Zeng Xiaoduan cleared his mother's grievances and got back her family's property. She respected and worshiped Ju Ming beyond measure.
Ask him to help find candidates, and it only takes one day to find them.
"Prefect, this is You Jiyu, nicknamed Zhenshi," Zeng Xiaoduan introduced, "Brother Zhenshi and I were classmates before, and his family ran an iron smelting yard."
"Meet the prefect!" You Jiyu bowed respectfully.
This man was nearly thirty years old and had long since given up the imperial examination and was honestly assisting his father in business.
Jinzhou has had no Jinshi for a hundred years and is a cultural desert. The scholars have resigned themselves to their fate. There are also those who are unwilling to go to Yangzhou or Guanzhong to study, but they basically give up after a few years. The cost of long-term study in other places is too high.
To put it bluntly, the local economy is still not good!
Ju Ming said with a friendly look: "You two, please take a seat."
You Jiyu expressed his respect and went straight to the topic: "I already understand what the governor means. This matter is not difficult to handle. However, mining merchants have been repeatedly exploited, and the profits are not very high. Sometimes they even have to pay
If you lose money, there is no need for the governor to mine iron ore."
Ju Ming frowned and said, "What is going on here and who is in charge of the mine? I didn't understand much after reading the court decree."
You Jiyu sighed: "My family is engaged in the iron smelting business, and even I can't figure out who is in charge. Anyway, it must be Tong Shan who is in charge. Just give him money."
During the reigns of Song Shenzong and Song Zhezong, the mining industry in the Northern Song Dynasty reached its peak.
During the Chongning period of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the industry situation took a turn for the worse!
Under Cai Jing's auspices, all newly developed mines across the country were handed over to the Changping Division for concurrent management (prefecture and county mining profits were collected by the central government).
From then on, the county magistrate had some management rights, the Tongpan had some management rights, and the Changping Division also had management rights. The Tongpan often also served as the local Changping chief official, so it became the Tongpan who had the final say. With multiple management and multiple exploitation, the Changping Division also had to support
of officials.
A large number of private mining farms have closed down, and new mines have been opened very rarely.
Cai Jing's original intention was to strengthen control over mines across the country and then increase the output of gold, silver and copper mines through direct management of the Changping Division, thereby alleviating the money shortage that was gradually spreading across the country.
But he himself took the lead in corruption, and most of the officials in the Changping Department in various places were Cai Party members. Under the crazy exploitation and corruption, it actually led to a depression in the mining industry and the money shortage became more serious!
You Jiyu said: "If you want to mine iron ore in Xicheng County, you must first send money to the Xicheng County Magistrate, and then send money to the Tongxuan. If you send enough money, you can mine, and I will help the magistrate to complete it. But every year more than
There is a matter of apportionment... This is an apportionment from Tongpan, and I'm afraid the prefect has no right to interfere."
"Let him divide the money!" Ju Ming sneered.
As long as You Jiyu helps to complete the purchase and obtain the mining license, Ju Ming is not afraid of exposing himself.
"Prefect! Prefect!"
At this time, Fan Zhun, the governor of Zuodu, ran outside the Huangtang with great joy.
Ju Ming asked: "What's the matter?"
Fan Zhun said: "The gentry and merchants of Jinzhou gathered hundreds of people to present the Ten Thousand People Umbrella, and they have arrived outside the gate of the state government!"
Zeng Xiaoduan and You Jiyu immediately stood up, bowed and said: "The prefect loves the people like his sons, and the Wanmin Umbrella is well deserved."
Regardless of the purpose of the person who sent the umbrella, Ju Ming was very happy. Although he had gained prestige, it was not enough. A Wanmin umbrella was just right.
Ju Ming strode to the gate of the state government, where many officials had gathered.
The beating of gongs and drums on the street made it very lively. People who didn't know what was going on came to see the excitement when they heard the sound of drums. The crowd gathered more and more, and the number was almost a thousand.
In order to show their sincerity, the merchants also invited more than a dozen elders.
They even sent a sedan to pick up an old man in his 90s from the countryside and presented the umbrella to the people through the hands of the old birthday star.
"The prefect is here!"
A government official shouted.
The crowd immediately pushed forward, and the gentry and merchants came forward surrounded by the old birthday boy.
The old man was dazzled, deaf, and even had difficulty walking. He was helped to stand in front of Ju Ming and said: "The prefect is benevolent and loves the people. On behalf of the people of Jinzhou, I would like to thank the prefect for his great kindness!"
Zhu Ming quickly supported him: "Old birthday boy, please come in quickly. Don't let the wind blow outside."
The Wanmin Umbrella was held by two young men. The old man only touched it once and handed it to Ju Ming.
It's a pity that there is no camera, otherwise this scene could be photographed and published in the newspaper.
Hearing that leaders from various industries in Jinzhou were also here, Ju Ming invited them all in.
The black tea brought from Daming Village was served in a big pot, and the Huangtang of the state government office was full.
After some encouragement, Ju Ming sent someone to send the old man home. He was too old to endure the hardships, and it would not look good if he died in the state government.
In the end, only the gentry and merchants were left in Huangtang.
"I understand your good intentions," Zhu Ming said. "As an official, you should do what you should do to serve the people. There is no need to make such a big show of it in the future."
Ding Fengnian, the richest man in Jinzhou and a merchant of medicinal materials, said: "The prefect prays for the people and deserves a Ten Thousand People Umbrella."
"Brother Ding's words are reasonable. The governor must not be humble." All the gentry and merchants agreed.
"well!"
Ju Ming began to pretend again: "When it comes to asking for help for the people, man-made disasters are easy to eliminate, but natural disasters are difficult to prevent. This year's spring drought is serious, the summer grain harvest will definitely fail, and I don't know how many people will starve."
As soon as this statement came out, the gentry and merchants did not dare to speak anymore, for fear that the prefect would ask them to distribute disaster relief.
The scene was a bit cold, and Ju Ming could only talk to himself: "Let me tell you one thing first, don't hoard food, and don't sell food at high prices! If anyone doesn't obey orders, you know what I'm going to do."
"Don't dare."
"I will obey the eunuch's orders."
Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, for fear of offending Zhizhou.
Jinzhou merchants have been exploited for many years and are deeply afraid of the government. Among the previous magistrates, Ju Ming is also a hardliner. How can they dare to openly oppose it?
Ju Ming continued: "The price of food will definitely rise, and you cannot lose money. But how much it should rise is subject to the orders of the state government at any time. When the time comes, I will ask you to discuss it every five days. You can also put forward opinions, but listen
Whether you listen or not is my business!"
"Yes!" Everyone agreed quickly.
Ju Ming added: "You all go back and accumulate some goods. In May, we will transport them to Xiangyang to sell them together. I will send officials to guarantee the goods all the way and build private fences along the way. No taxes will be levied."
Everyone was overjoyed to hear this, but their biggest headache was the illegal tax cards along the way.
Within Jinzhou, Ju Ming can ban it, but outside Jinzhou, he can't control it. However, if there are officials guarding the ship, illegal tax cards can be ignored, which will cause unpleasant troubles with the local officials.
Ju Ming said: "I have saved you a lot of taxes. You must reciprocate this by helping the government transport grain for disaster relief when we return."
Dai Chengsi asked: "Has the prefect bought grain in the south?"
"I'm about to send someone over to contact him," Zhu Ming said.
The specific method is to sign a contract in advance and pre-purchase this year's new grain from southern grain merchants. Regardless of the harvest failure or increase, the contract price will not change, which is considered the most primitive futures transaction.
News of the drought in the north must have reached the south. The price of food will inevitably rise this year. The sooner you buy food, the cheaper it will be.
It is estimated that the price has already started to increase at this time.
The merchants were hesitant. Ju Ming's request meant that they would not be able to make a profit when they returned home, and they would be helping the government deliver disaster relief grains for free.
"Who has any objection?" Zhu Ming glanced around.
Everyone quickly lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact with the prefect.
Ju Ming said: "In this case, the only way to force the merchant ships is to conscript them."
Dai Chengsi was the first to react: "The Dai family is willing to transport disaster relief food to the people!"
"The Ding family is willing to transport disaster relief food for the people!" Ding Fengnian also blurted out. He is the richest man in Jinzhou, and he must be responsible for the forced conquest of merchant ships.
Seven or eight people expressed their stance one after another. Zhu Ming smiled and said: "This is a righteous businessman. When the disaster relief is over, a monument will be erected to record the name."
As soon as this statement came out, two more merchants promised to help transport grain.
They were not for the false reputation on the inscription, but they were afraid that their names would not be engraved on the stone tablet! From now on, if Ju Ming wanted to cause trouble for merchants, he would definitely choose targets other than the stone tablet.
"Very good." Zhu Ming was quite satisfied.
He did not expect that all merchants would cooperate. There were always many people who were lucky and pretended to be dumbfounded.
Ju Ming will not retaliate afterwards, but if there are any preferential policies, they will definitely be given first to those whose names are written on the monument.
Going south to sign a grain futures contract must be arranged in advance.
The person best suited to do this is definitely Bijia Qian Chen. This person is originally a big businessman in Jiangnan, and most likely will not take advantage of the opportunity to commit corruption. It is perfect for him to pre-purchase disaster relief grains.
As for the inspection of various counties, people will have to be replaced accordingly.
The famine will occur in May, when the new rice has not yet been harvested, so new wheat and millet can only be purchased in the south.
Wheat and millet are two crops that were rarely grown in the south before the Song Dynasty.
During the reign of Zhao Guangyi, the imperial court began to promote wheat millet in the south for the purpose of "planting it to prevent floods and droughts." The seeds were provided by the government and transported from the Jianghuai River, and wheat millet planting was tax-free in the first few years.
As a result, the double-cropping rotation method of rice and wheat gradually appeared in some states and counties in the south.
There are also many dry lands in the south where wheat and corn have begun to be widely grown.
The merchants drank tea in the state government office, listened to the prefect's admonishment and encouragement, and left together with different thoughts.
Ding Fengnian and Dai Chengsi were in the same car.
Ding Fengnian sighed: "This prefect is not easy to deal with. He has to spend money to eliminate disasters."
Dai Chengsi said: "No, the prefect just borrowed the boat and did not ask for money. What's more, by helping the government transport disaster relief food, you can gain a good reputation and save some blessings for your descendants. It is no better than being corrupted by those treacherous officials.
If you put it into the pocket of a corrupt official, you won't even hear a sound."
"I also obey this governor, but I'm afraid he won't be able to stay in Jinzhou for a long time!" Ding Fengnian was worried.
Dai Chengsi smiled and said: "Last year, many business leaders organized strikes in various places in the north and south. There were strikes in both Chang'an and Luoyang. In Chang'an, the strike lasted for more than two months. We Jinzhou merchants should also learn a lesson and not be allowed to be officials.
Even if Governor Zhu leaves office, he has set many rules. From now on, when we go on strike, we will make appeals according to his rules."
Ding Fengnian said: "It's difficult."
Dai Chengsi's expression became ferocious: "My grandfather had a family fortune of thirty thousand gu at that time. My father and I worked hard to manage it, but now we only have a few thousand gu left. If we continue to be exploited like this, it will be a matter of time before we break up our family and flee. It's really going to take us away.
I'm in a hurry, so I'll contact the bandits in the mountains!"
Ding Fengnian remained silent.
The gentry and merchants left the prefecture, and Ju Ming was not idle either. He was writing a letter to the emperor. He said that the spring drought in his area was serious, and he asked the emperor to grant him a Thousand Degrees of Ultimatum.
The certificates of the Song Dynasty were securities.
The first use of ultimatums for disaster relief was during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, which opened Pandora's box.
In the late Northern Song Dynasty, Jiaozi was invalidated, and the ultimatum could even be used as banknotes to pay taxes or pay for goods.
In the first year of Yuanfeng, the repairs to the city gates of Tokyo City were completed, and the imperial court could not come up with the money for the time being, so it gave a thousand ultimatums to compensate for the project cost.
In the second year of Shaoxing, Yue Fei requested the imperial court to allocate funds to pay military salaries and build fortifications. Zhao Gou said that he had no money and gave Yue Fei 200 ultimatums...
It was impossible for Ju Ming to directly ask the emperor for money to relieve the disaster, but it was easier to ask some monks to give him an ultimatum.
Anyway, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty planned to promote Taoism, and the Taoist priests were very generous with their ultimatums and rewards.
This thing cannot be sold at a high price in Jinzhou, but when it is sold in Jiangnan, the price is as good as gold!
