The Japanese country is separated from the Ming Dynasty, but this country has never been peaceful. Due to the decline of the power of the emperor, the Japanese country entered the period of shogunate rule. During the period of the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty, this small country was divided into the northern and southern dynasties, and outbreaks broke out
The war between the Northern and Southern Dynasties that lasted for more than fifty years was known in history as two emperors in one day.
Until ten years ago, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the general who conquered barbarians in the Northern Dynasty, forced Emperor Gogeyama of the Southern Dynasty to surrender, ending the separatist war. The Japanese country was nominally unified, and the Japanese country entered the Muromachi shogunate era. In the third year of Kenbun's third year, which was last year, Ashikaga
Yiman sent an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, and he was named Zhengshuo in the certificate of credence, declared a vassal and paid tribute, and was canonized by the King of Japan. From then on, the Japanese country officially became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had become a monk at this time, the real power was still in his hands. After he unified the Japanese country, he began to be interested in China and liked to collect Chinese treasures, calligraphy and paintings. As the saying goes, the Japanese people were very interested in Ming Dynasty products and products.
Copper coins are also very coveted.
But it’s no wonder that apart from the abundance of volcanoes, the Japanese country lacked almost everything. High-end consumer goods such as silk, tea, porcelain, etc. were even in short supply. Even the copper coins circulating on the market were not made by themselves, so they were also very thirsty for the copper coins of the Ming Dynasty.
.
In fact, since the Song Dynasty, the Central Plains Dynasty has begun to implement a copper ban, which prohibits the transportation of copper materials abroad. The most typical case is the Tea Horse Law, which involves exchanging tea for horses from the vassal state to prevent copper from entering the enemy country and strictly preventing the enemy country from using it.
He harmed the Central Plains by forging weapons.
Of course, the main reason for banning copper is that the Central Plains is not only short of gold and silver, but also copper. Some dynasties even used easily rusted iron to cast money to recharge. It is precisely because of insufficient currency circulation that it is deflation, which is seriously unfavorable.
It is conducive to economic development. After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the copper ban was strictly implemented along the Song Dynasty system.
As the saying goes, rare things are valuable. Copper coins minted in the Ming Dynasty are of good quality, and the country's prosperity and credit are guaranteed. For small overseas countries, this is a strong currency that maintains and increases value.
However, compared with the Ming Dynasty, these small countries either lacked copper reserves or the casting technology was too backward. Casting money was too high-end for them and they could not play with it. It was better to directly import copper coins from the Ming Dynasty, just like
Later countries held large amounts of U.S. dollars as foreign exchange reserves.
There are copper mines in the Japanese country, but unfortunately, the mining and smelting techniques are too backward, and the cost of casting copper is too high, which is far less practical than importing it from the Ming Dynasty. During the Hongwu period, the relationship between the Japanese country and the Ming Dynasty deteriorated, and the tribute trade was
After calling a halt, the Japanese country either sent people to rob it, or through the "middleman" North Korea, a lot of copper coins were obtained from the Ming Dynasty.
In the Jianwen Dynasty, Ming and Japan finally restored their tributary relationship. Unfortunately, the situation changed too quickly. There was a rebellion in the Ming Dynasty. The future of the Ming Dynasty was not promising, so the Japanese side urgently needed to find another stronger man.
My thighs are here to hug you. This is not the case.
, a large caravan protected by the Peiping army and navy took the initiative to appear on the coast of Kitakyushu Island in Japan, attracting many famous names. In the end, even Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was alarmed. Not only did he send people to receive him, but he also sent envoys to follow him to visit Peiping.
city.
Of course, the reason why the Japanese were so honest and did not kill anyone and steal money on the spot was because the warships full of black holes in the muzzles frightened them. Faced with such a powerful maritime force, the Japanese once again upheld the tradition of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
, I dare not take advantage of this caravan again.
In terms of foreign trade, the maritime merchants headed by Zhao Hongru adhered to the fine tradition of not engaging in unscrupulous businessmen. More than 20 shipments of goods such as cloth, candles, ceramics, glass cosmetics, etc. were all sold in the form of auctions, and the highest bidder got it.
What a hell if you have high hopes but not enough.
Of course, no matter how high the price of the goods is, the famous people and wealthy merchants of the Japanese country will accept all the orders, because the money used in exchange is not a rare thing to them. Those exquisite woolen cloths, novel glass mirrors, and strong fragrance
High-quality cosmetics, exquisite ceramics, and scarce candles were all what they longed to own. Even the small amount of copper coins brought by the caravan were snapped up by them at a high price.
In less than a month, more than 20 shipments of goods were sold out and exchanged for a full 800,000 taels of silver. After excluding the cost, the net profit was 500,000 taels. According to the pre-agreed share, the government and maritime merchants each
He got half of it, so Shuntian Mansion received a net amount of 250,000 taels of silver at one time.
Having tasted the sweetness of huge profits, all the maritime merchants were eager to try. In order to avoid vicious competition and ensure long-term interests, under the leadership of Wan Lei, businessmen mainly from the Yan Chamber of Commerce jointly established the Huayuan Company. From now on, all overseas trade will be conducted by
This company has a monopoly, with the Peking Army owning half of the shares, and the other half of the shares being subscribed by businessmen.
As soon as the equity was put on sale, it was snapped up by wealthy businessmen. Even Wan Lei himself only received 2% of the equity. However, Wan Lei still relied on his personal prestige and power to firmly hold the position of chairman of Huayuan Company.
Of course, he does not care about the company's daily operations, but only controls the company's daily affairs. The person who is really responsible for the company's daily affairs is Liu Wenzong. He is the cousin of Navy Commander Liu Wenxiu. He is smart and capable, and he has a cousin relationship. He is in charge of the maritime affairs.
Trade will definitely bring a lot of money. Everyone takes good care of the accounts and then waits for the dividends.
While setting up the company, Wan Lei also took time to meet with the Japanese envoys. There were ten envoys in total. One of the leaders was a monk named Zua;
He looks so ordinary, all he needs is to write the word "money" on his forehead.
The reason why a monk is sent as an envoy is related to the tradition of the Japanese country. In the Japanese country, a monk is a noble but noble profession. Even from the emperor to the shogunate, many people who are tired of the power struggle will
If you choose to become a monk, most people cannot become a monk even if they want to.
In the Japanese country, there are only a few temples with strict precepts. For example, the monks at Tangzhaoti Temple inherited the roots of the Jianzhen monk and the Luzong, and are no different from the traditional monks in China. However, most of the monks in the Japanese country do not prohibit the precepts and can eat meat and marry.
They have a wife and children, and can even engage in politics and business. In short, they live a happy life.
The high status of monks in Japan is not without reason. In a foreign country like Japan, most people are illiterate, and the lower class people don't even have names. Those monks who chant sutras and worship Buddha every day are high-level intellectuals.
, it is normal for rulers to appreciate and reuse them.
In addition, in the Japanese country, only a few monks from ancient temples could read Chinese characters and speak Chinese. These people were very valuable. If you want to deal with the Central Plains dynasty, of course you must send people who "know the book and answer the courtesy" to avoid being rude to others.
The great monk became the best choice.
However, Monk Zua also knows etiquette very well. When he came to see Wan Lei, he actually performed three bows and nine kowtows, as if he regarded Wan Lei as the emperor. If it were an ordinary person, Wan Lei would definitely not be accepted.
This is a gift, but the Japanese are not among ordinary people.
After the ceremony, Feifu directly presented a set of samurai swords as a gift. This set of katana swords is divided into three types: long, medium and short. The scabbard and handle are very ornately decorated, and they look good. The katana swords are well-known.
Wan Lei curiously took the longest tachi and took it out of its sheath. The cold light shone brightly. He weighed it in his hand and found that it felt very good. It was indeed a good sword.
However, when Wan Lei's eyes fell on the back of the sword, he shook his head, because the words "All those who face a battle are arrayed in front" were engraved on the back of the sword.
"Master Wan, this sword was made by a good general of our country. The name of the sword is Duan Yu. It is a rare and famous sword. It is specially dedicated to the Master." Seeing Wan Lei's uncertain expression, Monk Zu'a explained in a low voice.
"The knife is good, but the characters on it are wrongly engraved." Wan Lei then put the knife back into its sheath, shook his head and said angrily: "If you don't understand, don't imitate what others know. Bring me this knife with the wrong characters engraved on it.
Don’t you want to see me make a fool of myself?!”
"Master Wan, please calm down. Master Wan, please calm down. I don't know what word is wrong?" Monk Zu'a asked in fear.
"This nine-character blessing comes from "Baopuzi". The original text is: When entering the mountain, you should know the secret blessing of Liujia. The blessing says: All those who are facing a battle should march forward in formation. Every nine-character blessing should always be used secretly, and everything should be guarded. Important.
The Tao is not troublesome, that's what it means. The last two words of the blessing engraved on the knife are wrong, and the meaning is completely wrong." Yang Shiqi, who was standing next to Tie Xuan to assist in the reception, shook his head and said.
Yang Shiqi was originally demoted, but was subdued by Wan Lei not long ago. However, this guy is also sensible. He has only been in Beiping City for a few months, and he took the initiative to cooperate with Tie Xuan. Tie Xuan saw that he was smart and capable, and usually took him with him as a
Staff officer. Of course, he can also get in touch with some government affairs and help with some ideas, but it is not his turn to intervene in real military and national affairs.
"Oh, it seems that the craftsmen made a mistake. I'm so sorry. I'm so rude. It's so rude." Monk Zu'a said hurriedly.
"Forget it, it's just a few wrong words, it doesn't matter. You can take this knife back, I won't use it." Wan Lei waved his hand. The reason why he was nitpicking was to "clearly" tell him: I am not easy to fool.
Yes, you'd better be honest in front of me and don't be cunning.
"Young Master has great energy and a kingly demeanor. I admire him. I admire you." The gift was returned, but the fat man couldn't do it, so he could only say with a smile.
"Stop talking nonsense and let's talk business. You have traveled thousands of miles to come here, so you must have something to ask for." Wan Lei waved his hand and stopped talking nonsense to these people.
"Young Master is truly a sightless man. We came to court on the order of the general. Firstly, we want to see the Young Master in his graceful appearance, and secondly, we want to discuss the matter of tribute trade." Monk Zu'a said.
"Tribute trade?" Wan Lei shook his head and said with a smile: "We are not the Ming Dynasty, so we do not engage in tribute trade."
"If we don't engage in tribute trade, then" Monk Zu'a was a little anxious. He was really afraid that Wan Lei would cut off the trade relationship with the Japanese country because of this trivial matter of wrong characters on the knife.
"When we open our doors to do business, we only pay attention to the word "integrity". We won't ban you, and you don't have to pay tribute to us. We just need to deal fairly." Wan Lei said this, but he said "Oh" in his heart.
Tribute? It's an old thing and has been out of date for a long time! I will soon let you understand what high-level means. I have made it clear that I want to exploit you, and you don't know how to suffer the loss.
"Fair deal?" When Fei Fu heard this, his eyes began to shine, and he praised sincerely: "Young Master is indeed an extraordinary person. He has such a grand spirit and conquers people far away with his virtue. The ancient saints were nothing more than this."
"Stop flattering and tell me, what does your general want from us?" Wan Lei waved his hand and asked seriously.
In fact, he also guessed what the Japanese general wanted, and that was money. In life, food and drink are two words; in one's life, money and power are two words. That's right! The Japanese general unified the Japanese country, and he already has power, and now he has it.
Looking for money?
"The young master is really straightforward. Our general heard that the young master can make copper coins, so he thought," Fei Fu had a flattering smile on his fat face, which made him feel disgusted no matter how he looked at it.
"If you want copper coins, you can do it. However, the copper coins we have don't fall from the sky. You have to exchange them for something of equal value." Wan Lei said.
"It would be great if I could change it. It would be great if I could change it." The smile on Fei Fu's face became even thicker and he asked, "I wonder what the young master wants?"
"Of course it's silver, white silver, that's my favorite." Wan Lei also pretended to be a very philistine, and said with a smile: "Of course, our Peking Army also needs high-quality samurai swords.
of."
"Silver and samurai swords are specialties of our country in Japan. They are found in many places. The master understands our country's national conditions so well. He is truly sincere to the world and his virtues serve those far away." The rich man was even more happy, but in the end he was still worried.
Asked: "How much silver can be exchanged for a copper coin?"
Wan Lei smiled slightly and said: "I heard that in your country, silver is cheap and money is high, and one tael of silver can only be exchanged for three hundred coins. Let's do this. I won't let your generals suffer. I can exchange one tael of silver for four hundred coins. Let you
You can make some money. However, I have agreed that the copper coins I give you must be made of real copper, and the silver you give me must also be pure silver, and you cannot pass it off as fake."
"That's natural. Master is so generous and kind, how dare we adulterate? Master, please rest assured that the ingots are real silver and don't dare to have a trace of adulteration." Fei Fu hurriedly patted his chest to assure him, and his heart was even more happy. In fact, everything was actually silver.
The terms Lei offered were much higher than the base price his master gave him. Once the deal was negotiated, he became prosperous.
"Let's do this, let's prepare 10 million yuan first, and you prepare 25,000 taels of silver, and both parties will pay it off within nine months, okay?" Wan Lei asked with a smile.
"Okay, this is really great. The young master is really happy. However, could you cast more copper coins? There are too few copper coins in our country and the people's life is difficult." The fat man said with a smile on his face.
"Then twenty million dollars, you prepare fifty thousand taels of silver." Wan Lei still had a smile on his face, but behind his smile, there was already a knife hidden, a knife that could kill people without blood.
"Can you add another ten million? We are willing to exchange for eighty thousand taels of silver." Fatty was still not satisfied. Of course, he didn't know that a Pandora's box had been opened by him.
"Okay, that's 30 million yuan, exchanged for 80,000 taels of silver, and it must be paid before September." Wan Lei smiled happily, very happy.