novelcrest Chapter 5446 The Power of the Merchant Firm
Chapter 5446 The Power of the Merchant Firm
Chapter 5446 The Power of the Merchant Firm
Empress Su is intelligent and virtuous, and quite adept at handling matters in the inner palace. However, she was born into a noble family and spent her life in the inner palace. She was not familiar with the workings of the court, the struggles of politics, or the structure of the world. Listening to Fang Jun's ideas, she felt her blood boil. What kind of prestige would she gain if all of these were brought under the name of the Crown Prince?
However, Ma Zhou was startled and exclaimed in surprise, "Does Erlang mean to bring the entire Liaodong region under military control?"
How many are there in Liaodong?
Starting from Shanhaiguan, it extends south to Pingrang City, north to Beihai, and eastward across the Wuluohun Mountains and the Wangjian River, covering an area equivalent to half of the Tang Dynasty...
With such a vast area entirely under military control and its administrative structure existing in the form of "protectorates," is the intention to create a "state within a state"?
Fang Jun said, "After thirty years of military rule, when this generation retires and the next generation grows up, those Hu peoples will be able to fully integrate into the Tang Dynasty in terms of culture, customs, trade and other fields. Only then will Liaodong be truly incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and all people in the region will be Tang people."
Each nation has its own customs, origins, and culture. If it cannot integrate with the Tang Dynasty, then even if it occupies its land and subdues its people, it can never truly make them subjects of the empire or land of the Tang Dynasty.
Liu Rengui was very excited: "Grand Commandant's plan is brilliant, it should be done this way! Those Hu tribes surrender at sunrise and rebel again at sunset. If we govern them with tributary states, the empire will have to give them policies and take appeasement measures. They will rebel at the slightest provocation. It is better to put them under military control from the beginning, incorporate the Hu tribes into the Tang army, reorganize them, and use them for our purposes!"
Fang Jun nodded: "The first step in developing Liaodong is to widely publicize it in all the prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty, announcing that people who go to Liaodong will be given land, money, seeds, and a five-year tax exemption! With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. Once the Tang people flock here, they can be mixed and reorganized with the local Hu people to form 'armies'. These 'armies' will not participate in battles or be issued weapons, but will focus on production and construction, such as reclaiming land, building roads, and developing water conservancy."
"At the same time, the business funded the construction of ports at the mouths of the major rivers in Liaodong, organized fleets to go upstream along the rivers, and transported various materials to various parts of Liaodong by waterway to support reclamation and construction."
The so-called development of Liaodong was limited by factors such as national strength, transportation, climate, and population. The only areas that could be effectively developed were the Songnen Plain, Liaohe Plain, and Sanjiang Plain. The land beyond the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains was beyond the reach of the government.
All three plains are traversed by major rivers. By simply building ports and stockpiling supplies at the mouths of the Liao River and the Wangjian River, various supplies can be transported to different places through the extensive waterways, saving time and effort and achieving twice the result with half the effort.
However, they can only work for half the year; when the rivers freeze over in the winter, they have to hibernate...
Ma Zhou questioned: "The development of Liaodong requires at least 300,000 people, and the supplies and provisions needed are countless. With the financial resources and transportation capacity of the trading companies, there is naturally no problem, but how could those princes, nobles, and powerful families agree to it?"
The "Dongda Tang Trading Company" operates on a shareholding system, with almost all the princes, nobles, and powerful families of the Tang Dynasty holding varying amounts of shares. Over the years, the company has been operating well and generating huge profits, and everyone from top to bottom supports Fang Jun keeping the company under his control. They even tacitly approve of Fang Jun entrusting the company to his concubine for management.
However, everyone was happy when it came to dividing the money, but how could those families be willing to invest such a huge amount of money in the development of Liaodong?
The slightest misstep could result in being "enemies of the whole world".
Fang Jun had already come up with a plan: "Of course, the merchants should not provide material support for the development of Liaodong without compensation. They can be allowed to earn a small profit. In the next five years, all grain produced in Liaodong will be purchased by the merchants at a uniform price and then transported to Luoyang and Chang'an via the Grand Canal."
Ma Zhou silently calculated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The complete development of Liaodong was naturally a protracted "war," a struggle to reclaim land from the wasteland and to obtain grain from nature, with indescribable hardships and dangers along the way. But once developed, it would become tens of millions of acres of fertile land, producing grains as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, beyond calculation.
With so much grain being purchased and sold by merchants with their consent, even if it were imported into Luoyang and Chang'an at a fair price, the profits would still be astronomical.
Five years of tax exemption and five years of supply; after five years, all grain produced in Liaodong will belong to the empire.
This is a brilliantly calculated move, and the profits are enormous.
Leaving aside the grain, simply bringing Liaodong into the territory of the Tang Dynasty and truly registering the people of Liaodong as equal citizens would be a glorious achievement that will be remembered for generations to come.
As for the shareholders behind those businesses, such as kings, nobles, and high-ranking officials, they could make money without exploiting the villagers or imposing exorbitant taxes, so naturally they would give their full support.
It can be said that everyone is happy.
However, there were also hidden dangers. It was truly remarkable that a mere business could support the development of such a vast area as Liaodong, and that it had gathered countless human, material, and financial resources.
That's beyond being described as "wealthy enough to rival a nation"; it's more like having the power to "overthrow the world"...
How could Your Majesty not be wary?
He voiced his concerns.
Fang Jun smiled and said, "To this day, the business has long since developed into an unshakable behemoth, with the interests involved deeply entrenched in all levels of the Tang Dynasty. How can it be erased by a single sentence? Even if His Majesty is wary and wants to take some measures, his ministers will bravely advise him to pull back from the brink and not compete with the people for profit."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, the stronger the business is, the more solid the foundation of the Crown Prince will be. When the business openly supports His Highness the Crown Prince one day, what do you think the shareholders will choose for their own benefit?"
Ma Zhou clicked his tongue, pondered for a moment, and sighed, "What a fine example of competing with the people for profit, what a blatant display of power!"
Without a doubt, the business is Fang Jun's invincible weapon. Whichever direction he wields this weapon, it is equivalent to having the interests of countless people stand on Fang Jun's side.
However, no one could take the business away from Fang Jun, because the reason why the business was so successful and could absorb wealth from home and abroad like a treasure trove was due to the royal navy that roamed the seven seas.
In a sense, the Royal Navy was equivalent to the "companion" of the trading company, with their interests aligned. The trading company provided the navy with massive amounts of money, resources, and manpower, while the navy provided the trading company with unparalleled military strength.
As long as the navy existed, Fang Jun had the upper hand over the trading companies.
The navy was created by Fang Jun, and everyone in it was his loyal follower. Although it was nominally "royal," even His Majesty could not bring the navy under his control.
Empress Su gently pursed her cherry lips, her gaze towards Fang Jun sparkling with interest. She didn't quite understand the operational process, but she knew that once Fang Jun's plan succeeded, it would mean that the Eastern Palace faction would gain great prestige and merit, and the Crown Prince's position would become even more unshakeable.
At that time, if His Majesty were to bring up the matter of changing the heir apparent again, he would surely face opposition from both the court and the public.
Moreover, what right do the other princes have to replace the crown prince?
This man is indeed reliable; he has done his utmost to support the crown prince.
Or perhaps his dedication was not solely for the purpose of supporting the crown prince, but also for fulfilling the promise he made to him?
Thinking of this, even as the Empress, the mother of the nation, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart.
After all, a man had given up his country and his people for her; how could she not fall in love with him?
Women have always admired strength.
Liu Rengui clapped his hands excitedly: "Then let's do it!"
According to Fang Junzhi's plan, the development of Liaodong only required the cooperation of the Ministry of War and the merchants, and the central government could be completely bypassed.
Ma Zhou nodded, and said succinctly, "Agreed!"
Fang Jun said, "Then I'll trouble Prince Bin to devise a detailed plan. Once it's complete, we can jointly submit a memorial to His Majesty."
……
After everything was settled, the three of them got up to take their leave, but Empress Su kept Fang Jun behind.
A maid stood at the door, and Empress Su personally poured tea for Fang Jun. She held her palace dress in her left hand and the cuff of her right sleeve. On her fair wrist, which was as white as snow, she wore a lustrous green bracelet. She held the teapot with her delicate hand, her demeanor dignified, and her pretty face gentle.
Setting down the teapot, Empress Su's beautiful eyes swept across Fang Jun's face, and she sighed softly: "To plan the development of the entire Liaodong region without even needing the involvement of the central government, such boldness is probably only found in Erlang."
Fang Jun put down his teacup and chuckled, “Developing Liaodong is a long-term plan that requires decades or even centuries of persistent and unwavering investment. It is difficult to see results in the short term. The only land that can be developed is the major river basins. Relatively remote lands cannot be effectively developed.”
To transform the "Great Northern Wilderness" into the "Great Northern Granary," not only was sufficient logistical support required, but also the continuous struggle of millions of young and strong men with "firm faith" for decades. With lofty aspirations and a willingness to sacrifice, they dared to change the world! What a magnificent and inspiring spirit that was!
This would have been impossible in any feudal dynasty.
It was already a miracle that the Liao River, Sumo River, and Wangjian River basins were developed and truly incorporated into the rule of the Tang Dynasty.
Even so, Empress Su was overjoyed.
"With such achievements, the Crown Prince's prestige will surely soar, and he will have countless supporters throughout the land, making his position as heir apparent as solid as a rock."
Since the collapse of the Four Commanderies of Han, the Central Plains dynasties had lost control of Liaodong for more than three hundred years. To be able to recover it, re-establish prefectures and counties, and even extend the territory to the Sumo River and Wangjian River basins, is something that has never happened before in Chinese history.
Although territorial expansion was no longer a novelty for the Tang Dynasty, the fact that such achievements were made under the nominal leadership of the Crown Prince was still a remarkable feat that could be celebrated throughout the world and recorded in history.
"Civil and martial virtues" are the standard features of a wise and virtuous ruler. The crown prince has already made great contributions before he has even ascended the throne. Who in the world would not be convinced or respectful of him?