Chapter 759 Deportation
The locomotive, braving white smoke, kept going away and accelerated after leaving Qingzhou Station.
When the people saw this, they followed the steam locomotive and ran. In the boring life without entertainment, they didn't want to miss this magical thing. At least they had another topic to talk about after dinner.
After the speed of the locomotive increased, the old Fiji blushed, and he said, "Old minister really deserves to be slapped. Now, the speed of this steam locomotive can at least catch up with horses."
"Not only that, not only can you run past the horses, but you don't need to rest like a horse. The only thing you need is to set up water and coal supply stations along the way." Princess Pingyang said with a smile.
The trial run this time was perfect. Everyone saw the process of speeding up the steam locomotive. During the process of speeding up, the steam locomotive still pulled eight carriages. These carriages can hold a lot of cargo in the future.
Pang Yukun was equally happy, but in addition to being happy, he also felt distressed about the money from the state treasury. He said, "Your Majesty, this railway is indeed a huge project that will cost the people and money. Now, just building the Qingzhou railway will cost the government's treasury. More than 300,000 silver, if this is to connect all the six states, it will require at least 10 million taels of silver, I am afraid that the government treasury is beyond the reach."
Fiji and Pang Yukun jointly manage the treasury, which is naturally clear. The money in the treasury is used in many places besides railway construction, military expenses, culture and education, official salaries, road construction in various states and counties, and workshops that need to be established for reforms. All these things make the national treasury stretched.
Princess Pingyang frowned, and she said, "Your Majesty is so happy, why do you mention such a disappointing thing, money, there is always a way to think of it, now the Qingzhou merchants are making a lot of money, they have to let them Just get out."
After a pause, Princess Pingyang said to Xiao Ming: "Your Majesty, you are too polite to these merchants. In the past, who did not pay filial piety to the court every year, but now it is good, all the money they earn is in their pockets, and It's not a good idea to compete with the imperial court for profit."
In fact, like Princess Pingyang, many officials now have some opinions on businessmen. After all, the current Qingzhou decree is biased towards businessmen in the past.
With a slight smile, Xiao Ming said: "Auntie, this is not right. If the people are rich, the country will be rich, and if the merchants are rich, the treasury will be rich. Now the money in the treasury is all from the sale of steam engines, which are all from the merchants. Money, and I have already explained to Li Kaiyuan that the industrial and commercial tax will be formalized, and a special taxation bureau and taxation department will be established.
Pang Yukun and Fiji immediately laughed when they heard the words. They were about to mention this, but Xiao Ming had already thought about it.
Princess Pingyang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Your Majesty, the taxation is the top priority of the country. Only when the taxation is sufficient can the court be able to support officials, build cement roads and railways, and purchase firearms for the army, so that the The Great Yu Kingdom defeated the surrounding barbarians and maintained a peaceful and prosperous age."
"What my aunt said is that I am preparing to reorganize taxes next." Xiao Ming pondered, a large part of the reason for the collapse of the contemporary Ming Dynasty was that the taxes could not be raised. In the end, the country could not even support the army, resulting in the rich and powerful. And the country is poor.
With this lesson, Xiao Ming naturally did not dare to imitate the Ming Dynasty's indulgence of wealthy families and businessmen. When the taxation department was completed, the businessmen who paid the tax could only receive the road guide to do business with the tax payment certificate.
Businessmen who evade tax and leak water will not only lose the qualification to do business, but also be punished.
A group of people were talking about looking for silver to repair the railway, when suddenly there was a sound of exclamation not far away.
Xiao Ming and others looked at them and saw two Westerners, one old and one young, walking towards them through the crowd, but they were stopped by the guards at this time.
However, the older Westerner seemed very unwilling and kept saying something to the guards.
"Zhao Long, go ask what's going on?" Xiao Ming said.
Zhao Long left in response, turned around and said, "Your Majesty, these two barbarians said they were businessmen from the West, and they also said that they wanted to study at Qingzhou University."
"Joke, Qingzhou University is not a place for them to go." Fiji said first: "All of these surrounding barbarians have learned the craftsmanship of the Great Yu Kingdom and then bite back. It is really fearful but not virtuous. Your Majesty, you must not Let them enter Qingzhou University."
"I think it's better to expel the two of them directly from the Great Yu Kingdom. The two of them are really bold, and they actually disturbed the holy driver, don't they die?" Princess Pingyang has always been disgusted by people from these exotic countries.
When in Chang'an, Persians occasionally came to Chang'an to do business. At that time, Princess Pingyang showed hostility to these people.
Xiao Ming looked at the two of them. Naturally, Qingzhou University could not be opened to the two of them. Otherwise, the things of Qingzhou University would not have been learned, and this technical blockade would become empty talk.
And the performance of these two people made him more and more firm in his ideas, because at this time Europe's pursuit of science and technology has reached a fever pitch, and even science has become the belief of many people.
The behavior of the two of them trying to break in made him more convinced of this.
After pondering for a while, he said: "Expel the two from the Great Yu Country. This is not Europe. In the Great Yu Country, we must abide by the rules of the Great Yu Country. This is also a reminder to all Western businessmen in Qingzhou."
When talking, Xiao Ming wondered if he should also get a visa. Before these people enter the Great Yu Kingdom, ask them the purpose of coming to the Great Yu Kingdom. If they find that the motive is not pure, they will directly block the country.
After all, the entry of these blind Westerners into the Dayu Congress has brought a lot of harm, whether it is acting as a spy or stealing technology.
After receiving Xiao Ming's order, Zhao Long immediately asked the guards to expel the two from the Great Yu Kingdom. From today, the technical blockade will be implemented step by step.
After this episode passed, the train had disappeared from everyone's eyes and continued to go north.
Xiao Ming wanted to chase after him on horseback to have a look, but he finally gave up the idea. When the steam locomotive left the station, it proved the success of the locomotive.
The next thing he faces is the problem of extending the railway, and this requires a lot of money.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ming is a little fortunate that he established the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce at the beginning. In this situation, in addition to taxing merchants, it is necessary to strengthen national trade practices.
This time, the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce will definitely take the big bucks in Goryeo's business, and the rest of the cake can be shared by the merchants.
It is very important to develop private trade, but silver is also very important to the imperial court. In a state where commerce is only a seedling, he can only rely on national trade behavior to bring sufficient silver taels to the treasury.
Only with sufficient silver taels can he lay a solid foundation for the Great Yu Kingdom.
PS: Four more tomorrow.