New Shun 1730

This kind of industry must rely on the support of the court.

The significance of support lies in the fact that it will be needed if a big war is really fought in the tribute circle in the future; it also depends on huge orders such as grain, disaster relief, and logistics in the early stage to ensure the survival of this industry in the early stage.

This kind of support is very oriental. It is different from the East India Company model where the British board of directors decides everything, and it is also different from the colonial and Indian company model directly controlled by the King of France. It is a special official supervision and business operation under the oriental characteristics that emerged from the development of salt and iron monopoly.

To a certain extent, the salt administration system under the continuous state of the Sino-French war and the war against the northern nomads can also be regarded as a kind of support for the chaebol. It's just that salt is a little special, and with the strategic focus of Dashun shifting from north to south, the decline of salt merchants is also an inevitable trend from a grand strategic point of view.

Liu Yu can also be regarded as "one money for multiple uses".

By means of the reform of the grain transport system, relying on the only government intervention power that Dashun could use and the only grain transport problem in the capital region that it could truly control, the two goals of "investing capital in the development of Nanyang" and "supporting shipping chaebols" were achieved.

The so-called support means that people are selected from above. If you think you are capable, you will be supported; whether you are capable or not depends on who the superiors want to support. If it depends purely on capital and ability, there are many capable people.

Liu Yu can only influence the direction of the reform of the Navy Logistics Bureau and exert a certain influence. But he has no right to decide whether to change it in this way.

However, once it is decided, he can directly choose who to support.

Tian Zhenyi roughly told these people about the court's policies and the direction of support.

The court will definitely not pay, there is no cash.

But the navy transport fleet can be counted as capital after depreciation and invested in shipping companies.

The court can let these people choose two ways of return.

First, the transport ships that the court's navy has disbanded will be depreciated and counted as capital, with an annual interest rate of 15%, and paid off in 7 years, that is, paying the court twice the principal and interest.

Second, the court will directly count the shares and distribute dividends annually, but the court will moderately strengthen supervision.

No matter which of these two options is chosen, one thing is certain: once the war begins, all ships will be dispatched by the Navy Logistics Bureau, and the staff of the Navy Logistics Bureau will directly take over all the business and ships of the shipping company.

All sailors will register on time; all company ships will report annually.

These businessmen only considered it for a while and decided to choose the first option.

This is also Liu Yu's consistent strategy. He never makes decisions arbitrarily and will give two or three options. But for sure, the businessmen will definitely choose the one Liu Yu wants them to choose.

From the perspective of businessmen, there is no need to say why they choose the first one. No one wants to have a father-in-law and mother-in-law on their heads.

From the perspective of the court, or from the perspective of the small circle around the emperor, the future tax prospects are good. Compared with long-term returns, some short-term and quick returns are needed now.

Convert the transport fleet into silver for the construction of cruisers and battleships for the Bohai Shipyard, quickly enhance the naval strength of Dashun, and prepare for the strategic opportunity period of "World War I" mentioned by Liu Yu.

As long as we win the war, take India, and seize the dominance of Eastern trade in Europe, who will care about the dividends of the shipping company? I am afraid it will not even be one-fifth of India's land tax.

Of course, this kind of thing should be done at this time, and it is natural to contribute to the reforms currently being carried out by the court.

Tian Zhenyi adhered to Liu Yu's ideas and did not make things clear, but just told them to hurry up.

"There is no need to talk about the handover, listing, and establishment. Since you all agree, let's discuss it."

"The court will also give you exclusive authorization for the transportation of grain and other things. You can rest assured about this."

"In addition, because the canal was abandoned, in addition to sea vessels, there are also some river ships, from Songjiang Prefecture to Wuhan. The depreciation price of these river ships is even lower. Since it is said to be support, it is support, not wanting to sell some old goods to you. The court just wants to transfer some state-owned assets to you at a low price."

"What he means is fast, the faster the better. It must be on track before the autumn harvest in the north this year, that is, before August 15."

"The people from the navy will contact you within half a month. This matter is your business, you can discuss it yourself."

"Any other questions?"

The businessmen looked at each other and thought, what else is there?

If the court wants to support, it has always been so simple and crude. Just like when the war in the north was not over at the beginning of the founding of the country, the salt merchants in Shanshan also followed this kind of support routine.

A large amount of state-owned assets, tangible or intangible, were given to them at low prices or even directly given away. These merchants are well aware of this kind of support routine.

And knowing it clearly, they also tasted some other flavors from it.

River boats?

After the canal transportation was abolished, the court had to hand over a large number of river boats, which was good news for the company.

If we can control the sea and the river, not to mention the business undertaken by the company itself, even the orders from the court are much more than just the Black Water Ocean route.

"We have no problem. Madam, don't worry, we understand the truth that time is running out. Before the people from the north come, we will determine our respective equity shares, each company will first draw a batch of ships, and first guarantee the transportation volume of 4 million stones in this monsoon season."

Tian Zhenyi replied: "That's good. As soon as possible, the sooner the better. Now that the matter has been said, I won't be able to stay here, you can do it yourself."

After that, he left behind the curtain.

After Tian Zhenyi left, these businessmen let go of their previous reserve and started discussing loudly.

Making money is nothing more than raising the price and paying back the money on the spot. Of course there is no shame in making money, at least under the atmosphere and morality of Songjiang Mansion in recent years, not only is it not shameful, but it is an honor.

It was obviously a profitable business, and everyone wanted to ask for more, but they also knew that if they wanted more, others would definitely disagree.

If it is not resolved today, who knows which family will be able to quietly unite with whom after we go back.

Therefore, under this mutual suspicion, an agreement was quickly reached.

Each company will first produce a large ship and a three-day ship, and then allocate some equity to each. After the navy's transport ship arrives, they will discuss going to the shipyard to place new orders.

…………

Soon after.

Changlu Saltworks.

If you go north along the canal and reach the Gyeonggi area, you will feel an indescribable desolation.

The frightening days have just passed, and the mourning cloths hanging in some homes have not yet been removed.

But if you leave the canal and just look around the Changlu Saltworks, it is full of life.

Ordinary people used boats or carts to transport the salt hoarded by each family to the market designated by the imperial court, and counted the money in person.

For a time, people could not stop praising the imperial court and praising the emperor's virtue.

However, in reality, even just half a month ago, this was not the case.

If I had visited Changlu Saltworks at that time, I would have heard curses such as the emperor being ignorant and ignorant and using traitors and traitors.

A few months ago, the imperial court recalled part of the Western Region Garrison Corps stationed in Xijing, and a large number of Boy Army agents also left the capital, carrying out a major cleansing along the canal.

During that time, a common scene for the people along the canal was a group of northwest frontier troops armed with guns and rushing into nunneries set up by Luo Jiao, Wuwei Jiao, Qinglian Gang, etc. for the canal transport sailors of their brothers to rest.

They were smashed and beaten like bandits.

During that time, as long as someone recited a few words of "Innocent Mother" and "Empty Homeland", he might be exiled to the bitter cold land of the Sea of ​​Whales to grow corn.

These rough guys from the northwest who were deliberately transferred here have nothing to do with the water transport sailors here. They are usually just a group of people blocking the door, and then smashing open the door of the nunnery with rifle butts.

After entering without saying a word, he hit his head twice with the butt of a gun, and then arrested the person in charge of the nunnery. Pull out the whip and help the people in the nunnery recover their memories.

Officers are responsible for arresting people.

The professional counterpart Boy Army spy organization immediately interrogated him.

1: Who are the secretaries of Luo Jiao, Wuwei Jiao, Qinglian, Bailian, Qingxu, and Kongkong who are responsible for this area? What is your rank within the church? Who is online? What are the offline ones?

2: Where is the upper-level organization connected?

3: Where is the list of the water transport sailors who stayed in the nunnery?

After asking three questions and refusing to answer, he was beaten first.

After the beating, continue to ask. If you can’t answer the question, continue to beat.

For a time, there were cries everywhere along the way from the capital to Shandong.

Several religious uprisings also broke out, but many of the northwest garrison troops had returned from garrison duty in the Western Regions and had fought with various people in the Western Regions with real swords and real spears.

Times have changed, how can these believers defeat the regular army?

From Tianjin to Shandong, the middle and high-level people above the fourth-level secretary of Wuwei Sect have been almost wiped out.

As long as it is confirmed that they are members of the congregation above the secretary level, if they are all brought back to the capital, they will basically be sentenced to death.

The lower-level believers are first arrested and imprisoned for a few days, and then they are allowed to leave after publicly announcing their renunciation of the religion, insulting the leader, and insulting the ancestors.

The Dashun court used a lightning-fast method to mobilize the Western Regions garrison regiments that had nothing to do with the water transport area. This extremely violent method eliminated the chaos that might be caused by the water transport reform.

A large number of child army spies from the capital went deep along the canal, making inquiries everywhere, and there were hidden stakes everywhere.

From the perspective of future generations, this can be regarded as a manifestation of the sins of the feudal dynasty: these believers who thought of the Wusheng mother's empty hometown might have revolted, but they had not yet revolted. As a result, the court directly chose to arrest the middle and upper classes. Get up.

Since the emperor had made up his mind to abandon the canal, it was natural that he would not leave it alone and wait until a big incident was brewed before taking action.

Once the canal was abandoned, a large number of canal workers lost their jobs. The Wuwei Jiao, Luo Jiao, and Qinglian Gang were originally organizations with Cao workers as their main development group.

Secondly, the canal was abolished, and Wuweijiao's important financial source, the profit from smuggling Changlu salt, was cut off. Maybe some congregations will organize protests.

If the Wuwei religion is used in the same way as Christianity, it can be compared to the "Iconoclasts of Zen Buddhism", which believes that Han Buddhism engages in idolatry. The Wuwei religion opposes chanting sutras and chanting Buddha's name, believing that it is too formal and doctrinal. One of the core points is "not erecting images and not chanting sutras". It is believed that Buddhism's idol worship and chanting sutras are "attachment to color" and a heresy.

It wasn't really a cult in the first place.

The founder was a Buddhist in the mid-Ming Dynasty. After reading Buddhist scriptures, he believed that "the theory of another country and the afterlife is just nonsense" and proposed that if you do good deeds in the world, you will get a better rebirth at most, but you will still be in the endless cycle of suffering. .

The Tao is in the heart, not in idols or rituals. As long as you are aware of it in your heart, you can be saved.

Because it is believed that rituals such as "offering incense and worshiping Buddha" are all "prompted methods".

Therefore, I "believe in my heart" and call myself "Wuwei Jiao".

No written words, no idols, no rituals, no need to chant scriptures, no need to know how to read, rely on faith and enlightenment in the heart.

It should be said that it is also the way of religious reform and Protestantism, which gives the right to interpret doctrines from the church to everyone, and belief is righteousness.

Obviously, this routine that does not require a threshold, does not require knowing how to read, and even does not require rituals and idols is most easily spread by the large number of canal workers on both sides of the canal.

However, after two hundred years, it has gradually changed its taste. From the initial reform-style Buddhist and Taoist fusion, it has gradually become a gang organization.

The original criticism of the White Lotus Sect has also been integrated into it, and new idols such as the Mother of No Birth and the Holy Ancestor of Wuji have been established.

Moreover, when the sect was first established, it was a mad attack on the White Lotus Sect. As a result, it is directly integrated now,

because... without orthodox doctrines, there will be no heresy or heresy, and everything can be integrated. There is even a new Wuwei sect based on Lu Wang's Xinxue, claiming to "combine the five religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, White Lotus and Wuwei".

No matter how good the doctrine is, just listen to it. There should be no problem with the founder of the first generation of Wuwei Sect. Whether it is the doctrine or the thought, it can be regarded as a kind of ideological liberation. But later, he directly proclaimed himself as the leader, set up the hierarchy, held a ceremony, re-established the idol, and turned from a leader into a big landlord. He bought houses and land and sold smuggled salt with the money collected from incense and contributions.

Now that there are more and more believers, the gang members have gradually monopolized the salt smuggling industry of the canal. Relying on the organized sale of smuggled salt, they have become the leading large gang organization along the canal from Beijing to Jiangsu.

The court was not blind before.

They did not move them before, but now they move them because the canal has been abolished. Such gang organizations will not pose a huge threat to the court's grain transportation. If the canal was still the lifeline of the capital's food, the Dashun court would not dare to treat these believers like this. I am afraid that if the leader is caught, he will be detained for a few days and then released.

There was even a witch in the church who said that the leader of the church in prison was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha, and organized the church members to attack the county town and break the prison. The court could only deal with the instigators and did not dare to purge them, fearing that the incident would be too serious and affect the grain transport. It was completely different from the burning and beheading of secret missionaries when Catholicism was banned later.

The grain transport was the eggs of the court, and whoever held it in his hands could bargain with the court.