Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 439 Zhu Yunwen's Scythe, and Honesty!
Breaking news! The Jinling Stock Exchange has been officially launched, with several strong and high-quality companies listing on the stock exchange, creating a frenzy!

"When the stock market opened yesterday, His Majesty the Emperor personally came to Nanjing to ring the opening bell. The scene was bustling with excitement and the atmosphere was extraordinary!"

"Breaking news! Someone bought shares in a jewelry company and made tens of thousands of taels of silver, becoming rich overnight!"

……

The Da Ming Daily reported the unprecedented boom in the Da Ming stock market with eye-catching large print, and the excitement was palpable in every word.

In the streets and alleys of Nanjing, whether they were peddlers or merchants and nobles, almost everyone talked about the stock market.

The sweeping heat wave ignited everyone's hearts.

The legend of overnight riches, regardless of time or place, has always captivated people's attention like a magnet. After all,
For the masses, who doesn't yearn to turn their lives around, to escape the daily struggles and humiliation?
However, turning things around is easier said than done.

Rebellion? Overthrowing the old system, rising to power, and becoming the ruler of the world?
The thought, even for a fleeting moment, sent chills down one's spine.

Not to mention that the chances of success are as slim as trying to catch the moon's reflection in water, if they fail, they will be subjected to a thousand cuts and their entire family will be implicated. Who would dare to risk their life so easily?

Joining the military and making contributions may be a way out.

The imperial court has now abolished the old system of military households, and ordinary people can now enlist in the army. However, the number of new army positions is scarce, and the competition is fierce.

Although the pay is generous, it requires people to be physically strong and determined, and the military discipline is strict and allows no slackness.

Moreover, on the battlefield, life and death hang by a thread; amidst the clash of swords and the merciless gunfire, life is as worthless as grass.

Even if one survives by sheer luck and rises from the lowest-ranking soldier to a high position, isn't that a long and arduous journey?

Going out to sea on an adventure to find treasure? That's gambling with your life!

The vast ocean is unpredictable, with its ever-changing winds and waves. A slight misstep can lead to shipwreck and loss of life, with even the remains of the dead rarely recovered.

As for studying hard for years and hoping to pass the imperial examination with flying colors ten years later, that is an unattainable dream.

Countless people bury themselves in their books, burning the midnight oil and exhausting their youth, only to fail in the end, leaving behind only regret and sighs.

……

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, but every road is full of thorns!

Even with a glimmer of hope, before reaching the finish line, one must traverse mountains and rivers, shed countless drops of sweat, and endure endless hardships before glimpsing the dawn.

How can any of these compare to the heart-pounding allure of the stock market?

No need to overcome obstacles, fight bloody battles, or wait for a long time; simply toss in some silver coins, and you may become incredibly wealthy overnight.

How could such a near-mythical story not attract countless people?
As a result, the entire city of Jinling erupted in a frenzy, with every street and alleyway filled with a fervent atmosphere.

Driven by this surging emotion, the stock market, like a torrent under a raging fire, lived up to everyone's expectations.

The stocks of various companies sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, rising higher and higher each day, a dazzling and mesmerizing sight.

Those bystanders who missed the opportunity are now kicking themselves, filled with regret and remorse, lamenting that they missed a golden opportunity to get rich quick!

Buying stocks has become a legendary pursuit of wealth for everyone, a myth talked about in the streets and alleys.

Buying is making a profit—this has become an unquestionable ironclad rule!
As for the saying "The stock market is risky, and investment requires caution," the stock exchange naturally gives this warning repeatedly.

However, market sentiment, like tinder that had been piling up for a long time, was completely ignited by a raging fire, becoming so intense that it was almost out of control.

Who would listen to these well-intentioned but misguided words of advice?

Only one word remained in their minds—rob!

As for the company's performance and which stock to choose, these questions are now completely forgotten.

Just buy it blindly; it's a sure-fire way to make money.

Those gentry and landlords who initially hesitated to convert their land into stocks and never entered the market are now filled with deep regret.

As they watched the stock price soar, their faces turned ashen, and they cursed themselves for their indecisiveness, which caused them to miss out on this incredible fortune.

If we had known of today's grandeur, why did we hesitate and leave behind only regrets?

But it's too late to say anything now; regret is useless.

Every morning, as soon as the stock exchange opens its doors, it is packed with people rushing in to buy stocks; the phrase "bustling with activity" is an understatement to describe the scene.

Want to buy it? Where else can you find such an opportunity!
The queue stretched as far as the eye could see, and the trading hall was bustling with noise.

Left with no other choice, the wealthy gentry, landlords, and merchants had to find another way: they paid people to queue up for them.

Fearing that one person's efforts would not be enough, they spent a fortune to hire five, ten, or even twenty people to fill the queue, just to grab the stock and the opportunity to enter the market.

An invisible cloud of gunpowder seemed to hang over Nanjing, as everyone was giving their all in this frenzy of wealth, unable to stop.

……

All of this was within Zhu Yunwen's calculations, and it did not deviate from his expectations in the slightest.

The stock market, as the core pillar of the capital market, is like a long-dormant beast that, once awakened, will unleash a terrifying and immense power.

In the newly established stock market, those investors who have just tasted success have not yet been taught a lesson by the market's ruthlessness and are unaware of the cruelty of capital's sharp sickle.

Seduced by the tales of instant wealth, their emotions surged like oil on a raging fire, driving them to madness, their eyes fixed only on the illusion of riches.

When everyone is going crazy for something, the stock market will naturally surge, driven by emotions.

This was exactly the scene that Zhu Yunwen was happy to see.

Although he also issued a special decree, solemnly warning his subjects: the stock market is fraught with risks, and one must not act rashly and must be cautious.

But these words are nothing more than empty words.

Zhu Yunwen knew in his heart that this was just an excuse to shirk responsibility in the future.

In today's surging market frenzy, how could those blinded by greed possibly stop their pursuit of money because of a few empty words of advice?
Zhu Yunwen understood human nature and knew that they were no longer listening to any rational appeals.

His tacit approval, and even his covert promotion of this fervor, has its own deeper meaning.

We are not in the information age yet, and there are no computers to record data.

Stock market transactions rely entirely on paper tickets, which is cumbersome and primitive, thus raising the entry threshold to an extremely high level.

Even the lowest admission ticket costs two hundred taels of silver.

This amount is astronomical for ordinary people.

As a result, most ordinary people were naturally isolated from the outside world.

Their "participation" was nothing more than idle chatter in teahouses and taverns, or envious glances cast at those who earned tens of thousands of taels of silver overnight.

Occasionally, a few people are hired by wealthy merchants to queue for tickets, earning a meager errand fee, which is already the closest they can get to this grand event.

Those who are truly qualified to enter this game of capital are all wealthy merchants and gentry.

All of this stemmed from Zhu Yunwen's ingenious strategy of exchanging land deeds for shares.

The local gentry would discount the land, the banks would lend money, the gentry would then use this money to buy stocks, and the companies would deposit the money back into the banks after raising funds.

This series of dazzling financial maneuvers is intricately linked and extremely clever.

Ultimately, the land held by those gentry and landlords unknowingly fell into the hands of the imperial court.

In this era, farmland remains a vital and valuable asset.

Those landlords and gentry owned vast tracts of fertile land, enough to support their extravagant spending in this capital feast. Imagine, if the stock market hadn't experienced a surge at its inception, hadn't offered enticing hopes of making money, and hadn't woven those mesmerizing myths of instant wealth, how could these landlords and gentry have been so easily lured into handing over their ancestral lands?
If we resort to forceful measures, it may incite unrest and public resentment, resulting in more harm than good.

The best course of action is to get them to voluntarily give up their land.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen first used the heavy pressure of levying taxes according to the amount of land owned to force him to submit, and then used the dazzling wealth of the stock market to lure him in.

With this two-pronged approach, how could those local gentry and landlords possibly resist?

They rushed to send their land deeds to the imperial court, exchanging them for stocks that symbolized wealth, believing they had grasped the key to the pinnacle of riches.

All of this was merely a brilliant move in Zhu Yunwen's chess game.

Therefore, with foresight and wisdom, Zhu Yunwen thoughtfully laid out several paths to wealth for these gentry and landlords.

First, in addition to the Da Ming Daily, he also founded the Da Ming Economic Daily and the Da Ming Securities Daily.

These two new publications illuminate the market fog like beacons, not only guiding participants through the ever-changing stock market, but also subtly instilling in them knowledge of economics and finance.

Between the lines, there is both a keen eye for market trends and a gentle guidance on the rules of the wealth game, aiming to help those who are new to the sea of ​​capital gradually understand the intricacies of it.

Even if behind this scheme lies an even bigger scheme of his.

Secondly, in order to allow landlords and gentry scattered throughout the country to participate in this feast of wealth, Zhu Yunwen took a unique approach and created a clever method of entrusted purchase and mail participation.

Those gentry who lived far away could simply exchange their land deeds for special deposit certificates issued by banks.

This certificate may seem ordinary, but it contains a hidden secret.

The money could only be used to buy stocks and could never be withdrawn as cash, thus effectively locking away their choices.

Upon receiving the certificate, they are eligible to sign a share purchase agreement with the bank.

Once the agreement is finalized, Daming Bank will contact its headquarters in Nanjing to handle the share purchase on its behalf.

Once the stocks were acquired, the paper certificates were sent to banks in various regions via the postal service's mail system.

The client only needs to take the agreement to the local bank to collect the paper voucher symbolizing wealth.

This innovative move served as a bridge, overcoming geographical barriers and satisfying the desire of out-of-town gentry and landlords for the Nanjing stock market.

They don't need to travel to Nanjing or wait in long lines at the stock exchange to join this capital frenzy.

However, the price of all this was that their ancestral lands quietly changed hands, falling entirely into the hands of the Ming Bank, which meant they returned to the control of the imperial court.

Daming Bank, through its internal channels, purchased stocks as a primary participant, making it far more efficient than ordinary retail investors.

Therefore, those gentry who had not personally experienced the hustle and bustle of the stock exchange but had given up their land early on were able to obtain stocks more easily, saving them the trouble of scrambling to get them.

However, Zhu Yunwen was well-versed in the delicate balance between human greed and patience.

Given the booming stock market, he deliberately slowed down the pace of stock purchases, both to make these gentry and landlords realize how hard-won the stocks were and to prevent them from becoming complacent if they acquired them too easily.

Often, after the land deeds are handed over and the agreement is signed, they have to wait patiently for six months, or even one or two years, before they can see any stock.

Once the agreement is signed, the land immediately becomes the property of the bank, with no room for reversal.

The only way to get the stocks is to resell them to others and convert them into cash.

The bank only promises to purchase the stock within two years; whether it will be within a few months or more is entirely up to fate, and no concrete guarantee is given.

If this method were implemented in later generations, I'm afraid no one would care. Who would be willing to gamble their fortune for a certificate with no end in sight?

In this booming stock market frenzy, it was just like the rush to buy off-plan properties that would take one or two years to be delivered during the real estate price surge in later generations, attracting a huge number of people.

Those gentry and landlords, watching the stock prices soar, were full of anticipation for future windfall profits, and didn't see anything wrong with waiting like this.

In their eyes, this belated stock is not a risk, but a passport to wealth and prosperity.

In this meticulously crafted game, Zhu Yunwen steadily tightened the reins of his control over the world.

While others may be oblivious to the undercurrents and potential risks in the capital market, Zhu Yunwen was perfectly clear-headed.

But what does it matter?

The rise and growth of the capital market inevitably requires going through such growing pains and fervor.

This is the only way to prosperity, and there is no way to avoid it.

Moreover, those currently throwing themselves into this capital feast are all wealthy and powerful tycoons.

They possess substantial wealth and an ability to withstand risks far exceeding that of ordinary people, making them able to stand firm amidst this turbulent storm.

In the present Ming Dynasty, the floodgates of lending and stock speculation were not opened as in later dynasties, nor was there the leverage of margin trading.

Even if the market changes drastically in the future, and the value of the stocks held by today's wealthy merchants shrinks like an avalanche, evaporating seven or eight out of ten, or even eight or nine out of ten, these rich people will not become destitute as a result.

After all, they still have a small amount of assets firmly in their hands, enough to maintain their dignity and livelihood.

Because although stock prices may fluctuate in the future, these listed companies today do not face the fatal crisis of bankruptcy and delisting.

They will still be profitable companies; it's just that their stock price is currently too high and needs to return to normal.

Zhu Yunwen was very confident about this.

With this asset as a safety net, the wealth of rich merchants and tycoons will not be completely wiped out.

In this way, these rich people will not be driven to desperation, nor will they, like the starving and dying poor, take risks, rise up in rebellion, and shake the foundation of the state.

With this invisible moat, Zhu Yunwen could rest easy and confidently "harvest" on this fertile ground of capital.

You bought the stocks willingly, the transaction was completed voluntarily, and you bear the responsibility for the success or failure.

It's only right to accept the consequences of a bet!
Moreover, Zhu Yunwen never intended to deceive anyone; he was very honest!
If these gentry and wealthy merchants have enough foresight and patience to weather the storms of the stock market in the coming years, steadfastly hold onto their stocks without selling, and extend the timeline, they will eventually reap the rewards.

The stock prices of these companies will definitely rebound in the future, and may even surpass today's peak!

The reason is simple: the Ming Dynasty is currently standing on the threshold of the Industrial Revolution, poised to enter a golden age of economic take-off.

Internally, it possesses a leading technological advantage built up by Zhu Yunwen!

Outwards, there are endless resources from the entire planet for it to draw upon, and a vast market waiting to be explored.

The conditions are exceptionally favorable.

The companies that Zhu Yunwen carefully selected were either the cornerstones that paved the way for the Industrial Revolution and economic prosperity, or they themselves were the trendsetters in this torrent.

More importantly, they were all arranged by the imperial court and had impeccable political credentials.

Such companies are destined to be incredibly wealthy and will surely make a fortune in the future.

Zhu Yunwen would not allow any of these companies to suffer losses, and he would use various means to ensure their survival.

Therefore, if these local gentry and wealthy merchants can open their eyes wide, see through this mystery, and firmly believe in the bright future of the Ming Dynasty, then the subsequent brief turmoil will be nothing more than fleeting smoke and have little to do with the overall situation.

Once the storm has passed, their patience and faith will eventually yield rich rewards, and wealth will flow back like a tide.

All of this depends on their own choices.

Whether they choose short-sighted selling or long-term holding, success or failure hinges on their decision.

Zhu Yunwen, on the other hand, only needed to observe the situation calmly and remain composed. He had already laid out his strategy and was just waiting for these profit-driven people to make their moves.

……

(End of this chapter)