Just as Jian Yong said just now, the existence of the Guilin County Prince's Mansion, which now controls the lifeblood of the Da Qi Dynasty, is actually a threat to the Da Qi Dynasty. According to what Jian Yong said, the imperial court had almost lost all control over the Guilin County Prince's Mansion. Not only did he hold 3,000 troops and horses in his hands, he also had exclusive rights to overseas trade. Over the past hundred years, he has accumulated a huge amount of wealth.
Now it can even be said that if the Prince of Guilin sneeze and trembles three times, it will not only earn him one year's income? I'm afraid the entire Daqi Dynasty will be shaken three times. If that day, a certain Guilin County King was not willing to be a prince of a foreign vassal, but also wanted to change into a dragon robe and wear it. It doesn't take much. If the money and food that the Guilin County Prince's Office turns in every year stops, the court may not even have the military expenses to quell the rebellion.
When the time comes to rely on the large amount of wealth in his hands to ascend to the top, I am afraid that the world will immediately be in chaos. As the saying goes, if you don't have money, you must gather an army. The Guilin County Prince's Palace is so rich. It is estimated that the wealth in the palace can support hundreds of thousands of troops, which is not a problem at all. The existence of such a noble family may have affected the stability of the Qi Dynasty.
Huang Qiong believed that it was impossible for him, the emperor, to fail to see these points. Especially the rebellion of King Jing and Rui probably gave the emperor a wake-up call. If you have money, you may not really be able to raise soldiers. Therefore, I, the emperor, am about to start operating on the Guilin County Prince's Mansion.
Although it is not necessary to inflict severe damage to the Guilin County Prince's Palace, it is at least necessary to take back some rights and re-strengthen the control of the Guilin County Prince's Palace. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong frowned slightly. The emperor told himself through Jian Yong's mouth what exactly were these things for? I mean, my emperor, I'm going to challenge him to the Guilin County Prince's Palace?
Judging from the things he let himself know through Jian Yong, this is not generally possible. Otherwise, there is no need to let yourself know these things? Jian Yong has said so much to himself today. It is estimated that it will not take long for the emperor's secret decree to be issued. Huang Qiong, who wanted to understand the emperor's meaning, couldn't help but feel the black lines on his forehead.
Could it be that I, the emperor, thought that I was too busy in Zhengzhou, so I just thought of finding something for myself? Or does he think that he really has that great ability? Can you really compete with this kind of family that has been inherited for hundreds of years and is rich in the world, and still have to meet the emperor's requirements and goals?
Isn't he worried that he, who is very young in this regard, will be completely devoured by that old fox or that group of old foxes, and will it affect the income of the imperial court? He is neither the emperor nor the prince, so why should he be given such an arduous task? Among his brothers, there are many who are willing to work for him, so why do they have to keep an eye on him?
After trying to understand the emperor's thoughts, Huang Qiong spun the rosary in his hand very fast, and kept thinking hard about how to get this job out. Just kidding, competing against such a century-old family. Under the circumstances that my emperor, who is also an old fox, will definitely not openly support me, isn't he just looking for death?
This errand must be turned down, this is inevitable. However, thinking of his old fox-like emperor, Huang Qiong felt that he had better be prepared. At least you have to be prepared with both hands. If you really can't push it away, you will have room for relaxation and a backup plan. At least you have to have all the information. This is called planning and then acting, isn't it?
After thinking for a while, he raised his head and looked carefully at the map on which Jian Yong had marked many things. He hesitated and said: "Master Jian, based on your understanding of the Guilin County Prince's Palace, if it satisfies the father's intention, from which aspect?" It’s better to start. After all, this wealthy family has too many properties under its name.”
"If you don't want to force the Guilin County Prince to rebel, you must at least leave something for others. Moreover, if you bite off more than you can chew, you will get too much at once. The court does not have the time, energy, or manpower to deal with it. . On the contrary, it is easier to leave something for others to talk about. You must know that the Guilin County Prince's Palace was the first person to contribute to the founding of the country."
In response to Huang Qiong's inquiry, Jian Yong looked at Huang Qiong who was expressionless at this time, hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, in fact, the Guilin County Prince's Palace is so strong now. In the final analysis, it only relies on one power, and that is external affairs. The right to trade. Since the Anshi Rebellion in the former Tang Dynasty, when the Western Regions were captured by Tibet and the Silk Road was cut off, most of the barbarian merchants who came to our dynasty took the sea route instead."
"Although taking the sea route, you have to face hurricanes and many unforeseen things. But compared to the land trade route, the shipping volume of sea ships is large, and as long as there are no accidents, the consumption and losses will be less than taking the land route. How many horses are needed to carry all the cargo carried by a large ship with a weight of two thousand stones? In addition to worrying about huge waves and weather, there is no need to worry about bandits on land."
"There is no need to check countless checkpoints along the way, and there are countless tribes and countries along the way to pay taxes, and there is no need to worry about the death of horses and camels that are unloaded, causing the goods to be unable to be transported. Therefore, since the late Tang Dynasty, shipping has gradually replaced Land became the main means of trade with the barbarians in the west."
"And the medicines, silks, porcelain, and tea of our dynasty are very popular among the princes and dignitaries in the far western countries. Often ten thousand pieces of goods are worth thousands of gold when encountering the West. At present, the extravagant style in the dynasty is becoming more and more popular, and the spices from Southeast Asia are becoming more and more popular." , ivory, rhinoceros horn, precious wood, Oriental folding fans, Japanese swords, geishas, pearls, Korean ginseng, bear bile, Korean concubines.”
"Persia, Dashi's dancing girls, Kunlun slaves, scimitars, and even Dashi horses are all highly sought after by powerful people from all over the world. If they are brought back, they are also worth tens of thousands of gold. As long as there are no big waves along the way, causing the ship to capsize and people to die. , this trip is basically a huge profit. There are boatmen on Fujian Road, and Yong had a special understanding of these during his tenure in the Fujian Road Transshipment Department."
"It is by relying on the exclusive right to trade with foreign countries that the Guilin County Prince's Mansion is able to control the entire Jiangnan commerce and accumulate huge wealth. If the court wants to broaden tax sources and solve the current vicious cycle of dwindling annual income, this trade The rights must be taken back. The original rights were exclusively owned by Guilin County and the Prince’s family, and changed to allow merchants from all over the country to conduct foreign trade.”
"In this way, we can broaden our tax sources and fundamentally change the current situation of insufficient annual revenue for the imperial court. Secondly, the power of the Guilin Guards to command the army must be taken back from the Guilin County Prince's Palace. Either reduce the number of three thousand to one thousand, or this The power to command the military was changed to be taken over by the imperial court. Thirdly, the head of the Du Branch of Guilin County Prince's Mansion was changed to be appointed by the imperial court."
"The last point is the problem of Wuwei Bank. Guilin County Prince's Mansion relies on Wuwei Bank to absorb and release almost the entire money circulation of the Qi Dynasty in its own hands. It is the military expenditure of the imperial court and the salary of officials. Do you need to look at Wuwei Bank to distribute money, let alone those merchants who need to make large amounts of money for transactions?"
"It seems that the Guilin County Prince's Palace only occupies half of the south of the Yangtze River. But in fact, through Wuwei Bank, all walks of life in the entire Qi Dynasty are bundled around it. Especially those merchants who need loans to maintain their operations, I am afraid that now They are all inseparable from the Guilin County Prince’s Mansion. Your Majesty, if you don’t have food, you won’t be stable, and if you don’t have business, you won’t be rich.”
"All merchants in the world rely on the Guilin County and Prince's Palace. How big a threat is this? If the Guilin County and Prince's Palace does not lend money that day, what about these merchants? Compared with the exclusive right to trade, this Wuwei bank actually poses a threat to the court. Bigger. Like an invisible, invisible hand, controlling everything silently."
"As a human being, you don't necessarily have to close down this Wuwei Bank. As long as you can support one or several banks that can compete with it, so that Wuwei Bank cannot be the dominant one, even if it cannot completely change this situation. But at least It can significantly reduce the Wuwei Bank's control over merchants."
After listening to Jian Yong's four suggestions, Huang Qiong stood up and looked at this guy. He had to admit that this guy did have the potential to be a capable minister. These four points, especially the first and fourth points, hit the back of the Guilin County Prince's Palace. Doesn't the Guilin County Prince's power run rampant across the whole of Jiangnan rely on this power of foreign trade?
If other merchants want to sell their silk, porcelain, tea, or even medicine overseas, it is impossible without relying on the Guilin County Prince's Palace. And the Guilin County Prince's Mansion itself has its own tea gardens, porcelain kilns, and even silk workshops. How can it provide convenience to those who compete with it? I'm afraid these merchants are also very dissatisfied due to the low prices.
If the exclusive trade rights of the Guilin County Prince's Palace are really abolished, I am afraid that the merchants all over the world will be happy. In this way, the imperial court's business tax would not be able to collect only a small amount every year. The harm caused by Wuwei Bank's dominance came from Huang Qiong, who was in the era of developed market economy thousands of years later, and he was even more aware of it.
Huang Qiong stood up and walked around the study for a long time, then raised his head and looked at Jian Yong and said: "I have to admit that your focus is not generally accurate. From this point of view, you are indeed a capable minister." Ability. However, your consideration is still a bit simpler. Whether it is a tea garden, a porcelain kiln, or a weaving workshop for the Guilin County Prince's Mansion, it is not a problem."
"Even the three thousand guardsmen are not a big deal. The key point is the exclusive right to trade and the Wuwei Bank. If you really want to cut off these two financial routes, you are forcing a rebellion. Guilin County Prince's Mansion. Lord Jian, cutting off a person's financial path is like killing his parents. If the imperial court really takes back the trade rights and Wuwei Bank, the Guilin County Prince's Mansion will rebel even if it doesn't want to."
"If the Guilin County Prince's Mansion really rebels, you will not be able to bear the crime of forcing the rebel heroes. Even if you don't want to, it will be impossible for you to wear your head. At that time, even if your father wants to save it, in order to appease the ministers and The Guilin County Prince's Mansion may have no choice but to reluctantly part ways with me. Master Jian, your courage is not ordinary."
Jian Yong shook his head at Huang Qiong's words and said, "Your Majesty, you are really wrong. Yong is not that courageous. Yong's idea is that whether it is the Wuwei Bank or the power of trade, the court should not forcefully take it back. . As for Wuwei Bank, the imperial court can support some banks to compete with them. As far as Yong knows, many banks are currently dissatisfied with the overbearing behavior of Wuwei Bank."
"It's just that my capital is limited and I don't have the strength to compete with Wuwei Bank. From Yong's point of view, it is not appropriate for the court to directly come forward in this matter. That would cause the Guilin County Prince's Palace, and even the descendants of the distinguished nobles who invested in the shares, to openly confront the court." Under the current situation, this kind of confrontation will do no good to the court, after all, the court cannot afford to offend the Guilin County Prince."
"Why not support two or three of the existing banks that have formed a certain scale to fight against Wuwei Bank, and the court will secretly support them behind the scenes. As for the power of trade, Yong believes that it is under the control of the Guilin County Prince's Palace at a glance The Quanzhou Shipping Department will be managed by people who are proficient in financial management selected by the imperial court to take over directly."
"The original power of the Municipal Shipping Department to issue trade documents was restored to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Household Affairs, or the Privy Council. The Municipal Shipping Department was changed to only be responsible for taxation, as well as the management of foreign ships and boatmen coming to trade. The original rights of the Guilin County Prince's Palace , the imperial court adopts the method of gradual recovery, or even in the form of transactions."
