"Wei Chen, I have nothing else to report."
Zhu Houzhao paused briefly, but still didn't say much, "Then stand down."
In fact, Gu Zuo had successfully aroused his thoughts regarding his previous words about the salt method.
If the so-called reform does not offend the vested interests and tap out some of their interests, how can it generate new interests?
A weak struggle will bring about a weak struggle.
This may seem like nonsense, but it's not.
Choose a summative salt law reform, no killing, no bloodshed... No matter how many policies there are, there will be countermeasures below, and then continue to smoke in a different way.
Because in the final analysis, people will only choose the latter between giving up life and giving up interests, otherwise it will be useless.
Zhu Houzhao rubbed his forehead. This time he relaxed.
On March 18 of the first year of Zhengde, the emperor rejected King Qi's request for 15,000 yin of salt, and took this as an opportunity to send Gu Zuo, the minister of household affairs, to the south to inspect salt in the Huaihe area.
Lianghuai accounts for a quarter of the world's salt industry, and is second to none not only in terms of quality but also output. Li Ruhua, the Minister of Household Affairs in Wanli Dynasty, left accurate figures for future generations. He recorded: the salt class in Huaihe was 680,000 taels, Changlu was 180,000 taels, Shandong was 80,000, Zhejiang and Zhejiang were 150,000 taels, and Fujian was Twenty thousand, Guangdong twenty thousand, Yunnan thirty-eight thousand Youqi.
Although there is a long gap between time and the current situation of Zhu Houzhao, the general pattern that Lianghuai has always been the leader in the salt industry should not change.
Because official salt actually has the concept of "salt sales area", that is, salt in a place can only be sold within a specified area. The salt sales area of Lianghuai Salt is the largest, with 33 prefectures and 5 states.
Liangzhe Salt is followed by 17 prefectures and 1 prefecture.
The remaining salt processing areas in Shandong, Sichuan and Changlu often only have a few prefectures and states.
Not only that, the Lianghuai region is located in plains, with dense water networks, convenient transportation, and a developed economy. Anyone with common sense in doing business knows that salt production here is definitely the best.
Because of the importance of the salt industry in Lianghuai, the imperial court specially established the Lianghuai Capital Salt Transfer Department. The yamen was located in Yangzhou. In addition, branches were set up in Taizhou, Tongzhou, and Huai'an to manage salt imports, salt fields, and kitchens.
Yangzhou also relies on the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and is also a key city for transporting grain to the north. Therefore, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yangzhou's prosperity has been seen in history books.
In fact, the evolution process of transferring salt envoys to the salt envoys and salt inspection censors is a bit like the provincial-level envoys and inspectors and the later increasingly stable governors and governors.
Originally, the Salt Transport Department was an official organization responsible for managing the production and marketing of the salt industry. However, in fact, during the Zhengtong and Chenghua years, the imperial court began to discover that the Salt Transport Department itself allowed kitchen households to cook private salt, and even I will also sell private salt.
It was also because the Yunsi gradually became corrupt, and the emperor no longer trusted the officials in these places, so he kept sending his closest officials out of the capital to inspect salt.
During this process, the administrative power of Yunsi was constantly usurped by the Salt Patrol Censor. In the later period, the Salt Patrol Censor served a term of two years and gradually became stable. His fate is the same as Unji's
--corrupt.
But at this joint, the Salt Patrol Censor can still play his role.
Therefore, this dispatch in the first year of Zhengde made the current salt envoy Zou Cheng very nervous.
In fact, the Salt Envoy is also a senior official of the third rank, which is one level lower than the Minister of Household Affairs of the Third Rank. Moreover, the Salt Envoy has an official office and a large staff specially built for him. The scale can number dozens of people. It can be said that High position and authority.
This official is also the actual 'grandfather' of countless salt merchants in Yangzhou!
However, Emperor Zhengde's personal governance style changed the current political form to a great extent. That is to say, the most important officials in the imperial court are no longer the so-called elders, but those people whom the emperor often summons to him.
Gu Zuo is one of them.
Zou Cheng was also extremely nervous because of the precedents in Zhejiang and Jiangxi. He was worried that the emperor was setting his sights on the salt industry again?
As a high-ranking official, the emperor had summoned him before the meeting, but at that time he did not feel that the emperor had special concern for the salt administration.
However, the Salt Patrol Censor did not have the ability to enforce the law during the Zhengde period of Hongzhi. In the past, the court would let them act together with the Jin Yiwei, but this time only Gu Zuo and two or three of his staff went south.
This is good news.
The salt merchants all have eyes and ears in the capital. If they set out here, the news will be received soon.
Gu Zuo's main purpose this time is to find out what the current situation of the Daming Salt Industry is. The auction price must be set based on the actual situation, right?
But judging from this point of view, this trip is not easy. People from the imperial court want to see the whole picture. How can it be so easy?
So Gu Zuo thought of a way,
It was under the guise that he was going to deal with the issue of "keeping the support". He wanted to contact the salt merchants directly to understand the pain of the salt merchants.
In the palace, Zhu Houzhao summoned Song Heng, the Shaofu doctor he mentioned earlier.
"...Salt auctions are indeed a good idea from an economic point of view. In this way, the burden on the court is minimal or even non-existent. The production and sale of salt are none of the court's business. The court only uses a sum of silver. But such a salt law In the end, it will still put a heavy burden on the court.”
Zhu Houzhao was walking in front. He was a little surprised when he heard this sentence and turned sideways to look at Song Heng.
He was still young, but his beard was streaked with white.
"What's the point?"
Song Heng bent over, he was very respectful, but his speech was not respectful at all, "Salt and iron have been a franchise since ancient times, because of its huge profits. If the imperial court comes to this business, no one in the world would dare to say no. But if it were changed. If you become a private person, those who are keen on it will be dissatisfied. Why can the Zhang family do it but not my Xu family? In this way, all the wealthy families and nobles will be involved, and it will be difficult to stop it. "
"Everyone is fighting with each other here, and the reason for everything is because the imperial court has left. At that time, in order to maintain order, the imperial court will have to send officials again. Now, isn't the burden that has been thrown away come back?"
"It is a fantasy to protect the interests of kitchen households, and the common people cannot eat cheap salt because the cost of salt merchants is very high. When that time comes, the salt industry will definitely be impenetrable and impenetrable, and the court will suddenly I found that there wasn’t even one of my own inside.”
Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "Have you ever thought that it would be easier to deal with it if you don't have your own people?"
Song Heng paused.
"If Your Majesty has such a mind, the auction method can also be implemented. But I am afraid that future generations will not have the courage of Your Majesty."
"If future generations of monarchs are fatuous, no system I leave to them will work."
Zhu Houzhao adjusted his fighting mentality, but he still believed that auctioning was a good method. Although it had the disadvantages of concealing production and triggering fights among salt merchants, the salt laws of the past dynasties had both good and bad qualities.
The best salt-opening method has spent its good time in the early Ming Dynasty.
In fact, this is quite good. All the adverse consequences of the method are considered beforehand, instead of problems arising after it is implemented.
It's just that his past thoughts are indeed going to change.
Because not offending those with vested interests is actually a bit taken for granted. If he does not offend a group of officials in the Salt Law, then the emperor will not even be able to determine the output of the salt field.
Because officials faced new reforms, they were quick to find loopholes, that is, to reduce the output of the salt field, and then cooperate with salt merchants. The salt merchants obtained the right to operate the salt field at a low price, and then distributed the profits to the officials. .
"...We will discuss the matter of the Salt Law after Minister Li returns to the capital. The reason for announcing your entry into the palace today is for other matters."
Song Heng held the ceremony and said, "Please give me your Majesty's instructions."
"Yes." The emperor put his hands behind his back, "I came out of the palace a few days ago and saw that a large number of people gathered in the south city of the capital to build the city that never sleeps. In addition to the government, there were also various constructions carried out by businessmen. I estimate that the number of people who have poured into the capital in the past two years has There are more than 100,000 people. Most of these are poor people. They can only live on rent in the capital, and the cheaper the rent, the more attractive they are. In order to earn more rent, people who rent houses keep renting houses. Renovate your house and add various partitions.”
"If this situation continues, the southern city of the capital will soon become overcrowded, and it will be difficult to clean up human and animal excrement. It will not be long before the foot of the imperial city becomes smelly. By then, if there is a fire or plague , that is a great disaster that shakes the world. The court must guard against this."
The fire was okay, but if there was a plague, it was easy for the emperor to get in so close to the imperial city, so he had no choice but to ignore this matter.
Song Heng himself also walked through the places outside Zhengyang Gate in Nancheng, and he also had pictures in his mind.
Due to the gathering of people, many houses were built in the capital in the past two years, but those houses were also very simple, and some were just built.
The Zhang family took a ride, and the Li family followed, and a gathering area appeared.
If there is a fire...
They are all wooden structures, so it is indeed unimaginable for such a number of people to gather.
“Your Majesty’s foresight, I greatly admire!”
The emperor waved his hand and did not take his flattery to heart. "In my opinion, the court should properly guide and arrange the people who enter the city."
Song Heng understood, "Has your Majesty read "Taiping Guangji"?"
Zhu Houzhao shook his head, "I haven't read this book yet."
"I remember that "Taiping Guangji" records: Pei Mingli, a native of Hedong, was good at managing business. He collected the discarded things from the world and accumulated them, and his family fortune was huge. "Book of Binsheng" also recorded that there was a drought in Tang Dynasty, and Yi Yin acted as In the district field, people are taught how to grow manure and water the crops. The district field is beautiful because of its manure gas, and it does not necessarily have to be fertile land. Therefore, human and animal excrement is not a problem. I can set up a special agency in the Shaofu and hire some people to do it every day. They were collected along the streets early in the morning and sold to nearby people to build fertile fields. However, the chaos of shacks in the capital is actually difficult to explain."
"It is necessary to solve difficult problems. Those that have been built in the past must be dismantled step by step. After that, dangerous buildings will be banned in the capital. To this end, I am preparing to establish the Capital Planning Department, which will be subordinate to the Shaofu, with you as the director."
Song Heng did not thank him, he was just puzzled, "Your Majesty, I wonder what the planning director is doing?"
Liu Jin rolled his eyes at the side, why is it that there are people like Gu Zuo in the Young Mansion, but the emperor has to thank him for his favor? What will happen if he asks after thanking him?
Zhu Houzhao has also been thinking about this Capital Planning Department for some time.
These institutions are, above all, necessary. He was still hesitating before, but when he left the palace a few days ago, he realized that it would be better to do this earlier.
Otherwise, when various problems begin to arise, it will actually be a bit difficult. As a latecomer, he actually has the conditions to move things forward.
So there are two reasons. First, there are indeed hundreds of thousands of poor people gathered in the capital, and it is not only the city that never sleeps, but private businessmen are also building it. In addition, in order to provide the necessary living needs for these hundreds of thousands of people, various There are actually endless types of quasi-functional buildings.
And as long as he is the emperor, it can be expected that the population of the capital will definitely expand in the next few decades.
In this case, of course we have to do it first.
"You have been in the Shaofu for a while, and you should understand the meaning of the word economy. Urban economy is also an important part of the economy. If it is based on making a living, people in the future can farm and work."
"There will be more and more people working."
Song Heng suddenly interrupted Zhu Houzhao's words.
This is Jun Qian. He spoke out inexplicably like this and said it with such certainty. Zhu Houzhao wanted to know the reason, "Why do you think there are more and more common people working?"
Song Heng replied calmly: "Because farming is too risky for the people and it is not actually possible to support their families, while work only requires effort and no cost, and work can be done all year round, there is no farming season."
Zhu Houzhao lowered his brows and said, "Speak more carefully."
"Does Your Majesty think that people without land come to work?"
"Is not it?"
"Of course not." Song Heng's tone was stiff, and he cupped his hands and began to say: "I have gone to see the people around the capital. Nowadays, the people around the capital, even those who have land, will sell their fertile land in exchange for a sum of money to work in the capital. .So Wei Chen said that the chaos in the shack building is difficult to explain, but it does not mean that the Shaofu does not have enough money to build enough houses for the people to live in."
"It's because from now on, a steady stream of people will come to the city to work. This reason is because farming is too risky. Taking care of the land all year round, not to mention the hard work, even in good years, you will still not have enough to eat. If you encounter In a year of famine, there was nothing left after paying for grain. In fact, in the past, when there was no labor in the capital, people would sell their land and take the initiative to become tenants. Because tenants did not need to buy seeds, farm tools, or pay taxes, There is no cost, you just need to contribute. In comparison, homesteaders need to buy everything themselves.”
"People will be a little hungry even in good years, let alone not in good years. Therefore, selling land is a matter of disaster years, which will happen sooner or later. Instead of selling their fertile land at a low price in disaster years or difficult times, , some people will consider selling in advance."
In a sense, homesteaders who are not very wealthy are like small merchants who open their doors to do business and are responsible for their own profits and losses. Although the tenant farmers are farming land for others, they are traveling lightly.
"...I really didn't know these things in the past."
"Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, it is knowing. Your Majesty is willing to admit that you don't know, so I congratulate Your Majesty! Fortunately, there are still ministers in the court who know, and I also congratulate Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but chuckle, this guy was quite interesting.
"Is this common now?"
Song Heng replied: "In the past, I only saw people who took the initiative to become tenants. Now, there are three or four out of ten people who sell their fields and go to Beijing."
Zhu Houzhao frowned, this ratio was quite large.
In fact, land annexation in ancient dynasties has never been eradicated. In the final analysis, it is what Song Heng said: farming is very risky and cannot support a family!
He stood up and walked around with his hands behind his back, thinking a lot in his mind.
After a while, he spoke, "Two things. One, improve farm tools and improve efficiency; two, do a good job in the planning and construction of big cities. These two things are not temporary, but long-term things."
If there is a new way of making a living, people will flock in and it will be unstoppable.
But food security is just as important. So do both of those things.
"Improve farm tools... I need the Ministry of Industry and the Young Master to work together."
Zhu Houzhao refused. The traditional bureaucracy does not have the motivation and ability to innovate. "No, it's just you. There are grain merchants in the Shaofu. With fewer people and more land, you can figure out how to improve farm tools. As for the capital, Planning Department, it seems that it is more necessary for me to set up at this time."
"The construction of the capital is chaotic and disorderly. The Capital Planning Department is trying to change this state. Your duty is to make the expansion of the capital orderly. Residential areas, commercial areas, and industrial areas must be planned in advance. Find a few The era of building a shed with just a piece of wood is over in the capital. The capital must be divided into functional areas, and the quality of the buildings must be controlled. Every new building must be approved by the planning department, and the height, width, property rights, usage... …Everything must be reported here.”
Song Heng was very courageous and asked, "What is the use of...?"
"If there are such poor people gathering again, the imperial court can disperse them in advance. In addition, special functional areas can actually be controlled. For example... commercial buildings that do not meet the conditions are not allowed in the commercial areas designated by the imperial court. Creation. Over time, buildings with similar functions will gather together to form a more concentrated business. For example, a city that never sleeps. And its rent will gradually increase."
This is modern economic theory.
Song Heng didn't understand it at first, but after thinking about it for a while, he was able to fully understand, "Your Majesty means to make places with a strong commercial atmosphere even stronger, so that people will gather here, shops will naturally gather here, and the rent will also increase." It will be more stable.”
"Children can be taught. But in fact, the overall layout of the capital is more meaningful. To take an extreme example, if there is no plan, then building a garbage dump next to Shuiyunjian, is it ridiculous?"
The meaning of urban planning is not yet understood by people with this idea.
But Zhu Houzhao believes that they will gradually understand it in the process of doing it.
The gathering of commercial institutions is also conducive to the court's tax collection. Otherwise, where can the money be found after so much effort is spent?
But now, Song Heng also found some ways. He knew that after such rectification, the capital would be more prosperous and lively, so he couldn't help but look forward to the future a little more.
"Your Majesty, I understand, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"
(End of chapter)
