Northern Song Dynasty Revitalization Strategy

Chapter 823 They are legal merchants who pay taxes!

In the second year of Chunhua, the upper reaches of the Songjiang River continued to silt up, causing the port to move eastward, and it was inconvenient for large ships to enter and exit the Songjiang River. Maritime trade ships could only stay at Shanghai Pu, a tributary of the Songjiang River, and this tributary is the Huangpu River.

The Huangpu River divides the entire Tangkou into two, Pudong and Puxi. The geographical location here is very suitable for a wharf. As early as the Daguan period, the magistrate of Huating County had already written to the court, requesting to build a city in Shanghai Pu and Tangkou. ship division to facilitate trade.

After waiting for many years, there was a sea ban order, and this paper ban sea order completely defeated the plan of Puli County in Shanghai.

The population of Shanghai Pu has dropped sharply, but there are still many people who are desperate to go out to sea, and Shanghai Pu is quite lively.

On the day when the officials of the Song Dynasty restored the shipping department of Jinkou City, Shanghai Puli wanted to set up the county's Zhazi, but an official from the Ministry of Officials found it out, and then brought Shanghai Puli County back into the charter.

As Huainan's wealthy Chen family landed in Shanghai Pu!The construction of giant docks, ships, and wharfs, the establishment of the Municipal Bureau of Shipping, and the development of Shanghai Pu can be described as changing with each passing day.

The county magistrate of Shanghai County is a student named Yan Shangao who graduated from the Guozijian of Yingtian Academy and passed the official examination after the official ascended the throne.

At the same time, he also served as the Secretary of the Shipbuilding Department. He is very concerned about the construction of the Pudong Wharf. This is a political achievement!
In the three-year examination, he can remove the word "Quanzhi County Affairs", and he can become a full-time official smoothly.

This involves his official career.

"Master Tian, ​​the official edict has arrived! What should I do!" Yan Shangao looked anxiously at the imperial edict from Bianjing with a look of fear.

It is possible that they will not receive a single order from the government in their entire life, and he has received a total of two orders from the government. The last time he received an order was in Jingkang four years ago. In November, Yan Shangao remembered that day deeply, as if it was just a few days ago.

Tian Cailiang is Yan Shangao's master. Strictly speaking, he should be regarded as Yan Shangao's aide.

The master has existed since ancient times, and the highest can be traced back to the Shi (meaning secret) official in "Shiben Huangdi".

All masters in the Song Dynasty are also included in the assessment, but there is no salary. The test is held every three years, and the outstanding ones can become the magistrates. When the magistrate leaves or is promoted, he can become the magistrate.This is the rule set by Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin in order to prevent the real power of the county government from being sidelined.

Tian Cailiang is Yan Shangao's classmate. During the national exam, he was a little short in chess and didn't pass the exam, but his grades were relatively good, so he came to Tangkou and became Yan Shangao's colleague. If he passes the official exam next time, he can also be counted as him resume.

"Yan Zhi County, when the [-] ship in the dock was handed over a few days ago, didn't the government issue a commendation order to you? A commendation order is enough to get a high rating in the three-year evaluation." Tian Cailiang comforted with.

The previous edict, within a few days, the second edict arrived again. In Tian Cailiang's view, this is the holy family!Yan Shangao is showing off!
Yan Shangao sighed and said: "The officials know about the conflict between the maritime merchants and the Japanese state, and they want us to collect the opinions of the maritime merchants. Should we tell the truth, or modify it a little?"

Tian Cailiang thought that Yan Shangao was showing off his family, but when he heard about it, he also frowned.

As for the maritime merchants, they only knew why the sea was banned back then after they went to Tangkou to serve as the county magistrates and officials.

Right now they are facing an extremely important issue, that is, whether to deceive the emperor or not.

The crime of deceiving the emperor will be included in the category of non-punishment. Life and death are all in the hands of officials. The cost of crime is extremely high. It is not as simple as embezzling a few money and being investigated.

Don't bully the emperor, according to the customary ruling philosophy of the Song Dynasty, the logic of the law of the ancestors, and the logic of forcing the last branches, they may also become sinners.

"Correct it." Tian Cailiang looked at Chi Ming with a sigh, with mixed feelings in his heart.They are all students who have just left the Imperial Academy for not many years.

When they were Tai students before, they had already worked with the county magistrate for several years. They knew Chaotang too well. If the truth about maritime merchants were known to Chaotang, the newly emerging maritime trade would definitely come to an abrupt end.

Yan Shangao was standing in the newly built Shanghai Pu County Yamen, pacing back and forth. The reason why he was a county magistrate was to act as the county magistrate. Shanghai Pu County has not yet officially established a county. It is still in the preparatory stage and will soon be over. Preparation, entering the review and approval stage.

If the situation is reported truthfully, Shanghai Puli County will become extremely difficult.

Yan Shangao patted the table vigorously and said: "I have decided, report the truth, everything will be judged by the Holy Spirit!"

Tian Cailiang's eyes became sharper, and he asked sternly: "Have you forgotten that when we were in Yingtian Academy, we swore to work for the common people?! For your own official career, An Neng will bring the fledgling Shanghai Pu was destroyed once? Are you worthy of the common people, the merchants, and the sailors who were born and died?"

"Of course you can just leave. You are the magistrate of the Song Dynasty official examination, and you can be the magistrate in another place, but who will make up for the damage caused to Shanghai Pu!"

Yan Shangao shook his head firmly and said: "I believe in officials. Officials are also worthy of trust."

Tian Cailiang's eyes were a little shaken, and finally sat down on the chair with a sigh, and said helplessly: "Then let's gamble once."

Yan Shangao compiled all kinds of information collected long ago into a book, copied them overnight, and wrote all kinds of behaviors of the sea merchants into the book. This book is very long, and Yan Shangao spent a whole night writing it. I personally delivered it to the post station, and sent it to Beijing with an urgent signboard.

Zhao Huan received an extremely heavy letter from the county magistrate, and it took him a long time to study before he understood Yan Shangao's various struggles and the current status of maritime merchants.

Since the re-opening of the sea trade, the sea trade in the Song Dynasty has come directly from the underground to the ground, and it has become more and more prosperous. The income of Tangkou Shipping Department has also increased, and even has a tendency to exceed Jinkou. This is within Zhao Huan's expectation. .

The tax revenue growth of the two municipal ship divisions is the main driving force for the tax revenue growth of the Song Dynasty.

But sea merchants at sea, in addition to facing the storms of the sea and the harassment of sea beasts, also have an important enemy, that is, pirates.

There are bandits on the road, and there are naturally pirates in the sea.

These pirates are engaged in a lucrative business, intercepting a large ship worth [-] yuan, which can support a pirate for several years without starting a business.

In order to deal with the harassment of pirates, maritime merchants funded and recruited their own "sea trade guards" to protect merchant ships.

With guards, weapons and ordnance are naturally needed.

The Song Dynasty prohibited the manufacture of ordnance, especially bows and crossbows. In fact, these weapons are not very demanding on the technical side, so the Song Dynasty merchants chose to buy them in Champa, Japan, and Koryo, or build workshops. Manufacturing ordnance.

Moreover, according to Yan Shangao's investigation, the pirates who do not have the support of merchants have long been beaten to pieces by the guards who are armed to the teeth.

The weapons in the hands of these guards are so sophisticated that even Fan Ruwei's Fujian Navy is envious.

And these "guards" have transformed into pirates themselves after experiencing the initial activities of clearing pirates, and have become a sharp weapon against business opponents!

Now there is a big fight on the sea!This kind of struggle has also caused the weapons in the hands of these merchants to become sharper and sharper, and even the tribulus cannon has been installed.

The officials are worried that the Wa Kingdom will bully the maritime merchants, but for the Wa Kingdom, the pirates owned by the maritime merchants are completely unable to deal with the Wa Kingdom.

Therefore, by definition, the behavior of maritime merchants at sea is equivalent to rebellion!
Zhao Huan patted the paper in his hand, and said with emotion: "Sure enough, once entering the sea, the law of the jungle is the law of the jungle, which can't even be tolerated by the Japanese country. No wonder Ping Shengqing said that there are no ships in ten from the Japanese country to the Song Dynasty. Feelings are not the sea. pot."

"I am still worried that the Japanese will detain my sea merchants. It seems that I am worried for nothing."

Hearing what the official said, Zhao Ying knew that the official had fully understood the nature of the merchants who went ashore as merchants and bandits when they entered the sea, and asked, "Forbidden sea?"

Zhao Huan shook his head and said, "Why should it be banned?! They are legal merchants who pay taxes in the Shibo Department!"

(End of this chapter)