Chapter 90: Making Money

After the treaty was signed, the matter came to an end. Although nominally it was just a "special security operation", in reality it was just everyone standing on the top of the mountain blowing in the cold wind for half a day. But since we have won a great victory and are so happy, we still have to behave properly. It was not convenient for Prince Mu to make friends with local officials, so the local officials took the initiative to come to him to get traffic. The Crown Prince was a high-ranking official in the central government and an imperial envoy, so he would not normally mingle with the officials below him at will. However, after the victory, everyone was delighted and it was not good to simply turn him away. Therefore, many clever people who heard the news tried every means to ask someone to deliver the gifts, saying that it was to wish Duke Mu a happy new year. With the Crown Prince's biological father as an excuse, even Duke Dian would find it difficult to refuse.

Sure enough, although the prince did not accept the gift, he sent a message saying that he would stay in Shangyu until New Year's Eve. There was still at least half a month for them to spend time together.

The so-called "time together" is nothing more than an opportunity for officials to curry favor. However, it is a rare grace in officialdom that the sons of nobles who are high and mighty are willing to give those below them a chance to curry favor with them. Most of the essence of the Nine Provinces is concentrated in the capital. All the prosperous, magnificent, novel and ever-changing acrobatic and food fashions in the world, of course, originated from the capital. It is indeed a great tolerance that the sons of nobles who are respected and valued are willing to abandon the lively and extravagant festivals in the capital and take the initiative to condescend to a mere county town like Shangyu.

Such tolerance fully stabilized the officialdom in Zhejiang. Especially after part of the contents of the "Shangyu Treaty" were leaked, those who were knowledgeable were all delighted - Da'an has experienced many twists and turns since its founding, and the relationship between the local and central governments is actually quite delicate; the central government is always wary of the local governments becoming too powerful and then separatist, and the local governments are also very dissatisfied with the upper levels' meddling in grabbing credit and power. The conflicts and quarrels between each other will never end.

But now, the prince is willing to sign such a treaty. They don’t understand the other details, but at least they can see that he is sincere in seeking credit and reward for the local officials who have made contributions, and is willing to spend real money to reward everyone - so what else do they need?

Prince, you are so virtuous!

The officials at the top got credit for their achievements, and the people at the bottom were exempted from taxes and labor service; everyone was happy and felt that this year they could have a complete success. And at this time, Ru Wang's ability to be rich and good at business was just revealed - no one knew where this sea merchant got the connections, but he managed to transport a large amount of New Year's goods from the nearby counties by water, including firecrackers, spring couplets, red cloth lanterns and everything else; after transporting them to Shangyu, they were directly put on the coast for sale; torches and candlelight everywhere illuminated the various New Year's goods, making the scene colorful and lively.

Shangyu has been preparing its military for many days, and people from all walks of life have no time to prepare for the New Year festival. It is a rare occasion nowadays when people are celebrating a happy occasion and their wallets are full, so of course men and women flock to the event and leisurely choose New Year's goods. Ruwang hired a lot of eloquent and quick-witted assistants to make the scene quite lively. In addition to bargaining for buyers and sellers, there were also storytelling and singing, and all kinds of entertainment, trying their best to attract business. The sounds of talking, laughing and hawking rose one after another, and the hot air was filled with fragrance, what a happy scene.

The sound of such noisy discussions can still be clearly heard even from a distance of dozens or even hundreds of feet, as if the excitement is right in front of you. Mu Qi stood by the window, silently looking at the crowds surging on the coast, and shook his head:

"I never thought that the gentleman would not even let go of such a small amount of money."

"Who would complain about having too little money when doing business? To use the words of your country, the more the better!" Ru Wang, who was standing behind him, spoke immediately, his face still flushed and he looked very pleased. It seemed that the few deals he made in the south were really comfortable, enough to calm all the resentment he had felt since getting along with the prince: "Of course, my goods must be genuine, and I would never dare to deceive the buyers in the slightest..."

Mu Qi smiled gently and tapped on the wooden window with his fingers. He felt that it was hard and dry, smooth and moist without any burrs. It was obviously excellent wood and the workmanship was extremely fine.

"The Portuguese have great shipbuilding technology," he sighed.

The Portuguese withdrew quickly after signing the treaty, but after the heavy bombing, only two or three ships were able to move, so they had to sail away. Mu Qi ordered his men to take over the remaining warships, originally intending to dismantle them and let the craftsmen see them to the world; but unexpectedly, when Ru Wang checked them one by one, he found that most of them had not completely collapsed and could still be of great use with a little repair. Mu Qi was delighted to see the prey, so he brought people on board to inspect the ship and examine this unexpected windfall.

The Portuguese were able to roam the worlds, so of course they had unique shipbuilding skills. Especially during the Age of Discovery, mathematics and physics developed rapidly, and engineering manufacturing thrived under the stimulation of basic disciplines; European skills benefited from this and made significant progress. On the contrary, the shipbuilding industry in the Central Plains has been abandoned for a long time and is no longer technologically comparable to it. So when the prince looked at the cabin, he couldn't help but feel emotional.

"What a great boat." He said quietly, "It would probably take at least a dozen years for the craftsmen in the capital to reach this level... But fortunately, it's ours now."

Ruwang: …………

"Why must the prince be so straightforward?"

"Is this what you call straightforward?" The prince said calmly, "It is better to steal than to make, and it is better to rob than to steal; isn't this the concept of foreign colonization? I am just imitating it a little bit."

He knocked on the wooden board on the side of the boat and changed the subject lightly:

"But speaking of small amounts of money, I remember one thing. Mr. Ruwang, how is the return on the small amount of money I asked you to invest?"

Ru Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled:

"Let the prince know that this is not a small amount of money..."

Long before the war broke out, Mu Qi had made up his mind to take a multi-pronged approach and make a big profit from the Portuguese; not only would he win the battlefield thoroughly, but he would also reap all the subsequent petty profits, striving to lick the entire plate clean, leaving no residue for the Portuguese. His target was the dozens of ships of rare cargo escorted by the Portuguese fleet - of course, don't get me wrong, Mu Qi had no intention of lowering his moral standards to Dai Ying's, so he would not take advantage of the chaos to plunder. His thoughts were focused on the post-war financial markets.

Portugal monopolized nearly half of the trade in Southeast Asia and India. In order to ensure the safe flow of goods and funds, it developed a fairly developed insurance industry. Merchants traveling here could insure their goods in several financial centers in Southeast Asia and receive compensation even if they encountered unexpected events. But over the years, this insurance system has become increasingly prevalent and has become almost like gambling today. Merchants gathered in Luzon and other places could bet on any caravan. If something happened to the caravan, they could get huge compensation. If it failed to arrive on time, they would lose the deposit in vain. You can make a lot of money and become rich suddenly, the game is quite exciting.

The prince of Duke Mu was ingenious. He had asked Ru Wang to make a bet long before planning the war, and put pressure on dozens of ships of cargo. These goods were escorted all the way south by the main flagship of a naval power, so the safety factor was quite high, so the odds were also very high. But now...

"I invested five thousand taels of silver in accordance with the instructions of the prince." Ru Wang smiled and said, "After deducting the handling fee, the net profit is fifty-five thousand taels. I will prepare the banknotes for the prince immediately. There will be no problem with the money."

Ruwang had been running around for the prince, and this time he could make a net profit of three to five thousand silver coins just by sending someone to place a bet. Of course he was smiling from ear to ear, and was quite happy. No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat, let alone this kind of effortless oil and water?

Of course, for the Prince of Mu, this is indeed a small amount of money that is not very noticeable. We are used to playing the war game of one to one hundred, so how can we look down upon a mere eleven times profit? Therefore, the prince was not moved and just smiled slightly.

"What a shame. There is a limit to the amount that can be insured. Otherwise, wouldn't it be great to make a big profit after investing a lot of money?" He said in a gentle voice: "The larger the amount of money invested, the higher the handling fee the bank can charge. Why not do such a business?"

"That's because the Nanyang market has a certain threshold." Ru Wang replied respectfully: "In order to ensure the experience of big customers, the inflow and outflow of huge amounts of money must be strictly reviewed. This is also the experience of our bank."

The prince glanced at him nonchalantly, his expression unchanged. Compared to engaging in a little gambling, Mu Qi originally planned to tamper with Portugal's financial assets. The Portuguese fleet was almost wiped out, and the prices of government bonds and related stocks were bound to plummet. If one could calculate the trend accurately and add dozens of times of leverage, one could easily make hundreds of thousands or even nearly a million silver coins, and at the same time send countless speculators to fame. Unfortunately, although all the means had been planned, Ruwang clearly informed during the consultation that Da'an was not yet qualified to invest in European government bonds and that capital flow also faced considerable difficulties; the relevant plans were forced to shelve and had to settle for the next best option.

But now…

"...Now," the prince said calmly, "are we qualified to cross the threshold?"

"Of course." Ru Wang leaned forward slightly to show his absolute respect and complete obedience to the new player: "From the moment the Portuguese fleet was destroyed and the Shangyu Treaty was signed, you have the qualification."

"The fleet was destroyed? I thought you only cared about the money."

"You're joking." Ru Wang said calmly, "What can pure money mean on the vast ocean? India, Siam, and Burma are all very wealthy, but who will let them sit on the table?"

Money exists on the basis of violence. In the Age of Discovery, this was the absolute rule that governed all commercial trade. The law of the jungle is bloody, naked and unconcealed, and it influences the choices of all organizations in this era. If we say that before the Battle of Shangyu, China was just a big and fat sheep, with wolves staring at it and gnashing their teeth to suck its blood, with an endless desire to divide it; then after the stunning appearance of rockets, no major power dared to touch these sharp claws without authorization. Violence brings not only victory but also respect. From now on, all trade in Southeast Asia must take China's opinions into consideration. All organizations must open their doors to it, listen to its needs, respect its interests, take its face into consideration, and respectfully welcome this new guest.

Simply put, after throwing this punch, Daan is finally qualified to sit at the table and order food.

"Therefore, our bank will open all financial services to your country. The cooperation between the two sides will no longer be subject to any restrictions." Ru Wang was very respectful and did not dare to be negligent in his tone: "Since your country is already capable of defending its own interests, the bank will also serve your country's interests and do its best to expand its rights and interests."

International capital is indeed such a cruel thing, flattering the powerful and bullying the weak.

Of course, as a newly emerging superpower, it seems a bit hypocritical to lament such things. So the prince was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"In that case, please compile a detailed list of national debts of various countries. I will take a closer look at it when I have time. Besides, I also have some personal matters to trouble you with."

"Please speak, my lord."

"Among the five thousand taels of silver I invested, there are five hundred taels from Yan Donglou's young master Yan." The prince said, "Now that I have made a lucky profit, of course I should return it to the shareholders. Please take out five thousand taels from the fifty-five thousand taels and secretly send it to Yan Xiaoge Lao's bank. I still have a use for the rest."

Ru Wang, a big merchant who had dealings with the wealthy families in Beijing, certainly knew about the small warehouse where Yan Donglou secretly hid his money; but he was also surprised to hear this:

"Why would the prince use this money..."

It's just a difference of a few thousand or tens of thousands of taels anyway. Can't it be directly reimbursed in the Shangyu Treaty? Why go around in circles?

"Shangyu's compensation is public money. If someone uses public money without authorization, some people will probably be furious." The prince said, "Public is public and private is private. After a victory, the country and the emperor benefit. Of course, the people who paid the money should also get a share of the profits, so that things can go on smoothly."

Public is public and private is private. The income of the national treasury is not equal to the income of officials. This is the secret of Da'an's politics today. However, the Da'an officialdom is not so corrupt that they won't do anything even if you pay them. If they can maneuver around a little, there is still some room for them to do things.

"Only when everyone is well fed can this matter be carried out." The prince sighed to himself: "If something is not done well, I'm afraid the storm will come again."