After Zhu Yuanzhang took a cursory look at Zhang Ximeng's proposal, he already had an idea.
Not only is it perfect, it is simply impeccable.
"Just now you objected to the new salt law because you thought it was not safe enough. You just thought it was not appropriate to hand it over to a Changlu salt farm where the national economy and people's livelihood depended on one person. The Ming Dynasty's salt administration must first be convenient for the people, secondly be safe, and thirdly be reasonably priced.
Ensure salt tax."
Lao Zhu chuckled and said, "Let's all take a look. Based on Xiang Zhang's idea, can this be achieved?"
"First of all, abolish the kitchen households that have lasted for hundreds of years, dismantle the salt transport yamen, abolish the salt bureau... Think about it, how much money can be saved just by these actions? I'm afraid only a very small part of it will be spent.
, enough to buy enough salt for Chang Pingcang."
All the high-ranking officials present are good at settling accounts, especially since the Salt Law has been discussed for such a long time. Who still doesn’t understand what’s going on?
Throughout the ages, there has been a monopoly on salt and iron.
And the salt and iron monopoly cannot be effective just by saying that it is not allowed by the public.
In fact, in order to resell salt, the two sides are fighting wits and courage. There have always been private salt dealers among the people, and Zhang Shicheng is a typical example.
In order to ensure the salt tax, the imperial court had to set up a salt transportation yamen to manage the salt field, and also arranged salt workers to strictly investigate illegal salt. Once discovered, it would be easy to lose your head.
It's just that as a necessity for people's livelihood, the profit of salt is too great. There are endless profitable businesses, even if they lose their heads, people will continue to do it.
Therefore, successive dynasties have put great effort into the salt law. In addition to increasing the number of salt officials and formulating strict laws and regulations, they also need to cooperate with merchants from production to transportation to sales.
Layer upon layer, leaving no holes.
For example, if a salt merchant in the Yuan Dynasty wants to sell salt, he must first go to the Ministry of Household Affairs to open a salt quotation, and then take the quotation paper to the salt field. The salt official will check that it is consistent, and the YinYin will approve that a certain merchant will sell salt on a certain day in a certain month of a certain year.
, the salt can be transported to salt-producing areas for sale.
The salt bags in the salt field are made under the supervision of officials. Each bag weighs four hundred kilograms and is packed into two bags. The weight is even, and no less or more is allowed. The salt bags are also numbered to prevent counterfeiting.
Whenever a merchant transports salt to an area where salt is sold, he must report it in advance, and the transportation department will issue a waybill, which will be stamped and written down with the font size, quotation, trade name and designated county for selling salt. Along the way, inspections will be carried out in accordance with the regulations, and the quotation and truncation angle will be checked.
A citation is issued to transport salt once. If all the salt is sold, the citation must be paid to the local official within five days. Failure to pay the citation in violation of the limit is the same as the crime of smuggling salt.
Obviously, such a complicated set of procedures is to eliminate illegal salt and ensure salt tax.
But everything often backfires.
The salt law is so strict that all yamen can intervene, from the household department, to the salt field, to the officials along the way, and the yamen in the sales area. Everyone wants to get rich.
Salt merchants don't have extraordinary abilities, so it's impossible to smoothly transport salt to the sales area.
There is no other way but to deal with three-thirds of the fertilizer. Everyone can share a little, and everyone will get the rain and dew.
As a result, the common people suffered from high salt prices, which amounted to dozens of cents per pound. During the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, the price even worsened.
To a certain extent, the Song Dynasty also relied on the mess left behind to trap two enemies. Both the Jin Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty imitated the Song Dynasty, and the result was that they both died desolately as barbarians without a century of national destiny.
This wave, the Song Dynasty is in the ozone layer.
The price of official salt is high and the quality is high, and the profit margins are huge. It is impossible for private salt to not exist among the people. Moreover, poor government administration makes it very easy to bribe officials.
By the time almost all officials were dragged into the trap, the entire Salt Law was a bad deal.
No one can explain what's going on, but everyone is making a fortune in it.
This may be better in the Ming Dynasty. Why say maybe? After all, when Zhu Yuanzhang first started his business, his territory did not produce salt. Instead, he had to rely on merchants to purchase from outside and exchange grain for salt.
Until after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the original salt law was generally inherited.
Arrange suitable officials, strictly rectify, and prevent abuses...all kinds of methods will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause. There are even many new officials in the Ming Dynasty who have put their hands into the Salt Law. It is hard to say how they make a fortune, but from Yang Xian
Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong all stood up to obstruct the salt law. Li Shanchang was worried, and he could see that the water for this mess was too deep.
After clarifying these, let's look at Zhang Ximeng's new salt method, and the brilliance will be clear at a glance.
First of all, Zhang Ximeng demanded that the price of salt be lowered. Even if it is not reduced to five or seven cents as Zhang Shicheng thought, as long as it can be kept below ten cents, illegal salt will be reduced by at least 90%!
There is no other way. It costs money to transport salt, it also has to avoid government inspections, and it also has to get through the key points and find a way to sell it... Ten coins is almost a profit and loss line.
Only when it is higher than ten cents, or even twenty or thirty cents, can private salt have enough profit margin, giving private salt dealers the courage to take risks.
In other words, by lowering the price, the problem of the proliferation of illegal salt that has been plagued for thousands of years has been solved.
Secondly, when the price of salt came down, it became cost-effective to put the salt into Changpingcang and have the court purchase a batch of salt and hoard it.
The use of Changping warehouse to adjust grain prices has existed since ancient times. The system is very mature. In addition to salt, the consumption is limited and the cost will not increase much.
Aren't you worried that the Changlu Saltworks will become bigger?
This problem has also been solved. As long as the imperial court has stored salt for a year and a half, even if something goes wrong in the Changlu Salt Farm, it can rebuild other salt farms without worrying at all.
As for the most critical issue of salt tax, it is even more convenient.
Without the interference of private salt, without the messy intervention, how much salt was produced by Changlu Salt Factory, and how much salt tax was paid. How much salt did the salt merchants buy, how much was sold, what was the price difference, and how much tax was paid. How much salt was hoarded in Changping warehouse?
How much tax is generated between buying and selling... It's all clear at a glance. Although the disadvantages cannot be eliminated, they can be a thousand times better than the original ones.
So this is a new salt method that is perfect, even impeccable.
The only problem is that if the disadvantages are gone, how can everyone make a fortune?
…
"Sir, I just can't understand why there is such a big difference between the front and the back. How can they have two faces?" Zhu Biao gritted his teeth, filled with hatred.
Before the new salt law and before he came to Peking, the prince Zhu Biao was a perfect child.
Especially among Shilin, he is almost praised by everyone.
Smart and eager to learn, benevolent and filial, humble and courteous, good-looking and elegant... Anyway, all good words can be said about him. In a word, as long as he ascends the throne, he will not only inherit the legacy of Emperor Hongwu, but also carry it forward.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this kid!
But as he got involved in the Salt Law, there were more and more scoldings. In addition to those like Ru Taisu who wrote directly, there were also many private discussions about how the prince was greedy for money, indulged in businessmen, had no intention of righteousness, was narrow-minded, and was a rat.
The intestines cannot rule the world.
It is said that some people have suggested that more gentlemen should be assigned to the fourth prince to teach him well.
Good guy, Zhu Di's reputation has improved a lot.
What is this!
Zhang Ximeng was smiling and very calm.
"Your Highness, you have experienced this feeling. Although Your Majesty is a holy king, how few people talk about him? He has received countless scoldings in private. Since ancient times, if you want to do something, you will inevitably be scolded.
A person's good and bad qualities are his own cultivation. But in the eyes of others, it also depends on whether you are good to others. For example, if you like a book, you will love it very much. If you
If you hate it, you will feel that the writing is useless. This is true for books and stories, let alone a national policy that affects the livelihood of countless people. It is almost impossible to get everyone to agree."
Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "That's why there is that saying, if you do too much, you will be wrong, if you do a little, it will be wrong, but if you don't do anything, it will be good! If your Highness wants to be a leader of integrity, he just needs to do good things immediately. If you want to make a difference, you will inevitably be scolded! Only
Only by moving forward with determination and determination can you be invincible!"
Zhu Biao gritted his teeth and finally nodded: "Thank you, sir, for your guidance, so that this disciple can understand these things. This trip to Peking has really benefited a lot!"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "Your Highness, now that the new salt law has been passed, those people dare not oppose it openly, but there will be many secret constraints. There is also the procurement of Changpingcang, which cannot be careless. Except for us, other salt farms
, so many salt merchants will also find ways to intervene, otherwise they will not be willing to do so!"
Zhu Biao gritted his teeth and said: "We still need to send the right person to Yingtian to talk to the Ministry of Household Affairs. The purchase of Changpingcang is very important... Sir, how about I respond to the day and ask the Queen Mother for help?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "If the queen is willing to take action, there is no problem. But we have prepared the matter to this point. If we still need the queen to bother, it will appear that we are too incompetent."
After a slight pause, Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Actually, just let King Huai take action. He showed some prestige in Changlu Salt Field, but it is not enough. Let him go to Yingtian and torment those people!"
It’s Zhang Shicheng again!
Zhang Ximeng has finally caught the toad, and he insists on grabbing out the rice noodles. This is a sustainable way of fishing.
But after thinking about it for a moment, it’s true, salt law! Let a private salt dealer fight with those people, it’s like fighting fire with fire.
Zhu Biao thought for a moment, nodded vigorously, and agreed with Zhang Ximeng's proposal.
But Zhu Biao had his own ideas. He returned to his residence, specially prepared two jars of wine and bought some snacks, and then came to see Zhang Shicheng.
"Wansheng heard that King Huai's birthday is not far away, so he came to pay his respects."
Zhang Shicheng was stunned, and suddenly laughed at himself: "It's rare that someone still remembers it! Your Highness, please come in!"
Zhu Biao handed the gift to Zhang Shicheng, and then looked at it. He could only say that the place where Lao Zhang lived was really simple.
"King Huai, do you think we should change to a decent house?"
Zhang Shicheng laughed loudly and said, "No need! When I was selling smuggled salt, I slept in the graveyard despite the wind and rain. I also suffered the same hardships your father suffered. Moreover, there were officers and soldiers chasing him, and I almost lost my life!"
Zhu Biao was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Zhang Shicheng chuckled and said: "Okay, His Highness came to see me because he is kind and benevolent. I, Zhang Shicheng, will remember this sentiment. Don't worry, I will lower the price of salt even for the sake of the common people in the world!"
The very next day, Zhang Shicheng set off from Changlu and headed straight for Yingtian.
On the bow of his ship was the banner of the Beiping Left-behind Department and the Admiral Advisor of the Changlu Saltworks!
Zhang Shicheng stood at the bow of the boat with a ferocious face: Grandsons, your grandpa Wang Huai is here!