Hu Xian was very annoyed. He came to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and overlooked the entire Xiyang Port. He looked at the extremely busy port, the bustling city, and then looked at the sea in the distance, as if everything was in the palm of his hand.
He likes this feeling, holding the world in his hands and following his words.
Once he lost his position as Governor of Ceylon, he was nothing.
"Dong dong~dong dong~"
At this time, there was a knock on the door of his office.
"Come in."
Hu Xian came to his senses, calmed down his emotions slightly, and returned to his position as governor.
Soon, Zhang Yuan, Feng Xiang, and Zhu Benduan walked in. These three people were also one of the owners behind Xiyang United Trading Company, and they were also responsible for an industry within Xiyang United Trading Company.
Zhang Yuan was in charge of the plantation business under the Western United Trading Company, Feng Xiang was in charge of the gem business in Ceylon, and Zhu Benduan was in charge of the slave trade.
These three major businesses are now the three most important areas of Western United Commercial Bank, and they can bring huge profits of tens of millions to Western United Commercial Bank every year.
"Governor~"
Zhang Yuan, Prime Minister Feng, and Zhu Benduan looked at Hu Xian who was sitting on the governor's chair, and shouted helplessly in unison.
"Brother Zhang, Brother Feng, Brother Zhu~"
"Please sit down, please sit down~"
Hu Xian smiled and motioned for the three of them to sit down and spoke slowly.
His actions made Zhang Yuan, Feng Xiang, and Zhu Benduan look a little confused. In the past, the four of them regarded themselves as brothers.
However, in the past two years, Hu Xian has held great power and has become more and more obsessed with power. He even started to talk about rules, saying that in the Governor's Mansion, he is the Governor and can no longer bark as before.
Therefore, the three of them also called him Governor, and the relationship between them became unfamiliar.
Now he turned around again and called the three of them this way. The three of them were very surprised and didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in this Hu Xian gourd.
"In the past few years, because of the affairs of the Western United Trading Company, we brothers have been busy here and there. We often get together less and stay apart more often. In addition, we have to deal with official business, which has also made the relationship between us brothers a lot more estranged."
Hu Xian looked at the three people in front of him.
The three families behind these three people are one of the important shareholders behind the Western United Trading Company. At the same time, the three families are also important representatives of the Jiangnan gentry.
If he can win over three people to support him, he can at least get the support of Jiangnan shareholders. Then he can use other methods to win over some shareholders, and his position will be secure.
As long as he sits in the position of governor for a few more years, he can find a way to concentrate all the power in his own hands, and at the same time, it is very possible to eliminate the influence and decision-making of shareholders on the governor's office.
In this way, you can truly become a local emperor, and even ascending the throne and proclaiming yourself emperor may not be a problem in the future.
The key is to get through this difficult time.
"Governor, if you have any orders, you might as well say so."
Prime Minister Feng looked at Hu Xian.
We used to be brothers, but since you became the Governor of Ceylon, you have paid less and less attention to your brothers. You often yell at your brothers, and you always use rules and other things to suppress everyone.
At the beginning, if something happened, everyone would get together and discuss how to handle it.
But now, Hu Xian is basically acting arbitrarily, never discussing with everyone, issuing orders directly, not even allowing everyone to object, and using the power of the governor to suppress everyone.
In the appointment and arrangement of personnel, everyone used to follow the default rules. There are many shareholders behind this, and each shareholder will send people to take important positions in key positions. On the one hand, they are responsible for some businesses, and on the other hand, they are responsible for some businesses.
It is also responsible for supervising the operation of Western Union Trading Company.
According to the rules, when it comes to important positions, everyone has to discuss them, and they often have to do things alternately, so that they can understand each other in all aspects and be simple to each other.
However, in the past two years, Hu Xian broke this rule. In many cases, he did not notify the shareholders behind him at all, and quietly appointed people from his Hu family to take charge.
For example, the United Western Trading Company has an armed force, called the Military Department. There are almost 20,000 armed forces under the Military Department. It is mainly to maintain the rule and management of the Western United Trading Company in various places, and also to open up new colonies and suppress local rebellions.
of.
This is an extremely important institution, and it is also an important force for Western United to gain a foothold here.
Hu Xian directly arranged for his son to serve as the Minister of Armed Forces, and has always refused to replace others with various excuses.
Today he is going to open up new colonies, tomorrow he is going to suppress a rebellion somewhere, and the day after tomorrow there is talk of slave resistance. In short, every time he is asked to hand over the military department, he always resists and finds various excuses.
So much so that the Ministry of Military Affairs has always been controlled by the Hu Xian and Hu family.
In addition, the colonies owned by the Western United Trading Company were very large, and there were many states and counties under them. The people in charge of these places were equivalent to the local officials of the Ming Dynasty.
In the past, whenever there was a vacancy, it would basically be up to the rules to appoint someone sent by the shareholders to take over. Each of the major shareholders had huge families behind them, and they also sent a large number of people to participate in the management and operation of Western United Corporation.
But now, as long as there is a vacancy, Hu Xian will quietly arrange for someone from his Hu family to take the position without making any announcement to the outside world. There are some things that he does not make public. In addition, the scale of the Western United Trading Company is so huge that no one will notice it for a while.
But unless you do nothing, others will always know about it. What's more, Western United Trading Company itself is composed of people sent by major shareholders. The shareholders have a clear grasp of all aspects of the matter.
"Brother Feng, why are you so divided?"
Hu Xian looked at Feng Xiang and said with a smile.
"I don't dare to call you brother-in-law with your Excellency the Governor. If you have anything to do, I can just give you direct instructions."
Feng Xiang was very dissatisfied with Hu Xian.
In Feng Xiang's opinion, the reason why Western United Commercial Bank is what it is today is because the system implemented by Western United Commercial Bank itself is very good. Everyone supervises each other and works together to make Western United Commercial Bank bigger and stronger.
But you Hu Xian, after being the governor for a few years, you no longer know how much you are worth, and you have begun to act arbitrarily and nepotistically. Yanran has made this Western United Trading Company her own property.
And the same is true when it comes to treating old brothers like yourself. People who don't know better think that you have become the emperor, so there is no more brotherly love, and you have to behave like a monarch and his ministers.
"Yes, if the Governor has anything to do, please give him direct instructions."
Zhu Benduan and Zhang Yuan also nodded and said.
"Brother Feng, Brother Zhu, Brother Zhang~"
"In the past few years, we brothers have been busy working on the affairs of Western United Trading Company. We have done our best and never slacked off, so that we brothers have become very divided."
"We, the brothers, formed the Atlantic United Trading Company in this barbarian land of the West, opened up new territories, lived in the open air, and suffered from hunger. Now we can earn a huge wealth of more than 50 million taels every year."
"We work so hard, but our rewards are negligible."
"But what about those people? They drink tea, read newspapers and do nothing in Ming Dynasty. At the end of the year, they can just sit and share money."
"Is this fair?"
"Is this reasonable?"
Hu Xian looked at the three of them and said what he had already prepared. When he said this, he looked very angry, as if he was a young man complaining about injustice.
"What's unfair and unreasonable?"
Feng Xiang said calmly.
"Of course~"
"Without our hard work, would the Western United Trading Company be what it is today?"
"Without us working so hard here, how could this Western United Commercial Bank earn tens of millions of taels of silver every year?"
Hu Xian nodded solemnly and said.
"Then Governor, what do you mean?"
Zhang Yuan didn't quite understand what Hu Xian meant.
"What I mean is very simple, that is, since we have paid so much and worked so hard to develop the Western United Trading Company, and since we have made great contributions, we should get what we deserve."
"Those who drank tea and read newspapers in the Ming Dynasty, just waiting for dividends. They have not made much contribution, so they should get less. This is more reasonable."
Hu Xian said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Deserve it?"
Zhang Yuan, Hu Xian, and Zhu Benduan suddenly became more confused.
Everyone has received a lot of things. Tens of millions of taels of silver are distributed every year. Isn’t this a gain? The family behind them owns huge land in the colony. Isn’t this a gain?
"Yes~"
"We have worked hard here, and they are just waiting for their money. Without us, there would be no United Western Commercial Bank today, but we are just like other shareholders, getting some dividends at the end of the year. Other than that,
We have no other benefits."
"I think this is unfair!"
"That's unreasonable!"
"Since those people are just sitting and sharing money, they should continue to sit and share money, but they should not point out the operations of our Western United Trading Company. How can they understand the situation here in the Western United Trading Company in Daming? How can they understand the situation here?
Understand our situation and position, and be able to make timely responses to the respective emergencies that arise in the Western United Commercial Bank."
"Even if we work hard here, we still have to be instigated by them, and they point and dictate what we do."
"As long as we unite together, we will be consistent at the shareholders' meeting at the end of the year and determine such a rule."
"Shareholders only need to sit back and share their money. As for making money, we can leave it to us. This is more reasonable. No one is pointing fingers at us or restraining us. We can also better develop and strengthen the Atlantic Alliance.
