Chapter 38 2. Treatment of salt and iron, Yuan Shizu's financial management

Kublai Khan wanted to go south and north, and he needed a strong economic foundation as a guarantee.As the saying goes, before soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first.If the food and pay for hundreds of thousands of troops cannot be supplied, the consequences will be disastrous.Therefore, if he wants to launch a war against the Southern Song Dynasty, if he wants to use force against Haidu, he must first solve the financial problem. In the third year of Zhongtong, that is, in 1261, the focus of Kublai Khan's court meeting turned to how to increase fiscal revenue and how to provide him with a lot of motivation to start the war machine.This time, Prince Zhenjin, those Han Confucians, and the Minister of Finance—the newly appointed minister who is also in charge of the left and right departments of Zhongshu, and also serves as the transshipment envoy of all roads, and the minister specially appointed to handle financial and tax affairs, all came to him in front of.

Zhenjin first said: "Father, the sons and ministers have studied it carefully. Tang Taizong once said, 'The people are water; the king is a boat. Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.' Therefore, a gentleman should be Governance is based on virtue. As the king of a country, the sons and ministers believe that the people must be kept in mind and implement benevolent government. If the people are harmed and served by the body, it is like cutting off the thighs to eat the belly, and the stomach is full and the body is dead. Therefore, the ministers think that the current plan , it is advisable to order light corvees and light taxes, so that the common people can recuperate."

Shi Tianze also said: "Your Majesty, what the crown prince said is very true! At the beginning of the founding of the country, the people should be allowed to recuperate. After thirty or fifty years, the national strength will recover, and the finance and economy will naturally improve. You must not drink poison to quench your thirst, and go fishing in a dry lake!" Kublai Khan had thought about all these issues. It's not that he didn't understand these issues. He had listened to Liu Bingzhong talk about Tang Taizong governing the country since he was a child, and he took Tang Taizong as a political example.However, the situation does not allow him to be like this. Haidu is ready to move in Central Asia, and the Southern Song Dynasty is still threatening the safety of the Mongolian Empire. As Yao Shu said, the cost of these two items is really not a small number. It will be destroyed at once, and the consequences will be too serious.money!How much I need you!What I need is inexhaustible financial resources!money!Only with money can he create greater achievements than his grandfather Genghis Khan.Let myself wait for another forty or fifty years, even if it is twenty or thirty years, I can't wait any longer.At that time, I had become an octogenarian, how could I realize this long-cherished wish?For the current plan, whoever can find a source of income for him is a loyal and capable minister.

He subconsciously looked at his supervisor Ahmad.But Ahema purposely glanced to the side, admiring the pictures of dragons and phoenixes on the pillars of the main hall. It seemed that if he didn't ask Ahema, he wouldn't take the initiative to talk about it.Kublai Khan knew that when he was still the king of Zong, Ahema was in charge of the palace of the king of Zong.He came up with ideas frequently, and made clear and safe the regulations for the financial management of the Zongwang Mansion.Now, after appointing him as the minister of finance and taxation in the whole country, his income has increased greatly and the treasury has also been filled.He has seen all of these, but these alone are not enough!

Seeing Ahema's reluctance to pay attention, Kublai Khan had no choice but to ask: "Ahema, it is your duty to increase fiscal revenue. What are your plans? Let me hear." At this moment, Ahema hurriedly took a step forward, made a deep bow and said, "I think this is not a difficult task!" "Huh?" Hearing what he said, Kublai Khan felt that there was something in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "Tell me quickly!" Ahema is the best at analyzing the situation and guessing Kublai Khan's thoughts. He felt that it was time to express his position, so he stood up with a smile and said to Kublai Khan, "Your Majesty, I will never let you worry about money and food." It's not that I'm boasting that the military expenses for the conquest of Haidu and the Song Dynasty are all covered by me alone. I dare to say to Your Majesty that I am your inexhaustible cash cow!"

Zhen Jin was extremely disgusted with Ahema, glared at him, and said coldly: "Are you going to increase the taxes of the common people again? Unrestrained demands are extortionate extortion! ! Do you know? This will force the people to rebel and cause disaster!" Kublai Khan felt that Zhenjin was a bit sensational, and what he needed now was money, so he said to Zhenjin: "Well, let him finish his thoughts. He is responsible for this issue. If you don't let him talk, how can it be done?" What about it?" He turned to Ahema again: "Yes, we can't always increase the burden on the people, after all, the people are not rich."

Ahema was soft but hard, and said to Zhenjin with a smile: "Prince, where are you going? The emperor is sympathetic to the people and cares about Li Shu. How can Ahema impose violent taxes regardless of the life and death of the people? In that case, not only the prince would not agree, but Even the emperor will not agree, will he? Your majesty, I have a good way to increase the revenue of the treasury!" Kublai Khan was eager to know what good ways Ahema had to increase his income, nodded, and hurriedly said: "Yes, I will definitely not agree. Ahema, tell me quickly, what good ideas do you have?"

Ahe Ma was confident, and talked eloquently: "After the establishment of the Mongolian Empire, the people's life was stable and the wealth was abundant. Especially the emperor's national policy of promoting water conservancy and encouraging agriculture and mulberry gave the people a taste of the sweetness. Now, in the hands of the people It's not that there is no money, but that we haven't used our brains to collect money from the people. Chen recently came up with a good way to make the money in the treasury roll, turn over, and grow upwards! " Kublai Khan was both surprised and delighted, "Haha, what's the best way to be so attractive? Tell me quickly and let me hear."

Ahema said: "The emperor, in short, is the 'salt and iron official camp'." "Oh?" Kublai Khan also knew that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Yantie had ordered Yantie to be operated officially because of "smelting, casting and cooking salt, which may cost tens of thousands of dollars, but not helping the public's urgent needs and the people's poverty."But I don't know how to make money. Seeing Ahema mentioning this question today, I am very interested and full of doubts. Seeing the emperor's puzzled look, Ahema became even more proud:

"Your Majesty, your servants have recently heard that the people in Taiyuan boiled private salt and sold it across the border. People from all over the country rushed to buy and eat their salt because of the cheap price. This action caused a large loss of national tax money. Last year, the imperial court made great efforts in this regard. The tax silver is only 7,500 taels, which is too little! The minister believes that the salt tax in Taiyuan should be increased by 5,000 taels of silver, and no matter monks, Taoists, sergeants, or craftsmen, as long as they eat salt, they must share the salt tax.”

He paused, glanced secretly at Kublai Khan sitting on the dragon chair, and saw that he was still full of expectation, so he went on to say: "The capital of a country has the most benefits like salt. Since Han Sang Hongyang began to discuss it, but later generations did not leave its benefits. This is the case in all dynasties, why don't we also take it? For the convenience of management, I suggest that the emperor set up capital transshipment envoys in the main salt-producing areas in the north and south to manage the salt administration. In other areas, a salt department or a tea and salt promotion department will be set up. In this way, the government can strictly control the production of salt. In terms of production, it is necessary to send special kitchen households to produce salt. The production process of salt in designated salt farms is strictly supervised, and the products must be handed over to the state in full. As for the sale of salt, my subordinates thought that we could set up Changping Salt Bureaus in various places, and the government could sell salt directly. The salt department or the household department pays money in exchange for salt imports, and uses the salt imports to receive salt from designated salt farms or salt warehouses, and then sells it to various places. Of course, they can also go to designated places to pay grain in exchange for leading the sale of salt. In this way, whether it is the government Whether it is sales or salt merchants buying salt, we can include the salt tax, and the court’s salt tax revenue will not be lost in vain.” Ahema went on to play Xiaojiujiu: "Last year, the whole country produced more than 2.564 million yuan of official salt. In this way, every citation received seven taels of silver. The increase in income of more than 7.661 million ingots accounts for seventy-eight out of ten of this year's treasury revenue!" Ahema continued: "Ironware is popular among the people, and the harm is not shallow. It is not enough to simply take over the mining and smelting rights of iron ore to the imperial court. The manufacturing and trading rights of ironware should also be taken over to the imperial court. The price is set by the imperial court. In this way, iron smelting can also increase our income. Last year, a minister served as a minister in Kaiping, and appointed Minister of Rites, Ma Yuehe, to also manage the 3,000 households without household registration that have been investigated. 1,037,000 catties, 200,000 pieces of iron cast and forged agricultural tools were used, and a total of 40,000 stones were handed over to the public in exchange for grain. The number of households in the country has reached 1,948,870 , Life and production require iron tools, Your Majesty calculates, how much income should be earned from this item alone! Add in the income from the salt monopoly, the money is more than enough!" "Haha! That's great!" Kublai Khan was very happy, almost ecstatic: "Fine! That's great! Ahema, I really have you! I didn't misunderstand you!" Shi Tianze, Lian Xixian and others immediately went out to play and said: "Your Majesty, absolutely not, don't listen to his bewitching. Nowadays, the common people have land rent, land tax, plus vinegar class, food sheep money, contract capital, calendar money, The people are already overwhelmed by the house and land money, as well as the additional taxes on trees and rivers. The emperor has not heard the folk ballad recently, "The dike is raised in the sound of Bo Xie, and the seagulls will know it after the officials know it. Penglai has a way to teach people. Annual tax Zizhi'. Although this is the most important tax in the late Tang Dynasty, it also shows people's aversion to the new tax. Today, in the name of increasing taxes, Ahema is flattering, deceitful, and cunning to search for wealth They took advantage of the opportunity to enrich themselves, arbitrarily arranging their power for profiteering. I am afraid that it is not the blessing of the people, but the blessing of the country! I dare to say, please kill Ahema to enlighten the world!" "Your Majesty, your servants are wronged! Why are your servants guilty of sharing labors for the country and relieving the emperor's worries? These Han people only know how to play power and tricks, and they all love money like their lives. They lose the chain at critical moments, but they fabricate it in front of the sage. Fact, do you have any evidence? I have evidence, I won’t say anything else, I’ll just mention one example, which is enough to explain. According to the report, Cui Bin, the prefect of Jianghuai, embezzles more than 200,000 shi of official food every year, please Your Majesty look into it.” Kublai Khan was dissatisfied with these Han people who only knew empty talk and could not get money for him, so he said: "Okay, find out the truth as soon as possible, if the situation is true, I will kill you immediately!" This is a warning to those courtiers who want to speak again. "Alas!" Seeing that the time was ripe, Ahema sighed, pretending to be embarrassed, and said, "Your Majesty, although I have a good idea, it is really difficult to realize it..." "Why? Aiqing shared my worries, is there anyone who disagrees?" Kublai Khan glanced at the courtiers standing on both sides, and asked with a serious expression. Ahema shook his head: "That's not true." "Since no one is objecting now, why can't it be realized?" Kublai Khan was quite puzzled. Ahema said: "Your Majesty, think about it. To realize the minister's idea involves all aspects. Although the minister is in charge of finance and taxation, many things cannot be mastered." Only then did the ministers understand that Ahema was asking for an official position. In November of the autumn of this year, Kublai Khan ordered the abolition of the left and right departments of the Lingzhongshu and merged them into the Zhongshu Province. Ahema was appointed as the political affairs of the Zhongshu Pingzhang by leapfrogging, and he was promoted to Doctor Ronglu. Kublai Khan appointed Ahema to collect money for him. Only the two items of salt and iron increased a large amount of tax revenue for him every year, which provided a strong material guarantee for him to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty in the south and Pinghai in Beiping.Of course, the increase in these taxes will inevitably increase the burden on the people, and soon after the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, there will be a situation where "everyone harvests grains to the age of millions of hu, but the common people have nothing to hide".