Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 127 Do you want to be an official? (Second update)
A word to wake up the dreamer.

Luo Gan and others only felt a buzzing in their heads.

Xia Zhibai's words left them no room for argument.

I also understood Xia Zhibai's true confidence.

They are just a businessman, but Xia Zhibai is an "official". Even if he is just a "business official", he is still an official. The power he controls and the resources he can mobilize are far beyond what these businessmen can compare to.

The two are as different as heaven and earth.

Luo Gan and the others had pale faces, their lips twitched slightly, and they sat back weakly.

How can a businessman defeat an official?
Xia Zhibai said calmly: "Have you all calmed down now?"

Luo Gan and the others were absent-minded and did not say anything. They were still immersed in what Xia Zhibai said and could not come back to their senses for a long time. If the court insisted on implementing it, what could they, the salt merchants, do?
Do you really dare to confront the government?

Do they dare?
The methods of His Majesty are known to the world.

Killing officials is as easy as slaughtering chickens and dogs, and killing these businessmen would probably be done without even blinking an eye.

In the past, the only thing these merchants could bargain for with the imperial court was their own convenient transportation, but this was the case when the post stations were not open to the public. If the post stations were open to the public, their inherent advantages would be enough to make up for all the gaps.

At best, they are middlemen.

How can I be qualified to bargain with the government?

Xia Zhibai poured himself a cup of tea, sipped it quietly, and waited for Luo Gan and the others to wake up.

The truth is so cruel.

The land of China has been adhering to the principle of "officialism" since ancient times.

Officials control all means of production in the world.

It’s just that when the power of the imperial court is not concentrated enough, many means of production will be occupied by the powerful and merchants. But once the central imperial court becomes strong, both the local powerful and the wealthy merchants can only live by the central imperial court.

This is even more true today.

Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, due to the loss of central power and the serious collusion between officials and businessmen, many businessmen really thought that they could compete with the imperial court, and even thought about using the power in their hands to force the imperial court to make concessions, but times have changed.

Today, the central government is extremely powerful.

Tell the truth.

Especially since the current emperor still pursues power politics.

If the businessmen of the world do not wake up quickly and realize that times have changed, they will still be faced with the butcher's knife, just like in the past.

There is only killing.

It was just because Zhu Yuanzhang looked down on merchants and did not realize how powerful the power he controlled was, so he naturally did not use it properly. Zhu Yuanzhang only regarded merchants as fat pigs he raised, and when they were fat, he would send people to kill them, but he neglected the real governance of merchants.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't realize it.

But Xia Zhibai knew everything about this.

Businessmen also have to be political, and politics is above all else.

Anyone who attempts to put personal interests above politics will be destroyed.

a long time.

Luo Gan and others finally woke up.

They have lingering fears.

The look in Xia Zhibai's eyes was filled with awe and fear.

It was not until now that they realized how naive their ideas were for trying to fight against the powerful imperial court.

This is simply death without life.

Luo Gan looked bitter. He stood up and bowed respectfully to Xia Zhibai, saying, "Master Xia, we were too rude earlier."

"Please, Master Xia, don't bear grudges and don't take those words to heart."

Zhang Yuan and others also stood up and saluted.

Although his face was blue and red, his attitude was much more humble.

There is no longer the ferocity and anger as before.

Xia Zhibai said calmly: "It is indeed me who caused you to suffer this. I have no objection to your anger and resentment."

"But I'll tell you the truth. In the past, the business community has been in a stage of wild growth and reckless behavior. They relied on collusion between officials and businessmen, or through violence, to run rampant and bully the people. This situation must be completely eradicated."

"The era of wild growth in the business community is over."

"In the future, the business community must always be under the control of the court."

"Without exception."

“There is no room for accidents.”

"There will be more and more shackles and noose around the necks of merchants."

“But I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

"During the wild growth period, many businessmen relied on some cleverness and small brains to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. It is indeed enviable."

"But this kind of businessmen cannot bring much positive effects to the world. Many of them even suppress latecomers after they rise up due to speculation. Moreover, the business community in the world has always been a mess since ancient times. They can never be united, let alone work together."

"Such merchants are of no use to the world."

"They are just a bunch of blood-sucking insects that suck the blood of the people."

Luo Gan and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. They were businessmen.

If we don’t make money from the people, where else can we make money from?

And isn’t Xia Zhibai also a businessman?
Although they were discussing this in their hearts, Luo Gan and the others did not dare to speak out loud and just listened quietly.

Xia Zhibai continued, "I know you have doubts in your hearts. You think that this is what business is all about. You are just a middleman, transporting things from one place to another place to sell. This is indeed the business model of the past."

“But it didn’t work after that.”

"Commercial trade involving people's livelihood will gradually be controlled by the court."

"The situation where people just rely on being a middleman to forcibly create demand and deliberately raise prices to make huge profits will gradually be replaced. Those who want to engage in businesses related to people's livelihood can only maintain the same attitude in the future."

"Small profits but quick turnover."

"It's impossible to make money from this situation."

"Of course, you are already used to making big money. If I let you make money slowly, I'm afraid you will curse me in your heart without saying anything. I will also show you a clear way, which is to create more value-added products based on people's livelihood products."

"Just like the salt from the Kyoto Salt Shop, there are fine salt, refined salt, and special salt."

"If you want to make huge profits, you can only seek them from the latter two. As for the daily necessities that the people rely on for their livelihood, anyone who dares to forcibly raise the prices in the future will be severely punished by the government."

"You can continue to be middlemen, but you can only make small, hard-earned money from it."

“If you want to make big money, you have to use your brain and take money from people with extra money.”

Luo Gan and others' eyelids jumped.

Xia Zhibai said it simply, but how easy is it?
Moreover, most of these people with extra money are powerful. Even if these people don't give money, what can they do? What can they do? The only way to make money steadily is to get it from the grassroots people. This is the way to make money, and only this money can really be put into your pocket.

What Xia Zhibai said was too abstract.

Flashy.

It sounds good, but it's not practical.

Xia Zhibai ignored the disdain and contempt of the few people.

Products with low added value should not have such high profits. They don't want to make some high added value. They just want to suck blood from the lower-class people all day long. The lower-class people are sucked by the court and these unscrupulous businessmen. How can they bear it?

This situation must be reversed.

Xia Zhibai said: "Now the court will slowly take back the management rights of people's livelihood products. This will indeed cause a large number of merchants to lose their livelihoods, but this may also be a path for the merchants to transform."

"If you can complete the transformation at this time, from sucking blood from the people in the past to becoming a real 'entrepreneur', you can not only benefit the world, but also benefit the people, and make a profit from it. Even the court will look at you differently."

“Of course it’s difficult.”

"Most of you have no clue."

"But I will provide you with directions for you to choose from."

"We will also provide you with certain technical support. Of course, if you don't want to take risks, you can also invest your money in other people and let them do these things, and then you can profit from it."

"The court also supports this."

Luo Gan and others quickly shook their heads.

It’s not easy to make money, so how can you let others spend your money?

Xia Zhibai knew that it was not the right time yet.

Just a reminder.

Xia Zhibai said: "I came here this time not only to inform you that I will be involved in the Shouzhou and Chuzhou salt industry, but also to find another way for you to make a living."

"After all, everything you are experiencing now is actually caused by me."

"The way out I'm going to give you is to join the Kyoto Salt Shop."

"Now the Kyoto Salt Shop has gradually gotten on track. Compared to the past where salt was made by cooks and salt was transported by servants, the Kyoto Salt Shop has adopted a system of employment. It has been tentatively determined that the monthly salary of a cook is 200 wen per person, and the monthly salary of a salt transporter is 300 wen. As for some management staff, their monthly salary is even higher."

"This amount of money is indeed much less than what you earned in the past."

"But it's enough to make a living."

"I can absorb all the people in your hands."

"The salt shop operations in Shouzhou and Chuzhou can also be handed over to you."

"even"

"If you run your business well, you will have a chance to get rid of the lowly status of 'merchant' and become an 'official'. If you are really lucky, you will have a chance to become an 'official'. Although the chance is slim now, there may be a chance in the future."

"What do you think?"

After hearing what Xia Zhibai said before, they sneered.

With a monthly salary of two or three hundred coins, he wanted to take away everything they had worked so hard to build. This was a bit too self-righteous. But after hearing what he said next, they all fell silent at the same time.

Official, clerk.

This is a hurdle that cannot be overcome in doing business.

They have been doing business for so many years and have had countless dealings with local officials, but they know that their status is low and they can only swallow their anger. Even if they are deducted for food and drink again and again, they dare not lose their temper and can only flatter them in a nice voice.

As for being an official, if there is an option, wouldn't they want to?
However, since they were born into a lowly family, there was nothing they could do about it.

But now, Xia Zhibai actually said that by working in the salt shop in Kyoto, he could become an official and escape from his status as a slave?

This made them waver.

(End of this chapter)