Chapter 37 A plate of one hundred thousand taels
He Xi didn't expect it. What was originally a small matter turned into a very important matter after going around Nanjing.
The level of priority was even mentioned as the first priority in everything He Xi did.
Zhu Yuanzhang still chose Tang He's plan. But there is a compromise, a stick in one hand and money in the other. What can be bought with money is one thing, but what cannot be bought with money is another.
But the premise of all this is that what He Xi promised must be fulfilled.
Not to mention, you must have an income of two to three hundred thousand taels a year. This year and next, at least one sum of more than 100,000 taels will be given to people.
The pressure was transmitted to He Xi.
He Xi didn't know what to feel for a moment.
There are advantages and disadvantages.
The good thing is that the objections from the government and the public to Kaihai suddenly disappeared. I don’t even know how much help there is from all aspects. Even Tang He was no longer interested in building a coastal defense city. Well, I can't say that I don't care. All I can say is, it’s better to focus on this matter.
He Xi even has a feeling. If we fight a war to open the sea. As long as it's not too big. Maybe Zhu Yuanzhang will approve it.
The disadvantage is that only success is allowed and failure is not allowed.
Even some of the things He Xi did became a bit redundant, such as involving King Jingjiang. Before, he wanted to use the banner of the vassal king, but now he no longer needs it. However, He Xi thought a lot and still felt that King Jingjiang should be included in the plan.
After all, He Xi can't just think about money, but also consider the issue of overseas countries.
Some of King Jingjiang’s concerns are also correct.
Three years of work is simply not self-sufficient. Only with other financial resources can we gain a foothold. The only source of wealth at sea is maritime trade.
"My dear nephew, if you need help with this matter now," Tang He said, "Just ask."
"Yeah." Lu Zhongheng's butt still hurt a little, which made his sitting posture a little awkward. But he still said enthusiastically: "No matter what happens, I will take care of it for you."
He Xi said: "Now the manpower is almost ready. But there are two things missing."
Lawrence Lu said; "What is it?"
He Xi said: "Money. To open a business, you always need to pay for capital. Even if it is not much, you still have to have it. I don't know how much money is needed. King Jingjiang put his name and salary for the next three years, 30,000 shi into his bones. But not enough?"
Lu Zhongheng frowned. On the one hand, he thought, why should King Jingjiang be involved in such a thing? On the other hand, he didn't have enough money on hand. However, he has a solution.
Tang He said: "You don't need to look at me. I am not involved in this matter. But I do have tens of thousands of taels of savings on hand. If you don't have enough, you can borrow it from me."
Lu Zhongheng said: "My dear nephew, don't worry. I've called people from the Jinling Yi family over. They're right outside. You just need to figure out how much money is needed. Just call the Yi family over immediately to borrow the money."
Lu Zhongheng's words made He Xi simply don't know what to say.
He Xi had heard of the reputation of the Yi family in Jinling. They were natives of Jinling and were wealthy before Zhu Yuanzhang came to take charge of Jinling. After Zhu Yuanzhang took charge of Nanjing, he followed the imperial policies closely. If you want money, give money, if you want things, give things. Helped Zhu Yuanzhang through the most difficult time.
At the same time, he also received preferential treatment. To say that Huang Shang is a bit excessive. But he has close relations with the powerful people of Ming Dynasty. It also made the Yi family's business grow. Some good people call him the richest man in Jinling. Of course, it was the early Ming Dynasty after all, and even the richest man in Jinling didn't have much money.
The family property may not be more than 100,000 taels.
But in this era, he is already a wealthy businessman.
It's just that in Lu Zhongheng's case, the wealthy businessmen are nothing more than fat sheep. It's nominally a loan, but after borrowing the money, it's hard to say whether it will be repaid or not.
This is one of the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang dislikes these nobles. No matter how strict Zhu Yuanzhang is, there are some things that he can't control. For example, in today's incident, Lu Zhongheng extorted tens of thousands of taels, and everyone in the Yi family didn't even dare to fart.
He Xi said: "This is not good."
Tang He said: "It's okay. The Yi family knows the importance. What happened today is no different than others. We need to be lenient to the enemy. If you feel bad about it, give some leftovers to the Yi family. The Yi family will definitely be grateful."
He Xi could only comfort herself. Future generations of entrepreneurs don’t need any money. Money in the hands of different people has a discount.
Now this plate. The power in everyone's hands is more important than money, especially with the emperor's acquiescence. So you can’t enter this circle just by having money. Maybe the Yi family is willing to pay a very high premium to be a part of this business.
But He Xi didn't like this situation.
Because this interferes with normal business operations. It is harmful to what He Xi wants to do.
But now He Xi has no strength. Overturn all this. Only default.
He Xi said: "Okay. Let's set up a game of one hundred thousand taels now. If it is not enough, we will talk about it. King Jingjiang, on his behalf, will offer thirty thousand taels of painted cakes. Let's count his 10,000 taels first. I represent His Majesty here. , standing at 50,000 taels. Let me be clear here, I will not move a penny of these 50,000 taels. The rest -----"
Tang He said: "I don't want it, it all goes to Lao Lu."
Lawrence Lu smiled and said, "That's not good." That's not a good statement. But there was no intention of refusing at all.
He Xi couldn't stand it any longer. Said; "You must give Uncle Tang some. Let's do this. Uncle Tang will stand for 5,000 taels of shares, Yijia will stand for 5,000 taels of shares outside, and Uncle Lu will stand for 30,000 taels of shares. How about that?"
Lu Zhongheng said: "How much does the Yi family pay?"
He Xi said: "I'll go back and discuss it. I probably have 50,000 taels."
What He Xi just said was the truth. He is not prepared to take any part in it. He only represents half of the palace. This is also inevitable. Zhu Yuanzhang also needed money. If Zhu Yuanzhang was not allowed to have money, this plate would not be completed.
Since He Xi didn't make money for his family, why would he put money into it himself.
Lu Zhongheng thought for a while and said to the people around him: "Go and tell the Yi family to bring 35,000 taels. I will let him take half of the shares." He did not wait for the Yi family's reply. He continued, "Now that we have the money, what else is missing?"
He Xi said: "Boats. What we need most is boats."
This was something He Xi didn't expect.
He Xi visited Xujia Village. Being regarded as a pirate caused a series of misunderstandings, which was like a breeze blowing on He Xi's face. Nothing counts. But for Xujiacun, it was a disaster. In the end, Mr. Xu could only come to apologize alone. I would rather die in front of He Xi's door, just asking for He Xi's noble hand.
In fact, He Xi didn't do anything to them?
It's just that in He Xi's position, he doesn't need to say anything at all. Just a tendency can destroy the lives of the people below.
Fortunately, He Xi had no such intention. Xujiacun was also spared.
This also makes Xujiacun grateful.
So under the leadership of the Xu family, He Xi thoroughly investigated the Ningbo shipbuilding industry. After passing the Ningbo shipbuilding industry, I got a glimpse of the situation of the private shipbuilding industry in the Ming Dynasty.
Use one word to describe it. That is withering.
It is much worse than the Yuan Dynasty.
Zhu Yuanzhang's maritime ban had a huge impact on the shipbuilding industry. Without ocean-going trade, there would be no man-made large ships. Even offshore trade faces many obstacles. Although Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of doing this. But there are many things that are mentioned above and done below.
It is impossible for many ordinary people to escape to sea. Because the king of hell is easy to deal with, but the devil is difficult to deal with.
In short, even the volume of offshore trade has dropped sharply. Government ships even outnumber private ships.
But there is also a certain number of government ships. Most of them are ships of the Guard. Combined with the strength of Zhejiang Province, there are only three to four hundred ships. There are also a large number of boats inside. The ships of the Daming Navy are more suitable for offshore waters. There are even advantages offshore. The same cannot be said for the ocean.
So ships, ships suitable for seafaring, are facing a big problem.
But facing the shipbuilding cycle, it takes more than three years from storing wood to building the ship. Even if we use the reserved wood now, let alone whether it is available or not. Direct shipbuilding also takes nearly a year.
So, this is the biggest problem He Xi faces?
Where to get a boat? And shipbuilding was simply too late.
