Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong

Chapter 74 Making Money
While having lunch at noon, Zhao Xin felt that leading and training troops was really a troublesome task.

The key point is that he wants to leave, but he can't. If he becomes an official in the future, he will have even less time. While eating, he asked his seventeen subordinates: "Next, how do you plan to practice?"

Almost all of the seventeen were from the imperial guards, so they must know something about the methods of training soldiers.

Even Zhao Xun, a descendant of a military family, might know the whole set, but...

Why are there so few people who can be called elite soldiers in history?
That’s the problem!
Zhao Xin naturally also hopes that he can have an elite force under his command.

However, given the conditions, it seems that it is not so easy to train them into elite soldiers.

Someone said, "We should train them according to the method of training the imperial guards. How else can we train them? But now, we don't even have weapons or armor, so we can only train the team first."

Zhao Xin also said: "Team training is the foundation of everything. So how can you train them to be good at it? Do you have any methods or tricks?"

Five hundred people can be divided into five teams for separate training.

By then, at least five people will be needed to lead the training.

Then everyone expressed their opinions.

But to be honest, no matter how clever the instructor is, it is not as good as giving the soldiers good benefits.

Why are you working so hard for just 2,000 yuan a month?
The monthly salary for these soldiers is at most five hundred and at least three hundred.

One thousand a month, that’s for the top imperial guards.

Therefore, it is conceivable that with a salary of only 500 yuan a month, who would risk their life to fight with you?

Zhao Xin feels that the battle is still about logistics. Only when the logistics are well done can the combat effectiveness be guaranteed.

therefore……

Do you think he hopes to see these 500 people become successful immediately?

Of course that is what we hope for!
only……

With the current monthly salary, it's difficult.

After lunch, Zhao Xin held another meeting for 500 people.

Ask someone who knows carpentry.

Or someone who is good at business and has brains.

Then I picked out these people and told them that if they had a project, I, Zhao Xin, would invest in it!
of course!

In fact, it is not allowed for the military to do business on its own, as it is a taboo.

and so……

He needs to tell his father about this in advance.

of course!

If it's a big deal, just let them stop being soldiers, restore their civilian status, and then do business for themselves.

It seems that the Song Dynasty did not prohibit officials from doing business too much.

It's a case of turning a blind eye. As long as you don't go too far, the court will not care about you.

People like Lu Yijian must have a lot of properties in their hands.

……

in the afternoon.

Others train the cohort.

Zhao Xin, on the other hand, left behind a group of people to discuss how to do business.

Zhao Xun naturally told Zhao Xin that it was not possible for the army to do business.

It is easy to be impeached by censors.

but……

Zhao Xin didn't listen. Besides, his five hundred men were in such a state. How could they fight if they didn't eat something good?

but……

This would indeed set a very bad precedent. If everyone were like him, then the law would be in chaos.

So... today we are just discussing this way to make money, and we have no plans to do it right away.

If you censors want to impeach me, you have to wait until I do it.

Then, everyone started racking their brains.

After all - if they really had that kind of business acumen, they would definitely not be in the situation they are in now.

If someone really had a business acumen, he would have become rich long ago.

Sitting in his seat, Zhao Xin looked up at the roof, sighed deeply, and then began to think hard about this money-making thing.

of course!

He had some ideas, just not much.

Then he guided everyone little by little: "What business outside the palace is the most profitable?"

Someone said, "Pearls, jade, gold and silver."

“We don’t have any mines.”

Another person said, "Cloth. In the border areas, besides salt and iron, cloth is the most valuable."

Zhao Xin asked, "Where did the cloth come from?"

Although Zhao Xin knew that a silkworm will not stop spinning silk until death, he was only four years old after all, so he still had to pretend to be cute.

Then everyone stared at him.

Suddenly, for a moment, they all felt that it was a bit abnormal for Zhao Xin to ask such a question.

after all……

Zhao Xin gave them the impression that he knew everything, so how could their Duke Shou not even know where cloth came from?

Seeing Zhao Xin looking at them with a cute face, one of them could only say: "Shou Guogong grew up in the deep palace, so it's normal that he doesn't know where this cloth came from. But... Shou Guogong should know about silk, right?"

Zhao Xin said, "This... seems to have been heard of."

The man said, "Cloth is made from silk spun by silkworms and then woven by women workers on looms."

Zhao Xin also had an expression that said, "I understand!"

But Zhao Xin quickly added: "I still don't understand!"

After a pause, he continued, "Who can bring me a loom to show me how it is woven?"

Everyone could only look at each other, trying to see who was at a disadvantage and move their own looms over to have a look.

But there must be some in this palace, after all, there must be departments like the Weaving Bureau.

So... Zhao Xin asked the eunuch to find his father, and then asked his father to instruct the people below to bring him a loom.

The round trip took half a day.

Of course, Zhao Xin did not waste his time in vain. Besides cloth, what other business could he do?
The best business is the one that can make money from rich people without destroying the business of ordinary people.

otherwise……

If you eat everything, how can the people live?
For example, if I asked you to open a Yongxing steamed bun shop and turn it into a chain store, wouldn't Wu Dalang be unemployed?

In fact, Zhao Xin thinks that the gambling industry is the best way to make money!
Because no matter whether you win or not, I will be the winner in the end.

No one just brought it up.

In the afternoon... we finished the discussion and then dispersed.

If you want to make money in ancient times, you either have to take advantage of the geographical location, such as in the border areas, where it is easy to make money. As long as you dare to use the power in your hands, you can make a lot of money by smuggling some things.

Or, you have control over the means of production that others do not have, for example, you have invented a more advanced loom or something.

Or, you know the information gap, know where something is, and can sell it to another place to make a lot of money.

Zhao Xin felt that the most reliable thing at the moment was to master the means of production that others did not have.

However, it is not easy to do cloth business. First you have to plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms, and reel silk. Then you have to build a weaving factory. Finally, you have to find a market.

(End of this chapter)