Although Cao Gan's status has been rising over the years, he has been opening up business routes everywhere and has not been pampered. Therefore, his former riding skills have not fallen behind, and he rushed back to the capital half earlier than Gao Pragmatic expected.
Now that Cao Gan has rushed back, Gao Pragmatic has to improvise and ask carefully how the tribute exchange trade has been going in the past ten years. This is also a necessary homework for him before going to Mongolia.
Facing Gao Pragmatic's problem, Cao Gan was well prepared - under Gao Pragmatic's command, he was first known as Mongolian Master. This was his special skill, how could he not take it seriously?
According to Cao Gan, since Longqing and Wanli, there were a total of ten places for mutual trade between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.
There are three places in Datong, namely Deshengbao, Xinping, and Shoukou; there is only one place in Xuanfu, but this place has an important status and a large volume of transactions, namely Zhangjiakou; one place in Shanxi is called Shuiquanying; and in Yansui One is called Hongshan Temple Fort; there are three in Ningxia, namely Qingshuiying, Ningxia Zhongwei and Pingluwei; and there are two in Gansu, namely Hongshui Biandukou and Gaogouzhai.
These mutual trading places are all under the jurisdiction of the generals guarding the border. At the same time, whenever the market opened, the Ming court and the Mongolian nobles jointly sent troops to serve as market guards and maintain market order. In Cao Gan's words: "Let each tribe of barbarians appoint one person to be the leader and command three hundred Yi soldiers." , stationed outside the border. Each town ordered its own deputy counselor and other officials, and each commanded five hundred elite officers and soldiers of its own branch to station in the market."
The markets for mutual trading are usually located at the side wall, surrounded by high walls, like a "barbican city". There are gates inside and outside the pass, and the gates can be opened and closed.
According to the old system of the Ming Dynasty, all tribes traded with each other and built walls to regulate the market, which was called a market circle. High-rise buildings were set up in the "market circle" for the officers and soldiers stationed in the market to watch.
Cao Gan said: "Every time the captives enter the market, the young ones are forty or fifty, and the large ones are more than a hundred horses. They all go to the barbican city and seal it." Then they carry out mutual trade. This is how the mutual market is set up.
The trading dates of mutual markets are mostly in January. However, Cao Gan also said that when the mutual market first opened, the annual trading date was often less than one month.
Gao pragmatic asked about the specific situation, and Cao Gan introduced: "In the fifth year of Longqing, the date of Datong Deshengbao mutual market was from May 28th to June 14th; the date of Xinping mutual market was from July 3rd to July 7th. On the 14th of the month; in Zhangjiakou City, Xuanfu, it was from June 13th to June 26th. Later, with the prosperity of the mutual market, the trading date continued to be extended, and finally it was only one month."
Gao pragmatically nodded, this was in line with Ming Dynasty's style. He was coy at first, but later found out that it was profitable, so he naturally put aside his face first - at least the poor people in Jiubian didn't have any moral integrity.
Cao Gan continued to introduce, saying that in the mutual market, the prices of general commodities were set by the people, and the imperial court required that the Mongols should not be oppressed, but the price of horses was set by the Ming court.
The specific price is, a high-grade gelding, the proposed price is twelve taels, and it is matched with official goods for one cent, and the actual price is more than eighty taels of silver; a middle-grade gelding is priced at twelve taels, and the actual price is seven taels of silver. I have a gelding, priced at eight taels; the actual value of the goods is more than six taels of silver.
This price is much cheaper than back then! Gao Pragmatic still remembered that ten years ago, Cao Gan told him that a high-quality gelding was worth at least twenty taels, and it was not easy to get. He was the only one who could get it at that time.
Unexpectedly, after ten years of development, not to mention that beef and mutton in the capital have continued to be cheaper than pork, and even the price of horses has dropped. No one can deny the contribution of this mutual market.
The imperial court's principle of setting prices was pragmatic and pragmatic: "Make sure to make it profitable for merchants, and no loss will be caused by bargaining with the price" - that is, both Mongolian and Han sides should benefit, which is the so-called win-win situation.
Cao Gan also supported this point. He said that for example, merchants of the Han nationality generally buy old clothes and groceries, which are worth seven or eight taels of silver each; that is, if they buy a horse, they can sell it for more than ten taels of silver. If you reduce it, you will gain huge profits, and you will be happy far and near.
Since the prices were set relatively reasonably, in Mongolia, the tribal leaders "feel more and more deeply about virtue, more and more people go to the market, and more horses are sold on the market", which results in an increasing number of horses being traded in the mutual market.
Cao Gan even gave an early statistical data: in the fifth year of Longqing, 6,850 horses were traded on the three exchanges of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi; in the sixth year of Longqing, there were 7,845 horses; by the first year of Wanli, the number jumped to 19,103 horses. In the second year of Wanli, the number increased to 27,316 horses. In the first four years alone, the number of horses sold almost tripled.
As for later, because Cao Gan went to the northwest to open trade routes, there is no specific data, but he said with confidence that it was "increasing every year."
Of course, this is only the horse trading situation in the above three mutual markets. If the number of horse transactions in other mutual markets are also included, then it will be a more impressive number!
Gao Pragmatic nodded and thought to himself: It can be seen from this that reasonably setting prices can promote the development of mutual trade. Just thinking about robbing people is not enough. Although Mongolians do not study, they still make losses in business. , that can definitely be seen... Sure enough, we must insist on "win-win" when doing business.
Then Gao pragmatically made several discoveries from some details he asked Cao Gan. For example, judging from the composition of commodities in mutual trade, daily necessities and means of production began to occupy a major position. Although luxury consumer goods played an important role in his It is also growing despite strong promotion, but its overall proportion has been declining.
The commodities in the current mutual market are mainly horses, grain, and cloth, and of course there are many other commodities.
The commodities imported from Mongolia were mainly grain, cloth, silk fabrics and other handicraft products; the commodities imported from the mainland of the Ming Dynasty were mainly livestock products, including war horses as military supplies, rhinoceros horses as means of transportation, and farm animals such as cattle as means of agricultural production. , mules, etc., and of course beef and mutton as food - this is why Jingshi beef and mutton are cheaper than pork.
Cao Gan said that in the mutual trade, the Han people "exchanged satin, silk, cotton, needle threads, modified machines, comb grates, rice salt, candy, tassel cloth, otter skin, sheepskin boxes and other items with the Mongols for horses and cattle." , sheep, mules, donkeys, horsetails, sheepskins, fur coats and other items."
In addition, he also mentioned that at the beginning of the mutual trade, in order to prevent the Mongols from smelting iron weapons, the Ming Dynasty banned the export of iron pots that were necessary for Mongolian herdsmen to live. This caused great inconvenience and the Mongolian side complained a lot. .
Later, Wang Chonggu, the then governor of Xuanda, requested: "We found the cities of Kaiyuan and Jianning in Liaodong, and put Jinghua crude iron pots on the market. The pig iron used in these pots will not be smelted and fried. This has been done for a long time, and this can be effective." It was discovered that the mountains along Xuanda are far away and the iron pots are rare. Now that we have this pot, we should follow the example of the Liaoyou Guards and use this pot to enter the market, which will be convenient for merchants and barbarians."
The "Jinghua thick iron pot" mentioned by Wang Chonggu is a cheap pot specially launched by Jinghua. The iron quality is relatively poor and is usually discarded when making other tools. It is made into iron pots and sold to the Jurchens. , Mongolia, and it turns out that this thing is surprisingly easy to sell - for Mongolians and Jurchens, this pot is usable and cheap, and these two points are enough.
Therefore, the Ming court allowed Jinghua crude iron pots to enter the mutual market, but still listed saltpeter, copper and iron, armor, and weapons as prohibited items and strictly prohibited them from entering the mutual market. Of course, this is normal, just like it is impossible for the Yankees to sell an aircraft carrier to China.
Cao Gan also introduced that in the mutual market, there were both the "official market" run by the Ming Dynasty and the "people's market" run by private merchants. Generally speaking, "the official market is completed, and the private market is left to the people." There is no What is doubtful is that Jinghua, the first person to eat crabs, is also a giant in terms of commercial size, and now naturally controls the citizens of various trading locations.
The "official market" mainly trades silk and horses; while the "civilian market" trades many types of goods. In addition to the most mainstream cloth, silk, pots and cauldrons, there are also needles, threads, combs, grates, rice, salt, candies, etc. .
In fact, when the mutual market first opened, the "official market" transactions accounted for a larger proportion. After all, at that time, "the gangsters were afraid and did not dare to trade. They invaded the market and it was easy for quarrels to arise. This year, it is appropriate for the officials to handle it. If you let the gangsters on the border see the benefits, then people will be happy to follow you."
An important feature of the "official market" is that the official comes out of the "market base" to conduct transactions with Mongolian merchants and people.
The "market capital" of the Ming Dynasty was mainly issued by Taipu Temple, the organization that managed horse administration. The specific quota was "more than 200,000 annual market capitals for each side, which is indispensable."
But what if the transaction volume is too large and the "market capital" is insufficient? Then "please borrow the guest's payment", or "please send the Ministry of War to sell horses in silver", or even "please use the internal organs and silver of dead horses and friends in each camp to fill the market capital".
After the border general received the "market capital", he sent a commander and merchants to the inland production areas of various commodities to buy goods, and then transported them back to the mutual market to trade horses with Mongolian merchants.
Gao Pragmatic knew this, because Jinghua not only controlled the business of Minshi, but was also a supplier. He had read the "financial report" given to him by Gao Guoyan.
Cao Gan was very proud of the rapid development of the civilian market and said, "The merchants will benefit from the goods every year, and they will continue to do so."
Gao pragmatic smiled and praised him a few words - he really made a great contribution to this matter and deserved the praise.
However, this kind of private market run by private merchants, even if it was dominated by Jinghua, was still a new thing in the development of Mongolian-Han trade in the Ming Dynasty.
According to Cao Gan: "Since the tribute payment from the Northern Captives in the fifth year of Longqing, a market has been established, and each other trades every year. Satin cloth is bought from Jiangnan, and skins are traded to Huguang. At that time, the governor thought that there were many barbarians from various tribes, and the exchange of money and food was limited. Calling merchants from all over the world to trade with each other is the beginning of a people's market."
In other words, the governors of Jiubian initially had insufficient official capital and could not trade so many Mongolian goods, so they had to recruit "merchants from all over the world" to trade with the Mongols. Among the merchants from all over the world, Jinghua was naturally the strongest. Therefore, the leadership of Minshi was quietly taken away by Jinghua.
However, although Jinghua produces a lot of goods, it is not a "world factory" and cannot produce everything. Therefore, commercial goods in the civilian market, such as Cao Gan, said: "Satin, fox fur and other groceries come from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huguang, etc. It arrived at the private port in Tianjin, and our Jinghua Trading Company even shipped it to the entrance of the city."
Everything in the world has a corresponding connection. The reason why the trade volume of Tianjin Private Port has been rising is closely related to the growing trade between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.
Gao pragmatic asked about commercial tax again. He first proposed this to Gao Gong, but he only mentioned an idea at the time and did not ask in detail how to operate it.
Cao Gan then introduced that in the current mutual trade, the Ming Dynasty levied relatively light commercial taxes on the merchants of Mongolia and Han according to the tax regulations. "Every Yima merchant has its own tax regulations, and every year The harvest will be used as a reward."
The so-called "reward" here means that after the end of the mutual market every year, the Ming court would reward Mongolian market keepers with a certain amount of silver and other items for abiding by the rules. The market transaction would be "completed" and a "feast" would be given. Chief, as a reward to all the barbarian chiefs, I will give you a pound of beef, five pieces of corn, a pound of wheat flour, a bottle of seasonal wine, seven cents and two cents of silver for side dishes, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and horse grass, and two cents of silver for rice, firewood, and charcoal. "Jianding silver and commercial taxes".
At the same time, there are also certain rewards for the market defenders on the Han people's side. Therefore, the market defenders on both sides of Mongolia and Han are motivated to maintain order in the mutual market, so that trading activities can proceed smoothly.
As for the specific tax rate, Cao Gan said that it is too complicated and is almost determined according to different commodity classifications. It would be too troublesome to explain in detail, but if you put it simply, it is what Gao Pragmatic calls an "ultra-low tax rate."
Another very important phenomenon is that after the Mongolian-Chinese mutual market trade began, Mongolian herdsmen felt that the mutual market only opened once a year, which was too long, so they often came to the entrance of the mutual market in groups and asked for the opening of a "small market."
Especially every spring, when the poor herdsmen lack food, they become more and more embarrassed. Those who have livestock go to patrol the border every time, asking for official power. One cow is worth more than rice, beans and stones, and one sheep is worth several bushels of grain. The beastmen may carry several buckets of salt, one or two buckets of rice and beans, carry one load of firewood, and carry two or three liters of rice. They may take off their fur coats, or they may hold the skins and stretch their horsetails, each of which can easily feed them with miscellaneous grains. They look thin and hungry, and look impoverished. , people around us feel pity for him."
Therefore, in the first year of Wanli, the imperial court made a decision by Gao Gong and allowed the establishment of "small markets", also known as "moon markets", in Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and other places.
Regarding the details of the "small market", Cao Gan said: "The small market is held once a month, and each time lasts only three or two days. Outside the entrance of the city, the soldiers are on guard. It is no different from a confrontation. Each barbarian trades with each other with sheepskins, horsetails, or planks of wood, and the amount of grain and rice in their mouths with the military surplus in their mouths. Originally there were no exotic goods and exotic products, and the annual tax of silver was no more than two or three hundred taels, but more It's only four to five hundred taels, which will be used to support the rewards and other items."
That means the following points: First, the "small market" opens once a month, only for two or three days each time. It usually opens for two or three days after the 15th of each month to allow Mongolian herdsmen to come and trade. Second, on the opening day of the "small market", both Mongolia and Han sent troops to maintain market order and ensure the normal conduct of trade; third, the commodities traded in the "small market" were mainly food and other daily necessities for people.
In the "small market", Mongolian herdsmen exchanged cattle, sheep, skins, horsetails, felt fur, salt and alkali, firewood, wood and other commodities with Han merchants for grain, rice, cloth, pots and cauldrons, farming tools, wool and other daily necessities. In the department store, "cows, rice, beans and stones are left; sheep, miscellaneous things, several buckets; no livestock, firewood and salt in between, one or two buckets of rice and beans, one load of firewood, two or three liters of rice."
There may be a fourth one, which is that Gao Gong asked the "general and garrison officers" stationed in the "small market" to preside over fair transactions and "collect tax money according to the amount", so that "customs officials can tax their goods in order to provide rewards."
Since the "small market" facilitates the livestock products produced by Mongolian herdsmen to be put on the market in a timely manner and traded nearby in exchange for the food, cloth and other daily necessities they urgently need, the impact on the socio-economics of Mongolia is greater than that of the "big market" that opens once a year. "To be more extensive and far-reaching, Cao Gan said that the Mongolians were very grateful to Gao Ge Lao and considered him a living Buddha.
He took out a portrait and said, "Sir, please take a look. This is the 'Statue of Gao Wenzhenggong' that is very popular among the people. It is even called the 'Statue of Gao Bodhisattva' among the Mongolian people. It is often bought by Mongolians to keep in their homes." Worship."
Gao Pragmatic was stunned. He took the portrait and opened it to look at it. He vaguely looked like San Bo in the painting. However, San Bo's majestic attitude was not shown much in the painting. Instead, he had a kind face and kind eyes. At first glance, he looked like a Bodhisattva. of good people.
This... my third uncle became a Buddha in Mongolia?
