"Your Majesty, Lord Shoufu, the grain and rice contracts on the market today are three silver dollars per stone of rice, but it is the purchaser who has to transport it away on his own after delivery, and go to the various government treasury to pay the land endowment in kind. If a certain merchant asks the following merchants to launch a new grain and rice contract, after purchasing the contract, the seller can go to the treasury for delivery on behalf of the seller, eliminating the need to transport and pay for the warehouse. ”

Li Shouhan's words suddenly made Ma Shiying feel empowered, so that's it!

"Eighty-six million stone rice, the price of three and a half silver dollars per stone meter, that is 30,000 and one million silver dollars!" Ma Shiying excitedly twisted a few beards in his hands, and he didn't feel the pain.

Zhu Yousong listened to Ma Shiying's report of this number, and he also understood. It turns out that my great general fought with such an idea! Sure enough, it's good! Those Donglin traitors, let you prevent me from ascending the throne as the emperor, and let you ruin my Ming Dynasty! I don't care to clean up your family, as long as my subordinates make a move, it will be enough to make you lose your wealth and ruin your family!

"Sir, but, the amount of 30,000,000 and 1,000,000 silver dollars you just mentioned is only a flash in the pan at the moment. I don't know how much can really fall into my hands in addition to the cost? ”

Ma Shiying is also the first assistant of the cabinet in the end, and he belongs to the kind of person who does practical things, so he naturally thinks about problems much more realistically.

"Shousuke-sama is worried about the cost?" Li Shouhan took a sip of cocoa, but immediately frowned, the cocoa was already a little cold, and the taste in the mouth was naturally not as good as when it was hot.

"Hurry! Fast! Hurry up and change a hot cup for the marshal! Zhu Yousong, who refused to blink his eyes, was all focused on Li Shouhan at the moment, and when he saw him frowning, he immediately ordered the people around him to quickly change the heat for the marshal!

(Don't say anything like this great tomorrow's lack of discipline, it's really a poor and short-minded person, and I'm afraid of poverty.) ）

"Cost aside. It's a big deal that Benjue is on an errand for His Majesty and the Ming court! No matter how much profit is made, 50 million silver dollars will be put into the accounts of the inner government first, which will be directly controlled by His Majesty. Li Shouhan waved his hand quite boldly, and he had a bit of a taste of pointing out the country.

"50 million silver dollars?!" Zhu Yousong couldn't wait to pounce on him all of a sudden, hugging Li Shouhan and kissing him fiercely. Since the founding of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty, the sons of heaven in all dynasties have such a large amount of private wealth in their hands?

"After proposing the sum of money for His Majesty's personal use, 50,000,000 silver dollars of the remaining money were handed over to the cabinet and placed under the control of Lord Ma, the first assistant. It is used for the daily expenses of the imperial court and the payment of soldiers, horses and military salaries in various towns in Jiangbei. ”

Speaking of this, Li Shouhan's words paused slightly, "However, those soldiers and horses in Jiangbei are really hateful!" Before the normal salary, it is necessary to carry out a check-up and reorganization, and then pay and pay according to the actual posts. ”

"The marshal is very right! Now the daily paperwork of the soldiers and horses in the four towns of Jiangbei is flying like snowflakes, making the cabinet anxious and overwhelmed. Just dealing with these arrogant soldiers and fierce generals will consume more than half of their spirit, as well as those in the same court... Where is the extra energy to restore the lost territory and sweep away the rebels and Hulu? ”

Although Ma Shiying did not explain it and was deliberately vague, Zhu Yousong and Li Shouhan both knew who he was referring to by those people in the court. It is nothing more than those bigwigs with Donglin background in the cabinet, who have all kinds of quarrels and tai chi with him, the head of the cabinet, every day.

"If Your Majesty wants to be the master of Zhongxing, you must rectify the soldiers and horses and eliminate those empty posts, so as to raise elite soldiers. For this reason, Lord Shousuke, out of the 50,000,000 silver dollars handed over to the cabinet, you are to set aside at least 8,000,000 silver dollars separately for the cost of dismantling the troops and horses and counting the towns. ”

"Why? They eat empty salaries, and if I don't hold them accountable, I'm already lenient for them, and I want to give them money? Although the eight million silver dollars were not spent in his own name, Zhu Yousong couldn't help but feel a little painful when he thought of the white silver dollars flowing out like this.

"Your Majesty, if you want to be the master of Zhongxing, this money must be spent. Empty posts have been eliminated, so that those officers with troops have no spare pay to eat. However, the cost of resettlement and re-recruitment still has to be paid. In addition, the elimination of the old and the weak and the dismissal of soldiers who cannot fight should also be repatriated to their hometowns for travel expenses, so as not to displace them and regather in the mountains and forests to endanger one side. ”

"Sir, that's it, you haven't explained it yet, how can you get such a large sum of money to the Inner Government and the Cabinet? That's 10,000,000 silver dollars! Zhu Yousong suppressed his excitement, tried to calm his expression, and asked Li Shouhan.

"It's true. Your Majesty, Lord Shoufu, a certain family has ordered his subordinates to reprint a batch of grain and rice contract documents, and quietly ordered people to go to Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang, and the denominations have accumulated, and the total amount is about 90 million stone grain and rice. The face of the ticket states that after purchasing these contracts, our Nanzhong businessman will handle the warehousing payment and other matters on behalf of me. Three silver dollars are the price of grain and rice, and half a silver dollar is equivalent to 1,000 Wentongbao for miscellaneous expenses such as freight. As long as His Majesty and Ma Shoufu issued an edict, allowing people who owed a large amount of land and grain to buy contracts and pay them to the government treasury. Then, with Shanghai County, Hangzhou Prefecture, Suzhou and other places as the leaders, at most half a month, at least seventy percent of the silver money we just mentioned can be received. ”

"Seventy percent? That's more than 20,000!? ”

"Exactly. Your Majesty, the minister is going to deposit these silver coins in the Nanzhong Bank, and the 50 million silver dollars in His Majesty's name will be returned today, and the minister will order the following people to open an account for His Majesty. The annual interest rate is calculated at one and a half cents, and His Majesty is also asked to give him a flower charge, signature, seal, and account name. ”

"Good, good! Good! Zhu Yousong was beaten by a series of happiness and was about to faint. A series of silent nods in agreement. He looked around and nodded to a Persian maid, "Go, go to my bookcase, and get my chicken blood medal!" ”

"Your Majesty, which one?" The Persian orchid, with her green eyes and long legs and waist, couldn't remember which stamp it was.

"The one who 'everything is better than a cup in hand'!" Zhu Yousong was a little angry. Judging by his expression, if the maid didn't know the situation again, I was afraid that he would kick it over, and then go to the bookcase and get the idle medal.

"Your Majesty, there is no hurry to deal with the seal, as seen by the ministers, it is better to set a name for the account first."

"It's good! Just listen to the old horse! Look, what should be the name of my account? ”

"Your Majesty, in general, the deposit accounts of the money bank and the silver account are related to the name and hall number of the owner. However, the situation of His Majesty is different. In the humble opinion of the ministers, His Majesty may wish to open two accounts, one of which is called 'The Legend of the Four Seas', which means that the Son of Heaven is rich in the four seas, and has the meaning of the four seas to be leveled, which is used to store all the funds of His Majesty. The second is called 'Tai Ji'. It is used for the interest on the funds deposited by His Majesty, and the money can be used for daily sporadic use. The principal of the Four Seas Chronicles, when the capital is recovered in the future and returned to the old capital, His Majesty can be used to repair the palace and build gardens. ”

"What do you mean by this 'Tai Ji'?" Zhu Yousong has entered the technical level to think about the problem.

"Your Majesty, among your names, there is a mountain character, but the mountain character is indecent, and the ministers have the courage to quote Mount Tai for Your Majesty. Guotai and the people are safe, as stable as Mount Tai. ”

Who said that Li Shouhan has always been arrogant and domineering? Ma Shiying kept complaining in her heart! Looking at Zhu Yousong's smile after a few words, he couldn't help but feel sour in his heart.

"Old Ma, the cabinet's silver is also handled in the same way, and it is directly in your hands. Exists in Nanzhong Bank. However, this interest naturally cannot be compared with His Majesty's, at most half a cent. If you turn around and ask someone to send the account and seal pattern to a certain shogunate, someone will naturally handle the matter. ”

The next day, at the court meeting, Ma Shiying, on behalf of the cabinet, made a report urging the payment of grain arrears in various localities, and proposed alternative measures in order to speed up the progress and reduce consumption. That is, the non-paying households are allowed to purchase grain and rice, and the contract will be deemed to be paid to complete.

"This is very good, not only does not disturb the people, but also allows the imperial court to fill the treasury in a short time. That's it! Hurry up! ”

At the same time, Ma Shoufu put forward a proposal on behalf of the cabinet, preparing to abolish the use of the previous currency in the current three months of the imperial court, all kinds of gold and silver systems, what official treasures, horseshoe treasures, yuan silk, Taizhou spindles, etc., all of them were stopped from circulation, and all were changed to unified silver dollars and Hongguang Tongbao and Nanzhong Tongbao.

As these two decrees were widely disseminated by the Cabinet through the newspapers in the areas under the immediate de facto control, the powerful gentry everywhere were relieved at first, and the Cha Bai Di, who was prone to a volley of guns and raids his house, had no reason to come to his house again. As long as we take out the silver dollars of white flowers, go to the nearby Nanzhong shop to buy those grain and rice contracts at the price of three and a half silver dollars and one stone of rice, and hand them over to the yamen, we will pay off the Tian Fu owed from the Chongzhen years, and we don't need to invite guests to eat and drink, and we owe favors, as long as there are silver dollars!

However, at the mention of the silver dollar, the originally happy faces of the gentlemen immediately sank. Nowadays, the shops that sell grain and rice contracts everywhere, although they have an excellent attitude, pay the money in one hand and give the contract in the other. However, this group of barbarians did not know how to be flexible at all, and only kept their eyes on those silver dollars. Other gold and silver, even if you move out of the coals, their heads are shaken like windmills: "If we give convenience to all the masters, we don't have to open this little business of our own." The bigwigs above have already had something to say, and everything else is easy to say, but now we only accept silver dollars and Tongbao. Please also be considerate of us bitter little businessmen! ”

There was no way, the gentlemen could only get out the snowflake silver hidden in the cellar by themselves, and go to the nearby silver number and pawnshop to exchange for silver dollars and then buy this fateful grain and rice contract.

However, the gentry who owed a lot of money for grain and grain could not take out all the money they had in their homes to buy grain and rice contracts, and they also had to stay some to maintain a normal life, such as the family's troupe, the monthly money and silver of the aunt's wife, the sewing of jewelry and clothes for the four seasons, and several aunts and wives had been making noise in their ears for many days, saying that the weather was about to be warmer, and the good batches of goods produced in the bitter cold land of the extreme north in several leather shops were also going to change seasons, and they were just going to go to purchase.

Therefore, the life of the landlord and gentry is not easy!

So, they made the idea to the traders, and reluctantly took the tea, raw silk, tung oil, pig bristles, silk, porcelain, and all other valuable goods that could be exchanged for hard white flowers and silver dollars in their own stores to the shops of the Nanban merchants and traded.

"The big shopkeeper, how about I exchange these goods for a grain and rice contract for you?"

However, surprisingly, the shopkeepers of the Nanzhong firm, who usually barely ask about the price, and immediately smile when they see raw silk and silk, have as if they can't cut into them with knives.

"Raw silk!? Silk? It can only be discounted by 50%! ”

"Why!?" The old man's eyes are about to fall. Although the raw silk is no longer new silk at the moment, in a few months, the new silk in all parts of the Jiangnan will come down. However, even if you want these southern barbarians to bargain, you can't stop and cut it in half, right?

"So that you can know that now, in the markets of Shanghai and Hangzhou, there are many new silks shipped from the south in the warehouses and stacks that are about to be put on the market. Although the quality is not as good as yours, there are not many first, and the number of people is large. It is said that the big ship of the Reclamation Bureau transported hundreds of Daifuku ships at once! The goods are piled up! ”

"Second, people have so many goods, and the price is very low! It is said that the price is only 20% of the silk on the market! Therefore, I will give you a 50% discount on the purchase price, which is to see that your goods are really bright, and then we have been friends for so many years! ”

"And yes! If you still have any linen, cotton yarn, cotton cloth, cotton, etc., it is best to do it immediately. My junior brother in Shanghai wrote to me saying that they were going to buy new linen cloth recently, and the price was estimated to be only half of the market! However, it is similar to Liuyang Xiabu when worn! If you don't want the goods in your hand to get moldy and bugs in the warehouse, then hurry up!"

"This 。。。。。 This! That's too fast! You weren't like that last year! The gentry and gentlemen also fully understood the feelings of those tenants who sold rice when they betrayed Shintani, and as a result, the rice shop told them that countless Minami Nangu came from all over the world.

"Last year? Master, last year, the Ming Dynasty was still owned by Beijing Chongzhen, and this year it has become Nanjing Hongguangye. The shopkeeper of the business still had a smile on his face, but his words did not show weakness at all, and there was a bit of a sneering taste.

"Why did the south suddenly become a big silk household?!"

This is the question in the hearts of countless gentry, and after they have endured the pain of cutting their flesh, there is a great mystery in their hearts.

Zheng Zhibao will tell them the answer.

Zheng Zhibao, after the merger of the Nanyue Army and Zheng Zhilong Group, became the head of the Reclamation Bureau of the Nanyue Army, and its main responsibility was to organize the refugees and immigrants from the mainland to reclaim the wilderness, mountains, forests and tidal flats everywhere. Originally, it was planned to plant some tea trees, tung oil, camellia oleifera and cypress trees in the tidal flats of these coastlines. After a few years of tree growth, you can open a tea factory and oil factory to produce tea oil, tung oil, asphalt, etc. Load the basket into the ship, or for your own use, or export for profit.

However, after several years of practice, Zheng Zhibao has discovered a production method or industrial chain that is almost zero-cost input and can be effective back then.

Castor oil plant!

This plant, which is native to India and eastern Africa, has a history of more than 1,000 years in China, but it has not been widely cultivated for many years because of its poisonous seeds, annual herbaceous plants, and plants native to tropical and subtropical regions.

But, to use a familiar phrase used to describe cash crops, castor beans are treasures!

It is definitely a wonder among many cash crops, it is not only a source of plant fiber, but also a source of animal fiber, and at the same time, it is also a source of biological protein.

First of all, let's talk about castor seeds, in addition to making medicine, industrial solvents and lipsticks, the oil squeezed by this thing can also be used as ink, before the petrochemical ink comes out, castor oil is the best printing ink.

The second is castor fiber, like other hemp, the stems and leaves of castor can also extract fiber for weaving, but the linen made of castor fiber is poor, but it is absolutely strong. In fact, before the petrochemical nylon came out, hemp rope was basically made of castor fiber.

So, some readers want to ask, isn't it that places rich in jute like Banggara are under the control of pig's feet, and moreover, on the territory of pig's feet, there are crops such as flax, jute, ramie, etc., since there are flax, hemp, jute, ramie, why use castor?

The reason is simple!

Because castor never picks the ground, what mountains, stones, seams, saline-alkali mudflats, etc., the seeds can be sown without anyone cares about it and can still grow well, compared to the flax flax that can only be sown by intensive cultivation and crushing the soil lumps and the ramie hemp that must be taken care of and fertilized during the growth period, this thing simply does not cost anything.

As a result, Zheng Zhibao's reclamation bureau took the crop castor as a key promotion project for reclamation, and planted it on hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of barren beaches along the tens of thousands of miles of coastline under our Li Guogong.

From Nanzhili, Zhejiang, Lunan to the Chao Phraya River, the coastal tidal flats are under the control of the Reclamation Bureau. As a result, these areas became castor bean-growing areas.

Of course, planting is planting, because of the different regional situations, the scale of castor planting is also different. The basic plate of Nanzhong is carried out on a large scale, basically not missing a tidal flat, not letting go of an inch of barren mountains. On the other hand, the two provinces and Fujian are engaged in moderate development and mainly explore experience, while the coastal areas along the Yangtze River and Huai River in the south are also engaged in experiments and carried out scientific experiments and other activities.