Chapter 354: Abandoning his pen and joining the army
For Zhu Ying, there are too many ways to make money.
What's more, it's about making money from the rich.
Don't underestimate the economy in the hands of the rich. The total amount of money in the entire Ming Dynasty is very huge.
However, most of them were concentrated in the hands of a few people, mainly the large households in the Jiangnan area. Because of Zhang Shicheng's relationship, they were not affected by the war. After Zhang Shicheng was defeated, they survived naturally.
Every household of these hidden wealthy families has a silver cellar.
The so-called silver cellar is a place dedicated to storing silver and wealth, such as rare antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc.
It is the part of wishing His Majesty the New Year, that is, on the first day of the dynasty, there are special eunuchs to report, such as so-and-so wishing the Ming Dynasty a prosperous New Year.
This thing is charged by the word. One word is ten thousand treasure notes, and the minimum purchase is one hundred thousand treasure notes.
And it’s still limited.
This new thing is now extremely popular in the south of the Yangtze River. I don’t know how many big players are eagerly waiting for it.
Although, all the wealthy people in the south of the Yangtze River hate Zhu Yuanzhang to the core, but the news of congratulating Zhu Yuanzhang is not very good.
Especially those businessmen, now they have begun to think about how to describe those ten words.
One hundred thousand treasure notes, in exchange for a sentence in the court.
Ten sentences are worth millions of dollars.
This money came so fast.
It's not that quick to grab.
After Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Dasun's explanation, he was speechless for a long time.
He really couldn't understand, would anyone really pay one hundred thousand treasures just to say a word of congratulations to the court?
When he learned from Da Sun that the limited edition of thirty sentences had been sold out in less than two days, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little confused.
Three million treasure notes, just like that?
"Grandpa, my grandson has calculated that after deducting the entire palace expenses, the congratulations alone can save about a million dollars. Recently, my grandson has been thinking about whether he should do something to give preferential treatment to the people."
Zhu Ying said thoughtfully.
Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer keep up with the rhythm.
He felt that when it came to playing with money, Da Sun's tricks were almost Taoist.
Business is very important to the development of a country. Zhu Yuanzhang knew this very well. He cracked down on profiteers and belittled the status of businessmen. In fact, his policies have been supporting the development of overall business.
As for Da Sun, he felt that business was in Da Sun's palm, and he could play with it like a plaything.
These operations, throughout ancient and modern times, have never been seen before. They seem simple and casual, but upon reflection, they are deeply familiar with business. It can be said that they have insight into people's hearts, and only then can they come up with this plan.
At first glance, it seems that the status of businessmen has been improved, but this is not the case.
Money is not in the hands of merchants, or in other words, the clans behind those chambers of commerce are the real ones in control of you.
And with such an opportunity to show off his reputation, who would be willing to promote a businessman? The letters Zhu Ying received were all congratulatory messages from a certain family in a certain place.
"Besides this, where else can Da Sun make money?"
Zhu Yuanzhang asked directly.
Zhu Ying smiled and said: "In the porridge shed set up in the city, my grandson specially asked people to write on red cloth and receive the name of the chamber of commerce. Those who are willing to pay some treasure can write the name of their own chamber of commerce store on the porridge shed.
"
"As the saying goes, the smell of wine is not as good as the alley. Currently, the business is doing pretty well. At least the money for soup porridge before the Spring Festival has basically been spent."
Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised and said: "What kind of method is this?"
Zhu Ying explained: "My grandson called it an advertisement, which means that it is widely advertised. The porridge factory is crowded with people. They can see the words on the banner and know where the store is."
Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Most of the refugees are illiterate, so what use can this banner have?"
Zhu Ying smiled slyly and said, "Those who are illiterate are naturally not the audience for this banner. But among the refugees, there are also scholars in trouble, or other children from poor families."
"Who can say whether a refugee today will be able to pass the imperial examination tomorrow? How many refugees in ancient and modern times later became marquises and prime ministers, like my grandfather, and even directly created the Ming Dynasty."
"Thinking about it this way, it feels very good."
Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment, obviously being taken in by Da Sun's words.
Then he reacted immediately.
"What a great grandson, you even compared me to me, but your skills are indeed very tempting. I hope there will be a lot of followers here."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.
Zhu Ying's move can be regarded as a sneaky change of concept, treating individual cases as the norm, giving people the illusion that as long as he hangs his store name on the banner, some children in trouble will be able to stand up in the future, and then express thanks.
In fact, this probability is almost non-existent, and it is even more difficult than winning the five million grand prize in future generations.
Besides, banners are just the beginning now, and there will only be more and more in the future.
But now, Zhu Ying has made a lot of money in the capital.
And because it is a monopoly, the price is very comfortable.
If anyone is similar.
Hey, the Public Security Department, the yamen of the Five Cities Military and Horse Department, tell you what a fine is.
This can only be an exclusive sale. At least for now, Zhu Ying has no intention of opening it up.
In the future, when there is enough money and more projects are developed, it will be slowly and gradually opened up.
At this time, outside Zhengyang Gate and beside the pier, there was a lot of excitement.
This is the gate of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also where a large number of goods come in and out. The moat outside Zhengyang Gate is where large ships coming from the Yangtze River can dock.
Although there are other city gates that also carry goods, the volume here at Zhengyang Gate is undoubtedly the largest.
There are many large ships on the pier. Looking from a distance, there are at least a thousand ships passing by, and among them, a large number of ships have signs belonging to the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
Zhu Ying's Chamber of Commerce originally did not have ships, and for shipping, it mainly relied on other people's trade.
However, since Zhu Ying entered the palace, there seemed to be no plundering and plundering. As a result, thousands of ships were added to the palace.
Some things, once you have the power, can be controlled with just a few words.
Although Zhu Ying had a wide range of power, in the Ming Dynasty, he had always developed secretly and had no power at his disposal. The magistrates could control them at will, and there was no way to do anything about it.
This is why Zhu Ying only dared to act on the border of Ming Dynasty.
Speaking of which, I really have to thank Zhu Di, because before this, Zhu Ying had never thought of coming to the Central Committee of the Ming Dynasty, especially the capital.
"Look, what is that? It's an army. What are they doing?"
"It's such a big army. Could something happen again?"
"No, they look like they are training. Which general led the soldiers to dare to practice outside Zhengyang Gate?"
"I guess it's going to be a little bigger. Oh my God, what are they doing? What are they going to do!!!"
"You're crazy. It's a severe winter. I took off my armor and clothes. I'm going to be punished. There are two soldiers watching next to me."
"Look, look, they've gone into the water, they've gone into the water. It's terrifying to be thrown into the water in this weather. You'll freeze to death."
On the dock, there were officials, businessmen, foreigners, ordinary people, workers, and even soldiers on duty.
Everyone turned their attention to the moat to the west.
Previously, three thousand soldiers appeared, but their formation was very strange. Strictly speaking, they were one thousand soldiers.
Next to these thousand soldiers, there were soldiers on both sides guarding them, some of them watching and punishing them. However, looking closely, it seemed that the two soldiers were very respectful to the soldiers guarding them.
Then, a shocking scene appeared.
I saw a thousand soldiers lined up by the river. Then they began to take off their armor and cotton-padded clothes to keep out the cold. They stopped only when they only had a pair of trousers.
What's the difference between these kinds of punishments?
But the thousand soldiers didn't seem to have any complaints. Instead, they were doing actions, as if they were warming up?
Finally, after about half a stick of incense, a scene appeared that shocked everyone.
Under the howling cold wind and biting icy weather, these thousand soldiers formed a military formation and jumped directly into the river row by row.
Everyone thinks that this is cruel torture in the military.
Let the guilty soldiers freeze to death in the coldest river water.
There were screams of surprise, but this had no impact on the soldiers, who continued to jump down row by row.
The diving was neat and tidy, without interruption, and not even a single soldier hesitated at all, as if the biting wind and the cold water did not exist.
One breath, ten breaths, a hundred breaths.
People were surprised and shocked to find that these soldiers not only did not cry out for mercy, nor did they shrink back or fear, but instead swam happily on the river.
Everyone's gaze began to change subtly. The other two thousand soldiers standing by the river had prepared their clothes and blankets, and seemed to be waiting for the soldiers to go down the river.
Can they still come up?
The answer is yes.
A quarter of an hour passed, two quarters of an hour passed, and three quarters of an hour passed.
There are more and more people watching by the river. Even the people carrying goods have no intention of leaving.
Anyone already understands that this is definitely not punishment, but rather like training?
But such training is simply unheard of and unseen.
It was not until half an hour later that these soldiers slowly came up from the river under the gaze of thousands of people.
The soldiers who were ready immediately went over to wipe away the water stains, used the blanket as a barrier, changed into underwear, cotton-padded clothes, and armor.
Silence, speechlessness.
The bustling Zhengyangmen Pier seemed to be suspended at this moment, with everyone watching blankly.
It wasn't until the soldiers finished sorting out that they led the team again, gradually moving away and disappearing from sight.
boom!!!
In an instant, the entire dock started boiling like boiling water.
At this time, everyone, regardless of their superiority or status, would start chatting with the person closest to them.
Perhaps the only ones who are more confused are those foreign ministers, foreigners, and people who do not understand Chinese.
They could only surround the translator and ask questions about what just happened.
"Hey, didn't you know that those soldiers just now were all personal guards of His Highness the Grand Sun?"
A voice remembered, and the eyes of dozens of people around him turned around, waiting for the next step.
"Old Zhangtou, I know you have been around this dock for a long time, but you can also understand this military matter. Don't brag. How can you understand and contact those soldiers? Be careful with your words.
Get into trouble."
The familiar person next to him immediately said mockingly, obviously he was familiar with the old Zhangtou who just spoke.
The people around who were originally extremely interested suddenly booed and seemed to be about to disperse.
Lao Zhangtou's face turned red. The older a person gets, the more he cares about face. How could Lao Zhangtou endure being ridiculed in front of so many outsiders? He said directly:
"Don't underestimate me, my granddaughter is married to the manager of Qunying Chamber of Commerce as a concubine. The news about me is very clear."
Upon hearing this, the crowd that was about to disperse suddenly gathered around again, and those who heard this also crowded towards this side.
Seeing so many people looking at him, Old Zhangtou's face became more and more proud.
He just mocked the detractor and said in surprise: "I also know about this. Do you really know the category? Don't be pretentious and tell me in detail."
Old Zhangtou was not a storyteller either. He was shocked by the others and said proudly: "A few days ago, the little old man listened to the steward of the Chamber of Commerce and occasionally talked about this matter. It's not a big secret. But usually
The Chamber of Commerce has a good reputation and almost everyone knows about it."
"Your Majesty has appointed His Royal Highness the Grand Sun Xuan Jia Guard as his personal guard. Those who can join the Xuan Jia Guard are extremely outstanding in terms of age, body, and military exploits. They must be the best of the best."
"Even for such an elite, His Highness Taisun's salary is two or three times that of ordinary people, and they are provided with three meals a day."
"You eat more than others, but when it comes to training, you really don't have to be bossed around by others. Ordinary people can't even think about training like that."
"I thought it was just a joke, but when I saw it today, I didn't expect it to be so. A warrior who can withstand such training, who can stop him in this world?"
After some words, everyone suddenly understood.
It turns out that there are such arduous exercises in the world. What I saw today is just the tip of the iceberg. But thinking about swimming in this cold river for half an hour, I can't help but shudder.
What's more, put your hand into the water to feel whether the river is warmer.
A cold breath came from the palm of my hand, and I couldn't help but shiver.
How can I bear this?
Someone beside him sneered: "What are you thinking about? Are you comparing yourself to His Highness the Grand Sun's personal guard?"
Hearing the laughter, the man wanted to retort, but had nothing to say, so he could only glare hard.
The man who tested the waters was tall and strong, with sharp eyes, and he could tell that he had some skills in him.
The person being stared at did not dare to look at him and left quickly and dejectedly.
The burly man straightened his body and ignored the man who had just laughed at him. He looked towards the direction where the grandson's personal guard disappeared and murmured:
"Being an official is not a good thing for the future. Instead of taking part in the imperial examination, why not go and find out? My grandson's personal bodyguard still needs manpower."
This person wears a turban on his head and a Confucian shirt.
At least they all have the reputation of being scholars.
And a scholar, after watching the Xuan Jiawei's training, was not afraid, but showed strong desire in his eyes.
I have the intention of abandoning my writing and joining the army.