It seems that many places where food cannot be self-sufficient are often barren mountains and mountains, very remote, once the imperial court wants to transport grain, the loss of the road is huge.

Now that there is a catastrophe in Yunnan, the imperial court has to adjust grain.

This year, although it is a good year for the imperial court, if you want to adjust the grain, you will inevitably have to recruit a large number of people, and the consumption is really amazing.

Emperor Hongzhi sighed and said, "Hurry up and adjust the grain, don't delay." ”

But Liu Jian thought about it and hesitated.

After being silent for a long time, Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, the minister has a word. ”

Emperor Hongzhi stared at Liu Jian.

Liu Jian said: "Since Fang Duwei offered sweet potatoes and potatoes, it is a great merit, and over the years, the imperial court has begun to promote his potatoes and sweet potatoes, but ...... However, the ministers found that because of the large-scale harvest, the price of grain plummeted. As a result, many gentry thought that the grain was too cheap, and that they might not be able to obtain the due income if they rented out their own land, so that many fields were deserted, so that many young and strong people could not rent the land for farming, and had to leave their homes and become homeless. Fortunately, these displaced people are not without a place to resettle, and there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Xishan. ”

"But...... I'm afraid, in the long run, it's not a way. Let's just say this year, although a lot of grain has been harvested, but the land that can be abandoned is also amazing, and there are even a lot of gentry, I heard that it is profitable to raise mulberry and silkworms, so they will change their own land into mulberry on a large scale, Your Majesty, in this world, there is no agriculture and instability, not to mention, today's imperial court, more than seventy percent of the grain comes from Jiangnan, but Jiangnan Therefore, the land is abandoned and changed to mulberry, but it is the most serious. The imperial court needs to rely on the requisitioned grain to relieve the disasters in various places, and it also needs to transfer grain to the southwest and Liaodong in large quantities. ”

Emperor Hongzhi nodded slowly, he looked at Fang Jifan: "What does Fang Qing's family think?" ”

Fang Jifan said: "The gentry are understandable to do this, and the sons also think that this is a hidden danger. Liu Gong said well, there is no agriculture and no stability, but Erchen also thinks that there is no business and no wealth. The pressure on grain in the south of the Yangtze River is particularly great. What's even more terrifying is that in Jiangnan, the gentry who really occupy a lot of land, nine times out of ten, because of their fame, almost no need to pay taxes, while ordinary people, only a few acres of thin land, the grain of the imperial court, but almost all of them are imposed on them. ”

"In the past, food prices were stable, and these small farmers were able to make a living on some land. But now, because of the plummeting grain, the gentry have a great business, and it is only a matter of the size of the harvest. But for these small farmers, it is a catastrophe. Erchen thinks that there may not be a shortage of food in the world, but the grain collected by the imperial court is decreasing every year, where is the root cause? ”

Fang Jifan thought for a while: "The root cause of the son's courage to say is that the people who have grain in their hands cannot be collected by the imperial court, but those small farmers who rely on grain to make a living, but they pay extremely heavy taxes. If the problem of the gentry receiving food in one can be solved, it will be the real solution. Even if a large amount of land is abandoned, the grain in the treasury will be enough to solve the current problem. ”

The gentry received food in one ......

The monarchs and ministers all looked at Fang Jifan in horror.

This guy really dares to say it.

The gentry are large and small landlords all over the world, their children have fame, they themselves are in the locality, they are powerful, even the government may not be offended, their privilege is to be able to use various methods, to avoid taxes, you Fang Jifan, is really ...... It's not amazing, it's endless.

Emperor Hongzhi smiled bitterly and glanced at Liu Jian and the others.

Li Dongyang couldn't help coughing.

Fang Jifan's face was innocent: "What, isn't it right?" Shouldn't he who has land, grain, and silver take it? ”

"This ......" Liu Jian glanced at Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang no longer knows whether Fang Jifan is really stupid or fake.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty has always had preferential treatment for scholars, for example, they can be exempt from taxes, and at the same time, because the officials appointed by the imperial court only reached the county level, and below the county level, almost all relied on these gentry to maintain.

Just like paying taxes, the Ming Dynasty is almost always the same at the local level.

For example, in this township, how much grain does the imperial court need, but if it needs to be collected, how to collect it?

Under normal circumstances, people generally think that there will be a special tax collector to collect it.

But in fact, this is not the case, because there are not so many people in the county who are responsible for these things, and if everything is done by the government itself, the cost is too high.

During the period of Emperor Taizu Gao, it was strictly ordered that the servants should not go to the countryside at will, because Emperor Taizu Gao believed that the servants were extremely vicious, and once they went to the countryside, it was very easy to disturb the people.

Therefore, the government often entrusts the collection of taxes to the local gentry, as long as you can help collect the grain that should be levied today, as for how to collect it, and whose family will collect it...... I can turn a blind eye.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, large-scale land annexation, and intensified, originated from this, there was fame, able to push the cup with the government, actively participate in each other's affairs, and at the same time there were gentry who assisted the government in collecting taxes.

Li Dongyang said patiently: "Captain Fangdu, the gentry receive grain in one body, this ...... It's a matter of good governance. In fact, when Xuanzong Huang De was here, he had such thoughts, but do you know why, he couldn't implement it? Even...... Didn't anyone mention it? ”

Li Dongyang smiled, he was the head of the household, yes, he really wanted to teach this naïve lieutenant a lesson: "The imperial court is in the locality, not so much relying on the prefectures and counties in various places, it is better to rely on these countless gentry, once the gentry are allowed to pay for food in one piece, this gentry ...... Eh......"

He sighed, in fact, there was one more sentence he didn't say, himself...... There are also Liu Gong, Li Gong, and even the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, which one is not a gentry?

When they returned to their hometown, it was different, it was the gentry, their own children and grandchildren, wasn't it the same?

Fang Jifan thought in his heart, of course I understand that today, the only thing the emperor can rely on is Wenchen, and behind Wenchen are countless and intertwined gentry, unless the emperor is tired of being crooked, otherwise, how can he offend these thousands of gentry.

This problem is not solved.

The taxes of the imperial court will never be enough, and in the localities, the poorest people will have to pay heavy taxes, and those old wealth and gentry will be rich but will not pull out a dime.

If it's not over, it's unreasonable.

If our successor hadn't had a brain disease, I would have thought the opposite for the sake of these thousands of people.

Fang Jifan said with a smile: "There is a lot of resistance, that's for sure, but if you don't do anything and let it go, the final result will be ...... What will happen? Therefore, the minister suggested that it is better to find a government and a county, and try it, if you don't even dare to try, how do you know if you can implement it? ”

Fang Jifan looked at Emperor Hongzhi, and then at Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others.

Fang Jifan knew that although these monarchs and ministers were all representatives of vested interests criticized by later generations, no matter what, they still had some feelings in their hearts.

Fang Jifan said: "I said something that shouldn't be said, Your Majesty and the princes, who doesn't know the suffering of the small people, how can they bear it and do nothing?" What I rely on is supported by these thousands of small people, Your Majesty's brocade clothes and food, as well as the princes' money, which one does not come from their blood and sweat, you might as well, let's give it a try, think about it, in this world, there are always people who understand righteousness, it's better to start with a mansion first...... How is it? ”

Emperor Hongzhi was moved.

But he couldn't make up his mind.

If this thing is going to get out, I don't know how to make a fuss?

Try it in Ichifu first?

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Jian and the others.

Liu Jian's first reaction, this Fang Jifan, what idea do you want to fight, he eats people and doesn't spit out bones. Is it really kind, or is it ......

Liu Jian's heart is extremely complicated, standing in his position, he resolutely refuses to accept the gentry in one piece, your uncle, I am the gentry.

But he has been an official for many years and knows that the fundamental drawbacks of the Ming Dynasty lie in this.

He can even imagine that if time goes on like this, the world of the Ming Dynasty, nine times out of ten, will die here.

The small people had to go bankrupt because of their heavy taxes, and the gentry did not need to pay food, so they already had countless advantages, plus his land income was much higher than that of the small people, so it was natural that he unscrupulously annexed land.

Finally, there are fewer and fewer small people who pay taxes. The gentry who do not need to pay taxes have more and more land, how can the treasury be maintained, the problem of displaced people can be solved, but who will solve the financial problem?

Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian glanced at each other silently.

All three fell silent.

It's too hard.

Even if this is the first of its kind, it will put them under tremendous pressure.

Emperor Hongzhi saw that the three of them were hesitant, and sighed in his heart: "The three Qing families...... Can't figure it out? ”

Fang Jifan gritted his teeth and said: "Zhu Fair is thinking about how to save food every day, but what is the use of saving, the people who occupy the vast majority of the land in the world do not need to pay the grain tax, and how much can the money and grain of the treasury do." Our successor, such a person, still agrees to pay food, and the princes claim to be the saint's disciples, are they so afraid? ”

Eh......

Liu Jian raised his head and sighed, bowing to the ground: "The old minister will not give up on His Majesty, what Fang Duwei said is not unreasonable, the old man is the first assistant of the cabinet, and he is known as the chief assistant...... The old minister is really self-ashamed. If Your Majesty makes a decision, the old minister is willing to look forward to His Majesty's horse's head, even if he is broken, he will not hesitate to do so. ”

Li Dongyang and Xie Qian glanced at each other, and their eyes were shocked, Liu Gong ...... I agreed.

……………………

The second chapter is delivered, there are many lessons today, and the update is late, sorry.