"Baojia" is a household registration management method with a military flavor invented by Zhao Song. It is based on a household, with ten households as one Jia, and one Jia chief. There is one security guard for each of the ten, and there is one security chief.
Even so, it did not prevent the Zhao and Song Dynasty from being eventually destroyed by Commander Menggu Navy. It can be seen that "Baojia" can only be used for internal management, not to resist foreign enemies.
But a certain prince thought that this method was very suitable to manage disobedient merchants, so he perfected it and recommended it to a certain father as a brilliant idea...
After reading it, Chongzhen felt that it made sense and was very consistent with the current chaotic situation in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Jiangnan area. After such Baojia was implemented, the court must have done a lot.
"My dear friends, you may wish to take a look!"
Chongzhen, who has become "incredibly smart", will naturally not take the initiative to do such offending things to himself.
Show it to the ministers, which means that this is the idea of the traitor and has nothing to do with me!
If you want to scold, you must also scold that traitor. I will be your solid backing!
"..."
When the five members took a look at the results, they all showed expressions of extreme astonishment.
"Shangjia of the Ming Dynasty - the management measures for merchants living in the eight corners of the south"!
The main management objects are merchants, so they are called "Business A".
The purpose is to keep the environment safe and reduce the possibility of businessmen evading taxes.
The specific method is close to Zhao Song's "protecting armor" method, but it is slightly different depending on the identity of the management object.
Every five households of merchants are assigned to one Jia, and there is a chief A with a term of five years. The chief A is called the "first-level chief Jia", that is, "one Jia".
Every five first-a-level officers are called second-a-level officers, and there is one chief of the first-a-level officers with the same term.
Every five second-level players become third-level players, and the details are the same as before, and so on.
A Level 3 Chief can manage 124 merchant households under his command, and his powers are similar to those of the President of the Beidu Industry Chamber of Commerce.
Simply giving job titles cannot impress merchants, nor can it achieve the goal of dividing and disintegrating merchant groups.
The sweetness must be given in return for the profit-seeking merchants to turn their backs on them and even betray their companions.
One of the "sweeteners" is that first-level officers can enjoy 20% tax exemption, that is, they only need to pay 80% of the tax every year.
Second-level A-level officers can enjoy the benefit of double the salary, while third-level A-level officers’ tax-free portion can be as high as 60%.
The merchants in A must pay taxes in full, while the head of A can enjoy tax exemptions. This is the difference, and it is one of them.
The head of A who completes the tax quota of this A can also get the benefit of personal tax refund, and can get a 20% tax rebate.
In addition, for those who have met the standard for three consecutive years, regardless of grade, their family can choose a youngster, and his nephew can pass the hospital examination for free.
The important thing is "passing the hospital examination" rather than "admission examination"!
This means that the imperial court will give a free gift to the heir of a scholar who reaches the standard!
This is a "special scholar", or "special scholar" for short!
Since I didn't spend any money, I didn't enjoy any preferential treatment, but I had a good reputation and didn't have to kneel before officials. If something happened, I would be given a lighter sentence.
Can you be a fool?
It really works!
The purpose is to reward, not to select talents!
Therefore, fools who meet the requirements can naturally become this kind of "special show"!
Of course, "special talents" with real talents and practical knowledge can still pass the imperial examination, and even pass the palace examination and become Jinshi.
"Special beauty" is not the originality of a certain prince. This is the case with the "regular prison" of the Imperial College.
"Regular Prison" is the quota used by the Imperial College to cash out. As long as they have money and connections, rich people can let their sons become college students.
There are very few people who can get good grades in the regular prison exams, and the same is true for special talents. It is nothing more than expanding the scale of "regular prison" and lowering the grade.
Can these two tricks win businessmen into the business?
possible!
But not enough!
A certain father was once worried that novelty products could not be sold, mainly because of the lack of sales channels and their inability to benefit the people in Jiangnan who were not short of money in their pockets.
In response to this problem, a certain filial son came up with a good idea for his father, which was to award the agency rights of these new and unique products to the third-level armor commanders in various places.
In this way, the channel expansion is completed. After the third-level managers obtain the products, they can develop subordinate agents on their own, and the channel sinking is immediately completed.
Level 3 armor commanders can consolidate their status with the special products in their hands, and if they work as a middleman, they can make a lot of money every day without the need for terminal retail sales.
People in the southern capital city could buy goods shipped from the northern capital at the "Wanhao" department store opened by a certain emperor, but customers from outside did not have this opportunity.
Wanhao Department Store is the name specially thought up by an emperor for the products of Qianqi Department Store, which means that all the goods sold there are of good quality!
Since its opening, sales have been extremely hot. Some people call a certain prince a devil boy, but they still frequent Wanhao Department Store.
They think there is no contradiction between scolding and buying...
After scolding the dog prince for a long time, I waited in line to buy my favorite product, but it still tasted great!
While scolding the prince, at the same time paying good prices to buy all kinds of goods produced by the prince's factories, this is the strange situation of our Ming Dynasty!
The people in Nandu City have long been used to it. As long as they don't have money in their pockets, who wouldn't buy a few things to show off?
At present, the daily net profit of Wanhao Department Store can reach more than 2,000 taels, which will be more than 700,000 taels in a year!
This, of course, made a certain emperor very happy. While Long Yan was overjoyed, he felt that the money he earned was not enough.
This is true for one store in one city. What if your own stores bloom everywhere in Jiangnan?
At least the four big cities in the south of the Yangtze River, namely Nandu, Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou, must have one store per city.
Yangzhou is the hometown of Concubine Tian Guifei, and it is guarded by Ma Jinggong, a warrior from the Yongwei Battalion. It is naturally easy to open a store.
As for Suzhou and Hangzhou, Suzhou is the Queen’s hometown, so it’s not difficult to open a store here, but Hangzhou is a bit out of reach.
Therefore, a certain emperor felt that it was necessary to expand the radiation range of products and sink channels!
Especially now that Huang Taiji had just suffered an unprecedented defeat, and the bandits were beaten to a pulp by the army, it was time to make some money.
In big cities like Su, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Nan, not to mention third-level armor commanders, there may even be fourth-level armor commanders, or even fifth-level armor commanders.
But regardless of the level, the same principle remains the same, that is, one must pay full tax in order to obtain the prescribed benefits.
If you can really climb to the position of fifth-level armor commander, you will be qualified to meet a certain emperor.
This supreme and noble treatment is something that no one else can buy with money.
Being able to become a level five armor commander would certainly make any businessman extremely excited.
But becoming a level five manager means managing more than 3,000 merchants below!
If you want to fulfill the quota stipulated by the imperial court, you must do your best, otherwise you will have to fill the hole with your own money.
The greater the responsibility, the better the treatment.
Level 3 A-level officers enjoy tax-free treatment of up to 60%, and level-4 A-level officers enjoy 80% tax-free treatment.
If you were to be a level 5 armor commander, you can imagine how tempting it would be...
And as long as the established tax share is completed, not only does the family not have to pay taxes, but it can also receive a huge tax refund from the court!
How to get tax refund without paying tax?
That's right!
As long as you are a lackey of the imperial court, you can enjoy tax refunds without paying taxes, and you will be refunded in proportion to the total amount of tax payable!
Because the responsibility of the fifth-level manager is to manage the merchants below, not to pay taxes in full.
The imperial court is not short of the tax money of the fifth-level armor commander, but what the imperial court is short of is the more than 3,000 households below!
This is called progress and retreat. Only when you give up can you gain!
Isn't it a very cost-effective thing for the court to use small profits to appease the commanders at all levels and let the merchants in the armor pay taxes honestly?
After three-level armor commanders are born in various places, a certain emperor can legitimately develop them into his own agents, and it is easy to pocket millions of taels of silver a year.
Is this considered a competition with Min?
No!
This is for Min's profit!
correct!
The merchants are also like Zimin of the Ming Dynasty. Let Zimin make money with the emperor. Isn't it a great favor from the emperor?
At this time, Chongzhen highly recognized the explanation of a certain traitor, because that was what he thought!
Why do you say that?
It is because the items shipped from Beidu are in short supply. Due to the limited quantity, the store is currently selling them for retail and not wholesale for the time being.
Why didn't the Beiguan Group rebel at the court meeting when there was almost a turmoil outside?
You can guess with your heels that everyone in the Beiguan Group has benefited.
Everyone here is an agent from their hometown. As long as they don't antagonize the emperor, they can enjoy their success!
In this way, how easy is it to earn this money?
Although a new oil lamp sells for a lot of money in Nandu, if it is shipped to your hometown and sold to a wealthy gentry, the price will double!
Even if some rich gentry are actually very stingy and reluctant to spend money on luxury goods, they still score points.
These are items sold by important officials in the court. Buying someone else's goods is tantamount to taking the initiative to show your kindness.
This is how certain favors come about. This is called reciprocity!
Making donations can help people, but buying goods is not one of them.
Using agents to replace contributions and favoring his close ministers is also one of the current strategies adopted by Emperor Chongzhen.
For example, the second assistant Gao Hongtu, who was originally from a wealthy family, had already purchased tens of thousands of taels of goods due to his wealth.
When shipped back to his hometown in Jiaozhou, Shandong, the net profit is at least double, and the profit for some rare and very special products is even more than two or three times.
Mr. Jifu, who calls himself "the second most loyal person in the Southern Capital", also plans to expand the purchase scale next year and include all the goods that can be purchased.
In view of the current favorable situation, it is almost impossible for Jiaozhou to be invaded by the Donglu cavalry. Lao Gaotou plans to imitate the Wanhao Department Store in Nandu City and let his family open a store next year.
Is there a contradiction between being a good person and selling goods?
Of course there is no contradiction!
Use the money you get from selling goods and donate it. Then you will have money and a good reputation. Why not?
It is said that Shi Kefa, who is known for his stubbornness, plans to open a store in his hometown in Kaifeng, not to mention other courtiers.
After all, there are only a few courtiers who have not accepted the contribution, and many people will feel extremely uncomfortable if this income is suddenly cut off.
It is a top priority to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and using agents to replace contributions is the best way at the moment.
The courtiers' acceptance of tributes has always been criticized. Nowadays, the situation is changing and the undercurrent is surging. The number of courtiers is gradually decreasing, and it is the general trend that they will no longer accept donations.
"Your Majesty, I think your Highness's plan is a good one, but if the merchants evade taxes for a long time, I'm afraid it will be implemented..."
The second assistant, Gao Hongtu, was the first to speak. Based on his experience, he understood the virtues of these profiteers very well.
Getting businessmen who have never paid taxes to behave themselves cannot be achieved by just giving some benefits in a few words.
"The prince said that the merchants of the Ming Dynasty were so wanton and reckless. In the final analysis, they were accustomed to it by the imperial court. They then ignored the royal law, the imperial court, and even me! This strategy must be implemented with thunderous means to achieve twice the result with half the effort!"
Chongzhen felt that what Ci Fu said was true. These merchants in Jiangnan were no different from their counterparts in Beidu. They would not change their minds until death was imminent.
"I don't know about the thunderous means your Majesty mentioned..."
The first assistant, Qu Shishu, sympathized with the poor people and opposed tax increases for farmers. He did not have much sympathy for profiteers who had always evaded taxes.
"Before, merchants from Beidu also made petitions, but were suppressed by the factory guards sent by the prince. Each family must pay the difference and set up a certificate before they can be released!"
Chongzhen would not say what he did, he would just copy what the traitor did.
Since that treacherous son can act like this, as the emperor, why can't he do it?
Of course, merchants in the south of the Yangtze River were different from those in the northern capital. They were bolder, broader in scope, and more numerous.
Therefore, it was no longer possible to establish a chamber of commerce, so a certain prince resorted to a defensive strategy to deal with them.
"The prince said that the strategy of protecting the armor can protect the court's taxes and fees, and can protect the people of Liming and Min at the bottom. It can be said to be beneficial to the country and the country. In the eight corners of the south, merchants who are unwilling to participate in the insurance will either get out of the Ming Dynasty or die in the Ming Dynasty. Ming dynasty!"
You have to use poisonous tactics to deal with profiteers!
If Chongzhen didn't use this kit, he would have no way to deal with these people outside.
In this situation, Chongzhen is willing to try any method that may be effective.
The strategy of protecting armor had been used in the Zhao and Song dynasties. It was thought that it would be useful only for merchants in the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, people are currently impetuous and rumors are spreading. If we send troops to suppress it, I'm afraid..."
Qu Shishu felt that the prince's proposal was too radical in the past. What if something big happened, how would it end?
"Do you want the chief assistant to say that he is afraid of a civil war? I have previously known that Hong Chengchou's troops are chasing the remnants of Zhang Ni's troops and surrounding the Dabie Mountains to suppress the remnants of Zhang Ni's troops and the fifth battalion of Ge Zuo and other rogue bandits hiding here. It is already the middle of winter. At this time of year, it is extremely difficult to enter the mountains and suppress the bandits, so the army can only adopt the strategy of siege. From the Dabie Mountains to the Yangtze River through the waterway, and then to Nandu, it takes five days or three days. There are still Yongwei battalions guarding the Nandu city. I don’t believe the traitors. Even if you have extraordinary abilities, how can you change your life within five days?"
A certain treacherous son had already thought of a backup plan for his father, which was to ask Hong Chengchou to send troops to help various places in the south of the Yangtze River.
Once chaos breaks out in Jiangnan, it is far from enough to rely solely on the Yongwei Battalion's own troops to suppress it.
It was unlikely that Hong Chengchou could wipe out the fifth Gezuo battalion hiding in the mountains in winter, so he might as well find some work for him.
At a critical moment, it would be considered a great achievement to divide 50,000 troops and go down the river to suppress the rebellions in various places south of the Yangtze River.
Another reason why Chongzhen planned to use this move was that the money to mobilize the troops was provided by the traitor, and he did not need to pay for it out of his own pocket.
"Your Majesty, I think that swords and guns have no eyesight. For the sake of long-term peace and stability in Jiangnan, if it is not absolutely necessary..."
The emperor had even prepared for the worst, but Qu Shishu wanted to give him some advice, lest he get to the point where he couldn't survive without fighting.
"I really know what the chief minister is thinking. I no longer want to see the tragic situation of rivers of blood, which will affect the court's tax collection. In my opinion, we can still punish the few severely and forgive the majority. If the situation is serious, we will consider sending troops. Pressure."
Chongzhen didn't care at all how many merchants died, he only cared about next year's taxes and money.
But with Hong Chengchou's help, at least there is no need to worry about someone taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
Besides, although Jiangnan was depleted of troops, it also lacked generals who could collude with merchants to launch a rebellion.
Without military strength to rely on, profiteers have money in their hands, and the people who can organize them can only be a mob.
If there are not a large number of people joining the army, their combat power will be inferior to that of rogue bandits, and they will be defeated in one blow. It is a complete joke.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
For this reason, Qu Shichun had no choice but to say anything else, lest he angered the emperor.
"As the prince said, we will first implement the strategy of protecting armor in Nandu City, which is called a pilot, that is, a designated demonstration. Then it will be expanded to Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, and then spread throughout Southern Zhili. After continuous improvement, it can be implemented in Southern Zhili Promote the eight corners of the land under the jurisdiction of the imperial court."
The matter was so important that Chongzhen, who had never done anything like this before, did not dare to make it happen overnight and tried his luck in Nandu first.
As long as the merchants are willing to obey, it will be fine. Otherwise, there is no need to protect the armor. Let the merchants save their lives first!
