The court officials were not in the mood to care about the marriage of the eleventh princess for a while. Those who had originally blamed Su Yao had their attention diverted, and everyone began to talk about another matter - Zhejiang Governor Pang Qingping wrote a letter to the court requesting the establishment of a Maritime Customs Office in Zhejiang, the construction of a port, and the opening of maritime trade.
When the news came out, it sparked heated discussion.
Some people said that Pang Qingping's idea was just a fantasy. The situation at sea changed rapidly, and no one could tell what would happen on the calm sea the next moment. During the previous dynasty, maritime trade was open for a period of time, but not only did merchant ships often encounter accidents, but the opening of the seaport also attracted pirates and Japanese pirates, and the coastal areas had never been peaceful.
Everyone believes that the current Japanese invasion was caused by the opening of maritime trade at that time.
Because of the opening of maritime trade, many people made a living on the sea. Over time, many people who went to the sea started to engage in piracy and joined the pirate team.
This is a persistent problem.
Even though the imperial court has banned maritime trade, Japanese pirates can still frequently invade the coastal areas. Once maritime trade is opened, who can say whether the Japanese pirates will not attack in large numbers in the future
The officials were divided into two factions, some agreed and some disagreed, and they argued fiercely in the court.
At this time, Pang Qingping submitted another memorial.
He asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate money to allow Jiangsu and Zhejiang to train the navy.
The Minister of Revenue wanted to spit in his face. Even though he was the Duke of Pingguo, the eldest brother of the Imperial Concubine, and the uncle of the Eleventh Princess and the Fifth Prince, the Minister of Revenue could not care less at this moment.
Let’s not talk about whether it is reliable or not. If this memorial is approved, how much silver will the Ministry of Revenue have to give
He repeatedly objected, saying that the Ministry of Revenue could not provide the money.
Training the navy and building a port would cost several million taels of silver. Where would the Ministry of Revenue get so much money? Money is needed everywhere!
Pang Qingping went to the Ministry of Revenue in person.
The Minister of Revenue didn't want to see him at all, and used the excuse that he was not there, and asked people to send the god away quickly.
But Pang Qingping was a bit of a rogue. He came every day, and the Minister of Revenue had to see him. He had no choice but to meet the uncle of the emperor. He said angrily, "Uncle of the emperor, it's not that our Ministry of Revenue is crying poor, but that we really have no money! Think about it, the national tax revenue is so little. Last year, there were floods in Jiangxi and Hunan, and drought in Henan. These were all real money allocated for disaster relief! There is also the city defense of Jizhou, the fortress of Ziwei Pass, the military pay of the Northwest Army, and the military pay of your coastal troops. All of these require money! Our Ministry of Revenue is stretched to the limit, and you still come to ask for money! Where can we get so much?!"
Pang Qingping was not in a hurry. He waited until the Minister of Revenue had finished venting his anger before he calmly said, "I know, I know. I also know that it is not easy for you and the court. Isn't this because I am also thinking about the court?"
He poured a cup of tea for the Minister of Revenue and said in a familiar manner, "Old Qian, I know you have a hard time, but we in Zhejiang, not just Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong are also having a hard time! Just think about it, how much money is involved in maritime trade? I know you are a capable person, you can look through the records and account books and see how much tax the Maritime Customs had to contribute to the court every year when maritime trade was open?"
Seeing the Minister of Revenue in deep thought, Pang Qingping snorted coldly: "You don't know? Then let me tell you, at the peak, the Fujian Maritime Customs alone gave the court six million taels of silver a year! What does this mean? This is the tax revenue from Jiangxi and Hunan combined! With this money, what can't be done? Whatever the court wants to do in the future, it will be richer. There is no need to rob Peter to pay Paul!"
Seeing his excitement, the Minister of Finance could not help but retort: "How could I not know this? But you have to consider the situation! Maritime trade depends on the weather. There are so many pirates at sea, and many people lose both their lives and property. Besides, if there is a port, wouldn't it be more convenient for Japanese pirates and pirates? I don't think it will work!"
Who doesn’t want to eat meat? But the problem is that you may not get to eat the meat, but you may also end up getting into trouble.
Pang Qingping laughed, "That's why we need to build a navy, train our own sailors, and train a group of brave soldiers to fight against Japanese pirates! Why should we let pirates and Japanese pirates run rampant in such a big sea? If we have these, are we still afraid of not being able to keep the Maritime Customs? Old Qian, don't play dumb with me. How much silver does Fujian pay in a year now? It's two-thirds less than when there was the Maritime Customs, right?! Tell me, where did all the silver go? It just went into the hands of local wealthy families! If the court bans the sea, will they really not go out to sea? Others don't know, don't tell me you don't know!"
They just went underground and didn't have to pay any money to the court.
Minister Qian was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, he sighed, "It's difficult! Lord, let me tell you the truth. Even if the Ministry of Revenue gives you this silver, your idea won't work!"
Why not
The reason is very simple.
Before the Maritime Customs, the maritime trade business was monopolized by the people in Fujian. It all belonged to them, and all the profits were theirs. However, after the Maritime Customs was built and maritime trade was opened up, most of the silver belonged to the imperial court. In order to get the silver, the imperial court naturally had to issue passes to the ships.
what does that mean
This means that anyone who can afford the money is eligible to go to sea.
By then, what advantages will those people in Fujian have
This is taking food from those people's mouths, and the officials from the southeast will definitely strongly oppose it.
At this time, there were some signs of a changing wind direction in the court.
Pang Qingping was very relaxed. He smiled and said, "I don't care what others think. I just want to discuss this with you now so that you don't object. As for other people, we can talk about it later. What are you afraid of?"
What are you afraid of
Minister Qian didn't know whether the Duke was stupid or not. Were his staff just there to eat and do nothing
Who can forgive you for stealing other people's jobs like this
He shook his head.
At this time, Grandpa Pang was waiting for his son to come home. As soon as his son got home, he asked, "Why, what did Old Qian say?"
The father and son already had a tacit understanding, and there was no need to say much about many things. They understood each other. Old Master Pang knew his son's plan and expressed his support.
Pang Qingping washed his face and felt a burning sensation in his throat. This was because he had talked too much in the Ministry of Revenue and was so busy trying to convince Old Qian that he didn't even bother to drink water. His throat felt like it was spitting fire. He quickly took a few sips of cold tea and only then did he feel better. He said to his father, "Of course he understands everything. This old fox is afraid of causing trouble, so he doesn't agree. I told him that after the construction of the Maritime Customs, the Ministry of Revenue will not be short of money in the future. How could he not agree? He had nothing to say."
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