The Ming Sihai Trading Company, which was established by the newly enthroned Emperor Chongzhen by the newly enthroned Chongzhen Emperor in the form of debt-to-equity swap because of the huge debts owed by the Emperor of the Apocalypse to build the three major palaces, has become a large consortium across various industries and cross-holding shares with banks in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, and it is also a consortium with overseas colonial privileges.

The thirteen people sitting in front of Zhang Pu at this moment are the thirteen directors who control the 19-member board of directors of this privileged company, which is basically more than two-thirds of the board members. Compared to the outside world, the wealth and power in the hands of these thirteen people are already a level that countless people cannot reach in their lifetimes.

But Zhang Pu knows very well that what can really influence the direction of this company is actually the remaining directors who did not attend, as well as the supreme who lives in the deep palace. However, in order to get the directors who were not present to lean towards him, he had to get the thirteen people in front of him to accept his ideas first.

From a trading company with a capital of millions of taels more than ten years ago to a large consortium with assets of hundreds of millions of taels today, the equity of Sihai Trading Company has already undergone countless changes. The total number of original shareholders who formed this company was less than 30, but today the shareholders of the Four Seas Trading Company exceed 3,000, including not only wealthy merchants and aristocrats from Korea and Japan, but also anonymous shareholders of the Qing Dynasty.

Behind the rapid growth of the company's shareholders is the company's extensive influence on various industries and regions. Zhang Pu also understands that although the 19-member board of directors must ensure that the emperor's will can always be overshadowed by the company, they must also ensure that the interests of the company's shareholders are returned.

If it weren't for the miracle of nearly 10 times the increase in assets in ten years, today's Sihai Trading Company would not be so sought after by the market, allowing so many shareholders to invest real money in the company. You must know that many of the original shareholders, who had less than 30 people, felt that the company's prospects were not very optimistic at first, and they were worried that they would become the emperor's money bag, and they sold them as soon as the shares could be listed and circulated.

The behavior of these shrewd people is now naturally ridiculed by everyone as fools who have lost their golden jobs, but it undoubtedly says one thing. Even if the emperor is behind the Four Seas Trading Company, if the company does not bring huge economic benefits to the shareholders, it is not assumed that the shareholders will continue to support this large consortium with colonial privileges.

Therefore, as long as these 13 directors who represent the interests of ordinary shareholders can be convinced, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which holds the remaining seats on the board of directors, should listen to his speech.

As the former leader of the Restoration Society, Zhang Pu did not feel any strangeness in the face of today's scene. As the son of a concubine, even if he was born in a famous family in Jiangnan, what he wants in this life requires a little effort from his own efforts. Convincing others to believe in himself and follow himself is exactly what he has been best at since he was a child.

It's just that in the past, what he needed to persuade was his elders, classmates and friends, literati in Jiangnan, and even the gentry and bureaucrats in the world. And what he wants to convince today are just some profit-seeking businessmen.

For Zhang Pu, who wanted to prove himself in the past and become the leader of the corporal people in the world, this kind of scene is simply a bit absurd. For him at that time, merchants needed to obey rather than be persuaded, and it was scholars like him who ran the country.

But for Zhang Pu, who was abandoned by the scholars and had to accept the punishment of exile overseas, today's scholars of the Ming Dynasty are no longer enough to help him. For the scholars and doctors of his era, the vacated position vacated after Zhang Pu's departure has been divided by everyone, and no one wants to return his position to an outdated literati who has been silent for several years. And for those young scholars of the Ming Dynasty, they already have new literati leaders that they want to follow, and it is impossible for them to run to burn Zhang Pu's cold stove.

If Zhang Pu just wants to live the rest of his life in peace, with the little name left in the past, he can still live a rich and idler's life. But this is obviously unacceptable to him, because this undoubtedly confirms the name of "Tuo Pu'er" who insulted him in front of his family in the past.

Zhang Pu, who has always hidden the humiliation experience of his youth in his heart, the older he gets, the more profound this memory becomes, as if there is a raging fire burning his heart, making it difficult for him to endure his life's hard work and finally put it in vain. After thinking about it day and night in Japan, he finally saw a chance to turn over, so he desperately took the Four Seas Trading Company and the Tokai Patrol House, and returned to China with the help of their strength.

And these thirteen directors are the first hurdles he encountered after returning to China. Zhang Pu, who was standing in the shadow of the hall, glanced down at the sunlight on his side, turned around and swept over the directors sitting on both sides, and then cleared his throat and said: "Yu and you are here today, although there is something important to discuss, but before discussing the matter, Yu has a question that I would like to ask the directors to solve Yu's doubts. In other words, how do the directors think that Yotsukai Trading Company should continue to operate in the future? ”

In order to avoid the eyes and ears of others, the directors of the Sihai Trading Company chose the annex of a temple in Dongcheng to meet Zhang Pu, this courtyard house used to lend to pilgrims and tourists on weekdays is not large, and the main room used for the meeting is a little crowded after thirteen directors are seated, and the morning sun shines obliquely into the hall, dividing the hall facing north and south into light and dark.

In such a season, being exposed to direct sunlight for a long time can quickly make people sweat and feel upset and irritable. It's just that these directors, who were sitting in the position where their hands were exposed to the sun, suddenly forgot the discomfort on their bodies after hearing Zhang Pu's words, and whispered to their colleagues on the side for a while.

Soon, someone couldn't hold his breath and asked Zhang Pu: "Mr. Tianru, how will my Sihai Trading Company operate in the future, Mr. Tong, you have an appointment with us today, do you have any important relationship?" If not, I think it's better to get into the main topic as soon as possible, and don't waste Mr.'s time. ”

As the director spoke, the hall gradually fell silent, and everyone turned their eyes back to Zhang Pu, wanting to hear what the former leader of the Restoration Society had to say.

Zhang Pu once again looked at the expressions on the faces of the directors one by one, and said unhurriedly: "Of course, it is related, although I have lived overseas for more than these years, I often pay attention to various domestic news. A well-known large-scale commercial trading company such as the Four Seas Trading Company, whose every move is related to the living needs of thousands of people, is even more indispensable.

However, after paying attention to the development of Sihai Trading Company for a long time, it was found that outsiders said that Sihai Trading Company has developed rapidly and is the most valuable investment company in the market. Actually, this judgment is wrong..."

When Zhang Pu said this, several anxious directors wanted to stand up and refute, but he raised his hand to stop it, and continued in a firm tone: "Yu knows that the directors have doubts, so Yu will prove it next."

In fact, according to Yu's research, the company's earnings have been declining year by year for more than a decade, and the annual return on equity has not exceeded 50% in the last three years.

This is due to the fact that with the continuous development of maritime navigation technology, the sea routes between the Ming Dynasty, Korea, Japan, the Ryukyus, Taiwan, and the South Seas region are becoming more and more mature, and the volume of trade within the region is increasing in an alarming way.

If the value of maritime trade in the region before the first year of Chongzhen was 1, then it was almost 35 as of last year. With the rapid increase in the volume of trade, the rate of return on overseas trade has also begun to decline, and the number of domestic and foreign merchants involved in overseas trade has also increased rapidly.

Although the assets under the name of Sihai Trading Company are almost hundreds of millions of taels of silver, the company's liabilities are also tens of millions of taels of silver, and the annual interest payment of this part alone is an astronomical amount. So once the company's annual earnings fall below 33%, shareholders will feel anxious; If the return is less than 25%, shareholders will have to start thinking about whether to sell some of the shares; And once the earnings exceed 18%, it will be a disaster for the company and the directors..."

With the series of figures given by Zhang Pu, the directors present finally stirred up again, this time their private discussion was more intense than just now, and after a while, someone on behalf of the directors asked Zhang Pu cautiously: "Since Mr. has studied the company's business situation so thoroughly, I wonder if you are willing to provide us with some suggestions for our reference?" ”

Zhang Pu looked at the director who asked questions on behalf of everyone and said with a smile: "Of course, in fact, the suggestions that Yu will make to you are also the same as the issues that Yu wants to discuss with you later.

After looking at the trade statements of Sihai Trading Company for the past ten years, Yu also made a discovery, that is, the company has twice exceeded the average rate of return in the past ten years.

And these two ultra-high rates of return happen to be related to the wars launched by our country against Japan and the Dutch East India Company. In the year that beat Japan, the company achieved an annual return of 333%; And the year it beat the Dutch East India Company, the company also achieved a return of 198%.

It can be seen that if the company only relies on trade behavior to make money, the company's income will be disturbed by many factors. But if the company can get the help of the state and monopolize the resources and markets of a region with the assistance of the state, then the company can obtain higher returns than expected..."

( = )