Dahan first prince

Chapter 165 The Prince...the appearance of the Holy Monarch~
Listening to Xiao He passionately saying, "Two out of ten, within ten years, you can raise troops to the north and fight the Huns again", but Liu Ying sighed a little from the bottom of her heart.

As an emerging regime that ended hundreds of years of wars and disputes in the Central Plains, and was almost built on the ruins, the Han Dynasty is really too poor...

Let’s not mention all the wastes and everything else—the Guochao Ding has been established for seven years, but even the capital Chang’an has not been built yet!
Furthermore, the current Han Dynasty, although it is a unified regime in name, but in fact, the process of unification has not been completely completed.

In the past few years, I thought that the "rebellion of princes with different surnames" that would continue to occur in the next two years also forced the Han Dynasty to ignore rebuilding the world at all, and could only put all their thoughts on calming the Kanto and completing the internal unification as soon as possible. superior.

The Huns, after the unification of the Han Dynasty, were a major foreign enemy that could not be avoided anyway.

With the addition of the shame halo of "being besieged by Bai Dengshan today", holding the Xiongnu emperor to blame the Taimiao and Gaomiao is the option with the highest priority in the hearts of almost every Han Chinese.

No, in order to complete this feat as soon as possible, even Xiao He, the first marquis of the founding of the country and the most worthy of the word "veteran seeks the country" in the world today, has put his mind on the benefits that the government-run food can obtain .

However, Liu Ying has no objection to this...

"Xiao Xiang and Qu Nihou's words are all reasonable."

She sighed with a smile on her face, and Liu Ying finally pulled her mind back to her eyes.

"The Shaofu stored grain on behalf of the people in Guanzhong. Since there is no complete storage, there is no reason to enter it."

"Guyi, the expenses required for the grain market and granaries established by the Shaofu, the salaries of the city officials and warehouse officials, and even the food and salaries of the soldiers guarding the warehouses should all be self-sufficient."

"In addition, there should be rice and grain entering the government and warehouses to ease the financial constraints of the central government."

Smiling to Xiao He and Chen Ping, "Can't you help the people store food for free?" '' request to give an affirmative answer, Liu Ying thought secretly.

Shaofu's storage of grain on behalf of the people is actually similar to that of later generations' banks "saving money on behalf of the people".

It's just that, unlike the slightly complicated operation mode of the bank, which is "store with interest and then lend to earn the interest rate difference", the operation mode of "storing grain on behalf of the people" is relatively simpler and cruder.

——I will store food for you, and you will pay me storage fees.

that is it.

It is true that under the grain storage demand of "tens of millions of stones per year" in Guanzhong, whether the storage fee is [-]% or [-]%, it is a huge amount that is comparable to the agricultural tax revenue and even the total revenue of the central government. Contribute!

But what Liu Ying will not tell Xiao He is that the Shaofu's grain storage on behalf of the people is not an unbreakable iron rice bowl.

Sooner or later, the people in Guanzhong will no longer have anyone, and they need to "ask for help to store food for themselves" to meet their basic survival needs.

the reason is simple.

In today's Guanzhong, every household has 120 mu of land and gets [-] to [-] shi of rice per year, but the annual food demand of a "five-member family" will not exceed [-] shi at most!

Even counting other daily necessities such as cloth and salt, at least one-third of the food that the common people get from farming for a year can be left over.

In the past, the reason why the people became poorer and poorer was that their own grains were sold at low prices and bought at high prices, shrinking due to fluctuations in grain prices.

Just like last autumn, the price of rice in Guanzhong was [-] yuan a stone, but in the spring of this year, the price of grain has skyrocketed to nearly [-] yuan, more than doubled!
In this way, the more than 200 shi of grain that was enough to feed the whole family of farmers, and even have room to add two new clothes, left only less than [-] shi of "enough to feed the whole family [-]% to [-]% full". .

It is precisely because of this that the people in Guanzhong in the past could only go through the endless cycle of "farming for a whole year, and [-]% to [-]% full" year after year. They couldn't eat enough, let alone save money.

But now, with the grain and rice in Shaofu’s government-operated Guanguan coming soon, it is still calculated as 160 shi of grain per year. Even if Shaofu collects 170% of the storage fee, the people will have at least [-] or even [-] shi of grain left in their hands. .

160 shi, it’s enough for a whole family to eat enough without having to worry about being hungry!

What's more, Liu Ying has just built the Zhengguo Canal. From this year onwards, the grain production in Weibei will gradually return to about four stones per mu in the last years of the First Emperor.

If there is no accident, in the next few years, after being able to get out of the quagmire of Guandong, the Chang'an Chaotang will also carry out repairs, maintenance, and even expansion of water conservancy projects throughout the entire Guanzhong area!
When Guanzhong gradually enters the reconstruction stage, it will not be a big deal if the yield per mu in Guanzhong reaches more than three stones.

At that time, the common people will hold more than [-] stones of output per year, can they still save money?
After removing the agricultural tax of about 240 shi ([-] shi), and the [-] shi of the Shaofu grain storage fee ([-] shi for storage, [-] out of [-]), the people still have enough money left. [-] stone grain!

With enough food to eat and money to spare, what would the people think of first?
——In a corner of the house, build a warehouse to store food!

Three hundred stones of grain can be accommodated in a small house with two steps in length and width; and with such a small warehouse, the common people no longer need to spend dozens of stones of grain every year to ask the Shaofu to 'store grain' for themselves!
Once every household in Guanzhong has a small granary and is able to store grain on its own, the Shaofu's "grain storage on behalf of the people" naturally no longer exists.

Therefore, the Shaofu can only earn three to five years at most from the matter of "storing grain on behalf of the people"; the income can only alleviate the emptiness of the government and treasury, and let the central government get a sum of money and grain at the bottom of the box. .

Xiao He focused his thoughts on 'the cost of storing grain on behalf of the people', but he didn't really talk about the point.

But it's a pity that Liu Ying was not so kind, and insisted on rushing to remind Xiao He: In addition to storing grain on behalf of the people, there are other channels for making profits in the official grain management...
"I think it's too much to choose two out of ten."

Said a word without changing expression, and saw Liu Ying shook her head and smiled.

"It should be noted that today, the Hannong tax set by the emperor is only one out of fifteen."

"If Gu sent the Shaofu to store grain on behalf of the people, and charged the 'twelve' fee, wouldn't it be three times the agricultural tax?"

"So, how is Gu's actions different from that of Mi Jia, a grain merchant in the past?"

"Isn't the benevolent government of storing grain on behalf of the people also become the evil government of extortionate extortion by the court and plundering the people?"

After several serious questions, Liu Ying shook her head again.

"Twelve examples are not taken alone."

"I just think that the Shaofu should charge eleven for storing grain on behalf of the people."

"Half of the [-] expenses goes into the national treasury, which is used as the salary of the city and warehouse officials, and the food and salaries of the armored soldiers who guard the warehouse; the other half goes into the internal money, which is used for the real government and the treasury."

"In this way, Fang is the most suitable."

After saying that, Liu Ying lowered her head and put on a posture of "solitude has been decided".

Seeing this, Xiao He also forced himself to swallow the words that came to his lips, and nodded with regret.

"Take one out of ten, half of the national treasury and half of the internal funds..."

"Um······"

"Both the mansion and treasury have an annual income of five or six million shi, but it's not too small..."

When Xiao He was still silent in the joy of "I'll calculate how much I can earn" and couldn't extricate himself, Chen Ping, who was kneeling at the table opposite Xiao He, nodded slowly with a thoughtful face.

"Store grain on behalf of the people, and take eleven fees..."

"Compared to His Majesty's conferring titles on the people's fields, it's not too much to give up..."

"It also coincides with His Majesty's granting the Mintian Jue to encourage farming, and the country of the Han Dynasty emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, and it is in the same line..."

Thinking secretly, Chen Ping looked at Liu Ying with an 'unprecedented' sincere awe.

——The awe that the ministers have for the monarch and the superiors!
Because at this moment, Chen Ping finally understood: Why did the emperor Liu Bang appear to dispel his thoughts about Yi Chu.

"The king of Zhao is disrespectful to elder brother, that's the second priority."

"First and foremost, it should be the prince's benevolence and love for the people, which has made His Majesty praise him..."

Thinking so, Chen Ping quietly lowered his head.

"First, the water conservancy was repaired, and now the grain and rice official camp, and grain storage on behalf of the people..."

"The power of the prince, fearing His Majesty, has no way to reverse..."

"I should also plan for the future..."

While Chen Ping was thinking, Xiao He, who was at the table, continued to raise his own doubts about the grain and rice franchise.

"At home."

"Simply storing grain on behalf of the people, may it not be enough to solve the people's worries?"

I saw Xiao He asked a question in doubt for a while, and then lowered his head thoughtfully.

"In the past, people sold grain to merchants and got money. They could take the money to the market and buy salt and cloth for use."

"The previous generation of the family stored grain for the people, and they all went to Mi Jia, a grain merchant in Guanzhong. How can the people get the money to buy salt and cloth for the surplus grain used by the people to feed themselves?"

Hearing Xiao He's question, Liu Ying only smiled sadly.

"Hey!"

"After a few years, salt, iron, and cloth are all included in the scope of the official camp. I see who else will be shouting 'the treasury is empty' all day long?"

"It's a pity that you, Xiao He, can't wait for that day..."

Secretly slandering, Liu Ying smiled easily.

"Shaofu's government-operated rice is not just a matter of 'storing grain on behalf of the people'."

"If the people want to sell grain, the Shaofu should also buy it with money; the merchants and craftsmen who have nothing to do with production and do not make a living in farming should also buy the Shaofu grain with money and eat it."

"Nowadays, farmers in Guanzhong plow for one year, and the grain they get is not enough to feed their hunger. Those who sell grain for easy salt and cloth are nothing more than teasing."

"This matter, the Shaofu should be able to deal with it freely."

"The Young Master's Mansion is unable to deal with it, and Prime Minister Xiao's previous decree only forbids merchants from stockpiling grain and goods, but farmers have never been prohibited from hoarding grain or goods."

"If there is no money, the people can take the grain in their hands and go to the market to buy salt and cloth."

Hearing Liu Ying's words, Xiao He also nodded in agreement.

Grain franchise, at least at the current stage of the Han Dynasty, can eat more than [-]% of the Guanzhong grain market simply by "storing grain on behalf of the people".

The reason is simple: the two most basic and highest priority options for human survival must be food and clothing.

And in most cases, eating enough will come before dressing warmly.

If it weren't for this, there wouldn't be a common saying among the people that "it is better to be a ghost of freezing to death than a soul of starvation".

But now, the living conditions of the people in Guanzhong are basically still at the level of 'barely able to eat seven percent full'.

In this case, let alone buying new clothes, those who can afford to buy more salt and make their meals more delicious can already be considered a well-off family.

In the past two or three years, the food obtained by the people in Guanzhong should still be concentrated on the item of 'eating for themselves'.

After a few years, the peasants in Guanzhong will gradually become richer, and the Shaofu should be able to accumulate a lot of wealth by virtue of the income from storing grain on behalf of the people.

At that time, it may be a bit exaggerated to buy all the people's food, but it is still possible for the Shaofu to buy [-] to [-]% of it so that the people can use the money to exchange for other daily necessities.

Moreover, in Liu Ying's sentence, "In addition to helping the people save food, the Shaofu naturally has to pay for the people's food", and the following sentence, "The people can also barter, directly exchange the food for salt, cloth, etc. In "Living Materials", Xiao He was also keenly aware that Liu Ying might have other intentions in the matter of the grain and rice official camp.

——At what price does the Shaofu buy food for the common people?

——When it’s time to sell, what price will you sell it for?

According to Liu Ying's conservative attitude of "twelfth is not good, eleventh is just right" when Liu Ying stored grain on behalf of the people just now, it is not difficult for Xiao He to deduce that the price difference between buying and selling grain in Shaofu will never exceed [-]%!
This means: after the Shaofu monopolizes Guanzhong grain and rice, as long as the court does not collectively brainstorm, the price of Guanzhong grain will never fluctuate greatly again!

From now on, Chaotang can also rely on Shaofu's absolute monopoly on the Guanzhong grain market, and firmly control the power to set grain prices in its own hands!

Merchants monopolize the grain market, of course, in order to make huge profits, which has all kinds of harm but no benefit.

But the Shaofu and the Han court monopolize the grain market, so can they still kill the chickens and take the eggs and exploit the people?

The court monopolizes the grain market and controls the pricing power of grain, which is bound to promote the gradual decline of grain prices to normal levels under the premise of stability.

In this way, the problem of 'high food prices' that has existed since the Han Dynasty and caused headaches for the entire court can be perfectly solved!

And Liu Ying's sentence "the common people can barter, exchange grain directly for supplies" also made Xiao He's face quietly filled with a touch of peace of mind.

What will be the result of bartering?
— Money will lose its need for existence!
The common people store most of the food in Shaofu, and a small part of the food is bartered to meet the needs of life, which means that the people's life will theoretically no longer need 'money'!
Then why did Liu Ying want to separate the currency from the financial order of the Han Dynasty?

"You don't need money to treat the people, but you can waste three baht of lead money without hurting the people at all..."

With only a whisper in his heart, Xiao He looked at Liu Ying with a touch of respect that he had never had before.

——Aside from other things, Liu Ying's view of the overall situation in the matter of the official grain management is enough to make Xiao He change his inherent impression of this "young prince" in the past!

And after a brief gratification, Xiao He felt a burst of deep regret inexplicably.

"The Holy King is coming, but I am dying..."

"What's wrong with me..."

"What's wrong with me..."

(End of this chapter)