New Shun 1730

The old saying that old ginger is still spicy may not be correct in this era of transition between the old and the new.

It’s just that old men like Xu Tao belong to a special group of Dashun merchants.

They have experienced too much about smuggling, legalization of smuggling, trade, and administrative intervention of state power in trade, and it is too easy to understand the intricacies of it.

Dashun’s maritime merchants who trade with Japan are a very special group among Dashun merchants, especially those who traded with Japan before Liu Yu.

They experienced the end of the war in the late Ming Dynasty, the economic recovery, and the lack of currency in the country. They went to Japan to buy copper at the fixed price of the court. They worked as compradors for the court - there was nothing they could do about it. China’s economy was too large and it really lacked currency. Although these ministers of Dashun did not understand economics, they were not as bad as North Korea. If they wanted to completely abolish monetary policy, they could only go to Japan to buy copper and mint coins to cope with the country’s economy after the war.

Having experienced the last twilight of the golden age of Japanese trade, they controlled the pricing power of copper and held copper blocks that were lower than the mining and smelting prices in Japan, because Japanese merchants could use raw silk to make up for the difference in the price they lost - similar to the British East India Company in history that asked the compradors of the Thirteen Hongs in the Qing Dynasty to sell woolen cloth at a loss, and find it from tea.

Having experienced the impact of Japan's policy of tightening the export of gold, silver and precious metals overnight, it was not just as simple as Xu Tao's eldest son being killed by the Japanese coastal defense fort for smuggling, but also the court set the copper price, so that many official compradors who handled copper for the court went bankrupt after Japan took back the pricing power of copper - the court set the copper price according to the copper price when Japan did not have a trade letter, and the court bureaucrats have always been slow to react, and would not say to give these compradors more money just because the copper price rose.

Finally, they experienced the process of Liu Yu turning "smuggling" into "legal" trade.

Their understanding of monopoly, smuggling, administrative intervention, and tariffs is different from that of other merchants.

Because to put it nicely, they are maritime merchants. To put it bluntly, smugglers and pirates are merchants only after they go ashore.

They are really different from those tea dealers who sit at home and collect money.

So when Xu Heng said that the J.J.VOUT\u0026SONS organization in the Netherlands could sell smuggled goods, with wild methods and high efficiency, Xu Tao did not think it was a long-term solution.

Because he had experienced similar things.

There were also special smuggling groups in Japan at that time, but soon, after those smuggling groups monopolized the shipping channels, they would bring the channels to ask for prices, lowering the prices of their smuggled goods.

Market channel monopoly is still a kind of monopoly.

Although Xu Tao did not understand professional terms for this point, his early experience in trade in Japan made him see it very clearly.

So he believed that Liu Yu could not fail to see what he could see clearly.

Based on his understanding of Liu Yu's trading style over the years, he knew that Liu Yu absolutely did not like to be pinched by others, whether it was supply or sales.

Therefore, they would fight sooner or later.

After going through so much, the Xu family also embraced Liu Yu early.

Xu Tao is considered to be one of the people in the merchant class who awakened to class consciousness relatively early. In theory, the so-called awakening of the class consciousness of the bourgeoisie means: as the ruling class, formulate laws that are in line with the interests of the bourgeoisie, bind power and money, power cannot be inherited, but money can be inherited, and the law must protect the assets of merchants and allow the greatest degree of capital freedom.

However, Dashun has its own national conditions. Smart people in the merchant class, like Xu Tao, have some ideas in their minds. Look at the 20,000 elite field troops stationed in Songjiang Prefecture, which is obviously unrealistic.

Therefore, the class consciousness awakening of the merchant class with Dashun characteristics can only reach the level of Xu Tao at this time: the larger the scale of overseas trade and the larger the turnover funds, the more stable their position can be.

It is the kind of awakening with a strong father flavor: the literati are the biological sons, and I am like a picked up son. I, as a picked up son, must work hard to prove that I am important to the family, so that my father can recognize, love, and praise me. Of course, if the father is the people of the whole country, this is a public servant; the key is that the father is now the imperial power and the court.

The high cost of external expansion cannot be paid by the crippled Dashun central financial system. Only by relying on the shareholding system to gather the capital of the people can the expenses of going to Southeast Asia and expanding trade be paid. Otherwise, the annual expenditure turnover of tens of millions of taels can make the emperor worry about his gray hair.

Once the private capital is gathered by relying on the shareholding system, the court will have to introduce some policies to protect some of the rights of these merchants.

Including this time when the emperor went to the south to repair the Huaihe River, he asked for money from the salt merchants, but allowed the merchants of Songjiang Prefecture to "roll" to Southeast Asia to stagger the time when the emperor went to Southeast Asia. This is an attitude.

This is what Xu Tao said to his son, "With the route of the Duke, we will prosper together and suffer together."

Of course, there is also a part of Liu Yu's "contribution" to smuggling to Japan in the past.

Xu Tao did not tell his son some words, "for the sake of respecting the respected."

He thought to himself, if the port is really open to trade, what will it become, then there is really a ready-made model.

When the Duke was smuggling to Japan, we dared not touch war horses, weapons, armor, military books, maps, and horseback archers.

Anyone who touches will die.

In other cases, the customs turned a blind eye after collecting money. This is really not possible, otherwise Japan would not charge such a high price. Not only can't it be obtained here, but no one dares to touch it even in North Korea, which is even more corrupt and incompetent than the previous customs here in Dashun.

As soon as the Duke of the country comes out, he has an official status, various connections, war horses, maps, riding and archery, martial arts books and atlases, and can do anything. Who dares to ask?

So it was the Duke who was so capable that he was able to get nearly three-quarters of the trade letters from Edo? If I could transport war horses, weapons, and military documents without being caught by customs and beheaded and confiscated, wouldn't I be able to get the three-quarters of the trade letters that Nagasaki adheres to?

Is this a competency issue? This is obviously Dad's problem.

Such a model is placed here, so that Xu Tao knows exactly what Dashun will do with the Port Trade Association.

Therefore, he is the most loyal to Liu Yu's route and policy of external expansion.

It's not because he has martial virtues or a pioneering spirit, but he simply understands that his father is not a hereditary prince.

Xu Tao felt that he was old and could not live much longer. Therefore, he hopes that the younger son he chooses to succeed can understand where the family's interests lie.

Either they are extremely radical and strongly support Liu Yu's army expansion, high accumulation, high investment, and moderately relatively low annual interest rate of return.

Either be extremely conservative, liquidate all your stock and family property, buy land in the countryside, cultivate and educate your family, and transform from a businessman to a scholar-gentleman.

It is neither extremely conservative and takes the road of transforming into a gentry, nor is it extremely radical and takes the road of external expansion, but while being a businessman, at the same time thinking that it is best to collect money and reduce costs through port trading, that is really a mess in the head.

After passing on these insights from his life experience to his son, Xu Tao finally asked: "Do you think the Duke of our country knows the approximate profit rate of Western trade? Do you know that before the end of the European war, for the first time Will the Western trade be profitable?"

Xu Heng nodded quickly, thinking, is there any need to say this? The UK has even conducted a class income test, so how can you be sure that you will make money?

Xu Tao asked again: "In this case, with the reputation of the Duke and the enthusiasm for investment in these years, why did he insist on setting a minimum dividend before the establishment of the Western Trading Company? He did not set this minimum dividend, considering the efforts he has made in the past few years. Looking at the trade with Japan, Ezo, Nanyang and other countries, will we not be able to raise money? "

Xu Heng pondered for a long time and replied tentatively: "Father, does the Duke want everyone to accept being supervised by him? Make a promise in exchange for this?"

Xu Tao laughed and said: "Silly son, you really don't know what it was like before, and you take everything in Songjiang Mansion for granted now."

"Exchange? Promise?"

"If the court really wants to supervise it, does it need your consent? If you don't agree, the court won't supervise it? Has the court ever been so reasonable with salt merchants?"

"Who do you think you are? Gentlemen and scholars can stop taking exams to protest, they can cry in temples, they can cry in mausoleums, but the court has to take a step back. What can businessmen do? Why should the court reason with you?"

Xu Heng was young, and Songjiang Mansion had been different from other places since he was exposed to business when he grew up.

Just like the new science he learned from scratch, there was no process of verification, theoretical calculations, and experimental discussions. He just taught them things like gravity, the earth, peas, and molecules and atoms, making them take it for granted since they were young. reason.

The Songjiang Mansion when he grew up was in such a special situation, as if all kinds of things such as limited liability, share liability, shareholder rights, etc. were taken for granted. It seemed that this was how the world worked, as if he felt It is common knowledge that every child should know that the earth revolves around the sun.

However, Xu Tao did not grow up in such a natural environment.

Xu Tao knew very well that if the court really wanted to supervise businessmen, there would be no need to promise a minimum dividend in exchange for businessmen's acceptance.

It's just a matter of words.

Even a word from the imperial court could completely end Songjiang Prefecture's foreign trade and move it to Guangzhou, Fujian, and Zhangzhou.

"The reason why the Duke of Guo gave the minimum dividend and asked everyone if they could accept it was because from the bottom of his heart he was not prepared to distribute all the profits as dividends, but was prepared for high accumulation and high investment. To maintain a level that you and I can accept , It tastes a little bit but not very tasty, but it’s a pity to give it up.”

"Think about it again, what has the Duke been doing in Songjiang Mansion these years?"

"After the increase in national taxes and the implementation of local apportionments, Qingmiao Loan, which imitated the Jinggong system, also appeared in Songjiang Prefecture. On the first day of Qingmiao Loan, it was stipulated that Songjiang Prefecture's loans should be strictly inspected for nine-out and thirteen-out Yin-Yang loans. Small farmers can borrow money from Qingmiao; it is stipulated that the maximum land rent in Songjiang Prefecture cannot exceed 40%; the money that is staring at us like bastards is not allowed to be used to buy land..."

"All of this forces us to accept the minimum dividend promise he made. If we don't accept it and withdraw our shares, the money will be dead."

"Before the Duke launched this series of policies, we accepted the dividend promise he made somewhat out of face. But now, it is no longer out of face, but accepted happily. It is difficult to make loan sharks. , it is difficult to buy land. Even if you buy land, the land price is high and the rent has dropped from 6 to 4... This money can either be engaged in Western trade, go to the Whale Sea in Ezo in the South Sea, or invest in iron ore and coal mining machinery, otherwise it can go where?"

"Didn't we handle a big case a while ago? Someone on the list didn't believe in evil and insisted on buying land in other provinces secretly. He was found out. What was the result?"

"Is he guilty? Which article in the Dashun Law stipulates that you can't buy land? But we gave a heads-up here, and the local officials over there just handled it casually. It was a case of 'forced buying and selling, taking advantage of disasters to plunder land'."

"Don't just look at the trade company. You have to look at the various reforms in Songjiang Prefecture in recent years. Twenty years ago, if someone told me that the annual interest rate was 12%, I wouldn't even look at it. I couldn't afford to lose that person. I had never done business with such a low profit. Even if I lent money according to the interest rate set by the Dashun Law, I would pay 36% a year. What about now?"