Early the next morning, Chen Qing ordered people to invite Zhao Kai. He took out the income and expenditure budget report written by Zhao Kai last month and put it on the table and said: "I read Counselor Zhao's report carefully last night. The salt on Sichuan Road
I think the tax should be based on the previous year's salt tax revenue, rather than last year. Last year, illicit salt smuggling was too fierce, but under our severe crackdown, more than 400 salt dealers were killed, and it has basically calmed down.
The salt tax will be doubled this year and next year."
Zhao Kai no longer had the anxiety of yesterday and said calmly: "We also discussed this issue carefully last night. The basis for the salt tax is indeed biased and needs to be adjusted. In addition, the military's meat expenditure has been double-counted and needs to be adjusted. I was humble last night."
After recalculation, the fiscal and tax gap should be between 1.5 million and 1.8 million yuan, but if this gap is not filled, there will still be big problems.
Your Highness, the current expenditure is too great. Many expenditures are unnecessary. I mean the second expansion of the city. The expansion of the city has always been a century-old plan. It is not necessary and should not be completed in a short time. All the people cannot live in the city. Is it possible?
Can’t there be villages and farmers outside the city?”
Chen Qing took out Jiang Yanxian's second city expansion plan and said: "I read this plan carefully yesterday afternoon. I also think it is too hasty and unnecessary. I will discuss this plan with Counselor Jiang again and will not consider it for now.
In fact, we are likely to attack the Central Plains or Hebei in the next few years. These two places are huge financial burdens and the court is unwilling to take over, but we must not look back, so I need to have a surplus in fiscal and tax expenditures. In addition, we need
An accumulation.”
Zhao Kai was overjoyed when he heard that the second city expansion plan was not being considered for the time being. He argued with Jiang Yanxian many times over this matter, but even the princess supported Jiang Yanxian. Now His Highness King Yong's thoughts were consistent with his own, which made him feel happy.
Breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Highness, there is no problem with financial accumulation. We now have about 40 million yuan in wealth accumulation, which is also our family's wealth. It can guarantee the war expenses and the recovery of the Central Plains and Hebei. So Your Highness is right. While ensuring that the family's wealth remains unchanged,
, pursuing a balance of financial and tax expenditures, or even a slight surplus, this is a healthy body."
Zhao Kai is a prudent financial and tax official. Everyone criticized him for being too stingy, but Chen Qing admired his stinginess. If he wasn't so careful with calculations, how could he support their wars and expansion? Sooner or later, his army would expand to
Five hundred thousand, how can you support it without a strong family background?
Just like the current imperial court, several Northern Expeditions to the Central Plains were forced to be suspended due to financial and tax issues, and now they are unwilling to take over the mess in the Central Plains because of financial constraints.
Doesn't Zhao Gou know the consequences of the Central Plains being captured by him? Of course he knows that if he competes in the Central Plains, the one who wins the Central Plains will win the world, but he also has to feed an army of 500,000 people and a huge bureaucracy, nearly two million a month.
The expenditures easily overwhelmed the imperial court, and it was simply unable to bear the huge financial burden of the Central Plains.
If you want to seize and control the Central Plains and Hebei, you must increase revenue and reduce expenditure and make necessary financial accumulation now.
Thinking of this, Chen Qing said slowly: "Today I am meeting with Counselor Zhao, mainly to discuss the issue of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. To reduce expenditure, you can write a report to me. All large expenditures that do not involve people's livelihood, education and military must be suspended, or
Strict review and approval is required.”
Zhao Kai was overjoyed and said quickly: "In this humble position, I must comply with His Highness's call to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, strictly review and approve, and save money when possible."
Chen Qing smiled slightly and continued: "I have two ideas about open source. One is to sell our salt on Jinghu Road, which is actually taking away the salt tax from Jinghu Road. Has Counselor Zhao calculated how much we can collect?"
How much is the salt tax?”
Zhao Kai pondered for a moment and said: "I know that the salt tax collected by the imperial court from Jinghu Road in the past two years has been very small. The main reason is the proliferation of illegal salt. If His Highness uses the army to severely crack down on illegal salt, our official salt can take advantage of the situation and occupy Jinghu Lake."
"Lianglu, I estimate that the annual salt tax will be at least 1.5 million guan, which will just make up for the financial gap."
Chen Qing nodded and said: "Yesterday you said that it was unfair to only tax Sichuan Road and exempt Shaanxi Road from taxes. I was also greatly touched. I thought about it all night and decided to continue to tax Shaanxi Road and Xihe Road.
Four years, because this is my promise, but we can increase the salt price appropriately. Except for Sichuan Road, the salt price in other places has been raised to eighty cents per catty. In addition, Hedong Road will start to tax normally next year, and then tea,
Commercial taxes on silk, satin, and porcelain must be restored. As a result, our fiscal surplus will be at least two million dollars a year."
"I understand, I will go back and write a detailed memorial and submit it to the Internal Affairs Hall for discussion."
Chen Qing also knew that this was not something he and Zhao Kai could decide. They had to convince others that Zhou Kuan did not need to worry. Zhou Kuan also came from a background in finance and taxation. He had always advocated frugality. The key was that the other three, especially Jiang Yanxian, promoted frugality.
To reduce expenditure, we must get his support.
After Zhao Kai went back, Chen Qing walked to the window with his hands behind his hands, looking at the mountain-like white clouds in the distance. He was thinking about how to persuade Jiang Yanxian, and he had to find a suitable time.
Returning to the mansion in the afternoon, as soon as she arrived at the door of Qifeng Pavilion, Zhao Yingluo ran out and threw herself into his arms. Chen Qing hugged her shoulders and smiled softly: "If you want to protect the fetus, you can't run away like this!"
“Doctor Liu said it’s not a big problem!”
She raised her head, her bright eyes showing infinite joy, "Master, I'm going to have a child too!"
"Yeah! Do you want a son or a mistress?"
"I like them all!" Zhao Yingluo was elated, with a smile on her face.
At this time, her daughter Chen Xue ran out, took Chen Qing's hand and said urgently: "Dad, if you can talk about it tonight, I'm going to be anxious to death!"
Chen Qing picked up his three-year-old daughter, tapped her nose and said with a smile, "Why are you anxious?"
"It's so shiny! There's a big box in it."
Chen Qing was startled, and then suddenly realized that the Treasury Department should have sent the loot. This is a custom. If a war is won, a box of captured treasures must be given to Chen Qing. Other civil servants above the department level and generals above the commander level also have to give it to Chen Qing.
Qualify for two or three pieces.
The spoils of war this time were various treasures seized from three Sichuan powerful men, Li Jinxiao, Wang Dongyuan, and Zhang Jian, as well as the uncle Wei Tong, especially the uncle Wei Tong, who had tens of thousands of treasures seized from his house.
As a tribute to King Yong, the Treasury Department will naturally donate the most precious treasures to Chen Qing.
Chen Qing walked into the door with his daughter in his arms and saw a large family gathered in the lobby on the first floor, discussing around a table.
Chen Qing stepped forward and saw that the lid of the box had not been opened yet, so he smiled and said, "Why don't you open it and take a look to see if there are any good things?"
Xue'er whispered in her father's ear: "Dad, they have actually opened it and closed it again waiting for you to open it."
Everyone burst out laughing, and Chen Qing stepped forward to open the box. Although everyone had already seen it, when the jewels shone again, everyone couldn't help but exclaimed.
On the top is a piece of beautiful jade the size of a fist, white as fat, delicate and plump, weighing a little more than half a catty, with a lot of jujube red skin on it. This is the beautiful jade that Khotan paid tribute to, and it was all picked from the river.
The seed material has no cracks, no stiffness, and no flaws at all.
Chen Qing smiled and handed the beautiful jade to his wife Lu Xiu, "Take this!"
Lu Xiu pursed her lips and said with a smile: "I saw it too. There are quite a few more down there. This one is a bit too big for me. I just put it in my husband's study as a paperweight."
Chen Qing nodded and said with a smile: "Then I'll take this piece. The rest will follow the old rules, ten pieces for each person, and I will pick a sparkling bead for each of my two little treasures."
Chen Qing brought his other daughter Chen Bing over and said with a smile: "Don't be greedy, one for each of you is enough. Daddy will give it to you when you grow up!"
Chen Bing nodded obediently and agreed, while her sister Chen Xue pouted her little lips and nodded aggrievedly.