Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2325 Fengshan (Twenty-two) Linqing Bank (Part )

We can ignore the performance of this king and his minister in Cangzhou. After all, they are all veteran actors with many years of experience. How could they not handle this small scene perfectly?

After all, the Changlu Salt Field has been on a downward trend in recent years. There are two key reasons for this. First, the technological advantages of the Liaonan Salt Field have led to the cost disadvantage of the Changlu Salt Field. Second, there are some places with inconvenient transportation in the main production area of ​​the Changlu Salt Field, resulting in excessively high transportation costs.

The Changlu salt merchants could not compete with southern Liaoning because the salt made by frying salt was not as cheap and large-volume as the salt made by sun-drying salt. Now, some salt fields with inconvenient transportation are holding them back, making them even more unable to compete with the Liaonan salt that is shipped cheaply by sea. The only way out is of course to abandon those salt fields with inconvenient transportation and focus on other salt fields with relatively convenient transportation.

Now Gao Youshi's suggestion is to equalize the advantages and disadvantages of Changlu and Liaonan. On the one hand, he will introduce the salt drying method of Liaonan to Changlu, and on the other hand, he will "solve the pain points" of the salt fields in Changlu with poor transportation by building roads and digging rivers, so as to reduce their costs. As long as these two things are done, the decline of Changlu Salt Field will naturally be alleviated.

Of course, as Gao Youshi said, the lost market of Changlu Salt Field may not be regained due to market inertia, but they can open up new markets in the inland areas. The development of new markets is time-consuming and laborious, but from the perspective of the court, it is a good thing, because it can improve people's livelihood, reduce salt prices in non-salt-producing areas in the inland areas, and ease social conflicts.

For this, what's wrong with the court spending some money? Long-term social stability cannot be achieved by "virtue education". As the saying goes, when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette. If your court can't even do a good job in basic people's livelihood, no matter how much you brag about your Zhu family's merits in expelling the Tartars and restoring China, no matter how much you emphasize that your family is the most legitimate in gaining the country, it will be useless.

When ordinary people are living in hardship, they will curse the imperial court. When they can no longer survive, they will raise the flag of rebellion. Nothing can change that. This is human nature and it is irreversible.

Sure enough, after Zhu Yijun publicly stated in Cangzhou that he wanted to solve these pain points of Changlu Salt Field, Gao Youshi quickly took out the Ministry of Revenue's response. According to the plan, the court will spend 50,000 taels of silver to pave roads and bridges for Changlu Salt Field, as well as dredge some dry rivers, which is expected to take three years.

Don't think that 50,000 taels of silver is insignificant compared to shipbuilding. The two things are not comparable. Let's put it this way. Last year, the land tax paid by Shandong Province was only 12,000 taels of silver. Gao Youshi's allocation was equivalent to exempting Shandong from land tax for four years.

  [Note: According to historical records, the tax in Shandong Province in the sixth year of Wanli was only 8,860 taels of silver. This book has increased the figure based on the impact of the reform in the book. Of course, the land tax was not high in terms of silver, and the complexity of the tax system in the Ming Dynasty must be taken into consideration, of which the land tax was only one of them.]

In addition, the "honorary nobility" system also plays a role in this process - that is, continue to fleece the common gentry and merchants, forcing them to benefit their hometowns in order to glorify their ancestors and save face. These are already Gao Youshi's usual means, so it is enough to mention them, and there is no need to elaborate.

The emperor stayed in Cangzhou for a day. In addition to inspecting the salt fields, he also had fun with the people and hosted a banquet for local gentry funded by the imperial treasury - of course, the correct term is "a banquet granted by the emperor."

This is what Gao Youshi strongly suggested the emperor to do. It doesn't cost a lot of money, but it can move the local gentry and greatly satisfy their self-esteem. It is an excellent way of ruling. And because the ingredients and other things purchased for the banquet are all purchased on the spur of the moment, it can also slightly boost the local economy, which is really the best of both worlds.

Of course, Gao Youshi sent officials from the Ministry of Revenue to participate in the entire purchasing process to prevent certain eunuchs from taking advantage of their power and engaging in forced buying and selling, which would damage the emperor's reputation.

Without mentioning anything else, the Holy Chariot continued its journey south.

There is nothing much to say about Dezhou. During the Ming Dynasty, Dezhou had good business and a good agricultural foundation, especially farmland which occupied most of the land in Dezhou. Therefore, in the agricultural era, people there lived a comfortable life.

However, Gao Youshi's reforms over the years had relatively little impact on agricultural areas in the Central Plains, so he did not have much to boast about in the already relatively rich grain-producing areas like Dezhou. The emperor just looked at the farmland, then went to the Jinshan Temple, where the legendary monk Xuanzang practiced, to burn incense, and then went back to rest. In the afternoon, he gave a banquet to local gentry and celebrities as usual, and continued his journey south the next day.

When Gao Youshi arrived in Linqing, he had work to do again, because Linqing was the first of the eight major customs of the Ming Dynasty and the most important tax branch along the canal. As the chief minister of the cabinet who also served as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he needed to introduce it to the emperor and, by the way, solve some bottlenecks and pain points like he did in Cangzhou.

Still on the dragon boat, Gao Youshi accompanied the emperor and introduced the origin of Linqing and the current situation. However, the weather was excellent this day, with clear skies and blooming spring flowers, so the emperor and his minister sat on the top of the dragon boat and drank in the open air.

"The name Linqing originated from the Later Zhao Dynasty, which means it is close to Qinghe River. Qingyuan County was established in the early Western Han Dynasty, first under Julu County and then under Wei County. During the Three Kingdoms, Wei and Jin Dynasties, it belonged to Yangping County of Jizhou. In the first year of Jianping of the Later Zhao Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Qingyuan was changed to Linqing County, which belonged to Jianxing County of Sizhou, but was later abolished. In the 21st year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the western part of Qingyuan County was separated and Linqing County was re-established, which belonged to Yangping County of Sizhou.

In the pre-Yuan Dynasty, Linqing was under Puzhou and was a lower county. In order to transport grain and goods from the south of the Yangtze River to the north for consumption, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, adopted the suggestions of Han Zhonghui, the magistrate of Shouzhang County, and Bian Yuan, the director of the Imperial Academy of History, and issued an edict to dig the Huitong River in the 26th year of the Zhiyuan period.

The Huitong River opened this time starts from the southeast of Anshan in Xucheng and ends at Yuhe in Linqing. It is more than 250 miles long, with 31 sluices built in the middle to control floods. The so-called "Yuhe", also known as "Weihe", is the Yongji Canal dug by Emperor Yang of Sui through Linqing.

Therefore, Linqing is located at the intersection of the Grand Canal and the Wei River, and has transportation conditions, which are one of the key factors for economic development, and has become a transportation hub in North China. However, the Huitong River opened in the Yuan Dynasty was not able to bear heavy loads due to its narrow banks and shallow waters, and was poorly managed, resulting in poor shipping capacity of the canal and chaotic shipping order.

Throughout the Yuan Dynasty, Huitong River played a certain role only at the beginning of its opening. Later, due to siltation and shallow water, the river channel gradually became blocked by the end of the Yuan Dynasty. In addition, the county seat of Linqing at that time was located in Caoren Town (five miles south of Huitong River), which was far away from Zhongzhou where Wenshui and Weihe Rivers meet. The transportation location was far less important than it is today, so economic development was still slow.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the north had not been pacified and military operations were still needed frequently. In order to facilitate the transportation of grain and solve the problem of military pay, the court set up warehouses in Linqing during the Hongwu period to transport grain and grass. However, in the 24th year of Hongwu, the Yellow River broke through Yuanwu, and the flood carried a large amount of silt and silted up Anshan, the southern starting point of the Huitong River in the Yuan Dynasty. As a result, the Huitong River, which had gradually silted up at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, was now one-third unnavigable, seriously hindering the transportation of grain.

After Emperor Chengzu proclaimed himself emperor, he changed Beiping to Beijing in the first year of Yongle and began large-scale construction across the country. With the silting of the Huitong River, in order to build Beijing and deliver military supplies to Liaodong, grain and goods from the Jianghuai region had to be transported by land and sea. However, at that time, sea transportation often caused losses due to the long and dangerous journey, while land transportation was very slow and costly.

In view of this, Chengzu adopted the suggestion of Pan Shuzheng, the co-magistrate of Jining Prefecture, and sent Song Li, the Minister of Works, Jin Chun, the Vice Minister of Punishment, and Zhou Chang, the governor, to dredge the Huitong River. In the 13th year of Yongle, the entire line of the Grand Canal was unblocked, and the Yangtze and Huaihe River transport could directly reach Beijing. From then on, sea and land transportation were abolished. In the 19th year of Yongle, Chengzu officially moved the capital to Beijing. Linqing also began to develop rapidly with the help of the canal, and its status became increasingly important, becoming a key point between the north and the south, and even a major economic center along the canal. "

Zhu Yijun took a sip and nodded, "I have also heard about the prosperity of Linqing. It is said that during the Chenghua period, Linqing Warehouse had become the largest warehouse along the canal and was called the 'Ever Prosperous Warehouse'. There was even a case of 'stockpiling too much grain' in Linqing Warehouse... Hey, it may be true that it was prosperous, but the reason why the grain in the warehouse was rotting was probably not just because there was too much grain stored!"

Gao Youshi didn't feel any psychological pressure, and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty has a keen eye. Things like this are either due to poor management or rampant corruption, or of course, both. But Your Majesty doesn't need to worry. At least since I rectified the Ministry of Revenue, the loss of Linqing Warehouse due to "rot" and other reasons has been very small every year. For example, last year there were less than 100 dan."

A hundred dan is actually not a small amount, but for the poor management of the Ming Dynasty, a large warehouse like Linqing Warehouse had a "loss" of less than a hundred dan a year, which was indeed a record low. Gao Youshi dared to say it without blushing, and he did have the capital to do so.

Zhu Yijun nodded, no longer dwelling on this question, but smiled and said, "According to your plan, I will stay in Linqing for one more day. I think what you want to show me is not the Linqing warehouse, but the banknote customs, right?"

Gao Youshi complimented him at the right moment: "No one is wiser than the emperor."

"Okay, okay, there are no outsiders here, so just keep talking. Tell me, is there anything important that I must know?" Zhu Yijun waved his hand.

Gao Youshi laughed and asked, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the tax revenue collected by Linqing Bank last year?"

"Last year..." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be more than 110,000 taels, but less than 120,000 taels, right?"

"Your Majesty has a good memory. Last year, the Linqing Bank paid 117,534 taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue." Gao Youshi paused and asked, "How does your Majesty think this number compares to previous years?"

"Compared to the past... it's not bad." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "In the early years of the Wanli reign, I was still studying and had not yet taken charge of the government, but Wen Zhenggong would show me his memorials and bills. I remember that the annual tax revenue of Linqing Bank was about 80,000 taels, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more, but generally around 80,000. In that case, the extra 30,000 taels now should also be your credit, right?"

Gao Youshi automatically omitted the question "It should also be your credit, right?" Instead, he frowned slightly and said seriously: "This is exactly what I want to say - the total amount of Linqing banknote customs duties has not increased significantly for six consecutive years, and has always been hovering around 110,000 taels."

Zhu Yijun didn't understand what Gao Youshi meant, and asked in astonishment, "So what?"

Gao Fusi was also stunned and asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, don't you think there is something wrong with this?"

Zhu Yijun wondered, "What's the problem? Didn't it say that it has always been stable at more than 110,000 taels? It hasn't decreased."

Gao Youshi understood what the emperor meant and thought: Good thing I am not a corrupt official, otherwise I would have embezzled all the "development dividends" and you wouldn't even know it! According to you, as long as there is no obvious reduction, it means no one is playing tricks - what's the matter, in your eyes, as long as the social economy does not regress, there is no problem at all!

But then I thought again: Yes, after all, the Ming Dynasty was an "ancient feudal regime", and the core of its concern was always stability, stability, and stability. As for development, it doesn't matter if it exists or not. I might be overthinking to expect a "feudal monarch" who doesn't feel the obvious "national competition pressure" to pay much attention to the development of social productivity...

Thinking of this, Gao Youshi sighed helplessly and explained the problem from another angle: "Since the opening of the port in Longqing, the economic development of the coastal provinces of Ming Dynasty has become increasingly strong due to the prosperity of maritime trade. Especially since the emperor's envoys rectified the Ministry of Revenue, whether it was post road reform, tax system reform, opening up the vassal ban, promoting industry and commerce... Under various measures, the economy of the two capitals and thirteen provinces, especially the coastal provinces, has been much more active than in the early years of Wanli, and the tax revenue of each province has increased significantly.

Specifically, the four provinces along the Grand Canal, namely, Northern Zhili, Shandong, Southern Zhili, and Zhejiang, have seen their tax revenues increase year after year, which shows that the economic development of the four provinces has not slowed down. Given this, how come the tax revenue of Linqing, the top customs along the Grand Canal, seems to be held back by someone and does not increase? "

This statement was very simple and straightforward. Zhu Yijun felt something was wrong when he heard it. He immediately became serious and asked with a frown, "Are you saying that someone embezzled money from this? Was it an internal official or an external official?"

Gao Youshi did not answer the latter sentence, but shook his head gently and said: "This matter should not be based on suspicion alone. Corruption is certainly one possibility, but there is another possibility... In comparison, I would rather the problem come from corruption, because corruption is easier to solve. Generally speaking, as long as the investigation is thorough and the termite is found, and then see how he or they take advantage of the system loopholes to embezzle without being discovered, and then improve the supervision method, plug the loophole and the problem can be temporarily solved."

Zhu Yijun frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What is the other possibility that you think is more troublesome?"

  "Another more troublesome possibility..." Gao Youshi also frowned deeply and answered slowly: "It is because of various reasons that the canal trade volume has reached its peak, so the corresponding customs duties cannot be increased."
-

Thanks to book friend "Yun Fu Yu Yu" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!