diskusbooks Chapter 871: Old man, if you want to die, don’t drag us along
Chapter 871: Old man, if you want to die, don’t drag us along
A rain fell, alleviating the dryness of the past few days.
Lin Ze stood in the corridor of the Salt Merchants Association where he was staying, looking at the gloomy sky.
The temporary office of the old Japanese soldier Okamura next door was bustling with people, and military commanders were constantly coming in and out.
Niu Saner came over to report: "Master, all the salt merchants have arrived."
Ever since Lin Ze told Okamura about his "Three Strategies for Public Security", Okamura went to Jiangxian County. After he came back, he ordered Lin Ze to temporarily serve as the chairman of the Jinnan Maintenance Association, responsible for implementing his integrated strategy of personnel, finances and materials in Yuancheng.
Originally, he wanted to call him the chairman of the Tojo Maintenance Association, but Okamura felt that this title was too low and not worthy of his Mr. Lin.
The Salt Merchants Association covers a vast area, with more than ten flower halls alone, and every corner is decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, and is extremely luxurious.
In order to maintain the image of a traitor as the president, he changed out of his uniform and wore a black silk double-breasted jacket with a long robe underneath and a top hat.
This is a typical way to maintain the image of a local president. You can dress like this when filming TV dramas in the future.
In the flower hall, several salt merchants sat on one side, and on the other side were Takuya Nanyun and several senior executives of salt companies.
Nanyun Takuya and others waited quietly, but the salt merchants kept looking at each other.
In addition to Ma Mingyuan, there are three other wealthy businessmen in Yuancheng: Zhang, Wang, and Bai.
The Zhang family, in particular, is said to have been wealthy for hundreds of years. They have been selling salt since the Ming Dynasty. While doing business, they also sent their children to study. Several of them became officials, making the family business even more prosperous.
Later, the imperial examination was abolished, and the Zhang family was not favored by the new army. Under Lao Xi's repeated suppression, the Zhang family gave away most of their wealth, and the richest family in Yuancheng became the Ma family.
But a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Now the head of the Zhang family, Zhang Yijian, considers himself a scholar and is full of schemes. He does not look favorably upon Ma Mingyuan, whose family fortune was growing rapidly after he once attached himself to Lao Xicai.
The four salt merchants had a brief meeting last night, during which Old Master Zhang sighed, "I wonder if Commander Lin wants money or people. My family has been a family of scholars and scholars for generations, but since we started reforming, one comes to ask for money today, and another comes to take advantage tomorrow. Only one tenth of our family property remains, and I don't know where to seek justice."
Ma Mingyuan snorted coldly, "An explanation? You crushed an ant, what explanation do you have to give it? Putting aside the fact that we are at the mercy of others, do you know who Commander Lin is? Considering our shared ties, I advise you all to give him whatever he wants, and perhaps you can leave him some of your inheritance. If you hinder him at every turn, those Japanese soldiers outside will kill without blinking an eye!"
Zhang Yijian said indignantly, "It seems that Brother Ma Shi has found a new master!"
Ma Mingyuan didn't take such ridicule seriously at all. "You, Zhang, have the guts to talk to the commander tomorrow. I've sent people to inquire. All the powerful families in Tianjin follow Commander Lin's orders. All the disobedient families have been uprooted. Even the local tyrants who also relied on the Japanese and claimed to have thousands of followers have ended up in ashes. How many heads do you have, Zhang Yijian?"
When these words came out, both the Wang and Bai families were terrified, "Brother Ma, are you serious?"
Ma Mingyuan said sincerely, "I don't need to speak for Commander Lin, but after a few days of contact, I can tell you that he's not the type to kill us all. Let me be frank with you all. If we miss this opportunity, and the Japanese capture Zhongtiao Mountain, we'll no longer be of any use to them. Won't we be at their mercy then?"
I have to say that it is a waste for Ma Mingyuan to just do business. His understanding of the situation, especially his view of his own status from the perspective of utilization value, is definitely far superior to other businessmen present.
Several families couldn't help but whisper to each other, and it seemed that they really took Ma Mingyuan's words to heart.
The next day, the four families all obediently came to the flower hall and waited in advance. When Lin Ze, dressed in traditional clothes, entered the flower hall, everyone stood up, leaned forward, bowed their heads and greeted: "Greetings, Commander Lin!"
When Ma Mingyuan saw Lin Ze's attire, he was secretly delighted. There was something to talk about today!
Sure enough, Lin Ze said, "Please take a seat, everyone. There's no Commander Lin here today, only Chairman Lin. Since I've become the Chairman of the Maintenance Association, even though it's temporary, I have to protect the area. Here today are both local gentry and representatives of the Salt Company. It can be said that the future of Yuancheng depends entirely on you."
Zhang Yijian thought to himself, this Lin Ze is not as scary as Ma Mingyuan said!
He is young, smiling and very friendly. Let me give him a try.
He coughed and said, "President Lin, please allow me to report that my ancestors for more than ten generations have made a living from salt. To be honest, these Yuancheng salt fields originally belonged to several of my families. After the improvement, the provincial government took away most of them. Later, the Industrial Bureau of the Administrative Committee allocated these salt fields, and only then did we have the Salt Company we have today. As the saying goes, once and for all, you can't do it again and again. Now the Salt Company has an 80% share..."
When these words were spoken, Ma Mingyuan was shocked!
Old bastard, if you want to die, don’t drag us down with you!
Lin Ze restrained his smile.
Damn, my image is still too good!
Lin Ze had already obtained information from Niu Saner. The Zhang family was a wealthy family in Yuancheng. The number of salt workers under them was comparable to that of the Ma family. However, the living conditions of the Zhang family's salt workers were miserable.
Zhang Yijian also creatively turned salt workers into slave laborers. He not only controlled the salt industry, but also engaged in grain business. Usually, when the salt workers' families did not have enough food, he would take the initiative to borrow grain and then sign a receipt.
This document is nothing but compound interest. Compared with him, the money houses that pay out nine out and return thirteen out are all conscientious enterprises.
Unable to pay the salt tax, the whole family had to work for him for free, with only two meals of sorghum porridge a day, and no wages at all. Even though they worked like this, the money they owed kept increasing.
Later, the salt workers saw through the situation and refused to borrow grain or money from him. However, Zhang Yijian still had a solution. He invented the "Zhangang Silver".
What is "Zhanggangyin"? It means that if you work for his family, you must pay a sum of money first. It doesn't matter if you can't pay it, he can lend it to you, which is equivalent to a deposit.
The borrowed money will naturally also compound interest.
Some salt workers were unwilling to pay, so they went to work in other salt fields and salt companies. However, after all, it was impossible for the other companies to accept all the salt workers, so there were always people without work.
The world was in a bad state in recent years, with poor harvests. Those who were truly desperate had no choice but to borrow "job silver" from the Zhang family, and then work for them for free, in exchange for only two meals of sorghum porridge a day to barely survive.
Zhang Yijian was complacent about this and called himself a good man, saying that if it weren't for him, countless people would have starved to death!
Lin Ze couldn't help but get angry. Damn it, a beast like this dares to show off in front of me!
He smiled and said, "I've heard that Mr. Zhang has been a salt merchant for generations, and his salt fields are doing very well. I happen to be free today, so why don't we go visit them together? This will also provide some reference for the future development of the salt industry."