Even if people in later generations hold a party full of feasting and money, they have to call it a "charity gala", which shows the importance of having a legitimate name.

If Mr. Zhao said, "Let's all make a fortune together in the future, and use the big scale to divide gold and the small scale to divide silver." Although this is obviously the case, it will make people take your money and still look down on you. If there is no minimum respect, how can we talk about building consensus?

In the white world, consensus must be moral, at least on the surface.

For example, Mr. Zhao led the fleet to Japan, obviously to monopolize trade and rob people of their gold and silver, but he couldn't just say, "I will lead everyone to burn, kill and plunder." Even if he could build a consensus, it would be toxic. It would only make his coast guard team quickly degenerate into a pirate gang and a concentration camp of villains.

So although it was clearly the case, Mr. Zhao had to say that we were going to make the Japanese pirates pay with blood! Only by standing firm in the name of justice can the soldiers firmly believe that they are the righteous side and kill the enemy without any burden.

The consensus that Mr. Zhao found for the Jiangnan Group and the officials and gentry was "poverty alleviation."

Because in the moral system of the Guo Dynasty, 'If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world' is a very important code of conduct.

This is the theoretical basis for scholars to take up official posts. This is very important because it allows them to believe that what they are doing is moral.

Although it is hard to say whether it can be done, at least it is self-consistent at the spiritual level. After all, there are very few officials who dare to admit that "I became an official just to make money and have sex with many women."

Therefore, Zhao Hao seized the point of "poverty alleviation" and occupied the moral high ground. It was of great help in improving the corporate image of Jiangnan Group and gaining the reputation of officials and gentry.

Then he will continue to strengthen this concept, making it a political correctness, and thus gain the support of the people of Jiangnan. By then, the Jiangnan Group will be truly invincible...

~~

"This guy is getting more and more cunning. If he keeps going like this, no one will be able to beat him." At a table below the stage, a lonely painter spat out the chewed duck bones, wiped his greasy mouth with his sleeve, and asked Zheng Ruozeng beside him, "What's your advice?"

"I don't have that kind of mindset." Zheng Ruozeng laughed, "It seems like these things are innate to you, young master."

"Indeed, it's as if he came from another world." The writer nodded and said with deep conviction: "Throughout history, he is the only one who can break away from the rut of emperors and generals and try to take a new path."

"Journey to the West?" Xu Wei sneered, "I originally thought he was Monkey King, but now I think he looks more and more like that old silver coin, Tathagata."

"I can only say that God will not destroy the Ming Dynasty." Pan Zhongxian smiled, pulling his beard together. He and the writer knew each other. Most importantly, he had also been in prison, and naturally joined the Iron Window Gang after coming to Kunming to teach.

"I just don't know if the Ming Dynasty back then was still the same as it is now." The painter said, and naturally took the food from Pan Zhongcang.

"Why are you eating my food again?" Lao Pan said angrily, "You just ate my fish maw!"

"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is too greasy, so the elderly should eat less." Xu Wei scooped a spoonful, squinted his eyes and smacked his lips, saying, "The taste is just average, so I don't like to eat at this kind of banquet."

"How dare you say that, you fat bastard!" Pan Zhongxian wanted to stuff the cloisonné soup bowl into his mouth.

The writer looked at the two people bickering with some resentment, feeling that he was a little redundant...

Mr. Kaiyang just smiled. He was no longer at the age of jealousy.

The four of them tacitly did not continue the previous topic, as if it was not worth mentioning.

~~

After lunch, the ceremony ended and the guests went home one after another.

The guides presented a souvenir, a bag of cement... No way!

This time it was an exquisite mahogany box. When it was opened, it revealed a beautiful glass bottle lying on a blue silk lining. The bottle was filled with half a pound of crystal white sugar.

The guests were very satisfied with this and felt that Jiangnan Group was very generous. Glassware and sugar were the two high-end products that Jiangnan Group had been focusing on recently, and the two together were worth at least 20 to 30 taels of silver.

The key is that it is out of stock now, and you can’t buy it even if you have money.

The guests returned satisfied, and some stayed on purpose. Half of them came from the ten prefectures in Jiangnan, counties that had not yet joined the Jiangnan integration. The other half came from Huizhou, Ningbo, Xingguo, and other prefectures and counties that were not included in the "Jiangnan Economic Integration" by Zhao Hao.

They surrounded Master Zhao and a group of group executives, and enthusiastically asked to join the group.

The so-called "Jiangnan Economic Integration" is a concept launched by Mr. Zhao by taking advantage of the opportunity of supporting the silk industry in various counties. Now, among the ten prefectures and sixty-one counties in Jiangnan, forty-three counties have joined this organization and have established or are planning to establish development companies based on the Kunshan model.

In addition, all the counties in the group established the Jiangnan Bank and, referring to the Suzhou model, signed a package of cooperation agreements with the government, including the mandatory use of silver notes and acting as the agent for the government's money and grain accounts.

Although the problem of unsalable silk has been solved, the domestic and foreign sales channels are firmly controlled by the Jiangnan Group, so none of these counties dared to withdraw from the group. This time, no one was left out of the ceremony, and all came to congratulate...

Moreover, the county and prefecture officials also appreciated the benefits of doing so. With the Jiangnan Group as a guarantee, the people would have a stable income regardless of drought or flood, and taxes would naturally be guaranteed. The development company could also contribute to the county's political achievements.

In addition, the Jiangnan Bank was responsible for handling money and grain, so its accounts were clear and its income and expenditure procedures were strict, which cut off the ways for cunning clerks to take advantage of the situation. This was greatly beneficial for the masters to hold on to financial power, and was naturally very popular.

Those Jiangnan counties who were hesitant to join the group because they couldn't let go of their pride and had various concerns have seen clearly after so long. If they don't join the organization quickly, they won't even have a bite of soup to drink. So they took the opportunity of participating in the celebration to express their intention to join.

"Hahaha, welcome, welcome. When everyone adds fuel, the flames rise high." Zhao Hao naturally wanted to express his welcome, so that his economic map would be complete. He asked President Jiang to visit each county after the new year and sign contracts with them one by one.

The officials and gentry from various counties then put their minds at ease and left with their gifts, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

The prefectures and counties that were not among the ten prefectures were also extremely jealous. They urged Huizhou Prefecture to step forward and ask Mr. Zhao to make an exception for the elders of his hometown so that they could take advantage of the situation and move in.

"Here is a handwritten letter from our Lord Ming to you." Huizhou Tongzhi handed a letter to Zhao Hao with both hands and said with a smile: "Mingfu said that the Zhao family has been the pride of Huizhou for three generations. Huizhou must lend a helping hand in this 'economic integration of Jiangnan'!"

"How can such a grand event be without the two prefectures of Shaoxing and Ningbo?" In addition to presenting the prefect's handwritten letter, the co-magistrates of Shaoxing and Ningbo also took out Zhao Jin's letter, which the two prefects shamelessly asked for. My brother's hometown, Yuyao County, is under the jurisdiction of Shaoxing, but has a closer relationship with Ningbo.

"The Jiangnan Group has dug its mines in our Guangde Prefecture, how could they not bring us here!" Guangde Prefecture Tongzhi said excitedly. The Changguang Coal Mine of the Jiangnan Group is located at the junction of Changxing County and Guangde Prefecture, and most of it is still in the latter's territory.

"We, and we..." The others also presented their letters.

"Okay, everyone, please listen to me first." Zhao Hao was so annoyed by the noise that he quickly asked someone to take away the letters of request. After everyone quieted down, he slowly said:

"Thank you very much for your love for Jiangnan Group, but I want to explain that when the group formulated the key development plan, it took into account the natural economic connection - the ten prefectures in Jiangnan are located in the plains, along the Yangtze River and around Taihu Lake, with very convenient water transportation. They have long formed an economic integration area with Suzhou as the center. This is the fundamental basis for formulating the Jiangnan Economic Mutual Assistance Zone."

"But for example, my hometown Huizhou is '80% mountain, 50% water, 50% farmland, 10% road and manor'. It is difficult to integrate with the economy of Jiangnan because of the inconvenient transportation to the above-mentioned areas. Otherwise, we Huizhou people would not have left home at the age of 14 or 15 to do business in various places."

But Jiangnan's industry and commerce are all in the hands of Huizhou people...

Zhao Hao clasped his fists apologetically and said, "Guangde, Ningguo and Chizhou are all due to this reason. We are afraid that we will not be able to achieve integration and disappoint you all!"

Mr. Zhao is telling the truth, because in this era, water transport is the only reliable and low-cost mode of transportation. And plains are a prerequisite for economic take-off. In later generations until the founding of New China, the integration of the Yangtze River Delta was only within the scope of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Lake.

Two thousand years later, as the infrastructure construction craze took off and traffic problems were solved, the concept of the Yangtze River Delta was gradually expanded to the whole of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.

Zhao Hao's Jiangnan integration is just a variation of the Yangtze River Delta integration. He certainly cannot break through the limitations of natural conditions and can only make efforts in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River plain.

"We'll be disappointed if you don't bring us along..." Seeing that he refused despite being moved, everyone grumbled.

"We have convenient transportation in Ningbo and Shaoxing." The Ningbo Tongzhi protested on behalf of Zhejiang's friends: "We are only separated from Songjiang by Hangzhou Bay!"

"We can't stretch our hands that far." Young Master Zhao said with a wry smile, "Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou are included because they have always been closely connected with Taihu Lake and Suzhou. Shaoxing and Ningbo are still a bit out of reach for the group, and we can't bite off more than we can chew."

Just when everyone was showing disappointment, he changed the subject and said, "But I still say that Jiangnan Group cannot live up to your kindness. Let's put it this way. In addition to integration, we have also established a mutual aid organization. You can join this first and try it out."

"Mutual aid organization?" Everyone was confused.

"Yes, Jiangnan Economic Mutual Aid Organization." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "All the benefits that Jiangnan Group has given to the integrated region can be enjoyed by members of the mutual aid organization. But they are not forced to join the integration process... In fact, this process will not make people feel comfortable. It requires many heroic actions and obedience to the overall situation. In addition, the progress will be assessed. This way, you can be more relaxed..."

Everyone was not stupid and could understand Zhao Hao's euphemism. He actually regarded them as a peripheral organization outside the core area. Fortunately, they were not trying to develop the county's economy. They just wanted to let Jiangnan Group provide financial support and then introduce Jiangnan Bank. Zhao Hao fulfilled their wish.

So they all agreed, let Zhao Hao go, and left.