RPAGF Chapter 7184 91 points
Chapter 7184 91 points
Chapter 7184 Nine-One Division
In Chen Xi's view, Zhen Yan's greatest strength was his self-awareness, which largely stemmed from the lessons he learned in real life.
In Zhen Yan's words, his education was originally intended to make him the head of a certain region of the Zhen family. But one day he was suddenly appointed as the head of the family. Could he see things from the perspective of the head of the family? Of course not. To be realistic, his decades of education and experience shaped him into a person, so it goes without saying what kind of perspective he would use to view the world.
That's why Zhen Yan, as the head of the family, was able to slack off. After all, from the moment he became the head of the family, everything he had acquired was not what he wanted. On the contrary, the sugar business was the result of Zhen Yan's own efforts. It was true that he was being trained to be a steward in a certain place or industry of the Zhen family, but he himself also hoped that the Zhen family would use him in this way.
In this world, if there is anything that can surpass the impact of education on an individual, it is probably only interest. And Zhen Yan's greatest fortune is that the route he was assigned was the route he liked the most.
However, an unexpected event occurred later, and he had to shoulder certain heavy responsibilities.
“Perhaps in your eyes, I do possess such qualifications and abilities, but I do not have the awareness of such responsibilities that you great figures have.” Zhen Yan said with a hint of regret, “Zichuan, you should understand best that I am capable of doing things, but I cannot shoulder the weight of a family, a clan, or even the entire world.”
“After you said those words, I didn’t expect you to take over. Just like you said, ability is ability, character is character, and awareness is awareness. As my brother-in-law, you have enough ability, but your will and awareness are indeed not up to par,” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness.
Chen Xi's evaluation of Fan Qin and Zhen Yan was the same: they were not outstanding individuals, but at least they were among the best of their time. However, both of them chose their own paths, completely ignoring the opinions of others.
Of course, from a certain perspective, ignoring others and moving forward according to one's own beliefs is also a sign of strength, but these two people chose not to be compatible, which Chen Xi found quite helpless.
"I'm quite proud to have a brother-in-law like you. If it were any other important person, they would probably force me to stay put, and if that happened and something bad happened, frankly, everyone would be upset," Zhen Yan said with a smile.
"Enjoy your freedom. Consider this your brother-in-law's blessing. Don't count on completely monopolizing the sugar industry. Once you've done half of it, well, I think you should be able to accurately realize what halfway is." Chen Xi finished his wine and was about to leave when he turned to Zhen Yan and asked.
"I'm not stupid," Zhen Yan said formally. He was well aware that once the sugar industry developed to that point, it would have to be reported to the state. Of course, at that point, he could choose to "sell official positions and titles," giving up half of his wealth to join the state's power and regain the Zhen family's title and former status.
Of course, the difference from the past is that the past was the accumulation of predecessors, while this time it is an intangible asset that Zhen Yan purchased with a large amount of resources, and he has the right to dispose of it.
After all, for an individual bound by morality to disregard others and dispose of certain things, there must be a clear point of reference, namely, that these things belong to him.
Zhen Yan had actually thought carefully about his choice back then, but in the end he was still certain that he would have to take the blame no matter what, because the Zhen family was not his Zhen family. The title of Marquis of Ancheng Township was hereditary, and the position of Magistrate of Shangcai with a salary of two thousand shi was also hereditary.
In other words, as long as you have the bloodline of the Zhen family and sit in that position, these things will fall into your lap. Even a dog in that position would receive these things.
This has nothing to do with Zhen Yan's abilities!
To be honest, this is the reason why Zhen Yan often yields to the elders of the Zhen family, because all of this does not belong to him, Zhen Yan, but to the identity of the head of the Zhen family.
Zhen Yan is not the kind of person who is domineering and immoral, so he cannot fully reconcile the identity of the head of the Zhen family with his own abilities, even though Zhang Shi and Zhen Mi repeatedly warned Zhen Yan that he was chosen as the head of the family because he was the most suitable!
The question is, what exactly constitutes "suitable"?
It's bloodline, it's identity, it's birth time, but no matter what, it's not ability!
As the head of a certain region and a certain industry within the Zhen family, Zhen Yan could honestly say that he relied entirely on his own abilities, because he truly could do it and did it well. However, sitting in the position of the head of the Zhen family and facing the elders, Zhen Yan could not say that, because he was elected simply because he was suitable, so he only did what was suitable.
This is Zhen Yan's own problem, and also a problem of education. But no matter which problem it is, as long as Zhen Yan sits in the position of the head of the Zhen family, he cannot go against the family's will.
This is why Zhen Yan did not feel sad after losing the Zhen family. He remained calm even without his title and official position, because without these, Zhen Yan was still Zhen Yan.
"That's good. Let me know when you're halfway through, and I'll help you with the rest. This is the most I can do for you as your brother-in-law within the rules," Chen Xi said casually, then turned and left.
Chen Xi opposes the sale of official positions, but that's all he opposes. As long as the other party can offer a reasonable price and it doesn't affect the country's reputation, Chen Xi is still willing to go through the proper procedures. And the leader of the semi-monopolistic sugar industry can be on the table in any era.
Even if we don't talk about the third century, but even in the 21st century, the sugar industry leader is a top-notch tycoon. Such a person must be brought under the management of the state, even if there is no suitable position, a position must be created for him.
The fact that some people are not in the organization suggests that there is a major problem within the organization.
As for whether they could get half of it, Chen Xi had no doubts about Zhen Yan. For Zhen Yan, it was just a matter of time. After all, Chen Xi could cut off the sugar production line of the Zhen family on the Han Dynasty side, but he could never cut off the sugar production line on the Kushan side.
"Hey, Zichuan, don't go!" Zhen Yan said quickly as Chen Xi turned to leave. "I have something else I want to ask you."
Chen Xi turned her head to look at Zhen Yan, whose face showed some hesitation, but whose words were extremely firm.
"Is there anything you want to ask, brother-in-law?" Chen Xi asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Hmm, has the Kushan Empire already been conquered?" Zhen Yan moved his lips, signaling Chen Xi to use an encrypted channel, before asking.
Chen Xi was taken aback by these words, then looked at Zhen Yan with a hint of surprise, "What are you talking about? Doesn't the Kushan Empire still have half of its territory? Where has it been conquered?"
“Zichuan, I’m not talking about military matters, but rather the economic landscape,” Zhen Yan said, glancing at Chen Xi before asking with a hint of probing.
Chen Xi remained silent for a while without answering. During Chen Xi's pause, Zhen Yan had already fully understood a certain fact. He cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Xi and said, "Indeed, a celestial being is a celestial being."
"How did you come to this conclusion?" Chen Xi asked with some curiosity. "I considered that Pompianus would find out and question them, I considered that Pomponi would question them, and I also considered that Liu Ba and Zi Zhong would question them. The only one I didn't consider was you. But I didn't expect that some of those people would die and none of them would ask this question, but you did."
"Well, I realized it unconsciously. I told you before, before our Zhen family went down, we actually completed the upstream and downstream closure of the sugar industry. And from this industrial chain closure, I realized something, namely the concept that physical money is just a carrier." Seeing that Chen Xi did not hide anything, Zhen Yan directly expressed his thoughts.
"And then?" Chen Xi asked curiously. This step was very important, but it was not easy to figure out that the Kushan Empire was actually dead based on this step.
"And what else? Some of the raw syrup used in my sugar production comes from Kushan. They are one of the upstream industries," Zhen Yan said with a hint of helplessness. "They can be integrated into the Zhen family's industrial chain and be subject to the Zhen family's supervision, becoming a link in the industry and accepting the vouchers issued by the Zhen family."
"..." Chen Xi remained silent for a while, then fell into deep speechlessness.
"Before Liu Ba was killed, you had already started issuing more shares than allowed?" Chen Xi interrupted Zhen Yan before he could finish speaking.
"No, the Zhen family's internal exchange notes and money shops can be exchanged." Zhen Yan couldn't help but shudder when he heard Chen Xi's question. After all, Zhen Yan knew how Liu Ba died, and to be honest, he thought that kind of death was too tragic.
"No, is Nan Gui really that outrageous? They'll accept your internal redemption tickets?" Chen Xi looked at Zhen Yan speechlessly. Was the Brahman stupid?
“It’s not that we’re stupid. Our Zhen family’s internal vouchers can’t be used for inter-family transactions. And the Kushan sugarcane plantation is also an upstream industry of our Zhen family. Although it’s multinational and there’s no cross-shareholding, it has enough credibility.” Zhen Yan explained simply.
"In other words, they give you the syrup, and then they use the vouchers to go and collect the syrup from other people's shops." Chen Xi expressed his understanding, saying that this situation was relatively normal.
"Yeah, more or less. After all, the sugar factories over there are quite large, and there's a delivery cycle and things like collateral. So, some of the sugar produced can be picked up by certain customers first, especially if those customers are theoretically part of our upstream industry," Zhen Yan nodded and said.
"And then the rationing system came about, right?" Chen Xi said helplessly.
“This is unavoidable.” Zhen Yan pursed his lips and said with a hint of helplessness, “After all, it is a bill of lading. If there is a premature delivery, there will naturally be a delayed delivery, which will lead to the bill of lading being resold, and the resale price will vary.”
"So you're trying to profit from both ends, huh?" Chen Xi looked at the beast who was not only the dealer but also owned the entire industry chain and could even participate in the game himself. He felt that it was only natural that the Zhen family could bring so many people on board, because the Zhen family had turned themselves into a trading platform, rather than a merchant or something like that.
“I didn’t take advantage of both sides.” Zhen Yan chuckled dryly. “I still have morals, so I won’t take advantage of both sides. What our Zhen family mainly does is provide credibility, that is, guarantees. Even if one party has a problem, our Zhen family will take responsibility and complete the original transaction.”
Chen Xi was speechless; Zhen Yan's approach was far superior to playing both sides.
“After all, at its peak, the Zhen family had more than a thousand voting seats, including those in the Roman Senate and the Kushan nobles’ representatives. So, with the Zhen family as the platform and providing insurance, both parties to the transaction don’t need to worry at all. We have the absolute strength to solve the problem,” Zhen Yan said with a touch of nostalgia. “Of course, the main responsibility was actually for the sugar industry.”
"Yes, it is indeed excellent." Chen Xi said expressionlessly. Zhen Yan's thing already has some of the characteristics of early futures and ration coupons. However, compared to others, Zhen Yan is more cautious and more ethical. He only conducts ration coupon operations within the scope of industries he can control.
“Then, during the process of trading with the Kushans, I discovered a problem: the currency used by the Kushans—no, to be precise, the currency used by the Kushans—was actually the currency of the Han Dynasty,” Zhen Yan said, a hint of awe in his voice.
“Of course, I know that they use Han Dynasty currency on a large scale because they want to trade with me. But after realizing that physical currency is just a carrier of credit, and then looking at the Han Dynasty currency that circulates on a large scale in Kushan…” Zhen Yan said solemnly.
Chen Xi looked at Zhen Yan with a half-smile.
“The currency of the Han Dynasty is gradually replacing the currency of the Kushan Empire. If in the past it was just unscrupulous merchants secretly reselling currency to make a profit, then at this stage, the currency used by the Kushan Empire is actually being gradually replaced by the Han Dynasty’s exchange notes. Especially for large-scale transactions, the Kushan Empire is also using the exchange notes issued by Marquis Chen,” Zhen Yan said cautiously.
"Are you saying all this because you're worried I'll act recklessly and forcibly abolish those currencies, and then skin the Han aristocratic families alive when I destroy the Kushan Empire?" Chen Xi said to Zhen Yan with a hint of teasing. "Don't worry, I really can't do such a thing. You can rest assured."
"So we'll just let the Kushans use it without any hindrance?" Zhen Yan asked tentatively. You see, even Zhen Yan could come up with a whole bunch of ways to slaughter the Kushans after realizing this scene, but Chen Xi was completely unmoved.
It should be noted that, based on what Zhen Yan learned in the past two years and this year, the currencies circulating in the Kushan market that were truly acceptable to most people were actually the various currencies printed by the Han Dynasty.
The things that the Kushan Empire developed themselves had some technical problems. When compared with each other, they would have a distinctly counterfeit feel. That's why the Kushan Empire is now also using the currency of the Han Dynasty.
"Let's just use them as they are," Chen Xi said calmly. He would not abolish the Han Dynasty currencies currently used by the Kushan Empire, whether they were banknotes or newly rolled gold, silver, or copper coins. After all, this was a matter of credibility.
Moreover, there are plenty of ways to deal with the Kushan Empire; there's no need to resort to such a damaging tactic. For example, the issue of rationing alone—if regulations were loosened, the Kushan Empire could easily outmaneuver and destroy many others through a game of musical chairs.
"Lord Chen is truly righteous," Zhen Yan said with great admiration.
"Then can I reorganize the old Zhen family business platform?" After confirming that Chen Xi would not do anything underhanded in this regard and that the money currently circulating in Kushan was real money, the thought that Zhen Yan had been suppressing in his heart finally couldn't help but jump out.
These days, what's more profitable than rationing and selling credibility?
As for the fact that Zhen's business platform has become completely discredited after doing this, what does that have to do with Zhen Yan? Besides, to put it bluntly, the Zhen family has already fallen, their titles have been stripped, and apart from the few thousand acres of sacrificial fields used for the ancestral hall and cemetery, they have nothing left of their ancestral property.
At this point, the Zhenjia business platform emerged, naturally to take the blame.
In any case, the Zhen family's business platform still has some prestige in Kushan. After cleansing it up and building up business there, they can start implementing various forms of ticketing and rationing.
When the time comes, he can use the ration coupons to ruthlessly exploit the Brahmans and dig out all their ancestral wealth accumulated over thousands of years. Then, it will be very easy for Zhen Yan to go ashore.
As for the Brahmins wanting to hunt him down, he'll have to deal with Chen Hou's million-strong army first. If he can't get past that, everything else will be for nothing, right?
Chen Xi looked Zhen Yan up and down. He roughly understood what Zhen Yan wanted to do, and to be honest, the timing was actually very good, excellent.
"In my current situation, although I still have some foundation, there are too many opponents, and they are too strong," Zhen Yan said with a hint of helplessness. His biggest opponents are no longer a matter of money; given his current state, he simply cannot compete with them.
Considering that he had a powerful backer who could challenge him even at his peak, and that Sun Min, who didn't follow the rules, was trying to sabotage him, Zhen Yan felt he needed to turn things around quickly. So, after confirming that a big shot like Chen Hou wouldn't betray his reputation, Zhen Yan thought he could put his previous idea into practice.
"How do you know that this isn't something I wanted to do?" Chen Xi asked Zhen Yan earnestly.
"Ah, Lord Chen, do you still care about these hundreds of billions?" Zhen Yan asked after a moment of silence.
“I don’t care, but the Han Dynasty does,” Chen Xi said very seriously. “I can allow you to take charge, with a 90/10 split.”
If you don't quite understand what Zhen Yan and Chen Xi are talking about, you can learn about the Wanta Project. And please remember this: during inflation, wealth doesn't evaporate; it simply shifts.
(End of this chapter)