Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 39]

Cut the nonsense.

Mr. Richard

needs to discuss

the specific details of the cooperation with you.

You need to send someone out

to sign on behalf of Liangjiang.

I assure you

it'll be quick

and won't take up much of your time.

You little brat.

When you bite someone, it goes straight to the bone, huh?

Gu Pingyuan.

Yes, Your Excellency.

Since things cannot be undone now,

I now grant you full authority

to act on behalf of the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

in all external negotiations

as well as financial and grain matters.

All the manpower and resources of Liangjiang

are at your disposal,

and all officials of Liangjiang

are ready to follow your orders.

You handle it!

[Righteous and Diligent]

We need to confirm

your qualifications.

We need to confirm

your qualifications.

What qualifications?

What qualifications?

We've been accustomed to

dealing with the Qing Dynasty's officials,

the ones with peacock feathers behind their hats.

I'd like to ask

if Xianghe Trade House

is a government institution of your country?

If not,

and if

what we are negotiating now

is purely a commercial matter,

then what right do they have

to demand that our imperial court officials

attend?

Do you have the authority to sign a contract

on behalf of Liangjiang?

Of course.

I believe that before I arrived,

the official documents from the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

had already been delivered to you.

Alright.

Chinese people are not that trustworthy.

He said Chinese people are not trustworthy.

But our country would never

go to war to protect opium.

That's the difference between our two countries.

The title deeds for all the salt fields and salt shops

are in order.

What's next?

These title deeds for land are effective.

And then?

He said he wants to acquire

all the shares of

our Lianghuai salt industry.

Is there a problem with that?

The salt industry has always been a state monopoly under the imperial court.

In your country,

do they allow merchants

to sell salt freely?

[Elements of International Law]

The Elements of International Law.

I specifically had someone

translate your country's commercial law.

According to your law,

for any industry that is

exclusively operated and sold by the government,

the government naturally

holds a certain share.

If he has any disagreement

on this point,

we can resolve it

through official channels.

Isn't that ironic?

He said

isn't that ironic, talking about commercial laws

in our Qing Dynasty?

Then let's take this to their country.

I believe if we pursue this lawsuit,

spending 4 or 5 years on it

shouldn't be a problem.

It's just I'm afraid that by that time,

whether Mr. Richard

will still hold his current position

at Xianghe Trade House

is hard to say.

By that time, if Li Qin's account

cannot be settled for too long

and becomes a bad debt,

I'll feel concerned on his behalf.

He said

our Xianghe Trade House believes

that we have the right to claim

ownership of our collateral.

There's no dispute about that, right?

No.

But I want to remind him

from a merchant's perspective

that all business transactions

should be based on freedom

and voluntary participation.

If he enters

the Qing Dynasty's commercial market

with this attitude,

it would be a complete mistake.

The title deeds

he currently holds for those salt fields—

I can guarantee

that once he sees them, he'll realize

they're nothing

but flat rocks.

No one will be willing to work for him,

and the so-called deeds to those salt shops

are nothing but empty buildings.

No one will be willing to run a store for him,

and he'll

gain absolutely nothing.

Oh, I have many ways

to make my collateral profitable.

He said

they have many ways

to make

their collateral profitable.

They can sell it to other countries

or

sell it to our imperial court.

In short,

in this world,

we Chinese care too much about dignity.

They don't believe we can

achieve our business goals

through patience and delay.

If there's a cannon

pointing at my doorstep,

then whatever means I use

would be beyond reproach.

If a cannon faces our home,

I cannot be blamed

for anything I do.

Until the goal is achieved,

the cannons shall not be withdrawn.

Until the goal is achieved,

the cannons shall not be withdrawn.

But maybe

we can

continue our negotiations in one month.

He said perhaps we can come again

to continue our negotiations in one month.

Because he knows

the Emperor and Empress Dowager

have set you a deadline.

Maybe in one month,

I shall be seeing

your head on the city wall.

Maybe in one month...

He'll see

your head on the city wall.

Li Qin,

how could you say such things?

He's right.

Perhaps we should both take a step back.

If Li Qin wants to mortgage

all the title deeds of the salt fields and shops

that he currently holds,

I believe you're also aware

that in principle, he's not qualified.

To gain complete control,

he has to wait a bit longer.

We

made a bet before,

about which one would be more profitable,

the Lianghuai Salt Industry Guild

or his Li family.

I remember that this bet

has less than a month left,

and its outcome

will determine the ownership of the salt industry.

You're telling me

that you wanna compete

with an international trade company?

Are you sure?

Of course.

I need to ensure

that the account audit is accurate and valid,

that the competition is fair,

and that the results are mutually confirmed.

I need a contract.

We need a contract.

Anything else you want to say?

If I sign it now,

someone will

go to the capital and raid your house tomorrow,

and the mighty Li family

will be gone.

Mr. Gu.

There's no need to remind him.

If someone is determined

to be a traitor,

even gods can't save him.

I don't want it anymore.

[Contract Signatory: Gu Pingyuan]

[Righteous and Diligent]

The Viceroy is stepping down.

The Emperor and Empress Dowager are furious.

The traitor issue is troublesome.

Indeed.

[Righteous and Diligent]

Your Excellency.

No need for formalities.

Everyone,

as you all know,

the Xianghe Trade House

is planning to meddle in the Lianghuai salt industry.

I've entrusted Mr. Gu

with full authority over Liangjiang's financial and grain affairs.

His orders are my orders.

This matter concerns our very lives,

so everyone must be cautious.

Yes, Your Excellency.

[Clear Rivers and Ringing Shrines]

[Righteous and Diligent]

If anyone dares play dumb

or collude with

foreigners in private,

I'll hold them fully accountable!

Mr. Gu,

please take the seat of honor.

Please.

Come on.

Come on, please.

[Clear Rivers and Ringing Shrines]

Gentlemen,

even if I don't say it,

you're all well aware

that the Lianghuai salt industry

is the economic lifeline of Liangjiang.

[Righteous and Diligent]

No matter which merchant holds it,

it's still under government supervision.

But once it falls into

the foreigners' hands,

there will be serious trouble.

Now that we've decided

to wage a war against the foreigners,

we must

prepare for it with all our might.

In the Liangjiang region,

the most abundant product is silk.

Now, I need you

to collect raw silk in large quantities

to encourage private production,

especially high-quality silk embroidery.

I know you already have

a lot in stock,

but I need even more.

[Clear Rivers and Ringing Shrines]

You must do your utmost to collect it.

I'm counting on all of you.

[Righteous and Diligent]

I need you to compile

an exact inventory of

all the raw silk

you can collect this year,

including silk in stock

and local specialties for me.

The sooner, the better.

The desks are all prepared for you.

If you can't recall

or don't know the numbers,

quickly send someone back to check.

Everything must be submitted to me today.

Yes, Your Excellency.

[Righteous and Diligent]

Go on ahead.

[Clear Rivers and Ringing Shrines]

Get up. Let me sit for a while.

It actually feels quite comfortable sitting here.

I have a stomachache seeing you sit here.

Get up.

But if you don't sit there,

His Excellency will have a headache.

His health just can't be good.

Alright, shut up.

Get up.

Wait, I have a question for you.

What do you need all that silk for?

That's a secret I cannot reveal.

I still have to meet

some important guests.

Gentlemen,

please excuse me.

Mr. Li.

You look so relaxed.

You won't let me lose to

that Chinese fellow, will you?

You have steamships.

You can sell your goods

all over the world.

Can't the East India Company

defeat

the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office?

Do you think

this Chinese man surnamed Gu

can beat me?

He might be able to beat you,

and he might be able to beat me,

but he can never beat this ship.

[Huizhou Prefecture]

Our "Top Tea Under Heaven" is back!

-Mr. Gu! -Mr. Gu!

We've been waiting for you, Mr. Gu!

You've had a long journey, Mr. Gu.

Old Master Hu.

You're back.

Please, this way.

These are the accounts

of our business with foreigners over the years.

Look through them carefully.

We've heard

that you're challenging the foreigners

and you plan to beat them in business.

Just tell us what you need.

If money is needed, we'll provide money;

if manpower is needed, we'll provide manpower.

That's right.

-Yes. -Everyone.

I won't waste time with words of thanks.

I need this year's spring tea.

From now on,

it cannot be sent to other tea shops,

especially first-grade and second-grade tea.

Keep it all for me

and wait for my orders.

Okay.

Everyone's agreed, right?

If anyone can't make ends meet,

come find me.

Don't ruin our grand plan.

[Pingyao, Shanxi]

Mr. Li!

I've been waiting for you all day.

That ride has been so bumpy

that my bones feel like they're falling apart.

Quick, get in and sit down.

Alright.

You know, after I said I'd come pick you up,

I saw this carriage outside,

and I felt I had to give it a ride.

Haven't driven one in decades,

but I'm still quite steady at it.

So,

dare to ride with me?

Sure. Just keep it steady.

You're quite picky, huh?

Remember Wang Tiangui?

How could I forget?

He had no children,

and after he went missing,

only a few creditors

were looking for him every day.

What about his draft banks and pawnshops?

Only heaven knows.

Only heaven knows?

Do you know

what the truth about wealth is?

It belongs neither to you nor me.

It circulates among people.

Whoever keeps it longer

is favored by heaven.

[Pine and Bamboo Contain Charm]

I thought you were

doing some big business in Nanjing.

Now that you're back, how come

you're eating like a starving ghost reincarnated?

I don't know why,

but as soon as I saw you guys,

I got really hungry.

I was too worried to eat

back in Jinling, you know?

You've eaten so many noodles—

so when do you plan to tell me

that Chang Yu'er's pregnant?

Right.

What do you mean "right"?

Are you planning to wait

until after the child is born

to thank the matchmaker?

Madam, I was wrong.

I even told Yu'er

that once the child is born,

we'll have him recognize you as Godmother.

If it weren't for you

giving me those few hints,

who knows

how long I would have remained confused?

That's absolutely true.

Of course it is.

Otherwise, I wouldn't let you off.

Come on, sit.

But

how did you find out?

We sent someone to deliver some medicine.

He doesn't know anything.

Since your mother passed away,

you've been having a hard time, right?

Alright.

Buddy,

let's get down to business.

What big deal have you brought?

You have no idea

how exhausted I've been these past 10 days.

First,

I visited all the silk factories

in the Huzhou and Jinling area.

Then

I went to visit

the Anhui Tea Merchants' Association.

After leaving here,

I still have to go to Hangzhou to meet with Wu Caishen.

He's been in the silk business for years,

so he must have plenty in stock.

After that, I also need to go to the capital

and pay a visit to the Office of General Management.

Why?

Recently,

I've been studying the "Elements of International Law."

It states that

trade is free in all countries.

Our country's exports

[Pine and Bamboo Contain Charm]

to India fall mainly into

4 categories:

tea, silk, medicine, and porcelain.

I don't know much about porcelain,

but I have some connections for the other three.

I plan to follow my previous plan:

I want to bypass the East India Company.

You want to transport

the goods directly to India?

If possible,

I want to go even further.

All the way west across the Indian Ocean

to sell to the British

and Americans.

Since they can come to our country,

why can't we go to their countries?

Come on, let's have a drink.

That's a bit frightening.

I'll drink too.

I heard you have a 6-month bet

with Xianghe Trade House

over the salt field property rights.

How could you still have time

to deal with all these other matters?

Madam, do you think I can win?

You can't?

Given the current situation,

I definitely can't win.

If you want your business to grow,

the market has to be big.

Our market

is limited to 13 provinces, 7 in the south and 6 in the north.

Except for the 5 salt-producing regions,

in the remaining provinces,

the scale and profits of salt shops

are basically saturated.

So where does Xianghe Trade House's profit

come from?

From hand to hand, basically.

They sell directly to the East India Company.

They want to get capital into the salt industry,

and they're willing to spend more money to do so.

As for who the East India Company

plans to sell to next—

only heaven knows.

But with their market scale,

this amount of salt

is still manageable for them.

Buddy.

You're trying to take on

the East India Company by yourself—

do you think that's possible?

You're trying to use one man's power

against a whole country.

Your ambition is admirable,

but it's simply impossible.

You know that when I went abroad before,

I also sold to local agents.

The profit was indeed a bit higher.

But since we still rely on the foreigners' ships,

opportunities to go abroad still aren't frequent.

If you want to establish

your own business foundation there,

even 10 or 20 years wouldn't be enough.

I don't have 10 or 20 years.

It can't be done.

It's just impossible.

Human capability has its limits.

Besides, in this era,

this kind of business

can no longer be considered ordinary commerce—

it's more like a competition between countries.

You're being too unrealistic.

The raw silk,

tea,

and other goods you bring in—

how much capital do you need to tie up?

The Qing Dynasty explicitly prohibits

merchants from

doing business abroad freely,

right?

You'd be breaking the imperial law.

And you even want to charter British merchant ships.

Would customs approve?

Would the merchant ships agree?

As far as I know,

the merchant ships in Shanghai

are mostly owned by the East India Company.

And one last thing.

Even if you overcome

all these difficulties

and get the goods transported to India,

let me ask you:

where will be your warehouse?

Where will be your headquarters?

Where will be your branch stores?

Who will be the manager and who will be the staff?

You'll be completely in the dark.

Who will you sell to, buddy?

Also, tea and silk

are both perishable.

At most, you'd have

only 2 or 3 months to sell them.

Tea ages, and silk deteriorates.

One small mistake

and you could lose everything.

Madam.

You don't understand.

Of course I understand.

Well...

His plan is to send a warning shot,

forcing the East India Company

to return the salt field ownership

they took.

But the question is,

can you really achieve that by following the same method?

This place

doesn't look like a merchant's residence.

Before my father became a businessman,

he used to be a scholar.

So why didn't he become an official?

Don't all Chinese people

want to take the imperial exams and become officials?

It was because he felt that

holding an official position was useless.

Because the once-proud Qing Dynasty

had already come to an end.

Young Master,

they're here.

My respects, Your Excellency.

Li Qin.

I'm here on imperial order to raid your house.

Are you aware of that?

Please elaborate, Your Excellency.

You mortgaged the salt field title deeds

to Xianghe Trade House,

severely damaging Liangjiang's economy.

I went to the capital to offer a humble apology,

but the Empress Dowager was furious.

In my opinion, although you and your father

both bought your official positions,

you're after all subjects of the Qing Dynasty.

If you repent now,

we can still negotiate.

Otherwise,

don't blame me for being ruthless.

You've wanted to raid my house

for a long time, haven't you?

Ever since my father died,

countless people have been eyeing

our Li family's fortune.

According to the "Great Qing Legal Code,"

I'm also going to have you arrested.

Stand up.

Mr. Li Qin

is now

a partner of Xianghe Trade House.

You have no authority to arrest him.

This

is the identity certificate

our envoy issued for him.

Li Qin.

Are you even abandoning your ancestors now?

I have no ancestors.

Nonsense!

Did you spring from a rock?

What do you mean you have no ancestors?

Utter nonsense!

Do you expect me to acknowledge

those people surnamed Gu as my ancestors?

I don't even know if my father's surname

was Li or Gu.

No one ever told me

where they were buried,

and I have no idea who they actually were.

After my father died,

I suddenly realized that in this world,

I'm actually completely alone.

So save your breath.

Are you sure

you don't want to reconsider?

You've said everything you needed to say.

Let's go.

Confiscate everything!

What a fine and virtuous person you once were—

how did you end up a traitor?

Such a wonderful home,

gone like that.

My home was long gone—

back when my father

lied to me.

For the rest of my life...

For the rest of my life,

I want to be a different person.

Li,

come and join the East India Company.

In 6 months,

you'll be able to control

the Qing Dynasty's most important industry.

You can buy a even better house then.

Can you really win?

That buddy of mine

is extremely cunning.

It's useless to be cunning.

In business, we don't rely on cunning—

we rely on strength,

and on cannons.

Could your buddy

be even more powerful than

the East India Company?

[Hangzhou]

Mr. Gu!

Here.

I've been hearing so much about you lately

that my ears are nearly deaf from it all.

Well, we businessmen

pray to the God of Wealth every day.

If that caused deafness, I'd be deaf long ago.

Come on, let me show you the goods.

Please come in, Mr. Gu.

Open it.

Let's take a look at the goods first.

This is simply...

What do you think?

I've always considered myself

someone who has seen fine embroidery.

But after seeing your goods, I realized

everything I'd seen before

was just garbage.

The embroidery from Huizhou

is certainly quite good.

However,

compared to the embroidery from Hangzhou and Suzhou,

it definitely

can't match up.

Also, check out our embroiderers.

They've all served in the imperial palace.

Since childhood,

apart from using chopsticks,

they've never done any other manual work

with their hands.

Why is that?

You see, these hands of ours,

if they do even a bit of rough work,

they lose their smoothness and softness.

Our embroiderers here

have learned embroidery since childhood

and have been waited on hand and foot.

To be honest with you,

they use the finest wax to take care of their hands every day.

Only this way can they work on silk

with thousands upon thousands of stitches

without leaving any trace

or causing

any pilling on the silk surface.

These are all

big secrets of our silk industry.

I'm only telling you this

because you aren't in this line of work.

God of Wealth,

you've truly mastered

the art of business.

Unlike me,

biting off more than I can chew.

Come on, sit.

You may leave now.

I heard

something big happened in Jiangning,

that you've gotten into a conflict with Xianghe Trade House?

I heard that you, God of Wealth,

have business dealings with Xianghe Trade House, right?

In the silk business,

Xianghe Trade House

is indeed my

biggest competitor.

That Richard is a cunning old fox.

You may not be able to outwit him.

Even if I can't, I still have to fight.

Those foreigners are trying

to monopolize the entire salt industry of Lianghuai.

God of Wealth,

no matter what,

you must lend me a hand.

Our two families have been competing for decades.

Tell me,

what good strategy do you have in mind?

If it's truly workable,

I'd certainly be happy to enjoy the benefits.

I want to know

if the Xianghe Trade House

is the East India Company's

only institution

stationed in our Qing Dynasty?

Of course not.

So is the East India Company

the only

British commercial company in India?

No, this East India Company

is just one of them.

But in terms of scale,

it is indeed the largest.

I don't need the scale to be very large.

Actually, this method

is something I learned from the "Strategies of the Warring States."

It can help you, Mr. Wu,

sweep away your competitor.

What do you mean by that?

I need the finest goods

you have in your stock.

That's easy.

Just tell me what you want

and where you want it shipped.

I'll hire a ship to deliver it for you.

We can't use ordinary ships.

I want to contact a British company

and use the foreigners' ships

to transport the goods to India,

or even directly to Britain.

I also need you

to come with me to Shanghai

to meet Mr. Hart from the Customs Office.

I plan to set sail westward

and use the "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" strategy.

I'm afraid I won't be able to rent such ships.

Someone else will help me rent them.

I know

you're on good terms with Mr. Hart,

so I must

take you with me.

Buddy.

Do you really mean

your words?

I've made a solemn pledge.

This is no joking matter.

[Hart's Residence, Shanghai]

I expected you'd come,

but I didn't expect it to be this late.

Is that so?

I wasn't referring to you.

I didn't expect you to come.

But it was only right

that he came.

I'm taking the blame for someone else.

I had to come.

This mess has gotten serious.

I've received an imperial edict these past days.

The Empress Dowager

has strictly ordered the Viceroy of Liangjiang

to reclaim the salt fields.

What on earth is going on with you guys?

You've provoked the East India Company?

I'll put in a good word for you.

Business like this

can't be done

through personal favors.

If I were the East India Company,

it wouldn't matter who came begging.

Did you receive the information,

or did you figure this out on your own?

Sir, you've already gone to negotiate with them, haven't you?

As soon as I received the edict,

I went to negotiate,

but it didn't work.

Apart from opium,

it seems that the Chinese market

isn't welcoming to British goods.

Your Excellency.

Greetings, Your Excellency.

Come sit here and let's talk.

Let me ask you:

how many salt shops

does your

Salt Industry Guild currently control?

In response to your question, Your Excellency,

including the newly opened

117 shops,

there's a total of 305.

With these 305 shops,

not counting

the money you've invested in newly opened shops,

at your most profitable time,

could you make 10 million taels a year?

Not that much, I suppose.

By my estimate, it's only about

9 million taels,

with little fluctuation.

The point is this is just gross profit.

It's...

That's not right.

What's not right?

Your boss Mr. Gu

has been making big moves recently.

Didn't you know about that?

Are you referring to

Mr. Gu going to Anhui to collect tea?

It's far more than just tea collection.

Silk, medicine—

he's dealing in everything now.

Besides,

he's now openly saying

he's going to ship a batch of goods to Britain.

I want to contact a British company

that competes with

the East India Company

and partner with them

in tea, silk, medicine

and other businesses.

I'll have this British company

handle my sales,

and I'll be the supplier allocating the goods.

I can guarantee

that all goods from my side

are of the highest quality,

and I can guarantee to procure it at the lowest price.

If we can

carve out a market of our own

within every commercial sector

the East India Company covers,

we can force them

to come and negotiate with us.

With a monster like this—

a commercial giant—

gentle persuasion is useless.

You have to make them scared,

make them feel threatened.

I've made a rough calculation.

The cost of this shipment of goods

is equivalent to

what your Salt Industry Guild

makes in 3 years.

Where is he getting that money from?

You're producing salt,

not mining gold.

Your Excellency.

I've also

caught some rumors out there.

Some friends of his

gave him the goods

but didn't collect the money—

said they'd settle it after the goods are sold...

If this batch of goods were to be transported

from Shanxi to Shandong,

I could understand delaying the payment.

With Mr. Gu reputation,

it wouldn't be a problem.

But this is going overseas across the ocean.

This is a completely different matter.

I have something to instruct you on.

Your Excellency,

please give your instructions.

I did ask him to compete with Li Qin,

but I never expected

he would go this far.

Our Qing Dynasty has its official factories

and the Office of General Management.

Who does he think he is,

selling goods abroad?

If we let him set this precedent,

will the laws of the Qing Dynasty

have to be rewritten?

You're all experienced and mature.

Don't follow his reckless path.

Keep the Salt Industry Guild

in good order for me.

Do you know

why the East India Company

has become

so powerful?

Look down there.

All the merchant ships on this river

belong to them.

May I ask how you plan

to transport your goods to India,

or even to Britain?

I'll use warships.

British warships?

I have my way.

My transportation costs

will be lower than all of theirs.

Then let me ask you another question.

The East India Company has been doing business

with the Qing Dynasty for years.

I believe the goods they acquire

come at

extremely low prices.

So what advantage do you have against them?

I have contact with

all the tea merchants in Anhui,

the finest silk

and raw silk in the Liangjiang region,

and medicinal herbs from Shanxi,

things like rhubarb and goji berries.

I can procure all of these goods

at the lowest prices,

ensuring ample profit.

The lowest prices?

Can you really guarantee that?

Merchants do seek profit, that's true.

But this time,

I don't want any profit,

nor do my friends.

Though our Qing Dynasty is weak,

we must never let others

control our lifelines.

It simply means that this year,

our silk business in Jiangnan

will operate without profit.

I can guarantee this.

What about the others?

Do the tea and medicine merchants

also think the same way?

Mr. Hart.

Don't underestimate us

unarmed merchants.

In the way of commerce,

petty schemes serve oneself,

but great strategies serve the nation.

Even in business battles,

one can still serve their country.

What does this mean?

Are these merchants really going to

join forces

t-to defeat that guy?

Whether they'll defeat him or not

is still uncertain.

But at the very least, we must let them know

that we Chinese merchants

can make money

even without using gunboats.

Thank goodness we got out.

It felt like hell

in there.

Those foreigners

aren't used to our opera.

All that clang clang clang—

they think the gongs are too noisy.

Let me ask you.

Are you doing this out of spite,

or are you serious?

What do you mean by that?

If you're just doing this out of spite,

we can work together

to scare this East India Company

into retreating, and that's it.

People travel far for profit.

No one truly wants to make enemies.

But if you're serious,

then it's dangerous.

This is something that's never happened

in 3,000 years.

What if I tell you

that I am serious?

Stop joking.

You're not actually planning to do this, are you?

This is the Qing Dynasty,

not England.

If you really get a ship

and transport the goods overseas,

where does that leave the imperial court?

The "Great Qing Legal Code"

has no provision for this.

Mr. Wu.

I have something I want to say,

but I'm not sure if I should.

Go on.

I'm all ears.

I think the problem is that our country

has had emperors for too long.

Don't talk nonsense.

This kind of talk

could cost you your head.

Look at the ships on the river.

These foreigners

brought cannons and gunpowder here

to protect their country's business

and mobilized their entire national army

to protect their merchants,

determined to sell their goods

to our country

and seize our domestic market.

I believe that when these merchants come in,

the influence behind them

far surpasses

the power of an army.

In the way of commerce,

great strategies serve the nation.

We have to find a way to compete with them.

It would be best to go to their countries

and do business there.

Let people make full use of their abilities,

and let goods flow to where they're needed.

Perhaps only by doing this

can we find

a way out.