The Rise of Ming Dynasty 1646

Chapter 259
In fact, several other people had already had the same idea, but they didn't dare to say it clearly, and looked at Lu Yuanhou in unison for a while.

The latter also frowns and hesitates again and again. He still has 22 to 70 shi grains and rice in his hand. If he sells it now, he will still have [-] million taels of silver after returning the money from the bank.

Although this is far from his original goal, if he continues to fight, he may lose all his money.

After a long time, he finally sat back on the chair under the "anticipating" eyes of several other people, nodded dejectedly and said, "If that's the case, let's ship it."

……

"Ministry Yang Ge, you really expected it!" Lin Zunbin walked into the Nanjing government office with his official robes in hand, excitedly said, "All the rice shops in the city are open to sell grain, and the selling price is half a cent lower than the official storehouse. "

Yang Tinglin seemed not surprised, shaking his head and said: "It's not what I expected, it's all in the plan of His Royal Highness. According to His Highness, this is called 'chasing the rise and killing the fall'. As long as the food price falls steadily, these A profiteer with a huge amount of food will surely be unable to hold back.

"Just look at it, His Highness also asserted that the rice in the future will be thrown more and more fiercely."

Lin Zunbin was following Yang Tinglin for a while, seeing that he followed His Royal Highness's arrangement, and attracted profiteers to sell at less than [-] shi grains and rice, he was very impressed, and couldn't help pointing out: "Your Highness is a great talent from ancient times! With his plan, the people in southern Fujian will be relieved of their suffering."

Yang Tinglin nodded in agreement, and then ordered: "Mr. Yan, first let the price of grain in the official warehouse be reduced by five cents per stone.

"You have to keep an eye on the grain price, and make sure that the official grain price is [-]% lower than the market price at any time."

"Subordinate to obey!"

……

ten days later.

In the study room of the auxiliary government's palace, Yang Tinglin was reporting to Chen respectfully, "...then the rice shops in the city had to lower their prices to be similar to those of the official warehouses. The next official followed His Highness's policy and kept reducing the price of rice for several days. Up to two taels of silver per stone.

"It's strange to say that the lower the price, the less eager the people are to buy grain. For a while, the grain merchants in the city saw that the grain in their hands was becoming less and less valuable, and they all panicked, and they spontaneously lowered the price to sell the stockpiled rice.

"Afterwards, there is no need to resign from the government and take any further action. Businessmen, big and small, compete to lower prices, fearing that they will sell more expensive than others. Even when the price of grain is soaring, those country gentry who are reluctant to sell their grain are also panicked, and they are eager to buy food when the price of grain falls. Exchange grain and rice for cash before reaching a lower level.

"For a while, grain was being sold everywhere, but few people cared about it. By the time the officials left Nanjing, a stone of brown rice could only be sold for one or two taels of silver.

"Using the 70 taels allocated by the imperial court to purchase grain will surely ensure that the people in southern Fujian can survive the disaster safely."

"Yang Ge has worked hard for the people's livelihood this time." Zhu Linmi first praised Yang Tinglin, and before he was humbled, he immediately continued, "However, although the disaster in southern Fujian has been resolved, we still cannot take it lightly."

Yang Tinglin hurriedly said solemnly: "Please make it clear, Your Highness."

"Although food prices have plummeted recently due to the explosion of warehouses by profiteers in grain storage, southern Fujian is still a disaster area, and it won't be long before food prices start to rise due to the large number of people buying food.

"Food is the foundation of the people, so the price of food fluctuates so violently that it is harmful and not beneficial to the people. The people grow food in exchange for money to make a living, so if the price of food is too low, the people's life is hard. When the harvest is not good, the people need to pay for food with money At that time, profiteers took the opportunity to drive up food prices, and hungry people were born because of this.”

Zhu Linming looked at Yang Tinglin and said, "What does Yang Ge think about a whip?"

The one-whip method is the pioneering work of Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Shoufu who created Wanli ZTE with one hand. The core idea is to use silver instead of grain and goods to collect taxes, which greatly improved the tax chaos of the Wanli Dynasty. It is one of the important factors for ZTE. .

Yang Tinglin was familiar with this, but he frowned and said, "Your official, it's hard to judge..."

Zhu Linmin nodded. Yang Tinglin did not simply praise Zhang Shoufu, which showed that he still had some understanding of the sufferings of the people.

Zhu Linmei simply said, "The original intention of the whip method is very good, but since the Chongzhen Dynasty, it has been the source of hardship for the people.

"The government sets taxes for the people based on the amount of grain to be paid, but they are all converted into silver money. Therefore, when the grain price is high, the government has to collect more tax silver, but when the grain price is low, they don't care about it, and the amount of the previous year is still the same. collection.

"Since the Year of Apocalypse, the price of food has fluctuated, and the taxes paid by the people have only increased. And the profiteers have even hoarded and profited from it by manipulating the price of food.

"People's taxes are not too heavy, but they can't bear it after being converted into silver. A large number of people were forced to leave their homes because they couldn't pay the taxes. Back then, the invaders recruited these displaced people and made them work for several years. Then it increased to hundreds of thousands!"

Yang Tinglin bowed his head and remained silent, he understood most of these situations, but the accumulated disadvantages are so far, can't one of the whips be abolished?

Zhu Linming continued: "This time, the profiteering business in southern Fujian is also an opportunity. Yang Ge must have made a lot of money from the profiteers, right?"

Yang Tinglin hurriedly said: "The officials sold a total of 11 shi of grain and got nearly 70 taels of silver."

Zhu Linmei nodded and said: "These money, together with the 17 taels allocated by the imperial court, will be used as the Daming grain price control fund."

"What kind of gold did your Highness say?"

"It is to keep a sum of money in the household department, but it is not allowed to be used for other purposes. It is only used to stabilize the price of grain when there is a big fluctuation in the market price of grain." Zhu Linmi explained, "As for how to operate, Yang Ge's department will The move in Nanjing is an example.

"Only when food prices are stable can people's lives be stable, and profiteers can stop speculating.

"By the way, when a 'parity department' is added to the Ministry of Households, a special person is responsible for controlling the stability of grain prices across the country. When taxes are collected in various places, the amount of grain converted into money must also be determined by the parity department. This will prevent local governments from disregarding the price. The common people's livelihood depends on the fluctuation of food prices to increase taxes in disguise."

He let Yang Tinglin digest it for a while, and then continued: "After Yang Ge's department returns to southern Fujian, they can invest 10 taels of silver and store grain and rice at a low price in the official warehouse. On the one hand, it will be used to relieve the victims, and on the other hand, it will be used by profiteers and thieves." If you don’t die, then use these grains to destroy it.”

"The next official will then proceed to do it."

Speaking of people's livelihood issues, Zhu Linmei also thought of the single agricultural tax planned in the "Development Outline". At this time, the catastrophe in southern Fujian can be used as an excuse to carry out "pilot projects" in southern Fujian.

If you find any problems, you can also use the "temporary measures in times of disaster" to make adjustments.

He then said to Yang Tinglin: "As soon as the severe disaster arrives, the land in southern Fujian should focus on recuperation. I will consider reducing or exempting local farmers' taxes. All taxes, donations, and distributions will be cancelled within three years. Only one agricultural tax will be charged, and the tax rate will be set." It's four per cent."

At that time, the tax rate in Ming Dynasty was one-thirty, which was less than [-] percent. However, due to various exorbitant taxes, corruption, and chaotic food prices, the people even had to hand over more than half of their harvest.

Therefore, if the mandatory tax rate is only [-]%, and there is no other apportionment, it will actually reduce the pressure on the people by ten times.

(End of this chapter)