"This is the official document posted by the government," Zhu Youjian lamented, but the government's publicity is not effective. These businessmen have some culture. They would rather be slaughtered by the government than spend time to understand the New Deal, let alone those who don't know a big character. Ordinary people, "The two proprietors saw many official documents from the government on the city wall of Nanjing. They are all the New Deals that are being implemented. If they master the content of the New Deal, they can naturally protect their own interests. For example, the commercial tax is ten. Five taxes and one. Once the government collects too much, we can refuse the government, and at the worst, we can give Jin Yiwei some information so that officials who violate the law can't eat it."
"The shopkeeper Wang said that after returning, I will have people copy all the notices." Zhou Rusheng bowed his hand to Zhu Youzhen and thanked him.
"It seems that I will also pay attention to the official announcements in the future," Liu Zhongjun also thanked Zhu Youjian, "Treasurer Wang, it seems that we should invite this afternoon tea."
"You don't have to be polite, Dongzhu Liu. If you say something good, don't change it." Zhu Youzhen is still calm.
Seeing Zhu Youzhen’s attitude, Zhou Rusheng estimated that he had a lot of money on hand, and he really wanted to develop in Nanjing. They might not be able to help, but since Zhu Youzhen had already expressed his stance, he was not arrogant, but Liu Zhongjun was still a little bit. Reluctant to pay the taxes and silver that is about to be paid, "Although like the treasurer Wang said, the court always levied these taxes and silver..."
Zhu Youzhen smiled faintly, "As the proprietor Liu knows, what benefits can merchants get after paying these taxes?"
"Benefits?" Liu Zhongjun was puzzled. "Paying these taxes for nothing, what good are I waiting for?"
"Haha, Dongzhu Liu does not know that the New Deal in the north is to promote the equality of all peoples," Zhu Youjian raised his hands and saluted in the direction of Beijing. "Science, peasants, businessmen and soldiers, Daming has been a privileged class for hundreds of years. Make the past."
Zhou Rusheng squinted his eyes, obviously thinking deeply, "The shopkeeper Wang meant..."
"From now on, there will be no distinction between scholars, farmers, merchants, and soldiers. The five central and southern five provinces will soon start compulsory education. No matter what their original status, all children can go to school, participate in imperial examinations, and in the future. Officer," Zhu Youjian picked up a cup of tea and sipped a cup of scented tea, "It's like now, when a soldier has a child in the future, he will still be a soldier. No matter how much money we earn, we can only have the fate of doing business. "
"What the shopkeeper Wang said, is it true?" Zhou Rusheng has a lot of fortunes. Although he is not a wealthy merchant, it is more than enough to train his children and grandchildren to study. If the children and grandchildren can be part and half officials, they will not look down on others in the future.
"Of course it is true. The five northern provinces have already implemented it," Zhu Youjian chuckles. "However, it will not be a special honor to be an official in the future. Since all people are equal, everyone can be an official, and officials are not uncommon. ."
"Otherwise," Zhou Rusheng shook his head, "In any case, it's still a matter of the ancestors and ancestors."
"Zhou Dongzhu's words are not necessarily correct." Zhu Youjian knew that Confucianism had already penetrated into the bones of the people. If you want to change their ideas, it is not a matter of overnight, you have to let them see the real facts, "If you are an official in the future, but A dangerous profession, a little carelessness, may be brought to justice."
Liu Zhongjun raised his head, obviously disapproving, "Treasurer Wang's words are a bit shocking, right?"
"Haha, it is not necessarily a good thing to be an official in the future," Zhu Youjian thought of the slang of later generations, "to keep the poverty, tolerate the deserted, to hear the instructions, to see the people, think about it, both of you. Being an official can’t be greedy for ink, and whether his salary can support his family is certain. How many people are still vying to be an official?"
"Is this really the case?" Zhou Rusheng muttered to himself, "What will this world be like?"
"The two proprietors, if we don't see anything outside, we are the businessman at ease," Zhu Youzhen turned around, looking a little arrogant. "As long as you have money in your hands, you can do whatever you want."
"That is, that is." Liu Zhongjun nodded again and again, but he forgot that the New Deal could not directly bring him the income of money, and everything needed to work hard on his own.
"Treasurer Wang, what business are you planning to do in Nanjing?" Zhou Rusheng asked after a long time.
"I, let's take a look first," Zhu Youzhan smiled slightly, "My main business in the north is leather goods. It seems that there is no market in Nanjing. Let's take a look first."
"If shopkeeper Wang has a leisure time, you can go to the Qinhuai River. The view of the Qinhuai River for ten miles is not ordinary!" Liu Zhongjun lowered his voice and smiled mysteriously.
Zhou Rusheng gave Liu Zhongjun a blank look, "I know Qinhuai River, the treasurer Wang is a big business man!"
"Haha," Zhu Youjian raised his head and laughed, "Ten miles of the Qinhuai River, the Golden Powder Land of the Six Dynasties, it sounds good!" Suddenly the topic changed. I must go to the Qinhuai River to experience it. At that time, Dongzhu Liu will be a guide, haha..."
Zhu Youjian left the tea shop and visited several places, and found that it was mainly because the publicity of the government was not in place, and that the people, especially the businessmen, did not know enough about the New Deal.
He called a Jin Yiwei, whispered a few words, and asked him to go to Tian Mingda, the governor of Jiangnan Province, to strengthen the propaganda of the New Deal and let the people see the positive side of the New Deal.
When he left Nanjing City, Wang Mujiu had already prepared his horses. Now there are cement roads from Nanjing Prefecture to Zhenjiang Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Songjiang Prefecture (now Shanghai). The cement pavement is too hard, and the horseshoes are covered with thick cotton. .
It was only two hundred and fifty miles from Nanjing to Suzhou, but Zhu Youjian stopped and went all the way, and only reached the city of Suzhou after noon the next day.
As usual, Wang Mujiu took his soldiers and horses to a military camp outside the city. He only said that it was military exchanges, but he did not disclose Zhu Youjian's itinerary.
Accompanied by 20 guards including Fu Xiaojian, Zhu Youjian walked towards the west gate of Suzhou City. "Xiaojian, did you say that Liu Yuzhi, the girl, has returned to Suzhou City?"
"Huh?" Fu Xiaojian was stunned for a while before remembering her who had stayed in the Palace of the Qing Dynasty to study the spinning machine, "Your Majesty, take a boat from Dagu to the south, and then go up the river, and land in Suzhou Mansion, at most less than half a month. , She should have returned to Suzhou long ago."
"Oh!" Zhu Youjian didn't know why he thought of Liu Xianzhi, maybe there is only one acquaintance in Suzhou, "Xiaojian, go and take a look in the city. It is said that there is paradise in Suzhou and Hangzhou. I don't know how Suzhou is going. ."
"There is such a saying, Lord, let's go into the city and have a look."
Zhu Youzhen casually asked: "Is this praise of the beauty of Suzhou and Hangzhou, or a product? Or something else?"
"This..." Fu Xiaojian couldn't say for sure. "Master, the villain has never been to Suzhou and Hangzhou. This should refer to the beautiful scenery? It is said that the Suzhou River is densely covered with stone bridges.
"Maybe!" Zhu Youjian didn't know.
"Yes, enter the city." Fu Xiaojian was behind Zhu Youjian's side, and the rest of the guards followed behind.
Entering the city from Xichengmen, you are facing the wide West Street, turning Tiangongfangxiang, and two more streets, which is the Suzhou Government Office. Zhu Youjian was planning to find a restaurant to solve the belly problem first, and suddenly heard that the food came from the front. Noisy.
"Little Jian, what happened before? Find two people to see."
"Yes, Lord," Fu Xiaojian turned his head and nodded two guards, "Go and see what happened before. Come back and report to the Lord immediately."
The two guards ran over and came back after a while, "Also, the merchants surrounded the tax officer, and they refused to pay the business tax."
"Refused to pay taxes?" Zhu Youjian frowned. Could it be that the tax officer raised the commercial tax? No, it should be because the merchants were unwilling to pay commercial tax. He remembered the Nanjing merchants' ignorance of the New Deal, "You two come here!" Zhu Youjian whispered to them, and the two immediately turned around and ran outside the city.
Zhu Youjian sent out two more guards, "You go to inquire again and try to figure out why the merchants are unwilling to pay taxes."
"Yes, Lord!"
The two guards came back, and as expected by Zhu Youjian, it was not the government overweighting the merchants, but the merchants' unwillingness to pay taxes.
Zhu Youzhen is annoyed. This is a national policy. You are actually fighting taxes on the street!
About a stick of incense, hundreds of soldiers poured into the city, headed by a tall horse. It was Wang Mujiu. Almost next to him was an officer in his early thirties. Zhu Youjian didn’t know him. He should be outside the city. An officer in the garrison.
Wang Mujiu nodded at Zhu Youzhen, and Zhu Youzhen nodded likewise.
The people are still surrounded by tax officials, they are too numerous and their voices are so noisy that they don't even know that the army enters the city.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The intensive gunshots shocked the people onlookers. Although they had never seen flintlock guns, the loud sound was instinctively frightening.
Fortunately, the muzzle was up to the sky, and the people were not injured, but the people who were onlookers stopped together and the noise was gone.
"Who is bold enough to besiege the tax officer in the street? You want to rebel and fail?" The officer's voice was loud, and he was sitting on a horse, like a thunderbolt in mid-air.
The infantry at the back used flintlocks to point at the onlookers in front. The people did not dare to make a noise anymore, and some timid people began to sneak in.
Under the high pressure of the soldiers, the leading merchants had to wait and see for a while.
The tax officer was crying: "General, you are here!"
Wang Mujiu jumped off his horse, "Which one of you is the leader?"
"Me!" A middle-aged man in a gray-white gown walked out of the crowd, and gave Wang Mujiu a slanted look. "Isn't it possible for the generals to interfere with the civil affairs of Suzhou?"
"I can't interfere in civil affairs," Wang Mujiu smiled darkly, "but you besieged the court order officer in the street, you are suspected of rebellion, this, I should be able to control it?"
"Rebellion? Who rebelled?" The middle-aged man in the gown waved to the people behind him, "You rebelled? You rebelled? Who did you see rebelling?"
The sentiment is exciting.
"Yes, who rebelled?"
"Which eye did you see me rebelling?"
"What's so great about being a soldier? Dare to buckle your hat casually!"
…