Start Being a Vassal King Today - Chapter 216

[Chapter 216 Targeted]

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Xu was puzzled.

Although his extension of the land to the entire Yanzhou does not benefit the business so significantly.

But it is not unfavorable to the business.

He couldn’t think of anything that would make the business difficult to manage.

“Today, merchants from powerful clans came to the firm and demanded that the monopoly rights be returned to the palace and their money back, claiming that they would not buy goods from the palace again in the future.” Yang He’s face was somber that water dripped down.

After Zhao Xu heard this, a wave of anger welled up in his heart.

The matter of this award does not say whether Zhao Heng’s true feelings or falsehood.

But the bad attitude of these powerful families towards him is obvious.

I didn’t expect that it would be fine to put him in the hall.

Now they actually instruct their merchants to tear up the contract, preparing to contain him in business.

“These bastards!” Zhao Xu snorted angrily.

In fact, he should have imagined that these powerful families would be like this.

When the Yuan family first took charge of Yanzhou, the eight powerful clans also targeted and suppressed them everywhere.

Later, the Yuan family had no choice but to attach themselves to the Han family, and with the support of the Han family, they had their own voice in the court.

At the same time, Yuan Li traded with Beidi in private, thus bypassing the eight powerful families and making the Yuan family the giant of Yanzhou.

Even the Eight Great Factions can’t do anything about it.

Now Yuan Li’s vitality is seriously injured, and he has mastered the four northern counties.

These powerful families must suppress him, and by the way, support the Yuan family, so that the Yuan family can breathe and recover.

And in his opinion, compared to Yuan Li, the powerful clan would be more afraid of him.

After all, he is Da Song’s Ninth Prince, the Mandate of Heaven.

Yuan Li is strong, but he only ruled Yanzhou, and his strength will tilt the balance between the powerful family and the royal family towards the royal family.

“Your Highness, what should I do?” Yang He looked anxious.

If powerful merchants cut off trade with the palace, the trade volume of the palace will be cut in half.

Now that His Royal Highness King Yan has worked so hard to control the entire Yanzhou, it is time to spend money.

He was anxious.

“The monopoly right is not a problem. There is a contract. They can withdraw it if they want? It’s a dream, but the initiative to buy the goods is in their hands, which is troublesome.” Zhao Xu said.

Although he gritted his teeth with hatred, but this time he was indeed taken advantage of by these powerful clans.

These factions have a pretty solid hold on the state.

If his goods are not allowed to enter, he really can’t help it.

This time they would rather not make money themselves, but also contain him.

“Hey.” Seeing that King Yan didn’t seem to have a clue, Yang He sighed, “Your Highness, let’s let them decide.”

“Of course not.” Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes.

Commerce and trade are the economic lifeline of Yanzhou, which is related to the most primitive capital accumulation.

If the road to accumulation is blocked, even if his mind is full of technology, he will not be able to set off an industrial revolution in Yanzhou.

The reason is simple. Things are made, but they cannot be sold and cannot be profitable.

But craftsmen and raw materials need silver.

In this way, the industry will become negative equity.

If it becomes negative equity, the industry is tantamount to death.

People in this industry have to go back to rely on farming to live.

In this way, Yanzhou will not be able to allow all kinds of workshops to bloom everywhere, from pure agriculture to industry.

The price of not being able to industrialize is just like the contemporary era, being invaded by colonists.

Furthermore, without enough silver, his policy of low taxation will no longer be implemented, and the loyalty of the people will decline.

In order to maintain the operation of Yanzhou, he even searched for money from the people of Yanzhou to make artillery and ships.

This is simply unaffordable for the people of Yanzhou.

Therefore, he must find a way to break the situation.

Thinking of this, he said to Yang He: “You go back for now, I have my own concerns.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Yang He bowed, opened his mouth, sighed again, turned and left.

Wait for Yang He to leave.

Zhao Xu went into the study alone.

He was going to give an excerpt to Zhao Heng, but the exposition was not to accuse the powerful people of doing this.

After all, these powerful clans are very shrewd, it’s just that it is the merchant’s own decision to shirk.

What he has to do is to consolidate his commercial rights and interests in the royal control states and counties.

Now that these powerful clans have taken action, they will definitely eat away at his market in the royal family.

His purpose of submitting this paper is to obtain a formal status for the Yan County Commercial Bank, and firmly occupy the market in the state and county controlled by the royal family.

In addition, there is one more important thing, he wants the same maritime trade rights as the Liang family.

This is a back road he has prepared, if in the future his relationship with the powerful clan deteriorates in an all-round way, or Da Song falls into turmoil.

At least he can still engage in maritime trade and obtain a steady stream of silver and goods from overseas.

In the age of great voyages, small land is not a problem, as long as you control the ocean, you can be invincible.

It’s just that if the emperor Zhao Heng and the powerful clans have the same mind and want to maintain the balance of Yanzhou, I’m afraid he won’t achieve these requirements.

Therefore, it is necessary for him to come up with something powerful in exchange.

The most suitable thing is naturally artillery.

Moreover, he suspects that this time, apart from restraining him, the faction’s manipulation of business is also to use it as a bargaining chip to bargain with him.

When Liang Cheng was in Yancheng, he also mentioned this matter in front of him intentionally or unintentionally.

It can be seen that not only the powerful family, but Zhao Heng also moved this idea.

It’s just that he just won a big victory, and he doesn’t want to show it with a cheeky face.

For this situation, he actually had a prediction after the Battle of Yanguan.

Therefore, there are already countermeasures.

Don’t they want artillery?

Of course he would not give them the steel artillery used by the soldiers of the palace.

Instead, give them wrought iron cannons.

When he used iron mold casting guns, he considered the issue of mass production.

Also consider the issue of selling artillery in the future.

The evolutionary history of artillery is from bronze to wrought iron to steel.

Bronze is expensive and not cost-effective. Wrought iron cannons are divided into white iron cannons and gray iron cannons in terms of quality.

White iron cannons are inferior to gray iron cannons, and gray iron cannons are inferior to steel cannons.

Therefore, he only needs to replace steel with iron, and granular gunpowder with ordinary gunpowder, and he can get a batch of low-end cast iron cannons.

These guns are cheap, have a high blast rate, and have a short range.

The battlefield will not offset the advantage of the artillery of the soldiers of the royal family.

Therefore, he felt that it was not impossible to use these low-end artillery in exchange for some benefits.

What’s more, his artillery will continue to improve technically, rather than stop there.

In contrast, with silver, he can put more technologies into practice.

However, these are just his guesses. What the powerful people want to do with business and trade, we have to wait and see further, and then make a response.

Of course, he also had the worst plans.

If he these conditions are rejected.

He can only do it alone, and he will do things like doing small tricks secretly.

Thinking of this, he took a pen and wrote.

“Your Highness, Your Highness…”

Zhao Xu was about to send someone to the capital just after finishing the scripture.

At this time, Liu Fu’s voice was heard.

His voice was full of anger.

(end of this chapter)