"But..." Xu Jing looked at the other person's back, not only was his forehead sweating, but he even swallowed his saliva before asking nervously. "But I still want to ask Lord Lei Chuan... can this be accomplished?"
"Uncle Ming, today you asked me if this matter is appropriate, which is equivalent to asking whether the Northern Expedition can succeed, but how dare I know this?" Jin Bu Shi sighed with his back to Xu Jing. "You must know that whether this matter can succeed not only concerns your Song Dynasty and your government, but also concerns the life and death of us Koreans! This time, I came here to try my best to ask for an answer of 'I dare not know'."
Xu Jing hesitated for a moment, but still held the official newspaper and asked, "Mr. Lei Chuan, based on our personal relationship, do you think this will work?"
Jin Fushi finally stopped, then turned around, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, and his eyes stared at his old friend from a foreign country like lightning.
Xu Jing was frightened for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
After looking at him for a while, Jin Bu Shi finally closed his eyes and sighed: "Uncle Ming... I think it can be done, but I still dare not say it, I can't say it!"
Xu Jing was flustered for a moment, nodded hastily, and then actually ran away with the official newspaper. Jin Bu Shi looked at the back of his young old friend and just stood solemnly in the courtyard full of flowers and willows.
Without mentioning how Kim Bu-sik felt, on the other side, Xu Jing escaped from the heavily guarded courtyard where the Goryeo delegation lived, but did not go far. Instead, he passed the courtyard of the Japanese delegation, which was also heavily guarded, and entered another heavily guarded courtyard of the Libin Hotel.
After entering the courtyard, Xu Jing followed the imperial guards who filled the courtyard and walked into a small courtyard. Without even raising his head, he bowed and saluted. Without even raising his head, he told them everything that had been said before without reservation.
"Did he say that?" Zhao Jiu, who was sitting in the yard basking in the sun, seemed to be thinking about something.
"Yes." Xu Jing held the official report in his hand, not daring to raise his head.
"He saw through you." After thinking for a while, Zhao Jiu suddenly laughed. "This old man is much stronger than Zheng Zhichang, and he is not even on the same level. He came here to show goodwill while keeping his position to prevent Goryeo from facing the Jurchens alone... On the one hand, he believes that I can succeed in the Northern Expedition, but on the other hand, he dares not say it, cannot say it... This is exactly what he wants to say to me and the Song Dynasty. He is so open and honest, which makes us look a little stingy for using trickery to deal with him."
Xu Jing raised his head, sweating profusely, and was frightened for a moment.
Wang Lun, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, who was standing solemnly beside him, quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Xu Zhubu has done nothing wrong. Apart from this matter, this time when we were sent to Goryeo, according to the imperial decree, we brought Jin Bushi, a person who can really do things and manage things, instead of Zheng Zhichang, which in itself is a fulfillment of the mission."
Zhao Jiu continued to sneer: "I didn't say he had, and even this trip was not a failure... I just figured it out. Although Jin Bu Shi has some ability, he is constrained by a small country and the factional struggles in Goryeo... Those words he originally planned to say to me were actually what he had to say."
Wang Lun and Xu Jing both breathed a sigh of relief, and the latter even grabbed the report in his hand and looked up slightly.
The next moment, Emperor Zhao suddenly stood up, and the surrounding soldiers also started to move forward under the leadership of Yang Yizhong. However, after walking only three or four steps, the Emperor turned back and asked, "Master Xu seems to have something else to say?"
"Yes... Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Xu Jing, who had just turned around, hurriedly unfolded the newspaper in his hand and quickly found the front-page headline.
Zhao Jiu turned around completely and smiled even brighter: "Do you have a good way to raise money for the country?"
"I have a plan." Xu Jing swallowed his saliva and replied with all his strength. "The government can increase taxes! Increase business taxes!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Lun shook his head, and even Yang Yizhong frowned slightly.
As for Zhao Jiu, he actually didn't have any hope from the beginning... Ever since he was forced by reality to seek help publicly, he and the governor had received a variety of memorials and suggestions in these days, but most of them did not go beyond the planned plans of the professional bureaucrats.
For example, increasing business taxes is certainly under consideration... It is not impossible to exhaust all resources when necessary, but that is only when necessary, and the country will only do so when it really has no other choice.
Therefore, Emperor Zhao labeled this man in his mind as a second-generation rich man who was eager for quick success and could only be used in Goryeo affairs. However, he smiled and prepared a few words to get the matter over with, and then hurried back to update "Water Margin", which had been updated weekly.
However, this second-generation rich man who specializes in foreign languages seemed to have seen through Emperor Zhao's thoughts, or perhaps he had finally sorted out his words, and hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, the additional commercial tax I am talking about is not the old tax, but a new tax. I learned this from the experience of General Zhang's fleet in Japan... I just saw the court report and had an idea."
Zhao Jiu finally calmed down and asked seriously, "What exactly do you mean?"
"Your Majesty... Let your Majesty know." Xu Jing knew that he had reached a critical point, and he knew that this opportunity was rare, so he quickly said, "This time when the fleet went to Japan and Goryeo, the flags and documents given by the emperor in Dengzhou played a big role... So on the way back, the old merchant on the ship said that he was willing to buy a flag from the emperor for 10,000 strings of cash a year!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Lun, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites who was born into a maritime family, could not help but let out a "tsk", as if he had come to a realization... This was basically selling the qualification of a "legitimate store" to the maritime merchants.
How did the name of the official store come from? Isn't it the official qualification to brew wine? But they also had to pay money to the court.
In other words, there is a proven precedent for this, and a proven precedent means there is no resistance or very little resistance...Xu Jing's suggestion is really a good way to open up new sources of income.
But at the same time, Zhao Jiu, who was smiling just now, suddenly had a shock in his mind, and was stunned on the spot... It was not that he was stunned by the other party's idea of selling flags, but that he was stimulated by the other party's idea. Then he recalled that there seemed to be a similar way of making money in later generations, like a type of tax, and also the idea of selling out the country and the royal reputation. Therefore, not only would it not accumulate public grievances, but would be called a good tax.
But I just can't remember the specific content at the moment.
"And then?" Zhao Guanjia came back to his senses, and while trying to think, he frowned and asked. "Is it just selling flags to the sea merchants?"
"Of course it's not just about selling flags..." Xu Jing said quickly. "The government can also provide similar things to various businesses... It may not be just flags, but more often, it's a letter with an official seal..."
"Stamp tax! It's stamp tax!" Zhao Jiu walked around Xu Jing and slowly sat back on the chair under the tree in the courtyard, then raised his head and sighed. "There is also the Northern Expedition Fund Lottery, plus the royal qualification auction, the sea flag, the company system, the rise of a great power... I have only been an official for a few years, and I really forgot everything... There are always ways to overcome difficulties... Xu Qing, I always keep my word. Your suggestion today is worth a junior minister of the Honglu Temple!"
Xu Jing was puzzled at first, and then he was overjoyed.
PS: Thanks to the new alliance leader, you are so annoying!
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