Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2609
Jiujiang Township has monopolized the fish flower fishing rights in the Xijiang River since the reign of Hongzhi, thus forming a fairly prosperous freshwater fish breeding industry chain.The inspection task Zhang Xiao arranged for Chen Wuren was to gain an in-depth understanding of the local fish fry farming industry in Jiujiang. Flower market - the market days of different markets are different.

Due to the market license system of the Ming Dynasty, there are many markets in various places that are not found in local chronicles.As for the reason, because many markets are illegal.

Only when the owner of the market applies for a license can it be legal to manage the market, and can it be recognized explicitly or implicitly by the local government and written into the local annals.This is the tax system that many people in the Senate opposed.Naturally, many market owners did not obtain government licenses at all, and still collected rent and taxes.These people are people with strong backgrounds, and local officials often dare not offend them.

The Yuewan Ruins, Longyong Ruins, and Liangcun Ruins that existed in the Wanli period did not appear in Wanli's "Nanhai County Chronicles" or even the later Chongzhen County Chronicles, and the builders of the ruins were Chen Dacan and Huang Xianfu. Senior officials.

In the 28th year of Jiajing, Xiang Qiao, the chief envoy of Guangdong Province, who was in charge of Lingnan Road Zuo Zhengzheng, promulgated the decree "forbidding the owner of the ruins to benefit the citizens". He believed that the imperial court had established a customs system. Imposing tariffs on incoming and outgoing goods should no longer encroach on the profits of small markets, but governments at all levels issue licenses to market owners and charge certain fees, allowing market owners to collect land rent for market venues or take points for incoming and outgoing goods.

Judging from his proposition, the natural intention is excellent, and the starting point is to reduce the burden on the people.To put it bluntly, whether it is called points, land rent, sanitation fees, or booth fees, the resulting costs will eventually be passed on to consumers.

But the prosperity of the market, to put it bluntly, is the demand of the market economy.This cannot be changed by a simple ban from the government.The local government still acquiesced in the existence of this prosperous local economy and increased income.Xiang Qiao's decree obviously had no effect, at least in the Xiqiao area, the lord system has spread on a large scale.

The Finance and Taxation Bureau is very interested in the market system. To be honest, the market is a handle on tax collection.With the market, it is possible to collect taxes on various sporadic economic activities.Therefore, Wang Qiyi and his wife have been thinking about how to "regulate" the owner of the market.

Zhang Xiao was also very interested, because the income from the market was an important supplement to the local finances of the Ming Dynasty. If this income was straightened out, the local officials could have money to do something.

Mo Yu used to be a poor man, and he voted for Shi Shishi for his livelihood. He robbed houses and robbed houses under Zhucai's old banner, and lived a life of licking blood. Later, he followed Lin Baiguang and voted for Lingao.Because he has a little understanding of machinery, he became a technical arm in the navy, but he was accidentally paralyzed in operation during a routine exercise. He himself was slightly disabled in his left hand and retired, and was assigned to the police system as a casual job.Until the Senate went north and lacked manpower, disabled people with old qualifications like him who wanted to do something practical were also reactivated.

"Section Chief Chen, you may not believe it. Believe it or not, my underwater skills are quite top-notch. I once held my breath in the water for 1 minute, and caught a ten-pound dace by diving with bare hands and no equipment... "

Mo Yu looked like an ugly version of Su Bingtian, but he liked blowing water very much. He kept talking all the way, and Chen Wuren couldn't stand it in his heart, but he also learned a lot of useful information from him in advance.

"From March every year, the upper reaches of the Xijiang River rise, and the big fish produce roe and flow down the river, turning into fish flowers at the wide and slow bends. Danhu along the river has to form a team with dozens of families to raise enough money to go to Jiujiang. Buy fish cards to catch and sell them to 'household'. Jiujiang dealers, fish species first, count the fish with the left hand, and count the money with the right hand. They all say "clouds emerge in April, and Dan Jiagong is drowned". When the fish flowers come, It is also a time when the wind and clouds are unpredictable, the wind and waves on the West River are high and the water is heavy, and if one is not careful, the boat will be destroyed. You don't know that when we were Dan people, our life was miserable..." Mo Yu Thinking of the hard days before, I couldn't help but sell them miserably.

Chen Wuren said: "We are both fallen people in the world, following the chief is considered to be the right person!"

Mo Yu said: "Isn't that right? I'm a serious official of the imperial court. In the previous court, I was on the same level as the Jiangpu Inspection Department. I'm the ninth grade!"

The group went on to blow some water.

The fish fry industry in Jiujiang has a very fine division of labor. Those who catch fish from the fish port in Danhu are called "Zhaojia", and those who buy fish from "Zhuangjia" in the flower pond and sell them after they grow up are called "Zaojia". , buy fish from "Zaojia" and raise them in large fish ponds. When the fish is full or at the end of the year, those who put the fish in the dry pond water and sell them in the market are called "cultivators".Zhuangjia is responsible for the primary rearing and classification of fish fry. After 20 to 30 days of feeding, the fish fry can be sold out of the pond. Because it is summer, it is called Xiahua, and Zaojia specializes in breeding larger-sized summer flower fish. .Farmers buy summer flowers from Zaojia, raise fish and sell them.

The fish flower market is right next to the river, and it is convenient for the fish flower boats to load fish.Since the loading time of natural fish flowers starts in March, there are no fish flowers sold in the fish flower market yet, but many people have come to order.

A fish and flower boat was docked on the shore, and there were two indigenous men standing on the shore talking, one tall and one short, forming an interesting contrast.

The tall man took out a pack of Holy Ship cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to the short man, asking, "Are you still raising fish and flowers?"

The short man looked black, as if he had a bad complexion, he took out a match and lit the cigarette he took, lit another one for the tall man, and said, "I don't want to do it, I'm too tired! I'm not in good health , I’m exhausted to death, the ghost will take care of you.”

The tall one said: "That's right, your son can support himself at home. Fortunately, he has suffered all his life, and the hardships are all rewarding."

The short man didn't look very happy, and said: "It's just this life, it's like this for the rest of my life."

"I heard a strange thing recently..." The tall man said a little mysteriously.

"Oh? What is so mysterious?"

"I heard from fishmongers in Leizhou and Gaozhou that business was so bad last year that they lost all their underwear."

"What's so strange about this?" The short man didn't take it seriously, "The Australians came in, and the army is in chaos, so what kind of business can't be lost?"

"Leizhou Mansion is very close to the old nest of the Australians. It has long been infiltrated by the Australians like a sieve. As soon as the army arrives, it will be decided. There is no such thing as chaos."

"Oh? What's going on?"

"The cultivator over there bought fry from Lingao."

"What!" The short man's face changed drastically. Although the villagers of Jiujiang monopolized the fish flower fishing rights in Xijiang, they also paid thousands of taels of fish pay.Jiujiang's fish flower sales network extends to Qingyuan and Shaozhou in the north, Huizhou and Chaoshan in the east, and Fengchuan and Gaolei in the west. In later generations, tall ships even sailed from Luzon and Nanyang to buy fish flowers.Now if someone no longer needs Jiujiang's Yuhua and their income decreases, the salary hanging on their heads is quite a lot.

The short man asked, "There is neither a big river nor a big lake in Lingao, so where can we find freshwater fish and flowers?"

"Who can tell what happened to the Australians? Some people say that the Australians conjured them up with the power of water and fire."

"Guan Youde! Guan Youde!" Mo Yu, who came by boat, saw the short man from a distance and shouted.

Hearing the sound, seeing that it was Mo Yu, the short man immediately changed into a smiling expression. He obviously knew Mo Yu, and responded from a distance: "Master Mo, why are you free to come to the Fish and Flower Market today?"

After the boat docked and stopped, Mo Yu threw a cigarette to each of Guan Youde, and pointed to the companions to introduce him: "I have some distant relatives who want to start a fish business, so take them here for a walk."

Several naturalized cadres in the same company all have Fujian and Cantonese accents. After wearing wigs, they look no different from the natives. Guan Youdexin thought it was true, and said: "I am very familiar with this fish and flower market. There is nothing I don't know. Since they are relatives of Master Mo, their affairs are my affairs, so feel free to speak up if you need me."

The tall man said: "Master Mo has found the right person today."

Mo Yu didn't know the tall man, so he asked, "Who is your Excellency?"

Guan Youde introduced: "This is my good friend, Zhong Ji, who is a home builder in this township."

"That's work!"

In this way, the inspection team, led by Guan Youde, wandered around the fish and flower market.Guan Youde is a member of the Guan family in Jiujiang. It is said that his ancestors can be traced back to Guan Yu, who migrated here during the Southern Song Dynasty.The Jiujiang Guan family has Shude, Shimei, Dianxun, Shide, Qiyi, and Sicheng six halls. In the rural areas of old time and space, if a family has three sons, the words are more effective than the village police station, so the clan is numerous. Qian's Guan family is definitely a first-class family in the local area.

Chen Wuren used to be the factory director of Lingao Popsicle Factory, and he managed dozens of people under his command. His speech and behavior were mature and stable. Apart from Mo Yu, he was the oldest in the team. Guan Youde believed that he was the leader of these people. Then he asked him: "I don't know the old man's name? Where does he live in the world?"

"Miangui's surname is Chen, from Xiangshan." Chen Wuren replied.

"Xiangshan, are you going to sell fish or raise fish?"

"fish culture."

"Then you will become a farmer. The old man will ask Zhong Ji to buy summer flowers. He will definitely not cheat you." Guan Youde took a puff of cigarette, "Is there a ready-made fish pond?"

With the information he learned from Mo Yuchuishui along the way, Chen Wuren didn't panic, and said: "There are tens of acres of clan farmland in the clan. Because it is low-lying and close to the water, the grain production is not high. The elders of the clan discussed how to change it to a fish pond. However, there are few fishponds in my Fragrant Mountain, and no one in my family has such experience, so I was sent to Guibao to visit and learn Buddhist scriptures."

"Then you've come to the right place." Guan Youde said, "It's just that the cost of selecting the foundation and forming the pond is not low. Mr. Chen's family is really big money."

"Since ancient times, fish mulberry has been the most beneficial. If it can be done, it will be the foundation of the whole family for a hundred years."

"Master Chen really has a long-term vision!" Guan Youde raised his thumb.

(End of this chapter)