Chapter 161 New Events and New Scenes (Part 2)

"Your Majesty is joking, how can I have any secret recipe?" Li Tingzhi was originally a serious and polite person. If he hadn't been in a good mood, he would have no use of the word "joking". As soon as Li Jun asked, his eyes shone brightly, like the stars in the sky, shining with light. Half a year ago, when Li Jun left Lin'an, the anxiety in his eyes was gone.

The reason why he was in a good mood was that seeing Li Jun again was an extremely important factor, but his own good mood was another important factor. If you get together, do you have a good mood?

Although he had just said something, Wen Tianxiang and his friends' eyes were filled with joy, they naturally knew why Li Tingzhi was so happy.

"Your Majesty, I won't have to worry about it. Eat well and sleep soundly, and my hair will be less." Li Tingzhi said with a smile. Even if he didn't say this, Li Jun felt it.

"A good mood makes people young!" Li Jun thought of this popular saying in modern society in his mind, and asked impatiently: "Xiangfu, what is the matter that makes you worry?" This is the key to the problem. Li Jun knew that Li Tingzhi was going to say it, but in a hurry, he still asked impatiently.

Li Jun was originally a steady person. Li Tingzhi's change was too unexpected, so Li Jun was curious. Thinking about the word "money" when Li Jun left Lin'an half a year ago, Li Tingzhi was worried about the word "money". Li Jun, who is familiar with Li Tingzhi once said that Li Tingzhi was "focused on money". Now he is in a strange mood. Not to mention that Li Jun is curious, even if anyone else would react like him.

"Your Majesty, I have money." Li Tingzhi said this very happily, looking relieved, as if a poor son suddenly broke out and became a rich man. He immediately knew that there was a grammatical problem in his words, so he quickly corrected: "It's the court that has money."

Li Jun smiled and said, "You Xiangfu, really look like a rich man." As soon as Li Jun finished speaking, it immediately caused a chuckle, which was the laughter of Wen Tianxiang and the others.

"The emperor doesn't know, Xiangfu is telling the truth." Wen Tianxiang helped Li Tingzhi explain and said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court's series of economic measures have been implemented very successfully. At the beginning of the year, we were worried about the silver. Now, as soon as the taxes come, the silver spent at the beginning of the year has been recovered 70% to 80%. We estimate that if next year or even longer, the taxes will be more, and the silver will fill the treasury." He said with great anticipation: "At that time, the imperial court will spend money to repair the treasury again."

To put it in modern economics, this is "cash is well collected." Only a good economic system can perform so well.

Wen Tianxiang is a loyal and upright man, and he is rigorous and never says such a longing than reality. He doesn't have to think about the reason why he said this, they must have predicted it and have an absolute certainty of the economic development of the Southern Song Dynasty, otherwise he would not say so even if he was cut off his head.

For Li Jun, Wen Tianxiang's words were the best gift. He pointed at Wen Tianxiang and laughed, saying, "You are good and you have learned to brag. Good and good, it is not a problem to repair the national treasury. If there is really a day when the national treasury is full, the court will give the money to the people, so that the people can spend money, so as to avoid decay and unusable."

There is an allusion hidden in this statement, which is that the famous "Wenjing Reign" in the history of the Western Han Dynasty achieved great success. The people were rich. The Western Han Dynasty court had enough money. It was too much money to put it in the warehouse and destroyed the ropes of money. (Note: Later generations criticized Emperor Wu of Han and praised the rule of Wenjing, which was actually wrong. The achievements made by Emperor Wu of Han in just a few years exceeded the achievements of Emperor Wenjing for decades.)

When Li Jun and his ministers met, the atmosphere was good. If they were to joke like this, the atmosphere would be even better. They all laughed so hard that they were so happy.

Lu Xiufu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I dared to joke, but I can't use it. The economic conditions of the court have just improved. Although it is a happy event, there are many places where the court spends money."

"Lu Xiufu is straightforward, and it turns out. This is a revelation and is very refreshing." Li Jun praised Lu Xiufu in his heart and said, "What Lu Xiufu said is extremely true, and he can only be regarded as a joke, and he cannot be regarded as true." Looking at Li Tingzhi, he smiled and said, "Xiangfu, your hair may be more, and your good mood will not last much time, and you will make money feel unhappy."

Although Li Jun did not clearly explain what would make the disappearing Huafa again on Li Tingzhi's temples, Li Ting and others were all extremely talented and had no unexpected truth. Naturally, they understood that what Li Jun was talking about was the upcoming Northern Expedition, which would be a bottomless pit, and silver would flow out like flowing water. By then, Li Tingzhi, a senior official of the Secretariat, would be worried again.

The upcoming Northern Expedition will inevitably be a sacrificial effort, and military expenditure will be an astronomical figure, which is unimaginable. Not to mention the economy of the Southern Song Dynasty that has just improved, even a few mountains of gold and silver will be used up.

"Prince, please rest assured. I will do my best to ensure military expenditures." Li Tingzhi said confidently: "As long as the court needs it, I will get money even if I don't eat or drink. With the current economic foundation, I dare to predict that the court will be better."

Everything is difficult at the beginning. The economic policies implemented by Li Jun are based on current economic theory, which combine the relationship between demand and supply well. The Southern Song Dynasty invested a lot of money to build some infrastructure and purchase a large amount of military supplies, which will drive the development of the Southern Song Dynasty's economy. The upcoming Northern Expedition also has this effect. If used well, the economic foundation of the Southern Song Dynasty will be stronger.

Some people say that "war is a bleeding wound". If a bad person is a bad person, it will provoke or even destroy the country. This has indeed happened in history. However, it does not mean that there is no way to heal the wound. As long as the relationship between "butter and cannon" is well coordinated, the country will benefit from it and will become stronger and stronger as the war begins. (Note: Butter and cannon are an economic example, butter refers to people's livelihood supplies, and cannons refer to military supplies.)

The most famous example is to "fight to support war" by conquering a large amount of wealth from conquered areas, making themselves stronger and rich. The war of foreign conquest led by Genghis Khan when he was alive is the most typical example, robbing a large amount of wealth from conquered areas, making the Mongols rich.

This requires a prerequisite, that is, to conquer the region, you must be very rich, and to have resources and mineral wealth that can be plundered. The Central Plains is indeed rich and fully meets this condition, but it is your own land and the people of China. It is impossible to achieve your goal through this method. You can only make the country stronger and stronger through your own "hematopoietic function", which requires a good economic system.

It is precisely based on this understanding that Li Juncai, under pressure, implemented reforms and strived to build an excellent economic system to support the war of restoration. With a good economic system, even if the war is over, the people will benefit from it. The reason is very simple. A good economic system is the cornerstone of the country. It can not only make the country invincible in the war, but also benefit the people.

The most recent example of being powerful in war is the United States. The United States has a good economic system that has benefited a lot from the two world wars. In particular, World War II pushed the United States to the peak of world hegemony. On the contrary, due to many reasons, economic problems are an extremely important reason, but they have gone to division. (Note: This is only my personal opinion, and friends don’t have to take it seriously.)

Li Tingzhi's words were immediately approved by Wen Tianxiang and the others, and he said, "Yes, the emperor!"

After hearing Li Tingzhi's words, Li Jun smiled so hard that his eyes were only a small gap. Not only did he get the promise of Li Tingzhi, an extremely talented politician, but it also showed that although the economic system of the Southern Song Dynasty was not very good, he could at least bear the consumption of the war. For Li Jun, this was what he dreamed of, and it would be wrong if he was unhappy.

"Xiangfu's words are full of confidence, and it makes people happy." Li Jun asked with a smile: "Xiangfu, can I be more specific, and I am happy too."

"Emperor, the imperial court's silver mainly comes from two aspects. One is the surge in foreign trade. The customs collected tariffs several times more than the imperial court's direct overseas trade." Li Tingzhi said excitedly: "If it weren't for the emperor's wise and wise, I would never have thought of setting up a customs to manage overseas trade and impose tariffs." Yan Lai was extremely impressed and was very impressed.

"Who doesn't know about customs in modern society? What's so strange about it? These ancients are really rare and strange." Li Jun dared not accept Li Tingzhi's praise in his heart.

Wen Tianxiang and the others agreed and agreed with Li Tingzhi's words. Wen Tianxiang said: "The emperor's move is really clever. If the ministers think, the court will get more money from directly participating in trade. This will compete with the people for profit. Although the court has the money, the people will get less money." After a pause, he said: "In fact, the people engaged in overseas trade are mainly wealthy businessmen. They have less money and will not harm the overall situation."

In ancient times, merchants had no status. Although Li Jun had taken measures to improve their status and encourage them to engage in trade, it would take a short time to eliminate this prejudice, and Wen Tianxiang said this.

His words were immediately approved by Liao Shenggong and others, and he said, "Yes, the emperor. The tariffs should be raised."

Tariffs are both a way to increase taxes and a trade barrier established by modern society to protect national industries. The Southern Song Dynasty's economic and technological technology was very developed, and it was almost impossible to compete with the Southern Song Dynasty in business. After Li Jun came to this world, he brought a lot of new things, which made the Southern Song Dynasty's advantage in economic and technological. It was almost redundant to treat tariffs as trade barriers. The main purpose was to increase the silver in the national treasury.

Li Jun knew the harm caused to the economy by excessive tariffs, and immediately rejected: "This is not advisable. If the court raises the tariffs, it will be very unfavorable to the court. You can think about it, if you were a businessman and had silver in your hands, what would you do? Needless to say, it is very likely that you would do some extravagant things that are useless to the court and the people. In addition, you would use the silver to make money, invite more people, collect more goods, and do bigger business. The court would have more silver, and the people would have more life, their income would increase, and their lives would be better."

In today's terms, businessmen have more money. In addition to making mistresses and finding lovers, messing with relationships between men and women, and buying luxury goods, they will also invest, expand scale and promote employment.

Li Tingzhi and the others were all very smart people. After thinking for a moment, they immediately understood and said, "The emperor is wise, I can't wait."

"It's not that you can't imagine, but that you have preconceived ideas and keep the things that merchants do that are unhappy in their hearts." Li Jun said in a word: "Businessmen will definitely do these things that are shameful, but not everyone will do them. As long as the court adjusts well, it will generally benefit the court and the people more than they will harm the people."

Rich people are not only a common problem in society, but also a historical problem. There are any era, dynasty, and any country, and no one has the ability to eliminate it! It is impossible for God!

Wen Tianxiang immediately said: "Your Majesty, I will strengthen supervision and guidance of them."

Li Jun tugged his hands and said, "Yes, that's it. Overseas trade has increased very quickly. Have you summed up the reasons?"

Liao Shenggong continued: "The emperor, Xiangfu, Lu Shan, and Lord Lu and others discussed this. There are two main reasons: First, the court no longer adopts countermeasures to restrict business development by 'focusing agriculture and suppressing the end', and the number of people engaged in business naturally increased. Another reason is that the overseas security environment has been greatly improved. In the past, it was very dangerous to engage in overseas trade, either looting pirates or making things difficult for small countries like Ma Yi. Now, since Su Dingfang and others went out to sea to clear the pirates, the sea route has been safe and there are no pirates to cause harm. What's even more rare is that after Su Dingfang and others bombarding Manila, they shocked the countries. Small countries like Ma Yi no longer dare to make things difficult for the people of our dynasty." A sentence concluded: "If you want overseas trade to not grow stronger!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Tingzhi and the others lit up their heads quickly, and agreed, saying, "What General Liao said is very true."

"This is all the credit of Su Dingfang and Fang Mao. The court must remember them." Li Jun asked with great concern: "I wonder how they are now? Is there any news coming back?"

Du Dayong said: "Go back to the emperor, since Lord Su and the others left Ma Yi, no news has been heard back. I think Lord Su and the others are lucky and will not be in trouble."

It is impossible to get news in the vast ocean. Li Jun was still worried and said, "I hope that as you, Jin Yan, Manila, these rented ports, the imperial court must manage them well, and build them into a safe haven for overseas Chinese to deal with emergencies."

Li Jun thought proudly: "In modern times, foreigners forced their territories to rent land for rent. I didn't expect that I set a precedent in this world. History is reversed, and we rented land from other countries."

"Your Majesty, I have sent someone to die. Cement, building materials, and skilled personnel. It will take less time for these ports to be replaced with their old appearance." Li Tingzhi replied.

Li Jun admired Li Tingzhi's foresight and asked: "Xiangfu, what is the other reason?"

"Back to the emperor, I think it is mainly because the people have more money in their hands and they buy more things than before. The merchants are really tempted by money and they create whatever the people need. In this way, the merchants have more money in their hands, and the more taxes collected by the court will be collected." Li Tingzhi pondered for a moment and said, "I really can't quite understand this matter. How can the silver invested by the court have such an effect? ​​It's simply silver to produce silver."

This is a theory in modern economics. Not to mention the ancients, even when modern people are exposed to it, they will be confused. Li Tingzhi, the ancients, naturally had problems understanding. Li Jun knew that if he wanted to explain it clearly, it would cost a lot of verbal words. What he wanted to know most now is good news, and he said: "Just be a good thing."

"Yes, the emperor, I think so too. As long as it is beneficial to the people and the court, let them do it." Wen Tianxiang praised Li Jun's words and said, "The emperor doesn't know that these people really have sharpened their heads and sucked in the money. The imperial reconstruction plan was only launched and the plan was made to build houses for the people. The merchants immediately found the court and asked the court to hand over the matter to them. They could build houses for the people, and the people could buy them from them, and the silver could be paid in installments. However, it was enough to ask the court to guarantee the people." Yan Lai was a little disdainful of the merchant's sensitive reaction.

"Is this a Song Dynasty version of real estate speculation and installment payment? The creativity of the ancients was amazing. As long as they were given a head, God knew what kind of imagination they would have." Li Jun was surprised by the creativity of the ancients and asked, "Did you agree?" This is a new thing in the Southern Song Dynasty, a very good sign, and Li Jun couldn't help but be anxious.

Li Tingzhi spoke and said, "The emperor, I, Lu, General Liao, General Du and others discussed it and thought that it would be better to hand over to the merchants to handle this matter than to the court directly, reducing the court's silver expenditure. Their conditions were still acceptable, so they agreed."

This is indeed an exciting thing. If the court came forward directly to rebuild housing for the people, a large amount of silver would be invested immediately. It was too difficult for the Southern Song Dynasty at that time. If these merchants dealt with it, they could save this huge amount of silver. No matter how much praise it is, it would not be an exaggeration.

They asked the people to give money in installments. In two or three years, the economic conditions of the Southern Song Dynasty would be better, and the people would have more money in their hands, and there would be no big problems in paying the house. Even if someone could not afford it, with the court's guarantee, the problem would be much easier to deal with. It can be said that this is a great thing that is beneficial to the people, the court, and merchants.

"You did a good job in this matter." Li Jun was very happy and said, "It's just that you have to supervise well, and you can't let them cheat the people, and you can't let them use inferior products as good people."

Wen Tianxiang immediately said: "Prince, please rest assured. I have established a special agency with Shen Bi to supervise it."
Chapter completed!