unclear

Chapter 146 Silver Gui (Silver Leader 5)

"If it is really for the country, the country, and the country, I will go through fire and water even if I have a reputation behind my back. However, I am a little confused. Why does your majesty value the navy so much that you would not hesitate to use extraordinary means to make the courtiers angry?"

Ordinarily, after being treated so rudely, one should have the character of a scholar even when facing the emperor.But Yuan Keli's ear was bitten with half a cup of tea, and he didn't mention a word about etiquette. This shows how shocking what he just heard was, almost beyond the range he could bear.

The implication is that the emperor should explain the truth clearly first. If it is really beneficial to the country, he will be willing to help. Otherwise, no matter how high the position and the benefits are, there is no need to talk about it.We are not a villain obsessed with profit, but no one can use us as a weapon!

"Silver has become the main currency in circulation since the One Whip Law. However, this dynasty produces very little silver and has to rely on goods to exchange with the Western countries. Does your Majesty know where the Western merchants' silver comes from?"

Hong Tao is still willing to meet this request, and there is no need to make up nonsense to conceal his intentions. He can just tell the truth. They are all well-documented official data. I am not afraid that you will not believe it!

"...I don't know!" Although Yuan Keli had rich experience in local government, he really didn't have much research on currency, so he could only shake his head and admit his shortcomings.

"The Western countries are short of tea, porcelain, silk, sugar, hemp and other items, and they are eager to produce products from our country. In order to purchase large quantities and sell them back for profit, they use ships, firecrackers and artillery to force the countries on the other side of the sea to mine a large amount of silver. It was first transported to Manila and then sent to Haojing in batches for purchase by the merchants of Folangji.

Since taking office, Li Zhi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, has used some means to get the truth from the merchants of Fo Langji.In the first year of Jingyang alone, about 1400 million taels of silver were transported from Manila to Haojing, most of which entered the Ming Dynasty from Xiangshan'ao, was exchanged for required goods, and then shipped to the Western countries for sale.

1400 million taels!Mr. Li, does he know how much gold-flowered silver my inner shipping warehouse receives each year and how much discounted silver is collected from Taicang? It's only 500 million taels. A mere Hao Jing and a group of Buddhist merchants are worth two and a half years of money from Chao Nei Ku and Taicang.

In recent years, disasters in various places have been in urgent need of relief. The soldiers of the Nine Borders have insufficient food and pay, and their morale is low. The imperial treasury is empty and cannot provide money.I tried my best to stop the three main halls, reduce the cost of Prince Fu's wedding, and cut the clan's salary in half, which caused many people to curse behind their backs, but the results were negligible. I still have no money.

After I read Li Zhi's memorial, I couldn't help but ask, how much customs duties did the court receive for the 1400 million taels of silver that entered the customs?Where did the money go?This is just one place in Xiangshan'ao. There are only a lot more Hong Kong. How much are the tariffs? "

Speaking of the economy in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Hong Tao had quite a headache.Due to the increasingly serious land annexation and the gradual disintegration of the health system, agricultural taxes are getting worse year by year. Coupled with climate change, the central government has long been stretched and unable to meet the needs.

I want to use commercial taxes to make up for it, but the government and gentry groups don't agree. Emperor Wanli just collected some mineral taxes and was scolded by them. If anyone wants to break the monopoly, the counterattack will be even more fierce.

The handicraft industry engaged in by the craftsmen is prosperous. They use their hard-working hands to produce exquisite products day and night, and exports are exchanged for a large amount of silver.However, the silver did not enter the national treasury. It was all taken away by the vanguard of soldiers, farmers, industry and merchants.

Heji has been busy for a long time. The farmers, industry and merchants are all serving the scholars. The emperor, the leader of the scholars, can enjoy the blessings and eat meat, but cannot preside over the distribution of quotas. The treasury can't even drink the broth. Not only is it not beneficial to the country's construction, but it also increases the economic growth. widening the gap between rich and poor and creating more hidden dangers.Externally, they wanted to refuse but welcomed them. Because they were unclear about the specific conditions and development trends of various countries in the world, Ming Dynasty officials were still observing and thinking with the old eyes and minds of 200 years ago, and the conclusions they drew were bound to be far from the facts. .

From the data point of view, foreign trade is definitely in surplus, but the court cannot play a leading and regulatory role. Most foreign trade operations are controlled by the private sector. In other words, it is smuggling. It cannot be said that there is no tax revenue, but there is very little .

The Fo Langji people were not idle either. They saw through the ignorance and incompetence of the rulers of the Ming Empire, and exchanged silver for gold at a price of about 1:6. When they shipped it back, it directly became 1:10. They traded hands back and forth, what kind of goods. There is no need to buy or sell, and huge profits can be easily made by just relying on large-scale arbitrage.

All in all, whether from official or private accounts, the Ming Empire made a profit, exchanging industrial and agricultural products for a large amount of silver, the world's common currency.

According to economic principles, large-scale domestic investment should be triggered next, followed by inflation.Prices are bound to rise, and labor costs will rise with them. In order to curb this trend, it is inevitable to import large quantities of foreign goods.

Domestic materials are becoming more and more abundant, living standards are improving, culture and technology are rising, promoting the rapid development of industry and commerce, attracting more and more countries to join the trade circle led by the Ming Empire, forming a positive cycle, and ultimately increasing national strength rapidly.

But anyone who predicts this will lose all his pants. The laws of modern economics originate from capitalism, and the Ming Empire can only be regarded as bureaucratic capital. Don’t underestimate the difference between the two words. Their core and essence are completely different.

Faced with such a large trade surplus, the Ming Empire not only failed to enter a positive cycle, but instead moved towards deflation step by step.Grain prices have not increased significantly in the past century, and domestic demand continues to be sluggish.

If you read a few economics books, you will know that inflation is better than deflation.The former is just a cold, no matter how severe it is, it is still a cold; the latter is cancer, and even hair cancer is very fatal.

Why is this so?Hong Tao used the second-hand economic knowledge in his mind, combined with the archived information of various departments, and after more than two years of careful verification, he finally came to a very strange conclusion, silver is expensive!

The reason why the price of basic daily necessities such as food has not increased in the past hundred years is not that the material is extremely abundant, but that silver has been quietly increasing in price, which in turn has prevented the price of commodities circulating in the market from increasing.

Hong Tao didn't dare to admit this conclusion at first. The ancients said that things are rare and valuable. With so much silver imported from overseas every year, the domestic silver price should fall. How could it rise?But the fact is right in front of us. You have to admit it even if you don’t want to admit it. The Ming Empire is actually short of money!
Silver is not like rice. Once you eat it, you can no longer use it. If you want more, you have to wait for the next season's harvest.No one would just throw this kind of precious metal away for fun. Even if it is thrown away, someone should pick it up. How can it be possible that the more it is, the more it will be in short supply?Could it be that the trade surplus was miscalculated, and the Ming Empire has always been in deficit?

(End of this chapter)