Chapter 13 Pre-order
Lan Yu, whose eyes were originally smiling, suddenly froze. Even the outstretched chopsticks paused. Then he took it back. Said: "Two million taels. Brother He, don't joke. This joke is not funny."
He Xi said, "This is not a joke. And I think you have this money now."
Now is the richest time in Lan Yu's life. It can even be said that he is richer than he was after the battle of Lan Yuyu'er in history. After all, capturing the Beiyuan Emperor was certainly an honor. However, Beiyuan may have some rare treasures. But overall there is no wealth. After all, after many years of fighting, some of the things I brought back were almost used up. As for cattle, sheep and horses, there are quite a few of them. It's a pity that the family wealth is huge, and the hair does not count.
These animals are so conspicuous. Sapphire is difficult to stuff into one's pocket. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was generously rewarded, given Zhu Yuanzhang's character, the amount of property he rewarded was not too large.
Today's blue jade is the king of Goryeo. Of course, a considerable part was captured and used as military expenses. But Lan Yu took it privately, so she had a lot of determination. Two million taels is not an exaggerated number. After all, this is a country’s savings. If the Ming Dynasty could do what it does today, it would completely clean up the upper class nobles in the Jiangnan region. Tens of millions of taels is not a problem.
Of course. The tens of millions of taels mentioned here refer to the value, not the actual amount of silver.
Lan Yu said: "That's right, people in the Ming Dynasty don't tell secrets. I lead my brothers to fight for this reason. This lawsuit is brought to His Majesty, and he can only acquiesce. Brother He, who are you here for?" ? Let’s make it clear. Let’s talk about the next thing.”
As soon as this statement came out. He Xi immediately knew that Lan Yu had misunderstood.
Lan Yu thought it was He Xi's so-called borrowing money. It was the lion who opened his mouth and never repaid the debt. He Xi's status would definitely not allow him to do this. That is speaking on behalf of the person behind it.
That's why there is this sentence.
He Xi said: "Who am I not coming for? If I am really coming for someone, it is for the Marquis. Yes, the matter of trophies is an unspoken rule for nobles at all levels. Even His Majesty must turn a blind eye. Close one eye. But what kind of person is our Majesty? Does Mr. Hou really not know, or does he pretend not to know? When he wants to do something, he does not talk about any explicit or hidden rules. Moreover, Mr. Hou What I have done these days is a bit too much. Now it is not just me who knows, but everyone who should know."
"After all, I still want money." Lan Yu said, "Why don't I do such a thing myself? If I offer it to His Majesty, I can still get a good deal. Why should I give it to you?"
He Xi said: "Because I borrowed money. I really have to pay it back."
Lan Yu sneered and said: "I'm not afraid to tell you, my harvest in Goryeo this time is actually not much. Just more than two million taels. These fields and grain cannot be moved. That is the basis for the imperial court to be in Goryeo. Antiques, calligraphy and paintings were all at once. I can't sell it for a price. I have all kinds of copper coins, gold and silver, and I need to sell treasures easily. That's it for this number. Who are you borrowing from, I'm afraid you can't pay it back."
He Xi listened. I was secretly excited.
It should be noted that the annual salt tax in the Ming Dynasty will not exceed this amount. And negotiating cash was so exciting for He Xi.
These two million taels may not be able to solve all problems. But it can solve quite a few problems.
But first let Lan Yu be willing to give money.
He Xi said: "Master Hou, it's not my sister, but the governor of Liaodong's Yamen." Then, He Xi took out a package from his arms. It's heavy on the table. When you open it, you will see a seal, which is He Xi's official seal.
Lan Yu frowned for a moment and said, "What do you mean?"
He Xi said: "I don't just represent myself. I represent the entire Liaodong."
Lan Yu sneered and said: "It's better to represent yourself. You want me to believe in this square seal? It's so funny."
When He Xi thought about it carefully, it was indeed a bit unreliable.
The Ming court, as well as governments at all levels, had no precedent of borrowing from private individuals. Moreover, even though Lan Yu is a marquis, he is still on the weak side facing the entire Ming Dynasty system. That is, if the court does not pay back the money. He Xi will be dismissed from office. Sapphire may not have any solution.
Lan Yu's previous net worth may not have been a quarter of two million taels. It can be said that this amount of money is almost the biggest windfall in Lan Yu's life. It will be difficult to have the same opportunity later. Even if Japan is conquered. Sapphire may not be able to reap the same wealth.
After all, Sapphire didn't know that Japan had a lot of gold and silver. But he knew that the Japanese were poor.
Tokugawa Ieyasu's favorite food was dried radish and pickled radish, and you can see the clues.
How much oil and water can be scraped out? Far inferior to Goryeo.
In He Xi's view, this debt relief method with local government as the main body is not as good as He Xi borrowing it himself. He Xi at least has some properties. If he cannot repay them in the future, he can get He Xi's properties. But Liaodong regretted it. Is it possible that Lan Yu can still cut land from Liaodong?
What a joke.
What national debt, local debt? All require the background of the times. Now, even if He Xi said it was true, he would not believe these things. He Xi's mind changed. I thought of another way. Said: "Xuanyang Society needs to replenish a large number of ships, which was agreed before. How many ships does the Marquis need?"
Lan Yu said: "One hundred ships."
He Xi said: "One hundred five-masted ships. A total of one hundred thousand taels. However, payment must be made first and delivery will be made one year later."
Lan Yu was stunned for a moment and said: "A ship has a thousand taels. Improbable, right?"
One thousand taels per ship, the price is actually very high. But that's for a small boat, it's different for a five-masted ship. Although it is said that in the Ming Dynasty, the size of ships was calculated based on materials or stones. The stone is the carrying capacity. The material is the wood needed to carry one stone. In fact, it is a unit.
It is not scientific to use masts to calculate the size of a ship. But the smallest five-masted ship costs more than 2,000 yuan. It has surpassed most of the ships of the coastal navy before the sea was opened, and it has also surpassed the mainstream civilian ships of the Ming Dynasty, the three-masted ship.
It’s just about the consumption of raw materials and the level of technology. It is difficult to sell a five-masted ship for one thousand taels. Now the smallest one is more than one thousand two or three hundred taels. Moreover, this ship has high requirements for raw materials. Especially the mast. As mentioned before, the price of wood in large circles does not increase by a factor of 10. The three-masted ship was not affected because the sea was closed. Therefore, shipbuilding technology has always been preserved. But a five-masted ship is not a simple enlargement of a ship. The people who built these boats back in the day. Many are gone. The inheritance system of shipwrights is mostly passed down by word of mouth.
I dare not say, no one can make it now. But the number is certainly small.
It is difficult to expand for a while. Most are in official shipyards. Because only the official's own ship is not restricted by the mast. Zheng He's treasure ship had nine masts. It can be seen that the technical heritage of the official shipyard is still there, and there are even breakthroughs.
This was no problem at all for He Xi.
It can even be said that the upstream industries of the shipbuilding industry are now in Liaodong. There is wood, and it has been several years since the lumber yard was first opened. Shade-dried large trees are supplied in batches, so there is no need to worry about running out. Liaodong large trees are available in as much quantity as you want. There is no problem with making the mast.
In addition, there are as many iron parts as you need.
If Hexi can control the entire industry chain of the shipbuilding industry, it will already be able to lower prices. Not to mention. In traditional shipbuilding, a ship is built, which is simply a work of art. He Xi can make extensive use of machinery and can even assemble it on an assembly line. It can also reduce costs.
One thousand taels, this price is so profitable. Specifically how much you earn. He Xi will go back and make careful calculations.
He Xi did not address this issue directly. Instead, he asked: "I remember that salt is very scarce in Japanese food. If Xuanyangshe sells Japanese salt, it will definitely be very profitable. I got the order from the court to establish the Liaodong Salt Transportation Department, east of Shanhaiguan, Liaodong. All salt policies It's all under my control. I remember that the price of salt in the court seemed to be four pounds per stone of grain. Right."
Lan Yu nodded and said, "It's almost the same price."
He Xi said: "Then I will give one stone and ten catties of grain. It is still the same as before. However, it can only be sold overseas and cannot be purchased domestically."
Lan Yu calculated and said: "One tael is nearly forty pounds? Twenty-five cents per pound of salt? Are you crazy?"
