Qin Official

Big merchants from the four counties of Qidi were already standing outside the hall door. There were twelve people in total. Looking at their clothes, they thought they were just servants. They never expected that each of them was a wealthy businessman with hundreds of gold in his family.

Everyone is no stranger to each other. Ordinary traders and women are often limited to one township and one town. Medium-sized merchants only show their power in counties and counties. But if you want to reach the level of "a hundred gold" and join the ranks of big merchants, Dealing with peers is often indispensable.

Therefore, they are either partners who cooperate with each other, or they are rivals who have had conflicts. But now, they all greet each other in a friendly manner. In the shopping mall, what is pursued is nothing more than a profit. It is better to dissolve enemies than to make enemies. What's more, since Qin destroyed the Marquis of Qi, the biggest enemy of businessmen has become the same: the government. !

After exchanging greetings, everyone also discussed topics of common interest: "Today, the Jiaodong County Sheriff suddenly sent a message, inviting us to come here for a banquet. I wonder why?"

"I'm afraid it's not a good feast."

Guan Yan, a businessman from Langya, looked worried. The Qin Dynasty's policies towards merchants in recent years made him feel that if the government came to find him, nothing good would come of it!

"Of course, Qin people hate merchants the most."

Everyone agreed that the Legalists in Qin Dynasty had hated businessmen extremely since the time of Shang Yang. Shang Yang believed that merchants like to wander around and are the most disobedient. If a merchant succeeds in his business, ten farmers will not cultivate the land properly, so merchants must be suppressed.

First of all, things related to the national destiny such as salt and iron were all taken back to the government, and commercial taxes were increased. Wine, meat, etc. were all heavily taxed, making it unprofitable for practitioners.

At the same time, the status of merchants was lowered in the regulations. In the past, among the seven heroes in the world, the merchants of the Qin State were the lowest, ranked alongside the son-in-law. Whenever there was a corvee or war, the merchants were always the first to be expropriated. The Qin army clearly stipulates that there is no need to pity the lives of merchants and their descendants. They must be sent to do any dirty, tiring, or dangerous work!

Under this situation, Qin's business was basically controlled by the government. At most, big Yi and Di merchants such as Wushi and Baqing emerged in the border areas beyond the control of the government. However, they were eventually recruited by the court and became red-top merchants.

The reason why Heifu and his family's Nanjun Brown Sugar was successful was because they were based on the virgin land of Jiangnan and took advantage of legal loopholes. However, they were not free for a few years. Now all the sugar mills across the Jianghuai River have been turned into government-owned enterprises.

But the Qi State in the east took the completely opposite route to Qin. As early as the Taigongwang period, the Qi State was located in a salt-alkali land near the sea and was not suitable for farming. Therefore, it adapted to local conditions and boosted the economy through industry and commerce, eventually becoming a country of fish and salt.

During the reign of Duke Huan of Qi, Guan Zhong further put forward the view of "the beginning of the beginning and the end of the beginning". Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants were the pillars of the country, and a hometown of industry and commerce was established. Merchants were also encouraged to transport fish and salt to Liang and Chu to earn extra money for Qi.

Although Tian was a high-ranking official, he relied on sea fish and wood to win people's hearts, and he was also very tolerant of merchants. In the past two hundred years, Qi Jia has spread all over Guandong. The wealthy businessmen can compete with the feudal lords, and there are not a few who openly wear purple clothes and swagger through the market...

But this golden age of commercial prosperity ended after the fall of Tian Qi. The Qin Dynasty moved the policies of Guanzhong to Qi, and ordered that merchants were prohibited from wearing clothes and riding carriages, merchants and their descendants were prohibited from becoming officials, and merchants were required to pay Double the population tax…

When Qin Shihuang visited the east, he even engraved "Shang Nong and Eliminate Momo" on Langye Platform as a national policy and announced it to the world!

The good days of Qidi merchants are over. In the past ten years, whether they are engaged in farming, animal husbandry, fishing, mining, smelting, or luxury goods, merchants have been struggling. Their social status has plummeted, and they are still in fear of being slapped with any crime by the government. Catch it.

That's why today, thirteen wealthy businessmen are dressed worse than ordinary people! …

But the centipede worm is dead but not stiff. Qi people's 800-year-old mercantile tradition will not change overnight. This policy of suppressing business did not completely defeat Qi's merchants. On the contrary, something like this is circulating in Qi:

"From poverty to wealth, farming is not as good as work, work is not as good as doing business, and women's handicrafts are not as good as selling..."

Although the Qin Dynasty suppressed business, craftsmen and farmers did not necessarily have an easy life. Huge and heavy taxes were imposed, and honest people worked and farmed, but still lived in poverty, and the profits from speculation were even greater.

In Qi, due to the scarcity of Qin officials, the government could not manage the grassroots level like it did in Guanzhong. Shops and shops are still dominated by merchants. Linzi and Jimo, the major cities in Tongyi, have at least thirty kinds of industries. Each industry has a big businessman who has a monopoly. The annual income far exceeds that of Heifu and the "two people". "Thousands of stones" salary is ten times a million!

"When the sheep are fat, they will be killed; when the leeks grow, they will be cut!"

Langya merchant Guan Yan had a very different opinion of the Qin Dynasty, and said coldly: "Second and third sons, don't forget to settle the knot!"

Everyone sighed. Originally, they could still make a profit, but since the introduction of that policy, doing business has become unprofitable.

The wealth of Qi merchants was noticed by Qin Shihuang, who was on his eastern tour. Last year, after the emperor returned to Xianyang, in addition to forcibly moving some Qi merchants to Guanxi, he also promulgated a ban on merchants at the suggestion of Prime Minister Li Si. new policy.

All industrial and commercial owners, loan sharks, hoarders, etc., regardless of whether they have city registration or not, must report their property figures to the government, and it is stipulated that every two min (one min is equivalent to a thousand coins) will be calculated, which is two hundred coins. For ordinary small craftsmen, one draw will be counted every four pieces. This is called "min".

Except for officials, elders and soldiers, anyone who has a horse-drawn carriage will be drawn for one count. For a trafficker's cart, two counts will be drawn for one ride. Those with a boat of more than five feet will also be drawn for one count!

If there is any concealment or false reporting, all property will be confiscated! And he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment!

This is a blatant "property tax" from businessmen. As soon as this policy came out, businessmen all over the world were in mourning. Businesses that made more profits were fine, but those who made less profits simply couldn't make ends meet.

Many people have come up with the idea: "Isn't it okay if I don't become a businessman?"

However, the Qin Dynasty also strictly prohibited land annexation, blocking the possibility of purchasing land and real estate with money. The merchants were in a dilemma and found that the only option was to sell their business to the government at a low price, turning it from private to government-owned.

Guan Yan said pessimistically: "I'm afraid that's why we were called here this time! I heard that the emperor issued the fortune-telling order previously to raise money for the Southern Expedition, the Northern War, Lishan Tombs, and the Great Wall. Now the North and South At the same time, the war started, and Lishanling seems to have added 100,000 laborers, and it needs more money, so we will definitely be attacked again!"

The merchants nodded one after another, and some smart people questioned, even if they have to cut leeks, they can just cut them in Linzi and Langya. What's the point of calling them to Jiaodong?

"Don't forget, the county guard is the Supervisor of the Northern Expedition! Maybe there is a banquet. As long as anyone who comes in has to pay millions of dollars, no one will be allowed to leave!"

Guan Yan was a little sad and angry: "Everyone is not guilty of carrying a jade. In the eyes of the government, our crime is that we are rich, that is, we are rich!"

In the Qidi merchant circle, Guan Yan's words are still effective. He is not only a great merchant of Langya, but also a descendant of Qi Prime Minister Guan Yiwu hundreds of years ago!

Although Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi and nine other princes, and brought prosperity to the world, his descendants were in misery. The family declined early, and they lived in a small town. When the Tian family became the marquis of Qi, even the small town was gone. He could only pick up his ancestors' old business and start doing business. Perhaps this family did have a talent for doing business, but within a hundred years, they became one of the big businessmen in Qi State, with a family fortune of hundreds of gold.

After Guan Yan said this, more than a dozen merchants became more and more frightened. They felt that these Taoists were Huangquan Haoli, and Hei Fu was the black-faced ghost uncle who was seeking his life...

At this moment, a strange voice sounded.

"Guan Jun's words are wrong. Jiaodong Shouwei Jun has always treated all the people equally and has not cracked down on the merchants in this county. Even when the imperial court promulgated the plan of calamity, he even wrote a letter to dissuade the emperor from adding an additional proclamation. The law. The law says that anyone who dares to report will be rewarded by the government with half of the confiscated property! If this law were implemented, we would have been sued and sent to the border to do hard labor. Now that the county guard has summoned us, we can still I don’t know what to say, but I’m afraid it’s inappropriate for the second and third sons to slander me!”

Everyone followed the sound and saw a businessman in his forties with a mustache, his sleeves rolled up, looking at them with a smile.

Someone laughed and said: "Who did I think it was? It turned out to be Toma."

Daojian was from Jiaodong and one of the big merchants, but he started his career as a concubine.

The merchants in Qi are good at raising domestic slaves, but they regard slaves as the least valuable things, inferior to cattle and horses. They often abuse them and sell them at low prices and give them away at will, just like discarded grass and mustard.

But Dao Jian was different. He regarded these slaves as treasures and bought smart and capable slaves everywhere. He did not directly use them to do rough and heavy work, but taught them skills: young and beautiful female slaves were taught the art of Fang Zhongshu and given to them as gifts. Local officials, build good relationships. Strong male slaves were trained as warriors to protect his trade. The clever ministers asked them to learn literacy and arithmetic, so that they could run the industry and make profits for him.

In this way, Daojian became the leading rich man in Jiaodong by relying on his concubines. He treated his slaves well and lived a better life than ordinary civilians, so much so that they "would rather be a noble than a sword", which meant that they would rather not change their status as slaves and not have the freedom enjoyed by civilians than leave the sword room...

Although Daojian was a wealthy businessman in Jiaodong, he was despised by other merchants. What was even more criticized was that after the announcement of the Suanmin Order, the wealthy people all scrambled to hide their wealth and planned to boycott the policy. However, Daojian rebelled and ran to Jimo voluntarily donated one-third of his family wealth for military expenses.

Since then, Daojian has become a frequent visitor to Jiaodong County Sheriff's Mansion. After the new route to Haidong was opened, Hei Fu even summoned him almost every month. Pang and other Qi Jia felt that Daojian was probably in Help the government plan how to slaughter them...

Guan Yan had been slaughtered too harshly over the years, and he complained a few times. Although he scolded Dao Jian a lot behind his back, when he saw him and the two Qin officials following him, he immediately gave up and held his hands. : "Master Dao, you have been dealing with me for a long time. Although I am unscrupulous in my words, I have no intention of slandering the county governor."

"Guan Jun is the leader of Langya merchants after Guan Yiwu, and he is also my senior. I naturally know who you are, but..."

Daojian smiled and said: "However, walls have ears, so it's better to say less of these words! Second and third sons, the governor has called you here this time to announce a great thing! Now that the governor is coming, you'd better follow me quickly. Meet me!"

"A great thing?" Everyone looked at each other.

Touma looked like he was Kurofu's agent and made an invitation gesture to invite everyone into the hall.

…

The political status of the merchants was low. Although there were tables and tables in the hall, the officials did not say anything and no one dared to sit down.

The person in charge always arrived last. After a while, Hei Fu arrived late. He had a kind face and asked everyone to relax and sit down, but then he said something heartbreaking.

"I have heard the complaints that the second and third sons have just made about the imperial government's national policies, their dissatisfaction with the calculation method, and their speculations about the purpose of my inviting you here!"

"this……"

Except for Touma, who had nothing to do with it, everyone in the hall stood up again in fright, saying that he was not the one who said it.

The Langya businessman in charge of the banquet was so frightened that he lay on the ground, regretting his quick words. The "defamation crime" promulgated by Qin Shihuang during his eastward tour was still in effect. He couldn't help but pause:

"The villain made a mistake for a moment. I hope the county governor will forgive me and spare my life!"

But Hei Fu smiled and said: "Excuse me? Spare me, what you said is the truth. The court is shearing sheep, cutting leeks, and fishing in the swamp. What's wrong?"

"ah?"

The thirteen giants in the hall were all stunned. They looked at each other and thought that they had failed to obey. Why did Heifu, the governor of the border area, suddenly say that someone from the imperial court was not here?

"Tojian, read my memorial to them!"

Jiaodong merchant Dao Jian actively approached the government, and Hei Fu reciprocated by asking him to be his agent in the merchant circle.

Daozhi took the copy of the memorial and read it loudly.

"I, Jiaodong Shou Heifu, paid my respects again. I heard that the Prime Minister asked me to calculate the misfortune. This is the way to stabilize the country. It can make the treacherous merchants use their own interests to benefit the country. However, I think that the calculation of misfortune can be done in all the world, but it cannot be done in the Qing Dynasty. …”

Hearing the words "The land must be leveled", all the merchants raised their heads and widened their eyes. Could it be that Dao Jian was right? The county guard was really looking after the merchants who were trampled into the mud. say?

Knife Jian continued to read: "The bandits in Qi are starting to cause chaos, and the people's livelihood has not been restored. Merchants and merchants can make the people exchange what they have for what they don't have. This is not only due to excessive taxation and making things expensive."

"The bandits in the east of the sea have not yet been defeated, and the government ships are already stretched thin to carry food and troops. I want to ask the merchants to help, and they have contributed a lot, so it is not considered a trap. This is the second one."

"The customs in Qi and Guanzhong are very different. In the past, Taigong Wang was granted a title in Yingqiu, where the land was salty and the people were few. So Taigong encouraged his daughter to practice martial arts, be extremely skilled, know fish and salt, and take care of the world. After that, Qi Guozhong If it declines, Guanzi will repair it, set up nine major and minor offices, shut down the city and ridicule it without conquering it, and make Qi rich and strong to the point of prestige and publicity."

"Although the Qi people attach great importance to Jia, making their generals work as hard as in the market, they are soldiers who will subjugate the country. However, Qi Jia can make great profits. If they can combine their efforts and be used by the government, the country will be rich at the top, and the family will be rich at the bottom. , the profit gained will be several times that of Suan Min! This is the third one!"

"Although Your Majesty wants to change customs, the management of counties should be adapted to local conditions. Why not make the counties in Qi a special case to temporarily exempt them from misfortune. Order the merchants to obey the orders of Shaofu and Jinbucao, so as to benefit the country in Haidong and Liaonan. Given time, Wushi and Baqing may be able to bring huge profits to the country, and the wealth from Haidong can also be brought to Xianyang..."

After Dao Jian finished reading, everyone was very excited. Hei Fu then said:

"And His Majesty's answer is... yes!"

Of course, this short word of Qin Shihuang can be understood as: You can try it, but if it doesn't work, you, the black guy, come back and take the blame!

The court is now very short of money. Shaoli Si and Shaofu started collecting property taxes, which was also a last resort. Heifu estimated that if things continued like this, the young master would be so crazy that he would convict wealthy businessmen all over the world and confiscate their homes.

Although this group of people is not clean, it is not a good idea to fish all the water like this, and it is also contrary to Heifu's plan.

Therefore, Heifu proposed that the court could obtain more benefits than directly collecting taxes through the use of merchants in Qi. Considering the increasingly scarce treasury, Qin Shihuang was reluctant, but he still agreed.

At this time, all the merchants had already bowed their heads to Hef: "The commander-in-chief really treats all the people equally!"

Heifu said calmly: "If you don't work as a farmer, you'll be short of food. If you don't work as a worker, you'll be short of work. If you don't work as a businessman, you'll have three treasures. If you don't work as a businessman, you'll be short of money. I also have relatives in my family who are doing business. This is true. Officials still understand!"

"The prince is wise!"

Now, even the complaining Guan Yan thanked him sincerely. Drawing two hundred for one thousand means that for every one million they earn, they have to hand over two hundred thousand to the government. This is not considered extremely heavy. It can be said that the customs tax has helped merchants gain a lot of blood.

But they still have concerns.

Because everyone has heard that this is not a simple cancellation, but a bet...

But now, Heifu has made the decision for them, and it's too late to regret.

But I heard Heifu say: "Your Majesty has issued an edict. Starting from January, the four counties in Qi will be different from other counties in the world. They will suspend calculations and be regarded as a special area. The government will take the lead to colonize overseas. Starting from the second year. , be sure to earn more money than Suan Min, and use the benefits of the seaside to help the government's lack of funds!"

“That’s why it’s called, ‘Special Economic Zone’!”

"Special economic zone?" The thirteen giants in the hall stared at each other, confused by this strange term, but Chen Ping, Xiao He and others were already used to it.

But Hei Fu said happily in the hall:

"Will there be such a song in future generations?"

"In the spring of the thirty-fourth year of Qin Shihuang, a big black man drew a circle on the East China Sea..."