Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 176 The Origin of Salt
Shuntian Prefecture is very lively today, with Chengqingfang Street, Zhengyang Street, Liangmen Qingshui Street and other main roads in Shuntian Prefecture, including but not limited to Daxing, Tongzhou and other counties.

At this time, all the people gathered in front of the post station.

The moment the post station opened, people swarmed in to deliver their express parcels. The post stations had to send people to maintain order and tell them not to worry and that they could send their parcels at any time.

Chen Ce, Yang Yuzhen and Zhu Houzhao stood in front of Chengqingfang Street and looked at the huge crowds of people, their eyes couldn't help but turn red.

Yang Yuzhen said sarcastically: "Haha, this stupid boss."

Although Yang Yuzhen bought back his ancestral property, he gave it to his father to manage, and he still works in the newspaper industry.

"As a business genius, I only need to give him a brief look to know how stupid the business he started is."

Chen Ce glanced at him and said, "Seeing that their business is doing well? Are you jealous?"

Yang Yuzhen said calmly: "It's really not!"

"This is all short-lived. What's the point of having a good business? It will go bankrupt soon. Yang is putting this on hold."

"One month. If this Shuntian Posthouse doesn't close down, I will become your foster father."

Yang Yuzhen said to Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, I don't need a son like you, although my thoughts coincide with yours... Oh, that's not right, what do you mean by recognizing you as my adoptive father?"

Yang Yuzhen waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter!"

"First, let's try to analyze how outrageous the business philosophy of this so-called Shuntian Express is."

"He invested in many stations in the capital region, including Shuntianfu, Baoding, Tongzhou, and Daxing, and the rental of houses at these stations made a lot of money."

"Secondly, he has to hire a lot of laborers to deliver the goods, and the labor fee for each laborer is quite a lot of cost."

"Not to mention the transportation tools like carriages, horses, mules, etc., the price for each load of goods is so cheap. The most outrageous thing is that they also deliver things like letters?"

"I charge one penny for a letter, but it's not even enough to cover the cost of a porter running back and forth. How can I make money from this?"

"I lost so much money that I urinated blood!"

Yang Yu spoke confidently, as if he had already seen the tragic fate of Shuntian Express a month later.

Chen Ce narrowed his eyes and asked Yang Yuzhen, "A letter goes to a destination. There can't be only one item of goods at this destination, right? Delivering letters is not a side job. You can't calculate the income and cost conversion separately, right?"

Yang Yuzhen: "Ah, this..."

It seems to make sense.

Yang Yuzhen said: "Anyway, in my opinion, it will definitely be a loss. The owner of Shuntian Express is a fool!"

"That's beyond doubt!"

"He saw the benefits of our newspapers from selling at low prices and high volumes, and he wants to imitate us. It's ridiculous!"

Chen Ce thought for a moment and said to Yang Yuzhen, "Let's make a bet. If Shuntian Express wants to survive for a month, you have to pay me five taels of silver. If it wants to close, I have to pay you five taels of silver."

Yang Yuzhen laughed and said, "Well, I'm sorry, this money will be taken by me, Yang!"

……

In the afternoon, Zhu Houzhao followed Chen Ce back to Huaihua Hutong.

Chen Ce did not mention to Zhu Houzhao that Shuntian Express was his own business.

Today he just went to watch the fun. After coming back, Zhu Houzhao no longer cared about Shuntian Express. He asked Chen Ce, "Little brother, let's continue talking about the flood of salt permits."

"Do you have a solution to it?" This time Zhu Houzhao really couldn't be tough anymore. He could still be tough before, but facing this situation he really couldn't be tough.

On the stone bench under the old locust tree, Chen Ce held a cup of tea and said to Zhu Houzhao with a smile: "I will first tell you how to break the situation of the collapse of the central system, and then discuss how to break the situation of excessive issuance of salt permits."

This is Chen Ce’s second step to resolve the crisis, and it is very crucial.

Zhu Houzhao needs to participate in the whole thing. Without him, Chen Ce's plan cannot be implemented.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Chen Ce in astonishment and said, "You, you really can solve it?"

Chen Ce: “?”

What do you mean? It can't solve why I put this concept to you before?

You seem surprised. I didn't say that this situation cannot be resolved?

"The fundamental reason why Taizu proposed the Kaizhong system was because of transportation difficulties."

"The essence of the Kaizhong system is to send grain from the south to the north, and the court will give salt permits. Until now, merchants cannot exchange salt permits and choose not to cooperate with the court."

Chen Ce pointed out the essence of the problem in a few words, and Zhu Houzhao nodded repeatedly after hearing it.

“Now the opportunity has come.”

Zhu Houzhao subconsciously asked: "What opportunity?"

Chen Ce said: "Shuntian Express."

what?
Zhu Houzhao asked puzzledly: "What do you mean?"

Chen Ce said: "This express delivery industry just happens to meet the transportation needs. The court can negotiate with them and designate them to transport grain to the Nine Borders."

Zhu Houzhao: "..."

"They are not fools. The court cannot force them to buy or sell. You also said that merchants do not want salt permits. The court cannot give money to Shuntian Express. The court does not have the money to give."

Chen Ce smiled and said, "Maybe the other party's needs may not be money and salt permits?"

"The industry has just been established, and currently only the transportation network is laid out in the north, with most of the south of the Yangtze River still undeveloped."

"It is not a bad idea for the imperial court to use the power of the government to build their network routes in the south, and in exchange for the task of transporting grain from the south to the north for the next ten years."

Zhu Houzhao said suspiciously: "But they may not agree."

Chen Ce said: "How can you not know if you don't try?"

The network lines in the south are too large, and there are too many in Jiangnan. Chen Ce can't afford it with his financial resources alone. If the court can help him complete the initial construction, what's wrong with delivering grain to the court for free? Isn't this one of the tasks of express delivery?
From any perspective, Chen Ce made the profit.

By that time, the national express delivery network will be fully rolled out, and Chen Ce's investment will only be the cost of the north!

It benefits both others and oneself. On the one hand, it solves the problem of the collapse of the Kaizhong system, and on the other hand, it improves the national commercial network of express delivery.

Use your own business to completely replace and depose the big businessmen's dominant position in the Kaizhong system in the future.

Make yourself the biggest businessman and never allow those big businessmen to continue to grow bigger.

After the Shanxi merchants became powerful, they had already set up barriers for small merchants who wanted to invest in the Kaizhong system. In other words, they were full but did not allow others to eat, and they were rich but did not allow others to become rich.

In the long run, these parasites will influence the future of the Ming Dynasty for generations!

Chen Ce glanced at Zhu Houzhao and sighed slightly, "But we are just talking on paper. This matter still needs the intervention of the high-level officials of the court. We need someone who can make up his mind to discuss it. I can help the court to reach an agreement with Shuntian Express. I have the confidence to do so, but I don't know if the court will agree."

(End of this chapter)