The first thousand two hundred and forty-five chapters The power of Pingjia
There is a saying in later generations: if there is no comparison, there will be no harm.
At this moment, the military minister looked at the letters of allegiance from the dozens of tribal leaders in front of him, and thought about the indifference of Xiutu, Outuo and King Yougu Li.
In addition, today he was forced to swear an oath in public, and the hearts of the military officials were shaking as violently as a volcano.
Even though he barely controlled his emotions, he still snorted coldly and said: "King Outuo, King Xiutu and King Youguli probably have lofty ideals..."
On the grassland, what ideals belong to lofty ideals?
Of course, become a Chanyu!
The performance of King Yishi of Yougu Li and King Outuo in the battle of Gaoque, as well as the performance of Xiutu Ren before and after Gaoque, made the military officials deeply feel that they had been humiliated.
"You should step back first..." The military minister tried his best to maintain his image and waved his hand.
"My slave, please retire!" Qiqu Qediao couldn't hold back the ecstasy in his heart and kowtowed.
Then he slowly exited the royal tent, looked at the scenery of Dragon City, and finally couldn't help but smile.
Who said that only the Kuantan family can be a Chanyu? Can they be the co-owner of the grassland?
In the past, the authority of the Luantang clan relied on its invincible iron cavalry and powerful ten thousand cavalry!
but now……
Shan Yuting's power and trump card have been almost destroyed in Mayi and Gaoque.
The three carriages that Shan Yuting once used to intimidate the world, Zhelan, Loufan and Aries, were all buried in Mayi.
Among them, Lou Fanren was even used as a dog by the Han Dynasty people.
Even if the remaining two tribes remained on the grassland, it would be almost impossible for them to form their terrifying Wanqi again. For at least five years, there would be no way for Zhelan and Aries to appear again.
Without these three super thugs, the ruling order of the Hun Empire was already crumbling.
Because, from then on, the Huns could only take matters into their own hands to deal with and suppress those dissenters and provocateurs.
The strength of at least three headquarters and thousands of horses has been exhausted all year round, wandering in the south and north of the curtain, intimidating the heroes.
In the subsequent Battle of Gaoque, the Xiongnu's defeat was like a mace, hitting the backbone of the Xiongnu, almost breaking it.
This time, the Huns not only suffered heavy losses, but also lost their troops, humiliated the country, and lost their birthplace and ancestral land.
The elite of the headquarters suffered heavy losses.
The two headquarters of Wanqi were completely destroyed, and the other Wanqi who participated in the battle also suffered heavy losses.
After retreating from Gaoque City, Huyan Dangtu lost one-third of the young men and two-thirds of the livestock under his command, and more than half of the Daxia prisoners of war.
The Huns have never been as weak as they are today.
Therefore, careerists naturally appeared uncontrollably.
The Tokugawa tribe may have benefited from the Western expedition of military ministers and will not complain.
But in the whole Muinan area, people were full of anger.
Especially those small and medium-sized tribes are in panic all day long.
It only takes one more defeat, and the entire Xiongnu rule in Munan will fall apart.
All ambitious people are preparing for this moment.
And Qu Qediaonan is the one who has traveled the farthest.
Because he had a large number of escaped Han Dynasty officials and criminals under his command.
These people have no way out now.
They originally fled to the Huns, thinking that the Huns were so powerful that the Han emperor would not be able to settle accounts with them.
But now, seeing the Han Dynasty soldiers winning many battles, they are about to usher in their end. Everyone knows that once the Han army defeats the Huns, they will gain control of the entire world.
What punishment will they face?
Cut in half? That’s still light!
I'm afraid that execution in Lingchi will be their final destination!
In order to prevent themselves from being beaten to death, they could only hug one thigh.
Some people once chose Landosing, but Landosing is dead now.
Some people once chose Huyan Dangtu, but Huyan Dangtu is now unable to protect himself. If Zuoxian Wang Yushan hadn't spoken kindly to him and given him a guarantee, he would definitely be dead now!
Even so, death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be escaped!
At the Dragon City Conference, facing the accusations from thousands of people, Huyan Dangtu had no choice but to take all responsibilities.
Therefore, his position as General Zuo could not be retained.
Even the position of Lieutenant Zuo was not saved!
He was directly demoted to the rank of Guduhou.
He can only lead his headquarters!
Lost the control and command power over other Wanqi and tribes!
Naturally, the dependents of these two were easily recruited together.
And these people came up with a plan for Qie Qu Qie Diao Nan.
This strategy is to take grain from the fire and alienate the relationship between the military ministers and other large tribes in the southern part of the country, so that they can develop and create opportunities.
Now it seems that everything is going very smoothly!
Thinking of this, Qi Qu Qi Diao couldn't help but stand on tiptoe proudly, looking forward to a bright future.
Just when he was imagining that he would rule the grasslands and rule all the nations in the future, Qiqu Qiediao suddenly felt a burst of pain in his limbs, and his tears and nose immediately flowed out uncontrollably. He quickly gritted his teeth and walked quickly
He ran back to his tent, almost crawling, opened a package, took out the paste-like object inside, and then puffed away the mist, falling into an ecstatic fantasy.
………………………………
At this moment, more than a thousand miles away from Dragon City, the majestic Great Wall snaked past the north of Shenhe City.
More than fifty years ago, a famous battle took place here.
It was also the greatest victory the Han Dynasty had against the Xiongnu before the Mayi War.
In this formation, brothers Chai Wu of the Han Dynasty Jipu Hou killed the traitor Han Wangxin, defeated two Xiongnu Ten Thousand Cavalry head-on, and annihilated one of them!
At that time, the city of Canhe was filled with rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the fields.
After the war, except for a dozen civilians who hid in the mountains, no one in the area was spared.
To this day, Shenhe City and the Great Wall behind it are still the main fortresses of the Han Dynasty.
One-third of the county soldiers of the Dai Kingdom were stationed here.
At the same time, a wide straight road has been renovated.
It leads directly to Pingcheng and important towns such as Taiyuan and Feihukou behind Pingcheng.
It only takes three days for reinforcements from Taiyuan to arrive here, and within seven days at the latest, the main force stationed in the Flying Fox Army can also rush to assist here.
If it were pure cavalry, it might be faster if the weather was good!
However, it needs to be pointed out that even today's Great Wall is very different from the Great Wall of later generations.
Because at this time, the Great Wall defense line was actually retreated hundreds of miles in many places.
For example, Shenhe City was not a city near the Great Wall in later generations.
But now, it is a real frontier fortress.
It was also one of the frontier fortresses conducting trade with the Xiongnu.
Speaking of which, you may not believe it.
Although the Han and Hungarians fought fiercely at Gaoque, the main forces of both sides faced each other head-on, and the killing was fierce.
But as soon as spring began, the nobles of the Xiongnu tribes, like no one else, drove their livestock, carried furs and various specialties from distant places, and came to many border markets, including Shenhe, for trading.
The Han Dynasty seemed to have forgotten the vigorous crackdown on Xiongnu smuggling and trade last year.
The government directly came forward to organize and guide many merchants to come here to trade.
But the prerequisite is to pay taxes!
At the gate of Shenhe City, an official named Zhujue Duwei Yamen, with the protection of the army and dozens of followers, levied taxes on all goods entering and exiting through the city gate.
Generally speaking, goods leaving the city are subject to a tax of 10% to 30%.
Goods entering the city are subject to a uniform tax of 10%.
Moreover, they are not collecting taxes randomly!
All taxes have a legal basis, and even the tax collection standards have been approved by several Pingjia from Shenhe and Daijun. They sit in Shenhe City and negotiate with the officials of the lord and captain every day on behalf of the merchants.
, set the price of the goods.
The official then levied taxes based on the prices approved by Pinjia.
Be honest, clearly mark the price!
The tax status of all goods is written on wooden signs.
No matter you are a retainer of a nobleman or a rich man among the people, you must follow these rules.
Otherwise, don’t leave or enter the city!
All the businessmen hated this official from Zhujue Duwei Yamen with gnashing teeth, but there was nothing they could do.
No matter who is behind them or how powerful they are, they must pay taxes every day.
This is really because the profits from trade with the Huns are too great!
In China, the profit from a piece of silk or a piece of porcelain is only 30%, or even 50%.
But if it is shipped out of the Great Wall and sold to the Xiongnu, the profit will be three times, five times or even ten times if resold!
If you are lucky and you deceive a country bumpkin, a piece of silk that costs only a few hundred dollars can be sold directly for the price of a cow or even a horse!
Recently, even food can be sold at high prices.
One hundred shi of Chinese old rice and old grain in the official warehouse can be exchanged for a calf in the market.
Although the profit is not as good as silk, porcelain, rhubarb, spices and other trades.
But the advantage lies in quantity. The Huns' almost endless demand overwhelmed countless merchants.
A certain high-level executive of Daiguo even made tens of millions of profits in one month by relying on this transaction!
And his method is now well known and very simple. First, go to the official warehouse or military warehouse, make a white note, and borrow several thousand or even tens of thousands of shi of old rice. Anyway, these old rice have to be sold at a low price to make it easier to enter.
New rice.
Then, these chenmilan were taken to the market and sold to the Huns who were in great demand.
Then they drove the livestock, furs and even gold exchanged from the Xiongnu to Taiyuan, Jinyang and even Luoyang and Chang'an for sale.
Finally, take the profit and pay it to the officials in the official warehouse.
This whole process is safe, risk-free, and extremely profitable.
So much so that now, dignitaries throughout the Dai Kingdom and even the Yanzhao region have followed suit.
And businessmen who smelled the profits also flocked to gather near the border trade markets such as Shenhe.
Just in Shenhe City, the number of vehicles entering and exiting every day is calculated in thousands, and the trade volume ranges from millions to tens of millions!
Thinking of this, the merchants all became dejected.
Watching those little cuties jump into other people's hands one by one, it really makes their hearts ache.
But there just wasn't any way.
Because everyone knows that the person standing behind the lord and captain is the emperor.
No one dares to mess with it!
What's more, all the actions of the Lord Commander's Yamen are legal, especially the fact that they roped in the common officials to do this, which makes people speechless.
Since the price is approved by the generals, even the most powerful and high-status people do not dare to express their dissatisfaction, let alone do other things.
the reason is simple.
In terms of procedures, the behavior of the Lord Commander was almost impeccable and he completely complied with all the laws in force in the Han Dynasty.
And Pingjia’s endorsement is almost impeccable, and he doesn’t even have the energy to shout “competing with the people for profit”!
Naturally, countless people have thought of various ways.
For example, someone wants to smuggle, but the Han garrison patrols almost all roads and the main routes in and out of the Great Wall, making any smuggling behavior likely to result in the death of the whole family.
I also thought about buying it.
but……
These people all felt powerless when they looked at the young Lord Commander who was standing under the city gate, bowing to the merchants with a smile and bowing his hands.
This young man surnamed Yang is almost an inexperienced guy.
He lived a life like an assiduous monk every day.
When he wakes up every morning, he is already at his post. When night falls every day, he moves into the military camp outside Shenhe City.
No matter who it is, go see him with his invitation.
There must be a censor standing next to him, holding a pen and paper, silently recording his words and deeds.
This almost eliminates the possibility of bribery and bribery by anyone. No fool would dare to bribe in front of the censor, which is almost like putting his own head on the guillotine!
In the past two years, these Yushi and Tingwei bureaucrats worked together to overthrow the entire Qilu bureaucracy. Thousands of heads fell to the ground, and hundreds of bureaucratic gentry families were wiped out.
Just outside Shenhe City, there are dozens of poor families who were exiled here.
No one wants to farm outside the city.
But not like these businessmen.
Yang Ke is enjoying his current life very much.
Every day he can see his progress and the taxes he collects increasing.
And these taxes will become his best political achievement and help him climb to the highest peak.
Carefully pinning the medal on his lapel, Yang Ke puffed up his chest with great pride. This is a medal bestowed by the emperor, called the 'Medal of Good Officials', and is only issued to court officials, censors, and lords and captains.
He is the most outstanding middle and low-level official among the Xiuyi Guards.
Those who receive this medal will be directly registered in Lantai's 'reserve' file.
This reserve, as the name suggests, means the ministers of the future prince, and it is also the top priority list for promotion.
In the entire Han Dynasty bureaucracy, Yang Ke knew that there were only twenty people who had received this medal.
As one-twentieth of the empire, Yang Ke has his own pride and ambition.
He hopes that he can climb as high as possible.
In the Han Dynasty, the only way for a person from a poor family to climb up was through political achievements.
Whether it's killing people, collecting taxes, or expanding territory, if you have political achievements, you will definitely be promoted!
"I have collected five million yuan in taxes this month..." Yang Ke was thinking in his mind.
Five million yuan is equivalent to the total annual land tax and farm money of a large county in Guanzhong of the Han Dynasty, and is equivalent to one-fifth of the salt and iron income of the Han Dynasty last year.
But this is only the tax he collects in one month!
This filled his heart with pride and pride!
but……
This is not enough!
"Not outstanding enough!" Yang Ke thought in his heart: "I heard that Ma Yi's colleagues have collected six million in taxes! I can't be left behind by him, I must collect more taxes!"
The best way to collect more taxes is to ask the merchants to raise the prices of goods.
However, these Pinjia themselves were businessmen, and they were representatives chosen by local businessmen to negotiate with the government.
How easy is it to get them to raise prices?
Negotiating price standards with them every day in the past was like going to war, fighting for every penny!
Thinking of this, Yang Ke gritted his teeth and glanced at the ordinary people standing in the city market.
At this moment, Yang Ke really hopes that the emperor will not give these guys too much power!
But the reality is that the current commodity tax standards of the Han Dynasty were jointly formulated by the government and the common people.
The former sets tax rates in accordance with the law, and the latter determines prices in accordance with the law.
This is the social model advocated by the Huang-Lao School.
It also received the support and protection of the "Ping Lv" approved by the emperor.
There is one article in the Law of Ping that even specifically states: There are officials who use Pingjia to determine the price of the upper, middle and lower things, and each uses it as the market level, and does not stick to other places.
This means that the trade goods between municipalities and merchants must be approved by Pingjia, and then used as a guide price.
There is also a law that states: If the price is higher than Pingjia, it is expensive; if the price is lower than Pingjia, it is too low.
Regardless of whether the transaction is high or low, if it is a private transaction, if there is no report, then there will be no interference, but if there is a report, the matter will be involved.
In addition, the government must strictly abide by Pingjia's prices.
Otherwise, the parties concerned will be held accountable.
This policy and law made Yang Ke feel a little suffocated.
But there just hasn't been any solution yet.
This is the system.
Moreover, he did not dare to play tricks. The reason was very simple. Today's Pingjia system has penetrated into all aspects of the Han Dynasty with the implementation of Pinglaw.
For example, building roads and water conservancy.
The salaries of private workers involved in the project are determined by Pinjia and then paid by the government.
If the government refuses to pay, the citizen will automatically be deemed to have worked one month, which will be offset by half a year of corvee.
Don't think that the law "Ping Lv" was promulgated not long ago and has no power.
In fact, since the implementation of Ping law, three princes, four two thousand stone officials and dozens of officials have fallen to Ping law.
For example, Liang He's candidate Wu Qian, who was not far from Shenhe City, knelt down because of the law of Ping. He sold a horse for 150,000 yuan, which was over Ping, and Zang was five hundred.
The feudal lords fell because of this.
And the reason is simply because a horse was sold for 150,000 yuan, which was 500 yuan more than the price of Pingjia...
Although, this is also related to high-level political struggles.
However, it is also the power of the law of equality that is at work.
The dignified princes, because it was more than five hundred yuan, they carried it.
Yang Ke was convinced that if he charged excessively, it would take less than half a month for an envoy from Chang'an to investigate him. He would be arrested and sent to Tingwei Prison, and he would never be able to escape in this life!
Thinking of this, young Yang Ke sighed: "Your Majesty is too inclined towards merchants... This merchant is so rich, it is normal to charge more..."
But, the law is the law.
Yang didn't dare to disobey!
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Prestige job number, please leave Jingke and seek attention!
ps: The cases and examples related to the Pingjia system described in this chapter are all derived from historical facts.
In other words, in the Han Dynasty where there was no equal law, similar situations still existed~
I will talk about this situation in the prestige job type number~ (To be continued~^~)
