A late autumn night in Jiangnan.
Under the lamp, Zhu Mo carefully finished reading three secret reports.
One was signed by Hu Zongxian and Tan Lun, advising him to immediately suspend the anti-Japanese war bonds and the weaving bank, and await the imperial decree. If suspended, both would guarantee his safety.
For this,
Zhu Mo felt a little grateful—
These two were indeed good men!
It was rare in the Great Ming for people to still consider his safety at this time. Compared to Zheng Bichang and others, they were worlds apart.
Another letter was unexpected, written by Zhang Juzheng. The words were full of admiration, saying he wished he could immediately come to Jiangnan to help with the planning, sounding almost overly affectionate—
"To my esteemed elder brother Zixuan:
Since our parting at Yongding, you have taken on great dangers, while your humble brother feels ashamed of holding his position idly. Day by day, facing the whistling waters, I imagine your heroic spirit is as vibrant as before. Your name is renowned and slandered throughout the land; the petty minds are not fit to judge you. Yet the court's clamor and the Yan faction's attacks, as if harboring a lifelong hatred, stem from your far-reaching and grand strategy. I have often pondered your stratagems and recently awakened as if from a dream, wishing I could traverse a thousand miles like a swift steed, to hold a candle before your desk, and receive your teachings day and night, perhaps to support the ailing world..."
Regarding this,
Zhu Mo was truly surprised, and he couldn't help but recall the entire process of knowing Zhang Juzheng. He thought: Although you are more upright than Xu Jie, you never showed such special concern. You truly feel ashamed, but I didn't see anything else...
Yet he did not know—
Zhang Juzheng had a sudden change of heart after witnessing the Jiajing Emperor's attitude during the court session! kuAiδugg
This prodigy was initially unimpressed. He just wanted Zhu Mo to stir up trouble. After Zhu Mo killed He Maocai, he was surprised. But upon witnessing Jiajing turn his back to Lü Fang, he finally understood: Zhu Mo was someone the Emperor wanted to use! State-run banks and the like were what the Emperor supported.
What kind of person was Zhang Juzheng? Unrivaled in talent, he never shied away from means. Upon returning home, he immediately wrote a letter to flatter him, and then sent it via eight hundred li urgent dispatch through the Ministry of War...
The third letter was from the old Taoist priest from the Feixuan Palace, and Third Master Li. In their letter, they said nothing else, only asking if friends in Jiangnan had offered help, besides exchanging pleasantries. Finally, they suggested returning to the capital as soon as possible for a small gathering...
For this,
Zhu Mo felt a touch of warmth—
After all, it was these two friends, separated by age, who concerned him the most... Pondering, apart from his master, Old Taoist Pu Qing, only these two had genuine feelings for him.
As for the current situation, Zhu Mo was full of confidence! Because the progress so far had been faster and larger than expected.
Originally, he thought there was no more private wealth in the late Ming dynasty. Although the system had indicated five million taels of idle capital in four provinces, he was still somewhat skeptical... But now it seemed that private wealth was still immense! An interest rate of four to five percent, and in ten days, twelve million taels were raised, which indeed exceeded expectations. He had originally thought it would be at most five million taels.
On the other hand, the commercial foundation of the Great Ming was also excellent. Two-thirds of these subscribers were merchants, and one-third were gentry. They all said they subscribed for long-term stable returns. This was very encouraging! It showed that the wealthy people of the Great Ming were very rational, which provided a foundation for the banking industry.
Now,
The matter could enter the second stage, which was—
Improving the textile industry.
After this period of investigation, he had understood the situation—
The textile industry in the Great Ming was actually decentralized. The Weaving Bureau had only three thousand looms, producing 200,000 bolts of silk annually, but the total export volume of the Great Ming was over 500,000 bolts; according to the system, there were over 36,000 workshops in four provinces, with a potential capacity of three million bolts, a six-fold increase compared to the current annual output.
If these small workshops could be expanded, and the output increased, it would be remarkable. And for small workshops to grow rapidly, the most needed thing was, of course, money.
And now, the money was in hand!
Therefore, the next step was to lend it to these small workshops.
The profit margin of the Great Ming's textile industry was over 200% for foreign trade and over 50% for domestic trade. Thus, the interest rate for loans could be set at eight percent or even one fen.
Thus,
The state-run bank, with its over ten million taels of silver, would have an interest rate difference of four to five percent annually, enough to constitute the profit of the weaving bank. With ten million taels of silver, after repaying the interest, it could still earn four to five hundred thousand taels annually.
Not only that,
The number of other private workshops in the Great Ming far exceeded imagination, and their demand for money was astronomical! Ten million taels was far from enough. In the future, it could be expanded several times, for example, to thirty to forty million taels, and then the profit from the bank alone would be two to three million taels.
In addition, there were taxes from various industries, which, when combined, would bring the Great Ming's fiscal revenue to at least over ten million taels annually!
With this, what else could the Great Ming worry about? Zhu Mo really couldn't see. As for the discussions in the court and among the populace, as long as money was in sight, all rumors would disappear immediately...
For this reason,
He had personally drafted a proclamation. Since it was for the common people, he omitted many ornate phrases and wrote it in plain language—
"To the Silk Workshops and Silkworm Farmers of Jiangnan":
Extraordinary matters require extraordinary people. The Great Ming state-run Jiangnan Bank has now been established, with an initial fund of ten million taels of silver. Royal credit, trustworthy for all. Textile merchants in need of funds, or silkworm farmers wishing to engage in textiles, can all borrow money from me. I will charge only one fen interest, with a term of up to three years.
My word is my bond.
Zhu Mo, Envoy of Great Ming Disaster Relief, a commoner. Hand-written.
At the same time,
He ordered Zheng Bichang to dispatch yamen runners, night watchmen, and beggars throughout Jiangnan to publicize and post it everywhere. He also established a "State-run Bank Office" in each county yamen. Each county was assigned two personnel, one of whom had experience as a bank clerk, with a salary from the bank, double that of ordinary yamen runners.
Once the proclamation was posted, the entire Jiangnan region naturally erupted!
In every village and town, people gathered in small groups at the county yamen, all overjoyed. On every road, in every street and alley, discussions were rife. It could be said that wherever there was a well, Zhu Mo's name became an absolute hot topic. From sixty to three years old, everyone was enthusiastically discussing this foremost talent of the Great Ming!
...
One early morning,
Zhu Mo, accompanied by Xiaoxiao Sheng, went directly to a place, that was Chun'an.
In the summer, Chun'an and Jiande experienced floods, with a total of 300,000 disaster victims, of whom fifty to sixty thousand were left homeless. Although several months had passed, due to the court's lack of funds, disaster relief had always been inadequate.
The newly appointed magistrate of Chun'an, Hai Rui, was recommended by the upright officials. For the past period, he had sent people to the provincial government almost daily, urging them: tens of thousands of disaster victims were about to run out of food. The provincial government, however, had no way. Last month, Qi Jiguang had allocated a portion from his camp and sent it, which sustained them for one month. Now, the food was about to run out again.
Zhu Mo naturally admired Hai Rui greatly, but was also curious: Who was this man? Was he truly the upright official Hai of the Jiajing era? But regardless, whether this person was genuine or not, Zhu Mo had brought several carts of silver, ordering the escort team to depart later. The total amount was 300,000 taels.
If Hai Rui was a hypocrite, he intended to apprehend him directly. If he was a good man, this silver would be a token of his greeting, and there would certainly be more in the future.
However, deep down, Zhu Mo felt it was somewhat unreal... because the modern era he came from had no such people. Everyone was a refined egoist. And after living in the Ming Dynasty for more than ten years, he had rarely seen many good people.
...
The two traveled by carriage to a town about twenty li outside Chun'an County. As they were about to pass, they heard a crowd gathered in a straw hut tea house, many people discussing—
"That Young Master Zhu is truly generous with his bank, charging only one fen interest, while our county charges two fen!"
"Nonsense! This money can only be used for weaving! Do you think you can borrow it to gamble?"
"Tomorrow, my family will also go to borrow money to buy a loom!"
"I heard Young Master Zhu said that as long as it's money borrowed to buy a loom, he's willing to buy the silk woven from it?"
"That's right! Seven or eight households in our village have already borrowed money to buy looms. Hangzhou is already rushing to make them... Each bolt will earn more than ten taels then!"
"Why didn't the officials before think of such a good method?"
"Do you think everyone has the great talent of Young Master Zhu? I heard from people in the capital that Young Master Zhu is an immortal descended to earth..."
"Stop joking! If he's an immortal, wouldn't he know the suffering of Chun'an? Don't count on that Young Master Zhu, let's count on our Master Hai!"
"Yes... Master Hai is more reliable!"
"One must know right from wrong. Without Master Hai borrowing grain from General Qi, the people of Chun'an wouldn't survive!"
"..."
Upon mentioning Hai Rui,
The tea house instantly fell silent.