After Wang Zhongsi appeared with more than a dozen government soldiers armed to the teeth, he instantly suppressed the onlookers. The merchants and their entourage began to disperse slowly, and news of the restructuring of Jiangguan in Kuizhou began to spread in the city.

Fermentation, the capital city of Kuizhou, which was seeing chaos coming, gradually returned to calm.

There are very few merchants who travel all over the country and lack discernment. Looking at this posture, you know that things cannot be changed in the short term.

If it is said that only the unified soldiers in the city came out to rectify order, then the restructuring of Jiangguan was probably just a "whim" of Zheng Shuqing, the governor of Kuizhou.

But if the armored government soldiers also come to control the situation, the meaning behind it must be unusual. Because the military government and the local state governments are essentially independent of each other and do not belong to each other. The Kuizhou government office can mobilize unified soldiers, but cannot directly mobilize them

Fu Bing.

Therefore, wealthy merchants directly chose to apply for customs clearance documents, obtain license plates, go to the local shipyard in Kuizhou to customize a "standard ship", and park the original old ship at the ferry on the shore, waiting for the situation to change.

There are also many merchants who do not believe in evil and directly paid a "deposit" of 500 guan and left Kuizhou. These merchants had aristocratic families or clan members as their backers, and they did not believe that Zheng Shuqing could cover the sky with one hand. The 500 guan now paid,

When the time comes, the Kuizhou government office will spit out all its capital and profits!

There are also many small businessmen who communicate with each other, inquire about each other's final destination, and choose to pool their money to "join a boat". Several small merchants will buy a large "standard boat" together, and then decide on the distribution of profits after crossing the river pass.

The situation was not as earth-shaking as Zheng Shuqing had expected. The vast majority of merchants still chose to give up temporarily. As for whether they have any other options, that is another matter.

Yes, Zheng Shuqing's request seems outrageous, but compared with the profits obtained by the merchants, it is nothing more than that. The height difference in the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River is not small, and many ships capsize and sink every year. Kuizhou River

Guan’s demands here are not completely unreasonable and random.

Unifying the cantons and ships can unify the tariff standards and make it easier to keep the weight of goods constant. This simplifies the process for both merchants and tax collectors at Jiangguan in Kuizhou.

Changing a ship is a one-time deal no matter how expensive it is, and the tariffs have not increased.

If the goods are less than 200 kilograms, there is still no tax; if the goods are more than 200 kilograms, tax will be levied on a proportional basis, which is not much different from before.

Speaking of changes, it’s not that there are no changes. It’s not good or bad yet, but it’s just more refined than before.

The newly promulgated tax order requires that goods that do not exceed the standard waterline will be charged tariffs on the entire ship, regardless of whether it is full or not, even if it is empty.

If it exceeds the waterline, charges will be based on the scale. This scale is engraved on the side of the standard ship. In fact, it is used to calculate the weight of the cargo, which is the same as Cao Chong's principle of weighing elephants.

For small boats that do not collect goods tax, the weight of the cargo on board cannot exceed two hundred kilograms, and the number of passengers, including the boatman, cannot exceed five, and tax is charged on a per-person basis.

In other words, there are only three types of ships that can pass through Kuizhou Jiangguan in the future.

The first type is the official ships and canal ships under the jurisdiction and operation of the imperial court. These ships have never been taxed and can be passed directly.

The second type is a private boat with a very small load capacity, which basically has no cargo carrying function and is taxed on a per-capita basis.

The third type is the standard water ship used by merchants to transport goods. The tariff is based on the weight of the goods and no head tax is collected. However, when the tax is determined, all crew members, including passengers, must be on board.

Other ships are not allowed to pass through the Kuizhou Jiangguan. There is no room for bargaining. Those who force their way through are considered water bandits.

Suddenly, news spread rapidly from the capital of Kuizhou, and countless letters flew like snowflakes to Chang'an City, thousands of miles away. A new game is brewing.

……

"Come, come, drink tea. Try this Yixing Yangxian tea."

Just after nightfall, Zheng Shuqing personally made tea for Fang Chongyong in the study room of the Lotus Pond Villa. He did so skillfully and it was obviously not his first time doing it.

That long face that looks slightly older looks like flowers.

"I collected 50,000 guan in one day. It's like the money has grown wings. I'm afraid that someone will steal it when it's all piled up in the treasury. If we keep this speed, we can pay the bills this month. Tsk, tsk, what did you do?

Did you think of this trick?"

Zheng Shuqing asked excitedly while breaking tea cakes.

No matter how hard you resist, this rebellious son of the Fang Youde family is really terrifying!

"Zheng Shijun, you are not very good at this craft. The tea made by your maid is better."

Fang Chongyong teased with a smug look on his face.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, just replace it."

Zheng Shuqing didn't mind being slapped in the face with words. As long as he could make money at this speed, and Fang Chongyong slapped him on the left cheek, he could also stretch out the right side of his face and let the other side slap him until Fang Chongyong was satisfied.

"The people who came have all left. The tea has been brewed and brought over."

Zheng Shuqing gave an order, and several beautiful maids came over and neatly cleared the table.

"Have you written the official document sent to Chang'an?"

Fang Chongyong asked seriously, not being polite to Zheng Shuqing at all. Now the relationship between the two has completely changed, and unknowingly, he has become the dominant one. What is even more frightening is that Zheng Shuqing actually accepts it completely!

"I've written it, please read it, Mr. Lang."

Zheng Shuqing handed over the official document he wrote today to Fang Chongyong for review.

I saw Zheng Shuqing complaining to the court in an official document, saying that the Kuizhou section of the river was turbulent, and many treacherous merchants loaded large ships with goods, causing the ships to run aground in the river and blocking the waterway. The Kuizhou Jiangguan often needed to send people to rescue people who fell into the water.

Salvaging sunken ships blocking the waterway costs countless dollars every year, and the government cannot get reimbursement for the expenses, which affects the livelihood of local people in Kuizhou.

If the ships can be unified, firstly, it can minimize the capsizing of ships due to overweight or over-specification; secondly, it can reduce the labor of officials at Kuizhou Jiangguan and speed up the customs clearance time; thirdly, it can make it easier to pick up prohibited items and search for them according to the map.
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I hope the court can issue a formal approval document.

The official document only said so much. As for the compulsory purchase of Kuizhou-made standard watercraft, the forced payment of a deposit that can be refunded after one year, etc., it did not mention a word.

The other two points are easy to explain. The third point is mainly because when applying for customs clearance vouchers, you need to fill in the ship owner's information, so that once contraband is detected, you can quickly find clues to facilitate investigation.

Seeing that everything that should be written was written, Fang Chongyong handed the official document to Zheng Shuqing and said: "This policy is also a last resort and may not last long. If the imperial court does not issue an edict, then the envoy can use this to escape from the sea of ​​suffering. If so,

If the imperial court issues an edict, you will definitely be demoted, and you will have to return to Beijing to report on your duties, or you may be imprisoned."

Fang Chongyong said with a serious tone.

"What is the plan now?"

Zheng Shuqing asked about the mantra of Han Emperor Liu Bang.

"First send the 50,000 guan sent by the Kuizhou shipping merchants to Wushan County overnight, and then ask Wang Zhongsi to escort the money to Chang'an. Just add this sentence to the official document."

Fang Chongyong throws out his trump card.

After pondering for a moment, Zheng Shuqing sighed: "It is appropriate to send money, but Wang Zhongsi cannot send it. So, I will ask Yang Ruoxu to take his cronies to escort the money and silk to Yangzhou, and then take the route of the Capital Water Prison to Chang'an. Now everyone is

The water prison is under the control of Prime Minister Li, so there is no problem.

As for the fact that there is no one on duty in Kuizhou during this period, it would be fine for Wang Zhongsi to send troops to the capital."

Zheng Shuqing rejected Wang Zhongsi's suggestion to escort the tax, but he also believed that sending the 50,000 tax dollars back to Chang'an to Li Longji quickly was an important matter that could not be delayed.

Zheng Shuqing can invite Wang Zhongsi to come to Kuizhou Fucheng to see the show, because this in itself is one of Wang Zhongsi's obligations.

In addition to training government soldiers, the military government of the Tang Dynasty also had the task of protecting the security of the prefectures and counties (not daily security) and dealing with sudden military and civilian situations. Although this situation was not common, it was clearly written in the charter.

This is the same as the "general management office" system in the Sui Dynasty, which managed the government troops and was also responsible for the security of the states and counties.

However, if Wang Zhongsi is ordered to escort 50,000 yuan of money and silk, it means that Zheng Shuqing's political stance has changed. This is a very serious political mistake! Of course Wang Zhongsi will miss returning to Chang'an day and night and will not refuse. It is reasonable for the government soldiers to escort the taxes.

But it’s hard to say what Li Linfu would think.

Fang Chongyong is still a bit young in politics and does not understand these twists and turns. Zheng Shuqing is a veteran in officialdom, so it is impossible that he does not know these.

"That's okay, you still have a lot of things to do."

Fang Chongyong took a sip of the tea served by the maid. He had to say that it tasted better than the local tea in Kuizhou. He was now a guest, and his salary was rising steadily.

"Is there anything else? What else is there?"

Zheng Shuqing was stunned. He had already planned to lie down and collect the money. How could something happen?

"Your Majesty, those merchants are all descended from great families and clans. Your Majesty himself comes from everyone, don't you feel it?"

Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing was thoughtful, and his expression gradually turned grim.

Fang Chongyong is right to say that most of these merchants are the "gloves" of major aristocratic families, dignitaries, and clans who stand at the front desk.

They are usually needed to make money.

At the critical moment, they need to take the blame.

The noble master of aristocratic family, whose poems and calligraphy are all passed down from generation to generation, how can he be tainted with the smell of copper?

Although it is impossible for these gentlemen from aristocratic families to engage in low-level jobs related to making money, if someone makes it difficult for them to make money and cuts off their financial path, then these people will stand up and cause trouble.

As the saying goes, there is no storm without fire. Political problems may not necessarily require political means to solve. Zheng Shuqing has seen a lot of storms in this regard.

"What good idea do you have? Do you want me to use my connections at home?"

Zheng Shuqing asked in a deep voice.

He can indeed use his family connections to settle this matter, but the benefits he has to pay will be unimaginable, or it may be difficult for him to turn around in his life!

"Four words, united as one!"

Fang Chongyong stood up and said decisively in his unique childlike voice.

"Then how can we unite as one?"

Zheng Shuqing looked at Fang Chongyong with a puzzled look on his face and asked. It is hard to imagine that he, the dignified governor of a state, was led by the nose by a child with a yellow mouth.

"New rules have been set at the Kuizhou Jiangguan Pass. Large-scale replacement of canal ships passing through the customs is inevitable. Do the shipyards on the shore need to recruit people? Do the ferries that unload cargo need to recruit people? Do the merchants and their servants who stay in Kuizhou need food and accommodation?
To be continued...