Pingxiang County Ya, two halls

The first batch of businessmen who entered the county government were mostly born in Yunnan, Guangxi, and after many verifications, there was nothing suspicious about their backgrounds before they were invited.

The three big merchants led by him have been rooted here since the Yuan Dynasty, and have gradually developed a certain scale by trading with the Tusi of various states with the things of the Central Plains, and have become a strength that should not be underestimated in the local area.

To put it mildly, with these three families as representatives, more than sixty percent of the businessmen in the church relied on smuggling to make their fortunes.

After Ming Tai-Zu Zhu Yuanzhang established the dynasty, he strictly forbade northern border trade, dare to rob? Beat you so that you can't take care of yourself! The multi-pronged approach has lowered the living standards of the Northern Yuan nobles by several grades, and it is natural that the Tusi of the Southwest Fanbang who does not accept the management of the Ming Dynasty will not be polite.

The sale of tea was restricted, the export of salt and iron was strictly prohibited, the price of porcelain and silk had increased several times, and the local three divisions and yamen did not give their strength, and even worse, they were in collusion with smugglers. Emperor Hongwu directly sent the inspector to the imperial history, widened his eyes, and pulled out one by one.

Beheaded, skinned, exiled, confiscated! Such a strict order has not been able to completely block the smuggling-trade in various parts of the southwest.

Artificial interest trend, dare to take risks.

The more the lockdown became, the more prosperous the trade on the southwest border became.

Unlike the vast northern grasslands, the mountains are high and densely forested, and most of them are primeval forests.

The local Tusi Hao clan was not very obedient, collected-bribe-bribe, and provided all kinds of cover for smugglers-merchants, and it was useless for the imperial court to send the entire Metropolitan Procuratorate down.

It was not until the Ming Dynasty successively recovered the Tusi of the border villages within the territory, rewarded the local officials, established friendly relations with the neighboring states, and carried out tributary trade, that the situation improved.

Smuggling-smuggling businessmen began to go to the Yamen to open roads and pay taxes according to regulations, and the commercial tax in the southwest and other places improved.

It's not that there are no businessmen who continue to lead the team to the trail, but it's a pity that they avoid the army of the Ming Dynasty, but they can't avoid the black and black of Fanbang Tusi, and the result is often that there is no return.

In the past, there was no way to buy and sell with smugglers. Now that the Ming Dynasty has opened up part of its border trade, and established tea and horse markets in Sichuan, Yunnan and parts of Guangxi, these people who do not have a "business license" come to the door, whether they are robbed or slaughtered, the reasons are ready-made.

Maintain border trade and uphold the laws of the Ming Dynasty!

After a few times, the merchants also came back to their senses, they were not strong enough to fight with the other party with their guards, and they no longer dared to go across the border single-handedly or with a team of three or four people.

In the same way, powerful businessmen can also make enough profits in the tea and horse market, and most of them are not interested in continuing to take the double risk of stealing-smuggling-trading.

After a long time, in the third year of Yongle, the trade volume of the southwest border even exceeded that of the northern Xinjiang. This situation not only did not come to the imagination of the court scholars who had always regarded Guangxi, Yunnan and other places as barbaric, but even Meng from later generations was surprised.

didn't go to Siming Mansion to look for information, but simply flipped through the miscellaneous records of Pingxiang County, and Uncle Meng was already dumbfounded.

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

Thirty taxes and one are still set by Emperor Hongwu and his old man, and they have not changed for decades.

Not to mention the vast number of farmers, Juntun also needs a bucket of tax per mu! As we all know, before sweet potato and corn were introduced to China, farmers in the Ming Dynasty planted wheat and 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 taxes are levied, they have to be kicked and beaten in various ways, and it is not easy for the rest of the food to feed the family.

Meng asked the county magistrate and the chief secretary of the county government in this regard, and the answer he got was that when the peasant households encountered a disaster year, the imperial court would exempt them from tax and give them relief grain. Merchants do not have tax exemptions, but there are all kinds of miscellaneous expenses, plus land transportation checkpoints, Caoyun terminals, merchants actually pay much more than on the books.

Coupled with the various restrictions of the imperial court decrees, the merchants at this time were far less nourishing than in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

"Don't hide it from your uncle, if you go to Fanbang to trade, you meet a buyer who is not trustworthy, and the goods are robbed, and you can't even save your life."

The county secretary and the main book are both from the local clans, and the main book also has the family background of the local officials, so they naturally know some things that ordinary people don't know.

Xingningbo was sent by the imperial court, but he didn't put on a show, and he went to Pingxiang for a few months, pointing out a lot of financial ways for everyone. If there is a question, the county master is naturally willing to answer.

It would be better if he could take the opportunity to win the appreciation of Xingningbo. Li Qingqing can talk in front of his uncle, and the Li family is all chickens and dogs ascending to heaven, and they are thriving. The clan behind them is just as powerful, what Li Qingqing can do, they can do the same, and even do better.

"I see."

After listening to the explanation of the county seat and the main book, Meng had a new understanding of commerce in the early Ming Dynasty, and his palms couldn't help sweating. If he didn't have a title and official title, it wasn't that his relationship with Shen Xuan was extraordinary, he didn't hug Emperor Yongle's thigh, just a few things he did in Daning were enough to die a hundred times.

When I thought about it a few days later, I still couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder everyone in the world wants to be an official in the imperial examination, and it is really good to be an official." ”

If you don't become an official, you won't have a social status.

Without social status, it is difficult to do something.

How about Shen Xsan? It's not that Zhu Yuanzhang will be delegated with a word.

Although almost all the officials of the Hongwu Dynasty are treated like this, in comparison, Mr. Shen is still the one that is relatively prominent among the many cups. After all, others didn't spend money to build an imperial city for Emperor Hongwu, and he didn't get good money even if he spent it.

Hearing Meng sigh like this, the tea in Zhu Neng's mouth almost squirted out.

Isn't it a letter written by a given country? How could this be said suddenly?

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

Thinking of this possibility, Zhu Neng gasped.

Just in his early twenties, he was awarded the title of first-class uncle, was given the surname of the country, guarded one side, appreciated by the Son of Heaven, befriended with the prince, and called the nobles brothers, and the eunuch Jinyiwei also has a relationship that has to be said, throughout the Hongwu Dynasty to the present, there are only a handful of such achievements.

It's good for people to be self-motivated, but it's also too self-motivated.

Don't mention the soldiers who copy-slash and kill with knives, and the sour Ding who reads hard in the cold window will be red-eyed. However, Xingningbo should also be regarded as a scholar......

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

After writing the letter, he read it from beginning to end, and confirmed that everything that should have been written was written, and there was nothing that should not be written, Meng summoned the personal guard, "Send it to the chief officer as soon as possible." ”

"Yes!"

The guards promised, and Zhu Neng finally came back to his senses.

"Brother Xian's letter has been written?"

"Today's events have been written in detail in the letter." Meng Dao, "Li Daling can do things, these businessmen who came today should not be stupid, as long as they click a few words, they will understand that this is not a hammer deal, the longer they do it, the greater the profit." ”

Zhu Neng nodded, thinking secretly, when the class master returned to the court, he should think of a way to select a few artifacts from the clan and send them to the north. Xuanfu Kaiyuan is guarded by the prince, Beijing has Wei Guogong, Daning has Xingningbo, as long as you can get ahead, you will have a good future.

As for the pending crown prince's position...... Zhu Neng picked up the teacup again, no matter how hard Wenyuan Pavilion and Hanlin Academy danced, the Son of Heaven did not let go, everything was unknown.

The three princes are all sons-in-law, although they have all been crowned kings, it is not difficult to see the tendency of the Son of Heaven from the titles and fiefs.

King Ping is the eldest son, but his military exploits and performance after his ascension to the throne are not as good as those of King Zhao of Han. The prince of Ping Wang is really loved by today, and he occupies the name of the emperor's eldest grandson, and the result is really unpredictable.

Zhu Neng frowned, as a military general, he naturally hoped that Zhu Di's heir would be close to the military ministers, at least not like the emperor's grandson, who would emphasize literature and ignore martial arts, so that the literati turned the sky upside down. But he also knew that the idea of the Son of Heaven was not something that the courtiers could influence.

Those who dare to make small moves in private and try to influence the will of the Son of Heaven will basically not end well. But for the sake of the family, he should also ......

Just thinking about it, he suddenly heard Meng's voice, "Grandpa Guo, do you want to pour another cup of tea?" ”

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

"Ahem!"

Cheng Guogong coughed, and the teacup was put on the table to hide his distraction just now.

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

What was Zhu Neng thinking just now, he was naturally not curious, but he knew that curiosity killed cats. The cat has nine lives, and he only has one, so it's better to settle down.

There was silence in the wing, Cheng Guogong continued to drink tea, and Meng continued to write letters, not to Shen Xuan, but to Zhu Gaosui in the far north.

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

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

After thinking about it, anyway, the big pokes of the "friends of the eunuchs" and "the accomplices of the Jinyi Guard" have been covered, is it still necessary to care about the eyes of the world?

Seeing Meng Ti's pen writing the words of His Royal Highness's Taijian, he asked, "Brother Xian and His Royal Highness King Zhao often correspond?" ”

"Not often." Meng finished writing a page and handed it to Zhu Neng, "It's for the purpose of transporting timber to Beijing." To build a palace, it is always necessary to buy wood, and with King Zhao taking the lead, this business in the south will be even bigger. ”

The palace is only one of them, the Son of Heaven moved the capital, the land price in Beijing will rise, and the building materials will be in short supply. After all, it is impossible for the emperor to go to Beijing alone, the six departments 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 officials and soldiers who guard the capital, and the family members who moved to Beijing, all of them are counted, and Beijing will definitely carry out large-scale reconstruction, which is tantamount to a city-building movement.

The emperor had to build a palace to live in, and the ministers had to build a house to settle their families.

When Shen Xuan was guarding Beijing, he mostly lived in the Yamen of the Dusi, and Wei Guogong went to Beijing to train his troops and simply lived in the barracks.

The soldiers can make do, but the scholars and their families can't.

The civil and military grades, the nobles of the clan, and the homes and courtyards must be built according to the regulations.

Relying on the resources in Shuntianfu alone is absolutely not enough, the timber in Liaodong is not suitable for excessive cutting, and the timber is transported from the south, although there is a loss, but it is a solution to take sea and water transportation, and transport it through Tianjin Weitun storage.

"According to the idea of the lower officials, materials can be collected from Annan, and at the same time, the Annan Shu people can build a road from Guangxi and Yunnan to the east and west of Annan, and a larger household market can be set up at the border."

"Build roads?"

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

Faced with this extremely simple map, Zhu Neng frowned at first, and after a while, he slapped the table suddenly, "Good! ”

Meng smiled, he believed that Zhu Neng understood the meaning behind the road construction.

The jungle of Annam is dense, the water network is intertwined, the Ming army has won successive battles, and the east and west have reached the Mumaru River. The thieves encountered along the way are not to be feared, but the difficult road conditions are a huge problem.

Shen Xuan's victory is certain, and the Ming army's capture of Annan is also inevitable. However, having won the battle, how to arrange the aftermath needs to be carefully considered.

Whether it is to support Chen's coming to power or to include Annan in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, these two roads must be built.

When the mountains open, the rain builds bridges. The road became a thoroughfare, and he was in chaos in the south of the country, and the Ming Dynasty sent troops, and he could reach the capital in a few days.

"Building roads and opening mutual markets can send Annan people. A large number of servants gathered, and commerce must have risen along the way. There are not enough people, and the thief army captured by the army also has a use. Seeing Zhu Neng's glare, Meng grinned, "The climate here is suitable, rice can be harvested three times a year, and when the road is opened, you can purchase fertile land from the local circle and move the border people to plant." In order to prevent thieves and thieves, when the army is stationed, it is not to occupy the land of Annam, but to protect the people of our Ming Dynasty. What does Grandpa Guo think? ”

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

"The lower official has a reluctant request, please ask the grandfather of the country to agree."

"Brother Xian, just say."

"Please ask Grandpa Guo to bring this matter to the Son of Heaven."

"Me?"

Zhu Neng was surprised. If this plan is successful, it will be the credit of pouring the sky, and it will be pushed to yourself like this?

"Exactly." Meng said with a smile, "After all, Xia Guan is young and thin, and he does not have too deep roots in the court, please forgive Grandpa Guo." It should be a favor for the lower officials. ”

Zhu Neng stroked his chin, gave him credit, and said that it was a favor, the words were beautiful, and the things were beautiful. Such a trade-off, if you replace yourself more than ten years ago, may not be able to do it.

"Well, just say yes for my brother. There are people in the DPRK who criticize it, and there are brothers who are there, and virtuous brothers can rest assured. ”

"Grandpa Xie Guo!"

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

Meng raised his head and looked at Zhu Neng seriously.

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

Could it be that his relationship with Dingguo Gong is already so obvious?

Shaking his head, he must have been thinking too much.

Zhu Neng is more sophisticated than Meng, Meng only thought about pulling him and Shen Xuan into the gang to share the pressure, but he waved his pen and specially repaired the book and sent it to the army to recruit the generals of Annan.

Those who eat alone are destined to not go far, and everyone has the credit to share the credit, which is the way to success......

"Grandpa Guo is thoughtful, but the lower officials are not thoughtful enough."

Meng Hanyan wants to work hard in the Ming officialdom and go to the next level, and he has to continue to study.

Three letters were sent from the Pingxiang County Government one after another, and Li Qingqing and the first batch of businessmen gathered also reached a preliminary consensus.

At first, he was a little nervous, but as the predetermined conditions were thrown one after another, the eyes of the merchants became more and more intense, but he strangely calmed down.

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

"Is what the Great Decree said true?"

"Nature is true." Li Qingqing said, "Not limited to rice, wheat and corn can also be. But the official has a word first, and it must not be old food. ”

"In addition to food, what else do you want?"

"Spices, medicinal herbs, and wild things are also purchased by the official." Li Qingqing said, "If there is a good seed, the price is easy to say." ”

A businessman said: "I heard that the county government purchased wood, why didn't Li Daling hand it over to me?" ”

"The matter has been referred to the local officials of the ministries. If you want to do the timber business, this grain business, the official will have to choose someone else. ”

Such conditions were explained by Meng to Li Qingqing in advance.

Because the border people and local officials also live here, they will naturally have a choice when cutting timber. This is not the case with the merchants who are scattered all over the country, and if they hand over their business to them, they will have a conflict with the border people, and the result will be quite troublesome.

What's more, timber is a long-term business, and at the moment, it is important to raise food.

The army has been captured, but after all, it is 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 and counties.

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

For the well-informed Hinningbo, it was really no secret. Otherwise, Emperor Yongle would not have allowed him to "engage in it cheaply", just to raise military rations.

In the end, the merchants all chose to buy and sell grain, and if there was hope to exchange it for iron tools, Li Qingqing sent someone to ask Meng for advice, and he also agreed.

The iron weapons of the Ming Dynasty were restricted from being sold, and the weapons seized from Annam were not among them.

The Ming army looked down on the swords and guns of the Annan people, but for the neighboring Fanbang, it was hard to find, and the price was high, as long as the number was large!

Li Qingqing took the proposed contract to Santang, and Meng took the abacus on a whim, and roughly estimated the profit of exchanging cloth for grain.

A rough figure was drawn, the sound of the abacus stopped, and the eyes were rounded.

Miscalculated, right?

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

Li Qingqing stretched his neck, not only his eyes were round, but his jaw fell to the ground.

"And that's just the fabric......"

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

Meng looked at Zhu Neng, "Otherwise, find the main book in the county government and calculate it?" ”

This profit ratio is really a bit scary. I can't believe it, if you play the capital, will Emperor Yongle believe it?

In case the hat of the bully is buttoned down, the fun will be great.