"One hundred thousand Chinese troops marched from Luoyang to Guanzhong!" Pang Qing read the latest battle report.

"One hundred thousand?" Yang Zheng was a little surprised, not because there were too many troops, but because they came so quickly.

With the current strength of Liangzhou, it is almost a daydream for Sima Zhao and Zhong Hui to destroy themselves with an army of 140,000.

Sima Zhao sent out hundreds of thousands of troops to fight against him, but only 140,000 to deal with himself?

Does Zhong Hui not have this ability?

If it's not against yourself, then it's possible that it's against Shu.

"Where's the food?" Guanzhong has been abandoned. It's impossible for 140,000 people to drink from the northwest wind, right?

"Sima Zhao increased taxes, and the officials and the people were one." Pang Qing said.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the land tax in the Central Plains was reduced to eight for the officials and two for the people. Under such a heavy tax, I don’t know how the people survived.

"Isn't Sima Zhao afraid that the government will force the people to rebel?" Yang Zheng shook his head. This time Sima Zhao spent a lot of money. If he cannot destroy Shu or destroy himself, the country will definitely be in turmoil.

In fact, people have been fleeing continuously since Cao Cao established the farming system.

It is impossible to rise up. The military power of the Central Plains has always been very strong, and the people have long been afraid of being killed.

Taxes that are too heavy will hit the people in all directions.

In order to attack the Xiongnu in the north, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty vigorously plundered the people. Newly born children had to pay taxes to the state when they were three years old, which was called "export money."

They have to pay to the state, and they have to use currency, and they will be squeezed by food prices in the middle...

There is a clear record of this in the Han Dynasty: Emperor Wu conquered the barbarians and gave heavy gifts to the people. When the children of the people were three years old, they exported money. Therefore, the people were in great poverty. As for the children who were born, they were often killed, which was extremely sad.

In fact, the Central Plains in the late Wei Dynasty was even more miserable than in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty treated everyone equally, regardless of whether they were powerful or common people, they all paid taxes.

Even powerful and wealthy households will pay more, and those who sue Minling will reap the leeks of the rich.

At least there is a way for the people to survive.

However, Sima Zhao's heavy gifts were completely distributed to the powerless people.

The powerful nobles had various ways to avoid heavy taxes, not paying taxes, or even paying less.

At first, the government couldn't figure out how many households they had hidden and how many fields they had enclosed.

Secondly, the government itself is composed of powerful nobles. Will they risk their lives to pay their own taxes?

Sima Zhao dared to play like this, Yang Zheng had to admire his courage.

But then again, as long as the powerful nobles are on Sima Zhao's side, the loose and unorganized people at the bottom will not be able to cause any trouble.

Compared with the Central Plains, Liangzhou's taxes are much lighter.

Slaves, waiting to be returned to govern the people, only need to pay enough land taxes and complete one or two months of military training every year, and there is basically nothing else to do.

In leisure time, people can fish, hunt, raise livestock, and make handicrafts to sell in the market.

Or working for the government and getting no wages, just eating three meals a day to fill your stomach is also saving food.

In addition to land tax, Liangzhou's salt, livestock, and iron are all government-owned.

Any salt lake in the West Sea is enough to feed the whole world for dozens or hundreds of years.

Livestock is also one of Liangzhou's great advantages. Liangzhou is the only state in the world to adopt large-scale government operations and set up pastures on the vast grasslands of Hehuang, Xihai, Hetao, and Zhangye. A livestock can eat and work, and is of great value.

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There is also commercial tax, which has accounted for an increasing proportion of government revenue in recent years.

The gentry in the Central Plains became more and more powerful, and their needs also increased.

Pepper, spices, Shu brocade, mink fur, agate, gemstones, amber, rhinoceros horn, ivory and other luxury goods all pass through Lingliangzhou.

Regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter, there will always be long camel caravans coming from the west. The food, clothing, housing and transportation of these foreign merchants must be in Liangzhou. They are extremely generous, driving the economy of Liangzhou and allowing the people to benefit from it.

Some oil and water.

Since the Juqu tribe was annihilated, the business environment in Liangzhou has greatly improved, and many businessmen from the Western Regions simply purchased mansions in Guzang.

Last year, after conquering Chang'an and killing Sima Fu and Wang Ji, the price of Gu Zang's mansion rose like sesame seeds blooming, giving it the aura of a metropolis.

There were commercial taxes, salt and iron, and livestock replenishment, and the gold and silver in Liangzhou's public treasury piled up like mountains.

Therefore, every time there is a war, there is basically no need to squeeze the people.

The entire Liangzhou is in a period of rising, and the powerful scholars and the people can live in peace and harmony.

At Yang Zheng's suggestion, some visionary powerful men also formed caravans and started trading bulk commodities.

In addition to merchants, the number of Tianzhu monks in Liangzhou continues to rise.

The significance of the Hexi Corridor is not only economic, but also a place of cultural collision.

Plateau, grassland, Central Plains, and Western Regions meet again, constantly colliding with powerful sparks of civilization.

The Chinese civilization is great and splendid, but other civilizations also have merits.

Western civilization was able to catch up from behind because it did not close itself off. Whether it was plunder or the Crusades, it was a constant collision of civilizations.

On the contrary, Chinese civilization entered a period of comprehensive decline after the Song Dynasty. The Hexi Corridor was lost, and Yan Yun could not take it back. The spirit of pioneering and enterprising was also lost. Women had their feet bound, and men were ashamed to join the army...

Yang Zheng has always felt that civilization is more than reciting poems and painting, but an inner and upward spirit, where a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend. You can be a poet and painter, but you can't just be a poet and painter.

Yang Zheng neither encourages nor supports monks.

Many monks were well-educated and wealthy people. After obtaining the approval of the government, a Buddhist temple was built in Guzang City.

The temple is managed under the name of the Xuanyi Department, and every monk needs to be registered. Only those who get the certificate from the Xuanyi Department are legal monks.

After the capture of Chang'an, Liangzhou seemed to have entered a new stage.

In the spring of this year, a large number of scholars appeared out of nowhere, as many as a thousand.

In the past, there were only a hundred or so people at most, and sometimes there were forty or fifty people...

There were so many scholars that the original examination room could no longer accommodate them.

The selection of scholars in Liangzhou is different from other places. It does not look at family background or origin. Scholars from powerful families and ordinary people from poor families are all treated equally.

Yang Zheng simply tried his best and took the exam in the street.

Guzang Main Street was cleared, futons and tables were laid out, and more than 2,000 elite soldiers armed with knives and spears were arranged to maintain order on the scene.

In this land of northwest, no matter what you do, you cannot do without a knife.

There are wolves and ferocious beasts flying in the sky and running on the ground.

You need to carry a knife for farming, you need to carry not only a knife but also a bow for herding, and you also need to carry a knife even when you go shopping for vegetables, otherwise you will be embarrassed to have cordial and friendly exchanges with others.

This is also considered one of the unique cultures of Liangzhou.

As long as you don't wear armor and hold a crossbow, the government will never ask you.

This battle scared many soldiers. Some people immediately left the examination room, while others looked ugly and secretly glanced at the soldiers around them from time to time.

[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]

The people watching the excitement came from three floors outside to see what was going on.

As long as they don't make any noise, the government will let them go.

This is actually the first test set by Yang Zheng.

Literati without courage will basically not be able to work in the northwest.
Chapter completed!