"Brother, if we want to develop Taiwan and Penghu, our family's strength is not enough!"

Su Chi glanced at his brother. He was originally quite honest, but since he made a bad friend Wu Haogu, he became more and more calculating.

"So I want to recruit a group of merchants by selling officials?" Su Chi said, "Those are maritime merchants, and maritime merchants are both businessmen and thieves. If you let them occupy land and open a port on Taiwan Island, will Taiwan Island become a pirate nest in the future?"

"How can you gain a foothold on Taiwan Island if you are not such a villain?" Su Shi smiled, "There are life stories on the island! The barbarians fear power but do not have virtue. If the honest farmer goes to the island, wouldn't he be slaughtered? Brother, tell you the truth.

In fact, except for Lugang, there have always been pirate strongholds elsewhere on Taiwan Island, which are both business and thieves. Many of the pirates that are rampant along the coast of Fujian have a foothold on the coast of Taiwan Island. The warships of the Penghu Inspection Department have many battles with them. Those big pirates alone can eat those ten counties."

Until the era of steam battleships came, sea merchants and pirates were all traveling with each other. Merchant ships running far-distance oceans were armed and had the opportunity to grab one, but they would do business honestly if they didn't have the opportunity. Pirates whose main business was robbery sometimes would also buy goods and do business. Those kind of honest businessmen who made money with conscience could not do the job of going to sea.

Of course, that kind of honest businessman could not gain a foothold on Taiwan Island. The historical saint Yan Siqi was a big pirate. Zheng Chenggong, the man surnamed who recovered Taiwan from the Dutch, was also from a pirate family.

Lin Afeng, who developed Taiwan earlier than Yan Siqi (later took the troops from Taiwan to the Philippines to go on an expedition to the Philippines), was also a big pirate.

"What? You, you want to sell official positions to the pirates!?" Su Chi couldn't believe his ears, "Are you not afraid of impeachment by the censor?"

"How could it be?" Su Shi smiled and said, "You can take the way of recruiting me! If you want an official, kill people and set fire to be recruited! This is a convention. More than a dozen hereditary county magistrates or inspectors can exchange for a Taiwan island that blocks the southeast. You can also use Wu Haogu's men from Taiwan and ask Penghu to leave. Why not? The censors can impeach them, and we can also make the accounts clear with the officials."

This account can really be calculated! Pirates are thieves, but not traitors! They can only steal merchants, but they will not steal the Song Dynasty!

"Those big pirates are willing to pay for money?" Su Chi asked.

"Why don't you?" Su Shi smiled, "Brother, do you think they welcome the warships of the Penghu Inspection Department? In the past few years, every winter, the fleet of the Hailu Maritime Control Department would go south to Penghu to escape the winter. Dozens of sailing warships looked scary! What's wrong with spending more than one million to send these plague gods away? And they can also get the official position."

Dozens of Song Dynasty warships gathered in Penghu, but they not only looked scary, but also brought real economic losses to the pirate merchants. So many official warships wandered around the sea. Who dared to rob? Those warships that were not pretending to be warships, but elites who fought two battles of the Three Buddhas and Qi.

Not only can we not dare to rob the road, but we must even deduct the protection fee. Those merchant ships entering and leaving Quanzhou in winter are unwilling to pay the money. Therefore, the pirates who are both business and thieves are both hated and afraid, and there is no other way except to shed tears.

"Brother Rong Wei thinks about this." Su Shi said, then took out a letter from the desk and handed it to Su Shi, "Second brother, this is Pan Shiyilang's letter, please take a look."

Pan Shiyilang is Wu Haogu's elder brother-in-law Pan Xiao'an. He is now aware of the Xiangyang Prefecture and is working diligently to build a shelter for Zhao Ji!

"Qian Yin..." After taking the letter and reading it carefully, Su Shi frowned.

In the letter, Pan Xiao'an put forward different opinions on the money-inspiring reform that the court is promoting.

His different opinions mainly start from two aspects. One is that the foundation of money induction is not solid, only real estate transactions in commercial cities such as Kaifeng Prefecture and Jingdong, Shanghai, Mingzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and other cities, as well as specialty items such as salt, tea, iron, wine, and divine certificates (the quota for being a monk and being a Taoist priest is also a specialty).

Among them, the one that can accommodate the largest amount of money is the real estate market in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Because Kaifeng Prefecture is the best area in the world, the house prices are expensive and the annual transaction volume is very huge. It has gradually formed a market for the sale of common land, real estate development and house sales, as well as many gold, silver and silk shops in Jingdong Bank and Jiesinxiang participated in the real estate transactions in Kaifeng Prefecture. This is equivalent to building a channel between finance and real estate. Moreover, merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture have long used tea and salt as payment methods, so they are more likely to accept money.

However, in coastal markets, the situation is very different. Real estate in coastal markets is not expensive, and the government does not know much real estate can be used to recycle money. Even if the transaction is mandatory, there is no way to supervise and execute it. At most, it is to use money to attract taxes. It will not create a demand for much money to attract.

In addition, in recent years, with the control of Sanfoqi Strait by Hailu Maritime Control and JD.com, the gold-absorbing effect of the two major banks in Tianjin has increased significantly, and the monetary attributes of gold and silver have also increased accordingly. Isn’t it reliable to trade with gold and silver than using money?

So in the end, the only things that can carry money are the real estate in Kaifeng Prefecture, including salt, iron, tea and wine.

Among them, Kaifeng Prefecture's real estate is the top priority! Once the housing prices in Kaifeng Prefecture continue to fall, money will lose its foundation!

The second problem caused by money is to kill local finances!

Although the Song Dynasty pursued a policy of defending the internal and external power, the military, financial and judicial power of the local government were closely tied. However, there were policies from the top and countermeasures from the bottom. Local governments have always tried every means to expand their power and compete with the central government for financial power. Among them, "monopoly sale" is the way for local governments to obtain financial resources.

If the specialty items such as salt, iron, tea, and wine are used as the basis for money quotations, then the local area can no longer have the specialty rights. The production of salt, iron, tea, and wine must be controlled by the court, and the franchise rights must also be cancelled. Otherwise, only designated merchants can manage salt, iron, tea, wine, and money quotations, what's the use?

Although the local "unique sale" rights were taken to the central government and a unified large market was established (the various transshipment departments in the Song Dynasty controlled the unique sale within their jurisdiction, which could prevent the scattered goods from being intercepted and thus protect local interests), it would also cause local finances to lose their foundation.

Once the local government has no source of wealth, it will cause big problems when organizing group training, building cities and forts, and recruiting military soldiers, which are responsible for local military work...

"How is it?" Su Chi asked.

"It seems to make some sense." Su Shi put down the letter and breathed a sigh of relief, "But the official and Xianggong Cai are both in a hurry. Can we sing the opposite tune? Besides, the court has no money now? The treasury is empty, and the northern region will soon be in chaos. Can it be possible to raise money without using this method?

By the way, how are the housing prices in Kaifeng Mansion recently? Has it increased back?"

"No." Su Chi smiled bitterly, "If the housing prices were high, Xianggong Cai would not have wanted to issue money to attract the money.

But since the last time Yelu Yanxi was almost at the city and housing prices fell, it has not risen again. Moreover, there is news that the capital was moved to Xiangyang everywhere in the capital. Even if someone wants to buy a house, he will go to Xiangyang to buy it."

"What did Ji Yizhi say?" Su Shi asked, "He has a way than me."

"He?" Su Chi shook his head, "He hasn't arrived yet... He seemed to be in Beijing with Lu Wangzhi, so he delayed his trip."

"Lu Wangzhi?" Su Shi was stunned, "Does Xianggong Cai want him to re-take Taifu Temple?"

Su Chi said: "I don't know, he is so old, and there was a huge storm last time he went out of the Taifu Temple."

...

Just as the Su brothers were discussing Cai Jing's reform, Ji Yi and Lu Jiawen had already arrived in Kaifeng Prefecture City in a four-wheeled carriage.

"There are more and less people!"

After lifting the curtains of the carriage, Lu Jiawen, who had not returned to Kaifeng Prefecture for many years, looked at the almost crowded streets outside and said with some emotion.

"It's almost New Year's Day, and people are coming out to get New Year's goods, but there aren't that many in the past."

Lu Jia asked, "But there are still more people... there must be many wealthy families in Hedong and Hebei moved to Kaifeng Prefecture, right?"

"That's natural. Hebei and Hedong have become battlefields. Of course, wealthy families are running to Kaifeng Prefecture." Ji Yi said, "There are even wealthy families in Henan Prefecture running to Kaifeng Prefecture, but some people have moved out of Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Have you moved to Jingdong City and Shanghai City?" Lu Jia asked.

"Yes," Ji Yi said, "Kaifeng Prefecture is always close to the Khitans. So the real estate in Kaifeng Prefecture has been depreciating since last year."

Lu Jia asked and smiled: "That's because the characters from Wu Haogu are secretly shipped goods? In the current situation, who still believes that the Khitans can enter Kaifeng Prefecture? Remember, we have to take over Wu Haogu's goods and then support the housing prices. Only when the housing prices rise can the money be sent out, and only then will someone follow up to buy a house in Kaifeng Prefecture."

"But how can we have that much money?" Ji Yi shook her head, "Wu Dalang, Su Dalang, Mi Yuanhui, and Pan Shiyilang are all big players in the Kaifeng Prefecture real estate market!"

"Haha," Lu Jia asked, "We have money to attract, and Jingdong Bank! Use money to attract, and then let them deposit the money to Jingdong Bank, deposit it for three years, and then exchange it for gold and silver. You can just pay them a little interest every year."

"How can they be willing?" Ji Yi shook her head, "Money is nothing more than paper..."

Lu Jia asked and smiled: "Isn't it enough for your JD Bank to deposit a sum of gold and silver into Tianjin Bank? In addition, let JD Bank endorse Tianjin Bank and let Tianjin Bank return to Kaifeng Prefecture to make money."

"make money?"

Lu Jia asked and smiled: "Yizhi, haven't you understood it yet? Qian Yin and Kaifeng Prefecture's real estate are a big deal! Real estate can be mortgaged and borrowed money, and Qian Yin can buy land. Buying a house to raise the house price and land price... This time, Xianggong Cai finally got a clever one!"

https:
Chapter completed!