Four hundred and fourteen chapters twenty-four general business
Chapter 414 Twenty-Four General Merchant
The news that Li You relied on the guild to establish a general merchant reached the Salt Transportation Department that day, and the entire transportation department was immediately in an uproar. Hundreds of officials had no intention of doing official business and kept talking about the general merchant.
They had been preparing for several days, preparing to deal with Li You's investigation of the Salt Law. Unexpectedly, Li You's intention was not with the Salt Transportation Department at all, but with a false shot on the salt merchants.
Previously, the officials of the Salt Transportation Department did not think that Li You could play any tricks with the salt merchants. After all, the relationship between Li You and the salt merchants had always been tense, and it is still in a cold state. So everyone felt that it was impossible for the salt merchants to cooperate.
Li You, I never expected that Li You could break the rules.
Although the establishment of a general merchant seems to have nothing to do with the Salt Transportation Department, the impact on the Salt Transportation Department is no less than a major war in the Salt Transportation Department.
If the general merchant system is formed, then the officials of the Salt Transportation Department will no longer face a scattered group of merchants, but an organized and systematic salt merchants' association and salt merchants that are not subject to them.
leader.
Although the Salt Transportation Department has no less power, the objects have changed, and I'm afraid it won't be as easy to handle as before.
For a group, no matter how bad the organization is, it is more powerful than no organization, and salt merchants are no exception. What's more, according to Li You's idea, the general merchant will be directly appointed by the court after self-election, without having to obtain approval from the Salt Transportation Department, which is a huge problem.
This weakened the Salt Transportation Department’s tight control over salt merchants.
Gao Yuntong couldn't hold himself back and hurriedly came to Ding Yun's envoy hall to discuss countermeasures.
Ding Yun envoy sighed: "I'm afraid Li You has had this plan in mind since he took office in Yangzhou. He probably felt that the emperor's southern tour was coming and the time had come, so he couldn't wait to jump out and implement this matter."
Gao Yuntong said angrily: "Yunshi has always been patient with Li You and never fought back directly. No wonder Li You has become more unscrupulous and feels that my dignified Yunshi is weak and easy to bully."
"It's useless to fight back on small things, so what can you do to him? Just like Yang Guozhong in the Tang Dynasty, who made few small mistakes? If it hadn't triggered the Anlushan Rebellion, who could defeat him?" Ding Yunshi said calmly.
road.
Gao Yuntong then asked: "May I ask the Ambassador, is this a big or small event? It is no different from directly digging the pile foundation of the Ambassador Hall."
"Of course it's a big deal." Ding Yunshi calmly analyzed: "The matter of General Shang is not impeccable. In fact, Li You did not have any substantive documents and edicts, and he did not have a close relationship with Gang Shang, so Gang Shang's enthusiasm was just trust.
It’s just Li You’s power and prestige. The matter of the General Merchant is still a castle in the air. It is all supported by Li You’s reputation, which gives the salt merchants the confidence to follow. Once this confidence is shattered, the matter will naturally be settled.”
In the end, Ding Yunshi made the decision with one word, "No need to say more, I have my own idea!" That day, Ding Yunshi wrote two documents, one was sent to Nanjing urgently, and the other was sent to the governor's Yamen.
It is said that in Yangzhou City, for three consecutive days starting from the seventh day of March, the business of meals, drinks, singing, dancing and theater troupes suddenly boomed. As long as they were slightly famous, customers came in an endless stream.
The reason lies in the election of the general merchant. There are currently fifty people left. According to Mr. Li, who is responsible for the salt law, half of them will be wiped out in the last round of elections on March 10.
Among these fifty people, except for a few who know that they are lucky but lack strength, who doesn’t want to become the general merchant?
After careful calculations, the total number of merchants is three hundred. Three hundred divided by twenty-five, twelve is about the average number. If you can win the support of about ten small merchants, plus your own vote, you can almost be the finalist.
List. Of course, the more small businessmen you attract, the greater your weight and status will be once you become the general businessman.
However, all outline dealers, big and small, are rich, so the silver bullet offensive is not very useful. So within the three days set aside by Mr. Li, each outline dealer could only use their own connections, relatives, friends, and influence to launch a fierce wooing and poaching campaign.
Related transactions then became popular.
For small and medium-sized salt merchants, this period of time is quite happy. They have never seen so many outline merchants show their favor to them. Many small merchants who are still resistant to being dependent on others can't help but think that they can be elected.
The general manager doesn’t seem too bad…
However, in Li You's mind, it doesn't really matter who he chooses to be the general merchant this time, because he is the one who controls the rules of the game. The salt merchants have fallen into his rules, just like Sun Wukong is in the palm of Tathagata Buddha.
Jin Wanwan probably doesn't need to worry about him. As one of the seven giants, this cheap father-in-law has been living in vain for so many years if he can't even get ten or twenty votes.
It was just that it was more dangerous for the other salt merchant Xu Changrui to seek refuge, so Li You ostentatiously went to Xu's house to help him build momentum and win a few votes. After all, a powerful general merchant was the ideal target of attachment in many people's minds. If Xu Yuanwai had Li
Youdang's backing is also very worthy of consideration.
On the tenth day of March, three hundred businessmen once again gathered in front of the Gongdao Hall of the Xin'an Guild Hall and began the final round of nominations under the eyes of Mr. Li.
This time everyone was familiar with each other, and it went very quickly. In more than half an hour, the results came out. The votes of the fifty people were lined up one after another and neatly presented in front of Mr. Li.
More than 300 people in the audience held their breath in silence, waiting for the final verdict.
Li You has long been accustomed to being the center of attention. The gazes of more than 300 people are just a small scene. He took the list and said slowly: "Speaking of Yangzhou, who knows the Twenty-Four Bridges on a moonlit night. I heard that it is the biggest one."
There are twenty or thirty salt merchants, which almost corresponds to the number of twenty-four bridges under the moonlit night..."
Master Li was talking nonsense for a long time, and everyone could only listen patiently, "So, the number of general merchants to be elected this time is set at twenty-four!"
This is similar to the conjecture of the merchants. They all expect Master Li to cut off the last fifty people by about half, but there is a dispute over the specific number.
Li You made the final decision: "Looking at the results, the seven giant merchants are worthy of being the leaders of the salt industry, and they were all selected. In addition, the sixteen companies with the most votes were selected, and they are twenty-four with the seven giant merchants!"
There were soft cheers from several places in the crowd, and more than twenty people stood out and stood at the front. Everyone looked excited, as if they were the glory of passing the provincial examination. If Mr. Li had asked for an edict from the imperial court, then
From now on, they will be different officials and businessmen!
A general merchant who was less than thirty years old was overly excited and said to Li You: "Prefect Li seems to have missed one number. The sum of seven and sixteen is twenty-three, not twenty-four."
This... Li You found that he had miscalculated for a moment. It was really embarrassing. Everyone has this time, but why did it happen at this moment...
His thoughts changed rapidly, and he chuckled a few times. He lowered his head and looked at the list of general merchants. He erased a name with a pen and said disdainfully: "With your intelligence, how can you be a general merchant? Replace it with the next one!"
Immediately, another gangster happily rushed forward and took up the position. He was just one short of the number of votes. He was depressed to death, but unexpectedly, he was so happy that he was asked to replace the person in front!
The other general merchants nearby shook their heads secretly. This guy is too young. Everyone else is pretending to be confused. Why are you trying to be smart? You are asking for trouble! Li Taishou obviously deliberately reserved a seat for his own use. Maybe everyone will have to share some in the future.
Yan Yin is given to newcomers in this position. Isn't this the case for all officials?
So after Mr. Li punished the short-sighted people, with the acquiescence of all the merchants, he secretly embezzled a general merchant quota.
Then he continued to explain: "Among the twenty-four general merchants, seven giant merchants, no, eight are big general merchants, and the remaining sixteen are ordinary general merchants. They are all stewards of the guild. The general steward of the guild still has no one to take office. Whenever there is a small matter in the salt industry,
, can be discussed by the eight general councils, and major matters can be discussed by the twenty-four general councils! After you, the general council, draft these regulations in detail, you will submit a copy to me."
Jin Wanwan, who had successfully been promoted to the position of Grand General Merchant, was more and more shocked by his son-in-law's tactics. When he encouraged him to propose the establishment of a salt industry guild, it turned out that he was setting up an ambush for today.
If in the past the Salt Industry Guild was a self-organized organization for self-protection when merchants faced unpredictable dangers, then today, the son-in-law is quietly trying to turn the guild into a semi-official guild organization recognized by the court or the government.
After being taught by Li You, Jin Baiwan carefully studied the ancient times and the affairs of Xia, Shang and Zhou in his free time. Sanbaigang Shangben is a loose general term, just like the tribes of ancient ancestors. Each eats its own nest and has its own
We can help each other because of the relationship between fellow villagers, but we are not affiliated with each other.
Without desire, it is the best principle. With passion, there are weaknesses, and with passion, it can be manipulated. What Li You did was actually create a new passion for salt merchants like them who make money without pursuing anything.
Now, they were first seduced into forming an alliance, and then they were led to form ranks and strata. With ranks and strata, there will naturally be interests and struggles.
Jin Wanwan learned from the past and even felt that he had seen the future. This time the competition for the position of general manager was just the beginning. Everyone was clumsy and seemed tepid. When compared to history, it was just the Xia Xia who opened the record.
Qi killed Boyi.
So what will happen after the merchants gradually get used to the competition? Don’t the general merchants want to have more small merchants under their hands? At that time, who will be the beneficiaries of the profit from the other side, watching from the other side?
After the collapse of the rule of Yao, Shun, and Yu, the beneficiaries were only people like Xia Qi, Shang, Tang, and Zhou Wu. This time, Li You probably hadn't finished his trick yet, and the beneficiary must be the mysterious figure behind him.
Thinking of Li You's looming royal background again, Jin Wanwan exclaimed in his heart, could this be the legendary emperor's magic?
Li You was also proud of his precise layout and felt full of accomplishment, thinking that half of his plan was completed.
The salt industry of the country was a planned economic system from beginning to end, with a strong command from production to sales. The salt merchants made money entirely by relying on the salt policy. Therefore, the interest groups in the salt industry were extremely closed, and outside the imperial court, salt was basically
Transportation Secretary and Gang Shang.
The redistribution of interests only involves the relevant group of people, and the scope of the impact is extremely narrow. It will not destabilize the entire society and system. As long as the upper management is determined to change the existing mechanism, it will be very simple to follow the trend.
At the same time as today's election, a team from Nanjing slowly drove into Yangzhou City, bringing some variables to Master Li's reform cause.