Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

“As far as I know, the Zheng family’s annual profit is between 20 and 30 million taels.

The East India Company's annual profit is definitely much more than that of the Zheng family.

Hey, Lord Hai, how much tael did our Ming Dynasty earn this year?"

After Zhang Shikang finished speaking, he looked at Hai Zhong with interest.

Hai Zhongqi of course knew that Zhang Shikang was mocking him, so he ignored him and pretended not to hear him.

The Ming Dynasty's annual income this year is more than 26 million taels, which is not necessarily more than what Zheng's family earns, and is certainly not as much as the East India Company.

Although the Ming Dynasty did not collect land tax this year, it can be seen from the side how profitable ocean trade is.

Of course, Zhang Shikang said this simply to stimulate the interest of Brother Chongzhen and the cabinet in ocean trade.

After all, nothing is more convincing than a pile of silver.

What Zhang Shikang knew more about the annual profits of the Zheng family and the East India Company was that a considerable proportion of them were not derived from trade.

Whether it was the Zheng family, the Dutch East India Company, or the French, they would often play the role of pirates.

For example, the Zheng family. Anyone who does not pay protection fees on the three routes controlled by him will be robbed by the Zheng family.

The Dutch East India Company was even more powerful. Relying on its invincible navy, it often looted French merchant ships.

A business with capital can make money faster than a business without capital.

Of course, Zhang Shikang didn’t laugh at others, because he also wanted to grab it, hehe.

Sure enough, Zhang Shikang mentioned an annual profit of tens of millions of taels, and he also brought up Zheng Zhilong and the red-haired barbarians with reason. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works and other irrelevant departments were fine, but Hai Zhongqi, who was sensitive to silver and numbers, immediately lost his temper.

As the financial manager of the Ming Dynasty, Hai Zhongqi was very conscious. It was not easy for others to ask him for money, but if others gave him money, he would agree with it wholeheartedly.

"I wonder how much share Lord Zhang intends to give to the court?" Hai Zhongqi went straight to the heart of the matter as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Twenty-five percent." Zhang Shikang directly reported the number.

This share was of course negotiated with all the directors of Liansheng. When the porcelain workshop officially went into production at the beginning of this year, the respective share ratios were determined.

"Only 25%?" Hai Zhongqi frowned in obvious dissatisfaction.

"Be content with what you have, Lord Hai. This is what I worked hard to obtain for the court. It's conditional." Zhang Shikang chuckled, as if he didn't agree with Hai Zhongqi's dissatisfaction.

"What conditions?"

“In the early stage, if He Liansheng encounters an irresistible enemy, the court should provide all possible assistance in maritime affairs.

At the same time, the imperial court should allow He Liansheng to have its own naval forces. If He Liansheng develops colonies overseas in the future, the territorial sovereignty of the colonies will belong to the imperial court.

But the trading rights belong to He Liansheng, and they are exclusive trading rights.

Of course, the sea forces of He Liansheng must not exceed half of the imperial navy. This is a matter for the future, so there is no need to worry too much about it. "

The main shareholders of He Liansheng are all nobles and relatives of honor, who rely on the imperial court. When the imperial court prospers, the nobles and relatives of honor prosper, and when the imperial court perishes, the nobles and relatives of honor perish.

Moreover, except for Zhang Shikang himself who directly controls the military power, the other nobles do not directly control the military power. In the future, rules will be established that all nobles who control the military must withdraw from He Liansheng.

In addition, all members of He Liansheng are not allowed to do business in the country. Once He Liansheng starts operating, all shops owned by nobles in the country must be sold to the people.

This was mainly for the long-term stability of the imperial court and the stability of the domestic merchant class.

Hai Zhongqi frowned and pondered for a moment. The court's share was 25%. If this chamber of commerce could really grab 20 million taels from the sea every year, the annual income of the national treasury would increase by 5 million taels.

Well, it's still a little bit.

"I wonder what is Lord Zhang's share?" Hai Zhongqi asked suddenly.

"Twelve percent, oh, that's 12 percent." Zhang Shikang said casually.

"What about the other nobles?" Hai Zhongqi asked again.

“There are a total of 64 noble families participating in the Heliansheng Chamber of Commerce. In addition to me, the Duke of Yingguo’s Mansion has 5 points, and the Duke of Dingguo’s Mansion, the Marquis of Taining’s Mansion, and the Marquis of Xining’s Mansion each have 4 points.

The Duke of Qian's Mansion, the Marquis of Xincheng's Mansion, the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion, and the Prince Consort's Mansion each have three points, and the remaining 55 noble families together account for %."

The principle of allocating the share ratio is that the original capital contribution accounts for 40%, and the degree of participation in operation and management accounts for 60%.

Therefore, the Liansheng Board of Directors stipulates that when the assistant managers are replaced every five years, there will be slight adjustments to the profit sharing ratio due to changes in the main operators.

Hai Zhongzhong hesitated for a moment before saying:

"What about the 15% share that is missing?"

Judging from the proportion distributed by the court, although Zhang Shikang took a not low share of 12%, after all, this matter was led by this guy, so he couldn't say anything.

But the share is 15% less, so don't try to fool him.

"Master Hai is really good at calculating. The remaining 15%, or 15%, belongs to the royal family." Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

"The royal family..." Hai Zhongzhong felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. He should have thought of it earlier.

"Yes, the royal family. Now it is naturally His Majesty. If His Majesty dies, then it will be the successor."

As soon as Zhang Shikang finished speaking, Emperor Chongzhen's face turned green, and the heartbeats of Hai Zhongqi, Li Banghua and others accelerated.

Although everyone knows that His Majesty will die and it is impossible for him to live forever, saying this in front of the Emperor is undoubtedly seeking death.

"Hehe, Your Majesty, I made a mistake, a mistake." Zhang Shikang looked at his brother Chongzhen with a shameless face.

He really was speaking too fast and not paying attention.

Emperor Chongzhen simply gave Zhang Shikang a warning look and did not make a big deal out of it.

Although Zhang Wuji had told him before that he would give him a share, he didn't contribute any money and didn't do any work. It was a bit embarrassing to get it for free in front of everyone. The key was that he didn't know how to say it.

Fortunately, Zhang Shikang saw what Chongzhen was thinking and immediately explained for him:

“The court has taken back all the royal estates. This is a sacrifice made by your majesty for the great cause of the court.

But if the palace expenses are always paid from the Ministry of Revenue, and Lord Hai, you are so stingy, it will not be a long-term solution.

Although He Liansheng is a private enterprise, as long as it goes out to sea, it will be the signboard of our Ming Dynasty. This signboard will be more deterrent only if the word "royal" is added.

Therefore, He Liansheng's allocation of shares to the royal family was not only a sign of respect from the nobles for His Majesty, but also a way to reduce the burden on the court.

Once He Liansheng's income stabilizes, perhaps the royal family won't have to spend the court's money anymore. This is a good thing, right, Lord Hai?"

Only Zhang Shikang could do such a thing as calling a thief a bald thief in front of a monk and expecting people to remember your good deeds.

But what could Hai Zhongqi say? Shouldn’t he give it?

It would be strange if the emperor didn't make things difficult for him.

Hai Zhongqi sighed inwardly and seconded the motion, and the other cabinet ministers also seconded the motion one after another.

Zhang Shikang was helpless, as if the imperial court had suffered a huge loss.

Up to now, He Liansheng had only purchased those 60 armed merchant ships with cannons, and the court had paid a little over 5 million taels on its behalf.

The rest of the silver was raised by the nobles and relatives who sold their savings. They provided both the silver and the manpower to be responsible for the overall management, setting up porcelain workshops, silk workshops, finding tea merchants, training sailors, and so on.

Others don't complain about the loss, but you do. You are really greedy.

Emperor Chongzhen also felt warm in his heart. After all, without the imperial farm, he had to ask the Ministry of Revenue for the expenses of the imperial palace, which was really troublesome.

Wuji is the one who knows how to do things!

After discussing the matter, the meeting continued. Minister Hai Zhongqi flipped through the documents in his hand and said:

"This year, almost all of the copper mines in the Ming Dynasty have been used to make tools and cast cannons, so that the Ministry of Revenue has almost no copper left for casting copper coins.

Copper coins are already in short supply in various places. Your Majesty, please make the decision."

……