Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 734 Redemption Fee

Although Li Fengjie thought it was feasible, when he thought of owed such a huge sum of money, he couldn't help shaking his head: "If you borrow it, you have to pay it back, plus interest, this is a lot of money!"

"In a few days, it will be the day when the autumn tax will be collected. The floating income per mu will be smoothed out." He Chengzong said, "If the thieves don't leave, the autumn tax will be in great trouble..."

This last sentence moved Li Fengjie a little. Everything in the local government revolved around taxation, which was the most concerned issue of the imperial court.The Kun thief will stay on Henan Island and send troops to collect food and silver every day. How will the autumn Fu be collected in November?He Chengzong is right, as long as the autumn grain is collected, the hole of 30 taels of silver can still be filled.

However, this 30 taels is not a small number after all.Thinking of having to shoulder this debt for no reason, Li Fengjie was in a very unhappy mood.

Why did such a useless thing fall on him!This group of Australians has a huge appetite!Thinking of this, he decided to bargain with the Australians, at least one hundred and eighty thousand.

At the moment, he is noncommittal about He Chengzong's suggestion.Just let him back down first.

He Chengzong felt baffled, and the next day, Gao Ju came to visit and asked how the governor made his decision in the end.In the evening, he continued to send Yan Xiaomao to cross the river to talk with the Australians.

"My lord is noncommittal." He Chengzong said, "My lord neither said yes nor said no."

"Maybe adults have to think about it." Gao Ju said haha.If you don't say "yes", it means "no".Most of the governors are still thinking about bargaining.He secretly sneered: This is called toasting without eating fine wine.

Sure enough, in the next few days, Li Fengjie mobilized horses and soldiers in the city of Guangzhou, conscripted civilians, placed artillery, and put on a "fight to the death" appearance, which confused everyone.He Chengzong thought that his employer was really going to "live and die with the city", so he couldn't help but feel very anxious. After several times of persuasion, Li Fengjie refused to come back.

Gao Ju knew that the governor was just showing off to the thieves outside the city to make them feel timid, so that he could let go of the issue of the city's redemption fee.

Sure enough, one day later, Li Fengjie wanted to go to the Lotus Abode to continue the peace talks.

"My lord, if there is no explanation for the redemption fee, I'm afraid I won't be able to talk about it if I go down."

"You are a businessman, so is it possible that you can buy as much as others ask you?" Li Fengjie was very dissatisfied with Gao Ju's attitude.

He held it high and respectfully said: "My lord, it depends on what kind of goods it is. If it is a rare commodity to live in, of course I will buy as much as he drives."

"Okay, okay. You go and tell the thief that 30 silver is too much, and the city can't get it out. Let them reduce it."

"How much do adults think the reduction will be..."

"This, doesn't it depend on your ability?" Li Fengjie sneered.

"Yes, yes, I will do my best."

This attitude certainly aroused the dissatisfaction of the top management of the task force. Originally, some of the veterans demanded the use of rockets to attack Guangzhou on a large scale, greatly killing the prestige of the Guangdong bureaucrats, but a group of veterans including Wen Desi strongly opposed it. Of course, this was not for the purpose of "protecting cultural relics", but Guangzhou, like all Chinese cities at that time, was a city with brick and wood structures as the main body. scale fire.Maybe it will burn down the whole city.

Guangzhou is one of the most affluent cities in China. It is conceivable how much wealth and useful human resources would be destroyed in a city-wide fire.Many wealthy businessmen will go bankrupt because of this, and the consequences will be disastrous.Travelers could no longer use the city for several years after the war.

Now, Li Fengjie's attitude has brought the idea of ​​bombarding Guangzhou to the surface again.Several veterans of the team asked for this "show of force".

Wen Desi probably also felt that it was necessary to demonstrate their military power-the so-called seeing is believing, lest the bureaucrats hiding in the city lack an intuitive impression of the force of the traversers.Immediately approved the plan to bombard the southern city of Guangzhou.In order to avoid large-scale loss of life and property, the targets of the bombardment were mainly the city defense facilities in the south city and the post station, reception hall, dock and other facilities near the south gate.
On the evening of November 11, the Fubo army fired more than 7 Hale rockets from the preset positions and bombardment boats, completely burning down many defensive facilities near the south gate, as well as the post station and reception hall.The officers, soldiers and brave men guarding the south gate fell into great chaos.The rockets launched by the bombardment boats also concentrated on the majestic three-story tower on the south gate.Under the concentrated bombardment of nearly 200 rounds of Hale rockets, the three-story brick and wood structure quickly fell into a raging fire and burned for a whole night.

According to Chen Haiyang's order, several rockets were also fired into the deep government office concentrated blocks in Guangzhou City to show their power.

Li Fengjie spent a nightmarish night. When the dense rockets began to bombard the southern city, the reception hall and the post station were on fire, and finally even the city tower was on fire, he thought that the thieves were about to attack the city.Hurry up to the south gate with some staff.However, before they got there, the officers, soldiers and brave men who fled from the south gate blocked the road.Their faces were blackened by the smoke and fire, and they panicked and scrambled through the street, not caring about the officers who were intercepting them in front of them.It was so easy for him to wait until the crowd was over, but he didn't dare to look forward anymore—those terrible Australian bolides kept falling from the sky, and it would be over if they were hit on the head.

"Go, go back to the yamen!" Li Fengjie hurriedly ordered.Surrounded by his own soldiers and family members, he rushed back to the Governor's Yamen in a hurry, and another [-] bidding soldiers were called in as backup.Li Fengjie climbed up to the turret and looked towards the direction of the south gate——the flames were raging, and half of the sky was red, looking very frightened.A thought flashed in his mind, if the gangster took the opportunity to break through the city, he would kill himself immediately in the yamen.

At this moment, more than a dozen rockets pierced the night sky like meteors, and flew straight to the deep area of ​​the city, landing in the streets and government offices from time to time, bursting into flames.

The water gongs were beating one after another on the street, and the brave men and the personnel of the Shuishe rushed to put out the fire. Fortunately, there were very few rockets fired here, and the fire head followed, and no greater damage was caused.But such shootings have sparked even greater panic.

Li Fengjie is not inside the house, nor is he outside.The god of death falling from the sky made him feel a great fear that he had never experienced before - as long as he hid behind the thick city wall in the past, no matter what kind of gold and iron horses outside, the bloody wind would not be able to invade his head, but now the high The thick city wall could not protect his life as in the past.

Fortunately, the Kun bandits showed no signs of attacking. After more than half an hour, the rocket attack stopped, and the fleeing officials, officers and soldiers bravely returned to the south gate to fight the fire.

On the second day of the attack, Gao Ju went out of the city and agreed to all the demands made by Wen Desi.

As for raising money, Li Fengjie had no choice but to adopt He Chengzong's "borrowing" plan-let's talk about it after the current difficulties are over.

The next day, He Chengzong went to Gao Ju's house and explained this method to Gao Ju.Gao Ju is the leading figure among foreign merchants in this city, and his attitude can affect many people.

Hold high noncommittal.He raised his eyelids slightly, unexpectedly that He Chengzong could think of such a way.The method that Gao Ju originally prepared for Li Fengjie also started from "borrowing".However, Gao Ju's loan is a statute, how to borrow, how to repay, and the interest rate, he has already calculated it in his mind.He didn't want to say it in person yesterday, because he wanted to avoid suspicion - in the eyes of businessmen, the reputation of the government has not been very good. If one day this loan is defaulted, his colleagues will inevitably scold him as "fascinating." ", making him famous.

Gao Ju had been thinking about how to ask Li Fengjie this suggestion, and now that he came to his door, of course it couldn't be better.

"This is 30 taels." Gao Yang slowly tapped his fan on the sides of the coffee table, "No one has ever let go of such a large sum of money."

"Of course, so you have to ask Mr. Gao to contribute, understand the reason, and ask all the merchants to work together. It will be easy for each household to share some."

Gao Ju smiled slightly, and He Chengzong's thinking was still the same as the government's "apportionment" and "encouragement".In fact, as long as the interest is large enough, you can borrow any amount of money.This Mr. He has not yet understood this principle.He deliberately adjusted his attitude and said, "I'm afraid this matter will be difficult."

"I also know it's difficult. But is there any other way to raise the 30 taels now?" He Chengzong smiled wryly, "The warships of the Kun bandits sailed in the provincial river every day, and they made it clear that they would attack Guangzhou if they didn't pay. For the people of Li and common people in a city."

Gao raised his head and nodded: "I can save it." He said again: "If there is a solution, there must be a return. There must be a regulation: how to borrow, how to repay; how much interest to pay, and how much time to set? Let's say it first and see if it works. ?”

"Borrowing 40 yuan—in addition to the redemption fee, it is necessary to compensate for the loss of the Australian brand name, and it costs [-] to [-] silver. The robbers killed and looted a lot along the way, and there will be some expenses for the compensation—the last is Jingli In the palace, it is necessary to spend some money to avoid trouble." He Chengzong sighed, "If you win a battle, you will reward the three armies, and there will be some expenses on the ground to deal with the aftermath. If you lose a battle, there will be a steady stream of expenses."

Since the fall of Humen, 6 taels of silver have been spent only from the front of the fan treasury and the county treasury of each county.But the money spent is not only the appropriation from the vassal treasury, the "subsidy" from the merchants, the labor and materials collected by the prefectures and counties, and the township rewards for expenses...

How much money was spent in this "Battle of Guangzhou" is already a mess.And in the end there was such a 30 "redemption fee"!
Although He Chengzong didn't know the famous saying "victory is always cheaper", he had a very full understanding that failure means more money spent.He became more and more firm in his claim to be a "peacemaker" or a "surrenderer" reprimanded by some Ming FQs in the future.

Gao Ju thinks that the extra 40 in the [-] miles has various uses, but a large part must be "empty", which is the benefit of officials at all levels.The money has not yet been borrowed, and the benefit account has been prepared.Thinking of this, he couldn't help being very contemptuous.

However, as long as it is profitable and he can guarantee the repayment of the principal and interest at that time, he won't bother to care about how these officials make money in a clever name-if they are all as clear as water and as bright as a mirror, he will still do business with high praise .

"40, 50, let's not talk about it for now. It's just that the interest on this money, how long it will be, how to pay the interest, and how to repay the original need to have a clear explanation, so I can tell everyone about it."

He Chengzong has already thought about this problem: "The annual interest rate is one cent and three cents. The period is one year. The principal and interest are repaid once due."

Gao held up and said slowly: "Mr. He! Gao Mou can't justify this regulation."

He Chengzong secretly scolded "the villain who sees profit and forgets righteousness", but at this time he has something to ask for, so he had to ask patiently: "In Gao Gong's opinion?"

"I don't have any 'see'," Gao Ju said, "Borrowing money is not about the government collecting taxes and paying the food. You can do whatever you say, and you have to have your own intentions in borrowing money." He coughed , cleared her throat, a beautiful maid who was waiting on the side quickly stepped forward and knelt down, and the two sides handed over an enamel colored spit box.

Holding it high, he spit, took another small Australian colored towel from another maid, wiped his mouth, and took a sip of hot tea.

"...The annual interest is one cent three, if there is such an interest of 30 taels to borrow, Gao himself would like to borrow it."

He Chengzong knew that the interest rate was considered too low, so he was secretly alert, and asked cautiously: "How much annual interest rate do you think is appropriate?"

"Don't hide it, brother." Gao Ju said, "Our colleagues dismantle, and in the off-season, we also get [-]% to [-]% of the annual interest. Now that it is the face of Lord Fujun, [-]% is indispensable."

Gao Ju went on to talk about his requirements: the deadline is one year, and only interest will be repaid in the first half of the year;Pay off by the 12th month.

It is said that it is a one-year loan, but in fact, starting from the seventh month, the principal and interest will be repaid step by step.The actual interest is much higher than the one-time repayment of debt and interest at maturity.

However, this condition is very suitable for the government's financial situation. He Chengzong is very clear that it is impossible for the Guangdong government to take out 47 taels of silver at one time when it expires.It's easier to do it piecemeal.

"This makes it possible." He Chengzong nodded, "But this matter requires the approval of the Fujun."

"Naturally." Nodding his head high, he asked, "What will I pay you back then?"

"Of course I made up my mind in the autumn tax. A few cents per mu will be equal. As long as Mr. Gao goes to tell the merchants this way, don't they still trust the province's land tax as a guarantee?"

Gao Ju sighed: "Brother He! You are really a scholar. To borrow money, one must have evidence in black and white, and the other must be secured by collateral. You old saying, how can people give money?"

He Chengzong was at a loss for a moment. In his opinion, a word from the Governor was not enough?In this Guangdong Province, there are not many people who say one sentence is worth [-] sentences.

"The reputation of the governor's yamen, isn't it enough?"

"Of course, it's just this proof?" Gao Ju saw that he was not enlightened at all, so he had no choice but to cut straight to the point, "Master Li has a lot of opportunities to benefit the people of the whole province. If there are too many current affairs, forget about it—what do you say?" Shouldn’t all of us borrowing money hang ourselves?”

He Chengzong was speechless.It is by no means unheard of for an official to renege on his debts and not count his words.

"...Even if you have an IOU, you still have to pay for it." Gao Ju said with a smile, "One day Mr. Li will be promoted, but before the money is repaid, another adult will be promoted. The old man said: I didn't borrow the money, so I don't care. Everyone has to hang themselves again."

He Chengzong knew that Gao Ju's words were true, but he was mortgaged by an IOU.He was very embarrassed.It was unheard of for the governor's yamen to issue a loan certificate. If one or two of the slips were lost and some censor got it, Governor Li would definitely be overwhelmed and walk around.

Gao Ju knew that he might not be able to get this IOU, but luckily he had other plans.

"There is an IOU from the governor's yamen, of course it is the best guarantee. But as long as there are guarantee items, that's enough."

The mortgage proposed by Gaoju is Yanyin.According to the total amount of principal and interest, some salt and catty figures are added as appropriate as the transportation and marketing expenses, and a one-time payment is made to the merchant who borrowed as collateral.Yanyin is the most reputable securities in the hands of the government, and businessmen will never refuse to use this as a guarantee.

"Salt can be used as soon as you get it, and it can also be resold privately. What if illegal profiteers take the opportunity to resell it?"

"It's not difficult. Just put a stamp on the salt note: it can only be used after a certain day of a certain year - this date is the date when the final repayment is due." Gao Ju said, "When repaying the loan, let everyone Just bring salt and bring it in for exchange."

"This method is very good." He Chengzong was convinced.There are indeed some ways to exalt this.He Chengzong is not a rotten Confucian who has studied hard - otherwise he would not be a trusted aide to the governor, but he knows very little about the way of doing business.Hold it high and broadcast it a little bit to draw inferences from one instance.After several hours of secret talks, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

This agreement was not made into a draft agreement, nor was it written down, but each other promised that the oral agreement would never be reversed.The agreed methods and conditions are:

First, the total amount of borrowings is 40 taels of Kuping silver; by holding the head high, soliciting merchants to undertake the loan.

Second, the annual interest is [-] cent and [-] percent, and only the interest is paid in the first six months, and the principal is repaid month by month in the next six months.After one year, the principal and interest will be paid off.

Third, the loan is mortgaged by the equivalent amount of salt issued by the governor's office.Plus 3% premium.Salt cited on the stamped deadline.Repayment to the governor's office month by month according to the monthly repayment of principal and interest.

These three methods were reported by He Chengzong to Li Fengjie after he returned.When Li Fengjie heard that Yanyin was used as collateral, he thought to himself that this exaltation was really a ghostly idea, so he agreed to it one by one.

It will take some time to raise money. Li Fengjie was afraid of being bombarded with rockets by the Australians again, so he ordered that 10 taels be temporarily withdrawn from Fan Kuli, and sent to the Australian camp in the dark.Yan Xiaomao also went with him, and asked Wen and Chen for another three days in order to prepare for all the remaining money.

(End of this chapter)