Everyone is so supportive, which is more conducive to spreading the name of the Chamber of Commerce, which is naturally what Shen Ao wants.
Standing in the hall, looking outside the Immortal Residence, two hundred golden armored guards stood waiting. This was sent by Emperor Qianwen. He knew the importance of the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce. In order to show his support, he came up with these The arrival of the Golden Guards.
The merchants were a little puzzled by the appearance of the Jinjiawei here. However, considering that they had no ill intentions, nor did they intend to cause trouble, they were all fearless. This meant that they did not do bad things and were not afraid of ghosts calling the door.
When the time came, Shen Ao, dressed in Tsing Yi, walked out and came to the center of the hall, where Bai Qiutong and others originally performed. Being here, I could clearly convey every word I said and my situation.
"Everyone, thank you for your support. I would like to express my gratitude here." Shen Ao stood in the middle and did not get down to business right away. Instead, he said some greetings first.
Shen Ao was so polite that other businessmen also responded politely. "Don't say that, Lord Zhongguo. If you can invite us, you are giving us face. How can you not support him?"
"Zhongguo Gong is young and wise. I admire him and salute you here."
"You don't need to be so polite, Mr. Zhongguo. It's thanks to you that we can come here to taste Xianweiju's delicacies for free. It's us who we have to thank."
The polite voices from the crowd were heard immediately. Shen Ao burst out laughing after hearing this, but he was thinking in his heart, I hope you can still have such an attitude when someone talks about merchants paying heavy taxes. alright.
Even after finishing the courtesy, Shen Ao stopped talking nonsense and got down to the topic. "Everyone, everyone here must be a successful person in business. They are all wealthy and smart people. , that is, I will not go into details here. What I want to say is that the wealth of the country and the strength of the people. The wealth that everyone here has now must first of all come from a stable environment, and also because His Majesty is wise and has good leadership. Only then can we have a peaceful environment to do business, and only then can we have everything we have now. So, please allow me to pay tribute to Your Majesty, and thank Your Majesty for giving me a stable environment. Long live Your Majesty."
After Shen Ao's nice opening remarks, other businessmen, whether they admitted it or not, were willing or not, could only shout "Long live His Majesty" along with Shen Ao. So many people shouted in unison, The sound came out with quite a bit of momentum.
After a few shouts, the hall returned to calm, and Shen Ao continued: "A good environment is naturally what we businessmen like. However, the world is not peaceful, and there are neighbors outside who are eyeing us, coveting our land in the Central Plains. A war may be launched at any time, and there are vassal kings who do not obey the imperial orders and are very ambitious. Once they really let them kill Daliang City, will everyone here be able to sit here and enjoy delicious food and drink fine wine? And how can we protect our rights and interests from being infringed upon? What about losses? That requires a strong country. I wonder if everyone here agrees with what I said?"
"This is natural." No one knew what Shen Ao meant. They just saw that he was emphasizing a peaceful environment for good development, so no one would object.
"Okay." This answer was exactly what Shen Ao wanted. He looked around and took care of everyone as much as possible. Anyone caught by his gaze could not help but straighten their bodies. It seemed like he wanted to give Shen Ao a good impression.
Although Shen Ao is only seventeen years old, whether it is his power, the support he has received from the emperor, or the fact that his large bank now employs more than 20,000 people, and the daily consumption of things for external needs is all that everyone can think of. If you want to fight for it, you must not offend it.
After basically glancing at everyone, Shen Ao finally got to the point, "Now that everyone agrees with a certain general that we will be stronger when the country is stable, then for the sake of Daqian's strength, we, Should businessmen also make some contributions of our own? I’m sure no one will object to the proposal to pay three times the business tax when doing business in the future? This is His Majesty’s intention. He hopes that businessmen can have the country in their hearts. Give it your own strength."
When the words came to the end, they were already drowned out by the discussion of the businessmen. If Shen Ao hadn't raised his voice at this moment, no one would be able to hear what he was saying clearly.
But even if they heard it clearly, not many people would care about it. They are businessmen, and what they do is to make profits. Although the emperor is superior, he is too far away from people like them, unless Emperor Qianwen personally Go to the scene and say something to them, otherwise the words passed down by others will not be enough to make them fearful.
Of course, it is impossible for the emperor to appear on such an occasion. If he really comes, what else will he say? How will he be recorded in the history books in the future? , the despicable people are called philistines, and they are not allowed to sit together with merchants who are surrounded by scholar-bureaucrats. It will definitely damage the emperor's reputation.
Being able to send two hundred golden armored guards was the best that Emperor Qianwen could do. There were more things that he would not do, let alone be unable to do.
In Xianwei Residence, when Shen Ao proposed to pay three times the business tax, at least half of the businessmen immediately went crazy. This was something that would involve their own interests, and was equivalent to taking money out of their pockets. , and who would be willing to do so? If it weren't for Shen Ao's identity and ability, I'm afraid some businessmen would have left by now.
He Xun, the eldest son of the grain king He Nianfeng, came to Xianweiju on behalf of his father this time. He was sitting on the first floor very close to the place where Shen Ao gave a speech.
He didn't shout anything like most businessmen, but it could be seen from his deep frown that he was not in favor of increasing business taxes.
Fan Shixi, the king of iron tools, Su Xun, the king of gold and silver jewelry, and Bailixiang, the silk king, who came in person to support Shen Ao, were also sitting below. Not only did they all change their faces at this moment, but their faces Their expressions were almost the same, and they all showed displeasure.
Shen Ao has never said hello to anyone before. It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he can't. Once the matter is leaked, I am afraid that all the businessmen will not show up here. They will use this method to resist Shen Ao's proposal. , if that's the case, it would be impossible to establish a chamber of commerce or bid.
Only if the news is not spread out and no one knows what is going on, can everyone gather together and have the current sensational effect.
Zhao Yuanji was also sitting in the hall on the first floor. With his current status and strength, he could not sit in the center of the hall, so few people noticed the change in his expression. He first looked at it with interest Looking at the performance of everyone in the circle, he then shook his head with a wry smile, thinking in his mind that anyone who can appear on an occasion like today is a top businessman, and he can turn into a monkey with a stick stuck in his butt. .
People like them always plot against others. When can they let others plot against themselves? Duke Zhongguo's idea is really a bit taken for granted.
Looking at the two hundred golden armored guards outside Xianweiju, Zhao Yuanji thought with some malice, if it were not for their existence, I am afraid that some businessmen would have walked away by now. He just hoped that they would hear what Shen Ao said. After the conditions are met, you can change your mind, and then everyone will be happy.
If everyone wants to leave and only the Zhao family is left here, there is no guarantee that he will not become the target of public criticism. If that is the case, it will be difficult to do anything in the future.
Zhao Yuanji has his own ideas, so why don't other businessmen do the same?
In the box on the second floor, you can usually be condescending here, but today's conference is a bit awkward in this location, belonging to the edge corner. Jin Zhen in the box did not yell to others, without any intention of complaining, but remained silent. He lowered his mind and looked at Lord Zhongguo Shen Ao in the hall on the first floor, with a thoughtful look on his face.
Jin Zhen is in the grain and rice business. The He family's monopoly on grain has greatly reduced Jin Zhen's development space. It is not just him, but many people in the grain and rice business are like this. No matter how difficult it is, they can only do After all, I have been doing it for more than 20 years and have gained a certain amount of experience. Unless I have to, I will not give in.
Besides, although businessmen are looked down upon by others and have a lower social status, at least they have no problem filling their stomachs. This is far better than farmers who cannot even guarantee a good harvest when God is bad-tempered. A lot.
I have no intention of changing my career, but if I still want to continue to develop, I need to open up new business routes to have a chance to survive in the cracks. This time I heard that Shen Ao, who was known as the "Small Business Saint", was going to call for a meeting. The businessmen were in a meeting and naturally rushed over. (The Shang Sage is Fan Li, and Shen Ao is known as the Little Shang Sage, which is enough to show everyone's recognition of his business abilities.)
Didn't he come here just to find opportunities for development? He never thought about complaining.
Besides, if complaining is useful, then what else does Daqian need to feed so many troops? Complaining is just an emotion exuded by the weak, and it does not really help solve the problem at all. It will make people look down upon. If he was recorded by Shen Ao because of his louder voice, it would be a loss outweighing the gain.
The smart Jin Zhen had no intention of speaking. Instead, he sat there quietly and looked at Shen Ao. He believed that this person was called the Little Shang Sage. He would definitely not just say this. There should be something else to say. It's something you don't know, so it's better to listen carefully and then make a decision that is beneficial to you based on all aspects.