Seeing that the three of them had returned with many contracts, Chairman Tian smiled in relief. He turned to Li Yu, who was still looking at the terrain.
"Lord Li, actually, it's okay to build more. After all, people who do business have a conscience. If they can do more good for the people, they should do more."
"Really?" Li Yu didn't expect Chairman Tian to be so easy to talk to. He was wondering if he should add more money. For people like him, no matter how much money he had, it was better to build a good reputation. If he didn't have money, he could ask others for money. If he really couldn't do it, he still had an adopted elder brother.
Seeing Chairman Tian nod with a smile, Li Yu said happily, "Good, I like businessmen with a conscience. Making money is one thing, but you can't just think about money for the sake of making money. You should at least think about the people, like Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Oh, let's not talk about them. They are officials. For example, Between the Clouds and the Water, they are doing very well."
Chairman Tian could earn more money now, so he naturally wouldn't refute Li Yu's words. Between the Clouds and the Water was still owned by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. What was the difference? As he followed Li Yu forward, he gave a look to the people beside him, indicating that they should go out and take a look. He then whispered to the person closest to him.
"There are no more businessmen in this county. We can go to other counties to take a look. Lure them here and reduce the tax. For example, 30%, or even 20% is good. The more prosperous the county, the more they earn, and the more money we will have."
"Chairman, I'll go arrange it now." The person who received the order agreed and found an excuse to leave. He hired a carriage and rushed to another county as fast as he could.
Li Yu pretended not to notice their little tricks. Xiao Chong also turned a blind eye. He now admired Zhang Xiaobao even more. The proposal had already mentioned this point. It could be said that he had foreseen the enemy first.
While they were looking at the terrain, the Yamen of Changning County posted a notice. Regardless of whether they could read or not, they should come closer to take a look. Those who could read would have to explain it to others.
A large group of people had gathered at the spot closest to the entrance of the yamen, which was used to post notices. A man dressed like a scholar stood at the front. The people around him gave up their spots to him as a sign of respect. No one squeezed past him and waited for him to read the words on the notice.
"This county has issued a new regulation. Those who are required to pay taxes and refuse to pay with any excuse will be forcibly collected by bailiffs. Depending on their attitude, they will be punished by three to five times the amount. I hope that all merchants in this county will remember this. That's it, just this one."
It was also a kind of honor to be respected by so many illiterate people. Of course, it depended on the place. If it was in Sanshui County, no one would need him to read it. If it was in Sanshui County, no one would need him to read it. If there were children at home who had studied in school for two years, they could just bring them out.
The people thought that it was a big deal, but when they saw that it was only for merchants to take the initiative to pay taxes in time, they were very disappointed. They sighed and dispersed.
"Chairman Tian, how about we go from here to the river? There are several small rivers in front of us that can be connected. It will be convenient to use water when the time comes. It won't be troublesome to make the rivers wider. "
Li Yu led the crowd to another place. He looked around and took out the map in his hand. After carefully comparing it, he said to Chairman Tian of the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce.
Chairman Tian still had a reserved smile on his face. "If Lord Li says it's okay, then it's okay. The map in your hand seems to be more detailed than the one used for the game. Can I have a look?"
When Chairman Tian agreed, he glanced at the map in Li Yu's hand and found that there was something wrong with it. He also wanted a copy.
Li Yu quickly closed the map and refused directly. "No, even if I show it to you, do you really dare to look at it? This is a military map. Of course, it's detailed. After all, I'm also the military secretary of the province. That's why I have a map. "
Li Yu found an excuse for himself. In fact, he didn't have a map. In the whole Tang Empire, there were only two places that had a proper military map. One was the palace in the capital, and the other was the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. It was good enough that Zhang Xiaobao gave him a copy of Changning's map.
Even so, this map lacked notes. For example, when the horses walked on a certain place, whether it was difficult to walk, or what materials could be used when climbing a mountain. These were all missing.
When Chairman Tian heard that it was a military map, he really wanted a copy. However, he didn't dare to. Why would a businessman want a military map?
Chairman Tian nodded regretfully and didn't mention the map again. He continued to wander around with Li Yu.
Two days later, where to build roads and where to open rivers were all discussed. The people of the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce immediately transferred money and hired the local people to start working.
This time, the people also knew that there was a chamber of commerce called Qianshi. They worked together with the county magistrate to do good things for the county. The chamber of commerce was good, but the county magistrate was better. Without the county magistrate, the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce wouldn't have come.
In order to encourage the people to be more active, the yamen posted a notice. It said that the idea of building roads with the chamber of commerce was proposed by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan of the Zhang family in Sanshui County. It asked people not to worry.
Many people didn't know who the Zhang family in Sanshui County was, but the businessmen who had traveled the north and south knew. They bragged to others during meals. This time, the people knew that the Zhang family was very powerful, and their children were also very powerful. Wherever they went, they never did anything wrong.
They were good to the people, good at making money, honest officials, and rich officials. Yes, rich and honest officials. It was a magical combination of words.
Knowing this, the enthusiasm of the people rose. They all signed up to build roads.
Li Yu also followed the methods of the Zhang Family, Wang Family, and his brother. He used the money from the cooperation with the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce to pay the people. He was also responsible for a few meals a day. He also worked in shifts during the day and at night.
Just when everything was going well, rumors started to spread in the county.
Whether it was the tea house or the pub, many people were saying that the powerful Zhang Xiaobao of the Zhang family was at a disadvantage this time. The plan for Li Yu was wrong, and the people of the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce took advantage of it. They cooperated with the local businessmen to avoid paying taxes.
This kind of rumor caused the people to lose their confidence in Zhang Xiaobao. At the same time, it also caused the people to dislike Qianshi Chamber of Commerce. This was because Li Yu had been imitating Baoxin County for the past two days. Every day, he began to explain in detail to the people how much money the yamen had, where it came from, and what to spend it on.
He emphasized that the tax revenue would help the yamen and the people in the county.
After the transparent financial report was made public, the people hoped that the yamen would have more money. This was because there were subsidies for the poor and all the houses in the county would be renovated within five years.
Everyone was waiting for the yamen to take out more money to help them repair their houses. After all, there was a lot of money now, but a portion of it was not for the county to use directly. It had to be handed over to the county. This was not Li Yu's fief, and he did not have any fief yet.
Therefore, a part of the money could be kept in the county. More of it would be sent to the capital and rent.
Even if there were some fools among the commoners, they could not resist the explanations of the smart people. They said that if the Millennium Chamber of Commerce did this, they would be able to make money and the yamen would not be able to collect taxes. The more merchants they contacted, the poorer the county would be.
The Qianshi Chamber of Commerce, who had just spent money on roads and rivers, became a profiteer in the eyes of the people. They were not good people.
At the same time, they were disappointed in Zhang Xiaobao. How could such a powerful person lose to others?
Chairman Tian did not expect things to turn out like this. In the beginning, Li Yu did not disclose the finances of the county. How could the people know how much money the yamen had and what it was spending? If it was not disclosed, no matter how much the chamber of commerce did, the people would not know.
Now, the good reputation that they had paid a lot of money for was gone.
Chairman Tian had no choice but to find Li Yu and say, "Official Li, can you stop the announcement every day? It is not good for the people to know too much. The people can do what they want, but they can't be made to know."
"Stop? Why do we have to stop? It's not a secret matter. This official believes that I am honest enough as an official. There's nothing that cannot be told to others about the matters of the yamen. Also, what you said was wrong. If the people don't understand what the officials want to do, how can the people wholeheartedly support them? "
Li Yu did not have any room for discussion. He explained the situation in Baoxin County to Chairman Tian. As long as the people understood what the officials wanted to do, they did not have to worry about not having enough people. The people in the county would follow suit. Just thinking about it made him excited.
Chairman Tian felt that Li Yu did it deliberately. He thought that Li Yu knew that the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce was cooperating with other merchants, but he found that the contents of the contract could not be changed. He could only silently endure it. However, he was not satisfied, so he came up with this idea to make the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce lose its good reputation.
Thinking of this, Chairman Tian said, "Official Li, if the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce's reputation is ruined, the people will not be willing to hire. How can we do business then?"
"Don't worry. As soon as the workshop starts construction, I will come immediately. Aiya, it has been eight days since we signed the contract, right?"
Li Yu promised. Then, he suddenly said something that made President Tian confused.
"Yes, it has been eight days. In a few days, the workshop will start construction. Official Li, does the number of days have anything to do with the workshop?" Chairman Tian asked in confusion.
"It has nothing to do with that, but it has something to do with the tax. According to the regulations of the county, merchants can delay paying the tax for ten days. If they do not pay after ten days, the punishment will be heavy. These days, no merchants have paid the tax. I am worried about them."
Li Yu looked at Chairman Tian meaningfully and explained.
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