Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 436 The Li family must pay their debts

Outside the tent, the view suddenly opens up.

The Yellow River has receded, and the yellow soup left behind on the ground has been largely drained away.

The survivors worked hard on the devastated land, trying to restore their hometown to its original appearance.

The crude shacks that housed the disaster victims have been converted into mud-walled huts that can provide shelter from wind and rain, making them suitable as temporary residences.

Along the old course of the Yellow River and the banks of the Bian River, construction sites are lined up.

Under the command of Xue Wanche, who is the best fighter among contractors and the best plasterer among soldiers, the laborers are working hard to build houses and roads.

It will be the location of Huazhou New City and the new home for the disaster victims.

"Huh... the project is progressing well."

Li Ming looked at the enthusiastic working scene and felt a little more relaxed.

Although funds are scarce, labor after the disaster is even less valuable.

Everyone is working hard to rebuild their homes as quickly as possible. Many people don't even ask for compensation, just a meal.

Under the "production brigade" system, mutual help among the people became a common practice.

This also saves a lot of costs in disguise.

"Your Majesty, the weather is getting colder, please be careful of catching a cold."

Ma Zhou was patrolling on the river bank. He saw the emperor surrounded by guards and immediately came forward to greet him.

Although the reconstruction of Huazhou city has begun to take shape, Li Ming still insists on living in the camp on the embankment.

Therefore, all the officials in Huazhou had no choice but to accompany him, sleeping next to the levee every day without any complaints.

They dared not complain.

It is a great favor from His Majesty that he did not let them live with the King of Hell. Why would they want a bicycle?

"Don't bother, I'll be warmed up after walking a little. Minister Ma, you have a mission to accomplish, go and do your work, don't worry about me."

Li Ming gave his subordinates a amiable smile.

He was very satisfied with the hard work of the middle-aged bureaucrat in recent times.

The fact that Ma Zhou could serve as the teacher of King Jin shows that he had good talent. After three ups and downs, his ability to get things done was also honed.

He has grown into a key talent with high "official-business" capabilities.

"Follow the order!"

Since the flood, Ma Zhou has been running around for more than a month at His Majesty's side, and has basically figured out the temperament of this young master.

He values ​​efficiency above all else and doesn't like pomp and circumstance, and he hates having his work delayed because of pomp and circumstance.

So His Majesty didn't need to do much, and he immediately and tactfully withdrew and continued to meticulously check the hidden dangers of the dam.

This guy has become a lot more smooth-talking recently... Li Ming nodded slightly in approval and walked towards Huazhou New City.

The site of the second new Huazhou City covers most of the old Huazhou City.

What's quite hellish is that because the Yellow River was diverted and mixed with a large amount of silt, the water flow has enormous potential energy.

Therefore, the old city buildings were destroyed thoroughly.

In addition to using the fertile and moist river mud to create thousands of miles of fertile fields, Li Ming was also left with a large piece of flat open space.

It is truly a paradise for urban planning professionals.

"Your Majesty! We love you!"

The common people saw the little emperor surrounded by guards from afar, and immediately put down their work and came forward with joy.

Then, I saw the team turning back the same way they came.

Then, the same group of people were seen again, wearing cloth clothes, with the young emperor walking in front and a large group of burly "common people" following behind, and they returned to the city in a swagger.

Everyone: "..."

Our Majesty seems to be a little socially anxious.

Out of politeness, everyone could only pretend not to know him.

"The incognito visit really worked. No one can see through my disguise, haha~"

Li Ming was a little proud, because the depressed mood caused by the "money jam" was relieved a little. With his hands behind his back, he inspected the appearance of the second new city of Huazhou.

When he is stuck in a lot of thoughts recently, he likes to go on "incognito visits" around the city. This is to keep abreast of the grassroots situation and to identify potential risks in reconstruction, and not to relax.

The original Huazhou old city still used the old-style lifang system. Not only were there many obstructive walls, but the roads were also straight and flat, with the main roads being extremely wide and the branch roads being narrow. This was actually quite unreasonable.

After being forcibly demolished by the mother river, we can get rid of the historical baggage, re-plan and work hard.

Although Huazhou was hit by the violent flood this time, its foundation is very good.

Located in the Central Plains, Zhongyuan is the confluence of the Yellow River and the Bian River. It will surely prosper soon in the future.

"However, it seems that some people have already 'prospered'."

Li Ming stopped in front of a courtyard.

This is a very luxurious tavern, or in today's terms a "high-end club".

There is a solid wall outside. The silt and accumulated water have been cleaned up, but there are still some water stains at the base of the wall.

This shows that this tavern has successfully passed the test of the mother river and is still standing.

As expected of a high-end club, the building quality is top-notch. It stands out among the dusty construction sites around it.

There was a gilded sign hanging at the door of the store, and a waiter was waiting attentively outside the door. It was obvious that the store had already opened for business.

"Go in and have a look."

Li Ming put his hands behind his back and walked over the threshold.

"Hey hey...ah?" The waiter was about to stop the wild boy, but when he looked up, he saw a group of ferocious-looking "passers-by" behind the "wild boy".

He didn't know who this young boy was, but his years of experience in dealing with people enabled him to tell him that the other party must be a tough guy whom he couldn't afford to offend, so he changed his words smoothly.

"Please come in, young master!"

The service is quite attentive... Li Ming nodded silently in his heart, and followed the servile waiter into the door.

The yard is a unique world with green plants, rockery, pavilions, terraces, bridges and flowing water.

It seemed like two different worlds compared to the Central Plains, which had just suffered a major disaster.

Li Ming frowned slightly and followed the other party into the main part of the tavern.

A small three-story building.

The hall was very lively, with the sound of toasting and clinking cups constantly heard.

The guests all knew each other, and it seemed that some wealthy family was hosting a banquet and had booked the entire first floor.

At first, no one noticed that a child came in at the door. The host stood up, raised the wine cup, and boasted drunkenly.

“Dong has successfully delivered the sand and gravel you all supplied to the government office for use in the reconstruction of Huazhou City.

"According to the accounting office's calculations, the profit can at least be...hiccup!"

The man hiccuped and paused, his body swaying, but his small eyes were shrewd as he glanced at the guests below.

The guests all put down their chopsticks, pricked up their ears, and listened expectantly.

The man surnamed Dong just smiled and stretched out a finger.

"The profit is at least 10,000 guan."

It’s a huge amount of money... As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.

"Congratulations to Mr. Dong for his wealth! We can also benefit from Mr. Dong's influence and drink some soup together!" Everyone stood up in unison and toasted the host.

"No, no, let's eat meat together! Without your help, I, Dong, would not be where I am today!" The host politely declined.

Everyone looked drunk, but what they said was just right, and it was clear that they were not drunk.

It turned out to be a business banquet hosted by a building materials distributor to entertain suppliers... Li Ming finally understood.

Urban reconstruction is good for real estate.

Naturally, the first ones to reap the benefits are the contractors who sell building materials and carry out construction projects.

That's how the market works, it's very logical.

"But, Mr. Dong."

During the meal, some people looked depressed and worried.

"We gave you the river sand we mined, and you processed the raw materials into building materials and delivered them to the government office." "But when will the money be paid?"

"Ahem!" Li Ming couldn't help but exhaling when he heard the word "money".

Yes, why did the government delay paying for the things they bought from others? They are such a scoundrel~
Fortunately, everyone present was probably a little drunk, and the scene was chaotic, so no one noticed him.

"Alas..." The master's face darkened, but he quickly recovered and patted his chest and said:
"Now is a time of national crisis. The government has to provide relief and rebuild. The expenses are too high, the income is too little, and the treasury is not well-off.

“When you do business in the Ming Dynasty and earn money from the country, you also have to understand the country’s difficulties.

"But Governor Zhang Qian told me personally that once the funds are allocated, this deal will be settled first!"

A few words that are both reasonable and meaningful.

Although several suppliers have not been paid for the goods for the time being, this is all they can do.

"But what if the government keeps denying its debt?" someone asked anxiously.

The lively banquet suddenly became dull.

Yes, if the government is determined to be a deadbeat, what can the merchants do?
Prosecution?

Who in the hall is suing me?

And the public opinion is not on their side. In a year of great disaster, what's wrong with the government refusing to pay its debts to the people?
You just lost money, but the common people got new homes!
You can't just rise up and rebel against his mother, can you?
Not to mention defaulting on debts, even if the accounts receivable remain on the books, it would be unbearable if the funding chain of several suppliers is cut off.

"Don't worry, everyone. I can't guarantee other merchants, but we will definitely get our money back."

Mr. Dong, the host, patted his chest again and started boasting like a businessman:

"Do you know Xue Wanche? He is the number one general who assisted His Majesty in founding the country! The reconstruction of Huazhou is in the charge of General Xue!
"He's my buddy!"

"Oh~ As expected of Mr. Dong, he is awesome." Everyone raised their glasses together.

The host only talks nonsense at the dinner table, and the guests only listen to it, so it cannot be taken seriously.

However, due to the limitations of his profession, Li Ming has hardly ever participated in any business social events, either in his previous life or in this life.

Hearing the name of his acquaintance Lao Xue all of a sudden, and that old fool had taken Li Jing's place in the Martial Temple, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood and instinctively started to dry cough.

"Cough cough!"

This cough finally attracted everyone's attention.

The drunken businessmen suddenly discovered that there was an unfamiliar child at the door of the hall.

The child is not the problem, it might be someone's child who ran away and then came back.

The problem is that the kid is followed by a long line of burly men in plain clothes with sturdy backs and stern faces.

In a year of great disaster, people wouldn't starve to death, but ordinary clothes wouldn't be so nutritious that they would burst, right?

This is clearly plainclothes.

Recently in Huazhou City, traveling in this style...

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty..." After all, he was a businessman, and someone at the table quickly recognized Li Ming's identity.

The whole audience fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, as if by some miracle, the waiter came up with the hot dishes, singing proudly:

"Baked carp noodles, Huazhou style~"

The host, the boss, suddenly became anxious.

"Asshole... Asshole! In this year of disaster, this is too much!"

After saying this, he twisted his neck stiffly and turned to face His Majesty the Most Wise and Holy Emperor.

The yellow soup that had been poured into his stomach all turned into sweat and flowed out. He felt his forehead turn cold and fell to his knees.
"I, your humble servant, greet your majesty! I didn't know your majesty was here. Please forgive me, your majesty!"

He was still a capable figure in the scene and could speak in relatively complete sentences.

The others were so frightened that they could only kneel on the ground, kowtow and repeat "forgiveness".

He made money from the national crisis, gathered people for food and drink, spoke rudely to court officials, and even dared to eat "carp" fish, which had the same surname as the Li family (in the Tang Dynasty, he would have been beaten with sixty sticks. Although there was no restriction in the Ming Dynasty, it was still taboo among the people).

The key point is, they were all caught red-handed by His Majesty!

Any one of these charges would be enough to put them in big trouble.

What's more, they are stacked together!

"Huh?" The waiter was sprayed in the face for no apparent reason, and then he watched the guests kowtow for no apparent reason, feeling completely bewildered.

"It's okay, go down."

Li Ming waved to the waiter who was confused, and turned to the group of wealthy businessmen who made a fortune from the national crisis.

The businessmen who were bragging just now are now crawling on the ground and trembling.

Generally speaking, the people of the Ming Dynasty would be either terrified (×) or ecstatic (√) when they met Your Majesty.

But this is obviously not the normal situation.

Putting aside the bragging, the businessmen themselves confessed that they made a profit of more than 10,000 taels of silver from the national crisis and that this was just one of the big businesses.

It’s the huge profits, it’s the national crisis, it’s the court’s money, it’s the people’s blood and sweat!
As we all know, His Majesty is the emperor of the people, and his favorite thing to do is to forcibly redistribute land and property.

Although these upstarts who made their fortunes through business are not members of an aristocratic family that has been passed down for thousands of years.

But the common people were in dire straits, they had banquets to eat and drink; the emperor lived in a tent, they went in and out of high-end clubs...

I think I have indeed reached the red line.

The atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed to be real. No one dared to speak, but there was only the occasional sobbing sound.

Li Ming looked around at the wealthy businessmen crawling at his feet, and suddenly a strange feeling surged in his heart.

This is the feeling of power.

So what if you are rich and powerful?

He only needs to move his fingers to lose heads and confiscate properties!
Not only can the reconstruction bill be defaulted, but the national treasury also receives a large sum of money!

The people will also applaud and thank Your Majesty for his wisdom and bravery in eliminating the parasites for the people!
This is all for disaster relief, for the people, and for justice...

Li Ming was in a trance for a while, closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and shook his head to dispel the thought.

"You guys, keep a low profile."

Li Ming just left these words and turned away.

Huh?
The people lying on the ground were stunned, not knowing what was going on.

Are you moved? Don't dare to move...

Before leaving the hall, Li Ming turned back and added:
“The court is indeed having difficulty with Huazhou paying the overdue construction material payments.

"But rest assured, the money will be paid and the payment period will not be delayed too long."

Huh? ? ?
Everyone was really dumbfounded this time. They looked up almost subconsciously, wanting to confirm whether it was true or they had heard it wrong.

But the door was empty; the Divine Emperor had already left.

…………

"No matter what period, there will always be rich people."

Li Ming left the high-end club with his stomach rumbling and mixed feelings.

At a certain moment, he really wanted to activate the "poverty equalization card" to confiscate the money of the rich and use it for disaster relief.

But he still resisted the urge.

Because to be honest, the money earned by this group of businessmen is completely legal and compliant, and they don't evade taxes or anything like that.

If they are all impoverished, who will provide building materials and undertake construction projects for the disaster-stricken areas?
To put it in a broader sense, who will do business with the government in the future?

As a result, no one has the motivation to grow bigger and stronger and create more glories. Anyway, the pigs have to be slaughtered after they are fattened up, so who would work hard? It is better to lie down.

Therefore, blindly allocating poverty is not advisable.

You can't just sing praises of Saint Ha's greatness when the market economy is beneficial to you.

“However, this visit was not without results.

“It turns out that there are surplus resources in the disaster area, they are just in the hands of the rich.

“This is true in the north, and even more so in the south.

"The question is, how can we use these resources reasonably without causing a backlash?"

(End of this chapter)