Ming Zuo

Chapter 44

"Dredging the river, repairing the wharf, only for the operation of the banknote pass, and the capital supply. That being the case, why not use the banknote customs tax as a share to absorb the resources of the Quartet? In this way, the money and food for dredging the river is just around the corner."

Zuo Menggeng came up with the solution, and everyone was shocked and lost their souls.

No one would have imagined that he would be so daring to use banknotes, tariffs and silver as a bargaining chip to attract local gentry to pay.

Will the local gentry pay if they do?

Don't even think about it, as long as the matter is approved by the imperial court, the money of the local gentry can bury the banknotes.

Linqing Banknote Pass is the largest in the world, and the annual tax on silver is ten times higher than that in Shandong Province.

How big a fortune is that?
And it's not like other businesses, this thing guarantees income in drought and flood, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a daily gold.

For Linqing's rich income, the jealous people do not know how many.

However, this is the yamen of the imperial court, and everyone can only watch and do nothing.

Given the opportunity to participate, no one can resist the temptation.

"Nonsense. The banknotes pass is an important taxation area for the imperial court. How can you conduct business transactions?"

Liu Zongzhou was the first to object.

His ideas are simple.

The banknotes pass was owned by the imperial court and provided a large amount of tax and silver to the imperial court every year.It is impossible for the imperial court to agree to this approach, and it may even hold everyone here accountable.

Hou Xun also shook his head.

"Junior is whimsical, no need to mention it again."

However, unlike them, Zhang Zhenxiu was very excited.

"This method is very wonderful. It can not only solve the difficulties of the canal, but also recruit refugees, and also activate local wealth. It can kill three birds with one stone."

At this time, when he looked at Zuo Menggeng again, not only was he not dissatisfied, but he was full of praise.

See, this is the benefit of seeing it.

Cao Wenheng felt that Zhang Zhenxiu was delusional.

"Young Master, this matter must not be allowed in the imperial court."

Zhang Zhenxiu snorted coldly, not being polite.

"Then let the imperial court take out the money, otherwise dredging the canal and repairing the wharf can only be a flower in the mirror and the moon in the water."

This is the difference of times.

In Zuo Menggeng's mind, using the tax from the banknote customs as the share capital to attract local businessmen to pay, is like building a highway, then setting up card charges, and then giving dividends to various shareholders. There will be many in future generations.

However, in the eyes of people of this era, the first thing that comes to mind is the majesty of the imperial court.

This is bigger than the sky, and everything has to be left behind.

The reason why Zhang Zhenxiu agreed is not only related to his own interests, but also related to his vision.

"There is a local brick kiln, which produces bricks and stones to supply the needs of the capital. The brick kiln is run by the government, but it is run by businessmen. It has been safe for many years, and both the government and the people are convenient. The brick kiln can be used, but why not?"

Yes, Linqing has the largest brick kiln in Zhili.

This brick kiln was opened by the government, and the quality of the bricks produced was even purchased by the imperial palace.

However, these brick kilns were not operated by the officials themselves, but were handed over to local merchants.The Lu family, the largest local family in Linqing, runs such businesses.

It is precisely because of the precedent of a public and private brick kiln that Zhang Zhenxiu was overwhelmed when he heard that Zuo Menggeng hoped that Chaoguan would introduce private capital.

However, apart from him, although the others have good knowledge, they have not reached the level of such a big leap and dare not accept it at all.

But the real problem lies there.

The imperial court was pressing to dredge the canal in a dire urgency. If this task could not be accomplished, no one could afford the punishment.

The imperial court does not give money, and it needs to find a way by itself.

But even if the local gentry were rich, who would do things that were not good for them?

Linqing is also a big city with a population of one million. If they do not provide enough money and food, they will force the common people to serve corvée. I am afraid that there will be chaos immediately.

Then another disaster.

All kinds of problems are like a series of nooses, causing everyone present to be extremely depressed.

After all, Hou Xun was an official, and he quickly thought of a countermeasure.

He said to Wu Daochang: "Mr. Wu, it's difficult here, it's better to report it to the court and invite the holy judge."

That's kicking the ball.

You above asked us to work, but we didn't give money. Now we have thought of ways to raise money ourselves, but we need to use the proceeds from the banknotes.

Okay, boss, make up your mind.

If you don't agree, you pay.

Anyway, we are out of recruits. If it really doesn't work, you can replace it.

Wu Daochang may not have any talent in doing things, but his ability as an official is not bad.As soon as I heard it, I understood, and Deng showed joy.

"Thank you Ruogu Gong for the pointer."

This guy went back happily, wrote a memorial, and quickly sent his horse to the capital.

After Bi Ziyan received it, he was a little confused when he saw it.

Since the matter was a big deal, he didn't dare to make an assertion, so he quickly handed it to Chongzhen.

Wu Daochang's memorial has been instructed by Zuo Menggeng, and the content is quite elegant.

First of all, as soon as you come up, you will explain the situation of the banknote customs thoroughly.As long as it is thorough, the difficulty will be revealed.

The next step is to ask for money.

As soon as he saw the money, Chongzhen was angry.

Just thinking about my small treasury, is it easy for me to save some money for myself?
Resisting his anger and looking at it, Wu Daochang said: Your Majesty, in fact, you don't need to pay for it. The minister thought of a way.

Chongzhen was furious when he heard that he was going to take out the money.When I saw that there was a way to save money, my mood was soothed.

Looking at the content again, although it seems that it is too much to divide the money and customs duties.

But can it be more than enough to make yourself pay for it?

The tax and silver of the banknote customs have to be deported to the Ministry of Households and enter the treasury.

What does it have to do with his internal library?
Now that Chaoguan has been handed back to the Ministry of Household, the tax and silver of Chaoguan cannot reach the emperor's hands.

Since there is no loss, the crisis in the capital must be resolved as soon as possible, and the speed at which Chongzhen makes a choice is outrageous.

Three days later, when the officials of Linqing received the decree approved by Chongzhen, everyone was stunned.

Is this possible?
It was too late to think about it, the opportunity was rare, and the enthusiasm of the local gentry in Linqing shocked the attention of the officials.

The Zhang family provided [-] taels, the Liu family provided food, the Geng family provided tools, the Lu family provided building materials, and donations from various merchants. Chaoguan actually received a total of [-] taels of money.

The capital for dredging the river and repairing the wharf is available.

Because this matter was Zuo Menggeng's idea, everyone invited him out to preside over the equity participation.

This is Zuo Menggeng's first time standing in front of the world, and his performance is so amazing.

After his planning, various gentry, businessmen and bankers reached a shareholding agreement.

Gentry and merchants from all walks of life use silver and grain as capital to invest in banknote operations.Chaoguan takes tax and silver income as its share capital and distributes dividends to shareholders every year.

According to the agreement, the court behind Chaoguan is the largest shareholder and has the controlling and operating rights of Chaoguan.Businessmen from all walks of life participate in dividends, but have the power to supervise and audit accounts.

The proportion of shares of the imperial court, gentry and merchants is 6:4.

The court is 6, the gentry and merchants are 4.

Gentry and businessmen are subdivided again, and they own equity according to the proportion of each investment.

When the money and food are in place, there is no obstacle to start work.

Under Zuo Menggeng's suggestion, Qu Shisi went to the refugees outside the city to recruit workers, all young and strong workers.

The refugees worked for the government, and the government took care of two meals at noon and in the evening, and they were paid fifteen cents a day.

Frankly speaking, the pay is exploitative.

But for the refugees, what more can they ask for?

Having food to eat and earning money is better than being trapped in a snowstorm outside the city and starving to death, right?

For a time, refugees swarmed to sign up, almost causing a stampede accident.

In the end, Qu Shisi recruited more than [-] young and young laborers from the refugees and became a new force in dredging the canal.

This project has many benefits, and Zuo Menggeng also benefited for his own people.

He went to Zhuangzi with the clothes, pots and stoves he had bought, and after gathering all the farmers, he spoke his thoughts.

"The work at Chaoguan is about to start. More than [-] people eat, drink, and dine, which is a lot of expenses every day. The most important thing is that the government also pays for cooking for these [-] people. Ming and I The government has negotiated and asked for this cooking job and handed it over to you. Can you do it well?"

Because of the clothes Zuo Menggeng brought, there were no more bare-ass people in Zhuangzi.

Men and women, old and young, got together, and they were all overjoyed when they heard that there was money to be made.

Old Qin Tou's smiling brows and eyes were nowhere to be seen.

"The eldest young master is really a bodhisattva. He saved us from renting a son and didn't talk about it, and found a way for us to live. If he didn't say anything, the old and young masters must show their skills. If anyone loses the face of the eldest young master, I will be the first. I can't spare him."

The villagers responded one after another and made up their minds to work hard.

Zhang Yan was more cautious and asked, "Master, what's the point of cooking for the workers?"

Zuo Menggeng smiled.

"They're all poor people like you, so what's the point? But remember, these workers are doing heavy manual labor. They have to go into the water in the cold weather. If they don't eat well, they will cause death."

He looked around at everyone and said solemnly: "I don't ask much, but you have to do it. There is no shortage of food for cooking, so you must give enough. What you can cook is not delicious, but you can't lack it. Salt is also No shortage, no deductions allowed.”

He was so murderous that it was impossible to look directly at him.

"Let's talk about the ugly first, but I made a ticket in front of Mingfu. If any of you pull my hips, you will have to use your head to make up for it."

Everyone was terrified, and there was no slack in the last bit.

After shouting yes, the whole Zhuangzi moved.

The big guy packed up, pushed the wheelbarrow, took the guy, and went straight to the dock.

Because of a bloody battle, the wharf is now extremely desolate, with open spaces everywhere.

Old Qintou and Zhang Yan brought people and found a random place, set up a shed for cooking, and started to get busy.

Grain and salt are all provided by large local households, and the quantity is very sufficient.

After a while, the aroma of food began to permeate the sky above the pier.

Those refugees who are working hard are more motivated.

(End of this chapter)