Although the movable type workshop and carriage and horse rental gave these wealthy businessmen great surprises, the huge debt still made them feel some pressure.
But they even feel a little regretful. If they had known this would happen, they would have donated money instead of land. Isn't this a waste of effort?
But think about it, the copper coins in the house do not need to be taxed, but the land does need to be taxed!
However, the annual interest of four thousand strings of cash was not a small sum for any of them, and even most donors could not afford it.
Confused!
Although it’s a big surprise, it’s also a heavy burden!
But then again, is a loan of 100,000 strings of cash a lot?
Is four thousand strings of cash in interest a lot?
This is a businessman who has never seen the world.
It was such a coincidence that when the Song Dynasty Charity Fund was borrowing money from the Ma family, the Regulations Office of the Two Prefectures was also borrowing money from the court.
...
...
Wang Anshi's equal transport method has two meanings. First, it saves money for the country, and transports tribute reasonably, which can save a lot of money. Second, it makes money for the country, which is the so-called buying low and selling high, but this requires capital!
Otherwise, you won’t be able to buy the goods no matter how cheap they are. How can you sell them if you can’t even afford them?
The core of Wang Anshi's reform is financial management, but how to manage finances without capital?
Is it possible to get something for nothing?
How is that different from robbery?
Wang Anshi really couldn't do such a thing.
This is the difference between him and those treacherous ministers. Many treacherous ministers used reform as a cover, and their so-called means were just to do business with no capital, robbing the people and merchants of their money to enrich the national treasury.
But no matter how cunning and despicable those wealthy businessmen are, the government cannot rob them, because as long as the government takes the lead in robbing, the situation will only get worse and the country will be finished.
However, Wang Anshi was also a ruthless person, or perhaps a man of great skill and courage.
He asked the court for a loan of 10 million strings of cash.
This only means that there is always someone stronger than you, and there is always a mountain higher than the other!
However, it also attracted opposition from many court officials, including most of the vice-chancellors in the Council of State.
The finances are already in a deficit state, so shouldn't saving be the priority? If an additional 10 million guan is allocated to the Shipping Department, then we will have nothing to do next year and can just take annual leave.
However, Wang Anshi and Zhao Xu never really thought of asking the national treasury to allocate money.
Because they all knew that this was impossible.
There are rules and regulations for the money in the national treasury. You can't just move it as you please, the emperor.
If the Secretariat does not approve, the emperor actually has no way to do anything.
But the emperor is not stupid. The imperial power is closely related to money. If the emperor has no money, he will not be able to sit firmly on the throne!
Emperors of every dynasty had their own private money.
That is the inner storage.
Zhao Xu decided to allocate 5 million strings of cash from the inner treasury to provide 3 million dan of rice, and also to cut out 2 million strings of cash from the annual tribute and lend it to the Shipping Department.
The ministers still strongly opposed it. They said that the Nei Zaoku was the emperor's private money, but in the Northern Song Dynasty, this money was not entirely the emperor's private money. It also had public nature. Simply put, it was for emergency use.
The main things are military pay and disaster relief.
If there is a war and the national treasury has no money, the inner treasury has to allocate money. If there is a famine and the national treasury has no money, the inner treasury has to allocate money.
….But the inner treasury was ultimately based on the emperor’s will, and the ministers could only persuade the emperor but could not use administrative orders to stop the emperor.
There was another quarrel in the Chuigong Hall this morning.
But Zhao Xu still firmly supported Wang Anshi.
"well...!"
After leaving the imperial city, Wen Yanbo sighed, "It seems that the emperor is determined to support Wang Jiefu."
Sima Guang said: "It's within expectations."
It goes without saying that this must have been something they had discussed long ago.
"But I didn't expect Wang Jiefu to be so ruthless and ask for a loan of 10 million guan right away."
Wen Yanbo said: "This is a loan, not a transfer. If you borrow, you have to pay it back, and if you pay it back, it must include interest. Needless to say, Wang Jiefu must have promised the government that he would be able to make money.
This 10 million strings of cash are put into the market, and the owner behind this is the government. This is a business that cannot lose money. It won’t be long before they can plunder all the profits of the merchants.”
Sima Guang asked: "Junshi, I would like to ask, does Duke Wen oppose allocating 10 million strings of cash to the Shipping Department, or does he oppose the government doing business?"
Wen Yanbo said: "I object to all of them."
Sima Guang asked again, "What do you think, Duke Wen, is more important?"
Wen Yanbo pondered for a moment and said, "Of course, the first part is lighter and the latter part is heavier. If it's just a merchant who takes out 10 million guan to do business, it's not that scary. If he raises the prices, the government can still control it. Even if the ministers in the court do business privately, at least the government can control it, and you and I can supervise it. But if the government takes out 10 million guan to do business, who can control it?"
Sima Guang replied: "The judiciary can handle it. If Wang Jiefu took the money and made normal purchases, it would be fine. However, if they dare to abuse their power and commit corruption for personal gain, the judiciary will not let it go. Our dynasty has clear regulations on speculation, and they will not be tolerated."
Wen Yanbo asked in a low voice: "Can the judiciary control the government?"
Sima Guang was silent for a while before he slowly replied, "The government is only lending money out to reduce the loss of the national treasury. If there is any illegal behavior, it is not the government's wish. It must be someone else's doing."
Wen Yanbo stroked his beard and asked, "Are you sure you can control it?"
Sima Guang raised his head.
Wen Yanbo looked up, but saw only four or five laborers repairing the road ahead. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is there to see?"
Sima Guang asked with a smile: "Didn't Lord Wen notice that the road conditions in Bianliang City have improved a lot in recent days?"
Wen Yanbo said: "I have noticed this a long time ago. There is much less dust and feces, and the officials in the court have complained less about the license plate fees."
“That’s not all.”
Sima Guang chuckled and said, "Please come this way, Lord Wen."
Sima Guang led Wen Yanbo to the intersection of Bianhe Street and Zhouqiao Road.
Wen Yanbo was surprised and said, "It seems that there are fewer people here."
"It's not that there are fewer people, but everyone abides by the rules, and there are special patrol officers here to direct traffic at fixed times, so there is rarely any congestion. Did you see the pavilion, Lord Wen?"
"Those look like police booths built by the police station. Each booth has two patrol officers standing guard."
"Take a closer look."
….Sima Guang said.
Wen Yanbo looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he looked at Sima Guang in confusion.
Sima Guang laughed and said, "Didn't Lord Wen have a drink at Shangqiao Inn?"
Wen Yanbo suddenly realized, "I know what you are talking about. The place where the police booth is located originally belonged to Qiaodian."
Sima Guang nodded and asked, "Does Wen Gong know who is the owner of this bridge shop?"
"It seems to be from the Gao family."
"Exactly."
Sima Guang laughed and said, "But now all of this circle has been demolished. It is said that they wanted to pay the street tax, but the police station refused. Why? Because this is both the entrance to the bridge and the main intersection leading to the market, it is very easy to get congested. Also, there were many vendors doing business on the bridge, but now only one person can be seen?"
Wen Yanbo nodded and said, "Regarding the street invasion issue, the police station did a good job."
Sima Guang said: "But before this, many ministers wanted to deal with these street violations, but no one succeeded. It shows that many things are not as difficult as we think!"
Wen Yanbo said, "But Zhang San played an indispensable role in the success of this project!"
Sima Guang said: "This is also the reason why I am trying to win Zhang San."
Wen Yanbo asked, "Are you sure?"
Sima Guang nodded.
Wen Yanbo asked again: "So what are you going to do?"
Sima Guang said, "Zhang San had promised me before that he would teach litigation at the Imperial Academy, but many things happened in the process and the matter was delayed. I plan to use the teaching at the Imperial Academy to gradually guide him towards my judicial reform."
Wen Yanbo laughed and said, "You really put a lot of effort into that kid!"
Sima Guang suddenly turned his head and looked in a certain direction, and said with a smile: "This boy has talents that neither Duke Wen nor I possess."
Wen Yanbo tilted his head and followed Sima Guang's gaze, only to see three or five young men in a corner fighting for a small ball. They were playing football, not Cuju.
The reason why Cuju was more popular in the palace than among the people is that the threshold for playing Cuju was relatively high, while the threshold for playing football was relatively low.
Football quickly became popular among the people.
......
Teaching?
Zhang Fei really didn't have the time to spare at this moment. He was almost annoyed by the IQ of Marshal Ma Wang Chao. At this moment, he and Fan Zheng were rushing to the headquarters of the Guard Ma.
As soon as I entered the door, I heard a shouting noise.
"This way! This way! Pass it over here!"
"Who are you planning to pass this to?"
"Sorry, that kick was a little too hard!"
......
Looking up, I saw that the original playground had been converted into a simple football field, and more than 20 imperial guards were running on the field.
Fan Zheng said with a smile: "Sanlang, your football charm is quite great!"
Is it attractive or over-promoted? Zhang Fei smiled bitterly: "But football cannot protect the country!"
Fan Zheng smiled awkwardly and suddenly asked, "Eh? Isn't that Yanei and Xiao Ma?"
Zhang Fei took a closer look and said, "It really is these two guys."
So he immediately shouted: "Yanei, Xiao Ma!"
"Third brother?"
The two of them ran over immediately.
"Zhang San, Da Lang, why are you here?"
Cao Dongdong asked Zhang Fei while wiping his sweat.
….Fan Zheng replied: “Oh, let’s talk to Ma Shuai about something.”
Zhang Fei asked: "Why are you two here?"
Ma Xiaoyi immediately complained: "Third brother, you don't know, those policemen are very busy on weekdays, how can they have time... wuwuwu."
As they were talking, Cao Dongdong suddenly covered their mouths with one hand, and complained to Zhang Fei again: “Zhang San, it’s all your fault.”
Zhang Fei wondered, "Blame me?"
"yes!"
Cao Dongdong said seriously, "It's all your fault for organizing a football league with such a high prize money. Everyone wants to compete for the prize money, so you asked Xiao Ma and me to teach them. We have good relationships with many generals in the three yamen, so it's hard to refuse such a kind invitation."
Ma Xiaoyi also reacted and nodded.
"Really?" Zhang Fei said with a smile, "But you two are the ace players of the police station, but you are actually cultivating the strength of your opponents. Isn't this a bit unreasonable?"
Ace player?
Cao Dongdong's eyes flashed involuntarily. This name is quite good. I like it.
Ma Xiaoyi took Cao Dongdong's hand away and said depressedly: "We also want to teach, but the police station is very busy now, and no one has much time to play football."
"pony?"
Cao Dongdong wanted to cover it, but it was too late.
Zhang Fei asked with a smile: "Are you two planning to change your career?"
Ma Xiaoyi said quickly: "No, I still prefer to be a policeman. I can help the weak and fight against the strong, and I don't have to worry about being beaten by my father. I came here to play football with my brother today because I am on vacation."
Ever since he became a policeman, he seemed to have found his life goal. He usually liked to fight for the weak, but many people thought that this was meddling and asking for trouble. As a policeman, he could legitimately fight for the weak, but he just had to abide by a few rules.
But Cao Dongdong looked conflicted.
He really got in here accidentally, but he never thought of being a policeman for the rest of his life. His current focus is on football.
Zhang Fei saw it, but didn't say anything. His status meant not only economic freedom, but also employment freedom. He nodded and said, "Okay, you guys continue playing. I'll go talk to Ma Shuai first. Let's have dinner together later?"
Cao Dongdong said hurriedly: "No, I still have to explain this football formation to them later."
The value of life is realized? Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Okay! Let's do it another day."
As soon as I arrived outside the hall, I saw Wang Chao leading two generals to greet me. This was a very good treatment.
"My dear nephew is here!"
"Nephew?"
Zhang Fei couldn't help but be stunned.
When did we become so close?
Wang Chao immediately said, "I am acquainted with your father-in-law. Is it not okay for me to call you my nephew?"
"Okay! Of course! I'm flattered."
Zhang Fei nodded awkwardly.
After entering the hall, Zhang Fei handed a list to Wang Chao, "Marshal Ma, is this the list you sent?"
Wang Chao took it and looked at it. "Yes! Any problem?"
….Zhang Fei said: "Doesn't Marshal Ma think there is something wrong with this?"
Wang Chao just shook his head.
Zhang Fei said: "There are a total of 36 teams of guard horses participating in the competition. Is this... is there no problem?"
When he saw the list, he was so angry that he laughed. A good football league was turned into an internal friendly match between the guards and the horses by Wang Chao.
The terrible thing is, these are just the guards’ horses, and over there are the guards’ infantry and the Palace Front Department. If you count them this way, there are more than a hundred teams in the Three Yamen alone. How can others play?
The key is that Zhang Fei can’t organize so many competitions!
Wang Chao snorted, "I have more than 100,000 guards and horses, and the police station has only a few people. In comparison, our 36 teams are not that many. And we support you so much, and you are not satisfied?"
If calculated by proportion, this is indeed not a lot. Whoever dares to compare the number of people with the Three Yamen is crazy.
I'm satisfied, are you praising me? You're clearly praising me! Zhang Fei said with a smile, "I'm very grateful that Ma Shuai came to support me, but if I let the guards Ma 36 teams participate, my football league might be gone."
Wang Chao asked in confusion: "Why?"
Zhang Fei asked, "Have you heard, Marshal Ma, that there are many rumors circulating in the city recently, saying that I want to replace Cuju with football?"
Wang Chao nodded and said, "I heard about this, but what does it have to do with this matter?"
Zhang Fei said: "This includes many ministers in the court. They are looking for trouble with me. If I allow the 36 teams of imperial guards to participate in the competition, then it goes without saying that they will definitely take advantage of the situation and say that my football disturbs the morale of the army and makes the imperial guards lose their ambition. What imperial guards? Just change it to imperial guards. Marshal Ma, the imperial guards have their duties, not just to play football. If you only form one team and make some money to supplement the military expenses, that's fine, but if you form so many teams, it will definitely give people something to blame."
As soon as he finished speaking, a general said, "Marshal Ma, I think Zhang San's words make sense. If this leads to impeachment by the civil officials, it will only cause trouble!"
These generals were also very wary of this, and Zhang Fei was by no means exaggerating.
Wang Chao hesitated for a moment, then asked Zhang Fei, "What's your suggestion?"
Zhang Fei said: "At most, we can form a team each for the Palace Guards, the Imperial Guards Cavalry, and the Imperial Guards Infantry. No more."
Wang Chao was a little hesitant about this. There were many different ranks among the guards, and they didn't get along well with each other. He had to treat them equally!
Zhang Fei further explained: "Coach Ma, everyone admires the strong. Thirty-six weak teams are far less popular than a strong team. The more popular the team, the more money it can make. So in terms of profit, one team is better than thirty-six teams.
As for the competition between the three yamen, if the Palace Guards and the Imperial Guards put all the powerful players in one team, then your thirty-six teams, General Ma, will be trampled under their feet."
Wang Chao was slightly startled, and said quickly: "That makes sense, that makes sense, okay! Then I'll do as you say."
Earning less money is only secondary. But being trampled under the feet of the Palace Guards and the Imperial Guards is absolutely unacceptable.
After discussing this matter, Zhang Fei and Fan Zheng left.
….“Sanlang, your words are really impeccable. To be honest, if it were me, I…I probably wouldn’t know what to do.”
When the guards came out, Fan Zheng said with admiration.
When he got this list before, this side was a big deal, because there were no restrictions on the rules, and the other party was the Three Yamen. Although the Song Dynasty valued civil over military, the commander-in-chief of the Three Yamen was not someone that ordinary people could offend.
He then hurried to find Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll let you do it next time."
"ah?"
Fan Zheng waved his hands and said, "I can't do that."
Zhang Fei glanced at Fan Zheng, then stopped smiling and said seriously, "Da Lang, your Baifan Building is only this big at the moment, and its business is relatively simple, so the experience you can get is limited. In comparison, this charity foundation can train people better. This is actually a very rare opportunity for you. After all, the power behind our charity foundation is not weak. If you miss this opportunity, you may never have it again."
After hearing this, Fan Zheng pondered for a while, then suddenly bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice, Sanlang. I will definitely do my best."
His ambition is actually quite big. He has always wanted to build Baifan Building into a complex, but he has no specific plan on how to implement it. For now, since there is an opportunity, he will get involved.
For example, he requested that a charitable foundation be placed in Baifan Building.
However, a charitable foundation is a hodgepodge that encompasses everything and involves many transactions. To be in charge of a foundation, one must be proficient in the art of maneuvering, and this is indeed a very good opportunity to gain experience.
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Mr. Chen and his friends will definitely let their sons or grandsons join the charity foundation as soon as possible. You will lead this team. If there is any problem, I will find you."
"yes."
Fan Zheng nodded.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I believe in your ability. It is a natural match for our charity foundation."
Fan Zheng's face turned red. "Thank you for your compliment, Sanlang. I really don't deserve it."
But as he spoke, he became a little puzzled, "I wonder what Sanlang is responsible for?"
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I am responsible for spending money. Oh no, I am responsible for donating money."
"ah?"
Fan Zheng was stunned.
Zhang Fei said seriously: "Don't underestimate the donation. This is the most difficult task for a charity foundation. The court tolerates the establishment of a charity foundation because of the word charity. If the donation is not done well, there will be big problems."
Fan Zheng thought about it and realized that it was true. The imperial court didn't care how much money you made, they only cared about how much money you donated.
In fact, it is impossible for Zhang Fei to focus on the charitable foundation. After all, this is not a capitalist era, but a feudal era, and it is facing a political storm. His focus is still on the court.
The key point is that he is not a professional. He can make some plans with his insights that are ahead of his time, but when it comes to the execution of each task, he may not be as good as Fan Zheng.
This really requires experience.
.
Nancy Beiqing reminds you: Remember to collect it after reading it
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