In a private room on the top floor of Wanghai Tower in Tianjin, many big businessmen, big factory owners, and business owners from Tianjin gathered together, eating hot pot and chatting about the latest happenings.
"Lao Li, I heard that you discovered another gold mine in Luzon?"
"Lucky, lucky~"
"Can you tell me how you find gold? It seems that your Li's Trading Company has already discovered two gold mines. From now on, you won't have to enter gold every day?"
"There's no secret. It's just luck."
"There is a lot of gold and silver on Luzon Island. If you send more people to look for it, you will definitely be able to find it. After all, this place has been a famous gold-producing place since ancient times."
"I also sent people to look for it. Not much gold was found, but a few people were killed by those black dwarves."
"I get angry when I talk about those black dwarves. My gold mine was working well. Not long ago, news came back that it was attacked by the black dwarves. I still need to get more weapons later, and I have to report to the court.
I advise the imperial court to send troops to destroy those black dwarves."
"Yes, yes, my plantation in Luzon is always attacked by black dwarves. It's really annoying. The well-planted sugar cane is destroyed by them before it matures, just like wild boars."
"..."
"I heard that I really made a fortune last year when I went to mine gold in Yuxi. The gold mines in Yuxi are very rich. You can just wash them out. Even the river is golden."
"Yeah, I've heard about it too, but we can't get involved in any business. It's all the business of the British Duke, Ding Guo Gong and Cheng Guo Gong."
"That's right. I don't know what the situation is like here in Huangjinzhou. Whether my ships can come back smoothly and bring me millions of taels of silver at least. I'm almost too poor to open the door."
"Brother Wang, are you kidding me? You don't know your brother Wang's financial resources. What's more, if you don't have money, you can go to the bank for a loan~"
"..."
"Uncle Guo, your business is not bad, right?"
As everyone spoke, they all looked at the two brothers Zhang Yanling and Zhang Heling. These two brothers were like crabs walking sideways in Beijing and Tianjin. No one dared to mess with them. In fact, everyone never liked them.
The reason why the two brothers were invited here this time was actually mainly for tax matters.
Naturally, everyone is not happy about paying taxes. They didn't pay taxes before, but now they are suddenly asked to pay taxes. Who would be happy? So the first thing everyone thinks of is the Zhang brothers.
As long as the Zhang brothers did not pay taxes, they would follow the Zhang brothers and not pay taxes.
"It's okay, so-so~"
Shouning Hou Zhang Yanling smiled and nodded.
The two brothers have really prospered in the past few years. They do everything to make money. The most successful one is Zhang's Shipyard, which can earn millions of taels of silver every year.
In addition, the Zhang brothers were involved in cement factories, textile factories, ocean trading houses, marine fishing industries, plantations in Southeast Asia, etc., and made a lot of money from each business.
Therefore, the Zhang brothers seldom return to the capital now. Basically, they like to stay here in Tianjin. In the past, they would go to the palace every now and then to eat and drink, or go to Empress Zhang to cry and complain that they were very miserable and poor.
, I would like Empress Zhang or Emperor Hongzhi to give them some fields, salt, etc.
Well, how should I put it, now I am also a face-conscious person.
"Uncle Guo is joking. If all your business is so-so, then we will really be in poverty."
The people next to them immediately started to flatter the two brothers one by one.
"Uncle Guo, I wonder if you have received a tax payment notice from the Tianjin Tax Bureau?"
Li Menglin and the others looked at each other, thought for a while and asked with a smile.
This time, this dinner was also hosted by Li Menglin. The main reason for gathering everyone here was to discuss the tax issue.
With the establishment of the Tianjin Taxation Bureau and the Tianjin Municipal Shipping Division, these two yamen also started to operate quickly and began to collect taxes from everyone. The Municipal Shipping Division has nothing to say here. It stares at the Tianjin Port every day, and there are ships entering and leaving.
You must first pay your taxes before you can do anything else.
As for the Tianjin Taxation Bureau, they issued notices to all merchants, factory owners, workshop owners, and firms in Tianjin to declare their own taxes.
Everyone is required to declare taxes to the Tianjin Taxation Bureau within the specified date. Failure to declare taxes after the expiration date will be regarded as tax evasion. Not only will the penalty be doubled, but it is also very likely to be forcibly closed.
This matter has now become the most discussed matter among Tianjin business circles.
Because when the Tianjin Taxation Bureau sent the notice, it also sent the latest "Da Ming Tax Law", which details the tax points that various industries need to pay.
Many people calculate carefully and may need to pay hundreds of thousands of taels in taxes this year.
For Li Menglin, he has many industries in Tianjin, including cement factories, textile factories, briquette factories, trading houses, fishing teams, and many shops, shops, etc.
He asked his men to calculate that if he paid taxes according to the latest "Da Ming Tax Law", he would have to pay millions of taels of silver in taxes a year.
Millions of silver, this is not a small number. If it were placed in the past, it would be more than his entire worth. Although now, these properties under his command are very profitable, but if he has to pay millions of taels of silver, he must be
Don't want to pay.
"Got it~"
Zhang Yanling nodded and replied.
"Uncle, will you pay taxes?"
Li Menglin asked cautiously.
"What the hell~ why do I have to pay taxes?"
"This money is hard earned by us two brothers. Why should we pay taxes?"
"Did they do something for us, or did they bring us benefits?"
"I don't even bother to pay attention to them. If they come to my place to collect taxes, I'll beat them to death."
Zhang Yanling did not speak, but Zhang Heling next to him spoke, very arrogantly and straightforwardly.
Just kidding, pay taxes, pay shit.
No matter who we are, we are uncles of the country.
In the past few years, they have made a lot of money, and the two brothers have become much better looking.
If in the past, they dared to rob the Empress Dowager's family for a few acres of land, how many people would have been killed?
These two brothers are notoriously stupid. Their sister is the queen, they are the uncles of the country, and their nephew is the prince and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
The two brothers have always been defiant, even if they committed something.
They could just go into the palace and cry to Empress Zhang, but they would be scolded by Emperor Hongzhi if they resisted. How could anything be done to them?
"Uncle Guo said it well~"
"Pay your taxes, pay your ass~"
"We have earned this money with so much hard work, why should we hand it over to you?"
"Whatever is taken from the people and used for the people is deceptive. Since ancient times, there have been excessive taxes and extortion, and the people have no means of living. It was so good in the past. No taxes were paid, and everyone lived comfortably. This is called recuperation for the people."
When Li Menglin heard this, he couldn't help but echoed.
"Yes, yes, Uncle Guo said it well~"
"If you don't hand it over, everyone won't hand it over, let's see what they can do to us~"
"I'd like to pay a toast to my uncle~"
When other people heard this, they immediately started shouting too.
In fact, everyone feels guilty, mainly because the tax reform was led by Liu Jin. Who is Liu Jin? Of course they know best.
If other people were to lead this tax reform, they would have no chance at all, but Liu Jin is different.
Liu Jin said that the celebrity around Emperor Hongzhi was the God of Wealth. He was also the leader of capitalism in the Beijing-Tianjin region and the leader of maritime trade.
When he comes to do this, everyone is very afraid, and no one dares to offend Liu Jin. Otherwise, if Liu Jin just says a word, everyone will not even think about having a good life, and they will not want to continue this business.
Everyone is afraid of Liu Jin and doesn’t want to pay taxes, so what should we do?
We had to find someone to be the leader and let him lead everyone without paying taxes, so it was natural to think of the Zhang brothers.
These two brothers are extremely stingy, stingy, and very arrogant and domineering. Of course, the most important thing is their identity and status.
They are the uncles of the country and the emperor's brothers-in-law. If they both take the lead in not paying taxes, then naturally everyone can follow suit and not pay taxes.
Everyone is afraid of Liu Jin, but the Zhang brothers may not be afraid of Liu Jin.
"Haha, that's what it is~"
"It's true that Liu Jin has such a huge property, and he insists on imposing this tax. If this money is collected, what good will it do to him?"
When Zhang Heling heard the compliments from everyone, he immediately smiled even more happily.
He and Liu Jin knew each other, and he had bought a boat from Liu Jin before. He also knew clearly how huge the industry under Liu Jin was, and any one of them would be the leader.
If Liu Jin levies taxes, he will not be able to make ends meet with his own money. There will be no benefit and he will offend many people.
"Liu Jin has always been a smart man. I don't know why he did such a stupid thing this time."
Zhang Yanling also nodded and said, is Liu Jin a fool?
Obviously not, but in his opinion, Liu Jin is doing something stupid now.
"I heard that all the industries under his command have declared taxes. I heard that in this first month alone, the total amount of taxes declared by all the major industries under his command has exceeded one million taels of silver."
Li Menglin thought for a while and then said.
"If Liu Jin has money, he should pay more. Anyway, I won't pay a penny. If anyone dares to come to my place to collect taxes, I promise not to beat him to death."
Zhang Heling smiled and said coldly.
At this moment, someone hurriedly walked up and said to the Zhang brothers: "Master, it's bad, the people from the tax bureau said they are going to close down our factory~"