"Shocked! A grain yield of 2,000 catties per mu actually looks like this! ”

"Go to sea, Guanshishan Academy is serious!"

"America on the globe, does it really exist?"

"The price is higher than silver, high-yield grain seeds, and Guanshishan Academy is willing to buy them at a sky-high price!"

All kinds of news immediately grabbed the headlines of Chang'an City.

At this time, this international metropolis with a population of more than one million people is finally a bit lively.

The haze brought by the departure of Empress Changsun to Chang'an City was swept away.

As long as there is new hope, people can go through anything.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what I want to introduce to you in a few days is this America, that's right, it is the America that everyone is familiar with these days."

In the middle of Wuhe, Guo Dezhi is very close to the hot news, and quickly launched a new issue of storytelling.

Although Guo Dezhi has never been to sea in his life, combined with the information learned by all parties, he seems to have been to the Americas in person.

"This America, from Dengzhou to the south of 8,000 miles, and then to the west of more than 10,000 miles to reach, back and forth, at least it takes more than a year, to say that it is thousands of miles, is not an exaggeration at all. However, the farther away we are, the more strange things await us. The fleet headed by the 'Evil Words to Confuse the Crowd Yang Benman' will soon set off from Chang'an City, and they will represent our Datang to find the legendary high-yield grain seeds to solve the problem of food for future generations......"

As the top storyteller of Wuheju, Guo Dezhi has a group of regular guests.

Many people even chose Wuheju to dine because of Guo Dezhi's wonderful storytelling.

After an hour of spittle, Guo Dezhi completed today's storytelling task and sat down to eat in a private seat by the window.

Don't look at him as a storyteller in Wuheju, he stays in Wuheju all year round, but the number of times he eats directly with guests in the lobby is only a handful.

"Master, what you said is so wonderful, no wonder you had to take me to Guanshishan Academy a few days ago to listen to the lecture of His Royal Highness the King of Chu, now it seems that it is worth the trip."

Guo Yunhe personally filled Guo Dezhi with a cup of "burning knives", and spoke with flattery.

Although Guo Yunhe is now also the leader of Ajinomoto and is second only to Guo Dezhi in the attraction of storytelling in Chang'an City, he has not forgotten who is his master.

The more you are in the lower ninth class, the more serious you are about this habit of respecting teachers and respecting the Tao.

"You see, going to sea to make a fortune will definitely be the hottest thing in the next few years. Haven't you seen that recently, whether it is "Datang Daily" or "Moon Daily", almost every issue of it will publish some overseas stories or introductory materials? The people are very interested in this information, and it is said that the sales of newspapers in various newspapers have reached new highs. ”

Guo Dezhi has no children and has never been married.

In a way, Guo Yunhe is his son.

Therefore, many things that he is unwilling to share with other storytellers, he will tell Guo Yunhe.

"Whether it's corn or potatoes or sweet potatoes, as long as they are shipped back from the Americas, it is more expensive than silver, how many people don't want to break into it? As long as a boatload of seeds is brought back, all the people on board will have no worries about food and clothing for this life, even for generations of children and grandchildren. If it weren't for the fact that I didn't understand water at all, I would have been a little excited. ”

The price of seeds opened by Li Kuan is not high.

During this time, Changsun Chong and Zheng Hai, who originally thought that it would be difficult to recruit sailors, actually found that many people took the initiative to sign up.

Basically, now if someone raises a banner that they want to form a fleet to go to the Americas, they can attract a bunch of people to sign up.

"This kind of fame and fortune is very remarkable to be able to encounter it once in a lifetime. Not to mention ordinary people, they are the sons and daughters of the nobles of various families in Chang'an City, and there are many people who are tempted.

Especially those noble sons who are born or not the eldest sons, if their talents are not particularly outstanding, they will basically not have a particularly good future, at this time, if they can go to the Americas to fight, maybe they can bring the family to a new level. At that time, it is not surprising that there will be a few more double-state princes in Chang'an City. ”

Guo Dezhi is not young anymore, and he has seen a lot of all kinds of people, and he has a much fuller grasp of people's hearts than ordinary people.

"Indeed, the appearance and habits of crops have been published in Datang Daily, the recommended routes to the Americas have also been published in Datang Daily, and even various precautions for going to sea have been published in Datang Daily, so it can be said that the danger of going to sea this time has been greatly reduced."

"Yes, I heard that the current "Datang Daily", which published this information, not only did not become waste paper after a few days, but someone bought it at a high price. You can't buy a newspaper for two pennies, and even if you give someone five pennies, you may not be able to buy enough old newspapers, which can be regarded as setting a new record. ”

Guo Dezhi thought of the newspaper he treasured at home, and compared his heart to his heart, and he understood why the price of this newspaper had risen instead.

Maybe next year, when the fleet to the Americas returns from overseas, the newspaper will rise in value.

"Therefore, the teacher intends to take the theme of exploring the Americas as the main content of the story in the future, and His Royal Highness the King of Chu encourages everyone to go to sea, and there will definitely be countless people from all over the Tang Dynasty to take risks and explore; During this period, there are bound to be countless stories of all kinds. We just need to collect these stories a little bit, and it will be a good vegetarian dish. ”

Guo Dezhi is not young, before officially withdrawing from the rivers and lakes, he is ready to make the theme of "exploring America" into a golden signboard, and when it comes to the Americas in the future, maybe he, a storyteller, can also leave a strong record.

"Master, what a great idea! In the past year, we can start with the theme of stories related to Nanyang and Australia, so that everyone will be interested in various overseas adventure stories, and then add stories from the Americas, which will definitely attract a lot of people's attention, and maybe the content of our storytelling can be published in the printing workshop like the last expedition to Goguryeo. ”

"It's easy to publish a book, as long as you're willing to spend money. However, if you want to take the initiative to contact us to publish a book like Xinhua Bookstore, it depends on chance. If Guanshishan Academy's 'Evil Words Confuse the Crowd Yang Benman' can achieve very good results in this trip to the Americas, then we may be able to publish a book again. Otherwise, the difficulty is not ordinary. ”

Except for some vassal and elegant literati, the situation of spending money to publish books by themselves is not prevalent in the Tang Dynasty, but it is not impossible.

However, although the price of paper has dropped again and again, it is still necessary to have a deep wealth to publish your own books.

"Master, since we are going to do a new theme, the disciple has an idea, let's see if you agree!"

"What thoughts?"

"You see, there is a lot of power in numbers, if the apprentices accept a few apprentices, then there will be more people to help us find information, and we can even arrange some disciples to go to Guangzhou or Puluozhong to collect materials, so that the targeted sorting of materials will definitely be richer and more real than the content of hearsay."

Although Guo Yunhe is not famous, he has also become independent from Guo Dezhi and tells stories in Ajinomoto by himself.

However, from beginning to end, he still hasn't seen the opening of the mountain to accept disciples.

With this opportunity, he is ready to take an important step in his life.

"With your achievements today, it's not too much to take in a few apprentices. In recent years, there have been a lot more literate ordinary people in Chang'an City, and there should be a lot of people who are willing to try storytelling. If you have good seedlings, then take them! ”

Guo Dezhi thought about it and happily agreed.

Guo Yunhe has many apprentices, and he, who is a master, will naturally have a higher level of influence.

……

"Lord Wang, you separated the ships and personnel such as the 'Evil Words to Confuse the Crowd Yang Benman' from the East China Sea Fishery and set up a separate East Pacific Company, in fact, the necessity is not very strong, and our Chu Wangfu can completely independently related expenses. Once you find those high-yield grains, the benefits are definitely very considerable, and there is no need to share the money with other people. ”

In the palace of the king of Chu, Wang Fugui stood beside Li Kuan with a puzzled face.

Recently, Wang Fugui was solely responsible for the corresponding supplies for the "Evil Words to Confuse the Crowd Yang Benman" and other ships to go to sea, and he suddenly received a notice from Li Kuan that he wanted to set up such a strange "company", which he did not understand.

"We want an America that can bring a steady stream of benefits to Datang, not a one-time place to obtain seeds for high-yield crops. Although when I introduce you to the Americas, I mainly emphasize that there are high-yield potatoes, corn and other crops that are beyond everyone's imagination, but in fact, the richness of the Americas is far beyond everyone's imagination.

To put it mildly, our Datang is vast and rich, and it is not enough to see it in front of the Americas. And relying on the strength of our Chu Wangfu alone, although we can get back the seeds of potatoes and corn, it is still not enough to further develop the Americas. ”

For Li Kuan, wealth is now just a matter of numbers.

And the development of the Americas, if it can only bring wealth to the Chu Palace, that is not very meaningful.

As a prince who has completely moved towards financial freedom, Li Kuan's current pursuit is also different.

Of course, what is more important is that he has lived in Datang for so many years, he has fallen in love with this land and the people here, and he hopes that the people of Datang can live a better life.

Leading the people of the Tang Dynasty to a well-off life is not just a slogan.

"However, half of the shares of the East Pacific Company have to be given to other people, and many people still think that we are looking for someone to share the risk, and they don't really want to buy it. Lord Wang, your kindness, many people don't understand. ”

"The company, dozens of businessmen and capital operations, out of the cooperation, the return of the cost of the equal, its bureau large and linked. As a joint-stock enterprise newly established in the Ministry of Households, East Pacific Company is of extraordinary significance to the future development of Datang Commerce.

Although you can't understand these things now, in a few years, you will be able to appreciate the king's good intentions. Okay, Fugui, this king also knows that you are thinking about the Chu Palace, but this matter is so decided, you just have to find a way to sell the shares. ”

This time, the East Pacific Company offered 200,000 shares at one time, each worth one silver coin, of which Li Shimin's internal funds subscribed for 30%, Chu Wangfu subscribed for 20%, and the remaining 50%, Li Kuan is ready to launch it to the market, so that everyone can buy it.

And, in order to avoid the situation of other nobles buying a large number of shares at one time, Li Kuan also specially asked Wang Fugui to formulate a rule that each person can only hold a maximum of 1,000 shares.

Of course, if the Xungui family is really optimistic about the East Pacific Company, there is a way to ask for this restriction if they find a few family members, or even buy it in the name of the following people.

Li Kuan did not intend to completely block this path.

Anyway, these shares can be traded, and all equity certificates, as long as they have the signatures and fingerprints of the buyer and seller, are transferable.

Many people have not paid attention to this attribute, but the impact on the future is very large.

"Yes, don't worry, Lord Wang, it's only 100,000 yuan, and it will definitely be sold."

Although many people are not necessarily optimistic about this newly emerged "East Pacific Company", they feel that this is like a means of scamming money.

But with Wang Fugui's status in the Chang'an City business district, it is not difficult to really sell 100,000 yuan of stocks.

It's really not good, and finding some big businessmen to apportionment it can also complete Li Kuan's task.

Of course, he would definitely try to avoid doing this, because Li Kuan hoped that the 100,000 yuan could be distributed to the people as much as possible, so that they could also get a share of the benefits from the great voyage.

At the same time, it can be regarded as laying some foundation for cultivating Datang's financial market.

After all, if Datang wants to move from an agrarian society to an industrial society, the development of the financial industry is indispensable.

It is said that industry is very important, and there is no doubt about this.

However, without the financial industry, the speed of development will drop a lot, and only by complementing each other and developing together can we achieve the best results.

……

In the Taiye Pool, Li Shimin rarely sat on a pleasure boat with Li Kuan to swim in the lake.

"Kuan'er, the city ship water division under the city ship governor, is now very large, is it necessary to further expand the scale?"

Li Kuan will enter the palace today to find Li Shimin, naturally there is a purpose.

Now that the era of exploration of Datang is about to begin, in order to ensure the safety of Datang ships, the further development of Datang sailors is very necessary.

However, in Chang'an City, there are not many people who can realize the importance of the water master.

Even an emperor like Li Shimin felt that the most needed development of the Tang Dynasty was cavalry.

"Your Majesty, don't look at the city's sailors, there are now more than a hundred sea ships and nearly 20,000 personnel. In fact, they were scattered in Dengzhou, Pyongyang, Seoul, Nambatin, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Mingzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Yazhou, and Puluo.

In recent years, Datang's maritime trade has developed very rapidly, and many merchants have gained rich benefits from it. However, this situation has stimulated the development of piracy, and the number of new pirates on the islands of the South China Sea has increased several times more than before in recent years. If we Datang want to further develop maritime trade, it is urgent to maintain the safety of all routes. ”

Li Kuan's words are not alarmist.

Although the ships under the East China Sea Fishery have not been robbed by pirates.

However, among the merchants who fell in order, news spread that they had been taken away by pirates every once in a while.

There are thousands of islands in the South Seas, and there is no way for the Mariners of Puluozhong City to guarantee that all pirates will be wiped out.

Even off the coast of Lingnan Road, there are some pirates from time to time.

"The new sea vessels of the Dengzhou Shipbuilding Workshop of the East China Sea Fishery, I have also read the relevant introduction materials. The cost of a single one has reached 10,000 guan, and if according to you, the new warship of the sailor is to be built based on the latest sea ships, then the cost of a warship must be more than 10,000 guan. As soon as you opened your mouth, you said that Datang needs to have 100,000 sailors...... Are you trying to hollow out the household? ”

The city's sailors now have about 20,000 people, and Li Kuan either doesn't mention expansion, but it will increase fivefold as soon as he mentions it, which directly scares Li Shimin.

If it is really carried out according to Li Kuan's statement, the production of the warship alone will cost at least 2 million yuan.

The generals of the sixteen guards of Chang'an City, still have to make trouble in the sky?

After all, the amount of money allocated to the military department by the household department every year is limited, and the more the city water division uses, the other troops naturally use less.

This is also the reason why the relationship between the navy and the army of many countries is often not very good.

It's all about money!

"Your Majesty, two million is estimated to be not enough!"

Li Kuan said curtly, and then a number came out of his mouth that startled Li Shimin, "At least 10 million yuan will be needed within five years." Because it is not only necessary to replenish three or four hundred sea vessels, but also to expand some ports, and even build some military ports specially. In addition, the recruitment and training of personnel also requires a lot of money. After all, the sailor is different from the Sixteen Guards, everyone is adrift at sea, and the danger is much higher, so the treatment is naturally better.

100,000 people, even if the average person is 500,000 yuan a year, it needs 500,000 yuan, which does not take into account the consumption of training. In addition, the ship also needs to be repaired and maintained by a special shipbuilding workshop, and once the Donghai Fishery Dengzhou Shipbuilding Workshop has a new type of sea ship coming out, we need to buy it as soon as possible......"

The more Li Kuan's words were spoken, the darker Li Shimin's face became.

The cost of the 100,000 city sailors is more than all the other soldiers of the Tang Dynasty combined.

Li Kuan, where is this expanding the water division, this is burning money.

"Although sea trade can bring very big benefits to Datang, the amount of market tax is also increasing year by year. But in order for the courtiers to agree to such an additional fee to the Mariner, it is not enough for the reasons you have said. ”

"Your Majesty, the Great Food Empire, you should have heard of it, right?"

Li Shimin didn't understand why Li Kuan suddenly jumped the topic here, and couldn't help frowning and said, "Naturally, I've heard about it, but what does this have to do with the construction of the water division?" ”

"It matters! It has a lot to do with it. It's not that Weichen increases the prestige of the enemy, and the Great Food Empire will definitely be the main opponent of Datang in the next few decades. Now they have conquered many countries, even the mighty Persian Empire. In the South Seas, the shadow of the big food merchants can be seen everywhere, and as for the West, it is almost monopolized by the big food merchants.

Now that our Datang has also extended its tentacles overseas, the conflict with the Great Food Empire is almost inevitable. And the Great Food Empire was very far away from Chang'an City, and if they were attacked from the land, they could only go all the way to the Western Regions, and then continue to the west for thousands of miles to reach them. Such an expedition ......"

There is no need for Li Kuan to continue, with Li Shimin's military talent, he naturally knows that this kind of battle cannot be fought.

Even if the cement road in Chang'an City has been built to Liangzhou, and the cement road from Liangzhou to Suzhou is about to be repaired, there is still a very long way to go from Suzhou to the Western Regions.

And the great cannibal is in the west of the Western Regions.

This battle can't be fought!

"Is it that you want to use the Sailor to attack the Great Cannibal?"

"That's right! Using a water engineer is the most cost-effective and priority method. Now that we have gained a firm foothold in Nanyang, when the time comes, we will focus on developing the power of the city's sailors in Nanyang, and even set up a special Nanyang sailor to manage the water power of Datang in Nanyang. ”

He is the Governor's Office of the City, and the nominal listed sailors are under their own jurisdiction.

At this time, Li Kuan suddenly felt that it seemed not a wise choice to continue to leave all the expanded sailor forces in the City Governor's Mansion.

Even if Li Shimin reluctantly agreed, he may regret it at some point.

100,000 people!

This power is not a joke.

After all, the generals of the Tang Dynasty have less than one percent of the soldiers who can directly govern them in their hands.

"Nanyang Marine?"

Li Shimin also keenly grasped the key points.

"That's right, the imperial court can set up a special Tang Naval Division, with Dengzhou, Yangzhou, Guangzhou and Puluozhong as the center, divided into Dengzhou Naval Division, Yangzhou Naval Division, Guangzhou Naval Division and Nanyang Naval Division, of which the Nanyang Naval Division is the priority development object to ensure the safety of Datang ships in Nanyang, and also to ensure that there is a safe environment for the development of Australia."

Although the Nanyang countries fought alone, none of them were the opponents of the Tang Dynasty.

But if people just give you the Tang Dynasty's merchant ships in the South Seas to stumble, there are still many ways.

In recent years, the number of pirates in the South Seas has increased dramatically, which is also related to the connivance and support of those countries.

After all, watching Datang gain a lot of benefits in Nanyang, it is impossible to say that they are not blushing.

"You sort out the information specifically, and I'll think about it when the time comes!"

At this time, Li Shimin's tone finally relaxed.

"No problem, Wechen can hand over the fold tomorrow! If the household department has difficulty in temporarily transferring funds, it can consider borrowing from the Datang Royal Bank. Moderately burdening the household with a certain amount of debt is actually beneficial to the development of our Datang economy. ”

"Okay, I have my own arrangements, it's better to talk about your 'Eastern Pacific Company'."

Today, the East Taiping Company turned Chang'an City upside down, and Li Shimin naturally heard about this institution from Li Zhong's mouth, and even asked Lan He to send 60,000 silver tickets, which can be regarded as subscribing for 30% of the shares.

"Your Majesty, the success of 'Evil Words to Confuse the Crowd Yang Benman' is almost inevitable. However, we cannot complete the development of the Americas with a few ships alone, and we need to get more people out of their homes and into the ocean. Datang needs to move towards the Age of Discovery. ”

"The Age of Discovery?"

Regarding the new terms that Li Kuan pops up from time to time, although Li Shimin has a high ability to endure, he still doesn't understand what the Age of Discovery means.

"That's right! The importance of the ocean is far greater than everyone thinks. Although in a short period of time, Datang's enemies cannot come from the ocean, but we can obtain more extensive benefits through the ocean. Under the hard work of His Majesty, the people of Datang have generally solved the problem of starving to death, but there is still some distance from having a full meal and a good meal. If we want to make people's lives richer, we must not limit our eyes to the land. ”

Li Shimin's domestic money has already benefited a lot from overseas trade, so his attention to the sea has actually increased a lot.

However, it still did not meet Li Kuan's expectations.

"Let the people go to the ocean and become rich?"

"That's right! We have a population of tens of millions in Datang, and as long as half of the people go abroad, they can make the lives of the people of Datang rich. At the very least, there is no problem at all in filling the stomachs of ninety percent of the people. ”

Li Kuan didn't brag about it, looking at Spain, Portugal in later generations, and then the British Empire, you can see how much benefit navigation brings to a country.

"You tell me about the navigation in detail, if there is really such a big benefit, the expansion of the Tang Naval Division, I will agree to it today!"

Unconsciously, the city sailor has become the Tang sailor.

However, Li Kuan didn't dwell too much on this.

No matter what kind of troops it is, in the end, it must be led by people.

With the current situation of Datang, the construction of the Datang Naval Division can only be expanded on the basis of the Municipal Water Division, and it is impossible to get rid of Li Kuan's control immediately.

As for what will happen in a few years, Li Kuan doesn't make people at home every day and doesn't work, how can it be so easy for people to take away control.