"Benevolence is not far away, and duty is not unreasonable..." Liu Che looked at the ministers and said in a compassionate tone: "In my dream, I saw a storm coming from the western sea. To the west of Guangling is the East China Sea, the land of the East China Sea. , vassals of the Han family, and Chinese subjects. Now the people of Jiangdu have to be evacuated, but what can the people of the East China Sea do?"
In human history, especially in Chinese history, no matter what era.
Helping people in danger, rescuing people from danger, and making decisions about life and death are all topics that are eternally correct.
In the history of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Mu of Qin aided the Jin Dynasty in drought, which can be regarded as a shining point of human humanitarianism.
It is the best explanation that all Xia come from the same origin and help each other.
Baili Xi's famous saying, "If Yi and I offend you, what's the crime for the people?" is a famous saying that has been recalled countless times in the ears of the world for hundreds of years.
Of course, two years later, the Qin State suffered from famine and the Jin State took advantage of the situation to plunder, which still showed that in international relations at that time, the law of the jungle of the weak and the strong was still the mainstream.
Back to the present, the emperor of the Han Dynasty reigns over the world and controls the eight wastelands. He claims that he has been ordered by heaven and will live a long and prosperous life.
Donghai Kingdom (Dongou) is a vassal vassal officially conferred and recognized by the Han Dynasty.
In theory, its regime and its people were subjects under the jurisdiction of the Emperor of China.
Duke Mu of Qin, all the princes in the same place know that the Xia must watch and help each other. How can the majestic emperor of China ignore his own ministers?
This is just like the curves of later generations, no matter how they jump, how disgusting they are, how helpless they are.
But the Central Committee of the Celestial Dynasty cannot care about its life or death.
In the same way, the Donghai Kingdom and the Han Dynasty court cannot care about its life or death.
It’s just that I didn’t know there was a storm.
Now that you know it, how can you not help Donghai Country?
Otherwise, after the disaster, how would Mitsukoshi view Chang'an, the Han Dynasty, and the Emperor?
How can the people of Mitsukoshi still believe and recognize that they are Chinese subjects?
only……
The ministers looked at each other.
This Donghai Kingdom is a vassal of the Han Dynasty.
But it is not like Jiangdu State, where the entire political power from top to bottom is under the direct jurisdiction of Chang'an.
Its domestic politics, military, and economy all go their own way.
Apart from the fact that the head of the country needs to be recognized and canonized by Chang'an, the family is not under the control of Chang'an at all.
The edict of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty could not affect the bureaucrats of Donghai State.
The more troublesome problem is that now, the emperor said that he saw a storm coming from the west in his dream.
So, this means that almost two-thirds of the area, population, and residents of the entire Donghai Kingdom need to be evacuated in advance.
How much manpower and material resources did the Han government need to expend in order to rescue Donghai?
Not to mention other issues, this key alone put all the courtiers in trouble.
Everyone can understand the bleeding for the sake of Jiangdu.
This is our own territory and our own people.
But the East China Sea Kingdom?
Firstly, he did not pay taxes to the imperial court, and secondly, he did not serve the imperial court.
Just the souvenirs and tributes paid every year. Even if everything was added up over the years and multiplied by one hundred, I am afraid it would not be enough to cover half of the resources expended by the Han Dynasty to rescue and evacuate the people of Donghai Kingdom.
Besides...
"Why should people believe it?" Some ministers muttered to themselves.
The East China Sea is not Jiangdu. When the emperor gives an order, all forces, from the people to the government, must dance to the will of the emperor.
It is estimated that the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the East China Sea Kingdom to deliver orders. Maybe they would still laugh at it?
However, there are some things that we can only think about, do but not say.
The same goes for this matter.
As long as the Han Dynasty still believed and publicized that they were the emperor of the world, the supreme emperor, the emperor who was ordered by heaven to rule the infinite world.
Then, you cannot abandon your vassal state, especially a docile and obedient vassal like Donghai.
This is the responsibility and obligation that the co-owner of the world must bear.
For a moment, the scene felt a little cold.
No one dares to stand up and push back the emperor's problems. In that case, they will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, just like the Gongsun who was used as the backdrop for Baili Xi in the story of Qin's aid to Jin's drought.
The branches are the same. I am afraid that in a thousand years, when people mention the Gongsun branch, they will gnash their teeth and wish to spit on their faces.
But he didn’t dare to stand up and answer the call.
Who dares to answer the call?
We are all adults, and we have long passed the point where our blood boils and we lose our minds just because of a slogan or an idea.
Although Donghai is small, it has a population of two to three hundred thousand.
But there is no fool who wants to put such a huge burden on the Han Dynasty's finances.
Since Beiping Hou Zhang Cang, all the nine ministers of the Han Dynasty have developed excellent accounting skills.
Many people are cursing in their hearts: Your Majesty's words are so easy to say, benevolence is not far away, and duty is not shunned?
How could we know that, in fact, just evacuating the residents of Jiangdu State would put a heavy burden on the finances of the Han Dynasty and the entire country's operating system!
Many people even think that this year, the Han Dynasty's finances will face its first deficit since Queen Lu.
The large-scale relocation and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of residents in a vassal state at one time is no joke.
Hundreds of thousands of people have to evacuate and evacuate to safe areas.
Along the way, we had food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
How much effort does this court need?
Not to mention the subsequent relocation, these people's food rations this year, and the expenses for planting seeds and rebuilding their homes next year.
Many people know it in their hearts.
This time, the treasury may be in trouble.
Several princes belonging to the military had even more bitter expressions on their faces.
If there is no money left in the national treasury, the army will inevitably have to take action.
It is impossible that the imperial court and the emperor would put their thoughts on the expenses of the palace and government offices, right?
As a result, the planned replacement of equipment and the expansion of the cavalry are far away. Historical experience tells us that it usually takes several years or even more than ten years to close the deficit in one year.
unless……
Someone looked at the Prime Minister and Da Nong Ling.
"Raise taxes!" This thought flashed through countless people's minds.
Imposing special taxes due to disasters is a solution.
If one party is in trouble, all parties will support it.
Moreover, over the years, the imperial court has been paying taxes of thirty to one, and the local wealth has accumulated a lot.
It's time to cut some wool!
only……
The question is whose tax should be added?
Since ancient times, taxes in China have been calculated separately.
The so-called exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes were perfectly reflected in ancient China.
It’s just that twenty-one years ago, Zhang Cang, the Marquis of Beiping, served as prime minister.
This prime minister, who is known as "Ji Xiang" by the world, has two main achievements in taking office.
The first one is to formulate and improve the official performance appraisal and review system.
Second, it promotes and improves the so-called "account for income" local miscellaneous tax collection system.
The former gives officials a whip on their butts, forcing them to at least appear to be working hard on the surface.
The latter puts a shackle on the hands of these guys so that they dare not blatantly and unscrupulously collect taxes.
Other policies such as abolition of corporal punishment, formulation of almanacs, and improvement of criminal laws are just minor details compared with these two policies that affected the entire Han Dynasty.
After Zhang Cang resigned, all the forces in the government and the opposition greatly praised the former. (Even if they wanted to slander him, they could not find an entry point, let alone be recognized by the emperor.)
But the latter almost gritted his teeth and wished it could be abolished.
According to the rules formulated by Zhang Cang, local counties and counties, in addition to the regular taxes stipulated by the imperial court, can only collect the total cost of government office repairs, road maintenance costs and official salaries spent last year, which cannot exceed this amount, and,
It is clearly stipulated that local governments can withhold part of the Cu Gao tax as operating expenses.
Doing this can prevent some bureaucrats from becoming too crazy.
This directly led to the fact that the entire Han Dynasty bureaucracy could only spend money suddenly at the end of the year so that its expenditure this year could exceed last year's to facilitate tax increases next year.
But they dare not use other reasons to raise taxes openly.
However, the person who proposed this policy was not Zhang Cang, but Liu Bang, and Zhang Cang was just the perfecter.
Everyone can only criticize in their hearts and look forward to one day ending this system.
It's a pity that in the past few decades, the Han Dynasty regime has only reduced taxes, not increased them.
Now I have even more bold words: I will never add more gifts.
This really made many bureaucrats anxious!
If the court doesn't take the initiative to raise taxes, how can they undermine the principle of "living within one's means"?
Once this system collapses, what about three to five times the miscellaneous taxes? It’s simply a joke!
Those who are brave will directly dare to increase the amount of miscellaneous taxes ten or even twenty times!
But here lies the crux of the matter.
The Han family has not taken any initiative to raise taxes in its more than thirty-year history.
Emperor Taizong even made several moves to exempt all land taxes for that year. Since Emperor Taizong's fourth year BC, the level of land taxes in the Han Dynasty has been constant at thirty taxes per year, only half of that of the previous dynasty in the Qin Dynasty.
Today, even today, I have sworn to the world that I will never increase my wealth.
It is impossible for the emperor to slap himself in the mouth.
In this case, the poll tax and other related taxes cannot be increased.
As for land taxes, the court dared not touch them.
For thirty years, the people of the world have long been accustomed to the land tax of thirty to one. The bureaucrats want to restore the system of fifteen to one. In that case, from top to bottom, all relevant bureaucrats and their families will be able to take advantage of it.
After the land tax is increased, the land rent will definitely rise. When the land rent increases, the life of the tenant farmers will be more difficult. If the tenant farmers go bankrupt, they can only sell their children, daughters and wives to sell themselves. In addition, the increase in land taxes will accelerate
The rapid bankruptcy of homesteaders has brought more tenant farmers to the majority of landowners.
In the end, the bulk of these profits will be eaten by bureaucrats.
As a landowner with no official background, the only person who can save himself from being eaten in this feast is Amitabha.
However, it is impossible for the current Han Dynasty to have the political foundation and political atmosphere to restore land tax.
Those in power, from the emperor to the Eastern Palace, from the prime minister to the princes and elders, would not sit back and watch Emperor Taizong's political achievements be obliterated and swallowed up.
Therefore, this matter can only be the wishful thinking of the bureaucracy and its affiliated landlord class.
This is also the biggest difference between the early Western Han Dynasty and the middle and late Western Han Dynasty.
At this time, the bureaucracy was in the ascendant, and the country was still facing huge military pressure from the Xiongnu. Under the pressure of the crisis that could be unleashed at any time, the country's elite knew that it must have enough force and national power to protect and guard
Everything about myself.
Liangjiazi, who constituted the main body and main combat force of the Han family, was the cornerstone of all this.
Moreover, the vast majority of the northern landowning class, who felt the pain of the Xiongnu, were also willing to make compromises.
But in the middle and late stages, the aristocrats and princes groups rushed to the streets, and the Xiongnu were defeated. Of course, everyone could sit in a row and have nothing to lose.
People who can be courtiers are naturally not that stupid.
Even if they are princes, the princes who can appear in Xuanshi Palace and participate in the discussion of politics are not those dandies who fight cocks and lackeys and play with women.
What's more, the current Han Dynasty is in a rising stage as a whole.
In any dynasty, when it is on the rise, there will be some idiots and weak minds in the ruling class, but the overall quality will be guaranteed.
Therefore, everyone quickly rejected the idea that the emperor might want to increase taxes on farmers. Even if the emperor had this intention, the East Palace would not be able to pass it.
So……
Everyone was horrified to realize the fact that Your Majesty, Xiangzhuang's sword dance is aimed at Pei Gong.
More than thirty years after Queen Lu's death, the "City Law" that has been completely turned into a piece of useless paper by the princes and ministers may be resurrected.
This is almost the intuition and consensus of many people.
Moreover, this matter has been foreshadowed for a long time.
The emperor began to show signs of attacking industry and commerce last year.
The strong promotion of the official policy of Yantai Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. is proof of this.
After tasting the sweetness, the government may not take action on commercial taxes and re-levy various taxes on industry and commerce.
At the same time, the strict transaction rules and transaction taxes stipulated in the "Golden Rules" may also make a comeback!
Although, most courtiers have no interest in industry and commerce.
However, once the city law comes back to life, then Jinbulu is very likely to reappear.
Compared with the interests of industry and commerce, the influence of Jinbulu is greater.
This was the first financial law of the Han Dynasty. It was also the first law in China that strictly prohibited the casting of private money. It was also a mining tax. At the same time, it was also a law that stipulated that slaves and slaves had the right to redeem themselves.
In other words, the city law targets businessmen, while the Jinbulu is a map cannon that covers all privileged classes.
The regulations that stipulated that slaves and slaves could redeem themselves were simply the common enemies of the nobles, landowners and merchants.
And the two are closely connected and echo each other.
If the city law is restored, the resurrection of Jinbulu will not be far away. But if the city law is silent, the Jinbulu will never see the light of day again.
In the past thirty years, the officials of the Han Dynasty have used the spirit of preventing fire and theft to release city laws, strictly guarding against city laws and never allowing them to be revived.
Even if it's under another name, it won't work if you change your vest!
Countless people's eyes were staring at Liu Che, who was sitting on the emperor's throne.
They would rather the national finance bear the burden of Jiangdu State than see any revival of municipal laws, let alone any possible policy of compulsory industrial and commercial tax collection.
Thirty years ago, the political achievements of the princes and ministers who jointly punished the Lu family cannot be erased or overturned!
The ministers also believed that they would win.
Because even if the emperor wants to have his own way, the East Palace will not agree! (To be continued.)
ps: Sorry, I got confused two days ago during the National Day, so I typed the wrong chapter name!
The first two chapters should be 558 and 559~
I'll have to find an editor for revision on Monday. I'm extremely sorry!
My eyes twitched
ps: There is a stipulation in the Golden Bull Rules: Those who redeem their relatives are treated as common people and are not allowed to be slaves.
It also stipulates countless tax rates for various mining, trading and boiling salt, even down to the specific tax rate for a certain mineral type. For example, the tax rates for gold, silver, copper and iron are completely different. So, it is natural that it should be eliminated.
