Zhang Huangyan said hurriedly: "Lord Wang, this can't be rash, businessmen are profit-seeking, and their desires are difficult to fill...... We should take the northern Jin merchants as a lesson from foreign countries. ”

Zhang Guowei also said: "Industry and commerce are all fundamental, I have no opinion, but if you let businessmen enter the office, it will not work." ”

Wu Zheng smiled: "The princes are too nervous, I didn't agree to the merchant's entry." However, whether it is agriculture, industry, or commerce, they are all the people under their rule, as long as they do not break the law, they are good people, and the status of merchants must be improved, only in this way can they really fight with the northern merchant gang. All the princes knew in their hearts that the Northern Merchants were powerful, and the wealth controlled by the eight imperial merchants of the Jin Dynasty alone was tens of thousands of taels. Extraordinary times, extraordinary means, the frontal combat of the army and the secret war of the merchants, both are indispensable. ”

Zhang Guowei and Zhang Huangyan listened to Wu Zheng's position, so they approved with their jaws.

At this time, the controversy among the businessmen there was still relatively large, mainly on two points, one was the disclosure of the business tips and experience of each family, and the other was the distribution of the students in the future.

Obviously, it has nothing to do with Wu Zheng's proposal, that is, the businessmen have almost no objection to waging a business war with the north and the establishment of a business school.

The businessmen were eager to rise in social status, and Wu Zheng satisfied them, although there was still no possibility of entering the ranks, but everyone knew that with the establishment of the government-recognized business school, it meant that the businessmen would squeeze into the circle of scholars in the future.

This point is very important, imagine that every two years, countless business school disciples are crowded with the people, competing with the scholars for students, and the financial secretary, which is very important to the court, is bound to become a non-negligible existence that affects the government.

No one objected, even those who agreed with Shanghongkou District no longer hesitated.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will allow businessmen who were originally at the bottom of society to stand side by side with agricultural workers.

The merchant pursues profits, and if he doubles his profits, he dares to trample on all the laws of the world; With three times the profit, it dares to commit any crime.

Moreover, it is an opportunity to change the lives of them and their grandchildren.

Xi Benzhen came up and said: "We are willing to obey the orders of the prince, but the northern merchant gangs, especially the Jin merchants, have the secret support of the Qing court, which is probably not something that can be countered with our financial resources." ”

Wu Zheng said: "Behind the Jin merchants is the Qing court, and behind the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, there is also this king. The king will provide you with the security of force, but one thing to be clear, given the current truce between the two sides, the king cannot support you in the open. ”

This was a disguised guarantee, and the merchants sighed when they heard it.

"Dare to ask the prince, when do you intend to start a business war?"

"You can do it at any time, remember, suppressing the other party, seizing the market, harming others and even disadvantageous ......."

"I'll get it."

When they said goodbye, Wu Zheng said: "Xi and Cheng are left, and this king still has something to tell them." ”

Lead the two to the study.

Wu Zheng said: "What is said below is the biggest secret of this king, and even the princes of the General's Mansion do not know the details, and the two of them must not reveal a single thing to the outside world." ”

Xi Benzhen and Cheng Benyuan said solemnly: "We will definitely keep our mouths shut." ”

Wu Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Presumably, the two of you have heard that in the open sea, there are pirates robbing merchant ships heading to the north?" ”

"Yes."

"What this king wants to tell you is that this group of pirates was sent by this king to fight the trade between the Qing court and the northern merchant gangs."

Wu Zheng's words made the cold sweat of the two seep out and soak their backs.

Xi Benzhen asked hoarsely: "I don't know what the prince's intention is to inform me of this?" ”

Wu Zheng said solemnly: "The maritime trade of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce is growing day by day, if you only rob the merchant ships going to the north, it will inevitably be tantamount to telling the people of the world that this group of pirates is sent by our dynasty or instructed by our dynasty." The purpose of this king's telling you is that you need to arrange for a caravan to be robbed every once in a while, and the ships that are taken must be all credible people, and at the same time contain food and daily necessities, and of course, they will compensate you with enough gold and silver for all this cost. In addition, there is another point to tell you, it is also to calm your hearts, business and war together, there are sailors in the Ming to protect your safety, and there are pirates who plunder Feng Fang's merchant ships at night to clear the source of the other party's goods for you. ”

Xi Benzhen and Cheng Benyuan opened their mouths to look at each other, and the shock in their hearts can be imagined.

Wu Zheng picked up the bamboo pole that he had broken off before, handed it to Cheng Benyuan, and said: "I still have to work hard for Cheng Yuan, according to the previous method, subdivide this bamboo pole into thousands of parts, and strive to be perfect." ”

Cheng Benyuan asked in surprise: "I don't know what the prince is for?" ”

"This king shall measure the measure uniformly, and use this rod as a standard, as a meter, and ten equal parts as a decimeter, and then ten equal parts as centimeters, and ten equal parts as millimeters." Wu Zheng replied casually.

These words made Cheng Benyuan and the others frightened and inexplicable, "Does the prince want to abolish the measurements of zhang, ruler, and inch?" ”

This is indeed a bit crazy, and in the eyes of Cheng Benyuan and the others, it is even more crazy and unnecessary.

It is true that the words are the same text and the car is on the same track, but Wu Zheng only has six mansions under his command, and the entire Yixing Dynasty is only thirteen mansions, which together is just the territory of the Ming Dynasty to declare the political division.

With only one province, abolishing the already mature measurement standards, and outside the Yixing Dynasty, there are dozens of times the land that cannot be changed, which will cause a huge shock in the land of the six provinces, not only the merchants, but also the people, and even everyone.

Think about it, how much confusion will be caused by domestic and foreign businessmen suddenly changing the way of weights and measures in and out of goods?

There is a reason why Cheng Benyuan and the others were shocked.

Looking at their round-eyed expressions, Wu Zheng smiled and said, "The two of you are too worried, this king just wants to change the measurement standard in the military workshop, in order to distinguish it from the measurement standard of the Qing court in the north in the future...... Well, it's none of your business, don't ask. ”

That's right, a kind of weights and measures are proposed, not because of how accurate it is, but because of the support of strength.

Even if Wu Zheng doubles the length of the bamboo pole now and calls it one meter, as long as it is implemented, it will be an undoubted meter.

Wu Zheng knew that the World Measurement Convention on the Metric System would be signed in France more than 200 years later, so the time of more than 200 years was enough for the East to establish this standard first, and this was an insurmountable gap in the future.

Of course, it is very difficult to implement this standard, especially when the land and population under its jurisdiction are insufficient.

Wu Zheng could only settle for the next best, first implement it in the military workshop, and then find a way to slowly spread it.

Of course, Wu Zheng's purpose is not only here, but also an important purpose is to let the military workshop realize assembly line operations.

The increase in the speed of making muskets and artillery parts and then assembling them will turn into an industrial revolution.

And to achieve this change, the most important thing is the specification of weights and measures.

Only by strictly controlling the standards of weights and measures can the accessories be assembled on any musket and any gun.

Of course, Cheng Benyuan and the others couldn't understand it, and when they heard Wu Zheng's answer, they finally breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

"Cheng is willing to serve the prince."