The clouds are light and the wind is light, the tea house is quiet, Zhao Xing squinted his eyes and put his hands in his sleeves, as if he was asleep, Chunlan was not interested in listening to them talk about the pile of dry numbers, so she sat behind Lu Shi, fiddling with the streamers of Lu Shi's scribe towel with her fingers, Lu Shi poured tea for Zhao Zi with a smile, Zhao Zi gently waved the folding umbrella to thank him, and the master stood solemnly in the middle of the ground, reporting the income and expenditure of his side in detail, and the two groups of people who seemed to be hostile were here to report their accounts, which was really strange.

After taking a sip of tea, sorting out his thoughts, clearing his slightly hoarse throat, the master said frankly: "Yichuan Ferry, now just because of the Yichuan change, has become the gateway to the northeast of the four counties of Weinan, a large number of goods needed by the five counties flocked to the five counties, and the specialties of the five counties, mainly liquor vermicelli, as well as air-dried rabbit meat, etc., are also continuously transported out, and the end is extremely prosperous, just this half month, my owner and I have a monopoly on transportation and ferry, and the net ferry capital is 5,000 taels, The tax station set up at the ferry also received 6,000 taels. And in the county, because of the prosperity of commerce, the flow of merchants is endless, so the business of buying and selling shops is also very good, plus the king outside the city lending, so that the people have spare money to shop, so on, according to the proportion of the king of taxes, this half month also has more than 2,000 taels of silver. ”

looked at Lu Shi, but he was not surprised, but continued to persuade to drink.

"But." The master changed his words, "However, this is just because the king of Chuang gave loans to the stable homeless people and tenants in the county, which has stimulated the demand for goods, and after a month, the number of taxes in the county will drop, but relying on the import of this salt department store, the liquor vermicelli, and the export of the products produced in the other four counties, the two incomes on the ferry will be maintained at around three thousand taels and four thousand taels per month." ”

Lu Shi nodded lightly, noncommittal.

"But this only refers to the fact that the Yellow River is not frozen, and if the Yellow River is frozen, especially when the ice is in spring, this will be almost gone."

It seems that this master not only has a level of planning, but also a set of management.

"Therefore, I calculated that from the beginning to the November freeze, we can harvest about 22,000 taels of freight and 33,000 taels of taxes, and then it will be gone."

Master's accounts are very clear and realistic.

Zhao Zi squinted his eyes and said to the master: "What about the taxes from our city gates?" ”

The master swallowed his saliva, thought for a while, and then said, "There will be about thirty thousand taels." The entire tax is about sixty-three thousand, but it will definitely not exceed eighty thousand.

Lu Shi didn't speak, just took the tea bowl and drank it slowly.

Zhao Zi didn't speak, just in the slow summer breeze, thinking slowly, after a while, Zhao Zi didn't look at Lu Shi, his eyes narrowed, he looked at the fiery field in the distance, and the people on the field said: "According to the 70,000 tax silver, I will take out some of it myself." That's 80,000. Looking at the unwilling master, he said with a smile: "My hometown still has a share of the land, so this 10,000 yuan is in mine, but I don't want Mr. to bear it." ”

The master stepped forward immediately, but Zhao Zi raised his hand, shook his head, and said with a smile: "After deducting the food and salary of those bitter and helpless military households, there are still 70,000 left." It seems to be talking to himself: "Those soldiers are also helpless, especially now that almost all of them have gone out of the city to farm, and there are few left, but in order to block the mouths of the thousands of households and other officials, I still have to follow the seven hundred rounds, which is also a helpless thing." ”

Lu Shi smiled and nodded, but still didn't say anything.

"The hundreds of officials and officials in the county government, as well as those who are also going to be paid, without the original pickled income, if they don't pay money, then they will really starve to death, not only will they be paid, but they will also have to be distributed in accordance with the original court regulations, and they will be doubled, so that the top and bottom will be at least 5,000 to 10,000 taels." Looking at the puzzled Lu Shi, Zhao Zi said with a smile: "It's not okay to be less, although there are few regulations in the court, but if you really want to count on the court, then you will starve to death, and you won't be able to live." ”

Lu Shi suddenly realized that Ming Taizu was born in poverty and sympathetic to the people, so he did not burden the people and carried out open source and reduce expenditure, but what does he know as a farmer? There is only throttling, but throttling is hit on the official Yulu, so, this Ming Dynasty, is China's various dynasties, up and down 5,000 years of officials Yulu is the least, at that time I remember a small bachelor to take care of the river crossing, so in one night to make a poem: "Summer Phi lotus leaves and winter yarn, sleep watching the Milky Way wake up and catch frogs, three meals a day to the lotus root, open your mouth to talk about lotus." (I play it)"

Let such an income can not support their own officials are not greedy, do not urge, that is there is no heavenly reason, so, Mrs. Zhu killed batch after batch of corrupt officials and cool officials, and did not hesitate to set up a straw in front of the yamen to warn the latecomers, but it is also impossible to kill, the reason is that now, what Zhao Zi said is right, do not let the officials and officials eat, then they can only continue to harm the people, although now in front of their own eyes, they dare not, but the wisdom of people is infinite, and the wisdom of people is even more so, to ensure that they are not fed and clothed. It is the most basic law, unlike the original four counties, those officials have already participated in the factory openly or covertly, in fact, they have all become rich people one by one, but this new entry into Yichuan can't, and there is no chance for the time being.

Looking at Lu Shi's expression of understanding, Zhao Zi continued: "There are still points up and down, what kind of ice and charcoal respect, it will cost 20,000 taels." There are also those poor talents who have to be taken care of, otherwise they will all starve to death, and they can be regarded as reserving talents for the country" When he said this, he looked at Lu Shi with a smile intentionally or unintentionally. Lu Shi understood the receipt.

"In this way, there are 40,000 taels of tax silver left, fortunately, in previous years, the Yellow River embankment or something, then I can't control it, let the thief worry about it, but, even so, I can only squeeze out 40,000 silver in my hand."

Looking at the master with a bitter face, Zhao Zi also smiled bitterly and said: "According to the task given by the imperial court, I, a central county, have to hand over 100,000 stone of grain and silver, not to mention that in case the imperial court levies it, that is, I have to spend 120,000 taels of silver without counting the loss, which is difficult." ”

This time, Lu Shi really knew why he had laid down rice fat in the first place, and there was so much money and grain in the inventory, which was calculated, and a county, not including the gentry who did not pay taxes and the Huangzhuang Wangtian, would have to have more than 200,000 yuan of silver, which was really an astronomical amount.

"So, in order for our Yichuan not to be harmed by the officials and soldiers, we have to grit our teeth and collect 100,000 stone of grain from the people."

100,000 stones, then almost all the people's grain stocks, the account is not unknown, a calculation is shocked, if you really want to keep the people's grain reserves, then you can only plant a flag to rebel.

However, Lu Shi thought about it, and said with a smile: "Actually, old man, this account is not counted like this." ”

"Oh? So what's the point? Unless the thief completely takes Yichuan, he can be exempted from this lot of money and food. ”

Lu Shi stood up with a smile and paced slowly: "Actually, most of the money and grain handed over by Yichuan is still for the border army, isn't it?" ”

"Yes, if I don't bother to do anything for him, the border army is bitter, but it is shouldering the heavy responsibility of guarding against the Mongol Tatars, and we can't let them serve the people with a "meal" of hunger, then our conscience will be disturbed. ”

Lu Shi suddenly became in awe of this Zhao Zi, and now, there are really too few officials who can still consider others.

"Actually, we can still open up sources and reduce expenditures." History retracted its mind and confidently proposed.

"I want to hear about it."

In fact, Lu Shi's method is economic, and when he talks about this thing to the current literati, it can actually be regarded as playing the piano to the cow, but at this time, he has to make it clear.

"Open source, this first point still has to fall on this Yichuan ferry." As soon as he saw the master who immediately collapsed, he knew that he thought he was just taking money out of his pocket, so he smiled and said, "Master, don't panic, and listen to me." ”

Zhao Xing hurriedly pulled the panting master to sit down: "It's not too late to listen to what my son-in-law said." Come on, take a sip of herbal tea and defeat the fire. ”

Lu Shi was not disturbed, and continued: "Actually, the ferry is stuck in the throat of the four counties of Weinan to communicate the north and the east, so the cargo throughput is very large, but it is still limited to the four counties, but it has lost the merchants of the entire Shaanxi and Shanxi. ”

Zhao Zi didn't understand this, but the master heard hope, so his eyes lit up, and he quickly dropped the tea bowl and asked, "How do you say this?" "Master is here, I really want to follow what Lu Shiyi said, so that the businessmen of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces can pass by here, what kind of scene is that?

"Do merchants pay taxes now?" Lu Shi suddenly asked rhetorically.

"Those businessmen with backgrounds do not pay taxes, especially when the new emperor ascends the throne, which exempts those Qingliu from taxes." Everyone laughed at each other, and everyone knew that they were tired (I also said it earlier)

"Isn't it really tax-free?" Lu Shi asked again.

It's really not taxed, so what is the one at your Yellow River ferry and Yichuan City Gate?

"Hehe, that's not a tax, it's a donation, a city gate donation, a river donation, a road donation, a bridge donation, a bandit donation, and-" Even the master began to lose sight of how much.

"How much does it all take?" Lu Shi asked with a smile.

The master didn't think about it and said: "If a cargo is trafficked to Taiyuan, the donation is often more than double the goods." ”

"What about the risks along the way?"

"It's not a brigade of people and horses and joint bodyguards, along the way, it will become the food of the pole within ten miles." When he said this, the master glanced at Lu Shi gloatingly, and said in his heart, now that the world is raging, and the poles are all over the place, why do you still need me to say it? You should know better than me, now, you are the head of the Shaanxi pole.

"That is to say, if it is not good, then only half of the ten traffickings may be successful, and the cost of this half will increase by two or three times?"

"Sometimes it's more than that." The master understood the plight of those traders the most, and said gloomily: "Often some small merchants take a risk, that is, they have no money to return to their homes and die, and such examples abound. Even those vendors with big backgrounds are not immune, but they have enough capital to turn over the cost. ”

"Ha, then since this is the case, I have another excellent way to let the Shanshan merchants go to our section, so imagine how rich the tax burden of Yichuan will be at that time?"

As soon as these words came out, even Zhao Zi, who had always been calm and light, couldn't help but straighten up and waited for Lu Shi's next words with interest.