Many people knew that the British Emperor was dissatisfied with the Open China Act.
Although the policy of opening up trade routes encouraged merchants to transport grain to the border regions, the direct effect was to provide ample food supplies to the border areas, alleviating the previous shortage of food and contributing to border stability. At the same time, delegating the right to sell salt to lower levels promoted the trade in salt, which not only motivated merchants but also generated profits for the government due to salt tax revenue.
However, such a system of intermediaries can easily lead to collusion between officials and businessmen and breed corruption. After all, small businessmen do not have the ability to participate in these transactions.
Furthermore, the opening of the Central Buddhist Assembly led to a decline in the status of some government agencies. With the decentralization of salt sales qualifications, the transportation and sales of salt were undertaken by merchants, while salt officials only needed to be responsible for management, which resulted in a weakening of the real power of salt officials.
Saltworkers, in particular, are experiencing a continuous decline in income and social status, with burdens piling up on them. For this group, the Sino-French policy is also extremely unfriendly.
Some time ago, Emperor Ying Shi expressed some doubts about the salt monopoly system. Recently, it has been heard that many scholars have been lecturing His Majesty on the salt and iron monopoly system of past dynasties, which has led many people to hear the news.
Many people felt heartbroken; the aristocratic families and those civil and military officials all felt the pain in their hearts.
Despite Zhu Yuanzhang's near-tolerance for corrupt officials and his extremely severe crackdown on them, it's clear that corrupt officials can never be completely eradicated, and many people remain very interested in salt permits.
The opening of the China Merchants' Association enriched many merchants, and also allowed many local officials, military officers, and aristocratic families to get a share of the profits.
Therefore, in the imperial court, many people naturally began to argue their points, pointing out the various benefits of the Open Market System. They argued that abolishing the Open Market System would place a huge burden on the court and cause a series of instabilities in border defenses.
While somewhat exaggerated, it does hold some truth. If the system of opening the middle gates had no merit, Emperor Zhu and the high-ranking officials in the court would not have vigorously promoted it, nor would it have achieved such good results over the years.
Some people might be arguing their case because it concerns their own interests. Others simply feel that the existing system is good enough, so there's no need to change anything. They think it's fine as it is now, and it's better to avoid trouble.
Zhu Yunying didn't care about what those people thought. Although there were indeed some dissenting voices, the things that needed to be done still needed to be done, without a doubt.
The salt and iron monopoly must definitely be taken back by the imperial court. The salt and iron monopoly is a bottom line. It is impossible to continue allowing some officials to collude with merchants, and it is impossible to allow some people to do things that harm the public for personal gain.
The salt and iron monopoly will definitely need to be gradually taken back. As for the "gradual" approach, it actually means a few months from now, which is the upcoming year 2 of England. This will give many people some time to make adjustments.
The Ministry of Revenue seemed pleased, even though the Ming Dynasty now appeared to have a little more money. Who wouldn't like having more silver in the treasury? It was definitely a good thing.
Having taken away the Kaizhongfa (a type of commercial law), Zhu Yunying didn't forget to appease some people. He wasn't very supportive of overly active commercial development. However, Zhu Yunying also hoped that the commercial market could be a little more active, and that the Ming Dynasty needed a slightly more active market economy. There was no harm in it, and it was something Zhu Yunying should do.
The Maritime Trade Office could offer some benefits, a point that Zhu Yunying had carefully considered.
Zhu Yunying had always attached great importance to the Maritime Trade Office. Originally, it was his "private property," with the navy primarily involved. Gradually, he opened up the process, allowing the Ministry of Revenue to participate, so that the imperial court could capture the largest share of this large pie.
Now, it's not just about giving the existing royal family a share; it's also necessary to involve some ordinary people. Zhu Yunying believed this was the most correct approach, as these were the benefits of the court providing a safety net.
“I think state-owned enterprises are pretty good,” Zhu Yunying muttered to herself, analyzing, “People used to always complain about them, saying that state-owned enterprises are bad. But with state-owned enterprises, a sound industrial system can help the country develop. The state will provide a safety net and vigorously develop areas that are weak or require time to develop.”
As development progresses, the government appears to be withdrawing some of its power, allowing private sector involvement.
Continuing to develop is one thing, but the most important thing is that whether it's state-owned enterprises or private forces, they all belong to the country and to the Ming Dynasty, which is better for the Zhu family's rule.
“In Liaodong, or rather, I could say I’m setting up a construction corps.” After thinking it over carefully, Zhu Yunying smiled. “Although I can offer some incentives, it won’t develop in the short term. We still need administrative power and law enforcement agencies. Military households that haven’t been fighting for a while and have land reclamation rights are the most suitable option.”
The need for the Production and Construction Corps extends beyond Liaodong, Fujian, and Guangdong; it's also needed in places like Jingchu. The infrastructure there is relatively better, and with Zhu Yunying's vigorous development efforts, results can be seen in a relatively short time.
The construction corps is definitely a good thing. Although these people will suffer more and work harder, their sacrifices will certainly be more beneficial to the future development of the Ming Dynasty.
"The Maritime Trade Office has made some progress. Now, spices and gems from Southeast Asia can basically enrich the Ming Dynasty's resources. Moreover, these things are basically for the wealthy, so we can extract money from their pockets." Zhu Yunying thought to himself with a smile, "The Production and Construction Corps and state-owned enterprises should also have them."
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