Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 737
"Dare to ask your envoy, how much tax does your court pay each year?"

Fang Yongzhi looked at Jin Chengxun with a smile, and asked in a tone that sounded purely curious.

When the North Korean mission arrived at Shanhaiguan, the cabinet had already received a report from outside the customs, and then Wen Tiren, Chen Qiyu, and Zou Weilian entered the palace to ask and report to Zhu Youjian, and then according to Zhu Youjian's instructions, the reception task was given full authority Entrusted to Honglu Temple.

After learning that the North Korean mission had arrived in the suburbs of Beijing, Li Jinfan, Minister of Honglu Temple, sent Fang Yongzhi to take the convoy dedicated to receiving high-level foreign guests in the temple to Dongbianmen, and then brought the life of the North Korean mission. All the materials and guards were left in the inn in the suburbs of Beijing, and only the main members of the mission were carried into the capital.

Fang Yongzhi, who has stayed in Honglu Temple for nearly ten years, knows the history and customs of North Korea quite well, and also knows what the North Korean government has done since he ascended the throne. Extremely disgusted.

But because of etiquette, he couldn't lose his demeanor. In order to vent his anger, Fang Yongzhi asked his own question knowingly.

Since I can't scold you, I will disgust you to death!
"Cough cough!
How can a small country in the lower state compare with the upper state in the sky!
To tell you the truth, my country has been suffering from natural disasters for several years. Especially last year and this year, the number of people affected by the disaster is close to one million, and there are signs of continuous expansion. Countless people are displaced, and the old, weak, women and children die in the wild every day. The misery is beyond words to describe! "

Listening to Fang Yongzhi, Daming spent a huge amount of more than half a million taels of silver just to rectify the appearance of the capital city. This figure surprised and envied Jin Chengxun, but at the same time made him feel extremely ashamed, so when he answered Fang Yongzhi's The question was only briefly mentioned, and then the topic was changed to describe the tragic situation in North Korea in order to try to lay the groundwork for the subsequent assistance.

The total tax revenue of North Korea for a year is not worth the money and food that Ming Dynasty spent on rectifying the capital. Just from this small detail, we can see how huge the gap between the two countries is.

From North Korea across the Yalu River to the territory of Ming Dynasty, through Jinzhou and then to Shanhaiguan, the official roads that were originally undulating and difficult to navigate have now been widened and leveled. Especially after entering the customs, the official roads are not only flat, but also close to the capital. An unprecedented road surface appeared in front of Jin Chengxun's eyes. It is no exaggeration to say that it is as smooth as a mirror.

Jin Chengxun deliberately dismounted to test the hardness of the road surface, which is almost the same as stone, and this kind of road surface is being extended to Shanhaiguan. One side of the official road is being paved with this special material, and the other side is used for Pedestrians and merchants pass by, and this construction method does not cause the disadvantage of obstructing the road, which also surprised Jin Chengxun and others.

Jin Chengxun deliberately observed all kinds of people he met on the road, and saw that most of them had a calm and confident expression on their faces. The gorgeous clothes and dresses belonged to the level of the upper class in North Korea, and their appearances were nothing more than ordinary Just passers-by.

Everything in front of him made Jin Chengxun feel like entering a dreamland.

Is this still the Daming in his impression?
This is simply heaven!

The previous two missions to Daming, what he saw from all aspects made Jin Chengxun feel that Daming is indeed a superior country, but the people are nothing more than that, only slightly stronger than North Korea.

But what he saw and heard after entering the customs made Jin Chengxun amazed, and at the same time, his inferiority complex had unconsciously developed, and it became more and more intense.

"Natural disaster, your country will pass it! I believe that your country will handle and deal with it properly!
I think back then, the situation of my Huangming Northland was even worse than that of your country!
Not only natural disasters, but also man-made disasters, military disasters, and tens of millions of starving people without food!The total number of people who died during this period is probably more than the total number of people in your country!

In those few years, have there been any foreign powers to help us in the dynasty?
None!
If it weren't for my emperor to turn the tide and save the people from the fire and water with the resources of the sky, how could there be peace and prosperity today! "

After seeing Kim Sung-hoon's embarrassment and hearing the grievances of the North Korean official, Fang Yongzhi's pleasure was replaced by even more angry emotions.

"XXXX!
It turns out that you are planning to eat the big family!

Eight years before Chongzhen, have you seen the tragedy of my Ming Dynasty?

Did you reach out to help back then?
This is to see that my life will be better tomorrow, and you have come to confess your relatives again!
There are no doors! "

Fang Yongzhi, who has always been elegant, cursed secretly, but still kept a smile on his face, pretending to comfort him with sympathy, but the dissatisfaction revealed in the words was still very obvious.

How could Jin Chengxun not understand the meaning in Fang Yong's words?

But what they said was the truth, and he had no intention or power to refute, so while the carriage was rumbling forward, Jin Chengxun changed the subject with a little embarrassment: "Where is Fang Shucheng's home?

Xiaguan was ordered to come here this time, but he brought some native products of his country with him. After taking a rest, Xiaguan would visit the door with gifts himself, and hoped that Cheng Fang would accept them with a smile. "

"Your envoy expressed his wish and I accepted it, but our dynasty has new regulations. Officials of Honglu Temple are not allowed to accept gifts from envoys from foreign courts. I must strictly abide by the court regulations. Therefore, the matter of your envoy's visit Just let it go!"

Fang Yongzhi pouted imperceptibly, and rejected Jin Chengxun's proposal with a smile.

He has now enjoyed the rank-level treatment of the sixth rank, but his monthly salary is as much as 30 taels, and there is still 150 taels of clean government silver at the end of each year, which is on duty every day, and the government still manages two meals. Well, with such generous treatment, how can he value the gift that Jin Chengxun said.

With North Korea as a poor place, the court’s finances have never been easy. Although a high-ranking official like Kim Sung-hoon will not suffer, but when it comes to the usual living standards, he is not sure if he is from the second rank. Can catch up with his own six-rank.

Through all kinds of related documents, and listening to the old people in the temple, many officials in North Korea can only eat meat once a week, and the rice is brown rice. In addition to being bright and beautiful, the things they use every day can catch up with Daming, which is extremely rich in supplies.

I still want to give gifts at home, wouldn't it be two jars of pickled vegetables?

I'm sorry, I don't eat that kind of food because I'm afraid I'll get a stomachache.

Fang Yongzhi's straightforward refusal once again surprised Jin Chengxun.

When he came to Daming with the mission in the first year of Chongzhen, not only some important court officials refused gifts, but even the low-level officials of Honglu Temple openly asked for bribes. Why, it has only been more than ten years since he came here, and the Ming Dynasty has changed. up?
"The lower officials know that the Tianchao is rich in products, but they also know that the salaries of the imperial court officials are not high, especially the middle and lower level officials, it is difficult to support their families with their salaries alone, so this is why they prepare a little courtesy and talk about their hearts.

The gift was also specially ordered by the lord of the country. Some yellow and white things, such as Fang Shucheng, can get as much as 20 taels of silver. Could it be that Fang Shucheng hates it? "

Giving gifts in public in this era is an upright and elegant thing, so Jin Chengxun specifically pointed out the gifts he gave. In his opinion, 20 taels of silver is a good income for mid-level and lower-level officials like Fang Yongzhi. Because they have managed all aspects of the relationship this time, they will not bleed so much in North Korea.

I came here with 1 taels of silver, and I was going to deal with the important ministers and related people in the DPRK one by one, so that I could get what North Korea wanted.

(End of this chapter)