Yangzhou Daying
As Jiedu judge Huang Xian ordered the clerks to carry a large box into the Chinese army barracks, Jia Heng began to look through the military roster and check the number of generals and soldiers.
The register contains names, residences, ages, heights, and even distinguishing features of appearance. Generally speaking, you won't find anything on the roster because it can be faked.
Jia Heng checked the military roster with an expressionless face, but it made the subordinate general feel uneasy, wondering what the young nobleman was thinking.
At this moment, with the sound of soldiers' greetings and noisy footsteps coming from outside, Shui Yu entered the Chinese barracks surrounded by several generals, followed by generals one after another, most of whom looked at him with surprise. He looked uncertainly at the young man sitting behind the handsome desk, looking through the books with his head lowered, not daring to say anything.
Along the way, I had gained the confidence of Commander-in-Chief, and the Jiangbei camp was promoted by the man in front of me, Uncle Yongning.
Jia Heng put down the book in his hand, raised his eyes to look at Shui Yu, and asked in a deep voice: "Commander Shui Jie, are all the soldiers listed in the sergeant list in the army?"
Upon hearing this, Shui Yu's expression changed slightly, he calmed down and explained, "Uncle Yong Ning, this matter is quite complicated. The military registration register has not been re-registered for several years, so it may be different from the actual military quota. "
Jia Heng said: "Then I will ask someone to do an inventory later to see how many soldiers are missing, so we can ask Jinling for actual pay."
When Shui Yu heard this, his head felt heavy for a moment.
Jia Heng didn't say much. He closed the book and looked at the generals below. He said, "Commander Shui Jie, it's my turn to introduce some of my colleagues. I have been promoted to the Jiangbei camp by the emperor's order. How can I not know these generals?" ?」
When Shui Yu heard this, he secretly complained in his heart, so he could only bite the bullet and introduce Jia Heng to a general from Jiangbei Camp.
Jia Heng met with several generals. Because of his outstanding memory, he could match the names of people with their faces, and said: "I won't talk about other nonsense. The actual salary of the soldiers in each camp should be reported truthfully, so let me If you find out, it won’t look good.”
Everyone looked at each other in shock when they heard this.
Jia Heng said: "The army is stationed in a prosperous place like Yangzhou. I can sympathize with your difficulties, but it is not a reason to slack off in the military. Your Majesty has organized the army through martial arts and has the ambition to revive the army. The actual amount of troops in the Jiangbei camp today is No matter how much is reported, we can no longer deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates, and deduct soldiers' pay."
As soon as these words came out, it was like breaking through a layer of window paper, and there was silence in the barracks, everyone was thinking about the pros and cons.
Shui Yu was the first to speak and asked: "Uncle Yong Ning came from Beijing. Perhaps he didn't know the situation in the Jiangbei camp. Many sergeants got married in Yangzhou. They had families and families, and they all depended on receiving a grain of rice." Spend the day."
Jia Heng asked: "Including these people, are there ten thousand actual soldiers who can respond to orders?"
Shui Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "We still have this. We sent a lot of troops to Yangzhou before, but now our sergeants have been in arrears with their food and wages for a long time."
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "As for food and salary, I will ask for it from the Jinling household department after the troops are counted."
After that, Jia Heng settled in the Jiangbei Camp and began to use people from the Jinyi Mansion's Experience Department to check the number of soldiers and horses in each camp.
In the land of Yangzhou, many forces are complex. Unlike Datong, where all the generals have worked hard for generations. The Jiangbei camp could not resort to the deceptive method of painting the barren hills green. In the end, with Shui Yu's confession, a big difference was finally determined. There are probably more than 10,000 people in Jiangbei Camp.
At the same time, Jia Heng's movements were also gathered by various detectives to the salt merchants. Slender West Lake, Wangzhai
A waterside pavilion in the backyard was crowded with people, and the eight major salt merchants in Yangzhou were all occupied.
Wang Shouqi put down the tea cup in his hand, and asked with a gleam in his old eyes, "What do you think?" Cheng Peili frowned and whispered, "Is this Uncle Yongning really here to organize the army?"
"Old sir, will you build the plank road openly and use the warehouse secretly?" Huang Rishan pondered for a moment and asked.
Wang Shouqi held his gray beard under his chin and said, "It's not impossible. We still have to try it out. In a few days, Huanhua House will choose a new oiran to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Oiran Competition. He doesn't want to experience Yangzhou. Is it prosperous? Choose a good Yangzhou
Shou Ma, send it to him. "
There are hundreds of brothels in Yangzhou, and this kind of oiran competition is held every year, which is regarded as an entertainment activity for Yangzhou salt merchants. It is worth mentioning that at this time, there were basically no changes in the characters of the former Song Dynasty. Su Shi had already existed, and there was no need to copy the water tune singer.
At this time, Ma Xianjun said coldly: "Mr. Wang, I'm afraid that someone will organize the army first. After sharpening the sword, we will have no chance to turn around."
Jiang Tong frowned and said, "Brother Ma, this is a bit disturbing. This is not a battlefield. He is fighting and killing, and the Jiangnan scholars are in an uproar. He can't eat and walk around! Besides, Qi Ge will be here tomorrow." Just go to Yangzhou, they will fight on their own first, and in the end we will give in and get over this difficulty first."
Not all of the eight major salt merchants are of the same mind, or their inherent weakness and compromise have the upper hand.
Thoughts appeared on Wang Shouqi's old face. He looked at Jiang Tong and said, "Brother Jiang said, we should not mess up our position. Before the sky falls, Mr. Liu said that we should wait for Mr. Qi Ge to return to Jinling, and we must summon him." Let’s discuss it and see what Uncle Yong Ning does.”
Because of Wang Shouqi's status in the world, everyone could only look at the trend with different thoughts.
The night was falling, and the drizzle had dispersed a lot. In the inn, a lamp was like a bean, and the lights were dim and yellow. Duduo looked at a map spread out on the table. The layout of the streets and alleys in Yangzhou City was like this. The criss-crossing chessboard is all on it.
Duduo frowned deeply, his eyes stayed at the Yanyuan Yamen, thinking about the arrangement, and the sound of heavy footsteps came from outside from far to near.
"Tushan." Duduo called.
"Master, this guy left Yangzhou Salt Garden today to meet with Jiangbei Jiedushi Shuiyu, and then went to Jiangbei Camp. People from Jinyi Mansion drove away two groups of informants. It's hard for our people to keep an eye on them, but they can find out. The number of retinues that come and go with him is about a hundred horses." The big man who looked like an iron tower said without any nonsense.
Jia Heng's trip to Jiangbei Camp was full of news, but it still allowed Jinyi Mansion to drive away some of the more obvious spy agents.
Duduo said: "A hundred riders are not many, but this is not a battlefield, so we have fewer people."
Jia Heng went south with nearly a thousand followers, and many Jinyi Mansion guards were on guard around the Yanyuan Yamen. They often led hundreds of cavalry when they came in and out. This number could not be said to be too many, but it was not a lot.
"Master, he is going to the main camp. He has more troops and horses with him. He always travels in casual clothes. There are many brothels and boats in Yangzhou, so he can always find opportunities." Tushan said in a low voice.
Duduo's face was as gloomy as iron. He glared at Tushan and said, "You are not allowed to wander around the brothels recently. If you are discovered, be careful with your head!"
Tu Shan had a look on his face, lowered his head and said yes.
Duduo said: "Let people keep an eye on that person and see what's going on." This kind of assassination is difficult to prepare for and requires patience.
In fact, this is also the case. Otherwise, if the assassination is easy to succeed, then just go to Shenjing to assassinate the emperor, once and for all. In the evening, Jia Heng came out of Jiangbei Camp and just returned to Yanyuan Yamen. He looked at the invitation and frowned. This Zhen Qing, is she thinking about sending him an invitation now? The addiction to sex is really strong, but he doesn't want to go.
Now that his every move is being watched, it would be unwise to push the envelope at this time.
After thinking about this, I said a few words to the female officer.
Then he returned to the study room. Lin Ruhai had been waiting for a while, and Daiyu in a green skirt was sitting beside him talking.
"Uncle," Jia Heng called, sat down, took the tea cup from Yuanyang's hand, and thanked him. Lin Ruhai asked: "Ziyu went to Jiangbei Camp?"
Jia Heng nodded and said, "I went to take a look. As expected, the number of soldiers is about 30%."
This is not a rare thing. The country has been in existence for hundreds of years, and the military system has been corrupted. The Beijing camp has it, and the local area is not immune. Lin Ruhai asked: "Ziyu plans to organize the army first?"
"To Yangzhou, I am a guest. Every move I make in Yangzhou will attract their attention. It might be a good idea to reorganize the army first. After a little reorganization, it is not too late to hide." Jia Heng said softly.
He has no doubt about this. Yangzhou salt merchants are the richest in the world. As long as they are willing to spend money to get information, many Yangzhou locals can become their informants.
Lin Ruhai said: "That's fine. There are many shortcomings in the salt affairs, so I don't want to rush it. Tomorrow Qi Ge will come to the salt court to discuss matters. What does Ziyu have to say?"
"I won't participate publicly, but Qi Kun still needs to meet in private. Mr. Qi Ge should also want to meet me." Jia Heng took a sip of tea and said softly.
Lin Ruhai asked: "Mr. Qi Ge hopes to revive the middle method. The so-called salt method of the pre-Ming Dynasty is particularly good at opening the middle without any faults. However, the open middle method may not be suitable now. I wonder if Zi Yu has any good ideas?"
The Kaizhong Law integrated the two major strategies of salt affairs and the country's border affairs. It was indeed a good law, but the phenomenon of nobles occupying their nests was rampant. Jia Heng said: "The law is not absolutely good or bad, it has to be adapted to the circumstances."
"Oh?" Lin Ruhai's eyes moved slightly and he said in surprise.
Jia Heng said: "Today's system of monopoly on diverting merchants to the shore has serious drawbacks. It does not benefit the country at the top and does not benefit the people at the bottom. Most of the salt profits go into the hands of corrupt salt merchants. The government has no choice but to manage and collect taxes. When encountering some unscrupulous merchants, They sell official salt with one hand and private salt with the other, evading taxes and losing national money. They join forces with the officials in the salt transportation department, and often delay payment, borrow tax money, and eat grain for a long time, causing the transportation treasury to be overflowing. The year is in deficit."
This is the shortcoming of the monopoly system of diverting salt to the shore. The fake salt merchants sell it, while the government only manages and collects taxes. To a certain extent, it does guarantee a certain amount of fiscal revenue. However, as Lin Zexu’s teacher in the Qing Dynasty, Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang, said, The left hand fell to the right hand, and the deficit was huge. However, he tried to change the method of salt salt to ticket salt, let go of the salt monopoly, and the Yangzhou salt merchants gradually declined.
In the end, due to tax issues, the salt industry was also state-owned, and all salt was collected to benefit the country.
He has always advocated the state-owned salt industry and the establishment of salt industry companies from the central to local governments. However, this method also has some drawbacks and requires the construction of supporting systems, and it should not be done too hastily.
Lin Ruhai pondered for a moment and said: "The system of specializing in diverting merchants to the shore has been established as a law since the founding of the dynasty. It has been nearly a hundred years now. How does Ziyu plan to redefine the longitude and latitude?"
To address the shortcomings of the Salt Reform Law, it is natural to propose solutions.
Jia Heng said: "My initial idea is that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Household Affairs will prepare a salt company, and then private capital will subscribe for a small amount of equity with gold and silver, and participate in the franchise distribution of salt areas of major banks. The government will provide unified guidance on pricing. Distribution is carried out in the place of sales. A small part of the official bank balance over the years is withdrawn in proportion to the share capital, and profit dividends are given to marketing merchants. All profits are paid to the Ministry of Accounts and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Although the merchants receive salt profits, they do not Return to before."
In fact, if the bureaucracy completely manages the enterprise and operates it in a yamen-style manner, it will also lead to corruption and waste, rigid mechanisms, and intertwined interest groups. Therefore, the modern salt industry system has been maintained for decades, and many attempts to reform the salt industry have ended in miscarriage. .
Of course, none of the above is important. The key is that he wants to take away a piece of the cake from this reform process, and it goes without saying that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has a hand in it.
Lin Ruhai thought about it, moved her eyes slightly, and asked, "What is the responsibility of the salt inspector, the salt court?"
"The Salt Censor Patrol is exactly what I told my uncle before, arresting smugglers, checking women for cheating, conducting quarterly audits, impeaching the Censor, and calling for tax payments... This is what we are doing now, but we are just expanding the supervision. power." Jia Heng said loudly.
Lin Ruhai heard the words, thought for a moment, and whispered: "This is a change of the ancestral system. If the Salt Inspector and the Salt Transportation Department are women, and they work together, it is inevitable that corruption will continue to happen."
Jia Heng said: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs and relevant officials from the Kuaiji Department are stationed there. It is often difficult to bribe the profit-making entities of several parties. Besides, there is no perfect method in the world, and people's hearts are changeable. The Salt Inspector is appointed for a term of five years." By appointing salt transport envoys with a five-year term, this can curb the abuses of women, eliminate them from the last three years, and redefine the advantages and disadvantages of the areas where merchants sell salt, which can have the effect of keeping water flowing."
A system is always a system, and we cannot be superstitious about the system, because after all, it is people who implement the system, and good laws will be abolished if they are not followed. And he just wants the Ministry of Internal Affairs to intervene in the Salt Transportation Department, so... he has some selfish motives. If he masters the salt of Lianghuai, he will have a money bag in the future!
Lin Ruhai thought about the pros and cons of Jia Heng's words, pondered for a moment, and said: "This method seems to have benefits, but it involves the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and requires the leadership of many parties.
After several twists and turns... Now Qi Ge always wants to revive the method of opening up the country to cope with the country's border affairs and Wu Xing. You need to talk to him alone about this matter to distinguish the pros and cons. Qi Kun is different from Yang Guochang. , although he is a member of the party, he also has a vision for the country. Nowadays, we should work together to innovate the salt law and cope with side affairs. "
In other words, this is another adjustment to Chen and Han's national policy. Once Liaodong is lost, the pressure on Chen and Han's border defense will be too heavy at this moment, so Qi Kun will start from now on.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Although the method of opening up the middle is good, it is different now. Let's not talk about occupying nests. Let's just say that Shanxi merchants are now smuggling rampantly into the grasslands. The country's affairs are very difficult, and there is no way to hoard land. The conditions are met."
When the Kaizhong Law was implemented, Lao Zhu had just founded the country and was very powerful. Whoever should collude with the residual Yuan forces would be stripped of their skin. But now Shanxi merchants are doing a lot of smuggling business.
Moreover, the opening of the Zhongfa method will be unanimously opposed by the Yangzhou salt merchants with vested interests. No one wants to go to the frontier to help farm the land. Moreover, the climate in the north is severe and the output is very little. How to farm the land? In the end, grain was transported from the south to the north, and the transportation costs were borne by merchants, which was a drop in the bucket.
Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "Yes, this moment, that moment."
Jia Heng said: "We will try it out in Huaiyan first, and then implement it step by step. Be careful to prevent the salt workers from losing their jobs and causing unrest. Please keep it secret for the time being." This is to ruin the salt merchant's pot, clean the house first, and then treat guests.
His approach is currently to get rid of the nasty middlemen, but in the future, he may press the gourd and raise the gourd again.
But since it was effective for decades in later generations, until other tax sources eventually expanded, the salt tax seemed insignificant. The abandonment of the salt monopoly shows that it is still somewhat advanced.
Lin Ruhai's face paused, and he praised with eyes: "I can't say it, but Ziyu has a chest, he is really a national scholar." I have to admire the young man in front of me, this man is really only a teenager, and he is so knowledgeable. He believed it if he said it was from his peers.
Seeing the two people cherishing each other, Daiyu's starry eyes twinkled under her smoky eyebrows, and she sighed softly in her heart, clearly feeling numb.
It was like this every time, she looked like a dispensable person.
"The most urgent task is to recover the losses from the Yun Division first. The court needs this money urgently. As for the reform of the salt law, we can do it slowly." Jia Heng said in a low voice with deep eyes.
With the successful reorganization of the Beijing camp and the suppression of the rebellion in the Central Plains, the Jurchens will definitely receive the news. The captive chiefs will definitely not give the Central Plains dynasty time to recover. They will definitely work hard to invade the pass from the south. According to the secret report sent, there are indeed signs of this in the Jurchen territory.
