Chapter 64: Lone Tong and Unintentional Phoenix Fly
"Thirteenth Lang, please continue." Fan Chunren stopped laughing.
"Actually, the finances of a state are just like a family with twenty people..." Zhao Si said his theory of stock and increase again.
Fan Chunren's eyes were shining like a pair of obsidian stones that had been coiled for decades.
He served as prime minister, and his insights and experiences were much deeper than those of Changsun Moli and Zeng Baohua.
"Thirteenth Lang's idea is to let farmers produce more food and craftsmen produce more goods?"
"Fan Gong, this is a long-term solution. Only by increasing productivity can we promote the development of production relations and the superstructure."
Fan Chunren's face was full of questions, "Productivity, production relations, superstructure?"
"Fan Gong, productivity is how much wealth one person, one county, one state, one road, and the entire Song Dynasty can produce. It is related to the amount of land, fertile fields, abundant water conservancy, etc. It is also related to the manufacturing level of craftsmen, the manufacturing speed, etc.
..”
"The relations of production are how to distribute this wealth. The superstructure is how to distribute this wealth and all the activities that people carry out. For example, literacy and reading, the government and the army, taxation and payment, and protecting the country..."
It’s all my fault that I got carried away for a moment and spouted out these new terms in my bald mouth.
Now I have to spend a lot of time to explain the meaning of these words.
"Thirteenth Lang, the long-term plan you just mentioned makes sense. The biggest drawback of Wang Jinggong's method is the eagerness for quick success." Fan Chunren also opened his heart and talked freely.
"Fan Gong. The eagerness for quick success and instant benefit is one of the reasons why Wang Jinggong's reform failed."
"Oh, what other drawbacks did Thirteenth Lang find?"
"Fan Gong and Wang Jinggong's Green Crops Law are all lost. In fact, the government personally ends up lending money to the people and transporting and selling goods. In name, it is to support the poor and sick, inhibit mergers, buy low and sell high, and stabilize prices. It seems that it is
Work for the benefit of the people. If you do bad things, the government will personally deal with them."
"Oh, why should the government personally end the trouble?"
"Gong Fan. As long as you do business, the ultimate goal is to make a lot of money. When the government started doing business, it said it would benefit the people at first, but after doing so, money poured in and the national treasury was full. I am afraid that I have forgotten it.
To the back of the head.”
"The most terrifying thing is that the government has huge power. In order to make profits, they will use these powers without mercy. Under Qingmiao Law, you are not short of money, but the government requires you to borrow money. In a disaster year, if the money is not paid, you will directly
Your property will be confiscated. If your property is not enough, you will be forced to do corvee labor."
Fan Chunren sighed and said in agreement: "That's right! They all lost to the law. The government ordered to buy it at a lower price than the market price, transport it to other places, and sell it at double the price. So later, these new laws completely turned into competing for profits from the people!"
"Yes, Mr. Fan, doing business in the government is like letting the wolf look after the sheep and the fox look after the henhouse. It's like on the Cuju court, he is both a player and a referee. Who can beat him?"
The more Fan Chunren listened, the more novel it became and felt it made perfect sense.
"Thirteenth Master, you really hit the nail on the head. Wang Jinggong's reforms are getting more and more out of shape, which is harmful to the world."
"Fan Gong, I feel that the greatest harm caused by Wang Jingong's reform is not the harm to the people. It is only a temporary pain."
"Oh, then where does Thirteenth Brother think the greatest harm is?" Fan Chunren couldn't help but sit upright and asked in a asking tone.
"Two points. One is to destroy the 'dissenting opinions' system left by the late emperor of Zhenmiao, turning the dispute between gentlemen in the court into a life-and-death struggle. From then on, the officials' main focus was not on doing things.
On the matter, as for party struggles and internal strife, Mr. Fan and Mr. Sima Wen have to bear a large part of the responsibility for this."
Fan Chunren stroked his beard, hesitated to speak, and finally nodded slowly.
"Thirteenth Master, where is the second one?" Fan Chunren asked impatiently.
"Why has the New Party been able to be in power so far? Because they claim to be enforcing new laws, but they are actually amassing money. They make the national treasury full and political affairs are smooth. But what are the consequences? From then on, there is only one voice in the court, and they are enforcing new laws! There is only one purpose, to make money!"
Fan Chunren was speechless as he listened.
Yes, the treasury is full, allowing the ambitious late emperor and current officials to flex their muscles. Therefore, after years of fighting, the new party has become more and more powerful, and the old party has suffered a complete defeat.
This is the source!
This emperor's thirteenth brother really dared to speak, but his words were so penetrating and to the point!
Zhao Si continued to talk.
"Mr. Fan, if this continues, in ten or twenty years, the only people standing in the court will be those who shout out new laws and are dedicated to amassing money to please their superiors. Those virtuous and loyal ministers who have great ambitions and care about the country and the people will no longer be able to stand out.
Already."
Fan Chunren stood up suddenly, his forehead covered with white sweat.
He trembled and said: "If this...isn't it...isn't it a sign of the country's demise!"
But that’s not it!
Historically, when my eleventh brother Zhao Ji succeeded to the throne, he pretended to be in harmony at the beginning and used two parties to make peace. As a result, the two parties quarreled every day and every month, which made Zhao Ji's head buzz and hurt. The fiscal revenue also decreased day by day.
, political affairs are even more complicated and complicated.
Zhao Ji, who didn't have the patience, simply stopped pretending. He employed Cai Jing and other experts in making money. From then on, the national treasury was abundant, and the prosperity of Henan was great. Zhao Ji also settled down and became the emperor of Zhenghe in peace and prosperity.
The final result was that Zhao Ji and his son went to Five Kingdoms City to sit in a well and watch the sky...
Fan Chunren walked back and forth in the room, like an ant looking for a way out of a maze.
Finally, he looked up and saw Zhao Si, walked up to him in a few steps, grabbed Zhao Si's hand, and asked eagerly in a hoarse voice, mixed with despair and hope.
"Your Highness King Jian, you are wise and wise, and can see through these fundamentals. You should have thought of a solution."
"Mr. Fan, please sit down first." Zhao Si helped the gray-haired Fan Chunren sit down, moved his chair in front of him, and said slowly: "Mr. Fan, the first problem is how to fill the national treasury without competing with the people.
.”
"Is there such a way?" Fan Chunren asked in panic.
"Yes!" Zhao Si replied categorically, "In addition to increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, there is also plugging leaks!"
Fan Chunren's eyes regained their luster, "How to plug the leak?"
"Mr. Fan, in fact, there are still a lot of taxes that should be collected by the imperial court but cannot be collected. They are withheld in the villages and counties. Either because of the corruption of officials and subordinates, or because the states and counties are incompetent and just sit back and watch the squire tyrannize."
"Cut off those evil hands and collect all the taxes that should be collected. The national treasury will be abundant, but the people will not be deprived of profits."
Fan Chunren's beard twitched, "Thirteenth Master, what do you think?"
"Fan Gong, I found the documents in the Secretary's Office. During the Tianbao period of the former Tang Dynasty, there were 14 million hectares of cultivated land in the world. What about the country? During the Tianxi reign of the late Emperor Zhenmiao, it was estimated to be 5.24 million hectares. English
During the Zhiping reign of the late Emperor Miao, it was estimated that there were only 4.4 million hectares. Why is there such a difference?"
Fan Chunren said in a deep voice, "Because the dynasty has rarely completely measured the land in the world. The so-called hectares of land are all calculated based on taxes. The 5.24 million hectares and 4.4 million hectares are just tax-paying fields.
.”
"Fan Gong is right. Xiao Wang has read memorials and letters written by some knowledgeable people. They hold office in prefectures and counties. They have carefully investigated the local conditions and found that in all parts of the country, only seven out of ten tax offices do not increase taxes.
In other words, these 4.4 million hectares actually only account for 30% of the world’s fields.”
Fan Chunren was silent for a while, and his voice became hoarse.
"Your Highness King Jian, how should we change?"
"First, comprehensively measure the land and inventory all hidden land. Secondly, summarize all taxes receivable, including land taxes, corvees and other miscellaneous levies, into one item, in copper coins or silver taels, converted per mu, and paid by a separate agency
Collect taxes uniformly and prevent local officials and gentry from withholding taxes and exploiting the people."
There was silence in the room.
These measures are similar to the Qingli New Deal, but are more radical and comprehensive, and will encounter greater resistance.
When Fan Chunren was young, he witnessed his father presiding over the New Deal, then experiencing failure and passing away sadly. Thinking of this, he felt emotional.
The air was so humid that it almost condensed into a bucket of water. The sound of thunder could be heard faintly from the distant horizon. A heavy rain in summer was brewing. It did not know when it would come to Kaifeng City. It poured down and moistened the earth.
, washing away the dirt.
I don't know how much time had passed. Fan Chunren, who was thinking for a moment, suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Si. His old eyes had never been so clear and lively.
"I understand King Jian's ambition."
"People come and go on the river, but they love the beauty of sea bass. You look at a boat, and it is in and out of the storm." Zhao Sikou read a poem by Fan Wenzhenggong.
"If the strong grass does not die with the wind, why would the lonely tung tree fly like a phoenix?" Fan Chunren smiled and leisurely replied with a poem from his father. This chapter has been completed!
