My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 30: Lao Zhu's Wisdom

Did Lao Zhu reply?
Li Han threw his phone aside and instantly forgot about replying to the message.

I don’t know how the wooden artworks that Lao Zhu made for us turn out, but after all, they are made by the Ming Dynasty royal family, who in the world can compete with them?

Li Han couldn't wait to open his mailbox, and then he saw countless exquisite handmade wooden crafts pouring out like a tide!

Good guy, Li Han exclaimed good guy!
Lao Zhu, are you supplying me with wholesale goods?

A total of five samples were sent to Zhu Yuanzhang. If there were ten of each, the maximum number would be fifty.

Damn it, seeing the wooden artworks constantly pouring out of the mailbox, Li Han was dumbfounded.

I’m afraid there must be hundreds of them, right?
Old Zhu, are you illiterate or what?
After a while, all the wooden artworks in the mailbox were finally empty. Looking at the huge pile of wooden artworks, Li Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Just pick up a few and look at them. My God, they are either smooth-grained red sandalwood or top-grade huanghuali. Even the golden nanmu looks inconspicuous among them. Moreover, there are jadeite, gold and other things as decorations on them.

Li Han couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. This house was worth hundreds of millions!
Stay calm, stay calm. I, Old Li, have seen the world, so how could I be so shocked by Old Zhu?

But seeing the wooden artworks worth hundreds of millions right in front of me, even though I have no worldly desires, I am still very excited!
In the end, desire overcame reason, and Li Han admitted that he had never seen the world!

Lao Zhu, you win this round!
Then Li Han dove into the pile of wooden artworks. From now on, Old Li will sleep with red sandalwood as his pillow!
If it’s okay, Mr. Zhu, just call me Xiao Li from now on!
After calming down his excitement that was about to explode, Li Han began to pack up the wooden artworks.

If you take out any of these precious items, people will keep them at home as heirlooms.

Naturally, Li Han would not just pile the wooden artworks on the ground like miscellaneous items.

Of course, you have to be careful when offering it.

After sorting the wooden artworks into different categories, Li Han made a special record, and there were exactly 100 pieces of each kind.

Thumbs up to Lao Zhu’s generosity!

At this time, Li Han really wanted to write an essay to express his excitement, and the title was called "My Emperor Friend".

I picked out five of each style and placed them in crystal glass boxes specially used for valuable items.

This is the first batch to be sold.

Li Han certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to spread out all the wooden artworks on the shelves randomly like buying wooden combs in a boutique on the pedestrian street.

The outstanding feature of red sandalwood, huanghuali and the like is that they are rare and valuable. If you put them all on the shelves at once, the only result will be that the value of the wooden artworks will depreciate.

Li Han still understands the principle of rare goods being valuable and steady income being a long-term investment.

As for the rest, I found a box specially for valuables, carefully sorted them, packed them in vacuum plastic bags, and put them in the box.

Finally, put in the insect and moisture-proof medicine bag and move it into the warehouse.

Then turn on the air conditioner that you have been reluctant to turn on, keep the temperature constant, and you're done.

After finishing all this, it was already nightfall. Li Han finally had time to take a breath and then took the letter out of the mailbox.

"Old Li, I am glad to see you.

I'm not saying anything, but Old Li, you're too polite to me. For example, there are only ten of those small items. If others knew about it, they would think that Old Zhu couldn't afford it.

Let's make 100 of each first. Do you like them, Old Li? If you have any needs in the future, just let me know. Old Zhu doesn't have much, but he has a lot of wood."

Haha, it feels like the overbearing president Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Every time I communicate with you, I have new insights and inspirations.

I understand that it was you who chose me, Zhu, and made me the pioneer of maritime power in the Ming Dynasty!
We will certainly not disappoint your expectations and make Ming the only country in the world with both land and sea power, and make China forever invincible!"

Thumbs up for Lao Zhu again!

Li Han nodded with satisfaction. He had written so much in the previous letter, using the humiliating history of the late Qing Dynasty as an introduction. His original intention was to make Zhu Yuanzhang begin to pay attention to what trade and sea power are, and to also warn him of the financial and taxation issues in the early Ming Dynasty.

I didn't expect that I could change his mindset. It seems that I underestimated Lao Zhu's wisdom and determination.

"But we also understand that we can't become fat in one go, and things have to be done step by step.

As for how to start maritime trade, I am completely clueless. But I have an idea. Do you think it is feasible, Mr. Li?

You explained in your letter that Britain used colonies as points, and then used trade routes to connect the colonies and control them. The routes were used to continuously import raw materials from the colonies into Britain, and then the routes were used to import goods into the colonies.

This process repeated itself over and over again, allowing Britain to continuously acquire massive amounts of wealth.

Our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette and courtesy, so naturally we are not as shameless as Britain. What we think is that since it is trade, the profits of both sides can be more sustainable.

Although the Ming Dynasty had no colonies, it had many foreign countries that paid tribute to it overseas. So could these foreign countries become the Ming Dynasty's overseas trade partners?
Old Li, you said that the basis of trade is demand. So, by exchanging what we have with foreign countries, can we use trade to bind foreign countries and the Ming Dynasty closely together?
Then, using foreign countries as a starting point, further expand foreign trade?
Of course, I, Old Zhu, am not a pedantic person. After reading your letter, I also know that not all countries can be treated with courtesy.

Like the British, like the Japanese pirates, these foreign nations have no shame, we will definitely find an opportunity to destroy them and eliminate the future troubles for China forever! "

This time it was Li Han's turn to be shocked.

what is this?
Although it is still just a rough idea, the core is very similar.

Old Zhu is worthy of being a man who could start from a broken bowl and become the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

This is great wisdom!
Lao Zhu still has a few problems to solve.

For example, the social and economic structure of the Ming Dynasty. During the Hongwu period, the Ming Dynasty was still an agricultural country based on farming and combined with a small number of small handicraft producers. To realize Zhu's idea, the Ming Dynasty had to become the world's factory in the 14th century!

However, it was the landlord and aristocratic class that controlled the Ming Dynasty's economy, while the industrial and commercial class never had a say.

If we rashly engage in overseas trade, we will certainly make huge profits in the short term, but the wealth cannot be effectively circulated into the large production cycle. Instead, it will be further concentrated by the landlords and gentry. The consequence is that the land annexation problem will break out prematurely!

Just like during the Age of Discovery, Spain, which initially profited, exterminated the Incas in South America and plundered a large amount of gold.

However, the gold was not reproduced and traded, but divided up by the church and the nobility, becoming a tool for them to live a life of luxury and debauchery, and eventually reducing Spain to a second-rate country.

As for what Zhu Yuanzhang said about finding an opportunity to destroy Britain and the Japanese pirates, Li Han naturally agreed with it.

The Age of Exploration was always accompanied by struggles of iron and blood, and the fusion of guns and commodities. It was an extremely chaotic era.

But chaos is also a step to rise!
In this chaos, it is not surprising that one or two countries disappeared in the long river of history, right?

(End of this chapter)