The compromise plan that Fang Yuan could think of was to emulate the United States and China before the crossing, and implement the plan of separating the administration and the economy from the capital. The United States is divided into Washington and New York, while China is divided into Beijing and Shanghai.

The environment and atmosphere of administrative operation and commercial operation are very different, and there is no need to forcibly pull administrative and commercial operations together. Since Suzhou's culture, customs, and environment are suitable for business and study, Suzhou has become an economic center.

Fang Yuan pondered for a long time, but still agreed with Xi Benzhen's statement, and even added, "What the head of the Xi family said is very true, since this is the case, the governance of the business association will remain in Suzhou Mansion for the time being. I will then separate Suzhou, Songjiang, Huzhou, Jiaxing, and Hangzhou from Nanzhili and Zhejiang to establish a special economic zone in the Yangtze River Delta. ”

Xi Benzhen was stunned, the five mansions that Fang Yuan said were actually the five mansions with the most developed agriculture and commerce in the world. If these five prefectures are combined into a large special economic zone, then the land tax of this special economic zone can account for at least 50% of the whole world, and the commercial tax will account for more than 70%.

Xi Benzhen didn't understand Fang Yuan's purpose of integrating the five mansions for a while, and hurriedly asked, "Regent, it's a good thing to establish this special economic zone, but what is the purpose?" ”

Objective?!

The nominal purpose is, of course, to develop a market economy and improve the living standards of the people in Jiangnan and even the whole country. The ultimate goal, of course, is to collect taxes, replenish the national treasury, eliminate the fiscal deficit, and ensure the long-term stability of the regime.

Fang Yuan smiled and said, "In this special economic zone, the government is only responsible for the relevant responsibilities of the administrative system, the judicial system, and the tax system, and the government does not participate in the operation of the rest of the economic system in principle. ”

He saw that Xi Benzhen was still a little plausible about these modern terms, and added, "This special economic zone will be a special economic zone with commercial rules as the mainstay, supplemented by government jurisdiction." The main task of this special economic zone is to develop the economy and pay more land taxes and commercial taxes on the premise of not violating the Ming law. The government will not interfere with any business activities of your businessmen, as long as you truthfully pay the land taxes and business taxes, no one will come to extort money and use the unspoken rules to make money. ”

When Xi Benzhen heard that Fang Yuan once again proposed to make profits to businessmen, he was efficient, but he was still a little worried. The so-called world has no such thing as a pie, Fang Yuan must have asked for something to make such a big concession, and asked hesitantly, "The regent ordered the government to withdraw from the control of commercial operations, is it to increase the commercial tax or the land tax?!" ”

Fang Yuan had to admire Xi Benzhen's vision, and he knew the meaning when he heard the sound, but he was only half right.

Fang Yuan really wanted to raise the commercial tax, but he didn't want to raise the tax.

Emperor Wanli collected mining taxes for decades, making a lot of trouble, but in the end, it didn't happen because Wanli's tax collection touched the unspoken rules of the confluence of officials and businessmen in Jiangnan. Whether it is the Jiangnan government and rich businessmen all resisting, how can a few eunuchs who collect taxes shake this large group of interests in Jiangnan? On the contrary, it provokes the anger of the heavens and the resentment!

Fang Yuan's method is to make the original unspoken rules of taxation, such as mining tax and liquor tax, open and sunny. As long as the officials have no control over the businessmen, there is no need for the businessmen to try to bribe the officials, and even through the training of their children, the imperial examination will be promoted, and then infiltrate the government, and the process of the merger of officials and businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River will be greatly delayed.

Everything is carried out in a righteous and bright business environment, paying taxes according to rules and regulations, reducing unspoken rules, and transferring the silver that originally operated into the pockets of officials through unspoken rules to the state treasury, and taxes will naturally rise.

Fang Yuan laughed and comforted him and said, "Master Xi, you can rest assured, I won't raise taxes, I just hope that you can pay taxes truthfully according to the law." ”

Fang Yuan deliberately pronounced the word truth very seriously, Xi Benzhen was also a smart person, and after a little pondering, he guessed Fang Yuan's seven, seven, eight, eight. If you can really kick out the government and do business independently, it will undoubtedly be great news for most honest businessmen.

Xi Benzhen was about to thank Fang Yuan, but Fang Yuan continued unhurriedly, "However, I have two other conditions. First, this special economic zone cannot develop military industry, buy or sell armaments, privately possess artillery and firearms, or establish any private armed forces. We will set up checkpoints on all major roads leading to the SEZ, and no firearms or firearms will be allowed to enter the SEZ; Once the people discover that they have illegally possessed artillery and firearms, they will be punished as a felony. All the security of the Special Economic Zone is entrusted to the Regent's Palace. Master Xi, you should be able to understand what I mean. ”

Fang Yuan's meaning couldn't be clearer, how could Xi Benzhen not understand? This special economic zone has a strong economic capacity, and if it has a strong armament, it will be a force that can be completely separated, and Fang Yuan will never allow such a force to exist. If you want to make a lot of money, you must enter the special economic zone designated by Fangyuan, this sheepfold to be a fat sheep.

The task of the fat sheep is to eat and drink comfortably, contribute wool and goat's milk, and the task of guarding the sheepfold is done by the sheepdogs. The rope of the sheepdog is in the hands of the regent's palace, and the fat sheep must not buy a sheepdog to guard the sheepfold on his own.

In Xi Benzhen's view, for thousands of years, the wind of Jiangnan's weak culture has prevailed. Since the Song Dynasty, the literati and merchants in Jiangnan did not have much ambition for politics, but were more inclined to poetry and songs.

Moreover, the patience and kung fu of the Jiangnan people are also first-class, and the fields in other regions are one out of ten, while Suzhou, Songjiang, and Hangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River are two out of ten, and this unfair land endowment policy has been implemented for hundreds of years, and there are no Jiangnan people who come out to demand dethronement, or even use force to resist.

As long as the court did not force them too much, even if one person sent them a firearm, they would not dare to rise up and rebel. If you have that tiring time, it is better to write articles at home, or go to the brothel of the Qinglou to find a few girls to chant poetry, and then go to the bed to vent the battle.

Now Fang Yuan's request is not excessive, it is completely within the scope of Jiangnan people's tolerance, maybe some angry young literati will come out and make a few noises in the newspaper, but they will go to the streets to resist, and it is estimated that they will not find any of them.

Xi Benzhen said neatly, "Okay, this condition can be dealed, what else?" ”

Fang Yuan continued, "Ordinary people of any status can do business in the SEZ normally, but they need a legal business license. Each permit, depending on the size of the business income, needs to be handed over to the government from one acre to ten acres of fertile land. Of course, everything is voluntary, and if you don't want to do business, you can honestly live by guarding the fields. ”

This condition is not only one of the means for Fang Yuan to control the special economic zone, but also a way to solve the land annexation in Jiangnan. The Regent Prince's Office nationalized a large amount of land in the Special Economic Zone and incorporated it into the management of public land, and even if the civil forces wanted to rebel, they did not have the armament or food, and could not make a big wave. Moreover, only by nationalizing the land and arranging the cultivation of the tenants by the royal government can the interests of the tenants be maximized to the greatest extent, the grassroots rural areas will be stabilized, and there will be no rebellion.

Moreover, according to the experience of the Republic of China, once urban commerce develops, the landlords and landlords who cultivate the land to earn a living will become more and more impoverished. Even if you guard one acre and three points of land, you can't make more money than a small stall vendor who is doing business. These landlords, who have annexed large amounts of land, will inevitably turn to the cities for business operations and investment, and in this case, they will have to hand over some of their land in exchange for business licenses.

This is also the only way for Fang Yuan to think about it, and the only way to recover a large amount of land from the landlord and suppress land annexation.

Since Fang Yuan did not force the use of large and small landlords to exchange land for business licenses, everything was voluntary, Xi Benzhen naturally had nothing to say, and responded again.

Fang Yuan smiled and said, "Since the head of the Xi family, who is proficient in business operations, has agreed, then the Yangtze River Delta Special Economic Zone will be established from now on." The head of the Xi family, the merchants of the business association, I won't convey them one by one, and I'll leave everything to you. ”

Xi Benzhen looked at him in amazement and said, "Regent, now that I am at home and do not serve in the business association, where am I qualified to deliver news to them?" ”

Fang Yuan got up and laughed and said, "Master Xi, you are the first governor of this special economic zone. All the preparations for the SEZ will be left to you, and of course you are qualified! ”