After Chen Yanxuan left, Lin Tangchen looked at Gu Zhengchen and asked with confusion: "Governor Gu, according to the government office, I asked other businessmen that Chen Yanxuan didn't have much property, so handing over the tower to him would be a huge blow to the government office. Loss."
Gu Zhengchen smiled and said, "What have you lost?"
Lin Tangchen was stunned for a moment and said: "He took out the tower building with nothing after taking out the full loan. If the management is not good, the capital is lost and the loan is unable to be repaid, wouldn't the government lose several years of rental income?"
Gu Zhengchen waved his hand: "How much can the rental income be in a few years? As long as he draws profits to do good deeds and helps the people of Quanzhou Prefecture in the future, then the deal will be worth it. Don't worry, if he can't succeed, Tazilou Prefecture can Take it back again.”
Lin Tangchen was helpless.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Xiao Cheng: "Send someone to Tong'an to investigate this person."
Xiao Chengran.
Gu Zhengchen did not send anyone to Xiao Cheng. He was the leader of the school inspection and had the authority to mobilize the school inspection in Quanzhou Prefecture. As for how many inspection schools there are in Quanzhou Prefecture, Gu Zhengchen doesn't know and doesn't want to know, but it's definitely not many.
The opening of Quanzhou Prefecture to the sea caused an uproar, attracting countless people and causing many incidents.
On this day, three elders entered the government office and asked Gu Zhengchen whether to build a shipyard. They also had shipwrights at home.
Shipyards naturally need to be built, but they cannot be left to private control.
After discussing with Nie Yuanji and Lin Tangchen, Gu Zhengchen decided to build a shipyard in Luoyang Town. The shipwrights would be requisitioned by the government and the shipyard would be under the direct management of the Municipal Shipping Department.
The door to maritime trade will only open wider, and more ships will be needed in the future. The government is responsible for building large ships six feet long and above, while seagoing ships and fishing boats less than six feet long are left to the private sector.
Of course, the government does not prohibit the private sector from building large ships over six feet tall.
Big bowl restaurant.
Lin Fu looked at the lively scene that was almost full of people, with a smile on his face.
Lin Wen reached the counter with a cane and said with a smile: "Father, the private room on the second floor seems to be a businessman from Jinling, right?"
Lin Fu nodded slightly: "Yes, it is said that he came by sea with Magistrate Gu."
Lin Wen frowned: "Then why did the local businessmen go to find them? I just saw Wang Ge, Tang Dabang and others entering."
Lin Fu greeted the guests and said to Lin Wen: "What else can I do? Of course I am heading for the ship. There are not many ships in Quanzhou Prefecture now. The ships parked in the port are either owned by the Municipal Shipping Department or the Navy. Only those batches Merchant ships came from Jinling..."
"What?"
"Are all those boats owned by Quanzhou Prefecture?"
Tang Dabang, Huang Ruyu, Wang Ge and others were dumbfounded.
Hui Dashan, a Hui merchant, Hu Tiaohua, a Hangzhou merchant, He Sifang, a Jinling merchant, and others nodded.
He Sifang sighed: "By the time we received the news, Prefect Gu had already acquired the ships in Jinling. After a search, no one was willing to sell the big ships. Although there were some small ships, Prefect Gu said that they are currently going to sea. Only large ships can be used, and ships smaller than five feet cannot go to sea. As a last resort, we can only rent these ships..."
Huang Ruyu frowned: "Ships smaller than five feet cannot go to sea. Why? Since the sea is open, why can't they all be let go?"
Hu Dashan looked at Huang Ruyu and shook his head: "The Quanzhou Special Economic Zone is decided by Governor Gu. How to open the sea and to what extent, everything is decided by Governor Gu. Please don't complain. If there is no naval escort for the current voyage trade, , it’s easy to draw water from a bamboo basket and get nothing. We all have families and businesses, and no one wants to be lost in the hands of pirates, right?"
Huang Ruyu, Tang Dabang and others nodded heavily.
This is true.
It's not safe on the sea. The wind and waves are okay, but if you're really unlucky, you just have to leave it to fate. But if a lone merchant ship encounters pirates, it will not only lose its capital, but also the ship and its people. If such a loss occurs once or twice, the wealthy gentry's family will become smaller.
Magistrate Gu was the only one in Quanzhou Prefecture who could mobilize the navy to escort merchant ships.
Tang Dabang was very worried: "But now we can't find large-scale ships in Quanzhou Prefecture. It will be next year when the new dock is built and the new sea-sea ships are launched. We can't wait that long."
Hu Tiaohua smiled, looked at Hu Dashan, He Sifang and others, and said to Tang Dabang: "You don't think that we people have leased all twenty-three ships, do you?"
Tang Dabang stood up, excited: "What do you mean?"
Hu Dashan nodded: "Of the twenty-three ships, we only took possession of thirteen, and the remaining ten were left to Fujian merchants by Magistrate Gu."
Tang Dabang rubbed his hands and sighed that Magistrate Gu was thoughtful.
Le Baiju pondered for a long time and asked: "How much money does it cost to rent a sea ship?"
Hu Tiaohua stretched out a finger: "10% of the goods."
"One percent?"
The expressions of Tang Dabang, Le Baiju and others changed.
10% of the goods are not taxed at 30 per cent, but 10 per cent, which is a heavy tax.
Hu Dashan looked at the uneasy Fujian merchants and corrected: "In fact, it is 20% of the goods, of which 10% is delivered to the Shipping Department for customs and taxes. 10% of the goods is handed over to the Navy, which is the Navy's reward for being responsible for escorting. "
"Twenty percent, is this too high?"
Huang Ruyu's face turned ugly.
Five taxes and one tax are harsh taxes.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it has advocated light corvee and low taxes. Agricultural taxes and commercial taxes are all based on thirty taxes.
Although there are some deviations in the implementation process, and there are many different names in various places, they are all done by corrupt officials. Gu Zhifu is an honest and good official, how can he use heavy taxes...
Hu Dashan knew what these people were thinking. In fact, the businessmen from Jinling found it difficult to accept the 20% tax at first. But after careful calculation, five taxes and one tax were still very profitable.
Although it was the early stage of opening up the sea, Gu Zhengchen did not intend to impose low taxes on the Quanzhou "Customs", but directly used heavy taxes. The reason is very simple. The profiteering industry has always been heavy taxes. You make a lot of money. If you don't tax, who will you tax?
With 20% taken out, part of it needs to be used to subsidize navy officers and accumulate funds for the imperial court's "big treasure ship", and part of it should be given to the Municipal Shipping Department to improve various infrastructures, build warehouses, and rebuild the ten-mile road from Quanzhou Port to Jinjiang City.
After investigation, it was found that Chen Yanxuan was indeed the young owner of Tingxi Kiln Farm. He was filial and business-minded.
Gu Zhengchen felt relieved and handed over the store deed of Tazilou to Chen Yanxuan with a loan of 30,000 yuan. Chen Yanxuan immediately led people to reorganize Tazilou and prepare for a big fight.
The people in Jinjiang, Tong'an, and Hui'an counties were very enthusiastic. They announced that they wanted to recruit 4,300 people. As a result, more than 6,000 people came, 4,330 were chosen, and more than 1,000 were left. The yamen were looking for something to do. Seeing this, Gu Zhengchen sent them all with a stroke of his pen to help build docks and cut wood...
The current Quanzhou government office is not short of money and food, but what is short of reasonable expenses.
Money piled up in government warehouses will not bring any benefits. Only when it is circulated can value be created.
When Gu Zhengchen ambitiously proposed dredging Lanxi and Taolinxi to allow Anxi and Yongchun counties to transport goods downstream, he met with fierce opposition from Tongpan Lin Tangchen.
Lin Tangchen firmly disagreed with Gu Zhengchen's arrangement: "The government should be considerate of the people's strength, not waste money and money. Now that more than 4,000 people have been recruited to work, why bother to recruit people to dredge rivers in other places? Your Majesty said that if you can do it without disturbing the people, you will not disturb the people. , leaving the people to recuperate and use the people’s strength.”
Gu Zhengchen explained to Lin Tangchen: "In the past, conscripting people into corvee service was indeed a waste of money and money, but now under the new policy, people can get benefits from doing corvee service. Not only will it not be a drag on the family, but it will also bring a benefit to the family. Lin Tong The judge keeps saying that he must be compassionate to the people, but do you know what true compassion is?"
Lin Tangchen shook his head: "I don't know much as a low-ranking official. I only have a simple understanding that good governance is achieved without working for the people!"
Gu Zhengchen laughed and asked: "How can people get rich if they are not hardworking? How many years do you expect them to live a good life with just the output of the land?"
Lin Tangchen retorted: "Work hard and you will be well off!"
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the outside of the government office and said sternly: "Then please ask Lin Tongxuan to go out and have a look, visit the people, and ask them whether they can have enough to eat through hard work and whether their family can have clothes to wear!"
Nie Yuanji was on the side to smooth things over: "Governor Gu, he just loves the people and doesn't want to see the people suffer. Lin Tongpan, Magistrate Gu gives benefits to the people, which is to benefit the people, not to tire the people and harm the people. We must see this clearly... "
Lin Tangchen insisted on his opinion and said to Gu Zhengchen: "I am the general judge. I am in charge of the household registration, taxes and services of Quanzhou Prefecture. I will not agree to conscript the people into corvee service again!"
Gu Zhengchen stared at Lin Tangchen with burning eyes, and said coldly: "Most of the people are poor people who cannot read or read. They have nothing to use except their strength! The government government recruits corvees and rations food and money, which is beneficial to the people. This is a strategy. Only when people have extra money in their hands can they buy cloth for their families, a bunch of candied haws for their children, and a bottle of wine for themselves!"
"Lin Tongpan, I recruit people to do corvee service essentially not for the purpose of doing corvee service, but to distribute money and food to improve people's livelihood! If you can't even see through this, then our conflicts will definitely be irreconcilable in the future, because what will happen next As time goes by, there will be more and more corvees, roads need to be repaired, and watchtowers, guard camps, fortifications, forts, etc. need to be built along the coast."
"Of course, the government will choose to collect corvee labor during off-peak hours, and it is also a voluntary method. In the next year, as long as the people are willing to work hard, their lives will be easier! It is true that you are a Quanzhou judge, but I am a Quanzhou Magistrate, I have the final say on matters here!"
Lin Tangchen stared at Gu Zhengchen and was about to speak when he was pulled back by Nie Yuanji.
Nie Yuanji quickly said: "Prefect Gu, he has no objection."
Lin Tangchen broke away from Nie Yuanji and said sternly: "Under the guise of improving people's lives, recruiting batches of corvees is just to use the people's strength to achieve your official status! Gu Zhifu, the people here are exhausted and overwhelmed. They should recuperate. Three years, three years later, we will open the sea again, and it will not be too late to requisition people's power on a large scale!"
Gu Zhengchen frowned, as if he saw a pit.
When Hu Weiyong selected officials, he did not choose them randomly, but deliberately.
There is nothing wrong with Lin Tangchen himself. He just opposed himself within the scope of his duties, and there is no way to punish him. It would not be appropriate to drive him away directly. In that case, Gu Zhengchen would easily end up with the reputation of being a "lonely man" and "unable to handle relationships between superiors and subordinates"...
Seems like a dilemma.
