Chapter 254: Hou Junji, a Wealthy Collector (2) There are two main sources of slaves in today's slave market, the first is the army's prisoners of war, the army sells prisoners of war captured from enemy countries, these prisoners of war are warriors of a country, so the quality is very high, and the price is also the top, second only to foreign beauties, but the army does not fight every day, so although the quality of prisoners of war is very high, the quantity is generally not much, and it is unavoidable.
The other is the folk slave hunting team, the folk slave hunting team is uneven, and the quality of the slaves captured is also good and bad, but it is they who brought a large number of slaves to the Tang Dynasty, filled the domestic slave market, and relieved the pressure of the imperial court.
Especially after the conquest of Nanyang, when the imperial court announced that all the natives of Nanyang were within the range of capture......
God knows how moved those crazy people who could destroy humanity for money at that time?
It is said that after hearing this news, someone actually offered a portrait and tablet of His Royal Highness the Prince, offering incense every day, and bowing non-stop.
And Hou Junji's second way to make a fortune is in this slave trade, he not only sent his own army to sell slaves, but more importantly, he will exploit ordinary slave catchers - it can't be regarded as exploitation, it should be said that the slave catchers want to pay him filial piety.
First of all, it is okay for him to send an army to capture slaves, after all, the main task of the 100,000 army in Nanyang is to guard Nanyang and stabilize the situation in Nanyang, and reducing the indigenous population of Nanyang is itself to stabilize the situation in Nanyang.
Moreover, the army's capture of slaves was originally within the scope of the imperial court's permission, otherwise there would be nothing here in Lingnan, and if the soldiers were not given a chance to make extra money, the soldiers would have complaints, but most of the money was fished out by Hou Junji into his arms, and very little was distributed to the soldiers.
As for exploiting the civilian slave catchers, this one is even simpler.
Although it is said that the civil slave catching team has high freedom, large profits, and is not subject to the jurisdiction of the imperial court, this does not mean that they can do anything wantonly in Nanyang, not to mention that since they can be a slave catching team, they are naturally exquisite in all directions, and some people come to slap him without Hou Junji's own request.
As the general of Nanyang, Hou Junji is undoubtedly the second only person in Nanyang to Li Zhen, these slave catching teams are active on Hou Junji's land, if he doesn't befriend him, or don't give Hou Junji a share of profits, he has a way to make it difficult for the slave catching team to move an inch.
For example, if a slave hunting team offends Hou Junji, not to mention anything else, Hou Junji directly gives them the name of a spy and is wanted in the whole of Nanyang, which is enough for them to die without a place to be buried.
Even if you can't be wanted, the slave catchers are operating in the South Seas, and they have to go into the city, right?
In particular, most of the slave catchers were active outside the city for a long time, and when enough slaves were caught, they always had to go into the city to have a good time.
The army only needs to block the city gate in the name of spies in the city after they enter the city, and then the slave catchers who are eager to get rid of the slaves will have to give in - think about it, everyone else has gone out of the city to sell slaves by various means, and you are in a hurry to ask if you are in a hurry if you are unable to make a move with a large number of slaves?
You must know that in order to sell at a good price, before being sold, these slaves have to be carefully taken care of, which requires a lot of money, and the more slaves are in their own hands for a day, they will have an extra day's money, and after a long time, who can stand it?
In addition, the slave trade was to be identified by the quarantine department specially set up by the imperial court, in addition to examining the body of slaves to see if they were carrying infectious diseases, another function was to grade slaves, and the price of different grades of slaves was different.
Needless to say, Hou Junji's power in Nanyang is needless to say, as long as he puts a little pressure or benefit on the Quarantine Department, the Quarantine Department can set your slaves as the lowest, and even directly say that your slaves have infectious diseases and detain them all, then you will run away in vain......
There are many similar methods, so in Nanyang, the person that slave traders and slave catchers are most reluctant to offend is Hou Junji.
In fact, in order not to embarrass Hou Junji for himself, most of the slave catching teams and slave traders will have a good relationship with Hou Junji, not only to give a large amount of silver money in advance, but also to report to the general's mansion when the slave transaction is completed, and at the same time to pay taxes, they will also send a large number of treasures to hand over Hou Junji, which is considered a commission of the transaction, saving him from finding trouble for himself one day.
In addition to slaves, what can also bring profits to Hou Junji is minerals.
Nanyang is rich in products, all kinds of resources are not in shortage, all kinds of gold, silver, copper and iron minerals, in addition to Nanyang is also one of the production areas of gemstones, among which the jade mine of the country is occupied by Li Zhen, Hou Junji does not dare to interfere, the rest of the minerals that have been found in various parts of the Nanyang, there is a share of Hou Junji - not to give a share, as long as the mines in Nanyang are not particularly important, they are outsourced to the people, in Hou Junji's land, people want to trouble you is not a simple horse?
He doesn't even have to embarrass you, he directly sent the army to play the role of robbers to rob the mines, not only the mines are gone, but also their lives will be gone.
Gold, silver, copper and iron ore is just that, this is a semi-strategic material, and the mining is generally a trustworthy businessman of the imperial court, and there are also people on it, at most, it is to give Hou Junji a share is considered to have an explanation, and any more is really excessive, and he Hou Junji has not yet dared to provoke these people.
The problem is that gemstone minerals, gemstones belong to luxury goods, not strategic materials, the imperial court is not qualified to govern, and the imperial court has no jurisdiction, which means that these minerals are not protected by the imperial court, especially the queen country, here is in addition to the country of Piao, another gemstone production area in the South Seas, Hou Junji not only has its own mines here, but also has shares in mines all over the world, the most even more than fifty percent, the annual percentage is a huge amount......
All in all, Hou Junji, as the most powerful emperor of the South Seas, has many means to collect wealth, as far as Li Zhen knows, in just one year, Hou Junji has amassed more than one million taels of silver, about 50,000 taels of gold, and copper coins, which is almost equivalent to the total tax revenue of a small country in a year, and it is one-tenth of the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty......
With such a powerful means of accumulating money, even Li Zhen was shocked.
After all, this is not a serious business, if it is a business, Li Zhen is sure to surpass Hou Junji, the problem is that this is using legal means to collect money, this is taking advantage of the loopholes of the law, Li Zhen is really ashamed of herself in this regard.