In fact, as far as the country is concerned, there is no so-called waterway ownership. The Water Transport Yamen is essentially a state-owned enterprise responsible for transporting grain from the south to the north.
The water transport yamen, including its personnel, ships, ports distributed along the entire canal, and even the gates that regulate water levels, etc., are all fixed assets of this state-owned enterprise.
The sale that Zhao Xi mentioned was actually a misunderstanding. The assets of the water transport yamen were confused with the ownership of the waterway, or all assets, personnel and other things were sold in the name of the right to operate the waterway.
The reason why Zhao Xi did this was to regulate the authority of the waterways. Just like the tracks, he wanted to instill a consciousness that the waterways were owned by the imperial court.
Since water transportation has actually been cannibalized by various forces, Zhao Xi simply allows all parties to directly obtain the management rights. Only those who are familiar with this industry can truly know how huge the profits are.
Similarly, under the temptation of huge interests, the court could take advantage of the chaos to complete the rectification of the so-called waterway ownership.
When the contract was actually formed, only the court had the power to make the decision... The execution of contracts in this era was no worse than in later generations.
This is Zhao Xi's real purpose.
In fact, the imperial court could completely get rid of the rotten burden of water transportation, but it could still achieve the effect of transporting grain from the south to the north.
Of course, for the forces that want to interfere with the interests of the waterway, because they are familiar with it, they can minimize consumption and obtain benefits. The only difficulty here is those people who do nothing in the water transportation yamen and just wait to die.
Zhao Xi also had a preliminary idea in his mind, which still needed to be verified before making a decision.
As for the cabinet ministers, they were all confused by the officials' unreasonable statements. They were confused and had no idea what the consequences of what the officials said would lead to.
The thoughts of the officials need to be figured out... This is the consensus of the entire court. How many times have the officials tried to make a big deal, but the result is a trap.
Everyone knows how not to interfere in matters that they are not good at. Therefore, this discussion was suspended here and no decision was made.
Zhao Xi also wants to leave time for all ministers to consider.
…
"Daddy, the child is stupid and cannot understand what daddy thinks..."
The ministers and ministers can discuss it later, but the prince cannot. Before the court has reached an agreement, he cannot discuss it with those ministers and ministers who deliberately get close to him.
Besides, no one in the entire Song Dynasty could compare to my father's approach to merchants.
This is not bragging, all the industries created by my father are the best proof.
The prince could not understand what his father said, and he found it even more difficult for those ministers who flattered him to understand.
Instead of listening to some random comments, it's better to get the truth directly from dad.
Therefore, the prince followed Zhao Xi to Qinzheng Hall.
"How long has it been since you last visited your mother? Come back to the palace with me later..."
Zhao Xi did not teach her son on the spot, but postponed the time.
It’s not that Zhao Xi is not prepared to teach his son, but he thinks that he should let his son think first. Only by asking questions can he be taught something profound.
Zhao Xi dealt with the memorial, and the prince continued what his father had said.
…
"How do you view the benefits and disadvantages of what I say to the court? This is the key. As long as you think clearly about the gains and losses of the court, you can understand the purpose of my idea."
Zhao Xi teaches his son in front of Tao Niang. This is Tao Niang's favorite scene.
Tao Niang solemnly made tea for the father and son...~ The son has learned the same habit as his father, that is, drinking tea.
"Dad, I think that if father's method is used, the imperial court will indeed get rid of the burden of water transportation. If official grain is used as the basis for selling, the imperial court can still ensure the supply of official grain."
"But, daddy, I remember that when daddy was still in the East Palace, he had a fight with a grain merchant over grain prices."
"So, I think that once the imperial court loses control of water transportation, and once there is another dispute between merchants and the imperial court over food prices, the imperial court will lose the initiative and be controlled by the main navigation channel."
Well, yes, he was indeed attentive. Zhao Xi was still satisfied with the prince's performance.
As for the prince's unimaginable thing, it is also something that no one in this era can think of.
"Son, one thing you should consider is whether the sale of the waterway management rights will be successful..."
"Dad, the waterway auction is sure to happen. You only need to transport official grain for the court, and you can unlimitedly use the management rights of the entire waterway. For merchants, the profit margins are very high..."
The prince has no doubt about this, and it is estimated that all the ministers will not be worried.
"Son, in fact, being able to sell the management rights is dad's real goal."
"There is a word here, which is management right. The so-called management right involves a premise of permission from the court. For example, salt and iron, water and wine, these are all operations licensed by the court."
"However, the court did not grant permission for the right to operate the waterway. As long as you have a ship, a crew, and barter between the supply and demand sides, you can carry out shipping business on the route."
"In fact, on the rivers where shipping is carried out between China and North Korea, the state capitals along the way charge various fees."
"Getting rid of the burden of water transportation is not my father's ultimate intention. The ultimate goal is to rectify the name of fees charged by local and state governments, or to let the country gradually recognize that waterways have operating rights and ownership."
Zhao Xi did not explain it clearly and left many blanks for the prince to fill in. Only in this way can he promote his son's thinking.
"Dad, I don't know if I understand this right or not. Is this the case: the imperial court's so-called sale of waterway management rights is borrowed from the profits of water transportation and the assets of the water transportation yamen..."
Seeing his father nod, the prince continued to organize his thoughts and continued.
"Through the sale, the country and the court recognized the ownership of the waterway, or the essence of the shipping business permitted by the court."
"At the same time, let local state governments intervene in the sale, or even participate in it, eventually forming a pattern in which the court owns the waterways, the local state governments have jurisdiction over the waterways, and merchants operate shipping."
"The reason why the sale is carried out once a year is actually to let the participating forces in the water transport yamen compete with each other. The first sale will obtain the water transport assets, and other forces will definitely use the imperial waterway management rights to throw away the water transport assets in the coming year.
Assets, pure competition for waterway management rights..."
"With the right to operate waterways, water transportation assets can be useful... In this way, the decision-making power is still in the hands of the imperial court..."
"In the end, the imperial court will not lose its dominance in shipping, but the forces originally involved in water transportation will be able to fall apart, which will be more conducive to the imperial court's management of waterways."
"The imperial court's official rations will not be delayed because of this, and the burden of water transportation will be lost. Both the imperial court and the local state governments can increase their income... But, dad, why would merchants compete for the right to operate the waterway? My child has no doubt about this.
.”
The prince can take part in the big exam and be on the list as a second-class scholar. Even among many ministers, he is not considered mediocre.
After Zhao Xi pointed this out, he naturally understood the reason.