The accumulation process from small workshops to large-scale operations is also called primitive accumulation.
Under normal circumstances, the evolution from a small family workshop to a large-scale factory requires the continuous efforts of several or even more than a dozen generations of workshop owners, saving capital bit by bit, annexing other small workshops one by one, and allowing other small workshop owners to become theirs.
For factory workers, this process is really long.
This is true for small workshops, and it is true at the national level as well.
But this process can be accelerated through violent means.
For example, the enclosure movement, the black slave trade and the plunder of colonies can all accelerate the primitive accumulation of capital. The primitive accumulation of several old Western industrial powers almost all relies on this.
In addition to plundering, sacrificing the well-being of several generations and scrimping on food and clothing can also complete primitive accumulation. Prussia and the Bangzi Kingdom completed primitive accumulation in this way.
In fact, Ming Dynasty has a unique advantage in this aspect.
Because by the end of the Ming Dynasty, land annexation had become extremely serious. This was actually a larger-scale land enclosure movement. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty now has enough available hired workers. As soon as household registration restrictions are relaxed, a large number of landless peasants will flood into the city.
To become a worker, you don’t have to worry about having no hired workers.
Then there is the capital. Western countries still need to accumulate through plundering colonies and trading black slaves, but the Ming Dynasty has already accumulated huge amounts of capital by relying on the irreplaceable silk, tea and porcelain trade.
More than 700 million taels of silver principal were deposited among the people of the Ming Dynasty.
In the past, it was almost impossible for the Ming Dynasty to mobilize these 700 million taels of silver.
But now, this problem has been solved by the Ming Dynasty Royal Silver.
After the Ming Dynasty Royal Bank experienced a bank run, the silver deposits on its account have been steadily growing again, and have now returned to more than 100 million taels. This sum of money is enough to support the initial industrial development.
That is to say, from a national level, the Ming Dynasty has actually completed primitive accumulation.
The only negative factor currently hindering the development of Ming Dynasty's industry is the financial aspect.
To put it more bluntly, the gentry landowners and maritime merchants and salt merchants accumulated a large amount of silver, but they would rather hide the silver in cellars and collect dust than lend it to small workshop owners at low interest rates to expand the scale of industrial production.
As for small workshop owners, they can't borrow low-interest money to expand their production scale even if they beg their grandfather or grandma.
There are a lot of usurious loans that can be repaid within a few months, but this kind of loan is a disaster for the industry.
So now, what Chongzhen has to do is to open up the middle links, borrow the money from the gentry landowners, maritime merchants and salt merchants, and then lend it to small workshop owners to help them expand the scale of production and operation and improve product technology.
Regarding this, Chongzhen had already ordered Kang Xi to fully support the small workshop owners.
At this moment, Chongzhen turned his eyes to Kang Xi: "Princess, didn't I ask you to support the small workshop owner?"
"My daughter-in-law has support." Kang Xi stood up hurriedly and said, "My daughter-in-law, in accordance with the father's wishes, prepared a full 30 million taels of silver to support various industries, but no one came to borrow it."
"Why is this?" Chongzhen asked Xu Guodao again, "Mr. Xu, the Royal Bank has money and is willing to lend it out. Why don't you borrow money from the Royal Bank?"
"Uh, this..." Xu Guo hesitated.
Chongzhen said sincerely: "Weng Xu, please speak directly."
Xu Guo's mind got hot and he said: "Because to borrow money from the Royal Bank, I have to use Xiao Lao's workshop as collateral. If the money is not paid when it is due, the workshop will belong to the royal family. This is..."
Kang Xi said: "It's okay not to use the workshop as a mortgage, but someone needs to be a guarantee."
Chongzhen asked Xu Guo again: "Weng Xu, can you find someone to guarantee you?"
Xu Guo sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I can't find anyone to be my guarantee, and the interest rate on the bank account is too high."
This is what Xu Guo is most worried about. He has repeatedly calculated that if he borrows money to expand the scale, the extra profit will only be enough to pay the interest of the Royal Bank. This means that his Xu family has worked hard to earn a penny.
If he earns more money, he will give it to the Royal Bank in vain, so he has no intention of borrowing money from the Royal Bank.
Even if the business is successful, you can't make more money.
If the management is not good, even the workshop will be directly compensated.
For this reason, Xu Guo did not want to borrow money from the bank at all.
To put it bluntly, this is the limitation of the petty bourgeoisie. Although they know that large-scale operations can improve production efficiency and earn more profits, their vision does not stop there.
The concept of operating with debt is too advanced for them.
However, such trivial matters cannot trouble a soul that has traveled through time and space.
Five words quickly came to Chongzhen's mind - the Temasek model.
Although Chongzhen looks down on the booger country, he still admires the Temasek model.
The so-called Temasek model actually uses the state (investment company) to control various industries and inject funds to promote the rapid development of these industries.
At that time, Chongzhen asked Xu Guodao: "Weng Xu, if you have such a sum of money, you don't need to use your workshop as a mortgage, you don't need a guarantor as a guarantee, and you don't even need to pay interest. It can be handed over to you directly. The only condition is
You have to occupy a certain amount of shares in Xu's workshop based on the amount of money, are you willing?"
Xu Guo asked very vigilantly: "Who will determine the amount of shares? It won't be determined by the government, right?"
"Of course it cannot be decided by the government." Chongzhen thought for a moment and then said, "Don't the merchants in each province have local guilds in Nanjing? Otherwise, the merchants in each province first establish their own chambers of commerce and then elect a
The president of the Chamber of Commerce, and then the presidents of each province form the General Chamber of Commerce.”
Upon hearing this, Kang Wanwan and other big businessmen's eyes suddenly lit up.
To be honest, they had actually thought about setting up a chamber of commerce for a long time.
I was just worried about the opposition from the imperial court, so I never dared to establish a chamber of commerce.
But I never expected that the Holy One would actually bring it up today.
This is truly an unprecedented event for the entire merchant community.
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "The amount of the shares will be determined by someone sent by the General Chamber of Commerce. Of course, if you feel that the amount is too high, you can refuse. Xu's workshop will still belong to you alone."
"That's okay." Xu Guo nodded and said, "I still have one more question."
"Executive member Xu?!" Kang Wanwan was already a little unhappy and said to Xu Guo, don't go too far.
But Chongzhen waved his hand and said: "Well, since it is a conversation, it must be candid and honest. Don't let anyone say anything. Uncle Guo, you are being too domineering."
"Your Majesty, this is not what I meant." Kang Wanwan stood up in fright.
Although he was already a relative of the emperor, Kang Wanwan was not arrogant because of his favor.
"Sit down." Chongzhen motioned Kang Wanwan to take a seat, and then said to Xu Guohe, "Xu Yuanwai, please continue."
Xu Guo calmed down and asked: "What I want to ask is, after taking this money, who has the final say in the Xu family's papermaking shop and printing shop? Is it me, or the shareholders who bought shares?"
"
"Of course it's you, Mr. Xu." Chongzhen said without thinking.
After saying this for a while, Chongzhen continued: "When it comes to this, I will say it directly. I plan to open another bank in addition to the Ming Dynasty Royal Bank. The name is temporarily designated as the Industrial and Commercial Bank."
"Industrial and Commercial Bank?" Kang Wanwan, Fang Wenzhen and other merchants couldn't help but look expectant on their faces.
The Royal Bank of the Ming Dynasty is unique to the royal family, and the Bank of the Ming Dynasty is owned by the imperial court. Even if they, merchants, have money, they cannot participate in one share, but they don’t know whether it is possible to participate in one share of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China?
"Yes, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China." Chongzhen nodded, and continued, "The equity capital of this Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is tentatively set at 50 million taels. Daming Royal Bank intends to invest 20 million, leaving 30 million shares.
The principal is raised from merchants all over the Ming Dynasty. Interested merchants can subscribe for the capital. When the subscription of 30 million is completed, the deadline will be. If the subscription amount is insufficient, the insufficient part will be made up by the Royal Bank.
"
Hearing this, a small workshop owner like Xu Guo didn't have any special reaction.
But big businessmen like Kang Wanwan, Fang Wenzhen, and Weng Zhiyi couldn't help but feel excited. If they could hold a certain share in this industrial and commercial bank, not only would they definitely be able to make a lot of money, but more importantly, their family would be on par with the royal family.
Becoming a business partner is a reputation that money cannot buy.
At present, these giant businessmen are already planning how much money they will spend to invest in shares.
Chongzhen continued: "In principle, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China does not engage in private small-amount lending business. It only engages in one business, which is to inject equity into workshops such as Xu Yuan's family's papermaking and printing workshops. If they lose money, then
Naturally, it means a loss, and if a profit is made, the profit will be extracted according to the number of shares purchased.”
"The profits turned over by these workshops, mines, and factories are the profits of industrial and commercial banks."
"In addition to a certain amount of dividends each year, the remaining profits will be included in the share capital of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to continue to expand the scope and scale of the business."
This is actually the Temasek model.
The advantage of this is that it can not only effectively support the rapid development of industrial and commercial industry, but also achieve strong control over all walks of life through industrial and commercial industrial bank accounts.
To put it bluntly, it is actually a state monopoly.
The advantage of a monopoly is that it has bargaining power over the upstream and pricing power over the downstream.
To take the simplest example, a piece of silk can, by monopolizing the entire industry chain, squeeze unlimited mulberry farmers upwards, and can harvest the wool of end consumers without limit downwards.
Of course, this is just an example.
At least when Chongzhen was still alive, he would never exploit anyone from within.
But to the outside world, wool must be harvested, and silk must rise sharply.
But it is impossible to do it now, even the three major weaving bureaus have not formed an industrial monopoly.
Therefore, the prospects of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China are promising, and it will surely expand into a capital behemoth in the future, and it is entirely possible for it to dominate the world.
Originally, Chongzhen also thought about the benefits of monopoly.
Why share such a business that is destined to make a lot of money with others?
But as the old saying goes, one flower blooming alone is not spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together fills the garden.
If the royal family only wants to take advantage of everything, then the final result will be backstabbing.
Only by distributing the benefits to as many relevant parties as possible and forming a huge interest group can the foundation of the royal family's rule be stable and not be overthrown because of interests.
In the future, even Royal Bank will have to release shares to attract investment.
The future of the Ming Dynasty will be politically a dual parallel system between the emperor and the cabinet, economically it will be a monopoly of the huge vested interest group with the royal family as the core created through the Ming Royal Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank, and militarily it will be a monopoly.
The Imperial Academy, the independent military commander system based on the Shizi Camp, and finally the de facto Ming Dynasty Constitution and the Ming Ancestor Training.
In this structure, the emperor is politically bound by the constitution and cannot interfere in the government affairs of the cabinet. Economically, he must win the support of the majority of shareholders before he can mobilize the royal reserve fund. Militaryly, he must also obtain the support of the cabinet before he can mobilize it directly from the provincial towns.
Zhenbing, in this way, the emperor's power was put into a tight cage.
Only when the emperor, cabinet, and consortium are unanimous can the national war machine be truly used.
Even if the emperor is like this, let alone the cabinet, military commanders or plutocrats, there is absolutely no possibility of usurping power.
Of course, this is the future structure, at least it will not be like this during Chongzhen's lifetime. While Chongzhen is still alive, the consortium must unconditionally obey his orders, and the cabinet can only have nominal independent government power.
But before he dies, the imperial power will be caged in the form of a constitution.
Unless the emperors after him can far surpass him in civil, political and martial arts, it will probably be difficult for him to break through the power cage he designed and become a new generation of emperors.
However, these are long-term plans.
At the moment, let’s start by establishing an industrial and commercial bank account.
The big shopkeeper of this industrial and commercial bank can no longer hire the shopkeeper of the firm.
Because the store clerks or shopkeepers had limited courage, it was difficult to fully support industry and commerce. Only the Qin Wang Shizi from the Shizi camp could fully understand his intentions.
And he must be the son of a merchant family.
After going through familiar scholars, Chongzhen quickly found a suitable candidate.
"Gao Banban." Chongzhen turned to Gao Qiqian and said, "Go to Chaoku Street and call Zheng Zunqian back for me."
After receiving the imperial edict, Gao Qiqian went straight to Chaoku Street and soon brought Zheng Zunqian back.
"Your Majesty." Zheng Zunqian bowed his head towards Chongzhen.
"Zheng Zunqian." Chongzhen asked, "I remember that your family makes wine, right?"
"Go back to the Holy Spirit." Zheng Zunqian said, "The student's family is a rice wine maker, and they can brew hundreds of stones of rice wine every year."
Chongzhen said again: "Your Zheng family has been brewing wine for several generations. I guess your craftsmanship is pretty good, but why do you still only brew a few hundred kilo of rice wine every year? Why don't you expand the scale of brewing?"
Zheng Zunqian said: "Expanding the scale requires a lot of money, and students' families cannot afford so much money."
Hearing this, Chongzhen knew that he had found the right person, and immediately said: "Zheng Zunqian, I plan to raise money to establish a Daming Industrial and Commercial Bank. Are you willing to be the boss?"