Xinshun 1730

Chapter 963 The Dynasty’s Last Successful Reform ([-])
The emperor could hear some complaints and complaints in Liu Yu's tone, but he didn't care too much. He just smiled and said, "Why does Aiqing behave like a woman? Loaning young crops is not a trivial matter. There were many disasters before, so we must pay attention to it. But When it comes to the understanding of money and economy, there is no one in court who is on the right side of you, and I can trust Ai Qing's advice on money and economy."

"In any case, this reform is going to be changed. To what extent it will be changed depends on how Qing and other reformers do."

"Salt administration, banknotes, Huaihe River, abandoned canal, rice... which one is not related to the stability of the world? With so many changes at once, let alone many ministers in the court panic, I am also flustered."

"Since it is for the sake of the community, others talk about righteousness instead of profit, but Ai Qing talks about righteousness out of profit. There have been enough changes, and I really don't want to make any mistakes."

Liu Yu thought to himself, has it become more?Changes come and go, and they can change on the surface, but have they touched the fundamental land system?If you don't touch it, aren't they all tinker-level reforms?

Reform, reform, how can there be so many successful reforms?Just like Japan in later generations, under the title of "reformation", is it reform?They are all armed to separatist regimes, and tens of thousands of people are fighting to gamble on the fate of the country. This can also be called reform, so can it be renamed the Reform of [-] and the Ugly Restoration?

Even if the East India Company, which is envied by businessmen, is free from government interference, it is because the businessmen "welcome the new Dutch government" and drive away the king who tried to strengthen the royal power, and trade with foreign kings, and the transaction is more than 1000 pounds Everyone is equal, and everyone under 1000 pounds is a pariah. No matter the share capital is more than [-] pounds, one person only has one vote.

Now that Dashun is tinkering like this... Liu Yu thought, sooner or later.

It is nothing more than that the new era is conceived in the matrix of the old era.

I just hope that before the birth of the new era, the mother body of the old era will eat something good, drink some brown sugar water, eat some boiled eggs, take care of the body, and give birth to a healthy child.

Don't give birth to someone with a birth defect, a diseased womb, a half-dead, a scrawny.

Or to the extreme, don't just kill two people at that time.

However, the emperor did not continue to talk about this topic, after all, this matter cannot be said in the open.

This is just a fishing game. If those cats are not greedy, and if all the country gentlemen are real gentlemen and sages, and they are not moved by money and goods, then it is meaningless to say these things now.

And this is the basis of Qingmiao Loan, otherwise, as Liu Yu said, it would be meaningless, it would just be a move to give money to the county magistrate or the squire.

"Forget it, this matter is just a hypothesis, so I won't mention it for now. There are so many things, let's do it one by one. Just in time, I want to supervise the management of the Huaihe River. Mi and other matters, let Aiqing handle this matter together, Qia Aiqing is the most suitable person."

The emperor had already said it very bluntly before, and now that he gave Liu Yu such an errand, he obviously acquiesced in Liu Yu's plan to blackmail the gentry in Huainan and northern Jiangsu.

It doesn't matter whether the unjust case can be brought, the important thing is that there is a reason to solve the matter in northern Jiangsu and Huainan.Of course, Liu Yu will not be the one who finally handles the case. The emperor is worried that Liu Yu will act too...too lightly.

Moreover, this issue of land distribution that concerns millions of people, no matter whether it is favor or prestige, should not be faked by others.

Liu Yu knew it well, and nodded in gratitude.

The emperor said again: "There is also the matter of the Huaibei salt administration. There are many officials in the court who analyze the pros and cons, and I have also sent people to investigate. But for such economic matters, I still trust Aiqing more. This love When Qing goes back, he also goes to Huaibei on the way. Do some research to see if the new salt policy is feasible, and send out a charter."

"I also know that the issue of salt administration is not just the imperial government's policy. There are also things like profiteers, bullies, military smuggling, water transportation, government-business collusion to control the salt industry, and local bullies controlling the sale of smuggled salt. Such errands have their own army of children to deal with." If you have anything to do, you can discuss it with them."

"Go to work, you are also familiar."

"For the rest, I won't tell you much."

"Ai Qing will keep four words in mind: priorities."

"Governing the Huaihe River is the first priority, and everything must make way for it. If it can't be completed before the rainy season next year, this year's several million taels will be thrown away. No matter what you do, don't delay the completion of this matter."

"Caomi is the second most important thing. Even rice from Japan and Ezo, beans and wheat from Liaodong are fine. If something happens, it can also guarantee the safety of the capital. I also believe that this ship will even go to Europa." It’s even easier to go from Nanyang Jiangnan to Tianjin. But don’t make any accidents. I will also send someone to inform the navy and escort them by battleships.”

"Foreign trade, and the third one. In autumn and winter, it coincides with the monsoon. Although the maritime trade has gradually taken shape, I also know that businessmen are short-sighted. If they do it, it may not be good for the long-term. Moreover, the foreign trade issue , has become an important tax source for the imperial court, and it is even more related to the hundreds of thousands of people engaged in tea and porcelain industries in southern Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Lianghu, Fujian and other places."

"Salt administration is the fourth level..."

When talking about the Yanzheng, the emperor's tone was slightly awkward, and the things inside couldn't be explained too clearly.

He wanted to build the Huaihe River and asked the salt merchants for money.

But this money is not for nothing.

The salt merchants immediately proposed a lot of... um, whether it’s called a request or a plea, in short, it’s about the same thing—tax cuts, exemptions, allowing salt to pay half of the money first, and then giving the other half of the money when the salt is sold out, etc. wait wait wait.

Tax cuts were not mentioned before, and half of the salt money will be given later, and the other half will be given to the other half after the salt is sold out. This seems normal, but what is it really?
In fact, it is interest.

The emperor knew exactly what Dashun's interest rate was, and the high interest rate could not even be borrowed on national debt.

What is this similar to?It is similar to the imperial court asking the salt merchants for 100 repayments, but in fact the salt merchants get 150 benefits, but the 150 benefits are given slowly, while the 100 repayments are paid in one go.

Although it is an autocratic monarchy, it cannot be said that you can kill whoever you want, or copy whose home you want.

Since the implementation of the Salt Guidelines Law in the previous dynasty, the major salt merchants are deeply entrenched, and there is a certain amount of capital in the game with the imperial court. All offended.

The emperor has to give benefits, not to mention the place.

The imperial court didn't give money to the local government, even if it did, the amount of money given, according to the governor of Songjiang Prefecture, would not even be enough to set up a charity hall.

This requires salt merchants to contribute locally.

In addition to serving the local government in exchange for benefits, there are also benefits for local officials.

Counting local officials are all "honest officials", they are not greedy at all, they don't want to benefit at all, and there is another thing-evaluation.

The monopoly model of the salt government is similar to the "cartel" of several major monopoly organizations in later generations, dividing different sales areas.

For local officials, one of the evaluation items is the sales of local salt imports.

Theoretically, this place can sell [-] catties of official salt, but in reality it only sells [-] catties. What does this prove?Obviously it proves that illegal salt is rampant, and it obviously "proves" that local officials have not fulfilled their responsibility to check illegal salt.

In the past, the population was hidden. On the one hand, it was linked to the poll tax. The higher the tax amount, the lower the failure assessment.

On the other hand, it is also related to the sales model of salt. Everyone eats salt, and the more people there are, the more illegal salt to investigate and deal with.

Even if the local officials are not greedy, for the sake of evaluation, they have to establish a good relationship with these salt merchants and give some benefits appropriately.

For some things, just turn a blind eye and close one eye.

In matters such as Yanzheng, the emperor was also a dumb eater of Coptis chinensis, suffering unspeakably.

For example, I asked Yangzhou salt merchants for money, and when the money was finished, the salt merchants cried poorly, saying that capital was insufficient and turnover was not smooth, and they begged to give half of the salt first, and then give the other half when they were sold out.

The money has been collected, so you can't turn your face right away, right?What else can I say?okay.

It was just right here, but something happened there again: the salt merchants who transported salt to Hubei secretly sold the salt in the Hubei sales area on both sides of the canal.Then in the middle of the transfer, "the ship suddenly encountered a big wave and sank in the water. Although we tried our best to rescue it, the salt melted when it met the water." .

What can I do?Hold your nose and admit it, anyway, the price increase is also paid by the common people.

If you don't admit it, there may be no salt in the local area this year, or the entire official salt market will be directly seized by private salt dealers.

The emperor wanted to control the Huaihe River this time, so he sent a special agent organization like the Haier Army, which was a copy of the Jinyiwei, to investigate everywhere, which can be regarded as an "eye-opener".

Among the salt merchants, just the kind of "proper nouns" include [submerged sales and supplementary transportation], [stove private foot salt], [wrecked ship to cover up private interests], [water transport entrainment], [Sichuan salt into Chuyue salt into Xiang], [Officials and Businesses Exchange Posts], etc., there are countless.The depth of the routine is even worse than that of water transportation.

Therefore, the emperor had the intention to change the salt policy. There are too many tricks in it. Even if the people eat salt, the country's taxation must also be considered.

But these things can only be ranked behind Zhihuai, Haimao, and Caomi now.

The emperor wanted to solve it, but it was difficult to solve it.The reform of Huaibei salt policy can only be extended to Huainan salt policy if it is improved.

Here, there must be an economic war, and Liu Yu is undoubtedly the best candidate who can mobilize huge capital, merchant power, and commercial channels to win this war.

However, it was absolutely impossible for the emperor to agree to let the industrial and commercial groups of Songjiang Prefecture eat up the Yanzheng.

Now they have monopolized foreign trade, monopolized silk, tea, porcelain, monopolized the country's silver "money issuance", and let them monopolize salt... The old salt merchants before were certainly not good birds, so Songjiang Prefecture's What kind of birds are these emerging classes?

But now, in order to deal with the salt merchants in Huaibei, someone needs to set an example.

Don't wait for the reform of the salt government to buy salt with salt tickets. As a result, Huaibei salt merchants come to a collective confrontation.

After hesitating for a while, the emperor finally decided to tell the truth.

"The reform of the salt administration should be the fourth priority. If you don't change it, or if you want to change it, you will see miraculous results. However, I will never allow the wealthy merchants of Songjiang Prefecture to control the salt industry. What should I do... Aiqing said this Go back, pass by Huaibei, think of a way, and draw up a suitable charter. If there is a need for the imperial court to borrow shares, Aiqing can do it together first, and the household government will reimburse you in the future."

"In short, it is to be changed, and it must be changed. But if the Songjiang Mansion's gentry control it, then it doesn't make much sense to change it or not. Do you understand, Aiqing?"

"As for the rest of the things, they all come after these four things. Ai Qing will do it at her own discretion—with full confidence, if she guarantees that it won't affect the first four things, then she will do it; if she is not fully sure, then don't do it."

"Remember what I said. The Huai River can only be dug in winter; for the rest, there are always opportunities in spring, summer, autumn and winter."

(End of this chapter)