Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2293 Three-way Triumph () Nanxing and Revitalizing the Canal

As the highly pragmatic Shuwen suggestions were quickly implemented by Zhu Yijun in the form of an imperial edict, and spread throughout the world through the imperial newspaper, and also repeatedly publicized through several major newspapers controlled by Beijing, the government and the public are now gradually becoming aware that the emperor will enshrine Mount Tai to pray for all people. A consensus was formed, and the opposing voices slowly lowered their tone.

However, Gao Pragmatic was not satisfied with this, and he introduced other policy packages. What was not surprising to him was that after the essays were posted this time, opposing essays also came one after another.

With pragmatism and prudence, what kind of supporting policy proposals actually aroused such huge opposition?

Very simply, Gao pragmatically proposed a temporary expenditure plan of up to 1.6 million taels of silver. Although the huge sum of 1.6 million taels required for this plan was first allocated by the Ministry of Accounts, it still required Taxes were collected along the entire Grand Canal to reimburse the household department, and the entire amount was collected in three installments.

What is very characteristic of ancient China is that many officials did not even carefully understand what Gao Pragmatic planned to do, so they were so angry that they directly opposed it.

Their reasoning is simple: the emperor wants to be granted Zen status, and after that he has to go to Nanjing to visit the Xiaoling Mausoleum, so the emperor will definitely take the Grand Canal. With Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty "behind him", everyone unanimously believed that the trip south would be hugely expensive, so Gao was pragmatic and proposed a temporary expenditure plan, which was the 1.6 million taels of silver.

If this is just the case, then it's okay. After all, your account department said that you have money, and the account department will cover all this expenditure, and it will not affect everyone's interests, so everyone has nothing to say. At most, he could say a few words indifferently, such as "The imperial court should save people's resources and save money."

But you actually want to temporarily raise taxes? Wait, this is not possible!

Didn’t I say that you, Gao Yuanfu, are the best in managing finances? Since you were promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the imperial treasury has been increasing day by day? Why do we need to temporarily increase taxes on various places along the Grand Canal to pay for this?

You know, there are many economically developed areas along the canal, and economic development often means a large population, which together means a large number of officials who have passed the imperial examination... Oh, you want to increase taxes in my hometown? That won't work. I have to make a fuss. Otherwise, how will I face my hometown when I return to my hometown in the future?

The emperor didn't take it seriously at first. After all, Gao Pragmatic had always been quite good at resolving opposition voices in the officialdom. But within a few days, Zhu Yijun couldn't stand it anymore because there were more and more objections. He had no choice but to call Gao pragmatism to Xinuang Pavilion of Qianqing Palace again, and asked himself what the wise prime minister was waiting for, and why he didn't take action to suppress the noise and keep himself clean.

Facing the emperor's questioning, Gao Pragmatic remained as calm as ever and told what he thought: "Your Majesty, I know that this visit to Mount Tai and the Xiaoling Mausoleum will have a profound impact on the people of the world. Although the temporary expenditure proposed by the minister has been criticized, it is actually a good strategy to strengthen the infrastructure along the canal.

The expenditure proposed by the minister will mainly be used to control floods and strengthen embankments to ensure the smooth flow of the canal. The canal is the blood of the country. If it is not smooth, the blood will be blocked and the people will not be able to live. In recent years, there have been many disasters in the world, and flooding has occurred frequently along the canal, causing people along the way to suffer a lot. I thought that I could use this opportunity to patrol the south to renovate the canal and save the people from the fire.

In addition, water control projects can also provide livelihoods for disaster-stricken people. During this period, refugees and disaster victims can be recruited to participate in the construction and provide work in exchange for relief, which not only solves their livelihoods, but also contributes to the progress of the project. This move not only showed the benevolence of the court, but also helped maintain harmony and stability among officials and people along the way.

In addition to water control, I also want to strengthen the industrial and commercial facilities along the canal. As the emperor knows, since the "change from water to sea", the main function of the canal has been changed from water transportation to commercial transportation. If commercial transportation is to develop, it will rely even more on transportation capacity. If transportation capacity is to be improved, it is nothing more than dredging and widening roads. In short, the river channels that should be dug should be dug deeper, and the river channels that should be widened should be widened.

In this way, by improving transportation, building shops, and providing support, merchants can be attracted to gather, which will naturally promote economic prosperity. This move will definitely enhance the competitiveness of the canal and bring benefits to the people along the way.

As for the proposal to increase taxes, I understand that this move may be criticized. However, this tax is specifically used for canal construction and post-disaster reconstruction. I must ensure that the tax collection is fair and reasonable, and strictly supervise it to ensure that the dedicated funds are used exclusively.

I am convinced that this southern tour and the strengthening of infrastructure construction will definitely bring prosperity and stability along the canal. This is the blessing of the country and the blessing of the people. I hope that your Majesty will be aware of this, support me, and participate in this grand event together. I will do my best to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan and live up to His Majesty's high expectations. "

Zhu Yijun thought for a while and felt that it made sense, but he was a little puzzled and asked: "This can be regarded as your usual style of doing things, but officials from these places along the way should also know this. Why do they still go to court to oppose it? "

Gao Pragmatic smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, it is precisely because according to my usual style, this tax must mainly come from wealthy families and try not to squeeze ordinary people, so..."

Zhu Yijun slapped the table and laughed: "I see, that's it. I understand, it's not that they don't understand your thoughts, on the contrary, they understand your thoughts too well." After a pause, he frowned and asked again Said: "But in this case, how can you force them to submit?"

"It's nothing more than saying one thing overtly and another secretly." Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "To say something overtly means to make these high-sounding truths public, and at the same time show that the emperor loves the people and is unwilling to impose taxes on the common people, so he has no choice but to Let the local 'virtuous gentlemen' work harder.

Of course, since the 'virtuous and good gentry' have devoted themselves to the people, the court naturally cannot cherish famous objects for itself. It can bestow the third-class honorary titles according to the amount or proportion of the contribution, and at the same time set up tablets and inscriptions in every prefecture and even every county along the way. Focus on commending investors. Presumably, in this way, many people will be willing to donate generously to share the country's worries. "

Zhu Yijun laughed and said: "Sure enough, this is the trick! I already knew that your third-class honorary system has many uses. I guessed it just now when I heard you talk about this 'clearly one thing'. I'm afraid you will have to sacrifice it again." This is the method of honor."

Indeed, Gao pragmatically introduced the third-class honorary system to a large extent to "harvest the gentry class." The three-level honorary system is roughly as follows:

The first class is given an honorary title and is called a knight. It is allowed to have higher-level clothes, higher-level door lintels, and higher-level driving. It is also allowed to build a memorial arch of its own. People below the third rank will not be worshiped by officials. If there are lawsuits and other matters, the Yamen It must be accepted immediately. This honorary title is not a royal title, has no rank, cannot be inherited, transferred, sold, etc., and will be extinguished upon death;

The second level is to give the name of a wise man from a certain government, such as a certain so-and-so Magi from Hangzhou. Those of fifth rank and below are not allowed to see officials without worship. If there are lawsuits and other matters, the Yamen must accept them immediately. This honorary title is valid for ten years and cannot be transferred, sold, etc., and will be extinguished upon death;

The third level is to give the name of a good gentry of a certain county, such as a good gentry of Qiantang, and allow those of seventh rank and below to see an official without worship. If there are lawsuits and other matters, the Yamen must accept them immediately. This name is valid for five years and cannot be transferred, sold, etc., and will be extinguished upon death.

Previously, in order to provide disaster relief, Gao Pragmatic had "wholesale" hundreds of Rongjue of various levels. Now this is a repeat of the same old trick, and another big wave is about to happen.

But don’t worry, “hundreds” sounds like a lot, but considering how big the Ming Dynasty was and how many prefectures and counties there were, it was actually very few per prefecture and county. A larger prefecture may have two or three "good gentry of a certain prefecture", while the average county only has one "good gentry of a certain county". In Gao Pragmatic’s view, there is still a lot of “room for progress”.

Besides, the prefectures and counties are only second- and third-class honorary knights, and the first-class "jazz" has only been sold so far...well, only a dozen have been awarded, so there is still a lot of room for manipulation. Big.

Facing the emperor's approval, Gao Pragmatic just smiled slightly and said: "The emperor knows me, I am very happy."

Zhu Yijun also laughed and asked: "Since this is 'making one thing overtly', then what is 'making another thing secretly'?"

"You talk about reputation in the open, but you talk about profit in secret." Gao Pragmatic said without any concealment: "Didn't Cai Chen just say that in addition to water control along the canal, there are also many projects that need to be widened and widened. This is why This involves a problem. Some places have already developed well. If the river is widened, it will not be easy to expropriate the houses on both sides of the river, especially the shops. "

After many years of training, Zhu Yijun also knew the entanglement of interests involved. Hearing this, he nodded and said: "If it was a prosperous shop, it would be unwilling for the court to demolish it, and it would not be easy to even give them a compensation."

Gao pragmatically said calmly: "But if there are help from the local giants - I mean 'wise men and gentlemen' - this matter will be much easier to handle."

Perhaps all emperors are naturally wary of "giant clans", so Zhu Yijun became cautious and asked, "What do you mean by this?" Gao pragmatic chuckled and said, "Without him, according to the proportion of investment from the wise men and gentlemen in various places, We will leave it to them to persuade local shops and houses in towns along the canal to be demolished and resettled.”

Zhu Yijun was greatly surprised and said in a daze: "Impossible? If you ask them to pay without saying anything, you still have to do something like this that will offend so many people. Can they agree?"

"Of course I can agree, I am so willing to agree." Gao Pragmatic sighed and shook his head, saying: "Your Majesty, you still don't know how powerful these people are. Let me put it this way, as long as you give the job of 'demolition and resettlement' to If the court declares in advance that it will not interfere, then they will definitely agree - because they will make a lot of money here! "

"Ah?" After all, Zhu Yijun had never been to the private sector. Even though Gao Pragmatic was talking about this, he still didn't react and asked: "Why is this? I mean, if this 'demolition and resettlement' is not good, it will What profit can be gained by offending others?”

"Suppose I am a local citizen along the river, and my family owns a shop along the river, which is two feet wide, three feet deep, and two stories high. Now the court wants to demolish and expand the river, and the power of resettlement is left to the local wealthy... Say it's your Majesty, it's up to you to control it.

So, after the demolition, I will retreat to the edge of the widened river and rebuild a shop according to the original width, depth and height, or reduce the storefront from two feet wide to one foot or three feet deep. To reduce it to two feet or two floors to a one-story bungalow... doesn't it all depend on your face?

On the other hand, if I have an old relationship with you, or if I offer you some gifts, I would like you to agree to expand the width of my shop from two to three feet, the depth from three to five feet, and the height of the building from two floors to The third floor...did that minister get a blessing in disguise? "

At this point, Gao pragmatically spread his hands and asked: "Look, as a local 'virtuous gentleman', once you get the right to resettle, will you make a huge profit? In this case, you can make a larger initial investment and donate some taxes." By giving money to the court, do you gain both fame and profit?"

Zhu Yijun took a breath, looked at Gao Pragmatic with some horror, and said: "Rixin, you... your methods are really amazing. It's like you have calculated everything from top to bottom!"

Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, when it comes to administration, only ask about the results, not the means."

Zhu Yijun nodded, but immediately shook his head and asked, "But if this happens, someone will definitely suffer. Since these 'virtuous and good gentry' will not suffer, then won't the people along the way definitely suffer? For example, in the situation you mentioned, in order to bribe 'me', a local 'virtuous and good man', you, the shop owner, will inevitably have to spend a lot of money. Then, won't you become the unlucky guy in the river expansion project?"

Gao pragmatically said happily: "Your Majesty can see this, I am extremely happy. But Your Majesty, if I can really use this money to bribe you, this 'local virtuous man', it actually means two things."

"What two things?" Zhu Yijun asked.

"Firstly, I can get this money; secondly, I expect to be able to earn back this contribution in the future." Gao pragmatically said with a smile: "You think, if I can't get this money, wouldn't this deal be useless at all? What will happen? If I expect that if I invest too much, I will not be able to earn back the money in the future, then I will not be willing to donate. "

"Oh... that's the truth." Zhu Yijun nodded, but still felt that something was wrong. After thinking about it seriously, he suddenly realized it and asked with wide eyes: "But if I am a virtuous person who attacks dissidents, how can I deny this to you?" The 'unruly people' I contributed were inexplicably removed and you were not allowed to build any more shops along the river. Wouldn't that be bad? Or, wouldn't it be a disaster if the size of the shop you could build was reduced by half?"

"The emperor's concerns are very true, so a patch needs to be made here." Gao pragmatically said with a smile: "If you renovate along the way, the new houses and shops must not be smaller than the original ones."

Zhu Yijun finally felt relieved. After thinking for a long time, he had nothing to add or find fault with. In the end, he only thought of one thing: "This demolition and reconstruction will definitely require money. It will take thousands of miles like this. Even if it only counts towns, plus It’s a lot, can it really be done with 1.6 million taels?”

Gao Jingshi was surprised and said: "Tuohe is the money that the imperial court spent the 1.6 million taels on. We, the Ministry of Household Affairs, don't care about the money for demolition and reconstruction."

Zhu Yijun was shocked and said: "The demolition and reconstruction along the way are all done by the local people themselves? This...this, are you not afraid of provoking a civil uprising? Think about it, you don't allow their shops and houses to be smaller than the original ones, and you want them to They spend their own money, so if they can't come up with the money for reconstruction, won't they be forced to death by you? "

Gao Pragmatic shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten about the Federal Reserve Bank?"

Zhu Yijun was stunned and said hesitantly: "What does this have to do with the Ming Dynasty Federal Reserve?"

Gao Pragmatic sighed and explained simply: "If it is a shop, the Federal Reserve Bank of China can provide them with low-interest loans so that they have money to rebuild. When their new shop starts to make a profit, they will have the money to pay it back slowly; The Federal Reserve can even provide them with interest-free loans, allowing them to build their houses first and pay them back over time, without any interest.”

"I see... This is a way." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and said: "No, no, if you want to say that the shops operate like this, it's fine. After all, after the canal is widened, trade will become more developed, and sooner or later they will be able to make this money." return.

But residential buildings are different. They used to live well, but now they have to demolish and rebuild, but they just live there and can't make a profit from it. Isn't this equivalent to losing the money for rebuilding the house? "

Gao pragmatically said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, almost all the houses along the canal have commercial properties... Well, I mean, they can all be used to make money. Being a shop is naturally the first choice, but there are also people who use their houses as commercial properties. The houses were rented as hotels and guesthouses to others, such as merchants and tourists traveling from north to south.

In fact, there are very few residences along the canal towns that are purely for self-occupation. If they do exist, they are mostly local wealthy people who like the bustling scenery along the canal, so they bought their homes here. For these people, they are not short of these three melons and two dates. "

Zhu Yijun now understood what Gao Pragmatic meant: the owners of houses along the canal's towns were either doing business locally or involved in the canal trade. To some extent, they were all merchants. There are very few people who don't do business. They are all wealthy owners, and they don't need the money to rebuild their houses after demolition. So... on the whole, Gao Pragmatism is determined to cut them off.

And this time, after going through two rounds of screening by "local virtuous people" and Ming Fed loans, the severity was actually naturally adjusted. For those who can make money from the canal, this cut is a bit heavy; for those who have money and do not make money from the canal, although this cut is a cut, it is a slightly lighter cut.

Zhu Yijun always felt that Gao Jingshi's arrangement was intentional, but after thinking about it for a while, he couldn't figure it out, and it even hurt his head. He was a little annoyed, so he simply asked Gao pragmatically why he did this.

Gao Pragmatic's answer this time was very direct: "Regulate the rich and the poor. It is impossible for the real poor to own real estate and mansions along the canals of commercially prosperous towns. What the court has to do is to let those who earn more spend more; He who gets less spends less.

The imperial court received this money to control floods and build water conservancy projects, which benefited not only the small group of people along the river, but all the people in many prefectures and counties. Your Majesty, this is what I said at the beginning, 'Taxers take it from the people and use it for the people'. "

Zhu Yijun said nothing more now, nodded and said: "Since you have considered everything, then go ahead and do it. As for the current memorials, just pretend you haven't seen them. I think once the imperial edict is issued, there will be no more ceremonial gifts." Supervise these things.”

"Your Majesty is wise, and I obey your orders."
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