Suzhou Prefecture, Wuxian.

This is the richest and most prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty.

The city gathered in the southeast, with the richest merchants and gentry.

These people spent a lot of money to build houses in the city, making Suzhou gardens famous for being spread far beyond the outside world.

In the south of the city, there is a city garden called "Longyuan", which is the courtyard of the former Shangshu Wang Duo.

On this day, Wang Duo and several gentry were having tea and chatting in the garden.

"Brother Wang, I heard that you have recently been in Jiangbei and have collected tens of thousands of acres of good land! You can earn a net profit of about 100,000 yuan!" A gentleman said with a smile.

Wang Duo smiled slightly, "It's just a small amount of money. It's not enough for tens of thousands of taels, but it's still available for tens of thousands of taels. By the way, Brother Qian, you have bought a lot of them!"

Everyone couldn't help laughing, the people were afraid of disasters, and the big families were looking forward to disasters.

Generally speaking, ordinary people have poor family backgrounds and poor ability to resist risks. Once they encounter famine and lose their harvest, they have to sell valuable things from their families or borrow money from big landlords with rich family backgrounds.

The gentry and landlords have a rich family background. They buy low during the disaster year and wait until the disaster is over and sell high. Sometimes, in a disaster year, they rely on low prices to buy land and lend usury, which can keep up with the usual years.

In the past, the price of land in Jiangbei was between ten taels and twenty taels, and now it can be received in two or three taels. When the year is better and the land price recovers, you can make nearly ten times the profit immediately.

Such opportunities are rare, so the gentry and landlords naturally have to make a good profit.

At this time, several old wealthy people were talking and sharing their gains, but their disciples suddenly came to report, "Master, Master Zhao is here!"

Wang Duo smiled and said, "Zhao Zhilong is very brave. He has received the fields from the Huai River. He is not afraid of Qing soldiers killing him. Let him come in!"

Although the Ming Dynasty drove away the Qing army, the Huaijiang River was the front line after all, and if the Qing army came again, it would definitely be the first to bear the brunt.

Therefore, Wang Duo and others did not run to the Huai River to collect the fields, but Zhao Zhilong had some relationship with the Qing army, so he had the courage.

Soon, Zhao Zhilong hurriedly walked in. As soon as he stepped into the flower hall, he said anxiously: "Brother Wang, a disaster is happening!"

Wang Duo and others were stunned, "What's going on?"

Zhao Zhilong said panickedly: "The Regent went to Jiangbei. Let the government reduce the relief grain and force the people to buy land. The matter of "making the people lose their money."

As soon as these words were said, the gentry present was a little panicked.

Wang Duo was still calm. After all, he was a minister of the Shang Dynasty. He frowned and said, "Don't be anxious first, how can the Regent go to Jiangbei?"

"It's not for the Jianghuai Cotton Industry. Now, the court has arrested the Huai'an prefect and sent the censor to investigate the relief of grain. Jianghuai Cotton Industry is also raising the fields in large quantities, bringing the price to ten taels." Zhao Zhilong hurriedly told the news from his family and said it.

"Don't panic about this!" Wang Duo frowned and then looked at someone, "The Huai'an magistrate is Brother Gong's disciple!"

An old man in the hall nodded, and he was Gong Dingzi, one of the three great masters of Jiangzuo who were as famous as Qian Qianyi.

Wang Duo then said, "I'll ask Brother Gong to ask your disciple to take this matter down. That is to say, he was corruption and swallowed the relief food. Don't involve us. This is a good thing for him and his family."

Gong Dingzi had a calm face, "I asked someone to send him a message."

During the Ming Dynasty, officials were not afraid of punishment from the court. They formed interest groups and worked for their own groups. If something happened, they were dismissed from office and went home. Someone took care of them. Foodies were not worried. Even after a few years, they could rebel against the officialdom under the operation of the party's tycoons.

On the contrary, if you betray your interest group and the people in the court will not only regard him as a traitor, but it will be difficult for you to survive when you return to your hometown.

Duoduo then said to Zhao Zilong: "This matter is because the government has corruption of relief grains. Mr. Zhao and us are both freely trading. As for your family, the hero will cut off his arm! Just say that he is doing something wrong and has nothing to do with you! In this way, there is no evidence in the court. If you ask the people in the court to help you speak, you will be able to pass the test."

When Zhao Zhilong heard his arrangements clearly, he couldn't help but feel at ease.

During the Chongzhen Dynasty, this group of people probably played like this.

Most of the Ming Dynasty courts were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and their relationships were mixed. No matter how powerful the Regent was, he had to rely on the civil servant group to govern the world.

Zhao Zhilong had a clear mind and couldn't help but ask again: "Will we still collect the fields in Jiangbei?"

Wang Duo said: "Stop first, the people will not fight with the officials, give the Regent a face."

Zhao Zilong said regretfully: "That's a pity. It's rare that the land price is so low, you can earn it if you receive it!"

Wang Duo smiled and said, "Don't worry! I've found out that the treasury has no money now, and the JAC Cotton Industry only costs hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. The Regent now raises the land price. As long as we stay the same, the land price will fall immediately after his money is spent. The Regent can't hold on for long, and follow the regent's group of old Huis, this time they will lose money. I'm afraid no one will buy the regent's shares again in the future and let the regent fall, and then I know that I need the support of my wait. We will wait until they spend their money and the land price falls before we continue to acquire it!"

Zhao Zhilong and others couldn't help but laugh and said, "Oh! The Regent's failure to summon Brother Wang to the cabinet is a huge loss!"

~~~~~~~~

At the Yangzhou city gate, there is a prospectus for JAC Cotton Industry and a notice of the establishment of a stock exchange by the imperial court.

As the first company, JAC Cotton Industry has entered the trading center, and the trading center publishes JAC Cotton Industry's assets, business strategies and other information, as well as its financial status on the notice board.

This attracted many people to watch, but most people couldn't understand it. They just glanced at it and left.

In the court's report, news of the establishment of a stock exchange and the shares of JAC Cotton Industry began to trade on the exchange.

Suzhou, Tongyuan.

Wang Feng was eating breakfast and watching the report.

At this time, he had just taken a sip of the porridge, but suddenly he sprayed it all out.

Wang Feng quickly stood up, and the maid was holding a towel and wanted to wipe him, but he pushed him away.

Wang Feng shook the dirty report, his eyes widened and saw the information on it.

JAC Cotton Industry has an original registered capital of 2.5 million silver dollars, totaling 250,000 shares, with an original share price of 10 silver dollars per share.

In this quarter, JAC Cotton Industry owned 300,000 mu of cotton fields and rented 700,000 mu of farming. Its annual revenue is expected to be 4 million silver dollars and its net profit is 2 million.

At this time, Zhao Zhilong suddenly rushed in with a deposit report and said from a distance: "Brother Wang, have you seen it?"

Wang Duo had a calm face, and Zhao Zhilong continued to hurriedly: "What is that stock exchange? I heard that JAC Cotton Industry's stock has doubled, rising to ten taels!"

Wang Duo had a gloomy face. He didn't care how JAC Cotton Industry's stock rose. What was shocked was that JAC Cotton Industry actually controlled so many fields and was preparing to plant cotton.

This must have a huge impact on the cotton fields of the gentry and landlords in Jiangnan.

Wang Duo no longer calmed down and immediately said anxiously: "Let's go and see Mr. Cheng!"

Jianghuai Cotton Industry had a total of 250,000 shares. The court sold 50,000 shares to Huizhou merchants and Jiangxi gentry and obtained 500,000 silver dollars.

The company left 100,000 silver dollars to recruit workers, purchase seeds, and purchase tools, and the remaining 400,000 silver dollars were all used to acquire and control the land.

If all three or four million mu of land in Jiangbei is used for purchase, you can eat up to 300,000 mu. It is still 500,000 mu away from the company's goal of controlling one million mu.

Therefore, Jianghuai Cotton Industry did not purchase a large amount of land, but instead recruited the heads of villages and clans to adopt the model of renting seeds.

The ownership of the land is still owned by the people. JAC Cotton Industry provides rent every year and hires the people to participate in the cultivation and picking of cotton.

In this way, people who have lost their labor at home will not have to sell land, they will get rent every year, and they will have a job, so they will not have to worry about being idle.

For a time, the people in Jiangbei responded one after another and signed a contract with JAC Cotton Industry.

Zhao Ming then packed it up and took out another 10,000 shares and sold it for 200,000 silver dollars.

During the whole process, the court only spent 200,000 acres of panic land. For every silver dollar, a large company with a valuation of 5 million silver dollars was added.

The first batch of gentry and merchants who bought JAC Cotton Industry shares also doubled their profits, and they all regretted not buying more.
Chapter completed!