"Hmm..." After flicking his fingers on the armrests of the chair several times, Zhu Youdong raised his head: "Kuanren, besides farming and tea, don't farmers in Shaanxi have anything else to do to grow their hair?"

"Your Highness, in addition to these two items, people in Shaanxi can also raise horses. However, the current horse administration in Ming Dynasty, uh, please forgive me, Your Highness, this horse administration in Shaanxi is actually in name only."

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, in order to continue the war with the Northern Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang designated some people as horse households in some areas in the north, responsible for raising horses for the court. He also asked these horse households to use the horses they paid in lieu of taxes. This kind of idealism is of course

It didn't last long: people are divided into diligent, lazy, smart and stupid, and the horses raised by different horse households are very different. This is unacceptable for the army. In addition, during the Yongle period, the Ming Dynasty attacked Mongolia with force and repeatedly attacked

, which greatly weakened Mongolia's power. Therefore, the horse policy that allowed people to raise horses for the country gradually declined during the Renxuan period.

During the Zhengtong years, after the Tumubao Incident, the importance of war horses became prominent again. However, the Ming government obtained war horses more through trade: the tea-horse trade began to gradually flourish from this period.

"Your Highness, since Duke Yang Wenxiang (a famous minister of the Wuzong Dynasty Yang Yiqing) rectified the horse policy (a new policy of obtaining horses through trade) during the Zhengde period and set rules for the tea-horse trade. During the Zhengde and Jiajing years, Shaanxi only passed the tea-horse trade every year.

The tea officially sold by the company is worth about two to three hundred thousand taels of silver, which can buy more than 10,000 high-quality war horses for the country. In addition, it can also provide the country with an additional tax of more than 10,000 taels. As for private

Private trade is ten times that... which can benefit millions of Shaanxi people. However, starting from the Longqing period, a large amount of Huguang tea entered Shaanxi, destroying not only Shaanxi's tea industry, but also Shaanxi's tea industry.

Ma Zheng..."

Speaking of which, it is a matter of structure. As a county magistrate in Shaanxi, Chen Shiji's position is of course on the side of Shaanxi. He is full of all kinds of anger and tries his best to dump Huguang tea at low prices, which has led to the decline of Shaanxi's economy.

However, for Zhu Youdong, he saw something different: the productivity of the Ming Dynasty at this time was already severely surplus!

Shaanxi's economic decline is due to the continued deterioration of the climate and the degradation of the natural environment. More importantly, the Ming Dynasty has been in existence for more than two hundred years, and the national economy has been closely integrated. In the absence of sea trade, when domestic productivity

When there is a surplus, regions with relatively good economic development can only dump sales to regions with relatively backward economies. This will lead to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer!

"Your Highness, Shaanxi was formerly the Guanzhong region and had achieved the glory of the powerful Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty. However, it has shown signs of fatigue since the Northern Song Dynasty. By the Ming Dynasty, it was even more weak. A few years ago, Duke Yang Wenxiang

After the rectification of Ma Zheng, not only the common people participated, but many military towns in Shaanxi were also the main force. Due to the dumping of Huguang tea, the Ma Zheng in Shaanxi was destroyed. Not only the people's livelihood in Shaanxi was extremely difficult, but also the military towns.

Soldiers are also extremely poor!"

Zhu Youdongxin: In the past, Shaanxi tea was exported to the northwest, and those who controlled the trade must have been local Shaanxi officials and military generals. But tea still needed to be grown by ordinary people and military households. But now... it can be bought directly from other places and resold once.

If you can make money, who would be willing to go to each village or military garrison to slowly collect tea leaves?

"Kuanren, tell me, how are the people of Shaanxi living now?"

"Your Highness, my Xianyang County is located in the Guanzhong Plain and has the Wei River flowing through it. Therefore, as long as the people in Xianyang are more diligent and no one in the family is sick, they are basically not afraid of food and clothing. But the situation in northern Shaanxi is different.

It's very bad. The climate there is dry and the water source is shrinking. The local people rent more than 30 acres of land and pay all kinds of rents and taxes, but they can't have enough food and clothing. In the past, tea could supplement the food, but now they can't grow enough.

How much is the loss... In short, the counties in northern Shaanxi are basically unable to pay their taxes every year. Although the local tax amount is very low, I look at my colleagues in northern Shaanxi. They can be regarded as capable officials if they can complete the six achievements set by the imperial court every year. But even if it is only

Even though the harvest is 60%, many farmers still flee every year and become refugees...

As for military towns, I am a herdsman and civilian official, and I am not very clear about the affairs of the warriors. But... ordinary military households in Shaanxi have become accustomed to fleeing. The military households that persisted, uh... Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking frankly.

, not much different from a beggar... Your Highness!"

Seeing that Zhu Youdong was not angry at all, but listened more seriously. Chen Shiji became more courageous. He slowly took a step forward and said to Zhu Youdong: "Your Highness, Huguang tea is sold in Shaanxi, and it is Shaanxi that is destroyed.

The basis of this. I would like to boldly implore Your Highness to advise the Emperor to ban Huguang tea from entering Shaanxi!"

"Hmm... Kuanren, it's not just a year or two since this matter developed to the situation it is today, right? Has the Chief Envoy of Shaanxi never made any suggestions to the imperial court?"

"Haha..." Chen Shiji smiled bitterly for a while and said: "Your Highness, this matter happened once in Shaanxi and Huguang in the early years of Wanli. At that time, Zhang Taiyue was in power, and Zhang Taiyue was from Huguang. Uh... In short, in the early years of Wanli,

In 1999, Shaanxi and Huguang argued in court for a long time about this matter, but in the end it was settled."

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Youdong raised his head and stared blankly at the gorgeously decorated roof of the hall for a while, feeling helpless and weak inside.

On a historical basis, Shaanxi, the birthplace of the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, suffered from a lack of land in agriculture and insufficient production, and suffered a heavy blow from economically advanced provinces in terms of business. The people's livelihood was of course extremely difficult. It can be said that Shaanxi at this time,

There is already dry firewood everywhere, as long as there is a little spark...

No, Ming Dynasty’s excess productivity should not harm each other in the country like this, but should go out to sea from the southeast!

It shouldn’t be. Shaanxi was inland in the 21st century, but in this era it is a border. And it is also the place where nomadic farming meets. Shouldn’t border trade in this era be very good and make a fortune?

As for advising Emperor Wanli to ban Huguang tea in Shaanxi, Zhu Youdong would never do it: firstly, it is a typical thankless task to implement a trade blockade within the country. Secondly, after doing this, how do the Huguang people feel?

"Thank you for your hard work, Kuanren. Thank you for being honest with me. What you said today, I will report to Grandpa Huang word for word. Well... As for you, don't worry about Liang Yong's affairs.

, I will sort it out for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Well, it's a rare visit to the capital, so let's take a walk around the capital. We won't go back until Grandpa Huang's Holy Inquisition comes down."

"Yes, I obey your order. If so, I will retire."

…

That night, Zhu Youdong entered the palace overnight, and his grandfather and grandson lit candles and discussed for a long time.

The next day, Ouchi issued an order and Liang Yong was transferred back from Shaanxi. At the same time, Shaanxi no longer sent new mine supervisors.

As for Chen Shiji, since his three-year term has not yet expired, he will of course return to Xianyang to continue being his county magistrate. But there is no doubt that this person has entered Zhu Youdong's sight.
Chapter completed!