my brother-in-law is the prince

Chapter 471 Longyan Joy
Zhang Anshi smiled, then stretched out his slender fingers, and said slowly: "There are three benefits."

There are three……

The faces of everyone in Zhou Ju were extremely ugly, and they all knelt on the ground in despair. At this moment, they felt more and more that they were like lambs being sold.

Even... at this time, a thought inevitably came to him, why did he fall into this kind of trick and even come to the capital?

Are they throwing themselves into a trap?

Zhu Di, on the other hand, cheered up and seemed to be listening attentively.

But I heard Zhang Anshi say slowly: "One of these things, the Taiping Mansion is the one that benefits the most, Your Majesty... After the Taiping Mansion purchased grain on a large scale, the shipping industry developed greatly, because buying grain requires large-scale ships, although the current Sea ships are busy transporting food, but other products such as spices, ivory, rubber, cotton, etc. are also urgently needed by Ming Dynasty.”

"So... many sea-going ships are hard to find if you want to hire them to transport the goods. So now the shipbuilding yards everywhere are waiting for orders for two years. In order to buy ships, everyone has resorted to all means. I tried my best. Many shipyards have also expanded their production."

Zhang Anshi continued patiently: "Of course, the development of the shipping industry is actually not outstanding in front of Baiye. This time, for relief, millions of sets of ready-made clothes were purchased. Your Majesty... these millions of ready-made clothes cost a lot It is the silver used by these evil gentry to buy food at a high price, but with such an order, a piece of clothing, from cotton, to dyes, to spinning and weaving, and even needlework, such a huge order of such a scale, teaching these clothing workshops , spinning workshops, textile workshops, and dye workshops all make a lot of money."

"The same is true for ready-made clothes, and the same is true for iron and steel utensils, carriages, and cloth shoes. These large sums of silver bought from the hands of evil gentry in exchange for grain are worth hundreds of millions of taels of silver. Up and down, hundreds of thousands of workshops earn income. Not only that, because of the income of these workshops, they have to expand production on a large scale and recruit more craftsmen. Large-scale orders need to be transported, and they need a lot of horses and horses. The cost of oxen, horses and manpower, so many laborers and craftsmen have to eat and drink, Your Majesty... the value of the industry brought about by it can reach at least tens of millions of taels of silver."

As soon as this remark came out, people couldn't help but take a breath.

After all the calculations, it is equivalent to Zhang Anshi taking the evil gentry's money to help the disaster.

It seems that Zhang Anshi didn't get any profit from it, but in fact... relying on various orders, his Taiping Mansion has made a lot of money from upstream to downstream.

It's frightening to think about it this way.

After hearing this, Zhu Di nodded his head frequently, but he was still thinking about whether Qixia Commercial Bank would make any profit from it.

Zhang Anshi finally did not disappoint him, and said with a smile: "The prosperity of all industries also means that the tax revenue Taiping Mansion can obtain from it is at least two to three million taels. Your Majesty... this is the most direct benefit."

"........."

good guy...

How could it be like this?The eyes of all the officials were straightened, and they were convinced now.

But thinking about it carefully, this account is really not wrong.

Taiping Mansion is indeed very fair, even if they stockpile grain, even if they sell grain at a high price, any income from here is distributed to the victims and people in the four provinces.

So much grain, so much ready-made clothes, cloth shoes, steel, chariots and horses, and all necessities for basic necessities of food, clothing, housing and transportation, such a large-scale relief has never existed in ancient and modern times.

But this guy... took advantage of this to grandiosely... made a lot of money.

After Zhu Di heard this, he couldn't help but turn his head around. Only then did he realize that he was only limited to whether Qixia Commercial Bank made profits, and the situation was really too low.

Zhang Anshi still has a broad mind!

So, I couldn't help being overjoyed when I heard the words.

But Zhang Anshi didn't intend to stop there, and he continued directly: "As for the second thing, it is borrowing. Your Majesty... To be honest, most of the loans of these evil gentry are United Banks, which hang a sign in each province, but in fact , but it is still the money released by the United Bank. This loan... has interest, because it involves a commercial loan, and the interest is not low."

Speaking of this, Zhang Anshi glanced at Zhou Juren with a half-smile, with a bit of sarcasm in his eyes, and then continued: "It's just a pity, these evil gentry, although they also know that the interest rate is not low, they only think about it by hoarding goods to make money." To make huge profits, I think that as long as I earn enough, I ignore the interest, and I think that I will make a steady profit. Your Majesty, the interest silver, calculated by the bank, is at least around 200 million taels of silver, of course... this is still Not the most important."

Zhu Di: "..."

I have to say, if you want to say black, it's Zhang Anshi who is black!This is simply a one-stop service, from birth to cremation, all arranged for you.

But if you think about it carefully, if you want to say that he is bad, it seems that he is not.

Because all of this, in the final analysis, stems from the greed of those evil gentry who hoard their goods. Speaking of bad things, Zhang Anshi is still a younger brother.

Zhang Anshi looked at Zhu Di with a smile and said: "The most important thing is...the property mortgage. Your Majesty knows about the bank. I have always been conservative in the management of the bank. What I worry about most is bad debts. , has always been cautious. Any loan must be secured, and the valuation of the mortgage has always been conservative."

At this time, Zhu Di also vaguely understood something.

In fact, everyone in Zhou Ju understands this meaning better than anyone else, because they are the ones who feel the most painful.

But all the officials were speechless. They were all smart people and could already empathize with them.

Zhang Anshi continued to analyze generously: "The so-called mortgage is only a real thing. When evaluating its value, let me use an analogy."

Speaking of this, Zhang Anshi looked at Zhou Juren again, and said, "This Juren, if my guess is correct, your name should be Zhou Tao."

Zhou Juren's face was pale, but he still nodded silently.

Zhang Anshi smiled, and continued: "I asked about his account before I came here."

When Zhou Juren heard this, he became more and more aware that he had been arranged clearly, and it was even possible that when he was called to meet, Zhang Anshi had already greeted the eunuchs, and he must be brought in.

Regardless of Zhou Juren's complex gaze, Zhang Anshi said, "This Zhou Juren has a great family and business. His family has a thousand hectares of fertile land, a large number of cattle and horses, mansions, and oil-pressing workshops. There are quite a few shops. If I remember correctly, the market price of the shop in Kaifeng should be 370 taels per room, right? Zhou’s family is in Kaifeng, and there are more than 20 rooms like this shop, but he is borrowing money. At that time, when the Qianzhuang evaluated the mortgage, it would not calculate it according to 370 taels, but halved it, that is, 90 taels of silver to calculate its valuation. The 370 taels of shop floor can only be used as collateral. Borrowing less than 200 taels of silver..."

After a pause, Zhang Anshi continued: "Of course, as long as the Zhou family can repay both the interest and the principal, the shop will still belong to his family. But if it is not available...then the bank has no choice but to sell his shop, land, cattle and horses, All the mansions are confiscated, this is the rule! After all, it is only right and proper to pay back the debts.”

Zhang Anshi looked at Zhou Juren again with burning eyes, and said, "Zhou Juren, if I remember correctly, your Zhou family has borrowed a total of 400 taels of silver from the bank. Let me ask you, this money, you Are you paying it back, and are you paying it or not? If not, then not only your family property, but also the grain in your barn will all be confiscated."

After Zhou Juren heard this, he immediately flew into a rage, glared at Zhang Anshi fiercely and said, "You...you are despicable and shameless, you...you deliberately framed us..."

The corners of Zhang Anshi's lips curled into a slight smile, and he asked mockingly: "What is deliberate framing? Is this king forcing you to borrow money? It is clear that you evil gentry, in order to exploit the people and maintain food prices in disaster years, want to Sell ​​grain at a high price, and then buy people’s property at a low price, and then eagerly come to borrow money! Now you are still blaming this king, since you call yourself a mere grass man, and you are a mere grass man, how dare you bark in front of this king and commit crimes, What's on your mind?"

After Zhou Juren heard this, he almost lost his breath in anger.

Many people who came with him began to weep secretly.

At this point, they feel that they are really stupid.

Zhang Anshi immediately ignored Zhou Juren, but looked at Zhu Di and said, "Your Majesty, so...if these people still don't pay the loan, then if there is no accident, the nearly ten million taels of silver loaned by the bank will not be received. The collateral must be worth more than 2000 million taels of silver, or even... more!"

"The only trouble is how to dispose of these properties. Fortunately... many of the physical objects they mortgaged are all hard currencies on the market. Even if they are temporarily backlogged and difficult to dispose of, it only takes a few years to digest them. But don’t worry about not being able to sell it.”

Zhu Di said, "Okay...okay..."

Zhu Di felt refreshed all over his body!

He said two good words in a row, and when Ben wanted to say another good word, he realized that it seemed inappropriate to say these things at this time.

So he immediately put on a straight face, with an angry look on his face, and said sharply: "If you borrow money for the purpose of hoarding goods, just to oppress the people, trap the people in misery, and abandon them, then...these people not only have their hearts to be punished." , is even more insane and heinous!"

Zhou Juren began to tremble when he heard this.

Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty calm down, this third benefit... is actually not small..."

Zhu Di was taken aback for a moment, and everyone was paralyzed.

One by one, it is clear that the people have given relief, not only have they received relief, but they have also received excellent treatment. According to Zhang Anshi's method of relief, the court can be said to have gained a huge amount of support.

Regardless of the fact that everything is done well, there are still so many benefits, whether it is taxes, interest from the bank, or even the confiscation of collateral. It can be said that Zhu Di and Zhang Anshi are the most direct beneficiaries.

Others spent money in giving money, but he, Zhu Di, gave money to the people, which made the people so grateful that they could still earn money.

There is such a miracle in the world.

However, while Zhu Di was delighted, he couldn't help but feel that Zhang Anshi's mouth was a little too big.

If you earn it, you earn it, you can say it in private, but now you say it one, two, three, four, five in front of everyone, it's... a bit unstable.

But thinking about it like this, Zhu Di couldn't help asking: "What are the third things?"

Zhang Anshidao: "The Taiping government's relief, in addition to providing enough food, also distributes clothes, tools, etc., to teach the people to eat and drink enough, to keep warm from the cold, and at the same time, they also take this opportunity to enlist the people to work. , the so-called teaching a man to fish is not as good as giving him a fish.”

"Therefore, in the four provinces, in all the prefectures and counties, the ministers ordered people to organize the people affected by the disaster, and teach them to read and write for the young children and teenagers. For the elderly, support them, For the women, let them cook and mend, and for the strong men, teach them to build bridges and pave roads, let them build reservoirs, dig canals, and even... lay the foundations. Your Majesty is rich all over the world because... the people of the world , are all His Majesty's subjects, and all the land in the world is His Majesty's territory. These benefits are not real money, but Your Majesty...the development of these lands is the most precious wealth for Your Majesty."

After Zhu Di heard this, he couldn't help being excited. Finally, he didn't directly talk about vulgar things such as gold and silver.

Zhu Di nodded in satisfaction and said, "That statement makes sense."

Zhang Anshi continued: "Don't talk about other things, just talk about the roadbed. From Guanzhong to Henan, it has been built hundreds of miles long. Planning and calculations have been carried out..."

Suddenly, Zhu Di felt that there was something in his words, and his expression became a little more serious.

Zhang Anshi continued: "As for the land used for the roadbed, most of the land is either unowned or mortgaged, and there are a few that I have also spent some money to buy. If necessary, as long as His Majesty gives an order, the Sleepers and rails can be laid at any time."

"In this way, the railway will be completed soon. Most of the land along the railway is in the hands of the imperial court and the Taiping Mansion, and it can also be operated. Moreover, once the railway is built, it means that places such as Guanzhong and Henan will A large amount of manpower needs to be recruited. In the past few years, a large amount of manpower has been hired to build a railway, which will not only enable Guanzhong and Henan to communicate with each other, but also greatly facilitate the transportation of merchants, common people and goods. It can be said that a strong man can rely on his own labor to support his family."

Zhu Di: "..."

Zhang Anshi understood the matter of reckoning.

The railway is in Zhili, and the benefits are huge.

After all, the transport capacity of this thing is too large, and the transportation loss in ancient times is too large, the transportation is already expensive, and the emergence of the railway not only greatly reduces the loss, but also makes the railway company earn a lot of money in Zhili at the same time. It's full.

It's just that this railway department has always been limited to Zhili. At first, it wanted to expand to Jiangxi Chief Commissioner, but because of a huge nest case, it failed.

Only then did Zhu Di realize that what can be done in Zhili does not mean that other provinces can do it. On the one hand, the land is in the hands of the gentry in the world, and it would cost a lot of money to requisition a large amount of land.

On the other hand, the construction of the railway is a sky-high price. Such a huge price is not a joke.

But now...the land is here.

The most amazing thing is that even the roadbed has been obtained.

You must know that building a railway is not as simple as laying rails. The biggest cost is to recruit a lot of labor, build roadbeds, and build bridges at the same time.

These are all huge expenses in the early stage. In terms of current productivity, such a job, a thousand-mile railway, requires at least tens of millions of strong men, and it takes a lot of time to complete.

But now... the previous work... was miraculously completed.

It's fine if it's finished, and the evil gentry will pay for it.

Next, the railway company only needs to invest a large sum of money and start laying rails and sleepers.

Zhu Di suddenly became excited.

Good things like railways can make profits, strengthen the rule of the court, facilitate merchants, and even bring wealth to the people. Such a profitable business cannot expand Zhili, which is Zhu Di's concern.

But now...everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.

Zhu Di couldn't help but tremble a bit in his voice: "All... have been built..."

Zhang Anshi said with certainty: "The roadbed of the main line has been compacted, and even the land leveling work at some stations along the railway line has been completed. The main line has been raised, drainage ditches have been built on both sides, and there are a lot of gravel , are also paved, what is missing is the laying of sleepers and rails.”

"Okay!" Zhu Di's long face was joyful, and he immediately became excited, with a big smile on his face, and said passionately: "That's very good, if this is the case, it will be beneficial for thousands of years. In this way, the country of Ming Dynasty... will be as firm as a rock. .”

In fact, Zhang Anshi still felt a little pity. On the one hand, it was a pity that the roadbed in the Huguang area had not been completed. After all, there were too many mountains and forests there, and the current construction period was barely completed.Moreover, there are dense water networks, and the work of repairing bridges is also a huge project.

On the other hand, it is the rivers that do hinder the railway to a certain extent.

After all, it is impossible to build railway bridges on the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, at least for now.

Therefore, the method Zhang Anshi chose was to set up ferries at both ends of the blocked railway line. The railway travels to the ferry, then unloads the cargo, loads it on board, and then sends it to the ferry on the opposite bank, and reloads on the railway line on the opposite bank.

Of course, even so, in this era, such a solution is already a huge improvement, at least increasing the current capacity by ten times, and reducing the loss by an unknown number of times.

But after all, it is inevitable to regret that it can not directly connect the north and the south like the later generations.

Zhu Di was ecstatic enough, and said with a smile on his face: "A relief has become a thousand-year achievement. Zhang Qing really has the talents of Guan Zhong and Le Yi."

(End of this chapter)