In order to eliminate the bad influence caused by Shen Congxin, Qin Hao wrote a special announcement to let the soldiers know the military disciplines they must abide by and the benefits they can receive after going to sea. There were literate soldiers in front of each bulletin board. Preaching, after all, with the illiteracy rate these days, we basically don’t expect soldiers to be literate.
This announcement immediately caused a sensation in the water village, and the veterans cheered.
"It must be that the Marquis feels sorry for us big-headed soldiers."
"Don't tell us, our lives will be easier when the Marquis is here."
< p>Some recruits are a little confused.“When did these officials count their words? I’m afraid they are just enjoying themselves in vain.”
“Yes, how can anyone despise having too much money these days? The veterans were not happy when they heard this."
“Damn it, when have you ever broken your promise?”
“That’s right, last time I went to sea, I really made a fortune, otherwise I wouldn’t have made a fortune. "You can use the money to marry your mother-in-law"
Some of the recruits were doubtful, and some were full of longing. Although men these days have three wives and four concubines, in fact it is difficult for ordinary people at the bottom to find a wife.
Qin Hao was not in a hurry to go to sea, but conducted a month of training first. Since Shen Congxin was transferred back to Bianjing after returning from the last sea trip, these soldiers have not received systematic training. In addition, Many new soldiers have come up, and if these soldiers are to develop effective combat effectiveness, intensive training is necessary.
Although the new recruits complained, under the leadership of the veterans, there was no trouble. In addition, the food was much better than before. The soldiers were able to eat well, so they were naturally willing to work hard. .
On the other hand, Sheng Changbai encountered a lot of trouble in setting up the maritime yamen, mainly due to resistance from Mingzhou maritime merchants. These maritime merchants are all extremely wealthy, and they also contribute to the local area every year. Officials have many benefits.
Collusion between officials and businessmen is a common phenomenon. Now that the imperial court wants to start collecting commercial taxes from maritime merchants, it will naturally affect the interests of local officials.
In other words, Sheng Changbai came down under the Holy Order, otherwise his body would be found in the sea one morning.
However, there is no way to do it on the surface, and local officials have many tricks behind their backs. After Sheng Changbai established the shipping yamen, the first thing he did was to inventory ships with more than 3,000 pieces of materials.
However, these ships seemed to have disappeared from the world. Sheng Changbai had been busy for several days, and there were only two registered in the entire Mingzhou. They were still the kind of ships that were in disrepair and were about to be scrapped.
Sheng Changbai could only lead the investigation by himself. As a result, wherever he went, someone always leaked the news in advance, causing him to find nothing, which made Sheng Changbai very anxious.
On this day, Sheng Changbai came to Qin Hao's water village to complain to him.
Qin Hao secretly laughed in his heart, this is the gap between ideal and reality, Sheng Changbai's methods are still a bit naive.
“Have you ever thought about Zecheng, what are these maritime merchants doing?Why would you rather use your money to bribe officials than pay business taxes?"
These words stopped Sheng Changbai. He bowed and bowed to Qin Haoshen and asked, "Please teach me Zihan.
Qin Hao helped him up and said seriously, "It's actually very simple. The Shipping Yamen has just been established and has no credibility at all. In the eyes of these maritime merchants, the Shipping Yamen is here to steal money. They not only want to continue Bribing officials and paying business taxes, taking such a big risk, and finally giving all the profits to others, if it were you, would you be willing?"
Sheng Changbai suddenly realized, "That's it, Zihan, I should How can we convince them?"
Qin Hao smiled, "It's actually very simple. You just need to let them know that after paying the commercial tax, the local officials will not be able to exploit them. Over time, the credibility of the Shipping Yamen will be damaged. Once established, naturally no maritime merchant would be willing to take the risk of confiscating their homes and bribe those officials.
Sheng Changbai said thoughtfully, "It's just that this may be difficult to do." ”
Qin Hao shook his head, “It may be difficult for others, but Zicheng, don’t forget that the officials standing behind you are the imperial court. As long as these people are not motivated by profit and want to rebel, , they don’t dare to confront you head-on. Gu Tingye’s anti-smuggling office is also idle. You can join forces with him to perform a show. "
"Drama"
Three days later, Gu Tingye captured two ships in a small bay near Mingzhou Port. The ships were full of spices shipped back from overseas. Priceless.
The two ships were naturally unregistered. Gu Tingye arrested the smuggling merchant overnight.
Gu Tingye interrogated the merchant overnight. He was full of fat but very courageous. Not only did he refuse to explain, but he also shouted: "I am a relative of Liang Zhizhou, who dares to touch me?"
Gu Tingye smiled, very happy. Seeing that the guy in front of him succeeded in amusing himself, Gu Tingye decided to go to jail himself.
"What rank is Zhizhou? Do you know what rank I live in? Don't say that you are just a relative of Liang Zhizhou. Even he himself, as long as he breaks the national law and falls into my hands, I will tell him to live or die."
"Ah" the fat man let out a heartbreaking scream, paying for his arrogance. The price.
Seeing that the fat man fainted from the pain, Gu Tingye also stopped and asked someone to pour a basin of cold water on him to wake him up.
The fat man was scared to death when he saw Gu Tingye's evil smile. He flew away, no longer as arrogant as before, and quickly begged for mercy.
"Master Marquis, please spare me. I'll pay taxes. That's not enough."
Gu Tingye held up the fat man's chin with his whip, and said with a disdainful smile, "It's too late now that I know I have to pay taxes."
Suddenly, a subordinate reported, "Master Marquis, Liang Zhizhou wants to see you.
Gu Tingye seemed a little surprised and patted the fat man's face. "It seems that you are really a relative of Liang Zhizhou. That's just right. Bring him here and let him see that it is a shame to disobey the imperial decree." What will happen?"
Liang Zhizhou was soon taken to the prison. Looking at the beaten fat man, the sweat on Liang Zhizhou's forehead dropped.
"Gu Guhou, can you show me some kindness?"
Gu Tingye smiled disdainfully, "Liang Zhizhou knew the law and broke the law. Do you think it's your kindness or the court's?" "The law is great"
Liang Zhizhou was furious, but was struck speechless.
"Brother-in-law, save me, find a way to save me quickly"
Liang Zhizhou could only glare at him, "Shut up, I told you a long time ago, don't be bad." Gu Tingye looked very disappointed, "It's rare that Liang Zhizhou still knows the national law, so I won't send him away."
"Humph" Liang Zhizhou secretly hated him. , but there was nothing he could do against Gu Tingye. He could give Sheng Changbai a stumbling block, but meeting someone as distinguished as Gu Tingye was like a scholar meeting a soldier.
After returning home, Liang Zhizhou’s wife burst into tears when she saw that she hadn’t brought him back. Liang Zhizhou’s head was so big that he yelled.
"There is a mourning, I am not dead yet"
The wife stopped crying and begged, "Sir, my brother is the only male in my family, you must I have to find a way to save him."
Liang Zhizhou sighed, "Gu Tingye is the Marquis of Ningyuan, and he has the trust of the officials, so what can I do?"
At this time, people around him The master suddenly said, "Well, Sheng Changbai and Gu Tingye are close friends, why not go find him and find a solution?"
"Aren't Sheng Changbai and the others the same species?" Liang Zhizhou asked doubtfully after hearing this.
The master gently shook the paper fan and smiled, "Otherwise, the shipping yamen and the anti-smuggling yamen seem to be established together, but they are not monolithic."
"The shipping yamen collects merchants The more taxes there are, the greater the chance that Sheng Changbai will be promoted. The same goes for the anti-smuggling yamen. The more smuggling is seized and the richer the background of the maritime merchants seized, the more Gu Tingye will be trusted by the officials. If everyone pays business taxes, Gu Tingye will Isn’t the commander of the anti-smuggling yamen useless?”
Liang Zhizhou suddenly realized, “Mr. Liang is a great talent.”
So, Liang Zhizhou left without stopping. When they found Sheng Changbai, Sheng Changbai naturally refused in every possible way at first. It wasn't until Liang Zhizhou came up with what the master said that Sheng Changbai agreed to go.
Witnessed by Liang Zhizhou and Fatty Maritime, Sheng Changbai and Gu Tingye had a fierce conflict.
Sheng Changbai accused Gu Tingye, "You are punishing without teaching. The Shipping Office has just been established and has not had time to register merchant ships, so naturally it will not be possible to pay taxes."
When the fat man heard this Tears came down. "People from Shanda are right. These two ships went to sea a few months ago. I just didn't have time to register. I will make up for the tax."
Liang Zhizhou looked at it Gu Tingye was choked and speechless, and suddenly he felt very good, thinking that you will have this day too
The fat man was finally released, and Liang Zhizhou naturally wanted to treat Sheng Changbai to a banquet at the most popular brothel in the area.
ShengWhat Changbai wanted was this effect, he said loudly through the three rounds of wine and the five flavors of food.
"When I came out of Bianjing, the officials said that the function of the Maritime Yamen is not only to collect taxes, but also to create a better business environment for the majority of maritime merchants. Everyone in the Jinghai Navy has I heard that as long as you pay the tax, if you encounter pirates or some native robbers at sea in the future, you can get protection from the Jinghai Navy, and there is a high chance that the lost goods will be recovered."
"In addition, after our shipping office raises taxes, it will also be responsible for the repair and expansion of the terminal. In the future, it is expected to expand the Mingzhou Terminal to more than ten times its current size."
Mingzhou has existed since ancient times. In an area where maritime trade is very prosperous, the main customers of brothels are precisely these merchants. When Sheng Changbai said this, the merchants all looked thoughtful.
Sheng Changbai burped and continued, "Moreover, as long as maritime merchants pay the tax at the shipping yamen, they can obtain a tax payment certificate. From then on, no matter where the returned goods are sold, they don't have to pay any more. Exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes are imposed, but this is the favor of the officials."
As soon as these words came out, all the maritime merchants present were moved.
Why are the maritime merchants unwilling to pay taxes? This is because they transported some cheap porcelain and cloth from the Song Dynasty overseas in exchange for spices, gold, ivory and other products from the local natives. After returning, they still had to sell them in various places. Not only do local officials need to be managed, but they also need to be managed in the areas where they are sold, which directly leads to the high prices of various commodities.
But if you only need to pay the tax once, although the 20 tax is a bit heavy, it is not unacceptable. After all, the amount they usually pay far exceeds this ratio.
The most important thing is that there are legal ways, and who is willing to take the risk of having their home raided? We have finally accumulated a certain amount of wealth. If we are caught, we will return to liberation overnight without saying anything. When going to jail and the risks are not proportional to the benefits, businessmen have to think about the trade-off.
That night, many maritime merchants came to the Shipping Yamen to inquire about specific policies. Sheng Changbai also personally received some larger maritime merchants, and also posted notices at each of them.
Not to mention that this trick worked, some maritime merchants soon registered their ships, and Sheng Changbai also gave him a one-month deadline. If he did not register his ships and pay taxes after one month, he would be arrested by the smuggling yamen. If you are caught, you can only wait to have your home confiscated and go to jail.
After a busy month, more than 60% of the ships in Mingzhou have been registered. Of course, there are still many maritime merchants who are lucky.
At this time, it was Gu Tingye's turn to take action. Gu Tingye personally led the team to catch several typical cases and dealt with them severely.
Of course, there were many memorials in the court impeaching Gu Tingye and Sheng Changbai for their excessive taxation. However, with the large amount of tax revenue and seized gold and silver, these impeachments did not waver Zhao Zongquan, but made him see clearly many of the high-sounding things in the court. The face of a civil servant.
A month later, Qin Hao’s fleet finally set sail, and those who followed himThere are also more than thirty ships at sea. These are the merchant ships of nobles. Since he has received the money, Qin Hao will naturally fulfill his promise and make a fortune with these nobles.
The process of this trip was not smooth. Less than a month after setting sail, they encountered a storm at sea. Fortunately, Qin Hao’s fleet was all experienced sailors and led the fleet to avoid the worst of the storm. The fierce area was bypassed from the edge, but even so, two merchant ships were lost.
The journey to Siam was uneventful after that. The nobles were instantly dazzled. They did not expect that there was such a paradise outside the Song Dynasty. Various subtropical fruits were huge and the wheat ears in the fields were overwhelming. They couldn't even stand up straight because of the wheat stalks. Of course, what they cared about most were all kinds of gems, pearls, agate, and gold.
The natives did not pay much attention to these things. Some even used gems to build stone houses, which made the nobles lament that they were prodigal, and then exchanged the gems for cloth and porcelain.
"Haha, as the Marquis said, this overseas is really a blessed land."
"Oh, these natives are too lazy to sleep there all day long and are unwilling to move." , otherwise we can collect a lot more jewelry."
On the return trip, Qin Hao did not go with them, but went to the farther sea to explore the waterway. This time Qin Hao's destination was spices. The East Indies.
This route has actually been explored by many maritime merchants, including Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. However, with the navigation technology of the Song Dynasty, this route was too risky. Moreover, the spices abundant in these islands can also be obtained in places such as Siam and Chenla, so few maritime merchants are willing to take risks.
But Qin Hao knew that places like Siam and Chenla would be plundered by Song Dynasty merchants sooner or later, so he still had to explore further waterways in advance and take precautions.
Almost half a year later, Qin Hao came to the East Indies, known as the Spice Islands. As the name suggests, the islands are full of various spices.
In the Song Dynasty, spices were used not only for cooking, but also for incense.
In ancient times, people did not take baths every day. For this reason, there was a special holiday for bathing, called "Hugh Mu". In this way, the body would inevitably smell, so incense became a good way to mask the smell. , just like the French who invented perfume is a motive.
Many times, incense is also used on the clothes of noble families. Almost every noble family has its own unique secret recipe for incense. Naturally, the more unique the aroma of incense, the more it can be displayed. Family heritage.
The consumption of spices is huge, but the inland production is very small, and can only be obtained through maritime trade. This also makes the price of spices extremely expensive, and good spices are comparable to the same weight of gold.
These spices can be found almost everywhere in the Spice Islands.
In addition to spices, Qin Hao also caught three rare white tigers on a small island in the Bay of Bengal when he returned. These three white tigers were also naive and did not run away when they saw a group of people surrounding them. , instead he pounced on him and was immediately tied up four times.He took the bamboo pole and carried it to the boat.
In ancient times, white tigers were considered auspicious, and they were perfect gifts to Zhao Zongquan. In order to prevent these white tigers from dying, Qin Hao specially arranged a largest cabin for them and gave them to them every day. Feed live food.
But even so, after half a year of sailing, only one survived. When he arrived at Mingzhou Pier, Qin Hao quickly surrounded the white tiger in a forest to let it recover.
Gu Tingye came over after hearing the news. When he saw the white tiger, he thought it was dyed by Qin Hao with something, so he had to do it himself. This guy is really born with supernatural power. Facing the white tiger that rushed towards him, he actually He pinned it to the ground and couldn't move.
Qin Hao quickly pulled this guy away. If the white tiger he finally got back was killed by him, it would be useless.
"It's really a white tiger." Gu Tingye still held a bunch of hair in his hand and found that it was all white from the inside out, so he believed that it was not dyeing.
Back in Shuizhai, Qin Hao asked Gu Tingye about his situation in the past year.
Gu Tingye proudly recounted what had happened over the past year. At the beginning, many maritime merchants paid taxes, but corrupt officials were still extorting money. These merchants came to Sheng Changbai for help. Sheng Changbai also fulfilled his promise. After collecting evidence, he reported these officials to Zhao Zongquan.
Zhao Zongquan also knew that in order to establish the prestige of the Maritime Yamen, he must punish them severely, so he dismissed these officials, investigated them, and finally sentenced them to exile on Salmon Island. Basically, it is unlikely that these people will come back alive. , although he could not be punished as a doctor, but if he died in exile, it had nothing to do with him
Sheng Changbai also gained the trust of maritime merchants by virtue of this matter, and gradually most maritime merchants chose to pay taxes honestly. As for those who dare to evade taxes, it is Gu Tingye's turn to take action.
Gu Tingye's style is much simpler and rougher than Sheng Changbai's. He arrests, tortures, jails, and searches homes all at once, and he is also nicknamed "Gu Yanluo".
Qin Hao suddenly felt something in his heart, "Cousin, your three-year filial piety period should be coming soon. Are you planning to marry Minglan when?"
Gu Tingye chuckled, "Actually, I have submitted a letter long ago. It's the official wedding, the date has been set, it's the sixth day of June, I was worried that my cousin wouldn't be able to make it out, now it's just the right time to come and drink my wedding wine." Please remember to bookmark it, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading