I

Page 496

Zhao Han asked, "Is the money and food exchange business of Datong Bank also cancelled?"

Fei Chundao: "It can't be completely cancelled, otherwise the peasants will be exploited. But it must also be abolished, only a part of it should be kept, and one money and food exchange point should be left in each county. Your Majesty, there was no way before, but in the future, the money can be used completely.

There are too many money and grain lines, and the salary expenditure is huge. Every time the grain is paid, people have to be hired, and grain transshipment will also cause great consumption. "

Wu Yingji also said: "Your Majesty, the same is true for taxation. It is necessary to prohibit real collection, otherwise the annual consumption will be too great."

The business tax of the Datong court basically continued the tax system of the Ming Dynasty, and was divided into two types: residential tax and overtax.

Residential taxes include gate tax, land tax, deed tax, wine and vinegar tax, collapsed house tax, etc., which are collected by the local government and will not be handed over to the central government. They can be understood as land taxes.

Taxes related to taxes, tax cuts, etc., need to be deported to the central government.

According to the actual situation, there are various tax rates such as one for thirty draws, one for fifteen draws, and one for ten draws.When the merchants' capital turnover is not enough, they really let you pick up the goods, and pay taxes directly with commodities such as cloth and wood.

This has led to the banknote customs in various places having their own warehouses, which are specially used to store the extracted goods-this is also called true color.

The emperor and the center of the Ming Dynasty had repeatedly competed for taxes, and finally Emperor Jiajing made a decision: the color and silver should be returned to the imperial court and used for frontier military expenditures;

Wu Yingji said: "Abolishing the true nature of the banknote customs can reduce the staff of the banknote customs by one-third, the number of employees (temporary workers) can be reduced by more than half, and the loss during storage and transshipment can also be reduced."

Zhao Han nodded: "This is the right thing to do. From now on, regardless of whether it is a seaport or an inland bank, only silver dollars and copper coins will be accepted, and the number of people at the bank will be reduced as much as possible."

Wu Yingji also said: "Inland banknotes, all shipping banknotes should be collected, which can greatly increase the speed of customs clearance, and can continue to reduce the number of officials at the bank."

Shipping bills are taxed according to the tonnage of merchant ships, regardless of what kind of goods are on board.

In this way of taxation, commodities such as cloth, spices, and jewelry are advantageous, while bulky commodities such as coal and timber are even more disadvantaged.

It is equivalent to that when merchant ships pass through the inland Chaoguan, only tolls are charged, regardless of the type and weight of the goods, and Chaoguan directly becomes an inland toll station.

The large-scale banknote passes are all on the inland river, and there are also many small land-based banknote gates, which are located on the official roads in the high mountains.The imperial court wanted to dredge rivers and maintain official roads, so it was reasonable to charge some tolls.

Uniform collection of tolls can improve tax collection efficiency, reduce administrative expenses, and facilitate commodity circulation.Zhao Han discussed in detail with the three cabinet ministers and agreed to Chaoguan's proposal to only charge tolls.

As for the commodity tax, the system of the Ming Dynasty was followed.

Commodity tax was collected in this way in the Ming Dynasty. Merchants selling commodities must obtain a business license and indicate the scope of business and the location of trafficking.Then pay the handling fee, apply for a commodity customs coupon (road guide), and transport it to the destination with the customs coupon.When you arrive at the place, you can't sell it directly. You have to deposit the goods in the official store for tax declaration, and you have to check whether the goods shipped are consistent with the customs certificate. After paying the tax and obtaining the bill, you can be allowed to enter the market.

Without closing coupons, it is smuggling!

Wu Yingji added: "Since the Wanli Year of the Ming Dynasty, small merchants and hawkers in the countryside have to be taxed at the gate of the city when they enter the city to sell vegetables and chickens. During the reign of Chongzhen, all kinds of business taxes increased by one-fifth, and there were countless additional taxes on commodities. .Although His Majesty has banned exorbitant taxes, some remote places still collect them. Please issue another imperial decree to tell the world that Shengdou people do not have to pay taxes for selling some goods."

"There are still local officials collecting exorbitant taxes from the previous government?" Zhao Han was very surprised and angry at this.

Wu Yingji said: "This phenomenon is extremely serious in northern and southern Sichuan, and it was discovered by the inspectors of the Integrity Government. Since it mainly involves commercial taxes, they reported the truth to the relevant yamen, and did not alarm His Majesty."

Zhao Han said angrily: "Immediately draw up an edict, listing all kinds of regular taxes, and designate all the rest as exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes. Whoever dares to collect in violation of the regulations will be corrupt and pervert the law!"

This kind of situation also made Zhu Yuanzhang so angry that the local officials even collected taxes on the small people who went to the city to sell dates.

Of course, Zhao Han is not as conscientious as Zhu Yuanzhang.Zhu Yuanzhang does not levy commodity tax on wedding and funeral items, pens, inks, papers and inkstones and other cultural items, but they are all taxed here in Zhao Han.

The six people discussed for a whole day, and finally finally decided on the tax reform plan, and continued to discuss the details.

Industrial and commercial taxes, tolls, and operating taxes are all confirmed in a unified manner to remove the last obstacle to revitalizing commerce.

The money and grain exchange business of Datong Bank has also been reduced from two or three towns to one office in each county.

The national tax and land tax are also subdivided again, reducing the local retention of agricultural tax and increasing the proportion of agricultural tax deported to the central government.Setting up local Changping warehouses is no longer a matter for local officials. Datong Bank's money and grain exchange offices in counties are equivalent to the Changping warehouses established by the state.

The adjustment of the bank's money and food exchange business this time will definitely catch a lot of food mice, and it is estimated that all of them will be beheaded.

After the adjustment of the tax system, the provincial governments should provide financial support to regions with particularly difficult finances, such as poverty-stricken mountains, so as not to be unable to pay official salaries in the future.

Chapter 625 [Jiahe Xiangrui]

The details of the tax reform plan have been drawn up, but there is no time to formally promote it.

Zhao Han went to work as usual today, but found that the female officials, maids of honor, and daily historians all had joyful expressions on their faces.

"Go out and pick up money?" Zhao Han joked.

Li Xiangjun replied with a smile: "Your Majesty, the local officials report auspiciousness."

The smile on Zhao Han's face disappeared, replaced by a bored expression.

Li Xiangjun quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this auspiciousness is not fake, it is in the lacquered wooden box on the desk."

Zhao Han walked over to sit down, opened the box, and there was an ear of rice lying in it.And one rice with two ears is extremely rare. This kind is called Jiahe, which has been regarded as auspicious since ancient times.

Zhao Han said: "Give it to the Secretary of Agriculture and let them use it for breeding. If it doesn't produce any good results, forget it. As for the local officials, let them be kind to the government and love the people. Next time you meet Jiahe, don't make a fuss."

Ding Shijing, the official historian who recorded the notes on daily life, couldn't help but say at this moment: "Your Majesty, Jiahe is the leader of the five grains. If the king is prosperous, two seedlings will show together. In Zhou De, three seedlings share the same ear; in Shangde, the same root and different ears "Yu Xia De, different origins but the same show. This Jiahe plant has two seedlings that show together, which is the reason for your majesty's virtue and prosperity."

Zhao Han glanced at him, and asked: "Shuangtao with rice means my virtue is prosperous. Is it because my virtue is weak because of natural disasters? You don't talk about strange power and confusion, you don't want to speculate."

"Your Majesty Shengming."

Ding Shijing no longer spoke, but wrote down: On August [-]th, Chizhou Mansion offered auspiciousness.One rice has two ears, and two seedlings compete for beauty.The left and right are called the sun: this emperor is Desheng.The above statement: If Jiahe is the virtue of the king, wouldn't disasters be the loss of the king?Don't speak strange powers, don't speculate on God's will.

One rice with two ears is most likely due to a genetic mutation. Anyway, after hundreds of years, no research has yielded any results.

Regardless of whether they are flattering the emperor or not, local officials will definitely present Jiahe when encountering this matter, and they dare not keep it by themselves.Zhao Han can't reward, otherwise it will bring a crooked atmosphere; nor can he punish, otherwise it will discourage the enthusiasm of officials.

In the afternoon, Chen Xisong, who persuaded the Secretary of Agriculture, was ordered to have an audience.

This guy didn't change his clothes on purpose, and there was still muddy water on his trouser legs. He knew that the emperor liked such images.

Zhao Han pointed to the lacquer box and said, "There is a plant of Jiahe, you can use it to breed, and you can play with it however you like. If you don't grow something famous, it's not your fault."

"Follow the order!" Chen Xisong carefully took the box away.

Zhao Han asked, "How about promoting new crops?"

Chen Xisong said: "Your Majesty, sweet potatoes and corn have spread all over the southern provinces. Especially in the mountains and hills, every family grows them. Farmers found that planting corn every year will reduce the fertility of the land. Interplanting beans, but there is no such concern Therefore, if you want to plant corn in the middle field, it is best to interplant corn and beans. After the ears of corn are fruitful, there is no need for too much water and fertilizer, and sweet potatoes can be interplanted at this time. Then a piece of land can be planted with corn, sweet potatoes, and beans at the same time. Yields are doubled without compromising the fertility of the land.”

"This method is very good." Zhao Han praised.

Chen Xisong said: "It has been implemented in various provinces, and the farmers are very happy. Therefore, despite years of disasters, there is always enough food. Even when there is no harvest, the price of rice has never exceeded 11 yuan per catty. The price is even only two yuan per catty."

"Two words?"

Zhao Han frowned, and immediately said to Li Xiangjun: "I forgot about this matter, and immediately ordered the cabinet to spread it to the local counties. Datong Bank sets the lowest price for money and grain exchange every year. Two cents per catty is allowed. Otherwise, once the natural collection is cancelled, the land tax will only be collected in silver in the future, and farmers will inevitably suffer heavy losses. In addition, the lowest price of grain in each county must be reported to the imperial court every year. Inspectors of clean government will draw a few Counties, check whether the pricing is arbitrary."

In all dynasties, there have been times when there were two coins and one catty of rice.

But it is different now. Due to the large inflow of silver and copper, silver dollars and copper coins are minted every year.In some economically developed regions, there are already signs of inflation, and the price of rice at two pennies is really too low.

After Zhao Han ordered, he said, "You continue."

Chen Xisong said: "As for the barren mountainous areas, corn and sweet potatoes are everywhere. Countless mountain people rely on these two crops for their livelihood. Last year, Guangxi's corn production far exceeded that of wheat, sorghum and other grains, becoming second only to wheat and sorghum. Rice is the second largest crop."

The high yield of corn is certain, and the advantages are not to choose the land.

It is nonsense to say that ancient corn was not so powerful, and the yield was actually small, because farmers voted with their stomachs.Take Guangxi as an example. In the early Qing Dynasty, corn was only grown for children to eat and play.But after 30 to [-] years, the mountains and plains were full of corn, and farmers spontaneously planted it widely.

Chen Xisong also said: "Sunflowers are spreading rapidly in the north. This plant likes cold and dry, which is especially suitable for planting in the north. Nowadays, the northern provinces have vast land and few people. Planting sunflowers does not require much manpower."

There is still a lot of land in the north, and the government has not allocated it, but by default farmers can cultivate unowned land.This kind of unowned land does not need to pay taxes, the ownership is in the government, and it can be distributed to new immigrants at any time.There is too much land, too few people, and the common people can't cultivate it, so they can grow crops that are not too laborious in large tracts.

The rapid popularity of sunflowers has led to many counties in the north, and melon seeds have become a local specialty, and a large number of them are shipped to the south every year for sale.

It is certain that sunflowers were introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty, and it should have been during the Zhengde period at the earliest.

But this thing has always been an ornamental plant, cultivated by literati in gardens, and now it has finally spread to farmland.

Chen Xisong said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the sunflower is not the only crop that grows from the garden to the farmland. There are also farmers growing tomatoes, which are similar to watermelons and are quite refreshing. Every summer, there are farmers carrying tomatoes. Tomatoes, sell them in the city of Nanjing to make a profit."

Tomatoes are tomatoes, and there was already a name for tomatoes in the late Ming Dynasty.

Zhao Han suddenly became interested: "Are tomatoes only sold as fruits? Has anyone fried them? Have you ever eaten scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"

"Can tomatoes be fried?" Chen Xisong was a little confused.

This is beyond the scope of everyone's cognition, because they regard tomatoes as fruits. Have you ever seen eggs scrambled with apples?

Zhao Han asked, "Are there still tomatoes for sale now?"

Chen Xisong said: "Your Majesty, tomatoes are also called tomatoes and June persimmons. Now it is August, and tomatoes are already out of season. If Your Majesty likes it, you can plant some in the farm and present them to the palace in June next year." middle."

"Plant as many ridges as you want, don't plant too many," Zhao Han said with a smile, "When the time comes, I'll treat you to scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

Talking about farming is always a pleasure. Corn, sweet potatoes, and Chinese cabbage have been promoted, and tomatoes and sunflowers have also changed from ornamental to edible.Kelp is studying artificial planting, and has some clues.Peanuts became popular by themselves, and the court did not need to push them hard.

These crops not only enrich the people's table, but also make the people full in the disaster year.

If it weren't for the support of high-yield crops, how could Zhao Han support so many troops in the face of such a climate of natural disasters?You know, every year we have to use food to relieve disasters, and the north is still in a state of land tax relief.

Fine-wool sheep are already multiplying, and future grassland herdsmen can also have a stable income.

By the way, speaking of fine-wool sheep, the fine-wool sheep of the Datong New Dynasty were introduced from Spain.And the Spanish royal family,

What the hell declared bankruptcy again. This is the fifth time that the Spanish royal family has gone bankrupt in the past century.

What does royal bankruptcy mean?

I haven't paid back the money I borrowed, so I don't like it.

If Spain had not gone bankrupt several times, the Netherlands would not have been so easy to become independent.Because the Dutch banker was once the largest creditor of the Spanish royal family.Those lenders in the Netherlands are all very influential, and they will not easily fall out with Spain for the money they have lent.

Spain's industrial, agricultural and commercial policies are simply determined to be insane.

Because wool is better taxed, Spain restricts grain cultivation, and a large amount of good land is used for grazing sheep. Spain has become Europe's largest grain importer.In order to monopolize business, the nobles formulated policies to crack down on merchants, which prevented the industry and commerce in Spain from rising.

In this regard, agriculture, industry and commerce all collapsed, and they survived by overseas colonial exploitation.

Colonial oppression became more and more brutal, resulting in a sharp decline in the population of the Americas, and the once-strong American market also shrank.

Now the king of Spain, the huge debt left after his death is about 5000 million taels in silver.If there are too many lice, it doesn't itch, and if there are too many debts, it doesn't worry, it's just like that anyway.As for the financiers who were cheated, they should hang themselves and jump into the river.

Spain's declaration of bankruptcy this time means that the 30-year war in Europe is coming to an end.

The Thirty Years War marked the beginning of modern European history.The Westphalian system established after the war lasted until the First World War.Of course, we have to ask whether Datong China agrees to this kind of international order system.

In addition, France became the overlord of the land, and the Netherlands became the overlord of the sea.

But Britain has ended the civil war, the king fled to Scotland, and was redeemed by the parliament for 50 pounds to be placed under house arrest.The king, who was under house arrest, ran away again, and was trying to persuade the Scottish army to come to the king's rescue.

This civil war in England is not a bourgeois revolution.

The distribution of spoils after the war is the bourgeois revolution—the Lord Protector, Cromwell, first won over the army and civilians, and withstood the king's counterattack.Then they broke their promises and attacked the army and civilian parties. The fruits of the revolution were stolen by the gentry and nobles, which is very similar to the [-] Revolution in China.

Having said so much, I just want to express one meaning, the big battles that Europe should fight are all over.

The following European countries paid more attention to overseas colonization.In the future, even if there is a war, it will be based on maritime interests, and exchanges between China and Europe will become more frequent and closer.

The overseas sales of Chinese goods will reach another peak, and the customers are those Europeans!

Zhao Han traveled to a hellish period that was plagued by natural disasters year after year, and it was also a heyday of maritime trade.

Chapter 626 [Ryukyu]

There is no grand ceremony for the emperor to concubine.

Princess Aisha of Brunei just lit two red candles, put on a wedding dress, and had sex with Emperor Zhao.

Not even a concubine, just a concubine.

Lu Tianxiang was a little bit better, after all, he chose a good day and auspicious day.

She didn't resist attacking being a concubine, on the contrary she was quite proud and excited.After all, the emperor is a great hero, and he can't be a female general, so it's not bad to marry a hero.

Just when Lu Tianxiang officially entered the palace, those Cossacks from Tsarist Russia traveled across Siberia and saw the Pacific Ocean.

They named the river flowing into the Pacific Ocean the Okhot River.And at the mouth of the river, it is planned to build a fortress, the Okhotsk Fortress.In another time and space, the sea area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is also known as the "Sea of ​​Okhotsk".

At the southern end of this sea area, there is a large island, which is Sakhalin Island.

Regarding Sakhalin Island, Nuergandusi, which belonged to the Ming Dynasty before, all surrendered to the rule of the Qing Dynasty.Now that the Manchu and Qing dynasties are declining, the natives on the island no longer pay tribute, but they have not risen against the Manchu and Qing rule.

And just three years ago, Japan drew a national map and for the first time included Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido into Japanese territory.

Now, Sakhalin Island will be targeted by Tsarist Russia again.

In the entire Datong Chinese court, except for Zhao Han, no one knew the existence of Sakhalin Island.Even Pang Chunlai and Li Banghua didn't know anything about it. They only knew that the most northeastern place was once the slave Gandusi of the Ming Dynasty. The official files of the Ming Dynasty had to be checked for the specific situation.

Of course, the same is true of Tsarist Russian monarchs and ministers. They don't care about Siberia, as long as the Cossacks can get fur.

The problem is ice and snow, those Cossacks are not supermen, why can they reach the Pacific coast?

Just say one thing and you'll understand.

Four years ago, 132 Cossacks fought all the way to the north bank of Heilongjiang.Not to mention burning, killing and looting along the way, due to lack of food, they even ate 50 Daur residents.