great benefit to both public and private parties, it should be established as soon as possible, although I am old and stupid, I hope to do my best to revitalize Quanzhou. "
When other gentry heard this, they immediately realized that although the Maritime Merchant Guild was only a private organization, it had a great influence on Quanzhou, a city of maritime trade. Not only could it seek greater benefits for their own families, it was also very likely to become a member of Yan State. The famous person under the throne may have unlimited wealth in the future.
As a result, many people started arguing on the spot. Even though they didn't explicitly say they wanted to compete for the top spot, they still had this intention behind their words.
Seeing the commotion in the hall, Zhao Mengqi felt dumbfounded, so he clapped his hands to stop the noise, "When the guild is established, you will discuss it behind closed doors. Lonely and unintentionally will intervene. Now, let's talk about other things. The sea trade." The prosperity is foreseeable. In the near future, the total volume of overseas goods will be three to four times more than at the previous peak. Moreover, the development of flow demand also requires a massive supply of materials, so production must keep up, and various workshops are becoming more and more popular. The bigger the better, the more the better. Gu will mobilize a group of top talents from various industries from Pingjiang to communicate and teach the latest and best craftsmanship. Naturally, banks will also provide financial support... In short, whether it is industry or business, it is better than Digging for food in the soil is countless times better, and everyone’s days will only get better and better in the future.”
"...In addition, the sea-going ships built in Quanzhou can be said to be the best ships in the world today. Is there any reason why the shipbuilding industry should not vigorously develop it? I am going to issue an order to Quanzhou Shipbuilding Industry for three Shenzhou-class ships and ten Wanwan materials." Level, fifty ships with five thousand materials level, eighty ships with two thousand materials level, prepaid according to the market price...Okay, that’s the end of today’s banquet, when the sun rises tomorrow, it will be the beginning of the renaissance of all industries in Quanzhou!”
Oh, King Yan is really generous. This order is roughly estimated to be more than two million yuan. All the shipyards in Quanzhou will make a fortune...
All the gentry present were shocked, and it was clear from this that King Yan really wanted to revitalize Quanzhou's economy. Otherwise, in the past, when the government needed ships, they would basically order them to be manufactured at the official shipyard, and the craftsmen would be hired and hired to reduce costs. Gold and silver are purchased at market prices.
As for why King Yan wanted so many ships, few people cared.
After taking this reassurance, hundreds of gentry and wealthy businessmen left the Yamen of Yaosi in excitement.
Although it was already late after the banquet, Zhao Mengqi was not in a hurry to rest. Instead, he took Uncle Xie Fang, Zhao Jujing and others to have a long talk in the small study.
"...The main force of the rebels fled. After Chen Xueshi arrived, he and Xiang Xiang presided over the extermination slowly. There was no need to rush...all the prisoners were first organized into labor camps and put into the construction of Quanzhou. They had special skills. I will stay in Quanzhou to work in the future, otherwise they will all move to Liuqiu. The powerful people who participated in the rebellion will be imprisoned first and will be dealt with after I come back..."
"...Please thank the Prime Minister for taking the time to arrange the supplies tomorrow. I'm afraid Liuqiu is already crying for food."
"Your Highness, Liuqiu can just send a few capable ministers down there. Why do you need to go there in person?"
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. Liuqiu must open up the situation as soon as possible. I won't be relieved if I don't go there. Don't worry, Prime Minister Xie."
"Then... Your Highness must take it seriously."
Some people died, but not completely...
