Maritime Trade Office!
This is a newly established department in Great Liang, with its office located next to the Court of Diplomatic Reception, and it is an independent administrative department.
The current commander is Liu Feng!
Previously, he served as the commander of the Imperial Guards in Yong'an City. Now, he has been transferred to the Maritime Trade Office as its director, managing maritime trade and major seaports, a powerful department.
Lin Yi originally intended to have Zhou Yu or Gu Yong, but one needed to expand the Great Liang sea area and the other needed to control the southeastern coastal region, so he did not interrupt their plans.
Liu Feng happens to be quite talented, so let's put him in the Maritime Trade Office for now.
After all, this is a civil post and does not require much military force. Putting a military general in it would be a waste. Liu Feng is capable of managing the Maritime Trade Office.
After Liu Feng took office, the Maritime Trade Office was extremely busy, with even industries like fishing coming to him for help. While he was exhausted, he also felt very fulfilled.
I am finally able to help my lord; it is my honor.
He knew perfectly well that the emperor wanted to get something for nothing, using these people's greed to build warships at zero cost and greatly reduce the military expenditure of Great Liang.
The plan was perfect, but he was getting annoyed because these people weren't cooperating.
Looking at the account book in his hand, Liu Feng couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "This is the Emperor's suggestion. If no one comes forward to sponsor it, wouldn't the Emperor lose face? We must find a way to solve this."
The saying goes, "A subject dies for his sovereign's honor." If the emperor loses face, then the subject loses even more face, which is a complete sign of incompetence.
The trusted aide was also in a dilemma. After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice, "My lord, there are many wealthy people in Great Liang, but not many who can sponsor warships. There are probably only a handful."
"Aristocratic family"?
Liu Feng suddenly realized that his subordinates were reminding him that he was about to go and exploit the powerful families again.
He nodded slightly, then shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Although aristocratic families are wealthy, we can't just fleece one sheep at a time, or that will undoubtedly drive them to desperation."
This idea shouldn't be left to the aristocratic families; perhaps we should discuss it with the merchants. Send someone to spread the word among the merchants that Da Hai is incredibly wealthy, and that someone has become rich overnight.
"With this news, those businessmen will surely be tempted."
He knew that too much of a good thing could be bad. If he relentlessly exploited the powerful families, they would eventually become desperate and retaliate, and he would not benefit from it either.
On the contrary, businessmen are profit-driven; as long as they spread the news that someone can become rich overnight, someone will inevitably take the bait.
"Your Excellency is brilliant!" The confidant's eyes lit up; this was a good idea.
Everything is subject to rumors. Once news spreads that someone has become rich overnight, a constant stream of people will flock to them, and there will be no shortage of sponsorship fees.
After all, to survive in the ocean, one still needs the support of the Great Liang Navy.
Da da da!
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came, instantly waking the two men. They looked outside the yamen and were stunned.
Dozens of horse-drawn carriages appeared in front of the Maritime Trade Office, completely blocking the entrance.
"What's going on? Does someone dare to attack my Maritime Trade Office?" Liu Feng frowned, a murderous glint appearing on his face, and prepared to call for reinforcements.
He had served as a military commander for a long time, so he was certainly not a weak scholar; he was capable of killing when trouble arose.
Now that this place is Great Liang, anyone who dares to cause trouble will face certain death.
At this moment, a group of people suddenly stepped out of the carriages. Upon seeing these people, Liu Feng couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"Northern Aristocratic Families!"
These people actually came out, and with such fanfare! They've gotten too big for their britches.
One of his trusted aides whispered, "Sir, they don't seem to be here to cause trouble. Look, they didn't bring any weapons, but they did bring quite a few boxes."
yes!
Liu Feng nodded. If they were going to cause trouble, they would naturally bring weapons. The fact that they brought a bunch of boxes clearly meant they were up to something else.
He frowned, walked straight over, and said in a deep voice, " Zhang Ruohai, what is the meaning of blocking my Maritime Trade Office's gate?" If they had a reason, that would be fine, otherwise he would be impolite to them.
Forehead!
Seeing the hostility in the other person's eyes, Zhang Ruohai's heart skipped a beat, realizing that they had misunderstood him and his companions.
He quickly jumped off the carriage and said with a forced smile, "Lord Liu, you misunderstand. We've heard there are many battles at sea in Great Liang, so we've come to offer our assistance..."
Upon hearing that he would sponsor his son, Liu Feng's eyes lit up, and his gaze towards Zhang Ruohai and the others became more friendly.
He smiled and said, "I see. Brother Zhang is indeed a man of great principle. No wonder you were the one who took the initiative to join my Great Liang." As long as someone provides sponsorship, they are a good friend.
"And what about them?"
He looked at Qian Yulong and the others.
Zhang Ruohai and the others nodded repeatedly, smiling, "We are all..."
Holy crap!
Liu Feng's heart skipped a beat, and his smile immediately became even brighter.
At this moment, the words "foolish and rich" were clearly written above Qian Yulong and his accomplices' heads. If we didn't take advantage of them, we would be letting down the common people.
He suddenly became enthusiastic and said excitedly, "You all truly deserve to be called loyal subjects of my Great Liang! I believe the Emperor will be very pleased to hear that you have generously donated funds."
Someone, please make a note of this for all the bosses!
With so many powerful families from the north offering themselves up, that's at least several hundred warships – this is a huge business opportunity.
To prevent them from backing out, he quickly summoned the clerk and wrote down their names, almost to the point of having video evidence.
"Sir, when exactly will this warship be built? When can we start making money...?" Qian Yulong couldn't help but whisper.
Forehead!
This statement left Liu Feng speechless.
Previously, the script was undecided, there were no actors, and there was no idea about building warships to make money.
He said awkwardly, "Please rest assured, everyone. His Majesty has now proposed the ' Ocean Development Plan,' which targets the mining of gold and silver mines, as well as resources such as Phoebe zhennan wood islands and fruits in the ocean."
Once things are on track, it will be incredibly profitable; just wait and see how rich you all become!
Anyway, the shipyards haven't stopped operating, so it's understandable that Daliang is Great Liang. Besides, the Emperor isn't trying to cheat them; the profits at sea are real, even if their share isn't high.
Gold mine!
Silver mine!
Golden Phoebe wood!
fruit!
"Gulp!"
Hearing about these resources, even these powerful families couldn't help but swallow hard; this was just too terrifying.
Not to mention gold and silver mines, these were genuine hard currency recognized by the Great Liang Dynasty, practically existing as a form of money.
Furthermore, Phoebe zhennan wood is incredibly valuable in Great Liang. If there were an entire island of Phoebe zhennan wood, it would be more valuable than a silver mine—that would be a fortune!
Fruit goes without saying; it's something that only the wealthy can afford, and most people rarely even see it, so it's a valuable commodity.
If that's the case, then those fish and shrimp are nothing compared to this mountain of money.