Chapter 303: Establishing a Chamber of Commerce, the Dagger Revealed The most famous Wujun gentry in later generations were the four surnames in Wuzhong, namely Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang. However, the four surnames in Wuzhong were not considered prominent families at the end of the Han Dynasty. They were far inferior to the Chen, Yuan, Xun, and He families in the Central Plains. Its prosperity lies in the fact that after Sun Quan came to power, he made extensive use of the children of the gentry in order to ease the conflicts among the gentry. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the imperial court moved south, and the four major families, as the indigenous people, became powerful forces. However, in this era, the four surnames in Wu were far from rising and could only be regarded as middle-level aristocratic families. The real great aristocratic families in Wu County were actually the Sun, Wu and Xu families. Although Sun Ce was so active in suppressing the gentry, his in-laws' families were constantly expanding their own power. For example, the descendants of the Sun family basically own a large amount of land and farms, and the same is true for the Wu and Xu families. Therefore, the heads of various families summoned by Qin Zhen at this time were the four surnames, three families and a series of small aristocratic families. Since Wu Jing, Sun Jing and other core members were taken to Shouchun by Liu Bei, the representative of the Sun family at this time was Sun Ben, the representative of the Wu family was Wu Fen, and the representative of the Xu family was Xu Kun.

In addition, there are Gu family representative Gu Yong, Lu family representatives Lu Ji and Lu Yi, Zhang family representative Zhang Yun, and Zhu family representative Zhu Shi. Everyone gathered in the hall. The small clans were talking, while the big clans were silent. Everyone was like this, naturally, waiting for the arrival of the protagonist Qin Zhen. But for some reason, they were called here at noon and had been waiting for two hours, but there was no sign of Qin Zhen. Seeing this, everyone was naturally unhappy. Seeing that it was getting dark, Zhang Yun stepped out and said: "Gu Yuantan, will Mr. Qin meet us today?" "We have been waiting since noon, why hasn't Mr. Qin come yet?" "Although we are not from a prominent family, we should not allow ourselves to be teased like this!" Speaking of Zhang Yun, it is easy to confuse him with Liu Biao's nephew, but in fact he is the father of Zhang Wen, a famous official of Eastern Wu. He despises money and values ​​wise men. He is well-known in Yangzhou County and is also an important figure in Wu County. As soon as he spoke, everyone agreed and asked what Gu Yong was doing. Gu Yong saw everyone like this, but he did not reply. Instead, he called a clerk and asked: "Let's go and see if Bu Zishan has invited Qin Jun back and urge him to come back!" "I'm telling you that you distinguished guests have been waiting here for a long time. If you are busy today, you can come another day." When everyone heard him give such an order, they were speechless for a moment and could only wait patiently. But not long after the clerk left, he heard a clear voice saying: "Our army has just entered Wu County and has been delayed for a long time due to a lot of affairs. Thank you for waiting for a long time!" As he was speaking, Qin Zhen, dressed in a purple robe, walked quickly into the hall. As he walked, he bowed and apologized to everyone until he sat down at the main seat. When everyone saw this, they bowed and bowed, then sat down in their seats one by one. As soon as they sat down, they saw Qin Zhen looking around at everyone and said with a smile: "I was outside the hall just now and heard a lot of discussion inside. I wonder what you are discussing?" When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in confusion, thinking, "Don't you know what we are discussing?" They looked at each other, and the scene suddenly became awkward. Only Gu Yong bowed to Qin Chen and said: "My Lord, just now you were all discussing why you summoned us here this time!"

After hearing this, Qin Zhen grinned at Gu Yong and said: "Why, Brother Yuan Tan, didn't you tell everyone what I was going to do?" When Gu Yong heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and thought to himself, you didn't tell me why you gathered everyone together, where should I start? But when he saw Qin Zhen's smiling face, he immediately understood and said hurriedly: "Because the matter is of great importance and the Lord is not here, I dare not make any comment!" Qin Zhen heard this and smiled with satisfaction, saying to everyone: "In that case, it is my fault that I did not think carefully enough to let Yuan Tan know in advance, so that you have been waiting for a long time!" "Well, since Brother Yuan Tan doesn't want to say more, I will let you know." "I asked you all to come here today for no other important matter, but mainly for two things." "Because I saw that Jiangdong is located on the coast, with convenient transportation, I want to set up a chamber of commerce and invite all companies to join. I wonder if you are interested?" The chamber of commerce as an organizational form originated in the late Qing Dynasty. There was no similar organization during the Qin and Han dynasties. When the family heads heard this, they looked at each other again, not knowing what Qin Zhen meant. Only a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old stepped out and asked: "May I ask you, Lord? What is this Chamber of Commerce that you are talking about? What are the benefits of joining it?" The person who spoke was Lu Yi, the representative of the Lu family, but he had changed his name to Lu Xun. In fact, the head of the Lu family was originally his uncle Lu Ji, but Lu Ji was too young, so Lu Yi took care of all the household affairs. His question was very realistic, but it also hit the mark of Qin Zhen's heart. Looking at this historical Jiangdong Grand Commander, Qin Zhen smiled and said: "Bo Yan's question hits the nail on the head. This chamber of commerce has never existed before, so naturally you don't know about it." "I might as well tell you straight, the purpose of establishing a chamber of commerce is to promote business in Jiangdong!" "But nowadays, the country is in turmoil and bandits are everywhere. I'm sure it's very difficult for all merchants to do business." "I think since you can't do it alone, why don't we form a Wujun Chamber of Commerce?" "This meeting will be led by Chen himself to provide protection for the members of the Chamber of Commerce!" "For example, Zhen is about to open the Baiyue trade in the name of Liu Zhengdong. You all have a lot of land and property in your homes, which are things that all the Baiyue people like." "However, there are so many bandits along the way. How are you going to transport the goods?" "So you can provide goods, carriages, horses, and laborers for transportation, and our army will escort them along the way." "In addition, our army also intends to go north to Qingzhou, Youzhou, Liaodong and other places to do business." "All members of the Chamber of Commerce can form a caravan and march north with our army!" "If we can open up shipping in the future and go all the way to the South Seas and Western Regions for trade, we can all work together." "Just think about it, everyone. You are now traveling for business, but the distance is only a few hundred miles." "Even if we transport goods from Dantu to Fuchun, we will have to hire a large number of guards, and we may not be able to make much profit." "But if you all work together, the caravan can not only travel thousands of miles, but also easily make several times the profit. This is one of the benefits of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Secondly, all members of the Chamber of Commerce can consign the refined salt, Huai paper, wine, sugar, glass and other items produced by our army in Japan." "We will give them the original price. We don't care how much you sell them for. All the profits will be given to you." "Third, anyone who joins the Chamber of Commerce will be exempted from customs duties at our checkpoints!" "No taxes are required for entering the city, passing through customs, or entering the port, except for the berthing fees!" "The above three points are all benefits of joining the club. I wonder if you are interested in them?" After he finished this brief introduction, he looked at everyone in the hall. As he spoke, the expressions of the people present became more interesting. If the Chamber of Commerce really has the benefits that Qin Zhen said, then it would be a great thing for them! Because in the Han Dynasty, the gentry and business were actually inseparable! Except for some top families with a deep family background and who disdain to pursue fame and fortune, most of the gentry are more or less engaged in business. After all, this was an agricultural-based era, and the gentry owned a large amount of land. These lands will produce large quantities of livestock, food, and various crops. In addition to keeping supplies to store during the famine, the ultimate goal is to sell them. Therefore, all noble families with a certain scale would participate in business, but the scale would vary. For example, the Mi family, a top business family in the late Han Dynasty, was able to transport goods to various parts of the Central Plains. The Zhen family of Hebei was also able to transport goods from the Central Plains to Hebei. But some small-scale nobles did not have this ability. The most they could do was transport the grain into the city or sell it to the government. If joining the Chamber of Commerce would allow them to use less capital and transport things from farther places, or transport things to the north, the profits would be far greater than what they have now. Everyone present had a scale in their hearts, and with a little thought, they realized the huge benefits contained therein. But when everyone realized it, no one responded immediately! Since they can come as representatives, none of them is stupid. There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. Qin Zhen’s willingness to make concessions obviously has a certain purpose! This time, before Lu Yi could speak, Zhang Yun bowed to Qin Zhen and said: "If you follow what Mr. Qin said, this Chamber of Commerce will benefit all of us, so there is no reason for us to refuse!" "But I heard that Mr. Qin just mentioned the benefits, but not the taxation." "I wonder how Mr. Qin intends to collect taxes from his business here?" "You won't protect us in vain. If you give us all the benefits, what good will it do to the country?" Seeing that he was so sensible, Qin Zhen smiled and said: "I've heard for a long time that Mr. Zhang values ​​righteousness over money, and today I see that it's true!" "Indeed, our army is not escorting you for free. Whenever the caravan makes a profit, our army needs to take half of the profit!" "For every round trip of the fleet, our army needs to take a 10% profit!" "But don't worry, this money is collected for our soldiers."

"As you all know, there are many bandit rebels right now. The caravan is transporting a large amount of goods at a time, so our army may need more than a thousand guards." "Our army will take care of the casualties along the way." "You may have to spend money to recruit people and horses, and it is difficult to guarantee the safe delivery of goods." "But our military guards will not let your goods get damaged." "I'll take 10% of your profits to reward the soldiers under my command. What do you think?" When everyone heard this, they nodded again. A 10% profit was indeed not too much. After all, Qin Zhen also needs to support the army. Although it is a little more, it is not too much if he can ensure continuous profits! Even if we recruit a few hundred ordinary guards, they may not be able to match a hundred regular soldiers. Qin Zhen's policy is not too drastic and is still within the acceptable range. After Qin Zhen finished speaking, he added: "But in addition to the above escort profits, our army will collect commercial taxes." "Establish a taxation office to specialize in tax inspection. From now on, all businessmen in Jiangdong will be charged 15% of commercial tax." "This tax is imposed on all businessmen in Jiangdong. Anyone who makes a profit must pay it!" "And increase the purchase tax. Anyone who buys farms, land, or houses will have their taxes increased by 30%!" "Anyone who buys slaves, carriages, horses, or oxen will also be taxed 30% more!" As soon as these words were spoken, the joy on everyone's faces disappeared immediately, and they even became a little gloomy. If Qin Zhen’s previous words were still acceptable, then the purchase tax is the real purpose! After all, Qin Zhen collects a commercial tax between 15% and 25%, which may seem like a lot, but everyone has long been accustomed to it. The Han Dynasty had been suppressing merchants for a long time. Not to mention one-fifth of the business tax, even one-quarter or even one-third would be acceptable. However, this purchase tax was a sharp sword aimed specifically at the gentry, specifically to suppress them! Because in this era, the poor cannot afford to buy farmland, land and houses even if they work hard all their lives. Only the scholars and dignitaries have demand for them. Qin Zhen increased taxes by 30% on this basis, which meant that the cost of their land annexation increased by 30%! Similarly, slaves, carriages, horses, and oxen were also used to annex their land. Therefore, Zhang Yun and others who were still excited just now suddenly turned pale, and even Gu Yong, who was sitting beside him, frowned and said: "My Lord, isn't this 30% purchase tax a bit too harsh?" He didn't want to stop Qin Zhen from suppressing the gentry, but he felt that the tax was indeed too high. But as soon as he said this, he saw Qin Zhen's smiling face turned quite contemptuous: "Is a 30% tax really that high? The tax can be waived, but I don't know who will hand over 30% of the population to me if you guys swallow them up?" As soon as he finished speaking, he slapped the table, looked at everyone coldly and said: "You all say that the taxes are too harsh, but how many good farmlands and people do you want to take away before you stop?"

When these words came out, Gu Yong was stunned, and the nobles were also shocked when they saw this. (End of this chapter)