Chapter 12 The first day that every tax in the Ming Dynasty is generated, it will be greedy
While He Jin and He Yilong were eyeing Shen Shuren, it was impossible for Shen Shuren himself to know all this at the first time.
So until mid-April, Shen Shuren was advancing the work according to his own plan without being affected by external forces at all.
On the tenth day of April, Jiangkou Town, Huangmei County, Huangzhou Prefecture.
Chen Shuren came here in person for the first time with several sand ship-type warships to inspect the newly launched lijin collection and investigation work.
This is the southeasternmost territory of Huangzhou Prefecture, located at the junction of three provinces.
From here, after crossing the Xianqian River that flows from north to south into the Yangtze River from this town, and then going east, you will reach the boundary of Anqing Prefecture in South Zhili.
From here the town crosses the Yangtze River to the south, and on the other side is Hukou Town in Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, which is strangulating the throat waterway from Poyang Lake into the Yangtze River.
The day before yesterday, a team of patrol boats came from South Zhili to patrol the Yangtze River. Whenever they saw a fleet of cargo ships going upstream to Jiangxi, or going down the river to South Zhili to ship goods, they had to press One percent of the value of goods is taxed.
Now, Huguang has also joined the queue to collect money, setting up a cruise line not far away.
Chen Shuren only came to inspect temporarily and would not stay permanently. The person responsible for daily collection of money and inspections was still Zheng Chenggong, an official of Yanfa Road, plus the Zheng family's dozen warships and hundreds of servants.
The money collected will be sent to Fang Kongzhen of Jiangling, where the governor of Huguang will be responsible for overall planning, and will be used for the expenses of various garrisons in the province.
Fang Kongzhen couldn't just distribute money randomly. He had to accept the supervision of Yang Sichang, Mr. Yang Ge, and submit the accounts for filing - but the money would not be allocated directly by Yang Sichang.
Because Yang Sichang is not the governor of Huguang, and the imperial court does not have a governor of Huguang now. Yang Sichang has to coordinate the defense of several provinces at the same time. If Huguang’s money falls into the hands of Yang Ge, it is inevitable that “the money collected by Huguang will be misappropriated by the Henan army.” suspicion.
That would violate the original intention of the fee system, and it would easily dampen the local people's already reluctant enthusiasm to pay.
Everyone has already paid the full amount of official taxes to the court, and paying extra money is not just to protect the safety of their hometown.
…
Chen Shuren sat on the largest river patrol warship, climbed up to the mast watchtower, and scanned the river for a while with his binoculars. He could vaguely see twenty or thirty miles downstream, where the Nanzhili fleet was also coming and going. Patrol.
The mast of the warship was four to five feet high, and there were no obstacles on the river. It was easy to see far away, and it was impossible for private merchant ships to miss it.
After watching for less than half a morning, Shen Shuren found three fleets sailing out from the mouth of Poyang Lake, one fleet going upstream and two fleets going downstream - those going downstream had to pay Nanzhili. , if you go against the current, you have to pay money to Huguang. In short, if civilian ships want to leave Jiangxi, they must pay money.
Zheng Chenggong waited for half a morning to receive the tax for such a fleet of ships. Of course, he checked it very carefully, but he did not make things extra difficult for the merchants. He also tried to do things as quickly as possible. It was all business.
"There are four sand ships with 200 materials and five sand ships with 100 materials, nine ships in total. They carry 1,100 shi of white rice, 800 knives of paper, 350 shi of tea, 5,000 jins of lead ingots, and 2,000 jins of tin ingots. The total value of the goods is 7,300 taels, and the charge is 73 taels per cent."
When Shen Shuren saw him collecting money, he couldn't help but smile and remind:
"Brother Damu, today is the first day of work. That's it. Don't drive Hongyi cannon boats to collect taxes in the future. This is not a war. You must pay attention to the 'taxation cost'. I think it's only four or five dollars a day here. A single fleet passed by.”
Zheng Chenggong was a little nervous and a little embarrassed. He was eager to express himself, so he pointed out a shortcoming he discovered as if he wanted to take credit:
"Brother Shen, the taxation has just begun. It's not enough to be lax. In the future, those profiteers will know how powerful they are, and they will be able to intimidate others. I used my binoculars to see all the three fleets that left the mouth of the lake early in the morning. Of the two teams going to Nanzhili, the largest is the Caoliang Team.
The patrol team from Nanzhili on the opposite side came so close and had a casual look around, without boarding the ship for inspection, and just let it go. In my opinion, 80% of the grain fleet also carried private goods to evade taxes! We are doing this in Fujian After so many years of maritime business, I have never seen any storms!
If the search intensity of our Zheng family were to be as intense as it is, no one would be able to escape! It’s just a bit of a hassle. If you ask me, it would be troublesome to check the lijin, so we might as well sell the flag. We have agreed on a fixed amount of silver per year for the size of the ship. You can run away at will. It’s also easy to search. Just check to see if there’s a flag on the bow of the ship!”
Chen Shuren almost couldn't help laughing after hearing this.
This is the imperial court collecting taxes! It’s not pirates collecting protection fees! Why do you still expect to sell flags for money and have a fixed tax amount every year?!
Today's Zheng Chenggong, after all, will not turn seventeen for another half a year. He is still too young, and the gangsterism he has been exposed to since childhood has not yet been eradicated.
Shen Shuren knew the principle of not being evil for small things, so he immediately straightened his face and taught Zheng Chenggong responsibly:
"This is a tax imposed by the imperial court! Stop your random thoughts immediately and don't lose the dignity of the imperial court. As for you saying that the canal fleet in Nanzhili is suspected of being entrained - do you need to say that?
I think the South Zhili patrol team may not have neglected their duties and neglected inspections. Maybe they have just arrived and have been checked from top to bottom. Maybe after the canal fleet returns, they will share a little benefit and secretly give it to those patrollers. Officers and soldiers who collect taxes."
Zheng Chenggong's young mind was instantly shocked:
"So dark? They have only started working for a few days, and they have already started to make money? Can the Ming Dynasty be saved? It's a pity that the Nanjing Ministry of War probably hasn't even smelled the smell of money, and they have already been arrested privately by tax collectors. It’s fat!”
Chen Shuren smashed the railing of the ship with hatred: "Which tax was created in the Ming Dynasty that was not corrupted by the people who handled it? My father and I persuaded Your Majesty to set up Lijin. We thought that this would happen from the beginning. .
However, lijin is definitely better than the regular tax. At least there are fewer people handling it, there are fewer levels, and there is no need to go through the household department, so the proportion of being divided is lower. The money in the household department will be lost by half before leaving the capital. In the end It is very conscientious to get 20 to 30% of the money into the hands of the soldiers.
Let’s eliminate the household department and strive to distribute more than half of the money to soldiers in various towns in Huguang in the future. We will further increase the ratio of Huangzhou Guards to Suizhou Guards and strive to distribute 70% to 80%!
At least you and I don't have to be greedy for this little money, so I asked you to be this official and charge this money. If it were another state capital, haha, this fat position of controlling the Yangtze River waterway at the junction of two provinces would not be filled with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Only then can you get it!”
After listening to this, Zheng Chenggong gained another understanding of the darkness of the Ming Dynasty, and his admiration and gratitude for Shen Shuren deepened: "Brother Shuren, don't worry! Although Zheng is not talented, he will definitely not be able to guard the Jiangkou Customs. You will let our Zheng family embezzle a tael of silver!
By the way, how should we deal with the profiteers and powerful people entrained by grain ships in the future? Huguang is located in the upper reaches, so we are not worried about the grain ships from Jiangxi going upstream, and they have no excuse to come. But if the grain ships in our province Going down the river, do we need to strictly investigate it here?"
Chen Shuren thought for a while: "Of course we have to check! But you also need to pay attention to the scale and don't be too difficult. Of course you can check the goods that are on the bright side. But you won't puncture the grain bags one by one and randomly check the inside. What kind of cargo is it? At most, one or two bags per ship will be randomly inspected. It is also not allowed to threaten to puncture more grain bags deliberately, so as to calm the trouble for the fleet and give it a benefit!"
After finishing speaking, Shen Shuren paused, patted Zheng Chenggong on the shoulder, and said with serious eyes, "Brother, I believe in you."
…
Chen Shuren inspected the Jiangkou Customs for two or three days, and there is no need to elaborate on the subsequent daily routine.
It was always the busiest at the beginning, as we had to quell the dissatisfaction of powerful local businessmen and travelers over taxation and repeatedly publicize policies.
It is also necessary to evaluate the approximate number of cargo ships passing the Yangtze River north every day and the value of the goods. Only after we have samples can we roughly estimate how much tax we can receive each month and each year.
These Chenshu people also want to formulate data and write it down in official documents so that they can submit it to Yang Sichang and Fang Kongzheng in the future. Firstly, it will make them aware of it, and secondly, it will also allow them to give greater support to the promotion of Lijin in Huguang——
Chen Shuren has spent a lot of energy to win over supporters of the Lijin policy in Fujian and southern Zhili areas, but he has not yet attracted supporters in Huguang. The most important ones are Yang Sichang and Fang Kongzhen.
What Shen Shuren wants is to implement the imperial decree as soon as possible, kill first and then report to make some achievements. Only after having the data can he do business in a formal manner and ask for the governor's support, otherwise empty words will not be convincing.
Now that he has the data, he has the nerve to go to Jiangling to visit Governor Fang.
On the day of farewell, Shen Shuren had a drink with Zheng Chenggong on the boat. The food on the table was not rich, just tilapia and white-feathered chicken (hereinafter collectively referred to as white-feathered chicken, everyone knows that it comes from India) Just the variety, so you don’t have to explain it every time you mention it)
Chen Shuren said some sincere words of concern and asked Zheng Chenggong to do a good job. Zheng Chenggong didn't say anything, he just drank heavily and promised. In the end, Chen Shuren persuaded him not to drink indiscriminately because he was still young.
When the two of them were drinking and talking to each other, a few fast horses on the dock came from the direction of Huangmei County along the Xianqian River, shouting emergency reports along the way.
After hearing the noise, Chen Shuren woke up from his slight drunkenness and hurriedly walked to the deck, where the scouts had already pedaled to board the ship.
Shen Shuren calmly caught him and asked, "Why are you so alarmed? Where is the emergency report?"
The scout turned over and bowed down: "Returning to Daotai, at noon today, there was a report from Jiangzhi County, Huangmei County, saying that Lin's soldiers and horses were found in Tingqian Pass and Dafu Pass on the Yinggu Road bordering Anqing Prefecture. Invading!
The number of people is still small at present, but the number of sentries sent out by Jiang Zhixian County is not large. They have temporarily retreated to the north of Huangmei County. For now, they can still block the river valley in front of the county and prevent Lin Chengcheng's men from rushing out."
Chen Shuren was slightly surprised, but he couldn't say he was shocked. He turned to Zheng Chenggong and said expressionlessly:
"I also planned to pay a visit to Governor Fang in a few days. After obtaining Governor Fang's support, I would first concentrate my forces to deal with He Jin. Unexpectedly, these thieves would also support each other.
No matter what, everything in the world can never go as planned. Liu Xiyao died so tragically last year. These thieves should have learned their lesson this year and won't fight with me alone."
After muttering to himself, Shen Shuren quickly accepted this reality.
Isn't it like facing two thieves at the same time? What should come will come.
He thought for a while, and immediately compiled an official document and had it sent out. At the same time, he also informed Zheng Chenggong: "Brother Xian, I have asked Shen Lian to lead a battalion, which will be combined with your tax fleet. There will be a total of two thousand people." about.
You work together on land and water to block the valley of the Xianqian River in the northeast of Huangmei County to ensure that the enemy cannot invade through the Xianqian River or the Yangtze River waterway. I don’t think Lin Chengcheng has the strength to forcefully attack the dangerous passes in the valley. We will guard the dangerous points. That’s it.
Lin Chengcheng's real purpose is probably just to contain and allocate part of my troops. It is estimated that He Jin will take action soon. But it's not a big deal. Even if 2,000 people are taken away, I will have 6,000 left. , it can also make He Jin unable to eat and carry around!"
After Chen Shuren said these words, Zheng Chenggong also gained confidence and said that he would guard the east side and prevent his brother from having any worries.
Until now, Shen Shuren had not expected that He Yilong, the "Grim Eye", would take action. This could not be blamed on him, after all, he did not open his heavenly eye.