If Mincheng is already a monster of dirt and hope, then Nanyang Trading Company is the brightest eye of this monster.

A few days later, Jian Chen opened the window of the mind and walked into the atrium of the monster, and he was one of the few people who could walk directly into it.

The board of directors in Minjun has all been assembled, and there are only internal shareholders, and there are no others. They understood that Chen Jian had come to discuss with them about the withdrawal of shares, and they were happy to do so, although they were a little reluctant to give up the development brought by Chen Jian and the basically correct policies that had been confirmed, they understood that there were some bottom lines that Chen Jian could not accept.

There was silence in the room, except for the faint smell of high-grade tobacco from the south and the rich aroma of aged wine.

The people in the board of directors didn't need to listen to Jian Chen explain the reason, and they understood the reason, but there were still people who couldn't help but say a word to Jian Chen either for persuasion or for their own conscience.

"Mr. Chen, there is nothing wrong with being a slave. At the very least, slaves are my property, and the death of a slave is like losing money, so I will try my best to keep the slave alive. And the more you are born into slavery, the more this guarantee will last, if it is only a lifetime thing, then I will not let slaves have children, but will choose to squeeze their last bit of strength. ”

"So, at least the slaves still had food and drink, and they were no worse than those hired laborers. You can look at the water workshops in the upper reaches of Nan'an, what kind of life are the child laborers there? You know, for the mill owners, the property is the machine, the lint, and the life or death of the hired workers has nothing to do with them. If you are tired of one, you will hire another one tomorrow, and as for having children and the like, I can guarantee that it is definitely inferior to a slave. Is this the freedom you want? Children born to hired laborers are free, and they are also free to starve to death. And slaves, not free, are my property, so I still have to keep them, and I will not easily throw a few of my silver coins into the sea. ”

"So, Mr. Chen, I know I can't argue with you, but the board still wants you to stay, because what we are doing is not a heinous bad thing, on the contrary, it is a good thing. The Board of Directors and all the shareholders will never give up the slave trade......"

Jian Chen nodded and said, "So I'm not going to talk about this either." It's just that I don't agree, so I'm going to withdraw my shares. I'm not here to argue or anything, there's no point. ”

"But before the withdrawal, I was still a member of the board of directors, and I was still qualified to talk about things. In addition, this circumnavigation voyage was financed by the company, and according to the original agreement, the nautical chart company also had a share. I'll sort it out as soon as possible and send it over. ”

"Before I officially withdraw my shares, I am also qualified to know some of the company's business, books, plans and other things, right?"

Everyone said, "It's natural." Even if Mr. Chan withdraws his shares, the Board of Directors will still retain Mr. Chen's right to make recommendations. ”

"Then I don't understand, when our hostile tabloids say that I secretly instigated your slave trade."

The rest of the board laughed, and in a short time someone brought in a few boxes of charts, which at this time were priceless and a guarantee of monopoly shipping. Similarly, Chen Jian also obtained some nautical charts drawn by the company in the southern tropical archipelago, which were also priceless, and were bought secretly at high prices or exchanged for human life and navigation.

Chen Jian casually flipped out a few charts of the southern archipelago region and looked at them a few times, and said: "I also know that everyone's appetite is big now, and it is easy for everyone to eat my share capital." But I think it's better to distribute it to more people, don't eat alone, we can't expand the shares, this part of the equity will be transferred to those maritime merchants who are anxious to buy shares, lest they have any crooked thoughts. ”

"Well, that's been discussed as well. When the time comes, the board of directors will be reduced by one. Mr. Chen's equity can be transferred to others, but it must not be held by one person. ”

"That's good. Anyway, apart from the slave trade and the collection of land rent for your investments, I would love for you to develop it, because you would lead the business of our group of workshop owners. To say what you don't like to hear, the sea control is still unstable, and the pirates are almost dead, and the external market has been opened, and I still support free trade and oppose monopoly. It's just that now we are scattered, and that is to let the Dutch, English, or Spaniards eat us all bit by bit. ”

The person on the other side smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, this is unloading the mill and killing the donkey." The company must be very concerned about the struggle for sea supremacy, but according to Mr. Chen, after the sea supremacy is obtained, you should advocate free trade and oppose monopoly and monopoly. ”

Jian Chen also smiled: "This is what we have always advocated, and it is not a sudden change." But it's still early, and everyone can live in peace for more than a dozen years or more. The monopoly of the company has a time limit, and it is uncertain what it will look like in the future. ”

This is a sharp sword hanging over the company's head, but many people present know what to do in the future, but they can't say it clearly at this time.

Naturally, the topic was sided, and someone asked, "We know what Mr. Chen opposes, but we can be sure that investing in controlling the country, waging war, and collecting land rent in rich areas is a long-term and high-return direction." What is Mr. Chen's view that we are not discussing the company's business today, but rather a very simple analysis that does not distinguish between good and evil? ”

Chen Jian pulled out an inaccurate map of the world from the drawing box, many parts copied from the maps of Europeans, where there should be and where there should not be.

Everyone present suddenly became serious, thinking that Jian Chen was going to come up with something, but they didn't want Jian Chen to take out a graphite pen and knock on it and said, "I won't mention anything I oppose, including what you said that there is no analysis of good and evil." ”

After speaking, he picked up a graphite pen and drew two meridians on the map, one near the Great Wilderness City and the other in the Strait of Malacca.

"Although I have withdrawn my shares in the company, our party still has ships and people and money. For your things, we should condemn and criticize, but we will not stretch out our hands to where you stretch out, because we have more important things. ”

"Great Wilderness City, don't move. There's no point in moving, that's not where you're willing to invest. I want you to be clear about that. ”

Everyone looked at the longitude line and understood that even if Jian Chen withdrew his shares, his organization still had a lot of money and a fleet or pickets belonging to the organization, or a nominal company with empty heads.

According to the axiomatic law, the Great Wilderness City Immigration Company is authorized by the council, and Chen Jian also has to pay the franchise tax every year.

Regarding the relationship between friends and foes, everyone also heard that Chen Jian was making compromises and divisions, and appealing to his bottom line. It's a kind of warning with similar strength, don't touch this bottom line, then I won't mess with you. Everyone should scold and scold, criticize each other when they should criticize each other, and fight when they should be ripped off, but they will not be serious. If you really want to move seriously, you have to peel off each other's skins, and it will also benefit potential common enemies.

For selfish profits, they are really not interested in the place that Chen Jian said, there may still be a little fur in the north, but there are also easy for Europeans to get involved there, and there is a dispute between the two sides, it is better to invest the money elsewhere, the gains outweigh the losses.

According to their thoughts, the land near a ruined city was definitely no better than a closer island near an oil port where tropical plantations could be cultivated.

However, in addition to the meridian near the Great Wilderness City, Chen Jian also drew another meridian on it, which passed vertically through Malacca. The Indian Ocean on one side and the South China Sea on the other. On one side is India and Africa, and on the other side is China and Japan.

After talking about the relationship between European countries and the competition here, Chen Jian said: "I also hope that everyone will be sober about this line. Everyone knows the relationship with the Dutch, and you will not be idle when it is time to do it. But based on this line, don't reach out to the company here, and there's no point in reaching out. If you don't say it's too far, you won't be able to stand up if you go, you don't know anything about it, and our business there is no worse than that of the Great Wilderness City. ”

"On this side of the line, it's ours. On the other side of the line, you can toss and turn at will. We oppose it, but opposition requires means, and the only means we can use now is verbal condemnation, not that we do not oppose it, but that we are incapable. It was to establish a base for the slave trade, to find a way to obtain land rent, and my organization and I were opposed to this. ”

One person laughed and said, "Most of the things you oppose are the most profitable things. Hey, Mr. Chen, aren't you good at calling yourself futuristic? So in your newspapers, you criticize us with all the 'evils' that you may be going to do in the future. There are many people who go to sea, and you have a wide range of knowledge, and your guesses are more accurate. Second, if you guess correctly, for example, in 20 or 50 years, where is it most likely to be 'evil', 'instigated' and so on by us, and it also seems that your level is not right? Keep this evidence and see it in decades. ”

Everyone looked at Jian Chen, Jian Chen thought for a while and nodded, "Yes." ”

"Then we will definitely study and collect this newspaper carefully, and we will see when the time comes, if it is fabricated and slandered, we will scold it back in the future."

In the midst of excited laughter, Jian Chen once again pointed to the map with two lines of longitude and said, "I will stay here on this map." It's a warning, and it's the bottom line. ”

"Rest assured, we know how terrible your group's bottom line is. Even such a profitable equity will be withdrawn because of a bottom line, how can we provoke such a bottom line? ”

This time, the answer was extremely solemn, which was not only unprofitable, but also to put an end to some private actions that might be made for petty gains. Those present know what the bottom line means to the person in front of him or the force behind him, and when you can give up the interests of millions of people for the sake of some illusory bottom line, you must not touch such a bottom line.