Kai Fu Han

Chapter 156 Chartering a Ship to Pay Taxes
"This must be taken care of. These people are really brave. We have such a big ship, but we dare to do such a pickling thing." Jiao Rui said.

"A moth that uses public tools for private use."

Liu Xinqi answered.

"What is a public weapon for private use?" Jiao Rui asked doubtfully.

“Using public resources such as official objects, rights, positions, etc., to serve themselves or small private groups and make profits.”

After listening to Liu Xinqi's explanation, Jiao Rui agreed: "That's true."

"You and Cui Wu take a boat to the shore, bring some more money, go ashore to negotiate with the Goryeo officials, and act according to the situation. If they push further and have too much appetite, just come back directly, and we will knock on their door with force. If the request is not too much, Just promise them that the overall situation will be the most important thing and there will be less trouble." Liu Xinqi arranged: "By the way, send people ashore to investigate the current situation in Koryo. Ask who is in power? Who is in charge? There are also local prices, house prices, etc."

Then, Cui Wu and Jiao Rui took several translators who could speak Korean to the Laizhou (sand ship), docked at the Licheng River port near Kaicheng, and went to negotiate with the officials at the port.

After the Laizhou docked, Liu Xinqi said to Li Cang again:
"Send a message to the ships behind to prepare for battle and be ready to capture the port at any time."

"Okay." Li Cang responded and went down to arrange the fleet to prepare for battle.

Liu Xinqi studied history in his last life, and he knew that the powerful faced the weak and the closed-door regime. They usually knocked on the door with cannons for trade. If Koryo did not allow the fleet of the Xinghan League to trade in Beijing today, Liu Xinqi also planned to follow suit. .

After all, you can't make a trip in vain.

Moreover, in Liu Xinqi's plan, Koryo is very important to the development of Xinghanmeng. Liu Xinqi needs to dump the industrial products of Xinghanmeng to Koryo to obtain high profits, and then purchase raw materials and grain at low prices in Koryo.

According to the level of technological and industrial development of the Xinghan League, the products produced will soon exceed the internal demand of the people, resulting in a situation of overcapacity. Therefore, it is imperative to trade with neighboring forces.

After the Laizhou docked, it took two hours before it returned. If it hadn't been for the many soldiers who came ashore, it would certainly not have been rounded up and wiped out. Liu Xinqi even thought that those Xinghan League personnel who came ashore had been killed.

After Jiao Rui boarded the ship, he began to report to everyone on the ship:

"They first asked us to pay taxes based on the total sales value. I bribed the official in charge with 100 taels of silver and got the tax method of chartering a ship. One ship paid a tax of 190 taels, and there were 190 large ships. A total of [-] taels of silver were paid, two ships Each boat costs one tael, and the total tax paid is [-] taels. The tax has been paid and they have issued a tax payment certificate."

It is estimated that this tax payment matter has been delayed for too long.

"It's very well done. With this tax payment certificate, no matter any disputes arise in the future, we will stand firm and deal with it." Liu Xinqi praised.

"Tell me about your investigation."

Then several translators who had gone to the Kaijing market to investigate began to introduce the situation in Kaijing one by one.

Kaijing belongs to the capital of Korea, and prices are still very high.

The port trade in the west side of Kaijing City is not prosperous. Only the "shops" in the city have concentrated shops that can sell the goods we bring.After being introduced by local businessmen, it turned out that Bilandu at the mouth of the Licheng River was actually the most prosperous international trade port in Kajing and even in the entire Goryeo.

"Let's just say that when we entered the Licheng River before, we found many ships at the mouth of the river." Liu Xinqi said, "You continue."

"Store" transactions use silver coins as the main currency, and copper coins such as Haidong Tongbao, Haidong Chongbao, and Sanhan Chongbao as auxiliary coins, among which Haidong Tongbao is more common.

After inquiry, Zhao Guo's round hole money was not recognized in Korea, but silver, as a common precious metal, could still be traded normally.

The retail price of grain in Kaijing's "markets" is converted into silver. One tael of silver can buy about three shi, and a catty of grain is four to five cents.Other prices are also higher than in Dengzhou.

"No matter how expensive it is, you have to buy it. The price of food will definitely continue to rise in the future, partly due to the impact of war and partly due to the increase in population. As long as you can buy food, you will make a profit." Liu Xinqi said.

Liu Xinqi remembered some posts he had read before. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, one stone of food cost more than one tael of silver. It was even more terrifying during the war, with prices ranging from two taels of silver, three taels of silver, and even ten taels of silver.

This shows that food prices have been rising and inflation has continued.

"Tell me about the current political situation in Goryeo." Liu Xinqi continued to ask.

An interpreter came forward to report.

The current reigning King of Korea is named Wang Kai. This Wang Kai has rich experience and can be called "Mingjun".

Six years ago, Ruizhong died and his son Wang Kai succeeded to the throne. At that time, Wang Kai was young and his grandfather Li Ziqian assisted the government. Li Ziqian married his two daughters to the new king Wang Kai, forming the fourth generation marriage between the Li family and the royal family. , he himself was named the Duke of North Korea, a very personable minister.

The conflict between Li Ziqian and the royal family broke out two years ago. First, the new king's ministers tried to eradicate Li Ziqian and his in-law Tuo Junjing but failed, resulting in the palace being burned down. The new king Wang Kai was forced to almost abdicate the throne to Li Ziqian, but finally Li Ziqian wanted to do so. He didn't dare to risk the disapproval of the world and usurp his grandson, so he didn't accept it, but Wang Kai was still under house arrest.

Then Wang Kai worked hard and succeeded in driving a wedge between Li Ziqian and Tuo Junjing, and brought down Li Ziqian through Tuo Junjing. The next year, he got rid of Tuo Junjing and restored the king's power.This wave of counter-attacks made King Wang Kai of Goryeo very popular among the people, and the people called him wise.

Wang Kai is now in charge of the Goryeo Kingdom, and the most important ministers are the monk Miaoqing and the courtier Zheng Zhichang who were born in Xijing.

"I know this Monk Miaoqing." Liu Xinqi interjected. Later generations read a post and knew about this Monk Miaoqing. This monk was very powerful and even rebelled in the end, but failed.I didn't expect that this man was from this era. I didn't know when he would rebel, and whether the Xinghan League would have an opportunity to take advantage of this rebellion.

The translator of the report then brought up something strange:
"The people in this city, during the conversation, actually called the King of Goryeo the emperor, and called Kaijing the imperial city, which was obviously an overstep."

"It's not surprising that the Goryeo Dynasty has always been a 'king outside and emperor within', and is used to being arrogant. Although it has always accepted the canonization of the Central Plains Dynasty, and now it has a vassal relationship with the Jin Kingdom, it has long used a system similar to that of the Central Plains Dynasty. Royal system." Liu Xinqi responded.

In later generations, South Korea, the later country of Goryeo, can do things that are more presumptuous than the "king outside and emperor inside".

Even Confucius is from Korea, and even went so far as to declare some traditional Chinese customs and festivals as its own cultural heritage.

(End of this chapter)