First Prince of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Biao went on to read. In fact, the policy of opening salt to the central government is also a last resort. At present, there is a shortage of grain and grass at the border, and the supply of grain in important towns on the border is often in short supply.

However, the current tax revenue of the imperial court is spent on disaster relief, resettlement and southern expedition to Bashu, and the necessary part must be kept as a precaution against emergencies.

As a result, the imperial court had no surplus grain, no money to buy grain, and no power to transport grain. It needed to rely on private merchants, hoping to transport grain to the border and hand it over to the garrison through them.

But the businessman can’t get up early without profit, how can he waste his energy to work for you in vain, the only cards that the court can show at present are official salt, and there is nothing else, so the officials of the Ministry of Education came up with the idea of ​​​​opening the middle school. Law.

This method is actually taken from the compromise method in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, in order to fight against Xixia and Liao, the Northern Song Dynasty continued to shrink the official sales area and expand the commercial area. Join, the merchant then went to the capital to issue a certificate, and finally went to the salt field to collect salt for sale.

There is not much difference between China and France today. The difference is that merchants bring salt to salt farms to buy table salt, and they must be transported to designated areas for sale. This can be regarded as strengthening the control of salt merchants. In the province, they sell official salt to Mongolia. side to go.

The opening of salt to China is based on the low cost of official salt, wide market, and large profits as bait, hoping to not only transport food to the border, but also develop the frontier and expand the economy of the border.

It's just that the problem with this policy is also foreseeable. Such a huge profit will inevitably be targeted by officials and nobles. In recent decades, Zhu Yuanzhang's high-pressure policy will not cause major problems. The royal family will not let it go.

The more Zhu Biao looked at it, the more he felt that it was not a long-term solution. The most important thing was that the salt tax was too stable. Zhu Biao had looked through the fiscal revenues of the previous dynasties and found that the contribution of the salt tax in the Song Dynasty was the highest when it was more than 60% of the total income; It was even worse during the Yuan Dynasty, when 80% of the fiscal revenue came from the salt tax.

It is indeed dangerous to delegate such benefits to the people, but if we don’t do this now, the border issue will not be solved. Although there is no war in Ming Dynasty, it is impossible not to send a large army to the border. fear.

Zhu Biao pinched his brows irritably and said: This method can only solve the urgent need, but it will inevitably cause many problems in the future. I think I can only implement it for a period of time, or give up, and I can solve it if I go to the south of the Yangtze River.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: What do you think?

Zhu Biao replied: There are only a few salt households. The output of official salt is very stable, but the demand for food at the border is very fluctuating. It is difficult to match the salt. In addition, it will be sooner or later that officials and nobles will join in. thing.

This is a practical problem. There is nothing wrong with this policy. It has indeed given up the state-run table salt. It can only be said that it is a bit too ideal, and it is meaningless to restrain the bureaucrats. They can always think of ways to benefit, not to mention they hold great power.

Moreover, the method of salt in table salt is still the beginning. Zhu Biao also saw the method of salt in banknotes, salt in Nama, salt in sodium iron, tea in nanometers, and tea in tea at the bottom. In the plan, but the specific measures and policies have not yet been formulated.

It is estimated that he wanted to see the situation after the salt, and then make adjustments. Overall, Zhu Biao felt that Hu Weiyong's style was quite in it, and it seemed that he was the main person who offered advice.

Zhu Biao explained the problem to his father in detail, and Zhu Yuanzhang also realized that this matter was indeed a bit ideal, but the border garrison was waiting to be fed, and the salt issue could not shake the foundation of the country after all, and the hundreds of thousands of people who were starving Elites can.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, Let's do it first. At worst, after a few years, the army will be abolished after it has achieved results. What if a group of merchants are dissatisfied?

Zhu Biao has no objection when he hears this, which is the fundamental reason why businessmen are looking forward to becoming officials. They have no guarantee at all, and they will never be the top priority of the national policy.

Since it is not a long-term national policy, there is no need to think about it. As long as the urgent need can be solved, the court's garrison has already begun. After all, the daily food and grass consumption of the garrisons in various places cannot be stopped. The current ratio of garrison guards Yes, the troops in the frontiers will defend the city three times and farm the fields seven times, and the troops in the interior will defend the city two times and farm the land eighth. In the next few years, they must at least be able to supply 80% of their own consumption.

At the same time, the imperial court will also encourage private business settlements, that is, allow merchants to hire people to farm fields at the border and pay grain on the spot, which saves the cost of trafficking and makes more profits. This is also a kind of cooperation.

Most of the subsequent policies are clichés. Localities are encouraged to build water conservancy projects, and the banks of large rivers such as the Yellow River and Yangtze River that are prone to flooding must be strengthened.

Then there is a new round of emigration. According to the rules and regulations implemented by the prince, another 200,000 people will be immigrated from Shanxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to various parts of the Central Plains. Officials from various states will cooperate to ensure that the people will be able to return to farming.

This group of migrants in Fengyang is indeed an example from the Ming Dynasty. When Zhu Biao went south, the imperial court sent many officials to Fengyang to study and investigate, and the experience will become more and more abundant in the future. After all, this immigration will continue. for a long time.

The father and son discussed for a long time before Zhu Biao returned to the East Palace to see his concubine. Yesterday the imperial doctor finally found out the happy pulse accurately, but after all the month was shallow, Zhu Biao did not make any publicity, but informed his father, queen and queen.

Accompanying Chang Luohua, who was full of smiles, walked around the East Palace courtyard for several times, for fear that she would be lazy and unwilling to move, and then dystocia would be troublesome. Obstetrics is a minor operation in later generations, but it is very difficult today It is almost impossible under various restrictions.

Chang Luohua followed Zhu Biao and asked, I just heard that the three princes have returned to the palace. Didn't you accompany them?

Zhu Biao stretched out his hand and pulled off a few leaves and said: Drink together at night, they are probably talking to their mother and concubine now, after all, they haven't seen each other for half a year.

Chang Luohua touched the still shaking branches and said: But if you want to eat it in the palace, the concubine will ask someone to prepare it. I heard that the second and third brothers like to eat cattle, and the fourth brother likes to eat sheep.

Zhu Biao turned his head and pinched her cheek lightly and said, You know a lot, what do you like to eat?

Chang Luohua squinted his eyes and counted: Hot pot, continued eight delicacies, steamed chicken with five flavors, roast pork, sea clear rolls, silk goose powder soup...

Zhu Biao was instantly satisfied. Hearing that the princess seemed to remember her favorite food, it felt so heartwarming.

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