Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Distance has become the biggest challenge in information transmission in this era.

There is no direct road between Baigu Kingdom and Yunnan, and there is no Ming Dynasty post station, so the safest way to deliver this good news is by sea.

The Baigujie message started from Motama Bay, traveled with the Indian Ocean and returned to Nanyang via Malacca. It was picked up by the Ming Dynasty military base in Indochina, and then transferred to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong.

It is thousands of miles away from Guangzhou to the capital. If it is an ordinary way to take the exam, the journey will take less than half a year. Even though the Ming Dynasty had already set up a Tongbao system in two capitals and thirteen provinces, this process also took a lot of time.

Affected by the Nanyang storm this time, when the Baigujie report submitted in August arrived in the capital, it was already three months later.

The capital of the Ming Dynasty has become the veritable first city, and the population here continues to grow.

"Anyone who offends my strong wisdom will be punished no matter how far away!"

"Little Bai Gu, you are simply asking for your own death!"

"If you ask me, just send your troops to Burma and turn Burma into a Ming Dynasty province!"

…

Although it took too long to deliver the good news, and there were uncertain factors such as ocean storms, when the good news spread in the capital, it also made the people and scholars in the capital extremely proud.

The imperial court's repeated victories have also made public opinion more and more bellicose, and they naturally do not take the small Myanmar region in the southwest seriously.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty's military strength now ranks first in the world.

Even if they are as powerful as Mongolia, they are still sending their little prince to the capital as a hostage. Faced with the eager eyes of all forces, Manduhai has chosen to seek asylum from the Ming Dynasty.

As for Japan, more and more daimyo choose to give up the emperor and shogun, and choose to accept the favor of the Ming Dynasty like Asakura Sadake.

They had no absolute loyalty to begin with, but now that there was an internal split in the shogunate, they were naturally willing to establish themselves as kings, and they were also willing to accept the favor of the Ming Dynasty.

The biggest difficulty facing the Ming Dynasty now is not the lack of military capabilities, but the poor natural traffic conditions and backward information transmission methods.

In the capital city in December, feather-sized snowflakes were already falling from the sky.

Since the emergence of briquettes, the demand for coal in the entire capital has increased directly, and every household has chosen high-quality and low-cost briquettes for cooking.

"Why is charcoal so expensive today?"

"Who was willing to use charcoal for heating in the past?"

"Our life has gotten better, so we are rushing to buy everything. Is it not expensive?"

…

I thought that briquettes would completely occupy the charcoal market, but with the coming of winter, the total demand for charcoal in Beijing has surged, and the price has naturally gone up.

But the most lively place now is the Royal Bank, because this year's redemption wave has begun.

Since Luzon’s gold mine treasury bonds, the imperial court has successively launched Dongji Island treasury bonds, Kyushu Island treasury bonds and Beijing-Tianjin Canal treasury bonds, etc., and these are all to be redeemed by the end of the year.

"Haha...I got one point of annual interest!"

"The imperial court has really provided benefits these years, and I have made a fortune!"

"Speaking of which, the Luzon gold mine national debt is kind and can be exchanged for Luzon gold!"

…

Starting in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone held the certificates of the national debt, lined up to register for redemption, and then left happily with their principal and interest.

In the past, earning interest was the exclusive preserve of the powerful class, but now that the court has given them favors, their wealth has continued to grow, and they can still make considerable profits even if they don't work.

But what they envy the most is Luzon’s gold mine treasury bonds. If you hold this treasury bond and exchange it for gold, you can not only enjoy the interest, but also enjoy the benefits brought by the appreciation of gold.

In the past, the ratio of silver to gold was four to one, that is, four taels of silver could be exchanged for one tael of gold.

After the Ming Dynasty implemented the abolition of silver, more and more Japanese silver poured into the Ming Dynasty, and more and more people believed that silver was everywhere in the American continent, so the status of gold continued to rise.

Next door to the royal shop, the royal cloth shop.

A middle-aged woman in plain clothes walked in. Although she did not have any expensive jewelry, her eyes looked very firm and she exuded a sense of confidence.

"Shopkeeper Liu, you're here!" Shopkeeper Sun, who was fiddling with the abacus at the counter, noticed the arrival of the middle-aged woman and immediately greeted her enthusiastically.

Liu Ying put down the gifts she brought with her and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Sun, are you making fun of the slave family? You should just call the slave family Liu Ying! I just opened a small workshop. Over the years, there have been many Without the care of you and the royal family, I would not be where I am today. This is disrespectful to the fine Korean ginseng!"

Times make heroes. The woman who was living in embarrassment with her baby now climbed up the ladder step by step and turned into a female shopkeeper with outstanding abilities.

Liu Ying was originally a home-based female weaver working for the Royal Cloth Company, but this year she took advantage of the good cotton market and established her own workshop with loan support from the Royal Bank.

This workshop was actually a downstream supplier to the Royal Cloth House. It was by continuously supplying white cotton cloth to the Royal Cloth House that it became a reputable workshop owner.

"If this is just the beginning, you are indeed still a small workshop owner! It's just that the wages you pay are high, and the accommodation and food are good. Your workshop has the most people in the whole north of the city, a thousand people, right?" Shopkeeper Sun accepted Liu Ying's gift , then took out the account book and asked while flipping through it.

Liu Ying smiled slightly, but it was difficult to answer.

She was originally from a poor background and was a woman, so she knew how to sympathize with the difficulties faced by female weavers. The original intention of setting up the workshop at that time was actually to hope that the sisters would not be oppressed by the workshop owner, so as long as the workshop continued to operate, it would be fine even if it did not make money.

It was just my chivalrous behavior, but I didn't expect to be promoted to the altar by my sisters.

She now has more than a thousand female weavers, and more and more women are coming to her, and she has even opened a branch factory in the southern suburbs.

"Ah?" Shopkeeper Sun's face suddenly hardened after seeing the account book.

Liu Ying noticed the other party's reaction and couldn't help but asked doubtfully: "Shopkeeper Sun, what's wrong?"

"Our Royal Bank owes you a total of 50,000 silver dollars?" Shopkeeper Sun had been falsifying money for some time due to health reasons, and now he looked very shocked when he saw the accounts.

Liu Ying smiled slightly and understood why Shopkeeper Sun was so shocked: "Now more and more sisters are taking refuge in me. They work day and night. Not long ago, Eunuch Wei gave all the orders in the east of the city to our workshop, so the amount It’s indeed a bit higher!”

She was able to achieve such an achievement, in addition to her own efforts and the dividends of the times, she also benefited from the special care of this noble man, Eunuch Wei.

The workshop in the east of the city was originally produced by a related household, but the products often had problems, and a female weaver was even beaten to death. This incident directly alarmed the higher-ups.

The imperial court not only severely punished the evil-doing workshop, but also rectified the weaving workshops in the city, and even introduced a law to protect female weavers.

As for the vacant partners in Chengdong, Eunuch Wei eventually handed over the Chengdong market to her workshop, and provided support for the expansion of the workshop and the placement of personnel.

She even vaguely heard that this matter had received the emperor's attention and even had the emperor's intentions.

Although she only met the emperor once, she believed that the emperor always cared about their lower-class female weavers and actually opened a lot of convenience doors for her workshop.

"I see, this is the money order from Royal Bank. You can withdraw it at any time!" Shopkeeper Sun was actually just shocked, then took out the money order he had prepared and said.

Now Royal Bank has built a mature financial system. It not only received many talents from the Imperial College, but also made many innovations.

Royal Bank's money orders are now equivalent to silver coins, which reduces the burden of escorting silver coins in the past.

Zhang Ying took the money order handed over. After checking that there was no problem, she took the money order to the next door.

This money is not profit. It includes the wages of the female weavers and the cost of purchasing raw materials. But after deducting these expenses, her pocket is indeed getting bigger and bigger.

Although Royal Bank is crowded, VIP channels have been opened.

Liu Ying was a debtor with a debt of 30,000 silver dollars earlier. Although she has paid off all the loans, she has more and more savings in her name and is an avid buyer of national debt.

Shopkeeper Qian and Liu Ying were old acquaintances, and they received the reception in person. The two of them also exchanged pleasantries.

"I will choose Royal Gold for my Luzon bonds this year, thank you!" Liu Ying said with a genuine smile as she thought of the treasury bond investment she was most proud of.

Shopkeeper Qian was not surprised by this choice, so he took out the gold bars he had prepared: "Shopkeeper Liu, this is the principal and interest of your Luzon national debt. Please check the amount!"

Liu Ying is now different from what she used to be. She is also accompanied by two cronies, who are also doing an inventory.

In fact, she trusts the reputation of Royal Bank. Without Royal Bank, Liu Ying would not be where she is today. However, there has never been any problem with the reputation of Royal Bank.

"Shopkeeper Liu, this is the financial consultant of our branch. If you have any questions, you can consult him!" Shopkeeper Qian was followed by a handsome young man, who also introduced solemnly.

Since Wang Xinbo Wanghua took over the Imperial College, the Imperial College has carried out reforms with the support of the emperor. Now it is no longer limited to sending talents to the imperial examinations, but also trains many outstanding students to be sent to all walks of life.

Royal Bank belongs to the emerging financial industry, and the Imperial College has professional disciplines. The young man wearing a new type of myopia glasses in front of him is the first batch of graduates.

It's just that he is not a teller or a cashier, but an unheard of financial consultant.

"Shopkeeper Liu, I have long admired your name! My name is Chen Xiaochuan. I am in charge of financial management in the Imperial College. Please give me your advice!" Chen Xiaochuan said politely and authentically based on what he had learned in the Imperial College.

Liu Ying saw the vigor and stability in this young man. After a few polite words, she asked straight to the point: "I have some spare money now. I wonder which national debt is suitable for investment now?"

"The Beijing-Tianjin Canal currently has too much freight volume, and due to seasonal influences, it is no longer navigable in winter, so the imperial court decided to build the Beijing-Tianjin Railway!" Chen Xiaochuan kept his eyes on Liu Ying and told the latest developments. road.

Liu Ying had already taken the tea cup from the waiter's hand, and suddenly said with interest: "What is the Beijing-Tianjin Railway?"

"I went to the headquarters for training earlier, but I don't know the qualifications of the training teachers. The general meaning is: the Beijing-Luzhou Railway is to solve the transportation capacity problem between the two places, and the imperial court decided to invest huge sums of money to build the railway. They want to lay it on the ground A railway, with vehicles like large carriages running on the railway, one section after another, can quickly deliver goods and people to the capital, and can also deliver the capital's cotton to the port faster!"

Shopkeeper Qian stopped drinking tea and looked surprised: "Is this really possible?"

"Shopkeeper Qian, to be honest, I find it incredible, but this is a new project that the station wants to promote!" Chen Xiaochuan said with a bitter smile, looking very honest.

The railway track is paved, and a large carriage-like vehicle is driving on it. It is incredible to hear it. It's just a task handed down from above. How dare he, a new financial consultant in the workplace, refuse to sell it?

Liu Ying was also surprised by this statement, but asked seriously: "What kind of gameplay is this?"

"Because the construction period of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway is too long, you can buy five-year treasury bonds, or you can buy shares! Based on the court's credibility judgment, I suggest that you can buy the five-year treasury bonds of the Beijing-Tianjin Railway. I heard that they can also be transferred in the secondary market. !" Chen Xiaochuan suggested very professionally.

Liu Ying stopped him from continuing, but suddenly became interested and said: "Buying shares? Is this like the earlier Royal Weaving Factory, where the royal family took the majority and everyone subscribed for the rest of the shares?"

"That's it! This Beijing-Tianjin Railway is initially expected to require an investment of 10 million silver dollars. One thousand silver dollars is equivalent to one share. Anyone can register for stock subscription at our Royal Bank!" Chen Xiaochuan didn't know why the other party was interested in the stock subscription. Interested, he explained in a very professional manner.

Liu Ying's eyes became firm, and she said surprisingly: "Okay, give me twenty shares!"

"ah?"

Shopkeeper Qian, Chen Xiaochuan and her two cronies present all looked at Liu Ying in shock.

Liu Ying seemed to be convinced that the Beijing-Tianjin Railway could be successful, and she seemed very decisive in spending the 20,000 silver dollars she could use.

As soon as the news came out, it caused an uproar.

She has become a benchmark in the investment community in Beijing. When they learned that she invested heavily in the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, many people came to learn from her.

Liu Ying started by hoarding cloth tickets and then took the lead in subscribing for Luzon gold treasury bonds. Over the years, she has often made accurate moves and has become a recognized investment expert.

Facing everyone's questioning, Liu Ying appeared very firm and said: "If it really doesn't work, the imperial court will not do it! It is a recognized fact that the transportation capacity in Beijing and Tianjin is tight now. If such a railway can really be built, how many people will it benefit? National bonds can indeed guarantee returns, but I want to witness a miracle, and I believe the emperor will bring us this miracle."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was moved, thinking of the emperor who always brought them miracles, and of the increasingly powerful dynasty.

Although what happened on the Beijing-Tianjin Railway seems incredible, they have begun to believe in miracles. As long as the tyrant Emperor Hongzhi is still on the throne, then nothing is impossible. (End of chapter)