First Minister of Ming Dynasty

When Zhang Ximeng discussed the three rises, he had already attributed Zhao Song as a failure model, and also said that the way to share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats was dead, and a new way must be opened.

But there is still a problem here. The country still needs to have its origins, and it cannot emerge out of thin air.

If you don't inherit the legal system of Zhao and Song Dynasties, how about inheriting the legal system of the Yuan court?

Where did your country come from, and where did your title of emperor come from?

These things have to be straightened out before they can face the world.

Zhang Ximeng was also confused before, but at this moment, he figured it out...why must he inherit the legal system of the previous dynasty?Is there no other way?

Yue Fei's ambition was in the Northern Expedition, and Wen Tianxiang was unwilling to surrender to the enemy. For hundreds of years, how many people with lofty ideals have gone on and on, spilling blood on mountains and rivers... After the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, uprisings in various places have never stopped.

It was these continuous uprisings that finally converged into the Great Red Scarf Uprising, and brewed a brand new dynasty, a dynasty that was completely different from the past, a dynasty that ushered in the third rise of China.

Zhang Ximeng pondered over and over again, picked up a large pen, and wrote a line of words: Hua Tian Xia Di Ming Dynasty!

Chapter 374 Business Tax

After staying up for several days in a row, except for eating, drinking and going to the toilet, I didn't go out of the house, just bowed my head and wrote hard.Finally, in front of Zhang Ximeng, there was a manuscript with tens of thousands of words, and he checked it one by one. After confirming that it was correct, he couldn't help but let out a long breath.

"I want to be better, but I can't do it now."

After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, he staggered to his feet and flung himself on the bamboo bed next to him without taking off his clothes. After a while, he began to snore evenly.

This time he slept soundly, and after eight full hours, he struggled to get up because of his stomach growling, moved his sore body, and when he opened the door, he found Zhu Ying waiting outside.

The kid stretched out his hand and grabbed Zhang Ximeng's face, "Brother, are you alright?"

Zhang Ximeng dodged the boy's paws and snorted, "Is there anything to eat?"

"Yes, I have prepared chicken soup for you."

"Chicken soup?" Zhang Ximeng frowned.

"It also added ginseng, licorice, and wolfberry, which are very nourishing."

Zhang Ximeng was startled, this kid doesn't have the guts to add food, does he?After all, he went obediently.

This kid really didn't lie, the three-year-old hen was fat and oily, and with a few herbs, it was not greasy at all, only sweet and sour.

The cook brought some side dishes and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang is very lucky. The eldest son has been busy for two hours to cook this pot of soup!"

Zhang Ximeng paused, looked up at Zhu Ying, and found that the kid was looking at him with a smile, "Brother, you really can't do it without black and white. You should find a sister-in-law quickly! Otherwise, I'm afraid I will listen to you in the future." What bad news, you are my brother!"

This kid grabbed Zhang Ximeng's sleeve and really wailed, with snot and tears, making Zhang Ximeng's face dark, "You boy can't say good things! I'm in good health, but I've been suffering a bit lately. After your godfather ascends the throne, the civil and military team will be set up, and I will be fine."

Zhu Ying rubbed the corners of her eyes, hehe said: "You think it's okay, and my godfather will not let you go. Big brother... I don't understand, you are so advocating hard work, but why are you always obsessed with articles? This makes sense No matter how good it is, isn’t it still reasonable after all?”

Zhang Ximeng lowered his head and gnawed on the chicken leg, and said lightly: "You only said the first level of the matter. It is indeed better to do practical things than to talk about it. But we can't just do things with our heads down. We also need to raise our heads, look at the road ahead, and know where the road lies. Where, so that we can have a clear goal and do a better job.”

"It also makes sense, brother, are you looking for this road again?"

Zhang Ximeng shook his head, "The road is actually there. The uprisings of the past dynasties, the rise and fall of dynasties, what to do is actually not a difficult task. There are so many talented scholars in the world, such as Mr. Fenglin and the others. Maybe they have done better than that. I'm okay."

"Then, what is the elder brother busy with?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "I am busy proving the rationality of this path."

"Road? Wouldn't it be all right if we got through it? Does it take so much effort?" Zhu Ying asked puzzled.

Zhang Ximeng pondered slightly, "You also said that, but the legality is sufficient, and it will be more difficult to go back. Believe it or not... one day, many people will scold me?"

Zhu Ying frowned, the corners of her mouth curled up, and she snorted coldly: "How dare they? I have so many powerful people under my command! I can make them choke to death when drinking water, get hit by a carriage while walking, and kill them while fishing." Falling into the water and drowning... All in all, my subordinates have ten thousand ways to kill those who scold you! If you dare to fight with our brother, his ashes will be thrown away!"

Zhang Ximeng was startled, and stared at Zhu Ying for a long time before he realized that this little bastard was not only angry with himself, he also controlled a battalion of soldiers and horses, and had guarded Fuliang, so there were quite a few crouching dragons and phoenixes under his command Chick, what kind of door-picking, petty theft, fake documents, and making up rumors and prophecies are all within reach.

And there is a very sad thing, Zhang Ximeng is trying to be a great Confucian, but his brother is running all the way in the direction of the villain, he wants to find a righteous way, it seems that Zhu Ying's side is all crooked!

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help but put down his chopsticks and rubbed his painful temples.

"Brat, tell me, did I hurt you?"

Zhu Ying chuckled, "Brother, you are called pedantic! Don't you think we are a perfect match? As long as we work together, you will be responsible for the righteous things, and I will come for the crooked, and you will be invincible in the world..."

"okay!"

Zhang Ximeng stopped Zhu Ying, "Don't rush to get complacent, kid. Go back to Jimin Academy, study hard for me for two years, and pack more stuff in your stomach, you know?"

"I know, hooligans are not scary, but I am afraid that hooligans are educated... Don't worry, my brother will work hard to cultivate. Besides... I really need to find some more talents. Lu Qiuyun is good at stealing. It is best to find some people who can cheat , I'm still too dull, not good at words, I want to find the kind of people who are cute, and the flowers are blooming...Brother, what do you think of my thinking?"

Zhang Ximeng glared at the brat, and squeezed out a word between his teeth: "Get out!"

This bastard Zhu Ying is really hopeless, as long as he doesn't infect Zhu Biao, otherwise, not only Zhu Yuanzhang, but even Ma Shi will be anxious with him.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ximeng's head got dizzy. He knew that he shouldn't accept this bullshit prince teacher, and leave it to Song Lian and the others.

Zhang Ximeng is in a bad mood, but there is nothing he can do. He has been writing articles for the past few days, but he still doesn't know what's going on outside... The things he wrote must be handed over to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Sure enough, Lao Zhu hadn't been idle for the past few days. Xu Da swung his army and seized Xingguo and Ningzhou, and had a forward base to further enter Huguang.

Feng Guo used his naval forces to capture Qichun and guard the Yangtze River. If Chen Youliang still wanted to go down the river with a large boat, he would probably face a bloody blow.

Generals such as Chang Yuchun, Zhu Wenzheng, etc. are also attacking cities and conquering territory, and they are rampant.

Except for the land of Lingnan, the northern half of Jiangxi Province has almost been included in the scope of Zhu's army.

"With Mr.'s article, we can finally go south with confidence."

Zhu Yuanzhang was relieved, with a smile on his face, "It's easy to attack a city, but it's too difficult to deal with people's hearts. Sir, let's go south with us!"

Zhang Ximeng nodded and agreed, this time going south, they took the waterway of Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River.

Only when you are really in it, can you experience its prosperity... There are many shops and rows of warehouses in the county market towns and water and land piers along the river, which are so dense that you can't see the end at a glance.

However, if you look carefully, you can see that many shops are closed, and there are not many pedestrians to be seen. It is probably because of the impact of the war. If the war continues, it is estimated that this golden business road will decline.But taking measures now can definitely bring the dead back to life and restore prosperity, and once this trade route is restored, the annual benefits it can bring are immeasurable.

"Who was running the business in the past?" Zhang Ximeng asked casually.

Zhu Sheng is familiar with the situation in Jiangxi, he sighed: "All along, the Yuan court was responsible for the renovation of the waterway, and some big households controlled the operation."

"A big family? Is there any big family?"

"Have!"

"Who?"

"Jiejia!"

Zhang Ximeng was taken aback for a moment, the Jie family was also one of the families that submitted a letter to actively cooperate with Juntian, but they did not expect that their business would be so big.

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Mr. Fenglin, do you think they will cooperate in restoring the trade route?"

Zhu Sheng paused, "Master Zhang, the great family, will not be completely reconciled after all, but the old man is also a little worried."

"What is Mr. Fenglin worried about?"

Zhu Sheng pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Business and goods trading, after all, is not farming and arable land. Dividing the fields, ordinary people can do it. Regarding this matter, we also ask others! Maybe we should prepare Let the interests be written."

Zhang Ximeng nodded, "That's true, but I don't know what price they offer. If it's too high, the lord may not be able to accept it."

Zhu Sheng didn't say anything, but thought over and over again in his heart, and finally he let out a long sigh.

For those aristocratic families who don't know what to do, he wished they could all be killed.But as a literati, he still didn't want to lose his gentleness.

I wish I could know the good and the bad!

Zhu Yuanzhang advanced by land and water, and the fleet arrived at Luling. According to the schedule, Zhu Yuanzhang would stop here for three days and go to Wen Tianxiang's former residence to lay the foundation for the establishment of the Temple of Prime Minister Wen.

Afterwards, Zhang Ximeng will also have a eulogy to explain his views. It can be regarded as a joint activity of the monarch and his ministers, and it is also to gain momentum for going south to the cliff mountain.

On the afternoon of the arrival day, when he was resting, Jie Wen'an brought a few people to visit Lao Zhu.

"Superior, the minister is distressed that the business route is blocked, and the army and people in Jiangxi are struggling, so I have thought hard and drafted a few countermeasures, and I am about to submit them to relieve the superior's worries."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and accepted Jie Wen'an's suggestion. He didn't read it, but passed it on to Zhang Ximeng, and then looked at several other people, "Are these all your friends?"

Jiewen Anlue pondered, and immediately said: "Return to the superior, several of our families have some businesses on the Ganjiang River, and the big guys came here to help the superior level Jiangxi and achieve great things!"

Old Zhu smiled lightly, but said indifferently: "I have a heart."

At this time, Zhang Ximeng had finished reading, and he passed the suggestion to Zhu Sheng.

Zhu Sheng took it in his hand, and only took a few glances. His eyebrows were raised, his eyes were burning with anger, and his eyes locked on Jie Wen'an.

Jie Wen'an also felt that his eyes were not friendly, "Master Zhu, if there is anything wrong, I am willing to modify it."

Zhu Sheng Yangtian sneered, thanks to the old man who still thinks about you!

I didn't expect that your hearts are so greedy!

"It's not necessary, just do it according to your own ideas... From now on, this Jiang will also be named Jie!"

Jie Wen'an was shocked and terrified, "Boss, it's hard for a lower official to understand... Running a river transport is not a trivial matter, and there are treacherous and tricky people everywhere. The lower officials, the lower officials also have to share the worries of the superiors, rest and recuperate. I have no other thoughts!"

At this time, Zhang Ximeng suddenly said quietly: "Are you sharing the Lord's worries, or are you going to take the Lord's money?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately widened his eyes and became serious.

Zhang Ximeng added: "With such a large Ganjiang River, you don't leave any profit to the lord, but only restore the waterway? Do you still want to pay some money to ruin the country's wealth?"

Chapter 375 Business Exam

Jie Wen'an obviously didn't know who Zhang Ximeng was. He only thought that he could write articles. He was a pen in front of Zhu Yuanzhang. Even if he was a young scholar, what's the point?

But don't say this to the old people before crossing the river, even Zhu Ying knows that Zhang Ximeng's attainments in finance, taxation and economy are far better than writing articles.

Now when he writes an article, he has to brew his emotions, collect information, rack his brains, and stay up all night before he can write it.But once it's the turn of business, Zhang Ximeng is at his fingertips, and no tricks can escape his eyes.

So after being furious for a while, Lao Zhu leaned back on the chair, looking like a fairy at ease, just waiting for the final count of the money, anyway, it will not be less.

Jie Wen'an still didn't understand the seriousness of the matter, he even wanted to struggle after a short period of panic,

"Zhang Xiang, since the 11th year of Zhizheng, there have been constant wars, repeated pulls, and impacts on commercial routes, causing heavy losses. The merchants are already very difficult, and they are almost helpless. They all rely on the grace of the superior to bring them back to life. Now the people's livelihood is in decline. , if heavy taxes are imposed, it will inevitably exploit the people and compete with the people for profit. Moreover, even if the business tax is reduced, it will only hide wealth from the people and let the people recover quickly. There is nothing inappropriate about the good things that benefit the people."

Jie Wen'an racked his brains and tried his best to persuade Zhang Ximeng, but his words were like jokes in Zhang Ximeng's ears. None of them stood up, and they were even the opposite.

But this set of rhetoric is not useless, at least in history Zhu Yuanzhang was fooled. At the beginning of the country, he repeatedly lowered business taxes, especially related to ironware.

The reasoning is similar. To restore people's livelihood, the common people need a lot of ironware. The court collects less taxes, the business is prosperous, and the exchange of needs makes life easier for the common people... Do you think it makes sense?

"My lord, I have the courage to ask you for advice. At the time of war, the merchants suffered a lot of losses. Will the profits drop?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback. He wanted to say yes, but it was obvious that Zhang Ximeng didn't mean that.

"What's your opinion, sir?"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "My lord, I think this kind of rhetoric is a very clever trick to deceive people. When there is a war, although the overall business will decline and business will be difficult to do, as long as there is still ability to do business, it will often be the same as before. Several times, ten times the huge profits."

Old Zhu pondered for a while, and immediately understood, "Yes! We remember that Chen Di made a fortune, and now he is probably worth hundreds of thousands!"

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a while, and suddenly realized.

Usually, the business routes are smooth, without delay, and what you earn is hard money. Most people can understand.

But once the trade route is cut off due to the war, some very common things will skyrocket dozens of times, hundreds of times.

At this time, as long as you can get the supply of goods and sell them smoothly, you will not have to worry about getting rich. You just sit there and count the money... Jie Wen'an and his group are obviously very powerful. They say that business is difficult and the situation is difficult. It's just bullshit.

Farmers may be afraid of wars, but their wealthy businessmen will never be afraid, and even those who are brave will be eager to try and make a fortune.

Zhu Yuanzhang was indeed far behind in terms of business and economics. When he was awakened by Zhang Ximeng's words, Lao Zhu was immediately enraged, and with murderous intent, he went straight to Jie Wen'an and the others.

The faces of these guys changed, and they frantically thought about how to explain, but they were at a loss for words for a while.

But it doesn't matter, Zhang Ximeng's next words almost blow up their ancestral graves!

"My lord, it is true that the people's livelihood is in decline, but if you say that you want to reduce the commercial tax in order to benefit the people and rest with the people, it is unavoidable to bully people. Under our rule, it is not that there is nothing. Once the people After the land is distributed, no matter what, there will be some surplus food. At this time, the merchants are holding agricultural tools, iron utensils, pots and pans, bricks, tiles and wood materials that the people urgently need... What will the people do? Naturally, they are willing to pay a high price! A little more , Right now the countryside is still very short of precious money. Apart from food, the common people still need some precious money for weddings and funerals, weddings and funerals. There is a lot of food and little money. If you go to collect food at this time, you really don’t know how much you will earn! "

Zhang Ximeng has brought the matter to this point, so there is no need for him to talk nonsense.

Who are Zhu Sheng and Zhu Yuanzhang present, how can they not understand!

Zhu Sheng gritted his teeth and couldn't help laughing, "Very good, you are very smart in your calculations! As long as the superiors nod, you are considered officials and businessmen, and then use this Ganjiang waterway to enrich your own pockets and make a fortune. You are really smart in your calculations!"

Jie Wen'an's temples were sweating, and he was in a panic, how could it be like this?

Why can't you hide something that is clearly calculated well?

At this time, Lao Zhu actually said another sentence, "Not only is he calculating and shrewd, but he is also greedy and stingy... What do you want so much money for? You just want money, and you are not willing to give us a little? You are so daring!"

In the last sentence, Lao Zhu literally yelled.

Jie Wen'an couldn't hold on any longer, and lay on the ground directly, and several other people collapsed. They wanted to make a fortune, but they didn't expect that this was the gate of hell!