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Text Chapter 570 Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it

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    (Thanks for the support of the truth of decadence and the passing of history, thank you!) In Kaiyuan Hall, Yi Feng said to Secretary Supervisor Wei Zheng, "Why hasn't the Political Affairs Hall discussed the tax reform and come to a conclusion yet?" Wei Zheng was a little helpless.  He said to the emperor, "The matter was first handed over to the Ministry of Internal History for discussion and then to the Province of Menxia for deliberation. However, Prime Minister Li Xiang of the Province of Menxia refused to sign for approval three times in a row, and the matter was rejected and sent back. Now the matter is stuck."  "Menxia Province. n¡Ê," Yifeng felt that he had shot himself in the foot. When the Sui Dynasty was founded, the system of three provinces and six ministries was established.  The responsibilities of the two provinces of Neishi and Menxia were removed, allowing the three provinces to return to a situation where the decision-making of the Neishi Province, the deliberation of the Menxia Province, and the execution of the Shangshu were restored.  But now, the provincial governor under his command, Nayan Li Gang, used this system to openly refute his edict three times in a row.  According to the system of the new dynasty, although the emperor is the Son of Heaven, he is not completely independent of the Holy Will. All major court affairs must first be discussed by the Ministry of Internal History. Five people from the Province of Internal History write the discussion, sign each other's names, and call it  Judge the case for Wuhua, and then submit it to the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Internal Affairs to revise the policy, and finally send it to Menxia Province, for review by Nayan and Minister of Huangmen, and finally reject or correct it and report it to the Political Hall, which is written by the governor on duty.  The prime minister and other ministers reviewed and discussed the matter before submitting it to the emperor.  Layer by layer, level by level discussion, review and approval.  Although a political office has been added to the three provinces, the responsibilities of the three provinces have not changed.  The main function of the Zhengshitang is to manage government affairs on behalf of the emperor. After all, the emperor's energy is limited, and it is impossible for the court to handle everything in one person.  Therefore, the reports from the three provinces were submitted to the Political Affairs Hall for approval before being submitted to the emperor. Basically, the matters reported had relatively mature opinions on how to deal with them.  The emperor could easily figure things out and make the final decision whether to agree or not according to his heart.  The emperor has the final veto power over the approval of the Political Hall.  However, the emperor's opinion cannot be immediately used as an imperial edict. It must also be discussed by the internal historians to draft the edict and be reviewed by the subordinates. If it is finally passed, it can be handed over to the Shangshu Province for execution and the edict is issued. The edict will be finalized by the governors of the three provinces and  Signatures of the Prime Ministers of the Political Hall.  Only when these signatures are approved can it be considered a truly effective edict, otherwise it can only be regarded as the emperor's decree.  The court and officials could refuse to implement it.  When Yifeng did this, it was also for the long-term and healthy development of the director. Who would have thought that now it has immediately become an obstacle that restrains his own hands and feet.  "Summon Na Yan into the palace." Yi Nei ordered the servant to summon Li Gang into the palace.  As usual, Li Gang was so meticulously dressed that even the pickiest celebrant could not find anything rude.  "It's lunch time. Sir, please accompany me to have lunch first." Yi Feng was a little helpless towards the old man. Li Gang, who had been the teacher of the Supreme Emperor and the current emperor, was famous for his stubborn temper, and was even praised by the courtiers.  It's a bit rigid.  "Your Majesty has summoned his ministers here. We must have something important to discuss, so let's talk about it first." "Today's lunch is very rich, braised beef, stewed wild duck. There is also a roasted snake meat, and there are also some dishes from the palace.  Freshly brewed ale, served on ice. It tastes very good, you will regret it if you miss it." Yi Feng said with a smile.  "Let's talk about things first. This week, the old minister takes turns to take charge of political affairs. There are still many things waiting for the minister to deal with." Yi Feng shook his head.  This Li Gang is like this, he doesn't even give the emperor any face.  "It's like this. Secretary Supervisor Wei Zheng told me that your husband has rejected my tax reform edict three times in a row in Menxia Province. This is a bit inappropriate. I also had an angry meeting with my husband and other ministers here before and discussed the tax system.  It has reached a point where it is necessary to reform. Tax reform is very urgent and everyone is furious. Why has the edict been rejected three times when it was sent to the province? " "Veteran minister also knows that the country's finances are difficult. If there is no reform, the imperial court will not be able to supply hundreds of thousands of troops.  , let alone support the military's war effort. However, there are some aspects of your Majesty's new tax law that are unreasonable. And since your Majesty has appointed the veteran minister to be responsible for accepting advice, and the Ministry of Menxia is deeply responsible for reviewing and refuting it, the veteran minister cannot.  He clearly saw the unreasonableness, but turned a blind eye. If His Majesty only needs one person to sign, then it doesn't matter who he chooses to take up the position. Before His Majesty transfers the old minister, he must do his duty. " "  What aspects of the tax system are unreasonable?" Yi Feng was not surprised that Li Gang answered so rudely and truthfully.  Li Gang said, "Your Majesty's tax reform plan has been carefully studied by veterans. The foundation of the country's current tax system is the equalization of land. Only with the equalization of land can there be rent and adjustment and government troops. Your Majesty has a sharp vision and has already seen it.  With the stability of the world and the increase of population, it will not be long before the land in the world can be equalized again. At that time, the imperial government's tax system and military system will become rootless, and it will be difficult to propose reforms now.  Good thing. For changing the rent to twoI have no objection to the tax law. With the new two-tax law, the court can collect nearly 30 million in taxes a year, three times the original amount. Most of these extra taxes come from the land in the hands of the nobles, powerful landlords and officials.  With the large amount of hidden land that had been cleared out earlier, the country's wealth suddenly doubled three times. This is a great good thing, and I agree with it with both hands.  Regarding the industrial and commercial tax, the veteran is not sure, but since His Majesty has tried it in Huaihuang with promising results, it may be feasible.  However, I find it difficult to agree with His Majesty¡¯s imperial court monopoly, especially the salt monopoly. Salt, which is not officially taxed at present, is included in the imperial monopoly. Moreover, a salt tax of tens of millions of dollars is levied every year. From then on, the people buy it.  A pound of salt may cost ten cents or more. The money a family spends to buy salt in a year is equivalent to the two-tax field rent of dozens of acres of land. Isn't this a tyranny?  Are you going to let the people of the world not even be able to afford salt?  " "That's not how the accounts are calculated. With the new tax system, as you can see, the burden on the people will be reduced a lot, and they will no longer have to serve. The salt tax levied by the court is actually a supplement to the tax revenue.  If you calculate carefully, you will know that the people's burden is finally lighter than before.  Although salt is a necessity, it is not consumed in much. Ten kilograms per person per year is enough, and ten kilograms per kilogram is only a hundred pennies.  And if the common people worked for the court for a few days every year, their wages would definitely be more than a hundred cents.  Besides, ten cents per pound of salt is just a calculated figure.  In fact, the price of salt is not fixed.  There will be different quality levels of salt, including salt that costs more than ten cents.  There will definitely be salt that costs less than ten cents. Ordinary people can buy cheaper salt, and the expenditure will naturally be reduced accordingly.  In short, under the new tax system, the taxes borne by the people will definitely be lighter than in the past, and they will be much lighter.  Various miscellaneous taxes are eliminated, free labor is eliminated, and two taxes per mu are levied. Have you ever thought about how much the people will benefit from this?  There are many places in Henan, Hedong and Hebei.  There are too many people and too little land. As early as ten years ago, there was no land to be granted. Many families have six or seven members in a family, and there are three or four boys. However, the family fields are still the 100 acres of land granted by their fathers in the early years.  .  The land is only 100 acres, but the rent is calculated by ding. You know, if you roughly add up the rent per ding, it is equivalent to 3,000 yuan per year. This is originally the tax on 100 acres of land.  One mu is equivalent to about thirty cents.  Thirty cents per acre of land is actually not much.  In the north, the yield per mu can basically reach one to one and a half or even two stones, while in the south, the land is fertile.  There are two, three, or even five or six shi per mu, so the tax of 30 shi per acre is roughly equivalent to 10% of the output in the north.  In the south, the output is less than 10%.  But if there are four men in a family.  There is only one hundred acres of land, but you have to pay four rents.  Then their family has to pay a tax of 12,000 yuan for the 100 acres of land. On average, they have to pay 120 yuan for each mu of land. If one acre of land has two stones of grain, which is equivalent to 400 yuan, it is equivalent to  At least 30% of the tax.  What's more, the best thing is to serve for free. Although you only serve twenty days a year, the twenty days are just regular service, and the time on the road does not count. You have to bring your own dry food and bedding. In fact, the service time is often exceeded every year.  The people were not afraid of rent, but they were afraid of labor. When it came to big projects like that, they sometimes had to leave their homes thousands of miles away. In case of war, when civilians were recruited, there was no time limit or distance.  Now that the imperial court exempts them from military service, all the money for the exemption is included in the land. If the imperial court conscripts them to work again, then not only will they have to pay them, but they will also have to take care of their food and accommodation, and they will also have to take care of their transportation back and forth. This alone would be a big deal.  changes.  " "I know that your Majesty's two-tax law has indeed benefited a lot of ordinary people all over the world.  But this is not the reason why Your Majesty can use the salt monopoly to levy heavy taxes. I firmly oppose the salt monopoly and levy heavy taxes.  " Yi Feng sighed, "Sir, Mencius once said that you can't have your cake and eat it too.  Of course I also know that salt monopoly is not a good policy, but the country needs money to supply the army, support officials, and support expenditures.  I have been weighing it for a long time and considering a lot, but it is difficult to come up with any perfect solution.  I ask myself, the implementation of my new tax system will not only increase fiscal revenue to meet the court's expenses, but also greatly reduce the burden on the people. This is a rare and good way.  Although there are some flaws, no one is perfect, and the imperial tax system cannot be perfect, but as long as the flaws are within control, it is still acceptable.  " "Can't you delete the salt monopoly?  " " Without this, there will be a loss of 10 million yuan in tax revenue a year. This 10 million yuan is equivalent to the military expenditures of hundreds of prefectures and towns in Bianya and Nanya. Without this 10 million yuan, there will be no tax revenue.  There is an extra big hole, what can we do to fill it?  "Yi Feng said, "This is a critical time for the court. Goguryeo in the east and Turks in the north have not yet been able to conquer them and solve these two serious problems. Now the court has to maintain this situation, and the expenditure is indeed quite high.  But believe me, this is only a temporary situation. The imperial court strongly supports commerce and trades with surrounding countries. I believe it won¡¯t be long before the imperial court can receive more tax revenue from commerce. By then, the imperial court will have more  income, and even the imperial court solved the foreign troubles, then?With the reduction in military expenditures, it is natural to consider stopping the salt monopoly.  " "Sir, for the long-term peace and stability of the Sui Dynasty, all the emperors, ministers and people should work together. Do you understand?  " Li Gang was silent for a moment, and finally kowtowed to Yi Feng, "I understand your majesty's painstaking efforts, and will sign and approve your majesty's edict when you return.  But I ask your Majesty to remember what I said today, and one day in the future, you can abolish the salt monopoly and impose heavy taxes.  The people of the Great Sui Dynasty can unite as one and make contributions and sacrifices for the Great Sui Dynasty, but they cannot be fooled.  Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.  "(To be continued)
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