As Zhang Tie took out the plan that he had prepared in advance, the room on the third floor of Changfeng Pavilion became quiet. Nobody talked anymore; neither did they care about the dishes and drinks which were not as tasty as Blue Sea Silver Sand.
With Li Dong in the lead, the crowd gathered together and formed three circles. Each circle had a proposal, and they all read it without making a sound.
"Not bad indeed. Zhang Xiaobao is really something." After looking through a few catalogs, Li Dong raised his head and said something in Xinluo to the people who were also looking at him.
They nodded at once. If it were them, they would not be able to figure out the plan in their hands.
After saying that, Li Dong turned over a page. They then continued to read it seriously.
Part of the plan was how to mobilize the materials for road construction and where to find people to help transport them. Part of the plan was about the firmness of the road and whether it could withstand the flood and the trampling of horses' hooves.
Li Dong and the others were not interested in this information. It was not easy to get one million strings of coins. Even if over 20 families worked together, they could not afford one million strings of coins. They had to find more people. They had to find a reason for others to help them.
What they wanted to know was how much benefit they could get from the road construction.
After turning over another page, they finally found the information that they needed.
Firstly, the road would be built at the junction of the two places, namely the border between Xinluo Country and Tang Dynasty. It would not take long for them to see the results. They would build inns, restaurants and other houses on the roadside for those who had just come from Tang Dynasty or Xinluo Country to rest.
It was estimated that they could get one thousand strings of coins of coins per month. In the future, as trade and transportation became more frequent, they could make more money. Zhengzheng Construction only needed 20% of the profit. After the road in Jiexi Province was built, the investors in Xinluo Country could also get 20% of the profit.
Seeing the first point, a smile appeared on Li Dong's face. An 80% and 20% profit was like money falling from the sky. If they were to calculate according to the proportion of money invested, they wouldn't even be able to get 10%. It seemed that Zhang Xiaobao would give them some benefits first and then ask for it from other sources.
After considering it, they continued to read on.
Secondly, the road was built on the road that could barely be considered a road from afar. That way, the people or groups who could still use this road would have to walk on their own if they didn't want to walk on the newly built road.
If they wanted to leave, they had to pay a toll fee to maintain the road. If they were traveling alone, they could stay at the two sides and wait for other caravans to come over to help guard and transport the goods. In lieu of paying the toll fee, both sides would receive a certain percentage of intermediary fees from the caravans.
If a caravan were to pass through, they would charge a fee based on the value of the goods. Considering that the value of the goods could increase by several times from one place to another, they would charge a fee of 10% of the value of the goods or 5% of the goods.
"Good, the second point is good. If you don't take the road that we built and go to other places, firstly, it will be dangerous and secondly, it will be a waste of time. Ten percent of the money is not a small amount. It would be best to take five percent of the goods. If the goods are transported back and forth, they will all be things that are not available in the two places, so the value will be higher."
When Li Dong saw the second point, he stopped and told the people beside him. They nodded once again.
Third, the Great Tang would set up a toll gate on both sides of the border. All goods from Xinluo would have to pay a twenty percent tariff to protect the profits of the Great Tang's corresponding industries. The Great Tang would send people to patrol and put an end to smuggling.
"Why? Why do we have to pay a tariff for trade and transportation? It's the first time I've heard of it. It's really strange. Can Zhengzheng Construction represent Great Tang's imperial decree? "
When Li Dong saw the third point, he was not satisfied. He wanted to transport more goods from Xinluo to Great Tang to sell in the future. Since there were more people in Jilin Province, there would be more goods in demand. Therefore, the price would be higher. If he had to pay this ridiculous tariff, wouldn't he be giving money to others for free?
Therefore, he questioned Zhang Tie who was sitting on the cushion.
Zhang Tie was drinking the scented tea that he had brought. Recently, he had been a bit irritated by the boat ride. Thankfully, his master had prepared a scented tea for him. Tasting the faint fragrance of the flowers, he was interrupted by Li Dong who licked his lips and said,
"All the subjects of Great Tang know that my young master and young lady can make decisions on behalf of Great Tang in foreign affairs. His Majesty has also agreed to collect tariffs. Additionally, it's not the first time that Great Tang has collected tariffs in foreign affairs.
Jiannan Province has already started to collect tariffs. Even my master's caravan would have to pay the corresponding amount of money. It's the same for Xinyuan Island. I estimate that in a few days, the ships coming to and from Japan would also start to pay tariffs. We can't go against this.
Xinluo could also collect tariffs. Otherwise, Master Li could consider it. If Master Li wanted to buy porcelains from Great Tang and transport them back to Xinluo, you could sell them at 6 copper coins per porcelain bowl and sell them at 30 copper coins per porcelain bowl. My Tang caravan could buy porcelain bowls at a lower price and transport them back to Xinluo at 20 copper coins per porcelain bowl. Would Master Li lower your price?
If you lower your price, the Tang caravan would only need to maintain the same level of profit as Master Li. By then, the price would be lower than Master Li's. Would Master Li still have money to earn? After collecting tariffs, you would naturally have to raise the price to make profits. This is a form of protection for Master Li. "
Master Li nodded as his expression changed. It was indeed like what Zhang Tie had said. When the Tang caravan started to transport goods to Xinluo, it would have a great impact on him.
At this moment, Zhang Tie added, "Besides the impact of purchasing goods from Great Tang, there's another impact. Xinluo's trees are always less than Great Tang's, especially the output of cloth. For example, a weaver could earn 300 copper coins per year. Our Great Tang has more advanced weaving machines. Our cloth is cheap. If we sell it to Xinluo at a lower price, would the weavers of Xinluo starve to death?"
This time, more people nodded. They admitted that Great Tang's technology was more advanced than Xinluo's. They also understood this logic.
If silk was cheap, weavers would not be able to weave. If grains were cheap, farmers would not work. If goods were cheap, craftsmen would not work. If there was no output, there would be no money. If there was no money, one would not be able to afford goods. If goods could not be sold, the merchants would be doomed.
"This is called an economic crisis. Abnormal supply exceeds demand. By then, Xinluo would be doomed. Our young master does not intend to harm Xinluo like this. Otherwise, he would not mention this matter. By then, he would mobilize a large number of materials and attack Xinluo several times. Xinluo would still have a good chance to survive. Our young master is benevolent and righteous."
Zhang Tie even showed off his knowledge to Li Dong and the others. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, Li Dong's people did not know.
Li Dong agreed with Zhang Tie's words very much. The only thing he disagreed with was that Zhang Xiaobao was benevolent and righteous. He did not believe that Zhang Xiaobao would be kind-hearted.
"This … we need to discuss it when we go back." Li Dong couldn't make up his mind. As it involved too much, he needed to discuss it with that member of the imperial clan of Xinluo last time. It seemed that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had already stabilized the affairs in Jilin Province and were ready to hold a negotiation with Xinluo. This was a big trouble.
"It doesn't matter. We can understand your difficulties. We're not in a hurry. We'll talk about it after you've discussed it with me. After all, 1 million strings of cash is too much for Xinluo. Even Xinluo's annual income might not reach that amount, not to mention the merchants headed by Li Dong."
Zhang Tie replied with a smile. However, his words made them very uncomfortable. Even though he did not show it on his face, Weiwei's words revealed a condescending attitude.
Li Dong and the others just bore this uncomfortable feeling and didn't refute it. After all, Zhang Tie asked for 10 million strings of cash.
*****
The sun was warm.
Li Longji was lying on the artificial lake that was saturated with salt, looking at the floating clouds in the sky. He appeared to be very satisfied. From time to time, he would take a sip of wine that was floating on the table beside him. This kind of life was really enjoyable.
After drinking a cup of wine, he felt a bit tipsy. He glanced at the entrance and waited for Gao Lishi who had gone to fetch a letter. Not far away, he heard a splash sound. It was the palace maids performing a water dance.
In front of him was Wu Huifei. She was wearing a translucent swimsuit, which was very seductive.
"Your Majesty, don't let others come to this lake in the future. After they swim, the water will be dirty." Wu Huifei said softly as she held a peach in her hand. She had just washed it clean and peeled it. She then put it in front of Li Longji's mouth.
Li Longji took a bite of the peach and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. He said to Wu Huifei, "The lake is huge. How can anyone dirty it? Those who come to swim are checked by doctors outside. If they are sick, they won't be allowed to swim. If they really don't allow others to come, who will pay for the salt and water?
"This lake is more than three thousand feet long, which is one thousand meters long, two hundred meters wide, and ten meters deep. According to Xiao Bao's calculations, this is two million cubic meters. If it is saturated with salt, it will require more than six hundred thousand tons of salt. Since the beginning of the construction of this lake, it has been constantly expanding. So much money has been spent, and we still have to inject new water and salt every once in a while.
If others don't pay, do you want me to? Then I will really be a fatuous ruler. If Xiao Bao and Cuckoo find out, they will stop the annual public welfare funds for disaster relief and construction. My losses will be even greater. "
"Your Majesty, I have never thought so much. So the Zhang Family and the Wang Family are that powerful? If they are really gone, won't our Great Tang be in danger? Your Majesty will have to make concessions to them, "Wu Huifei said. She had heard Li Longji's words before, and she seemed to be agreeing with him.
"Sigh ~!" Li Longji looked at Wu Huifei and sighed. "Don't keep thinking about how to deal with them. Even if you're right and Great Tang can't do without them, so what? I don't have the final say in this world. I might be able to deal with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, but I'll drive them away at the cost of Great Tang's economy. Yes, I can only drive them away. It won't be easy to destroy them.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
