There were not many officials in the Tang Dynasty who expected to make a lot of money and enjoy the glory and wealth they could now. Most of the people who turned to thieves had this desire to fight for their future prosperity and wealth.
Basically, they were mentally prepared and knew that they would not be able to enjoy much glory and wealth in the early stage. But even so, after defeating Zhu Zhihai's Guizhou Provincial Army and sending three detachments to the north, west and south, in order to highlight the Tang Dynasty
of royal style.
At the same time, it was also to effectively solve the current problem of Tang Dynasty officials, especially middle and low-level officials, having difficulty supporting their families, so this salary was implemented and distributed.
This fact makes Mei Pingdong quite gratified. Although he gets more than 900 taels of silver a year, it is less than 1,000 taels. This is different from the Ming Dynasty who could earn tens of thousands of taels by casually serving as a county magistrate for three years.
Silver is nothing in comparison, but it can be regarded as a substantial improvement in the living standards of officials in the Tang Dynasty.
However, this account clearly stated that his monthly salary was more than 80 taels, but he received only more than 60 taels of silver. This made Mei Pingdong and the others a little confused. In the absence of a large inflow of silver,
, these more than ten taels of silver are quite a lot. These days, the ministers of the Ming Dynasty only have a salary of more than one hundred taels of silver a year. They are not willing to lose more than ten taels of silver for no reason!
Mei Pingdong couldn't figure it out like everyone else at first, but then he gradually started to think about it. Isn't this just what happened in the Ming Dynasty? If the superiors gave a hundred taels of silver, it would be 30 to 50% normal.
Although I have figured it out, it is impossible not to feel heartbroken that I have lost so much money for no reason, and it would be nonsense to do so willingly!
If you have financial difficulties, you won't be paid if you don't pay. The big guys didn't say anything. I think back in the days of Huang Zhushan, they didn't get a dime, but they still worked.
When he took over Zhengtai County, Mei Pingdong only had a measly three or four taels of silver per month to support his family, but he continued to work.
Why is it that the Tang Dynasty is getting bigger and bigger, and the salary for everyone is getting higher and higher on the surface, but why does it like to make these twists and turns more and more?
Naturally, they don't know that the individual tax was proposed by Li Xuan, and that it was only implemented on officials' salaries. Moreover, the amount of tax withheld was actually carefully calculated, because the salary originally given to officials at the county magistrate level was not
It was only sixty-four taels of silver, but Li Xuan was surprised to raise it to more than eighty taels of silver, and then deducted taxes.
His purpose is naturally not to deprive officials of their salaries, but to establish the concept of paying individual taxes and pave the way for its promotion to the whole society in a later period, perhaps decades later.
That’s why there is such a policy of taking off your pants and farting!
At this time, Mei Pingdong was heartbroken about his salary being deducted, while looking at the gloomy gentry and businessmen in front of him.
Seeing their expressions so ugly, Mei Pingdong felt inexplicably better. I'm going to have my taxes deducted. You actually want to evade taxes, and you even came to my Yamen. Let's see, no, what will I do next?
you.
Immediately, he coughed slightly, and then said: "You are all the pillars of my Huaiyuan County, why are you all coming to the county government today!"
As soon as Mei Pingdong opened his mouth, many landowners and businessmen below him looked at me and I looked at you. Then an old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies and could not stand up took two steps forward and said.
: "Let me report to Lord Mei, the civilians and others have expressed their grievances!"
Hearing the title Master Mei, Mei Pingdong was secretly relieved. Today is not the first time that they have come to look for him. They have looked for him several times before. At the beginning, they always put on a very big show.
They did not take him as the magistrate of Huaiyuan County of the Tang Dynasty seriously, and even refused to say a word to an adult.
However, after Mei Pingdong continuously rejected their requests for an interview, these people finally lowered their attitude and became more and more humble. At this time, Mei Pingdong received these people.
At this time, Mei Pingdong touched the long beard on his chin, and then said: "If there is a case, you can go to the county patrol bureau to report it. If there are officials in Datang who are corrupt and bend the law, you can also go there.
Why are you looking for the county inspectorate instead of this official?"
Hearing what Mei Pingdong said, the humble old man Jian Kang cursed in his heart, "You think we haven't looked for it? We have looked for it, but it's useless."
"Reporting to your lord, it is about the agricultural tax and commercial tax. Master Wang came to Huaiyuan County. Logically speaking, donating military resources belongs to the little people. Not to mention three to five thousand taels of silver, even if it is tens of thousands of taels of silver, the little people grit their teeth.
I can make ends meet, but just collecting several thousand taels of silver this year is really, really unsustainable!
The people from the county patrol bureau and the inspectorate have tried to find it, but to no avail!"
Although the patrol station in the Tang Dynasty said it was responsible for catching theft and solving crimes, when they heard that they were going to sue the tax inspection team, they immediately shook their heads and said that this matter is not our responsibility, and you should go to the relevant yamen.
.
They went to the County Supervisory Office, who was said to be the inspector general, and then those bastards also acted like ghosts, saying that the tax inspection team was not under their control.
Finally, they ran to the county tax official's office. As soon as they entered, before they even spoke to the tax inspection team, they immediately asked: "When are you going to pay the agricultural taxes and commercial taxes that your family owes?"
If you were willing to pay taxes, there would be so much trouble there!
When Huaiyuan County was captured, the gentry and merchants in the city were unable to escape, and many of them were blocked in the city. After the Tang Army captured Huaiyuan County, martial law was enforced for several days in a row, and no idlers were allowed.
Waiting to leave the city.
And when the gentry in their city could leave, they had already come to their door with a list of names!
Want to run away and leave?
Okay, pay the tax first!
If you don't pay, then you don't want to leave. If you just hang on for dear life, then the people in the tax inspection team won't just be as simple as being angry, but it will turn into a house raid.
Some people were afraid that the rebels of the Tang Dynasty would kill innocent people indiscriminately, and wanted to defect to the bright and free Ming Dynasty. They quickly paid the money and took the whole family out of the city. The old houses and farms still sent a few trustworthy housekeepers.
I'm just taking care of it with my servants.
However, some people were worried about their family business and did not believe that the Tang Dynasty would ignore the voices of gentry and landlords like them, so they boldly stayed.
The Tang Dynasty naturally did not ignore them, but paid great attention to them. Otherwise, it would not have cleared out the list in just a few days and started collecting taxes according to the list.
Some people who are less courageous and more open-minded think about giving up some money to save their wealth and life, so they surrender.
After all, the war is in turmoil. A large army is coming, and this army cannot escape no matter what. It is just a question of how much.
However, there are also some who are more courageous, or simply reluctant to give up, but have been delaying the payment. Naturally, the county tax bureau will not be polite to this. The tax inspection team comes to the door every three days, either directly harassing them or sealing them up.
stores, taking in their shopkeepers, clerks, etc.
And Mei Pingdong also knew that it was just the most rudimentary method. If they continued to fail to pay, the people on the tax inspection team would start to scare the monkeys, and they would choose one or two families to directly raid their homes.
And this is just the seizure of family property!
If this doesn't deter them, then the next step is to kill them!
They will choose a landlord or businessman with the worst attitude and directly confiscate their property and exterminate their entire family!
Often after such a set of efforts, most of these landowners and merchants will fall into two extremes. One extreme is to pay taxes obediently immediately, while the other extreme is to pick up a knife and gun and yell, I just won’t scream, you can bite me if you can.
.
Most of the tax payers are businessmen and small and medium-sized landowners with no foundation in the base area, while those who are armed to resist the tax are mostly large landowners.
There is nothing to say when encountering this kind of thing. Just ask the bandit camp or the regular army to come out. Once the army comes out, everything will be wiped out!
Mei Pingdong, who is well aware of all this, even sympathizes with them. How difficult it is to make money. Except for a few families who suddenly became rich, most of the big landowners have been planning for many years, step by step, from the poor who have broken their families.
Purchase the land at a high price and then let them be your tenants!
How many years of hard work have gone into this? Is it easy for them?
Not easy!
When talking about landlords, we have to talk about land annexation, and the land annexation in each dynasty is a cruel history of blood and tears!
Perhaps it is good for landlords to be good people. For example, many landowners actually purchased their land through normal means, because the ability of ancient farmers to resist risks was really poor. If there was a slight natural disaster or man-made disaster, it would be easy to sell the land.
things.
But sympathy is sympathy, but he has absolutely no idea of supporting them. You may not be an official as much as you own the land, but you can pay as much tax as you have the land, not even a dime less!
I already pay taxes, but you don’t want to pay?
Besides, you don't pay taxes, and you don't have to feed and fight with the army at the front line. The question is where do the salaries of officials like you come from?
Our Tang Dynasty treated hundreds of officials favorably, and the salaries they provided were not low. We cannot afford to rely on such a small amount of money to spend so much money!
Therefore, big landowners and big businessmen must pay taxes. This is a unified understanding within the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, in the eyes of many people, especially people like Mei Pingdong, this kind of tax is more like a kind of revenge. Who made them support the pseudo-Ming Dynasty in the past? When they saw us in the Tang Dynasty, they said they were fake Tang thieves.
military.
Okay now, you have fallen into the hands of our Datang Dynasty. If I don’t strip you off a few layers of your skin, you can’t live up to our Datang Dynasty’s long-standing banditry tradition!
Mei Pingdong immediately showed a smile and said kindly: "As for this tax issue, if you go to me, I won't be able to help you. You should go to the relevant yamen!"
But he secretly thought in his heart: It is useless to look for anyone, even if he directly submits a memorial to Emperor Li Xuan, everything will be lost!
At this time, an ignorant person below asked: "May I ask, sir, what does this have to do with the Yamen?"
Mei Pingdong immediately snorted coldly: "Huh, see you off!"