The next day, the Imperial Household Department sent the approved memorial to the Six Ministries Gallery.

All six departments gave the go-ahead, including the decision on shipping grain by sea.

Because Han Ji had already warned in advance, if anyone dared to refute the order drafted by Minister Gao, then sorry, we will settle both the old and new accounts together!

When encountering the ferocious Tibetan mastiff Gao Ge Lao, the upright Paw Patrol suddenly became well-behaved and cute, not daring to even fart.

When he learned about this, Master Zhao was at home, teaching his disciples the mechanics knowledge of "Zheng Xuan-Hooke's Law", which states that when a spring is deformed, the elastic force and elongation of the spring are directly proportional.

In the West, this was discovered by Leeuwenhoek, who had been deprived of an invention by Mr. Zhao, in 1678. But in fact, 1,500 years earlier, Zheng Xuan, a Confucian scholar and educator in the Eastern Han Dynasty, annotated the sentence "measure its force, it is three jin" in the article "Zhou Li·Winter Official Kaogongji·Bowman", and clearly wrote: "If the bow force is more than three dan, draw it three feet in the middle, relax the string, and use a rope to slowly support it. For every dan of weight added, it will be stretched one foot." This correctly pointed out the proportional relationship between force and deformation, so Mr. Zhao unceremoniously named it "Zheng Xuan's Law".

He was just about to explain the significance of Zheng Xuan's law in basic science when Fatty Tang ran in happily, shouting excitedly, "The young master has come down, the young master has finally come down!"

"I'm not a hen and can't lay eggs." Zhao Hao rolled his eyes and pretended to throw the spiral spring he invented onto Fatty Tang's forehead.

"It's the decree to allow the grain transport by sea, young master!" Fatty Tang quickly covered his head and said with a look of contempt: "The decree has been sent to the Ministry of Revenue, and Ma Bu Tang wants you to come over."

"Really?" Zhao Hao was overjoyed when he heard that. He was sure that this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

Damn it, Gao Huzi finished the task that took more than half a year to be completed in just half a day after he came back. I have to admit that the difference between people is really huge!

In his joy, the spring accidentally flew out of his hand and hit Tang Youde in the face.

Fatty Tang let out an "ow" and a red circle appeared around his nose.

Upon seeing this, the disciples nodded in sudden realization. Now they intuitively understood what it meant that elastic force and elongation are directly proportional.

It really is 'strength as if stretched'!

Zhao Hao did not have time to explain, and quickly asked Gao Wu to prepare the car and go straight to the Ministry of Revenue to pay a visit to Ma Butang.

In fact, once Gao Gong was reinstated, everyone knew that the sea transportation of grain was a done deal. For more than half a month, the two sides had repeatedly deliberated on the terms of the document, and had finalized them word by word, waiting for the imperial court to issue an order.

So when Zhao Hao arrived, Mason had already prepared triplicate documents and the seal of the Minister of Revenue, and was just waiting for him to sign the contract.

Zhao Hao read the contract carefully again, and after confirming that there were no further changes, he happily signed his name.

This contract, which is of great significance to Jiangnan Group, stipulates:

1. The future shipping company will be supervised by the government and run by businessmen. It will be supervised and guided by a specialist sent by the Ministry of Revenue, and will be funded by the Jiangnan Group. It will be responsible for the shipping of grain, and will be responsible for its own profits and losses.

2. From now on, grain transported from Jiangnan will be shipped from Liujia Port in Taicang, and transported by shipping companies to Dagu, Tianjin for harvesting. Seagoing vessels are not allowed to enter the Dagu River.

3. In addition to the regular grain, the Jiangnan government had to pay 40% of the total grain as freight plus consumption. Half of it was paid to the shipping company, and the other half was used as the freight from Tianjin to Beijing and other places, which was collected by the shipping company.

4. Any loss due to drifting or sinking shall be borne by the shipping company and has nothing to do with the court. For this reason, the shipping company shall prepay 1 million taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue as a deposit before the first shipment. If the shipping company fails to deliver the grain on time and in full, the Ministry of Revenue can directly deduct it from the deposit. Before the shipping company makes up the deposit, the Ministry of Revenue has the right to stop the shipping of grain.

5. Grant shipping companies the right to engage in maritime trade and allow them to transport goods from the north and the south to make up for possible losses in sea transportation.

6. During the period of obstruction of grain transport, shipping companies must undertake the task of transporting no less than 2 million dan of grain per year. When grain transport is restored, the transportation volume can be gradually reduced according to the requirements of the court, but it cannot be less than 100,000 dan per year.

What Zhao Hao actually wants is the fifth one, despite all the effort.

He worked out the details of this article word by word. He used every possible means, even asking Ma Sen to call him "Dad", before he agreed. The details stipulated that Jiangnan Shipping could not only sell goods to coastal provinces, but also had the right to trade with the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

Although there was no explicit clause prohibiting trade with Japan, the imperial court's ban still had a binding effect on the treaty.

However, this is much better than the terms Fujian got. Fujian can only open Yuegang, but Jiangnan Shipping can dock at any port. Yuegang has strict restrictions on the number of ships that can trade in the East and West Oceans, but Jiangnan Shipping has no restrictions.

Although the court's restrictions on Yuegang were in name only, they were not as legitimate as the shipping in the south of the Yangtze River, and the scale was naturally incomparable.

After Mason used his seal, the treaty officially came into effect. When Zhao Hao took his own copy, his hands were shaking with excitement.

It’s really not easy!

It took a full year from planning to completion today!

From the moment he arrived in Kunshan, he had been planning this. How many people did he visit, how many times did he talk to them? How many times did he smile at people, how many times did he suffer grievances. How many compromises and concessions did he make? How many difficulties and obstacles did he encounter? He even paid with his blood and life...

Everything finally had value at this moment. This difficult and stumbling small step was a big step that determined the height of Zhao Hao and Jiangnan Group, and it was also a key step in pushing Ming Dynasty into the Age of Discovery!

Coming out of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhao Hao's heart was about to fly to the sea. However, he suppressed his excitement and completed the tasks that needed to be done step by step.

He walked into the Ministry of War diagonally opposite and paid a visit to the Minister of War, Huo Ji.

Huo Ji had also been prepared and granted the shipping company an unlimited customs clearance certificate, which allowed them to pass through the northern and southern seas, and the coastal garrisons of the Ming Dynasty were not allowed to stop them.

The customs clearance certificate is valid indefinitely and will only become invalid after the shipping company loses the right to transport the grain by sea.

Of course, every time the fleet landed, in addition to paying taxes to the government for the goods they carried, they also had to pay water taxes to the local garrisons as a reward for the Ming army's protection of the fleet.

However, in view of the fact that the coastal garrisons had "heavy combat tasks" and were unable to provide escort, the Ministry of War authorized the coastal garrisons to allocate a certain amount of bird guns, artillery and gunpowder to the shipping companies for self-defense. However, all weapons must be registered and strictly managed, and must not be lost or taken off the ship. They can only be used for self-defense and must be sealed before arriving at the port.

Not to mention the inferior firearms of the coastal garrisons, even the guns and cannons made by the Military Equipment Bureau of the Ministry of War were not even worth looking at by Mr. Zhao. He paid this protection fee in exchange for the franchise, but it was only for the legal existence of his own Coast Guard.

This is very important. From now on, the Coast Guard can exist in the sea with dignity. If they can't even speak properly, how can they be united and grow stronger?

~~

I don’t know if it was because there was no such thing as keeping secrets in those days, or if there were too many powerful people in Beijing. That afternoon, the news that the grain transport by sea had finally been approved had spread throughout the city.

Now all the small shareholders who held shares of Xishan Company and even Lugouqiao Company went crazy. Those who had been holding cash to buy stocks also went crazy, rushing to the Xishan Company headquarters in Dashilan and banging on the door, demanding that the company resume trading as soon as possible.

After hearing the news that the group would issue an announcement tomorrow and resume trading three days later, the small shareholders dispersed. They just wanted to know whether this was true or not. No one was stupid enough to sell their shares at this time.

Those who wanted to buy stocks lined up overnight. They would make a lot of money if they bought Xishan Company’s stocks, and it was worth queuing for ten days!

Xishan Company also held a board meeting overnight to urgently discuss the content of the announcement.

Before dawn the next day, a huge crowd of people gathered outside the Xishan Company. Many of them could not afford to buy stocks at all. They just came to join in the fun and witness this historical moment.

Seeing the crowds outside, Sun Dawu was afraid of a stampede and did not dare to open the door. He asked someone to hang a notice on a rope and tie it down from the window on the second floor of the company, which was considered a notice.

The wealthy merchants and common people in the capital looked up and read aloud in the glaring sunlight:

"Royal Xishan Coal Company Announcement 1: The company and Jiangnan Building Materials Company jointly established Xishan Cement Company, which was successfully put into production in early May and has successfully started sales."

"Royal Xishan Coal Company Announcement 2: Our company and Jiangnan Group have jointly established Jiangnan Shipping Company, and yesterday we were successfully approved for the grain shipping business, and have been granted the right to conduct maritime trade and sell goods overseas."

"The specific details of these two announcements will be announced at the extraordinary shareholders' meeting tomorrow. All shareholders are kindly requested to bring their certificates to the Xiangshan Villa of Her Royal Highness the Princess to attend the meeting, listen to the board report and vote. After the shareholders' meeting, the stock will resume trading on the 20th of this month."

"The Board of Directors of the Royal West Hill Coal Company warns..."

After the reading, the front of the company was immediately filled with noise. The small shareholders were so excited that they jumped three feet high and almost passed out with joy.

Unexpectedly, not only was the rumor confirmed, but there was also the unexpected surprise of cement production. With these two happy events, I really don’t know how many times the stock price will increase!

"We're rich, we're rich!" The small shareholders sang and danced happily as they left.

Those who were waiting to buy stocks became even more anxious, banging on doors and shouting, "Buy stocks! Buy stocks! Buy stocks!"

Sun Dawu could feel the ground shaking downstairs even from upstairs. He had no choice but to issue a third notice.

'Tomorrow's shareholders' meeting will vote on the 'one-for-ten' stock split plan and the convertible bond issuance plan, so stay tuned.'

Xishan Company has already implemented the previous plan once, so the public is naturally familiar with it.

The latter one is something that many people have never heard of. However, a businessman from Suzhou explained that it means that the company borrows money from you, and in addition to the corresponding interest, it also promises that if the debt cannot be repaid on time, the creditor has the right to convert the debt into company shares at an agreed price.

For those who cannot buy Xishan Company's shares, this is also a good choice.

"Alas, it's a pity that Jiangnan Group does not issue stocks, otherwise it will definitely be more valuable." The businessman sighed, feeling infinite regret.

Little did they know that Jiangnan Group did not dare to issue stocks publicly, as that would require the disclosure of all company information. Unless Mr. Zhao was ready to rebel, he would not have the guts to do so...

~~

On the 18th, Xishan Company's extraordinary shareholders' meeting was held as scheduled.

The meeting voted to pass several resolutions:

1. The Royal West Hill Coal Company was renamed the Royal West Hill Industrial Group.

2. The Xishan Group, the Jiangnan Group, the Jiangnan Shipping Company and the Neichengyunku jointly established the Ming Royal Shipping Company.

Among them, the "Ming Dynasty Royal Shipping Company" was funded by Jiangnan Group with 2 million taels, accounting for 50% of the shares. Xishan Group invested 1.5 million taels, accounting for 30% of the shares. Jiangnan Shipping Company was injected into the head office as a whole, accounting for 10% of the shares; Neichengyunku represented the emperor and held 10% of the shares. Jiangnan Group was allowed to hang the red-bottomed blue dragon flag and the yellow-bottomed sun and moon flag, and the word "Royal" was added.

In addition, all senior executives of the Shipping Corporation were granted Feiyu uniforms and the title of Jinyiwei centurion to facilitate their work - this did not fall from the sky, but was bought by Master Zhao with 300,000 taels of writing fee!

Finally, the stock split and convertible bond proposals were both approved... Of course they would be approved. Stock splits are very beneficial to shareholders, and convertible bonds can better protect the interests of existing shareholders than additional issuances. Of course they would be approved unanimously.

On the 19th, the group's name change and stock split process was completed. The number of shares held by all shareholders increased tenfold, the stock price dropped to one-tenth, and the total share capital remained unchanged.

Before the suspension, Xishan Company's share price was 55 taels. After the stock split, the price per share reached 55 taels and 5.5.

Meanwhile, the Lugouqiao Group also split its stock, with the share price falling below five taels.

On the 20th, Xishan Group's stock resumed trading. Stimulated by the double positive factors, the stock price instantly rose from 5.5 taels to 15 taels, but still no one was willing to sell.

It was not until the stock price approached twenty taels that selling orders began to appear, and gradually increased to twenty-one or twenty-two taels.

After all, after two stock splits, the total number of shares of Xishan Group has reached 10 million shares, and the number of circulating shares is at least hundreds of thousands, so trading has naturally become active.

Zhao Hao also took the opportunity to sell 100,000 shares and cashed out more than 2 million taels of silver. There was no other way. The research center on Xishan Island was really too expensive, so he had to find some income... It was not a major shareholder cashing out at a high price.

Fortunately, although 100,000 shares sounds like a lot, they are actually just the initial 1,000 shares, accounting for only 1% of the total share capital.

In addition, the 2 million taels of convertible bonds issued by Xishan Group were also sold out in an instant. In fact, there are countless wealthy people in the capital, and they can sell even if they issue twice as many bonds. But firstly, Xishan Group is too rich, and secondly, the shareholders in the north are still a bit conservative. They don't want to be like those guys in Jiangnan, who take borrowing money as a skill.

It was still Mr. Zhao who personally persuaded them, and they reluctantly agreed to issue bonds of two million taels, which would be used specifically for the expenses of establishing the Ming Royal Shipping Company.

On the eighth day of the eighth month of the third year of the Longqing reign, the Ming Royal Shipping Company was officially established at Dagukou Wharf, with its headquarters located in Pudong, Shanghai County.

[End of this volume]

ps. It’s gone tonight, and a new volume will be opened tomorrow.