Chapter 120: The Salt Law Opens the Middle Law

Before the influx of silver, silver was still very valuable.

At least the annual silver input of the Ming Dynasty is only a few million taels, and there is absolutely no 10 million taels, which is still after the opening of the sea, but now the tax growth after the opening of the sea is not too fast, and it is estimated that it is only a few million taels.

And this suddenly came another couple of millions taels. If you understand the income of silver, you can break through 10 million taels per year.

In this way, the Hebei water conservancy project is enough to support, and even in the future, the war with the tile spur will be enough confidence.

It's just that Zhu Qizhen thought about it, and he didn't think of any way to increase his income by millions of taels in one go. Zhu Qizhen has not been the emperor for nothing in the past few years.

There really must be a few opportunities to collect millions of taels, where to put it, Zhu Qizhen doesn't feel that he can't find it.

Zhou Chen didn't sell Guan Zi either, and said: "It's salt." ”

When Zhu Qizhen heard this, he was disappointed.

Because of the salt law, Zhu Qizhen has thought about it many times in his heart, but he can't move it, which is related to the national security of the imperial court. Otherwise, how could the salt tax of the Ming Dynasty be as much as one or two million taels.

It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

Why? It is because of the Kaizhong Law that has been implemented since the time of Taizu.

Because the consumption of grain transportation is too large, in order to support the grain of the garrison on the nine sides, in the third year of Hongwu, Yang Xian proposed the law of opening the middle, and the specific implementation is that the merchant transports grain to the nine sides, and the nine sides accept it, and will issue a receipt, which can go to the salt field to exchange for salt, and then sell silver in the designated area.

The original intention of this method was to use high profits to let merchants bear the consumption of grain transportation.

Since Hongwu, it has always been an effective supplement to the grain of the nine sides.

It's just that in this way, the imperial court does not have much income from the salt tax, after all, it subsidizes the nine sides.

If the Kaizhong Law is abolished and a way to scrape it again, it is naturally possible, but what about the soldiers of the Nine Sides? Make them hungry?

This is something that can never be done.

When Zhou Chen saw Zhu Qizhen's expression, he knew what Zhu Qizhen was thinking.

How could Zhou Chen not expect this, and said: "Your Majesty, since the tenth year of Xuande, the minister remembers that the imperial court has subsidized the grain and grass of the nine sides many times, totaling silver, and it is estimated that there are more than one million taels. ”

Zhu Qizhen actually had an impression of this incident, and said, "Yes." ”

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, if the opening of the Chinese law can be carried out smoothly, then why is the food in the nine sides so scarce?" There must be a disadvantage in it. ”

Zhu Qizhen also frowned slightly when he heard this.

To be honest, Zhu Qizhen also had some doubts in his heart about this matter.

There is a Tuntian guard on the nine sides, which is logically self-sufficient, and there is grain for the people to transport, and the five northern provinces supply eight million stones to the nine sides, as well as the opening of the middle and the law, and the imperial court salt tax is subsidized

Got in.

But why is there not enough food on the nine sides?

"How much money does the imperial court need to supply the nine-sided soldiers?" Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but have this idea in his heart.

But this question, no one can answer him.

This question is not only what Zhu Qizhen wants to ask, but also what the great sons of later generations want to ask, especially Emperor Chongzhen, how much money can he afford to raise Guanning Tieqi?

No one can answer.

Zhu Qizhen asked, "Do you know what the disadvantages are?" ”

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, businessmen like to work hard, how can they work hard to transport grain, and the salt industry is profitable, they would rather sell grain locally and then sell it to the army." ”

"Naturally, you can get salt leads."

"It's just that in this way, the local food price has naturally been stirred up."

It was the first time Zhu Qizhen heard such an operation from a salt merchant, but after thinking about it carefully, he understood that this was inevitable, counting on the merchant to serve the national defense.

What a joke.

Since it is hard to transport grain, it is enough to sell grain directly.

It's just that in this way, the price of grain in the nine sides is high, and the people can't afford to eat it. Most of the people in the Nine Sides are the families of the soldiers, so the financial pressure on the Nine Sides has increased greatly, and the salaries issued by the imperial court are not enough.

For the Ming court, there is no benefit at all.

But for the salt merchants, especially the Jin merchants who were rich in the opening of China and France, they don't care if you live or die.

Zhu Qizhen has never been afraid to speculate on anyone with the greatest malice, and Zhu Qizhen even thought that these salt merchants were likely to buy off the local officers, buy the grain in the granary, and then sell it.

And so on.

The more Zhu Qizhen doubted, and examined the Kaizhong method again, he only felt that it was all flaws in the end, and it was unbearable to ponder it carefully.

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, the minister also admits that there are some merchants who work hard to transport grain. But most of these people are bankrupt. ”

Zhu Qizhen was even more surprised and said, "How can this be? ”

Zhou Chen said: "Many small businessmen, who do not have so much financial resources, are naturally willing to work harder and transport grain from other places to Jiubian, but after getting the salt introduction, they have to go to the salt field to guard the branch, and they cannot immediately receive the salt, but it will take several years to wait, and even the father and son have successively guarded the branch, and they are poor and miserable. ”

Just think about it, these little salt merchants make hard money, and the capital is naturally not much, and his capital is to buy grain first, and the most valuable wealth in the whole body is the salt in his hand, but he can't get the salt. The livelihood of the whole family has been lost.

The suffering is truly irreparable.

Zhu Qizhen was even more surprised, and said, "How can this be? ”

Zhou Chen said: "Your Majesty, since the Yongle period, there have been nobles who have begged for salt, and although Taizong Renzong Xuanzong has repeatedly refused, he has also approved a lot. ”

"There is salt production in the world

counted, these relatives and nobles joined, and those small businessmen with no background naturally went back in line. ”

Zhu Qizhen was silent for a while. is also a little ashamed, because he has also approved salt introductions. It was his sister Princess Changde who begged, and Zhu Qizhen couldn't wipe off his face, so he approved it.

But now that I want to go down to the cabinet, this is simply digging my own foundation.

He went down, but he didn't know how many small salt merchants would have to wait in the back line. And if the salt in the world is monopolized by the big salt merchants, is it a good thing for the imperial court?

Zhou Chen didn't seem to want to let go of Zhu Qizhen, and continued: "This is the suffering of the salt merchants, but I don't know the suffering of the salt merchants, but it is not as good as the suffering of the stove households. ”

"This dynasty follows the system of the former Yuan, and the stove households that boil salt along the coast, special households, exempt from other miscellaneous labors, only boil salt, and make money with treasure money. At the time of Yongle, the quota for each household is fixed. And with a quota, beyond the quota, it is called surplus salt, and the imperial court stipulates that surplus salt is bought at a high price. ”

"It's just that now it's empty talk."

"Because of the imperial court, the cost of work given to the stove households is still treasure money, and the surplus salt has an empty price, and it has never been enough."

Zhu Qizhen didn't seem to be able to speak, and said, "How can this be? ”

If the first sentence is like this, I am still surprised, but this sentence is a deep despair, this is the great tomorrow, this is what is done for the hundred officials of the herdsmen of the Son of Heaven.

Zhu Qizhen even thought about how those stove households lived in dire straits, the treasure money was too hard to wipe their buttocks, and Yu Yan didn't give money at all, or gave a little money.

However, there is a quota, and if the quota is not fulfilled, there will definitely be punishments.

I'm afraid that the whole family boils salt all day long, and they don't even dare to eat salt.

Luo is not a silkworm farmer.

Zhou Chen's words were still not over, and he said: "So the rise of private salt, the stove households privately sold the surplus salt to the merchants, and the sales of official salt were affected. ”

"How can the state's taxes not be affected?"

"Now the salt tax has not dropped significantly, but the imperial court is still clear, and the national strength is enough to support it.

"The minister is not only open source for the country, but also for the country to consolidate the foundation, how many years has it been, Your Majesty has forgotten, Huang Chao, Zhang Shicheng are some people?"

Zhu Qizhen was suddenly shocked in his heart, what kind of person is Huang Chao, he is a salt dealer, and what kind of person is Zhang Shicheng, he is a stove household.

Even Zhu Qizhen himself felt the same way, if he didn't cross over to the emperor, but on the stove, he wouldn't say a word at all, but he would be anti-fucking.

It's not as simple as bullying people, it's just cannibalism.

Zhu Qizhen said: "I will definitely pay attention to this salt law, but as soon as the law is opened, what should I do with the grain and grass on the nine sides?" ”

As for how much grain and grass is needed on the nine sides, now is not the time to think about it, and we must first maintain the stability of the nine sides.