latelenovela Chapter 154 Bove Shipyard
Chapter 154 Bove Shipyard
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Cheng Youde knew that the exact amount of timber and shipwrights to be taken was decided by this adjutant, and the key was to win him over. He knew the shady dealings in government affairs; what the higher-ups wanted to do was their decision, but how well it turned out depended on the person actually carrying it out. He glanced around, moved closer to Liu Ye, and quietly pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve, handing it to Liu Ye: "General, you've worked hard. This is a small token of my appreciation; please give it to your men for tea."
Liu Ye glanced at it and saw it was a silver note, one hundred taels in face value. The seal even read "Hongtu Money Shop," indicating that it could be exchanged at any branch of "Hongtu Money Shop" within Guangdong Province. He found it quite amusing. This Boss Cheng didn't know that he wasn't acting on orders at all, but rather using the governor's name to do things for himself. Bribery was completely useless.
He didn't take the banknote. Instead, he stared at the seal on the note with interest and asked, "Hongtu Money Shop? Is the owner's surname Gao?"
Seeing that the other party had no intention of accepting the banknote, Cheng Youde was in an awkward position, unsure whether to hand it over or accept it. When the other party inquired about the origin of the banknote, he assumed it was worried about its cashability and quickly assured them, "The owner of this money exchange is indeed surnamed Gao, and we have branches in various counties of Guangdong. This banknote has already been stamped with my Cheng family's private seal; you can withdraw the silver directly, and it can be redeemed throughout the province..."
"Only province-wide remittance?" Liu Ye chuckled. Although this Master Gao was audacious enough to collude with bandits, his business acumen was still limited by the times. Nearly two years had passed, and he was still confined to Guangdong. He had a plan in mind, conceived the night of the assassination attempt on Gao Hongtu at the Gao family home, but hadn't yet mentioned it to anyone: to create an ancient version of a bank, with operations throughout the country, allowing deposits and withdrawals in all major and medium-sized cities, attracting deposits. Given the Ming Dynasty's tendency for wealthy people to cast silver into ingots and hide them in cellars, with sufficient credibility, he could definitely attract the Ming Dynasty's elite to deposit their silver, and once deposited, it would be for fixed terms, rarely withdrawn. This would be equivalent to controlling most of the Ming Dynasty's wealth. The foundation and manpower for establishing the bank could be obtained by utilizing Gao Hongtu's money shops.
"No business can compare to the wealth of a bank," Liu Ye thought smugly. However, in the early stages of establishing a credit system, a large amount of capital must be reserved to prevent bank runs. He didn't have that strength yet. The army and navy were both major money-consuming entities, and he was about to fight Liu Xiang. With the sound of cannons, gold would flow in. Although money could be earned quickly, it was spent even faster.
It seems that even if they manage to acquire Gao Hongtu's money shop, they will still need to find a way to raise enough cash to realize their banking plans.
He was fantasizing about the bank, but Cheng Youde thought he was dissatisfied with the amount of silver, so he begged for mercy with a mournful face: "General, the shipyard's profits are meager and its cash flow is limited. I can't come up with more money in a short time!"
Liu Ye returned to reality and said, "Manager Cheng, don't panic. I don't want your silver notes; instead, I'll give you silver."
Cheng Youde was taken aback. Was this some kind of joke? If he could accept the silver notes, go easy on him when doing the job, and use some scraps and mediocre apprentices to fill the gaps, that would be an immense favor.