allonlinenovel Chapter 257: Big Talk
Chapter 257: Big Talk
Chapter 257 Lofty Talk
Zhu Youjian frowned and asked, "How can a clothing shop make so much money?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Ting'ermei Clothing only makes small profits, just a little pocket money. Hanshan has a population of over one million, and there are many industries in Hanshan City, most of which I have shares in. This is one of the reasons why I don't want to leave Hanshan."
Zhu Youjian nodded, "No wonder you don't want a promotion!"
"Heh heh!" Wang Wenzhou sneered. "I also own three major businesses: Hanshan Supermarket, Hanshan Bank, and Hanshan Express. Just mentioning one of them would scare you to death! The key is, I dare not say it! If Emperor Chongzhen finds out, that guy will definitely treat me like a fat pig and kill me to eat."
Chongzhen picked up a piece of food and suddenly noticed that Wang Wenzhou had only been drinking and not eating. He asked in confusion, "Why aren't you eating, my brother? Have you already eaten?"
Over the course of that year, Wang Wenzhou developed a habit: he had to eat only from the babies. Since he was too embarrassed to bring Gao Guilan along for the visit, he simply didn't eat from her.
Hearing Chongzhen say this, Wang Wenzhou looked at Chen Yuanyuan and thought to himself, "Such a beautiful woman, if I don't marry her, I'll suffer for the rest of my life."
Wang Wenzhou spoke up, "Old Tian, could you give Fangfang to me in marriage?"
"Huh?" Tian Wan was dumbfounded. Who treats guests like this?
Zhu Youjian looked at Wang Wenzhou with a smile. Wang Chengen was right, Wang Wenzhou was a womanizer!
Although Emperor Chongzhen loved Chen Yuanyuan, he always prioritized national affairs and was extremely strict with himself. Historically, he never married Chen Yuanyuan.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Old Tian, the bride price is easy to discuss! How about one million taels of silver?"
"Huh?" Tian Wan was stunned. Marrying an adopted daughter for a dowry of one million taels? He would have been happy even if she were his own daughter. The key was that he knew Chongzhen had taken a liking to Chen Yuanyuan, so he dared not agree.
"Hey! Old Tian, say something!" Wang Wenzhou gently nudged Tian Wan.
Tian Wan smiled wryly and said, "Lord Wang, let's discuss this matter another day. Come, let's drink!"
Wang Wenzhou shook his head and said seriously, "Old Tian, I'm an impatient person. To be honest, I eat from my baby's mouth. I didn't bring my baby with me when I came to visit you today, so I haven't eaten anything. If you agree to give Fangfang to me in marriage, I won't have to go hungry today and can eat from Fangfang's mouth."
"Shameless!" Chen Yuanyuan scolded, "So what if you have money? With money, can you wipe out the rebels in the Northwest? With money, can you defeat the Tartars in Liaodong?"
The prettier the girl, the bigger her temper. Wang Wenzhou just likes pretty girls who are like wild horses.
Wang Wenzhou laughed and said, "Of course! If the imperial court had silver, would there still be rebels in the Northwest? Most of those rebels are poor people. I dare say that if the imperial court agreed to give each rebel 10 taels of silver, the rebel leaders would have been killed by the rebels long ago to claim credit!"
"Hmph! Nonsense!" Chen Yuanyuan said disdainfully.
"Brother, you're absolutely right!" Zhu Youjian nodded. It was indeed so. The court truly had no money. It was because of this lack of money that they levied taxes on Liaodong, and it was because of these taxes that so many people became rebels.
"Huh?" Chen Yuanyuan couldn't understand why the Emperor thought Wang Wenzhou's words were right.
Chen Yuanyuan asked, "What about the Liaodong Tartars? Can you defeat them just because you have money?"
Wang Wenzhou took a sip of wine and said, "If I were the current emperor and had enough silver, I wouldn't need to send troops to attack. I could just use silver to crush these Tartars."
"Oh?" Zhu Youjian smiled slightly and asked, "What would you do, my worthy brother?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "First, I will purchase a large amount of grain in the south. Grain is cheaper in the south because it is harvested three times a year. Grain is more expensive in Liaodong because it can only be harvested once a year. I will sell the grain I buy in the south at a price lower than the cost price of grain in Liaodong."
"Haha!" Chen Yuanyuan said disdainfully, "You're aiding the enemy. If the court really does that, won't the Tartars invade the capital?"
"Fangfang, let me finish what I have to say!" Wang Wenzhou continued, "In economic terms, this is called dumping. I sell grain cheaply in Liaodong, and the people of Liaodong not only don't make money growing grain, but they lose money instead. Within three years, Liaodong will be in chaos."
"Why must Liaodong be in chaos?" Chen Yuanyuan didn't quite understand.
Wang Wenzhou explained, "Why else? The people aren't making money growing grain, they have no money, how can they not be in chaos? Of course, I have other plans, such as buying up enough cattle and sheep at high prices in Liaodong."
Zhu Youjian fell into deep thought. Wang Wenzhou was truly a genius! This plan was absolutely brilliant!
Wang Wenzhou continued, "The common people don't make money growing grain, but they make a fortune raising cattle and sheep. At that time, no one in Liaodong will grow grain anymore; they will all grow pasture and raise sheep and cattle. Three to five years later, I will suddenly blockade the borders of the Ming Dynasty, preventing a single grain from entering Liaodong. At the same time, I will sell off my stockpiled sheep and cattle. At that point, the people of Liaodong will have no grain, and their sheep and cattle will be worthless. After losing everything, what else can they do but rebel?"
“Brother, your plan is truly brilliant! But how much silver would it cost to do this?” Zhu Youjian asked.
Wang Wenzhou smiled wryly, "It's just talk. How could the Emperor listen to me? Besides, to do that, we first need to negotiate with the Tartars. Who dares to say that? Would the Emperor dare? He'd be torn to shreds by those ministers!"
“Peace talks? How can my mighty Ming Dynasty negotiate peace with the Tartars?” Chen Yuanyuan said coldly.
"Look! You're not even a civil official yet, and you're already saying this. To repel external aggression, we must first pacify the internal situation! The bandit army in the northwest plunders everywhere, leaving bloodshed wherever they go. The local people either join the bandits or die. We're all human, who would choose to die? That's why the bandit army will only grow bigger and bigger. The bandits are the real thorn in the side of the court. Let the Tartars run rampant outside the Great Wall. As long as we wipe out the bandits, our Great Ming Dynasty is vast and rich, with a huge population. Destroying the Tartars will be a piece of cake!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
"Hmph!" Chen Yuanyuan said irritably, "Lord Wang, you are a traitor just like Qin Hui!"
“Fangfang, you can’t say that!” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, “Qin Hui was not a traitor. If it weren’t for Qin Hui, the Southern Song Dynasty would have been destroyed long ago! The reason why Qin Hui has a bad reputation is because he advocated a peace policy of ceding territory, becoming a vassal, and paying tribute. So if the court wanted to negotiate with the Tartars, no one would stand up to be Qin Hui.”
Zhu Youjian nodded slightly. Yes! Wang Wenzhou's strategy is good, but if it really comes to peace talks, even if he speaks up himself, he will be opposed by the court officials.
"Stop with the nonsense!" Wang Wenzhou looked at Tian Wan and said solemnly, "Old Tian, one million taels of silver, will you marry Fangfang to me or not?"
"No!" Chen Yuanyuan quickly refused.
“Fangfang, you have no social experience and don’t know the power of money. If there’s enough money, someone will sell their own wife. Do you believe that?” Wang Wenzhou asked with a smile.