Chapter 159: Zhou Chen's means of collecting money

Calculated separately, each yamen is at most 2 million taels, and the least is hundreds of thousands of taels, which are generally escorted into Beijing at the end of the year, and recorded before the end of the year, and settled clearly in February of the first month of the second year.

The account department also needs to reconcile.

Zhou Chen's change can be said to increase the cost, many yamen originally ran once a year, but now they have to run twelve times a year, some places are far away, and they may not be able to get to Beijing in a month, that is to say, each yamen has to send several groups of people to walk on the road.

The total amount of transportation is hundreds of thousands of taels and tens of thousands of taels.

The cost has increased too much.

It's just a temporary pre-emptive countermeasure.

Zhu Qizhen asked: "In this way, how much can the imperial court customs and salt tax be collected this winter." ”

Zhou Chen said: "On average, you can put about one million taels into the warehouse every month, and the specific situation depends on the situation of each yamen, and the minister estimates that there are about 10 million taels." ”

It is just to collect the taxes in advance, and even if the expenses of the Beijing division are compressed and compressed, it will be at least about four million taels a year.

If the war starts in the spring of next year, then Zhu Qizhen will probably have 16 million taels of silver in his hands, although it is not much, but it is enough to last for a while.

But think about the 400,000 troops of the tile spurs, the imperial court should use the least corresponding men, 16 million taels seems to be more. The apportionment to each soldier is only four hundred taels.

It seems to be enough, but once the fight starts, the pension, the wear and tear of weapons, the wartime salary, and all kinds of rewards and awards, not to mention anything else, just the first head to set the reward, not to give a gold ten thousand taels, this is one hundred thousand taels of silver.

Zhu Qizhen adheres to the idea of smashing the tile thorn with money, so he doesn't think about how to spend it.

But if you also know that Zhu Qizhen has so much money, it is estimated that he will have the idea of giving up the war.

After all, the economic gap between the tile spur and the Ming Dynasty is too big, and the tax estimate of the tile spur for a year is not an accurate accounting, about how many horses, how many cattle and sheep, how much pasture to calculate, and the various ministries and the tile spur are not one, and their money cannot be transferred to the center first.

The annual income is estimated to be less than one million taels.

The imperial court raised soldiers to really fight because of rewards, subsidies, and fields at home, of course, many fields are now more encroached upon. In addition to the core of the tile thorn iron horse, you will be given a knife and a horse, and the only benefit is the freedom to plunder after victory.

Zhu Qizhen said: "Sir, is there any other clever plan?" ”

Zhou Chen said: "There is another way that is not a way, but it is just to damage His Majesty's reputation if he says it." ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "Mr. just say it. ”

Zhu Qizhen may cherish feathers a little, but the reason why he cherishes feathers is

In order to obtain political benefits, the reputation of the emperor is also a kind of political capital to some extent. It's not that Zhu Qizhen really loves fame, although sometimes he is praised a few words, and Zhu Qizhen is also very comfortable, but Zhu Qizhen will not be burdened by fame.

For example, now, if Zhu Qizhen's reputation can be discounted, Zhu Qizhen must not hesitate to discount this reputation, of course, more than three million taels.

Too little is a bit less cost-effective.

After all, what Zhu Qizhen lacks is big money, not small money.

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, when the salt law was first determined, each county set a businessman, and auctioned the quota, and the minister knew that this matter of selling quotas was indispensable, and now although the quota is still sold, most of them are sold at the original price." These salt merchants have established a solid network in the local area and have become local snakes. Even if ordinary merchants sell their places, they can't sell salt. ”

"Even if there are a few cross-river dragon fights every year, there are very few, so this part of the income was less than 300,000 taels last year."

Zhu Qizhen frowned, he had a kind of money that had been stolen by someone. But no evidence could be found.

After all, Zhu Qizhen knows his identity very well, he is the rule-maker, and the people below are players. The player drilled the loophole, and that's his problem with making the rules, not the player's problem.

Even if Zhu Qizhen is uncomfortable, he will not take the silver back directly.

Zhu Qizhen said: "What does Mr. mean, is it to change a batch of salt merchants? ”

Zhou Chen said: "The minister doesn't have this idea, Your Majesty is a holy monarch, how can he kill someone without punishment?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "Then what do you mean? ”

Zhou Chen said: "The salt merchants are rich, Your Majesty can make them donate money for the country, and maybe you can give them some places for admission to various colleges." and even the quota of the national prison. ”

Zhu Qizhen's heart moved, and he remembered that this was the so-called donation of prisons. The Ming generation still wants to be faced, and all those who donate are only the prisoners of the country.

Guozi Jian students can directly participate in the imperial examination, and they can also become officials, of course, they can't be big officials, but it is suitable for salt merchants who want to change their courts after they have money.

In the Qing Dynasty, it directly developed into a donation of officials, although it was a solution to the financial problem, but it pushed the Qing Dynasty's official governance into the abyss.

Zhu Qizhen secretly pondered the pros and cons in his heart, and asked, "Are the colleges established by the imperial court very popular now?" ”

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, when you come out of various academies, you can generally go to various places to be officials, or even officials, which is also a good choice for scholars who fail in the imperial examination." ”

"It's just not as good as Guozijian."

Zhu Qizhen nodded, he pondered for a while, and said, "Sir, how much money do you think you can get from the salt merchants from all over the world?" ”

Zhou Chen said: "The minister doesn't dare to say much, but there are still five million taels." ”

The imperial court's annual salt tax is about 10 million taels, and even then the salt merchants don't make money? No, even if the imperial court stipulates the maximum and minimum salt prices, the annual income of many counties is thousands of taels, or even tens of thousands of taels, and in many large places, there are even tens of thousands of taels.

After several years of accumulation, there have long been salt merchants with a family of more than one million.

Five million taels is a lot, but it is just a year's profit for salt merchants everywhere.

Zhou Chen said it very innocently, but it may not be possible to take action.

It is even said that this is a kind of showdown, these salt merchants rely on the salt transportation yamen to eat, and now the household department wants them to pay, and they just pay obediently.

If you are not honest, hum, dear, do you want to continue to be a salt merchant next year?

In fact, as long as the imperial court pulls down its face and wants to make money, it is not too difficult, and the most difficult thing is to make money without positive side effects.

And Zhou Chen's method, although it is a little unauthentic, is a method without side effects, not to mention raising taxes for the people and increasing tax costs. It also increases the burden on the people, and the people can rebel when they are in a hurry.

But the salt merchant wanted him to rebel, and the businessman who relied on the government to eat still wanted to shake the state apparatus, but now the power of the Ming Dynasty is still very stable. Even if there are dignitaries behind this salt merchant, they will not speak in this matter.

After all, if five million taels are apportioned, it will only be a few thousand taels per family, or about ten thousand taels.

For them, it's not bone-wracking.

Zhu Qizhen said: "I'm right. Is there any other way? ”

Zhou Chen thought for a while and said: "In fact, the customs can also increase taxes, after all, what the imperial court sells will not affect the country." ”

Zhu Qizhen thought about it, but felt that it might not be.

Zhou Chen only thinks that overseas trade is dispensable, and picking wool from above will not hurt the basic plate of the Ming Dynasty, what is the basic plate of the Ming Dynasty?

It is the farmer of the Ming Dynasty, the yeoman farmer of the Ming Dynasty.

When Zhou Chen attacked businessmen, he always attacked with heavy punches and showed no mercy.

After all, raising pigs for a thousand days, using pigs for a while, Zhou Chen rose up from the place, and he understood the local situation too well, and the businessman did not dare to say that he was not guilty, but if he grabbed any businessman and took the Da Ming Law from beginning to end, it was rare to be innocent.

Especially the maritime merchants, they turned their heads to pirates.

But in Zhu Qizhen, he was worried that it would affect Daming's influence overseas.

Zhu Qizhen, the Shijia family in the old port, has been paying attention.

In the Ming Dynasty Maritime Trade, the Shi family of the old port and the Wei Zeng family of Nanyang occupied a large share, especially in the South Seas, and it was the interests of this sea trade that supported the war between them and Majapahit.

Although the war between them was more about the plundering of ships at sea. Due to the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, Majapahit did not dare to directly attack the old port.

But how long can this last?