Zhang Fei is in the mood to brag and fight with Wang Gong and Qi Ji, which shows that the situation is already very favorable to him.
Li Lei didn't want to struggle anymore.
He can't do it either. How can he understand these principles?
Zhang Fei stood up again, faced Wu Tian's angry gaze, and asked: "In mid-January this year, you sent people to ambush the tax police and killed thirty-five tax police. Can you admit it?"
Wu Tian chuckled very proudly: "Yes, this is indeed what I did, because I heard before that the tax department threatened not to even let the grassroots pay taxes, so I really want to see what the tax department can do. .
But what was disappointing was that their method was to use money to seduce my people. So I used a trick to make my people pretend to be bribed by them, and then set up an ambush to stop them. Unfortunately, I failed to catch them all. "
After saying this, he paused for a moment, "Then again, it was precisely because of the victory in the first battle that I underestimated the Tax Department. Now, I also admit that the combat effectiveness of this tax policeman is more than a hundred times that of the Forbidden Army. If I had encountered the Forbidden Army that night, haha, even if I fell into the trap, I would still have achieved a complete victory."
Zhang Fei said: "Then have you ever thought that if you do this, you will attract an encirclement and suppression by the imperial court?"
Wu Tian sneered and said: "I have long wanted to rebel against this weak and incompetent imperial court, and I am still afraid of this."
There was an uproar.
But it wasn't that Wu Tian let it slip, but that he knew very well that he couldn't escape the charge of rebellion, so he might as well be more arrogant and vent his resentment.
Zhang Fei said: "I'm done asking."
Zhao Pin looked at Li Lei again.
Li Lei quickly said there was no problem.
He has already said this, so I really can't defend him anymore.
Zhao Pin nodded, looked at the sky again, and saw that noon was approaching, so he said: "Adjourn the court for now and continue the trial in the afternoon."
Because the procuratorate counts these more than thirty people as one case, it will wait until all trials are completed before pronouncing the verdict together.
But whether Wu Tian's charge of rebellion is proven is extremely critical for the subsequent trial, because those wealthy gentry and wealthy people only have relations with Wu Tian, or support Wu Tian against the tax department, and they themselves have not committed any rebellion. If Wu Tian If they are charged with rebellion, then they are most likely to assist in the rebellion. For the crime of rebellion, even assisting in the rebellion is equivalent to treason!
After the court adjourned, public opinion suddenly became loud.
Li Lei listened carefully and saw that no one was discussing Wu Tian's life or death. No one was even discussing this case. Instead, they were all talking about the "indispensable evil." He then said to Li Guozhong: "Father, it seems that they don't I am concerned about this case.”
Li Guozhong sighed: "For us, this is a good thing!"
Li Lei said: "But now Wu Tian basically cannot escape the charge of rebellion, and the situation is very unfavorable to us."
Li Guozhong said: "It is almost impossible for those people to be acquitted. We can only fight for rebellion. There is still a glimmer of hope."
...
"This guy's propaganda methods are truly rare! At this point, the gap between me and him is just like the gap between his articles and mine!"
Wang Anshi laughed and said.
Lu Huiqing didn't know why and asked: "Why did my teacher say this?"
Wang Anshi said: "Don't you understand this? Tax is an indispensable evil, and the tax law is used to restrict this evil. What do you think its purpose is?"
Lu Huiqing suddenly realized, "Promote his legal methods."
Wang Anshi nodded and said: "That's exactly it, and in my opinion, it will achieve great success!"
What the people hate most is definitely exorbitant taxes. When Zhang Fei defined taxes as "evil", the people definitely agreed. There is no doubt about it.
If the "law" can limit this "evil", will the people support the "law"?
I will definitely raise my hands and feet to support the "Fa".
This is actually still promoting the "Dharma", and it is better than all previous propaganda.
Wang Anshi was really impressed by this operation. If this view is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, then as much as the people hate "taxes", they will support "laws".
It's really amazing.
Of course, the reason why he is so happy is because he strongly supports Zhang Fei's point of view.
.....
"A necessary evil?"
Lu Gong wrote thoughtfully: "How is this different from the Confucian definition of tax?"
He hadn't turned around yet, and was still thinking about how it was defined before.
Sima Guang, who is familiar with history books, said: "Actually, Confucianism does not define this, but from the perspective of history books, Confucianism divides taxes into two categories. Exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes are regarded as evil, while light corvee and low taxes are regarded as benevolence.
Zhang Fei defines taxes as evil, whether they are excessive taxes or frivolous taxes."
Wen Yanbo nodded and said: "You are right. The two may seem similar, but in fact they are worlds apart."
Lu Gongzhu seemed to have figured it out, but he was confused at the same time. He couldn't help asking: "Who is more reasonable?"
Since there is a difference between the two, we must distinguish between them!
Sima Guang stroked his beard and said: "Actually, it's not about who is more reasonable, but the difference in the concepts of Confucianism and Legalism. The opposite of law is evil, but the opposite of Confucianism is good and evil."
Fu Bi shook his head and said: "What you said is wrong. This method is not legal, but legal. Legalism is relatively evil, but legalism is not."
Wen Yanbo nodded and said: "The explanation given by Zhang San just now actually clarified this principle. It is also the explanation of tax law. Legalism does not define tax as evil, but defines tax evasion and tax evasion as evil. And
Zhang San defines "tax" as evil, and the two are also very different. Legalism is about people, while legalism is about..."
At this point, he suddenly realized something and immediately fell silent.
Liu Shu listened and asked hurriedly: "Wen Gong, what is it?"
Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi looked at each other in tacit understanding, stroking their beards and saying nothing.
Sima Guang was more upright and said directly: "It's power."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Liu Shu looked surprised, but he soon understood enough.
Zhang Fei has always emphasized that "evil" should be restrained, so the question arises, why can this "evil" break free from its restraints? According to Newton's law, there must be a force behind it to push this "evil" to break through its restraints.
There is no gravity in officialdom. There is only one force in officialdom, and that is "power".
So looking back, what is constrained is power.
Lu Gongzhu asked again: "Which one of the two is better and which one is worse?"
"???"
Several of the smartest people of our time couldn't help but look at each other in confusion.
Wen Yanbo stroked his beard and said: "In fact, the results pursued by both may be light corvee and low endowment, but the means adopted are different."
He still believes that this has a great relationship with the two concepts. In the Confucian system, the monarch is the core, so the main purpose is to persuade the monarch. If you do not distinguish between good and evil, how can you persuade the monarch? You can never persuade the monarch to do small evils. , do not do great evil.
In the Confucian system, all people and things have opposites, right and wrong, good and evil, king and minister, father and son.
Therefore, it is evil to impose excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and it is benevolent to be light on corvee and underpay taxes.
The law of the legal system is different. Its concept is to defend legitimate rights and interests. Under this concept, tax collection is an evil. Tax collection definitely infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of individuals, but it is necessary. The law of the legal system does not need to be distinguished. Good and evil, because he himself can restrain evil.
But the result of being restrained is mostly frivolous corvee and low endowment.
This is very different from the Legalist method. The Legalist method does not emphasize restraining evil, but emphasizes that those who exceed it are evil.
Under Legalism, taxes can be expanded infinitely, which is not evil, but if you don't pay taxes, it is evil.
However, under the legal system, tax itself is an evil, it must be restrained, it cannot expand infinitely, and it must be cautious.
The behaviors of Legalism and Legalism are actually similar, but the definition of "evil" is different.
Then Wen Yanbo believes that which one is better or worse is a matter of opinion.
But Fu Bi didn't think so, saying: "Those who have attained the Dao will get more help, while those who have lost the Dao will have little help. This can distinguish the good from the bad."
Wen Yanbo's question of who is better or worse is actually from the ruling class or from the scholar-bureaucrat class. For them, these are just two different ways of handling things.
But Fu Bi looked at this issue from the perspective of the common people.
If you look at it from the perspective of ordinary people, which one would you prefer?
It definitely tends to be defined as "evil".
The common people may not be able to bear the light corvee and low taxes, and of course it is also evil.
Wen Yanbo asked again: "Which one does the rich man think is better and which one is worse?"
Fu Bi was stunned for a moment, then frowned, shook his head and said, "It's really hard to say!"
The question of which one is better or worse is not a dispute between Confucian and Legalist concepts, but refers to when people define all taxes as "evil" and distinguish taxes between good and evil.
This question is from a governance perspective.
But this is a concept that has never been seen before, and Fu Bi does not know whether it will increase or reduce the difficulty of governance when the people agree with this statement.
In the end, he did not dare to judge which one was better or worse.
Sima Guang suddenly said: "Although the people may be inclined towards indispensable evil, I think it is not conducive to the governance of the court. If everything is defined as 'evil', the people will not understand it, and they may think that paying taxes is an evil act.
Because most people may not understand what an 'indispensable evil' is. If good and evil are distinguished, the people can better understand it, and it can also reflect the benevolent government of the monarch."
Liu Shu nodded and said, "What Jun Shi said is even reasonable, but now that the words have been spread, how can we avoid it?"
Sima Guang didn't know how to answer.
Lu Gongzhu suddenly said: "This issue cannot be understood through discussion in one or two days. Let's find a place to sit down first and talk while eating."
.....
This also shows the ideological differences between Wang Anshi and Sima Guang. Wang Anshi strongly supports indispensable evil.
Because in Wang Anshi's view, emphasizing benevolent government in tax collection is the behavior of a hypocrite. The top government is benevolent every day, and the bottom is complaining every day. It is better to admit that this is evil. Whether it is a tax increase or a tax reduction, it is justified.
Nowadays, only tax reductions are reasonable, and there is no reason to increase taxes. However, there are times when the country must increase taxes.
But Sima Guang still prefers tradition.
However, none of these knowledgeable people has come up with a conclusion, which shows that this topic is really controversial.
Throughout noon, no one paid attention to the rebellion. The streets and alleys were all talking about this indispensable evil.
In the final analysis, most people just watch the rebellion and do their own shit, but taxes are related to everyone.
Everyone is discussing which definition is most beneficial to us.
But as Fu Bi expected, most people prefer indispensable evils. It's not that they understand the truth, but that the current tax system makes most people feel very dissatisfied.
On the contrary, the Taxation Department gave them a glimmer of hope.
...
After the lively noon, the trial continued in the afternoon.
The person sitting on the prison table in the afternoon was no longer Wu Tian, but Luo Hai, a very famous tycoon in Qizhou, and his uncle Xu Zhizhong was the empress of the founding of the country.
Compared with the previous interrogation of Wu Tian, the dignitaries seemed more nervous.
They may not know Luo Hai, but they know that Luo Hai is being tried here on behalf of their entire class.
Zhang Fei stood up and said, "Luo Hai, do you know Wu Tianke?"
Luo Hai nodded and said: "We are acquaintances."
Zhang Fei asked: "How long have we known each other?"
Luo Hai thought for a while and said, "Probably three or four years."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "How is your relationship with Wu Tian?"
Luo Hai hesitated for a moment and then said: "It's... not bad."
Many officials were immediately surprised. Do you agree with this?
Little did they know that the Taxation Department had enough evidence to prove the relationship between Luo Hai and Wu Tian, so they might as well admit it directly.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Do you know that Wu Tian is actually a bandit?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Luo Hai nodded, "I know."
Zhang Fei said: "And your uncle Xu Zhizhong is the one who made great contributions to the founding of the country."
When the dignitaries heard this, their expressions immediately changed, and they all thought to themselves, this guy really doesn't give me any face!
"I object."
Li Lei stood up and said, "This case has nothing to do with Mr. Xu."
Zhang Fei said: "I did not say that this case is related to Xu Zhizhong, but this relationship must be clarified to facilitate the trial later."
Zhao Pin thought for a while and then said: "Objection is invalid."
Luo Hai lowered his head unconsciously and said in shame: "Yes...yes."
Zhang Fei said: "With your family background, why would you want to make friends with a grass bandit?"
Luo Haidao: "Because my family is also engaged in business and often trades goods with other places, and Wu Tian often robs business routes, and the government is unable to encircle and suppress them, so I can only make friends with them to avoid damage to my own business."
Many officials breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that he had been prepared for it.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Then do you know that Wu Tian intends to rebel?"
Luo Hai immediately shook his head and said: "I don't know."
Zhang Fei said: "But according to the evidence we collected, in December last year, you suddenly sent someone to support Wu Tian with a thousand dollars. Is this the case?"
Luo Hai nodded, "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why do you want to support Wu Tian with this money?"
Luo Haidao: "Because Wu Tian had previously threatened to deal with the tax department, and I believed those rumors, thinking that the tax department was dedicated to organizing unjust imprisonments, ransacking homes and plundering the wealth of landlords like us, so I impulsively supported Wu Tian. This sum of money."
Zhang Fei said: "So you listened to the rumors and decided to use Wu Tian to deal with the tax department?"
Luo Hai nodded, "Yes."
Zhang Fei immediately went to Zhao Pin and asked for the witness Liang Furen to be summoned.
After a while, I saw a middle-aged man coming to the court.
Luo Hai glanced at the middle-aged man, his eyes slightly confused.
"Liang Furen."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you know Luo Hai?"
Liang Furen nodded and said, "We know each other, we are from the same hometown."
Zhang Fei said: "Then what do you do?"
Liang Furen said: "My family also owns 800 acres of land, which is considered a first-class household."
Zhang Fei said: "At the end of the New Year, Luo Hai came to see you, right?"
Liang Furen nodded, "Yes."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why did he come to you?"
Liang Furen said: "He told me that the imperial court will soon implement the Green Crops Law in Qizhou. He hopes that I will support the Green Crops Law like him and help the government share the youth crop money."
Zhang Fei said: "Have you promised him?"
Liang Furen nodded.
Zhang Fei said: "But as far as I know, if you borrow money from Qingmiao, you have to pay back the interest. Why did he do this?"
Liang Furen said: "Because he told me that if the Green Crops Law fails, then the court will build the Public Security Bureau and Taxation Department on Jingdong East Road. By then, we will all have to pay full taxes. As for the interest on the Green Crops money, we can get
He borrowed the money and then lent it to the people, charging higher interest, thereby making profits."
Wang Anshi, who was listening in the audience, immediately seemed a little embarrassed and secretly glanced at Sima Guang opposite him. Sure enough, Sima Guang was mouthing to him the words, "The people do not give gifts but the country uses mercy."
"Old thief!"
Wang Anshi cursed and looked away.
Zhang Fei said: "Before this, have you heard any news related to Qingmiao Law?"
Liang Furen shook his head and said: "I only know about the Qingmiao Fa, but I didn't know that the Qingmiao Fa would come to Jingdong East Road."
Zhang Fei asked: "Then did you go and inquire?"
Liang Furen nodded and said, "I went to inquire about it, but no one I knew knew about it."
Zhang Fei asked: "In that case, why do you believe Luo Hai's words?"
Liang Furen said: "Because his family knew many people in the court, he knew many of the court's policies in advance and never missed them."
Zhang Fei asked again: "In your opinion, will Luo Hai listen to rumors and believe that the Tax Department is an official office that organizes unjust cases and confiscates homes and exterminates families?"
Liang Furen shook his head and said: "I don't believe it, because with his connections and contacts, he must know the tax department well."
"Thank you."
Zhang Fei said to Zhao Pin again: "I have no other questions for the time being."
Li Lei stood up and said: "Liang Furen, you just said that Luo Hai asked you to borrow money from young people together, and then use the money from young people to lend to the people and make profits from it?"
Liang Furen nodded.
Li Lei said: "But is the result really what Luo Hai said?"
Liang Furen suddenly said with an angry face: "It was okay at first, but as the government released more and more Qingmiao money, we borrowed more and more. At the same time, the people were unable to repay the Qingmiao money in time, so we could only keep borrowing money from ourselves.
I had to use the money to repay the government's money, but eventually my family almost couldn't afford it, so I had no choice but to default on my debts like the common people."
Li Lei said: "Is this result as Luo Hai said?"
Liang Furen shook his head.
Li Lei said: "But you said before that Luo Hai's news would not be wrong."
Liang Furen said: "His information is not wrong. Not long after he discussed it with me, the court decided to implement the Green Seeding Law on Jingdong East Road. It was his response strategy that caused us harm."
Li Lei asked: "But if he knew the court's policies well, would he still make such a mistake?"
Liang Furen hesitated for a moment and said, "Maybe he doesn't understand it very clearly."
Li Lei asked again: "What was the situation in Qizhou before the tax department went?"
Liang Furen replied: "Qizhou was in chaos at that time because of Qingmiao's debt."
Li Lei continued to ask: "Who do you think caused this chaos?"
Liang Furen remained silent.
Zhao Pindao: "The witness has something to say, but it doesn't matter. As long as it's true, no one can accuse you."
Wang Anshi glanced at Zhao Pin unhappily and thought to himself, are you avenging a private revenge?
"yes."
Liang Furen nodded, "I think it's caused by the government. They only care about political performance, regardless of whether there are so many people who really need to borrow money, and they force us to share the burden."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Li Lei asked again: "Under this situation, do you still believe that the government will seriously solve this problem?"
Liang Furen shook his head.
Li Lei said: "At that time, if I remember correctly, the imperial court asked the Public Security Bureau and the Taxation Department to solve Qizhou's debt and tax problems. At that time, were you worried that the Taxation Department would make your situation worse?"
Liang Furen hesitated for a while, nodded and said: "Worried."
Li Lei asked again: "Among the people you know, are you the only one who feels worried?"
Liang Furen shook his head and said: "Everyone is very worried."
"Thank you."
Li Lei said to Zhao Pin again: "I have no problem for the time being."
Zhang Fei stood up again and asked Liang Furen: "You just said that it was precisely because of Luo Hai's response errors that you suffered heavy losses. Does this include Luo Hai himself?"
Liang Furen nodded and said, "He also borrowed a lot, and I heard he also lost a lot."
"Is he okay with you?"
"Yes." Liang Furen nodded.
"Obviously he wasn't telling you the truth."
Zhang Fei produced a piece of evidence, "Because according to the account books obtained by the Taxation Department from the Liang family, during the entire implementation period of the Green Crop Law, he made a total profit of more than 300 yuan and 600 acres of land. Of which 100 Mu of land is what you paid to him."
"How is this possible?" Liang Furen said: "I did give him a hundred acres of land to pay off the debt, but... the money he borrowed for young crops was much more than mine."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "He only lent the borrowed young crops money to the local people in the first period. In the following periods, he did not lend the money to the people again, but lent it to people like you who lacked coins. But A first-class household with a lot of land. Therefore, he did not lose a penny, but made a lot of money."
After hearing this, Liang Furen immediately glared at Luo Hai, "I trust you so much, and you...you actually deceived me."
Luo Haidao: "You took the initiative to borrow it from me, how can you still blame me?"
Liang Furen angrily shouted: "You shameless person deserves to be arrested."
"you give me......!"
Luo Hai originally wanted to say, just wait for me, but thinking that he couldn't protect himself now, he couldn't help but hold back.
Zhang Fei first presented the relevant evidence to Zhao Pin, and then said: "Facts have proved that with Luo Hai's family background and his relationship between the DPRK and China, it is impossible for him to believe those rumors. He should be very clear that the tax department is only here to collect taxes." , and the way of collecting taxes is gentler than before. The difference is that the tax collectors in the past did not dare to go to his house to collect taxes, but the tax department would definitely go to his house to collect taxes. Therefore, he supported Wu Tian and dealt with the tax department. .”
Li Lei immediately said: "I very much agree with Prosecutor Zhang's last sentence. Regardless of whether Luo Hai believed the rumors or not, he just didn't want to pay taxes, not a rebellion."