Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After being hosted by Qi Changguo in the capital for a few days, Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Cai and others tried their best to be on guard, but Jin Yiwei still found out the details.

Through this incident, Zhu Youjian also realized that Jin Yiwei had begun to transform under his strict requirements. The intelligence collection capabilities are not the same as before.

After figuring out the Zheng Group's plan, Zhu Youjian issued a decree to establish Dongning Company. Let Jin Yiwei and the Zheng family negotiate to divide the interests of the sea.

"Si means official office. Taizu once ordered the compilation of "Zhusi Responsibilities" to determine the official system and responsibilities of each yamen. It was later compiled into the "Da Ming Huidian"."

"In the "Huidian", there is a Jiaxing company responsible for collecting the salt tax in Jiaxing area."

"Therefore, Dongning Company has the power to collect taxes."

Explaining the meaning of the company to Zheng Zhihu, Qi Changguo added:

"But this company is not exactly the same as Jiaxing Company."

"What His Majesty means is that a company is a partnership established by the public."

"Then with the authorization of His Majesty, he will have some powers of the imperial court."

The establishment of the company had already been planned by Zhu Youjian.

But the company at this time was completely different from the commercial companies of later generations.

What he wanted to establish was an organization similar to the East India Company. Able to exercise part of the yamen's power to facilitate overseas development.

After the Zheng Group asked the court to allow them to operate along the coast and still collect water reports, he decided to delegate the power of taxation to Dongning Company and share this part of the benefits through a partnership——

As far as he knew, Zheng Zhilong made his fortune by reporting water, earning tens of millions a year, making him as wealthy as the country.

If half or more can be divided from it, the inner court will not be short of money for expenses, and can even train a few more soldiers and horses to expand its power.

Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Cai and others can naturally figure out this intention.

But what they cared about was that the emperor allowed them to continue collecting taxes.

In this way, the biggest difference between them and the court is gone, and what remains is the issue of division of interests:

"Since the company is a partnership, how should the profits be divided?"

Facing Zheng Zhihu's inquiry, Qi Changguo secretly thought vulgarly, but he followed the emperor's instructions and said:
"His Majesty said that the power of Dongning Company was granted by him, and the internal supervisor will occupy 50% of the shares."

"Then Dongningwei will also occupy 10%."

"Fujian Health Center gets 10%, you get 10%, and company employees get 10%."

“The remaining 10% is reserved and may be sold to the outside world to raise the necessary funds.”

Zheng Zhihu and others had no objection to this fact.

But the Zheng Group only had 10% of its income, so they couldn't accept it. Zheng Zhihu said:
"One percent is too little to support so many brothers."

"Brothers, you can't just keep this little money for your life."

Qi Changguo smiled when he heard this and said:
"This ten percent is specially reserved for your brothers and the leaders."

"The salaries of company employees are included in the company's costs."

"Profits are distributed as dividends per share, and 10% of the shares are distributed to employees as bonuses."

"The top management will get 2%, and the rest of the staff will get 3%. The remaining 5% will be used as medical, pension, maternity, work-related injury insurance and housing provident fund. The life, old age, illness and death of the employees are all managed by the company."

"So you don't have to worry about whether you can support your brothers. They won't need to be supported by you in the future."

Zheng Zhihu's expression changed after hearing this statement. Knowing that if they follow this method, their control over their subordinates will plummet——

If you don’t need them to support you, you don’t need to listen to them anymore. The company management who controls the payment of salaries are their masters.

As the leading general, Zheng Zhihu instinctively opposed this.

But Zheng Cai, who pays more attention to business interests, is extremely envious of the so-called shares:

"This is a partnership with the emperor. As long as the emperor doesn't change his mind, Dongning Company can continue to operate."

"As long as Dongning Company does not collapse, we will be rich for generations."

As a member of the pirate group, Zheng Cai knows how quickly pirates change. There is no full confidence in whether the Zheng Group can survive forever.

But setting up a company in partnership with the emperor is different. No matter how great the losses are, they can rely on the emperor's support to rise again.

Even if the younger generation is incompetent, they can still receive dividends from the company's shares.

It can be said that in his heart, he was extremely envious that the Zheng brothers could obtain shares in Dongning Company. It's a pity that he is not Zheng Zhilong's brother, nor is he a pirate leader, so he will most likely miss out on the shares.

In order to show his value and obtain some shares in future distribution, Zheng Cai actively fought for:
"One percent is too little. General Qi should know that we have Shiba Zhi over there."

"Everyone who gets one point should also have eighteen points of shares."

"10% of the shares is too little for us!"

Qi Changguo laughed when he heard this and said:
"Brother Zheng Cai, don't you know you are bullying me?"

"The so-called Shibazhi, how many people are with you?"

"Yang Liu and Yang Qi have accepted the recruitment, and Liu Xiang won't join you, right?"

“It’s too much to ask for 18 points to get Shiba Zhi!”

Then he said:
"And the so-called shares are not the lowest point."

"His Majesty said that the total share capital of Dongning Company is temporarily calculated as 10 million shares."

"One point of shares can be divided into 100,000 shares."

"Leaders with little contribution and weak strength can get less than one point."

"Brother Zheng Cai can also ask for the allocation of several thousand shares."

Some suggestions were made for the distribution of interests within the Zheng Group.

Zheng Cai's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, knowing that Qi Changguo had seen through his thoughts.

His purpose in obtaining shares is for himself.

But now it seems that he doesn't have to fight for more, and he can get thousands of shares or even more by virtue of his status as a member of the Zheng family.

So after that, it fell silent immediately.

Zheng Zhihu was still a little unwilling and said:

"The Fujian Health Center can't defeat us, so why give them 10%?"

"And Dongningwei, why do you get 10% of the shares?"

Hearing this, Qi Changguo's face became solemn and he said seriously:
"The Fujian Health Center's 10% cannot be changed."

"If you are not convinced, then go back and prepare for war and continue the fight with the Fujian Navy."

"Dongningwei is taking a stake in the port of Dongning Island." "As long as there is a port and a shipyard, no matter how many times you fail, you can start again."

"With this condition, 10% is not too much, right?"

He stared at Zheng Zhihu to see if he would raise any objection.

Zheng Zhihu was puzzled and wanted to include Dongning Guard in Fujian Guard, and the two together would account for 10%.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Cai gently pulled his sleeve from the side and asked him to look at the Jin Yiwei opposite.

Only then did he realize that Qi Changguo and others were staring at him, as if as long as he didn't agree, there was no need to talk anymore.

This forced him to put aside the idea of ​​fighting and use the time to go to the toilet to discuss with Zheng Cai:
"Dongningwei is just an empty shelf, why should it take 10% of the revenue?"

"And we built the port and everything else, so why should we let them use the port to invest in it?"

Zheng Cai understood the key and sighed:
"The Dongning Guard is fine, but we can't afford to offend the factory guards behind it."

"Who has been granted the title of Dongning Guard now? Most of them are eunuchs and Jinyi Guards."

"It's hard to say whether these people will accomplish anything, but if you mess with them, it will definitely cause bad things."

"So this 10% share must be given to Dongningwei!"

Zheng Zhihu froze when he heard this, knowing that he couldn't argue anymore. They have seen how terrifying the eunuchs and royal guards are these days.

Just to please these people, I have to offer 10% of the shares.

So he expressed his opinion to the Fujian Health Institute, saying that people like Yu Zigao were not worthy of sharing shares with them:
"As long as we are given time, we will definitely defeat Yu Zigao and others."

"No need to give them shares!"

Zheng Cai shook his head and said:

"You have to accept the recruitment, don't say such things again."

"Regardless of whether we have the ability to defeat the Fujian officers and soldiers, it seems to be a stalemate from the court's perspective."

"And in order to contain us, Fujian Health Center must also occupy 10% of the shares."

"So I think the matter of shares has been settled like this."

"What we can strive for is 10% of the employees and 10% of the shares reserved for external sale."

This was what he was thinking, and he was eyeing the 2% shares allocated by senior executives. They also plan to snap up some shares when Dongning Company's shares are put on sale.

Under his persuasion, Zheng Zhihu finally gave up his idea of ​​​​distributing shares. It was decided to make this division according to Qi Changguo's proposal.

However, Zheng Zhihu really didn't want to give up the control over his subordinates. He also knew that his eldest brother Zheng Zhilong could not completely hand over his subordinates, so he asked Dongning Company to set up a fleet and put their brothers in charge. Now those shipmen are still under their control.

Of course, Qi Changguo did not dare to agree to this request, which was like asking for troops. The matter of recruiting the Zheng Group began to get stuck at this point.

Mentally prepared for this, Zhu Youjian knew that Zheng Zhilong had sent Zheng Zhihu to the north, and the requirements were definitely not simple. After thinking about it, he gave instructions:
"Dongning Company is the head office, and subsidiaries can be established below with specialized powers."

"For example, for port operations, Dongning Port Company can be established. For commercial operations, Dongning Trading Company can be established."

"Dongning head office accounts for 50% to 80% of the subsidiary's shares, and the rest, except for 10%, is used as a bonus pool for employees and is allocated to capable people."

"If the Zheng brothers want to lead troops, I will allow them to establish Dongning Insurance Company and set up an insurance corps for them to lead."

"As for the shares of Dongning Insurance Company, the head office holds 80%, the Zheng brothers and others hold 10%, and the employees hold 10%."

"Tell him that this is the final condition. From now on, their ship crews will be changed to insurance crews."

“The so-called water report must also be changed to insurance to protect against the risks of sea travel.”

This was Zhu Youjian's new idea and the reason why he established Dongning Insurance Company. The emperor and the pirates collaborated to collect water. It would be too ugly to tell anyone. It is better to switch to insurance to protect against maritime risks.

From now on, what those people will hand over to Zheng Zhilong is the insurance premium. If any pirates dare to rob a ship that pays insurance premiums, Dongning Insurance Company will punish them.

It's okay for Liu Xiang and other pirate gangs to join the insurance company. If they don't join and continue to rob, they will be wiped out by the insurance company.

Qi Changguo and other Jinyiwei senior officials strongly agreed with the establishment of Dongning Insurance Company. In their hearts, they actually had objections to the division between the emperor and the pirates. It's just that the court is short of money, and they don't dare to resist the emperor, so they can only let it go.

Now, the emperor changed his name and established an insurance company. No matter what the substance is, at least it sounds good to the public.

Zheng Zhilong and others also have insurance teams, not private troops.

In order to reassure Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhihu and others, Zhu Youjian said:
"The knighthood promised previously can also be fulfilled."

"Let the brothers of the Zheng family know that I allow them to be rich and prosperous for generations to come, and to share weal and woe with the Ming Dynasty."

"If they still have delusions, then go back and prepare for war!"

Zhu Youjian actually didn't care much about the combat effectiveness of the Zheng Zhilong Group. The reason why they were recruited was purely because they did not want to open another front, so as to prevent the Ming Dynasty from distracting its energy and being unable to deal with the rebels in the northeast and the refugees in the northwest.

The purpose of recruiting Zheng Zhilong's gang was mainly to make money, rather than paying much attention to their sailors.

If Zheng Zhilong and others are ignorant and have difficulty satisfying the recruitment conditions, Zhu Youjian does not care about dragging this matter and will destroy this group of thieves after the court frees up its energy.

Zheng Zhilong obviously knew that he was unable to compete with the imperial court, so he kept seeking to recruit him. This time, sending his most trusted brother Zheng Zhihu northward has already shown his attitude of accepting the recruitment. The conditions for recruitment are also required to only protect the core.

Therefore, after the emperor allowed them to continue to lead troops to collect taxes, and promised to be rich and prosperous for generations with titles. Zheng Zhihu quickly negotiated the terms with Qi Changguo and decided to accept the recruitment.

At this time, Zhu Youjian summoned Zheng Zhihu and issued a decree to recruit him, allowing Zheng Zhilong and others to redeem themselves by performing meritorious services.

Then he asked Zheng Zhihu cordially about his experience and personal situation.

Zheng Zhihu never expected that the emperor would be so kind. He couldn't help himself with excitement and told all his family's affairs, which was more detailed than Jin Yiwei's inquiry.

Zhu Youjian saw that he was honest and wanted to divide the Zheng brothers, so he said:
"Admiral Yu Zigao of the Navy has requested me many times to let you serve as a staff general in the Navy."

"What do you think? Do you have any thoughts of making a contribution?"

Zheng Zhihu was so stunned by the emperor's kindness that he could not express his objections, so he immediately expressed his position:

"All you have to do is obey His Majesty's orders!"

"I will serve wherever His Majesty asks me to go."

Zhu Youjian Longyan was delighted and immediately ordered:
"it is good!"

"At Yu Zigao's request, I will appoint you as the Naval Admiral. You will lead 3,000 ships and troops and be stationed at the Weihai base."

"Your brother was also appointed as a staff general to fight against pirates in Fujian and assist in the development of the Dongning Guard."

Overjoyed by this, Zheng Zhihu really did not expect that the emperor would appoint both of their brothers as generals. He was one level higher than expected from a guerrilla general.

This made him feel that the emperor was really generous, unlike the imperial guards of Qi Changguo who had to worry about even the smallest share.

What particularly pleased him was that the emperor fulfilled his promise, conferring Zheng Zhilong as a baron, him and other leaders as knights, and allowing him to choose fiefdoms on Dongning Island——

This means that they may become hereditary nobles with fiefdoms in the future, and truly be the same as the Ming Dynasty. (End of chapter)