Zhao Lin met with three governors of the three coastal provinces.
Gao Yeshan, Ge Ruochuan, Shen Qishuo.
Zhao Lin sat there with his legs spread wide open, sipping his tea leisurely.
Three governors who were much older than Zhao Lin sat on both sides.
Ge Ruochuan gave Gao Yeshan a look.
Gao Yeshan said, "Master Zhao, let's be frank. We will give you a 10% stake in each province's maritime trade, which will be delivered to your residence on time every year. You will just focus on being the governor of the river and not interfere in maritime trade affairs. How do you do that?"
Zhao Lin smiled faintly and said, "You three are really generous. Let me do the math. A 10% stake would be worth at least 100,000 or 200,000 taels of silver a year, right? And the three provinces would make 30%, which adds up to 500,000 or 600,000 taels of silver. How generous!"
The three of them changed their expressions.
They thought Zhao Lin didn't know the specific situation of maritime trade and wanted to give him some silver to get rid of him.
But no one expected that Zhao Lin's casual remarks would directly point out the core secrets of maritime trade.
income!
Maritime trade carries high risks but also high profits.
Because of the collusion between officials and businessmen, no one knows how much income there is, and even they only have a rough idea.
But Zhao Lin said something similar as soon as he opened his mouth.
"You're joking, sir. Maritime trade isn't as lucrative as other places. You have to work hard to earn a living," Gao Yeshan said with a laugh. "Don't worry, sir, we three each own 10% of the shares, and the annual share we receive is less than 100,000 taels."
"It's so little. How about you just quit and I'll send someone to take over and give each of you 200,000 taels every year? How about that?" Zhao Lin said casually.
Ahem…
The three of them coughed in unison.
Ge Ruochuan said repeatedly: "You are joking, joking. As the governors of a province, we are not here to make money."
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "Tell me the truth, how much do you make in a year?"
The three of them looked at each other.
How can you talk like that?
Even if you ask us, we can't tell you.
Just as Ge Ruochuan was about to speak, Zhao Lin waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I don't think you're telling the truth. I don't want to waste time talking. In short, if you support me, each of the three of you will receive no less than 500,000 taels of silver per year."
"How many?"
All three of them were shocked.
Zhao Lin said: "You heard it right, no one, every year, five hundred thousand taels!"
All three of them showed signs of being interested.
Five hundred thousand taels, this is not a small amount.
It can be said to be a huge number.
How much does Emperor Chengping’s private treasury receive every year?
At most one million taels.
The three of them together have more than the emperor.
Moreover, the profit they get from maritime trade each year is only 200,000 to 300,000 taels.
Zhao Lin turned over more than half of it for them in one go.
but……
Shen Qishuo smiled bitterly and said, "Since Lord Zhao is straightforward, we won't say anything empty. The issue of maritime trade involves all aspects of society. Even if the three of us support you, it won't be enough. Maybe the four of us will be finished together."
"Oh? You can't suppress it either?" Zhao Lin said.
Gao Yeshan shook his head and said, "It's more than just being unable to suppress it. Let me be honest. We can sit in this position because we know when to advance and when to retreat, and we don't cause trouble. Otherwise, we would have been replaced long ago."
Ge Ruochuan and Shen Qishuo both nodded repeatedly.
Zhao Lin said: "Tell me in detail."
The three hesitated.
It was Gao Yeshan who spoke again: "It's hard to explain what's going on here. In short, if Lord Zhao is satisfied with our conditions, then everything will be fine. If he's not, we won't say anything, but don't blame us if anything goes wrong."
Zhao Lin said, "That's what I meant. If you agree to my terms, we can all get rich together. It will benefit you, me, and those people as well. If you insist on going against me..."
Zhao Lin smiled slightly and said, "This time, when we go to sort out the maritime trade matters, I will bring the Qingzhou Army with me."
The three governors' foreheads twitched violently.
Take the Qingzhou army with you!
This is going to be a big deal.
What does the army do?
It can't be that he's just showing off, right?
If a conflict really occurs...
The three of them didn't dare to think about it.
The local military strength of the three provinces adds up to more than 100,000, which is no less than that of the Qingzhou army.
But they were all local troops, responsible for garrisoning the cities of various prefectures. They had never fought a war and were no match for the Qingzhou Army, which had been suppressing bandits and rebellions.
Besides, we can’t concentrate the military forces of the three provinces together. Are you planning a rebellion?
Gao Yeshan smiled bitterly and said, "Why do you have to do this, sir?"
Zhao Lin said calmly, "I still say the same thing. If there's money to be made, we all make it together. I make money, you make money, they make money, and His Majesty and the court must make money too. You, them, and the court may not make money, but His Majesty and I must make money. Whoever dares to block our way, I will crush them with the Qingzhou army. If the Qingzhou army can't crush them, I will petition His Majesty to send other troops. In short, since I'm here, maritime trade must follow my rules."
The three governors were trembling with anger.
Shen Qishuo said angrily: “Sir, do you really want to make things difficult for us?”
Zhao Lin said calmly, "It's not me who's making things difficult for you, it's you who's making things difficult for me. I've taken over the position of Governor of the Rivers, and the only difficulty I face in managing the rivers of the country is money. You've embezzled all the money you're supposed to hand over, and only paid 300,000 or 400,000 taels a year, which is like paying out to beggars? Hmm?"
Ge Ruochuan said sternly, "Sir, aren't you afraid that the people behind us will make things difficult for you?"
Zhao Lin sneered, "Behind me is the Emperor, the Chu Party led by my father-in-law, the royal family led by Lord Li, the prefect of Shengjing, and the future imperial court led by the Crown Prince and Prince Yu. Who dares to challenge me? I will exterminate his entire clan!"
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