Solving the Dilemma

Author: Use your soul to aim

Solving the Dilemma

It is true that briquettes have many benefits. You can build a stove at home and use it. Everyone has used it for many years in previous lives. But how can we talk about increasing the income of the palace and increasing taxes for the court?

Zhang Zongxian did not just listen to Master Ma continue to say:

"This is my plan. One thousand kilograms of coal can make eight hundred briquettes. According to the current price of coal, it is one, two or three yuan per thousand kilograms. Each briquette can be sold for three cents, and you can earn at least one penny after throwing away the labor.

There are at least 2,000 households in a county in the Ming Dynasty. Each household consumes ten briquettes a day in winter, and five briquettes for cooking and boiling water at other times. Counting four months in winter, the total is 3,600 briquettes in a year.

Two thousand households would have to consume 7.2 million briquettes and 9 million kilograms of coal.

Coal consumption is high, so more mining is required. Coal mining relies entirely on manpower, and hundreds or even thousands of miners gather to mine. When such a large number of young people gather together, trouble will inevitably occur. What if someone instigates rebellion outside? Someone should be sent to supervise.

Sending people to supervise this matter must come from the inner court. The emperor sent the inner court father-in-law to supervise the coal mines to prevent rebellion, and then took one silver from every thousand kilograms of coal to replenish the internal coffers. The three hundred counties in the north of the Ming Dynasty said that they could collect three dollars a year.

One hundred thousand taels.

The imperial court then sold each county's exclusive rights to buy and sell briquettes to merchants. It is not expensive for a county to charge one thousand taels of silver for a year. It is okay for a county like Beijing to collect one hundred thousand taels a year. In this way, the court can collect 100,000 taels of silver a year.

The tax increase is as much as one million taels."

Zhang Zongxian thought, is it still possible to play like this? In theory, everyone has received benefits, and there is no reason for opposition from all parties except:

"Master Ma's briquettes are easy to make. Others can know it at a glance. People can buy tools to make them themselves. How to sell exclusive rights?"

Master Ma seemed to know that Zhang Zongxian would ask this question, so he said confidently:

"Master, if you don't sell briquettes exclusively, the profits will be monopolized by local gangs, and the right to sell the coal is only limited to the city. As long as you control the source of the coal, you can exercise the right to sell it. And then divide the profits from the right to sell the coal into 20% of the local area. I think the local government will

We will also safeguard our monopoly rights."

The person who bought the monopoly rights must be quite powerful in the local area, otherwise he would not dare to wade into this muddy water. He couldn’t sell the monopoly rights at too high a price. If it was too expensive, people would buy charcoal. If they couldn’t afford it, they would freeze it.

, so the price won’t be too high.

Centralized production can also reduce costs and increase employment. It will only have an impact on the charcoal industry, but if no one buys charcoal, there will be no need to cut down trees, which will help prevent soil erosion.

If we can really collect so much money to replenish the national treasury, then the additional Liao rates levied this year will not need to be levied next year, and the burden on the people will also be reduced.

There are indeed many benefits! Master Ma still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Master Ma, what a blessing! How to deal with the admonishment officer who threatens to die!"

Master Ma said calmly:

"Those officials are just trying to gain fame, and they are just trying to gain fame by admonishing me. But if I don't like to be obedient, these officials will definitely kill me in the future. No matter what I do? They will impeach me.

Therefore, I must defeat the officials once and for all and make them afraid of you. Otherwise, there will be endless troubles! Master."

When mentioning the official Zhang Zongxian, I get very angry. These officials are just full of food. Isn’t it because they didn’t take part in the imperial examination? I did much better than those so-called Jinshi. Ask Qingjian County

The people know how much they recognize me.

Moreover, the Yanguan of the Ming Dynasty was not easy to mess with! If he really had a fatal remonstrance, he would have left his name in history. Now that the Yanguan is targeting him, the emperor may one day dismiss him from office for the sake of his own reputation.

If we want to defeat him all at once, is it possible to send someone to assassinate him?

Master Ma must have something to say. Zhang Zongxian stopped putting on airs and said to Master Ma very politely:

"Please also ask Master Ma to teach me. I will be rewarded generously when things are done."

Master Ma looked around and deliberately lowered his voice and said:

"As long as I don't care about reputation and am willing to spend money, this matter will be easy to handle."

Zhang Zongxian thought, I am so poor that I only have money left. What is reputation? Can it stop the wild boar skin? Or can it solve the problem of food for the people? He was not from the imperial examination. As a time traveler, he naturally understands that history is written by the victors.

"Money is no problem, but reputation? I have become a loner, right? My relatives and friends must be anxious to sever ties with me, this eunuch!"

Master Ma smiled awkwardly.

"How can those villains understand that I have great ambitions? A mere reputation is not as important as having great power. Those officials are poor people. I can shut them up by giving them some benefits every year.

As for those who are bent on making a name for themselves, they are just killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Are their relatives, friends, wives and sons also noble? If we don’t accept the money, we will destroy them. When dealing with officials, we have to start from the perspective of personal morality. I will leave these things to you. I promise.

Sir, you will be promoted smoothly and make a fortune."

Master Ma is very vicious, and it is indeed a good move to cause trouble for his personal ethics. If those officials impeach him, they will have to be prepared to have their reputation ruined.

Zhang Zongxian also fully recognized Master Ma and decided to leave Master Ma here. From now on, matters in the court will be handled by Master Ma.

Master Ma was able to talk to him so much, so he must have wanted to seek refuge with him.

He said directly to Master Ma:

"Then I'll trouble Master Ma. Please stay with me from now on. I will give Master Ma a dowry of five hundred taels of silver every year. Master Ma needs to resolve the matter in Yansui Town as soon as possible so that he can go to the capital to help me clear things up.

In addition to the rewards promised by me, I will also reward Mr. Ma with 10% of the shares in Qingjian County Horse Market after the event is completed."

After hearing this, Master Ma knew that he had made the right bet. He had not handled the matter well this time and had already hated the governor. If he had not been needed to deal with it, he would have killed him long ago.

He could only survive by seeking refuge with Zhang Zongxian as soon as possible. That's why he offered Zhang Zongxian a plan, hoping that Zhang Zongxian could protect him.

I didn't expect Zhang Zongxian to be so generous. He asked for an annual salary of five hundred taels and extra rewards for successful work. Where can I find such an employer? Master Ma has the urge to die for his confidant.

Master Ma stood up straight first and straightened his clothes. Then he saluted Zhang Zongxian. "Young man, I'm going to pay homage to my boss on Sunday."

Zhang Zongxian was very satisfied with Master Ma's performance and immediately stood up to help Master Ma. He asked Master Ma to sit down and formally recognized Master Ma's status as his staff.

In order to show off to his new owner, Master Ma said that he would get up immediately and go to Yanshou Town to get the rest of the things done so that he could leave for the capital as soon as possible.

Zhang Zongxian didn't waste any time, and directly arranged a team of people to escort Master Ma to Yansui Town. He also sent him outside the fort gate and told him to be careful. The things in Yansui Town can be failed, and people must be safe.

return.

After hearing this, Master Ma was very moved and rode horseback to Yansui Town without hesitation.
Chapter completed!