Chapter 391: Volume C: Random words before the king (Part 2)

Feng Ziying's words suddenly enlightened Emperor Yonglong's heart. He was so excited that his hands could not help but tremble. The problems that had troubled him for so long were suddenly solved.

 One of the biggest problems for the court, or for him and the officials in the court, was how to avoid the reputation of competing with the people for profit.

 No matter what kind of new tax, in everyone's opinion, it will undoubtedly increase the burden on the people.

Take the salt tax, for example. All the people eat salt. If you increase the tax, it will fall on every citizen. For example, if you send tax inspectors to set up taxes at water and land checkpoints, the same will eventually be added to the goods, whether it is grain. This is true for items such as , ironware, cloth, dried fruit specialties, etc.

Therefore, this problem cannot be solved. Emperor Yonglong knew very well that the court would always have to bear moral pressure. If there was little trouble, someone would jump out and make wild remarks, which would affect the advancement of the New Deal.

 But what Feng Ziying mentioned just now perfectly solves this problem.

Yes, silk, porcelain and tea were exported overseas, and a new sea tax was added. This was also a matter for the foreigners overseas and had nothing to do with the people of the Zhou Dynasty.

 Similarly, what things were imported from overseas to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and what was missing from the Central Plains of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

If there are necessary needs, such as the spices, wood, copper, and silver mentioned by Feng Ziying just now, can ordinary people afford them?

 Except for wealthy businessmen and officials, who can afford spices and big wood?

 In addition to the copper materials and silver needed by the imperial household department, only private casting merchants dared to purchase them.

These private casting behaviors were originally strictly investigated and captured by the imperial court, and ordinary people did not dare to engage in them.

Seeing Emperor Yonglong couldn't help but stand up and walk around before returning to the throne, Feng Ziying watched his eyes, nose and heart, sitting still, turning a blind eye.

He knew very well how important the relief of this shackles was to Emperor Yonglong, who was bent on gaining fame among the people of Shilin. It could be said that it even exceeded the Western Expedition to quell the rebellion and regain the lost territory itself.

Emperor Yonglong also realized that he had lost his composure, but when he saw Feng Ziying sitting silently like a Bodhisattva with her eyes closed, he felt even more relieved.

 This son really has the style of a general. No wonder Zhang Jingqiu and Chai Ke both praised him highly, and Qi Yongtai and Qiao Yingjia were also proud of him.

"What Feng Qing said is true. We will not compete with the people for profit. However, as merchants, as people of the Zhou Dynasty, they should indeed serve the imperial court. It is in my opinion." Emperor Yonglong stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction.

 After solving this problem, what remains is the income from the establishment of the shipping company and the most important issue of borrowing as collateral.

If the problem of competing for profits with the people is solved and it is a question of quality, then the future annual income of the Shipping Company and the amount of debt borrowed from merchants will be a matter of quantity. If the amount is too small, such as two to three hundred thousand taels, or even three Five hundred thousand taels, then the meaning will be much lighter.

"Feng Qing, in your opinion, how should we set up a shipping company? For example, should we set up one location or three or five? In addition, can Feng Qing have an assessment of the annual income of this shipping company?" Yonglong The emperor stared at Feng Ziying with burning eyes.

"Reporting to the emperor, this kind of assessment can only be made after conducting a survey on the sea trade in the entire coastal area. However, looking at the sea trade situation in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi, and South Zhili, I think it is not too bad." Feng Ziying did not dare to draw conclusions lightly. If she said something too outrageous, it would really damage her reputation.

 Emperor Yonglong was a little disappointed.

 He ​​also knew that he was a little eager to get things done. It was too difficult for the other party to suddenly come up with a specific number for something that had no basis in the first place, but he was really unwilling to do so.

“Feng Qing, can you make a rough assessment? This is a private conversation between me and Feng Qing, and no outsiders need to know.”

Feng Ziying was also startled. This treatment was not low. This remark did not reach the ears of the three of them. It was a great opportunity for Long Yu. He could not make the other party's heart cold.

After thinking for a while, Feng Ziying said seriously: "Your Majesty, I really don't dare to make such an assertion lightly, especially since the annual sea tax revenue is uncertain, but I think if it is the first time I receive the charter fee, it can be used as a A rough assessment.”

"Oh?" Emperor Yonglong was disappointed at first, and then his eyes lit up, "Feng Qing, please tell me."

Only then did he remember that Chai Ke’s memorial also mentioned the issue of sea tax and charter fee, and gave a brief explanation. The charter fee was a one-time fee that merchants who wanted to engage in maritime trade had to pay to the court, which was equivalent to obtaining With the threshold qualification, others are not allowed to participate in maritime trade.

"Weichen has a rough idea. With the developed maritime trade of Fujian and Zhejiang, sea trade licenses can be issued according to the scale of large, medium and small. The first class must pay a charter gold of 80,000 taels of silver, and the second class 50,000 taels. Third-class licenses of 20,000 taels are allowed to engage in maritime trade for a period of ten years,..., Fujian Province can issue three to five first-class licenses, five to ten second-class licenses, ten to twenty third-class licenses, ..., the same principle Zhejiang Province, Nanzhi Province, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Shandong Province can also be appropriately reduced according to these specifications..."

"..., the number of such licenses is only a preliminary estimate by the minister. In actual operation, it can be appropriately smaller first, and wait until the maritime trade develops next year, and then increase it appropriately..., In addition, the number of such licenses is limited within the franchise period. Can be transferred,…”

Seeing the ecstasy on Emperor Yonglong's face, Feng Ziying couldn't bear to dampen the emperor's enthusiasm. She just lowered her eyelids and said: "But if you want this kind of charter to be really accepted by maritime merchants, the court also needs to do it." Some measures..."

"Oh?" Emperor Yonglong finally calmed down. He also thought that there is no such good thing in the world. These businessmen are not fools. How can they comply with such a system issued by the court and obediently give money? "Feng Qing, tell me."

"First, the number of licenses needs to be controlled. If you want to increase it, it must be approved by the businessmen who have already obtained the licenses. There must be a negotiation mechanism. Otherwise, the court will issue ten licenses this year and a hundred next year. Then what will happen? The charter would be meaningless and worthless..."

Emperor Yonglong nodded, this is indeed reasonable. If the court behaves like this, it will be no different from robbing or cheating.

“Second, local governments must be ordered to strictly investigate smuggling activities that do not obtain licenses and do not enter the market to pay customs duties, and even record them in the assessment of local officials by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. If smuggling is allowed or even colluded, then We must severely punish them, otherwise if the smugglers and the maritime merchants who obtain charters and enter Hong Kong to pay taxes are the same, then this system will be meaningless."

Emperor Yonglong also nodded, which is what he meant. If smuggling is not strictly cracked down, and those smugglers will not enter the port to pay taxes to the Municipal Shipping Department, where will the sea tax come from?

"Third, the imperial court must set up a navy fleet. On the one hand, it must deter Japanese pirates, and on the other hand, it must protect the normal sea trade of maritime merchants. It cannot just accept money and do nothing. As soon as merchants go to sea, they will be attacked by Japanese pirates or seafarers. If thieves plunder, not only will the prestige of the imperial court be lost, but it will also greatly dampen the enthusiasm of sea merchants for maritime trade..."

 Feng Ziying's eloquent talk also made Emperor Yonglong both happy and satisfied but also a little shocked.

This is not what Chai Ke mentioned in the memorial, but should be a method that Feng Ziying figured out by himself. Although everyone may be able to come up with such terms after sitting together and discussing carefully, Feng Ziying can consider this Thoughtfulness shows that the person has given considerable long-term consideration to this issue.

“Feng Qing, you have thought it through quite carefully, but I am afraid that you still need to be cautious when building a naval fleet...” Emperor Yonglong pondered for a moment, “Are you worried about the destruction of these merchant fleets by Japanese pirates and pirates?”

"Your Majesty, you should know that those smugglers are more or less related to the Japanese pirates. If the imperial court comes up with such a strategy, their interests will be harmed. Naturally, they will not give up so easily. It is inevitable. Of course, some smugglers may think in the long run and be willing to turn darkness into light and accept the regulations of the court. After all, this can avoid many unexpected risks, but there must be some people who are accustomed to this bad habit and are unwilling to If someone changes his ways, then the court must take countermeasures..."

Emperor Yonglong frowned.

Building a navy fleet is not a simple matter. The imperial court originally had a navy, but it was basically inherited from the pre-Ming Dynasty and was stationed scattered in various places, such as Dengzhou, Laizhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou, etc. The land basically focuses on guarding the port and has no climate.

As for such a naval fleet mentioned by Feng Ziying, it is obviously aimed at going to sea to fight against Japanese pirates and pirates. The scale and cost required are difficult to control.

"And your Majesty, the Jurchens are now aggressive, which not only puts great pressure on Liaodong Town, but also directly threatens North Korea. Once North Korea is forced to surrender to the Jurchens, our situation in Liaodong will further deteriorate, especially in western Liaoning. After the predicament, if we want to keep Liaodong, I am afraid we will urgently need to become a decisive force in the naval fleet..."

Feng Ziying observed Emperor Yonglong's expression, but it was obvious that Emperor Yonglong had no idea about this point of view, or about the transportation power of the naval fleet and the mobile strike effect of landing operations. He was just calculating how much it might cost. This made Feng Ziying also sighed secretly.

This week basically continued the strategic thinking mode of Qian Ming, and was completely unaware of the changes in transportation capacity and maneuverability brought about by changes in ocean transportation modes. Of course, this may have a big reason for the long-standing sea ban. I am afraid this step will still have to be taken. Go slowly.

"Feng Qing, I know about this. Well, what else do you have to say about Kaihai's debt raising?" Emperor Yonglong was still unfinished, and he was unwilling to dampen the other party's enthusiasm on what he considered to be trivial issues, so asked, avoiding the topic.

"The emperor may also know that many people are not very accepting of the issue of opening up the sea and borrowing money. In addition to the reasons mentioned by Wei Chen before, this is also the issue of how to spend the proceeds from the borrowing. It is estimated that it will also cause a lot of problems. dispute,…"

 (End of this chapter)