Chu Ge tapped on Wang Wenchuan's card and chose this new identity to continue the trial.
In front of him, a new talent card appeared.
[Xin · Impassioned Speech (Blue): Your speech becomes more infectious and persuasive. 】
[G·Strong-willed (Blue): You are strong-willed and have a strong ability to withstand pressure, and you will also become more stubborn.]
[Geng · Observation of Details (Blue): Your ability to observe details and memory are improved. 】
"Three blue talents, good luck.
"But...how to choose?"
Chu Ge hesitated.
These three talents all seem useful at first glance.
Since you are playing Wang Wenchuan, what you have to do is to implement the new law. In the process of implementing the new law, you will inevitably encounter various difficulties and setbacks.
The gift of impassioned speeches can help him better convince the emperor and suppress officials.
The reason why Wang Wenchuan was able to change the law was ultimately because of the emperor's support, so it was very important to convince the emperor. In particular, it can be combined with the righteousness of the scribe players and the new built-in talent to boost morale, so although it is a xin-level talent, the actual benefits should be
It will not be lower than Geng level talent.
Being strong-willed seems useful, but it doesn't seem that useful. Moreover, it also has a negative effect, which is that it makes you stubborn.
As the saying goes, if you listen to both sides, you will be enlightened, but if you listen to one side, you will be dark. If you are particularly stubborn and insist on your own way, it will be difficult for you to correct your mistakes.
So Chu Ge ruled out this option first.
As for the third option, careful observation is obviously more useful when solving cases. But this is a reform, and Wang Wenchuan's main task is to formulate laws and supervise the implementation of various laws.
Observation may play a certain role in the administration of officials. For example, Chu Ge can use this talent to observe the officials around him and promote a group of people in advance or suppress a group of people who pose a threat to the new law.
But considering whether the new law can be implemented smoothly, the key lies not in the people around Wang Wenchuan, but in the lower-level officials, so the benefits of this talent are not very high.
Chu Ge must still be working in the capital most of the time. It is impossible to run around and check the work status of grassroots officials in various places.
After thinking about it for a while, Chu Ge tapped lightly on his talent of [generous speech] and finally made his choice.
The fog in front of his eyes cleared, and Chu Ge saw the initial scene when he played Wang Wenchuan.
This is an official government office, which can also be called Zhongshumenxia, Dongfu, or Zhengshitang.
This was the place where the prime ministers had their offices during the Qi Dynasty, and it can also be regarded as the center of power of the entire Qi Dynasty.
Besides the East Palace, there is also the West Palace, which is the Privy Council. It is mainly responsible for military affairs and has less to do with the reform that Wang Wenchuan is currently carrying out.
Chu Ge could even vaguely guess what he was going to do next.
As the current prime minister, Wang Wenchuan's goal was to reform. Therefore, there were only two main places where he appeared: the first was the imperial court, and the second was the political hall here.
In the court, his main task was to go to the morning court, report work to the emperor, and at the same time respond to other officials' criticism of the new law, ensuring that the new law always received the emperor's full support.
In the political hall, his main task is to deal with various government affairs, including formulating some specific policies for the new law, correcting problems in a timely manner during the implementation process, etc.
At this time, Chu Ge had a copy of the details of the new law in front of him, and he needed to make the final decision.
This also means that the game has entered into a "business model" similar to the "emperor" status of Sheng Taizu.
Chu Ge first picked up the detailed rules about the new law and began to read it carefully.
Sure enough, it was basically not much different from what he had learned about Wang Wenchuan's New Deal in history.
The core purpose of Wang Wenchuan's New Deal was to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and change the situation of poverty and weakness in the Qi Dynasty.
To make a country rich and its army strong, a rich country is a prerequisite for a strong army. Therefore, this reform is ultimately aimed at improving finances as its core purpose.
Only when the national treasury is full can we have sufficient supplies and weapons and can we talk about military training.
Players have already understood this in the dungeon "The title is not mine". Without money, even a famous general like General Deng would be unable to make a living without straw.
So where does the money come from?
Obviously, in all previous reforms, money came from only one place: wealthy businessmen, gentry, landlords and other classes.
This is the so-called "robbing the rich and giving to the poor".
This is actually not difficult to understand. If there is a financial problem in a country and the top level has no money, it is certainly not the bottom level’s fault.
Because the bottom class is the class with the least ability to resist, they will pay more taxes than less. Even in the peaceful and prosperous times, the people at the bottom can barely get enough to eat. It is purely because they cannot collect taxes because there are too many unruly people.
It's nonsense.
In the final analysis, it is because the middle level has withheld taxes that should have been paid to the state through various methods.
Therefore, the fundamental purpose of the reform is to make these people spit out their money.
Of course, the result of robbing the rich is not necessarily to help the poor. After the money is collected, whether it can improve the lives of the people at the bottom is the least important thing.
But no matter what, if the treasury is full and the country is rich and the army is strong, it can at least solve the predicament of the Qi Dynasty and prevent it from being destroyed by Jin.
The core of the new law is the Young Crops Law, which is very simple. During the lean years every year, the government will step in to replace the wealthy businessmen and large households who lend usury, and issue relatively low-interest loans at the time to help farmers tide over the difficulties.
In addition, there are some other measures.
For example, households who do not want to serve in the military service are allowed to pay money to be exempted from the service, which means "if you have money, pay and if you have the ability, contribute";
Measure the land, verify the land owners, and divide the land into different grades according to soil quality as the basis for collecting land taxes;
Encourage reclamation of wasteland and construction of water conservancy projects;
Set up institutions in the capital to regulate the market, purchase unsalable goods and then sell them when the market is in short supply, etc.
In addition, Wang Wenchuan also proposed a series of methods to strengthen the army, such as establishing a Baojia system in rural areas and receiving military training during slack periods; such as encouraging horse breeding, supervising weapon manufacturing, and dismantling troops that are too old or have low combat effectiveness.
Change to nationality, etc.
After checking everything, Chu Ge was roughly sure that there was no trap here.
It is indeed the content of Wang Wenchuan's new coup law that year. This copy should not have secretly changed some details.
Moreover, on paper, these contents appear to be flawless and flawless.
The core of the new law is the Green Crops Law. If the Green Crops Law can be implemented smoothly, then even if other legal provisions have not taken effect, this reform can be said to be half successful.
On the surface, measuring and verifying land seems to be very important, but in fact, this kind of thing has been done by all dynasties. At the center of the imperial court, which emperor doesn't want to find out how much land there is in each place and how much the output of each piece of land is?
What are the specific circumstances for collecting taxes?
But after checking again and again, it turns out that by the end of the dynasty, it should be unable to collect taxes or not, and it should be destroyed or destroyed.
Therefore, even if this article can be implemented well, it can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. What's more, there is a high probability that even treating the symptoms may not be effective.
If the Green Seed Law can be implemented smoothly, the significance will be far more than that.
On the surface, the Green Crops Law is just a low-interest loan provided by the government to farmers. In modern times, this is not a shocking operation.
But that was hundreds of years earlier than Keynesianism, which later proposed "state intervention in the economy."
Of course, Wang Wenchuan's reforms are definitely not the same thing as Keynesianism, but this advanced ideology has indeed been praised by later generations. Even many foreigners marvel at his family.
The content of the Green Seed Law is actually very simple.
During the lean season, farmers have no money to buy seeds and fertilizers. What can they do?
Either sell the land or borrow money. And if you want to borrow money, you can only borrow money from wealthy businessmen. These wealthy businessmen will definitely take this opportunity to make a fortune and charge usurious loans. If the farmers cannot repay the loan, it is logical.
annex land or purchase personal freedom.
As a result, the fragile agricultural economy will be severely damaged, farmers will go bankrupt, and the country will not benefit in the process.
All the advantages were taken by these wealthy businessmen.
And if the Young Crops Law can be implemented smoothly, farmers can borrow money from the government when they are desperate, and the possibility of getting through the difficulties will be greatly increased. In the process, the government will take back the dirty money earned by wealthy businessmen to the state, and can also take back the money in the granaries.
Saving food for replacement is a kind act no matter how you look at it.
But Chu Ge was a descendant after all, and he knew very well that Wang Wenchuan's reforms ended in a tragic failure.
It is also clear that the Green Seed Law did not take effect at all as Wang Wenchuan expected.
If he continues to implement the provisions of these new laws without any changes at this time, the result will only be like Wang Wenchuan back then, who eventually resigned sadly.
“So, the top priority now is to find ways to change some of the items to further improve the success rate of the new law?
“Where should I start…
"Start with the loan interest rate of the Young Crop Law?"
The first thing Chu Ge thought of was Qingmiaofa's loan interest rate.
According to Wang Wenchuan's regulations at that time, the interest rate of the Green Crop Law was 20%, and the maximum could not be higher than 30%.
From today's perspective, the annual interest rate of 20% is obviously on the high side.
Moreover, after the implementation of the Young Crops Law, many farmers went bankrupt, and public resentment boiled over for a while.
The boiling public dissatisfaction caused huge public pressure on Wang Wenchuan, which also affected the emperor's judgment and ultimately became the direct inducement for his dismissal from the prime minister.
“It seems that the interest rate will still be reduced.
“Reduced to 10% or 5% annual interest rate?
"It seems...there is still a problem."
Chu Ge thought about it and suddenly discovered that this problem was not entirely a numerical problem.
No matter how low it is, it is not safe!
In fact, Wang Wenchuan in history had obviously foreseen the possible oppression that interest would have on farmers, so he had already taken precautions against this in the details of the reform.
For example, "Those who do not want to request the loan shall not be restrained from allotment", which means that the loans under the Qingmiao Law are completely voluntary, and if farmers do not want it, they cannot be forced to apportion;
For another example, it is clearly stipulated that the maximum interest rate cannot exceed 30%.
If the Green Crops Law can really be implemented in strict accordance with the standards set by Wang Wenchuan, there will definitely be no boiling public dissatisfaction.
But Chu Ge knew very well that after the implementation of the Green Crops Law, the restrictions established by Wang Wenchuan were essentially in name only.
The officials responsible for the new law quickly exceeded this upper limit and privately changed the annual interest rate from 20% to 20% for each quarter, which is as high as 40% for the whole year. Many officials even set this value even higher.
There are also many people who can achieve 100% interest on private loans.
As for "those who do not want to apply, the allotment shall not be suppressed" is basically not implemented, because there is no way to check which households are voluntary and which are forced to apportion.
After the officials forced the apportionment, it can be said that the households lied and said that they were forcibly apportioned because they could not repay the loan.
Moreover, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the new law, Wang Wenchuan must also set targets for these officials.
The number of achievements achieved by Qingmiaofa should be included in the assessment of officials.
From a motivation point of view, performance appraisal is of course necessary. Otherwise, how can we determine which officials are doing their jobs and which officials are acting in a shady manner?
Those old parties that practice non-violence and non-cooperation and do not implement new laws can only be found out through performance appraisals.
But the problem is that once the assessment is carried out, officials will inevitably increase the amount of money. Since the income from the Green Seed Law is used as the assessment standard, officials will definitely force apportionment and secretly increase the interest, so as to show that their performance is outstanding.
No matter how much interest is set, these officials will always find a way to break through.
So can the assessment standards be changed? Not just based on income, but comprehensively considering the accuracy of legal implementation, public reputation, etc.?
This is obviously completely unfeasible.
Chu Ge thought about it and finally came to a conclusion.
This 20% interest rate is meaningless no matter how much it is reduced.
Because even if the interest rate is 1%, officials can always find a way to increase it to 100%. From the perspective of hindsight, Wang Wenchuan has no good way to do this and can only turn a blind eye.
.
This is also an important reason why the new law ultimately failed.
Therefore, Chu Ge thought about it and decided to take more decisive measures.
"Since no matter how low the interest rate drops, it may be secretly raised by these officials, then I will simply make it mandatory and issue interest-free loans!
“Doing this has at least three benefits:
"First, without interest, officials will not be able to blatantly collect interest, and this will prevent these officials from 'singing false scriptures' to the greatest extent. In this way, there will be no civil unrest, and there will be no negative consequences that would lead to Wang Wenchuan's resignation as prime minister.
public opinion.
"Second, many old parties impeached Wang Wenchuan, saying that he was 'competing with the people for profit.' No matter how much the interest rate was, they would think it was 'competing with the people for profit.' Then if I directly use interest-free loans, it is not 'competing with the people.'"
Is it beneficial? This becomes 100% good governance in the nature of relief. Regardless of how it is implemented, at least it is morally defensible.
"Third, although interest-free loans are not profitable, if the Green Seeds Law can be implemented smoothly, on the one hand, it will have a huge reputation among ordinary households and form good public opinion to support the new law; on the other hand, households can
If the lean period is successfully overcome and the harvests in the fields are getting better and better, then farmers will naturally be able to pay more and more grain, which will objectively increase the revenue of the national treasury.
"That's it!"
After thinking about it for a while, Chu Ge decided to take a look first.
Because he discovered that even if he were sitting here with the wisdom of hundreds of years later, based on the social reality at that time, there was no way he could provide a perfect solution.
Every plan has risks.
But he is a player, and his biggest advantage is that he can do it again and again. So he can try boldly. If it doesn't work, then start all over again. There is no need to look forward and backward like Wang Wenchuan.
Thinking of this, Chu Ge changed the provisions of the Qingmiao Law.
During the lean period, the government has to provide interest-free loans, which means no interest is charged.
In the assessment of officials, the number of young crops borrowed is no longer used as the assessment criterion.
Chu Ge also thought about finding another assessment standard, but after much deliberation, there was really no way to assess it.
So let’s just skip the assessment!
Chu Ge knew that one of the key reasons for the failure of Wang Wenchuan's reform was improper employment of personnel.
Improper employment is partly due to the fact that many crooks have infiltrated the ranks of the new party in order to get promoted faster, and partly also because the assessment system, which is too eager for quick success and instant benefits, has given these people opportunities to take advantage of.
Based on the assessment of Qingmiao Lending, those who are finally selected will definitely be those who are eager for quick success.
Suppose there are two officials. One official strictly follows Wang Wenchuan's method and does not make forced apportionments; while the other official secretly imposes taxes and increases interest.
Then the final result must be that the latter's performance is better and it is easier to get promoted.
Over time, the entire New Party has become officials who are willing to demolish houses and force farmers to borrow money for the sake of performance.
Therefore, Chu Ge simply waved his hand and stopped the assessment!
Without mandatory requirements and performance appraisals, these officials will definitely be lazy, but in any case, when farmers come to them for loans, they will not ignore them, right?
As long as they do a little bit of work, they will be better than before.
Reform does not seek to achieve success in one step, as long as it is better than before, that is progress.
Of course, Chu Ge actually knew in his heart that he was still talking on paper. It was probably impossible for him to solve the problem that his predecessors had racked their brains and failed to solve.
But this is a trial fantasy, nothing will happen if you fail, just give it a try and see what happens.
What's more, Chu Ge can predict the future and knows that the world will face a severe drought soon.
This drought will further amplify the negative impact of the Green Seed Law, allowing officials to find reasons to criticize the new law, accelerating the failure of the new law.
If the original Green Crops Law ended up harming the rich people, harming the poor and enriching the national treasury, then the current Green Crops Law after Chu Ge changed it is purely to allow the people to live a good life, while causing the national treasury to bear huge risks.
.
What he thought was simple, at least feed the people first, right?
It can be said that all classes were offended by the original reform, and even the people suffered great losses. That's why the refugees came to the capital to oppose the new law.
But now, Chu Ge felt that he should appease these low-level people first and let them recite the new law.
In this way, at least the new law can persist for a while longer, right?
After some consideration, Chu Ge finally made the decision to implement the Green Seedling Method that he had transformed.
…
The fog filled the air and then gradually dispersed.
A system prompt appeared in Chu Ge's field of vision.
[From the Battle of Niuzhu: 8 years]
"Has a year passed in the blink of an eye...
"It seems that in each round of trials, under the most optimistic situation, I have ten opportunities to improve the new method.
"This is reasonable. After all, it takes a certain amount of time from the formulation to implementation of laws and seeing the results.
“After ten attempts, if you still fail to achieve the desired results, you have to start over from the beginning.
"Of course, ten attempts is the most ideal situation. It is also possible that the emperor will directly dismiss you from office midway, and all your previous efforts will be wasted.
"Well... let me first see how the new young crops law is implemented."
The system did not allow Chu Ge to see the situation across the country from God's perspective, but instead answered him with various documents.
Among them are content reported by officials from various places, as well as content criticized by political opponents of the new law.
Chu Ge's way of obtaining information did not go beyond Wang Wenchuan's.
He opened a document at random and looked at it carefully.
