Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 237 Special Zone
People can reduce the price of salt by several times. Of course, such a good thing has to be done.

There is another advantage of lowering the price of salt, which is to save tax collection costs, and not to go to great lengths to suppress private salt dealers.

Why did the Ming Dynasty lack money, and everyone only paid more taxes on the fields and people, but turned a blind eye to business, trade, minerals, salt and tea?

It's not that they don't know that there is money to be collected here, but that all the benefits here are monopolized by them, and they regard it as their own source of income, how can they hand it over?
When the emperor of the Ming Dynasty levied a mining tax, countless gentry groups would attack them, and even encouraged local mine owners, gentry, and miners to beat the eunuchs who were going to collect the tax to death. Said they tyrannized and harmed the people.

Didn't the emperor know about the problems here, but facing the entire scholar-official class, his own dog leg was beaten to death outside, so he could only swallow his anger.

Just like the opening of the sea ban in the Ming Dynasty, the officials said that the sea ban could not be lifted. In fact, they secretly ran the trade and made a lot of money. They just didn't want the court to open the sea, and then they could justifiably collect taxes. .

One is worse than the other, and they are all grandchildren's stuff.

"Ningbo Tax Police Corps needs to strengthen training. Their task is to maintain tax revenue. Whoever dares to resist tax must quickly enforce the law. You are not welcome."

When Ningbo was rich, Su Lelin supported Ge Dazhen and other heroes, and they took great strides, walking ahead of the entire Zhejiang Province, and even the results were not weaker than Zhu Yihai, Huang Zongxi, Fang Fengnian, Ruan Dacheng, Ma Shiying and others personally captured Yanzhou.

The frontline soldiers are fighting.

But money and food are still a big problem. Now even the armored rate of the imperial camp is still very low. Although a purchase agreement for guns and artillery has been reached with the foreigners in Macau, those big noses insist on paying the money first before delivering the goods. They will not start work until half of the deposit is paid, and the balance payment must be paid first when receiving the goods.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places, although they are supported now, are actually out of reach. Just like the Zheng family in Fujian, they already have a certain meaning of dividing themselves.

Zhu Yihai also knows well that he can now support the entire army in one province. Without reform, Zhejiang can't even support 2 people.

Fortunately, the base camp in eastern Zhejiang has been rectified well.

On the same day, Zhu Yihai went to Dinghai again and boarded Zhoushan.

Conglong hero Wang Chuangzi is now the chief military officer of Zhejiang Admiral, and was conferred the title of Earl of Jingnan by Zhu Yihai and granted the seal of General Zhenhai.Originally, the General Army of Zhejiang Province was printed by General Wa, but now it is trading with the Japanese, so it is not easy to use this name anymore. .

"Long time no see, you seem to have gained a little weight?" Zhu Yihai looked at Wang Chuangzi who came to greet him and smiled.

Facing the familiar person, the tall and tall Wang Chuangzi knelt down and paid respects, "I pay my respects to Your Highness."

"What are you doing out of sight like this?" Zhu Yihai stretched out his hand to support him, and walked together holding his hand, "While walking and chatting, how are you doing what Gu ordered you to do?"

"After receiving His Royal Highness's order, I immediately started to build the Ningbo City Shipping Department, assisting the Ministry of Internal Affairs in selecting a site, recruiting officials and manpower, etc. Now the City Shipping Department has been completed, and has attracted many merchant ships, and opened the service to Japan and North Korea. In addition, we are still in contact with people from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands in Macau, Taiwan, and Luzon to attract them to trade."

"Are there any foreign merchant ships coming?"

"There are quite a few!" Wang Chuangzi reported on the establishment of the Ningbo Shipping Department, which is stationed in Dinghai. This was originally a tribute port specially set up by the Ming Dynasty, but it has been abandoned for a long time.Now Zhu Yihai requested the establishment of a Municipal Shipping Department to be responsible for foreign import and export trade, attracting merchant ships to Ningbo, importing and exporting commercial goods, and collecting customs duties.

The Municipal Shipping Department is mainly responsible for import and export trade. The taxes collected are mainly goods tax and shipping tax, and the value of goods is [-]%.

The boat tax is levied according to the size of the boat.

"Currently, the Municipal Shipping Department charges 200 taels for large ships, 960 taels for medium ships, and 450 taels for small ships. The same amount is also required for official levies.

The regular tax on goods is worth five out of one hundred, and the other rule stipulates that it is worth five out of every hundred. "

Zhu Yihai smiled, this is also full of Ming Dynasty's ethos, there are rules and regulations for additional dispatches everywhere.

"What is the name of this official ceremony, and where are the customs regulations used?"

"Returning to Your Highness, the money was not taken by me, Wang Chuangzi. It was collected by the ship tax officials, half of which was used for the salaries and public expenses of the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Municipal Ship Department, and the other half was turned over to internal funds."

"Oh, so half of it went into Gu's pocket."

Half of the 5.00% of the excise tax regulations was used for the expenses of arresting smugglers and cracking down on sea and land in Zhoushan Yuying Dinghai Division and Zhezhen Dinghai, Shipu and other towns, and the other half was also turned over to internal funds.

Give him Zhu Yihai.

"Is this Pang Tianshou's idea, or your Wang Chuangzi's idea?"

"Eunuch Pang came here and left soon. This is his proposal, but the minister is also very supportive. Your Highness wants to support the imperial camp and reward the ministers. How can we do it without money?"

Zhu Yihai looked at the sea, "However, if you do this, the goods tax will become [-] rakes, and the boat tax will also increase a lot."

"Your Highness, I have asked someone to calculate it. Even if they collect these things, they are actually still a good deal. What's more, we don't charge this money for nothing. Entering our shipping department in Ningbo City is comparable to their entry and exit in Xiamen, Macau, Taiwan and other places. The goods are much more cost-effective, and besides, after customs declaration and clearance, we will give customs anti-printing letters, and the navy will protect them along the way at sea, which is very worthwhile.”

Zhu Yihai nodded his head.

However, the Shibo Department is actually just a customs office. When goods enter the customs office, they cannot be directly circulated in the mainland.

"We can charge at least 500 taels of silver for a large ship to Japan." Wang Chuangzi said with some pride.

"Import a load of cotton, we can tax one tael and eight silver, export a load of lake silk, we can collect 24 taels of silver, one load of cotton cloth is two taels of five renminbi, one load of sugar is five renminbi, and one load of eastern Zhejiang tea is taxed two taels." two······"

After the establishment of the Ningbo Shipping Department, although not many ships came, but with the order of supervising the country, they vigorously recruited merchants, and the current situation is still good.

After all, this is an official trading port. Trading here can not only reduce several middleman links, but also purchase high-quality Chinese goods and sell foreign goods at a good price.

Although the shipping department of Ningbo City has to collect taxes, and Lu Jianguo also sent eunuchs to establish a royal firm in Dinghai, purchase tea, lake silk, porcelain, etc. from the mainland to Ningbo, and then sell them to sea merchants. Their cotton cloth and other foreign goods are then resold to inland businessmen, and they can make a fortune once they enter and exit.

A large ship can directly tax 500 taels, and Dinghai's Huangshang can make a lot of money. If the trade volume can increase here and there, it will not be a problem to earn several 10 taels a year.

"You're doing a good job here."

But Wang Chuangzi said with red eyes, "Your Highness, you should transfer me back to the imperial camp. I would like to be a striker in Hangzhou. There is no battle in Dinghai. I deal with a group of businessmen all day long. Those foreign businessmen all grimace and hate me." , It’s terrible to be covered in body odor, I’m not feeling well staying here.”

"Hahaha, I trust you, that's why I entrust the important job of the admiral of Zhejiang to your confidant Yuan Cong."

"Didn't it mean that the admiral of Zhejiang would be stationed in Hangzhou after the capture of Hangzhou? Then I, the admiral, would have to go to fight Hangzhou in person. It would be embarrassing for me to let someone else take down Hangzhou for me and station myself there."

(End of this chapter)