The political hall under the chairmanship of Zhao Pu has strict rules and regulations, with high-ranking bureaucrats, each occupying his own position and taking care of his own affairs. It is busy but not chaotic, giving people a sense of efficiency and order.
Emperor Liu came unexpectedly, walked through the corridor, passed through the service rooms, and went straight to the back hall. He passed by along the way and saw this orderly appearance, and his eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.
Today's Emperor Liu pays more and more attention to rules, and he looks more and more like a serious and rigid feudal master. In the past few years when he was prime minister, Zhao Pu has also established rules and political style with his distinctive style.
In the hall, several ministers were sitting safely, each discussing state affairs according to his own case. Emperor Liu's arrival obviously surprised everyone, and they hurriedly stood up to salute, but they were not too nervous. Unexpectedly, in recent days, Emperor Liu
The frequency of going to the political hall is a little too high.
"Everyone sit down! Everyone sit down!" Emperor Liu raised his hands, sat down gracefully, and looked around at the people: "It's almost dinner time, I'm here to try the food in the political hall. It's not easy for you guys to work hard for the big man.
, if the dine-in food is unpalatable, I will punish the chef!"
A small joke made the atmosphere in the hall much more relaxed. Zhao Pu and others also smiled and said: "It is an honor for me to eat with His Majesty."
Today, the people are rarer and more organized. The main ministers of the political affairs hall, except Li Ye, are all here. Of course, there is also a new face, Wang Pu, who was transferred from Tokyo and took office not long ago. Now, he is the second most powerful figure.
Uncle Li Guo was always just the third child.
"Qi Wu, you have also been in the Political Affairs Hall, but what is the difference between Xijing and Tokyo?" Emperor Liu asked Wang Pu with a smile.
Probably because he had been in Tokyo for the past few years, he was inevitably a little unfamiliar with Emperor Liu. Wang Pu also became a little more cautious and answered with his hands raised: "Your Majesty, the importance of the prime minister is not where he is, but on his shoulders to assist the king and govern the life."
People, whether it is Xijing or Tokyo, I only feel that my responsibilities are heavy and heavy, and I feel like I have a heavy responsibility."
Hearing Wang Pu's answer of "Taiwan Balm", Emperor Liu smiled and continued to ask: "There should be nothing uncomfortable about it, right?"
Upon hearing the question, Wang Pu immediately and humbly replied: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Fortunately, Your Majesty's kindness and promotion, and the support of all the princes, everything went smoothly!"
His eyes wandered around Zhao Pu and Wang Pu. Emperor Liu suppressed his smile and sighed softly to Wang Pu: "Since I returned to the capital, what I have heard the most is that the national treasury is empty and the imperial court is financially strapped. My ears are shocked when I hear this.
It's time to get cocooned. Qi Wu, you are in charge of the big man's money bag now. It's not easy. It's even more difficult to manage it well. You have to worry more about it!"
"My duty is my duty, how dare I fail to do my best?" Wang Pu immediately expressed his stance, as if he was grateful for the kindness given to him.
Under the auspices of Zhao Pu, it was carried out in accordance with the general policy of rest and recuperation. Improving the financial system and improving the poor financial situation was one of the focuses. Many of the current tasks of the imperial court were also centered on this matter.
The prime ministers of the Han Dynasty are now in charge of their work. Prime Minister Zhao Pu has direct jurisdiction over the civil service department and oversees everything. Wang Pu, who has returned to the government, is directly responsible for the financial department. When he was the prime minister in Kaifeng, he also had
This experience. For example, Uncle Li Ye was responsible for the guidance of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry...
Emperor Liu had always admired and trusted Wang Pu's attitude and ability. He nodded, looked at Zhao Pu, and said: "I have seen several reform measures proposed by the Financial Secretary and can start to implement them to improve the national finances.
The method is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.
In terms of reducing expenditure, there is not much that can be done at present, so we should find more ways to increase revenue! However, salt, tea, grain and cloth are related to the national economy and people's livelihood, especially the reform of salt affairs. I know that this is an important financial resource for the court, but don't be fooled by huge profits.
, no matter when, meeting the needs of the people will always come first..."
In the past few months, the imperial court has been working hard on finance and taxation. It has been discussed and debated for a long time, and finally some concrete measures have been taken, and the salt issue is one of the relatively big actions.
Salt profit has always been the largest contributor to the Han Dynasty's annual income. However, the imperial court has always been very strict in its control. From production, transportation to sales, the government occupies an absolutely dominant position. And a special salt law was formulated.
Use extremely harsh penalties to crack down on illegal salt and salt-related crimes. The price of salt has also been suppressed at an extremely low level. In the past ten years or so, the price of grain has fluctuated repeatedly with changes in the current situation.
But only salt prices remain stable.
This time, one of the measures taken by the Financial Secretary is to make a fuss about salt industry. The core purpose of the specific measures proposed is to relax the restrictions on salt industry. From now on, the government will be mainly responsible for production, while transportation.
Sales will open some channels to merchants.
Emperor Liu did not have any guidance or interference in this proposal. It was entirely proposed by the Financial Secretary himself. And this must be said to be a big move.
Although it is just an opening, the impact it will have on the court, merchants, and people will increase over time. Allowing more merchants to participate will help the development of the salt industry.
Reducing the burden on the court can also create greater benefits. The court will eat meat and merchants will drink soup. But more significantly, it will increase the price of salt, which will not be so friendly to the common people who eat and use salt.
Therefore, Emperor Liu's words seemed high-sounding, but with the obvious benefits right in front of us, it was difficult not to be tempted. Furthermore, the common people of the Han Dynasty had been eating cheap salt for more than ten years, and now every family was getting
If we are affluent, even if the price of salt increases slightly, it will not really affect people's livelihood. After all, salt is not as consumed as food.
In the eyes of many people, the salt affairs of the Han Dynasty should have been changed long ago. In the past, there was a huge cornucopia, but it was always suppressed. It is also a good strategy to improve the poor finances of the Han Dynasty through salt utilization. You must know that in the Tang Dynasty, salt utilization
The income can account for almost half of the court's annual fiscal revenue, but the current Han Dynasty is just sitting on a treasure mountain.
"Your Majesty, rest assured that the Financial Secretary has formulated a complete set of reform methods and strengthened supervision measures!" Wang Pu responded: "And it will not be achieved overnight, but will be gradually relaxed. The court will also always pay attention to the price of salt. Once
If there are any problems, they will be adjusted in time!”
"As long as you don't act too hastily, I believe you will give me and the Han people a satisfactory answer! I believe in your ability!" Emperor Liu said.
And through such a conversation, the matter has basically been decided. It is conceivable that around the important chain of interests of salt and profit, there will be another carnival among the big men. Even if it is just a piece of meat from the government, it will be enough to attract people.
Everyone is scrambling for food, and ordinary merchants may not even be qualified to participate.
Of course, hidden worries also exist. It is not that easy to take it back after opening this hole, and it will only get bigger and bigger, and the rise in salt prices is almost irreversible. When merchants are selling
If you have enough voice, will there be any counterattack?
According to common sense, it is almost impossible. The Financial Secretary's reform of the salt affairs ensured a bottom line, that is, the most basic salt production is always in the hands of the court and is the responsibility of the local salt supervisors.
However, when new interest chains are formed, consolidated, and strengthened, these systems will inevitably be eroded. There will always be someone responsible, and there is a possibility of corruption.
Of course, everything has its pros and cons, and Emperor Liu is not someone who seeks perfection. At least for now, he is supportive of the salt reform. At the same time, this is also an attempt to support business development.
This is what happened with salt. If it succeeds, then wine, tea, cotton, etc. can follow suit and carry out reasonable and appropriate reforms.
"In addition, regarding the issue of commercial taxes, don't just think about raising taxes!" Emperor Liu also instructed: "While raising taxes can directly increase the court's income, it is too simple and crude to be sustainable, and it is easy to dampen the enthusiasm of merchants.
This is a way to catch fish from the lake.
Take the salt reform as an example. Under heavy taxation, how many people can be willing to participate? Even if they participate, in the end, for the sake of sufficient profits, the price of salt will be raised wantonly, and it will be the common people who will suffer.
I know that some of you will regard those merchants who raise the price of salt as profiteers. The court can also crack down on it and make the price of salt clear. But in that case, what is the meaning of reform? If that is the case, it is better to maintain the status quo and directly raise the price.
Salt price.
Therefore, in addition to merchants' business affairs, the court should also try to formulate more reasonable laws to regulate and restrict the behavior of merchants, support those who obey the regulations and pay taxes according to the law, and crack down on unscrupulous merchants who evade taxes, so that the government and merchants can benefit from each other.
, is the long-lasting way..."
In recent years, commerce in the Han Dynasty has indeed been booming, and the commodity economy has begun to take shape, but the court's guidance and regulation are still at a preliminary stage.
In terms of ideology and culture, the imperial court, the government and the people all had certain prejudices against merchants and commerce. Scholars, peasants, industry and commerce were still the mainstream.
If Emperor Liu hadn't always had a better attitude towards merchants, merchants in Han Dynasty might not have such a relatively relaxed business environment today.
Even so, there are frequent twists and turns. In the past, there have been several cases of cutting leeks. This time, the Financial Secretary has come up with a commercial tax reform plan, and it is simple and crude, which is to increase taxes on commercial and trade activities.
Increase taxes.
Emperor Liu did not object to increasing taxes, because as far as the current situation of the Han Dynasty was concerned, the collection of commercial taxes was far from adequate, and the court could not do it in detail. After all, it did not have so much energy or manpower.
.
Therefore, in these years, the Han Dynasty's business was booming, and business taxes increased every year, but compared with the profits of merchants, it was only a small amount. Therefore, Emperor Liu was also happy to cut a wave of leeks at the right time.
However, judging from the plan proposed by the Financial Secretary, there is no problem in describing it as robbery. It is too ugly to look at. Moreover, Emperor Liu felt that this was an attempt to suppress the development of business.
It is even more like an act of revenge. The country is financially strapped, but some merchants are extremely rich, which directly attracts the hungry eyes of the court to them. During the Northern Expedition last year, there was also a lot of food, timber, and shipping.
As well as various handicraft merchants, they made a lot of money from the imperial court's military expenditures.
In the view of some Finance Department officials, the imperial court's money was all donated by the people, so how could it be earned by a group of merchants? How could the imperial court's money be earned so easily, so they tried their best to make them spit it out.
The last resort is to increase taxes and impose heavy taxes, which is all-round. Of course Emperor Liu will give some guidance on this...