Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 242 A Faster Way Than Stealing Money

Make bricks without straw!

Although Ximen Tang won a great victory in the battle of Qingdao.

but,

Now Chen Jie is the governor of Shandong, with financial autonomy, and no way to ask the court for money.

The Daqian Dynasty was extremely poor and now owed a huge debt to Western countries.

Don't even think about asking them for money.

Shandong has experienced several wars and has long been impoverished, with the people living in dire straits.

Many wealthy clans moved to other places.

Even if Ximen Tang wanted to fight against the local tyrants, fight against the landlords, and divide the land, he couldn't find anyone.

After Ximen Tang took over Shandong, many refugees who had fled before returned.

But without money and food, it is currently the most severe test for Ximen Tang.

The Ximen Hall has now expanded its army to 50,000 people, and the financial pressure is very great.

If we want to continue expanding our military, we will be unable to move forward without money.

War is fought over the economy!
not to mention,
In addition to developing the army, Chen Jie has been preparing for the navy.

Tianjin Shipyard and Qingdao Shipyard are both renovating and repairing ships.

Simultaneously,

In order to ensure the continuity of manpower, Ximentang needs to establish an officer school and reserve forces.

From the defense of Qingdao, we can see that if the new recruits have not undergone long-term training, the casualties will be very heavy.

Therefore,
The establishment of an officer school and a reserve force is necessary for the continued development of Simon Hall.

Given the scale of the arsenal in Qingzhou, Shandong, and its current production situation, there is no pressure to supply the various departments of Ximen Hall.

but,

In order to ensure the continuous production of the arsenal and the supply of weapons and ammunition, a steady stream of silver dollars needs to be invested.

Internal affairs in Shandong are currently relatively stable.

The main control was established with Qingzhou as the core, and other prefectures were centered on Qingzhou.

Each provincial capital creates its own distinctive financial system to increase revenue.

We must open up channels to make money!
That’s right, if we want Shandong to prosper, we must increase the channels for making money to make the economy prosperous.

Only money can gather people!

If you want to expand your army and make Ximen Hall stronger, you must have more money.

It is far from enough to just transport silver coins from the 'urban world'.

Gold coins can be used to purchase supplies from Westerners, but the currency in circulation in the Daqian Dynasty is silver dollars.

Therefore,
In order to solve the funding problem for Ximentang’s development, we need to find new ways to make money.

After the end of the First Battle of Qingdao, Shandong.

Chen Jie stayed in Qingdao for two days, waiting for the supply troops from Qingzhou to deliver the ammunition to the arsenal in Qingdao.

He then brought Tang Feng and others back to the Qingzhou base camp.

Two days later, Qingzhou Governor's Office.

Early in the morning,

Someone reported that Yang Yankang, the young leader of the Cao Gang, wanted to see him.

After hearing this, Chen Jie quickly arranged for someone to go to the meeting hall.

Although Ximen Tang and Cao Gang are both underworld organizations, their natures are completely different.

The Cao Gang was mainly engaged in business and rarely participated in the various disputes of the Daqian Dynasty.

Even if it was to resist foreign enemies, the Cao Gang would definitely stay out of it and at most would just donate a little money.

They are underworld forces themselves and do not participate in court disputes.

In Cangzhou, Hebei, the Cao Gang was one of the "righteous groups".

Therefore,
In name, the Cao Gang was a force under Ximen Tang.

When in Cangzhou, Chen Jie had some unpleasantness with the Cao Gang.

But as Ximen Tang guarded Shandong and incorporated Cangzhou into the jurisdiction of Ximen Tang.

The Cao Gang had no choice but to fully cooperate with the Ximentang.

When Yang Yankang saw Chen Jie, he was deeply moved.

It was extremely rare in the history of the Daqian Dynasty for someone as young as Chen Jie to become the Governor-General of Shandong and to be in charge of an entire province.

not to mention,
The current Ximen Hall is the most powerful force in the world.

Chen Jie has become the most sought-after figure in the Daqian Dynasty. He is not only the Governor-General of Shandong, but also the 'Commander-in-Chief of the Righteous Group'!
Do not know why,

Yang Yankang felt fortunate for his original decision.

If the Cao Gang and the Ximen Tang were enemies, it is very likely that the Cao Gang would no longer exist.

Ximen Tang not only swept through the Western coalition forces, but also defeated the arrogant Kwantung Army and forced it to flee.

The Battle of Qingdao.

Ximen Hall was not only powerful in Shandong, but also caused a sensation in the Daqian Dynasty.

Anyone who is smart will know that offending Ximen Tang is definitely not a wise move.

Chen Jie politely asked Yang Yankang to sit down and personally poured tea for him.

Yang Yankang felt flattered, and hurriedly stood up and bowed:
"It is a blessing for all the people of Shandong that you can be stationed in Shandong."

"It is a blessing for us that the Cao Gang can cooperate with Ximen Tang. Thank you very much for giving our Cao Gang an opportunity to develop!"

His tone was sincere, and there was absolutely no falsehood in his words.

With the emergence of Western steam engines, the business of the Caobang suffered a great impact.

And now,
Ximentang allowed the Cao Gang to develop various businesses in Shandong.

To put it simply, Ximentang plans to let the Cao Gang run many of Shandong's businesses.

Chen Jie laughed and said, "Young Master, you are too polite! Since the court has appointed me as the Governor of Shandong, it is my responsibility and obligation to make everyone's life better!"

"I told you before that if the Cao Gang cooperates with our Ximen Hall, I won't let you suffer any loss!"

"Cooperation is a win-win situation! If there is money to be made, it is natural for everyone to make it together. One person cannot make so much money."

Yang Yankang nodded, took out a list of documents from his pocket, handed it to Chen Jie and said:
"Sir, these are the supplies you asked me to order from various places last time. Please take a look!"

Chen Jie nodded and opened the information.

I saw it read:

Rice: 50,000 koku;

Medicinal materials: 20,000 jin:

Sulfur: 10,000 jin;

Cotton: 100,000 jin;

-

call--!
After reading the list, Chen Jie couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

These are all daily necessities.

One stone of rice is approximately equal to 150 catties, and 750 stones of rice is equivalent to million catties.

If it is transported from the 'Urban World', it will cost 37.5 points of [Martial Arts Merit].

In addition, there are medicinal herbs, cotton and other supplies. If they are transported from the 'urban world', more [Martial Arts Merit Points] are required.

Therefore,
After Ximen Tang was stationed in Shandong, Chen Jie never thought about transporting these civilian supplies again.

The price/performance ratio is too low!

Now letting the Cao Gang purchase supplies from all over Daqian has saved Chen Jie a lot of trouble.

Yang Yankang smiled and said:
"Sir, this batch of goods will be delivered to Qingzhou, Shandong in five days. You can just arrange for someone to check it when the time comes."

Chen Jie nodded slightly.

It has to be said that the efficiency of the Cao Gang is indeed very high.

Less than half a month after Chen Jie gave the instructions to Yang Yankang, the other party had already completed everything.

However, when Chen Jie thought about the silver dollars he had to pay, he felt a headache.

"Okay! Wait a minute, I'll arrange for someone to prepare the silver coins."

A total of 300,000 silver dollars was needed, which was a huge expense for Ximen Tang.

Yang Yankang quickly said:
"Don't be so anxious! Sir, the first batch of goods will arrive in five days!"

"We in the Cao Gang will have people deliver the next batch of goods from the northwest and southern Sichuan!"

"You have just gained a foothold in Shandong and have just fought a war with the Japanese. Shandong needs money to rebuild, and we understand your difficulties."

"We, the Cao Gang, can help advance the payment for this batch of goods."

Chen Jie nodded and said with a smile:
"No need! Since we are in a cooperative relationship, we at Ximen Hall will naturally not treat you unfairly. How can we let your Cao Gang pay for us?"

"I can rest assured that you will do the work!"

"Don't worry about the money. We will find a way."

"I asked you to come here this time because I wanted to see if there is any other business we can do?"

Chen Jie paid the Dutch trading company with gold coins for the 500,000 silver dollars that the imperial court raised last time, and then kept the silver dollars.

Although the Cao Gang was very wealthy, Chen Jie was not stupid enough to drain the Cao Gang dry.

He wanted to use the Cao Gang's influence in the underworld and its business channels to make more money.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yankang hesitated for a moment and said:

"Sir, you mentioned to me last time that you could do business in cloth and glass."

"If we can really import the most advanced textile machines from the West as you said and improve the efficiency of weaving, our Cao Gang will have channels to sell them to all parts of Daqian!"

"The same goes for glass. Currently, all glass products are imported from the West, and only the wealthy families can afford them."

Chen Jie nodded with a smile on his face.

After Ximen Tang was stationed in Shandong, he is now the Governor-General of Shandong, a frontier official, and his status is indeed different.

The Cao Gang proposed to cooperate with Ximentang in the cloth and glass business.

Yang Yankang brought this up to Chen Jie at this time, and it must have been decided after consultation within the Cao Gang.

of course,

This is due to the fact that Northeast China was occupied by the Kwantung Army.

The Daqian Dynasty has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the unstable situation is extremely fatal for businessmen.

To put it simply,
Any businessman is afraid of turbulent situation.

Especially in the recent period, rebellions suddenly broke out in Northwest China, southern Sichuan, Hanzhong and other places.

The control of the imperial court of the Daqian Dynasty over the local areas had been weakened to the limit.

at this time,
Any underworld forces are very worried.

Gangs like the Cao Gang have been operating the canal for many years and have made a lot of money. Although the gang's combat power is not low, it has many top masters.

However, there is still a big gap between the forces of the underworld and the armies of the imperial court and the princes.

therefore,

After Ximen Tang took over Shandong, he stabilized the local power with strong means.

Then,

Ximen Tang even fought a battle with the Kwantung Army, defeating the Matsusaka Army and forcing it to flee.

As a result, Ximen Tang's prestige in the world is very high.

Whether in the south or the southwest, merchants from Hanzhong and other places all want to do business in Shandong.

This is also the key reason why Chen Jie must maintain his credibility.

If we suck the blood of the Cao Gang at this time, who among the other gangs and businessmen would dare to come to Shandong to do business?
As long as Ximen Tang can stabilize the situation in Shandong, prosperity is only a matter of time.

No matter from which perspective, Ximen Tang will be the controller of Shandong for a long time to come.

Even if the Daqian Dynasty fell apart, the local princes would eventually rule the country.

Ximen Tang guards Shandong and has enough ability to become the king of Shandong.

in addition,

Even if the Daqian Dynasty can maintain the status quo, it will have to look at Ximen Tang's face in the future.

At least within Shandong, the imperial court had to give way to Ximen Tang.

The Cao Gang's desire to cooperate with Ximentang in the cloth and glass business was naturally a well-thought-out decision.

in addition,

The leaders and stewards of the Cao Gang all agreed that Chen Jie, the head of the Ximen Hall, was so young yet possessed such a huge force.

In these troubled times, his future achievements are limitless.

Therefore,
Taking advantage of the fact that Ximentang had just established itself in Shandong, we started cooperation with it.

The Cao Gang was willing to put up 300,000 silver dollars to advance payment for the supplies, which was a recognition of Ximen Tang's status and future in Shandong.

As long as the Cao Gang can develop together with the Ximen Hall, its status in the underworld will rise in the future.

This is also the main reason why Yang Yankang took the initiative to cooperate with Chen Jie in the cloth and glass business.

Chen Jie was able to hear Yang Yankang's thoughts and naturally knew the other party's purpose.

Now Ximen Tang really needs a business gang like Cao Bang for further cooperation.

In particular, Yang Yankang, the young leader of the Cao Gang, has a keen business mind.

Chen Jie has already imprinted the power of faith in "The Bible's Spiritual Cultivation Technique" in his mind.

Therefore, he absolutely trusts the other party.

The Cao Gang has very broad business channels and is exactly the partner that Ximen Tang needs most at the moment.

No matter what the final result will be, the development of Ximentang cannot be separated from a strong economy.

The Cao Gang's business channels will bring a steady stream of funds to Ximen Hall.

Chen Jie thought about it and said with a smile:
"Since the Young Master is so thoughtful, I won't hide it."

"We at Ximentang want to cooperate with the Cao Gang to open a textile factory to produce all kinds of cloth and sell them to all parts of Daqian!"

“A glass factory is also in the planning stages!”

The cloth production in the Daqian Dynasty was all done by manual weaving, and the production efficiency was extremely low.

If Ximentang could open a large textile factory, he would not only be able to control the supply of goods, but also make huge profits.

and,

As long as oil is successfully extracted, refineries will be built and the by-products of the oil will be processed into other products.

By then, shoe factories, polyester factories, etc. will become a complete industrial chain.

Chen Jie does not lack technology, what he needs now is time and a comprehensive improvement of the industrial base.

Integration of production and sales!

This is a profit maximizing monopoly.

Anyway, the Caobang has sales channels. As long as they can produce good products, they will be able to sell them and create wealth continuously.

After thinking about it,
Chen Jie continued to say to Yang Yankang:
"The 'opium' that Westerners transport to Daqian is currently being managed by the Taiping, the Qing Gang, and the Hongmen."

"They are constantly reaping the wealth of the Daqian Dynasty. We will not allow this to happen in Shandong."

"In the next period of time, we will control the 'big opium' and burn down all the 'opium dens'!"

"In terms of overseas trade, the Qing Gang and the Taiping have almost formed a monopoly with the help of the 'opium' business!"

"The Cao Gang can only operate salt and tea transport businesses at present. If they don't change their business ideas, it will be difficult for them to have great development opportunities."

"The Daqian Dynasty has not yet lifted the blockade of the sea. As for overseas trade, we can only let the Qing Gang and the Taiping do it first."

"The most urgent thing we need to do is to control the various product channels within Daqian, whether it is porcelain, tea, silk, cloth, etc."

"Once we control the internal product channels, the Qing Gang and Taiping will have to rely on us if they want to continue to monopolize overseas trade."

"They want to sell their products overseas, but since we have the products, we have absolute control over the price."

"If you want to defeat the Taiping, the Qing Gang and other forces, sweeping them by force is not a wise choice."

"Only by cutting off their economy can we completely disintegrate them."

Chen Jie is telling the truth.

The groups that currently have the most dealings with the British Empire are the Hongmen, Qingbang and Taipinghao.

They monopolized the "opium" business and continuously sent the "opium" from the British Empire to the Daqian Dynasty.

Over the years, the wealth that the West has reaped from opium is unimaginable.

Simultaneously,

They almost monopolized the maritime trade between the Daqian Dynasty and the West.

Any trade of goods with overseas must go through the Qingbang and Taipinghao.

Even the Cao Gang's salt transportation had to pay protection fees to the Qing Gang when passing through the Qing Gang's docks in eastern Zhejiang and southern Fujian.

Although Chen Jie has detailed plans for overseas trade and building an ocean-going fleet.

but,

As the warships have not yet arrived, we can only settle for the next best thing and control the various business channels within Daqian first.

As long as we can perfectly control the products within Daqian, we will be able to easily control the Qing Gang and Taiping.

Wars must be fought, but trade cannot be cut off.

After hearing this, Yang Yankang's eyes widened and he expressed his deep agreement with Chen Jie's remarks.

He was originally worried that Chen Jie, as the Governor of Shandong, who had a large army under his command and was young and hot-tempered, would want to use thundering means to deal with the Green Gang and the Taiping.

If that happens, other gangs and businessmen will be wary of Ximen Tang.

It will be difficult to do business next time!

It now seems that Chen Jie did not think of solving the Qing Gang and Taipinghao by force, but was thinking of defeating them without bloodshed through business.

As a result,
Not only will it not have any impact on Ximen Hall's reputation, but it will also enhance Ximen Hall's status in the world.

"Master! What should our Cao Gang do in the future?"

Yang Yankang didn't waste any more words and went straight to the point.

Chen Jie narrowed his eyes and said:

"In the next period of time, we will cooperate to build a textile factory and a glass factory in Shandong!"

"When the time comes, we at Ximen Hall will be responsible for training technicians, and you will be responsible for production and sales!"

"In terms of shares, our Ximen Hall holds 5.1% and you hold 4.9%."

"As for the production equipment for the textile factory and glass factory, they will be provided by our Ximen Hall."

"You Caobang are responsible for all the operating expenses of the factory. Don't worry, there will be absolutely no problems with the quality of the products."

"Once the sales channels are fully opened, we will expand the scale—!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yankang nodded and said:

"Okay! Sir, leave everything to me. I'll do it right away when I get back!"

"By the way, can we invite other gangs to join us?"

After hearing this, Chen Jie suddenly had an idea and everything became clear.

Depend on!
Financing!

How could I have forgotten such a faster way than robbing money?

To rob money, you need to scout the area, take action, and fight.

But when it comes to financing, people keep sending money to our door.

With Ximen Tang's current status in the underworld, wouldn't it be possible to achieve financing by just setting up a factory under its name, letting the Cao Gang run and arrange the operations, and finding other gangs to invest heavily?

Currently, Ximentang’s development has encountered financial difficulties.

but,

Ximen Tang has a strong military force, once it builds a factory or carries out business investment plans.

The idle funds of other gangs, families, etc. will be invested continuously.

The key is,
All Ximen Tang needs to do is maintain its good reputation, vigorously develop its military, and enhance its influence.

Currently, only the Cao Gang is leading other small gangs to raise funds.

Once Ximentang developed better and better, other businesses saw the profitability and their business grew bigger and bigger.

Aristocratic families, gangs, and even local princes from other provinces will be drawn into the vortex of financing.

Interests are bundled!

This is the fastest and most reliable way for Ximen Tang to make money and accumulate wealth.

The only thing that is required is that Ximentang must become stronger and give confidence to all investors.

After figuring it out, Chen Jie couldn't help but laugh.

He said to Yang Yankang:
"No problem! By sharing the benefits, everyone will reduce the risk. You can invite all the gangs and families familiar with the Cao Gang to invest!"

"As for how to distribute the equity, we can negotiate in detail."

"When doing business, at least we have to make sure everyone makes money!"

"In the coming period, when everyone has made money, you can promote it widely and let more noble families, gangs, etc. invest in our business."

Yang Yankang nodded and said:

"As long as it's a business that can make money, I believe everyone wants to do it!"

“What’s more, Ximen Hall possesses such a powerful military force that it can stabilize the situation in Shandong and prevent both Westerners and Easterners from acting rashly!”

"It is widely said that Shandong is more stable than southern Jiangsu, eastern Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi, Hanzhong and other places. It is the most stable place for business!"

"Sir, as long as Ximen Hall can be fair and just, I believe Shandong will become more and more prosperous in the future!"

"We, the Cao Gang, are willing to stand together with you, young master!"

(End of this chapter)