Although the merchants in the teahouse felt a little uncomfortable, the rules of the Tang dynasty were not too excessive. They were even somewhat reasonable. After all, these merchants were well aware of how much money and resources it would cost to build the roads. The cost of building the roads was so high that if the Tang dynasty bore all the costs, the cost of transporting goods would naturally be extremely high after the roads were built. As long as the Tang dynasty raised the fares, the merchants would also have to pay a huge cost. After the merchants participated in building the roads, it would reduce the pressure on the Tang dynasty, which would also reduce the fares in the future. In addition, the announcement of the Tang dynasty was also very clear that for merchants who exceeded the quota, there would be discounts for traveling and transporting goods in the future. There was even a privilege of priority in transporting goods in case of a transportation emergency.
For merchants, the discount price for transporting goods was not very important. However, in the case of a transportation shortage, the privilege of priority in transporting goods was very important. After all, the business world was like a battlefield. Business opportunities were fleeting. Once their goods arrived at the market one step later, the losses they suffered would not be small. They might even lose all their money.
There were examples like this. When a certain place was in desperate need of a certain material, the surrounding merchants would collect the goods wantonly and then transport them to the place where the material was in desperate need. The merchants who arrived early could make a lot of money, but at the same time, the market was saturated. In this way, the merchants who arrived late would get nothing. Moreover, due to the large number of merchants who arrived late, the supply of the originally scarce goods would exceed the demand, resulting in an avalanche of prices, causing the merchants to lose all their money. The merchants who arrived early would eat the meat, while the merchants who arrived late would drink the soup. In the end, the merchants who arrived late would only lose all their money.
Any merchant was very clear about the fleeting business opportunities. Once the railways were built, if they did not use the railways to transport goods, they could not do business. It could be said that they were passive everywhere. Unless they were willing to be a small merchant and give up the opportunity to make a fortune, it did not matter. However, how could a big merchant be willing to be a small merchant? Even a small merchant who guarded a small shop would occasionally go to distant places to buy goods and make a lot of money. In this way, they also needed to use the railways. Otherwise, they would inevitably lose the fleeting business opportunities.
The Railway Bureau of the Tang Dynasty knew the merchants' weakness, so they were not worried that these merchants would not contribute. As long as this rule was set, these merchants along the way would have to obediently comply. Even if there were new merchants in the future, they would have to make up the contribution to use the railway line, so as to ensure absolute fairness. Otherwise, when the railway was built, some merchants would directly wash their hands of the business and resume their old business after the railway was built. Wouldn't that mean that they would avoid the contribution? Therefore, the Tang Dynasty had already made a backup plan, so they were not afraid that these merchants would not comply.
The merchants in the teahouse directly copied the notice of the Tang Dynasty. A group of people sat together and constantly studied it, brainstorming to see if they could find a loophole in the notice so that they could take advantage of it. After all, the amount of contribution given by the Tang Dynasty was not a small amount, which made them feel a little pained. However, if they did not contribute, they would feel even more pained in the future, and it would be a long-term pain. It was better to have a short pain than a long pain. These merchants naturally knew how to choose, but they were still a little unwilling to give up.
"Brothers, the notice of the Tang Dynasty is too detailed. There are no loopholes at all. They can't even carry goods for others. They must be their own goods. Otherwise, once it is discovered, it will be a contempt of the law of the Tang Dynasty. Not only will both sides not be able to use the railway in the future, but all goods will also be confiscated. Alas! I really can't find a loophole! "
The merchant in red said.
The merchant next to him said, "It's right that you can't find a loophole. If everyone takes advantage of a loophole, then the decision of the Tang Dynasty will be meaningless. What you can think of, others can also think of, can't they?"
A merchant hurriedly said, "You're right. If there are loopholes in the rules, then it's meaningless. However, if we let others carry goods without being discovered, it seems that we can avoid it, right?"
The merchant in red next to him nodded and said, "It's indeed possible, but it's more suitable for small merchants. But for merchants like us who carry a large number of goods each time, it's not feasible. The quantity of goods we sell each time is too large, which will attract attention and be easily traced. If we want to secretly ask others for help, we will be found out. The risk is too great. For some small merchants, if we help them carry a small number of goods, even if we are found out, we can also say that they came to buy the goods. I believe that the Tang Dynasty won't care about these insignificant quantities of goods. Therefore, those small merchants can avoid it, but we can't. We have a big business, and once we are found out, it will be very troublesome."
The merchant in red was right. The bigger a merchant was, the harder it was for him to hide his business. A small merchant could live a very leisurely life, but a big merchant would be watched all the time. He would have to take bodyguards with him when he walked on the street, almost losing his personal freedom.
Similarly, small merchants could secretly break the rules, evade taxes, and so on, but it was difficult for big merchants to do so. Their targets were too big, and too many people were watching. As long as they violated the rules, it was easy to be reported, and once they were reported, the government would send people to investigate, and thus uproot the business of a giant merchant. Therefore, they had to be careful at all times, and could not easily break the rules, lest they suffer heavy losses because of small benefits. Big merchants themselves were also rich in resources, so naturally they did not care about some of the costs. There was only return when there was effort, and it was not a good idea to take risks and take advantage of loopholes. Only those who were particularly greedy and bold would be keen on taking advantage of loopholes, and many of these bold people would end up in a bad situation.
"I think we'd better forget it! It's not easy to build railways in the Tang dynasty, and the price is very high. We should do what we can to help! After all, the more we handle, the more priority we can get when transportation is tight in the future, and the more discount we can get. These two benefits are really difficult to get by taking advantage of loopholes. If I have a discount token in my hand, I won't carry goods for others. Even if they give me several times the benefits, I won't agree. Unless I'm stupid, I believe that you all certainly won't dare to take a big risk for a little profit. And those who want to take advantage of loopholes will certainly be reluctant to take more benefits. In this way, they will take advantage of loopholes in vain. So, let's not think of any crooked ideas. If we can't figure out these crooked ideas, let's think about how to pay for it! Let's see what's the most cost-effective discount. "
A businessman said.
The other merchants all nodded in agreement, feeling that this merchant was right. They also felt that taking advantage of this loophole was unreliable. They were all great merchants who would make a lot of money in the future. As long as they could use the railroad to make a lot of money in the future, it was reasonable for them to contribute a little for now. The Great Tang had also given them a discount. The more effort they put in, the more discounts they would receive in the future, and the more priority they would have in transporting goods. This was extremely important to merchants, and it was a benefit that they had to fight over.
If a small businessman did not compete for it, it would not attract the attention of outsiders. But if a well-known big businessman did not compete for it, it would be too conspicuous, which was not in line with their identity. Businessmen not only needed to make money, but also valued their face very much. If they could get the priority of transportation, it would be a great honor that businessmen must compete for.
However, the construction of railways in the Tang dynasty required too many resources, so the more discounts they had, the higher the price they had to pay. A 20% discount would cost five times more than a 10% discount. As for a 30% discount, it would cost five times more than a 20% discount. The biggest discount was 30%. For small businessmen, they could not afford a 10% discount. They could only choose a 5% discount, or even a 7% discount, 12% discount, or 10% discount, which were very small discounts. After all, their strength was there, and they did not have enough money to support themselves in the competition.
After some discussion, the ten or so merchants of Angji Family's Stone City all chose a 20% discount. This was what they had discussed beforehand. If anyone were to change it, they would be going against the others and would be isolated in the future. They didn't want to be isolated, that kind of life would be too difficult.
"They all chose a 20% discount. It seems that this is the limit they can afford at present. After all, Angi Family is a small town, and there are no decent big businessmen. Compared with Chang 'an City, the big businessmen here are small businessmen. This is not bad, and it shows their sincerity. I'm very satisfied."
Ang Lee was very happy to hear that the big businessmen in Stone City chose a 20% discount. There were more than a dozen people who chose a 20% discount, which was very good.
In the bedroom of the master of Angi family, the master of Angi family and several elders also started a discussion. They also saw the notice, and they saw it earlier than the other businessmen.
"Master, the maximum discount is 30%. I think we can only choose 30%. After all, we are the masters of Angi City, and we have a very friendly cooperation with the Tang Dynasty. We must choose the biggest discount and give the Tang Dynasty the greatest support in building roads. Only in this way can we win the full support of the Tang Dynasty."
"Yes! Master, I'm afraid we don't have to discuss this matter. We can only choose the biggest discount. We have the best gem mine, so we don't have to worry about money. If we don't choose the biggest discount, it will be unreasonable. "
"Haha! It seems that this time everyone's idea is very consistent! This is the most appropriate discussion we have had in Angi family, and there is no different opinion. "
"This is because we have found the best gem mine. With the wealth of this gem mine, we don't have to worry about money. Naturally, we can choose the biggest discount easily."
A group of elders said.
The master of Angi family said with a smile, "Since all the elders have said so, then it will be easy. However, shouldn't we offer more? After all, the more money we offer, the happier the Tang Dynasty will be. If we can offer twice the maximum discount, will the Tang Dynasty give us a discount that exceeds the maximum discount? "
Hearing the master's words, all the elders of Angi family were surprised. They did not expect that the family would offer more money than the maximum discount proposed by the Tang Dynasty.
"Master, it's good enough that we can offer the biggest discount. Since the Tang Dynasty has offered a 30% discount, then we can offer the 30% discount as the greatest support for the Tang Dynasty's road construction. There is no need to add more money. Although we have the gem mine, there will be a time when the mine will be empty. Even if we have the money, we can't waste it like this!"
"Master, what you said seems to be reasonable. We can offer the biggest discount, which is indeed enough to give the Tang Dynasty face. However, if we can offer more money than the maximum discount, the Tang Dynasty will undoubtedly be happier, and their support for us will be greater."
"Yes, although we don't need to waste more money, our Angi family is now isolated and urgently needs to rely on the power of the Tang Dynasty to strengthen ourselves. Only by showing the greatest goodwill can we get more help from the Tang Dynasty. If we offer twice the price, even if we can't get a higher discount, as long as we get other privileges, it will be very beneficial to us. The priority shipping right is a privilege that is very tempting. Since we can get priority shipping, why can't we fight for a bigger privilege?"
"Yes! Nothing is more important than business opportunities. If we can grasp the types of goods transported by the merchants, it will be a great opportunity for our Angi family to make a fortune! "
"Grasp the types of goods transported by the railway? At most, we can only grasp a part of it. The Tang Dynasty is so big that it's impossible to gather all the information here. What we can get is just the information around us."
"This is a good idea. As long as we offer more money, we can put forward a request and put our trusted men in the future station as deputies for the Tang Dynasty. With our understanding of the local situation, it will be much more convenient for us to manage it than the people sent by the Tang Dynasty. Although nominally, the people sent by the Tang Dynasty will be in charge, the actual day-to-day control will definitely fall into the hands of our Angi family. In this way, if any fool offends us, we can find an excuse to stop his goods and not let him get on the train. In addition, the so-called priority right is not decided by the controller. We can just say that there is no position, and what can others do?"
"That's right! In the future, our Angi family will have a relatively large station here. The deputy of the station must be firmly controlled by our Angi family. It must not fall into the hands of other families. Otherwise, we will be too passive in the future. We will be troubled when we are just transporting goods. As long as we control the station, we will be the one making trouble for others. Hahaha! "
A group of elders of the Angi family discussed together.
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