1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3867

Lu Congshan did try to win over the people during his tenure, but not by reducing or exempting grain and commercial taxes.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had long been plagued by internal and external troubles, and taxes from all over the country had always been increasing, barely enough to cover the court's ever-growing defense expenses. Jiujiang, a rare and prosperous place, was an important source of tax revenue, and the court would never allow such a decree to be implemented.

A significant portion of the expenses for the operation of local government came from the taxes collected. Lu Congshan was already accustomed to this way of operating, so when he heard that Ning Zijing planned to reduce taxes for a year, he felt that this was unreasonable. Although he did not dare to openly oppose it, he kindly reminded the other party that following this approach might lead to a big pitfall.

Ning Zijing wasn't too worried about the issues Lu Congshan had raised, since his father, Ning Qi, had already sent a telegram promising to provide him with the necessary assistance at the executive committee level, allowing him to go all out in Jiujiang.

Tax reductions for a certain period of time are one of the usual administrative measures used by Haihan in newly occupied territories. During the implementation of the policy, the executive committee will also provide financial support, so the situation that Lu Congshan is worried about should not occur.

Ning Zijing didn't want to explain too much to Lu Congshan, lest the other party think he was showing off his family background. But he knew that as long as the tax reduction decree was issued, the local people's opinion of the new government would definitely change for the better.

Of course, tax reduction and exemption is not the whole of Ning Zijing's governance plan. After reviewing the local government's archives and records in the past few days, and combining them with the preliminary plans he made on his way to Jiujiang, he has sorted out a general governing strategy.

After consulting with Lu Congshan and others, Ning Zijing quickly issued Haihan's first set of decrees in Jiujiang.

The first measure was a year-long tax reduction to give local residents a buffer period to rest and recuperate in order to adapt to the new regime's system.

The decree also announced in advance the tax collection standards for a year later, which were still about half lower than during the Ming Dynasty, thus demonstrating Ning Zijing's confidence in increasing the economic scale of Jiujiang.

He believes that those who fled abroad will choose to return to their hometowns after hearing such news.

Secondly, there are government decrees closely related to the Ning family's traditional business of education. Starting this year, the content of Haihan education will be promoted in academies and schools at all levels in Jiujiang, and the teaching materials used will be gradually replaced to adapt to Haihan's new imperial examination system.

Since these measures involve significant changes to the teaching content, the existing local teachers have not undergone relevant training and are obviously unable to complete the new teaching tasks. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer teachers from other parts of the country to provide support.

Based on past experiences in other parts of the country, in order for a new education system to be put into operation, it is necessary to train a sufficient number of teachers locally. The whole process will take two or three years at the fastest and five or six years at the slowest. In short, there may not be any obvious results in the short term.

In addition to the problem of insufficient teachers, there will inevitably be some old scholars who cling to the old Four Books and Five Classics and refuse to accept Haihan's cultural and educational system and the imperial examination system. They may even use their influence to obstruct its promotion. These are all difficulties that Ning Zijing will have to face in the future.

Implementing a new system in the field of education and culture is less about achieving political success and more about following a necessary step in a systematic manner. However, Ning Qi single-handedly built Haihan's education and culture system, and the convenience he can provide to Ning Zijing in this area is certainly unmatched by others. As long as Ning Zijing devotes more effort to this, there is a good chance he can achieve some remarkable results.

The third decree targets Jiujiang's traditional strengths—shipping and commerce. Although Jiujiang is a small place, its geographical location has endowed it with highly developed shipping and commerce, which is precisely Haihan's area of ​​expertise. Ning Zijing is very optimistic about this, believing that Jiujiang can be transformed into a true regional commercial hub.

In addition to the limited-time reduction or exemption of commercial taxes, Ning Zijing's decrees also included measures to vigorously develop the local shipping industry, such as building the Jiujiang Comprehensive Port, which integrates warehousing and trade functions, opening a branch of the Zhoushan Shipyard, and establishing a fixed shipping route from Jiujiang to major cities along the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

To realize these ideas, it is of course necessary to ensure that Jiujiang’s transportation channels with the outside world can be kept unobstructed. Therefore, Ning Zijing also plans to restore transportation between Jiujiang and the areas controlled by the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible, especially to lift the ban on waterways on the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, so that Jiujiang can continue to maintain its function as a distribution center for goods and a trading center.

Of course, this also requires the cooperation of the garrison troops. Ning Zijing did not want to be too autocratic, so he had to first consult with Harugong and Shi Chengwu to ensure that the government orders would not be issued but the Haihan Army would refuse to implement them.

While Lu Congshan wasn't entirely willing to agree with the measures of tax reduction and reform of education and culture, he wholeheartedly supported Ning Zijing's plan to enhance Jiujiang's shipping and trade capabilities.

During his tenure, Lu Congshan's main achievement was the development of shipping and trade, and he devoted considerable effort to this field. His personal wealth primarily came from commercial institutions such as Lufax.

The new leader is willing to increase efforts in this area, which coincides with Lu Congshan's previous governing philosophy, and he believes that there should be a place for him to make his mark.

Therefore, Lu Congshan volunteered to Ning Zijing, hoping to be in charge of shipping and trade-related matters.

Ning Zijing smiled and said, "Lord Lu, it's not that I don't trust you, but the way my Haihan Kingdom manages and operates trade affairs may be different from the rules you understand."

Lu Congshan said, "Lord Ning, to be honest, during my tenure, I personally guided the operation of Lufaxing, making it the largest and strongest merchant in Jiujiang. I do have some experience in how to operate it."

Lu Congshan was quite proud of his achievements and couldn't help but show them off to Ning Zijing.

Ning Zijing said, "So, Lord Lu hopes to use his past experience in managing Lufax to handle the relevant government affairs in Jiujiang?"

Lu Congshan said, "Your Excellency is wise; this is exactly what I meant."

Ning Zijing nodded and said, "It's not wrong for you to have such an idea, but you have to tell me first what specific strategies you have so I can weigh the pros and cons."

Seeing that Ning Zijing was willing to listen to his ideas, Lu Congshan realized that this was giving him a chance. He immediately explained his plans and added some supplementary explanations based on Ning Zijing's plans.