Chapter 1981 Change of money to pay tax, death of Qinghe
"My lord, I am afraid that the food reserves in the army are slightly insufficient..."
As a military advisor, he is almost equivalent to being the chief of staff around Cao Cao. He is naturally very aware of the detailed changes in the army. Of course, when problems are discovered, he must find Cao Cao as soon as possible.
"Why do you do this?" Cao Cao frowned deeply, and there were wrinkles between his brows that were like knife carvings, which made Dong Zhao feel a little frightened.
Dong Zhao subconsciously looked at the chapter list in his hand, but in fact he remembered these things very clearly, and there was no need to read them again. "People in Yuzhou say they suffer from locust plagues more often, and they want to be exempted from it. Jizhou... I didn't say that."
Something, it just takes time to raise...』
Although the people in Jizhou did not refuse to pay their share of military rations again, Cao Cao still did not think this was good news, "How long will it take? When?"
Although the nobles in Yuzhou refused to pay food and grass again, which somewhat made Cao Cao unhappy, what made Cao Cao even more unhappy was that even the nobles in Jizhou were dragging their feet. What does this mean?
Dong Zhao said: "This... has not yet been decided. However, if the lord offers money in lieu of food, maybe he can accept it quickly..."
"Substitute money for food?" Cao Cao's brows were still deeply furrowed.
Dong Zhao said: "You can only get one harvest a year of grain and grass. In addition, Jizhou has been in constant battle for many years and has suffered many losses. This is also true. Therefore, if grain and grass are forced to be collected, firstly, there will be insufficient surplus, and secondly, there may be changes.
Instead of replacing food with money and purchasing it again, it might be able to solve the current urgent problem..."
Cao Cao understood.
Cao Cao appointed Dong Zhao and brought Dong Zhao all the way to Yecheng in Jizhou. The purpose was to enable Dong Zhao, who was originally from Yuan Shao, to serve as a bridge of communication between the Jizhou nobles. Of course, he did not rule out showing it to the Jizhou nobles.
Meaning. And now, Dong Zhao is doing quite well.
"Replacing food with money" was a compromise solution proposed by Dong Zhao.
Jizhou and Yuzhou are populous states and important grain-producing areas, but similarly, a large number of people also need to eat. It is impossible to deprive these people of all their food rations. Then they may follow the path of Yuan Shu and eventually be overthrown.
land.
What Dong Zhao said about the empty warehouses in Jizhou is a fact, but it is not entirely true. Cao Cao believes that it must be much emptier than before, but it is not completely empty, but every family and tribe has it.
There is a line. The current grain reserves are undoubtedly very close to this line, so they are so resolute and united in their opinions and are unwilling to provide grain and grass again.
Therefore, as a bridge of communication, Dong Zhao must put forward a suggestion that can be accepted by everyone...
Because there is a shortage of grain and grass circulating in the market, almost everyone knows that the price of grain and grass will definitely increase in the future. Therefore, using coins to replace grain and grass payment is undoubtedly a relative term.
It’s a proposal that is relatively easy to accept.
The Jizhou nobles felt that they would lose less, and Cao Cao could successfully collect some. Similarly, he could go back and force the Yuzhou nobles to pay as soon as possible...
Cao Cao knew why the Yuzhou nobles were not cooperating now, and Dong Zhao also knew it, but it was difficult to talk about it, so Cao Cao didn't ask, and Dong Zhao didn't tell either.
Cao Cao thought for a moment, then took Dong Zhao's watch and looked at it carefully. After pondering for a long time, he asked: "If you collect money, where can you buy it?"
"You can go to Jingzhou..." Dong Zhao obviously had some clues, so he quickly said, "Although Jiangxia was damaged in Jingzhou, the rest was not harmed. Food and grass cannot be stored for a long time. If we buy them
If you save food, you should get two benefits..."
Cao Cao finally nodded slowly, "Maybe we can try..."
Just give it a try, otherwise, what will happen?
After all, if there is only Cao Cao in the whole of China, then it is not impossible to delay or grant a period of grace if there are no external enemies to get food and grass earlier or later. But if others have food and grass reserves,
But if Cao Cao doesn't, it means that Cao Cao will be in a very passive situation, and may even be unable to send troops!
Therefore, on the one hand, Cao Cao wanted to ensure that he had sufficient reserves in his hands, and on the other hand, he also wanted the nobles of Jizhou and Yuzhou to lead the manors to farm again to ensure future harvests, so it became inevitable to adopt a compromise method.
What Cao Cao didn't know was that in history, he had large-scale farming in Heluo Pass in Hedong, which gave Cao Cao the confidence to pursue Wuhuan and even promoted the Battle of Chibi. But now, he can only be punished
There are many restrictions...
Of course, in the early days of farming, a large amount of income supported Cao Wei's army, but after entering the middle and late stages, inevitable corruption began to spread among them, coupled with the invasion of the Little Ice Age, resulting in the loss of these farming lands.
There were more and better excuses to devour the output, so that in the later period of Cao's farming system, hundreds of thousands of people were wasted on farming, but it did not bring much benefit to the main body.
The original intention of farming is good, it is to restore order as soon as possible, not for corruption, but in the execution process... Just like the original intention of replacing food with money is also good...
After Cao Cao nodded, Dong Zhao took action. Soon, the news of "paying money in lieu of food" began to spread. At the same time, China's ingenuity was once again displayed...
"Move faster!"
"Get rid of those charcoal fires again!"
"Be more agile with your hands and feet!"
In a manor in Jizhou, thick black smoke rose into the sky, and three furnaces burned fiercely, melting the original copper vessels and coins into copper water.
The shirtless craftsmen were busy, being scorched by the flames and black smoke, but no one dared to stop to take a breath or rest for a while. The supervisors holding long sticks patrolled the field from time to time, and when they saw those who were moving slightly slower, they would curse.
The use of sticks was like driving animals, allowing these craftsmen to speed up and smelt a sufficient amount of copper coins as quickly as possible.
Of course, it's five baht.
These people are already very skilled in the business of casting five-baht coins, but it is more troublesome to make Zhengxi copper coins, so naturally, these people chose to use five-baht coins. Anyway, Cao Cao did not ban five-baht coins in the market.
Circulation...
"How much more time is left? How much time is needed?" A nobleman with a high rank in the imperial family asked calmly, standing in the corridor from a distance with his hands behind his back, looking at the smoke-filled workshop.
The manager of the workshop bowed his head and said: "To report to the owner of the village, there are still more than three hundred thousand... It will be completed within seven days, no, within five days!"
Bo Guan Lunjin nodded and said: "If it is completed in advance, there will be a big reward... If it is delayed... Haha..."
The manager of the workshop almost touched his head to the ground, "I understand, I understand..."
At this moment, a scream suddenly came from the workshop, and then there was a commotion.
"What's going on?!" Bo Guanlunjin frowned.
A villager ran over and reported: "Someone fell into the copper water..."
In order to melt the copperware, you also need to stir it so that it is heated evenly. Days of continuous operation, coupled with high temperature and thick smoke baking, and there was no industrial protection in the Han Dynasty. The heavy metals in the smoke and dust must have exceeded the standard, and it was impossible to say
It was poisonous, and the unlucky guy got dizzy for a moment and fell into the copper furnace...
The outcome is naturally conceivable, after all, not everyone is a Monkey King.
"Oh? How could you be so careless?" Bo Guanlunjin asked eagerly, "Where is the copper furnace? Is it damaged?"
Zhuang Ding replied: "I haven't seen any damage to the copper furnace..."
Bo Guan Lunjin breathed a sigh of relief and glared at the workshop manager, "Why are you still standing here? Come back! The person who died... will be given an extra five... um, three guan of money to support his family..."
"The owner is kind..." The manager of the workshop nodded and bowed.
"Go! Be careful with the copper furnace! Don't miss the important event!" Bo Guan Lun Jin waved his hand.
This kind-hearted Jizhou nobleman thought that he was doing it without anyone noticing, but when he arrived at Yecheng with the five baht he should pay, he was stunned because he saw many people carrying
Coins of even worse quality than his...
"Why don't you accept, this, this...isn't it money?"
"Is this your money? Look at it, it's as thin as paper and breaks when you break it. It's not as good as Dong's money back then!"
"Hey! Just look at it, don't do it!"
"My money is good, take mine first!"
"Your money is also bad. It doesn't even have an outline. It looks like newly minted bad money!"
"How can you be better yourself..."
If it was just his family, there would be no problem. Those who counted the taxes would just turn a blind eye. After all, if they were thrown into the warehouse and mixed together, under the tens of millions level, the ones worth hundreds of thousands would really only be counted.
It can be regarded as small money, but if a large amount of it is bad money, then it is not a matter of individual negligence, and even the head of the tax collector is not guaranteed!
Therefore, even if the tax collector is given ten more courages, he will not dare to accept it. "Stop making noises! There is an order from above. Only tax dollars are collected! Those who pay in tax dollars should come forward, and the rest should step back!"
"Why do we only charge Western currency? Isn't five baht money money?" Everyone was angry again.
The tax collector looked sideways and said, "If it's the full amount of five baht, the outline is intact, and the inner hole is square, that's fine!"
"This is all five baht worth of money!"
"Really? Take it up and have a look!" the tax official sneered.
Immediately, someone brought up the bamboo basket containing the money and placed it in front of the tax collector.
"They are all worn...a hundred pieces are consistent..." The nobleman said with a smile, saying that his five baht coins were good money, and then he took a bunch from the bamboo basket casually, shaking it, "Look
Look, they are all five baht high quality, look at the texture..."
The tax official glanced at the money in this man's hand, nodded slightly, and said: "What you have in your hand is good money..."
"That's it..." The nobleman smiled like a chrysanthemum, "Then... let's weigh it..."
There is no problem in counting thousands of coins. But if each household has hundreds of thousands, and there are so many households, it would be unrealistic to count the coins one by one, so many times it is done directly on the scale.
.
"Wait a minute...but the money in your basket may not be all good..." The tax collector stood up, looked at the nobles for a few times, then turned around and ordered, "Come here! Empty this basket."
come out!"
"Hey...what are you doing by pouring it out...won't you have to pretend it later, how troublesome it will be..."
"Crash..." The soldiers ignored it. When they came up, the two grabbed the bamboo basket and threw it to the ground.
A bunch of coins rolled down to the ground, and then they were clearly divided into two colors. A small amount looked like the kind the nobleman held in his hand, while the more coins were blue and gray, bad money.
The people watching suddenly burst into laughter.
That's it, although everyone is rotten, as long as you see someone being exposed as rotten and you haven't been exposed yet, then you are qualified to laugh at that rotten person.
The tax official said in a deep voice: "That's it, do you understand? We only charge Western coins, gold, silver, and copper coins will do. Don't fool Yu with bad money anymore!"
"Hmph!" Some of the Jizhou nobles snorted and led others out. The rest, some of whom were smart, reacted immediately and followed suit. Jizhou is so big, naturally there can't be only one place.
Naturally, there are tax officials in other places, and the tax officials in Yecheng, who have just taken office, are originally based in Yuzhou, so there is no need to give face to these people from Jizhou, but what about the tax officials in other places...
Therefore, even if they were defeated in Yecheng, many gentry children immediately turned around and went to other places, either with inducements or threats. Anyway, since the bad money has been minted, they must not fall into their own hands.
!
So, naturally, a few days later, when the taxes collected from various places were brought to Yecheng, the "upright" tax collector of Yecheng found that the bad money he had rejected had returned to his hands.
…
Cao Cao stood in the warehouse with a dark face, looking at the "five baht coin" in his hand that broke into three pieces when he pinched it in his palm. His beard was shaking, and he stopped after a while and threw away the pieces.
On the ground, "Come here, immediately seize Julu, Qinghe, Zhao, Zhongshan, Hejian and other local tax officials, as well as tax payment records, and bring them to Ye!"
However, as Cao Cao's order was issued, something more interesting happened.
A Julu tax collector drank too much and fell into the river at night and drowned...
A Qinghe tax collector was hit by an enemy in a busy city and stabbed three times. He bled to death...
The tax collector of the Zhao family has fled and does not know where he is going...
A tax collector in Zhongshan hanged himself at home...
The tax collector from Hejian was able to catch the soldiers because they moved quickly, but on the way to Ye, he committed suicide by taking poison...
Cao Cao was furious and immediately arrested all the county magistrates.
A few days later, Cao Cao, dressed in imperial robes, was sitting in a high hall, and at the foot of the hall were a row of county and township officials kneeling.
Even Cao Cao couldn't expect things to reach this point.
But if you want Cao Cao to swallow this breath, firstly, Cao Cao cannot bear it, and secondly, this kind of precedent cannot be set. Therefore, Cao Cao must give an explanation and have a result.
Before today's public trial, Cao Cao sent people to secretly explain to these county and township officials that as long as they confessed, they would not be held accountable...
Cao Cao did not want to clean up the Jizhou gentry in one fell swoop. After all, bad money is now mixed together. Who can say which family must have minted these bad money? Isn't there a surname written on the coins? So?
We can only rely on witnesses, then arrest one or two as examples, kill them directly, and then order the rest of the nobles to correct themselves.
After all, there was a fire in the granary... Well, tax evasion is also wrong. Minting bad money is not a capital crime. Isn't it still okay to educate...
However, when the script is in progress, it may not always be as the director wishes...
"Subordinate... I have something to say..." the Qinghe County magistrate kowtowed.
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly, then glanced around at the representatives of the major Jizhou gentry who were listening outside, and said in a deep voice: "Speak!"
Qinghe County Magistrate, surnamed Fan.
Magistrate Fan slowly raised his head and said: "My subordinates are guilty... I failed to detect the bad people and used the bad to pass off the good, and paid the taxes cunningly, resulting in a lot of bad money in the taxes paid..."
Cao Cao slowly exhaled, nodded and said: "No one is a sage. He can never make mistakes. If he has made mistakes, he can correct them. There is no way to do good. Although you are not aware of it, you are not the mastermind. If you report and expose the bad things, you can atone for your sins...
…』
The Jizhou nobles outside could not help but feel a little restless. Chirping sounds came out, and the soldiers suddenly shouted: "Silence! Silence!"
The scene fell silent again.
Cao Cao looked at Qinghe County Magistrate Fan, showed a slight smile, nodded and encouraged: "If what I remember is correct, you are from an imperial family, and you were appointed as an official in Hejian because of your filial piety and integrity. In the past, your Majesty returned eastward, and you have sent
For the contribution of grain and grass, I ordered you to pay homage to Yilang, and later transferred to the Qinghe Order... Now you should know that the court is not easy, the country is the most important, it is necessary to be loyal and filial, and the honor will last forever... But if you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly..."
Magistrate Fan County of Qinghe slowly raised his head and said: "Those who are filial should not betray their relatives in order to benefit themselves; those who are benevolent should not forget the emperor for selfish reasons; those who are ambitious should not take advantage of the chaos and steal famous weapons..." Sikong Shou
To be clear-minded, to have the world in mind, to be virtuous and righteous, to advocate benevolence, to respect the emperor, to protect the country... As the saying goes, one cannot express filial piety if one's father is not merciful, and one cannot express loyalty if one forgets where one's ancestors live..."
At the beginning, Cao Cao listened and nodded slightly, but later he frowned slightly, his slender eyes stared at the Qinghe County Magistrate closely, and his beard trembled slightly.
"...It is not a pity to be evil to cherish evil fortune but betray a close friend, to be far away from wealth and danger but to be close to danger, to abandon a clear righteousness and accept great shame!" The voice of the Qinghe County magistrate became louder and louder, "During the Yan Ping period, the Yuan family conquered several times.
The total amount of grain and grass turned in by Qinghe was 1,011,000 and more than 100,000 hu. In the first year of Taixing, another 300,000 hu were levied. In the second year, another 4300,000 hu were levied! When Cao Gong arrived at Yecheng, the taxes raised by the Yuan family were:
None of them were taken into account, and taxes were levied again, and military supplies were allocated. First, they levied hundreds of thousands of dendrobium, which was less than ten months old, and then they collected another hundred and fifty thousand hu of dendrobium! The cold winter was over, and there was no consideration for the people and no sympathy for the local land. Excessive levies were imposed, and farming was not carried out.
Another three hundred and seventy thousand hu of dendrobium was transferred! If there is no grain to transfer, it is just money! In a hurry, where can I find the money to pay? Therefore, this crime of mishandling money is undetected by me, but Mr. Cao
Isn't it guiltless? As the sky can tell, Qinghe, old and young, all have vegetables on their faces and die of hunger in the wild! Today there are no seeds for cultivation, the fields have no power to work, and the people have no green and yellow food. This is where Cao Gong lived.
Governance, the world is bright, and the Han Dynasty is in the court! If someone is guilty, he will take his own life to pay for it, and he does not know the crime of Cao Gong, so what should he do?! 』
After saying that, the Qinghe County Magistrate hit his head on a stone, and his head split instantly and he died...
There was an uproar at the scene!
Cao Cao felt the blood vessels on his head pounding, and a pool of blood from Magistrate Qinghe not far away, like ink stain, grew bigger and bigger in front of his eyes...
