Chapter 2557
Shi Diwen asked: "Our country has also issued railway bonds in the past. Have any of you done any research on this?"
Seeing everyone's silence, Shi Diwen didn't feel surprised. After all, railway bonds were not common in the market, and these young people may not have the opportunity to come into contact with them.
He continued: "If you just compare economic returns, it may be true that railway bonds are not as profitable as bulk trade, at least on the surface. But you have to know that there are wealthy people who are willing to spend large sums of money to buy railway bonds. People often value not only the income of the bond itself, but also its stable and reliable characteristics.”
As we all know, there are roughly two types of lucrative trade. One is the cross-border and cross-regional trafficking of goods, which rely on their scarcity outside the place of origin to obtain high returns. For example, merchants from the West transport goods such as porcelain and silk, which are specialties of the Ming Dynasty. Selling in Europe falls into this type of trade.
Although this type of trade has good returns, due to the need for cross-regional long-distance trafficking, its operating risks cannot be ignored. Unpredictable risks may occur in all aspects of production, procurement, transportation, handover, and settlement, which also have a greater impact on the strength of the merchants. High requirements.
The other type is special commodities operated through monopoly, such as salt, iron, tobacco, etc. These commodities are often necessities for life and even survival, and it is difficult for ordinary businessmen to obtain the right to operate them. Even the very few businesses that can obtain franchise rights still have to face various risks in the sales process.
But even if there are huge profits, it is impossible for all the funds held by large merchants to be invested in business activities, and some money will definitely be left as working capital. How to use the surplus funds on hand to make money is also an issue that needs to be carefully considered by large merchants.
In the past, wealthy people either kept a large amount of cash at home or made money by lending money through banks. But there is no profit from hoarding silver winter melons in the cellar, and lending involves the risk that the funds may not be recovered.
After the emergence of Haihan Bank, large merchants discovered that they could earn interest income by depositing funds in banks for safekeeping. Although it was not much, it was safe and stable, and it was also convenient for settlement of trade activities. Engineering bonds jointly issued by the government and Haihan Bank soon became another investment method.
When Haihan was building the railway from Changhua to Danzhou in his early years, he had already issued several million yuan worth of railway bonds domestically through Haihan Bank. Because the returns were higher than those on deposits, he achieved good results at that time. financing effect. Wealthy people were happy to exchange their surplus funds for railroad bonds with stable returns, and if necessary, sell the bonds early for cash.
"For wealthy people, buying this kind of officially issued engineering bonds is a trouble-free and worry-free way to manage money. You don't have to worry about the business process or the issue of repayment, and you can stabilize the spare money in your hands. It is difficult to find a more reliable way in the world than this.”
When Shi Diwen said this, he picked up the tea cup again to moisten his throat, and then said: "Of course, in addition to financial gains, this is also a way to win official recognition. Rich people want to prove that they are new to the new era." To express the loyalty and obedience of the government, investing money in such costly infrastructure projects is a good way to show it.”
Although the replacement of Ming Dynasty by Haihan was carried out peacefully in most areas, the wealthy gentry class were not completely reassured. Many people were trying their best to take the upper-class route in order to protect their families in the troubled times of changing dynasties. of glory and wealth.
But it is not so easy to win the trust of the new ruler. Even if you want to give gifts to the newly appointed Haihan officials, you often cannot get in. There is no threshold for investing in government-sponsored infrastructure projects, and purchasing engineering bonds is not just a matter of bleeding money. On the contrary, you can also get a certain amount of income from it, and at the same time, you can get opportunities to interact with senior officials of Haihan. For the rich, Why not do it?
Tao Hongfang said: "It does sound like a good method. Has Uncle Shi investigated the wishes of the local gentry?"
Shi Diwen nodded and said: "Investigation work must be done. I have met with many people and asked them about their opinions on the issuance of railway bonds. The vast majority of people are happy to participate. At present, I have reported to the Executive Committee I submitted the relevant application and am waiting for approval from Sanya.”
Tao Hongfang then asked: "Then there must be more than one big project on the scale of the Hangzhou-Nanjing Railway in the plan to move the capital? Does Uncle Shi plan to issue bonds to raise the funds needed for the project?"
Shi Diwen said: "Only for the land passage between Hangzhou and Ningbo, two routes have been planned, one is the railway, and the other is the official road. The scale of the official road project is relatively small, mainly for the Ming Dynasty. In addition, I also plan to build a land passage leading to the coast on the north side of Hangzhou Bay, connecting Hangzhou Prefecture, Jiaxing Prefecture, and Songjiang Prefecture, and including the Yangtze River estuary into the future capital. Within the jurisdiction.”
Everyone listened leisurely and fascinated. They all grew up in Hainan Island. They have been exposed to it since childhood and naturally understand the huge role that convenient transportation can play in developing local economy. If Shi Diwen's idea can be realized, there will be convenient land passages on both sides of Hangzhou Bay, connecting multiple state capitals in this area.
With the population and economic base of this area, if the transportation conditions can be greatly improved, it is not impossible to replicate the current prosperity of Hainan Island.
Then I heard Shi Diwen continue to say: "After the Bay Area develops to a certain scale, we can also gradually absorb the areas around Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River Basin north of the Bay Area. Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Nanjing also have considerable foundations. Yes, if you need people and money, you can definitely develop at the same time as the Bay Area, making this area the most prosperous area in our country in the future!”
Shi Diwen's idea was certainly not groundless. Although he lived in North America before traveling through time, he was no stranger to the development of the Yangtze River Delta region. Since this area had excellent objective conditions in the late Ming Dynasty. It was not only a land of fish and rice rich in products, but also a developed area for commerce and trade in this era. Haihan's development capabilities can be fully utilized to build this area into a seventeenth-century world. center.
And these ideas of his are certainly not unfamiliar to the Executive Committee. This part is also one of the important reasons why the capital relocation plan can successfully win the support of the Executive Committee.
(End of chapter)