"Lu Yunchang, why did you come to Liaonan?" Li Dan looked up and down at Fu Wang's dianbu in surprise, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. I saw him wrapped in a sea dog skin coat and sweating profusely.
In return with an awkward smile, Lu Yunchang sighed:
"You don't know, sir. Before I boarded the ship in Shandong, there was a stormy and cold sea, and I wanted to go sailing! So I bought this one. Unexpectedly, when I got ashore, I realized that it's not that hot in summer at all! This is really... alas! "
Li Dan and Wu Mao couldn't help laughing anymore. Wu Mao quickly smoothed things over: "It doesn't matter, we were very nervous when we first came here, but it's okay for adults to advise us not to listen to those unscrupulous businessmen.
After I came here and lived there for a year, I realized that the adults were right and it was not that terrible. In addition, there are coal stoves available in winter, so I can get over it with a little patience. You'll know after staying there for a few days. "Hello him and hurry into the house.
The guests and hosts were seated separately, and Lu Yunchang made his intention clear. It turns out that after Prince Fu learned first aid and surgical techniques in the group training, he was still unsatisfied and felt that there was still room for improvement.
Hearing that the war in Liaodong was about to start, I started to think about whether I could come to Liaodong for internship, so I secretly wrote a note to the emperor. The emperor replied and asked him to study for a year under the pseudonym of Zhao Puzi, so Lu Yunchang, a familiar person, became the best candidate to take the lead.
"My lord, you and the emperor should send errands closer to each other in the future. We are going to the Western Regions, and my old bones are still falling apart? I am working on a carriage and a sea ship. I really can't stand it!" Lu Yunchang said with a look on his face Bitter look.
"Come on, I see you are enjoying it, you don't look like you are suffering much at all. Well, it's just Hei Ling'er." Li Dan deliberately teased him.
"Hey, if you hadn't made a fortune here, sir, why would I have asked for this job?" Lu Yunchang defended with a pale face.
"Hey, you know there's money to be made here?"
"How dare you!" Lu Yunchang said with a stroke of his hand: "The whole of Jiangxi has heard it, coal cake stoves cost 1, 26 cents, and across Liaodong it costs 7 taels and 5 cents!
The Raozhou Chamber of Commerce purchased medicines, cotton yarn, cotton cloth, and cotton from all over the country. The Xu family shipped no less than 30 pieces each time. According to reports, even the Bai family in Poyang Lake started a boat rental business. The lake was full of ships transporting military supplies! "
"Having said that, the cost is indeed too high." Li Dan glanced at Wu Mao with a smile: "Fortunately, the number of people here in Liaodong is not too large, otherwise the money will be spent like sea water just on logistics.
Therefore, we now encourage businessmen to invest in building military supplies production bases in Liaoning. Except for your cotton products and medicines, other products can be produced and purchased as close as possible.
If you have the idea of dumping the products over there, it may be too late. "
This dynasty is an agricultural society that does not discriminate against business and is even somewhat open-minded. Li Dan can see this clearly as he grows older and gets closer to court affairs.
Although those scholar-bureaucrats kept saying that "merchants pursue profits," they actually did not dare to take action against merchants. The reason is very simple. The previous dynasty was not interested in developing Han culture, but the Egu people liked Han people who knew how to make money and scheme against Zhang.
The Semu people can do business, but after all, their numbers are small and they are located in the west. The eastern sea trade and the southern salt and iron trade require a large number of educated Han people to support them, so a very thick merchant class has been formed, as well as a group of people to serve this group of people. surrounding people.
In his previous life, Zhu Yuanzhang, out of hatred and misunderstanding of merchants, regarded them as accomplices of the vassal Meng Yuan, and implemented the policy of settling accounts after the fall and killing the goose to retrieve the eggs, which resulted in economic chaos and serious imbalances in revenue and expenditure.
Fortunately, the battle against Can Yuan went smoothly and the harvest filled the hole. Otherwise, things would have gone haywire before Zhu Yunwen could cut down his subordinates.
The subsequent policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing commerce was even more harmful to commerce. Not only maritime trade, but even the business enthusiasm of the mainland was greatly dampened.
This situation did not improve until the mid-Ming Dynasty as technological progress and population multiplication enabled the surplus labor to find a way out, which to some extent promoted the continued development of the budding capital since the late Song Dynasty.
It was wrong for feudal rulers to adopt such a policy in an era when agricultural society was the basis, but it was irrefutable that it was a counter-resistance to the trend of the times that had begun to change the social structure.
They were also rulers in the feudal era. Since Taizu himself and his followers were mostly big merchants, the court did not suppress commerce since the beginning of the country. Instead, it adopted a laissez-faire attitude that neither encouraged nor restricted. Keeping the entire empire open.
After experiencing the turmoil of the regime subversion during the Taizu period and Jing Nan's failure to seize the throne during the Taizong period, the country became more stable during the Ren and Xuan generations, the succession of the throne and the interference of pro-vassals in politics were eliminated, the era of Eryang's autocratic power ended, and the country prospered.
The continued development of maritime trade brought large amounts of precious metals into the empire, and consumer demand from all classes steadily increased.
Li Dan was keenly aware of this, and used his power to bring large numbers of merchants from Jiangxi, Anhui, and Henan into the Liao region to develop and colonize. At the same time, he sought cooperation with the bordering Seyan, Luyan, and even Nvzhi tribes.
What he needs now is the participation of the big nobles and larger funds than what the Raozhou Chamber of Commerce has.
"How can a person have that ability? Of course my prince is the master, and people are just appendages." Lu Yunchang said.
"Oh?" Li Dan thought he was really sleepy and put the pillow on his face. He looked at Wu Mao.
"So... what does Qiantose mean?" Wu Mao asked for Li Dan.
"The prince is not alone!" Lu Yunchang smiled mysteriously:
"There are also King Peng of Nanchang, King Tan of Changsha, as well as King Nankang, King Qingjiang, King Yiyang, King Pingjiang, King Hengyang, King Leiyang, King Liling, King Jianchang, King Fengcheng and King Xinjian Lord, there are thirteen families in total!”
"Thirteen families!" Li Dan sat up straight and looked at Wu Mao. Both of them were surprised. "How did the prince think of subduing so many members of the royal family?" he asked in surprise.
"I didn't expect it at first, but King Fu went to Nanchang to visit King Peng, where he met King Tan who had returned from the capital to pay a visit to the Queen Mother. When the three of them were eating and drinking together, His Royal Highness King Peng suddenly suffered from abdominal pain.
My prince diagnosed it as intestinal gas, so he gave Prince Peng an acupuncture and cured Chitose. King Peng was very surprised when he learned that the prince had served as a doctor in the military. The three of them then talked about you, sir.
Later, they agreed to contact their relatives when they returned, so there were thirteen families.
Well, this is on the surface. In fact, there are many royal families behind them. Before they came out, they hurriedly flipped through the list. There were more than one hundred and seventy names on it, ranging from the prince to the lieutenant Dou Ying."
"I understand, the princes want to raise funds, right? Have they paid the funds?" Li Dan asked.
"Only one of the thirteen we have not only subscribed, but also brought the money to others." Lu Yunchang took out an oil paper bag.
Wu Mao took it and opened it and saw that there were thirteen votes. After doing the mental calculation, he raised his head and told Li Dan: "The total is two hundred and thirteen thousand four hundred taels."
"Yes, that's the number." Lu Yunchang nodded.
"Li Dan thanks all the princes for your love!" Li Dan expressed his opinion first, and then asked: "Do you have any details on how much money each of them paid?"
"At the bottom, there are respective signatures and fingerprints at the back."
"That's good!" Li Dan nodded and turned around: "In my opinion, since there is already the Royal First Bank of Liaoning, we should put the money there. What do you think, sir?"
"This is the truth." Wu Mao agreed: "Mr. Lu, don't be surprised. If you want to take advantage of Liaoning's dividends, you can put your money in the bank school."
This bank also has shares in Sansheng, which are more reputable and safe than us, and they can use them to invest and help everyone make money.
You send someone to bring the payment invoice issued by the bank and forward it to the kings, so that they can feel at ease and know that the money is in the bank and not in individual hands. How? "
"Hey, that's great. But this bank has the Emperor's shares, His Majesty won't be unhappy about it, right?"
The two laughed, so Li Dan explained to him that the emperor was only a shareholder and participated in dividends, and he had no control over who paid at the counter or how much. Lu Yunchang felt relieved after hearing this.
Li Dan also explained the differences in returns and risks between investing in shares, time deposits, financial management, and directional investment. He suggested that if the investor does not specify a form, he could discuss a proportional match with the bank, so that risks can be diversified and a better result can be achieved. Desirable earnings.
"When will Prince Fu arrive?" Li Dan asked.
Lu Yunchang calculated: "About a month later. What?"
"Does he want you to stay in Liaoning, or does he want to send you the money, negotiate the business, and then go back to Fuzhou?"
"Wherever the prince is, I will stay. If he stays, I will stay." Lu Yunchang guessed what Li Dan meant: "But I will bring three companions. If they need anything, they can go back and handle it."
“What I mean is to ask the bank to send people to set up branch offices in Nanchang and Changsha.
It's best for you to go back to one person. This person will be the liaison between various governments and bank branches, report the bank's new products and annual report income to everyone, and help them handle various businesses.
Think about this person, make sure he is honest and reliable, and then send him to the bank for training for a period of time. "
Lu Yunchang agreed to come down and discuss it, and then came to find Wu Mao. This incident gave Li Dan a great inspiration. He decided to immediately select a group of people and let them go to the bank to study, so that they could be sent to use when opening branches in various places in the future.
Zhu Zhanji arrived in Liaoyang about ten years later than his brother. The two brothers deliberately staggered their arrival, and also because Zhu Zhanji had to wait for documents from the Ministry of War before he could complete the school.
Because the imperial censor complained, he had to pay a large fine. When he got the documents, he only had two consistent votes. He calculated that he could save this little money and barely made it to Liaodong. He didn't even have the money to hire animals. Can't afford it.
The fifth brother left fifteen taels of meeting tickets for him before leaving, but he had already spilled the beans in order to escape guilt and get the documents as soon as possible. What to do along the way?
While he was worrying, shopkeeper Liu En of Raozhou Guild Hall came to ask him to move. It was on the order of Mrs. Li's wife. When I arrived at Linfang, I directly arranged for Zhu Zhanji to live in Yangyue Tower. Not only was there a supply of bedding and other supplies for the road, but there were also ten one-tael conference tickets.
A double-coiled carriage, driver and five guards are also ready to escort him on his journey.
Zhu Zhanji had no choice but to draw another picture of "Panasonic Watching Chess" and a short and long poem written by Xin Qiji in cursive, and entrusted Zhu Qing, who came to see him off, to deliver it on his behalf as a deep thank you to the Li family for their arrangement.
As soon as the carriage left Shanhaiguan, an officer led a dozen knights to follow it. The other party didn't ask who was in the car. He just looked at the guard leader's waistband and guided the vehicle all the way to Jinzhou.
Starting from Lingheyi, a group of cavalrymen wearing gray mid-length coats, breeches and boots, wearing the same gray hats with white bird feathers on the right side picked them up and continued to march towards Liaoyang.
He observed that these people had a round shield hanging on the left side of the saddle, a lance hanging on the right side, and an embroidered spring knife hanging on the waist. On the other side, there was a leather case on the outside of the thigh that looked like a short firecracker. Various identification symbols are sewn on.
This was his first time contacting and seeing the New Army cavalry so close, and he couldn't help but be full of curiosity: "Can such soldiers compete with the Kelges? It seems that their armor rate is not high!" He looked out of the glass window of the carriage. Looking outside, I kept muttering in my heart.
He never expected that in Liaoyang, he, a five-character conductor, would be treated with high standards of courtesy. A group of cavalry came galloping from a distance. The young officer leading the horse asked loudly: "But is Zhu Darao's carriage the parade envoy?"
"Exactly!" The leading officer was about to ask the other party's identity when he suddenly saw him turn over and dismount. There were five yellow stars in a circle on his left arm and shoulder. He was shocked and quickly saluted on his horse.
After returning the courtesy, Li Dan went straight to the car door. When the door opened, he saw a middle-aged man with a big beard, a slightly droopy face like Zhu Zhanzhen, a slightly larger nose, and deep bags under his eyes.
He cupped his fists and raised his hands: "But Mr. Qichang? My student Li Dan has been famous for a long time. When I heard that Mr. Liao had entered the Liao Dynasty, I came here to welcome him."
"How dare you, how dare you, Sir Li, I'm so scared." Zhu Zhanji looked in surprise at Li Sanlang, who had soft hair on his lips but was already so famous.
"When I was in the capital, I received alms from the old lady and my wife, but I didn't express my thanks. Please accept my respects on their behalf!"
Li Dan was not willing to accept his visit, so he quickly stopped him and said, "It's so inconvenient to talk on the road. Why don't I get in the car too and let's talk while we walk?" Zhu Zhanji immediately agreed.
So Li Dan entrusted the horse to Mao Zaidi and got on the carriage himself. The convoy soon resumed its journey. In the carriage, Li Dan looked at Zhu Zhanji, and the other party also looked at him.
"Hey, it's true that a hero comes from a young age, and I am really old!" Zhu Zhanji sighed.
"Why did you say this, sir?" Li Dan said with a smile:
"The so-called old people not only have physical changes and age, but also may be stubborn, not accepting new things, intolerant of other people's opinions, disdainful of everything, not believing that they can be wrong, etc., but I didn't see that in Mr. These."
"Really? Then, what did you see?" Zhu Zhanji asked with interest.
"I read the letters from home several times. From their stories, I saw a person who calmly responded to criticism and found ways to deal with it positively.
When you fell from an aristocratic son to the mortal world, and ended up in a situation where you were almost a white man with debts and no official position, your husband did not sink or blame others.
No matter what circumstances he finds himself in, no matter the wind, frost, rain or snow, he can stand upright and look at everything with level eyes.
Use your own ink to depict the joys and sorrows, joys and sorrows in this difficult world, and depict the vivid reality in your pen, so that you and the viewers can forget their worries and escape from suffering.
Sir, you can be so calm and face the unpredictable fate and all kinds of unsatisfactory situations in this world with a normal heart. This is true for everyone! "
Zhu Zhanji didn't answer for a long time, and finally folded his hands and said with a choked voice: "I always thought that I was not recognized for my talent, but I was jealous of me. After hearing these words, I realized that I should be ashamed and dare not accept the master's praise!"
Li Dan smiled and held his hand: "Sir, don't worry, I have already written to your Majesty, requesting your Majesty to agree to appoint you as the temporary governor of Liaonan Province, so that even if I leave office, I can recommend you as my successor." Those who stayed in Liaonan.
The first chief envoy was Yao Qing, who participated in politics from the right in Huguang. He likes talented gentlemen, and you two should be able to get along happily. As for the affairs of Liaonan Road, I have written to your Majesty and will discuss it with you after your Majesty replies. "
"Everything will be done according to your arrangements!" Only then did Zhu Zhanji realize that the reason why he came to Liao was not because of the emperor's ingenuity, nor because of his fifth brother's fat face.
It turned out that His Majesty had communicated with Li Dan earlier, and Li Dan immediately expressed his willingness to accept it after learning that he had been involved in a lawsuit.
Half done, that's what happened. He smiled bitterly to himself. But after all this trouble and the fine has been paid, I guess the censor won't bother anymore, right?
