I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 944: Crazy Fight for Team Position
"Have you heard? Have you heard?"

"After his highness the Tang prince came back to life, the first thing he did was to set up a Western Region Development Company, saying that he wanted to help everyone get rich!"

Three days later, Luoyang City.

As the "Articles of Association of the Western Region Development Company" and the share offering announcement were posted on the bulletin board in the early morning, the entire Luoyang city instantly became excited.

In the teahouses of the West Market, wealthy merchants huddled together, competing to pass around the copied regulations; in the taverns of the East Market, the children of wealthy families whispered to each other, repeatedly calculating the possible profits; even in front of the Imperial College, there were students holding bamboo slips and engaging in heated debates.

Even outside the city walls of Luoyang, the common people living there were crazily discussing this new and strange event.

"Lao Zhang, you know a lot of words, please read to us what is written on this notice?"

In the Minami Market outside Heisei-mon in the south of the city, several vendors in linen clothes were chattering around a bulletin board.

The cloth shop owner named Lao Zhang narrowed his eyes and read out word by word: "The Western Region Development Company is offering its first shares. Each share is priced at one guan of money, and the minimum subscription is ten shares. All shareholders will share the profits of the trade route according to their investment ratio."

"One tael of silver per share?!"

A grain merchant with pockmarks on his face screamed:

"How many stones of rice do I have to sell to get ten shares?"

The young shopkeeper of the nearby silk shop sneered:
"Wang Mazi, what do you know? This is a business going to the Western Regions, and it's a unique business authorized by the court. How can you lose money?"

"I remember my father once said before he passed away that when the trade routes to the Western Regions were open, people with connections would transport our capital's brocade to that place and make eight or ten times the profit in one transaction!"

"Ten times?!" There was a sound of inhalation all around.

There was an elderly businessman who suddenly recalled the prosperous scene decades ago and couldn't help but feel excited, but there were also others who were worried.

Mr. Li, the owner of the jewelry store next door, frowned and calculated: "Big profits are always accompanied by huge risks. The journey to the Western Regions is long. Not to mention the rampant bandits, the Qiang people in Hexi and the barbarians in the Western Regions are not easy to deal with."

"In the past, the limit for Han merchants was basically Dunhuang. If they went further west, most of the caravans would never return."

"Now, I think the Western Region Development Company wants to do business directly across the Pamir Mountains and go to Parthia. I'm afraid that the money invested will be wasted."

"Oh, that's true."

"What Mr. Li said is true."

Li Dongjia's words were echoed by everyone around him. Just as everyone was hesitating, a loud voice suddenly came from the back of the crowd:
"You guys are confused!"

Everyone turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a brocade robe striding towards them. This man turned out to be the owner of the Ma's business that had only taken root in Luoyang in recent years.

"Didn't you see it? It's written in black and white on this notice that His Royal Highness the King of Tang will personally take action to open up this first trade route. Back then, Ban Chao and his thirty-six men were able to conquer the Western Regions. Now that the King of Tang has stepped forward, what are you afraid of?"

Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing these words.

Who doesn't know that Tang Wang Su Yao is a master of military strategy?

The people in Luoyang city even regarded his skills as miraculous.

With the King of Tang stepping in, this isn't really impossible.

Therefore, many people plan to invest some money and give it a try.

However, what they didn't expect was.

"Since you are so afraid of losing your capital, how about my Zhen's Firm purchasing your shares?"

Suddenly, a young shopkeeper came over.

It turned out that for this first subscription, in order to encourage more people to participate, Su Yao specially set up a subscription quota for each company. No matter how rich you are, you can't become a major shareholder in one go.

However, whether it was due to the negligence of the Tang king or something else, someone soon discovered that the share registration of the Western Region Development Company was a combination of real-name registration and bearer registration. In other words, although real-name registration was required, private transactions were possible during transfer.

This discovery immediately caused a sensation in the business community.

"Everyone, please look," Zhen Yan, the young master of the Zhen's business, stood in the middle of the teahouse holding a contract and spoke eloquently, "My Zhen family is willing to purchase your subscription rights at the price of 1.2 yuan per share. The contract will be signed today and the payment will be made on the spot!"

The teahouse was in an uproar. Wang Mazi counted on his fingers: "Ten shares equal twelve strings of cash, which is two strings more than the original price."

"Wait a minute!" The young shopkeeper of the silk shop suddenly slammed the table and said, "I'll offer one and a half strings of cash for each share!" Are you kidding? Everyone knows that the Zhen family business is the direct descendant of the Tang King, and Zhongshan Lady Zhen Jiang is the first woman to be granted the title of a lady by the Tang King.

What does it mean that Zhen's company is so generous in purchasing their stock options?
This shows that this business is extremely profitable!

Suddenly, the shrewd businessmen who came to their senses started to make moves. In the corner, a few Sogdian businessmen were whispering to each other. In a blink of an eye, the stock price increased by 50% and was sold at 1.5 yuan per share.

At this time, all the businessmen could no longer sit still.

Those who are brave enough rushed out to call their friends and bid for their places at low prices before the news spread.

Even those who were timid signed stock transfer contracts with others, and then rushed to the registration office in East City with the money to subscribe for shares and put the money in their pockets.

At the same time, in Yuan Mansion in the north of Luoyang City.

"Father!"

Yuan Tan came running over, looking horrified, and asked:

"I heard that the servants in our Yuan Mansion were transporting money out by the cartload. What happened? Is the King of Tang finally going to take action against our family?"

Yuan Shao put down the teacup in his hand, rolled his eyes at his eldest son and said:

"You are now serving in the imperial court, how come you don't know what's going on in the world?"

"The Western Region Development Company is currently offering shares publicly. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I, your father, have decided to use half of our family assets to bid for shares."

"what?!"

"Half of the family assets?!"

Yuan Tan was dumbfounded:

"My Yuan family has three officials in four generations, and we are role models in the literati community. How could we do something like merchants competing for profits?"

"madness!"

Yuan Shao slammed the table and shouted angrily:

"It is precisely because my Yuan family has three officials in four generations and is the focus of everyone's attention that I must participate in this matter!"

"Do you think this is just a simple business matter?"

"No!"

"This is a major event that the Tang Emperor is personally in charge of. Didn't you see Cao Mengde in the court willing to resign as the Minister of War to follow the Tang Emperor on this trip to the Western Regions? What does this mean? Do I need to teach you?"

Yuan Shao stood up and took a deep breath:
"Su Yao suppressed the powerful families. Most of the famous families in Guandong in the past have fallen. The reason why my father is still alive and our family still has a seat in the court, what do you think it is based on? The title of four generations of three officials? That will only make us die faster."

"The King of Tang has returned from the dead and presented us with a world map. This is God's will!"

"As a former feudal lord, my father has survived until now by walking on thin ice, not making an enemy of the Tang King, and taking every step in the direction he wants."

"."

Honestly speaking, Yuan Tan was a little speechless after hearing these words, as he felt that they seemed to be inconsistent with what he knew. However, the person sitting high up in front of him was his father, so he couldn't refute anything and could only stand there and listen to the lecture.

But he also understood that this matter was not only a gamble by his father that the trip of the Tang King would be a huge success and bring benefits to the shareholders, but more importantly, it was to show the attitude of the Yuan family and firmly sit on the chariot of the Tang King.

He could understand this.

After all, after the King of Tang came back to life and presented such an incredible map, even those in the court and the public who were dissatisfied with him had to admit that the King of Tang was extraordinary.

If this is destiny and God’s will, then who dares to go against it?
Just as Yuan Tan was being scolded, the door suddenly banged open, and the steward hurried over, kowtowed and said:
"It's bad, Patriarch!"

"Several merchants from the Zhen and Mi families are jointly raising the price. Now the shares have risen to three strings of coins per share, and many people are still holding on to their shares. I'm afraid the money we had before is not enough."

"what?!"

Yuan Shao stood up suddenly and said, "Quick! Transfer another 100,000 strings of cash to subscribe! Tell the accountant to buy as many as you can get, at any price!"

(End of this chapter)