Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 80 We need people, land, mines and money!
Zhu Biao stared at Xia Zhibai and asked, "What do you want to do?"

He was curious now.

It was obvious from Xia Zhibai's words that he had some agenda, and it must be something big, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble and talk so much.

But is it really possible for the government to do business?
He had doubts.

Xia Zhibai turned around, revealed a faint smile, and said: "I want to try a path that others dare not take, and do business in the name of the government."

"I won't make it too difficult for you."

"Only in Yingtian Prefecture."

"It's right under your nose. If there is really a problem, you can stop it at any time. Although I, Xia Zhibai, am confident, I am not so arrogant. You have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time."

"If I can achieve my goal, and lower the price of salt for the people, and increase the money collected by the court, the cooks won't complain so much, and they won't have to work hard for a year and end up not being able to feed their family."

“That would be considered a success.”

"That's impossible." Zhu Biao shook his head.

Xia Zhibai’s idea was too bizarre.

You want to take everything into consideration, but in the end you may end up taking nothing into consideration.

"How do you know if you don't try?" Xia Zhibai asked back.

Zhu Biao lowered his head, slowly running his fingertips across the teacup, constantly pondering the pros and cons.

Do you really want to let Xia Zhibai give it a try?
He couldn't make up his mind.

a long time.

Zhu Biao raised his head, frowned, and asked, "Why did you come to see me today?"

Xia Zhibai said: "I'm here to ask for money, land, mines and people."

When Zhu Biao heard Xia Zhibai's request, his face suddenly changed and he was also shocked.

That's too much to ask.

He refused without hesitation: "Impossible. My Great Ming has its own set of laws and regulations. How can we change them every day? How can we let you do whatever you want? I can't agree to it."

Zhu Biao refused firmly.

Xia Zhibai was not surprised, and just said calmly: "Your Highness disagrees. I actually expected it when I came here, but do you know why I still came to you?"

"Why?" Zhu Biao asked.

Xia Zhibai said: "In areas where the imperial court can control, the laws and decrees of the Ming Dynasty are just laws and decrees. In areas where the imperial court cannot control, the laws and decrees of the Ming Dynasty are just a piece of waste paper. The county magistrate is better off managing it now."

“This is an ancient truth.”

"What do you mean?!" Zhu Biao stood up suddenly and stared at Xia Zhibai angrily.

Xia Zhibai smiled, gave Zhu Biao a reassuring look, and said, "The territory of the Ming Dynasty is very large. In many places, the imperial court has no supervision at all. The rampant private salt in the localities is not only due to the people's demand, but also more due to the lack of order. If I really don't take the laws of the Ming Dynasty seriously."

"I won't come to Yingtianfu at all."

"With my talent, I will be able to hold a position in the local government after passing the provincial examination."

"I am the local 'parent official'. I will find a remote place to mine and smelt ore for my own benefit. What can the court do to me?"

“But I still came.”

"Because I don't want to give the world to those I despise."

"I have higher ideals and pursuits in my heart."

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Zhu Biao's eyes.

Xia Zhibai's words had touched Zhu Biao's sore spot.

As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, he could not accept that someone would say such outrageous words in front of him.

But he also knew deeply that what Xia Zhibai said was true. With the talents Xia Zhibai had shown, if he really colluded with the local officials, it would be difficult for the court to discover it.

Other local officials are happy to cooperate with him.

Because it's profitable.

He embezzled money in the local area for a few years and got all these things.

Zhu Biao's face turned pale, but he said nothing.

Xia Zhibai continued, "Nowadays, the world seems to be flourishing, but in fact, evil is rampant behind the scenes. There are so many smuggling and rebellions in various places, and many of them are caused by officials forcing the people to rebel."

"The court has no regard for the people's livelihood."

"Many public powers related to people's livelihood were delegated to local officials and merchants, and the court did not provide sufficient supervision and oversight, which ultimately led to greater poverty and corruption among the lower classes."

“I don’t really want much.”

"Because this is opening up a new path for the world!"

"If you give, you will be rewarded."

“I think it’s worth it!”

Zhu Biao's expression changed again and again, and he said in a deep voice: "You want too much. Even if I can agree to it, the court will not agree to it. Moreover, these few words are not convincing."

Xia Zhibai nodded.

He took the initiative to explain: "It's easy to understand that he wants money."

"Make bricks without straw."

"Without money, you can't move forward and you can't do anything."

"I know the court is in trouble and its finances are tight. It's impossible for it to come up with too much money. I don't really want the court to allocate money to me directly. I'm borrowing."

"Ten out and twelve back!"

"Ten out and twelve back?" Zhu Biao's eyes moved slightly.

He had no say on whether to ask the court to give money directly, but if it came to lending money, that would be something to discuss.

He sat down again, took a sip of tea, suppressed his anger, and said indifferently: "Since you know something about the situation in the Ming Dynasty, you should also know that the court's finances have always been very tight."

"Borrow? The court can't lend much either."

"Didn't the court just raid your house not long ago? The money from the raid should have just been deposited into the account, and it hasn't been planned for use so quickly." There was a hint of cunning in Xia Zhibai's eyes.

Zhu Biao was stunned.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

No wonder Xia Zhibai dared to ask this question even though he knew the court was in financial difficulty. It turned out that he was thinking about the money from the confiscation of property. Not long ago, Zhu Yuanzhang convicted Li Cunyi and confiscated his property, which was about 400,000 silver coins.

It indeed greatly enriched the national treasury.

But as soon as the money entered the national treasury, it was targeted by government agencies of all ranks.

It’s not so easy for Xia Zhibai to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth.

Seeing that Zhu Biao remained silent, Xia Zhibai knew that he was right. The court had not yet arranged a place for the money obtained from the confiscation of property.

He was determined.

Xia Zhibai continued, "It is easier to understand the subsequent requirements of mines, land, and people. The steam engine I intend to build needs a lot of fuel to function, so I need a coal mine."

"And there's a salt mine where we can get brine."

"As for people."

“The first thing is the craftsman.”

"I need them to build the steam engine for extracting the brine."

"Because this is the first official manufacturing, some problems are inevitable, so these craftsmen will stay in the mine temporarily to solve problems at any time."

"As for the salt-makers."

"I know that the Ming Dynasty has strict restrictions on it."

“So I will not recruit these people, but will choose refugees.”

"Refugees from Chuzhou and Shouzhou."

"I may be able to help the court support hundreds or even thousands of people."

"But I do have a request, which is that the household registration of these people cannot be changed to stove households, but can be changed to 'workers' at most. And the specific number of people to be recruited and how to use them will be determined by me."

"The court cannot interfere."

"The salt and coal enterprises I run are not subject to restrictions such as salt and coal permits."

"There is no regulation on how much coal to mine or how much salt to produce each year. From now on, we will produce, manage and sell our own products."

"In the first few years, the business I founded would follow the court's regulations and pay the taxes required by the law and the money required to purchase 'salt permits' and 'coal permits'."

“And in a few years, if this method is feasible, the profits will be gradually handed over to the national treasury.”

Zhu Biao's eyes moved slightly.

According to Xia Zhibai, the only things the court really paid were the mines, the land, and some craftsmen, but at the same time some refugees and disaster victims were resettled, and more importantly, the court was able to collect a lot of money.

But this would disrupt the court's plans for the salt market.

More salt will flow into the market.

More importantly, if Xia Zhibai's income is not enough to cover his expenses, can the money lent by the court be recovered?
Will it cause greater turmoil?

But Xia Zhibai made it clear that the company he founded was only active in Yingtian Prefecture.

It's right under your nose. You can check the account book at any time. If you find anything wrong, you can stop it in time.

He was somewhat moved.

But he was not in a hurry to express his opinion.

Zhu Biao picked up the tea, looked at Xia Zhibai calmly, and said calmly: "I know what you think, but this is a serious matter and we can't make such a hasty decision."

"I'll have to think about it some more."

"Okay." Xia Zhibai nodded and said, "But I hope Your Highness can make a decision as soon as possible and arrange some craftsmen as soon as possible. I need to make some preparations in advance so that we can start as soon as possible in the future."

Zhu Biao nodded: "I will arrange for someone from the Ministry of Industry tomorrow. You can tell them if you have any needs."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xia Zhibai bowed.

The purpose of his trip has been achieved.

He did not stay in the East Palace any longer and just said goodbye and left.

Side hall.

Zhu Biao sat alone.

My heart has been restless for a long time.

In fact, he had been persuaded by Xia Zhibai.

He also wanted to see whether these officials of the Ming Dynasty were really deceiving the public.

If the "government-run business" model created by Xia Zhibai could work, it would really allow the people to afford salt, and it would also allow the government to benefit more, improve the lives of the stove owners, and increase their enthusiasm for production.

These officials of the Ming Dynasty
A hint of murderous intent appeared in Zhu Biao's eyes.

Zhu Biao turned the jade ring in his hand and said softly, "Xia Zhibai, I will trust you again. I hope you will not let me down this time."

“Can it really work for the government to do business?”

Zhu Biao stood up.

Prepare to tell my father about this.

There was one thing Xia Zhibai said correctly, that is, even if the imperial court did not allow it, the local governments might not dare to do it.

Instead of letting people like Xia Zhibai do it secretly, it would be better for the court to give it a try. Even if it fails, at least the court can know some of the truth.

We can also do some effective targeting.

It is beneficial to the country.

Wuying Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang was taking a nap inside.

Seeing Zhu Biao coming, Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised at all, as if he had known that Zhu Biao would come. He raised his eyes and looked at him, and said in a cold voice: "What did Xia Zhibai say to you again?"

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "I report to the emperor."

"Xia Zhibai discussed the matter of doing business with me."

"He suggested 'government doing business'."

"You are also planning to ask me for money, land, mines, and people."

"He seems to have made a lot of preparations for going into business." Zhu Biao stood respectfully aside and repeated his conversation with Xia Zhibai in some detail.

(End of this chapter)