Chapter 156 Development Administration

When tornadoes ravaged the Americas, no one would have imagined that the cause was simply the flapping of a butterfly's wings in the Amazon rainforest; when Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, he never imagined it would trigger the human tragedy that killed 70 million people.

At the end of the sixth year of the Zhaowu reign (1647), on an island in Southeast Asia, no one could have imagined that a simple meeting would give rise to the standard colonial expansion model of the Taiyuan people, plunging the vast majority of Southeast Asian natives into a "happy life" of plenty.

The chubby Lin Yongqian still had that endearing face, but now every word he uttered was being listened to and pondered carefully.

"The Development Bureau is responsible for providing intelligence and support on land, special products, and shipping routes, while the development companies must obey the management and coordination of the Bureau and pay taxes in accordance with regulations."

Thirty-year-old Lin Yongqian has been in charge of the Hengwang Mansion's business affairs. With the development of Dayuan's maritime trade, he has gradually squeezed into the top circle of Dayuan, and his status is comparable to that of several prominent figures in Dayuan's military.

But Qin Mo pulled him down from his position as a high-ranking business tycoon with just one sentence, and put him back in charge of establishing this inexplicable "Expansion Administration Bureau".

"Anyone who doesn't understand, please raise your hand and speak!"

After reading the long set of rules and regulations, Lin Yongqian glanced at the thirty-odd people sitting around the room, waiting for his questions to be answered.

Judging from the state of the venue, the first "Investment Promotion Conference" of the Development Bureau was truly shabby. The venue was poorly furnished; the stone platform emphasized Lin Yongqian's leadership position, and the thirty-odd people below didn't even have enough chairs—stools and stools were all rather shabby.

But Lin Yongqian didn't look at them. None of these people were easy to get along with. The old men in their families were all Qin Lan's old subordinates. Even when they met his own father, they would treat him like a brother.

Qin Mo had put in a lot of effort to explain the regulations to him yesterday, so Lin Yongqian guessed that the people below were even more confused and had many questions, and he was sure they could cause him some trouble today.

"Lin family elder brother, these big guys have come all this way to make a fortune, but when they arrive in Lintou they want us to... register... develop a company. It's really puzzling. Why don't you just tell us how much money we need to pay? It would save us all this trouble."

"Exactly, why make it so complicated? We're all from the same village, just give us a number, and we'll make sure it's accurate."

The person in charge sent by the Hai family to Temasek was the first to raise his hand. After receiving permission, he began to speak. His words were agreed upon by most of the people, who then began to complain all at once.

"Bang bang bang!"

Lin Yongqian swung the wooden mallet and slammed it hard on the table. He was not a cultivator, and if he did not suppress the scene with his aura, wouldn't the bunch of bad guys below cause trouble?

"Keep the meeting quiet. You can ask questions privately. If you have any complaints about me, His Highness is over there and I can pass on his behalf."

Lin Yongqian's eyes were lowered, and his words were measured and deliberate, making him appear as rigid and dull as an old man. Yet, it was precisely this expression of someone nearing the end of his life that silenced the group of boisterous second-generation rich kids. If they attracted the prince's attention, things would get interesting.

"Director Lin... what are the company's terms of business? How much money do they need? How many people?"

Kaijiro straightened his attitude and spoke kindly to the guy who was running around after being beaten.

"Companies can register with the Development Authority and then pay a security deposit based on their business operations. This deposit is not a tax and is fully refunded if the company is dissolved, provided... your company hasn't violated any regulations."

"How much of the security deposit is returned? What is...the business being conducted?"

"It depends on what kind of business you're in. Selling cloth and selling iron will naturally have different prices, and a company registered by one person and a company in partnership will also have different prices."

"How are taxes calculated? What percentage is tax?"

Finally, someone asked the crucial question, making everyone prick up their ears.

"In the early stages of development, taxes are levied. Once the business has taken off, taxes will be collected, and the specific taxes will vary depending on the type of business. But for a prince, it will definitely not exceed 30%."

"Your Highness is merciful!"

"It is truly a blessing that His Highness is so considerate of us!"

If this were within the Great Xia Empire's mainland, and you were to impose a 30% tax, the merchants would probably rebel and kill the tax officials. But in the eyes of these high-ranking officials who were used to exorbitant profits, it was truly a favor from the prince.

The earliest merchants to enter North Dinhji in Luzon made hundreds of times their initial investment by exchanging scrap iron knives for gems and gold. Even though the locals have gone astray, they still made more than ten times their initial investment, didn't they?

"Alright, if everyone has no other questions, then let's go back and discuss it! His Highness's idea is that it's best for each family to stick together at the beginning, since the situation is unclear when we first arrive, and it will be safer if there are more people."

After listening to Lin Yongqian's words, everyone looked at each other and felt that Qin Mo's concerns were reasonable, since the Battle of Dingbei City had only just ended a few days ago.

"Director Lin, don't rush off. Please give everyone a heads-up: can we... get the support of the garrison?"

"The prince gave some instructions. In principle, the prince does not support forced buying and selling. If you try to rob someone and are humiliated instead, the garrison usually won't interfere. But if the locals go too far, the officials don't just support so many soldiers."

"That's excellent!"

Smiles finally appeared on everyone's tense faces. They all felt that the deposit and 30% tax were well worth the money. After all, no matter how many or how strong the samurai of each family were, they still couldn't compare to the well-equipped army of the Grand Minister. After all, many weapons were strictly prohibited from being privately owned, regardless of who owned them.

Lin Yongqian finally finished dealing with the next batch of pioneers who came to Temasek, but he couldn't catch his breath yet. He still had to go to his superior, Qin Mo, to report that he had now broken away from his father's command and was directly under Qin Mo's control.

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