Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Zeng Xiaoduan cleared his mother's grievances and got back her family's property. She respected and worshiped Ju Ming beyond measure.

Ask him to help find candidates and find them in just one day.

"Prefect, this is You Jiyu, nicknamed Zhenshi," Zeng Xiaoduan introduced, "Brother Zhenshi and I were classmates before, and his family ran an iron smelting yard."

"Meet the prefect!" You Jiyu bowed respectfully.

This man was nearly thirty years old and had long since given up the imperial examination and was honestly assisting his father in business.

Jinzhou has had no Jinshi for a hundred years and is a cultural desert. The scholars have accepted their fate. There are also people who are unwilling to go to Yangzhou or Guanzhong to study, but they basically give up after a few years. The cost of long-term study in other places is too high.

All in all, the local economy is still not good!

Ju Ming said with a pleasant expression: "You two, please take a seat."

You Jiyu expressed his respect and then went straight to the topic: "I already understand what the governor means. This matter is not difficult to handle. However, mining merchants have been exploited many times, and the profits are not very high. Sometimes they even have to pay There is no need for the prefect to mine iron ore at a loss.”

Ju Ming frowned and said, "What exactly is going on here and who is in charge of the mine? I didn't understand much after reading the imperial decree."

You Jiyu sighed: "My family is in the iron smelting business, and even I can't figure out who is in charge. Anyway, it must be Tongsuan who is in charge. Just give him money."

During the reigns of Song Shenzong and Song Zhezong, the mining industry in the Northern Song Dynasty reached its peak.

During the Chongning reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the industry situation took a turn for the worse!

Under Cai Jing's auspices, all newly developed mines across the country were handed over to the Changping Division for concurrent management (prefecture and county mining profits were collected by the central government).

From then on, the county magistrate had some management rights, the general judge had some management rights, and the Changping Division also had management rights. The Tongpan often also serves as the local official in Changping, so the Tongpan has the final say. Multiple management and multiple exploitation, and the staff of Changping Division must be maintained.

A large number of private mining farms have closed down, and new mines have been opened very rarely.

Cai Jing's original intention was to strengthen control over mines across the country through direct management of the Changping Division, thereby increasing the output of gold, silver and copper mines, and alleviating the money shortage that was gradually spreading across the country.

But he himself took the lead in corruption, and most of the officials in the Changping Department in various places were Cai Party members. Crazy exploitation and corruption have led to a depression in the mining industry and the money shortage has become even more serious!

You Jiyu said: "If you want to mine iron ore in Xicheng County, you must first send money to the Xicheng County Magistrate, and then send money to Tongsuan. If you send enough money, you can mine, and I will help the magistrate to complete it. But every year more than There is a matter of apportionment... This is an apportionment from Tongpan, and I'm afraid the prefect has no right to interfere."

"Let him divide the money!" Ju Ming sneered.

As long as You Jiyu helps complete the purchase and obtain the mining license, Ju Ming is not afraid of exposing himself.

"Prefect! Prefect!"

At this moment, Fan Zhun, the governor of Zuodu, ran outside the Huangtang happily.

Ju Ming asked: "What's the matter?"

Fan Zhun said: "The gentry and merchants of Jinzhou gathered hundreds of people to present the Ten Thousand People Umbrella, and they have arrived outside the gate of the state government office!"

Zeng Xiaoduan and You Jiyu immediately stood up, bowed and said: "The prefect loves the people like his sons, and the Wanmin Umbrella is well deserved."

Regardless of the purpose of the umbrella sender, Ju Ming was very happy. Although he has gained prestige, it is still not enough. A Ten Thousand People Umbrella is just right.

Ju Ming strode to the gate of the state government, where many officials had gathered.

The beating of gongs and drums on the street was very lively. People who didn't know what was going on came to see the excitement when they heard the sound of drums. The crowd gathered more and more, and the number was almost a thousand.

In order to show their sincerity, the merchants also invited more than a dozen elders.

They even sent a sedan to pick up an old man in his 90s from the countryside and presented the umbrella to the people through the hands of the old birthday star.

"The prefect is here!"

A government official shouted.

The crowd immediately pushed forward, and the gentry and merchants came forward surrounded by the old birthday star.

The old man was dazzled, deaf, and even had difficulty walking. He was helped to stand in front of Ju Ming: "The prefect is benevolent and loves the people. On behalf of the people of Jinzhou, I would like to thank the prefect for his great kindness!"

Zhu Ming quickly supported him: "Old birthday girl, please come in quickly. Don't let the wind blow outside."

The Wanmin Umbrella was held by two young men. The old man only touched it once and handed it to Ju Ming.

It's a pity that there is no camera, otherwise this scene could be photographed and published in the newspaper.

Hearing that leaders from various industries in Jinzhou were also here, Ju Ming invited them all in.

The black tea brought from Daming Village was served in a big pot, and the yellow hall of the state government office was full.

After some encouragement, Ju Ming sent someone to send the old man home. He was too old to endure the hardships, and it would not look good if he died in the state government.

In the end, only the gentry and merchants were left in Huangtang.

"I appreciate your good intentions," Zhu Ming said. "As an official, you should do what you should do to serve the people. There is no need to make such a big show of it in the future."

Ding Fengnian, the richest man in Jinzhou and a merchant of medicinal materials, said: "The prefect is asking for orders for the people, so he deserves an umbrella for the people."

"Brother Ding's words are reasonable. The governor must not be humble." All the gentry and merchants agreed.

"well!"

Ju Ming began to pretend again: "When it comes to asking for help for the people, man-made disasters are easy to eliminate, but natural disasters are difficult to prevent. This year's spring drought is serious, the summer grain harvest will definitely fail, and I don't know how many people will starve."

As soon as these words came out, the gentry and merchants did not dare to speak anymore, for fear that the prefect would ask them to distribute disaster relief.

The scene was a little cold, and Ju Ming could only talk to himself: "First of all, let me tell you one thing: no hoarding, no selling food at high prices! If anyone disobeys orders, you know my methods."

"Don't dare."

"I will obey the eunuch's orders."

Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, for fear of offending Zhizhou.

Jinzhou merchants have been exploited for many years and have become deeply afraid of the government. Among the previous magistrates, Ju Ming was also a hardliner. How could they dare to openly oppose him?

Ju Ming continued: "The price of food will definitely rise, and you cannot lose money. But how much it should rise is subject to the orders of the state government at any time. At that time, I will ask you to discuss it every five days. You can also put forward opinions, but listen Whether you listen or not is my business!"

"Yes!" Everyone agreed quickly.

Ju Ming added: "You all go back and accumulate some goods. In May, we will transport them to Xiangyang for sale together. I will send officials to guarantee the goods along the way, and there will be private stalls along the way. No taxes will be levied."

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this, but their biggest headache was the illegal tax cards along the way.

Within Jinzhou, Ju Ming could ban it, but outside Jinzhou he could not control it. However, if there are officials guarding the ship, the illegal tax card can be ignored, which will cause trouble with the local government.

Ju Ming said: "I have saved you a lot of taxes. You must reciprocate this by helping the government transport grain for disaster relief when we return."

Dai Chengsi asked, "Has the prefect bought grain in the south?"

"I'm about to send someone over to contact him," Ju Ming said.

The specific method is to sign a contract in advance and pre-purchase this year's new grain from southern grain merchants. Regardless of whether the harvest is poor or increased, the contract price does not change. It is the most primitive futures trading.

News of the drought in the north must have reached the south. The price of food will inevitably rise this year. The sooner you buy food, the cheaper it will be.

It is estimated that the price has already started to increase at this time.

The merchants were hesitant. Ju Ming's request meant that they would not be able to make a profit on their return voyage and help the government transport disaster relief grains for free.

"Who has any objection?" Zhu Ming glanced around.

Everyone quickly lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact with the prefect.

Ju Ming said: "In this case, the only way to force the merchant ships is to conscript them."

Dai Chengsi was the first to react: "The Dai family is willing to transport disaster relief food to the people!"

"The Ding family is willing to transport disaster relief food for the people!" Ding Fengnian also blurted out. He is the richest man in Jinzhou, and he must be responsible for the forced conquest of merchant ships.

Seven or eight people expressed their stance one after another. Zhu Ming smiled and said: "This is a righteous businessman. When the disaster relief is over, a monument will be erected to record the name."

As soon as this statement came out, two more merchants promised to help transport grain.

They are not just for the fame on the inscription, but they are afraid that their names will not be engraved on the inscription! From now on, if Ju Ming wants to cause trouble for merchants, he must choose targets other than stone monuments.

"Very good." Zhu Ming was quite satisfied.

He did not expect that all merchants would cooperate. There were always many people who were lucky and pretended to be stupid.

Ju Ming will not retaliate afterwards, but if there is any preferential policy, it will definitely be given to those whose names are written on the monument first.

Going south to sign a grain futures contract must be arranged in advance.

The person best suited to do this is definitely Bie Jia Qian Chen. This person was originally a big businessman from Jiangnan, and most likely he would not take advantage of the opportunity to commit corruption. It would be perfect for him to pre-purchase disaster relief grains.

As for the inspection of various counties, people will have to be replaced because of this.

Famine will occur in May, when the new rice has not been harvested, so new wheat and millet can only be purchased in the south.

Wheat and millet were two crops that were rarely grown in the south before the Song Dynasty.

During the reign of Zhao Guangyi, the imperial court began to promote wheat and millet in the south for the purpose of "planting to prevent floods and droughts." The seeds are provided by the government and transported from the Jianghuai River, and wheat and millet planting are tax-free in the first few years.

As a result, the double-cropping rotation method of rice and wheat gradually appeared in some states and counties in the south.

There were also many dry lands in the south where wheat and millet began to be widely grown.

The merchants drank tea in the state government office, listened to the prefect's admonishment and encouragement, and left together with different thoughts.

Ding Fengnian and Dai Chengsi were in the same car.

Ding Fengnian sighed: "This prefect is not easy to deal with. He has to spend money to eliminate disasters."

Dai Chengsi said: "No, the prefect just borrowed the boat and did not ask for money. What's more, by helping the government transport disaster relief food, you can gain a good reputation and save some blessings for your descendants. It is no better than being corrupted by those treacherous officials. Strong? If it goes into the pocket of a corrupt official, you won't even hear a sound."

"I also obey this governor, but I'm afraid he won't be able to stay in Jinzhou for a long time!" Ding Fengnian was worried.

Dai Chengsi smiled and said: "Last year, many business leaders organized strikes in various places in the north and south. There were strikes in Chang'an and Luoyang. In Chang'an, the strike lasted for more than two months. We Jinzhou merchants should also learn a lesson and not be allowed to be officials. Give and take. Even if Governor Zhu has left office, he has set many rules. From now on, when we go on strike, we will make appeals according to his rules."

Ding Fengnian said: "It's difficult."

Dai Chengsi's expression became ferocious: "At that time, my grandfather had a family fortune of 30,000 yuan. My father and I worked hard, but now we only have a few thousand yuan left. If we continue to be exploited like this, it will be a matter of time before we break up our family and flee. It's really hard for us. I’m in a hurry, so I’ll just contact the bandits in the mountains!”

Ding Fengnian remained silent.

The gentry and merchants left the government office, and Ju Ming was not idle either. He was writing a letter to the emperor. He said that the spring drought in his area was serious, and asked the emperor to grant him a Thousand Degrees of Ultimatum.

The ultimatums of the Song Dynasty were securities.

The first use of ultimatums for disaster relief was during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, which opened Pandora's box.

In the late Northern Song Dynasty, Jiaozi was invalidated, and Duzi could even be used as banknotes to pay taxes or pay for goods.

In the first year of Yuanfeng, the repairs to the city gates of Tokyo City were completed, and the imperial court could not come up with the money for the time being, so it gave a thousand ultimatums to compensate for the project cost.

In the second year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei requested funds from the imperial court to pay military salaries and build fortifications. Zhao Gou said he had no money and gave Yue Fei 200 ultimatums...

It was impossible for Ju Ming to directly ask the emperor for money for disaster relief, but it was easier to ask some monks to give him an ultimatum.

Anyway, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty planned to promote Taoism, and the Taoist priests were very generous with their ultimatums and rewards.

This thing cannot be sold at a high price in Jinzhou, but when it is sold in Jiangnan, the price is as good as gold!