Although Fang Chongyong was building momentum in Dunhuang, there was news that the Tubo people were coming. But it's a pity or fortunately, until the end of spring ploughing, the Tubo people didn't come!

Fang Ya's festival was shattered, and it was about to become a joke in Dunhuang. Rumors spread throughout the city, ranging from being cowardly as a mouse to working hard and wasting money, and there were all kinds of bad things about him.

Fang Chongyong understands that this is the dissatisfaction of local big families with him, and it is brewing.

In fact, it is not surprising, because no matter who it is, as long as his money is wasted, he will be very unhappy. The local big households led by the Zhang family, they gave the government food, which was used as military food to deal with the Tubo people, not to fill the hole for Fang Chongyong.

Now that the Tubo people have not come, the ball has been kicked to Fang Chongyong, and he must take action to appease the local family. Otherwise, those people joined forces and engaged in some small conspiracies behind their backs, which would definitely make Fang Chongyong unable to eat and walk around.

In the meditation room of a temple next to the medicinal spring, Fang Chongyong, who had just returned not long ago, was reviewing the draft regulations written before in front of the table.

Recently, he has been immersed in the government office of the small city, flipping through all kinds of account books in the treasury, and at the same time inspecting the people's situation in various parts of Shazhou, and he already has a number in his heart.

Shazhou's local specialties, he may have had a lot of things in his previous life, but now he really can't make any tricks.

For example, because of the long sunshine hours, the melons and fruits here are very sweet and unique, especially the grapes. However, these things cannot be exchanged for money, cannot be converted into financial income, and cannot be transported to Chang'an for sale.

The only thing worth mentioning is the wine. However, the local temples have a great demand for alcohol, and a lot of the wine produced locally is consumed by the monks of the temples, and there is not much to exchange for money as a trade item.

Although there are a lot of local animal husbandry products, the competitiveness is not strong, and the meat on the camel is still a little distinctive, and the camel is more used as a vehicle in the desert, not specifically for meat.

To put it bluntly, there are quite a lot of cattle, sheep and camels in the Hexi Corridor, and the prices are unusually low. The distance to Chang'an is more than 2,000 miles, so that local products can only be digested locally.

From an agricultural point of view, Dunhuang is not worth mentioning at all!

However, if you look at it from a business perspective, the conclusion is completely different.

All kinds of goods from the Western Regions are gathered here, and it can be said that you want to have everything. Although the local municipal tax and tariff in Dunhuang are very low, the volume of goods circulation is very large, and the accumulated customs and municipal tax occupy the majority of the government's revenue.

In Dunhuang, if you want to develop, you can't completely rely on local forces, you must rely on external forces.

In other words, local habitable areas are oases in the middle of the desert terrain and the total amount of resources they can provide is very limited.

To raise more cattle and sheep, it is necessary to sacrifice the straw in the field as fodder; Without straw as fuel, the locals had to cut down more precious shrubs such as thorns and tamarix; Without vegetation, the oasis shrinks and the living space is further compressed.

Each output requires the sacrifice of the small local resources, whether it be water, vegetation or manpower.

Not to mention that there is no carboniferous, no iron ore and even black oil (oil) around here, there is only one jade mine, which is not small. It is a pity that the location is in the mountains west of Dunhuang, and the mining conditions are very poor, not to mention how to transport them on a large scale in the desert.

After Fang Chongyong's many investigations, he found that the local development of Shazhou seems to have reached the limit. If you want to work in the position of Shazhou Thorn for four years and make some political achievements, then don't fight the idea of local products.

At this moment, carrying a basket, Anaye, who had just returned from going to Luocheng with Fang Dafu to buy vegetables, came over worriedly and said:

"Lang Jun, many people in Luo Cheng are saying that making Jun a waste of money is a waste of money. After preparing for so long, the Tubo people didn't come, and they didn't let the soldiers of the Doulu army go back to farming, and there were many people who scolded Lang Jun outside. ”

"These are all things that others have put out to test me, don't worry about it."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, looking indifferent.

Sergeant Doulu took last year's winter coat and this year's spring coat at once, and there was a fart complaint. After pacifying the local garrison, Fang Chongyong dared to continue to live here in Yaoquan. Otherwise, once the local Qiu Ba mutinies, it will change the sky greatly!

The Doulu Army in Shazhou and the Moli Army in Guazhou were actually organized by the old Tuyuhun Department at the beginning.

"Doulu" means to return to righteousness, and "Moli" means wolf, both of which are dialects on the Tuyuhun side. Among the local people in Shazhou, many of them are Tuyuhun people after sinicization, and they have just changed their names.

They have a great sense of belonging to the local area, but whether they are willing to be called by the Tang Dynasty unconditionally has to say two things.

Once the supply of the Datang Center is not in place, it is difficult for these people to say how much loyalty they have.

The most obvious evidence is that after the Anshi Rebellion, all the armies in the northwest returned to Guanzhong, and the Chishui Army was the first to arrive in Guanzhong. However, the Doulu army and the Moli army did not move, but retreated to Shazhou before the start of the Tibetan offensive and did not go to Guanzhong with them.

The Doulu Army and Mo Lijun, who had the strong imprint of the remnants of Tuyuhun, did not want to save the Tang Dynasty, which is the so-called human nature.

Fang Chongyong understands very well that the so-called "loyalty" is conditional and boundary. There is no love without a cause, and there is no loyalty without a cause. If the salaries are not in place, there will be no army that will fight bravely to kill the enemy. To some extent, it is also a kind of business.

Fang Chongyong felt that his Shazhou assassin history should be very appealing in the Doulu army, and it was the local big families who complained!

Seeing Fang Chongyong's indifferent look, Anaye pleaded and said, "Lang Jun, there are many fish and dragons here, and there are many bad guys, so it's better to pay attention to some, okay?" ”

Fang Chongyong stood up, circled around Anaya a few times, folded his arms and nodded slightly: "Last time, those Sogdian women's clothes, go and change them, I have good things for you." ”

"What's good?"

"We'll find out then."

Fang Chongyong sent Anaye away.

Those nobles in Chang'an, life is too comfortable, it's time to have some fun for them.

After a while, the beautifully dressed Anaya appeared in front of Fang Chongyong, and the strange Sogdian costume was not inconsistent with her at all, but showed a perfect exotic style.

"Li Yi, this old cesium and beryllium is quite discerning."

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself, then opened a wooden box on the table and took out a large handful of colorful jewelry.

In addition to gold and silver, rubies and emeralds are not uncommon, garnets and diamonds are also present.

Anyway, there are all kinds of styles!

"Wow! Are these all for me? Wouldn't that be too much of an exaggeration? ”

Anaya ran over and hugged these jewels in his arms, but heard Fang Chongyong say coldly: "I borrowed it from the treasury, I have to return it tomorrow, you don't want me to be taken down by the imperial court because of embezzlement of the treasury jewels, right?" ”

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly.

"Oh."

Anaye put the jewelry in her arms on the table, with a reluctant face, looking at Fang Chongyong with a resentful look in her eyes.

"There is no interest at all, where will these things be worthy of your identity in the future!"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand impatiently and said.

"Really?"

Anaya was overjoyed when she heard this.

"That's nature, am I going to lie to you? What is my relationship with you? ”

Fang Chongyong said as he put a necklace inlaid with rubies around Anaye's neck, and then added jewelry one by one until he couldn't wear it anymore. On Anaye's slender ten fingers, there are more than a dozen rings!

Some wore three or four on their fingers.

"It's all good stuff!"

Fang Chongyong said with emotion.

"yes, it's all good stuff."

Anaye said with a bitter face, with mixed feelings in her heart. Then he watched Fang Chongyong take off the jewelry on her body one by one, as if he was cutting his own flesh.

"Don't feel distressed, there will be in the future. It's just that wearing these things may be a disaster in the future. ”

Fang Chongyong put all these jewelry into the box and said meaningfully.

Just now with Anaye as a model, he also saw that the jewelry from the Western Regions and West Asia is indeed good, unique, and if it is properly matched, it can add a lot of external beauty to women.

In Chang'an, there should be strong competitiveness and value preservation attributes.

Now it's time to make a wave of big moves, otherwise the local heroes still think that they are wooden fish heads, and they will only fight and kill all day long.

"I've got you covered."

Fang Chongyong took out a small gold ring from his cuff, handed it to Anaya and said.

"It's so small......"

Anaye couldn't help but complain as she took it and quickly put it on her middle finger. This thing is so inferior to the ones she just wore!

Not at all comparable, not even a gem!

"Love is stronger than gold, haven't you heard this sentence, of course you have to give someone a gold ring? Besides, you can't wear a big ring, your fingers are so thin.

Cook well at home, I'll go to the town and come back in the evening. ”

Fang Chongyong put the draft copywriting that had been written into a wooden box, and left with the box.

After he left, Anaye, who had been straining her face, danced and laughed in the meditation room. While kissing the gold ring, he rolled on the cushion that Fang Chongyong was kneeling on just now.

……

"The government will issue these decrees, and the official will take them over and show them to Zhang Yuanwai first."

Fang Chongyong handed the draft decree he had written to Zhang Yi. This one once served as a member of the imperial court, so Fang Chongyong deliberately called him the highest official position in the past to show respect.

In the innermost study room of the Zhang family's house, Fang Chongyong was talking secretly with the patriarch of the Zhang family.

"Preservation fees?"

When Zhang Yi saw this word, he was a little stunned for a while.

Not because it's unfamiliar, it's too familiar.

One of Fang Chongyong's new policies is the so-called "commercial insurance". The kind that sells dog meat on the head of a sheep.

It is not far from the Western Regions to Dunhuang, and if you get lost on the way, you may die in the desert, not to mention the ubiquitous bandits. Therefore, the "commercial guild" composed of local merchants already has the concept of "commercial insurance".

But it's not called insurance, it's called "business mutual aid".

The merchants in the guild can choose to pay a sum of money before each departure, let the guild guarantee themselves, and in the event of an accident, a part of the "public money pool" in the guild will be allocated as compensation to prevent the merchants from going bankrupt.

It's just that this system has many flaws, and the most difficult thing is to collect evidence and settle claims. Therefore, the so-called "commercial mutual assistance" has only appeared in the Dunhuang area, and it is far from popular.

"Envoy, this idea is good, but it is too difficult to implement."

Zhang Yi didn't know what to say, he could only say that although this envoy was not big, his heart was really not small.

"No, no, no, Zhang Yuanwai misunderstood.

After paying this money, the government will take care of things, and only then will the people of the Doulu Army go to investigate.

If you don't pay the money, then the government will default to death without proof, and it will not even pay attention to it.

This is mandatory, and tax evaders are heavily fined. And only luxury goods are collected, such as gold and silver, jewelry, rare medicinal materials, etc. from the Western Regions, and nothing is accepted for things such as silk. ”

Fang Chongyong said with a smile, stretched out a finger and said: "Twenty percent, belong to the big households in Dunhuang, and eighty percent belong to the government office." Whoever doesn't pay it, there will be fugitives here who pretend to be bandits and rob those people. ”

Hearing this, Zhang Yi's eyes suddenly lit up.

They have long been jealous that those Hu merchants in the Western Regions control commercial transactions, and a large amount of gold and silver cannot fall into their hands, and they can't touch it.

It's like asking for rice with a golden rice bowl.

This envoy is really a wonderful person.

"And what is this hierarchical tax list?"

Zhang Yi asked suspiciously.

Fang Chongyong's second decree is that from now on, the government on the Dunhuang side will collect taxes on the subdivided types of goods in the past.

Heavy taxation of luxury goods that have nothing to do with production and life! Such as jewelry and cherished medicinal herbs.

Light tax on materials related to production and life! Such as spices, plant seeds, etc.

Not only are there no taxes on the urgently needed goods in the local area, but there are also subsidies! Such as grain, silk and so on.

Of course, these are all taxes from the Western Regions, and taxes from Chang'an, calculated separately.

In short, on the basis of the previous tax rate, different types of goods are divided into more details. Taxes are no longer levied on the value of goods, as was the case in the past.

In general, most of the things that come from the Western Regions are luxury goods. This alone provides a significant amount of tax revenue to the local state capital.

Of course, this will naturally push up the price of luxury goods in the Chang'an market. But Fang Chongyong thought that the Chang'an magnates led by Brother Ji have always been not short of money, and they are also not short of means to make money.

Since they are not short of money, they are the main consumers of luxury goods. So under the principle of "only buy expensive, not right", adding a surcharge to them should only increase the face of these people, right?

"Envoy, this export tax rebate ......"

It was the first time Zhang had heard such a word.

"That's easy to say. For example, spices, pepper and other things are good to put in the dish, but it's okay not to eat them.

As for this, we will collect heavy taxes first, but issue a voucher. After the merchant brought grain or cloth from elsewhere, he could use this voucher to get back part of the customs duties collected at the government office.

The local area has received both supplies and increased income. ”

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

Export tax rebates, this is a big move to make money. Even if the previous two decrees are abolished, as long as this article is there, you will be able to spend the four-year term in peace.

Fang Chongyong was secretly proud in his heart, what kind of Tubo Turkic people didn't want to drink their own footwashing water. What if Brother Ji doesn't pay the army, as long as he gives him time in the Yanei, he can have a good time!

(End of chapter)