It has been two years since the birth of Xiangzhu No. 1.
Peng Fang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, immersed himself in the pig pile. He followed Fu Xiaoguan's advice and brought pigs from the north and south for breeding. Now the Xiangzhu No. 2 is bigger than the Xiangzhu No. 1.
Of course, this is also due to the fact that there is more feed. After all, sweet potatoes have been fully distributed in the former territory of the Wu Dynasty.
"He went to the other six districts this time and brought back a lot of local piglets. He said we have to wait until next year to breed them to see the results." Peng Fang replied.
"Well, Fu Liudai's rice seeds and sweet potatoes must also be sent to the other provinces. Next spring, we'll try to plant Fu Liudai's rice and sweet potatoes throughout Daxia... If there's not enough seeds, the other prefectures in Mozhou will also serve as seed cultivation bases. Your Ministry of Industry needs to calculate the shortage so that arrangements can be made during the spring plowing season."
"Oh, right, there were some good seeds among those that Liu Jin brought back last year. I entrusted them to Wang Er to cultivate, and the harvest was good, but it's still too early to promote them on a large scale. The seed base is too low, so I'll just plant them at the Mozhou Royal Farm for now..."
"When there are enough seeds for these things, we can promote them to remote areas and use the barren land to grow these things."
Peng Fang was stunned. This year, many counties in Daxia had survived the famine, and rice and sweet potatoes played an indispensable role. These two magical items were created by His Majesty, and now His Majesty said there was something more wonderful -
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
"Potatoes and corn. Potatoes have similar yields to sweet potatoes and are not picky about the land. As for corn, it has some requirements for the land. It can be intercropped with sweet potatoes. You'll know when the time comes."
Peng Fang was overjoyed and thought that he would find a reason to go to Mozhou next year.
"The most important thing for your Ministry of Industry right now is next year's spring plowing and the construction of the military port. You must hurry up and go."
"Okay!"
Peng Fang left happily, and Fu Xiaoguan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then saw Nangong Yiyu and Meng Changping walk in.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has already calculated this year's tax revenue." Meng Changping held the account book in his hand, his face not happy but rather a little worried.
When Fu Xiaoguan saw Meng Changping's face, his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't paid much attention to the economy this year. Could it be that everything has collapsed?
"By now, the currency unification policy for Daxia's seventeen prefectures plus the Chi Lechuan Autonomous Region has been basically completed, with the Far East taking a bit longer. The former Yi Kingdom was a complete cesspool! The former Yu Dynasty wasn't much better, and only the former Fan Kingdom was roughly on par. Only Chi Lechuan and our four prefectures have strong economies."
When Fu Xiaoguan heard this, he felt relieved. That's why he took back those three countries. They were already very poor, so isn't this normal?
According to Fu Xiaoguan's prediction, it would take at least three years for these thirteen paths to develop!
There are only two years left in the first five-year plan. During these two years, it will be good if the thirteen provinces can get their economies back on track. If they want to take off, they will have to wait until the second five-year plan.
Meng Changping looked at Fu Xiaoguan's calm expression and continued, "Daxia's total tax revenue this year was 110 million taels. The Chi Lechuan Autonomous Region contributed 40 million taels, the Guangnan, Mozhou, and Beixiao Circuits contributed a total of 60 million taels, and Fan Tianning only contributed 10 million taels..."
"That's the income, but what about the expenditure? Governor Yan's total expenditure this year is 130 million taels, of which 120 million taels are subsidies from the central government. Lord Zhuo's total expenditure this year is 100 million taels... all of which are subsidies from the central government. And the rest of Daxia's expenditures amount to 80 million taels."
"This year's cumulative expenditure is 310 million taels of silver, while the revenue is only 110 million taels. The deficit is 200 million, Your Majesty!"
The three hundred million yuan spent came from the treasures stolen by Bai Yulian, but the calculation was correct.
That is to say, the treasury of Daxia still has 120 million taels of silver in deposits, but the deficit on the account has reached 200 million!
Fu Xiaoguan thought for a moment and said, "The printing and issuance of silver bills has been suspended. This is the current state of Daxia's economy. A deficit of 200 million yuan is not a big deal. After all, this money is used for livelihood projects, and its economic value will gradually be reflected in the future."
"Tell Fan Tianning, Yan Shidao, and Zhuo's group that starting next year, these three governors will be responsible for their own profits and losses. The money allocated by the central government this year is a foundation for them. Next year will depend on their ability."
"Unless it's a natural disaster and the central government is covering the costs, starting next year, the local governments under their jurisdiction will pay 20% of their taxes to the central government, with the amount increasing annually. After three years, they'll need to pay 50% of their taxes to the central government, and the 50% will remain unchanged thereafter..."
Fu Xiaoguan spent an hour explaining in detail to Meng Changping and Nangong Yiyu the relationship between local and central finances, as well as their respective obligations and responsibilities.
"These things need to be put into written documents... It's the end of the year now, so we'll send them once they're done."
After hearing Fu Xiaoguan's detailed explanation, Meng Changping suddenly realized that deficit is not necessarily a bad thing, and that His Majesty is already making plans for the next five-year plan.
The two were about to leave when they saw Liu Jin running in hurriedly.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has arrived!"
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned for a moment. His mother had been living happily in the harem these days. Why was she running here?
Meng Changping and Nangong Yiyu looked at each other and sat back down - the Queen Mother had been back for some time but had never shown up.
Since she is here, of course I have to meet her and greet her.
Xu Yunqing walked in with great interest. She did not ride in the empress dowager's carriage or sedan chair. She just walked into the imperial study wearing a plain linen dress.
Hey, son, is there anyone else here?
Nangong Yiyu and Meng Changping stood up, thinking that this beautiful woman must be the Queen Mother Xu Yunqing who was said to have died twice.
The two bowed and saluted, "Hello, Queen Mother!"
"Oh, don't be so polite, I just came to see my son... Are you guys discussing something important? Then I'll come back later."
Fu Xiaoguan was happy, "Mom, we have finished discussing the business, please take a seat!"
Fu Xiaoguan helped Xu Yunqing sit down and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xu Yunqing's eyebrows curved, ignoring Nangong Yiyu and Meng Changping. She grabbed her son's hand and patted it, "That's it—"
Your wives feel like they have nothing to do in the palace, and mother also thinks that this is not good, and we should let them do something they like. So we discussed it and decided to try some small businesses for fun.
Fu Xiaoguan was delighted. "That's great. I've already told Shulan and the others that as long as they don't use the royal banner, they can do whatever they like."
"Yeah," Xu Yunqing nodded frequently. "Mom thinks so too, but running a business requires capital. Son, take the money... give me 100 million yuan to play with."
Fu Xiaoguan gasped, while Nangong Yiyu and Meng Changping's eyes widened. One hundred million yuan was enough for fun! How big was the Empress Dowager's heart?
"No, mother, isn't there still some money in the treasury?"
"Not enough, Mom thinks, if you want to play, play bigger!"
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