The Prosperous Era of Longwan

How to compress the shipping department for trade has become a major issue that Wei Guangde has to consider.

According to the results of Wei Guangde's previous police investigation, although the monthly trade volume between Hong Kong and Hong Kong is as high as five million taels of silver, the goods exported from the three major shipping companies each year are worth more than one million taels.

Because the vast majority of merchants cannot obtain the prospecting and contracting procedures, they naturally cannot pretend to be tribute envoys and go to the Shipping Department to conduct transactions.

But even so, if the goods worth more than one million taels were taxed, at least nearly 400,000 taels of tax money would be lost.

Wei Guangde proposed restricting market shipping. Zhang Juzheng and Lu Tiaoyang both understood and wanted to understand the benefits.

They have no obvious tendency because they themselves are not involved in business, but they can still understand the meaning of Wei Guangde's words and increase the court's financial revenue.

They knew it, but they couldn't agree with it.

Lu Tiaoyang said: "Mr. Wei Ge, I'm afraid we need to discuss it carefully at this time.

The Shibo Division received envoys from surrounding vassal states who came to pay tribute. They traveled thousands of miles and always had to earn some travel expenses.

If you think about it, you can understand the situation in the surrounding vassal countries. They are all poor and weak countries. If the imperial court still imposes high taxes on them, then..."

Lu Tiaoyang couldn't tell the court to collect taxes from them, because he was afraid that the surrounding vassals would stop paying tribute to the emperor.

After all, there are still two queen mothers and young emperors sitting in the palace, which is somewhat difficult to say.

"Mr. Lu Ge is worrying too much."

Wei Guangde chuckled and replied: "From the fact that the King of Sulu took the initiative to request an audience, could it be that Mr. Lu Ge has not understood the essence of tribute from the vassal state.

In fact, the commercial ship trade carried out after paying tribute was not what these vassal states needed at all. These interests were only valued by some powerful people in the vassal states.

For the vassal kings of various countries, a powerful Ming Dynasty, a Ming Dynasty that can ensure their safety, is what they need most.

The Sulu Kingdom took the initiative to pay tribute, definitely not because of the small amount of goods imported and exported from the tribute trade, but because it wanted to attach itself to the Ming Dynasty to resist the surrounding neighbors who were ill-intentioned towards them. "

When Wei Guangde said this, he looked at Zhang Juzheng and Tan Lun who nodded slightly, and then continued: "My Ming Navy has not been to Nanyang for more than a hundred years. In addition, the previous mishandling of Yunnan officials resulted in the loss of our Ming Dynasty to the Nanyang vassal state." The influence is weakening.

Siam was attacked by Burma several times and even perished, but it never asked the Ming Dynasty for help. In fact, this was all due to the decline in the influence of the Ming Dynasty.

This time the South China Sea navy goes south, it will definitely have a considerable impact on the countries in Southeast Asia.

Now that the navy has occupied Luzon, the next step is to regain the old port of Xuanweisi. By then, it will become a routine for the navy to go south, and the Ming Dynasty's influence on Southeast Asia and even Western countries is bound to rebound.

Even if they are prohibited from trading ships, they will rush to pay tribute in order to rely on the Ming Dynasty in order to obtain protection.

Thinking about the time when all the nations came to the dynasty, I am afraid that only the Yongle dynasty would be like this. "

Wei Guangde sighed deliberately, the purpose of which was to remind everyone in the palace that the Ming Dynasty had actually not seen the grand occasion of all nations coming to court for more than a hundred years.

In these years, among the vassal states that still maintained annual tribute, Korea was actually the only one left.

Although Ryukyu is considered the center of the Ming Dynasty, due to inconvenient transportation, we can only visit the Ming Dynasty once every few years.

Then the so-called Wan Guo Lai Dynasty is actually just a group of merchants in the name of envoys, and they don't know what means they obtained.

“Restoring the old port is a matter that has been decided by the Cabinet.

In this case, when things happen in the southwest, let Yu Dayou lead the Nanhai Navy to patrol the surrounding vassal states. If there are kings of the vassal states who are willing to come to our Ming Dynasty, they might as well bring them back with them. "

Zhang Juzheng actually longed for the prosperous age of Yongle. According to classic records, the largest number of people was nearly a hundred people from various vassal kings. That period of history was so glorious.

It was the fleet of Sanbao eunuch Zheng He that facilitated this incident.

Although shipbuilding requires a large investment of money, it doesn't seem like a bad thing if this money can be earned back through the collection of taxes in Yuegang.

At least the court suffered no major losses between entering and exiting.

During the Yingzong period, the government and the opposition opposed the voyage to the West. The fundamental reason was that it was too expensive.

In fact, Emperor Yingzong planned to return to the Western Seas, and he did not fail to notice that Ming Dynasty's external influence was weakening.

After he ascended the throne, the number of envoys from the vassal state who came to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty has decreased significantly.

However, out of respect for the imperial court, the historian did not write these into the classics.

“The suzerain state should still act more or less like a suzerain state, and there is nothing wrong with providing convenience for the vassal states.

Just like this time, when Luzon was suppressing the Japanese, the King of Sulu immediately mobilized troops and horses to assist me in the Ming Dynasty's battle. "

Wei Guangde reminded again.

This point was really ignored by several people in the palace before.

Why do people send troops to help fight the war? They just hope that Ming Dynasty can provide them with protection.

In fact, it's just that Ming didn't ask for benefits from them, but as long as they asked, they didn't seem to refuse.

"From then on, the Municipal Shipping Department will only receive envoys and pay tribute, and will no longer conduct commercial shipping."

Zhang Juzheng figured out that as long as the warships of the Ming Dynasty were active in Nanyang and even the West, then the vassal states would take the initiative to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, no matter for their own safety or for other reasons.

In this case, there is no need to discuss whether the ship trade will continue.

“Goods other than tribute, with an amount not exceeding fifty thousand taels of silver, can be sold tax-free in the Huitong Hall.

However, the purchase of Ming goods must be carried out through Yuegang. "

Zhang Juzheng said.

Of course, taxes were not levied on things that were paid as tribute to the emperor.

For other incidental items, Zhang Juzheng thinks that fifty thousand taels is a more appropriate limit. The excess will be taxed in accordance with Yuegang rules, and the Municipal Shipping Department will collect it on his behalf.

“Actually, there is no need to distinguish. Tributes are tax-free and other goods are all taxed.

And the goods they took away, in addition to being a gift from His Majesty, were also fully taxed. "

Wei Guangde didn't think any tax-free quota was needed and immediately expressed his opinion.

Just kidding, his fleet is still selling goods overseas. If there are duty-free goods going out, it will not be a competition with his caravan.

How can those who pay taxes compete with those who are tax-free?

According to the limit of 50,000 taels given by Zhang Juzheng, if there were ten vassal states, they would have 500,000 taels of duty-free goods.

Another key point is that the farther the goods are sold, the higher the profit.

In the future, the South China Sea navy will be active in the South China Sea and the Western Ocean, and more envoys from Western countries will inevitably arrive.

These people are big benefactors and very rich.

In fact, the Western countries Wei Guangde thinks of are not Europeans, but Middle Easterners.

In the early years, by monopolizing trade between the East and the West, merchants from Middle Eastern countries made huge profits from it, and their countries also benefited from it.

Wei Guangde's caravan has tried to enter the West, demanding higher profits.

Currently, the trade with Japan is facing strong competitors.

They are not from the Ming Dynasty. At this time, merchants from the Ming Dynasty smuggled some of mine, but the quantity was not large.

On the other hand, the Yi people purchased a large number of silk and cotton from the Ming Dynasty and sold them to the Japanese country. They also purchased Japanese specialties and resold them to the Ming Dynasty, becoming the biggest competitor of the Chamber of Commerce in which Wei Guangde participated.

Allowing the South China Sea navy to enter the Indian Ocean is crucial for the Ming Dynasty merchant ships.

The trajectory of businessmen's activities is actually mostly linked to the country's influence.

The greater the influence, the wider the radiation area, and the larger the area where merchants are active.

Wei Guangde wanted to sell the goods directly to the Middle East, so he naturally needed naval escort.

Otherwise, when the ship arrives in the Indian Ocean, we won’t know who robbed it.

There is no order on the sea, only force.

In this regard, Wei Guangde had more contact with maritime merchants, so he naturally knew the secrets.

Those maritime merchants who were relatively well-behaved in front of Wei Guangde probably did many things like robbing ships and plundering goods after going to sea.

"Wouldn't that look too petty?"

Lu Tiaoyang frowned and said.

Tan Lun on the side saw that the three pavilion elders were not discussing whether it could be done, but how to do it. He couldn't help but smiled awkwardly and took a few steps back.

In fact, they, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, kept in touch with each other privately and knew to some extent what was going on at the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Especially the Ministry of War, which has little income to begin with, has to allocate most of it from the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Of course, the Ministry of War also has income, namely Taipu Temple, but the ancestral system has many restrictions on the money in Chang Ying's treasury, so the Ministry of War pretends that this yamen does not exist.

This time, Tan Lun initially thought about mentioning it, saying that Chang Yingku's money seemed to be available.

After all, it was used for the expenses of the Ministry of War. For foreign wars, it seemed to make sense to use Taipu Temple's money.

Unexpectedly, Wei Guangde's plan to increase taxes was approved by Zhang Juzheng and Lu Tiaoyang.

The cabinet has approved it, and I think the three people above won’t object to it either.

In fact, it is not the Ministry of Household Affairs that will benefit the most from raising taxes, but the inner court.

Unexpectedly, Feng Bao's face was almost broken with laughter.

Although the Shibo Department also has income from the inner court, the money there is definitely not as much as that from Yuegang's tax increase.

After the three cabinet members discussed for a long time, there was still no clear result. So Queen Mother Li looked at Queen Mother Chen and saw that her face was tired, so she said: "This matter is related to the dignity of the court. The cabinet still organizes a cabinet meeting and summons the nine ministers." Let’s discuss and finally come up with a charter.”

Empress Dowager Li said that the three cabinet members planned to finalize the matter today, so that other disturbances in the court could be avoided.

However, opinions are still somewhat inconsistent on some details.

Now that they heard Empress Dowager Li's order to expel guests, the three of them saluted with Tan Lun before exiting Ciqing Palace.

After returning to the cabinet, Tan Lun said goodbye and left. Their Ministry of War was mainly responsible for rewarding the meritorious soldiers, and the tax increase had little to do with him.

During cabinet discussions, he doesn't have much say in matters, mainly matters related to the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue.

So, he said goodbye early and left.

After Wei Guangde entered the cabinet, he was called to his duty room by Zhang Juzheng.

"Shandai, do you have any other intentions when you propose to collect taxes from Yue Gang Guan Ya?"

When he got here, after retreating to the left and right, Zhang Juzheng asked directly.

"Nothing can be hidden from the Chief Assistant."

Wei Guangde responded with a smile.

His plan may be able to be fooled by Lu Tiaoyang, but it is extremely difficult for the extremely sensitive Zhang Juzheng to be fooled.

"I thought of it when you brought up official tax collection."

Zhang Juzheng said.

Ya Bank pays 200,000 to 300,000 taels of tax money to the Ministry of Accounts every year, all in cash, and it is also an important input to the Ministry of Accounts. Zhang Juzheng naturally understands this.

Therefore, Wei Guangde is proposing that Yahang impose taxes on trade goods. Since it can be done in Yuegang, it can naturally be done in other places.

However, in Ciqing Palace, Zhang Juzheng did not tell anyone. Instead, he studied the details with Wei Guangde and Lu Tiaoyang, hoping to help cover it up.

"Taizu set the commercial tax. You also know that in recent years, apart from the profits from salt, tea and iron, what else has the court done?

Most of the court's tax revenue came from farmers, and they were not the rich people of the Ming Dynasty.

Now the court has no money, essentially because it only collects taxes from the poor and ignores the rich.

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to years of war, there were few wealthy households, so the tax system set by Taizu was still feasible.

But the world has been at peace for a hundred years, and it is still like this, which is obviously extremely inappropriate. "

Wei Guangde said, "I think the ultimate goal of the changes proposed by Brother Uncle is to enrich the national treasury without increasing taxes.

Only when the national treasury is rich can the court be able to deal with disasters and changes from all sides with ease.

Shandai agrees with you on this point. "

"Um."

Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly when he heard this, and then asked: "When will Shandai propose to collect tooth tax in Ming Dynasty?"

When Wei Guangde heard this, he shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I'll tell you the truth, brother, this tax is levied in the world and cannot be used until the country's finances are unsustainable."

“Is Charity Loan excessive?”

Zhang Juzheng instantly understood Wei Guangde's worries and the reason for his words, but he still said it.

"In all the civil and military dynasties, there were several who did not run a single business."

Wei Guangde replied calmly, "If I propose this policy when it is not necessary, I am afraid that it will cause public outrage."

"I don't like this about you, being hesitant in doing things."

Zhang Juzheng knew that Wei Guangde had made up his mind and would not bring it up on his own initiative, so he had no choice but to say.

Although the idea was proposed by Wei Guangde, he also said that only goods in and out of Yuegang would be restricted.

Expanding the scope from a small one-month port to the entire Ming Dynasty is another matter.

"The imperial court actually still has money, but there are many restrictions on its use, and all the officials know it."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to say.

During the Jiajing Dynasty, the court ran out of money many times. In the end, they borrowed money from Chang Ying's treasury to cope with the situation.

Officials may not have known these things in the past, but the Jiajing Dynasty had just passed, and many people knew about it.

The court would not be able to collect taxes from them until they were at the end of their rope.

What was said here was almost the same. Wei Guangde handed over his hands and was about to leave when he heard the voice of a scribe coming from outside the door.

"Shang Shu Tan, two cabinet ministers are discussing matters inside."

"I knew they were together, so I came in a hurry."

Immediately, Tan Lun's voice was heard.

Tan Lun had just said goodbye and left the cabinet. Why did he suddenly come back? He sounded like something was wrong and he was so anxious to see them.

"Please invite Zili in quickly."

Zhang Juzheng hurriedly shouted outside.

When he finished speaking, Tan Lun's figure appeared at the door.

"Zili."

"Brother Zili, how do you go and come back?"

When Tan Lun came in, both Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde bowed to him, but Tan Lun didn't care about this and anxiously took out a memorandum and handed it to Zhang Juzheng and said: "Something happened in the southwest, and I'm afraid this battle must be fought. "

"What's going on?"

Zhang Juzheng took the memorial, but still asked.

"The king of Burma, Mang Yinglong, was bold and attacked Mubang. Now he is gathering troops to besiege Mengyang. He has also sent a large army to our border with the Ming Dynasty to block traffic."

Tan Lun introduced, "This is an urgent report from Yunnan. Wang Ning also sent the news to Li Chengliang. I think the army should have entered Yunnan."