Time passed slowly but surely, and soon it was the thirteenth year of Chongzhen.
In the past year, the changes in the Ming Dynasty can be said to be rapid and astonishing. In Shaanxi, Li Zicheng, with the help of Li Yan, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and a small number of scholars who came to join him, changed the past burning, killing and looting.
While rectifying the troops and horses, they also vigorously rectified discipline. Although the effect is not very obvious, in general it is much better than before. After more than a year of hard work, they have gradually established a firm foothold in Shaanxi.
, and grew the Chuang Army to nearly two hundred thousand.
Pang Gang is working hard to improve his strength. At this time, he already owns five provinces of territory. Managing so many territories is not an easy task. Pang Gang is almost overwhelmed with work.
It took a year for these places to slowly get back on the right track. However, it is worth mentioning Hubei. Hunan is worthy of being a wealthy and grain-producing place since ancient times. Although it has been ravaged by rogue bandits, it has also shown signs of improvement after governance.
There was a prosperous atmosphere until the summer grain harvest in the 13th year of Chongzhen. In addition to becoming self-sufficient, the formerly prosperous Huguang area also paid Pang Gang 7 million shi of grain. This result was also far beyond Pang Gang's expectation.
Unexpected.
Originally, Pang Gang thought that after the expansion of the army, there would be an additional 100,000 mouths without production, and food would definitely be very tight. He had even made preparations to go to North Korea to find his cheap father-in-law to fight against the autumn wind. But now it seems that food
The problem is no longer a problem.
During this year, Pang Gang has been busy training this newly recruited army. He is also busy adding warships to the navy and training sailors. Even though he has the help of the mutated "Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons", it is just that
The military pay for the newly added 100,000 troops is also a large amount, not to mention Hubei, Hunan, Henan and other provinces that have developed water conservancy and subsidized agriculture. If he hadn't added a new commercial tax, there would also be refined salt and cement.
, and the steady stream of silver brought back by merchant ships traveling to and from Oparo, it is estimated that Pang Gang has gone bankrupt long ago.
Pang Gang did the math. In the twelve years he was in Chongzhen, he made a total profit of more than 20 million taels of silver per month in commercial taxes, cement, refined salt, and trade in Oubaluo. This number is astonishing. Compared with what Chongzhen did,
The representative of the Ming Dynasty is already a very wealthy man, but in addition to providing all the salaries of various officials under his rule, he also has to support an increasingly large navy and an army of 200,000. Even his own income is only
It's not cheap, but it's just about equal. If there's any big war, my wallet will be tight.
Although it is very strenuous, Pang Gang knows that this is what he must do. As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people. Only when the people have enough to eat can the people's hearts be stable. Only when the people's hearts are stable can their own control be stable. Only control
Only by stabilizing his own great cause can he have hope. Therefore, although it is very difficult, Pang Gang still subsidizes a steady stream of money into the bottomless pits of several provinces such as Hubei and Hunan.
In Pang Gang's study, Kong Ruolan, who was Pang Gang's financial housekeeper, was looking through the account books. She frowned and said to Pang Gang, who was lying on the lazy chair eating grapes: "Sir, we have allocated money to Hubei last year.
, Hunan has a total of 4 million taels of silver, and Henan has also subsidized 1.5 million taels of silver. This is equivalent to using the power of one province in Shandong to support three provinces. Some officials in Shandong are already full of complaints about this.
Is this appropriate?"
"Why is it inappropriate?" Pang Gang spit out a few grape seeds nonchalantly and then said casually: "Do we owe them salary or do we have no food for them to eat? As the saying goes, if one side is in trouble, all sides will support it. Now in Hunan
, Hubei is a bit more difficult, but we can't ignore it. Besides, the millions of stones of food they handed over last year are proof that as long as they are allowed to get through the most difficult period in the past few years, their lives will be better.
Get up, you should take a long-term view as a human being." At the end of the day, Pang Gang also taught Kong Ruolan a lesson.
"Okay, anyway, this inheritance belongs to you, Mr. Pang Da. You are a little girl meddling in your own business. I will never ask you questions again from now on." Kong Ruolan turned her head away in feint of anger.
Seeing that his royal shopkeeper was angry, Pang had to sit up and smiled at Kong Ruolan: "You just like to have random thoughts. Now Hunan and Hubei are our territory, we can't ignore it. Maybe you
You don’t know yet, Hua Yan lost dozens of pounds because he was busy repairing water conservancy projects in Hubei and encouraging farmers to cultivate mulberry trees. Li Xianfeng’s life in Henan is not easy either. Money is something that you will never take with you even if you live with it or die. Since you earn
If you get it, it’s just for spending money. Otherwise, what’s the point of earning money? Do you think that’s the truth?”
After listening to Pang Gang's persuasion, Kong Ruolan also sighed: "I don't know this truth, but the problem now is that we have done something, but some people still don't understand it and are still making trouble secretly. Many people are trying to protect us.
The 20% commercial tax rate and the policy of both officials and gentry working as errands and paying taxes are scolding you, do you know how they scold you?"
Pang Gang snorted with a look of disdain on his face and said: "How to scold? The scolding is just the same old thing, saying that charging 20% of the business tax is to plunder the people's wealth, and letting the officials and gentry work together as errands and pay for the food is unprecedented.
The tyranny of Qin Shihuang is comparable to that of Qin Shihuang. These idiots only focus on the pieces of meat in their bowls. They should all go to Obaro to see how they collect taxes.
, To be blunt, their tax rates are much harsher than ours. For example, the tax rate for plunder taxes has reached 50% or even 60%. This kind of half tax rate is called harsh. We only charge
Twenty percent is already very merciful, if there are still people who keep chirping, I will drive them all to Obaro."
What Pang Gang said especially indicated that the businessmen in Jiangxi were the most troubled. Jiangxi is part of Jiangnan and the business atmosphere here is quite strong. Although it is not as good as Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is also one of the most important tax towns in the Ming Dynasty. Pang Gang occupied
After Jiangxi, as soon as the 20% tax rate and the policy of integrating hiding and dismantling and paying grain was promulgated, almost all businessmen and gentry jumped up. Compared to Shandong, which had been well-trained by Pang Gang, the wealthy gentry were almost beaten by the bandits.
Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi have the greatest opposition to the heat control campaign.
The wealthy officials and gentry in Jiangxi, who had become accustomed to thirty-one taxes and no need to pay taxes, were so excited at first that they almost killed people, but Pang Gang quickly told them with a Mini rifle what it meant that an arm could not twist a thigh, boom.
The roar of gunshots, blood all over the ground and dozens of bloody heads hanging on the city walls helplessly told them that if you want not to pay taxes, you can, but please go somewhere else, as long as you are in Pang Gang's territory
If you go to school, you must pay taxes according to regulations.
The backlash of the businessmen was quickly suppressed by Pang Gang with an iron fist. Of course, Pang Gang would not just wave the steel knife blindly. Later Americans would also use the same trick of waving a stick in one hand and a carrot in the other.
Will use it. After killing so many people, Pang Gang began to announce that all businessmen who paid taxes on time would have a quota to go to Obaro, and the navy would escort them. Of course, the cost of this escort would be borne by the businessmen.
It will be split evenly, and you will still have to pay taxes after you come back, and the tax rate is 30%.
Even though the conditions for going to Oparo are so harsh, there are many businessmen who want to sign up to go to Oparo. The reason is simply that the profit is too high. Tea, porcelain, cloth and handicrafts from the mainland are not worth much.
Easily changing hands with Opalo is a profit of five times, or even dozens of times. Even if the General Administration of Customs takes away 40% of the profit, the remaining profit is enough for them to make a lot of money.
.
What? You don’t want to go? Please get out of the way. If you don’t go, there are many people who want to go. I don’t know how many people broke their heads in front of the Yamen of the General Administration of Customs in Dengfeng in order to get a quota to go to Obaro.
In the face of huge profits, even the Jiangxi businessmen and gentry who were full of complaints had to lower their arrogant heads, pinch their noses and admit Pang Gang's rule.
Looking at Pang Gang who was lying on the recliner with great pride, Kong Ruolan couldn't help but feel angry and funny at the same time. She really couldn't figure out how her husband came up with such a bad idea and subdued those money-minded businessmen in Jiangxi.
Post, she said with a smile: "Okay, don't be complacent. Now that the number of armies has increased, the military pay to be paid has also increased. I have no objection to this, but how can you adjust the salaries of those officials?"
It is so high that it is thirty times that of the Ming Dynasty officials. If things go on like this, our burden will not be small!"
"This is necessary." Pang Gang said resolutely: "How can we let officials receive Weibo's salary but do hard work? As the saying goes, no matter how hard it is, you can't work hard...
...Well, forget that."
Seeing that he almost said the jingle of later generations, Pang Gang quickly stopped talking, and then said seriously: "Nowadays, the salary of officials is really too small. If a dignified seventh-grade official lives on his salary, he will not even have meat."
You can't even afford it, is that ridiculous? You can't expect all officials to be as honest as Hai Rui, right?"
Looking through the past dynasties, it is estimated that officials in the Ming Dynasty have the lowest salaries. The reason is very simple. Mr. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, believed that if you want to be an official, you must have quality. Those who think about money all day must not be good officials.
Therefore, the salaries of Ming officials he set were outrageously low.
These salaries have been so low that 99% of the officials in the Ming Dynasty dared to say confidently, "I want to be corrupt!" It is estimated that this is the group of officials who are most desperate for corruption in China for thousands of years.
...
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