Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"The dispute between Huaiyue and Guangdong is not something that only happened in the Ming Dynasty. It has been around since the Song Dynasty. Guangdong merchants often stole and sold Guangnan salt to Jinghu, Jiangxi and other places for profit. However, in the Ming Dynasty, because of the salt-producing areas It did not overlap with the division of salt sales areas, so the dispute between Huaiyue and Guangdong became more and more intense."

Needless to say, Lao Zhu is not a fool. When he designated the salt sales area, he must have done it deliberately for the sake of internal strife among the business gangs.

But the current non-overlapping of salt production areas and salt sales areas has undoubtedly caused huge trouble for Jiang Xinghuo to rectify his salt affairs.

Industrialization, even the preliminary industrialization of the first industrial revolution, requires massive funds to advance.

If Jiang Xinghuo doesn't want to suffer for the people, he can only start from places other than agricultural taxes.

In the existing tax system, salt tax is the second largest tax after agricultural tax in this era.

The significance of rectifying salt affairs is not only to supplement the 2.1 million taels from the first year of Yongle to the second year of Yongle, but more importantly, to get the chaotic salt tax back on track and restore the normal hematopoietic ability and national finance of the Ming Dynasty. , in a sense, it is the same as personal financial situation. If you owe a foreign debt and you are always unable to make ends meet, then if something happens again, the situation will get worse and worse. People will be overwhelmed by debt pressure, and the country will The same is true. The demise of many dynasties was not due to other reasons but to the collapse of the economy.

Wu Chuanjia continued: "Take Huguang as an example. The imperial court stipulated that Hunan should also eat Huai salt. However, because the transportation distance of Huai salt to Hunan is too long, it will most likely cost money to transport it there. Therefore, Changsha, Baoqing, Heng The four prefectures of Zhouzhou and Yongzhou, as well as Chen and Daozhou, have been in a state of salt shortage for a long time."

According to Lao Zhu's regulations, within the Lianghuai Salt Sales Area, whether it is a place dozens of miles away from the Lianghuai Salt Fields, or thousands of miles away in Huguang and Jiangxi, salt will be sold at the same price!

Yes, you read that right, the government stipulates a unified selling price, the kind that would cut off one’s head for an extra copper.

Of course, in actual operation, that is, in the self-balancing state of the market, the farther away from the salt sales area, the higher the actual selling price of official salt. Although it does not comply with government regulations, the sale has always been carried out this way. , and because it is still official salt on the surface, and because it is transported and sold within the salt sales area, the government will not block it, and will even share the overflow salt price.

But even so, there is always a limit to the price of salt that people can afford.

If the actual selling price, minus the salt merchant's cost and freight, yields a final profit that does not satisfy the merchant, then there will definitely be no merchants from Lianghuai to sell salt there.

No matter who is a businessman, everyone chooses this way.

The problem is that Guangdong, which is closer to Huguang and Jiangxi, is rich in sea salt because it is close to the sea. However, Lao Zhu stipulated that "salt from Guangdong cannot be exported out of the country." This has resulted in the situation that Huguang and Jiangxi cannot and cannot afford it. Huaiyan, but Guangdong, which is geographically adjacent to them, has a situation where it has too much salt to sell.

Since transportation and sales are inconvenient and unprofitable, Huai salt rarely reaches Huguang and Jiangxi, but there is a large backlog of Guangdong salt. This has led to the emergence of new private salt within the salt sales area specified by the government. Market demand.

"So the battle between Huaiyue and Guangdong is actually a battle for spheres of influence?"

Wu Chuanjia nodded heavily.

To put it bluntly, these are the two vested interest groups of the Huaiyan Marketing District and the Guangyan Marketing District, including businessmen, local officials, and powerful people. Their disputes over the right to sell salt in southern Jiangxi and southern Hunan are also rigid and rigid. The salt law system of the Ming Dynasty gradually began to show its powerlessness in the face of the economic recovery of the Ming Dynasty.

The Huai salt from official salt is unsaleable. This is due to the fact that merchants are far away and unprofitable, and also because the official salt from Huai Yan cannot compete with the private salt from Guangdong Salt. In any case, the salt tax assessed by corresponding regions such as Huguang and Jiangxi It is difficult to collect, causing more and more Huai salt to be stagnated in the salt field.

"What do Guangdong businessmen mainly do?" Jiang Xinghuo suddenly asked.

"Salt, fishery, sea trade smuggling."

Jiang Xinghuo knew in his heart that Lao Zhu's sea ban policy had never really worked for the south, which relied on the sea for food. Although the court emphasized it every few years, its effect was still limited.

In ancient times, it was no joke to rely on mountains and rivers to eat and drink. If you didn't let the people along the coast cook salt, fish, and trade, wouldn't that force them to rebel?

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty was not as perverted as the Qing Dynasty and did not care about fishing at all; while boiling salt, especially boiling private salt, was the ruling center of the Ming Dynasty, which was the Southern Zhili generation, and radiated from it as the center of the circle. In Huaihe and Fujian, management is stricter, but in Guangdong, people are highly clan-based, and the government has neither the ability nor the will to manage it. Therefore, private salt production in Guangdong is rampant, and entire villages are often engaged in the private salt industry.

The same is true for maritime trade. In this era, Guangdong's agriculture was underdeveloped, and its yield per mu was far less than that of Jiangnan. However, it had a unique location advantage for maritime trade. Whether it was private or government, if they wanted to make more money, they could The smuggling route relies on sea trade, so everyone from the Chief Envoy to the local government knows it very well and even takes the initiative to help.

Wu Chuanjia spoke in detail, and if he didn't understand something, his brother Wu Chuanzong would help to supplement it. Therefore, in the two-hour report, it could be said that everything was detailed and the Huai merchants' family fortune was shaken off.

Salt is the livelihood of the country and must not be completely controlled by anyone, not even relatives of the emperor. It must be distributed by different regions because it is related to the stability of the country.

However, the Salt Law cannot be changed casually, especially the Kaizhong Law, which has dual meanings of salt sales and military ration transportation, and many people cannot sit back and watch the interests of the salt industry be seriously damaged. After all, the interests involved are very huge. , so Jiang Xinghuo must be careful in his choice.

However, Jiang Xinghuo also had another consideration.

——That is to use this to completely reshuffle the overall business structure of the entire Ming Dynasty.

The material foundation determines the top structure. In the current Ming Dynasty, the material foundation is the natural economy with agricultural products as the core. In the agricultural field, the landlords and gentry occupy an absolutely dominant position.

However, once the Ming Dynasty entered the preliminary industrialization stage, as time went by, the commodity economy would inevitably come from behind and replace the natural economy as the material foundation of society. At the same time, the gradually growing social classes, especially the merchant class, would inevitably covet it. Top-level structure.

It is impossible for Jiang Xinghuo to cultivate a bunch of uncontrolled asset incarnations on his own. In view of the fact that the Ming Dynasty's business gangs are basically involved in the salt industry because of its nationwide scope and high profits, so this time he has full power to rectify the salt industry. , it is very necessary to do some layout.

In the Ming Dynasty, businessmen did not have a high social status. Facing the government with their strength, they had no power to fight back and could only be reduced to lambs to be slaughtered.

The relationship between the Huai Shang Wu family and the Anlu Hou Mansion is the most obvious example.

But it is precisely this that makes the top figures of the Ming Dynasty generally not pay attention to the energy that businessmen can burst out in the future.

With the development of the Industrial Revolution, maritime trade, and overseas colonization, the size of the merchant class will surely expand at a rate that ordinary people cannot imagine.

At this initial starting point, if Jiang Xinghuo can control or influence the main business gangs in the Ming Dynasty through the reform of the Salt Law, then perhaps twenty or thirty years later, this will become a force that cannot be ignored.

Jiang Xinghuo didn't like making these calculations, but he knew very well that he was now a chess piece, at best, a weighty chess piece, and all his power came from the support of the imperial power.

And no matter which emperor it is, whether it is Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunwen, or Zhu Di, they will not allow a chess piece to escape their control.

Jiang Xinghuo wants to guide China to another fast lane of history. He does not want to follow Wang Anshi's mistakes, let alone Zhang Juzheng's death.

He wants to take himself out and become a truly independent chess player.

All this must first resolve the 2.1 million taels, resolve the salt policy, and resolve the dispute between Huaiyue and Guangdong.

The system designed by Lao Zhu was to allow business gangs in different regions to compete with each other, which was in line with his purpose of establishing a large rural society. However, Jiang Xinghuo did not need internal friction among business gangs, because Ming Dynasty not only had an increasingly prosperous domestic market, but also had Overseas markets are constantly being developed, so internal friction is meaningless.

Seeing that Jiang Xinghuo didn't speak for a long time, Li Zengzhi, as the intermediary, also reminded him: "National Master, what do you think?"

Jiang Xinghuo withdrew his thoughts and looked at the two Wu brothers.

"The commercial law of the Ming Dynasty needs to be changed, and the salt law must also be changed. For the domestic industries of the Ming Dynasty, single-industry monopoly is not allowed, and cross-industry monopoly is absolutely impossible, so I hope that the Wu family can focus on the main business."

Jiang Xinghuo paused and then said: "This is considered a crime and meritorious service. We must cooperate well with the subsequent rectification of the salt industry. The mismatch between the production and sales areas of the Lianghuai Salt Farm will definitely be adjusted. It will be good for everyone if it is adjusted. No need to With so much salt tax burden, the people in the province cannot afford official salt."

"In addition, business now needs to look outside. There are so many foreign markets in Japan, North Korea, Annam, and Champa. It's not like we are not allowed to go there, so why bother fighting at home?"

This is what it means to successfully pass the test. The Wu brothers were overjoyed, but Li Zengzhi reminded: "The Wu family must set an example regarding the salt in the banknotes."

The Wu family can be regarded as half an imperial businessman. Whether it is cash or real estate, they have a rich background. Even if they give up the grain business, they can still afford the money. What's more, the court is not directly robbing them, but letting them use treasures. Exchange banknotes for salt, and the salt you get is real.

After listening to Li Zengzhi's words, Wu Chuanjia said without even frowning: "It should be so."

"For other matters, let Vice President Zhu talk to you."

Jiang Xinghuo gained a lot tonight. I think the Wu brothers have not concealed anything at this point. By rectifying the salt affairs in this way, they can be regarded as knowing themselves and their enemies, but they need to be sorted out carefully when they go back.

Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo left Zhu Heng to chat with them about other business arrangements, and he did not interfere.

After rejecting Li Zengzhi's invitation to stay at Tangshan Villa and soak in hot springs, Jiang Xinghuo left alone.

Zhu Heng, on the other hand, continued to have heart-to-heart conversations with Li Zengzhi and the Wu brothers.

Wang Bin and Zhu Heng, a bodyguard leader and a business steward, are all important helpers left by Zhu Gaoxu to Jiang Xinghuo. Although their abilities are only at the middle level, their loyalty is full.

Li Zengzhi took Wu Chuanjia's signature and stamped it, nodded with a smile, and said, "Don't worry, I, Duke Cao, will never treat you Wu family badly. I can give you what Marquis Anlu cannot give."

Next to him, Zhu Heng also said meaningfully: "Misfortune lies behind blessings, and fortune lies behind misfortune. This is your opportunity, and it is also the opportunity for the Wu family to rise. If you miss this time, there will be no next chance!"

Wu Chuanjia took a breath and said, "Director Li and Vice President Wu, please rest assured."

Although the Wu family was quite influential in Yangzhou, Huai'an and other places, and even opened up transportation channels for tributaries of the Huaihe River, for the huge Ming Dynasty, it was just a drop in the ocean and nothing at all.

Therefore, in order to gain the appreciation of the Imperial Master, what the Wu family lost in ceding the grain industry and collecting salt will actually be regained in the subsequent rezoning of the Huaiyan production and marketing area and the reshuffle of salt merchants. If they perform well, Even more can be gained.

At the same time, Duke Cao's government can reach out to the Huaihe River and get the Wu family's grain industry, which will naturally be of great benefit to Duke Cao's government, but it will also get closer to the Wu family. If it were not for the second prince and the Wu family, Getting closer to the Imperial Preceptor often means being wiped out. However, if the Wu family can become the confidant of the Imperial Preceptor, the help to the Wu family will be obvious, and it can even change the fate of the Wu family.

In this case, Li Zengzhi certainly doesn't mind wooing the Wu family and working together to strengthen himself.

——————

"Paying banknotes with salt" caused a great shock in the capital. After all, there are still many rich people in Nanjing, and the court has never issued a similar policy before. Although exchanging banknotes for salt seems to be a loss, But that's only measured in terms of face value. If we look at the actual value, it's obviously not a loss.

Wealthy households with a lot of money in their hands are willing to spend more money. As for going to the Lianghuai Salt Farm to get salt, they naturally don't need to worry about it.

As for ordinary people who had little money and wanted to buy, the court did not prohibit them from group buying in private.

All you need is trustworthy people from your neighbors, relatives and friends to get the salt, and if everyone joins in, it will become a natural success. After all, no one knows if such a good thing will ever happen again. If you keep cheap salt at home, you will never have it. Incorrect.

And the most important thing is that even if there is no way to go to the salt field to get salt, and you can’t find neighbors or friends with whom you can join a group, as long as you have Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes in your hand, you can still go to an acquaintance businessman or hawker with it, because now the treasure banknotes Money can buy some goods that are not available at normal prices.

Smart businessmen began to choose to only accept treasure banknotes, so that they could sell off the backlog of goods and collect a batch of treasure banknotes, which could then be exchanged for salt.

Moreover, even if the amount of treasure banknotes on hand is not enough, you can still sell them in batches and exchange them with other merchants, which is also a good way to make money.

People in this era are not stupid, but are extremely smart. Since the court does not prohibit private transactions among the people, they can definitely have fun.

"People's hearts are becoming increasingly impetuous, which is really worrying."

At the time of Xiu Mu, Yang Shiqi was entrusted by Zhu Gaochi to take the emperor's grandson Zhu Zhanji out for a walk to see the situation among the people. Looking at the scenes in front of him, Yang Shiqi couldn't help but sigh.

"Mr. Yang, are you afraid that customs will disappear?" Zhu Zhanji also curiously looked at the outside world through the curtain of the carriage.

"It's secondary to the fact that the customs don't exist. It's just that this trend can't last long. Once it goes on for a long time, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the people to manage it."

Yang Shiqi revealed the truth in one sentence.

In the eyes of the ruling class, it doesn't matter whether you are a bad citizen or a good citizen. What matters is whether you manage well or not.

In the feudal era, the management ability of the court was relatively low, which required that the level of the people must also be relatively low. However, ordinary people have their own thoughts and pursue their own interests, which makes the management of the court twice as difficult.

"Didn't you read "The Book of Shang Jun" in Dabentang?"

I understand everything about Confucianism after the Han Dynasty. Rather than saying that it is more like Pre-Qin Confucianism, it is more like Pre-Qin Legalism.

It is covered in Confucian skin, but when you peel it off, you will find that it is all about the core of Legalism.

In the past dynasties, "Shang Jun Shu" was a must-read textbook for teaching the princes and grandsons.

Because "Shang Jun Shu" advocates a strong country and a weak people, Shang Yang believes that a country that can defeat strong enemies and dominate the world must control its own people and make them weak. In addition, Shang Yang also believed that the strength of the country and the strength of the people are opposite. Only by making the people obey the law and be honest and honest will it be difficult for the people to form a strong force to fight against the monarch. In this way, the country will be easy to govern and the status of the monarch will be improved. Will be strong.

Hmm. It is basically the same as "The Prince" which will be published in the West 130 years later.

"Dabentang does not teach "Shang Jun Shu", but my father taught me to read it." Zhu Zhanji replied.

"Have you read the "Wrong Dharma" and "Elimination of Strength" chapters?"

Yang Shiqi said softly: "When a wise king appoints his ministers, the use must be based on their hard work, and rewards must be given for their merits. If the merits are always clear, the people will compete for the merits. If you can make them do their best for the country, the soldiers will be rewarded with merits." It must be strong.”

"If you impose heavy punishments and light rewards, the government will love the people, and the people will die; if you give heavy rewards and light punishments, the government will not love the people, and the people will not die. If you punish the country, the people will benefit and fear it; if you reward the people, the people will benefit and love you."

The meaning here is easy to understand. Even a child like Zhu Zhanji understands it. It is nothing more than the relationship between rewards and punishments and the people. Increasing punishments and reducing rewards means that if the king loves the people, the people will be willing to be the king. to death and vice versa.

Zhu Zhanji was very smart. He thought for a moment and asked, "So Mr. Yang thinks that if the people can benefit themselves, the rewards and punishments from the king will lose half of their effect?"

"good."

Yang Shiqi nodded and said: "This is why I have always disagreed with being too open and supporting business. If a trend is formed between the government and the public, the pursuit of profit in the hearts of the people will be unstoppable. Not only will the court be difficult to manage, The people, and the imperial court’s means of controlling the people, will also be ineffective.”

"You must know that villains fear power but not virtue, but even the court's laws and punishments are not omnipotent. If it were omnipotent, how could Bao Qin and Bao Sui perish?"

Zhu Zhanji was born with intelligence and was not a child without discernment. He had his own judgment about right and wrong, so after thinking about it for a while, he said words that directly touched Yang Shiqi's soul.

"——But this way the court can make money."

Yang Shiqi took a deep breath and told himself that children's words are innocent.

In fact, everyone in the cabinet, including Yang Shiqi, knew very well why the emperor looked at the Chinese Master instead of these well-educated men, because the policy policy of the Chinese Master was perfectly in line with the emperor's interests.

No matter how many beautiful words you say, the truth is real, and the analysis results are accurate, it will be useless to the emperor.

The imperial court is short of money. The Imperial Guards can make money without burdening the people, but they can't. It's as simple as that.

Zhu Di, who was sitting on the Dragon Throne, didn't care about issues such as the popular support and the difficulty of governance that Yang Shiqi and others were worried about, because Zhu Di was a warrior through and through. The handle of the knife in his hand was strong enough, and the whole world had to listen to him and put practicality first. Lord, it’s useless to talk about all that nonsense.

Zhu Gaochi, on the other hand, does not have the conditions of his father and is also a typical Confucian thinker. What he wants is effective governance at the lowest cost and long-term governance.

It is this difference that leads to their different attitudes towards Jiang Xinghuo's policies.

If we understand this different way of thinking based on education level and life experience, then it is not difficult to understand the "Ren-Xuan shrinking border" that actively gave up large-scale territory during the Ren-Xuan period.

As for what happened to Baozong later, Baozong was certainly hateful, but if Zhu Zhanji had not given up Kaipingwei, causing Beijing to directly become a link in the northern defense line, then in fact, this battle would not have happened in Tumubao, which is as far away as the capital. There is no place far away to fight. Zhu Di said very clearly about this, "As long as we defend Kaiping, Xinghe, Ningxia, Gansu, Daning, and Liaodong, there will never be any trouble on the border." He gave up a series of battles such as Kaiping Guard and The outpost defense line was shrunk by three hundred miles, and the danger of Longgang and Luanhe River was lost, so that the bitter consequences were already laid. It is not even an exaggeration to say that the Jurchens were able to cross the Great Wall and invade the capital, which was also related to this.

Seeing that Mr. Yang was silenced by him, Zhu Zhanji shrank his neck and said after a while: "Mr. Jiang is very powerful."

"It's very powerful."

Yang Shiqi was not dejected, but he was somewhat helpless.

The appearance of Jiang Xinghuo was a complete shock to Sanyang and others' outlook on life.

All the academic theories and country-governing strategies of the old era seemed to have begun to fail. What was visible to the naked eye was that Jiang Xinghuo overcame many difficulties and implemented the reform step by step, and moved from one victory to another.

It is true that Confucian governance concepts cannot solve the acute problems that have been hidden in the empire. When various systems have gradually become rigid and rigid after more than thirty years of evolution, Jiang Xinghuo's reform is like injecting new life into a pool of stagnant water. source of.

But for the fish who were originally confused in the pond, it was not a good thing.

"Go down and have a look."

The carriage stopped, and there were many people around them to protect their safety, so there was no need to worry.

This is a roadside shop with many people queuing up.

"With so many treasures in your hand, aren't you afraid of being stolen?" Zhu Zhanji asked in a low voice.

"of course not."

Yang Shiqi shook his head. Due to the proliferation of treasure banknotes, people in various places in Nanjing now basically carry a few, dozens or even hundreds of treasure banknotes with them. This thing can be said to be extremely convenient to carry around, and Holding it makes it less likely to be stolen.

In contrast, copper coins are so heavy that they must be carried in a money bag and hung around the waist, making it easier for someone to snatch them away.

"If you are poor, you will want to change."

After waiting in line and observing for a long time, Yang Shiqi sighed.

The markets of the Ming Dynasty were never as prosperous as those of the Song Dynasty. This was closely related to the government's disapproval of commercial development. In this case, in this poverty-stricken environment, many people with a keen sense of business actually lacked It is just an opportunity, and once you find an opportunity for improvement, you will often seize it and never let go. No matter how high the price is, you will work hard to fight for and grasp it.

Therefore, while treasure banknotes are flooding in, various commercial activities are also becoming more and more prosperous.

For example, treasure banknote exchange.

Yang Shiqi took Zhu Zhanji to several more shops, and finally turned into a small alley and entered another shop.

There is a plaque with the name "Liu's Money Bank" hanging above the store, and the small flag next to it is embroidered with "Liu's Money Industry Company".

Here, the shopkeeper was sitting in the back of the store, drinking tea and resting leisurely, when a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

"Shopkeeper, we have a guest." The waiter walked into the room and reported to the shopkeeper respectfully.

The shopkeeper waved his hand for him to leave, continued to drink tea with his head down, and walked out after a while.

Seeing a middle-aged man with a child, who looked like a father and son, the shopkeeper was slightly surprised that the adult looked very dignified, while the child looked like he was pampered.

Looking outside the door, some strong men were watching here with vigilant eyes.

"Shopkeeper, let's make a deal."

After hearing what the other party said, Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "Oh? I wonder what kind of deal your guest is planning to do?"

"Sell some treasure money."

"Of course it's ok. We have plenty of copper coins in the store. You should be able to exchange as much as you want."

Yang Shiqi was slightly startled, and then asked: "I wonder what percentage will be charged?"

Shopkeeper Liu laughed loudly: "What your distinguished guest said, of course it's one to one, but it depends on the condition of the banknotes. If there is any damage, you will have to charge an extra penny for damage per banknote."

"How can it be one to one?" Even a child like Zhu Zhanji noticed something was wrong.

You take a treasure banknote worth a thousand coins and go to the street to exchange it with someone for a thousand copper coins. Only a fool will exchange it with you.

Although the actual currency value of treasure banknotes has increased, the treasure banknotes with the usual face value can only be exchanged for more than 100 copper coins at most. Anyone who exchanges them with you will lose 80% of the money.

"Daming Bank has regulations, which is this ratio. Dear guest, please see, it is written here."

Yang Shiqi took a look at the document handed over by shopkeeper Liu and found that it was indeed the case.

In fact, not only is it banning gold and silver transactions, but in order to stabilize the currency value, Daming Bank also does not allow all regulated banks to conduct excessive treasure banknote-copper coin exchanges. This move is not self-deception.

It is fine for ordinary people to use it for daily use and exchange it privately on the black market. However, once it can be exchanged publicly, it will inevitably be run on, and the stock of copper coins will immediately decrease.

In this case, the treasure banknotes that are rarely used in the first place will be used even less frequently, which is equivalent to making the liquidity of the treasure banknotes even worse.

When Shopkeeper Liu saw the well-dressed men outside, he was even more afraid that they were sent by Daming Bank to investigate. No matter what Yang Shiqi said, he insisted that this was the official rule and he would never dare to do anything illegal.

Yang Shiqi had no choice but to catch fish directly, so he simply walked out of the bank with Zhu Zhanji.

But as luck would have it, as soon as he walked out of the door, he saw Jiang Xinghuo, who was dragging Yu Qian with him to investigate.