Chapter 442: 421
Governorâs Office, in the study.
A constable hurried into the study, and Pang Tang couldnât wait to ask: âHow did it go?â
âReporting to your Excellency, Iâve found out that the General Mansion has borrowed over one million and eighty thousand taels!â The constable said with some breathlessness.
Upon hearing this, Pang Tangâs face bloomed with joy, âGood, very good!â
With money in the General Mansion, itâs as if Chongshan Town is flush with funds, and if Chongshan Town has money, itâs like Governorâs Office is wealthy.
The aide standing beside him revealed a surprised expression; he hadnât expected Yang Zhenshan could raise such a significant amount of Silver.
Whatever Yang Zhenshan planned to do in the General Mansion, naturally, it couldnât be concealed from the Governorâs Office.
After learning of Yang Zhenshanâs plan, he and Pang Tang actually did not have high hopes for it.
But now, Yang Zhenshanâs plan had proven successful.
âMy lord, should we also~~â The aideâs eyes flickered, somewhat tempted as he spoke.
Pang Tangâs smile paused, then he rolled his eyes at the aide, saying, âDo you think thatâs possible?â
âWhat grounds do I have for those merchants to fork over their Silver?â
âThis~~â After giving it some thought, the aide also felt it was a bit far-fetched for Pang Tang to do such a thing.
Why was Yang Zhenshan able to pull it off?
Thatâs because back in the Tenglong Guard, Yang Zhenshan had brought these merchants sufficient profits, making them believe in his abilities and credibility.
If it were someone else, these merchants would definitely not be willing to shell out their Silver.
Of course, if Pang Tang were to ask the merchants for some Silver, then certainly, they would be willing to give him some, but that would mean accepting bribes.
In the name of Governorâs Office, on the reputation of Pang Tang, making these merchants cough up Silver was almost impossible.
Pang Tang was well aware of this, so he never entertained the idea of emulating Yang Zhenshan.
âCough cough, go to the mansion and have the madam withdraw ten thousand taels of Silver to send to Chongshan Bank,â said Pang Tang.
âAh! My lord is also buying that bond!â The aide said, somewhat astonished.
Pang Tang chuckled, âIf we at the Governorâs Office want more Silver, we have to invest some capital, right?â
âBesides, didnât Marquis Jingâan say, if the General Mansion canât repay the Silver in three years, we can go to him to reclaim it?â
âOther people might not dare to ask him for repayment, but would I, Pang Tang, not dare?â
Upon reflecting, the aide thought that made sense!
When the time comes, if the merchants donât dare to ask Marquis Jingâan to settle the accounts, what should Pang Tang fear?
Could Marquis Jingâan possibly deny his debts to Pang Tang?
âIâll also buy some, a three percent profit isnât much, but itâs not little either, when the time comes for my lord to collect, please donât forget to include your pupil,â the aide was not foolish, he felt fearless with Pang Tangâs support.
Pang Tang looked at the aide, his eyes narrowing slightly.
âNo problem!â
âBut there is one thing that I need you to take care of!â
âMy lord, please command!â said the aide.
Pang Tangâs face carried a kind smile, âSpread the word about this in the government office, hmm, maybe even to the Governorâs Office and the Inspector Generalâs Office.â
âThat way, even if the General Mansion is unable to repay, I can assist everyone in reclaiming the Silver from Marquis Jingâan!â
The aide was first stunned, then looked at Pang Tang oddly.
âMy lord, you arenât planning to swindle your pupil, are you?â
Pang Tang was clearly intending for everyone to buy bonds from the General Mansion.
If the number was small, the aide believed Yang Zhenshan wouldnât default on his debt to Pang Tang, but if it was a large amount, the issue was not whether Yang Zhenshan would default, but whether he could repay it.
If Yang Zhenshan didnât have the Silver to repay, wouldnât his own money be lost?
âWhat do you know, go now!â said Pang Tang irritably.
âYes, your pupil will go at once!â The aide dared not argue with Pang Tang and could only leave the study. However, upon leaving, he hesitated.
Swindling others didnât weigh on his conscience, but should he also leap into the same pit?
Whether this aide leaped or not remains unknown, but as Pang Tangâs words spread through the Governorâs Office, quite a few officials began to entertain the thought.
With the dual endorsement from Yang Zhenshan and Pang Tang, what did they have to fear?
A thirty-six percent annual interest rate!
Such interest was enough to tempt many!
Doing business could lead to gains or losses, but buying bonds from the General Mansion was a sure win!
Many officials, tempted by these thoughts, couldnât help but become restless, hurrying to Chongshan Bank to purchase bonds.
For a time, the front of Chongshan Bank bustled with people, as lively as a marketplace.
When Yang Zhenshan learned of the situation, even he was somewhat astounded.
âHow could this be?â
He had confidence in getting the merchants to pay up, but he had never thought about getting the officials to buy the bonds, of course, he wouldnât stop those who were willing to buy.
But how could so many officials rush to buy bonds in just a dayâs time?
The financial power of the officials was definitely not as large as that of the merchants; a common civil servant being able to pull out a couple hundred taels of Silver was considered decent. As for the officials, that was really hard to say.
Some might be corrupt; their family possessing Silver that could fill a warehouse.
Others might come from noble families, wealthy with both money and land.
But in any case, officials belonged to the affluent class.
No official could sustain their household only on their official salary; after all, Da Rong did not have someone like Hai Rui.
So, for an official to draw several thousand taels, or even tens of thousands of taels of Silver, would not be surprising.
âRegarding this, the informant from the Governor stated that if the General Mansion cannot repay the Silver in three years, he would help everyone acquire the Silver from Marquis!â said the Personal Follower who came to report.
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenshan couldnât help but chuckle ruefully.
âThis Mr. Pang is really amusing!â
But he quickly caught on, âDamn, that old man is eyeing the silver from selling the debentures!â
âYou go stand guard outside, if Mr. Pang comes, just say I went to inspect the Camp!â
Yang Zhenshan spoke with some urgency.
However, the moment his words fell, a hearty laughter came from outside the door.
âHaha, why must Marquis Yang hide from this old man?â
Yang Zhenshan looked up to see Pang Tang swaggering in.
Damn it, the debt collector has arrived!
âWhere could it be, this Marquis is certainly not hiding from Mr. Pang!â Yang Zhenshan repeatedly denied.
âIâm not deaf, I heard everything!â Pang Tang did not mince words with Yang Zhenshan, and sat down directly opposite him in the study.
âMarquis Yang, how much silver do you plan to give the Governorâs Office?â
ââŠâ
Yang Zhenshan was at a loss for words.
âTo support Marquis Yang, I can buy ten thousand taelsâ worth of debentures, take a look~~â
Pang Tang waved a stack of debentures and said to Yang Zhenshan.
âIf Mr. Pang doesnât want the debentures, this Marquis can buy them with ready silver!â said Yang Zhenshan.
âThat wonât do, I have no intention of selling!â Pang Tang laughed heartily, stowed away the debentures, and then added, âThe Governorâs Office doesnât ask for much, how about one million taels?â
âMr. Pang, stop joking, these debentures need to be repaid, with both principal and interest, so if the Governorâs Office demands one million taels now, does that mean it will also return it to the General Mansion with interest three years later?â Yang Zhenshan said impatiently.
Asking for one million taels straight away, this old man has some nerve.
Pang Tang shook his head, âBuilding Black Cloud City was your idea, the money should be spent there, how could it be counted on the Governorâs Office?â
He can spend this one million taels of silver, but he has no ability to earn another million. No, in three years it wonât be one million anymore, but over two million.
Anyway, he canât repay it.
Yang Zhenshan was somewhat at a loss for a response.
What Pang Tang said was not wrong, whether it was building roads or cities, they were his plans. Although they had divided the work, he couldnât ignore Black Cloud City.
âMarquis Yang, donât think poorly of me for being greedy, itâs really that I have no other choice. Itâs nearly March, and by April, construction of Black Cloud City should begin, but the Governorâs Office canât even come up with fifty thousand taels.â
Pang Tang now played the pauper.
âCanât the court allocate some silver?â Yang Zhenshan hesitated.
âMarquis Yang, if the court could allocate silver, why would I have to come here to sell my old face!â Pang Tang looked at Yang Zhenshan with a face full of grievances.
Yang Zhenshanâs mouth twitched slightly, he was somewhat helpless dealing with this shameless old man.
Look at this old man, nowhere does he seem well-read, he looks entirely like a complaining widow.
Although inwardly complaining, Yang Zhenshan still couldnât ignore Pang Tang.
But he really couldnât give the money to the Governorâs Office.
Building Black Cloud City requires money, but so does dredging the Ying River.
The engineering department at the General Mansion has already surveyed the Ying River and probably will formulate a plan for dredging next month. Recruitment for able-bodied men to start digging the riverbed is likely by early April, and by then a large sum of silver will be needed.
Moreover, the Six Assistant Generals also need silver; Yang Mingzhi is awaiting funds to buy ships and head out to sea, and the other generals also wait for silver to recruit soldiers for the Rescue Camp.
Three million seems like a lot, but for the entire Chongshan Town, it can sustain for at most one year.
Thereâs no choice, the rebellion by Prince Qing and Ji Feiyu brought too much loss to Chongshan Town.
This loss is far more than what three million can compensate for, not to mention Yang Zhenshanâs own plans to build roads and cities.
Yang Zhenshan furrowed his brow, falling into deep thought.
Pang Tang knew he was in a difficult position, but everyone was struggling now.
With no silver from the court, every government office in Chongshan Town was living through hard times.
Times are different now. When Lu Chongde and Liang Chu came to Chongshan Town, they brought a large sum of money and grain, along with horses, armaments, and other supplies.
But now.
He and Yang Zhenshan in Chongshan Town only had the eighty thousand taels of silver intercepted by the General Mansion.
Thinking about it, Pang Tang felt bitter.
After a long contemplation, Yang Zhenshanâs brows finally relaxed.
âIf we canât, then letâs sell land!â
The income from the glass workshop would have to wait, and the finances of the entire Chongshan Town couldnât solely depend on the glass workshop anyway. It was necessary to find multiple sources of revenue.
âSell land?â Pang Tang was puzzled.
âThatâs right, sell land, the plan for Black Cloud City is ready, right? Residential and commercial properties within the city can be sold, and the wasteland outside can also be sold!â said Yang Zhenshan.
âBut Black Cloud City hasnât even started construction yet?â Pang Tang pointed out.
Yang Zhenshan blinked, âThis is whatâs called presale real estate, no, presale city! We can begin with pre-sales, let those who want to buy shops and residential properties pay a deposit first, sign a contract, and once the houses and shops are built up, then we carry out the delivery.â
âAs for the wasteland, as long as itâs cultivated, it becomes fertile land, and fertile land near the city wall should be desirable to buyers, right?â
Yang Zhenshan said somewhat uncertainly.
Now it was Pang Tangâs turn to frown. He was pondering whether Yang Zhenshanâs idea was feasible.
Cultivating the wasteland was indeed possible because many merchants in Chongshan Town had bought a lot of wasteland before, mainly horse traders, who purchased wasteland to breed horses.
And on the Fuzhou City side, many had bought wasteland for farming.
If Black Cloud Cityâs wasteland could be sold, then it should be achievable, but currently, Black Cloud City didnât even have a shadow.
âThis is a bit difficult!â Pang Tang said with some conflict.
Yang Zhenshan also lacked confidence, âHow about this, Iâll give you two hundred thousand taels of silver to start with, letâs begin building Black Cloud City so that everyone can see our determination, maybe then people will start buying land around Black Cloud City!â
After some thought, Pang Tang felt this was not a bad idea and nodded in agreement with Yang Zhenshanâs proposal.