Emperor Zhengde
Chapter 312 Lost! The powerful officials and gentry in Jiangnan lost!
Chapter 312 Lost! The powerful officials and gentry in Jiangnan lost!
Xindian Town.
A group of representatives of the people in the town begged the grain store owner Li Dingshan: "Boss Li, when will you open this grain store? If you don't, the people in our Xindian Town will really have no food to eat! Please be kind and reopen the business! Although the court has changed the tax policy, your grain store can still make a lot of money. Why do you have to go against the court and ignore the lives of the people!"
"Everyone, it's not that I'm cruel, it's the higher-ups who have arranged this. As long as the court refuses to give up the new tax policy, I won't be able to keep my grain store open. Even if I open one, the higher-ups will make sure I can't keep it open. Please forgive me, fellow villagers. I'm sorry I won't accompany you!"
After Li Dingshan finished speaking, he got into the car and said goodbye to these people's representatives.
The people's representatives could only watch Li Dingshan walk away. Some of the wise people who had received education in the new-style schools even spat at Li Dingshan angrily:
"Bah! Over the years, he has made a lot of money from us by relying on his brother being an official in Huguang. But now he is harming us ordinary people because of the tax reform of the imperial court!"
Although some people were disgusted with Li Dingshan's behavior of preferring to watch people starve to death rather than opening a shop, they really couldn't do anything to Li Dingshan. After all, Li Dingshan himself didn't want to open a shop to make money, and no one could force him to do so.
At this time, Li Dingshan, who was sitting in the carriage, looked at the lost and disappointed expressions of the people in Xindian Town. He couldn't help but smile coldly and was very proud. He had never been so proud as he was now. He discovered that merchants like himself could indeed manipulate the government and the situation in the world, and that they also had their own strength in certain aspects.
Ji Xuan, who happened to be in Xindian Town, also saw this scene and smiled coldly: "Xindian Town is also like this now, which shows that this strike is still very effective. Didn't the court say that tax reform is to protect the interests of the people and for the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty? By then, the whole of Jiangnan will be full of starving people and the people will cause chaos due to hunger. Let's see whether the court will still believe that tax reform can bring long-term stability to the Ming Dynasty!"
"I'm afraid that the imperial court has begun to lose faith. As long as a civil unrest occurs, there will definitely be officials who will report it to the emperor. I'm afraid that in order to quell public grievances and allow our businesses to open, the officials who reformed the tax policy at that time will be executed."
A monk named Hui Jue who was following Ji Xuan laughed.
"Yes, if the court gives up on tax reform and compromises with the Jiangnan gentry, your highness's properties in Jiangnan can be preserved and will not be discovered. But if the court still refuses to give up, it doesn't matter. If it really causes civil unrest, I'm afraid that even without your highness stepping out first, the world will already be in chaos!"
Ji Xuan said this, and seeing that the people of Xindian Town would rather starve than violate the law and rob the grain store, he said with disdain, "These guys, they still don't make trouble even after it has come to this! They are really useless!"
……
In fact, at this time, some people in Xindian Town could no longer tolerate the evil scheme of the profiteer. One of them stood up and shouted, "Everyone, Li Dingshan would rather let tens of thousands of tons of grain rot than sell it to us. He would rather watch us starve to death than open his business. In this case, why don't we arrest this profiteer and force him to hand over the grain? Or do we have to watch his wife and children starve to death at home?"
"Yes, we can't let Li Dingshan go in vain!" Other people also responded.
Ji Xuan became even more proud when he saw this. He smiled coldly and prepared to watch the show. He hoped that the people would riot and the world would be in chaos.
Li Dingshan didn't notice this scene at this time. He was still proud of his ability to control the entire Xindian Town.
But at this time.
Sudden.
A gong sounds!
"Ma's grain store is open for business. Steam-milled flour costs eight cents per bushel! Steam-milled threshed rice costs only six cents per bushel! The first hundred people to arrive can get a 50% discount! The grain store is under the big locust tree in the west gate of the town!"
The words of the reporter were like a sound of Sanskrit that reached the ears of the people of Xindian Town, and the already irritable and furious hearts of the people of Xindian Town calmed down all of a sudden.
Some people couldn't help but unclench their fists and smile happily: "A grain store is open? There is actually a grain store opening?"
"I never expected such a good thing to happen. Moreover, flour only costs eight cents per bucket, and rice only costs six cents per bucket. This is much cheaper than the Li family's grain store!"
At this time, some common people came running over: "Uncle Yao, it's true, I just bought five dou of rice and flour! They are all top-quality rice and flour. I heard that this Ma's grain store is from the north and buys grain from Southeast Asia. They use new machines to thresh the grain and use slaves from Southeast Asia to transport the grain, so the price is cheap!"
So, after hearing what the common people said, everyone else also hurried to Ma’s grain store.
Li Dingshan was stunned when he saw this scene. He was both surprised and angry. He was surprised that someone would dare to open a grain store at this time. He was angry that someone was so ignorant that he dared to open a grain store in Xindian Town. Didn’t he know that Xindian Town was his territory?
Li Dingshan hurriedly ordered: "Quickly send someone to ask where this Ma's grain store came from!"
At night, Li Dingshan's servant came running over and said, "Master, I've found out. The Ma's grain store was opened by the family of the former Prime Minister Ma Wensheng. His fourth son came to Jiangnan in person this time and opened more than 200 grain stores in one go. This is just a semicolon!"
After hearing this, Li Dingshan couldn't help but sit down on the chair with a complicated expression. He thought that this was not a good thing. Such a person came to Jiangnan to open a grain store, and he would definitely not be able to stop him from opening it, not even the prefect.
Therefore, after a long time, Li Dingshan suddenly looked much more haggard, and he ordered his people weakly: "The grain shops will start business tomorrow, all of them will start business, and not only will they start business, but the grain prices will all be reduced!
We lost, we lost! We didn't lose to the court, we lost to our own people, these hateful northern imperial merchants, they followed your majesty to enjoy the royal profits, and naturally didn't care about paying heavy taxes, but they ignored our lives in order to make more profits! We are all merchants, just because they are imperial merchants, will the royal family allow them to grow stronger! "
Li Dingshan roared in anger. He was indeed unwilling to accept this and he regretted it, because he had lost no less than 10,000 silver dollars due to the strike these days. What made him regret even more was that his actions led to the capital giants such as the Northern Imperial Merchants taking the opportunity to enter his territory, which meant that he would face more losses in the future.
……
Back to the topic.
Ji Xuan was also surprised and angry when he heard that Ma's grain store suddenly appeared: "Who is so bold as to open for business at this time! And not cooperating with our plan to strike!"
Ji Xuan said, "Go ask the head of Xindian Town what's going on. Could it be that the words of their governor are not binding?"
Soon, the head of Xindian Town came running over and said, "Mr. Ji, please forgive me for my rudeness. We cannot afford to offend this Ma's grain store. I reported the name of the prefect, but they ignored me. I wanted to send someone to search directly, but it was the police from Yingtian Prefecture who came! I heard that the son of this family is very powerful!"
Ji Xuan's face turned cold after hearing this, and he began to realize that something bad might happen. He hurriedly ordered: "Find out the origin of this Ma's grain store as soon as possible! No matter how much money it costs, you must find out!" After saying that, Ji Xuan was about to turn around and leave. At this time, the monk Zhu Zhen couldn't help but ask: "It seems that the court's actions are not groundless. These imperial merchants have really come to Jiangnan! These people have always been cannibalistic. I am afraid that this strike will fail. Not only will it fail to stop the court's new tax policy, but it will also lose the support of the people in Jiangnan and the opportunity to make money. Mr. Ji, do you think the more than 400 cement craftsmen in Xindian Town and Guang Temple will be dismissed?"
"Dismiss! Dismiss all of them! It's too early to say that the strike has failed. Even if the court has the support of the imperial merchants, even if these imperial merchants are rich enough to rival a country, can it be that the officials and gentry in Huidi, Jindi and Jiangnan are poor?"
Ji Xuan decided to continue fighting against the court instead of giving up at the beginning.
Because of this, more than 400 cement workers were dismissed on the same day. Ji Xuan, who had already arrived at Heguang Temple, felt much better when he saw the pitiful looks of these 400 cement workers begging not to be dismissed and would rather take half the wages. It seemed that he was now willing to see the pitiful looks of these low-level migrant workers.
However, at this time, another gong sounded: "Notification from the county working committee, are there any unemployed people here? Now the 24th Bureau of the Infrastructure Bureau is coming to Xindian Town to recruit migrant workers, both able-bodied men and women are welcome. We will recruit as many as we can, and the salary will be preferential, with a minimum of two silver dollars a month, including food and accommodation. Those who can read and do arithmetic are also recruited. As long as they are graduates from primary schools or above, they will be given a monthly salary ranging from five to ten silver dollars, and their insurance will be paid for them!"
Although insurance was a new thing and the more than 400 unemployed cement workers present did not understand it, when they heard that they were recruiting workers and the salary was no less than two silver dollars per month, they were all excited. They hurriedly stopped the man who was beating the gong and wanted to apply for the job.
Seeing this, Ji Xuan's face turned cold, and his good mood disappeared immediately. He couldn't help but throw the teacup in his hand to the ground: "Too much! We just fired them, and they started recruiting, and the salary and benefits are not low! What are they doing? Are they trying to force us to admit defeat?!!!"
Ji Xuan was furious, and Zhu Zhen was helpless. He couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that these royal merchants are preparing a big deal!"
……
Here, the owner of the weaving workshop, Tian Shuxiang, said to his weavers in a very arrogant manner: "Now, this workshop is closed, and you are all fired! Who made you follow me to fight against the new tax policy of the court? Now I make you all unemployed, let's see how you can survive!"
Tian Shuxiang sneered, and at this time, Xu Jing's trusted shopkeeper Gu Hui stood up and said, "It's okay. We will hire as many as you fire. The Xu family is hiring workers. We will pay you first. Come and report quickly!"
……
Coincidentally, other imperial merchants also began to take action, and grain, oil, salt, etc. were all transported to the south of the Yangtze River.
"Jiangnan Salt Industry Corporation is recruiting! Ordinary people can come directly to the headquarters to wholesale salt in various cities in Jiangnan. All salt is good! You can also wholesale it and sell it in towns and villages to make money!"
"Liu's Company is urgently recruiting all kinds of craftsmen, apprentices, and talents who can make rockeries, fountains, garden, and understand Feng Shui. The salary is excellent, and the monthly salary is not less than half of the market price!"
"Jiao's Company is undertaking the construction of the third phase of the Shanghai Port project. We now need 500,000 kilograms of cement and 200,000 kilograms of sand and gravel. Merchants interested in cooperation are welcome. Please contact the shopkeepers of Jiao's Company in each town!"
……
Soon after Xu Jing and other imperial merchants responded to the call and went south, they began to spend money to revitalize the commodity economy of the entire Jiangnan region.
From oil and salt and other livelihood industries to infrastructure, they have begun to attract investment and recruit workers, or directly open shops to run businesses, or directly invest in local governments to engage in public welfare undertakings, set up free re-employment training classes, set up study classes and literacy classes, and donate money to build schools.
then.
People's daily lives gradually returned to order. They were no longer affected by the strike of merchants in the south of the Yangtze River, and prices began to fall.
The unemployment problem of a large number of migrant workers was also solved, and their treatment was even improved. Zhu Houzhao also took this opportunity to let the imperial merchants implement the eight-hour work system and social security system. He believed that after these migrant workers got used to the high welfare brought by the imperial merchants or state capital management, they would identify more with his empire rather than these local capitalists in Jiangnan.
Seeing this, many ordinary merchants in Jiangnan who could not afford the losses caused by the strike also began to open for business. For them, since some of their peers had already resumed business, if they did not open for business, they would only suffer heavy losses, and it would not have any impact on the court.
"Your Majesty, in accordance with your instructions, we have begun to recruit workers, merchants, and investors. Even if these Jiangnan tycoons go on strike more thoroughly, we can still handle it!"
At this time, Xu Jing also met with Zhu Houzhao and made a promise to him with full confidence.
Seeing that the panic of the people was gradually calmed by the commercial intervention of new capital, and that the commodity economy in Jiangnan was gradually regaining its former vitality, Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "If this new tax policy can be successful, you have made an indelible contribution. I hope that after this, the scholars and people of the world will realize that everyone has the obligation to pay taxes! The court does not want to drain the pond to catch fish, but the court cannot maintain a peaceful and prosperous era without money."
Zhu Houzhao then asked Nanjing's Minister of Personnel Wen Gui: "Has the phenomenon of a large number of staff, shopkeepers and officials resigning due to the collection of personal income tax improved?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, after the court decided to let the Ministry of Personnel include secretaries (similar to secretaries in later generations) as part of the bureaucratic system and set ranks based on their service positions, no staff members have resigned, and students from various universities have also come to the Ministry of Personnel to apply for positions! The problem of the court's declining efficiency due to a large number of staff members resigning has also been solved!"
After Nanjing's Minister of Personnel Wen Gui answered, Zhu Houzhao finally smiled and said, "This is great. The livelihood issues caused by the strike have been resolved. Now a large number of highly paid talents have begun to return to work. The implementation of the new tax policy has finally been successful!"
……
"Why, why don't we continue! Why are these Jiangnan officials and wealthy businessmen so impatient! As long as we hold on a little longer, we won't lose to the court! Why don't we hold on a little longer!"
Ji Xuan shouted angrily. What he did not expect was that with the intervention of royal capital and royal merchants, the strike he led collapsed as quickly as an avalanche. Merchants in various prefectures and counties began to open for business one after another, and even some of his most loyal allies began to betray him.
At this time, a merchant from Huizhou met Ji Xuan and said, "Prime Minister Ji, the Chief Secretary has ordered that all the businesses you run for His Majesty in Jiangnan should be reopened. There is no intention to close the market. The new tax policy of the court cannot be reversed. We cannot let Zhu Houzhao and his lackeys completely control Jiangnan now! Open the business quickly!"
After receiving the order from his own prince, Ji Xuan nodded, but still couldn't help crying: "I can't accept it, I really can't accept it!"
I wrote 4,000 words while I was sick. I had a severe cold and it was too uncomfortable. I can only write this much. Please forgive me! The recent plot could have been a climax that I wrote well, but because I was not in good condition, I guess I was not in a good state to write it.
(End of this chapter)
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