Of course, no matter how it changes or expands, Corning will not lose the business that made it famous. Cooperation with the government and management of relationships with powerful people require a lot of money to maintain every year.
In the past twenty years, Corning's team of retinues has always maintained its organization. Instead of disbanding, it has actually grown.
Caravans with the "Kang" flag can be seen almost everywhere, covering the east, west, north and south of the Han Dynasty. To put it bluntly, there are tens of thousands of people who depend on Kang Daguan for food and clothing.
Of course, this kind of personal dependence, which mainly relies on business, is not so reliable. It is not easy to support so many people. In addition to money, you also need food and meat. Many merchants in the Han Dynasty, as long as they are successful in business, earn a certain amount of money. In order to make profits, they couldn't help but buy land, which fully demonstrated their greed for land in their hearts.
Kang Ning is not immune. His hometown of Yuzhou is bound to have industry, with tens of thousands of acres of land and tens of thousands of hectares of pasture in Shanyang Circle. Many servants are employed in it, but this is only a small part.
The group of people who followed Corning came from many sources and were complex in composition, but under Corning's leadership, most of them had one characteristic, that is, wolf nature and habit.
"Meat-eating". When the country became more stable and the Han Dynasty gradually stopped expanding, the Kang family did not stop. On the contrary, they spontaneously developed outward, especially in overseas trade.
It was first done in Nanyang
Among the people and forces involved in "armed colonization" was the Kang family. Of course, in hindsight, the Kang family's overseas journey was somewhat coincidental.
Initially it was for the spice trade, and later it was for precious metals like gold and silver. At that time, Kang Ning also secretly opened several silver mines in Hunan and made huge profits. This was naturally illegal, especially after the imperial court carried out currency reforms.
However, due to the corruption in Huazhou headed by Honorable Zhang Jin, it led to Zhao Kuangmei's private opening of silver mines, which caused an uproar. The imperial court also used this to crack down on private gold and silver mines in various places.
Even Rong Guogong's younger brother couldn't save him, and he surrendered himself. Although Kangning's business was huge, he couldn't handle it, so he took the initiative to cut off his arms to survive, handed over his private mines to the court, and spent a lot of money to give money to the Central Plains. The flood victims donated a large sum of money and were spared. It was also the most dangerous time in Corning's business career.
But as a businessman, the most outstanding characteristic is the pursuit of profit, the crazy pursuit of profit, especially after tasting the benefits. Although mining is hard, it is definitely a huge profit.
Domestic policies are strict and there are many restrictions, but abroad there is a vast sea and sky for them to roam. As a result, Kang Ning organized several groups of people to go to sea, and the footprints of the Kang family caravan also expanded to a wider world.
When Guo Liangping attacked Srivijaya and captured Puluo Zhongdao, the retinues and sailors of Kang's fleet actively supported and helped him. In addition to logistical help, they even brought their own weapons and went ashore to fight the enemy.
Of course, there is no loss in this process, and the casualties are nothing. The land captured and the mines occupied, the benefits are several times or even dozens of times.
As many people feel, for the rentier class of the Han Dynasty, overseas is too free. They can use any means and are not afraid of being criticized and liquidated... In the past ten years, except for the local Part of the gold and silver was excavated and smelted, and overseas gold and silver poured into the Han Dynasty in large quantities, which also caused the price of silver to continue to fall. However, no matter how devalued it was, one tael of silver could still be exchanged for 1,058 copper coins.
Although whether it was gold, silver, or copper, it was strictly prohibited by the imperial court when it was imported into the country.
"Exploitation" has been severely punished, but it is still a huge profit. The cost is just to use some indigenous people to open mountains and mine, which is very low.
Up to now, Corning has more than ten gold and silver mines, large and small, overseas. The silver output alone is nearly 20,000 kilograms per year, which is almost more than the income of the banking supervisor set up by the imperial court in Hunan.
As for many gold and silver mine harvests, Kang Ning kept it secret. Most of the mining proceeds were hidden by him and he did not dare to expose them. There were too many and it was scary. Even Kang Daguan had a childish attitude. The feeling of holding gold to get through the bustling city.
However, this can no longer be concealed. There are many people engaged in mining business overseas. Even if colleagues in the industry cannot figure it out for a while, they can still estimate that the mine can be mined for at least several years or even ten years, and its value is absolutely Not small.
At the same time, Corning is also involved in gold and silver-rich places like Korea and Japan. Of course, this requires cooperation with the powerful elites of the two countries to become a passer-by and earn a fortune.
"Handling fee", the Kang family's caravans spread all over the world, and their advantage in trade circulation is really not small.
Whether it is due to great vision or luck, Corning has always been walking on the right path for decades. Even if there are ups and downs, it can always be overcome in the end.
Nowadays, Kang Ning can be considered successful. In terms of fame, being famous all over the world, decades of
His "legendary career" made him a role model for merchants all over the world; in terms of wealth, not to mention being as rich as a country, it is certain that he has millions of dollars in his pocket; in terms of influence, if you include the indigenous slaves overseas, hundreds of thousands of people pointed their fingers at him. The officials of Kangda ate; in terms of status, most of the powerful families of the Han Dynasty were able to visit as guests. Even His Highness the Crown Prince personally received him and listened to him talk about his experiences and gains in overseas colonization... Life has already passed So brilliant, but Kang Ning is still not satisfied. He has money and fame, and there is a lot of it. However, it is precisely because the smell of copper is too strong that he has been criticized and despised. Although he himself also knows that many of the sources of criticism are just because Jealousy and jealousy.
However, the more something is missing, the more something is desired. In the Han Dynasty, obviously not just because you have money you can do whatever you want. This is a hierarchical and almost harsh society. Although it is called
"Kangda official", but without any fame, he is still essentially a commoner. The social status of merchants has improved in recent years, but it is still limited. In the eyes of many scholars, they are still inferior to those craftsmen and farmers.
Even if you have millions of dollars, many behaviors are restricted. Some clothes cannot be worn, some cars cannot be ridden, and some etiquette cannot be performed. If you do it, you will exceed the rules. The greater your fame, the more tightly you will be targeted.
Therefore, behind the scenery, Kang Ning is actually very depressed, especially in his heart, full of unwillingness.
Therefore, in the past twenty years, what he has been pursuing is no longer wealth, but how to go further and how to move from wealth to wealth.
The more wealth I accumulate, the more I understand how fragile wealth without power is in the Han Dynasty. It is like a building on the beach that will be blown away by the wind.
In the past few decades, we have seen too many wealthy businessmen being slaughtered like pigs by the imperial court... Kangning once had a chance, and was introduced to the background by Zhong Mo, who was then the chief envoy of Jiangxi Province. , and was later recommended to participate in politics. Due to the strength of the Kang family and the contribution to the court in the past, the official department also granted permission, and everyone worked together in harmony to participate in the grand event.
It's a pity that Emperor Liu later found out about this matter. It was impossible for Emperor Liu not to have heard about the reputation of Kang Daguan. In his early years, he had such a reputation.
Praised by "Yi Shang". However, when he learned about this, he smiled and said something disturbing: "Although the political advisor is not big, he is also an important member of the Taoist priests. I have heard that Kang Ning is very good at business. The business is doing very well, and becoming an official will make it easier for him to make money..." Soon after, Kang Ning lost his official position. Interestingly, it was the person who secretly revealed Kang Ning's official position. Hechuan Bokang Yanze.
