People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 171 Based on this policy, it would not be too much to grant Chen Han the title of Duke! !

Therefore, Chen Han is now more and more determined that he can successfully reform in Zhu Yuanzhang's era.

It's not because Zhu Yuanzhang has strong execution ability.

It's because Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor, has a very strong receptive ability.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang can better understand the difficulties of the people at the bottom.

Although he definitely wants to maintain his imperial rule and the happiness of his children and grandchildren, otherwise he would not be able to give his children and grandchildren such high enjoyment.

But it should be noted that these shortcomings cannot cover up his advantages.

His advantages are really like a sponge, able to absorb more things.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to rise from a low-level begging monk to a high-ranking emperor.

And it can launch a prosperous Hongwu era.

Being able to manage the people relatively well and restore production capacity better laid a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty.

Even he is the best emperor in formulating systems.

His abilities are extremely high.

The reason why Chen Han had the impression that he was an emperor who could only kill people was because of the criticism from those civil servants.

Because many people have not experienced how corrupt officials were in the late Yuan Dynasty, they cannot feel how oppressed the people were at that time.

That's why we can't feel the same way about Zhu Yuanzhang's behavior.

All I know is that he killed so many people for his own benefit and for his complete dominance.

After arriving here, Chen Han discovered that the lives of ordinary people were really different from what he imagined in TV series and what he imagined.

The people here don't really value money, but they value food very seriously. This is because they basically spend two-thirds of the year without enough to eat, and the remaining three One-quarter is basically at the half-full stage.

So what they value is food rather than money.

So the reason why the finance of the Ming Dynasty was so poor was because there were too many natural and man-made disasters.

At the same time, the interests of too many landlords and their customs have formed a kind of accumulation, making it impossible for these landlords to get along with the common people.

After so many years of vicious cycles, these landowners will always remember only one lesson - annexing land.

After you have money, you must buy land, and then let your children and grandchildren collect rent and food so that they can live the life they have now.

There is simply no other way out.

And the entire society has become like this. We cannot blame the feudal era, nor can we blame anyone. We can only say that it is a product of the times, and it is sad.

After watching the play, Chen Han had a deep understanding of it. He was full of praise for Zhu Youdun's adaptation of the play and the play.

So he decided to let Zhu Youdun arrange more operas that are easy to understand on this basis, and he could set up a form of going to the countryside to express condolences and tour various rural areas.

The reason why we want to go to the countryside is because the entire empire is dominated by agriculture, and the people, especially the people in the countryside, are the largest subjects.

Let them all know the current tax reform, let them all know the status of today's businessmen, let them all know the status of today's craftsmen, and let them all know that the entire social atmosphere is changing. This is the most important way to change the entire grassroots level. .

And how to spread it?

A dramatic approach like this is the easiest.

Because there are not many entertainment options, being able to watch a movie for free is such a great enjoyment, and it is even more attractive than watching outdoor movies now.

Through this entertaining and educational method, we can let the common people know about the current reform and make them no longer ignorant. This is the most important way of reform now.

When Chen Han told Zhu Yuanzhang and Xia Yuanji this, they were the two most able to understand this aspect.

The next step is simple.

Chen Han followed Zhu Yuanzhang in Ningbo Mansion, and under Xia Yuanji's introduction, he learned about the changes that had occurred during his absence for more than half a year.

Now that Ningbo Prefecture Shipping Department has opened a port, Chen Han feels that there is hope for opening a sea.

Because according to Xia Yuanji, although the Municipal Shipping Department is now established, maritime merchants are only allowed to go ashore to do business from March to August every year.

Moreover, the scope of maritime business is still limited to Ningbo Prefecture and cannot go to other places.

But this is already considered progress.

What surprised him even more was that what Shibosi promoted was not only business, but also a kind of knowledge.

After the common people saw the foreigners outside, they no longer regarded them as monsters and monsters. This was a kind of progress.

Chen Han also saw that the treasure notes next to the Shibo Division all mentioned the semicolon established by the Division in this place, which played a very important role.

It is not just about exchanging silver. At the same time, after overseas merchants come ashore, the first thing they need to do is to sell the items they have in hand, and then get the treasure banknotes before they can trade.

"How come you can still sell goods when you go to the treasure bank to raise money?" Chen Han asked with a smile.

Xia Yuanji replied: "It's like this. After the Zhejiang Baochao Department established a branch here, many maritime merchants reported a problem when exchanging Baochao. They brought a lot of goods, but no one bought them. .

The main reason is that their goods have not appeared in Daming. They don't want to sell them at low prices for fear of losing money, but they don't want to buy more of our people. Since our shipping company is only open for half a year every year, they are afraid of losing time, so I want to know the value.

As for the officials of the Baochao Duti Jue Department, because the officials of the Baochao Duti Jusi Department are all members of the Jinyiwei, these people have been exposed to a lot of tribute and other goods in the palace for many years, and have been exposed to many foreign treasures. As for strange treasures, they have a relatively broad vision and can recognize the value of these things.

So these overseas businessmen took these treasures to Baochao Dutisi and exchanged them directly for Baochao, which was equivalent to a mortgage.

But they rarely redeem this kind of mortgage, because after they get the treasure money, they go to purchase our Ming Dynasty's goods.

When the Baochao Dutiji Division obtains these overseas goods, it will organize exhibitions from time to time for the people to visit. On the one hand, it is to display the goods and let the people know what these things are. On the other hand, the highest bidder gets it, free. Buy and sell.

Therefore, word of mouth spreads from person to person. Once overseas businessmen have any products that cannot be sold, they will come to the Baobao Promotion Department.

Baochaodujiu will usually give a price that is reasonable for both parties.

Over time, this became a consensus. "

This shocked Chen Han quite.

Because this is just like a bank, because ordinary people or ordinary businessmen have no idea how much these gems and weird things they get outside are worth.

So the maritime merchants went to the treasure bank to raise documents and mortgage them.

But it is said to be a mortgage, but it is actually a sale.

After the Baochao Dutiji Division obtained these goods, they would hold exhibitions from time to time to popularize these new things to the public, and they would also sell them on the spot.

This form is good, because it won’t take long for people to slowly accept these new things.

Anyway, in a word, the imperial court should first give the common people the truth.

Chen Han couldn't help but sigh: "This method is very good. In this way, both maritime merchants and the people can benefit." Xia Yuanji nodded: "That's the truth."

Zhu Yuanzhang was on the side and admired Xia Yuanji and the others' actions.

Chen Han stood at the yamen entrance of Baochaodutiu Si, which lasted only a stick of incense, but he saw several groups of maritime merchants coming in and out of Baochaodutiusi.

For example, the Southeast Asian generation has short, dark-skinned foreign businessmen.

There are even a few foreigners with red hair and blue eyes among them.

It must be said here that many people think that foreigners came ashore only during the great voyages.

That's wrong, because in the Yuan Dynasty, there were already countless people with lustful eyes.

The so-called color-eyed people mean that their eyes are different colors. In fact, to put it bluntly, they are either from Europe or Persians.

They didn't necessarily realize that this giant country in the East had inexhaustible supplies from the time of the great voyage, and it was already well-known.

So it's not surprising to see Chen Han, a businessman from various countries.

The bags behind their backs were all bulging in front of them as they entered and exited the banknote collection office. But the moment they came out and happily counted the banknotes, Chen Han knew that the situation was slowly changing.

Although Chen Han didn't tell them that the goods of overseas merchants could be brought to the treasure bank first.

It was just for the common people to take the treasure notes and go to the Treasure Note Office to redeem the money. But now during the implementation process, something unexpected happened to him.

Because the people did not know how much the goods brought by overseas merchants were worth in a short period of time, so they first went to the Treasure Bank Office to exchange the goods they brought, but what they got in exchange was not money. , when it was a piece of paper, Chen Han knew that everything he was doing now was worth it.

Because after he just stated a concept, smart people in the Ming Dynasty would know how to operate it without any instructions.

For example, the Treasure Bank Treasury originally stored a large amount of silver for the people to exchange.

But what is waiting now is that some foreigners from overseas also come to exchange treasure notes. In fact, it is a transaction.

Because after their overseas merchants got the treasure money, they had to buy and sell things within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, otherwise they would lose money.

What do they buy with these treasures?

Go buy porcelain, silk, and tea. Although these things will still flow out like this, foreigners from overseas will also bring in foreign goods.

Either exchange it for equal value, or sell it at a loss.

Just like those gems.

These gems may not be valuable in places where cat's eye is produced in Sri Lanka, for example, but they are worth a lot of money if they are bought and sold in the Ming Dynasty.

In the same way, porcelain may not be sold at a high price here in the Ming Dynasty, but when sold outside, it can be sold at a high price.

This is the exchange of goods between the place of origin and the non-place. This is the exchange of goods with goods. Currency only plays a mediating role in the middle. This is the real transaction.

It's not like the silver came in and was stored and turned into a stone.

This is a unfair deal.

The interesting thing about this rule is that.

Everyone knows that gold and silver are very valuable, but according to the laws of our Ming Dynasty, this cannot be directly used as a currency transaction, otherwise it will be illegal.

You must go to the Baobao Department to exchange the Baobao at the exchange price, and then you can go outside for transactions.

In this way, the pricing power is in the hands of Ming Dynasty.

Even though silver is valuable, it still has to be exchanged according to the Ming Dynasty's treasure banknotes and silver exchange rate.

The notice board at the entrance of Baochao Duti Jusi's yamen is updated with information almost every month.

Including the exchange ratio between treasure banknotes and silver, and the exchange ratio between treasure banknotes and copper coins.

This information can clearly inform people about the exchange price, and at the same time, it can also popularize overseas products and country conditions on the notice board.

For example, now, Chen Han clearly saw that there were three columns of redemption information.

[The banknote is always exchanged for 330 three cents]

[One tael of silver exchanged for three notes]

[One tael of gold to six taels of silver]

Very clear!

Isn’t this the so-called international gold price that banks display on their scrolling screens every day?

Ah!Don't underestimate the wisdom of the ancients, they are really powerful.

After walking around the street for a while, after Xia Yuanji's introduction, they found that every food seller on the street had the name of a certain food store of the Ming Dynasty Chamber of Commerce.

And this is what Chen Han calls state-owned enterprises.

Because after Chen Han asked, he discovered that the price of each kilogram of food here, if converted into RMB, is equivalent to one yuan and two cents to one yuan and three kilograms, and the rice is very good.

Common people can afford it.

That's why Chen Han didn't see any other food stores on this street. Chen Han asked what was going on.

Xia Yuanji said: "According to the grain subsidy policy you mentioned, the Ming Dynasty now implements the method where the imperial court collects grain and then sells it directly in the grain stores set up by the imperial court.

If the common people cannot eat the food produced in their own homes, they can directly sell it to the court.

Those grain merchants also purchase grain from ordinary people.

Taking into account the shipping costs, the common people would also give grain merchants a relatively good price, but it would always be higher than the price sold by the court, because no one was a fool.

After the imperial court's overwhelming propaganda, everyone knew that the price of food purchased by the imperial court was very high. It was related to the food problem of the common people. The imperial court spared no effort in publicizing it, and the common people were also the most sensitive.

Merchants make a profit difference between the court and the common people, and the common people can accept it.

As a result, private grain merchants would no longer buy and sell directly with the people themselves, but would sell the purchased grain to the court.

Zhinian, isn’t this the kind of policy you think of?
Since then, the common people have benefited. When they go to buy grain, they find it is cheaper and the price is very constant.

Because just like what you said, in the year of good harvest, the grain is taken back and stored in the warehouse.

It is sold during times of famine to balance the price of food on the market.

The common people eat cheap food, which is awesome. "

Xia Yuanji said very excitedly...

(End of this chapter)