In late spring in March, when the sky clears up after the rain, the countryside may still be filled with the fragrance of earth, the mountains and forests may be swaying with fallen red and new green, and even in the cities, there may be an air of mist and rain washing away the dust.
But a city is a city after all, and although Tokyo has never recovered to its heyday, it is still likely to be the largest city in the world today.
So, after the rain, the city of Tokyo quickly returned to its noise and bustle.
This clamor and agitation became even more obvious as April arrived. When the people of the city were discussing the news of the expansion of the army, Emperor Zhao once again received two pieces of bad news, one obvious and one hidden:
The obvious one was actually something that had been expected, so it is not worth being sad about; the hidden one, although somewhat unexpected, is difficult to talk about because it is a hidden thing.
To be more specific, the so-called bad news was that the Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo had finally submitted a rough financial proposal to Emperor Zhao. The Ministry of Revenue compared the population and took the various tax data of the Shenzong Dynasty as a reference, and the various data of the prosperous and prosperous period as the theoretical upper limit. According to the speed of central fiscal recovery in the previous few years, it gave a conclusion that is extremely complicated to explain in detail, but extremely simple to summarize - assuming a three-year period, that is, the Northern Expedition in the tenth year of Jianyan, the court will have a gap of at least 30 million strings of military funds and millions of stones of grain.
And if it were five years, then theoretically we might be able to complete sufficient preparations for the Northern Expedition.
This article has hundreds of thousands of words and uses many tables that have only become popular in recent years. It is almost like a book-length article. It is very convincing, but also cruel.
Because here, we have tried our best to take into account everything that can be calculated.
For example, Qianzhou in the west of Jiangnan was a recognized commercial and tax-intensive prefecture because of its mines and porcelain, as well as many Miao villages that served as potential consumers. From the reign of Emperor Shenzong to before the Jingkang Rebellion, it could provide the court with nearly 50,000 guan of commercial taxes each year. However, after the Jingkang Rebellion, Qianzhou was in chaos, and the 50,000 guan of direct income was gone.
After Yue Fei pacified Qianzhou, the commercial tax of Qianzhou quickly recovered to more than 20,000 strings of cash in the previous year.
In this regard, the Ministry of Revenue believed that the commercial tax in Qianzhou would most likely return to the level of more than 30,000 strings of cash next year, and would reach 40,000 strings of cash the year after.
But that's all.
In the short term, Qianzhou's commercial tax will remain at 40,000 guan and will no longer increase. It is impossible to maintain a stable supply of 50,000 guan as in the previous decades.
The reason is very simple. Based on the corresponding land tax, the Ministry of Revenue inferred that a part of the consumer population in Qianzhou had been lost. Not only that, there was a Qili Town in the east of Qianzhou City, and there was a ceramic kiln in the town, which was a top-notch kiln... At that time, this Qili Town could directly pay thousands of guan of taxes every year, so the court set up an institution similar to the tax office here!
And now, after years of troubles caused by the Qian bandits, Qili Town still exists, but this porcelain kiln has been discontinued for several years. Even though it has started to fire again, the recovery speed is extremely slow due to the collapse of trade routes, the drastic shrinkage of the luxury goods market and so on... In the next few years, this Qili Town may only be able to provide a few hundred strings of cash.
Therefore, the final conclusion given by the Ministry of Revenue is that the total commercial tax of Qianzhou in the next three years will be between 100,000 and 110,000 strings of cash.
In fact, the commercial tax in Qianzhou can give us a glimpse of the big picture and help us understand the current financial problems of the Song Dynasty - the foundation is still there, but the upper limit has been greatly reduced due to population decline and the occupation of the two rivers. At the same time, the war has caused serious damage to the economic system, and it will take time to return to the theoretical upper limit.
There are many similar details in this Ministry of Revenue proposal.
For example, if a silver mine in Shaowu County, Fujian Province, is gradually drying up, the annual amount will be reduced by 300 guan.
And a trading town outside Hangzhou completely disappeared in the previous military chaos, and there is currently no sign of reconstruction... All kinds of records opened Emperor Zhao's eyes.
Zhao Jiu even learned some other strange knowledge from this proposal - for example, Suzhou's tax revenue was much lower than Hangzhou these days. The reason was that there were many swamps outside Suzhou, which restricted the development of the town. Tax revenue had not increased much for decades, but Hangzhou's population and number of markets had been rising continuously.
In short, this proposal was so detailed and so convincing that everyone understood that Lin Jingmo was definitely well prepared. Jiancai's suggestion was most likely from him, and he probably started preparing for this major project as soon as he returned last winter.
Emperor Zhao had to accept this, but having to accept it also meant that Zhao Jiu had to face the huge hole of at least 30 million guan.
Yes, of course it is the minimum, because the proposal of the Ministry of Revenue is ultimately an idealized model, all calculated based on theoretical sustainable recovery, and does not take into account the additional expenditure caused by disasters or calamities, nor does it take into account the consumption of small-scale battles that break out in the middle.
Therefore, assuming that Emperor Zhao wanted to launch a Northern Expedition in three years, he would have to obtain an additional 30 million strings of cash within three years in addition to the normal national finances!
Just more, no less.
Speaking of this, we have to mention another piece of bad news. Zhang Jun sent a secret letter to Emperor Zhao - his fleet went to Japan first, then to Goryeo, and after a long journey, it finally returned to Dengzhou, but only shipped a quarter of the goods.
The reason was simple. The fleet was too large, and there was an obviously armed ship, so the effect backfired and the Japanese felt they were facing a formidable enemy... Especially after the fleet sold two ships of cargo at Hakata Port in Kyushu and tried to move further east, the Japanese were obviously provoked and actually sent a large number of inland sea ships to follow and monitor. Ports everywhere also stopped trading with the fleet and only cautiously provided normal supplies in consideration of the Zhao Song royal flag.
As for forced buying and selling?
Don't be ridiculous. Although the fleet is huge and has an armed ship, it still has the capital of the entire Jingdong and Huainan merchants, as well as General Zhang Jun's capital, and even the capital of the Emperor Zhao... Who is crazy enough to really bring so much silk and porcelain to the war? !
Finally, in Bingo in the Seto Inland Sea, a courageous Japanese official finally came on board to negotiate with the imperial court. After much persuasion, the official relaxed a little in view of the official documents and flags given by Emperor Zhao in Dengzhou, and allowed local Japanese merchants to board the ship and buy two more ships of goods. After a little more negotiation, the imperial court came forward to buy almost all the copper coins used to hold the warehouse with silver and gold... The Japanese did like the copper coins of the Song Dynasty. From this perspective, it might be feasible to conduct a certain amount of precious metal trade.
After all, although the Song Dynasty also lacked copper, it lacked silver and gold even more... During the Jingkang period, the Jin people plundered a huge amount of gold and silver, but did not plunder copper coins, which made this transaction extremely profitable for both parties.
But that's all.
Next, the Japanese refused to allow the ships to continue to go to the heartland of Japan, and refused to buy goods beyond normal demand.
During the entire trip to Japan, I can only say that Zhang Jun, the general, was talking about the Japanese court being doomed to fail. The Japanese court obviously still had enough prestige and action, otherwise how could all the ports along the way act in unison?
And what Zhao Guanjia said about burning the port if people don't buy is nonsense! Thousands of miles away, across the sea, if a fire is set and the silk of their own is set on fire, who will it belong to?
Just look at the Japanese ports, the silk in the entire country combined is not as valuable as the silk in the belly of these ships!
Finally, the fleet carried the Japanese envoy who came to inquire about the whole matter, that is, the Bingo lord who was promoted to the position of the Minister of Central Affairs for handling the matter properly, and prepared to return directly. But the leader Zhang Jun's family felt that it was too bad to sell only four ships' goods out of thirty ships... So they simply persuaded others to take the northern route, depart from Hakata Port, and go to Goryeo, and finally arrived at the famous Yeseong Port (Incheon Port) near Kaifeng.
As a result, the Koreans reacted more violently and treated them as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
However, this does not mean that the Koreans were afraid of these dozens of ships. Unlike Japan, which has been relatively closed, conservative and sensitive since the cessation of sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty, the Korean Peninsula had been in close communication with the Central Plains dynasty for hundreds of years before, and had a long tradition of maritime trade. For example, during the late Tang Dynasty, during the Silla period, Zhang Baogao, a Silla man who had served in the army and obtained a green card in the Huaidong area, actually contracted the East Asian maritime trade after the Tang Dynasty fell into civil strife.
During its heyday, Zhang Baogao's fleet had dozens of ships sunk on the reefs in front of Mingzhou (now Ningbo) port every year... Of course, the ships sailing along the shallow seas were definitely not as big as Captain Zhang's ship.
In other words, the Koreans had considerable short- and medium-range combat capabilities near the coast.
The truth of the matter is actually very simple - in the final analysis, Goryeo is different from Japan. As a neighboring country of the Jurchens, a vassal of the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty, they were deeply involved in the 20-year-long war between Liao and Jin, but they did not end it. So for the Goryeo people, if they did not handle it well, it might mean that the country would directly enter a state of full-scale war.
After Zheng Zhichang brought back the news of the Jinhepo Alliance and Zhao Guanjia's destruction of Western Xia, there was a fierce debate among the Koreans, and they became more sensitive and cautious from a diplomatic perspective.
And don't forget that at this time, the envoys sent by Emperor Zhao to form an "alliance" had just arrived in the capital of Goryeo.
Therefore, when Goryeo saw these thirty large ships coming, it was of course as if it was facing a powerful enemy. They also thought that this fleet, like the envoys from the Honglu Temple, represented a certain attitude of Emperor Zhao, who had been rumored to be a god in Goryeo.
Fortunately, there was Zheng Zhichang, an international friend who had the greatest reputation. After he personally boarded the ship to inquire, clarified and resolved the misunderstanding, the Koreans, although half-believing and half-doubting, chose the same cautious attitude as Japan - they purchased three ships of cargo in a proportion slightly larger than the normal trade demand.
Moreover, this transaction is centralized and delayed.
It was an official transaction conducted when the fleet was surrounded by countless offshore vessels, including fire ships. It was a unified transaction conducted after a careful and fierce political struggle within the Goryeo court, which determined the time and person to go to see Emperor Zhao.
After the transaction was completed, the fleet was clearly informed that they would not receive the fleet at any port other than Licheng Port, and they were advised to return quickly.
The fleet had no choice but to return to Dengzhou carrying the officials of the Honglu Temple who were bound for Goryeo, as well as Kim Bu-sik, the Goryeo prime minister, Zheng Zhichang's political enemy, the envoy who was visiting the Song Dynasty and a half-old friend of the people of the Song Dynasty.
The old man is already in his sixties this year, and he still has to run around every day for state affairs, which is quite hard.
In any case, only seven or eight of the thirty ships were sold. Although there was a surplus, and even hundreds of thousands of strings of cash were earned, it was undoubtedly a failure from Emperor Zhao's perspective - because Japan and Goryeo were cautious, and if they wanted to conduct trade beyond normal trade needs, they would probably have to resort to war. But at this time, the Song Dynasty could not conduct ocean-going operations as Emperor Zhao had imagined before.
It’s not that it’s not possible, but it’s not worth it.
Not to mention anything else, there is still a hole of 30 million yuan ahead. How much will it cost to launch a long-distance raid?
Even if you succeed by chance, how much more can you earn in three to five years when the market is saturated? Can you get it back? Moreover, there is the possibility of failure and many other factors beyond human effort.
You have to know that military expenses are all the people's blood and sweat! They are earned by the kiln workers in Qianzhou and the miners in Shaowu Army! Zhao Jiu would not choose to go to war with Japan and Goryeo at this time unless he was crazy.
It is not impossible to open up sea routes, dump goods, and engage in economic colonization, but it requires methods and time.
However, just talking about the Northern Expedition, if the sea cannot be used as a plug-in for the time being, how can we make money?
About ten days later, it was mid-April. Under the escort of the imperial army, the Goryeo envoy Kim Bu-sik, the Japanese envoy Taira Tadamori, and the Honglu Temple official Xu Jing who had returned from his diplomatic mission to Goryeo, plus the team specially sent by Zhang Jun to deliver the "Sea Trade Outline" to Emperor Zhao, arrived in Tokyo together.
Then, something went wrong. First, the people coming from the east were asked to go to the Nanxun Gate in the south. At first, the Korean and Japanese envoys thought it was important because the Nanxun Gate faced the Imperial Street. However, when they arrived at the Nanxun Gate, Yang Yizhong, the most trusted confidant of the Zhao family, led hundreds of imperial guards to greet them, but they were only there to greet the "Sea Trade Gang".
Be they Koreans or Japanese, including Xu Jing, an official of the Honglu Temple, could only watch as the Japanese and Korean specialties plus hundreds of thousands of strings of silver walked all the way to the Imperial Street and were escorted by the Imperial Guards to the Xuande Tower, while they themselves were driven to the Protocol Court under the Honglu Temple halfway, and no one paid any attention to them.
At this time, the Koreans and Japanese finally realized that they were the extras.
"Mr. Leichuan (Kim Fushi's nickname)."
Arriving at the Protocol Court at noon, in just one hour, in the afternoon, Xu Jing, the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple and the envoy to Goryeo, returned. It is estimated that he hurried to the Honglu Temple to make a handover and then came back. After returning, the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple went directly to where Jin Bushi was staying. After wiping his sweat, he couldn't help but look ashamed. "Today, I neglected Lord Leichuan. I didn't expect that the court only cares about the official's private pockets, not diplomatic relations!"
Jin Bushi, who was reading the court bulletin in the courtyard, slowly raised his head. The nearly 60-year-old Goryeo minister carefully looked at Xu Jing, who was 26 years younger than him, and sighed: "Uncle Ming (Xu Jing's courtesy name), how many years have we known each other?"
Xu Jing, who had just turned thirty, was slightly startled, but still blurted out, "More than ten years."
"That's right." Jin Bushik placed the official report on his knees and responded with emotion. "When Emperor Taishang Daojun was in power, I was the one who sent Goryeo envoys to Song Dynasty. There was only one time when Song Dynasty sent envoys to Goryeo, and that was ten years ago, when you were the one who sent envoys to Goryeo. At that time, you first learned the Goryeo language from me in Tokyo, and then went to Kaifeng together, and then returned together. We lived and ate together for two or three years, and became close friends in a foreign country... Later, when the Jingkang Rebellion broke out, I thought that you and I would never meet again in this life, but unexpectedly, we could travel on the same ship again... Uncle Ming, I cherish our friendship very much, and I can see that you have always been sincere to me."
Xu Jing was slightly stunned when he heard this and almost lost his composure.
It is said that Xu Jing, as an official envoy of the Song Dynasty to Goryeo ten years ago, watched Wang Lun, a maritime merchant at that time, become one of the Nine Ministers through the help of his in-laws. There was a reason why Xu Jing was temporarily promoted to be an envoy until the court needed diplomatic professionals. Xu Jing himself was a wealthy young man who was good at calligraphy, painting and poetry. His greatest achievement before was his mission to Goryeo, but his father Xu Hongzhong was a high-ranking official as the Lianghuai Transport Commissioner during the Xuanhe period!
And the person who could sit in this position during the Xuanhe period was most likely from Feng Hengyuda's party.
In fact, this is exactly the case. Xu Jing's father Xu Hongzhong not only attached himself to Cai Jing, but also to Zheng Juzhong. So at the beginning of Jingkang, he was implicated by his father and went to Chizhou to be the head of a tax supervision department. He worked there for four or five years, and then his father died. After mourning for him, he was idle for almost a year before he was called up.
In other words, Ambassador Xu and Chief Clerk Xu are basically a mixture of the brothers Lu Benzhong, Zheng Yinian, and Gao Yanei. In terms of bad luck and the degree of bad deeds done to their ancestors, they are certainly not as bad as the Gao and Zheng brothers, and their entire family survived the Jingkang Incident. In terms of luck, they are certainly not as good as the brothers Lu Benzhong, whose legendary experience after the Jingkang Incident is probably the only one in the Song Dynasty... Of course, they are not as good at writing poems, but it is said that their painting skills are very high.
But these are of no importance. The key point is that this person, in order to flatter the Emperor Taishang Daojun, accidentally acquired a foreign language expertise... It can be seen that knowing a foreign language is quite important.
"Uncle Ming."
Jin Bu Shi was even more emotional when he saw this. "Although we are close friends, I am almost thirty years older than you. If you don't mind, I will tell you something that shouldn't be said between gentlemen."
Xu Jing had always respected Jin Bu Shi, so he naturally suppressed all his emotions when he heard this, walked up to the yard and sat opposite him under the shade of a tree.
"Uncle Ming." Jin Bu Shi looked at him seriously, pressing the official report in his hand. "Tell me the truth first. Do you have any resentment towards your current Emperor Zhao because of your family's ups and downs in official career?"
"How could that be?" Xu Jing smiled awkwardly and turned his head to answer. "My family fell into decline during the Jingkang period. Even if there is any blame, it is only Emperor Yuansheng. At most, it involves retired Prime Minister Lu, Prime Minister Xu, and even Li Guang, Li Zhongcheng and others. The emperor has only been kind to me and restored me."
Jin Fushi said nothing, just stared at the other person.
Xu Jing was silent for a moment, looked around, and then whispered: "In fact, I am still a little dissatisfied with Wang Lun, a lucky guy. A sea merchant, just because he took the path of a relative by marriage, he became a nine ministers and was listed in the secret cabinet..."
"Is it just Wang Lun?" Jin Bu Shi finally spoke, but still stared at the other party.
"Of course it's not just Wang Lun." Xu Jing hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed. "Once I returned to the capital, although I became a seventh-rank official, none of my old acquaintances were there, and I still felt a little bit of estrangement... Moreover, all the officials in the court were former minor officials. Although I know that this is a chaos in the world and it is caused by the times, I still feel a little bit uneasy... I always think about making further progress and not bringing shame to my ancestors."
At the end of his speech, Xu Jing actually blushed and lowered his head.
"I understand." Jin Bu Shi nodded slightly and continued. "Then I had a vague resistance to the entire court and your family... This is actually human nature. Even when I was in Goryeo, because I led the two classes of Kaesong (Seoul), wasn't it also like water and fire with the two classes of Seokyeong (Pyongyang)? But Uncle Ming, the Song Dynasty is different from Goryeo..."
"Yes." Xu Jing raised his head with great effort, his face still looking somewhat embarrassed.
"In Goryeo, I am always 30% sure that I can get rid of those people." Seeing that the other party looked uneasy, Jin Bu Shi slowed down his tone and smiled. "But here in the Song Dynasty, it is the official Zhao who has the final say! But there is nothing we can do about it. Your official Zhao has been in chaos, and he has been calming people's hearts and building the imperial camp. It has taken seven or eight years to bring the country to this point. Even if there are one or two people who are dissatisfied, so what? Who can really oppose him? Li Gang and Li Boji are such great figures. Have they ever wavered in the slightest after submitting such a fierce memorial? And you are just a seventh-rank official in the capital. If you really have grievances, what good can you find?"
Xu Jing sat opposite Jin Bu Shi, holding his hands on his knees, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh, as if he had let go of some burden: "Who said it wasn't?"
"And what you said before actually made sense." Jin Bu Shi continued to persuade. "You are the so-called remnant of Cai Jing, and you are hated by the current Jiangnan slow-advance faction, and the old ministers of Yuan Sheng who have been expelled by this emperor. If it weren't for this emperor and the prime minister who came from a minor official, how would you have the opportunity to return to the official career? Even if it's you and me, how would we have the opportunity to open our hearts and minds here? You should cherish the present moment."
Xu Jing sighed, and finally stood up and bowed his head: "Mr. Lei Chuan is right, I was wrong."
"It's good that Uncle Ming understands this." Jin Bu Shi was relieved to see the other party admit his mistake and nodded immediately. "Now the politics of the Song Dynasty is clear and the emperor is enterprising. You are so young. As long as you have the right attitude and work hard, you may be better than your ancestors in the future... Please sit down."
Xu Jing sat back in his original seat, nodded in vain, and felt more and more relieved.
Jin Bu Shi leaned over and said earnestly: "Now let's look back at what you said. Even if you didn't express any resentment, what you said was not right! Think about your emperor. There are only two concubines in the harem and only a few hundred eunuchs, most of whom are old friends from the Jingkang period. The palace gardens are used as fish ponds, and some are turned into Cuju fields... When I saw him in the palace three or four years ago, I knew that this emperor had great ambitions and was determined to avenge the Jingkang shame... This kind of emperor has not cared about his private pockets for seven or eight years, so how could he care about his private pockets today? In my opinion, the so-called private pockets are probably also public pockets. The sea trade plan sent by Zhang Jun will most likely be saved for the country's use."
Xu Jing was silent for a moment, but still raised his eyebrows and shook his head: "That's right, valuing inanimate objects and ignoring diplomatic relations is also a case of losing the big picture for the small..."
"That may not be the case." Jin Bushi suddenly smiled bitterly. "I think your officials are reminding me and the Japanese next door... Uncle Ming, didn't you read the latest issue of the court bulletin?"
Xu Jing was slightly startled: "What does Lord Lei Chuan mean? What's in the official newspaper?"
"Uncle Ming, please be more careful!" Jin Bu Shi smiled bitterly, but folded up the newspaper on his knees and stuffed it to him. "Here, I just asked someone to buy it. I just read the front page. You should also read the front page first!"
After saying this, Jin Fushi stood up with his hands behind his back, and paced around the courtyard where he was staying, shaking his head.
Xu Jing opened the imperial report in his arms, and after just one look, he stood up in shock, then turned his head to look at Jin Bu Shi: "How can the court come up with such a ridiculous policy? How can this be tolerated?!"
"The Jingkang Incident, that was indecent!" Jin Bushi didn't even turn his head, just paced with his hands behind his back, sighing. "The country is short of 30 million guan for the Northern Expedition, and openly asking the world for a way to gather wealth, how can that be considered indecent? Besides, isn't this action in accordance with your Zhang Shuxiang's strategy of building wealth? It can also be regarded as showing sincerity to the people."
"Can……"
Xu Jing hesitated, obviously thinking of something. "This move has some flavor of the Xining Reform. Prince Wang Shu wanted to seek new laws, and he met with everyone... It's just that there were no such powerful court reports at that time... And our government really respects Prince Wang Shu."
"That's right." Jin Bushi continued to pace in the courtyard with his hands behind his back. "The current situation is indeed like the Xining Reform. I have always admired Wang Shu's knowledge, but I don't think much of the Xining Reform... Because everyone knows that the reform did not succeed in the end, Xixia was not conquered, and the people were boiling with resentment."
"Then..." Xu Jing spoke instinctively.
"I know what you want to ask or say, but today, the actions of the Song emperor have made me dare not easily comment." Jin Fushi continued to pace with his hands behind his back. "Because I really don't know if he can succeed in the future... Ten years ago, who knew that the Jurchens could cause the Jingkang Incident in one day? Seven years ago, who knew that your emperor could take back the old capital, sweep the northwest, and even conquer the Khitan and Mongolia ?"
"But..." Xu Jing looked at the other person's back, not only was his forehead sweating, but he even swallowed his saliva before asking nervously. "But I still want to ask Lord Lei Chuan... can this be accomplished?"
"Uncle Ming, today you asked me if this matter is appropriate, which is equivalent to asking whether the Northern Expedition can succeed, but how dare I know this?" Jin Bu Shi sighed with his back to Xu Jing. "You must know that whether this matter can succeed not only concerns your Song Dynasty and your government, but also concerns the life and death of us Koreans! This time, I came here to try my best to ask for an answer of 'I dare not know'."
Xu Jing hesitated for a moment, but still held the official newspaper and asked, "Mr. Lei Chuan, based on our personal relationship, do you think this will work?"
Jin Fushi finally stopped, then turned around, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, and his eyes stared at his old friend from a foreign country like lightning.
Xu Jing was frightened for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
After looking at him for a while, Jin Bu Shi finally closed his eyes and sighed: "Uncle Ming... I think it can be done, but I still dare not say it, I can't say it!"
Xu Jing was flustered for a moment, nodded hastily, and then actually ran away with the official newspaper. Jin Bu Shi looked at the back of his young old friend and just stood solemnly in the courtyard full of flowers and willows.
Without mentioning how Kim Bu-sik felt, on the other side, Xu Jing escaped from the heavily guarded courtyard where the Goryeo delegation lived, but did not go far. Instead, he passed the courtyard of the Japanese delegation, which was also heavily guarded, and entered another heavily guarded courtyard of the Libin Hotel.
After entering the courtyard, Xu Jing followed the imperial guards who filled the courtyard and walked into a small courtyard. Without even raising his head, he bowed and saluted. Without even raising his head, he told them everything that had been said before without reservation.
"Did he say that?" Zhao Jiu, who was sitting in the yard basking in the sun, seemed to be thinking about something.
"Yes." Xu Jing held the official report in his hand, not daring to raise his head.
"He saw through you." After thinking for a while, Zhao Jiu suddenly laughed. "This old man is much stronger than Zheng Zhichang, and he is not even on the same level. He came here to show goodwill while keeping his position to prevent Goryeo from facing the Jurchens alone... On the one hand, he believes that I can succeed in the Northern Expedition, but on the other hand, he dares not say it, cannot say it... This is exactly what he wants to say to me and the Song Dynasty. He is so open and honest, which makes us look a little stingy for using trickery to deal with him."
Xu Jing raised his head, sweating profusely, and was frightened for a moment.
Wang Lun, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, who was standing solemnly beside him, quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Xu Zhubu has done nothing wrong. Apart from this matter, this time when we were sent to Goryeo, according to the imperial decree, we brought Jin Bushi, a person who can really do things and manage things, instead of Zheng Zhichang, which in itself is a fulfillment of the mission."
Zhao Jiu continued to sneer: "I didn't say he had, and even this trip was not a failure... I just figured it out. Although Jin Bu Shi has some ability, he is constrained by a small country and the factional struggles in Goryeo... Those words he originally planned to say to me were actually what he had to say."
Wang Lun and Xu Jing both breathed a sigh of relief, and the latter even grabbed the report in his hand and looked up slightly.
The next moment, Emperor Zhao suddenly stood up, and the surrounding soldiers also started to move forward under the leadership of Yang Yizhong. However, after walking only three or four steps, the Emperor turned back and asked, "Master Xu seems to have something else to say?"
"Yes... Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Xu Jing, who had just turned around, hurriedly unfolded the newspaper in his hand and quickly found the front-page headline.
Zhao Jiu turned around completely and smiled even brighter: "Do you have a good way to raise money for the country?"
"I have a plan." Xu Jing swallowed his saliva and replied with all his strength. "The government can increase taxes! Increase business taxes!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Lun shook his head, and even Yang Yizhong frowned slightly.
As for Zhao Jiu, he actually didn't have any hope from the beginning... Ever since he was forced by reality to seek help publicly, he and the governor had received a variety of memorials and suggestions in these days, but most of them did not go beyond the planned plans of the professional bureaucrats.
For example, increasing business taxes is certainly under consideration... It is not impossible to exhaust all resources when necessary, but that is only when necessary, and the country will only do so when it really has no other choice.
Therefore, Emperor Zhao labeled this man in his mind as a second-generation rich man who was eager for quick success and could only be used in Goryeo affairs. However, he smiled and prepared a few words to get the matter over with, and then hurried back to update "Water Margin", which had been updated weekly.
However, this second-generation rich man who specializes in foreign languages ​​seemed to have seen through Emperor Zhao's thoughts, or perhaps he had finally sorted out his words, and hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, the additional commercial tax I am talking about is not the old tax, but a new tax. I learned this from the experience of General Zhang's fleet in Japan... I just saw the court report and had an idea."
Zhao Jiu finally calmed down and asked seriously, "What exactly do you mean?"
"Your Majesty... Let your Majesty know." Xu Jing knew that he had reached a critical point, and he knew that this opportunity was rare, so he quickly said, "This time when the fleet went to Japan and Goryeo, the flags and documents given by the emperor in Dengzhou played a big role... So on the way back, the old merchant on the ship said that he was willing to buy a flag from the emperor for 10,000 strings of cash a year!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Lun, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites who was born into a maritime family, could not help but let out a "tsk", as if he had come to a realization... This was basically selling the qualification of a "legitimate store" to the maritime merchants.
How did the name of the official store come from? Isn't it the official qualification to brew wine? But they also had to pay money to the court.
In other words, there is a proven precedent for this, and a proven precedent means there is no resistance or very little resistance...Xu Jing's suggestion is really a good way to open up new sources of income.
But at the same time, Zhao Jiu, who was smiling just now, had a sudden thought in his mind, and was stunned on the spot... It's not that he was stunned by the other party's idea of ​​selling flags, but that he was stimulated by the other party's idea. Then he recalled that there seemed to be a similar way of making money in later generations, like a type of tax, and also the idea of ​​selling out the country and the royal reputation. Therefore, not only will it not accumulate public grievances, but will be called a good tax.
But I just can't remember the specific content at the moment.
"And then?" Zhao Guanjia came back to his senses, and while trying to think, he frowned and asked. "Is it just selling flags to the sea merchants?"
"Of course it's not just about selling flags..." Xu Jing said quickly. "The government can also provide similar things to various businesses... It may not be just flags, but more often, it's a letter with an official seal..."
"Stamp tax! It's stamp tax!" Zhao Jiu walked around Xu Jing and slowly sat back on the chair under the tree in the courtyard, then raised his head and sighed. "There is also the Northern Expedition Fund Lottery, plus the royal qualification auction, the sea flag, the company system, the rise of a great power... I have only been an official for a few years, and I really forgot everything... There are always ways to overcome difficulties and obstacles... Xu Qing, I always keep my word. Your suggestion today is worthy of a junior minister of the Honglu Temple!"
Xu Jing was puzzled at first, and then he was overjoyed.