King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Chapter 75 Lao Zhu treats merchants
  While talking.

Zhu Yuanzhang was pacing.

Zhu Biao smiled when he saw this.

Having been with my father for so long, I naturally know his habits.

If the father wants to take back Zhu Tan's salt field, he will immediately order the bachelor who is waiting on the side to draw up an edict and make arrangements.

Then there is no need to talk about this matter, it is a foregone conclusion.

But now, seeing his father pace around without taking the next step, it proves that he is still hesitant about this matter.

Zhu Biao couldn't help but said: "Father, my son, I see that my tenth brother, although he is informal in daily life, is very reliable in doing things and is not like Meng Lang!

Why not let the tenth brother try? "

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Prince, this Changlu Salt Field is of no small importance. Its annual income accounts for 10% of the national treasury! What's more, because of the opening of China, troops are sent to the north every year to raise grain, grass and weapons. It is also thanks to the role of the Changlu Salt Field that it can be so smooth!
  If this line is broken, the impact on the country will be huge! Have you thought clearly about the risks involved? "

Zhu Biao smiled and said: "Father, I am willing to believe in my tenth brother!

Changlu Saltworks lost up to one million taels of silver a year, but the tenth brother brought tens of millions of taels of silver to the court last time!

Of course, no matter how great the credit is, it cannot be overtaken, but I can see from the outstanding performance of the tenth brother last time that he is decisive and clear in thinking, which is definitely not comparable to ordinary people!

The way we dealt with the Japanese pirates that time was not as good as that of our tenth brother even if we were personally present!

The Changlu Saltworks involves the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of households and is related to military and national affairs. Erchen does not believe that the tenth brother would make fun of such a big matter just for the sake of fooling around!

Father, you better believe in your tenth brother! "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and smiled slightly.

"That's what we think too! Tan'er's performance last time was so outstanding that she can be called brave and resourceful!
  Some time ago, Jin Yiwei's secret report in Qingzhou also mentioned Tan'er! "

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Nowadays, many people in Rizhao County have set up temples to Tan'er in their homes! People pray for him day and night!
  One is because he led his troops to help, destroyed the Japanese pirates, and relieved the people's troubles. The other thing is that the common people have seen the true meaning of Tan'er's disdain for the shabby things they worked for last time. That is because Tan'er did not want to disturb the people and said this deliberately! "

Zhu Biao was a little shocked when he heard this.

Lisheng shrine?
  Is that an exaggeration?

However, when it comes down to it, the tenth brother deserves the life-saving grace!
  Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said: "You stinky boy Tan'er! It was originally an act of self-destruction, but I wanted to show sympathy to the people! I didn't expect that what I did was too superficial and was seen by others! In other words, we are his father, and he is among the people. It doesn’t matter how high your prestige is!
  However, it can also be seen from this incident that Tan'er loves the people in his heart.

It is precisely because of this that we don’t believe that he would use it to make fools of the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of kitchen households! "

Zhu Biao asked curiously: "If that's the case, why does my father want to take back the salt field?"

Zhu Yuanzhang walked on the sidewalk: "Tan'er took away such a large sum of money from that Shanxi merchant Cao Wenlong. Do you think Shanxi merchants will still buy salt from Changlu Salt Farm?"

Zhu Biao was stunned, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I guess not."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed: "Shanxi merchants have dominated the world since the Tang and Song Dynasties, and their favorite thing to do is collusion between officials and businessmen!

What you do for a living is often related to the national economy and people’s livelihood! It’s no wonder that after so many changes of dynasties, it is still prosperous and remains the number one business gang in the world! Although we disdain these merchants, we are well aware of their potential!
  Back then, Shanxi merchants were cooperating with the Yuanmeng Tatars and at the same time were cowardly with the Red Scarf Army. Later, when they saw that we had killed Chen Youliang and gained momentum, they came to help us again!
  When it comes to being able to have both sides, these guys are far better than ordinary people!

Jin Yiwei has been keeping an eye on them all these years!

Today, Shanxi merchants control more than 80% of the country's salt sales and more than 60% of the grain and rice transportation and sales!
  Tan'er got a sum of money from Cao Wenlong!
  But this also offended Shanxi merchants to death. Next, they will definitely not buy salt from Changlu Salt Farm. By then, even if the salt from the salt farm can be produced, it will be difficult to sell it! "

When Zhu Biao heard this, his expression became very serious.

"My ministers have also heard about the affairs of the Shanxi merchants. Some ministers are not clean, and they are basically benefiting from them! Should I punish them?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and shook his head.

“Prince, we don’t like merchants!

Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, businessmen are at the bottom.

We have always paid attention to the basics and ignored the weak!

I wish there were no businessmen in the world.

But it doesn’t work.
  Merchants communicate their goods and travel around the world. This role cannot be replaced by anyone!

Not to mention anything else, just when the imperial court was transporting money, food and military equipment to the north, merchants were indispensable during this period!
  Without them, the imperial court's transportation costs would be at least two to three times higher! "

Hearing this, Prince Zhu Biao nodded with a wry smile.

Before the imperial court implemented the Kaizhong Law, the government often organized the transportation of ordnance and food to the front line, but the consumption was extremely huge.

Even the people who transported the goods were doing corvee labor. The labor force was costless to the court, but the amount of grain and grass consumed during the period was also extremely large.

On the contrary, after the implementation of the Kaizhong method, after calculation, as long as a certain amount of salt is given to the merchant, a sufficient amount of materials can be exchanged!

Save a lot more than before!
  These businessmen even pioneered the practice of hiring people to reclaim wasteland on the frontiers, producing food locally and sending it to the front line!

In this way, it not only solved the problem of military food on the front line, but also developed the productivity of the border areas and stabilized the imperial rule there.

It truly means spending a little money to do big things!
  Such efficiency and creativity are indeed not possessed by the imperial court.

So.

It was only then that Zhu Yuanzhang promoted the Kaizhong method in various places.

Not only salt can be used, but tea and iron can also be used!
  The imperial court uses limited-sale resources to purchase merchant services. It has always been a win-win situation.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "Prince, do you know why we always advocate hiding wealth among the people and not competing with the people for profit?
  We have stipulated that the commercial tax is 30 tax 1. If the local government dares to exceed it, it may be punished for violating the order!
  We are also opposed to linking management assessment with tax collection!
  When we heard that officials from the Taxation Department of Zhangde Prefecture actually levied persimmon tax, livestock tax, food tax, etc. from farmers, we arrested them all and severely punished them!
  What is this for? "

Zhu Biao said with a smile: "My father is practicing the way of the Holy Lord and the Mingjun, so he is naturally considerate of the people!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "We don't expect to be a Holy Lord and Mingjun! But we know that it is not easy for ordinary people to live! It's strange to say these years!
  Natural disasters have continued year after year, which are much more serious than those in previous dynasties, let alone compared with Song Dynasty. People in Ming Dynasty often suffered from drought, cold and exhaustion!
  If it is a rich and blessed land, we can impose heavy taxes, but this cannot be the case in a barren land!

We even have to reduce or reduce rents and taxes, activate merchants, and let them transfer excess wealth from wealthy places to barren places!
  In this way, people will have a way to survive! "

(End of this chapter)