Chapter 595: The so-called economy, economics, economic development

Xu Chengdong was so groggy when he left Feng Ziying's mansion that he couldn't find his carriage after going out.

It wasn't until the servants came up to hold him back that he was prevented from running around in confusion.

The impact on him in the past half day was really great, greater than anything he had ever experienced in his life. He felt that it would take him a month to slowly digest everything he heard today.

 He has a strong need to talk to others, a desire to discuss and communicate with others, and does not even want to waste any time.

 He did not want to become a sinner of the Dongting merchants.

"Immediately go to the capital city and invite Mr. Weng to go south. Tell him that I have important matters to discuss and ask him to go south as soon as possible. I will wait for him in Yangzhou. In addition, I will go back to Suzhou and invite the Xi family, Xu family and other people in charge to come to Yangzhou immediately. …”

Before returning to the clubhouse, Xu Chengdong issued a series of instructions on the carriage, asking the servants to send people quickly.

 After doing all this, Xu Chengdong leaned on the back of the carriage, allowing himself to calm down and think carefully.

 But he found that he couldn't do it. He was always proud of his calmness, but he couldn't calm down his restless heart, which made him very frustrated.

But then I thought about it, the two brothers Weng Qiming and Weng Qiyang were here, in this state, they were also unable to extricate themselves, right?

 Iron mining, iron smelting, and firearms were supported by the imperial court. This was originally unimaginable. How come it became so easy for this editor to say?

If he hadn't known that there were really many big backers behind this person and that the other party really had a bright future, Xu Chengdong would never have believed that this was possible.

If you want to say that the other party is deliberately deceiving yourself, what's the point?

Previously, I thought that the Dongting businessmen would be asked to contribute money to buy shares or buy bonds for the Yinzhuang and Kaihai bonds, but in the end they didn't mention it at all, which made Xu Chengdong even more incredible.

These officials are just like seeing fat sheep when they see businessmen, and they are also rushing to beg for the fat sheep that come to their door, so why not take the opportunity to kill them?

 But this one was good. Not only was he quite calm in official matters, but he also said nothing in private. This made Xu Chengdong wonder whether all the officials in the Zhou Dynasty had changed their gender.

Of course, Xu Chengdong also knew that a young official with a bright future like Feng Ziying might indeed clean himself up in this regard for the sake of his future future. However, the familiarity with economic affairs shown by the other party made Xu Chengdong feel that Feng Ziying was not that pretentious. Incorruptible character, this is purely an intuition.

 It is unbelievable that they did not mention money and even gave such a big benefit to the Dongting merchants.

Xu Chengdong didn't think Shen Jue was that respectable, nor did he believe Feng Ziying's statement that Dongting merchants were good at industry and could be given such great benefits. There must be something weird here.

But even if there was something inside, Xu Chengdong couldn't help but feel his heart beat.

Mining has always been mainly run by the government. The slightly larger mines are all government-run. The private mines are not large in scale. The output and iron-producing capacity of the government-run mines are even more disappointing. It is not that no one has had this idea, but this is Could this Feng Xiuzhan be prepared to break the thousands of years of official rules?

There is also the iron smelting industry, which is owned by both the government and the private sector. The iron smelting industry in Foshan, Guangdong and Handan, Beizhi is very developed. In particular, pig iron, iron pots, and iron needles from Foshan, Guangdong are sold throughout the country, and are exported to Southeast Asia and Japan in large quantities.

Xu Chengdong couldn't understand this, but Feng Ziying's clear attitude was not fake.

If Feng Ziying reaches out for any benefit, even if the lion opens his mouth, Xu Chengdong will feel much more at ease, but it is precisely Feng Ziying's attitude that makes him restless.

Mining, iron smelting, cannon casting and firearms production should all be done by the government. Why did Feng Xiuzhan let Dongting merchants do it?

Moreover, he also proposed bank loans and court order support, which is even more unbelievable.

Here Xu Chengdong was tossing and turning, having trouble sleeping and eating, but over there Feng Ziying was chatting and laughing with Wang Wenyan.

"Sir, I guess the head of the Xu family, who is known as the 'Dongting Wengxu' family, will not be able to sleep well tonight. I will make a bet with you. Xu Chengdong will summon the entire Dongting business gang as soon as he returns. When a leading figure comes to Yangzhou, if he doesn't figure out this matter and make sure he is at ease, he probably won't be able to sleep well."

Wang Wenyan's words made Feng Ziying burst into laughter, "So much magic power? I actually didn't give him much promise. State orders are the same as shipping companies, bank loans also require interest, and mining and iron smelting also require If you pay mineral taxes and royalties, but if the firearms you manufacture fail to meet the standards of the imperial court, not only will the imperial court not pay, but you will also be punished and compensated. Is this preferential treatment?"

"Sir, this is mining and iron smelting and firearms manufacturing. To be blunt, the imperial court has always suppressed private mining and iron smelting. The Foshan you mentioned has been a climate since the Ming Dynasty. There is no way, Guangdong and Guangxi All depend on the demand for iron circulation in Foshan. Handan is also mainly government-run, and private mining is strictly supervised by the court. It is easy to hide evildoers in the mines. If these miners and slaves get together, something unexpected will happen. The heart is just hard to control..."

In response to Wang Wenyan's explanation, Feng Ziying sneered: "According to this statement, which industry can be said to be innocent? As long as there are gatherings, there will be risks. Don't we not mine, dig coal, or smelt iron? It's ridiculous to stop eating because of choking! No! You are thinking about how to solve these problems, but you want to use such stupid methods to remove the salary from under the cauldron. Don’t you understand that if the salary is removed, the water will not boil, but what will the people rely on for food and clothing? What does the court need to do? "

Wang Wenyan smiled. This was not his point of view, but the point of view of almost all government officials.

  Mines are the easiest place to hide bandits, and they are also the easiest to be instigated. They have been the focus of government management in all dynasties. If they are run by the government, it will be better, but if they fall into private hands, it will naturally be difficult to reassure the government.

Perhaps because she felt her tone was a little harsh, Feng Ziying couldn't help but shake her head apologetically.

He feels that he has not fully integrated into this era, or that he has not yet been able to look at problems with the mentality of officials of this era. It is better to do less than to do more. As for whether it is mining or iron smelting, there is no best. On the contrary, it will cause trouble for his own rule. The best thing is to have all farmers farming. This is completely different from the era he lived in in his previous life.

"Let's not mention this. I will reveal this situation to the Dongting merchants to see if they have the acumen and courage..." Feng Ziying breathed a sigh of relief, "I wanted to beat the autumn wind, but think about what they would do if they If I really dare to try it as I imagined, the cost will be quite high, so I’d better save some for them.”

“Sir, your attitude of favoring one over the other is too obvious. Why is the salt merchant so unwelcome to you?” Wang Wenyan couldn’t help but ask.

"Wen Yan, how much benefit do you think this salt merchant has to the country and the people?" Feng Ziying asked, "These salt merchants actually make profits by relying on the exclusive monopoly power given to them by the imperial government. What have they paid? To please the superiors or to please them?" Bullying the superiors and oppressing the inferiors? You spend your days extravagantly and dissolutely, showing off your strength and fighting against the rich. Isn’t it an exaggeration to say that many people here say that being rich is unkind? "

Feng Ziying’s attitude surprised even Wang Wenyan. This impression was worse than he imagined.

"Of course, Wen Yan, you don't have to worry about me doing anything extraordinary. After all, it is the imperial court's rules that allowed them to earn this wealth. It cannot be said that it is entirely their responsibility, but the imperial court gave them this wealth. Opportunity, so it’s not too much to repay the court appropriately?" Feng Ziying smiled softly, "What's more, this is an opportunity to give them a chance to make money. If they don't know how to praise them, it can only be said that they don't have the court in their hearts."

Wang Wenyan smiled bitterly.

“By the way, have you estimated the size of Kaihai Bonds?” Feng Ziying asked.

"It's almost there, but I'm afraid we have to wait a little longer for Guangdong and Guangxi. We calculated Ningbo and Quanzhou based on the various numbers we had in the past three years. It's still very rough and inaccurate. Considering that according to what the adults said, We would rather undercount than make false reports to ensure the confidence of these businessmen, so roughly calculating, in addition to the commercial tax of 1 in 30, the sea tax is levied at the rate of 1 in 10, which is a bit high, but considering this is Export tax, so it’s acceptable,…”

Wang Wenyan introduced: "If the goods imported into Dazhou are exempted from tax according to the initial standards, gold, silver, copper, firearms, plants and seeds, and medicinal materials will be mainly concentrated in several bulk commodities such as spices and precious wood. On the goods,…”

“How do you calculate the quantity of goods such as spices imported into Da Zhou every year?” Feng Ziying asked rhetorically.

"We mainly conducted a statistics at Nanhuo Company in several big cities. However, since you are in a hurry, this number should be very inaccurate. I estimate that it should only account for 30%, and if the sea ban is lifted After that, it is difficult to predict how much the input of this spice will increase. It is possible to triple, five times, or even ten times, so the safest way is to wait until one year after the sea is opened to calculate these data. "

Wang Wenyan's words made Feng Ziying laugh, "Wenyan, your idea is a bit wishful thinking. It is true that after the sea is opened, a lot of import and export data can be collected through the Municipal Shipping Department, but you need to know the import and export data a few years before the sea is opened. It is difficult to predict. In the first year, it may feel popular and there will be a lot of imports, but next year it may be reduced, or it may be significantly reduced. Or it may feel insufficient this year, and it may double next year. It is possible, but now we have to We use this to estimate the amount of taxes and issue bonds, so we can only make a rough calculation and be more conservative. In three years, there may be people rushing to buy it..."

 (End of this chapter)