Seiwa

Pingxiang County Government Office, Second Hall

Most of the first batch of businessmen who entered the county government were originally from Yunnan, Guangxi.

The three big merchants headed by them have been rooted here since the Yuan Dynasty, trading with the chieftains of various countries with the products of the Central Plains, and gradually developed a certain scale, becoming a local strength that cannot be underestimated.

To put it bluntly, with these three companies as representatives, more than [-]% of the merchants in the hall rely on smuggling to make their fortunes.

After Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang established the dynasty, the northern border trade was strictly prohibited, dare to rob?Beat you to the point where you can't take care of yourself!The multi-pronged approach abruptly lowered the living standards of the nobles in the Northern Yuan Dynasty by several grades, and naturally they would not be polite to the chieftains of the Southwest Fanbang who refused to accept Daming's management.

The sale of tea is restricted, the export of salt and iron is strictly prohibited, the price of porcelain and silk has increased several times, the local government office is not strong enough, and what's more, they are colluding with smugglers.Emperor Hongwu directly dispatched the inspector censor, widened his eyes, and found out one by one.

Beheaded, skinned, exiled, exiled!Such a strict order failed to completely block the smuggling trade in all parts of the Southwest.

Man-made interest trends, dare to take risks.

The more blocked, the more prosperous the trade on the southwest border.

This place is different from the vast northern grassland, with high mountains and dense forests, most of which are primeval forests. Smuggling businessmen led teams to take small paths and hide in the forests, but the officers and soldiers had no choice.

The local rich chieftains were not too obedient, taking bribes, and covering up smugglers in various ways. It was useless for the imperial court to send the entire Metropolitan Procuratorate down.

It was not until the Ming Dynasty successively recovered the chieftains of the border villages in the territory, granted and rewarded native officials, established friendly relations with neighboring countries, and carried out tribute trade, that the situation improved.

Smugglers began to go to the Yamen to get guides and pay taxes according to the regulations. Only then did the business taxes in the Southwest and other places pick up.

It's not that the merchants who didn't continue to lead the team to walk the trails, unfortunately avoided the army of the Ming Dynasty, but they couldn't avoid the gangsters of the Fanbang chieftain, and the result was often back and forth.

In the past, there was no way to trade with smugglers.Now that the Ming Dynasty has opened up part of the border trade, and established a tea-horse market in Sichuan, Yunnan and parts of Guangxi, these people without a "business license" come to their door, whether they are robbed or slaughtered, the reason is ready-made.

Maintain border trade and uphold the laws of Ming Dynasty!

After a few times, the merchants also came to realize that they were not strong enough to bring guards to fight with each other, and they would not dare to go to the border alone or in a team of three or four people.

Similarly, powerful businessmen can also earn enough profits in the tea-horse trade market, and most of them are not interested in continuing to take double risks in smuggling.

If things go on like this, in the third year of Yongle, the trade volume of the southwest border even surpassed that of the northern border.This situation was not only unexpected to the court scholars who had always regarded Guangxi, Yunnan and other places as wild places, but even Meng Qinghe, who came from later generations, was also surprised.

He didn't go to Siming Mansion to look for information, but simply read the Miscellaneous Notes of Pingxiang County Yamen, Uncle Meng was dumbfounded.

It is unimaginable that the border trade of the Ming Dynasty was so huge, and it is even more unimaginable that the commercial tax of the imperial court would be so low!

Thirty one tax was set by Emperor Hongwu and his old man, and it has not been changed for decades.

Not to mention the vast number of peasant households, the army also pays a bucket of tax per mu!As we all know, before sweet potatoes and corn were introduced to China, farmers in the Ming Dynasty mostly planted wheat, rice, corn, sorghum, buckwheat and other crops, and the yield per mu was not high.In a disaster year, it is more likely that there will be no harvest.

When the tax is collected, there are also various kicks and fights, and it is not easy for the remaining food to feed the whole family.

Meng Qinghe asked the county magistrate and the master book in the county government about this, and the answer he got was that the imperial court exempts farmers from taxes and distributes relief food in disaster years.There is no tax exemption for merchants, but there are various miscellaneous fees. In addition to land transportation checkpoints and water transportation terminals, the actual payment of merchants is much more than the book.

Coupled with the various restrictions imposed by imperial decrees, the merchants at this time were far less prosperous than in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

"To tell you the truth, uncle, if you go to a foreign country to do business, if you meet a buyer who is not trustworthy, if you don't say anything about the goods being robbed, you will lose your life."

Both the county magistrate and the head secretary came from local rich families, and the head secretary also had a native official family background, so he naturally knew some inside stories that ordinary people did not know.

Uncle Xingning was sent by the imperial court, but he didn't put on airs. He stayed in Pingxiang for several months and pointed out a lot of ways to make money for everyone.If you have any questions, the county magistrate is naturally willing to answer them.

It would be even better if he could take the opportunity to win Xingningbo's appreciation.Li Qingqing was able to talk in front of his uncle, and the Li family were all chickens and dogs ascending to the sky, and the wind was flourishing.The clans behind them are equally powerful, what Li Qingqing can do, they can do the same, and they can even do better.

"So it is."

After listening to the explanations of the county seat and the master book, Meng Qinghe had a new understanding of the business in the early Ming Dynasty, and his palms were sweating.If he didn't have the title and official position, if he didn't have an extraordinary relationship with Shen Xuan, if he didn't hug Emperor Yong Le's thigh, just the few things he did in Daning would be enough to die a hundred times.

Thinking about it a few days later, I still couldn't help sighing, "No wonder the world wants to take the imperial examination to become an official. It really is better to be an official."

If you are not an official, you will have no social status.

Without social status, it is difficult to do anything.

How about Shen Xsan?It's not that Zhu Yuanzhang sent him down with a word.

Although almost all the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty were treated in this way, in comparison, Mr. Shen is still the one who stands out among the many cups.After all, others didn't spend money to build the imperial city for Emperor Hongwu, so he spent money and didn't get anything good.

Hearing Meng Qinghe's exclamation, the tea in Zhu Neng's mouth almost spewed out.

Don't you write a letter to the Duke of the given country?Why did you say this suddenly?

Could it be that you feel that your official position is not high enough and you want to go up one more level?

Thinking of this possibility, Zhu Neng gasped.

Just in his early twenties, he was awarded the first-class uncle, was given the surname of the country, guarded one side, was appreciated by the emperor, made good friends with the prince, and called the nobles brothers, and had a relationship with the eunuch Jin Yiwei. Throughout the Hongwu Dynasty to the present, There are only a handful of such achievements.

It is a good thing for people to be self-motivated, but this is too self-motivated.

Not to mention the soldiers who copied knives and slashed, and the sours who studied hard in the cold window would be jealous.However, Xing Ningbo should also be regarded as a scholar...

Cheng Guogong's brain power is very strong. After thinking about it, his thoughts began to turn. The tea in the cup was cold, but he still poured it into his mouth one after another.

After writing the letter, read it from beginning to end to confirm that everything that should be written has been written, and there is nothing that should not be written. Meng Qinghe summoned his personal guards, "deliver it to the commander-in-chief as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

The personal guard promised, and Zhu Neng finally regained his senses.

"Your brother's letter has been written?"

"Today's matter has been written in detail in the letter." Meng Qinghe said, "Li Daling is capable of handling things. The businessmen who came today should not be stupid. As long as they click a few words, they will understand that this is not a one-time deal. The longer you do it, the bigger the profit."

Zhu Neng nodded, thinking secretly, when the class teacher returns to the court, he should find a way to select a few finished weapons from the clan and send them to the north.The Xuan Mansion Kaiyuan is guarded by princes, Beijing has Wei Guogong, Daning has Xing Ningbo, as long as they can get ahead, they will have a good future.

As for the undecided title of crown prince...Zhu Neng picked up his teacup again, no matter how much the Wenyuan Pavilion and the Imperial Academy danced, the emperor would not let go, everything is unknown.

The three princes are all sons of the eldest son. Although they are all crowned kings, it is not difficult to see the tendency of the emperor from the title and fiefdom.

King Ping is the eldest son, but his military exploits and performance after ascending the throne are not as good as King Zhao of Han.Prince Ping's son is really loved by the emperor, and he occupies the title of the emperor's eldest grandson. The result is really unpredictable.

Zhu Neng frowned. As a military commander, he naturally hoped that Zhu Di's heir would be close to his military officials, at least not to be like the grandson of the emperor who put more emphasis on literature than military affairs, and turned the literati upside down.But he also knows that the emperor's thoughts cannot be controlled by the courtiers.

Those who dare to engage in petty tricks in private in an attempt to sway the emperor's will will basically end badly.But for the sake of his family, he should also...

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard Meng Qinghe's voice, "Master Guo, do you want another cup of tea?"

Zhu Neng lowered his head, the tea in the cup was long gone, and he has been drinking tea from an empty cup?

"cough!"

Cheng Guogong coughed and put the teacup on the table to cover up his distraction.

Meng Qinghe didn't say much, he lifted the teapot and poured the tea into the cup.

Zhu Neng was naturally not curious about what Zhu Neng was thinking just now, but he knew that curiosity killed cats.A cat has nine lives, he only has one, so it's better to be safe.

The room fell into silence, Cheng Guogong continued to drink tea, Meng Qinghe continued to write letters, not to Shen Xuan, but to Zhu Gaosui who was far away in northern Xinjiang.

It is strange to say that in the eyes of ordinary people, Zhu Gaosui's personality is really not good, but he unexpectedly hits off with Meng Qinghe.Meng Qinghe also felt strange. When he realized it, he had already patted Zhu Gaosui on the shoulder and became friends.

It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.

After thinking about it, anyway, "Friends of the Eunuch" and "Accomplice of the Jinyiwei" have all been stamped, so is there any need to care about the eyes of the world?

Seeing Meng Qinghe write down the words "His Highness Tai Jian" with a pen, he asked, "My brother and His Highness Zhao often communicate?"

"It's not very often." Meng Qinghe finished writing a page and handed it to Zhu Neng, "It's for the transportation of wood to Beijing. The construction of palaces always requires the purchase of wood. With King Zhao taking the lead, this business in the south will be even bigger. "

The palace is just one of them. If the emperor moves the capital, the land price in Beijing will rise, and building materials will be in short supply.After all, it is impossible for the emperor to go to Beijing alone. The six ministries of the imperial court, the yamen of each department, the governor's office of the five armies, the soldiers and horses of the five cities, the officers and soldiers guarding the capital, and the family members who moved to Beijing, all counted, Beijing must have Carrying out large-scale reconstruction is tantamount to a city-building movement.

The emperor wanted to build a palace to live in, and the ministers also wanted to build houses to house their families.

The Beijing branch is on the right track, but the office space has always been relatively simple. When Shen Xuan was in charge of Beijing, he mostly lived in the capital's yamen. When Wei Guogong went to Beijing to train troops, he simply lived in the barracks.

Soldiers can make do with it, but scholar-bureaucrats and their families cannot.

Civil and military grades, clan honors, homes and courtyards must be built according to regulations.

Relying on the resources in Shuntian Mansion alone is definitely not enough, and the timber in Liaodong is not suitable for excessive felling. Although there is loss in transporting timber from the south, sea and water transport and storage and transportation through Tianjin Weitun are the solution.

"According to the officials' idea, materials can be collected from Annan, and at the same time, the common people in Annan can be sent to build roads leading from Guangxi and Yunnan to the east and west capitals of Annan, and even larger household cities can be set up at the border."

"Build the road?"

"Yes, build roads." Meng Qinghe picked up a pen and simply drew the outline of the border on a piece of blank rice paper, pointing out several important checkpoints and the location of the two capitals of Annan, and drew a circle between Pingxiang and Liangshan, soaked in ink , force through the back of the paper.

Facing this extremely crude map, Zhu Neng first frowned, and after a while, he slammed the table, "Good!"

Meng Qinghe smiled. He believed that Zhu Neng understood the meaning behind the road construction.

Annan is densely populated with dense forests and intertwined water networks. The Ming army has won successive battles and conquered both the eastern and western capitals, and has reached the Muwan River.The thieves encountered along the way are not to be feared, but the difficult road conditions are a huge problem.

It is certain that Shen Xuan will win the battle, and it is also inevitable that the Ming army will capture Annan.However, after winning the battle, how to arrange the aftermath needs to be carefully considered.

Regardless of supporting the Chen family to come to power or bringing Annan into the territory of Ming Dynasty, these two roads must be repaired.

When mountains meet, mountains open, and rain builds bridges.The road becomes a thoroughfare, and there will be chaos in Annan in the future, and the Ming Dynasty will send troops to reach the capital in a few days.

"Building roads and opening a mutual market can send Annan civilians. There are a large number of laborers gathered, and there must be businesses along the way. There are not enough civilians, and the bandits captured by the army are also useful." Seeing Zhu Neng staring, Meng Qinghe grinned, "The climate here It is suitable, rice can be harvested three times a year, and when the road is opened, good land can be purchased from the local area and moved to the border people to plant. In order to prevent harassment from bandits, we should send troops to station, not to occupy the land in Annan, but to protect the people of our Ming Dynasty. What do you think?"

What else could Zhu Neng say, he could only nod, "Very good."

"The lower official has a merciless request, please allow it to the Duke."

"Brother, just talk."

"My Lord, please report this matter to the Son of Heaven."

"I?"

Zhu Neng was quite surprised.If this plan is successful, it will be the credit of the heavens, so just push it to yourself?

"Exactly." Meng Qinghe said with a smile, "After all, the officials are young and talented, and they don't have a deep foundation in the court. Please be considerate of the Duke. It should be a favor for the officials."

Zhu Neng stroked his chin, gave him the credit, and said that it was a favor, that the words were beautiful, and the deeds were also beautiful.Such a trade-off might not be possible for me who was more than ten years ago.

"Come on, Brother Wei agrees. There are people in the court who criticize, but with Brother Wei here, you can rest assured."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Zhu Neng said with a smile, "Don't mention anything else, with the friendship between a virtuous brother and Ziyu, you should call him a brother."

Meng Qinghe raised his head and looked at Zhu Neng seriously.

Is it just a literal meaning, or does it have a deeper meaning?

Could it be that his relationship with Duke Ding is already so obvious?

Shaking his head, he must have thought too much.

Zhu Neng is more sophisticated than Meng Qinghe, Meng Qinghe only wanted to pull him and Shen Xuan into the gang to share the pressure, but with a swipe of his pen, he specially wrote a book and sent it to the army to conquer Annan's generals. Those who are above uncle, one counts as one, and they all sign on the memorandum.

Those who eat alone are destined to not go far, and sharing the credit is the way to success...

"The Duke of the country is thoughtful, but the subordinate officials are not thoughtful enough."

Meng Qinghe was ashamed, and wanted to work hard in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, improve to a higher level, and continue to study.

Three letters were sent out from the Pingxiang County Government successively, and Li Qingqing reached a preliminary consensus with the first batch of businessmen who had been summoned.

He was a little nervous at the beginning, but as the pre-determined conditions were thrown out one after another, the eyes of the businessmen became more and more intense, but he calmed down strangely.

"Using the salt well as a guarantee, all the food you bring in can be exchanged for tea, silk, porcelain, gold and silver of equal value."

"Is what the commandant said true?"

"Of course it's true." Li Qingqing said, "It doesn't matter if it's rice, or wheat or corn. But I've said something beforehand, it can't be old food."

"Apart from food, does Da Ling need anything else?"

"Spices, medicinal materials, and wild animals, I also buy them." Li Qingqing said, "If there are good varieties, the price is easy to negotiate."

A businessman asked, "I heard that the county government bought timber, why didn't Li Daling give it to me?"

"This matter has been handed over to the local officials of various ministries. If you want to do timber business, such as grain business, this official will have to choose someone else."

Such a condition was given to Li Qingqing by Meng Qinghe in advance.

Because the border residents and native officials still live here, they will naturally choose when cutting wood.The merchants scattered in various places are not the same. If the business is handed over to them, regardless of other things, there will be conflicts with the border residents, and the result will be quite troublesome.

What's more, timber is a long-term business, and at the moment, raising food is the most important thing.

The army has been captured, but after all, it is well prepared.

Even if the army is abundant and does not need more food, transporting it back to the Central Plains can solve the problem of food shortage in some counties.

The Nanjing household department is not short of money, only food.

For the well-informed Xingning Bo, it is really not a secret.Otherwise, Emperor Yong Le would not allow him to "do it cheaply", just to raise rations for the army.

In the end, the merchants all chose to buy and sell grain, and Li Qingqing sent someone to ask Meng Qinghe for instructions, and he also agreed.

Daming's ironware is restricted to takeaway, and the weapons seized from Annan are not included in this list.

The Ming army looked down on the Annan people's swords and guns, but for neighboring Fanbang, they were hard to come by. It doesn't matter if the price is high, as long as the quantity is large!

Li Qingqing came to the third hall with the proposed contract. Meng Qinghe, on a whim, fiddled with his abacus, and roughly estimated the profit of exchanging cloth for grain.

After getting a rough number, the sound of the beads stopped, and the eyes rounded.

Was it wrong?

Zhu Neng leaned over to take a look, and his eyes became round.

Li Qingqing stretched his neck, not only his eyes became round, but also his jaw dropped to the ground.

"It's just fabric..."

Li Qingqing muttered to himself, as if out of his body.

Meng Qinghe looked at Zhu Neng, "Otherwise, let's find the head of the county government and do the math?"

This profit ratio is indeed a bit scary.I can't even believe it, but will Emperor Yong Le believe it when he plays in the capital?

If the hat of deceiving the emperor is off, the fun will be great.