Chapter 933 Gold Rush
Ji Congliang returned to the Shanghai Inn and just sat down, his entourage came to report, "Chief Envoy, the Investment Service reported that someone was visiting."
Ji Congliang couldn't help but frowned slightly, "What is the investment agency report?"
"It is said that the Ministry of Rites will ask them to come over and give you an exclusive interview. It will be published in the newspaper tomorrow." The follower couldn't explain it clearly.
It was heard that it was sent by the Ministry of Rites, so Ji Congliang could only tidy up his clothes and then asked his followers to invite someone in.
Soon after, he saw two Confucian scholars brought in by the followers. They bowed and said with a smile: "This is the Chief Ji! I, Xu Hai, came here today to learn about some of the things about Xinchengfan in Dongzhou. Please tell me carefully."
"It is the arrangement of the court, and I should cooperate." Li Congliang returned the gift and asked the two of them to sit down.
After taking the seat, after having a refreshment, Xu Hai began to ask, Ji Congliang told the story, and another Confucian scholar recorded it quickly.
After Ji Congliang arrived in Dongzhou, he told them about the hardships of survival. Xu Hai listened for a while, but interrupted: "Please tell me how to discover gold mines, how to mine them, and how to enrich the products in Dongzhou."
Ji Congliang heard that he could only talk about the gold mines, but Xu Hai stopped the matter of the Western Yi robbing gold mines, most of the miners died, and the murder and skinning of the Shengfan.
Finally, Ji Congliang also understood and said it specifically. After talking for an hour, Xu Hai stood up with satisfaction and bowed and left.
"Judge Ji, rest. I will follow up and report you in the next few days." Xu Hai bowed and said goodbye and left the inn.
Ji Congliang breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to take a break and sent Xu Hai's entourage away and came back to report: "The Chief Envoy, the shopkeeper of the Ming Bank, come to visit."
Ji Congliang could only cheer up and "Please come in."
Not many, a shopkeeper wearing a brocade robe brought in with more than a dozen accountant gentlemen.
"Ji Changcheng, the shopkeeper of the Shanghai branch of the Ming Bank, came today to help Ji Changcheng exchange gold into silver dollars for settlement tomorrow." The shopkeeper bowed and explained.
In recent years, a preliminary and complete financial system has been established, and the unification of currency has been completed. Whether it is overseas trade or domestic commerce, it must be settled with "Zhao Datou" and gradually formed norms.
Banks, money shops, and banks in Jiangnan made a lot of money by just exchanging currencies and checking.
Ji Congliang remembered that the merchants of the Ming Dynasty only accepted "Zhao Datou" and hurriedly said, "This is really a labor."
Generally speaking, merchants go to money shops to exchange, but a ship of gold is not a small amount, and silver numbers are rushing to exchange it, so it is also necessary to provide door-to-door service.
At present, Ji Congliang didn't have to send the gold to the silver account to exchange it himself, and sent his subordinates to weigh the gold with the silver account. While drinking tea here, the shopkeeper presented 1.5 million yuan in silver notes.
At this time, with Zhao Ming's order, the government promoted the news, and merchants and people from all over the south of the Yangtze River heard that someone had discovered gold mines in Dongzhou and made a fortune.
Several newspapers controlled by the imperial court published the story of Zhang Yida, who went from a cattleman to Dongzhou, became the lord of Xinchengfu, became the king of the new city vassal states, and promoted the prestige of the Ming Dynasty overseas. It was enthusiastically sought after by the citizens, just like reading novels, and it was very intriguing.
However, over the years, many trading companies and aristocratic families in Jiangnan have also carried out overseas colonization to understand what the real foreign colonization looks like. It is absolutely not as easy as the newspapers, as if they can get money.
Many of them could not bear the hardships of pioneering, and the climate in Southeast Asia, and eventually gave up and returned to the Ming Dynasty.
After all, merchants and large clans were very easy to make money in the Ming Dynasty and were not willing to make the kind of life-threatening money, so not many colonization successes.
At this time, I saw the imperial court's overwhelming propaganda and had colonial experience, but I didn't believe it at all, but I still participated in the commodity procurement conference held by the imperial court for Xinchengfan.
In Shanghai County, the venue rented by the Shibo Department, merchants gathered and brought their own samples to display.
In order to facilitate maritime transactions, Maritime Corporation holds such exhibitions every year, but it is the first time to hold them for one.
At this time, Ji Congliang entered the venue accompanied by officials from Lifanyuan.
The merchants couldn't help but talk, "It seems that the rumors are true!"
"That's not necessarily the case. The key is whether you can take out real money or not."
"Yes, didn't he dig a gold mine?"
At this time, Ji Congliang walked to the counter of a cotton merchant. The merchant hurriedly introduced: "This is a cotton cloth produced by Jianghuai cotton spinning. It is divided into three grades, three-yuan, one-yuan, two-yuan, and one-yuan."
Dongzhou lacks anything. Many citizens have worn out their clothes and can only wear fur and feathers. The cotton cloth is economical and can't be worn by themselves. They can also trade with local tribes of good looks. This is exactly what Dongzhou needs.
"The lowest price, I want 200,000 pieces!" Ji Congliang waved his hand proudly and directly sold 200,000 silver notes.
The merchant was slightly stunned and said embarrassedly: "Don't you pay the price? Such a large order can be bargained. And you usually pay the deposit first."
Ji Congliang waved his hand, looking like he had a lot of money, leaving his subordinates to sign a contract, and strode towards the counter next to him.
The businessman at the counter is already stupid. He has been doing business for decades and has never seen such a master.
The merchant couldn't help but wriggle the Adam's apple and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Before he could speak, he heard Ji Congliang pointing at a few pieces of porcelain and said, "This, this, and this, each one is ten thousand!"
"Oh my good uncle!" The merchant almost knelt down and paid homage to Ji Congnian. Thinking that it was the Ming Dynasty, he suddenly stopped the car, and his fat face turned red.
Ji Congliang was taking pictures of silver notes, and it felt so good.
The merchants around him were suddenly excited when they saw this. Before Ji Congliang could come over, they rushed up one after another.
"Ji Changmao, look at my tea leaves!"
"Uncle, buy my home and you will be satisfied with it, uncle."
After a recruitment meeting, Ji Congming spent a total of one million yuan to purchase a large amount of cloth, tea, porcelain, books, muskets, cannons, gunpowder, weapons, and iron tools.
The transaction volume of one million is just a drop in the bucket compared to the total trade volume of the Ming Dynasty every year, but it still caused a huge shock.
This is because after seeing the propaganda of the imperial newspapers, the merchants also conducted some investigations into the details of Xinchengfan. A few years ago, they were just a small business club, but now they are enfeoffed by the imperial court, spending one million in one go, and they don’t bargain, just like the money is blowing from the strong wind.
This made everyone in Jiangnan believe that Xinchengfan is so arrogant that he must have found a gold mine.
This has made many businessmen and unemployed people yearn for Dongzhou, fantasizing that they can dig gold mines and get rich overnight.
In Yangzhou City, Zhao Ming stood by the dock, patted Li Chengdong on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "You have read the newspaper reported by the Investment Administration!"
Li Chengdong nodded, "I have seen it."
A few days ago, Zhao Ming summoned Li Chengdong and wanted to seal Li Chengdong to Dongzhou. Li Chengdong had never heard of such a place. He only thought that Zhao Ming wanted to exile him, so he hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, and was unwilling to go to Dongzhou to join the vassal.
Zhao Ming had to comfort him with kind words and told him that Dongzhou was a good place. Li Chengdong was skeptical until he saw the report from the imperial court.
The newspapers of the government still have to be credible and should not talk nonsense. Li Chengdong believed Zhao Ming.
"Just see it!" Zhao Ming patted Li Chengdong's shoulder and comforted him: "The Lone King wants to conquer Wu Sangui, so I won't see you off."
Chapter completed!