Handan, Guo Mansion.
The status of merchants in the Zhao Kingdom is not low. Although it is not as good as the nobles, with the blessing of money, their status is much higher than that of ordinary civilians. They can travel by horse-drawn carriages and live in luxurious houses. They will not be discriminated against because of their status as merchants. People look down on it.
Unlike the Qin State, merchants were frequently suppressed. Not only were they heavily taxed and inferior, even slaves had to do corvee labor. Even if they went bankrupt, their wives would be confiscated and enslaved by officials.
As one of the most wealthy businessmen in Handan, Guo's mansion was built extremely luxuriously. Surrounded by whitewashed walls and shaded by green trees, there are five steps to the first floor and ten steps to the pavilion. The waist of the corridor is unobstructed, the eaves are high and the teeth are high, the pavilion is danced on the singing platform, and the crested beasts are soaring.
Except that the height of the building is limited and not as good as the royal palace, its luxury is not much worse than the royal palace.
The broad and bright hall can accommodate nearly a hundred people. There are no seats in the hall, but tables and chairs that have just emerged in Zhao State.
The State of Zhao was close to the Hu people, and it also annexed the Zhongshan, Dai, Loufan, Linhu and other foreign ethnic groups. Under the influence of the Hu people, the people of Zhao were fierce, far more open than other countries in the Central Plains, and more receptive to new things.
Tables, chairs and other objects were brought home by soldiers from the army due to their convenience, and quickly became popular in the Zhao Kingdom from bottom to top.
In addition, tables, chairs and other items are easy to make and can be of high or low quality. Rich people use huanghuali wood and can hire a good carpenter to make it, while poor people can use any wooden pier they find. Neither rich nor poor will say no.
As a business tycoon, Guo Zong cannot use ordinary tables and chairs. It is said that it is a special gift for the royal family. It uses the best rosewood and invites the best carpenters and carvers in Zhao State. Every mortise and tenon joint and every pattern embodies all the hard work of the craftsmen.
And it was a limited edition. Only ten sets were sold every month. The extra set was not sold. Guo Zonghao spent 500 gold to buy it and placed it in the middle of the hall for receiving guests.
Placed on the table are Zhao's most exquisite and high-grade pens, inks, paper and inkstones. They are neatly arranged and very conspicuous. You can see them when you enter the hall. Although paper is scarce, as long as it can be bought with money, Guo Zong can get it.
At this time, Guo Zong and Zhuo Su, the head of the Zhuo family, were sitting in the hall, holding tea shipped from Bashu in their hands.
The history of tea drinking in China is too long to be tested, but in the Central Plains it was mostly used for medicinal purposes or condiments, and was rarely consumed as tea.
However, since Zhao Kuo started drinking tea, tea gradually became popular in Zhao State, and a large number of tea merchants from Bashu even traveled thousands of miles to transport tea to Zhao State for sale.
There is quite a feeling that King Chu has such a slim waist.
"Brother Guo, what do you want from me? You can tell me now." Zhuo Su took two sips of Kubulaji's tea, spit the tea leaves into the bowl, and cursed in his heart, how could anyone like to drink this stuff.
Guo Zong slowly drank the tea with an expression of enjoyment on his face, then glanced at Zhuo Su and said slowly: "There is news from the palace that the king is preparing to take back cast iron as a national monopoly. I wonder what Brother Zhuo thinks?"
Zhuo Su's expression remained unchanged and his breathing was steady. It was obvious that this was not the first time he heard the news.
As a family as famous as the Guo family, the Zhuo family can naturally get the information that the Guo family can get, and besides, the government has not kept this matter secret at all.
"Did the imperial court send someone to discuss with Brother Guo?" Zhuo Su said.
"Brother Zhuo, there is no need to test. Since the DPRK and China have sent people to discuss with you, they will naturally send people to discuss with me. In this matter, our Guo and Zhuo families are not in a competitive relationship, but in a cooperative relationship. Only by sincere cooperation can we Achieve greater benefits." Guo Zong said.
The two of them were the largest iron smelters in Zhao State. Backed by the iron mines in the northwest of Handan, the farm tools they made were sold not only to Zhao State, but also to other countries in the Central Plains. They also made weapons for rangers.
It is no exaggeration to say that the combined iron smelting scale of Guo Zhuo's family is enough to compete with the workshops of Zhao Guoshi. Especially in the past few years, the main focus of Zhao's workshops was on making weapons and was unable to take into account agricultural tools. The family's wealth continues to increase dramatically.
It was not until the end of the war that Zhao State swallowed up the workshops of Yanxiadu and Qi State Gaotang, and the business of the two companies gradually declined.
"The imperial court promised to give me 5% of the Guo family's farm tools management rights, 2% of the coal management rights, and for Yin Sanzi to enter Handan College to study. The requirement is that I, the Guo family, will have all the blacksmiths, if they are slaves, including Their relatives were handed over to Nei Shi's workshop and from now on they are not allowed to cast iron," Guo Zong said.
This is the condition Zhao Guo exchanged with them. It is very reasonable and fair.
It seems that profits are much less than before, but the scale of Zhao Guo's workshop continues to expand, and technology continues to make breakthroughs, making the farm tools more durable and cheaper.
In addition, Zhao Kuo had a high prestige among civilians, so everyone switched to buying farm tools sold by the government.
If this continues, the Zhao market will inevitably be occupied by the government, and they will have no choice but to sell in other countries.
Now Zhao State not only guarantees their interests, but also provides them with an opportunity to climb up and become aristocrats.
As long as one of the three children performs well, with the conditions of the Guo family, he can be trained to become a doctor or even a minister. There is no businessman who would not be moved after seeing this.
But there is a big drawback here, that is, their lifeblood all falls in the hands of the imperial court. Once the supply of goods is cut off by the imperial court, they will be like fish on the chopping board without any resistance.
This is what Guo Zong is really worried about, otherwise he would have agreed long ago.
"The conditions given to me by the imperial court are similar, 3% of the right to operate farm tools, 2% of the right to operate coal, and 2% of the right to operate salt." Zhuo Su said.
The Zhuo family was slightly inferior to the Guo family in the iron smelting industry, so the court gave them a smaller share. However, in addition to the iron smelting industry, the Zhuo family was also involved in the salt industry, lacquer industry, jade and other businesses.
"Brother Zhuo, are you satisfied with the court's conditions?" Guo Zong raised his eyebrows.
"To be fair, the king has a large army and the support of nobles and common people. If he wants to deal with us merchants, there is no need to go to such trouble. As soon as the three thousand personal guards station in our house, we will obediently and with a smile on our faces. Hand over everything, without any right to bargain. The reason why the king chose to exchange with us is because he regards us as his own people, not as lambs to be slaughtered or slaves to be exploited."
Zhuo Suming said.
When Qin Xiaogong appointed Shang Yang to carry out the reform, Qin was suffering from internal and external troubles, and the environment was several times worse than that of Zhao today.
Qin Xiaogong still chose to reform and suppressed all resistance. He killed enough people to block the Jingshui River.
Although the two of them joining forces can cause some turmoil in the Zhao State, it is only turmoil. Afterwards, their homes will inevitably be confiscated or even executed.
