This is a good question! If Zhu Zaiyu had not asked it, Gao Pragmatic would not have known how to continue the next topic.
However, this is actually not one question, but two.
So Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "Mr. Jiu Feng, these are two questions, but it doesn't matter. The students will answer them one by one."
"First of all, where do the local yamen in Huguang get the money to build water conservancy projects?" Gao pragmatically said: "Usually when our yamen build water conservancy projects, they either have a slight surplus and start the construction on their own initiative, but generally speaking... well, Mr.
We know that most local yamen actually don’t have much money. Even if they build water conservancy projects, they can basically only make repairs, and they can’t do anything great. If they really want to carry out larger projects, they can only apply to the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Household Affairs
They are not rich either. Unless disasters are too frequent in the local area, they will try to scrape together a small amount to finance the project. Not to mention that it is a drop in the bucket, it will take a long time, and the efficiency is extremely low."
"The other option is for the yamen to take the lead and contact the local wealthy gentry to jointly fund the construction of water conservancy projects. In this case, more funds will generally be raised, and the scale and quality will be relatively more guaranteed. But at the same time, this
This kind of construction method often causes some troubles, the biggest problem lies in the 'one site and only one site' issue."
"Since it is the local wealthy gentry who have contributed the money, their main consideration must be for their own interests, and they will not take into account neighboring prefectures and counties. For example, the wealthy gentry in County A raised funds to build an aqueduct.
, they will most likely not consider whether neighboring County B will be short of water after their aqueduct is completed. In many cases, this will cause conflicts between the two counties, and it will also make the aqueduct
Engineering is not really getting the most out of it.”
Zhu Zaiyu secretly marveled: In recent years, many Beijing officials secretly called this young man Xiao Ge Lao. He originally thought that he was just like Yan Shifan, just relying on the power of his parents to do random things. But today, when he saw his true appearance, he realized that this young man
He is really thinking seriously about how to govern! This is amazing. How old is he? Fifteen or sixteen? All these things are thinking in his mind? Gao Xinzheng trained him as a successor. It seems that he is.
It makes some sense. Well, the late emperor asked him to accompany Jinshang to study, which seems to be a good move.
Gao Pragmatic didn't know that Zhu Zaiyu was a little distracted, but continued to analyze: "So, these two construction methods have problems. First, there is insufficient funds, so large projects cannot be started, and the efficiency is still low; second, they are not comprehensive and limited to
One city and one place have not maximized the effects of water conservancy facilities."
Zhu Zaiyu became interested and asked: "Gao Longwen's analysis is indeed thorough, so what are the ways to solve these problems?"
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "If someone is willing to lend money to the local government and plan these water conservancy projects in a unified way to achieve the effect of 'one project, multiple benefits', these things will be solved."
Zhu Zaiyu was stunned for a moment: "Who can lend money to the Yamen?"
"Why can't you lend money to the Yamen?" Gao Pragmatic laughed: "Is Mr. Jiu Feng worried that the Yamen will not pay back the money?"
"Uh, this..." Zhu Zaiyu was a little surprised and hesitantly said: "The Yamen should be able to repay the money...right? However, even if the Yamen is willing to pay back, what if they don't have the money to pay back?
"
"It's easy to handle." Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "Just mortgage the customs and commercial taxes - if they can't get the money for a while, they can mortgage the commercial taxes to the people who lent them the money, and pay back part of it every year until they are all repaid.
Of course, these business taxes do not have to be fully mortgaged, but can also be a partial mortgage, such as a half mortgage, a 30% mortgage, etc. The specific situation can be negotiated in detail."
"This... lending money to the government seems a bit..." Although Zhu Zaiyu is a great scientist, he obviously has never considered playing like this. China has always been an authoritarian politics, not a businessman's politics, so Zhu Zaiyu was a little bit
Unable to turn around: How could the Yamen owe money to an individual?
If you do this, the person who is willing to lend money will become the creditor of the Yamen! Where should the Yamen put its face?
Gao Pingshi smiled and asked, "Mr. Jiu Feng, do you think it's a bit outrageous for the Yamen to ask someone to borrow money?"
"Well, this... is a bit, a bit embarrassing." Zhu Zaiyu couldn't find any suitable words for the moment, so he could only make do with "a bit embarrassing."
Gao Pragmatic shook his head and said, "Actually, individuals lending money to yamen has been around since ancient times."
Zhu Zaiyu was surprised and said: "Really? Is there any example?"
"Of course." Gao Pragmatic smiled and said: "For example, it is recorded in "Historical Records" that in the third year of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, in order to quell the rebellion of the princes, a large amount of money was needed. The leading generals of the Han Dynasty had to borrow money from merchants, and it was
Borrow money at usury. However, many businessmen were unwilling to borrow money because they were worried about whether the massive rebellion could be quelled."
Gao pragmatic paused and blinked: "However, there was a Wuyan clan who was willing to lend money to the court, but this person asked for a very harsh price. He wanted ten times the interest! In order to suppress the rebellion, the Han court finally had to
Without borrowing the money, the Wu-Chu Rebellion was put down three months later. The Wuyan family recovered the principal and interest as scheduled, becoming a wealthy man in Chang'an. As a result, lending even became a method for the families of high-ranking officials in the Western Han Dynasty to obtain wealth.
One of the main ways.”
After saying this, Zhu Zaiyu immediately understood and said: "This is the 'Zi Qian family' (loan sharks) of the Han Dynasty! If you put it this way, there have been such people in all dynasties. For example, in the Song Dynasty, there were 'Xing Qian'"
In the Yuan Dynasty, there was "lamb profit". Guan Hanqing said in "Saving Feng Chen" that "the cadres of the Qian family were idle, and they bought the empty ones and saw some to get the lamb profit." Zhao Yi also had a poem that said, "it is like a poor person paying off old debts."
Zhu Zaiyu said anxiously: "But this dynasty does not allow it! Our dynasty's "Da Ming Law" clearly stipulates: For private loans of money, debts and pawned objects, the monthly interest cannot exceed three points. Even if there are many years and months, it can only be one
The principle is profit. Violators will be flogged forty times, and the residual profit will be used as a measure of viscera. Those who are serious will be punished with viscera punishment!"
Gao Pragmatic smiled: "So what the student just said was 'somewhat similar', not the same thing!" He held out three fingers: "What if you lend money to this person from the government and only receive three cents of interest? Even,
Maybe it can be less? Isn’t this illegal?”
"Uh..." Zhu Zaiyu was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said: "This shouldn't be illegal." But he thought of a big problem again, opened his eyes wide and said: "But we are talking about major water conservancy repairs, this
The amount of money needed is not a small amount! The money that the Wuyan family lent to the Han Dynasty court was only a mere thousand gold, but this... building water conservancy in Huguang, how can a thousand gold be enough to finance it? Ten thousand gold cannot even do it.
Housing, maybe even one hundred thousand gold! Who is willing to borrow such a large amount of money? Who can borrow such a large amount of money?"
"Mr. Jiu Feng, that's a good question!" Gao Pragmatic laughed: "Xin Zheng, Gao Pragmatic and not talented, is willing to borrow this money, and... he can borrow it."