Xu Wenshu's expression became a little strange.
I thought this guy came here to ask for money, but now he says he can help him solve his problem.
Solve the problem, whatever problem he can solve.
Although Fang Zheng has many ways to make money, some of them are quite imaginative.
But the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of national affairs, not business affairs of businessmen.
Any slight movement will be earth-shaking and affect the overall situation.
Seeing that Xu Wenshu said nothing, Fang Zhengyi asked again, "Master Xu, if you don't want to listen, then I'll leave first?"
After saying this, he pretended to leave.
Xu Wenshu hurriedly held him back and said, "My Lord, please stay."
Who cares what he does? As long as he doesn't ask for money, it's fine. Why not give him a listen? What if he can work a miracle?
Fang Zheng's brain is a little different from that of normal people, and this is not the first time he has done strange things!
"Since the Marquis is so enthusiastic about coming, it would be against the etiquette of hospitality if I don't listen."
Fang Zheng smiled and walked back to his seat leisurely.
"Okay, since Lord Xu is willing to listen to my nonsense, then I will briefly talk about it."
Xu Wenshu hurriedly sat beside him, blinking his eyes.
Fang Zheng said, "The Ministry of Revenue is currently in a dilemma because there are many more huge expenditure items than before, and the income is still mainly from agricultural taxes. Although there is more east-west maritime trade, commercial taxes are also increasing, but compared with the increase in expenditure, it is still far from enough, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Fang Zhengyi took a sip of tea and said, "Master Xu, what does this mean? The changes brought about by trains and firearms are unprecedented, so we naturally cannot use the old methods of our predecessors to solve new problems now."
"The court cannot easily increase taxes, and it is not feasible to cut costs. Since both increasing revenue and cutting costs are not feasible, there is only one way..." Fang Zhengyi took another sip of tea after he finished speaking.
Xu Wenshu was anxious: "My Lord, are you that thirsty? Can you please stop keeping us in suspense?"
Fang Zheng put down his teacup with a smile: "To put it simply, it means using other people's money to do your own business."
"What...what do you mean? You said that the court wants to solve the problem not with the court's money, but with other people's money?" Xu Wenshu was very confused.
"Yes, that is to get the money in other people's hands. Think about how many wealthy people and common people there are in Dajing. If we can use the money in their hands, will your Ministry of Revenue still worry about having no money in the future?"
When Xu Wenshu heard this, his expression suddenly calmed down: "My Lord, you are not here to tease me so late at night, are you? I would like to, but how is it possible? Everyone knows that the country is rich now. Can I write to the court and ask for donations with a thick face?"
Xu Wenshu felt contempt in his heart.
I thought it was some brilliant idea, but it turned out to be just a lie. It was more convenient to take money from the emperor's treasury than from the rich people.
Unexpectedly, Fang Zheng waved his right hand lightly: "Fundraising? What problem can fundraising solve? What we are looking for is a long-term solution!"
"People tend to stay out of things that don't concern them. If they are asked to spend money to work for the court or other people, even those eloquent scholars will be unwilling to do so."
"So, the problem we need to solve is to turn public benefit into private benefit! We need to let them know that they will get benefits if they help the court!"
"What do you mean?" Xu Wenshu's expression became serious again.
"Have you heard of the new stock exchange that has emerged in Beijing recently?" Fang Zheng asked.
Xu Wenshu frowned and said, "I seem to have heard this somewhere before. What is this for?"
"To put it simply, it is an organization of private businessmen who sell shares of various businesses in the form of stocks on the exchange. People sell stocks in the hope that the business they bought will generate profits and win dividends, or they sell stocks in the hope that the stock price will rise and make a profit from the difference."
"And those merchants used the money from the stock sales to continue to expand their business. This is a win-win situation!" Fang Zhengyi tapped the table with his index finger as he finished speaking.
With a thump.
It was as if a flash of lightning passed through Xu Wenshu's mind!
Turning public interests into private interests, this is how it is done!
Xu Wenshu's face changed drastically. "You mean, the imperial court also uses this exchange method to turn railway trains into stocks, and then sell them on the market to raise money?"
"Master Xu, you are smart. You understand everything immediately!" Fang Zheng clapped his hands in praise.
"No, no... Railways are important national equipment. How can they be placed in the hands of ordinary people? Moreover, have you ever thought about what the impact will be if the stock price fluctuates and ordinary people lose money? Where is the face of the court?" Xu Wenshu said vigilantly.
It has to be said that Fang Zhengyi's proposal made him extremely excited, but the next moment countless questions flooded his mind.
When doing things in the court, success or failure is still a matter of time, but making mistakes is absolutely unacceptable!
Fang Zhengyi had also anticipated this situation.
He said calmly, "Master Xu, if you want to do great things, you must be bold. Besides, which of my Dajing's expenses is not for the country and the people? What do you mean it can't be put in the hands of the people? The money of the court is the taxes they pay. To put it bluntly, it is the people who support the court. It is only right to take money from the people and use it for the people now."
Xu Wenshu frowned and shook his head slowly: "No, this is too crazy, no one has ever done such a thing."
Fang Zhengyi curled his lips and said, "Before me, there were no trains. If I said that trains could run on their own, everyone would think I was crazy. But now, everything has been proven."
"In any case, this is a new path worth trying. It is always a good thing that the court has a new idea and mobilizes more resources to solve the problem."
"Master Xu, think about this. In the future, most of the important expenses of the Ministry of Revenue's large-scale construction projects can be solved by civilian funds, and the Ministry of Revenue can solve big problems by mobilizing small resources. What a scene it will be like?"
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