() "Your Majesty, the two things I just mentioned can be added to the one-stop plan." Zhong Jinwei replied.
"Oh, Master Zhong, please be more specific."
"In this way, Your Majesty, the profits from the salt administration, cement, and taxes collected after the roads are built, can be divided into part of the profits to improve the treatment of officials and national education."
"Master Zhong, I think there are two problems with what you said."
"Oh, Your Majesty, what's the problem?" Zhong Jinwei didn't think there was a problem, so he asked Emperor Chongzhen.
"After paving the road with cement, we still need to collect taxes? Roads are used by the people of the world. If taxes are collected, the people who have no money, the common people you call them, won't even be able to leave the house?" Emperor Chongzhen said about road construction.
There are doubts about the subsequent tax collection. If we follow Zhong Jinwei's logic, then wouldn't all the areas with bluestone paving in the capital be able to collect taxes?
"Your Majesty, not everyone has to collect toll tax. No matter how solid the cement-paved road is, it will always become damaged and uneven after a long time, which requires maintenance. But where does this money come from? The Ministry of Household Affairs cannot be allowed to provide it?" Zhong Jinwei
He thought that in future generations, even ordinary national highways would have local governments collecting taxes. That would be a tax of several trillions, not millions of taels of silver a year in the Ming Dynasty. So he subconsciously copied the practices of later generations.
Emperor Chongzhen could imagine that if all the road construction expenses in the world had to come from the Ministry of Household Affairs, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Household Affairs, would not hang himself in front of him. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile, and listened to what Zhong Jinwei continued to say.
"For road damage, the biggest damage should be caused by heavy objects. People usually walk on the road, and the damage caused to the road is minimal and can be ignored. Therefore, according to this situation, there is no tax on pedestrians, but a tax on horse-drawn carriages, bullock carts and other vehicles. For example
How much is charged for a vehicle carrying people, how much is charged for carrying goods, how much is charged for a four-wheeled carriage, etc., and the charges are based on the load of the vehicle."
What Zhong Jinwei said made sense. Emperor Chongzhen nodded and asked, "Master Zhong is saying that the collected vehicle and horse tax will be used for road maintenance, salary increases for officials, and national education in proportion?"
After being influenced by Zhong Jinwei for a long time, Emperor Chongzhen used many new terms unconsciously.
Zhong Jinwei nodded: "Your Majesty is absolutely right, that's what I think."
"Master Zhong, what do you think about the salary increase for officials? Is it to tie them to our chariot of innovation?" Emperor Chongzhen asked the second question.
"Your Majesty, yes and no. The salary increase for officials will give them benefits, and they will handle the matter with care. In addition, I understand that the current salary of officials is really not enough for their expenses." Zhong Jinwei said here,
He reported to Emperor Chongzhen what he learned from Yu Haining that day and how he used his salary.
Emperor Chongzhen listened very carefully, thinking while listening. After Zhong Jinwei finished speaking, he sighed: "It seems that I have been in the deep palace, and I still know a little less about folk affairs."
After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, he admired Wen Tiren even more. Under such a low salary, Wen Tiren could still maintain integrity and self-discipline.
"Your Majesty, after raising the salary for officials, we can intensify the anti-corruption efforts. Now there are almost no officials who are not corrupt. If all corruption must be investigated, I am afraid it will be difficult to implement. Therefore, I suggest that the former ones can be pardoned, but
If he commits the crime again in the future, he will be severely punished. There are examples to learn from."
"Oh, what an example, why haven't I heard of it?" Emperor Chongzhen also read a lot of history books, and he didn't seem to remember such a thing.
"Your Majesty, this example happened in later generations. Of course you have never heard of it." Zhong Jinwei replied with a smile.
"Tell me."
"In later generations, there was an area on the border of Guangdong, which belonged to the Duoli Kingdom. At that time, all police officers in the country, including government officials, were collecting illegal money and all officials were corrupt. The government established an agency called the Independent Commission Against Corruption to combat official corruption.
**, but it turned out that because all officials were involved in corruption, it could not be implemented. In the end, the king pardoned all officials for their previous corrupt behavior, and began to clean up the ** behavior from the moment of the agreement, and then it was implemented. "
Zhong Jinwei didn't bother to explain the concept of administrative zones and simply referred to it as a country. Anyway, it had no impact on what he wanted to say.
"Oh, how did it turn out?"
Zhong Jinwei replied: "The level of clean government in that country has become one of the countries with the highest clean government rankings among thousands of countries in the world."
"Just pardoning previous corruption can have such an effect?" Emperor Chongzhen didn't believe it.
"Of course not. The biggest reason is related to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Pardoning previous corruption is just a basis for anti-corruption." Zhong Jinwei explained.
"Tell me the magic power of this Independent Commission Against Corruption. It is so effective." When Emperor Chongzhen heard Zhong Jinwei's words, he was very curious about how the Independent Commission Against Corruption worked.
"According to my impression, the Independent Commission Against Corruption specializes in targeting officials and accepts real-name reports from the people. After receiving reports, they will conduct verification. They are only responsible to the king, and other officials cannot interfere with their verification. Moreover, they must cooperate with the ICAC's investigation.
.In addition, the Independent Commission Against Corruption will conduct anti-corruption propaganda for officials from time to time. After all, the purpose of anti-corruption is to eliminate corruption, not to catch corruption."
Why did Emperor Chongzhen feel that the ICAC's way of doing things seemed familiar? It investigated officials, accepted reports, and was accountable to the emperor. Suddenly, he remembered and asked Zhong Jinwei: "Isn't this ICAC my Dongchang and Jinyiwei?"
What?"
Zhong Jinwei smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I also feel that the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the factory guards do similar work. This is why I previously suggested that your Majesty should use factory guards. However, there is still a conflict between the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the factory guards.
different."
"What's the difference? Does Master Zhong mean the propaganda?" Emperor Chongzhen asked.
"Yes, this is a difference. Also, the focus of factory security is on conspiracy. Of course, corruption is also the scope of its investigation. But in my impression, those investigated by factory security are generally high-ranking officials of the court, while the Independent Commission Against Corruption investigates all
Officials are involved, and will protect the people who give evidence with their real names, and severely crack down on those officials who want to retaliate. Of course, the basis for this is that the people in that country basically have the knowledge to raise people, and the reports will be justified. Whatever the officials do is illegal
, can all be evaluated correctly.”
Emperor Chongzhen thought that the anti-corruption was related to education for all, but speaking of it, it is really related. If you only know farmers who are working hard, you may not have the courage to report it.
Emperor Chongzhen remembered that even Emperor Taizu's skinning of people could not deter the emergence of corrupt officials. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has this effect. It seems that it should learn from it.
So, he said to Zhong Jinwei: "I think it is okay to let the factory health learn from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It just needs to be at the right time, after the one-stop plan is implemented."
Emperor Chongzhen thought about it, Zhong Jinwei's one-stop plan would change the existing structure of many imperial courts at once, add many yamen, and might encounter many things.
But no matter how many things you encounter, you are not afraid. The only thing you are afraid of is not knowing how to change. Now that we have a road, we must go on. Emperor Chongzhen thought.
Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen remembered something again and said to Zhong Jinwei with a little worry: "Master Zhong, there is basically not much tax money to collect from the salt administration. All the profits are used to open China in exchange for food. Then only cement is left
The profits and road taxes have to cover disaster relief, military expenses, official salaries, national education and road maintenance, so many places that use money, are they enough?"
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he felt that Emperor Chongzhen's concerns were justified. Cement production could not be large at once, road construction was also a slow process, and the profits could not meet so much demand.
But immediately, Zhong Jinwei had an idea and suggested to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, don't worry about this. There should be a lot of money coming in the future, such as glass, steel, etc. As long as the new furnace experiment is successful, it will be possible to make
Come out. When the time comes, it should be possible to establish a state-owned enterprise and use all the profits earned to do the things just mentioned. Even if it is not enough, we can also develop other products and follow this idea."
Emperor Chongzhen endured hearing the key new term "state-owned enterprise". When Zhong Jinwei finished speaking, he quickly asked: "Master Zhong, what is a state-owned enterprise?"
"Similar to the salt and iron monopoly, the imperial court organized a trading company to specialize in the sale of glass and steel products." Zhong Jinwei explained.
When state-owned enterprises appear in history, they must have their place. Zhong Jinwei has long thought of the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, and it would be best to use state-owned enterprises.
As for the shortcomings of state-owned enterprises, we must first overcome the current difficulties and then slowly carry out reforms.
After listening to Zhong Jinwei's explanation of state-owned enterprises, Emperor Chongzhen felt that it was indeed the way to go, but he was still a little worried and asked Zhong Jinwei: "Isn't this the court competing for profits with the people?"