As the New Year approaches, there should be very few affairs in the imperial court, but this year it is particularly lively.
Gongfang City is preparing to sell new industrial technologies... The profitability of Gongfang City's products has been verified by the country.
Therefore, for a while, people in Bianliang were talking about this another Gongfangcheng sale after dinner.
For grassroots people, although this kind of selling has nothing to do with them, it is quite enjoyable just to talk about it.
"I heard that the imperial court will not restrict the participation of Tibetan and Dangxiang people in this year's auction. Even the southwestern barbarians can participate in the auction..."
"That's right! Regardless of whether Tubo or the Dangxiang people's territories are in the territory of the Song Dynasty, they are all people of the Song Dynasty, and they have also received rewards from the imperial court..."
"But I heard that after the Song Dynasty people sold out, they could set up factories in the northwest and southwest. If the Tubo and Dangxiang people sold out their craftsmanship, they were not allowed to build factories in the Yinxia area...~"
"What have you heard? It's all in the arrival report! Although the Tibetan and Dangxiang people cannot go back to the northwest to set up factories, they require that the local, state, prefecture, and counties of the country and the DPRK must not refuse to cooperate..."
"The key point is that the imperial court does not prohibit any workshop from using Dangxiang, Tubo or even southwestern barbarians."
"The Barbarians and Di are in China, and the Barbarians are in them; the Yi and Di are in China, and they are in China... Don't talk about any political parties, the Tubos are all our people in the Song Dynasty!"
The Song Dynasty was tolerant. Even if they had been hostile for decades, after the unification into the Song Dynasty, the people of Bianliang recognized it.
This is also because the foreigners living in Bianliang are very generous.
The Arrival Newspaper would publish some Party items and Tubo customs from time to time, and even invited some foreign writers.
This is the guidance of the imperial court!
In Zhao Xi's mind, there is no such thing as alien talk in the newly recovered territory.
For the imperial court, these assistances were needed to govern the appeasement of new territories.
Let the nobles of foreign races have a sense of belonging, let the people of foreign races have a sense of belonging, and let the so-called foreign races truly become the people of the Song Dynasty, which is the real recovery.
The sale of Gongfangcheng has become a hot topic in Bianliang, and people are looking forward to this gluttonous feast for the business circles of the country and the dynasty...~
On a certain day, "Shi Lun" published the news that the imperial court was discussing a substantial reduction in agricultural taxes...
This is no longer just a matter for wealthy families, it is closely related to all the people of the entire country.
In terms of agricultural taxes, this dynasty mainly followed the two tax laws of the previous dynasty.
In the early years, the two taxes were usually collected in kind according to old regulations, which was roughly one bushel per mu per year.
Because at that time there were both "tax 1 for thirty" and "tax 1 for 20", and more than half of the gentry's land did not pay rent tax.
Therefore, most of this burden of rent and tax falls on the powerless and powerless people at the bottom.
Because the two taxes are imposed in kind, so-called "branch transfers" and "distortions" have occurred.
What is a transfer? It means that when households pay in kind, the imperial court, in line with the idea of "using surplus to make up for deficiencies", tries its best to ask households not to pay locally, but to pay it to the army stationed on the northern border.
land, so it is called branch migration.
The collection of the two taxes is usually in kind, but it is not static. Sometimes it is necessary to "exchange wheat for money", sometimes it is necessary to "exchange money for silk", etc., which is a change.
The transformation itself not only caused trouble to the common people, but more importantly, the officials who handled it took advantage of the generational differences during the transformation process and made a lot of profits through speculation.
After Zhao Xi came to the throne, he borrowed a tax compilation law from the later Ming Dynasty, and coupled with the talents of Wang Anshi and his son, the tax burden has been changed to a certain extent.
However, at the beginning, the commercial tax of the country could only account for 30 to 40% of the entire court tax revenue, and the disadvantages of the three redundancies of the country had not been completely solved. Zhao Xi did not dare to make major adjustments.
Measures to open up wasteland and reduce agricultural taxes were hindered by the industrial development of the country...
This time, Zhao Xi ordered Shi Lun to build momentum first. To put it bluntly, he wanted to use public opinion to lower agricultural taxes as much as possible.
And Fu Bi, because of poor communication in the cabinet for the first time, cooperated with the officials to publish the agricultural tax adjustment in the tax return.
This day is the day of sale in Gongfang City...
It was also on this day that "Shi Lun" published a piece of news about the emergence of a Dingkou selling market in the imperial court on an inconspicuous page, and it was accompanied by an explanation of the imperial court's decree prohibiting the selling of Dingkou.
There was no need to use this method. The cabinet could have discussed it and directly issued a decree to reduce or reduce agricultural taxes. Originally, Fu Bi thought that this would give him a perfect ending to his official career.
However, most of the cabinet elders believe that once the imperial court reduces agricultural taxes in such a large way, or even newly cultivated farmland without taxes for life, it will affect the cultivation of current farmland, and even further affect the issue of industrial employment, which is a disorderly administration that harms the imperial government.
A reason is a reason. From different angles, you will have different views.
For example, Han Qi, Mr. Han Ge, and the Han family’s farmland in Xiangzhou, almost 70% belongs to the Han family. In other words, 70% of the people in Xiangzhou are all tenants of the Han family.
Once the imperial court implements policies in this way, there is bound to be the possibility that tenant farmers will clear up wasteland and gradually become separated from the Han family... What will happen to the Han family's farmland?
Gongfangcheng took into account the relationship between the court officials and the local industry participants in the sale, so it chose a holiday to sell. On this day, Fu Bi volunteered to be on duty at the cabinet...
Except for the article published in Shi Lun, there seemed to be nothing unusual about this day.
"Zirong, what do you think will happen this time the farm tools and crafts are sold?"
It was also at this time that Zhao Xi summoned Su Song, Shen Kuo and others to the Qinzheng Palace as a reward, a celebration, and a reward for their team.
"In the official family, although the country's industry is prosperous, I believe that both merchants and courtiers attach more importance to agricultural and mulberry affairs than any new products in the heart industry. Our analysis shows that although agricultural tools only account for 30%, I am afraid that the money and grain obtained from the sale will not be comparable to that of new products."
It will be more than half...”
This time, Su Song is still confident about the sale of farm tools. Although the power problem cannot be solved as the officials thought, even after improving the farm tools and using animal power, labor can be reduced to a considerable extent.
For example, although the share plow is still based on the basic principle of the curved shaft plow, it increases the coulter to three rows and adds a plow blade, and can even be used with a wide rake. This can turn the plow on the basis of the original efficiency.
three times.
For example, the Valley Windmill, Gongfangcheng uses a connecting rod device so that the Valley Windmill can be connected to the water wheel and use water power to work continuously.
For example, the grain mills also change the stone into iron or copper, and also borrow various devices, including animal power and water power.
To be honest, in Su Song's eyes, this change in farm tools is a farming revolution, a major change that will significantly improve the farming industry.
All new farm tools have been verified countless times by Workshop City.
"This is good, it can make the prime minister richer and relieve some pressure."
This is not only a matter of reducing the pressure on Fu Bi, but also an excuse for those ministers who are spinning around in their own interests to switch.