C536 polyprecious pot

Tian Erdan asked the thoughts of all the Green Battalion present, and even some servants pricked up their ears to listen.

Ye Qiu and Pang Chaoyun were a little speechless. They, the two second generations of merchants, had never thought about this issue before. Although the two families weren't families that dealt with business seriously, as members of a large family, their family's financial resources couldn't be underestimated.

In their eyes, although the beef and canned fruit were delicious, they were far from being considered as fresh and exquisite. In their hearts, it was still the brine beef cooked by the family chef using the old soup that was the most delicious.

"Aiya …" "Aiya …" Ye Qiu couldn't say anything for a long time, but in the end, it was Pang Chaoyun who took over.

"The prime minister is definitely rich, but I can tell you one thing. The prime minister doesn't have a treasure pot, and the prime minister only earns money bit by bit. He's not like the rumors about him …"

"There is only one reason for all of you to think this way. The Prime Minister said that the gap between the rich and the poor in the Qing Dynasty is too great …"

Xiao Letian had once discussed this issue at an economic conference inside the Letian Firm. Ye Qiu and Pang Chaoyun's family had the honor of listening in.

Since the Qing Dynasty was rich and lacked money, this question would appear to be different from different perspectives. It was very difficult to explain it clearly with just a few words, and Xiao Letian's analysis had hit the nail on the head with regards to the 'gap between rich and poor, the outflow of capital'.

Yes, in the long history of China, no matter how the dynasties changed, how the rivers and mountains changed, China was like a giant magnet constantly absorbing the wealth of the entire world.

There were indeed non-humankind beings invading this place, and there were even barbarians who had taken over the world. However, this slow gold-sucking tool had never stopped working.

At that time, Chinese civilization was renowned throughout the world, and even if the war horses of the northern nomadic peoples rushed into the Central Plains to plunder large amounts of gold and silver, the wealth would gradually return, some even more during normal trade.

It was nothing more than the attraction of a higher civilization. The non-humankind needed the Central Plains' salt and iron tea, exquisite crafts, silk and porcelain, and even the Central Plains' cultural products, such as the 'Spring Palace Painting'. Would they really be able to create foreign exchange?

The Central Plains was vast and prosperous. All kinds of goods flowed out, and all kinds of gold and silver were brought in. After thousands of years of accumulation, China, a country that originally lacked gold and silver veins, was born and stored for the world's number one precious metal.

Don't underestimate that ship's porcelain and silk, not to mention the carts of salt and iron tea. China is thousands of years old, and its wealth is unimaginably deep.

This situation continued all the way to the middle of the Qing Dynasty without any sign of ending. This trade deficit eventually caused the British to collapse. They could not bear to let the Qing Dynasty profit for nothing by gathering precious metals from the colonies.

Opium at that moment was not just a drug, but a weapon of financial and economic warfare. It was a powerful medicine used by Britain to fight the golden monsters of Huaxia, and the final side effect of this drug was war.

"The Prime Minister once said, 'Our China is not short on money. How can the wealth accumulated by the people be limited to just gold and silver mountains?'. But why is it that now the poor have no place to stand, while the rich have no desire? "Wealth distribution is unfair. One reason is that corrupt officials and foreign bandits are rampant, and the other reason is because we have been suppressing business since ancient times …"

"That's right, the business people in China are fat people in the eyes of power. No matter how capable you are, you can forget about doing anything big, because you have to use money when you do things. As long as you move the money, the silver mountain will attract the corrupt officials to go all out." "That's right, the business people in China are fat people in the eyes of power.

"No one is stupid, after a while, people will finally understand this world. If you have money, you have to hide it, hide it in the cellar, or turn into a good land. Finally, you have to give up everything to a scholar to become an official, this is the helplessness of the Chinese people, they can only use this way to adapt to the environment …"

Pang Chaoyun's words might have been a little too lofty and his surroundings were filled with confused looks, making him feel very awkward. However, at this time, Ye Qiu was also thinking for a long time, so he finally spoke.

"What Old Pang said is the Prime Minister's words. It's only right that you guys don't understand, but you understand it very clearly. You are poor, we are rich, and the crux of the problem is that Prime Minister Xiao of the East China Sea and his subordinates all have good conscience and are clean …" Can you understand that? "

"Understood …" This time, all the Green Battalion s nodded their heads as if they were pounding garlic. "That's right, I have been in the army for so many years, this is the first time I see an officer that kowtows without beating or scolding …" They are friendly and did not corrupt us by selling our rations. Just look at the food, all of Prime Minister's subordinates are officials! "

It was still a very simple thought coming from the peasants. Once life was better, it would be the contribution of the Duke of Ming, Qing Guan. If life was tough, they would not dare to scold the Emperor, so they could only scold the Emperor for his greed.

Ye Qiu drank a mouthful of hot soup and nodded his head, "You guys only understand the first point. There's a second point after that …. The Prime Minister respects the merchants and calls this' mercantilism '. The Purging Demons and the other scholars all look down on the merchants, so this is the main reason why you are poor … "

"Since ancient times, China's business has not been developed. The grain merchants, cloth merchants, and grocery stores that you usually deal with are actually not just simple merchants. They are just a bunch of government merchants who support corrupt officials, relying only on monopolies to make money."

"For example, why do farmers always lower the price of food when they harvest well every autumn? And when the time came for him to refuse, would there always be people improving the market? All of you have worked hard for a year to harvest, and now you are even poorer if you fail. When you encounter a disaster, you will have to sell your children to sell your women! "

Ye Qiu's words had reached Erzi and the others' hearts. When they thought of the bitter days of their ancestors, they couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Each and every one of them secretly wiped away their tears.

"So what? This is all life!" When I was young, I went with my father to make rice. The rice shop owner's mouth was full of hooks. No one could say anything about him … "In the middle of the year, they joined together to push down the price, and when they were young and yellow, they also joined together to raise the price. They're all in the same faction, but we can't beat them …"

"That's right, anyone who runs a grain store in the city is a big shot. How could we, the commoners, beat them …"

Ye Qiu slapped his thigh. "That's right!" It is precisely because of this principle that they are a group of official merchants, a group of monopoly merchants. They are different from the merchants that our Prime Minister Xiao controls. "What we have here is equal competition. Whoever wants to do business well will have to improve the quality of their services. If you offer good prices and goods, that person will die …"

"To tell you the truth, you should still have an impression. This spring, our Tanggu was in a state of chaos and chaos. Many merchants joined forces to raise the price of food. "What were the results?"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Green Battalion beside the bonfires squeezed over, "What happened? "Then what happened …"

Ye Qiu was enjoying being watched by everyone. He hung up a cigarette and pointed at the fire. He didn't need to say anything as he pulled out a burning stick and lit up the cigarette respectfully.

"Those foolish starved grain merchants still wanted to use their old brains to earn money, but in the end, this matter was reported to old shopkeeper Fan Lian, who laughed and wrote a line of words on a note. He then turned his head and handed it over to the Four Seas Trading Company's Keeper Niu …"

"Keeper Niu took a look and immediately understood what the message meant. He turned around and sent a message to the merchant's branch in Japan, Korea, Ryukyu and Jiangnan …"

"How fast is that pigeon flying? In less than three days, it had already loaded up the Japanese rice, Korean rice and Jiangnan rice and headed towards Tanggu …"

"The first to arrive are the 100 meters of North Korea. They completely unloaded all three warehouses, and the people who picked up the rice moved through the city like a long dragon. The local grain merchants saw that the prices had immediately dropped, so the price dropped by 20% on the same day …"

"What came next was Japanese rice. There's no need to mention how respectful the Japanese merchants in the strange kimono were. They bowed endlessly to us, saying that being able to serve our Prime Minister was an act of submission that came from eight lifetimes …" "And then it was the commoner carrying the burden around the city …"

"That night, the price of grains in the entire city fell by 30% …" Ye Qiu blew out a long cloud of smoke. "After Ryukyu and Jiangnan Mi arrive …"

"How is it?" Everyone asked in unison.

"Hehe, those bumpkin grain merchants, close the door immediately and run out to kneel on the street outside Letian Firm's main account. Without further ado, I beg old shopkeeper to be magnanimous and give me a chance to live …"

"Look, this is what a true businessman is like. He doesn't earn black heart money, but his business is able to go overseas. He can make money between buying low and selling high, and he can also control prices. Do you think the people will benefit in the end?"

This time, they understood. "So that's how it is?" "What you mean is, there's a huge difference in the price of similar things in the world, and merchants buy them at a low price before selling them at a high price. This way, the price of places with food shortages wouldn't be too high, and the price of places with plenty of food wouldn't be too low.

Pang Chaoyun heaved a sigh of relief and said in his heart, "That's right, why did our Prime Minister get rich? It is because I understand this principle that I know how to mobilize the powers of all the merchants in the world, which is why I am earning money … "

"For example, the Four Seas Trading Company. They defeated the old Tanggu's Grain Merchants, do you think he has done good deeds with morals? "But do you know, not only did he do good deeds with virtue, he actually earned money as well …"

"Dude, the price gap between heaven and earth is huge. Do you think he won't make money when the Japanese Korean rice is shipped over? "Jiangnan Mi will make more money if he comes over …"

"The most important thing is that they made money, and they made a name for themselves. Originally, the management of the Four Seas Trading Company was not related to food, but this year, we have done a great service, causing all the citizens of the Tanggu to be convinced. People are now not willing to eat the rice of the Four Seas Trading Company, and will spend all their money on the Four Seas Trading Company … "

"I'll tell you guys in secret. Right now, those heartless grain merchants have already begun to talk with the oxen about selling their stores …"

Pang Chaoyun patted Tian Erdan's shoulder, "Brother, our Prime Minister does indeed have a Gathering Pellet. We have ignored this pot for thousands of years, and in the end, it was the Prime Minister Xiao of the East China Sea who allowed him to see the light of day again! Work hard, and you'll be sweeter than honey in the future! "