Hong Qihui is a middle-aged man in his early thirties, with a Chinese character face and good manners, slightly older than He Youyi, probably because he pays attention to maintenance on weekdays, so he looks a few years younger than He Youyi. He was wearing a raw shirt, and he had traces of yesterday's hasty run. The house was burned to white ground, and the field deed was reduced to nothing, but he was able to look calm and behave decently, which shows that he is a strong person in his heart. Fu Yuanxiu reported that he was the leader of the Yazhou Shengyuan, and he seemed to have other opinions on Zhu Pingjin's persecution of large households to surrender land, so Zhu Pingjin decided to use Hong Qihui as a breakthrough point and implement both soft and hard measures against him. If Hong Qihui bows his head, other gentry landlords such as students may follow; If Hong Qihui can't take it, then Zhu Pingjin's stubbornness may provoke a collective revolt from the upper echelons of Yazhou.

Hong Qihui was brought to Zhu Pingjin, knelt down and made a big salute, thanked Zhu Pingjin for saving the people of the city, and began to wait for Zhu Pingjin's questioning with bated breath.

A young man's cold voice came: "Listening to Mr. Fu, Mr. Hong has a lot of complaints about the method of dedication of this son. This prince invited Mr. Hong to come because he wanted to ask for advice in person. ”

Hong Qihui scolded the eighth-generation ancestors of Fu Yuanxiu's brothers in his heart, but his reaction was not slow, he knelt down and saluted again, and then replied without humility or arrogance: "Listen to Brother Yuanxiu, the prince wants me to wait for the gentry's family and throw all the land into the palace." Students beg to differ! ”

Zhu Pingjin did not follow Hong Qihui's words, he sneered and said: "This time the people of Yazhou are in turmoil, and the people are in chaos all day long. What do you think, sir? ”

Hong Qihui replied: "The students think that there are three reasons why the people are in turmoil. First, because the landlord has exploited too much, the land rent is staggeringly high. In a famine year, the people could not complete the rent, so they had to be displaced and separated. I want the people to work all year round without food and clothing, and the gentry have nothing to eat all day long. Is the people safe or not? Second, because the officials of the imperial court and the government were too exploited. In addition to the regular tax, there are three salaries; After years of tax arrears, three points will be levied; pre-levy of food and salary, straight to Chongzhen twenty-five years; After the whip, Ben was unable to serve, and was sent again without compensation. day and night, the people are not allowed to live in peace; Set up cards everywhere, and the people of Li are not happy. Is the people safe or not? Third, because the local government is strong, bullying the people, colluding with the government, passing on taxes, and the small people are asking for food and clothing! With this, the people are safe and do not rebel? ”

Before Hong Qihui finished speaking, Zhu Pingjin gasped. This is my own revolutionary comrade! No matter how unbearable the Fu Yuanxiu brothers are, they are a showman, and it is not difficult to convey their true intentions to the Yazhou gentry, how can their own comrades also oppose the surrender policy? Is there really a mistake in your strategy?

So, Zhu Pingjin immediately put away his cold attitude, and asked Cao Banban to set up a chair for Hong Qihui and serve a bowl of tea with a sharp face, and then said: "What Mr. Hong said is extremely true!" It can be seen that the people of Shuzhong are in difficulty, and Mr. already knows it. The son of this world has to invade people's land and property, and plunder people's property. Accepting the gentry's contribution is really not a last resort! The imperial court used troops in Liaozuo and broke into the sacrifice, and naturally taxed the world, and our courtiers should serve and be beyond reproach. However, the Jingshi was excessively demanding, the local authorities were increased at all levels, the gentry married taxes to the people, and the landlords released from the tenants, so the world was turbulent, and it was difficult for the people to be at ease! The son of this world and the Ming Dynasty share weal and woe and share glory and disgrace, thinking about it, they have to accept criticism and collect the gentry's contributions! As he spoke, he pointed to Song Zhensi and the other guards and said, "Sir, please see, these warriors are the guards of the palace, and they are all brave and brave people. In the past two days, countless people have been killed, and the rate is the work of such warriors. Therefore, the son of this world collects gentry contributions, all for the purpose of protecting the country and the people! What is taken from the people is also used by the people. I also hope that Mr. Hong will make a living for the people of Shu and help the son of this world! ”

Zhu Pingjin said it affectionately and clearly. For the time being, Zhu Pingjin did not want to discuss the rights and wrongs of the state taxation policy, but only wanted to ensure the people's livelihood and maintain social stability through rent reduction and concession by the gentry on the premise of not going beyond the general framework of this policy. So his solution was to let the land hang in the name of the royal palace, and use the royal government's tax exemption policy to reduce the land rent standard of the common people on the premise of minimizing the loss of the gentry.

Of course, Hong Qihui understood what the prince meant. It's not easy to just let the gentry take the initiative to give away their interests! So Hong Qihui shook his head and said: "The meaning of the son of the world, the students know it. As far as the students know, the palace received the gentry's donations, and most of them opened Wangzhuang Wang stores, and a few parties were operated by the donors. At the beginning of this dynasty, there was no Huangzhuang Huangdian. Shizu was originally a vassal king, and after Jing was difficult, he changed the Wangzhuang Wangdian to the Huangzhuang Huangdian. As soon as this case opened, the north and south of the Beijing division were directly subordinate, and the Huangzhuang Huangdian was set up; The kings, princesses, and relatives of meritorious men have shops all over the world, and officials and gentry have also followed suit. Students dare to ask the prince, if the palace has set up a Wang Zhuang Wang shop, who is the owner of the shop? ”

"Hmm...... Most of them are eunuchs in the house. Zhu Pingjin replied after a moment of silence.

"That's what worries students! The eunuch was originally a slave of the heavenly family. In the Zhuang store, it is inevitable to be good at Weifu and arbitrary. Those who are not appeased, in the locality, will inevitably build houses and private passes; On the road, there is a request for verification, a gift for Guan Wen, an offering for BINXI, a vehicle for taking, and a request for husband and horse! Some ruffians and hooligans also surrendered to the palace, so they had no fear, and set aside things everywhere to scrape the people's interests, and the people did not suffer. Hong Qihui ignored Cao Sanbao's increasingly ugly face, and said to himself: "Since the construction of this dynasty, the income of the Zhuang shop has been imported into the palace mansion, and the example is only one-twelfth of tenth. And those who enter the private pockets of eunuchs and village heads are equivalent to (CHI) eight or nine times out of ten...... This is one of the disadvantages of the gentleman's dedication. (Note 1)

Zhu Pingjin's face is not very good-looking. The Wangzhuang and Wangdian shops in the palace are all taken care of by the princess, and Zhu Pingjin doesn't know what Hong Qihui said, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have an overall understanding. To make an analogy with his previous life, the emperor's Huangzhuang Huangdian is equivalent to a central enterprise; Wangzhuang Wangdian set up by the palace is equivalent to a provincial enterprise. These state-owned enterprises not only generally suffer from the disease of large enterprises with low efficiency and weak competitiveness, but also the more prominent hidden danger is the integrity and self-discipline of the senior management team. Zhu Pingjin spent ten years in two state-owned enterprises in his previous life, and he was very clear about these things that could not be put on the table. To put it in common language, that's still a matter of mechanism. Zhu Pingjin heard Hong Qihui's words and gradually calmed down. There are some deep-seated problems, and this Yazhou scholar has seen them very thoroughly, and he has to let him fully express his opinions.

"There are a lot of people who open a village and set up a store in the house of the gentleman, can there be a solution?" Zhu Pingjin asked.

"Zi said: 'The hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit.'" It is the one who has the magic law, and only the proprietor and the shopkeeper benefit together! The same benefit is concentric, and the same heart is up and down, and the dividends are rolling in! Speaking of the familiar economic world, Hong Qihui couldn't help but be proud, and talked eloquently in front of Zhu Pingjian: "The Fan family's Fan boss is a master in this regard. The students heard from their elders that although the Fan family was quite wealthy a few decades ago, they were just a wealthy family. Because the Fan family allowed the shopkeeper to make heavy profits, many shopkeepers worked tirelessly to sell department stores in Kham. Wealth accumulates day by day, and this is the result of millions of fortunes! After Mr. Fan came out, the government took care of it, and the business became more and more smooth, and the family business became more and more prosperous! It's just that this catastrophe ......"

Fan Qian's words can't be believed! Zhu Pingjin was shocked. But he said with regret: "Hey! It's a pity! Ben Shizi just heard the official reply, saying that the chaotic people rushed into Fan's house last night to burn and loot, and Master Fan was so insulted that he had committed suicide by hanging himself! Although the population of the clan is large, there is only one nephew left, whose name is Fan Zhi. It's a pity that Master Fan went, otherwise this son would have been able to ask for advice or two! ”

The two had a great conversation. Zhu Pingjin asked again: "Mr. said that this Wang Zhuang Wang store can't be set up, so how about being run by the donor?" There is one disadvantage for sir, and there must be another for him, so please teach me. ”

Hong Qihui is in his thirties, immersed in poetry and books for more than 20 years, and has become a state student. Today, I can finally show my knowledge of the world, but unfortunately the audience is only a fifteen-year-old prince of the domain!

"If you can talk to the king and ministers in the court, this life is enough!" Hong Qihui sighed in his heart, but said in his mouth:

“…… The land rent in Shuzhong is still high, and the inherent landlords are greedy and the taxes are heavy, but the students think that there are two reasons. First, because of the three hundred years of Chengping in Shuzhong, the population is increasing, and the land is not increasing; Natural and man-made disasters are frequent, and food prices are becoming more expensive. The landlord's family saw that the land was profitable, so they raised the tenant price. Second, because of the exhaustion in Shuzhong now, all industries are withering, and the people have only one way to farm, and there are many tenants and few farmland, so it is naturally difficult to reduce the tenant price. If the prince forces the gentry to surrender and lower the tenant price, his interests will be harmed, and he will definitely be hit by his rebellion. If a powerful person ascends to the heights and shouts, or makes trouble in the place, or impeaches in the temple, the students will be worried about the world! ”

Hong Qihui's belief that forced surrender would lead to the political collapse of the Shu Prince's Mansion is alarmist. Among the vassal kings, there were really few in the Ming Dynasty who were taken by the emperor because of the annexation of land. It is true that the place is unstable due to the forced request for investment or rent reduction, and it is also the head of the palace, Shi Si, who bears the responsibility, and it is not the turn of the prince, let alone Zhu Pingjin. However, Hong Qihui's use of the relationship between market supply and demand to explain the changes in tenant prices is in line with Zhu Pingjin's education in the market economy, so it once again aroused his thinking.

The relationship between the tenant and the tenant is essentially one of supply and demand. There are many people and little land, and the imbalance between supply and demand will inevitably lead to excessively high tenant prices. Food prices are too high, also because there is an imbalance between supply and demand. Hong Qihui's words are very reasonable, and Zhu Pingjin fully agrees. At present, as a strategic material in short supply, the core of the problem in Sichuan and even in the entire Ming Dynasty is the shortage of total quantity. According to Zhu Pingjian's thinking, the total agricultural output is the key to all problems. Only when the shackles of total agricultural output are lifted can we develop handicrafts on a large scale and even advance modern large-scale industry. With the absolute efficiency advantage of large industry over small agriculture, the agricultural population transfer will be realized, and the proportion of agricultural population in the total population will be reduced. The total output of agriculture is insufficient, and industrialization is only a castle in the air after all. There has never been a precedent for any country or region to develop naturally to industrialization hungry. The precedent known to Zhu Pingjin is that the state and the government strongly intervened in the economy, taking advantage of the "scissors gap" of industrial and agricultural products to forcibly extract profits from agriculture to develop industry. To put it simply, it is to starve the peasants to death to protect the workers!

Starving peasants to death to protect workers? The result was a peasant rebellion, and the workers scolded their mothers! The national economy is on the verge of collapse! Zhu Pingjin shook his head secretly and erased it in his heart.

Hong Qihui was still talking, and Zhu Pingjin thought about Hong Qihui's words again. Hong Qihui believes that the main reason for the shortage of total grain is the shortage of arable land. Zhu Pingjin disagrees with this. The main reason for the shortage of grain is the destruction of agricultural production conditions and the suppression of agricultural production enthusiasm by high rents and taxes! As long as these two major factors restricting agricultural production are resolved, there will be no problem in achieving grain self-sufficiency with Sichuan's existing land resources and natural conditions! To restore the conditions for agricultural production, first, it is necessary to stabilize social order; Second, we must ensure agricultural tools and cattle; Third, we must improve water conservancy facilities; Fourth, ask the gods to worship the Buddha and pray for good weather and rain. To liberate the enthusiasm of agricultural production, first, we must reduce the tax burden; Second, it is necessary to lower the standard of tenants; Third, it is necessary to issue a document No. 1 to reassure and strengthen agricultural development. In addition, agricultural output can also be increased through the development of diversified breeding, trial planting of new crops, increasing the amount of fertilizer application and other measures to increase production.

Can strategic materials be increased by means of market regulation? Zhu Pingjin has no bottom in his heart. He pondered for a long time, and then took a few sips of the tea cup in his hand and asked Hong Qihui if he had a good way.

Note 1: Excerpt from Ming University scholar Xia Yan's "Survey of Huangzhuang Shu"