Chapter 35 Taizong Chapter 35 Success is also a compromise
Chapter 2088 Taizong Chapter 35 Success is also a compromise
In the summer and June of the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, in the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, a unique trial was coming to a critical moment. This trial, which was limited to the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, affected almost all the clans, nobles, and bureaucrats in the capital and inside and outside the palace.
heartstrings.
The persons on trial had a special identity: they were the chief minister of Wu Guogong Liu Hui's house, Shi Liuzhou, Sima Zhu Tinghe, and the chief secretary Zhang Changjian. At the same time, Wu Guogong Liu Hui was also asked to observe the trial in the second hall.
The presiding judge was Li Weiqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, and Wang Yucheng, who was transferred from Longxi to the capital to serve as Minister of Dali Temple. The status of the jury was even more noble. King Yan, Zong Zhengqing Liu Zhao, and the prime ministers all inspected Han Hui.
In the twelfth lunar month of the third year of Yongxi's reign, King Liu Chengyun of Xu ended his ordinary but extremely noble life. Emperor Liu Yang issued an edict to abolish the court for five days in memory of the deceased clan elder.
Let’s not talk about King Xu’s funeral. Liu Yang will not treat him harshly. Everything will be done according to the etiquette system, but the material treatment will be reduced compared to that of Emperor Shizu.
The vacant Zongzhengqing gave Emperor Liu Yang a headache for a while. As the number of royal family members gradually increased, the princes and ministers of various clans were also spreading their branches, and Zongzheng Temple became more and more prominent as the one who directly managed the clan members.
As for the candidate to take over, Liu Yang’s headache is not about who to choose, but that it is difficult to express his ideas for a while. Because in terms of qualifications and seniority, Zhao Wang Liu Fang is the most suitable candidate. However, Liu Yang obviously does not
I would like King Zhao to take charge of Zongzheng Temple.
Even the Duke of Wu, Liu Hui, and Liu Yang were excluded because he actually didn't like Liu Hui's vanity and flamboyance.
Therefore, when the emperor became emperor, he had his own heart. Regardless of the process, and regardless of whether the result was good-looking or not, the third Zong Zhengqing of the Han Dynasty was born, and it was Liu Zhao, King of Yan.
At this time, the people involved in the case were the three main staff of Duke Wu, the Duke of Wu was the observer, and the King of Yan was the jury. The scene was so serious, and the seriousness of the matter can be imagined.
Tracing back to the source, it is still the issue of "tax reform". As the imperial court strengthened the administration of officials and intensified the correction of illegal nobles, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry in various places, the so-called tax reform shortcomings that followed one after another around the first year of Yongxi's reign were corrected.
To say that everything has been wiped out, at least the trend has been reversed, and the previous chaos has been greatly reduced.
In a state of ups and downs, in the past few years, various states, from the government to the private sector, from the powerful to the landlords, have restrained their actions a lot. After all, although the emperor is cautious about punishment and less killing, he still loves love
How can one endure being exiled for thousands of miles or even across an ocean?
In recent years, with the trend of maritime trade, various legends of sea trade getting rich have emerged one after another. However, these are only a few people after all. Even in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Minyue and Guangdong regions where sea trade has become extremely popular, all those involved have participated.
Just a few people.
As for the more extensive Dahan River inland states, only upper-class nobles or powerful merchants are the ones who are truly powerful and willing to try sea trade.
For most of the Han people, the focus of their business was still on the land, and there was nothing more tangible than the loess under their feet and the food crops growing there, which could be seen and touched.
Although when they have the opportunity, they still can't help but spend money to buy two "sea things" and get a touch of foreign style. They even occasionally dream about and fantasize about getting rich suddenly, but it is still too difficult for them to take that step.
, the land mentality that has been rooted in the bones of the Chinese people for thousands of years is too difficult to reverse.
But now, just because they squeezed those mud-legged people too hard, they had to confiscate a lot of money, were forced to sell off all their land and property, and moved their families out of the country. Such a punishment was too severe, and it was also the case for almost all powerful landlords.
An unbearable weight.
It is human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, but when the court's "harsh punishment laws" really came down, most people still chose to restrain themselves and enter a period of dormancy.
Therefore, after the transition period of the past few years, Dahan's tax reform has been slowly implemented. At least in terms of land ownership confirmation, land sales, land grades, tax regulations, tax collection, etc., a system has been formed, and in most cases
It was promoted in Daozhou and officially replaced the old two-tax system.
An extremely important sign is that at the beginning of the fourth year of Yongxi reign, during the national plan, the imperial court officially clarified the number of registered acres of land in all prefectures and prefectures across the country. This was an agreement between the central and local governments on tax reform and land scale.
, of course, this is a compromise agreement.
But for the political economy of the Han Dynasty, it was of great significance. This meant that after ten years of reform and advancement, a breakthrough development was finally achieved and decisive results were achieved. From then on, the court could
Register for tax collection.
It also means that the negative impacts on the tax system, public security chaos, economy, and people's livelihood brought about by the reform will gradually dissipate. This is an important political and economic foundation for the Han Dynasty to move towards a prosperous age of Yongxi.
It can even be said that the tax system reform of the Han Dynasty, which centered on "unifying local taxes", has achieved an initial success.
This is what many ministers stated in their memorials to Liu Yang, and used it to boast about Liu Yang's outstanding political achievements, not to fall short of the ambition of the late emperor, and to continue the prosperous age of wealth. It seems that starting from the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, everyone can feel at ease again
Enjoy the peaceful and prosperous age. Therefore, the emperor, you should stop tossing like Shizu.
However, Liu Yang was not unaware of the thoughts behind these praises.
At least, was the tax reform of the Han Dynasty really successful? This point still raised a question mark in Liu Yang's mind.
Take the central government's collection of local finance and taxes as an example. At least in form, they deduct local retained taxes and then turn them over. However, compared to the "live within your means" two-tax law, the court had a clearer basis:
Land, and can maintain a stable income as long as the land conditions do not change.
In this way, it saves a lot of trouble for the Financial Secretary. After all, there are too many uncontrollable factors in making financial budgets, and it is impossible for the imperial court to do such detailed management of the empire. Everything revolves around
It seems to have the effect of "guaranteeing harvests during droughts and floods" by looking at the land register.
However, the imperial court's annual expenditures are not fixed. As long as this uncertainty still exists, it will never be possible to sit back and relax. The Financial Secretary must make timely adjustments. There is no such thing as a one-and-done solution.
Under the new tax system, the imperial court collected fixed taxes from the Dao based on the number of acres of land, and local Dao officials collected taxes from the subordinate prefectures, counties, and counties. Such a clear hierarchy, but there is an extremely obvious problem, that is, the current land rights confirmation and registration records
Number, is the data really true and accurate?
It goes without saying that this is essentially just a compromise reached by the central and local governments after the tax reform reached a certain level and after countless entanglements and collisions.
In other words, whether it is a Taoist government or its subordinate prefectures, counties, or townships, it seems that they only need to pay a fixed tax amount. What about the fixed tax amount based on the field registration?
Also, after the land rights are confirmed and registered, will it remain unchanged? After the land transaction, the amount of land of each family changes, resulting in a tax gap. How to control this? Can the central government monitor it in such detail?
Paddy fields will become dry fields, and dry fields will become paddy fields; after the over-use of rich fields, the fertility will decrease and become middle and lower fields; if different crops are planted in the fields, should there be differences in taxation? If so, will it affect the output of basic food crops?
In short, countless questions and even contradictions can arise around the land, and these are not something that the central court can really grasp.
These problems can only be left to the local government in the end, and once they are left, it is highly likely that old problems and new contradictions will emerge together due to the deep-rooted nature of feudal bureaucracy.
Therefore, those ministers who have always rejected tax reform and hope to restore the old system are not unreasonable in their opposition, nor are their objections based entirely on self-interest.
After all, according to the past, taxes were distributed according to capitation, and each person and each household paid taxes according to regulations. Isn't it simpler and more convenient than complicated local taxes?
In the final analysis, the core of Dahan's tax reform is that it changes the basis of taxation from head to land. This is a breakthrough change.
This was a reform and innovation carried out by Emperor Shizu based on the realization of "relative fairness". However, after so many years of exploration, the new generation of monarchs and ministers, as actual executors, gradually discovered that this road was too difficult to walk.
Under the new tax system, higher requirements have been put forward for the court's supervisory ability and the governance ability of officials. To be honest, most officials are not equipped to deal with the complex people's livelihood, politics, and economics caused by complex taxation.
question.
Faced with such a realistic situation, Liu Yang finally chose to compromise, which was also a last resort. It was precisely when some more fundamental issues were touched that Liu Yang decided to put the brakes on the brakes in time, as a serious monarchy
In the empire, some problems, especially the land issue, can only be improved, but not reformed, because reform will lead to death and chaos.
Because of this, as the first heir to Emperor Shizu, Liu Yang had a deeper understanding of his old man's development strategy.
Especially after experiencing the "Sichuan-Sichuan Rebellion", I had a sudden and enlightened understanding of the so-called "flood discharge station".
It is obvious that the Han Empire under the new tax system also faced brand-new challenges and contradictions. Under such an environment, the ruling class could either complete a self-evolution and further strengthen its control over the empire and the people in Guizhou, or it could just
It can be exhausted in the process of constantly covering the lid and suppressing contradictions until the end of the empire, and what is accompanied by this process can still only be improvement.
As far as the current Yongxi Dynasty is concerned, what it can do and what it is committed to doing is to reconcile class contradictions. This is also the essence of Liu Yang's ongoing "New Deal".
As for tax reform, to be fair, at this point, whether it is the reach of the imperial court's authority, the limitations of officials' abilities, or the tolerance of vested interests, the tour guide has reached an extreme balance.
not good.
Therefore, in the past few months, the direction of the wind has gradually changed. This change can be clearly felt by those who are involved in the situation, and it has been passed down from top to bottom. As a result, the Han Empire began to grow from the central government to the central government.
When we arrived at the place, the calmness on the surface was restored.
However, can you really calm down?
After the compromise, Liu Yang and the Han court did not take a half-step back. On the contrary, they went further and further on the "reconciliation line" and became more determined. The slogan of legality was shouted every month and every day.
The number of Jinshi in the Ming Law Department has reached an unprecedented 78, and the crackdown on illegal nobles, corrupt officials, and local tyrants and evil gentry is as resolute as ever.
This is what Liu Yang really regards as the "governing policy", and it is also a method of maintaining the system and consolidating rule under the rule of man. Throughout the dynasties, anyone who can achieve Liu Yang's level is not far away from the so-called prosperous age.
Therefore, in the fourth year after Liu Yang ascended the throne, the Han Empire as a whole began to show a state of political clarity, strong military, cultural prosperity, active economy, and alleviated social conflicts. The empire began to move downwards under his rule.
A peak.
However, the problems that should exist still exist, even if the court suppresses them more severely, and there will be a "surprise" from time to time.
For example, the dignitaries and landowners who are restrained, are they really honest? In fact, where the court cannot supervise, everything is business as usual. Every regulation and system of the court has room for evasion. They
He is also good at exploiting loopholes.
In an era of legal rule, there are countless loopholes that can be exploited, not to mention an era of human rule, where too many people can openly exceed or even trample on the so-called legal system.
However, the court led by Liu Yang is now making every effort to crack down on these behaviors, so they have also made changes, from being blatant before to acting covertly.
If you get caught, it will end badly, but as long as you don't get caught, that's fine. Having money and power can bring enough security.
This is another marathon wrestling match between the imperial court and the exploiting class. It is essentially a self-regulation within the ruling class. However, the result may not be that optimistic. The final winner will most likely not be the imperial court.
Just one question, as the emperor, how long can Liu Yang rule the Han Empire?
Moreover, some people had no intention of waiting that long, and this summer they posed a problem to Emperor Liu Yang.
Someone submitted a report letter to each of the three law departments, and the copper in front of the imperial city did not let it go. The content was that Liu Hui, the Duke of Wu, hid land, seized people's fields, enslaved the people with usury, and at the same time bullied men, bullied women, and killed people.
Such a deadly move, these contents quickly spread among the public.
Suddenly, Luoyang was abuzz with criticism from the court to the public, and everyone's eyes were turned to Chui Gong Hall.
Public opinion has accumulated to such an extent that Liu Yang, apart from issuing an edict to thoroughly investigate this matter, any other cover-up approach is inconsistent with his personality and goes against his philosophy of governance.
It is not difficult to investigate the affairs of Liu Hui, the Duke of Wu. There are more than 20,000 hectares of land that cannot be flown away. At the same time, there are more people who have put their names on the government's name, and everyone says that it belongs to Duke Wu.
, in order to be tax-free. However, the actual amount of land owned is more than ten times more than the tax-free amount given by the court?
In this situation, ordinary nobles and landowners would have been severely punished. As for enslaving tenants, hiring workers, and lending money at high interest rates, these are behaviors that take human life seriously and are considered "normal operations."
After the investigation, there was no need to mention the other small fish and shrimps. The three people who were actually brought to the Criminal Department for interrogation were the three people who were tried in the lobby of the Criminal Department.
As for the specific culpability, it has long been known and submitted to the emperor for approval. Today is just a formality.
After the three people's crimes were read out, accompanied by a shocking sound of beating the gavel, Li Weiqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, spoke a Huai accent and solemnly read out the final verdict, which was approved by Wang Yucheng, the Minister of Dali Temple, on the spot.
After the verdict was read out, of the three prisoners, only two were left standing. The chief clerk, Zhang Changjian, was sentenced to exile in Nanyang, but at least his head was saved. As for the two who were lying limply on the ground, behead them!
Everything was arranged, and almost a one-stop service was provided. The two were escorted to Tianlaohouzhan. Zhang Changjian, the chief bookkeeper who was sentenced to exile, was also immediately escorted out, put in shackles, and carried the luggage prepared by his family.
Under escort, we embarked on an overseas "dream chasing" journey.
As for Wu Guogong Liu Hui, who had listened to the sentence from beginning to end, accompanied by Yan Wang Liu Zhao, he walked out of the Ministry of Punishment in despair. The summer sun fell on his handsome face that looked particularly vicissitudes of life, revealing the infinite sadness.
.
In terms of appearance alone, today's Liu Hui is one of those middle-aged handsome guys. His noble aura and brilliant literary temperament are intertwined in him, coupled with a layer of melancholy full of stories, which will definitely make countless girls fall in love.
Unfortunately, the man following behind him was a grown man. Silently looking at Liu Hui's dejected back, King Yan Liu Zhao couldn't help but have a look of unbearable expression on his face. However, seeing him about to leave, he couldn't help but shout: "Seven
Brother, please stay!"
Liu Hui paused after hearing the sound, then slowly turned around, looked at Liu Zhao, and said in a sarcastic tone: "We have seen the fate of the chicken, can't I, the monkey, return home?"
"No!" Hearing this, Liu Zhao gave an affirmative answer. Facing Liu Hui's gaze, he took a deep breath and said slowly: "Please Qi Ge come with me to Zongzheng Temple! His Majesty's decree,
Imprisoned for one year!”
Hearing such a response, Liu Hui's expression changed, and the change was so wonderful. After a long time, he looked at Liu Zhao who looked embarrassed, stretched out his hands, and said indifferently: "Do you need to be shackled?"
"Seventh brother is serious!" Liu Zhao said quickly.
Liu Hui was forty years old at the time, but he seemed to have aged ten years between coming in and out. Liu Zhao couldn't bear it, and said: "One year goes by very quickly. I have already told you that it will not happen."
You’ve neglected seventh brother!”
Liu Hui did not answer. Seeing this, Liu Zhao said again: "Seventh Brother, Your Majesty has no choice. People's words are terrible, so you must not complain."
Liu Hui still didn't speak until he boarded Liu Zhao's royal carriage and the two brothers rode together on the way to Zongzheng Temple, with his head resting on the carriage, Liu Hui said softly:
"Didn't His Majesty give me a fiefdom on Bo Ni Island? My eldest son is also twenty years old. Please pass a message on my behalf, begging Your Majesty to give him a grace and let him go to sea to join the country."
In the imperial city, in the Chui Gong Hall, Emperor Liu Yang was looking murderously at Wang Yue, the envoy of the imperial city, who was standing in front of him, and said coldly: "Find it out for me!"
Obviously, this incident made Liu Yang extremely angry, not because of the final treatment of Liu Hui or the concern for brotherhood, but because of this behavior of fueling the flames and making trouble in the dark!
His heart is to be punished! His actions are sinful! At this time, Liu Yang is like a real dragon whose scales have been touched. He does not use clouds and rain, but only rains thunder.