Chapter 033 My third uncle became a Buddha in Mongolia?
Although Cao Gan's status has been rising over the years, he has been opening up business routes everywhere and has not been pampered. Therefore, his former riding skills have not fallen behind, and he rushed back to the capital half earlier than Gao Pragmatic expected.
Now that Cao Gan has rushed back, Gao Pragmatic has to make up his mind and ask carefully how the tribute exchange trade has been going in the past ten years. This is also a necessary homework for him before going to Mongolia.
Facing Gao Pragmatic's problem, Cao Gan was well prepared - under Gao Pragmatic's command, he was first known as Mongolian Master. This was his special skill, how could he not take it seriously?
According to Cao Gan, since Longqing and Wanli, there were a total of ten places where the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia traded with each other.
There are three places in Datong, namely Victory Fort, Xinping, and Shoukou; there is only one place in Xuanfu, but this place has an important status and a large transaction volume, which is Zhangjiakou; there is one place in Shanxi, called Shuiquanying; and in Yansui One is called Hongshan Temple Fort; there are three in Ningxia, namely Qingshuiying, Ningxia Zhongwei and Pingluwei; and there are two in Gansu, namely Hongshui Biandukou and Gaogouzhai.
These exchange markets were all under the jurisdiction of the generals guarding the border. At the same time, whenever the market opened, the Ming court and the Mongolian nobles jointly sent troops to act as market guards to maintain market order. In Cao Gan's words: "Order all tribes to Each chief sent one person to be the leader, commanding 300 barbarian soldiers and stationing them at the border. Each town commanded its own deputy counselor and other officers, and each commanded 500 elite officers and soldiers of its own branch to station in the market."
The markets for mutual trading are usually located at the side wall, surrounded by high walls, like a "barbican city". There are gates inside and outside the pass, and the gates can be opened and closed.
According to the old system of the Ming Dynasty, all tribes traded with each other and built walls to regulate the market, which was called a market circle. High-rise buildings were set up in the "market circle" for the officers and soldiers stationed in the market to watch.
Cao Gan said: "Every time the captives entered the market, the few were forty or fifty, and the many were more than a hundred horses, and they all went to the urn city and sealed the gate." Then they started trading with each other. This is the setting up of the mutual market.
Most of the trading days of the mutual market last for one month. However, Cao Gan also said that when the mutual market first opened, the annual trading date was often less than one month.
Gao pragmatic asked about the specific situation, and Cao Gan introduced: "In the fifth year of Longqing, the date of Datong Deshengbao mutual market was from May 28th to June 14th; the date of Xinping mutual market was from July 3rd to July 7th. On the 14th of the month; in Zhangjiakou City, Xuanfu, it was from June 13th to June 26th. Later, with the prosperity of the mutual market, the trading date continued to be extended, and finally it was only one month."
Gao pragmatically nodded, this was in line with Ming Dynasty's style. He was coy at first, but later found out that it was profitable, so he naturally put aside his face first - at least the poor people in Jiubian did not have any moral integrity.
Cao Gan continued to introduce, saying that in the mutual market, the prices of general commodities were set by the Yi people (Ya people), and the imperial court required that the Mongols should not be oppressed, but the price of horses was set by the Ming court.
The specific price is, a high-grade gelding, the proposed price is twelve taels, and it is matched with official goods for one cent, and the actual price is more than eighty taels of silver; a middle-grade gelding, the price is twelve taels, and the actual price is seven taels of silver. I have a gelding, priced at eight taels; the actual value of the goods is more than six taels of silver.
This price is much cheaper than back then! Gao Pragmatic still remembered that ten years ago, Cao Gan told him that a high-quality gelding was worth at least twenty taels, and it was not easy to get the goods. At that time, he was the only one who could
Got it.
Unexpectedly, after ten years of development, not to mention that beef and mutton in the capital have continued to be cheaper than pork, and even the price of horses has dropped. No one can deny the contribution of this mutual market.
The imperial court's principle of setting prices was pragmatic and pragmatic: "Make sure to make it profitable for the merchants, and no loss will be caused by the bargaining price" - that is, to make both Mongolian and Han parties benefit, which is the so-called win-win situation.
Cao Gan also supported this point. He said that for example, Han merchants generally buy old clothes and groceries, which are worth seven or eight taels of silver each; that is, if they buy a horse, they can sell it for more than ten taels of silver.
If you reduce it, you will gain huge profits, and you will be happy far and near.
Since the prices were set relatively reasonably, in Mongolia, the tribal leaders "were deeply impressed by their virtues, more and more people went to the market, and more horses were sold on the market." This resulted in an increasing number of horse transactions in the mutual market.
Cao Gan even gave an early statistics: in the fifth year of Longqing, 6,850 horses were traded on the three exchanges in Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi; in the sixth year of Longqing, there were 7,845 horses; by the first year of Wanli, the number surged to 19,103 horses.
In the second year of Wanli, the number increased to 27,316. In the first four years alone, the number of horses traded almost tripled.
As for later, because Cao Gan went to the northwest to open trade routes, there was no specific data, but he confidently stated that it was "increasing year by year."
Of course, this is only the horse trading situation in the above three mutual markets. If the number of horse transactions in other mutual markets are also included, it will be a more impressive number!
Gao Pragmatic nodded and thought to himself: It can be seen from this that reasonably setting prices can promote the development of mutual trade. Just thinking about robbing people is not enough. Although Mongolians do not study, they still make losses in business.
, that can definitely be seen... Sure enough, we must insist on "win-win" when doing business.
Then Gao Pragmatic also made several discoveries from some details he asked Cao Gan. For example, judging from the composition of commodities in mutual trade, daily necessities and means of production began to occupy a major position. Although luxury consumer goods played an important role in his
It is also growing despite strong promotion, but its overall proportion has been declining.
The commodities in the current mutual market are mainly horses, grain, and cloth, and of course there are many other commodities.
The commodities imported from Mongolia were mainly grain, cloth, silk fabrics and other handicraft products; the commodities imported from the mainland of the Ming Dynasty were mainly livestock products, including war horses as military supplies, rhinoceros horses as means of transportation, and farm animals such as cattle as means of agricultural production.
, mules, etc., and of course beef and mutton as food are indispensable - this is why Jingshi beef and mutton are cheaper than pork.
Cao Gan said that in the mutual trade, the Han people "exchanged satins, cloth, cotton, needle threads, modified machines, comb grates, rice salt, candies, tassel cloth, otter skins, sheepskin boxes and other items with the Mongols for horses and cattle."
, sheep, mules, donkeys and horsetails, sheepskins, fur coats and other things."
In addition, he also mentioned that at the beginning of the mutual trade, in order to prevent the Mongols from smelting iron weapons, the Ming Dynasty banned the export of iron pots that were necessary for Mongolian herdsmen to live. This caused great inconvenience and the Mongolian side complained a lot.
.
Later, Wang Chonggu, the then governor of Xuanda, requested: "I found out that in the city of Jianning in the Kaiyuan period of Liaodong, a Jinghua crude iron pot was put on the market. The pig iron used in this pot will not be smelted and fried. This has been done for a long time, and this can be effective."
It was discovered that the mountains along Xuanda are far away and the iron pots are rare. Now that we have this pot, we should follow the example of the Liao You Guards and use this pot to enter the market and trade with barbarians."
The "Jinghua thick iron pot" mentioned by Wang Chonggu is a cheap pot specially launched by Jinghua. The iron quality is relatively poor and is usually discarded when making other tools. It is made into iron pots and sold to the Jurchens.
, Mongolia, it turned out that this thing sold surprisingly well - for Mongolians and Jurchens, this pot is usable and cheap, these two points are enough.
So the Ming Dynasty allowed Jinghua crude iron pots to enter the mutual market, but it still classified saltpeter, copper and iron, armor, and weapons as prohibited items and strictly prohibited them from entering the mutual market. Of course, this is normal, just like it is impossible for a Yankee to sell an aircraft carrier to
Same as China.
Cao Gan also introduced that in the mutual market, there were both the "official market" run by the Ming Dynasty and the "people's market" run by private merchants. Generally speaking, "the official market is completed, and the private market is left to the people." There is no
What is doubtful is that Jinghua, the first person to eat crabs, is also a giant in terms of commercial size, and now naturally controls the citizens of various trading locations.
The "official market" mainly trades silk and horses; while the "civilian market" trades many types of goods. In addition to the most mainstream cloth, silk, pots and cauldrons, there are also needles, threads, combs, grates, rice, salt, candies, etc.
.
In fact, when the mutual market first opened, the "official market" transactions accounted for a larger proportion. After all, at that time, "the gangsters were afraid and did not dare to trade. They invaded the market and quarreled easily. This year, it is appropriate for the officials to handle it.
If you let the gangsters on the border see the benefits, then people will be happy to follow you.”
An important feature of the "official market" is that the official comes out of the "market base" to conduct transactions with Mongolian merchants and people.
The "market capital" of the Ming Dynasty was mainly issued by Taipu Temple, the organization that managed horse administration. The specific quota was "more than 200,000 annual market capitals for each side every year, which is indispensable."
But what should we do if the transaction volume is too large and the "market capital" is insufficient? Then "please borrow money from customers", or "please send the troops to sell horses at the price of silver", or even "please use the internal organs of the dead horses and friends in each camp to fill the market capital".
After the border general received the "market capital", he sent a commander and merchants to the inland production areas of various commodities to buy goods, and then transported them back to the mutual market to trade horses with Mongolian merchants.
Gao Pragmatic knew this, because Jinghua not only controlled Minshi's business, but was also a supplier. He had read the "financial report" given to him by Gao Guoyan.
Cao Gan was very proud of the rapid development of the civilian market and said, "The merchants will benefit from the goods every year, and they will continue to come."
Gao pragmatic smiled and praised him a few words - he really made a great contribution to this matter and deserved the praise.
However, this kind of private market run by private merchants, even if it was dominated by Jinghua, was still a new thing in the development of Mongolian-Han trade in the Ming Dynasty.
According to Cao Gan: "In the fifth year of Longqing's reign, the Northern Captives paid tribute, and markets were established to trade with each other every year. Satin cloth was bought from Jiangnan, and skins were traded to Huguang. At that time, the governor thought that there were many barbarians from various tribes, and the exchange of money and food was limited.
Calling merchants from all over the world to trade with each other is the beginning of a people's market."
In other words, the governors of Jiubian initially had insufficient official capital to trade so many Mongolian goods, so they had to recruit "merchants from all over the world" to trade with the Mongols. Among the merchants from all over the world, Jinghua was naturally the strongest.
Therefore, the leadership of Minshi was quietly taken away by Jinghua.
However, although Jinghua produces a lot of goods, it is not a "world factory" and cannot produce everything. Therefore, the commercial goods in the civilian market, such as Cao Gan, said: "Satin, fox fur and other groceries come from Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huguang, etc.
It arrived at the private port in Tianjin, and our Jinghua Trading Company even shipped it to the entrance of the city."
Everything in the world has a corresponding connection. The reason why the trade volume of Tianjin Private Port has been rising is closely related to the growing trade between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia.
Gao pragmatic asked about commercial tax again. He first took the initiative to bring this up to Gao Gong, but he only mentioned an idea at the time and did not ask in detail how to operate it.
Cao Gan then introduced that in the current mutual trade, the Ming Dynasty levied relatively light commercial taxes on the merchants of the Mongolian and Han sides according to the tax regulations. "Every Yima merchant has its own tax regulations, and every year
Harvest silver to use as reward."
The so-called "reward" here means that after the end of the mutual market every year, the Ming court would award a certain amount of silver and other items to the Mongolian market keepers who abide by the rules. The market transaction would be "completed" and a "feast"
Chief, please reward the barbarian chiefs with a pound of beef, five grains of corn, a pound of wheat flour, a bottle of local wine, seven cents and two cents of silver for side dishes, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and horse grass, and two cents of silver for rice, firewood, and charcoal.
"Jianding Silver and Commercial Tax".
At the same time, there are certain rewards for the market defenders on the Han side. Therefore, the market defenders on both sides of Mongolia and Han are motivated to maintain the order of the mutual market, so that trading activities can proceed smoothly.
As for the specific tax rate, Cao Gan said that it is too complicated and is almost determined according to different commodity classifications. It would be too troublesome to explain in detail, but if you put it simply, it is what Gao Pragmatic calls an "ultra-low tax rate."
Another very important phenomenon is that after the Mongolian-Chinese mutual market trade began, Mongolian herdsmen felt that the mutual market only opened once a year, which was too long, so they often came to the entrance of the mutual market in groups and asked for the opening of a "small market."
Especially every spring, those poor herdsmen are short of food and "become more and more embarrassed. Those who have livestock go to patrol the border every time to ask for official power. One cow is worth more than rice, beans and stones, and one sheep is worth several bushels of grain. There is nothing."
The cattlemen may carry several buckets of salt, one or two buckets of rice and beans, a load of firewood, and two or three liters of rice. They may take off their fur coats, or they may hold the skins and horsetails, and each can easily feed themselves with miscellaneous grains. They are thin and hungry, showing a state of poverty.
, the people around us feel pity for him."
Therefore, in the first year of Wanli, the imperial court made a decision by Gao Gong and allowed the establishment of "small markets", also known as "moon markets", in Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu and other places.
Regarding the details of the "small market", Cao Gan said: "The small market is held once a month, and each time lasts only three or two days. The prisoners are outside the entrance of the city, and the officers and soldiers are on guard inside the entrance of the city.
It's like a confrontation. Each barbarian trades with each other with sheepskins, horsetails, planks, and grains of rice. There are no exotic goods and exotic products. The annual tax of silver is less than two or three hundred taels, more than
It’s only four to five hundred taels, which will be used to support the rewards and other items.”
That means the following points: First, the "small market" opens once a month, only for two or three days each time. It usually opens for two or three days after the 15th of each month to allow Mongolian herdsmen to come and trade.
Second, on the opening day of the "small market", both Mongolia and Han sent troops to maintain market order and ensure the normal conduct of trade; third, the commodities traded in the "small market" were mainly food and other daily necessities for people.
In the "small market", Mongolian herdsmen exchanged cattle, sheep, skins, horsetails, felt fur, salt and alkali, firewood, timber and other commodities with Han merchants for grain, rice, cloth, pots and cauldrons, farming tools, wool and other daily necessities.
In the department store, "there are cows, rice, beans, and stones; sheep, miscellaneous things, several buckets; there are no livestock, there are several buckets of firewood and salt, one or two buckets of rice and beans can be exchanged, and two or three liters of rice can be exchanged for one load of firewood."
There may be a fourth one, which is that Gao Gong asked the "general and garrison officers" stationed in the "small market" to preside over fair transactions and "collect tax money according to the amount", so that "customs officials can tax their goods in order to provide rewards."
Because the "small market" facilitates the livestock products produced by Mongolian herdsmen to be put on the market in a timely manner and traded nearby in exchange for the food, cloth and other daily necessities they urgently need, the impact on the socio-economics of Mongolia is greater than that of the "big market" that opens once a year.
"To be more extensive and far-reaching, Cao Gan said that the Mongolians were very grateful to Gaoge Lao and considered him a living Buddha.
He took out a portrait and said: "Sir, please take a look. This is the 'Statue of Gao Wenzhenggong' that is very popular in the civilian market. It is even called the 'Statue of Gao Bodhisattva' among the Mongolian people. It is often bought by Mongolians to keep in their homes."
Worship."
Gao pragmatic was stunned. He took the portrait and opened it to look at it. He vaguely looked like San Bo in the painting. However, San Bo's majestic attitude was not shown much in the painting. Instead, he painted a kind-faced and kind-hearted person. At first glance, he looked like a Bodhisattva.
of good people.
This... my third uncle became a Buddha in Mongolia?
