The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Qian Zhenggui's words shocked Tang Hao.

He admitted that he had been corrupt and took bribes, but he did not admit that he had plundered people's wealth and wealth.

After all, the money he embezzled was all collected from passing merchants, which has nothing to do with the people!

In fact, in the eyes of these literati and officials, humble businessmen were different from ordinary people.

The merchants of the Ming Dynasty have been active throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Even in the early Ming Dynasty, Taizu Emperor Gao severely suppressed merchants and forbade merchants from wearing brocade clothes, riding sedan chairs, and descendants from taking scientific examinations. It seemed that the room for advancement of merchants was completely blocked, but that was just Just in the early Ming Dynasty.

When the civil servants and gentry took control of the government, especially after Hongzhi, the status of these merchants increased greatly. After all, although they had no political status, they were rich!

If civil servants and gentry want to make money, they have to pay attention to their appearance. They are all people with status and status. Naturally, they cannot personally compete with the people for profit and ruin their own reputation. Therefore, most of them will support some merchants. Taking care of one's own property, or using these businessmen as tools to benefit oneself, is the so-called "official-business collusion."

And the fleet of these gentry is just to make money. It must be common for large ships to be loaded with goods. If Linqing Chaoguan directly lets them go because of the powerful power behind them, then what else does this bank have to do? What is the meaning of existence?

Is it possible that the purpose is to embarrass ordinary businessmen and extract some profit from them?

Oh, if that were the case, Tang Hao wouldn't have to go to Linqing anymore!

"As long as you are not corrupt, it will be fine. As for these soldiers, they have their own arrangements!"

What he said is indeed true. After all, Linqing Chaoguan has a unique geographical advantage. If Zong Yue, a crazy bitch, were to be the censor of Chaoguan, let alone making 10,000 taels in two years, he could Earn one hundred thousand taels in one year!

Compared to Zong Yue, Qian Zhenggui did exercise too much restraint.

Finally, a bright light flashed in Qian Zhenggui's mind, and the answer immediately became clear.

When he thought of this, Qian Zhenggui's face instantly turned green.

"But now that you know it, there is only one way to go, otherwise I will have to send you on your way!"

Qian Zhenggui explained with a smile.

Qian Zhenggui immediately expressed his stance and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Oh, do you think it's too little?"

Tang Hao was noncommittal upon hearing this.

You can see the end of his career at a glance. Chaoguan Yushi is the end of Qian Zhenggui's career. He is almost fifty years old now and has nothing to worry about.

Hearing this, Qian Zhenggui suddenly took a breath of cold air.

"Master Hou, have mercy on me, have mercy on me!"

"That's it!" Tang Hao smiled and patted his shoulder.

"But if this soldier is corrupt, what should I do?"

No!

not like this!

First it was Tianjin Weihe Changlu Saltworks, and then Linqing Chaoguan. The goal of this Zhongshan Marquis was very clear from the beginning, and it was definitely not for corruption.

Hearing this, Qian Zhenggui was immediately shocked.

He could imagine that when that time came, there were countless powerful people who wanted to cramp and skin him!

"You are very knowledgeable, and I can give you a chance."

Tang Hao sneered and said: "I made ten thousand taels in two years, which is as much as the income of an inferior and barren county for a whole year. You have a good way of making money!"

Tang Hao laughed and said: "You are actually a talented person, but unfortunately your ambition has been wiped out by the dirty officialdom, so it is understandable that you do some corruption and bribery!"

This time, it is no longer a matter of "lowering down to the official position", but a serious ceremony of recognizing one's master.

"But there are rumors that Liu Daxia just hid it and didn't really burn it. That's just a cover-up!"

It seems that joining the Marquis of Zhongshan as an imperial party is not a path to peace!

"I will leave a military force, which is the Linqing Inspection Department to the outside world. It is responsible for verifying the size of the caravan and then collecting taxes in accordance with the corresponding regulations. The verification will be done by the combat soldiers, and you will be responsible for collecting the tax. The specific process is as follows The soldier will issue a tax stamp for a specific amount. The ship owner will take the tax stamp to your customs office to pay the tax. You will then issue a tax payment certificate. Only with this proof will the soldier be released. Do you understand? "

"Okay!" Tang Hao chuckled and said, "Come here, drag this animal out and skin it!"

Once the imperial court resumed its voyages to the West, the maritime trade would instantly attract a large number of fleets to go to sea, and foreign fleets would also rush to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, if there were no rules and you could rely on your power to get through the customs without paying taxes, Then this banknote has no meaning of existence.

After hearing this inference, Tang Hao couldn't help but applaud.

It was said that the Marquis of Zhongshan once mobilized troops to surround the residence of Liu Daxia, the former Minister of War, without an order, but he did not take action. Instead, he forcibly took something from Liu Daxia!

Liu Daxia, what can he have in his hands that is worthy of the Marquis of Zhongshan taking such a big risk and getting it at all costs?

Qian Zhenggui's brain was running wildly, and the life history of Liu Daxia, the third gentleman of Hongzhi, emerged.

"But the premise is whether you are really smart or pretending to be smart. This matter is of great importance. I will not let a fool sit in this position. Do you understand?"

As a result, by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, such as the Wanli period, the bans against merchants in the early Ming Dynasty had long been in vain. Not only could merchants' children be able to take scientific examinations, but they even had Zhang Siwei, the chief minister of the cabinet. Merchants had already interacted with civil servants. The Jin gentry merged together and became a powerful force that could control the political situation of the Ming Dynasty, and their status was greatly improved compared to the early Ming Dynasty.

"Money is expensive, you are indeed very smart."

Qian Zhenggui, a fellow Jinshi that no one cared about, had been stumbling in the officialdom for so many years, and now he was just a seventh-grade Chaoguan censor, all because he had no noble people behind him to support him!

Now that the noble man is here, he is still the kind of upstart who has all the power, so what is there to hesitate about?

Bowing before bowing, swearing allegiance, and even hesitating for a second are all Qian Zhenggui's disrespect for the Marquis of Zhongshan!

This is a very important rule and is also the core content of the banknote reform.

No one will care about being a Jinshi or a lady.

"Qian Zhenggui, you sound like you are robbing merchants of their money, so that is not corruption or bribery!"

"Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I am willing to ride for you, no matter what!"

In fact, Qian Zhenggui thought very clearly that taking refuge in the powerful Zhongshan Marquis was not a bad thing.

Tang Hao put away the account books and then looked at Qian Zhenggui.

"But the official has never been involved in the dirty things of the Inspection Department. The official has long heard about the things Black Tiger did for them, and has also warned this Ma Lun. However, it is hard to persuade him to die, so the official also It's just that Chaoguan Yushi does not belong to the same system as Linqing Zhizhou, so I can't control him..."

As soon as these words came out, Qian Yushi suddenly showed a smile that was uglier than crying.

"Another point is that the tax rate needs to be adjusted accordingly. In the past, shipping materials were weighed according to the distance of the transportation distance and the size, length and width of the ship, and the tax was determined based on the estimated materials. From Nanjing to Huai'an, Huai'an to Xuzhou, Xuzhou to Jining, and Jining to Lin Each section from Qing Dynasty and Linqing to Tongzhou paid 100 guan for every 100 pieces of information; for the entire journey from Beijing to Nanjing, 500 guan for every 100 pieces was paid. Later, because it was difficult to verify the estimated data, the calculation was changed to Liang Touguang. The standard for narrow taxation ranges from five feet to three feet and six feet, right? "

Facts have proved that there is no pie in the sky. If you take refuge in the Marquis of Zhongshan, your future will be dark!

He thought for a moment, then said bravely: "That Marquis, how about you choose another suitable talent..."

But there is a premise, that is, what does the Zhongshan Marquis want to do?

The meaning behind his words is very profound!

For a moment, Qian Zhenggui's brain was running wildly, and he seriously thought about Tang Hao's true purpose!

There is no doubt that the goal of Zhongshan Hou's trip must be Chaoguan!

But the problem is that Linqing Chaoguan's annual commercial tax is only 120,000 taels of silver. Does he, the dignified Marquis of Zhongshan in the Ming Dynasty, still value such a small amount of silver and want to make him a money-making tool?

What?

What does it mean?

Specifically targeted?

Wouldn’t it be wrong for me to offend all the powerful people in the court?

To put it bluntly, the purpose of the soldiers Tang Hao left behind was to guard the Linqing Chao Pass and monitor Qian Zhenggui. If he acted honestly and cooperated with Tang Hao in reforming the Chao Pass, his future would be bright. But if he relapses into his old habit and can't walk when he sees money, then these soldiers are not vegetarians. They should be killed and arrested. A Chaoguan censor really has no weight.

As soon as these words came out, Qian Zhenggui was immediately dumbfounded, but then without any hesitation, he immediately touched his head to the ground and swore allegiance to Tang Hao.

But his family knew about his family affairs, and it was true that Chaoguan Yushi was a fat man. However, Qian Zhenggui was cautious by nature, and there was no noble support behind him, so he was quite restrained in taking corruption and bribery.

"Which is more important, a small temporary profit or a bright future in the future? You are a smart person and you should know how to choose! Of course, if you are confused again, I won't mind peeling you off and choose someone smart. People sit in this position!”

However, in any case, scholars, peasants, industry and merchants, in the final analysis, merchants are also a type of common people.

For example, the Weng family chose to seek refuge with him, Tang Hao. To put it bluntly, they wanted to find a backer for themselves. When they encountered a problem that money could not solve, they could rely on the power of Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, to solve it. This was The foundation for merchants to settle down and make a living!

"Okay, okay!" Tang Hao waved his hand impatiently, "What the hell you said is true. It seems that you, Qian Zhenggui, are still a good official who serves the country and the people, right?"

I originally planned to finish this job and earn enough money to accumulate some wealth for myself, so that I can work and go home to retire. Wouldn't it be nice to be a rich man who has no worries about food and drink? I can also have a few concubines if I have nothing to do. The old Qian family is flourishing.

"Next, complete the restructuring of Linqing Chaoguan!"

"Behind you is standing me, and behind me is His Majesty the Emperor. I will not let you fight alone!"

Besides, Qian Zhenggui had already revealed the purpose of Marquis Zhongshan. If he refused to be "one of his own", how could Marquis Zhongshan let him go?

But after Qian Zhenggui heard this, his expression became solemn.

Therefore, Qian Zhenggui actually had no other choice but to follow Tang Hao all the way to the dark side!

No one knows what his career will be like in the future, but if he doesn’t express his position now, he will die now!

Therefore, Qian Zhenggui's official career was very bumpy and bumpy. He wasted more than ten years in the position of a medium-sized county magistrate, and then he was lucky enough to get the fat job of Chaoguan Yushi.

"The Marquis once led troops to surround Liu Daxia's residence and took something from his hand. If the official guessed correctly, this thing is the archives of Zheng He's voyages to the West!"

Suddenly, Qian Zhenggui recalled something that happened in the capital.

To be honest, Qian Zhenggui was really scared. He was afraid that if he couldn't help but be corrupt, he would be skinned and killed!

It's a bit ridiculous to say that both Zong Yue and Qian Zhenggui like to record every bribe in detail while taking bribes. To put it bluntly, they want to leave a back-up for themselves to avoid future corruption. When being investigated, this can be used as a handle to coerce those powerful people into rescuing people.

"Furthermore, during the period when Xiaguan took office, although he did make more than 20,000 taels of silver, this stolen money was not earned by Xiaguan alone. He had to share one or two profits with others, especially the powerful people in the capital. Really What fell into the hands of the official was actually less than ten thousand taels..."

This is actually easy to understand. After all, the Ministry of Accounts is responsible for these banknotes in the Ming Dynasty, and the corresponding chiefs are dispatched to be responsible for the connection.

"In the past, Liu Daxia burned the archives of Zheng He's voyages to the West in public in order to prevent Master Cheng Hua from restarting his voyages to the West!"

"From now on, no matter whose ship it is, what dignitaries are standing behind it, or what fleet of foreign envoys it is, as long as it passes through the Linqing Banknote Pass, it must pay the corresponding tax. If anyone wants to force their way through, My cats and dogs, please inform the soldiers to detain all the relevant personnel and goods, and pay ten times the fine before allowing them to pass!"

"Master Hou, have mercy on me, have mercy on me!"

Tang Hao waved his hand impatiently and immediately proposed a series of reform plans.

He felt that he was close to grasping the truth, and all he needed was the finishing touch!

When Tang Hao saw this, he didn't say anything to disturb him. Instead, he was very patient and looked at this old official with a smile.

Seeing such a good Qian Zhenggui, a warm smile appeared on Tang Hao's face.

Tang Hao didn't waste any words and directly stated his purpose.

"The lower officials all told the truth and never criticized the people harshly."

After all, everyone knows that behind the Marquis of Zhongshan is His Majesty the Emperor, so joining the Marquis of Zhongshan actually becomes the imperial party.

So what does he want to do?

"why not?"

As soon as these words came out, Qian Zhenggui's face suddenly turned green and he hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Tang Hao smiled and patted his shoulder, and the latter showed a smile that was uglier than crying.

"The tax stamp is made in triplicate, one for the inspection department, one for the customs office, and the ship owner keeps one copy for himself; the tax payment voucher is also made in triplicate, one for the inspection department, one for the customs office, and the rest The copies will be submitted to the Ministry of Household Affairs for archiving. The Metropolitan Procuratorate will conduct spot checks on these three bills and three tax payment vouchers. If it is found that there is something wrong with the copy in the hands of anyone, the accountability system will be launched, and the relevant personnel will be severely punished without mercy. Corruption was executed on the spot, your inspection department was corrupted and stripped of skin, and the ship owner bribed his entire family to be killed. Do you understand?”

The more Qian Zhenggui talked, the more excited he became, and the more he talked, the more excited he became.

"So the Marquis led his troops to leave Beijing this time, firstly to suppress the Japanese, secondly to clear up the salt policy, and thirdly to make preparations for another voyage to the West. Chaoguan is one of the key links..."

"It's not your mother's problem!" Tang Hao scolded with a smile: "Would you like me to say hello to Mr. Zhang and promote you, a loyal and virtuous man?"

"Don't worry, don't be so nervous."

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhenggui immediately took out an account book from his arms without saying anything, leaving Tang Hao stunned for a moment.

The essence of banknotes and banknotes is commercial taxation. Anything related to taxation cannot be separated from the Ministry of Accounts!

Tang Hao took a look at the account book and saw that the names in it were all officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

"In the future, the taxation standards will be uniformly based on the size of the ship and the amount of cargo. From one item to a hundred items, it will be clear at a glance. It will be announced in front of the bank office. This will not only facilitate your follow-up work, but also reduce the risk of corruption and bribery. The situation has arisen. To put it bluntly, the main tax targets of Chaoguan in the future are those large ships with more than 100 materials, that is, the cargo ships that are specifically targeted at the gentry for profit! "

After all, ordinary people are all confined to the countryside. Even if the court resumes its voyages to the West, it has nothing to do with them. On the contrary, these greedy gentry will rush to form a fleet to get a piece of the pie, and they Behind them stood the gentry of the court, or rather dignitaries!

"You are indeed very smart."

Qian Zhenggui hurriedly expressed his position and said: "The small one must be done well, it must be done well!"

"But you also know what my real goal is, so this Linqing Chaoguan is just a pilot project. When the great cause is about to be completed, the imperial court will implement the Linqing Chaoguan model to all the banknotes and customs in the world. When the time comes, your money Zhenggui, the imperial censor of Linqing Chaoguan, can rise to prominence by virtue of his political achievements, not to mention his reputation in history!"

"They are doing business. They already have a lot of money. If the lower officials plunder some of it, it doesn't mean anything."

"The Marquis is joking. Linqing is located at the intersection of the north and south of the Grand Canal. There are countless cargo ships coming and going. It took Xianguan two years to make such a small amount of money. He is indeed very restrained!"

In fact, his background was not a good one. He was not from a wealthy gentry family. He was just a member of a declining official family. Although he had no worries about food and clothing, he could study and cultivate his virtues with peace of mind. However, his own talents were just like that. During the scientific examination, he only passed the top three grades. Jinshi, this means that his official career can be seen to the end at a glance.

"The rules must be established. No matter what fleet it is, all taxes must be paid. Do you understand?"

"You just said that you want to send money to build relationships with the capital. Who are they specifically? Write down the amount on the list clearly, I will be useful!"

Qian Zhenggui: "???"

"My Lord Marquis is aware that I have indeed just plundered the money of these merchants!"

"Master Marquis, why do you still ask the young master to collect taxes?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Zhenggui immediately laughed twice.

At first, Qian Zhenggui thought that the bamboo basket would be a failure. He often walked by the river without getting his shoes wet. This ferocious Marquis of Zhongshan would definitely kill his whole family as a warning, and he might even skin him if the situation got worse. Damn it, warn the officials all over the world!

But now, listening to what the Marquis of Zhongshan said, it seems that not only can he survive, but he has also experienced a turn in his career!

However, Qian Zhenggui never expected that the damned Zhongshan Hou Tanghao would directly raid Linqing, and also target Linqing Chaoguan. It was inevitable that he, the Chaoguan censor, would bear the brunt. Now life and death depended on him. In hand.

"The Lord Marquis thinks so, and the official also thinks there is nothing wrong with it!"

"Master Hou is wise, I understand."

"Xiaoqian, I am very optimistic about you, don't let me down!"

Qian Zhenggui: "!!!"