Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Great Ming Wufu

Chapter 1662 No insinuations or conjectures

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Zhou Pu treated these businessmen with courtesy, of course not because he liked them, but because they had something worth taking advantage of.  In the system of the shogunate, there was full political discrimination against these wealthy merchants and a hierarchical system. However, they were very dependent on these merchants economically and they also controlled a large amount of resources.  If you can establish good relations with these wealthy merchants, the shogunate will suffer huge losses as a result, and you can also use the resources of these wealthy merchants to stabilize the order in the occupied area as soon as possible, which will even be of great help in capturing the Kinki region.  Mitsui Takamatsu was quickly brought to Zhou Pu by the soldiers.  As soon as he saw Zhou Pu, he immediately knelt down on the ground, and then followed him respectfully and saluted.  "I'm Mitsui Takamatsu, my lord." When he came, he had been told that this time he would be received by the envoy of the Han Dynasty himself. Apart from the unexpected, he was also very happy and even a little flattered.  In the past, although these wealthy merchants were wealthy, they were also discriminated against within the shogunate. Not to mention the generals, even the important ministers could not easily see him. However, the Han envoy was now a powerful figure in the Western Kingdom, and he was willing to receive him in person.  It can be seen that the Han Dynasty indeed paid much more attention to merchants than the shogunate.  "Raise your head." Although Zhou Pu had a gentle attitude, he did not say polite words. "Why did you come to see me?" "I am here on behalf of a group of wealthy businessmen from Sakai City and Osaka." Mitsui Takamatsu said.  He raised his head, and then took out a few pages of paper from his arms, "We have always admired the elegance of the Han Dynasty and wanted to develop business with the Han Dynasty. Now that your Excellency comes to Japan, we are honored. Your Excellency, we have prepared some small things.  A small gift for the adults, here is the gift list" As he said this, he presented the gift list forward.  Zhou Pu did not refuse politely or pretended to refuse, but directly took the gift list and glanced at it roughly.  The gifts were rich and valuable, but Zhou Pu was not very tempted. Recently, he led his army all the way north, and his subordinates looted many things and sent them to him. His vision was already different from the past.  The key is to look at the wealthy businessmen whose names are written on the gift list. They are sending gifts to save his own life.  "I know." After reading it, Zhou Pu threw the gift list on the table next to him.  "I am very grateful for your kindness. Don't worry, we big men are always tolerant. As long as you sincerely do not antagonize us, then we will never embarrass you." "Sir we who are doing business are just  We are just running around for a small profit, and have no intention of getting involved in political affairs. We absolutely do not want to be enemies with the big men" Mitsui Takamatsu looked more respectful, "It's just that when we did business before, there were many places where we had to deal with the shogunate.  We have to deal with each other, so it is inevitable that many people will interact with us" "It doesn't matter. Before you were under the shogunate, you had to do many things, and it was not considered a mistake." Zhou Pu waved his hand generously.  , "Let bygones be bygones, this is the tenet I pursue. Look at the daimyo under me, which one has not obeyed under the shogunate before? The situation dictates that this is not a sin. As long as you abandon the darkness and turn to the light, everything before will be okay.  "Thank you for your understanding!" Mitsui Takamatsu was overjoyed, and then immediately lowered his head, "However, I still ask for your understanding. After all, the shogunate still controls Kinai and Kinki, so we still have to let them drive for a while.  Time" "What do you mean?" Zhou Pu didn't understand.  "Sir, we have always had business dealings with the shogunate and have undertaken many tasks of transporting goods for them. However, recently, the shogunate suddenly requisitioned a large number of our vehicles, ships and personnel to transport materials for them. Now our own  Business has basically come to a standstill So Sir, please understand that we have no choice but to do this. " Zhou Pu certainly won't be angry because of this. Now that the shogunate has gathered and wants to requisition the merchants' vehicles and crews, what can they do?  ?  On the contrary, he was more interested in the movements of the shogunate.  "Are they requisitioning your vehicles and ships to transport grain and grass? How much is the daily transportation volume?" This is indeed very important information. If we can find out through these merchants how much grain the shogunate transports to the Saikuni and Kinki regions, we can  By roughly judging the forces that the shogunate has deployed and preparing to mobilize in the Western Kingdom, we can also judge their next movements.  "The cars and ships coming from Kanto are used to transport grain and grass. We don't know much about the others yet, but the grain and grass transported by our cars and ships every day is thousands of stonesand it continues." Mitsui Takamatsu returned immediately,  ¡°However, many vehicles and ships have been requisitioned to other places.?Used to transport people, food, and materials to Kanto, the number is extremely large.  Even a lot of the goods in our trading house were directly requisitioned by them and sent to Kanto" After hearing the other party's description, Zhou Pu's heart moved slightly. "The shogunate's approach is obviously to destroy the military strength of the Western Kingdom.  To carry out reinforcements, on the one hand, we are to clear the gap between Kanto and Kansai, and we are already prepared to stick to Kanto after Kansai is lost. These people are really smart. "You are being commandeered by them.  Cars and ships are also forced to have no choice. I can understand this and will not blame you for this.  He immediately replied, "However, if they still want to requisition your supplies, you must not hand it over to them easily, let alone cooperate with their actions!"  " "Yes, sir!"  We must obey your orders!  "Mitsui Takamatsu immediately agreed. "Since the shogunate made up their mind to clear the country in the Western Kingdom, they began to move a large number of people and materials in the Western Kingdom and Kinki areas. Even the craftsmen and goods were not spared, as they transported a large amount of materials away  , these businessmen in Kinki have suffered greatly, even the Mitsui family is no exception. One of the important reasons why these wealthy businessmen started to contact the Han Dynasty so quickly is here. Even if Zhou Pu doesn't say it, these wealthy businessmen.  They also planned to take a negative view of the shogunate's expropriation. In addition to directly taking away their assets and supplies, the people in charge also silently extorted their money. In this short period of time, their family fortunes have been damaged.  Huge losses, they can no longer endure the exploitation of the shogunate. These businessmen have little sense of the country. In order to preserve their family assets, they would rather join the Han army - as long as the Han army can guarantee that they will not exploit them.  Based on past performance, it was also judged that they were only targeting the shogunate and did not intend to be enemies with everyone. In addition, they were on the verge of defeating Kinki, so Zhou Pu wanted to join them.  The guarantee is tantamount to giving them hope. ¡°In addition to dealing with them passively, you must also be careful to collect their intelligence recently and find ways to tell us, especially information about troop strength, deployment and material transportation.  , the more detailed the better.  Zhou Pu continued to give orders, "As long as you do this well, we will record your merits. When we reach Kinki, not only will we not disturb your property, but we will reward you according to your merits."  " "Yes, after I go back next time, I will definitely let my family focus on collecting information about the shogunate.  Mitsui Takamatsu answered immediately. "Also, after you go back, find a way to transport some food to us. The more, the better."  Zhou Pu said suddenly. "Sir?"  This I'm afraid this is a bit" Mitsui Takamatsu felt embarrassed and replied uneasily, "Now the two armies are fighting, and the shogunate has a very strict blockade of the nearby area. I'm afraid I'm afraid even if we want to transport food, it won't be that easy.  Easyand most of the food in our hands has been requisitioned by the shogunate, so it is really difficult to meet the needs of your army!  " "I know this is not easy, but I know even better that such a small thing cannot trouble you.  You have been in business for so many years, and the top and bottom are already intertwined, and I don¡¯t know how many informants have been bribed within the shogunate. It is really not difficult to do this.  Zhou Pu interrupted him, "Since you want to surrender, you have to let us see your sincerity, do you understand?"  " "Sir" Mitsui Takamatsu seemed a little hesitant, but still did not agree. "Let us let us go back and try it. If we can really do it, we will definitely do it.  " Zhou Pu knew the other party's concerns. After all, they were under the rule of the shogunate. Smuggling food and supplies to the Han Dynasty was not a joke. Once discovered, it would cause disaster. "Don't be afraid, either.  We are not asking you to cross the lines between the two armies to deliver food to us. Since it cannot be transported by land, you can try other methods.  Zhou Pu slowed down his tone and said, "Our army has now occupied many seaports nearby. You can transport food to these seaports."  And don¡¯t worry, we are different from the shogunate. We will not forcefully requisition your supplies. We will provide sufficient funds.  You decide the price, as long as it's appropriate.  "    "grown ups¡­¡­?  "Mitsui Takamatsu didn't expect Zhou Pu to propose such a generous condition, and he couldn't believe it for a moment. "Is what your Excellency said true?  ¡± Zhou Pu did this mainly to win over these wealthy businessmen. As wealthy businessmen who have been in business for many years, these wealthy businessmen have grain reserves and a lot of resources in their hands. If they can win their support, then Zhou Pu can reveal  They are as dense as spidersUse the commercial channels of the Internet to obtain information about the shogunate, and turn the shogunate's geographical advantage into nothing.  He asked these wealthy merchants to deliver food to him. On the one hand, it was to alleviate the logistical problems that troubled him, but the more important purpose was to get these wealthy merchants to have a relationship with him and tie them to his warships.  In order to achieve this goal, he would rather buy the materials transported by these merchants at high prices - anyway, the money he had to pay was looted from other places, so he didn't feel bad about spending it at all.  "Of course it's true. When did we big guys need to lie to deceive people?" Zhou Pu frowned, "Listen, you can go back with a batch of deposits this time, and then go back and raise a batch immediately.  No matter what method you use to transport the food and grass, as long as you achieve this, we will pay your bills, and we will also give you credit, and we will give you other rewards when the time comes." After hearing Zhou Pu's promise,  Mitsui Takamatsu was already very excited.  Although the shogunate has always been dependent on them, it has also been very contemptuous, and has been exploiting their assets recently. However, the Han Dynasty valued them so much and decided to purchase the grain they transported at a high price. Regardless of the objective reasons on both sides, but  The practices of the Han Dynasty and the practices of the shogunate were a matter of superiority and superiority to them.  Because of the recent turmoil, the Mitsui family has suffered a lot of losses in assets and materials, and even their funds have begun to be stretched thin. If they can get capital input from Dahan, then they can get through the difficulties.  "Other rewardswhat are the other rewards?" Mitsui Takamatsu asked boldly.  In fact, for them, even the current conditions are tempting enough, but the nature of a businessman is to look forward to Shu, so when he heard that there could be other benefits, he couldn't help but want to find out.  "You are really impatient." Zhou Pu laughed out loud, "Well, let me make it clear to you now. The shogunate caused such a big trouble, caused a war between our two countries, and made the court very angry.  In this case, the trade between the two countries can no longer be dominated by the shogunate. Our court has decided that in the future we will only trade with those Japanese merchants who have been authorized by us." After a pause, he continued with the other party.  Explained, "In other words, if you want to participate in the trade between the two countries, the shogunate will issue you a seal certificate, but now we no longer recognize those things. If you want to participate, you have to ask for a charter issued by our court. There is no charter  If you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t be allowed to participate.¡± Mitsui Takamatsu quickly understood Zhou Pu¡¯s hint.  He undoubtedly made it very clear that as long as the Han defeated the shogunate, the control of trade between the two countries would be transferred from the shogunate to the Han court.  Among these wealthy merchants in Kinki, whoever cooperates with Dahan may become their designated merchant and participate in the trade between the two countries.  With such huge trade between the two countries and their monopoly status, it is self-evident how much profit wealthy businessmen can gain from it.  At this moment, Mitsui Takamatsu felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head, and he almost lost his balance on his knees.  He was extremely grateful that he had the opportunity to establish relations with the Han officials first, and that he heard the news first.  ¡°If we can become a monopoly middleman in the trade between the two countries, the Mitsui family will definitely reach a higher level and become the top one among Japan¡¯s wealthy businessmen, and his own status in the family will definitely rise.  "Your Excellency is so sincere to me, I can't wait to express my gratitude!" In excitement, he suddenly kowtowed to Zhou Pu, and then replied loudly, "Sir, we will raise supplies for you after we return, and we will never do it again.  Help the shogunate. In addition we don't need a deposit from you for the first batch of supplies, not even the payment, just to show you our sincerity." "Is this really good?" Zhou Pu smiled.  ask.  "We have been oppressed by the shogunate many times, and we have long been aggrieved. Now that the Han Dynasty King has come to seek justice for us, it is too late for us to cheer and cheer. How can we still dare to ask for it from the Celestial Empire? Please rest assured, sir, we will definitely try our best to provide justice.  Your Excellency brought us food and grass." After making up his mind, Mitsui Takamatsu no longer hesitated and directly expressed his determination to the other party, "Your Excellency values ??us so much, and we can't repay it by being broken into pieces, even if we risk our lives.  , we must fulfill your orders!¡± In the face of such generous returns and profits, there is nothing to worry about even if you are a traitor.  Besides, wasn¡¯t even the imperial court on the side of the Han?  From a righteous point of view, at most it is just betraying the shogunate, a group of rebellious officials and traitors.  "It's good that you have such determination." Zhou Pu smiled slightly, obviously very satisfied with the other party's decision, "As long as?If you can serve us, we will never treat you badly.  " "And we will never let you down.  "Misui Takamatsu pointed out, "If you, your Excellency, can talk about it and let us get a concession, then we will never forget your kindness in the future!  " "We'll talk about the future later. Just go back and get ready.  " Zhou Pu was noncommittal to his hint, and just waved his hand to signal them to leave. After Mitsui Takamatsu left, Zhou Pu looked at his retreating back, and the smile on his face gradually faded, and instead became solemn.  . These wealthy businessmen only care about their own family business, and they only care about their own interests. How can they have any interest in the country and the nation? They are willing to take huge risks to smuggle food to themselves for the sake of the bait they throw out.  This kind of greed is not limited to the Japanese businessmen. Even in the Ming Dynasty, there were businessmen who secretly smuggled the slaves to make profits and helped the slaves to sell their stolen goods and traffic in people?  Emphasis on commerce, which can bring financial prosperity to the court and prosperity to all industries, is certainly a good thing, but if a group of such unrighteous businessmen dominate the court, it will be a sign of national ruin and the court must take advantage of it.  Now that the wealthy merchants have not yet become powerful, he must control these merchants so that they will not harm the country, otherwise such disasters will come back to the Han Dynasty. With an inexplicable worry, he decided to put them under control.  This suggestion was also written into a memorial to demonstrate merit and submitted to the capital, so that His Majesty could take some precautions against this.
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report