WI: East Asian Government Trade

Eh, the title sounds weird. Whatever.

As most of us already know, Confucius is rumored to have said that merchants were bad because they didn't produce anything. Under the same idea, government bureaucrats don't really 'produce much' either.

So what would happen if the governments (Ming, Song, Tang, Joseon, Silla, whichever you want) felt that the merchants didn't produce anything - and chose to take over trading themselves? The merchants might be re-hired, of course, just as government employees (hey, free insurance!).
 
How?
If the merchants are working for the government rather than for themselves they're still merchants
 
How?
If the merchants are working for the government rather than for themselves they're still merchants

Uh...but they're government merchants, which means that they're earning money for the government (and themselves by extension, but let's ignore that fact).
 
It sounds like you're basically proposing a palace economy but nationwide?

Or would it be basically just a tax in exchange for a government sanctioned license?

Either way, there's going to be a lot of corruption. There already was a lot of corruption in government, but now you have eunuchs and officials having business and monopoly interests on the side in addition to bureaucratic duties.

The idea of the Mandate of Heaven also comes into play. Since now it isn't just an abstract idea, if food isn't coming from the farms it's a direct failing of government traders to move it where it needs to go.
 
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