Finished.
He handed the banknote to the other party, looking very generous.
After Song Gongwen took the banknote, his hands were shaking.
It is very light, but in the hand, it feels very heavy.
Five hundred thousand taels of silver...
He couldn't help but look at Sun Kejian again, and his eyes began to change.
He casually took out 500,000 taels of silver. If there were more, even if it was not enough to fight on two fronts in the north and Liaodong, it would definitely be able to solve the urgent needs of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Lord, please don't look at me like that." Sun Kejian felt a little scared when he was stared at with such eyes, but he also knew what the other party was thinking, so he said immediately.
"I came to the capital in a hurry this time, so I didn't bring much money with me. Excluding the money I gave you, I only have less than 200,000 taels left."
"Also, these 500,000 taels of silver are my personal loan to the court, and I still have to pay it back..."
Upon hearing this, Song Gongwen immediately realized that he was too greedy.
Then he smiled awkwardly and said, "I understand that."
However, he was still shocked.
Excluding the 500,000 yuan that was taken out.
The other party actually still has 200,000 taels of silver on him, which adds up to nearly one million taels of silver...
One million...
I, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, will serve for a thousand years...
Of course, although Song Gongwen was shocked by the amount of money the other party took out, it seemed to make sense when he thought about it.
Sun Kejian was the only son of the current Sun family lord and the future leader of the Sun family. The Sun family had been operating in Yan for hundreds of years, rivaled only by the great families of Jiangnan.
One million taels is something most people wouldn't even dare to think about, but the Sun family can definitely afford it.
At this moment, he suddenly realized.
Your Majesty's promotion of Sun Kejian to the Ministry of Revenue is simply the wisest choice.
If the other party is completely loyal to the court, then the Sun family will be the court's backup treasury.
When the Ministry of Revenue runs out of money, just let Sun Kejian visit your home, and everything will be solved, right?
Shaking his head, Song Gongwen knew that this idea was unrealistic.
But one thing is certain in my heart.
With Sun Kejian around, things will be much easier for the Ministry of Revenue in the future.
For example, this trade would be difficult to accomplish without the other party paying.
He then continued, "The issue of mutual trade has been resolved. I still have one question: what is the maritime trade you mentioned?"
Song Gongwen could understand some of it, but he still needed the other party to explain the details.
"This maritime trade is very simple to explain. It can also be called sea transport."
Sun Kejian smiled and continued, "As everyone knows, our Great Wei is located in the Eastern Continent, and beyond that lies the ocean. I've read a lot of information, and I've found that there are actually several countries on the other side of that ocean, some close, some far away."
"Let's not talk about the distant ones for now, let's talk about the nearby ones. These countries are very different from our Great Wei, whether it's language or writing."
"Of course, that's not the point. The point is that those countries actually have a lot of things that we don't have."
"And we have something they don't. What does that mean? Business opportunity!"
Then he continued, "I once saw a record of a deceased elder at home. This elder had traveled to many places and seen many things. He also did business with other countries, such as silk, and was deeply loved by those countries."
"For example, a foot of good-quality silk can be bought for one tael of silver in Wei, but in those countries, it would be ten taels. Some countries even trade directly with gold."
"Think about it, if we, Great Wei, could trade with these countries, how much money could we make?"
Song Gongwen had indeed read a lot of books, but he still didn't understand this aspect.
But he could fully understand what Sun Kejian said.
Once this can be done.
That would be a qualitative leap for the finances of the Great Wei.
But he couldn't help but frown and said, "Then what does this have to do with shipping?"
In fact, trade with neighboring countries had already begun as early as the time of Emperor Zhao.
It's just that the amount is small and the time is too long, so the impact is not significant.
"Because if we want to travel to those countries by land, it will not only take a long time, but we will also have to cross mountains and rivers, which is extremely difficult. Not only people, but even horses can't bear it."
Sun Kejian said, "But if we use a boat, it's different. If we encounter a good time, we can directly save one-third of the time."
"Also, I've inquired before. The sea vessels built by our Great Wei can withstand some minor storms."
"And the deeper the draft of a seagoing vessel, the more cargo it can carry."
"Even if it's just a round trip, that's at least a few hundred thousand taels of silver in profit."
Song Gongwen finally understood everything.
The other party wants to use sea transportation to replace land-based trading methods.
To transport goods over land, horses and camels are necessary. However, the amount of goods transported is small. In addition, due to the long journey, there are many dangers on the road, such as bandits and bad weather, which is very unstable.
But if it is done at sea, it is indeed more convenient and has greater benefits.
Song Gongwen was not a pedantic person.
Naturally understand the meaning.
Once we start trading with those countries, it will inevitably broaden the financial revenue channels of the entire Wei Dynasty.
It can almost be said that there are only benefits and no harm!
"Okay, okay."
Song Gongwen couldn't help but sigh at this thought. With excitement in his eyes, he looked at Sun Kejian and said, "How did you come up with this idea? It's really great. As long as we can stabilize it, then my Great Wei will never have to worry about money again."
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