Aduan raised two cormorants named Dahei and Xiaohei, and they often fished with the cormorants raised by other Liao people. But every time, his two cormorants returned successfully, found their owners, and did not eat the fish that others fed them.
Just like two puppies, they are very close to their owners.
In this not too cold winter, Fang Chongyong saw Aduan's cormorants fishing together with the cormorants raised by other Liao people. Several cormorants actually cooperated to pick up a large fish weighing dozens of kilograms.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Fang Chongyong wouldn't have believed that a group of waterfowl raised by different people could actually use military tactics to cooperate in hunting.
"Why put a ring around the neck of the black ghost?"
Fang Chongyong and his party stood on the river embankment, and he asked Aduan with great interest.
"If you don't eat the big fish, eat the small fish."
A Duan made some gestures and explained.
Cormorants have rings or ropes around their necks, so they cannot fully open their mouths to eat those big fish. But because the ring is still relatively loose, small fish can be swallowed.
The beauty of this design is that it neither discourages the cormorants from fishing nor turns them into pets. In other words, if cormorants want to survive, they must catch fish, catch big ones and turn them over, and catch small ones to intercept.
In addition, the relationship between the owner and the cormorant is similar to that of a pet, and the relationship is very close. Cormorants can come back by themselves even after flying out, and they will not find the wrong place.
"You can only eat small fish but not big fish. It looks like a black-hearted boss is shouting that labor is glorious."
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh.
Cormorants fishing reminded him of those loyal ministers and generals under Li Longji. Aren't they "cormorants" who didn't have wings and couldn't fish in the water?
Now that Fang Chongyong is free, the first batch of Red Lotus Spring has been delivered. Unsurprisingly, it caused a sensation in Chang'an. Once launched, it was sold out in just a few days. What Fang Chongyong didn't expect was that the powerful didn't buy wine by the bucket, not to mention that brothels were also big drinkers.
Pingkangfang, where Li Linfu is located, purchased several hundred buckets! Almost one-third of the first batch of Red Lotus Spring!
Not only did the price of the second batch of Red Lotus Spring not drop, but the price of each bucket increased by ten guan due to shortage. Fang Chongyong really couldn't understand how these dignitaries in Chang'an could be so rich. They simply had no restraint when it came to consuming luxury goods. They could be described as spending money like water!
The ex-factory price is 30,000 yuan, but the volume is only two liters. What is it? Does Fang Chongyong count the 1982 Lafite that could never be sold out in his previous life?
At this price, the supply is still in short supply! It’s just off the mark!
Thinking of these things, Fang Chongyong felt a strong sense of absurdity.
The extravagance and lust of the ruling class, and the so-called "Chang'an scenery" series of basic necessities, make people feel that this country is cooking in flames and is not far away from collapse.
In fact, what Fang Chongyong doesn't know is that the reason why powerful people are called powerful people is because they not only have power, but they can also easily use their power to make money, and they also have industry as support.
They not only buy luxury goods, but also sell luxury goods. A large amount of money is circulated within their own circle. The so-called "deficit" is the imagination of people who do not know the inside story.
What Fang Chongyong thought was spending money like water was actually just his daily behavior. If you really regard these people as mindless losers, you would be looking down upon them.
"What's so good about black ghost fishing? If you want to eat fish, there are plenty of them in the governor's courtyard. You can get whatever you want."
Zheng Shuqing's voice came from behind. There was someone holding an umbrella next to the governor, looking grand.
The second batch of Honglianchun has not yet been delivered, but Zheng Shuqing has already begun to tremble because Wang Yuanbao was very generous and directly made up the advance payment, a total of 150,000 guan, after deducting the cost and giving it to Li Longji. One hundred thousand guan, there is still 10,000 guan left.
Wang Defu said that the money was stored in the Wang's Di store in Chang'an (the prototype of a bank that accepted deposits and made loan sharks). If Zheng Shuqing wanted it, he could send someone to collect it at any time. Fang Chongyong and Zheng Shuqing split the score three to seven.
Fang Chongyong got three thousand guans and was already considered a small rich man.
Although this is of no use, a rich man without power to protect himself is just a fat sheep in the eyes of the powerful.
Zheng Shuqing caught the "legal" seven thousand coins and completed the tasks assigned by Li Longji. He felt that his waist was much thicker than before.
"Hasn't the envoy's transfer order come yet?"
Fang Chongyong asked while looking at the river.
From the beginning of autumn to the beginning of the next spring, it is the peak season for cormorant fishing. Now you can see ospreys fishing in groups all over the river. Fishermen can even judge where the cormorants are circling. There are more fish.
There was nothing serious, and Fang Chongyong was too lazy to chat with Zheng Shuqing.
"The transfer order hasn't come yet. I don't know if I can make it in time for next year's Lantern Festival."
Zheng Shuqing sighed and waved his hand gently, signaling for his followers to step back.
"A Duan, follow Lai Que and take Da Hei and Xiao Hei back."
Fang Chongyong confessed to A Duan beside him.
Aduan nodded and shouted to the river. Two cormorants rushed over quickly. Aduan took them and headed towards Fucheng with Fang Laique carrying the fish basket on his back.
After everyone left, Zheng Shuqing came over and asked in a low voice: "The job of the imperial court's governor is very difficult, but if it is done well, you will be the prime minister if you take a few steps forward. If I am the official, I will Zhilang, how should we manage our money?"
Zheng Shuqing asked humbly for advice.
Fang Chongyong snorted twice and replied boredly: "Your Majesty, I am still a child, so let's forget about this important national matter."
Also manage money! Ta Ma Lao Capital is not a fund seller!
Fang Chongyong deeply despised Zheng Shuqing's hypocrisy in his heart.
"To tell you the truth, the imperial court's finances are in very bad shape right now. If I don't make any achievements as Du Zhilang, if something goes wrong in the future, I will definitely be thrown out as a scapegoat. I'm afraid there will never be a day of recovery. ”
Zheng Shuqing suddenly lowered his voice and said solemnly.
Fang Chongyong looked at Zheng Shuqing doubtfully and asked, "What kind of financial management method?"
Zheng Shuqing began to tell Fang Chongyong what the financial management of the Tang Dynasty Center was all about.
The concept of financial management has actually been around since the Sang Hongyang period of the Western Han Dynasty. However, Sang Hongyang's method was a bit simple and crude, and it left a bad reputation in history books. Moreover, with the changes of the times, the concept of imperial financial management has become broader and deeper, which cannot be explained in a few words.
The imperial court's annual tax revenue is a fixed amount, more or less, and cannot be expanded indefinitely. How to use this money and how to use it well is actually a big knowledge.
We cannot simply use the words "exploitation and oppression" to summarize the past without investigating its connotation and details.
The imperial court's tax revenue actually mainly included: grain, cloth (including silk), local specialties, copper coins, etc. How they come from, how they are composed, how they are used, how they are distributed, and how they are transported are all big questions that require the overall management of financial officials at the center of the imperial court.
For example, if the taxes, cloth, grain and copper coins from Lingnan are transferred to Chang'an, then the freight cost may far exceed the tax itself. So how should this part be collected and how should it be used?
Therefore, Tang Ting's tax collection was far from simply transporting all the country's tax revenue to Chang'an and then distributing it according to needs.
After explaining this concept, Fang Chongyong did not dare to deal with it perfunctorily anymore, so he asked seriously: "What is the problem?"
"Actually, Datang's money is no longer enough. There is a lot missing. It's so much that you don't dare to think about it, and I don't dare to say it."
Zheng Shuqing's face was solemn, without any hint of joking.
Did fiscal revenue collapse during the Kaiyuan period?
Fang Chongyong was stunned and didn't understand what Zheng Shuqing wanted to say. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be a problem now, right?
"Many of the costs of water transportation are obtained from the local government's usurious loans and operating with interest. The source of the capital is the land owned by the government, which is the so-called public land, and the public land that has been accumulated for many years. With the benefits coming, the local government has already been overwhelmed.”
Zheng Shuqing sighed and explained to Fang Chongyong the ins and outs of Gongse Qian and Gongse Tian.
In order to save government expenses, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian came up with a method of "paying officials in the capital and the various states to the public servants at the same time, and returning the money to generate profits for public use." It stipulates that a certain amount of office funds, the so-called public money, be issued to governments at all levels as capital, which is used for turnover and interest, and the interest earned is used as office expenses.
It can be understood that the government has deposits and gives them to businessmen to operate, and the interest earned is used to pay officials. Although the Sui Dynasty did not exist for many years, this system was still fully used by Li Yuan, the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
It has been implemented since the Wude period. At first, it was only in big cities such as Chang'an. Later, it became larger and larger and its role became more and more important.
In the past, he also made great contributions to the rule of Zhenguan.
By the Kaiyuan period, the use of interest from public money had become the most indispensable and biggest help in subsidizing fiscal expenditures.
The "public money" system was originally intended to save government expenditures and reduce the burden on the people, but why does it actually bother the people in the opposite direction?
This is because after the implementation of the public money system, the government lacked public funds and could not manage affairs, and the meager salary could not maintain integrity. However, some corrupt officials took the opportunity to use their power for personal gain, exploited the people, and used the "suppression of distribution" method of forced apportionment to earn interest. The annual interest rate plus labor costs could be as high as 100%.
There are even cases where "a false guarantee deed is established, and the descendants become debtors". The collusion between officials and businessmen behind the scenes has completely destroyed the principle of fairness in lending, and the people are forced to accept extraordinary exploitation.
This is not simply a matter of corruption among local government officials, but an "alternative approach" that has to be adopted because local fiscal expenditures cannot be used.
For example, the state capitals along the Datang Canal are responsible for the maintenance of water transportation for a long time. Not all the manpower and material resources spent during this period were borne by the central court, but even most of them were borne by the local state capitals.
Taxes from local and state governments are all paid to the central government, or are budgeted as fixed amounts. The funds allocated by the central government for canal maintenance are not enough, so local governments can only "find other ways."
The wool comes from the sheep, so where does the crossed-out wealth come from? The answer is the interest on public money. In other words, it comes from exploiting local people through usury. These heavy burdens will not be recorded in the tax account books of Datang Central.
Parallel to this, there are also various exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes.
If the interests in the hands of the people are seized with power, it will be like a fierce fire attack, and there will be fierce resistance. If it is captured by business, it will be like simmering on a slow fire, and it will be invisible. These are the "secrets that cannot be told" in the government.
Now Zheng Shuqing told Fang Chongyong calmly, which can be regarded as sincere.
Think about it, if the central government were to provide this money, Li Longji would have gone bankrupt and begged for food!
Of course, if something happens, you have to suffer the people. How can you suffer the emperor?
On the surface, the prosperity of the Kaiyuan era was as prosperous as burning oil, but in fact, it was full of dangers behind the scenes. What Zheng Shuqing said was just the tip of the iceberg.
If one has no long-term worries, there must be immediate worries. If Zheng Shuqing were to be Du Zhilang, outsiders might think that the wealth of the Tang Dynasty in the Kaiyuan period was as solid as a rock.
But Zheng Shuqing, as a client, could not deceive himself and think that he would be able to take advantage of the situation after being promoted.
If you're not careful, you could really die!
"If the capital is moved to Luoyang, there may be a way. Otherwise, how can I, a child with a yellow mouth, solve this problem with just a few words?"
Fang Chongyong sighed and said, Uncle Zheng thinks highly of him.
The situation of Datang is presented here, with both practical and historical factors. Of all the measures, only relocation was the least disruptive. However, even if Li Longji wanted to move the capital now, tens of thousands of powerful children in Chang'an City would not agree.
Sure enough, Zheng Shuqing lamented: "There is a mound in the center of the Yellow River in Shaanzhou, named 'Mishan'. It was all piled up after the water transport ships capsized here. The rice is as white as pearls, but no one can get it. I look at the rice helplessly. The grain rotted in the middle of the river.
Three out of ten rice grains transported to Chang'an were damaged. What could be done?
Move the capital? If the capital could be moved, it would have been moved long ago. Why wait until now? It's better not to say anything. "
Originally, his heart was full of ambitions, but when he thought of these bad things, Zheng Shuqing immediately felt like he had eaten a cockroach in his stomach, which made him extremely nauseous.
However, it is impossible to move the capital, even if the Tang Dynasty perished!
Chang'an is the essence of the Tang Dynasty. Without Chang'an, there would be no Datang Dynasty.
"Envoy, envoy! The imperial order has arrived! It's arrived!"
Zheng Shuqing's subordinate officials came in such a hurry that their official hats ran away and he was holding them in his hand.
"...Go to Kuizhou to be governor, and return to Beijing to report on your duties for later use."
After a lot of nonsense about praise, Zheng Shuqing found the sentence he had been waiting for.
"I'm leaving Kuizhou."
Zheng Shuqing handed the transfer order to Fang Chongyong for inspection.
"With a hundred thousand guan tied around his waist, he rode a crane to Chang'an. Congratulations to the envoy."
Fang Chongyong bowed deeply to Zheng Shuqing and said.
"Do you want to study in the Imperial College? I can recommend you to enroll."
Zheng Shuqing said very solemnly.
Fang Chongyong thought about what he had to do when he went to Chang'an, and sighed helplessly: "We will talk about it later. Please send me to Chang'an first. My native place is also in Chang'an, so I need you to be my guarantee."
"That's fine." Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly. He had been away from Chang'an for several years, and he was going back again!
