Wang Qiang arrived at the Wenhua Hall Xinuan Pavilion, knelt down in court to salute Chongzhen, Chongzhen did not call up, stared at Wang Qiang for a moment and then said: "Wang Qiang, you did not ask for a decree this time to release grain for disaster relief, and killed the three members of the imperial court, it is really bold and reckless, according to the crime, now there are Hong Chengchou and other adults to intercede for you, Suzhou gentry are happy to lose for you to make up for the grain, and the people of Shandong and Zhili provinces have written to intercede for you. In the future, if there is any more disobedience to the will, I will not be spared, you can hear clearly! ”

"Yes, yes, yes, the slave and the maid don't dare anymore, and the slave and the maid thank the emperor for not killing him." Wang Qiang relieved the worry of his life, and was busy kowtowing to thank him. ”

Chongzhen was in a good mood at this time, seeing Wang Qiang's sincere and frightened look, he wanted to tease him and tease him, he got up and paced to Wang Qiang, and said: "Your kid only went to Jiangnan once, and his face is not small. ”

Wang Qiang listened to Chongzhen's tone, knew that he must be fine, relaxed his mood, and his speech was also clever, he raised his head and looked at Chongzhen and said: "Your Majesty, this is not a slave and maid with great ability, those Suzhou gentry are military rations that can only be lost for the emperor's face." Actually, it's not a slave or a maid who talks about it, and it's not difficult to raise food. ”

As soon as Wang Qiang's words came out, everyone present was in their hearts, and said secretly: This little eunuch has just lived his life and started talking nonsense again.

Chongzhen also felt funny, and gently kicked Wang Qiang's ass and said with a smile: "In order to raise food for the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, I am so worried that I can't sleep at night, you say it easily, you lost my 80,000 quintals of military rations, and now you only come back 50,000 quintals, so how about the 30,000 quintals of military rations fall on you?" ”

Wang Qiang got up and patted his chest and said, "Okay, wrap it on me!" ”

"The court doesn't have any silver for you!" Chongzhen chased after him.

"You don't need the court to allocate money, as long as the emperor wills, we will not lack food in the Ming Dynasty." Wang Qiang said.

"Oh? You go on to say. Chongzhen was interested.

"That's what happened, Your Majesty. The various vassal states of the South China Sea Islands in the south of the Ming Dynasty are rich in grain, and the price is also cheap, and the silk, porcelain, and medicinal materials of my Ming Dynasty can be sold for a lot of money when they arrive there. This time, Suzhou was able to come up with so much grain, all of which were imported by Suzhou City from the vassal state. However, there are few ships in the city, and there is a limit on the number of trade stipulated by the imperial court, which has little effect, if the emperor can issue an order to allow private merchants to carry out maritime trade, then we will not worry about food. These teachings were all heard by Wang Qiang when he chatted with Zhang Xiaodong and Tian Jingming during his trip to Suzhou, and they are now being used.

Wang Qiang's words pointed out a national policy of the Ming Dynasty "sea ban"!

Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the policy of sea ban has been wavering, the opening of the sea ban is conducive to the development of trade, increase tax revenue, the bad thing is that the sea trade is mixed, easy to attract the invasion of the Japanese invaders, and cause trouble. In the Jiajing Dynasty, the forbidden sea was simply determined as a national policy, which has continued to this day.

The opening of the sea ban is indeed a way to alleviate the predicament of the Ming Dynasty, but the change of the national policy involves a lot, and there are many things that need to be done, Chongzhen pondered and hesitated.

Versace pondered for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, the ban on opening the sea is a national policy, which has lasted for many years, and it is not an overnight thing to change, but the minister feels that what Lord Wang said is indeed reasonable." There is a compromise here. The minister thought that the emperor could issue an order to increase the trade of the various cities, so that they could increase the amount of grain imports. In addition, powerful merchants in the private sector are allowed to bring ships to trade with official ships, but it is necessary to stipulate that part of the silver earned must be used to buy grain for the imperial court, so that the ship and silver are available, which can solve the urgent needs of the imperial court! ”

"Okay, that's it!" Chongzhen was overjoyed and returned to his seat excitedly.

Qian Qianyi saw that Wang Qiang's idea was adopted, and he didn't like it, so he stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, rejuvenating agriculture is the foundation of the country, relying on trade to import grain is only an emergency strategy, blindly relying on foreign countries is not a good policy, if you want to stabilize the country's foundation, you should also implement the policy of rejuvenating agriculture, and hope that the emperor will see clearly." ”

"Aiqing's words are reasonable, what are the specific strategies for rejuvenating agriculture, although they are played." Chongzhen Road.

"This, this, Weichen is just proposing, and the specifics are still to be considered." Qian Qianyi was asked for a while, but he couldn't answer.

Chongzhen frowned slightly, and said dishappily: "What I want is real rules and suggestions, not those empty words." ”

Qian Qianyi lowered his head and retreated in shame.

Wang Qiang was encouraged to see that his suggestion to import grain was adopted, and at this time he couldn't help but say again: "Your Majesty, when it comes to the strategy of rejuvenating agriculture, the slave maid has some thoughts here, don't laugh at it." ”

"Oh, even though you say it, I have already spoken, and today I am not guilty." Chongzhen said encouragingly.

"That's what happened. The slave maid was ordered to go out on patrol this time, passing through many places, and saw a lot of wild land and barren mountains that no one cultivated, and the minister privately understood, it turned out that the taxes collected by the imperial court were too high, and the interest on the land was not enough to pay taxes, so the common people simply abandoned it, and the good land was in the hands of the landlord, and the harvest was mostly owned by the landlord, and there was nothing to do with the court, so I think it was not a way to go on like this. Therefore, I pondered that if the local governments could manage these barren mountains and wild lands and those ownerless lands, and hand them over to the landless displaced people to cultivate, and set a rent according to the possible income of the land, as long as the fixed rent was paid, the rest would go to the peasants themselves, and this method was called the contract system. In this way, the country can increase its income, and it can also settle a large number of displaced people, as long as people are not idle and the land is not barren, why should I worry about no food! Wang Qiang moved out of the experience of land contracting in modern society.

"Good! Good! A good person is not idle, and the land is not wasted! Chongzhen stood up excitedly, and said with his left fist and right palm.

Excessive concentration of land was a major drawback of the dynasty, causing wealth to gather in the hands of landlords, the gap between the rich and the poor became more and more serious, and the landless people were either exploited by the landlords or became displaced people, which was a major factor in social instability, but there was no way to solve it, but Wang Qiang simply gave the answer, that is, the state controlled the land, contracted to the peasants, and used rent instead of taxes, so that there was less link of exploitation by the landlords, and the income of the government at all levels was increased. The people present were all family members, and they all nodded in agreement.

Hong Chengchou got up and said, "Long live, Weichen thinks that Lord Wang's proposal is feasible. The bandits wreaked havoc in the northwest for many years, and often killed the landlords and gentry everywhere they went, leaving a lot of ownerless land, and the ministers thought that these lands could be included in the government management, and recruited displaced people to cultivate them in a unified manner. ”

"Good, good!" Chongzhen praised, he pointed to Zhou Yanru and Versace and said: "After the two of you go down, you will immediately draft a charter and submit it to the cabinet for discussion and then promulgate and implement it, hurry up!" ”

"Yes." Zhou and Fan bowed down to receive the order.

Wang Qiang said to the point in two consecutive times, and all the ministers present were impressed by Wang Qiang, Chongzhen saw Wang Qiang's chattering and stopping, and couldn't help asking: "Wang Qiang, do you still have anything to say?" ”

"Your Majesty, the slave maid still has some thoughts here." Wang Qiang said.

"Say, say it, the more you really think about it, the better!" Chongzhen said excitedly.

"That's the case, Your Majesty, my country has a vast territory, and there is a big difference between the north and the south, so the north-south trade is extremely important, but the slave maid went to Jiangnan this time and found that the north-south trade was not very smooth. Second, there is a lack of centralized trading places between the north and the south, and there is no communication of information and inconvenience in commercial transactions. If the imperial court can dredge the canal so that the ships can reach Tongzhou directly, it can greatly shorten the time for the transportation of goods between the north and the south, and then build a trading market in Tongzhou, where the merchants of the north and the south can concentrate on trade and communicate with each other, then the north-south trade can be smooth. Wang Qiang's proposal was also inspired by Zhang Xiaodong.

After Wang Qiang finished speaking, everyone present did not agree, his proposal was good, but it would cost a lot of money to build the river and build the market, and now the treasury is empty, and it is a problem to support the front-line salary, how can there be spare money to repair the market. After a moment of silence, Emperor Chongzhen said: "Wang Qiang's proposal has some truth, but it is a little difficult to implement it now, and it will be implemented when the treasury has a surplus in a few years." ”

"Your Majesty, the slaves and maids know that now the treasury is tight, and there is no money to repair the river, and the court does not need to pay for the construction of the market."

"Oh! Go on. Chongzhen felt that Wang Qiang had a lot of ideas, and couldn't help but be interested again.

"Hey." Wang Qiang nodded and continued: "Your Majesty, now the court is short of money, but the people are not short of money, and those landlords and gentry have more rich people. The slave maid went to Jiangnan this time, and saw with her own eyes on the Suzhou Creek that some rich people shot thousands of taels of silver in order to listen to a song, and they even ------ hehe, this emperor. Wang Qiang got carried away and told him about visiting the kiln in Suzhou, and couldn't help but look at Chongzhen with an embarrassed face.

In fact, Chongzhen had already gotten a secret report from Dongchang about Wang Qiang's visit to the Qinglou, and he didn't care about it, and he didn't feel it when he saw Wang Qiang's funny appearance, so he teased and said: "Wang Gongzi, the bitches in Linfeng Pavilion are really outstanding." ”

"Hehe, the emperor is clever, he really knows everything, but the slave and maid are curious, so I took a look at it, hoping that the emperor will spare the slave and maid." Wang Qiang said with a shy face.

Chongzhen smiled angrily: "You go to Jiangnan, there are fewer baskets to poke, I want to kill you, I'm afraid that ten heads will not be enough to cut off, this one will be remembered first, you give me a few ideas, and make up for it." Where did you just go? Go on. ”

"Your Majesty." Wang Qiang continued: "As mentioned in the last book, this just mentioned that the landlord and gentry are rich, and the slave thinks that the emperor can issue treasury bonds. ”

"National debt?!" Chongzhen asked.

"Yes, the national debt! That is, the state borrows debts from the gentry and landlords, and the household department issues IOUs to them, and when the state collects the tax and silver in the next year, it will repay it together, and the state can give them interest if they are not allowed to borrow in vain. Wang Qiang said his thoughts.

Wang Qiang's idea was indeed a novelty, and it was really unheard of for the state to borrow money from the landlords. Chongzhen asked suspiciously: "This is indeed a law, but Yin eats grain, and he always has to pay it back in the coming year, so the financial burden next year is not too heavy." ”

Wang Qiang observed Chongzhen's expression, knew that he was tempted, and then said: "Your Majesty, it stands to reason that within these four seas, there is the king's land, and all the people in the world are the emperor's people. If you really can't do it, you can borrow in the name of the Tongzhou market, and when the market is running and there is a profit, you can repay it with the principal and interest. ”

"What you said is light, the Tongzhou market is still nothing, who is willing to lend you money, even if someone borrows, how can you see that you will be able to pay it back." Chongzhen asked.

"Your Majesty, this is not difficult, and the minister has another way, which is to build a special zone." Wang Qiang brought out the experience of modern society.

"Special Zone! What is a special zone? Chongzhen felt that Wang Qiang, a villain, had a lot of novel ideas.

"As for this special zone, it is the decree of the imperial court to designate a place in Tongzhou as a duty-free zone, and all businesses doing business in this area are exempt from tax. Although the court has suffered a little loss in the present, it is still worth it in the long run, which is like raising an old hen at home, if you come up to kill and eat meat, this time it is a good meal, but tomorrow there will be no food, if you raise it first, let it lay eggs and hatch chicks, and wait until there are more chickens and we will eat, then the old ones will eat, anyway, living at home is such a reason. Your Majesty, if the trade market that the slave and maid said is built in the Special Zone, and there is no need to pay taxes here, then merchants from all over the country will definitely be willing to come here to trade, and it is difficult for this Special Zone to get rich, as long as there is this will, the slave and maid guarantee that someone is willing to borrow money. Wang Qiang spoke eloquently.

Wang Qiang's suggestion is popular and novel, which is refreshing, and everyone knows that Wang Qiang's proposal is feasible after a little thought, and they can't help but be secretly surprised.

Chongzhen thought about it carefully again, and asked everyone: "I think this proposal is feasible, you Aiqing, what do you think?" ”

Everyone seconded the agreement.

Hong Chengchou was worried about the supply of military rations, and stood up and said: "Your Majesty, according to Lord Wang's proposal, once the Tongzhou Special Economic Zone is completed, it will definitely become a hub for material communication between the north and the south. ”

"Well, that's a good idea, it's going to be played!" Chongzhen said.

Engaging in the Special Economic Zone, building a market, issuing treasury bonds, dredging rivers, and supplying front-line military supplies are all important tasks of the military state, but who should be appointed to preside over this matter made Chongzhen hesitate, and after thinking for a long time, he couldn't get the essentials, so he asked: "Ladies and gentlemen, you should appoint a capable person to preside over the affairs of the Special Administrative Region, and there is a suitable candidate for you?" ”

As soon as Chongzhen's words came out, all the cabinet ministers lowered their heads together and did not dare to speak. Although this position has great authority, it is not easy for people to run special zones and build markets, and it is by no means easy to issue treasury bonds and dredge rivers, especially the supply of military supplies is extremely risky, and it is common for one to accidentally lose his official position and lose his head.

Chongzhen glanced at everyone left and right, and saw that no one dared to respond, and was extremely disappointed in his heart, and said secretly: "On weekdays, you have made generous statements one by one, and your exports have become chapters, and you have become a shrunken turtle in a critical place, and you can't count on it!" He blink his eyes and saw Wang Qiang's eager look, and said with a thought: "Wang Qiang, you came up with this idea, how about entrusting you with this errand?" ”

"Really!" Wang Qiang never dreamed that such an important matter could fall on his head, so he couldn't help but be overjoyed, turned over and knelt down and said: "If the emperor can be trusted, the slaves and maids should share the emperor's worries." However, you know best how many catties and taels the slave and maid have, so the slave and maid want to ask the emperor for a grace and a few people to help. ”

"Well, even if you still have self-knowledge, let's say, who do you want?" Chongzhen asked.

"The official Tian of the household hall is shrewd, the slave and maid are going to Suzhou, that is, Tian is shrewd, Lao Tian is quite talented, and he can talk with the slave and maid, I hope to be transferred to the left and right."

"Accurate!"

"The slave maid does not understand the military, and it is really difficult to supply the front-line military food and grass, and he needs the help of a person who understands the situation on the front line, and I want to ask the emperor for a grace, and then allow the slave and maid to transfer themselves."

"Well, who is it?"

"This, this, the slave wants to transfer Shang Dayong to help with the military quartermaster!" Wang Qiang hesitated and said.

"Phew!" Chongzhen's face suddenly gloomy, and he said angrily: "Wang Qiang, that Shang Dayong raised troops to mutiny, causing the thieves to escape, the crime is unforgivable, do you dare to intercede for him!" ”

"The emperor is angry!" Wang Qiang hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, and said stubbornly: "The slave maid happened to be in a place with the monk Dayong in the Dongchang prison this time, and after listening to his narration, I knew that he led the troops to mutiny because there was another hidden reason, although it was his crime that was unforgivable, but his feelings were pitiful and pitiful, so he dared to bring it up." ”

"What's hidden, speak!" Chongzhen said a little annoyed.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is what Shang Dayong is doing in Tongcheng------ "Wang Qiang took out his storytelling skills, and according to the situation narrated by Shang Dayong, he wantonly deduced and exaggerated, how did Sun Ping, the garrison of Tongcheng, bully people, deduct the soldiers' salaries, how to bully men and women, and did all kinds of evil, causing anger and resentment, how beautiful Shang Dayong's wife was, and how Sun Ping saw and grabbed the barracks and insulted him, how Sun Ping killed Shang Dayong's parents on the street, and how Shang Dayong fainted when he heard the bad news, still have to hold the position, how angry Shang Dayong's subordinates, as a result, hijacked Shang Dayong to launch a mutiny, bloodied Tongcheng, Shang Dayong felt ashamed of the court, how to draw his sword and kill himself, but was blocked by his subordinates, when Hong Chengchou led the troops to suppress, how Shang Dayong took care of the overall situation, took the initiative to surrender, etc., Wang Qiang intended to exonerate Shang Dayong, and naturally said that Shang Dayong was loyal to the court, and he was a great loyal minister who was committed to the court, and he spoke vividly, as if he had experienced it himself. Rao is cabinet ministers are all hard-hearted, and Wang Qiang can't help but feel sorry, Chongzhen is even more like a dream to wake up, sympathize with Shang Dayong in his heart, he glanced at Hong Chengchou, saw his old face gloomy, stared at the corner of the wall without saying a word, obviously Wang Qiang said the truth.

Chongzhen nodded silently and said: "Hearing you say this, this Shang Dayong does have pity and pity, if this is the case, then demote three levels and retain, and help with the military quartermaster in front of Wang Qiang." ”

"Long live the Sage!" Wang Qiang kowtowed happily.

Tian is shrewd, capable and calm, familiar with government affairs, still a general in the brave army, brave and upright, Chongzhen feels that with these two people assisting Wang Qiang, he should be able to support the affairs of the Special Administrative Region, and feel a little relieved.

As soon as the important affairs of the military state were discussed, and everything was settled, Chongzhen suddenly felt relaxed, and the gloom of the past month was also swept away, he saw Lin Zhe, the eunuch of the six palaces, giving him a look, knowing that the time for the court meeting had arrived, so he got up and said: "The time has come, all Aiqing will go to the Wenhua Palace court meeting with me!" ”

"Congratulations to the emperor!" The ministers saluted and said.