Li Xingchen remembered clearly that history textbooks always wrote about "strengthening centralization of power." At that time, Li Xingchen didn't care. In his opinion, strengthening centralization of power was not a very difficult thing for the central dynasty.
But now Li Xingchen discovered that things were definitely not as simple as he imagined.
Not only is this difficult, it's simply playing with fire.
Playing with fire in front of a noble family.
Playing with fire in front of aristocratic families is not an easy thing. Historically, Yang Guang was such a guy who played with fire. He carried out various reforms and infrastructure construction boldly, but ignored that he had not truly achieved the goal.
Due to the centralization of power, the Shandong aristocratic families, the Guanlong Group and even the suppressed Southeast gentry each had their own living space. When Yang Guang began to oppress them, they naturally began to resist.
Throughout the wars in the late Sui Dynasty, it was still the home court of various aristocratic families.
Li Xingchen does not intend to become another Yang Guang.
From the time he entered the Jiankang Mansion and replaced Nan Chen, Li Xinchen dared to say that he would start strengthening centralization. Before, building academies and implementing the imperial examination system were the first step, but now the formulation of laws is the second step.
Li Xingchen said directly: "The key lies in how big the tax gap is between people with high incomes and people with low incomes."
The purpose of establishing taxes is to enable people with different incomes to provide different amounts of property to the court. Taxes are calculated based on personal income rather than simply based on the number of people. Otherwise, for people with low incomes.
If the court raises taxes, it will directly increase the burden of living, which will directly cause social unrest and riots.
For people with high incomes, if the court's taxes are not high, it will naturally be difficult to affect their wealth accumulation. As time goes by, when the family becomes rich, the significance of the court's existence will naturally become weak, which can easily lead to such people's lack of interest in the court.
Having evil intentions.
Therefore, the formulation of taxes must also be based on individual differences.
Ancient China generally adopted a fair approach to taxes and similar corvées, but this equal distribution method was actually very unfair. After all, everyone’s income was different. If they bear the same taxes and corvees, it would only be
The gap between rich and poor is getting wider and wider.
The gap between rich and poor is a social contradiction, and it is a contradiction that cannot be ignored that can easily lead to unrest in the entire society.
Later, the imperial court also responded to this problem by increasing corvee services for businessmen, son-in-laws and other low-income groups in society, and increasing taxes on high-income groups such as merchants, in order to level the gap. However, these were all measures to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause.
After all, it is the aristocratic families that really hold the main wealth in society, especially those after the Eastern Han Dynasty. The heavy taxes of the court cannot fall on them, so the gap between the rich and the poor in society and the conflicts caused by it will always exist.
To increase taxes on aristocratic families, further suppress the aristocratic families, and reduce the gap between aristocratic families and common people, this is the fundamental purpose of Li Xinchen's request to levy taxes based on income.
There were already some beads of sweat on Chen Shushen's forehead.
He could see Li Xingchen's purpose very clearly.
This is probably why Li Xingchen asked him to do this. After all, no one among the southeastern gentry is more noble than the former royal family, the Chen family, and the Chen family takes the lead in presiding over it. The families who have interests entangled with the Chen family do not care whether they are willing or not.
I can only follow.
Li Xingchen's request is easy to achieve.
The question is whether Chen Shushen is willing or dares to realize it.
"I have already considered this issue and will put it into practice in the near future and submit a detailed memorial to Your Majesty describing my plan." Chen Shushen said in a deep voice.
As a young man, he felt the pressure of his position for the first time.
Li Xingchen nodded slightly.
He also knew that he was letting Chen Shushen make a choice.
Reaching out and patting Chen Shushen's shoulder, Li Xingchen said with a smile: "Take this matter slowly, including the entire tax law. What I want is not full of loopholes, but a tax law that can be truly implemented and implemented. And this is just
start."
"This is just the beginning".
A few words came out of Li Xinchen's mouth and were suppressed.
Chen Shushen felt extremely powerful.
At this moment, he had already made up his mind and solemnly handed over his hand: "I obey the decree."
Whether it was for the benefit of a family and an aristocratic family group, or for the benefit of an era and all people in the world, Chen Shushen had already made a choice at this moment.
As a young man, he also hopes that these three hundred years of pedantry and conflict will change.
After living this life, since we know that some mistakes cannot be continued, why not try to change them?
Li Xingchen glanced at Chen Shushen and smiled.
In every era, there is no shortage of people who betray their own class and fight for a new era.
Maybe they are not enough to be called "liberators", but they are all noble.
A tax law may not be enough to explain or determine anything, but when more laws come together, the legal system of the Han Dynasty will be formed. At that time, the imperial power will be placed in a more supreme position, and no one can
If the majesty of the imperial court or the imperial power is shaken, it will naturally no longer be possible to form a small world of its own.
Of course, the law has been enacted and enacted. To truly ensure that it can be observed everywhere, the court still needs to enforce it through violence.
After all, as the violent organs of the imperial court, the Ministry of Punishment and the military are not just free earners. It is their responsibility to maintain the laws of the imperial court.
As for whether the continued development of the law will eventually replace the emperor's majesty and become the foundation of a country's rule, Li Xingchen's old people know it. After all, even if that happens one day, it will be hundreds or even hundreds of years later.
Under the promotion of Li Xingchen, commerce and industry were developing, so it can be said that the germination of national capitalism appeared, but this germination was still very weak, and no thinker could stand up to explain and enlighten the mind.
Historically, the reason why Europe has undergone rapid political system changes and capitalist development is not only because of capital accumulation and industrial development in the Age of Discovery, but also because of a series of intellectual enlightenment movements such as the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.
This behavior has gradually given the general public a deep understanding of the liberation of their minds and the rights they can fight for.
And at least now Li Xingchen has not seen such a thinker.
The transition from the feudal period to the next stage is not that simple, nor is it a matter of just a few years, decades or generations.
Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Li Xinchen himself has no way of judging what will happen to him in the future. However, he does not reject that China will complete a transition to civilization similar to the Glorious Revolution. After all, this is an inevitable process of the times.