Chapter 2342 - Freshly Baked Nanyang Company (II)

Vietnam, however, was designated as "Local Territory" for the future, so despite insufficient resource allocation at present, the Senate attached considerable importance to it. Most of the Colonization and Trade Ministry's resources were invested there. They had established multiple coastal strongholds along the Beibu Gulf and built up a substantial trade network in the inland regions. Commercial exchanges with both the Northern and Southern Dynasties were flourishing.

To intervene in this sphere, one would need to persuade the Senate to hand over all of Vietnam to the Nanyang Company—a nearly impossible task. After much deliberation, Zhou Wei decided to set his sights on Southern Vietnam instead. This region had only been annexed by Vietnam in the 17th century; its development was minimal, and the Le Dynasty exercised little control there. But once developed, it would become another major granary—in modern times, it served as Vietnam's primary rice-producing region.

...

He ran the calculations in his mind for a long while, drinking wine without tasting it. He wanted to leave early and organize his thoughts, but to avoid appearing anxious, Zhou Wei forced himself to celebrate with his companions until midnight before finally calling it a night.

He returned home to find his wife already asleep. He washed up hastily and fell into bed.

He slept until nine o'clock, waking only when sunlight fell across his face. Groping for his watch under the pillow and discovering the time, he leaped up to wash and dress before hurrying to Organization Section.

He arrived at Organization Section and, after announcing himself, was shown to Ming Lang's office.

Ming Lang's office was large, though he worked there alone. Rows of wooden filing cabinets with pull-out drawers lined the walls, organized alphabetically. Zhou Wei glanced around, thinking: This is another power center. Compared to the Political Security Bureau archives that everyone speculated about, the files here perhaps wielded even greater lethal force. After all, these personnel records were legal, collected entirely through official channels, and far more authoritative than reports from informants and secret stakes.

Such formidable archives, held in the hands of a single frail scholar—what a waste.

Zhou Wei's mind was still wandering when Ming Lang rose to welcome him, holding a Letter of Appointment.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ming Lang said:

"Please stand at attention, facing the Wall of the Senate."

On the south-facing white wall hung a massive Senate Emblem flanked by two crossed flags—the blue Morning Star Flag and the red Iron Fist Flag.

Zhou Wei snapped to attention immediately. Ming Lang read the Senate's Appointment Letter in a formal tone. Zhou Wei listened carefully: his official position was "Director and General Manager of the Nanyang Company, Senate Representative."

When Ming Lang finished reading the final date and extended the Appointment Letter with both hands, Zhou Wei bowed forty-five degrees and received it with equal formality.

"Serve the Senate and People!"

With the appointment ceremony complete, Ming Lang allowed himself a smile and congratulated Zhou Wei on obtaining the position.

"I will not fail this mission..." His heart surged with excitement.

For a National Policy Company like the Nanyang Company, although the top position couldn't compare in status to various "Ministers," having one's own domain meant dramatically increased freedom. His ambitions finally had a platform for realization.

"Please, sit down," Ming Lang said with a smile. "No need for formalities. Let's discuss the practical matters."

Zhou Wei took the chair across from him. He felt somewhat apprehensive. The General Manager position had considerable flexibility—though the company enjoyed reasonable autonomy, that didn't mean he personally possessed the same latitude. The exact extent of his authority depended on Ming Lang's detailed explanation.

"From now on, you are the leader of the Nanyang Company," Ming Lang began. "Your areas of responsibility are all outlined in this document..." He handed over a folder. "You can review it carefully after you leave. For now, let me cover a few urgent matters."

"I'm listening."

"The Nanyang Company is a First-Class National Policy Enterprise—I don't need to elaborate on what that means. Theoretically, your direct superior is the Planning Academy. However, the Planning Academy generally doesn't interfere with specific operational measures; they mainly supervise the implementation of the Senate's major policies and guidelines, and oversee asset preservation and appreciation. For day-to-day business matters, your supervisor is the Colonization and Trade Ministry."

"Understood."

"Now, regarding the Southeast Asia Company," Ming Lang continued. "This company is now structurally a subsidiary of the Nanyang Company. Its entire team is at your disposal. Make full use of them."

"I'm fairly familiar with the Southeast Asia Company's situation." Zhou Wei had long had designs on the Southeast Asia Company. Though he hadn't been directly responsible for trade work in recent years, he had thoroughly studied all the relevant briefings and materials.

"That's ideal." Ming Lang rose and extended his hand. "I wish you every success in your new position!"

From there, Zhou Wei hurried to the Colonization and Trade Ministry to collect the Southeast Asia Company's documents from Si Kaide, then proceeded to the Planning Academy to obtain detailed documents on the Nanyang Company's authorized scope...

He spent the entire day running from place to place, staying only briefly at each location—what Ming Lang had called "Routine Business" and "Fulfilling Procedures." He had left home that morning as the Colonization Division Chief of the Colonization and Trade Ministry; by the time he reached the final stop on his journey—the General Office—he had become the Director and General Manager of the Nanyang Company: its de facto Number One.

Following standard practice, he first went to the General Office to collect his "key"—namely, his new office location.

"Your office has already been arranged," Xiao Zishan said, producing a keycard. "This is your temporary location—inside the Southeast Asia Company Office in the Bopu Customs Building."

Zhou Wei knew the place. The Southeast Asia Company's office wasn't large—because the company itself was small and carried little prestige. It mainly served to give surrendered pirate leaders somewhere to go. Theoretically a trading company focused on Southeast Asia, its actual core business was conducting trade and shipping along China's coastal regions.

The advantage was that this company came with ready-made personnel and ships, with its own wharves and warehouses in major ports across Senate-controlled territories and those of their trading partners. Plus, there was the established business network.

Taking over this team meant they could start operations immediately. This represented the largest investment the Senate had given him.

"Did Minister Cheng explain the new company's shareholding structure to you?"

"He did!" Zhou Wei nodded.

The meeting with Cheng Dong had been crucial. The newly established Nanyang Company was a mixed-ownership National Policy Company. In specific terms, the so-called "State-Owned Shares 51%" simply meant transferring the original Southeast Asia Company's state-owned portion to the Nanyang Company.

As for the "Senator Personal 5%," that was genuine capital. The Senate's 5% was self-explanatory—this money resided in the General Office's account. Specifically, it represented the portion collectively owned by Senators as originally stipulated.

Though these funds had been partially consumed by several "Stimulus Consumption" initiatives over the years, the accumulated total remained considerable, kept in a semi-frozen state for targeted, quantified use. But now Cheng Dong had opened a door, allowing individual Senators to purchase shares in certain mixed-ownership National Policy Companies "according to plan and quota." The Nanyang Company was the first beneficiary.

"There's supposedly a sum of money available, but presumably you understand that this money is essentially credit. So it can't all be invested at once—we need to avoid impacting the market."

"Hence the Planning Academy's existence and importance."

"Exactly. In the end, we're not a real financial institution—just an oversized finance department." Cheng Dong smiled slightly. "Anyway, enough of this. For the specific Senator share capital raising, you'll need to consult with the General Office."

"Since Premier Cheng has explained everything, I won't belabor the point. After all, you're the professional in these matters." Xiao Zishan produced a document. "This is the prospectus for the stock offering that Premier Cheng prepared. I've already stamped it with the General Office's seal. The actual underwriting will be handled by Delong, but the relevant promotional work will require effort from your Preparatory Group members."

Zhou Wei accepted the document as if receiving a stack of thick banknotes. This money would likely serve as the Nanyang Company's main operating capital for quite some time.

According to the figures in the document, the first batch of shares would be sold at one Silver Yuan Coupon per share, totaling 100,000 shares. Though the number seemed modest, it represented nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver. In the late Ming, that was a massive sum within any political faction's domain.

Though Zhou Wei hadn't worked in the Finance Department recently, that didn't mean he was ignorant of the current financial situation. The widening Senate fiscal deficit was established fact. The various relevant meetings that had been convened had merely "officially approved" and "legitimized" listing the deficit in the budget. The deficit increase was real. And while the original rigid redemption policy between Silver Yuan and Silver Yuan Coupon was technically still maintained, the circulation volume of Silver Yuan Coupons had already significantly exceeded the total minted quantity of actual Silver Yuans. Though he didn't know the specific figures, he estimated the ratio was at least five or six to one. Inflationary pressure was mounting daily.

Though the conquest of Liangguang had been enormously costly, the massive market volume of the occupied territories had also absorbed considerable quantities of the over-issued currency. Wang Qiyi and his colleagues' policy of aggressively promoting the new currency for tax payments throughout Liangguang had already established Silver Yuan Coupon credit in the main Core Zones, and this was gradually expanding elsewhere. This provided the new currency some breathing room.

Even so, Zhou Wei knew that at this stage, he couldn't rely on Senate appropriations anymore. The remaining 39% share offering was the policy they'd given him. Like Zhao Yingong running the China Merchants Bureau, he would have to attract investment and absorb private savings on a massive scale—preferably in actual gold and silver.

Looking around, within Senate territory, only Guangzhou City could satisfy those conditions. Though the wealthy merchants and tycoons there had been hit hard by the new tax system, they must still hold substantial funds accumulated over many years. If he could raise ten or twenty thousand yuan, the Nanyang Company's finances would be considerably more comfortable.

(End of Chapter)