Palace!

It was late tonight, but Li Zhi was busy in the study. Suddenly, he heard a squeak. Wu Meiniang walked in from outside. She cared and said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, you have to go and rest."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern. I will go after reading these."

Wu Meiniang said curiously: "I wonder what Your Majesty is looking at?"

Li Zhidao: "It's about sending officials to the northwest. Come and see how to send these people?"

Wu Meiniang was slightly stunned, took a list and looked at it, and said in a daze: "Most of these people are not officials, but officials."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "This is what Han Yi suggested, what do you think?"

Wu Meiniang frowned slightly and suddenly smiled, "I understand."

Li Zhirao said with interest: "Tell me, let me see."

Wu Meiniang said: "The merchants are the last of the people and their status is humble, but they are carrying heavy responsibilities on their shoulders when they go there this time. If the court sends more officials to go with them, the status is very different, and no one can guarantee whether the officials will oppress them and be corrupt and abuse the law. Then the merchants can only transfer the losses to the local people, which may cause chaos. The minor officials are not officials, and their status is also very humble, and they are not very different from the status of merchants. However, for the local Hu people and Su Dingfang and other generals, these minor officials represent the court. They went on orders by the emperor and have special powers and their status is very delicate. In this way, they can balance the status of the three parties, let them perform their duties and supervise each other."

Li Zhi laughed and said, "Mei Niang, you are so smart. You hit the nail on the head. I also plan to send more minor officials. In addition, I also plan to send fewer low-level officials from the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple. If you want to control the northwest, you must first implement the Tang Dynasty laws in the local area, and have legal control. It will be much more convenient to build an official office in the future."

When Wu Meiniang heard this, her eyes flashed with strange light.

Seeing that she suddenly stopped talking, Li Zhi asked, "What are you thinking?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "It's nothing, I think this arrangement is very appropriate."

In fact, when Han Yi formed this special group, he had already planned to send them to the northwest, because this project belongs to the court. The purpose of the court doing this was to control the place, so people must be sent. If the merchants were allowed to go, the merchants would face the tribe leaders directly. If something went wrong, it would be that the whole policy would be destroyed due to small losses.

Of course, their trip was not just a simple supervisor. Han Yi would ask them to set up an engineering office in the local area to specialize in the project. Once the project started, the population would be concentrated in the project location. Both labor and capital must rely on the engineering office, which is equivalent to using investment to promote the Tang Dynasty system. Han Yi and Li Zhi guaranteed this point at the beginning. The project was not counted. Just political purposes, these 500,000 coins will never be lost.

The minor officials were happy, and Yang Xianzhi and other officials of the Ministry of Revenue were also very happy. What they feared most was that they were replaced by these minor officials. At the beginning, there was such a trend, so Han Yi directly bypassed them, which made them worried. Now that this special group is going far away from the northwest, their official positions will be stable, and those minor officials will have to go to at least two or three years, and try their best to show themselves in the past two or three years. After all, their performance is visible to Han Yi, and it is said that the moon will be the first to get close to the water.

Han Yi's words stabilized the Ministry of Revenue, each performing his duties, and being a solid piece. Now no one dared to disobey Han Yi's orders. They were all centered on Han Yi. In a word, Li Zhi sent Zheng Shanxing to the Ministry of Revenue. In other words, Han Yi said, they had to put on the bed and leave. After all, Li Zhi valued these projects very much. As long as Han Yi came up with this matter to request Li Zhi to be demoted or promoted, Li Zhi would not have been able to argue with Han Yi because of an eighth-rank official. These two major projects are related to national affairs and diplomacy. If they are approved by one hundred%, they will never dare to jump again.

On the second day, Han Yi handed over the Northwest Project to the special team for handling, and he made an appointment with the representatives of the four major transportation groups. The reason was to negotiate registration. Winning the bid does not mean signing a contract, but registration is required, and the funds must be verified before formal approval is approved.

Because Zheng Shanxing is an official of the Ministry of Revenue, it is not convenient to come forward to negotiate with the Ministry of Revenue, and Cui Jieren is not suitable for being an official. Lu Shigua has long stated that he has no time to deal with this matter, but just let a housekeeper of the Lu family come forward on his behalf, so only Wang Xuandao is left.

Wang Xuandao just arrived in front of the household registration department and happened to meet Yuan Zhe. When the two met, they were in a relationship, as if they were waiting for each other.

"Brother Xuandao."

"It's Yuanzhe!"

Yuan Zhe smiled and said, "I didn't expect Brother Xuan Dao to come forward in person."

Wang Xuandao smiled bitterly and said, "For us, these 100,000 yuan are all saved from our jobs, so we have to be careful. Please ask for it!"

"Brother Xuandao please first."

The two of them entered the Ministry of Revenue and saw two people standing at the door, which were Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi.

When these four people met, the atmosphere was very strange.

Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi seemed to have a smile on their faces, but their eyes were full of expectations.

Wang Xuandao and Yuanzhe were really dull. They nodded slightly at Dou Heng, Zou Fengchi and others, and then went in. There was no contact between them, and they didn't even know each other.

Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi, who were left aside, were stunned. They originally thought that the two major transportation groups would definitely come to ask them for help, so they quickly build ships for them. They were for supplying and the other party needed them. Of course, they had the advantage, but they didn't know that others ignored them.

After a while, the two looked at each other, turned around and walked in. When they saw Wang Xuandao and Yuanzhe chatting enthusiastically, it seemed like they were chatting about family matters, but the atmosphere made both parties understand the other's intentions and formed a tacit understanding. However, this was definitely bad news for Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi. They could only sit on the other side, smiling more embarrassing than crying.

Little did he know that there was someone watching them secretly. Of course, this person was Han Yi. He sighed in his heart. It turned out that they were not good at slapping. He couldn't help but worry about Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi, coughed lightly, and walked in.

"Shishou Minister Han!"

The four of them stood up quickly.

"Good morning everyone!"

Han Yi bowed his hand, came to the front of the main seat, stretched out his hand, and said, "Please sit."

The four of them sat down again, and Han Yi also sat down. It was inevitable that they would congratulate him. However, compared to the excited businessmen yesterday, these four people seemed very calm. Wang Xuandao's stingy smile seemed to be the most sincere smile.

They are not fools. It seems that we made money, yes, now we have paid a lot of money here, and we don’t know whether it’s profit or loss. When I make money, you come and congratulate me. Now, the court represented by Han Yi, of course, Yuanzhe will not give face. We are the business, and we are not representing the Yuan family, but a group.

Han Yi glanced at him, as if he still owe them, thinking, don't be shameless for these bastards. Since they are so disrespectful, Han Yi was too lazy to greet them, and said seriously: "I asked you here today mainly for a few things, first, it is about registration. I know that some people in your group do not want to come forward, so I want to reiterate that the Ministry of Revenue will only guarantee that the registration of people with names will only protect their rights. If the servants are sent to act as the servants, the Ministry of Revenue will only help them. You must personally tell every member of your group."

Why did he emphasize this point? He planned to improve the status of merchants. If aristocrats can do business, then who would say that merchants are humble? Therefore, he asked the nobles to come forward and not scold the merchants here and then secretly go to the merchants.

The four nodded one after another.

Han Yi said: "About the registration fee, I believe you are all ready. The Ministry of Revenue will send someone to inspect it. Moreover, the two transportation groups must pay 10,000 yuan to the Ministry of Revenue account of the Financial Bank as a deposit, because you will assume the important transportation task of the court in the future."

Regarding this, the Municipal Administration has actually given clear regulations, but this is related to everyone's fundamental interests, especially when registering, so Han Yi must reiterate it with them in person.

Han Yi also said: "The transportation of the imperial court has always been responsible for the transportation. At present, it is operating very well. One of the main reasons why the imperial court handed over this transportation to merchants is that because His Majesty is a benevolent country, and the people are facing great difficulties in serving in the transportation, especially because they often delay farming. Therefore, His Majesty decided to sell docks and transportation business. It can be imagined that the imperial court is to give the people a better life. Therefore, the imperial court will issue a labor bill in this regard, and the details are still being discussed. The main content is probably the same as the Northwest Project, which will specify the minimum wage of labor to ensure the interests of the people."

Yuanzhe was shocked and immediately said: "This is too harsh. If the court wants to do this, it will only increase the transportation costs of the court."

The implication is that, OK, I can give you a high salary, but we will calculate this account on the court.

"That's a deal, this is a rule, not the same thing." Han Yi glanced at the glance, very strong, but then said in a gentle tone: "Although the court will issue a bill to protect the rights and interests of workers, don't worry, the minimum salary will definitely not be too high. The court just wants to ensure that the people do this job, and the harder it will be. If the people can't continue to work, then you won't last long. Although the bill is still under discussion, I can reveal a detail to you. The court will not impose a penny tax on you at present, and from your first transportation, the docks and warehouses will be free for you in the next five years, but the labor tax will be imposed. Whether the other party is a slave or a employed worker, the tax will also be calculated in the Labor Act."

That is to say, the tax is added to the minimum wage.

Wang Xuandao smiled faintly and said, "In the first five years, we had to rely on the court's goods to make a profit. The court's warehouse should be free for us to use, and we didn't get anything at all."

Han Yi laughed and said, "Is it cost no money to build rivers and docks in the court? And are you just transporting them to the court? This money is definitely the only discount given to you by the court. Let me say that, the Labor Act is the only reason for the court to do this and the only requirement. If you can't even meet this point, then we don't want to talk about it."

Anyway, I haven't signed the contract yet, so I can just replace it.

At this time, you have a labor bill. Yuanzhe and Wang Xuandao feel fooled. Han Yi has no requirement to negotiate conditions at all.

Yuanzhe did not agree, but asked: "Will the goods from the court be shipped to us in the future?"

"That's what the court planned." Han Yi nodded and said, "Your first order of transactions must be from the court, but if you want to replace the canal transportation immediately, you have to wait until your scale is enough to support the whole country's transportation. After all, the court is not a private person. There are a large amount of goods to be transported every year, so you cannot wait for you. Therefore, the canal transportation will be parallel to you at the beginning."

Wang Xuan said: "Then we will be able to take on the transportation of the court at that time, and the court will dissolve the transportation of the grain?"

Han Yi smiled and said, "The court will support you, but you must also give the court a reason to dissolve the canal transportation."

Wang Xuandao said in confusion: "How do you say this?"

Han Yi said: "This reason is the Labor Act. The court itself cannot support the Labor Act. The court cannot afford so much labor. If you firmly support the Labor Act, then the labor service in the grain transport will naturally be dissatisfied. Everyone transports goods. Why is it so different? At that time, as long as the court allows labor service to be freely chosen, the grain transport will naturally disappear."

You are cruel!

In this case, Yuanzhe and Wang Xuandao had no room for disobedience, so they could only nod and agreed. If the canal transport does not perish, they would never be able to do it, because the canal transport is free and uses power to make profits, not operate. The cost is too low, and they can't do it no matter how smart they are. They also knew that Han Yi could not make the labor bill too harsh, not guaranteeing that they would make money, who would give it to the laborers, but they even lost the qualification to negotiate, because it was related to the life and death of the canal transport. They originally thought that the court would forcefully dissolve the canal transport.

In fact, they all knew that they could not play Han Yi. They just wanted to try their best to win some benefits for themselves. Therefore, they were very strong at the beginning, but so what? This time Han Yi bet on his own wealth and life and must achieve every goal. If one does not achieve it, then the whole game may be lost.

Han Yi looked at Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi who were still in vain again.

The two said in unison: "We are also subject to the Labor Act?"

Han Yi showed a more surprised expression than them and said, "Then why didn't the court build ships and make money by themselves?"

The two blinked and nodded helplessly.

Dou Heng suddenly said: "But Mr. Han, the Ministry of Works, has recently resigned as more than 400 craftsmen, and they have been invited by other merchants. We don't know if we will win the bid and dare not recruit people. If there were no craftsmen, we would not be able to build ships!"

Because of the reform of the monthly salary system, the Ministry of Works will of course release some craftsmen. As soon as the craftsmen left, they were invited by merchants, and even a single slag was left. All the craftsmen in the court were experts, and the economy has been increasing these days. Everyone knows that officials also have to go shopping on the streets. This is a business opportunity. Everyone is looking for craftsmen, but they are not enough. Many merchants send people to work directly to the work department.

Han Yi smiled and said, "Those craftsmen who are engaged in handicrafts have nothing to do with your docks. The Ministry of Works has left you a complete set of shipbuilders. The same is true. First, your salary must impress them. If they think that doing things in the court is more comfortable than you, then you have to review yourself."

Dou Heng and Zou Fengchi nodded slightly, obviously very reserved.

In fact, Han Yi’s requirement is the Labor Act. He originally wanted to transfer part of the aristocratic money to the hands of the people to increase the shopping ability of the people and improve the economy. You all hold your wallets, so what do I want you to do? It’s better to do it yourself. In fact, in Han Yi’s view, the greatest interest of the transportation group is not the court, but the economic development. The closer the Jiangnan and Guanzhong are, the tea, porcelain, and silk in Jiangnan are all being exhibited, and the life of the transportation group will only get better and better. Even if they pay a certain amount of labor money, they will still make a big profit.

Zou Fengchi's eyes turned and said, "But how can our dock cooperate with their transportation group?"

You are really an idiot. If you say it so anxiously, then everyone knows that you should be even more anxious. At this critical moment, you can't calm down and you have lost the initiative. Han Yi muttered secretly, but smiled and said, "This court will not care about it. The court only has one thing in charge, that is the people, because this is the responsibility of the court. As for how you cooperate, you can discuss it yourself."

Yuanzhe and Wang Xuandao looked at each other, everything was under control!

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Chapter completed!