Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 915: Hunting for Prisoners and Gold Mining (1)

The wind howls.

Snow is falling.

Liaodong.

Shenyang.

Governor's Palace.

"Superintendent, this is the accounting of the tax silver collected from hunters and gold panning last year from the two military governors of Jilin and Heilongjiang." A man came over with an official letter and said to Xiong Tingbi who was busy at his desk.

"no problem?"

Xiong Tingbi put down his pen, looked up at the man, took the official letter and read it, and said to the man: "This tax is for bilateral joint operations and is specially opened for infiltration of the Northeast."

"This part of tax silver is used to pay the military salaries of the various departments under the Jilin and Heilongjiang Dusi. If the tax silver collected cannot even meet this requirement, then what is the point of setting it up?"

"What the governor said is absolutely right."

The man bowed and said, "According to our calculations, the tax silver collected last year totaled more than 5.37 million taels, so there is no problem at all."

"Hunting captives and panning for gold involves a lot of areas, not only armed hunting and panning for gold, but also the transportation of military supplies for the front-line troops, and the purchase of furs, pearls, etc. through trade. Therefore, in Liaodong, there are many merchant groups willing to rush to the garrisons in Jilin and Heilongjiang and various designated places to purchase documents."

"The collection and compilation of this part of the tax silver is done by drawing personnel from each department to check and balance each other, and to monitor each other. The possibility of collusion and fraud is extremely small."

"It's very unlikely, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Xiong Tingbi put down the official letter and said coldly: "Once a person's greed is born, it cannot be curbed unless the person dies."

"In the past, Liaodong had too many extremely unlikely things happen, and eventually it evolved step by step into that state!"

"How many merchant groups were severely punished and executed in the past year alone? This matter must be taken seriously, and there must be no mistakes in the Governor's Office!"

Due to the inclination of various policies and resources, Liaodong has been developing rapidly in the past few years, which has also stimulated many demands.

Especially the Liaodong coastal area, there are close maritime trade relations with northern Zhili, Shandong, southeastern provinces, and even North Korea, which will undoubtedly continue to stimulate such demand.

It was precisely because of this situation that the intensive handicraft manufacturing industry in the prefectures, counties and districts under the jurisdiction of Liaodong developed extremely rapidly, which promoted the prosperity of private commerce.

Where there is demand, there is drive.

What Xiong Tingbi did was proposed by Zhu Youxiao, who wanted to further accelerate the development of Liaodong through this direct stimulation.

The powerless lower-class groups were diverted and resettled according to the court's plan, and earned money to support their families through hard work.

As for the powerful groups, don't mess around in Liaodong. If you want to make trouble, go outside Liaodong, recruit idle people, and form armed merchant groups. You don't have to worry about the laws of the Ming Dynasty. As long as you can make money, you can do whatever you want. But once you return to Liaodong, whoever dares to violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty will have only one end: death!
When infiltrating and opening up new territories, everything is based on the law of the jungle, the principle that the strong will always be strong! "Du Tang, there is one more thing."

The man thought for a moment and then expressed his worries, "According to what I have learned, a group of armed merchants are exploring overseas and have discovered a lot of gold veins."

"For the imperial court, gold, silver and copper mines are the foundation of the country. If we allow these private individuals to own them now, I'm afraid that after a long time, there will inevitably be a big mess."

"What's the rush?"

Xiong Tingbi smiled, looked at the man and said, "When the hunting and gold panning issue was finalized, the rules for this part were made clear. Whoever explores the gold and silver mines will have the priority to mine them, but they need to report to their respective garrisons, so that they have the right to be protected by the troops of the Jilin and Heilongjiang Dusi."

"It's up to you to mine gold and silver, and how much you want to mine is up to you, but you have to pay the mining tax, not a single ounce less. Anyone who dares to pay less will not have the right to be protected."

“This is exactly what I am worried about.”

The man replied, "It was precisely because the mining tax was too heavy that many armed merchant groups chose to hide and not report. During this period, many conflicts and fights occurred."

"That's their business."

Xiong Tingbi said nonchalantly: "The two governors of Jilin and Heilongjiang just need to do their own work well. As for their conflicts and fights, that is their business."

"Don't forget, every few months, the Jilin-Heilongjiang Dusi will dispatch personnel, and Liaodong will also dispatch personnel to conduct screening in their respective jurisdictions. If anyone is found to have not paid mining taxes and privately mined gold and silver, they will face heavy penalties."

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When he said this, Xiong Tingbi felt awe.

What he said was exactly what the emperor in the capital had proposed. On the one hand, he set off a gold rush in Liao, asking more people to pay taxes and participate in it. On the other hand, he continued to infiltrate the new territories through these people. During this period, the two Dusi of Jilin and Heilongjiang expanded outward according to the actual situation in various places, and the mining tax was just a bonus. It was not important whether too much tax could be levied. What was important was that the court officials had the means to punish at any time.

When the jurisdiction of the Jilin-Heilongjiang Dusi expands and reaches the foundation for upgrading and setting up the Chengxuanzhengshisi, all the past things will be rectified and clarified.

When it comes to external expansion, if we only rely on the imperial court to lead, the efficiency will be extremely slow. Only by getting more people and groups involved, so that all participants can profit, can the new territories that are opened up not be lost.

"Also, you don't really think that it's as simple as fighting against the Jianlu in the outermost tribes?" Thinking of this, Xiong Tingbi looked at the man and said.

"To tell you the truth, they also have to explore the terrain, draw maps, and secretly monitor armed merchant groups. Whoever discovers a gold or silver mine may be able to conceal it for a while, but it is impossible to conceal it for a long time."

This is actually the case.

The man showed a look of astonishment, which he had not expected. If this was true, the taxes paid from hunting and panning for gold and the mining tax, as more groups participated in it and more minerals were mined, the taxes collected would not only be enough to pay for the military salaries in Jilin and Heilongjiang, but could even be allocated to the military salaries in Liaodong.

'There's a lot you don't know.'

Seeing that man like this, Xiong Tingbi smiled secretly in his heart and said: "These tax silvers collected will be delivered to the capital in batches, and the Shaofu officials will stamp and mint new coins. As these batches of new coins are minted, the court can obtain coinage tax, which is also the most stable source of revenue!"

"Hong Chengchou is really capable. Not only in Liaodong, the new currency has been put into circulation. The new currency has also been put into circulation in the neighboring grasslands and in Korea. The benefits of this part of the seigniorage can be collected by the central government and distributed to various places. Liaodong is really as your majesty said, there is great potential for everything!"

(End of this chapter)