"Have you been corrupted by the Gonggun princes in the DPRK?"
"Find out these corrupt officials and make them cough up their salary."
"If we don't kill such corrupt officials, it won't be enough for the people to get angry!"
Many scholars in the audience were filled with righteous indignation and began to denounce loudly.
Gao Hongtu couldn't bear it anymore and winked at Zhang Youyu, the left minister of household affairs.
As a relevant affairs official of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Zhang Youyu also wanted to participate in today's first court meeting.
After receiving Gao Hongtu's order, Zhang Youyu immediately stood up and refuted: "It's nonsense. The additional one and two cents per mu of Liao rates is just a standard set by the court, not a real number! The actual Liao rates collected every year are only more than three million taels.
, these three million Liao pay will be misappropriated by various urgent tasks, which will cause Liao Town to be in arrears with military pay."
"You have never watched government affairs in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and have never served as a local people-friendly official, so you are here to talk arrogantly about where the extra five million Liao taxes have gone. Isn't it ridiculous!"
Zhang Youyu's second sentence was a personal attack.
This time it stirred up a hornet's nest and immediately angered all the scholars present.
Jiangnan scholars originally praised current affairs and judged people, and Chongzhen's connivance during these seven days only helped to increase the courage of the scholars to discuss politics. Now Zhang Youyu actually said that they were talking arrogantly, which is really intolerable.
The scholars present stood up one after another, glared at Zhang Youyu, and launched a siege.
"Zuo Situ's words are wrong. Don't we know the world if we haven't watched the government in the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
"If you have never served as an official close to the people, does it mean you must be familiar with local practice? This statement is ridiculous! Confucius said: Those who are born knowing are inferior; those who know through learning are inferior! It can be seen that there are really no people who are born knowing in this world!"
"Does Master You have a clear conscience? Is it possible to profit from it?"
Seeing that the subordinate officials immediately ended their personal attacks, Chongzhen shook his head secretly.
The rebuttals of those subordinate officials all hit the point. Shi Kefa actually made a small mistake just now!
Just when Chongzhen was wondering whether he was instructing a subordinate to refute, Qian Qianyi suddenly shouted: "Everyone, I didn't say a word!"
After the Yilun Hall became quiet, Qian Qianyi asked Shi Kefa again: "I dare to ask you, Sir, the Liao rate standard set by the imperial court is one cent and seven cents per mu, and all the prefectures and counties in the south charge according to this standard.
, According to the Yulin Atlas of the Ministry of Household Affairs, your Xiaoming currently has 740 million acres of cultivated land, so the Liao salary should be 8.48 million taels!"
Speaking of that meal, he asked again: "Why only more than eight million taels were collected?"
"Yes, why only eight million taels were collected?" The other subordinate officials also expressed their support.
"That!" Shi Kefa's face suddenly changed slightly. Na Shang was really hit by a subordinate official.
Then Zhang Youyu asked in a low voice: "Youshizi, may I ask where the remaining seven million tax dollars went?"
Shi Kefa was thinking about how to cover up the past, but Qian Qianyi opened the sore directly: "The remaining seven million tax dollars were withheld by the local government offices at all levels in the provinces, prefectures and counties. Are you right?"
"Buzz!" When the subordinates heard this, they immediately exploded.
Gu Yanwu, Gao Hongtu and others also looked embarrassed.
Gao Hongtu saw that Chongzhen looked calm at all, but he was also angry.
I'm thinking, Your Majesty, he allowed those Tang Qi, who knew the world was low and the land was thick, to mess around and exposed the bad habits of the officialdom to the public. Did he want to completely break up with all the civil servants in the world?
Is he really afraid that petty etiquette will lead to another fight over the country’s foundation?
Shi Kefa also tried to argue: "The imperial court's tax money has always been divided into two parts. One part is sent to the household department in the capital, which is called Qijie. The other part is kept in the government offices at all levels such as provincial capitals, prefectures and counties, which is called retention. The retained part of the tax money is
It will be used to distribute salaries to local officials and Tang Qi, oh, not yet, the rice of you and other subordinate staff members will also be drawn from it."
As a result, Shi Kefa's defense was okay, but his defense only led to even calmer condemnation.
"It's nonsense. Officials' salaries don't have regular taxes, and Situ's salaries don't have to do with corvee service."
"In the future, when there is no increase in Liao salary, officials Situ will also receive an extra cent of salary."
"Could it be that before the increase in Liao's salary was imposed, the official Situ received another salary less?"
"Before the Liao Dynasty, there was an additional levy and suppression of wages, and before the suppression of wages, there was an additional levy and practice of wages. In this case, local officials and ministers received seven portions of salary? If they are floating, they will be floating. It is not about retaining, which is to fool ghosts."
"What is shameful is simply not shameful."
"Eight is the silver that Xiao Ming needs to survive, how dare you float it?"
Finally Tang Qicui said what Chongzhen was looking forward to! It's finally here!
Shi Kefa had not yet sweated on his forehead, so he defended himself weakly: "There is no such thing as floating in ancient times. Whether it is water transportation, sea transportation or land transportation, there are certain risks. In order to avoid delaying national affairs, there is no quota for floating."
.”
Tang Qicui whispered in the crowd: "But I heard that 80% of the Liao's salary had already been floated before it left the capital! When we arrived at Ji Town, it was less than 70%, and since it was transported from the capital to Ji Town, it was by sea.
It must be transported by water, and the land route is not that far away, and there are no bandits on the emperor's feet. Youshizi's statement is really unconvincing!"
Tang Qicui broke through the defense directly, and there was a way to do it. It was really vague.
The financial revenue and expenditure of the Xiao Ming Dynasty were not two bad debts from the central government to the local governments.
The tax collection department is a bad debt. Honored officials, gentry and wealthy clans are doing all kinds of tax evasion and tax evasion. Official Tang Qi is also doing all kinds of things to enrich his own pockets. It is wrong to collect 70% of the tax revenue when 10% of the tax money is collected.
That is really nonsense, because according to the Fish Scale Atlas of the Chongzhen Period, the country has a total of 740,000 acres of arable land, no tax on civilian farmland of eight liters, eight in seven spoons, and no official tax of seven liters, eight in seven spoons.
Tian, is not a royal palace that pays any taxes, but on average, the total tax rate has remained at about eight liters, eight combined and seven spoons.
So by calculation, 580 million acres x 0.0335 shi/mu = 19.43 million shi.
According to the price comparison of one stone and one tael, just the land tax and taxes can bring in 19.43 million taels!
But what about in reality? Since before Zhang Juzheng’s death, Xiao Ming’s land tax has been increasing year by year. By the Chongzhen period, he had not even collected 10 million taels.
The land tax and the corvee tax are like this, but the small tax and the corvee tax are even less important.
Because there were not a small number of officials and subordinates exempted from service, and a small number of people fled, the two taxes did not exist in name only during the Chongzhen period, and only a few pieces of silver were collected in a year.
Those few pieces of silver can even be used as errand money for Situ who collects taxes.
The first is not eight rates, which can definitely be collected in full. The Liao rates are less than 7 million, the suppression rates are less than 2.8 million, the training rates are less than 7.3 million, and the eight rates add up to less than 17.1 million!
But that's just a theoretical tax figure.
In fact, at least half of the lower eight rates can be collected.
One is because there are too few people fleeing, and the other is because they are greedy for ink.
From the early years of Chongzhen to the eleventh year of Chongzhen, there were regular taxes, Ding taxes, corvee taxes plus eight rates, all added up to more than 20 million taels even a year!
That’s why we say the tax collection department is not a bad debt.
However, the tax collection side is bad, and the expenditure side is even worse. It can get even worse. The eight ministries and government agencies at all levels are in trouble. 100% of the allocation is not fully allocated, but 70% is not fully allocated.
If we really want to expose the two bad debts, everyone will look good, including Chongzhen.
Because Chongzhen's inner court was even worse. At least the civil servants collected less than 70% of taxes, while the inner court only collected 10%!
Shi Kefa directly piled up his picks, and Gao Hongtu, who was also the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was directly exposed to the muzzles of the subordinates.
Not long ago, several subordinate officials pointed their fingers at Di Hongtu: "Old Di Ge, young scholar, is he just going to stand up and say a few words? What's going on with Liao's salary?"
Gao Hongtu knew that this was not the case with those subordinate officials.
Gao Hongtu could only plead with Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, the time difference is short, the court discussion should be over."
Chongzhen smiled. So far, my intention has not been fully achieved. I used Tang Qi's sarcastic comments just to slap and warn the cabinet, and I did not really want to break up.
Chongzhen just wanted the cabinet to understand that both the inner court and the cabinet were full of shit.
So if they want me to wipe their butts clean, that's fine, but at most they have to pay for the papyrus. If they don't show anything, it won't be easy for today's court meeting.
When he arrived, Chongzhen said to Tang Qicui: "Qian Muzhai, let's do that for today."
Tang Qicui understood the idea and immediately stepped down from the stage and said: "Dear classmates, His Majesty and the cabinet have not yet discussed any minor national affairs. Today's discussion ends here. You cannot write an article before you go back. Regarding the taxes discussed today, there are many
If you want to express more in-depth insights on the matter, well-written articles will be posted on the bulletin board for students to comment and discuss."
When some scholars were talking, Chongzhen also stood up in time and left Yilun Hall surrounded by Gu Yanwu and other officials.
Although the subordinates felt that they still had something to say, His Majesty had not left yet, so they wanted to waste more time and hurried back to the dormitory to write an article while there was no memory in their minds.
If you can write a magnificent article,
From now on, Jane will surely be in the Emperor's heart.
…
The doctor's hall on the right side of the Imperial College is not ready yet.
As soon as Chongzhen retreated, he sat in the middle. Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong sat on the right and left of Chongzhen.
Seeing that Gu Yanwu and the others were all standing, Chongzhen said: "Wang, please add seven chairs and invite the seven elders to sit down and discuss matters."
Wang Chengen quickly took the eunuch and added seven chairs to the outside of the small hall. Gu Yanwu and the others first bowed to Chongzhen and took their seats one after another.
Chongzhen raised his hand and said: "It's over."
Gu Yanwu then turned to Shi Kefa and said, "Youshizi, please explain the situation to His Majesty first."
"Yes." Tang Qicui responded, bowed to Chongzhen again, and then stood up, "Your Majesty, since the capital was occupied and all the household accounts were lost, the financial expenditure accounts of Chongzhen for the eighteen years are already legal.
Let’s do the calculation again.”
"This matter must be mentioned." Chongzhen said, "Let the past be bygones. Today we will only discuss this year's budget."
"Yes." Shi Kefa bowed his head and said, "Beizhi, Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi have all fallen, a small part of Henan Province, Shanxi Province, and a part of Huguang Province have also fallen into the hands of thieves, and Qichuan Province is suffering from Zhang Xianzhong's poison, so your Xiao Ming
The only reliable sources of tax revenue are Nanzhi, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan-Guizhou. The total number of acres is even 800 million acres. Therefore, the regular taxes, minor taxes and corvee rates in the 11th year of Chongzhen were reduced to 80%, and the total budget was only one
Ten million taels."
Chongzhen didn't feel comfortable with that number at all.
Because the annual income in the next few years will only be 20 million.
If we can collect 10 million taels this year, it's not a mistake.
