On the long street, the carriage was swaying. Xiao Yu and Cui Xin were sitting opposite each other in the carriage. After hearing Cui Xin's words, Xiao Yu felt more and more inappropriate.
It seems that the ultimate goal of all the actions and plans of the court at the moment is to measure the acres of land...
But even if all the acres in the world were measured, what would be the use?
Population is the fundamental thing...
Cui Xin was a little slumped, nodded and said: "It's true to every word... This traitor has no longer paid attention to the Shandong family. If he were not still afraid of his reputation, I might not even meet him if I come to visit him in person."
I feel so regretful. Who would have thought that an unsuccessful "counterintuitive plan" not only failed to achieve its goal and made Cui Dunli side with the Shandong family, but also made Cui Dunli form a deadly feud with the Shandong family and killed the most outstanding child of the Shandong family.
Pushed into the opposing camp, the chess move is a bit different...
However, the matter has come to this, what can we do?
Xiao Yu rubbed his forehead and sighed: "This must be a strategy that His Majesty has already planned. He uses the children of Shandong to coerce Shandong family members into cooperating in measuring the acres of land. With such a large-scale war and careful planning, the imperial court is determined to win the matter of measuring the acres of land."
Suddenly, a bright light flashed in his mind, and he subconsciously said: "...could the court want to link land with taxes?"
Cui Xin was stunned and then shook his head: "In the past, has there ever been a precedent of using land to pay taxes? The land is constant, but the population is more or less. When the population is large, the tax will be reduced, which is not good for the court. When the population is small, it will inevitably lead to heaven and earth.
If you abandon the land, it will be difficult to pay taxes..."
After thinking about it carefully, he said decisively: "There is no precedent for this matter. If you want to implement it, it will be a huge change that overturns all the old systems. It will be difficult to achieve. Besides, when collecting taxes by head, the people below can hide the population and pay with land."
Taxes can also hide land, and the pros and cons are equal, so why bother with it?"
Xiao Yu deeply agreed and felt that his sudden idea was a bit unrealistic.
If land is used as the basis for taxation and there is no precedent to follow, then it is necessary to design a taxation method from scratch that is realistic and has no loopholes. Moreover, this taxation method cannot be imagined out of thin air. After it is designed, it must be tested and run.
During the operation process, loopholes are constantly found and patched until they are flawless before implementation.
This process cannot be a few years, a dozen years, or even as long as decades. After all, the empire is vast and has a vast territory. The amount of land in various places varies greatly, whether it is barren or fertile, mountainous or fertile farmland, etc. If you want to be among them
Searching for patterns and formulating a set of policies that are compatible with all places is as difficult as reaching heaven...
If we abandon the existing "rental regulations" that have been proven to be almost perfect, and instead create an unprecedented policy, wouldn't we be asking for trouble?
"It's not just my imagination, but the court's land measurement is too weird. I can't figure out His Majesty's real intention. I really can't sleep or eat well..."
Xiao Yu sighed.
Cui Xin is also worried, but he has not yet thought about the real intention behind measuring the acres. The most important thing is to bring back the tens of thousands of captured Shandong people, and finally find out how the court plans to deal with it...
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Chongren Square, it was stopped by the gatekeeper. The servant who drove the carriage handed over the name card of Duke Guo of Song. The gatekeeper quickly saluted and then let the carriage go, allowing the carriage to drive through the gate and arrive at the gate of Duke Liang's Mansion.
The servants of Duke Liang's Mansion saw a magnificently decorated carriage coming from a distance, and hurried out to greet it. When they got closer, they saw the emblem on the carriage and recognized it as the carriage of the Xiao family. They greeted Xiao while letting people in.
Yu, Cui Xin got off the car.
Fang Jun, who had just returned home, was waiting outside the main hall to greet him. Xiao Yu looked at Fang Jun who was saluting on the steps, feeling filled with emotion in his heart.
Once upon a time, he used a "charity" mentality to win over Fang Jun, hoping that he could be used for his own purposes and enhance the power of the Lanling Xiao family in the court. Facts have proved that his vision was right, and he tried his best to defeat the Xiao family's direct descendants.
It is not a loss for a woman to marry Fang Jun as a concubine.
However, as of today, Fang Jun's height is high enough for him to look up to him. Now that the King of Jin has been defeated and he is in disrepute, Fang Jun assists Li Chengqian to put down the rebellion.
The loss and depression of things being different and people being different...
Faced with Fang Jun's courtesy, Xiao and Cui did not dare to show off, and quickly returned the courtesy. Although they were still the leaders of the two most powerful men in the world, Fang Jun was now the right servant of Shangshu and the general of Jin Wuwei.
, concurrently served as Minister of Industry, nominally the second person in the dynasty, de facto the emperor's confidant, and the head of all ministers.
Fang Jun did not show his official authority in front of the two of them. He invited them into the main hall, served fragrant tea, and asked with a smile: "You two come here, what do you want to teach me?"
Xiao Yu and Cui Xin looked at each other, and the former said: "This time the King of Jin's army remonstrated, and we were defeated. We relied on the traitors, and our sin is unforgivable. However, Your Majesty is very tolerant and will not punish severely. He also allowed me to retire and return to old age."
Xiangzi, this kind of kindness is like mountains and seas, and I can't repay it. I should have returned to the south of the Yangtze River immediately and made preparations to measure the land. I tried my best. However, there are still some bonds that have not been completed, so I have to delay the time.
"
Fang Jun took a sip of tea, glanced at Xiao Yu, thought for a while, and did not embarrass the other person, but asked in cooperation: "I wonder if there is any other bond?"
Xiao Yu and Cui Xin were relieved when they heard this. If Fang Jun didn't say this and instead talked about him, they really didn't know how to continue the topic. Since Fang Jun asked in cooperation, it means that Fang Jun actually understood the two of them.
purpose, and will not deliberately avoid it.
Xiao Yu cheered up and said: "Speaking of which, I have to ask Erlang's opinion on this matter... This time the King of Jin raised an army, and the Shandong family rebelled, raising 100,000 private soldiers to enter the customs. The result was too many casualties to be seen. It was so tragic that only
After the tens of thousands of remaining Shandong disciples surrendered, they were detained in the Six-Leader Camp in the East Palace. They were uncertain about life and death, and their future was uncertain. Jiangnan had made such mistakes before. Although they failed to go north to Tongguan in the end, people all over Jiangnan were unavoidably worried.
I don’t know what kind of punishment I will suffer... Today I went to the house with Mr. Cui just to ask Erlang how your Majesty plans to deal with it."
Cui Xin also said on the side: "There was great chaos in the late Sui Dynasty. Shandong was the place where the four wars took place. The people's livelihood was originally in decline and the fields were barren. After more than 20 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, after the Wude and Zhenguan dynasties, Shandong's population has recovered, but
After this battle, countless young people were killed. If these tens of thousands of Shandong children cannot return to their place of origin, Shandong will cry and mourn, and it will be miserable and desolate. It will take decades to recover! The Fang family is also from Shandong, so I hope Erlang
If you remember your love for your hometown and lend a helping hand, the people of Shandong will remember your kindness for the rest of their lives!"
After saying this, he stood up and left his seat, bowing his head to the ground.
At this time, he could not take care of his own dignity at all. He could only show his greatest sincerity, groveling in front of Fang Jun, trying to get Fang Jun's help to release tens of thousands of captured Shandong private soldiers back to their places of origin...
Fang Jun picked up the tea cup and sipped the tea slowly. He remained silent for a long time and allowed Cui Xinzuo to bow his head.
Endless grief and indignation arose in Cui Xinxin. As the leader of the Shandong family, he considered himself to be a nobler being than the Li Tang royal family with Barbarian bloodline. He claimed that he was the Zhengshuo of China, the orthodoxy of Yanhuang, and the leader of the world.
Which family in the wealthy family is not asking for a marriage with Mr. Cui?
However, today I have to suffer such humiliation in front of such a junior, and I have to endure it without even daring to show the slightest expression of anger...
Xiao Yu on the side moved his buttocks and felt uncomfortable all over. Although the Jiangnan noble family was not the same as the Shandong noble family, and it was Cui Xin who was being humiliated now, not him, but he still felt the same way.
I couldn't help but cough lightly and whispered: "Erlang, this matter..."
Fang Jun then put down the tea cup, waved his hand to stop Xiao Yu's words, and sighed: "Except for me not wanting to lend a helping hand, I really can't help you. Oh, Mr. Cui, please come up quickly. How can I bear such a great gift?"
Are you going to break me?"
Cui Xin: I can’t bear it and you have endured it for so long? You are not a son of a man...
Due to old age and lumbar muscle strain, I finally straightened up, returned to my seat, and asked eagerly: "Erlang is your Majesty's confidant, and now he has made great achievements and is powerful in the world. If you think about it, there must be a solution for this trivial matter!"
Ritual means that when you ask for something from someone, you should give it first. It is also a kind thing... Although I am still angry in my heart, but since "Zuo Zhuan" says that it is right to do so, what can I not tolerate?
Fang Jun shook his head and said: "These Shandong private soldiers are said to be 'anti-justice', but in fact they are prisoners of war. How to deal with them must be decided by the imperial court. I dare not interfere."
Cui Xin argued: "Erlang's words are wrong. Song Guogong and I together led these disciples to 'act up' before the King of Jin's defeat, and took the initiative to draw a clear line with the rebels. They were not defeated and captured."
Xiao Yu also said: "Although we have never turned against the King of Jin, it is because Erlang was brave and unparalleled and defeated the King of Jin first. This cannot deprive us of our 'contribution to justice anyway'. Otherwise, how can we win the trust of the world?"
"Anyway" and "captured" are two absolutely different concepts, which also mean completely different treatments. This is a matter of principle and cannot be disputed.
Moreover, it is simply unreasonable for Fang Jun, with his red mouth and white teeth, to wipe out all his "contributions"!
If he hadn't asked for help at this moment, Xiao Yu might have turned against him on the spot...
Fang Jun smiled and said nothing, asked the maid to change a pot of hot tea, and then said calmly: "You and I know the truth very well, why bother to bother with those one or two words? But I am not prevaricating. Your Majesty, the Holy Spirit
It has been decided that these Shandong private soldiers cannot return to their place of origin before the land boundary measurement in Shandong is completed."
For the Jiangnan gentry, they could use sea trade to force them to cooperate in measuring the acres of land, but the Shandong gentry did not regard sea trade as their main source of income. If they did not firmly capture these Shandong private soldiers, would they just let them go and wait for them to go against the imperial court again?
Prevent the measurement of acres?
Measuring acres of land is crucial to the ground-breaking reforms that will follow. No matter what means are used, they must be implemented. No matter who dares to block the reform, they will be crushed into powder and their bones will be thrown into ashes...