"Six million taels..." Zhu Cixiang sighed, with a look of unbearable expression on his face, "It's all the people's blessings! I want to implement benevolent government, and will soon issue an order to exempt the three-year salary increase, but now it's not Isn’t it inappropriate to levy an extra few million in salt tax first?”
Zheng Sen, who was brought in by Zhu Cixiang to act as a trustee, said sternly: "It is precisely because His Highness, Junior Brother, wants to waive the three-year salary increase and increase the stipend, that we should collect a little more salt tax. Only the salt tax can make up for the millions of dollars a year after the three-year salary exemption." What a loss!"
"That's right." Zhu Cixiang nodded seriously, "It seems that the salt tax still has to be collected, but will the people not be able to eat salt because of the millions of taels of salt tax?"
"Probably not," Zheng Sen glanced at several big salt merchants, "Will you sell salt at a higher price?"
"No, absolutely not!"
"The price of salt on the market has not increased a penny!"
"The price of salt can still drop a little..."
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said: "In that case, I will reluctantly accept the salt tax of 6 million taels this year.
As for the salt administration departments of the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, including the salt inspection censor, all salt administration, salt industry, anti-smuggling and other matters were all handed over to the jurisdiction of the Salt Industry Federation, which was under the jurisdiction of the four general presidents of the Salt Industry Federation. The merchant and a general merchant appointed by this palace are jointly managed. The five major salt industry general merchants were all granted the status of imperial merchants and were given official status of fourth rank. They were under the direct jurisdiction of the Fujun Grand Marshal's Mansion and had the right to visit the palace and submit memorials.
The salt industry federation is also responsible for dismissing or retaining the officials and salt officers of the Lianghuai Salt Administration Department as appropriate. It must be handled with care and as little trouble as possible.
In addition, the palace also authorized the Salt Industry Federation to recruit 5,000 salt workers, who can be equipped with armor and firearms, just like the official army, to detect smuggled salt. However, the captured salt owl cannot be lynched by the Salt Industry Association, but must be escorted to the Huai and Yang Prefectures for trial and disposal. "
"Thank you Qiansui Master for your kindness!"
"Thank you Prince for your grace!"
"The common people thank God..."
Okay, the tax has increased tenfold, but the four salt bosses still want to thank God!
If Chongzhen saw this scene, he would definitely believe that his son was really possessed by Taizu Emperor Gao...
However, these four salt bosses were not just pretending, they were truly grateful to Zhu Cihong. Because Zhu Cixi not only collected taxes, but also contracted the Lianghuai Salt Administration to them.
This is truly a great kindness!
Because the Lianghuai Yanzheng Yamen itself is a bottomless pit. Isn’t that one of the officials from top to bottom a gold-eating beast? Who hasn’t made a lot of money after serving as an official in Yanzheng Yamen for several years? There are so many officials in the salt government, and they all work together to get greedy, accumulating small corruption into big corruption. How can one not be greedy for five to six million in a year?
If the Salt Merchants Association were to take over the salt administration, the annual cost of one million taels would be sky-high. And if this one million taels is spent, it will have a useful effect of one million taels.
The original salt administration yamen were actually people hired by the imperial court to help embezzle and sell salt illegally. Who could commit illegal salt sales on the land of Huaihe River and Huaihe River without using money in the salt administration yamen?
"Get up, everyone, get up and give me a seat." Zhu Cixiang smiled and gave seats to the four salt merchants who had become imperial merchants, and then ordered the people around him, "Xuansu Laomi, come here."
Su Laomi is the fifth general merchant that Zhu Cihong wants to arrange to join the Huaiyang Salt Merchant Association!
In the past few months, he, together with Soy Sauce Huang, Huang Dabao, Wu Sanmei and others, had managed the gold and silver brought out by Zhu Cihong from Beijing. The management is pretty good, not only the income and expenditure accounts are clear, but also the amount of gold and silver lost during the run is very small.
"This is Su Sheng, also known as Shengzhi, and Su Laomi is his nickname."
Su Laomi was quickly escorted to Zhu Cixiang. After saluting, he was introduced to the four Hui Gang Salt Managers by Zhu Cixiang.
"He is the emperor's merchant who has been with me since Beijing. He has been managing money for me during the imperial court. He is my confidant."
My confidant, please take good care of me in the future...
The four salt managers all cast flattering glances.
"From now on, he will work with you to manage the Lianghuai salt industry for me!" Zhu Cixiang continued, "But he is not my imperial envoy. In the Salt Merchant Association, the five of you are all one-sided. He But I don’t have the ability to take care of you. If you have any requests, you can directly submit the memorial to me, and you can also ask for an audience. Do you understand?"
"I know..."
Zhu Cixiang nodded, "There is one more thing I want to tell you. In the future, the tax package for the Lianghuai Salt Industry does not need to be withdrawn from the treasury."
The so-called Jieku means the warehouse that is transferred to the Ministry of Household Affairs.
"Don't know about the library?" Wang Wanchun was stunned, "Where to send it?"
Zhu Cixiang smiled: "You salt managers are also engaged in ticketing and lending, right?"
The so-called meeting ticket is the predecessor of the bank note, and its function is to remit money. However, there are no professional banks and bank accounts, and they are usually run by powerful wealthy businessmen.
As for lending, it is a common method for wealthy families to make money, but most of them are part-time businesses, and there are basically no professional lending firms.
"Reporting to Mr. Qiantose, we do make banknotes and lend money, but we don't lend usury..."
"Haha," Zhu Cixiang smiled, "I know that you are all good businessmen with conscience, so I want to open another way for you to make a fortune."
He paused, "You have to manage money for me, for the imperial court, for the officials and businessmen in the world who trust you... The specific business includes deposits, loans, exchanges, exchanges, and the casting of coins by the imperial court!"
In order to facilitate these transactions, a Salt Merchant Bank should be opened under the Salt Merchant Association! The four of you and Su Laomi each hold 20% of the shares. Yan Merchant Bank's business capital was set at three million taels, and each bank contributed 600,000 taels.
From now on, all salt taxes from the Huaihe River will be deposited in the Salt Merchant Bank, and when the court needs money, it can be withdrawn with a check. I only charge five cents of annual interest on the money deposited in the Salt Merchant Bank. As long as you can handle the withdrawals, you can use it to lend and earn interest.
To this end, Salt Mercantile Bank should also set up a head office vault in Nanjing to store enough silver for transfer. Four salt presidents, what do you think of my proposal? Can this Salt Merchant Bank transaction be done? "
The four salt industry general merchants were all shocked and couldn't even speak for a while!
Prince Zhu really knows how to do business! Not only did he win huge profits from the salt industry, but he also got involved in the loan business of Huaiyang salt merchants - this is another big deal! All the salt merchants in Lianghuai are lending money, and the total funds used for lending are 20 to 30 million taels. However, there is no "bank" that handles deposits, loans, remittances, exchanges, and the casting of coins by the imperial court. The business of this "bank" seems to be promising!
Prince Zhu, who was a financial practitioner in his previous life, certainly knows the importance of the banking industry to the development of the capitalist economy!
However, he currently has no plans to open an account bank, because the banking industry sells credit, and the Ming Dynasty was notoriously poor! In the Chongzhen Dynasty, it was even more difficult to make ends meet. Any corrupt official would be richer than the imperial court. Who would dare to deposit money into the household bank?
And after opening a bank account, who will manage it? Let corrupt officials go or let gentlemen and honest ministers go? Neither type of person seems to be able to manage a bank well...
Although in theory the banking industry is the lifeline of the country and should be firmly controlled by the imperial court, in practice it is simply impossible to implement it. Forcing the establishment of an account bank was nothing more than adding a money-burning yamen, which accelerated the consumption of the Ming court's limited financial resources.
If Zhu Cixiang wanted to make a difference in the southeast, he had to develop a financial system.
So after Zhu Cixiang thought about it again and again, he decided to start a business and set up a bank first! Salt Merchant Bank is just one of them. After meeting Zheng Zhilong, Zhu Cixiang will also promote the establishment of Maritime Bank.
Of course, Zhu Cixiang did not interfere in the operations of these two banks. Su Sheng was actually his white glove in the Yan Merchant Bank - the 200,000 taels that Su Sheng invested in the Yan Merchant Bank were actually taken out by Zhu Cihong. And his general salt merchant was actually working for Zhu Cixiang.
The reason why "white gloves" were used was because Zhu Cixiang did not want the Salt Merchants Association and the Salt Merchants Bank to evolve into two yamen.
Zhu Cixiang's other Huangshang Soy Sauce Huanghuangjiang will become his white glove at Maritime Bank.
In addition, the head office treasury of Salt Merchant Bank and Maritime Merchant Bank will be located in Nanjing, right under Zhu Cixang's nose. And Nanjing will develop into the financial center of Ming Dynasty in the future...
After controlling the financial center of Nanjing. Zhu Cihong also planned to open several commercial ports, or special zones, along the Yangtze River, and gradually develop them into centers of industry, commerce, and foreign trade. Of course, they must be firmly controlled.
With a financial center, an industrial and commercial center, and a foreign trade center in hand, Zhu Cihong's court will no longer be short of money.
