At the end of Song Dynasty: I want to be the master of ZTE

Chapter 43 Rice Vouchers
"Your Majesty has been handling government affairs since he recovered. Now he has to practice martial arts again. He may damage his dragon body. Your Majesty's dragon body does not belong to you, but to the people of the world. It is related to the country and must be inspected."

Yang Shilong blocked the way tightly, and Zhao Shi said helplessly: "Third brother, if I hadn't been practicing martial arts for days to strengthen my body, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all."

"How do you know that you are sick because of overwork?" Yang Shilong did not give in and said: "I have been entrusted by Duke Lu and Duke Chen to not only protect His Majesty's safety, but also to ensure that His Majesty's body is safe and sound.

I think that your majesty is young and immature, so it is not advisable to overwork, so as not to hurt the root, if the incident of the day before yesterday repeats, people's hearts will be shaken, and the world will not be safe. "

Zhao Shi sighed and said, "In that case, let's go to Mr. Lu's house."

Yang Shilong was right. If he got sick again, everyone would think that he was a short-lived ghost and he had no heir. Everyone immediately felt that they could no longer follow Zhao Shi.

Therefore, even if he felt that practicing martial arts was good for his physical and mental health, Zhao still had to endure his inner restlessness.

Lu Zili was preparing to go out with a cloth bag on his back. When he saw Zhao Shi coming, he immediately saluted.

After the ceremony, Zhao Shi asked: "Where can I go if I am independent?"

Lu Zili said: "I was planning to buy some meat, but I didn't expect His Majesty to come. I didn't greet him, so I was frightened."

"It's okay. I'm here unexpectedly, so there's no need to greet me." Zhao comforted Lu Zili and said, "What are you carrying in the bag?"

"Rice." Lu Zili said respectfully: "The imperial court uses rice cloth as salary and does not issue money, so I have to go to the rice shop to exchange money and then buy various things."

Perhaps it was because Lu Xiufu was a good disciplinarian, but Lu Zili was always strict and never exceeded the rules.

The imperial court is indeed relatively poor, but because there are fewer officials, everyone's salary is still good, and they have no money, so they only distribute rice and silk cloth.

Lu Xiufu's current position is a Tongzhi Privy Councilor of the second rank, and he has a casual official rank of special promotion from the first rank. If before, he would have been given three hundred guan per month, one hundred shi of grain, one thousand two hundred bunches of firewood, and one thousand sixteen charcoal. One hundred scales, seven stones of salt, clothing and food for entourage or staff are distributed to 70 people. In spring and winter, twenty bolts of damask, thirty bolts of silk, and 100 taels of cotton in winter are given. This does not include those with post, lord, etc. Salary and career field.

Therefore, before Lin'an City was destroyed, Wen Tianxiang often sang and danced endlessly, and it is true that he had this money.

Now it's no longer possible. At Lu Xiufu's level, he is given twenty dan of rice and five bolts of silk and cloth each month, which is enough for the family to live a prosperous life, but it cannot afford to support singers and dancers.

Fortunately, there are many loyal people in the DPRK. Not only do they not care about their salary, they even bring their own food to work.

Of course, Zhao did not come to enjoy singing and dancing, but to visit Cai.

Due to excessive worry and fatigue, Cai fell ill on the spot, and because he was too old, he was not like Zhao who jumped up and down immediately after waking up, so he recuperated at home.

Seeing Zhao coming, Cai was about to get out of bed and salute.

Zhao Shi immediately stepped forward to support him and said, "There's no need for this, ma'am. If it disturbs your recuperation, why should I come here?"

"I'm rude to you." Ms. Cai didn't force her.

Zhao Shidao: "Madam, I should recover soon, otherwise I will have no one around me, and I will not be able to eat, taste, or sleep well. It will be very boring."

Mrs. Cai replied: "Excuse me for your Majesty's concern. I am in a state of panic."

Seeing that Cai was recovering well, Zhao chatted for a few more words and left with brisk steps.

Seeing that Lu Zili was still carrying the rice bag, Zhao Shi asked curiously, "Aren't you tired, third brother?"

Lu Zili said: "It's only thirty catties of rice, and I can bear it myself. How can it compare with Your Majesty's burden on the country?"

Chatting with such people is boring. Of course, as an emperor, chatting with most people is boring.

Back at the government office, everyone was dealing with military and political affairs. There was nothing major to discuss, and it was all done in a moment.

Zhao Shi said to Chen Yizhong: "I visited the Cai family in the morning and saw that Lu Zili was carrying rice and buying meat. It was really hard. Do you have any good ideas?"

"The central government has no money, and I have nothing to do." Chen Yizhong's answer was filled with resentment.

Fighting is a waste of money, but Zhao is still a good person in every possible way.

If nothing else, let’s just talk about Dingkou money. This has always been the court’s cash flow, and its amount is even higher than the land tax. Now that it is waived, the people are happy, but it is a hardship for the court.Zhao Shi touched his chin and said, "I have an idea, please give it a try."

The idea is not complicated. In the future, the imperial court will no longer distribute salaries in kind, but in the form of rice coupons and cloth rolls, which can then be redeemed at stores designated by the imperial court.

"It has three advantages. One is to avoid the pain of being transported by officials, the other is to avoid villains from intercepting it, and the third is..." Zhao Shi organized his words slightly and continued: "When rice cloth coupons flow into the people, they may become Jiaozi Instead, what if the imperial court allows the common people to pay their taxes?"

Chen Yizhong thought for a while, and said: "The credibility of the imperial court has not been established, I am afraid that the army and the people will not accept it."

"Not necessarily." Chen Wenlong said: "This is an official salary, not a certificate for the people. We set an example and the military and the people will definitely accept it. The only thing we can worry about is abuse."

Lu Xiufu said: "There is not much rice in the imperial court. If there is a run after the coupons are issued, all will be lost."

"Your concerns are not unreasonable. I would like to use the fixed annual rent tax of Fujian at [-]-[-]%. If possible, increase it to [-]-[-]%. If possible again, increase the rent in Guangdong, and then increase it again for each new land. How about that? "

Zhao Shi didn't dare to take too big steps, lest he break his eggs.

Moreover, there are more than 500 million acres of farmland in Fujian Province. It is estimated that [-] million shi of grain can be harvested every year and more than [-] million shi of rice coupons can be issued. When rice coupons are used as currency and enter circulation, it is equivalent to adding so much money out of thin air. Rich.

Chen Wenlong said: "I am worried that I will collect it with ulterior motives and use it to cash in. Even if the court pays, the people will be short of food, and the military and civilians will not be able to use it. What can I do about it?"

"What you said makes sense." Zhao Shi admitted the risk.

If Yuan Lu did this, he would definitely send someone to secretly collect the rice coupons, and then pay them centrally, draining Yuan Lu's money all at once.

Without food, the army cannot move, and the people are frightened, which will inevitably lead to chaos.

"From now on, food is prohibited from leaving the country!" Zhao Shi said: "This can ensure that the total amount of food in the country remains unchanged. If there is a run, someone will gather the food, inspect and kill them, and all the food will be lost."

Lu Xiufu said: "I'm afraid that when a run occurs, the court will not have enough food to cope with it, and the army and the people will be disappointed."

Zhao Shi said: "Farming is stable and food is inexhaustible. As long as we don't produce food indiscriminately, we don't have such worries.

Moreover, the original intention of rice coupons is to distribute salaries to officials and soldiers, so it is difficult to concentrate and the run is limited.

Furthermore, even if rice coupons replace Jiaozi, it can only be done by the people themselves. It will take some time and can be tried out first. "

In order to implement the public land law, Jia Sidao sent out Jiaozi as waste paper, then abolished Jiaozi and replaced it with gold and silver Guanzi, which was roughly equivalent to the silver and gold tickets of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The lack of money completely ruined the court's credibility.

Nowadays, the people are very suspicious of Jiaozi and the like. If the imperial court releases it, it will inevitably resist it and can only let them use it spontaneously.

In the eyes of the people, rice coupons are for the salary of the princes. How can the princes ruin their own jobs?
"I thought it was feasible, but now that the central government is in a difficult situation, we need to make some strange moves.

Rice coupons are bound to grain, and their value is guaranteed as long as the front line is undefeated, the local area is stable, and there are no large-scale natural disasters.

When it becomes a Jiaozi, occasional fluctuations will hardly affect the overall situation. "Chen Yizhong replied.

"Who is in charge of this matter?" Zhao Shi asked.

Chen Yizhong was silent for a moment and said: "It must be Huang Zhen. Please ask your Majesty to issue an edict to recall him."

"Huang Zhen has a heavy responsibility. He cannot be recalled and replaced with talented people." Zhao Shi objected immediately.

Huang Zhen is now in exile. In addition to helping Chen Zizhong settle the refugees, he also needs to explore mineral deposits and set up workshops, study drying salt and boiling saltpeter, and recruit craftsmen to build ships...

Recalling Huang Zhen, Chen Zizhong could not handle so many things by himself. Zhao was unwilling to see that his sub-base could only farm, so he vetoed it.

What can Chen Yizhong do?I can only think of a way on my own.

While scratching his head, the imperial guards came to report that the Queen Mother had arrived. Zhao Shi was startled, and hurriedly led his group of officials to meet her.

(End of this chapter)