The next day, the old man and Zhu Yunxi summoned Zhang Shan, the prefect of Hangzhou, at Fengtian Hall.
This time, the old man's face was not as friendly as when he was summoned last time, but was a little cold.
"minister.........."
Without waiting for Zhang Shan to greet him, the old man said, "Okay, I've been watching you kowtow all day. If you weren't tired, we would be tired. With the time spent kowtowing, the dog said a lot of things!" With that, Yang Yang held the memorial in his hand.
, asked, "Your brochure says that in the Hangzhou area, only 23/10 of the arable land for growing food is true?"
Zhang Shan looked at the emperor's grandson's expression calmly. After seeing the latter nodding, he bowed his head and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."
"These places are rich in cotton, silk and other products. Workshops are located along the river. Nearly half of the people in the city help in the workshops. Among the people, men farm and women weave. Tens of thousands of cotton, silk and other products are produced every year."
"But despite this, the supply of products in the Celestial Empire is still in short supply. Before I came to Beijing, a merchant with colored eyes bought five pieces of silk at the largest weaving workshop in Hangzhou."
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi saw a trace of surprise on the old man's face.
Not to mention the old man, even Zhu Yunxi was actually surprised. A private weaving workshop could actually produce 50,000 pieces of silk? It should be noted that the reason why silk is precious is that from raising silkworms to planting mulberry trees, it is a long and meticulous process.
The process consumes a lot of manpower and energy.
Can one private workshop weave 50,000 pieces? The three government-run weaving factories in the Ming Dynasty only had a combined output of only a few hundred thousand pieces a year.
"Fifty thousand pieces? How big is the weaving workshop?" Zhu Yunxi asked, "How many workers are there, and how many farmers are raising silkworms and growing mulberry trees?"
Remember https://m in one second.
Zhang Shan replied, "Your Highness, a weaving workshop took it over, and then joined other weaving workshops to weave it together!"
It turns out to be a form of joint subcontracting!
Zhu Yunxi understood, but he still admired the business wisdom of the ancients.
"Actually, from my grandson's point of view, the wealth of Jiangnan is not in fish and rice, but in mulberry silkworms!" Zhu Yunxi turned slightly sideways and said to the old man, "My grandson also secretly checked when handling cases in Zhejiang. Mulberry trees are planted in the farmland in the countryside, and they are left alone every year.
Regardless of the output, those weaving workshops take care of everything."
"Although the south of the Yangtze River is a land of fish and rice that produces two crops a year, the output of farmland cannot be compared with that of mulberry fields. Farmers are men tilling the fields and women are weaving. The mulberry trees are bought by people, and the raw silk produced is harvested by the weaving mills. Moreover, because the crops are not farmland, taxes must be paid
You can directly use money, or mulberry, linen, or cotton and raw silk to deduct taxes!"
"The same is true for the people in the city. Men work in weaving workshops and women weave at home. Although it is a bit harder, everyone has cash in their hands. With cash, the place will be more prosperous!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yunxi smiled and said, "The taxes paid by the people of Wudi in the south of the Yangtze River have always been twice that of other places in the world. If they were asked to pay taxes, even if they had a good year, they would not be able to bear the burden. Instead, after planting mulberry and raising silkworms, they would pay
Even taxes can make a family rich."
In fact, the most critical meaning of Zhu Yunxi's words lies in the last sentence. When the old man and Zhang Shicheng competed for Jiangnan foundation, although Zhang Shicheng was not very good at fighting, he never exacted excessive taxes. Even when Suzhou was besieged in the end and there was no military rations,
Willing to exploit the people, fight to the death, and even be captured.
Therefore, in the land of Zhejiang, the people missed King Zhang and built many temples of King Zhang privately. In addition, the old man was born in Huaixi and had always been despised by the Zhejiang people. Therefore, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the old man was angry and the taxes of the Zhejiang people were other
Twice the place.
This can be considered a flaw in the old man's governance.
At this time, the old man pondered and said, "Ten percent of the cultivated land is less than three percent. If there is any natural or man-made disaster, there will be a disaster. No matter how good the money is, it cannot be used as food!"
"The output of the people seems to be very abundant now, but that is because the government is clear and the local officials and businessmen dare not take action. If the government is unclear and the officials and businessmen are greedy, they will unite to buy the people's output at a low price and deduct workers' wages.
how?"
"Although we have never done business, we have seen it. A weaving workshop in Nuoda must have inventory. Those merchants, together with the government, want to purchase mulberry silk and other items at low prices. If they don't harvest silk for a year, the people will complain endlessly!
"
The longer he stayed in contact with the old man, the more Zhu Yunxi could feel the unusual side of the old man. In a few simple words, he pointed out the worst side of things.
The people have enough money in their hands and their lives are better for the time being. But once they rely too much on these things, they will be monopolized. At that time, the weaving merchants will monopolize the purchase price, and the people will have no way out and can only be squeezed by them in vain.
By then, it will be too late to turn back to farming.
The economy is the most two-sided thing. If it is not accumulated to a certain extent, some people will definitely be exploited, and there will definitely be disadvantages. Only after the accumulation reaches a certain level, can we see the benefits.
There is no money without blood.
Zhu Yunxi thought about it carefully and saw its disadvantages.
The land south of the Yangtze River must definitely develop handicrafts and weaving industries. The way out for the future transformation of the empire lies here. Because from now on, hundreds of years from now, before the industrial revolution, before humans enter industrial society.
All wealth is crazy for China's output.
It's like sheep eating people in Britain in later generations, even if he did not deliberately promote Jiangnan business. In the original time and space, in the land of Jiangnan, in order to ensure the finances of the Ming Dynasty, silkworms would eat people.
"It seems prosperous, but in the end it is the merchants, the local aristocrats, and the officials who benefit." The old man continued in a deep voice, "If we really catch up with the disaster years and plant mulberry and raise silkworms, there will be a shortage of food and we will need the court's support."
Relief. Even if there is no disaster year, if people are exploited year after year, how will the people pay taxes?"
"Since then, even if the weather has been smooth, the world is in balance, and the court is clear and bright, it still can't control the less cultivated land and more mulberry fields in the south of the Yangtze River. We remember that the three major weaving factories of the imperial court weave hundreds of thousands of silks every year, so it takes almost three
One hundred thousand acres of mulberry fields.”
"This is only made by the government, not the private sector!"
"Your Majesty, in fact, from my point of view, it is not a bad thing!" Zhang Shan suddenly said, "Finance and taxation in Jiangnan have always been the most important thing for the country. Only when money is made locally can the court be rich. If your Majesty is worried about natural disasters and the people's lack of food,
, you can set up extensive official warehouse reserves..."
"What we are talking about is that once the government and businessmen collude to monopolize weaving and exploit the people." The old man said angrily, "The more the world is balanced, the more such things will happen. Compared with the money that the merchants exploit and transfer, what the court receives is nothing.
What? As time goes by, the world will be at peace for a long time, the officials and merchants will become rich, the court's income will still be the same, but the people will become increasingly poor."
"The people are poor, and the money collected by the court is not enough to provide subsidies? Can't you, Zhang Shan, calculate this debt?"
Zhang Shan was so frightened that he did not dare to say anything. Zhu Yunxi, who was sitting next to the old man, kept winking at Zhang Shan.
"Are you going to say that there is nothing you can do about this? You can't have the best of both worlds in this world, right?" The old man snorted and continued, "We originally thought that you, Zhang Shan, are an honest official who does practical things.
How long have you been in Zhejiang and have you changed?"
"I don't dare!" Zhang Shan was shocked and quickly knelt down.
The old man looked at him, and after a moment, he said, "Actually, what you want to say in your heart is that as long as Jiangnan's finances and taxes are vast, it will be okay even if the people are suffering, right?"
"The people are suffering? We haven't read many books, but we also know that the world's prosperity cannot be achieved by making the people suffer!"
"This suffering is not suffering for a few years or decades, but for generations. On the surface, it looks like flowers are blooming, and the fire is cooking oil. But the people still have to live their lives carefully and cannot make ends meet."
"With this suffering, the people will never be able to stand up and have to work hard to make money for others!"
"If the court doesn't benefit, the people won't benefit either. Who benefits?"
Zhang Shan was already dripping with cold sweat, and kowtowing was like pounding garlic. Zhu Yunxi was secretly anxious, but could not speak.
"This picture is good in every way, but it's just that I have a stupid mouth and I have thoughts in my heart but I can't express them!"
Zhu Yunxi was thinking in his mind, and finally said, "Zhang Shan, you said it's not a bad thing, is there something you didn't say clearly?"
Zhang Shanru was pardoned and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have a proposal that will benefit both the government and the people!"
"Tell me about it!" Zhu Yunxi said.
"Collect taxes, collect business taxes!"
~~~Later, one more thing. Today is Mother’s Day, the first Mother’s Day since my father passed away.
I have the impression that my mother is a very independent and strong person. After my father passed away, she refused to live with me. When my father passed away, she did not cry like other women like other women. Instead, she continued to comfort me.
, be strong, be brave, and be open-minded.
But gradually, I found that my mother relied more and more on me.
Because I became her only one.
Friends, we have all grown up. Perhaps many of my readers have not grown up either.
But no matter what, please listen to me, someone who has been through this before, and be filial with all your heart. The sooner the better.
A phone call and a greeting are enough to make a mother feel happy.
If you are away from home, remember to call. If you are at home, please buy a bouquet of flowers and give me a hug.
This chapter has been completed!