“…… All in all, Your Highness, the accounts owed to the contemptible in the past year amounted to fifteen thousand five hundred and thirty guan and four hundred and sixty wen, and the agreed interest rate of twenty percent should now be converted into eighteen thousand six hundred and thirty-six guan and five hundred and fifty-two wen. This fraction is counted as a New Year's gift in advance, and the balance is recorded as 18,000 yuan, what do you think? ”

Portuguese businessman Rafael Castello, now known as "Shuntaya Shuichi", holds a thick stack of books and books in his hand, and takes the trouble to confirm the debt problem with the tie.

Yuyue Thirty Lang, who was sitting on the side, was expressionless, but his heart was in an uproar, thinking that although this Southern Barbarian has been coming to Fusang for a long time, he still doesn't understand the world of human affairs, and he is a prisoner - no, now he is the master of the Ping Shou Cheng who has been appointed by the imperial court, what kind of noble figure is his old man? What does it matter to owe you one or two thousand taels of silver to a merchant? How dare you settle the account in person?

Although Lord Pingshou has always been kind to businessmen and has never been reciprocated, how dare people be pampered and arrogant if they want to be content? Over the years, the total amount of military funds "lent" to the Hiraya family has long exceeded 10,000 yuan, but Yuyue Sanshiro never expected this money to go back. It is a rare opportunity to do business under the protection of a noble person, and the benefits are far greater than the daily offerings.

Theoretically, the one who should react at this time is the nominal pen head Asano Nagayoshi. But this guy's mathematical talent is limited, and when he listens to the number with zero and whole in Raphael's mouth, his mind can't turn for a while.

Ina Tadaji, who was a little lower, seemed to be accustomed to this kind of scene, and after a little thought, he nodded, indicating that there was nothing wrong with the Portuguese merchant's calculations.

Pingshou Fuxiu, who was sitting in the main seat, said "um" and nodded gently and reservedly. Horio Yoshiharu, who was standing on the side, understood, stepped forward to take the paper, and respectfully accepted it.

Fan Xiu signed it, agreeing with the renewal of the debt. Then he smiled slightly, and asked casually, as if unintentionally: "Mr. Raphael is so generous, and as soon as he opens his mouth, he exempts more than six hundred cents, is he in a hurry to recover this money?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the Portuguese had not yet answered, but Yuyue Thirty Lang, who was listening, was trembling with fright, and hurriedly expressed his loyalty: "We and other laymen who are just businessmen and merchants can make some insignificant contributions to the great cause of His Highness, and we already feel very honored and honored, how dare we have those undeserved thoughts?" ”

The tie was noncommittal. Speaking of which, this guy Yuyue Sanshilang's business has been getting bigger and bigger over the years, why is his courage getting smaller and smaller? Even the vision and courage are far less than when they were cold. I used to see that he was shrewd and resolute, quite enterprising, and he had always had high hopes, perhaps because he looked away......

At this time, Raphael was calm and calm, his expression remained unchanged, and he replied peacefully: "How can a contemptible person who has seen and learned do such a short-sighted thing? In fact, in my hometown, there is a merchant house called 'Fugger', which has achieved an unparalleled commercial status by providing long-term loans to the famous Habsburgs...... Although I am completely different from the industry they operate, there is always a lesson to be learned from successful experiences. ”

It is said that this Portuguese businessman has been in Fuso for a long time after all, and he has a little life experience, and he is familiar with this set of orientals, and now he has learned to use examples to implicitly express his meaning.

But the example he gave was problematic. Fugger did rely on investment in the Habsburgs to reach the pinnacle of the family, but that was many years ago, and now the Habsburg dynasty has many enemies, is overstretched, and can no longer afford to repay the loan at all, and the Fugger family is also connected with a broken capital chain, and its power continues to decline.

When it comes to this, the general direction is set, and the heart of Yuyue Thirty Lang finally let go. He was really worried just now, in case Raphael's brain got into the water, and he had to pay back the money in a tie, the matter would be in trouble. When the time comes, come up with some "moral decree" or the like, and make drastic moves, all businessmen near and far will be affected.

"In that case, then make a note of the money first, and then deal with it next year!" At this time, Asano Nagayoshi also breathed a long sigh of relief, and he was really anxious to pursue it as a pen head during this time.

Of course, Asano Nagayoshi is not a stupid person, and he can even be said to be quite smart, and he has also learned some literacy and hyphenation since he was a child, and he can barely be a housekeeper in an ordinary small and famous family. However, Hirate Honohide has high requirements for internal management, and often personally reviews the budget and expenditure documents, and even the "name commissioner" Ina Tadaji occasionally can't cope with it, let alone others.

So at the end of the year, the accounts were settled, and the commissioners were buried in the pile of paper, and they lost a few pounds. Now we can finally maintain the past, which is gratifying.

As he spoke, Honda Masanobu, who was serving as the chief servant, had already prepared a new pleading, solemnly sent it to Raphael, and said solemnly: "As Mr. Raphael said, the debt will be turned into 18,000 yuan, with a term of one year, and the interest is still 20%. If there is no mistake, please sign it! ”

When the Portuguese merchant heard this, he nodded slightly, bent down politely, took the paper with both hands, looked at it carefully, then closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, nodded again, but still refused to sign.

After waiting for a while, facing the urging eyes of the onlookers and others, Raphael sighed softly, put down the paperwork, bowed to the flat hand in the upper seat, and said: "Dear Lord Pingshou, I am very sorry, the contemptible person has a rude but unruly but must be made to say it." ”

In this life, Asano and Ina were stunned, Tamagoshi Sanshiro was greatly frightened, and Honda Masanobu immediately frowned, showing a look of displeasure.

Only Pingshou Fan Xiu seemed to have expected it, and responded calmly: "If it's something valuable, please say it." ”

He is still the signature cloud and breeze, and his mood is invisible, even when he is angry, he only frowns at most. This style of work, if it appears in the "second generation of martial arts" like Asakura Yoshikage, it is easy to be regarded as weak, but if its own prestige is high enough, it will be regarded as a castle.

Positions of power and seniority will bring people an indescribable "aura", and the more deeply involved in the social power structure, the more people can appreciate the existence of this "aura". Raphael, who was traveling from south to north, obviously felt a pressure, he secretly wiped the sweat on his head, his throat became a little dry, and he was bold, trying his best to make a daily expression, explaining:

"I would like to tell you that the contemptible people are very optimistic about your career, and they will never be stingy with the investment in the Pingshou family. But the contemptible fleet and the merchant house were not owned by a single person, and I only owned forty percent of the property, and the rest belonged to six gentlemen or ladies. In the past, when we dealt with other Fuso daimyos, we also granted loans to them, but the amount never exceeded 5,000 kan, and the maximum time was seven months, and the annual interest rate was more than 30 percent...... So, please forgive me for this rude behaviour – the contemptible must have some understanding of the Tier's strategy for the coming year in order to convince the partners why they are investing so much money here – or even more. Otherwise...... The Chamber of Commerce may split, and the supply of goods will be greatly affected, so I am afraid that we will no longer be able to provide you with goods such as equipment......"

As a Portuguese businessman, this remark was already very euphemistic and chatty, but the Fuso people present understood him without any obstacles. After a long speech, it is nothing more than to strive for some political interests.

To be sure, Raphael's words are not unreasonable.

Although he was given the title of a high-ranking official as a "junior in the middle of the country", his position in charge was changed from Izumi to Awaji, and it seems that his actual financial resources may decline greatly in the future, and his ability to repay debts will naturally be questioned.

Borrowed money from merchants, of course, not in vain. Theoretically, it is true that a samurai can rely on the sword in his hand to shamelessly repay the debt, but this is the next step after all. It's easy to throw down the face, but it's hard to pick it up, and if you don't have full interests, you still can't throw it away easily.

Twenty percent per annum is a very favorable condition in this era, and it is not surprising that debtors pay a certain amount of political resources in exchange. Franchising is the most basic thing, and the more advanced businessmen are able to know the specific dynamics of the daimyo and even participate in the decision-making process, causing a certain amount of influence in it.

However, royal merchants have to rely on years of dedication, and also add in-laws to gain trust. The people of Kaimachi were united to build a fortified city that was not inferior to a castle, so that they could stand tall and speak in front of the daimyo.

An "Nanban merchant" with no roots attempted to intervene in the political situation in Fuso, and such an example seems to have not been seen.

The "natives" present subconsciously felt that it was inappropriate, but they did not dare to squeak easily on such a heavy topic, but looked up at the head of the family in unison, waiting for the judgment of the "Equal Hands of the House of Affairs".

At this time, Pingshou Tsuxiu's expression was also a little more serious, and he quietly looked Raphael up and down, with an intriguing meaning in his eyes.

The psychology of the fan show is very interesting.

If you want to exert your strength in the economic field, it is obviously not enough to rely on yourself, and some traditional business forces must join in. At first, he wanted to introduce Yuyue Thirty Lang as a strong reinforcement, but this person's vision and pattern were limited, and he seemed to have the meaning of being rich and peaceful.

As for the Portuguese in front of him...... At first, he was not considered as his own, but now it seems that he may be the most trustworthy person.

Raphael has a sizable fleet and chamber of commerce, and is quite commercially powerful, but he has no roots in Fuso, and it is difficult to produce a situation where the tail is too big. Although he has a country behind him, the situation in that country is quite bad. The Aviš family, who ruled the Kingdom of Portugal, was in constant danger of being annexed by their neighbor, the Habsburgs of Spain, and Raphael, as an anti-Spaniard, would not receive much support at home.

Therefore, after thinking for a while, he nodded slightly, pointed lazily behind him, and motioned to Honda Masanobu to take a very special document.

"Look at this, it's the 'grain stamps' that have just been issued, and with this thing, you can instantly exchange it for a stone of brown rice in every branch of my 'Sanlu House'. Since last month, I have been selling military rations to the Asai family at a low price, and instead of paying in kind, I have directly given them 'food stamps' and asked them to redeem them at the Harima branch of Mikaya on their own. ”

What I said was an old thing. A few months ago, in order to mediate the gap between Oda and Asai, Hirate Honhide strongly promoted the Asai family's western expedition to Harima, and promised to provide military rations at a low price to solve the logistical problems.

Such an act is of course a friendly act in the eyes of the Asai family, who does not understand business, but for the Hite, it is a good opportunity to secretly expand his power.

At first, the grain was delivered directly, and gradually it was converted into "food stamps" of the corresponding denomination, so that the "customer" could collect it at the designated location, and the difference was not as simple as it seemed.

After a moment of silence, Raphael's expression was first puzzled, then abrupt, and finally amazed.

Then he did not hesitate to speak: "What a faux pas it is! The amount of money borrowed from the drawer should be further increased, I think it should be increased to 30,000 yuan - no, 40,000 yuan, and the interest should be further reduced, and only one achievement is enough...... And then this 'food stamp' thing, can the contemptible people also participate in the period a little? ”

Hearing this, he didn't answer, but smiled meaningfully, and said slowly: "There are really a lot of places where you can have money in your family, and you may not be able to pay off your debts in three or five years!" ”

"And rightfully so!" Raphael's eyes were blazing, his words were firm, and he replied decisively with a high-spirited smile on his face: "I have always believed that only when the cycle is long enough, the investment will receive a rich enough return!" ”

(PS: Historically, Portugal was annexed in 1580 AD.) According to the time of the book, it should be the reign of the young and promising Portuguese king Sebastião I, and Spain has no suitable excuse to intervene in Portugal. Please don't delve into any of these errors. ）