"When is it expected to be completed?"
"Your Majesty, I have contacted craftsmen from more than a dozen villages, about 200 people, and there is no shortage of manpower. The wood is not a big problem. Once the money is available, it can be completed in two months at most.
During the construction process, we are recruiting workers for training, setting up a caravan, finding merchants to supply goods, etc. The business will basically be ready for business in mid-October! "
"good!"
Chongzhen was very happy and said excitedly: "You two, since we have talked about this, I will strike while the iron is hot and establish the Ming Dynasty Royal Company immediately.
Yang Qingyun serves as the store manager, Sun Chunyang serves as the store manager, and Yang Shaoan serves as the outer cabinet.
As for official positions, grades, etc., we will wait until we are on the right track to decide. Personnel, monthly salary, etc. will wait until you make a detailed statement. Do you still have any questions? "
Yang Shaoan and Sun Chunyang looked at each other, and Sun Chunyang whispered: "Your Majesty, two questions. First, I suggest that the Ming Dynasty Royal Company should not be used in the early stage. The royal family will do business. The ministers of the court and the wealthy merchants and gentry of the private sector will object.
It will be useless to change the name once it has reached a large scale, even if the ministers of the DPRK and China object to it!
Second, a preliminary investment of taels of silver. If each of the eighteen state capitals in Southern Zhili opens one, builds shops, and organizes caravans, goods, etc., I estimate that it will cost at least 500,000 taels! "
"I will do as you say regarding the Royal Company. We will not announce it for now. As for investing money..."
Chongzhen paused for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. After counting for a while, he said in a deep voice: "The number of items seized by Suzhou Prefecture has not yet been summarized. It is estimated that there are millions of taels.
Let's do this. I will give you one million taels first and deposit it in the Suzhou government office. You can withdraw how much you use. Just make sure the accounts are clear.
Remember, it is better to be deficient than excessive, and not to rush to expand, but to be refined.
During the whole process, pay attention to internal corruption, etc. If you find it, you will be punished with a rod of thirty, and in severe cases, you will be executed immediately. You will never tolerate it! "
"I obey the order!"
"You remember, since they are unwilling to take the initiative to change, then we will force them to change! Go ahead and do it, I will be your backing!"
Listening to the emperor's words, the two people's eyes were full of excitement, and the historic reform in business affairs began from this moment.
After settling the matter of business reform, there was one less important thing on my mind.
After accompanying Queen Zhou around Suzhou for a few days, Li Ruolian sent word that all parties had taken control, and Chongzhen changed his mind and summoned Zhou Tingru.
"Your Majesty, all the wealthy businessmen in Suzhou City have compromised and donated a total of seven million taels of silver in order to protect themselves.
There are almost 2,000 antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., each of which is considered rare. It is estimated that it is worth at least 5 million taels. 360,000 dan of grain have been donated, nearly 30,000 hectares of fertile land, and nearly 300 hectares of various shops and estates. seat!
Not counting fertile farmland, it must be calculated to be at least around 20 million taels.
Among the officials who raided the houses of various prefectures and counties in Suzhou Prefecture, they obtained a total of 6 million taels of silver, more than 6,000 pieces of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, nearly 30,000 shi of grain, and a full 20,000 hectares of fertile land, equivalent to 12 million taels. "
“According to the Suzhou Fish Scale Yellow Book, Suzhou Prefecture has a total of 155,200 hectares of fertile land, including 98,000 hectares of government land and 57,200 hectares of civilian land.
It can be seen from the fertile land in the hands of wealthy businessmen and officials that at least 20% of official land has been embezzled, and 30% of civilian land has been annexed by gentry and wealthy merchants! "
"hateful!"
Chongzhen slammed the table. Although he had gained a lot, he was still angry.
How many people are there in Suzhou Prefecture? There are almost five million people. Based on this calculation of cultivated land, the average per capita is three acres. Even in the Jiangnan water towns, the yield per mu is higher, with an average of two and a half stones, and two crops a year, which is only enough to fill the stomach.
But don’t forget that Taizu set an annual tax of 2.8 million shi for Suzhou, which accounted for one-tenth of the total tax of the Ming Dynasty. Calculated based on cultivated land, the tax was nearly 2 dou per mu, which was five times that of other places. high.
If it weren't for Suzhou's prosperous business and the people who could earn some money by doing other things, they probably wouldn't be able to survive.
This is why when he first came to Suzhou, the people on the dock had numb expressions.
What is hidden behind the most prosperous county in the world is the wealth of the people.
These wealthy merchants and gentry still felt that they were wronged and the imperial court was forcing them, so it would have been nice not to kill them directly.
After being furious, Chongzhen thought for a moment: "Zhou Tingru, there are not enough officials in Suzhou government now, I will give you some ample time.
Before the end of this year, let me know how much cultivated land Suzhou Prefecture has and how much gentry and wealthy merchants have it.
Tell them that if they take the initiative to report it, all the previous matters will be written off. If I find out that there is any concealment, omission, affiliation, etc., I will kill them all regardless of the reason!
Secondly, this time they jointly fought against the gentry, scholars, etc. in the government and deprived them of their tax exemption qualifications.
Tell the common people and wealthy businessmen that if there are any gentry names affiliated with them, their cultivated land will be confiscated directly, they will be forced to work for one year, and they will not be allowed to participate in the court's land sales in the future;
Starting from next year, the taxes of the people of Suzhou Prefecture will be reduced by 50%. Remember, it belongs to the people, not everyone.
Third, and most importantly, I will ask Guo Yunhou from the Ministry of Land and Resources Management to send people to assist with the cultivated land contributed by the wealthy businessmen and gentry. We must ensure that food is planted and the food is returned to the warehouse.
In the next few years, we will hoard as much grain as possible and store it in granaries in various prefectures and counties in Suzhou Prefecture. We will focus on management. Do you understand? "
"I obey the decree!"
Zhou Tingru's heart tightened and he responded quickly.
He knew that since the emperor ascended the throne, the Ministry of Household Affairs has been hoarding grain. All the rich merchants and gentry confiscated and paid back were given priority to grain, which almost drained the wealth of the rich merchants and gentry's households.
Especially after this year's New Year, the cabinet and the Ministry of Industry issued a fatal order that all states and counties must repair granaries and include them in the assessment for that year.
"After you have done the things I have told you, I will not be stingy with promotions or promotions."
After Chongzhen said this, he sighed in his heart.
In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, natural and man-made disasters continued. If there were not too many natural disasters, Chongzhen might not have lived for more than seventeen years, but it might have been twenty-seven years.
Although there is a severe drought in Shaanxi, the entire Ming Dynasty is currently relatively stable. The natural disasters really started to become serious after the sixth year of Chongzhen, and reached their peak after the ninth year of Chongzhen. There are still three or four years to prepare.
"Oh, by the way, how about the people temporarily recruited by various government agencies? Are there any problems?"
"Back to Your Majesty, these newly recruited people are all experts in various fields. Each official has recruited three or four. Since we can discuss it, we will not cause irreversible losses due to one person's misjudgment.
With the help of two books from the Ministry of Personnel, "Instructions for Taking Up the Job" and "Instructions for Officials in the Ming Dynasty", these people got started quickly. "
"Don't be careless. You tell them that they can add anything that is not in the "Instructions for Administration" or have other ideas, and it can be counted as their political achievements."
"I understand!"
After staying in Suzhou City for a few more days, Chongzhen's Luan Jia headed towards Nanjing under the protection of the Warrior Battalion and the attention of countless forces.
