It is an indisputable fact that the population declined greatly during the chaotic times of the late Sui Dynasty, but every time we talk about this topic, it is not very pleasant.
The most depressing thing for him was that he had his share of the credit, and he was the biggest beneficiary of the war in the late Sui Dynasty.
Every time he thinks about this, it's strange that he feels better.
This also shows that his face is not thick enough... In fact, what makes him feel more embarrassed and frightened is that the world's population has decreased so much, how should he clean up this mess?
So the words of consolation or compliments from the ministers sounded harsh.
Seeing their indifferent expressions, I felt even more angry. It's hard for me to be like this, but you only care about flattering me?
Of course, he quickly realized his gaffe and told himself that the mess would have to be sorted out eventually. Everyone was right, but Yang Guang was the one who was wrong.
Of course, he would not think about it at this time. Without Yang Guang's hard work, he would not have become the emperor, and he might still be wandering around the frontier.
Li Po took a deep breath and slowly calmed down, then waved his hands and softened his tone and said, "Let's all sit down and talk. At this point, I need to work together with everyone to restore some vitality.
Alas, at this rate, I'm afraid I won't be able to see the prosperous times in my lifetime..."
What he said is very sad. He has great ambitions but cannot make a living without rice. His mood is understandable.
Everyone was silent, but they didn't dare to persuade him any more. They all returned to their seats and cheered up. Everyone could see that the emperor was in a bad mood. If there were any mistakes in his responses later, someone would probably be in trouble.
.
"We still need to hurry up on the household registration matter. Many major issues are waiting for the household registration to be checked before they can be implemented. This is a top priority and cannot be delayed any longer. There must be a result before this winter.
If it doesn’t work, you people can write a letter together to apologize.”
The words were serious, but Su Dan and Dou Dan both breathed a sigh of relief. There was enough time before winter. The only thing that worried them was Wang Ze.
Du Fuwei came to Chang'an. I wonder if his subordinates will accept the court's favor honestly. If someone causes chaos, how can they bother to check the household registration? The priority must be to quell the chaos...
But this was not the time to complain. Su Dan took the initiative and said: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely handle this matter well and it will definitely not be postponed until next year."
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There are many and complicated matters in the household department, and household registration is only one of them.
Taxation is also an important function of the Ministry of Household Affairs. At present, there is no way to collect taxes on a large scale. Moreover, taxation must be reformed, and it has even reached the point where it is urgent to delay.
The princes took various measures on taxation. The only thing they have in common is that taxes are getting heavier and heavier. Let's not talk about Henan. When Wang Shichong was in power, there was no taxation at all. It was purely a matter of thinking today and then tomorrow.
Together with the soldiers, they robbed food and grass everywhere, and the strong Lingzhuang almost became bandits from top to bottom. Wang Shichong was the bandit leader.
Dou Jiande implemented military control, which in the past two years has become almost like dividing the land and dividing the land. The generals led soldiers to work in the fields, regularly paid grain and grass to Dou Jiande, and kept part of it for their own use.
The advantage is that everyone no longer needs to go hungry, and Dou Jiande no longer has to worry about food and grass. The disadvantages... there is no need to discuss it at all. This is a temporary expedient during wartime, and there is nothing worthy of praise.
Even though Li Po implemented military control in Yunnei for a period of time, he didn't do it this way.
As for Li Gui and Liang Shidu, they are both playful and need not be mentioned.
In other places, the land equalization system is almost the same. The biggest difference is that the taxation standards are different.
Just take Li Yuan as an example. When he first came to the throne, he had the intention of frivolous corvee and low taxes. He set a tax of thirty to one, and then gradually increased it to twenty to one. Finally, he got angry with Li Po and it became ten taxes.
First, the farmers were overwhelmed and fled one after another.
What Li Po implemented in Jin was actually a land equalization system, and he had been implementing a tax system of twenty to one tax. Because he had to raise troops, there was no way to reduce it.
Speaking of which, the land equalization system was a land tax system implemented by the powerful minister Yu Wentai during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was still used until the former Sui Dynasty, and it seems that it will continue to be used.
Because the equalized land system is very suitable for the situation where the country is broken after the war, large areas of land are deserted, the population is reduced sharply, and the ethnic groups are chaotic. It is in view of this that Yuwentai implemented the equalized land system based on the predecessors.
The system of collecting taxes based on land, like what Li Po was obsessed with before, is not suitable for the current actual situation, because it will undoubtedly dampen people's enthusiasm for farming, because the more you plant, the more taxes you collect.
The heavier.
Today, when the population is declining sharply, this will greatly increase the burden on farmers. The nobles will also complain and offend everyone. This is simply an act of national subjugation.
Only when land annexation becomes increasingly serious and the population expands greatly can it become a solution to the problem.
Of course, these are just generalizations, and there are countless details. The current general direction is to focus on the equalization of land, and there are many details that need reform.
These details will not be discussed in the small court meeting, and it will take collective efforts to make it happen later. As long as it is finalized, it will become a part of the Tang Code, and it will definitely not involve a yamen from the Ministry of Revenue.
"Let's discuss it again when we go back. I think the thirty tax is still too heavy. Most farmers have no surplus, and the national treasury can still support it. We still have to do things in the spirit of benefiting the people.
I want to live frugally for five years, and I have to let the people's energy recover a little, what do you think?"
This time, the people in the Ministry of Revenue did not agree, but Dou Dan was the one to speak, "As we all know, our supreme ministers who love the people, but the thirty-year tax is already very light. If it is reduced further, the army will need to farm.
I feel it is not the right time yet.
I think it will be more appropriate to implement benevolent government after at least two years."
Li Po pondered for a long time, nodded and said: "What you said is reasonable, then let's send it to Zhongshu for decision."
The war with the princes has ended, but it does not mean that the war will cease. There are still many places to use troops, but we cannot let the army go to farm.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, it was far from the time when swords and guns were put into storage and horses were released to Nanshan. As long as the army was still there, it was impossible to further reduce land taxes.
Then we can only go and rob them. Li Po gritted his teeth secretly. The people we robbed back then were the Turks. Who should we rob this time?
The wars launched at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China were basically not to divert domestic conflicts, but to exaggerate the desire for wealth, population, and even territory.
With the buzzing discussions in the hall, policies were sorted out one by one, and the direction of the tax system in the early Tang Dynasty was taking shape...