Anger welled up from the bottom of his heart, went straight to his forehead, suppressed it, and then rose again... Zhu Yuanzhang simply shook his sleeves and left directly.
He also wants to treat Corporal Xian well and put on a good show, but I'm sorry, he, Lao Zhu, can't see the faces of these businessmen. That's the kind of men we are!
In full view of everyone, Lao Zhu turned around and strode back to the camp. Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to grin bitterly at Li Shanchang, and he followed suit.
As a result, Li Shanchang was left alone with several businessmen, looking at each other. What on earth is going on?
"Master Li, what do you think?"
Li Shanchang's face was also red, and he snorted with his nose, "If the superior can look at you, it will be considered as a favor to you, but he has done nothing and points at the superior to greet you? Go to the tent next to me?"
Stay and go!”
Li Shanchang asked people to take these people away. He was stunned and showed a sad expression. It is really not easy to serve Zhu Yuanzhang, his boss.
He did not go to see Zhu Yuanzhang, but came to see Zhang Ximeng.
At this moment, Zhang Ximeng was changing the dressing for the wound in his leg. Even though it looked like it was just a scratch, it was a palm-sized piece on both sides, which was really uncomfortable.
After working on it for almost a quarter of an hour, I finally came out.
Li Shanchang sat there, drinking cold tea, but his heart could not warm up.
"Mr. Zhang, I just thought about it. This commercial tax is difficult to collect. There are many difficulties involved. I'm afraid that if I tell the superior, he will be angry again. Let's go over the details first?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "That's right, I also want to tell Mr. Li about this. The lord will not see these people, but if the taxes can be collected and the money is seen, the lord will not really do anything to them. Do you think so?
No?"
Li Shanchang nodded, but had no choice but to say, "That's it. In a business store, outsiders don't know how many things they can handle and how much money they sell! Even if they are asked to hand over their accounts, they must have been modified. Besides,
, We don’t have that many manpower now, and it’s too difficult to calculate the tax amount clearly. Mr. Zhang, do you think you can give it a temporary reprieve or find a way?"
Zhang Ximeng's smile remained unchanged, and he waved for a pot of hot water, and then said to Li Shanchang: "Sir, last time he talked about equal fields, which opened my eyes and I learned a lot. Now, your lofty remarks make me not only think of
Last time...is it really impossible to levy it?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled half-heartedly. Last time, he was tricked by Lao Li. Now that he brought it up again, it was tantamount to revealing Li Shanchang's thoughts, which made him feel a little embarrassed.
Zhang Ximeng said simply: "Mr. Li, I proposed a progressive tax rate, and you agreed with it in front of the Lord. Now it is inconvenient to implement it... Then I might as well express my thoughts. Is it really that difficult?"
"Mr. Li, let's add it all up, how big is the place and how many people are there? Small households naturally don't need this. The remaining big households that can levy commercial taxes are just a few things. Salt, tea, copper,
Iron, porcelain, cotton yarn, silk, grain, wood, bricks and tiles...these things, how much is brought in from outside and how much is sold in shops, there is always an approximate number, right? I won't say that it is accurate.
It is not difficult to make rough statistics. Moreover, we can collect taxes and cultivate talents at the same time. If we don’t make preparations now, we will cross the river later and seize Jiqing. It is a major town in the south of the Yangtze River with a population of one million. How should we deal with it? It’s difficult.
Can’t we just rely on land tax to support our expenses?”
Zhang Ximeng paused and continued: "Sir, I have taken refuge with my lord. I have used the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty to support my lord, and my lord has sent me to Xiao He. Naturally, I hope that my husband can strategize and manage his finances. My husband can explain so clearly that the land is equalized between the soldiers and the soldiers.
Naturally, the commercial taxes of the Song Dynasty are also well understood. We are just laying a foundation for the future. If we don't start preparing now, who will be responsible for collecting commercial taxes when the Lord opens the palace in the future, or even ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor?
Do we have to give up this tax?”
Zhang Ximeng added: "Mr. Li has been working in the yamen for a long time, so I would like to ask you one thing. How to calculate the expenses of the yamen? Is it within your means?"
The corners of Li Shanchang's mouth twitched slightly, "This... doesn't seem to be the case."
"Yes, the yamen always collects the money first and then thinks about how to spend it... By the way, this is what Mr. Jia told me."
Li Shanchang was even more embarrassed and could only say: "Since it is the boss who said it, it can't be wrong."
Zhang Ximeng took classes with Jia Lu'e for a period of time, and his skills improved rapidly. Not only was he ahead of people of this era in general, but he also gained practical experience.
The fiscal budget is not about calculating how much it will cost, and then how much tax will be collected... In fact, the officials responsible for taxation will do everything possible to collect more taxes. The more money in hand, the more disposable wealth and power.
The bigger it gets.
As for how to spend money, that’s not easy!
Hold some celebrations, give some benefits to the officials, or even reward the armed forces... Anyway, you can always find something to spend it on, so don't worry at all.
What you really need to worry about is not being able to collect it.
Even in the Ming Dynasty in the future, due to the basically blank state of commercial taxation, land annexation, and unreasonable division of local and central finances, the Ministry of Household Affairs only had a few million taels of silver.
Paying soldiers, repairing palaces, maintaining rivers... nothing else could be done, and they were constantly incurring losses.
Even when Zhang Juzheng carried out his reforms, he only dared to touch land taxes, not commercial taxes.
"Mr. Li, I have a few things that I want to say to Mr. Li, but I'm afraid that Mr. Li will blame me..."
Li Shanchang hurriedly said: "Don't say that, Mr. Zhang is a confidant of the superiors, and he comes from a famous family. His knowledge and experience are ten thousand times better than Shanchang's. I only ask for Mr. Zhang's advice!"
Zhang Ximeng sighed slightly, "Does Mr. Li know about my lord's experience?"
Li Shanchang nodded, "I know, my lord has experienced misfortune in his early years, which is really sad... As the saying goes, when heaven is about to assign a great responsibility to a person, he must first suffer his will, strain his muscles and bones, and starve his body... I think my lord will definitely achieve great things.
!”
Zhang Ximeng nodded and said: "That's true, but Mr. Li should also know that because of this, our lord hates evil, sympathizes with the weak, cherishes the people, and hates corrupt officials, tyrants and rapists. Mr. Li has a good family background and has done more than ten jobs.
I am a young scribe, and because of this status, my lord cannot help but beat me from time to time. Do you think this is true, sir?"
Li Shanchang's expression changed, he was stunned for a long time, and finally he let out a long sigh, revealing his helplessness. He chose the right lord, but he was not the right person. Could it be that God was playing tricks on him, Li Shanchang?
Zhang Ximeng observed the words and said with a smile: "Does Mr. Li understand "Yi"?"
"I don't quite understand." Li Shanchang said modestly.
"I don't understand either... But there is a Ge hexagram in the Book of Changes. There is fire in the lake, and the water dries up and the grass withers. This is the meaning of great changes! Now that the Yuan Dynasty is declining, heroes have risen together. It is the time of the Ding Revolution. And
The hexagram "Revolution" emphasizes the transformation of an adult into a tiger, the villain into a transformation, and a gentleman into a leopard! Mr. Li, do you think so?"
Li Shanchang was horrified and couldn't help but read: "A gentleman changes like a leopard, a gentleman changes like a leopard!"
"That's right! Mr. Li, although your life experience makes my lord displeased, if you can be a gentleman, act with sincerity, plan for the lord to conquer the world, and achieve the emperor's career, wouldn't it be a waste of achievements? Will he be famous for future generations?" Zhang Ximeng
Said: "Chuzhou merchants have an old relationship with you, but how can they make you forget important things with just a little friendship? Furthermore, even if they talk about slandering you, how can your lord listen to these people's words? They can scold you."
The more ruthless you are, the more stable your position will be!"
Li Shanchang was completely stunned, what a revolutionary hexagram, what a gentleman's sudden change!
When the world is changing, it should be like a leopard, changing quickly and following the times. Since you have chosen Zhu Yuanzhang, you must put your heart above the great cause of the lord.
In fact, Li Shanchang was somewhat unwilling to do anything about the previous land distribution or the current business tax. After all, the sword was attacking his own people.
But after hearing what Zhang Ximeng said, Li Shanchang was shaken.
He is now in his forties, what else can't he see clearly?
It’s just that I can’t bear to do it!
If it were normal times, it would be okay, but when the world is in chaos, how can we look forward and backward, procrastinate, and be submissive!
The gentleman has changed!
Li Shanchang stood up suddenly and bowed deeply to Zhang Ximeng.
"Mr. Zhang, thank you very much for your guidance! If you are able to assist someone in a good position and achieve great things in the future, it will all be thanks to your guidance!"
Zhang Ximeng also stood up and said with a smile: "Mr. Li, this is also what Mr. Jia means. He knows that you are a talent, but you have been working in the local area for a long time, which has restricted your horizons!"
Li Shanchang nodded vigorously, this is so right!
"Mr. Zhang, we are also talking about this business tax... there is nothing difficult to collect. We will guard each intersection and arrange people at the city gate. We have a rough idea of how much goods to buy and which family to give them to.
Then regular inspections are carried out to determine the amount of the transaction, and then the commercial tax is collected. In fact, the progressive tax rate is nothing more than a careful calculation in the last step. It is not as simple as drawing one out of thirty or one out of sixty. I can teach it myself and I can learn it."
"It's easy to see how many big merchants and big businesses there are in Chuzhou. Register them, and the remaining street vendors only need to collect an entry tax of ten or twenty cents per person." Li Shanchang's face turned red as he talked eloquently.
.This time, he had no reservations.
"Wait a minute!" Zhang Ximeng muttered: "Mr. Li, big households can levy taxes, but if ordinary people go to the city to sell vegetables and fruits, or woodcutter sells firewood and charcoal, they also have to collect money? I'm afraid the lord will not agree!"
"Hahaha!"
Li Shanchang couldn't help laughing, "Mr. Zhang, let me teach you a trick... Let's hand over the strategy. This is for the superior to show his favor! We can't exempt the small merchants and hawkers from the tax for the superior, right?"
Zhang Ximeng was speechless for a moment and could only extend his thumb: "Best regards, sir!"