I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 17 Yang Jinshui

Hangzhou City, formerly the Hangzhou Weaving Office of the Imperial Court, is now the Hangzhou branch of the Southeast Food and Pay Coordination Office.

Front hall.

Yang Jinshui, dressed in a blue robe and with his hair tied up in a bun, sat at the top in a very casual manner. Below him were the shopkeepers of more than a dozen large silk shops in the southeast, headed by Xing Ruixiang.

Everyone complimented him in unison, "Chairman Yang is a master strategist with great foresight. The price of silk sold to Westerners has increased by 30% this year, and everyone has benefited from it."

"Yes, Yang Huiban is leading the way, and we are following suit. We will go through fire and water in the future without hesitation."

Flattering words came to Yang Jinshui one after another as if they were free of charge.

He had a smile on his face, as if enjoying everyone's compliments, but he was sneering in his heart.

A bunch of bastards!

When we asked you to unify the price, each of you was more cunning than a morning glory.

Now that you've made money, you're full of nice things to say.

When I was framed and fell into trouble, I remember all the looks on your faces.

Yang Jinshui waved his hand, and everyone slowly stopped talking.

"This matter has nothing to do with me. It was His Royal Highness Prince Yu who gave me the golden trick."

The shopkeepers looked at each other, what did this mean?
After a moment of silence, the shopkeeper of Xing Ruixiang asked in a playful manner, "Mr. Yang, may I ask what is your brilliant plan?"

Yang Jinshui smiled and was no longer in a hurry.

He picked up the tea on the table next to him, took two sips, put it down, and continued speaking as everyone waited.

"When I left Beijing, I said goodbye to His Royal Highness. The prince asked me what was the most important thing in a business war. Yang replied that it was to find out the needs of the other party so that you could sell things to them; and to find the pain points of the other party so that you could sell things at a good price."

Everyone nodded.

Although Yang Jinshui was a disabled person, he was a good businessman. When he was the Hangzhou weaving supervisor, he went to Hangzhou alone and became the largest silk merchant in the southeast in just three years.

Unfortunately, he was caught up in a party dispute.

"Your Highness nodded, and agreed very much with what Yang said. He then asked, the demand of Western merchants is silk, so what is their pain point? Yang shook his head and could only answer that he didn't know."

The shopkeepers were all speculating in their hearts.

What are the pain points of Westerners?

Short of money?
It seems that they have no shortage of it. I heard that their hometown has a lot of gold and silver. If nothing else, they can raise a lot of silver from East Japan by trading goods there.

The journey is long?
No matter how far it is, as long as there is a sea route, it is not a problem for these Western merchants who love money like their life and are willing to travel thousands of miles.

So what are their pain points?
Yang Jinshui smiled faintly and revealed the answer: "The prince saw that I was puzzled, so he gave me a hint of a word: wind!"

When everyone heard this, some smart people seemed to understand something, but they did not fully comprehend it in a short time.

The mediocre are still confused and don't know what to say.

"Yang didn't know what the prince meant at the time. One day when I was sailing south on a canal boat, I saw the boatman raising the sail and rowing, and suddenly I realized it. The prince is wise. The biggest pain point for Western merchants is the wind."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and a shopkeeper bowed and said, "Mr. Yang, please help us solve this problem."

"Everyone, you all know that Western merchants are thousands of miles away from our Ming Dynasty. All they have to do is sail by sea, which requires sailing. To sail, you need wind. With the wind, you can go fast; against the wind, you can go slow; without wind, you can't move.

When Yang arrived in Jiangnan, he consulted more than a dozen veteran boatmen and learned that Western merchants traveled thousands of miles and the wind direction was changeable along the way. After years of experience, they summed up a set of methods.

In the ocean south of India, southwest winds are mostly blowing from March to September, and northeast winds are mostly blowing from December to February of the following year. In the South China Sea of ​​our Ming Dynasty, southwest winds are mostly blowing from May to August, and northeast winds are mostly blowing from October to March of the following year.

Generally speaking, when Western merchants come to the Ming Dynasty, it is usually in April, May, and June, when the wind blows from the south. When they leave for home, it is usually in October, November, and December, when the wind blows from the north.

When Yang Jinshui said this, the clever shopkeeper slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "I know, I know! Yang Huiban really knows everything about astronomy and geography, and he is a genius!"

Yang Jinshui said calmly: "Don't get it wrong, it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who gave us this advice."

"Yes, yes, it's His Royal Highness the Prince of Yu, who is extremely talented and knowledgeable." "Old Pan, what exactly does it mean? What exactly does Yang Huiban mean by what he said?" The shopkeeper, who didn't understand the situation for a while, asked hurriedly.

"I don't understand. These Western merchants come to our Ming Dynasty in April and May with the south wind, place purchase orders with us, and then load a ship with our Celestial Empire's goods, go to East Japan for a round trip, and make a lot of money. After returning, they wait for us to collect the reserved silk, load it on the ship, and then return with the north wind in October.

Yang Huiban secretly joined us and delayed the collection of goods until August. The Westerners were getting anxious. If they delayed any further, they would have to wait until October to set off for their hometown when the north wind came.

I have also heard that the north wind is not strong after October and changes very quickly. The most favorable and convenient days are only a few days. If you miss it, Western merchants will be delayed for a year. "

Yang Jinshui added, "That's right. In addition to the journey to the South China Sea, they also have to consider the journey to the ocean south of India. If they don't set off in October, they will still not be able to catch a favorable wind when they arrive in the South China Ocean of India a month or two later. They will have to delay their business for another year."

The other shopkeepers all understood.

"Delaying a year's business? That's a huge loss. You might as well grit your teeth and accept our request for a 30% price increase. Anyway, as long as the silk is successfully transported back to their hometown, it will still be a huge profit."

"Yes, yes, this is what Yang Huiban said, the pain point of Western merchants."

Yang Jinshui emphasized again: "Wrong, this pain point statement is the secret that His Royal Highness Prince Yu taught to Yang!"

After the shopkeepers had discussed excitedly, Yang Jinshui coughed a few times, and the noise in the hall gradually became lower.

"This time, Yang wants to make money with you all. Do you know why?"

Yang Jinshui's words made the shopkeepers look at each other in bewilderment. Many sensitive shopkeepers were moved. Could it be the same old routine again, asking for contributions after making money?
"It's Yang Huiban who is so righteous!"

"Chairman Yang is considerate of us, and we are very grateful."

The shopkeepers just responded perfunctorily.

"The Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office dared to tell Hu Butang to raise food and pay for tens of thousands of Southeastern Anti-Japanese soldiers. What is the confidence? Do you know?"

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, some not understanding, some pretending not to understand, Yang Jinshui sneered in his heart.

"The confidence comes from the maritime monopoly granted by the emperor's decree. In the territory of the Ming Dynasty, all trade with overseas merchants must obtain a maritime monopoly license. The Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office is responsible for reviewing and issuing maritime monopoly licenses in accordance with the emperor's decree."

As soon as Yang Jinshui finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall.

What! We need approval to do business with maritime merchants?

Is there any law?
Oh, the emperor’s words are the law.

One shopkeeper said angrily, "Mr. Yang, this is against the rules."

Yang Jinshui asked grimly: "What are the rules? In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's words are the rules! They are the king's law!"

"Mr. Yang, you are exploiting merchants and competing with the people for profits!"

"Paying taxes legally is exploiting merchants? Competing with the people for profits? Which people? The ordinary people in Hangzhou City and the counties in the southeast, or the big families behind you?"

"Yang Huiban, will this cause unrest in the southeast?"

"Haha, the southeast is turbulent, that sounds so nice. Isn't it just a threat to the imperial court and the Japanese invasion? Do you really think the imperial court and the emperor don't know what the Japanese invasion in the southeast is?

But I remind you that today is different from the past. Hu Bingbu's tens of thousands of elite soldiers have already eliminated the Japanese invasion in Zhejiang and are currently eliminating the Japanese invasion in Fujian.

If anyone dares to make trouble, Hu Bingbu will kill them!

When the time comes, we can follow the clues and find evidence of collusion with the Japanese. I wonder how many heads some people will have to chop off!"

Yang Jinshui's murderous words echoed in the hall, frightening all the shopkeepers and making them dare not speak for a long time.

Seeing that everyone was shocked, Yang Jinshui's expression changed and became gentle, and his tone became cordial.

"In fact, it is very simple to obtain a maritime merchant franchise license. You just need to follow the accounting system, sort out the accounts and inventory, and then accept the audit every six months. Then you can easily make a lot of money."

"Yang will do it, is it true?" A shopkeeper was tempted.

"You are all experienced businessmen. You can tell whether it is true or false at a glance. Take it and have a look. Consider it carefully. It is so much better to make money peacefully. Why do you have to make money at the risk of a knife?"

Yang Jinshui signaled his men to take out stacks of regulations and distribute them to the shopkeepers, smiling in an especially kind manner.

(End of this chapter)