The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Household Department, room value.

Wang Qiong murmured to himself while pounding the abacus. He opened his eyes wide and compared the accounts word by word for fear of making any mistakes.

Even if the matters ordered by the Supreme Emperor are handed over to the chief clerk, he will have to calculate them in the end.

It's better to do the math yourself.

Wang Qiong shook his head sadly, a little disappointed.

No matter how you calculate it, the state treasury cannot afford this extravagant expense.

The total length from Huizhou Prefecture to the capital is more than 2,600 miles, although the cost of road construction varies.

If we use the square stones and mortar used to build the Great Wall, one mile would cost 8,000 taels of silver, and building this avenue would cost 21 million taels of silver.

And the price of hiring laborers varies from place to place.

Baoding Prefecture is cheap, paying six cents of silver per day, but prosperous places such as Huizhou Prefecture are more expensive, costing nine cents of silver.

Even if it is just paved with ordinary stones, it will cost ten million taels of silver.

Wang Qiong feels sorry for the money, but Yan Chengjin thinks about losing the money from the treasury all day long.

What a loser!

After thinking about it, he shook his head again and sighed.

Upon seeing this, the bookkeepers in the duty room put down their account books one after another. Liu Hui asked: "Master Wang, have you calculated how much money it will cost?"

"It will cost at least eight million taels. This means that the construction period goes well. If it doesn't go well, it will cost more money." Wang Qiong took a sip of tea and paused.

The bookkeepers did not say anything. In case of disasters such as rain and floods, the construction period would be extended.

Once the construction period is extended, more money will be spent.

After a few words of emotion, Wang Qiong had an idea in mind. The new emperor and the supreme emperor each sent an account.

When the Supreme Emperor sees these accounts, he will take care of the new emperor and Yan Chengjin without saying anything else.

A moment later, Fengtian Temple.

The Supreme Emperor Hongzhi put one hand on the imperial case and looked at Shu Zuo blankly, but his fists gradually became clenched.

"This, this is the road to heaven!"

Wang Qiong raised her eyes and glanced at the Supreme Emperor Hongzhi, and she suddenly knew what was going on. She quickly said: "The cost is huge. Even if a banknote check is set up, I don't know how long it will take to get the money back."

Liu Jian and Han Wen couldn't wait to open the accounts.

Twenty million taels of silver!

Liu Jian's body suddenly trembled, and his face was full of surprise. It took one year to collect two to three million taels of silver, which would take five to ten years.

If merchants take a detour, I don’t know how much less customs duties they will collect.

Han Wen's heart froze, just as he had roughly estimated.

Xie Qian and Li Dongyang looked at each other.

Originally, Yan Chengjin said that he could collect tariffs, and the princes were a little tempted, but now, the cost is so high that it makes people breathless.

"There are also official channels between various governments, so let's take the old road first."

"That's right."

After receiving the Emperor's order, the tension in Wang Qiong's eyes gradually dissipated, and he went to the East Palace to settle accounts with Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao happily took the account book, paused for a moment, and then widened his eyes: "Lao Gao, is this really good governance?"

Yan Chengjin glanced at the numbers, his face was serious, and he said seriously: "This is good governance, I specially left it to the new emperor."

"However, all the government roads lead to the capital. Even if a banknote checkpoint is set up, if merchants go around the old roads, they will not receive money." Zhu Houzhao said with an expression on his face, "Who are you fooling here?"

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Zhu Houzhao was very good and kept urging Yan Chengjin.

Yan Chengjin said: "I said in Fengtian Palace that customs duties are to be collected, but only on the first level.

There are also second and third floors, which have not been made clear to the Supreme Emperor.

Is it possible to summon the king to the palace if he is afraid that the emperor will steal the new emperor's achievements? "

A quarter of an hour passed, and Wang Busui knelt down in grievance, with a grimace on his face. As soon as he entered the palace, his legs became weak.

Zhu Houzhao looked at Yan Chengjin and said with a smile: "Lao Gao, tell me."

"Today, there are only old official roads. It takes about twenty days for a caravan to go from Huizhou Prefecture to the capital, and the freight cost is three hundred taels.

But by building a direct official road from north to south, the transportation time was reduced to ten days, and the freight cost became one hundred taels.

In this way, the cost of doing business for merchants all over the world is greatly saved. "

Zhu Houzhao was stunned when he heard this.

Wang Qiong took a deep breath, his heart beating very fast.

What a great achievement!

What restricted the trade between the north and the south was the cost of freight, and the high cost of freight was due to the labor force hired.

If you stay one more day, you need to pay one more day of silver and food rations.

If the time for merchants traveling from north to south can be shortened, this official road will attract merchants from all over the world.

Yan Chengjin glanced at Zhu Houzhao: "As for whether the merchants will circumvent the banknotes, let the Wang family tell the new emperor."

Wang Busui knelt straight and shook his head like a rattle: "No, as Lord Yan said, the cost lies in this time.

If you take a detour and spend an extra day, you will have to pay dozens of taels of silver, and the profitable transaction will be turned into a loss-making transaction.

Moreover, those who are in business are most afraid of taking a narrow path. If they meet a bad guy, they will lose their money and money, and they will be charged with tax evasion when reporting to the official. "

The tariff collected by the imperial court was not high, with a tax of one per thirty.

Just pay the money directly.

Wang Busui didn't know what Yan Chengjin was doing by asking him to come to the palace, so he came as soon as he was asked.

If there is a time-saving official road between the north and the south, merchants will flock to it.

Yan Chengjin fell into deep thought. Different historical environments have created different types of transportation costs.

In the previous life, transportation costs depended on the mode of transportation. Ships were slow but the cheapest, and planes were fast and the most expensive.

The Ming Dynasty was different. A caravan had to hire many laborers and bodyguards, a huge team of people.

Not only do you have to give money, but you also have to manage food rations.

When profits become thinner, there is no need to go into business.

Zhu Houzhao grinned and just wanted to laugh.

"Old Gao, your and my talents are equal to those of my father and all the teachers."

The next day, the morning court.

The retired emperor Hongzhi ordered people to circulate Wang Qiong's account book to all officials for review, and tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingers.

His face had returned to calm, and he looked at Yan Chengjin thoughtfully: "Have the new emperor and Yan Qing's family seen the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Zhu Houzhao looked up at the dragon throne, looking very happy: "After reading it, there is not much silver. The national treasury will allocate funds, and I will repair this official road."

The retired emperor Hongzhi frowned and said in a deep voice: "Have you really seen the accounts?"

He couldn't help but suspect that it was the emperor's grandson who read the memorial on his behalf.

The officials don't like the new emperor because he is aggressive.

The ruler of a country should be as calm as the five mountains, and guard against arrogance and indulgence.

Yan Chengjin glanced at Zhu Houzhao, then hesitated for a moment and said, "The new emperor and I have indeed seen the accounts. The lowest cost of repairs is 10 million taels of silver, but I still think this is a good policy."

The income and expenditure of the national treasury are related to the safety of the court and the prosperity of the people, and no carelessness is allowed.

But the people in the palace are very smart. Yan Chengjin looked at the accounts and knew what happened in a flash.

The retired emperor Hongzhi frowned: "Yan Qingjia, please tell me."

"I'm afraid I can't explain it clearly. I need to summon a few merchants to the palace."

All of a sudden, the people in the palace looked at Yan Chengjin meaningfully.

After a moment of silence, an eunuch with several merchants came in from outside the palace: "I meet the retired emperor, the new emperor, and all the adults."

The hall was as quiet as an ancient well, waiting for Yan Chengjin to speak.

The retired emperor Hongzhi raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Yan Chengjin and Zhu Houzhao with a tense face. He knew that this guy was planning something, so he gave him enough time.

Yan Chengjin pondered for a moment: "For merchants to trade, the cost comes from time. A caravan of 100 people departs from Nanchang Prefecture and arrives in the capital in 18 days, and the freight cost is 280 taels of silver.

After the official road is built, the time to arrive in the capital is reduced to 11 days, and the freight cost will be reduced to 150 taels of silver.

As for where these costs come from, the retired emperor can ask the merchants in front of him."

The gentlemen took a breath of cold air. It's not that they didn't think that the official road that goes straight can save money.

But, they didn't expect to save so much money.

The retired emperor Hongzhi squinted his eyes, revealing a gleam in his eyes. A caravan can save 100 taels. How many caravans are there in the world? Such an astronomical amount of silver, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.