I started with the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu

Chapter 88 Winning over, newspaper

Shibusawa Eiichi, who had been listening, followed Yagyu away. After walking far away, Shibusawa Eiichi said with some worry: "Sir Yagyu, your attitude towards businessmen is too bad. I am worried that businessmen will find other ways to oppose commercial tax. "

Yagyu explained: "These businessmen are all guests of famous people. If my attitude is even the slightest bit weak, they will not give in. On the contrary, if I am tough, they will be afraid and compromise.

Moreover, paying business taxes is not a bad thing for them. At least the government can ensure that their property will not be arbitrarily deprived of their property in the future, which is much better than the shogunate's treatment of them.

As for them still trying to struggle, it’s useless. The shogunate has cooperated with France to restrict the Satsuma Domain and other foreign vassals from trading with Westerners. However, with the permission of the court, the Satsuma Domain can still trade with foreign merchants, so the Satsuma Domain, Tosa Domain No one will come forward to stop the imperial court's actions.

As for the shogunate, I have to find time to go to Edo and have a good chat with the shogun. If we want to completely reform and prosper Japan, we need the support of the shogunate.

I plan to follow the systems of the United Kingdom and the United States, with a constitutional monarchy as the main body, and the vassals forming a federation. When the time comes, a cabinet and a parliament will be formed, with the general serving as the first cabinet prime minister. "

Shibusawa Eiichi was surprised: "Then we can become as advanced a country as Britain and the United States!"

Although Yagyu has visions for future reforms, there are still many obstacles ahead.

Yagyu submitted his tax system to the emperor, and the emperor approved Yagyu's tax system suggestions, but Yagyu was not in a hurry to issue it. He was still waiting for something.

Since the conclusion of the negotiations in July, Western countries have begun to ship machines to Japan, and machines such as steel plants, shipyards, textile factories, and food processing plants founded by Yagyu in the name of the imperial court have been put in place.

A factory can't be opened just by having machines. It also needs workers who can operate the machines. This requires the teaching of Western craftsmen. It only takes one month of promotion training to have a batch of quantitative workers.

However, workers' remuneration is relatively average. They have to work at least thirteen or four hours a day. The salary is divided into two categories. One is the basic salary, which is usually copper coins per month, but it is calculated as one penny per piece according to the goods produced by the workers. The overall salary is It's about two copper coins.

The salary level of workers was lower than that in Britain and the United States at the same time, and at the same time it was similar to the salary level of workers in the Qing Dynasty.

Yagyu had no choice about this. If he wanted to sell Japanese goods, he had to take advantage of low prices. To sell goods at low prices, he had to reduce costs, because the machinery could no longer be reduced, so he could only reduce workers' wages. , increase working hours, and use low-price labor as the core of competition.

In fact, during the Meiji Restoration, the rapid development of Japan's domestic industry relied on cheap labor.

Not only Japan, but other countries are also striving for advantages through cheap labor. This is an inevitable path forward.

On the streets near Nishi Honganji Street in Kyoto, a Western-style factory was built here. This is a printing factory. Yagyu plans to print various books on Western civilization and sell them to open up people's wisdom. At the same time, a news newspaper will be established here.

Of course Yagyu knew the importance of cultural undertakings and public opinion, but if you want to open up people's wisdom, you can't just rely on one newspaper, but just print more books. To open up people's wisdom, you need a whole education system, and it will take a generation to achieve initial results.

And Yagyu was laying the foundation for a comprehensive reform.

This is equivalent to Kyoto and Osaka becoming the pilot projects for Yagyu's reform.

Yagyu looked at the steam engine spraying white mist in front of him. As long as the machine sounded, it could print out a page of content in one second.

He looked at the page of Analects that had just been printed. The fonts on it were clear and regular, without any flaws.

Yagyu was very satisfied and said: "Very good. The negatives of the emperor's imperial edict agreeing to the imposition of commercial tax have been processed and will be sent to the printing factory in a moment. The imposition of commercial tax will be the headline of the Kyoto newspaper." Consultant in charge of the technology of the printing factory Coming from the United States, Sanchez advised: "Sir, when you print a photo on paper, there will be some imperfections."

Yagyu explained in English: "It doesn't matter, as long as it can be read clearly. I distributed this newspaper to let the citizens know that this is the emperor's order."

Yagyu also had his own considerations about the content of this first newspaper. The headline was Emperor Xiaomei’s decree agreeing to commercial taxes, and then the content of the crusade against Changshu. In addition, there was the recruitment of workers for the new factory, the recruitment of partners, and the support of several wealthy businessmen. Advertise and so on.

Although Yagyu's attitude towards merchants was very bad, this was mainly because the merchants developed greedy and selfish characters under the loose business scope of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The commercial economy is the top priority for revitalizing Japan. If he does not suppress these greedy and selfish wealthy businessmen, then they will try their best to steal the fruits of his reform.

So Yagyu suppressed and threatened these wealthy businessmen to make them bow their heads, and then gave them some benefits.

In the first newspaper, save some space to appease the merchants and give them sweet dates after Yagyu slapped them.

Yagyu summoned businessmen from both places and told them the good news. Yagyu held up his wine glass and said pleasantly: "Everyone, I will definitely do what I said. This time, if everyone can voluntarily pay the business tax, the top three will win." You can take a photo with me and appear in this newspaper together.

When the time comes, Kyoto, Osaka, and even the whole country will know that you care about the country, and everyone will look up to you. "

Someone immediately asked: "What if someone resists the tax?"

The smile in Yagyu's eyes dissipated, and he smiled softly and said: "Don't say anything that is not conducive to unity on such a day of celebration."

Konoike Zenemon hurriedly smiled and said: "Don't worry, Yagyu-sama, our Konoikeya will definitely pay the commercial taxes according to your requirements and will never evade taxes."

With a slightly kind smile, Yagyu patted Konoike Zenemon and said, "There is an old saying that a man who knows the current affairs is a hero. Zenemon, no wonder your business can become bigger and stronger. You are really smart." , you can rest assured that the imperial court is in line with the advanced Western countries and supports commerce and trade."

With Yagyu's hard and soft approach, the merchants naturally paid back this year's business tax in accordance with the regulations. The merchants in the two places paid a total of more than 30 taels, equivalent to about [-] pounds.

This money is enough for Yagyu to repay half of the debts owed to Western countries, but Yagyu is not in a hurry to repay the money. He plans to spend the money to purchase advanced machinery and arrange for people to study abroad in Western countries.

Three days later, the first Kyoto newspaper was published. The headline was the new tax collection system, and then the second page was a photo of Yagyu and three wealthy businessmen including Konoike Zenemon, with words of admiration on it.

Newspapers are still a new thing to the Japanese today. Because the price is only three cents per copy, many people still pay for one and then go to the pub to brag about their knowledge.

However, when citizens learned that personal income tax would be levied starting in October, they couldn't help but complain.

After all, they, the citizens, had to be exploited by the officials. They just had to make ends meet, and now they had to pay taxes to the court. They felt like they would not be able to survive.

In the corner of the wine house, a rogue was drinking silently. He listened to the discussions of the people around him and murmured: "Yagyu Battousai, I really want to see who is the best at drawing swords."

(End of this chapter)