I am practicing in the Nianghua Warring States Period

"Without tariffs, merchants from all over the world will flock here. This eliminates the greatest risk: goods arriving unsold, resulting in a wasted profit. Of course, the reason for not charging tariffs is that we will instead charge a transaction tax. When all merchants' goods enter the port, our staff will randomly inspect and register them. Transactions will be conducted at designated locations, and each transaction will earn you a transaction tax. Over time, Atsuta Port will surely become the world's largest port."

It's just a piece of cake. According to geographical analysis, Atsuta Port and Tsushima Port will never be able to compete with Sakai Port and Osaka Castle in the future.

“This…this…” The businessmen looked at Beidou Xinwei and realized that he was no longer Silly (beep~) Godzilla. Without the prefix, he became Godzilla again.

"The law of Leshi is to lend money to merchants to allow them to conduct business. However, they must mortgage their property within the port for valuation and collect rikin. Official lending is by the Oda clan; any other form of lending is prohibited. Merchants will inevitably make Atsuta Port their home." Beidou Xinwei took another sip of his wine and looked up at the others present. "I know that reforms will harm the interests of some people. Many people will come to plead, saying this is not right, that is not right, and that specific issues must be analyzed. I am telling you here, I am honestly informing you that I am not negotiating with you. If you have any opinions, please raise them. I may not be able to resolve them, but I am very good at resolving the issues raised by them."

This idea is actually quite good; it just depends on how it's executed. The Oda clan possesses two key prerequisites for the Rakuza Rakuichi: First, a robust economy! On the right, the Takeda clan is lavishly spending money at close range, while on the left, the Iwami Ginzan is lavishly spending money at a distance. With two such powerful patrons on either side, how could this be considered a blessing?

The second condition was: the Oda clan was sufficiently chaotic, small enough, and easily maneuverable! — Beidou Xinwei had realized this and needed to escape the trap of empiricism. He considered reform the kind of nationwide reforms depicted in "Yongzheng Dynasty," with strategic planning and the constraints of various forces.

In reality, the reform he faced was a reform that would see the Yakuza change to a protection racket—all he needed to do was for his men to lead a group of people to solve the problem. In fact, even the Meiji Restoration was a similar story. From the arrival of the Black Ships to the Restoration of Imperial Rule, several groups of nobles were fighting each other. The Shinsengumi and the like were nothing more than the Red Sticks of the Yakuza. It's not that there weren't some death squads that became the backbone of a coup. But have you ever seen a change of dynasty in Chinese history where a group of hundreds of Yakuza members fought each other for several years as a selling point? Of course, this wasn't the focus of the Meiji Restoration. To this day, many people in Japan are still resentful about the Restoration of Imperial Rule, especially those in Tokyo who haven't been roasted yet. They would say: Tsk, a bunch of Satsuma people came to our Tokyo to beg for food!

Now the focus of Beidou Xinwei is: a small boat is easier to turn around!

His boat is smaller, so he can just take his men over and chop it down. You need to use your brain, but it's not 100% dependent on it.

"The third one." Beidou Xinwei slowly raised his third finger amidst the bewilderment of everyone. "Is anyone among you willing to cooperate with me? I, too, want to open a shop—as the official shop of the Oda family."

The dagger is revealed when the map is completed. The map of Yan State is not too long.

Chapter 90: No one cultivates rotten fields, but once they are cultivated, people will fight for them!

“?!?!” All the merchants, guests, and local bosses present looked sideways.

Use music halls to knock down a group, use music markets to divide a group, and use royal shops to attract a group.

When Beidou Xinwei arrived, the merchants initially thought they were facing a killer god. He was very young, and his behavior didn't seem to indicate he had any intelligence. But after this move, the merchants with above-average intelligence instantly perked up.

This person is no ordinary person, right? Some people with a keen political sense have already started frantically thinking about what to do next.

"Beidou Palace?!——" Qianqiu Jichang instantly fell into a state of shock and anger. Are you going to touch my Qianqiu family's cake?

"Oh?" Beidou Xinwei suddenly smiled and said, "Lord Echigo-no-Kami, do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes—merchant matters are menial and lowly, and should not be entrusted to warriors. Furthermore, the art of numbers and business strategies are far beyond the reach of casual study." Qianqiu Jichang's implication is that even a knife-wielding wielder like you has developed a brain; don't force yourself into porcelain work if you don't have the necessary finesse. "If Your Highness requires anything, all we need is a swift horse, a decree, and a few dollars. Would we not kneel by the roadside, saying 'Yes,'?" Why would we sink into the mud and haggle with peddlers over pennies?

That already sounds very nice.

"..." Beidou Xinwei died beside the wine glass.

He looked at the young man he had brought with him, who had recently become the head of the Oda clan. His name was Niwa Nagahide.

Like all future leaders under Oda Nobuhime, he was a "second son"—a member of the non-eldest son family. The second son of the Niwa family, quite handsome and shrewd, was currently in his twenties. He wasn't a member of the Makai clan, but his ability to get things done often impressed Hokuto Nobuyoshi, who had brought him here to accomplish great things.

"Lord Qianqiu, why do you say that?" Niwa Nagahide received a hint from Beidou Xinwei's eyes and immediately stepped out to face Qianqiu Jichang.

There is a 20-year age difference between the two. If Qianqiu Jichang is cool, he can yell "Shut up, you little bastard!"

But he didn't dare. When beating a dog, he had to look at the owner first. The owner next to him was wearing armor and had not taken off his sword. It was obvious that he was not here to negotiate with him on an equal footing.

"The coming and going of commerce and travel brings prosperity to the town. The coming and going promotes things of having and not having, and the prosperity of tax revenue is used to supplement farming and warfare! - In today's chaotic world, everything is bustling. The strong will become stronger, and the weak will perish. Our lord Nobuyoshi once said: Survival of the fittest! - When you are poor, you must change, and when you change, you will be able to get through. When you get through, you will be able to achieve success, and when you achieve success, you will have no limit. Who remembers the things of the ancient times? If you stick to the old ways, aren't you just waiting to die?" Niwa Nagahide said something, and said that this was what Hokuto Nobuyoshi meant: "Therefore, through commerce, our family is willing to cooperate with one or more wealthy merchants to establish the person who will approve the imperial seal of the Oda family.

"Zaren is just an ancient tradition from the Heian period, and is not relevant to today's chaotic world! ——Now our family wants to abolish Zaren, and the imperial edict authorizes the Chamber of Commerce to take charge of taxation in this area."

Even high-ranking leaders leave some room for thought when speaking, let alone leaders like Beidou Xinwei, who only need to start first. The subordinates will automatically step up to complete the conversation, without him having to personally intervene. Once he personally takes action, the final word is finally in place, and the entire process before that is considered a negotiation and warning. If he were to act again and eliminate the opponent, it wouldn't be a case of not notifying you, but rather a loss of face.

"Everything has a precedent." Qianqiu Jichang blushed and realized that Beidou Xinwei was looking for trouble with him!

If he refused to cooperate, the other party would completely destroy his family's leadership in Atsuta Port. He immediately became a little angry and said, "Atsuta Port's current prosperity is entirely due to the concerted efforts of all families. Therefore, all the current rules and regulations are the result of the agreement of all families. A hasty change, while it may seem good, may not be practical. For example, many of our family members are involved in the operation of the port. If it were abolished, they would lose their livelihood, and the port would be completely paralyzed! Isn't that killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?"

This is a complete showdown - if you kill the Chiaki family, I will kill Atsuta Port.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Beidou Xinwei nodded, looking at Qianqiu Jichang, and said, "Your Excellency Qianqiu has some truth in what you said. The Zaren family is also a member of the Oda family. How can we kill them all at once? The reform of the entire Atsuta Port will not begin tomorrow - it will be implemented from January 1st of next year. During this period, if the Zaren people are willing to join the new Chamber of Commerce, then let them choose. They are not completely unemployed, they just won't be forced to oppress other merchants. And there is no need for you to be so hasty, Your Excellency Qianqiu Jichang. Everyone can join the Oda family's official Chamber of Commerce, and they are not specifically excluding the Chiaki family."

Oh... aren't you going to kill me with one move?

"Okay, today's banquet can begin." Beidou Xinwei did not continue the conversation.

"Your Highness!" Suddenly, a person sitting in the second row stood up.

"My name is Qianqiu Qiuxiao, and I'm here to meet Your Highness." After Beidou Xinwei ordered the banquet to begin, he still jumped out. So this was a quick move, and there was no intention to give the other party time to react! The middle-aged man knelt on the ground and said, "It's the branch of the Qianqiu family. I believe that brother Qianqiu Jichang has something to hide! My branch family's surname is Ji, and my brother's family's surname is Ji. If Your Highness Beidou doesn't abandon me, I am willing to give up the position of head of the Qianqiu branch family! I will recognize... the wise and celestial lady Jiegeng as my adoptive mother! Let Jiegeng inherit my Qianqiu family! In this way, my brother can be saved, and Jiegeng can also inherit the Qianqiu family. Why not!"

Beidou Xinwei didn't expect this.

The Qianqiu family had just reached a point where it was split apart.

"you!--"

A rotten field is uncultivated, but once it is cultivated, people will fight for it! Qianqiu Jichang, who was still hesitating, suddenly jumped up in anger.

Is this even worth thinking about? Once Qianqiu Jichang gave up, this branch family Qianqiu Jixiao recognized Jiegeng as his godmother.

It is completely unclear who the main family of the Qianqiu family is.

How many cases of branch families swallowing up the main family are there? — Didn't Oda Nobuhime's Danjo Tadashi family just swallow up the Oda main family of Kiyosu Castle?! And if Hokuto Nobuyoshi allowed an outsider to force his way in, it would indeed be a bit embarrassing. But if the Chiaki family did it themselves, it would be completely reasonable and legal!

"Oh, that's a solution." Beidou Xinwei nodded and suddenly laughed out loud, "But there's no rush... Master Qianqiu Jixiao, let's discuss this in detail tonight. There's no rush on this matter, so don't argue anymore! - Let's have the banquet."

Chapter 91: Working like an ox or a horse

Beidou Xinwei hadn't really managed Chiaki Jixiao's finances. After a quick meeting, he let Niwa Nagahide take over the negotiations. As expected, competition is the only way to progress.

Qianqiu Jichang also hurried over to discuss related matters, and Beidou Xinwei met him in person.

Ah, the branch family that jumped out in the middle is just cannon fodder after all, and the one I want to conquer is still the Chiaki main family.

Considering the military strength of Beidou Xinwei, it is not a problem to suppress a small port - a small ship is easier to "turn" around.

However, in addition to these problems, there were unexpected gains.

"Please, let me go see Beidou Palace! Please, please!"

There were countless people who wanted to see Beidou Xinwei. Today's visitor was a rather frail young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a goatee and a samurai's moon-shaped headband. He carried a sword, and his clothes were not very new and looked a bit flimsy. He looked like a frustrated warrior.

Beidou Xinwei rejected the maid who had been sent to him last night, looking like she'd been played with. In the past, a 250-yuan, 30-minute romance in a small alley wouldn't have been unacceptable. But now, with so many beautiful women waiting for him, Beidou Xinwei was surprised to discover that after traveling through time, he'd become quite obsessed with relationships! It turns out he wasn't that into a promiscuous character.

He also kicked the boy who came from behind several times and kicked him away.

When he woke up the next morning, he saw a wild warrior who was frozen to death standing outside the door where he was resting.

"Even if you ask me so..." Several professional soldiers standing guard at the door said that it was impossible to give way.

"This is my reflections on domestic affairs over the past few years, as well as my year-long investigation into Atsuta Port." The wild warrior appeared anxious, kneeling on the ground with his hands clasped together in a worn-out, well-used book. "Please present it to the Beidou Palace. Please, please!"

"No, I'm just a guard, please leave quickly!" The leading soldier waved his hand. He probably didn't even have a last name, but he suddenly felt that the world was a much better place.

Even the warriors have to kneel down and beg me!

The soldier immediately waved his hand and said sternly, "Don't disturb your highness's rest!"

"me……"

"That's enough." Beidou Xinwei hadn't noticed that his soldiers, in less than six months, had already developed a serious class bias—looking down on others and treating them with different favors. Actually, it didn't take six months; it only took a moment. Beidou Xinwei waved his hand. Today, he was wearing a modified winter coat he had designed, leaning towards a long trench coat. He walked up to the thin young man, about 1.55 meters tall, at the door and motioned for the guard to disperse. Beidou Xinwei looked down at him.

"Are you looking for me?"

"Hayi! Beidou Hall." The young man at the door, though freezing, had a noticeably brighter complexion than before. His stuttering eased as he knelt on the icy ground, his hands holding up his "experience" as he spoke. "My name is Murai Sadakatsu! Greetings to Beidou Hall! I am..."

Balabala said a lot of self-introductions. It was similar to what he had just said to the guard, except that he flattered Beidou Xinwei in person.

"Hehe..." Beidou Xinwei laughed, looking down at the young man who looked ten years older than him. He casually took the book of his "experience" from him and began to read it.

"Oh? Hmm... interesting." Beidou Xinwei watched for three minutes, and the other party knelt on the ground respectfully for three minutes.

In fact, Beidou Xinwei didn't see much in those three minutes. A medieval warrior's diary, full of Liao Zhai-style sentiments, probably because East Asian writers all like this tone. However, the other party's name touched Beidou Xinwei the moment he heard it.

"Murai Sadakatsu, huh?" Beidou Xinwei looked at the young man who had volunteered and personally helped him up. "I've read your reflections, and they're quite good. I really appreciated some of them. It's cold down there, right?"

"Your Highness..." Murai Sadakatsu was so moved that he really wanted to cry.

Ever since his father's crime stripped him of his family name, effectively dismissing him from his public office, Murai Sadakatsu had lived a life of wandering with his parents. After his father's passing, he joined his mother in a life of wandering. After marrying, he and his wife and mother continued their wandering life—and even now, it was clear that they were still wandering. This was the closest he had ever come to regaining his family name!

Restoring your family name doesn't mean you just need to have a surname. You need to serve in the military! You need to have a job! If that's not possible, you need to start your own business! Carve out a niche for yourself!

"Thank you for your hard work." Beidou Xinwei pulled the man's hand and helped him stand up, then led the 5'5" tall man into his room. He also scolded the surrounding soldiers: "Such a great talent, you are so ignorant and look down on him. Why don't you report it to me as soon as possible!"

“?! Your Highness… Your Highness!” Several soldiers standing guard at the door knelt on the ground instantly. Hey, you just want to scare people, who would dare to mess with you?

"Hmph, if you keep Murai-sama waiting again, I'll kill you without mercy! Go, continue your guard duty." Hokuto Nobumi took Murai Sadakatsu's hand, held his hand, and conferred with him, saying, "I have something to consult you about Atsuta Port."

"Yes!——" Murai Sadakatsu knew that he had flown onto the tree and turned into a phoenix!

A few early-rising vendors in the distance saw Beidou Xinwei being so "courteous and humble" and immediately started talking about it.

After that, for some reason, more and more people suddenly wanted to kneel before Beidou Xinwei and offer their advice. This was both good and bad—but Murai Sadakatsu was indeed a talented person.

Beidou Xinwei invited the man to his room and gave him his hand warmer and breakfast. He was so moved that he burst into tears. I don't know if it was acting or real, whether he was moved by Beidou Xinwei's courtesy or was crying because the suffering he had endured for so many years was finally over.

In short, when Beidou Xinwei later discussed the reforms at Atsuta Port, Murai Sadakatsu explained them clearly and logically, demonstrating his thorough knowledge of the port. Finally, he said, "Your Highness, don't worry. If you want to reform Atsuta Port, please allow me to assist Lord Niwa Nagahide! I've heard about the Rakuza Rakuichi! Within three months, I will ensure your wishes are fulfilled!"

"Well, what if?" Beidou Xinwei looked at him, trusting him and not doubting him: "What if I let you handle this matter yourself instead of asking you to assist Niwa Nagahide?"

Trusting those you employ, and not employing those you doubt means: Whether this reform is right or wrong, I will support you from beginning to end! Even if there are mistakes, I will support you—and if the reform goes awry years later, I will use you as a scapegoat. However, in this reform, I trust those I employ, and I won't employ those I doubt! That person is you!

"?!?! Your Highness, I am a nobody, but I have little influence... But if Your Highness supports me, I will never..."

"Don't call me Your Highness." Beidou Xinwei gently waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's time to change your words - and I don't mean to just sit back and do nothing. I will be in Atsuta Port for a few days, Nagahide will be in Atsuta Port for a month, and then you will be in Atsuta Port."

"Yes, my lord! I will never forget your kindness!"

Chapter 92 Murai Sadakatsu

The legitimacy of rule requires struggle and time. For example, it took the Sun family three generations and over sixty years to secure their rule in Jiangdong. It was not until Sun Hao that the people of Jiangdong finally recognized the Sun family's rule. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for three generations, and it took four generations of shoguns to establish basic rule.

When it came to the Oda Danmasatada family, it took a full three generations to transform themselves from a mere retainer to the Oda family, the dominant military force that spread throughout the world.

Specifically, in Atsuta Port, it was a place that had been maintained by three generations of the Oda clan. Beidou Xinwei felt a bit like the lingering spirit of three generations, but regardless, criticizing weapons does not necessarily mean criticizing weapons. After Beidou Xinwei's twenty professional soldiers stationed at the Oda Chamber of Commerce's Atsuta Port branch, the entire world fell silent. A mere twenty men, little more than thugs, but the signal was clear.

"Are these the thugs you newly recruited?"

"Yes!"

Murai Sadakatsu knelt on the ground, looked up at Beidou Xinwei, and replied, "I know these people very well. They all have families in Atsuta Port! I have dealt with many of them over the past year. They are all loyal and righteous people who will die for their country."

Oh, loyalty and death? Haha, no comment.

"Well, that's good." Beidou Xinwei looked at the 33 ronin warriors before him, newly recruited by Murai Sadakatsu himself. Despite their sallow complexion and malnutrition, their demeanor rivaled that of the Imperial Army. Their fighting capacity under these circumstances was unimaginable. In the depths of winter, with heavy snow falling, everyone wore only relatively thin autumn clothes. Life for the samurai was miserable, and even when their homes were starving, they still had to act "big" outside. Most of the wild samurai only praised their broken swords, and considered the semi-leather faceplate they wore protective gear.

"Since you are all loyal people, I won't say much. Please assist Sadakatsu well, please." Beidou Xinwei bowed slightly, giving enough face to the 33 extras present.

"Hai!—" The local tyrants and extras, furiously receiving their salaries, nodded in agreement. In the mid-to-late Warring States period, there were countless peasants like them, defeated warriors, expelled from their families, or simply seeking a chance at a forged identity. Most of them settled in relatively commercial areas as bodyguards or "robo-squads," or lived as "heroes" in the mountains, barely getting enough food to eat. From today on, I'm officially a member of the banner!

"My lord." Murai Sadakatsu had completed a task, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "Look, I've finished recruiting these people. Should we..."

"Here, let me give you this." Beidou Xinwei said as he handed the other party a document, which was the "Zhezi" that was popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties in his later generations.

It's just an A4 size paper. It's written in tiny calligraphy.

They are all Chinese characters.

"What is this?!" Sadakatsu Murai was stunned when he looked at the document, and then he couldn't help but be attracted by the declaration form in it.

"Contact me this way from now on. I've prepared the format for you." Beidou Xinwei carefully explained the A4 folded paper: "Here, write the title. For this mission, keep it concise and to the point, using 14.5-point Fangsong font."

"...What?" Murai Sadakatsu didn't understand what this meant.

"Can you write Song-style characters?"

"No, I can't..." I was so ashamed. Being able to write Chinese characters was already awesome. These Songti and Fangsongti were just nonsense.

"Anyway, practice using this font, keeping the size the same as mine. This time, the title is 'Atsuta Port Management Samurai Brigade Open Recruitment of Non-Staff Personnel, Mission Completion Report'. Time, location, and people. What are the positions being recruited, how many people are being recruited, and how much is the salary. Fill in their names, gender, age, family, and so on on these forms. These few pages will complete the mission report, and this page will be supplementary. Then, appendices with detailed information about these people will follow. Each person should have their own page, and all 33 pages should be the same size."

“…” Sadakatsu Murai had never seen such an industrial assembly-line report.

Most of the time you just need to write an argumentative essay with no more than 800 words, excluding poetry.

"Then, this mission was completed well." Beidou Xinwei looked at the people present, nodded with a smile, and said, "We have an evaluation system in our Beidou family. This time, we completed the task assigned by the leader and received a third-level evaluation, which will be included in the year-end summary. This is the description of our Beidou family's evaluation system—"

With reference to the later civil service system, teacher system and the Ming and Qing civil servant performance evaluation system, Beidou Xinwei handed the Beidou family evaluation instructions he wrote to the other party.

Honestly, life is nothing more than a leveling game. Some people never leave the novice village, while others never enter a dungeon.

"Yes!——" Murai Sadakatsu looked at what was written by Kitado Nobuo and couldn't help but admire him.

Is this, in theory, the Takeda clan's "Koshu Hodo Jidai"? But this is specifically about the review of civil servants' performance appraisals. It's incredibly detailed and comprehensive! Amazing! So many rules and regulations, it's practically tailor-made for when the boss is rambling!

"Everything you've done in Atsuta Port wasn't in vain. You, like Niwa Nagahide, can't stay in tiny Atsuta Port forever." Beidou Xinwei patted him on the shoulder, his tone quite sincere. "First, you need to find a successor to take over your work at Atsuta Port when I transfer you to a more important position. Second... work hard. Every effort you put in will improve your performance. I'm very optimistic about the book you gave me. You're also very capable. I've seen that these days. I hope you can continue to shine for our family..."

It's like this kind of empty promise made by a leader.

Of course, the statement “a small Atsuta Port” still makes the audience feel a bit boastful - Atsuta Port + Tsushima Port are among the largest ports besides Sakai Port, and you don’t even look down on it?