Liu Fucheng's warehouse is not far from the wharf. In order to pile up goods, it occupies a lot of land. Due to the increasing number of merchants from all walks of life in Tianjin, he built an inn on a piece of land near the inn, which was just used to entertain Huang Taiji and his party. This warehouse is still a long way from Tianjin City, and if you want to enter the city, you have to take a carriage for half an hour, so Huang Taiji wants to settle down first.

For ease of transportation, the warehouse is close to one of the tributaries of the canal. After moving in, Huang Taiji opened the window and could see the pier dozens of meters away. It would be dark, but there would be torches on the dock and a row of pulley cranes working. Coolies on the docks lift cargo in standard wooden crates ashore, and in a matter of moments a ship can be emptied.

"These Han people are quite diligent in their work, much more than those Nikanliso under us." Zhezhe approached the window and also looked out, "I see that there are a few maids in this inn who are good-looking, obedient and sensible. I just don't know how to get the price? If it's suitable, why don't you sell a few back. ”

In Zhezhe's view, it is polite that he is willing to spend money to sell others as slaves. Huang Taiji stared at the coolie for a long time, and after reading the entire work process of the other party, he replied in a low voice: "The Han people here are not slaves of anyone's family. They were hired and paid to do their work. ”

The word hired worker is inexplicable to Zhezhe, and he has never heard of it. The people around her are either masters or slaves, and there is no other identity. She saw that Huang Taiji's face was gloomy, and hurriedly thought of something interesting and said, "Master, there is a tofu shop opposite this inn, where did the tofu we eat at night come from." I just went to see it, and it's a big house. ”

Zhezhe had never even eaten tofu in the past, and in the past few days in the Central Plains, he has eaten delicious food. She especially fell in love with eating tofu, and when she heard that there was a tofu shop nearby, she hurriedly went over to see it.

"There are at least 100 people in that tofu factory, and I heard that they are busy all day and night. He also said that it was the merger of several tofu factories, and the bank of the 'revolutionary army' gave them a loan that was so big. I saw them grinding with oxen, and a coal-burning stove, and a big, big pot.

The strangest thing is that they all have to wear aprons and masks, and I heard that officials often come to check the hygiene. I wanted to go in and learn how to make tofu, but they didn't allow it, saying they were afraid that I would stain the production line. Hmph...... my lord, which tofu shop are we going to sell, okay? After that, I whipped them and asked them to make us tofu. ”

Zhezhe said it lightly, like a child who doesn't understand anything and is currying favor with adults. Huang Taiji's mind was in turmoil, thinking about why the hinterland of this great enemy could be so prosperous? He snorted impatiently, not wanting to speak. This Great Fu Jin immediately shrank and didn't dare to say anything more.

After dinner, he should have rested, but Liu Fucheng invited Huang Taiji and his family to visit the night market. He saw that this young man was either rich or expensive, and he wanted to have a good relationship, and second, he wanted to show the goods of Tianjin. As long as he provokes the other party's desire to buy, it is convenient for him to do business from it. Although Huang Taiji felt uncomfortable, he still took Zhezhe and Gu Yuanwei's master and apprentice to the street.

"This was originally a wasteland, but the 'revolutionary army' had to carve out too much freight through the canal, so it had to be carved out as a wharf. And because of the construction of the wharf, the road was also opened. Two months ago there was only one street, but now there are three. In just two months, the price of land has tripled, and I now regret that I bought too little land. ”

Liu Fucheng obviously did not deal with the 'revolutionary army', but this did not prevent him from introducing Huang Taiji as a landlord, "There are many merchants and goods coming and going on this side of the wharf, so there are many people living here." At night, there are police on duty, and there are many people who are willing to go shopping, and the shops do not close until late. ”

Listening to Liu Fucheng's introduction, Huang Taiji came to a bustling street. These are the two rows of shops on the side of the road, only about two or three hundred meters long, but in the eyes of the Jurchens, this brightly lit street market seems to have fallen from the sky - under the rule of the Jurchens, there are only curfew soldiers and cold winds in the dark night, and there is no such comfortable and leisure place.

Zhezhe fell in love with this street at first sight, and she begged Huang Taiji a few times, then waved to the slaves who followed behind, and happily strolled around one shop after another. Although Huang Taiji himself was unhappy, he also smiled generously at Gu Yuanwei's master and apprentice: "The two of you defected to me from the Central Plains, and I haven't seen such prosperity for a long time. Don't be inhibited tonight, just buy something. ”

Gu Yuanwei nodded yes, smiled and followed Huang Taiji into a cloth village. As soon as they entered, the shopkeeper stepped forward to greet them. Seeing that these people are extraordinary, the shopkeeper didn't say much, only said that the guest officer looked at it, Benbuzhuang had complete goods, and the price was fair.

Huang Taiji didn't know much about cloth, only that the materials in the store were quite luxurious, and not ordinary people could afford to use them. He was happy and asked the shopkeeper: "Didn't you say that the best thing to sell in Tianjin is thick cotton cloth?" Why didn't I see it here? ”

The shopkeeper smiled modestly and said happily: "Guest officer, you are talking about the machine-made cloth that our marshal transported in Liaodong. That kind of fabric is really good, solid, supple, and cheap, and no one else has to sell it. As soon as the machine-made cloth was put on the market, the homespun cloth transported from Songjiang Prefecture was dried down, and the common people loved to buy that kind of fabric.

We can't compare to machine-made cloth in any way we sell cotton cloth now. This has to be convincing, the handsome man is really powerful. So we're all silk here, or printed colored cloth. Now there are more and more rich people in Tianjin, and a noble person like you has to ask for a few horses of silk for anything. You're right? ”

As the shopkeeper spoke, he brought a few of the best silk in the store, and Huang Taiji reached out and touched it, and it felt really good. As soon as he asked about the price, he sighed again: "It's quite cheap." ”

Huang Taiji said 'cheap' in his mouth, but he was scolding those Jin merchants in his heart. The latter bought a lot of commercial goods from the Jurchen territory, and cloth was inevitable. The price of this silk material has directly increased tenfold, which is really a big profit.

The shopkeeper didn't know what he meant, but when the guest officer was satisfied, he hurriedly said: "Now that there is no toothless businessman to stir up the situation, it is also convenient to transport by water along the way, and there are fewer bandits blocking the road and robbing in the place, so it is much more convenient to do business than in the past." So everything in Tianjin is at least 20% cheaper than other places. ”

"I heard you have a heavy tax burden." Huang Taiji had read the newspapers of the 'Revolutionary Army', and he was not ignorant of the affairs of Tianjin. The newspaper will reflect the truth of the people, and Zhou Qingfeng's strength makes him not mind exposing the problem publicly.

The shopkeeper hurriedly smiled awkwardly, secretly glanced at the direction of the shopkeeper, and said in a low voice: "Our store naturally feels that it is best not to pay taxes." But if you don't pay any taxes, then you will have to become the same as the Ming government in the past. On the surface, you don't pay taxes, but secretly you have to spend a lot of money. But we can't say this to our shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper doesn't recognize this reason. ”

"How much tax can you collect in a month?" Huang Taiji asked.

"The day before yesterday, the newspaper said that the tax bureau collected more than 30,000 silver dollars in the first month of its establishment last month." Shopkeeper said.

More than 30,000 silver dollars doesn't sound like much, about 20,000 taels of silver.

Kedian Xiaoer continued: "The newspaper also said that the tax bureau said that it would comprehensively roll out the tax collection work in Tianjin, and also set up an independent tax police to ensure that enough taxes were collected for the marshal to carry out construction. By the end of the year, the monthly tax revenue should be raised to 300,000 yuan. The new Commissioner of Taxation also said that anyone who dares not to pay their taxes will face a merciless blow from the tax police. ”

The shopkeeper also secretly found a recent newspaper, "Have you read this latest issue of "Revolutionary Times"? The words shouted above are fierce, and our shopkeeper has had a headache in the past two days. What used to be fooled by stuffing a few taels of silver will now have to be paid a lot of silver dollars. ”

Huang Taiji doesn't feel what is fierce or not, no matter how fierce he is, can he still be fierce? He was only smacked at the tax collection ability of the 'revolutionary army', 300,000 silver dollars a month, isn't it nearly 4 million silver dollars a year? And that's just Tianjin. If the area occupied by this 'revolutionary army' was larger, wouldn't they be rich?

In the early Wanli years, Zhang Juzheng carried out the financial reform of the 'one whip' law, which extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by collecting taxes and greatly improving its financial situation. But the annual tax revenue is only more than two million taels, which is converted into more than three million silver dollars. Even in the last years of the dynasty, with the addition of Liao, training, and extermination, it was only 15 million taels of silver, but the tax was collected and the whole country rebelled.

The 'revolutionary army' collects a few million taels of silver in just one Tianjin, and the people here will not rebel?

When Huang Taiji looked at the newspapers again, he found that the 'revolutionary army' collected taxes not only in Tianjin, but also in southern Liaoning and Dengzhou. Commerce in southern Liaoning is not very developed, but Dengzhou does business with the whole of Shandong, and last month it collected more taxes than Tianjin. At the end of the article, it is expected that the total tax revenue for next year will be more than 10 million yuan, and it also praises this as the ability of the commander to rule the world.

There was also an advertisement in the newspaper for the collection of taxes - only death and the payment of taxes were inevitable. Whoever dares not to pay taxes to the marshal, we will let him die.

...... vomiting blood, such naked words asking for money are really ruthless!

The Jurchens have searched the entire Liaodong, and only now they have recovered about 10 million taels of silver. But this is a one-time income, don't count on it in the future, and if you want to make money, you can only continue to go out and grab it. But now facing the obstacle of Shanhaiguan's natural danger, they have nowhere to grab it if they want to.

"Tianjin is a prosperous place, if you can capture this place. It's a pity that ...... "Huang Taiji is actually quite smart, he can appreciate the vitality of the vigorous development of the 'revolutionary army', and he also knows that he is also a Han people, the Ming army is easy to fight, and the 'revolutionary army' is not easy to fight."

Thinking deeply, Huang Taiji can find out only two ways out. Either make a detour to Mongolia and attack Gyeonggi like the Jin merchants, or break through the Shanhai Pass and enter the Huahua world of the Han people. But Huang Taiji is the last of the four Baylors and has the least power. Now the entire Jurchen military group is immersed in the joy of occupying the entire Liaodong, and has temporarily lost the desire to plunder foreign countries.

Huang Taiji was stunned when he thought about it, and he heard the shopkeeper next to him asking again, 'Do you want to have a few pieces of silk for the guest officer', and he asked rhetorically: "Are you literate?" ”

The shopkeeper smiled shyly: "After graduating from junior high school, it will be easier to find a job." When I save some more money, I will have to study for a year or two, finish high school, and get double my salary for a month. Guest, what's wrong with your face? Sick? ”

"Nothing." Huang Taiji was just very unhappy when he found that this casual shopkeeper who looked like a servant could read the newspaper. It's like seeing dozens of sturdy men working as coolies during the day, which is ridiculous and unacceptable. He waved his hand, "I want these silks." ”

Huang Taiji was sulking, and he heard Gu Yuanwei beside him saying to his apprentice Yang Jian: "Apprentice, these pieces of cloth are of good color, let the store wrap them." ”

"Okay, I'll call the shopkeeper right away. However, Master, can you borrow a few dozen taels of silver from the apprentice first? The disciple also thought that these cloths were very good, and wanted to sell a few of them back to make clothes. "Yang Jian said, 'It's easy to wrap up the store, the key is that I don't have money'.

"Master has raised you for so many years, and I have never asked you to be filial, and now you even came to ask Master for silver?"

"Master, it's not that I don't respect your old man, I really don't have any money."

"The Great Khan gave you Zhuangzi, servants, and a lot of gold and silver, how can you have no money? Your current identity is unusual, and you are also the forehead of the Dajin Kingdom, and you can't take out dozens of taels of silver, are you ashamed? ”

"Master, you know that my family is very fierce. She knew I was coming out this time, but she didn't give me a tael of silver. Master, you lend me some first, and I'll buy a few pieces of flower cloth and go back to make me happy, and I'll pay you back immediately. The cloth you are optimistic about is mine, and I bought it back to honor my master. You're also a Daikin attached, the key is that you have to lend me some first. ”

Yang Jian looked at Gu Yuanwei with blank eyes. After watching it for a long time, Gu Yuanwei's face turned red, and he replied with a long sigh: "Master, I don't have any money." ”

The master and apprentice stared.