Dominate the Country

The Yangzhou Salt Merchants Conference was finally held. The salt merchants who had felt that they were being "cut off" were all smiling when they came out.

"There are not so many taxes. Once you get the salt ticket and pay the tax at the tax bureau, you will have the tax bill in your hand. If you encounter an inspector along the way, you only need to show the tax bill, and that's it." Officials who dare to break the law and extort money will be severely punished once they are found out. Fire ships anchored at the inland river ports, at most they have to pay a miscellaneous fee, and the anchorage fee is also included.

"Next, in local transactions, you will not pay commodity tax, but commercial tax."

...

The promise of the Salt Industry Corporation is ringing in his ears.

He Zongxiang also realized for the first time that the rules of the world have really changed. Commodity tax is only paid once, even if the salt goods are transported from Yangzhou to Jingzhou, they will not need to be collected by the tax supervisors of Nanjing, Anqing, Jiujiang and Wuhan again and again.

In the past, whether it was salt or other commercial goods, it was necessary to pay taxes at each customs. Take Wuyi tea from Fujian as an example. When transported from Wuyi Mountain to Wenzhou, the fresh tea leaves had to change ships seven times and pay taxes four times. The cost of one load (100 jin) of Wuyi tea to Wenzhou was about 3.8 taels of silver, which accounted for more than one-third of the final transaction price.

This was because there was no lijin at that time. In the late Qing Dynasty of the original time and space, Chinese merchants had to pay taxes at each customs and levy lijin when they transported commercial goods, while foreign goods only had to pay a sub-port tax once. Sub-port tax refers to the import and export tax paid at the customs of the port for imported foreign goods to be sold in mainland China or for exported local goods to be sold abroad. In addition to paying import and export taxes at the port customs, an additional 2.5% inland transit tax was paid to replace the taxes levied at the inland checkpoints along the way.

At that time, the customs port was the "mother port" and the location of the inland customs and lijin was the "sub-port", so this transit tax paid once was called the sub-port tax. Because the tax rate is half of the import and export tax rate, it is also called "Zikou half tax".

Besides, in the past, there were many procedures for paying taxes at customs, and the officials at the customs were extorting money. The actual losses of merchants were greater than the apparent losses, and they wasted precious time. Now it is smooth all the way. Without those corrupt officials, it is a great blessing for merchants.

"Dad, isn't this big man pushing the money he got out?" He Jizhong was puzzled. According to the tax system of the Qing Dynasty, each customs had a minimum of 2 or 3 cents [one cent is one percent], and a maximum of 4 or 5 cents. What's more, in addition to the regular customs established by the court, there are also small customs established by local governments? For example, the Chishui City mentioned above, or the Luyang Pass in Lushan County, what Chen Ming's uncle did. All the silver received from the inspection office fell into the hands of the local government. Even if the officials embezzled a lot, they would always take out some of it and put it into the treasury.

Fu Han Army has such a set rule that they have to pay taxes at every customs checkpoint. Isn't that a huge amount of money?

"Maybe it's just like the small profits but quick turnover in our business."

"They opened ports in Shanghai and Ningbo. In the future, the two sides of the Yangtze River will be more prosperous than the two sides of the canal." With more ships coming and going, there will be a lot of money even if the tax rate is low, He Zongxiang said so, but he didn't even believe it in his heart. How could he have thought that such a policy was made by Chen Ming to stimulate business. This policy did not cause any opposition in Lushan, because many of the current big businesses of Fu Han Army have the figures of Lushan bosses behind them.

At this not-so-long business conference, the Salt Industry Corporation clearly explained its functions to all attendees, and also talked about a series of policy innovations and changes in the future salt industry.

Simply put, Fu Han Army turned all local salt merchants into relatively primary salt sellers - from provincial regional distributors to county-level distributors, and they were the only salt merchant in the world.

All newly established newspapers sent reporters to Yangzhou, and a lot of manuscripts were published on the front pages of various newspapers.

The Fu Han Army made a bold statement to reduce the price of salt to below '10 coins per catty', and it would continue to decline. I wonder how much discussion and expectation it has aroused.

Even Robert, Perrier and others in Shanghai have noticed this.

China's salt policy is very clear - state monopoly. As long as it is properly controlled, even the lowest profit will gain an astronomical amount of wealth in China, a huge country.

But Europeans don't pay much attention to this. They don't come to China to buy and sell salt. They are now arguing with Han Teng about the customs tariff rate.

The customs tariffs on various goods from Chen Han are not generalized. The Qing Dynasty knew to reduce or exempt taxes on grain ships from Southeast Asia. How could the Fu Han Army abandon the fine traditions of the past?

Chen Han first gave the Westerners a little sweetness, announcing that their customs would abandon the rule of ship notes in the future, as well as unreasonable taxes such as regular tribute and travel expenses. This attracted the praise of Perrier and Robert and others, and the praises, almost flattering, were about to bury Han Teng and his party. These words that can be spoken easily really don't cost money.

But then you get to the whole thing, and Europeans are immediately unhappy. In terms of import trade, Chen Han gave relatively low tax rates to grain, copper and lead, cotton yarn, and cotton. This made Robert fly to the sky with joy. Cotton and cotton yarn were the British East India Company's highest tax rate for China after the silver dollar. Bulk export goods. Chen Han levied high taxes on finished cloth, clocks, leather goods, down, pepper, spices, etc. This is like giving Robert a blow in the face!

Cloth, cloth. This has always been a commodity that the British were eager to open up in China. With the help of cloth, they plundered massive wealth in India. China, a giant country, was of course the market they dreamed of. It's a pity that this market has been like a backwater for so many years, without a trace of ripples being stirred up.

In terms of exports, heavy taxes are levied on raw silk and tea, while light taxes are imposed on finished silk, cloth, and porcelain.

In this conversion, based on the value of goods loaded on a sea-going ship of 150,000 taels of silver, Europeans' taxes were not reduced, but instead increased.

This is no joke. Taking the 30th year of Qianlong's reign as an example, the average tax on each horse of wool serge shipped by the British was two cents and six cents, while the average tax on raw silk exported from China was two cents per catty; the average tax on fine tea was two cents per catty. Six cents per catty; sugar tax and silver are almost one cent per catty. [The information I found is not sure whether it is true or false. It feels too low]

Chen Ming felt that the tax rate was really very small. Including ship notes, goods taxes, miscellaneous taxes, regular tribute, travel expenses, etc., the money spent by Europeans is not expected to exceed 10% of the total value of their goods. According to the Guangdong Customs customs records obtained by the secret camp, before the Fuhan Army launched its troops, the Guangdong Customs collected only more than 500,000 taels of tax in the whole year [not just the Guangzhou Customs, but the entire Guangdong Customs]. It can be seen that the Guangdong Customs has gone up and down. How serious the corruption was, it also shows how indulgent and loose the Manchu Qing government was in managing Guangdong customs.

Five hundred thousand taels of silver a year, which makes people laugh when you mention it, is really not even half of what it is. In the middle of Qianlong's reign, there were no less than sixty or seventy European merchant ships coming to China every year, and a conservative estimate was that the foreign trade volume amounted to tens of millions of taels of silver. However, the tax and silver collected by Guangdong Customs was a result of what was being paid for by the outside. So from this point of view, the actual tariff is really very low.

How could Chen Ming agree to this? He will not lower tariffs. Lowering tariffs is not conducive to the development of the country's industrial and agricultural production.

"What kind of tariff policy a country adopts, whether it implements free trade or adopts a tariff protection policy, is determined by the country's economic development level, industrial structure, international trade balance and payments and other factors." Chen Ming has been He firmly believes in this, just as he determined in his previous life that free trade policies are not suitable for the situation of developing countries. And on the contrary, these countries must implement protective tariff policies in order to successfully develop their national economies and achieve industrialization. Developing countries must use tariffs to protect their "infant industries."

Of course, when he told Chen Min and Han Teng these words, he used words that were easier for them to accept and understand.

So when Han Teng heard the word 'free trade' pop out of Robert's mouth, his face was very mocking, "This word seems not to be uttered from your mouth. As far as I know, you British people have been For many years, your textile industry has been protected by almost 100% tariffs to avoid the impact of imports of cheap Indian textiles. "This is of course also the information revealed by Chen Ming. He only said that it was investigated by the secret team. , who dares to ask him to verify it. Chen Ming has not yet told Han Teng that the British did not tear down these barriers until they became the most productive country in the world. Even during the heyday of free trade at the end of the 19th century, India, as a British colony, was still a restricted area for free trade. The market for various industrial products basically only allowed the British to intervene to promote the development of import substitution industries.

China is now far behind the West in many aspects, but the technological gap between the two sides has definitely not developed to the level it was during the Opium War in the original time and space. As long as Chen Han can settle down, it is completely possible to catch up with the British in industry.

So the two sides argued over and over again about the numbers after the decimal point on some goods. For Europeans, as long as the tax rate paid by Chen Han can be reduced by one number after the decimal point, it will be a huge victory.

Especially imported cotton yarn and cotton, exported raw silk, tea, porcelain and Nanjing homespun cloth.

"No, no, no, the 20% tax rate on tea is already very light. Your own country has a super high tax rate of 120%. I think instead of trying to lower the tax rate in China, you might as well pray to your King George III, The real reduction is if you British reduce the tax on tea yourself.”

With the arrogance of "I am the master of my territory", Han Teng walked out of the conference hall, his face no longer relaxed and wanton. He walked quickly outside the manor, got on the carriage and quickly returned to his house.

Meeting these foreigners was as difficult as fighting. He had to make a lot of preparations before each meeting, but during the meeting he discovered many shortcomings. In Han Teng's study, the bookshelves are filled with more or less true and false information, which were collected by the secret camp through various channels. He brought back all the minutes of today's meeting as he was accustomed to do. He simply took a shower, relaxed his mind, and then dived into the sea of ​​"information."

At dinner, Han Teng came out of the study and his mind was still full of conflicts between Britain and France, and conflicts between France and Prussia. His entourage handed him a palm-sized brocade box.

"Master, this is from Master Zheng."

The brocade box was not sealed. When Han Teng opened it, he found a land deed, a land deed for Pudong, Shanghai. Not big, just ten acres of land.

…

Wenzhou.

"Bang bang...bang bang..."

It was just getting light. Groups of Fuhan Army soldiers entered Wenzhou Fucheng through the "open" city gate. All the officials fled. The militia organized by the government dispersed a few days ago, leaving only the city officials and the policemen. Maintain order in the city.

The team of government officials guarding the city gate saw the Fuhan Army holding red flags approaching from a distance, so they went down to the city and opened the city gate. They threw all their swords and guns aside, but the vanguard of the Fuhan Army did not take them. . Instead, they asked these government officials to change their Manchu uniforms and put on the red military uniforms of the Fuhan Army. They beat the gongs and shouted along the streets: "Listen, every household. We are the Fuhan Army, aiming to help the Han people." Home rivers and mountains... "Do not disturb the people, do not rob, let alone treacherously."

This group of people had just passed by. Another group of people came over. Banging the gong, he continued to shout: "The warehouse will be opened at noon at Sichengguan to release grain. Cut your pigtails so that you can receive the grain. Everyone has prepared utensils to receive the grain." At most, the fleet can reach Wenzhou by sea tonight. , the Fuhan army had plenty of food.

"Recently, the city of Wenzhou is uneasy and crime is on the rise. If any household suffers a disaster, or innocent people are killed or injured, or property is damaged, you can rush to the county government office with witnesses and physical evidence..." To report a crime, at least add a case record.

In the cracks of windows, doors, etc., pairs of panicked and surprised eyes stared closely at the groups of troops in "strange" clothes. They talked from time to time between their heads and ears. Or belittle. Or lack of it. But no matter what, they must accept the fact that the great city of Wenzhou has completely fallen into the hands of this strange and familiar army.

The sky is brightening. The hot summer sun hangs high in the sky. The gentle sunshine shines on every inch of soil.

One, two, three, four...

One household, two households, three households, four households...

Women and children, and men with braided hair, came out of the streets and alleys. They held bags and wooden basins in their hands, no matter how they viewed the Fuhan Army in their hearts. The goodwill expressed by the Fuhan Army was seen by them - releasing food was the best way.

Children play five together and adults fight together, regardless of gender. The only requirement is that men cut their braids. If they don't, they won't be given food.

Wenzhou City Xiguan.

This is where the Fuhan Army first entered the city, but there was no damage at all. Carts of grain were transported from the treasury to the open space outside the west gate, and soon they piled up into a hill. A group of Fuhan soldiers stood around, and the government officials who had surrendered to Wenzhou City came to help.

Countless people gathered around before noon, not just at Xiguan, but also at the four passes in the east, west, south and north.

Wenzhou was disqualified from foreign trade in the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign, but it was also a rare and prosperous place. Domestic offshore sailing ships also came and went incessantly during the peace years. There are commercial shops all over the four passes, but now many of them have closed down.

It's daylight. The entire city of Wenzhou came to life, with shops and businesses everywhere opening their doors generously. These don't run.

A cup of tea to soothe your throat. The fragrance of tea lingers. Liu Derong stood at the door of the business with a happy expression, looking relaxed and at ease. It could be seen that he had also experienced a night of suffering.

"Good nephew. It seems that Quanta's boss Lu has taken the lead again!" Dong Fangli, who is not far from Liu Derong's firm, said with a smile. He is one of the most prominent tea merchants in Wenzhou. During the Taiping years, an unknown amount of tea was "smuggled" to Guangzhou by the Dong family's fleet every year.

The Manchus and Qing Dynasties did not allow tea to travel by sea, which reduced their tariffs. Taking the land route, constantly changing ships to pay taxes, one or two silver dollars of goods were sent to Guangzhou, and three or four silver coins were collected just for the tax.

"Human. It's hard to resist." He stroked his gray beard. Dong Fangli laughed at himself: "I'm old, I'm not enterprising..." During the great changes in Wenzhou, Dong Fangli just kept doing his job honestly, while on the other side, Lu Youquan of Guangda Trading Company, who was decorated with lights and decorations and everyone was in high spirits, was It's obvious that he got on the line early.

Liu Derong smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said: "Uncle Shi looks so hale and hearty, how can he be said to be old?" Then he pointed to Guangda Trading Co., Ltd. not far away and said: "My ancestors have been in Wenzhou for generations. If we commit any crime, a whole family of people will die. If he dies, he will also bring trouble to the clan. How can he be so unscrupulous as a newborn calf?"

Liu Derong's words seemed to touch Dong Fangli's heart. Dong Fangli laughed loudly, glanced at Liu Derong who was smiling, and said: "Fortunately, the storm calmed down soon after it started. It doesn't matter if you and I go to the sea at this moment." The storm. Going into the water as soon as I got up was a bit too reckless. No one has an indestructible Vajra body made of steel and iron. Their bones are loose and their courage is weak, so they cannot withstand strong winds and waves.

Liu Derong also had a complicated look in his eyes. Dong Fangli is one of the best tea merchants in Wenzhou, and the Liu family is one of the best silk merchants in Wenzhou. A big family and a big business cannot afford the risks.

So if the opportunity is missed, no one else is to blame. Just like Dong Fangli said.

"What Uncle Shi said is true. The wind and waves have subsided, and it is indeed a good time to go to the sea." Ningbo has opened a port, so why can't Wenzhou open a port? As for whether strong winds and waves would come again, with each wave getting higher than the last, Liu Derong looked up to the north and shook his head for a while. He was really not used to the absence of the braid at the back.

The boat is too big. The hull is also very strong. The helmsman is a very skilled person. How can the wind and waves from the north overturn it?

"Uncle, I am going to visit the Taotai Yamen. Are you willing to go with me?"

"Let me go, let me go." I am already one step behind others. If I don't take the initiative, I will be left behind even further.