Out of Wang Fugui's house, Liu Jin's hands and feet were cold.

He muttered at Zhang Yue and asked in a low voice, "Zhang Shizhong, is there really any salvation in this world?" ”

The predicament of the lives of the people at the bottom that Wang Fugui just talked about was like a steel needle piercing deeply into Liu Jin's viscera, making him burn all his internal organs and split his liver and gallbladder.

"Of course there is salvation!" Zhang Yue replied without hesitation: "Your Highness, although the world is in danger today, the hearts of the people are still there!" ”

"The elders in the township said: The people are like water, the community is like a boat, and the water can carry the boat and overturn the boat!"

"Although there are dangers today, the people are in urgent need, but the Han family has been gracious for a hundred years, and the people's hearts are towards the Han, as long as His Royal Highness is attentive to the affairs of the people, and the skills of the people, the danger of the world can also be solved!"

In this regard, Zhang Yue naturally has enough confidence.

As long as the policy is appropriate, the deployment is appropriate, and his space is golden thighs.

What problems can't be solved?

Even mediocre and brutal kings like Kang Mazi and Qianlong can rely on sweet potatoes to whitewash the so-called prosperous times.

And even more so now?

Of course, the current problems of the Han family can indeed be called a lot of hard work.

In the past, Zhang Yue only had an impression of this from books and historical materials.

He only knew that the people lived a hard life and had a heavy burden.

But in fact, he, like Liu Jin, has no idea how hard the people's lives are and how heavy the burden is.

After all, the original owner was born as a small landowner in Nanling.

As a small landlord in Lingyi County, how could he have ever seen the hardships and dangers of the people outside Lingyi District?

But now, through Wang Fugui's personal description, Zhang Yue finally knows how far the hardships and burdens of the lives of the people in the world have reached!

"Bring me the record and I'll take a look......" Zhang Yue turned his head and instructed the scribe who had been recording.

When the latter heard this, he immediately handed the document he had recorded to Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue opened it, checked it, and then closed it a little weakly.

"Your Highness, in the opinion of the minister, the top priority of Xinfeng County in the future is to restore the tax system per mu in the era of Prime Minister Zhang Cheng!" Zhang Yue whispered to Liu Jin: "Otherwise, it is not enough to solve the people's difficulties!" ”

"Yes!" Liu Jin nodded resolutely: "This matter must be listed as a top priority and be done as Xinfeng's top priority!" ”

He looked at Zhang Yue deeply and said, "Don't worry! Just let it go! No matter who it is, no matter how much pressure it is, Lone will carry it for you! ”

"Whoever dares to obstruct, who dares to stop!" He slightly held his hand on the hilt of the sword, gritted his teeth, and said vigorously: "There is no forgiveness for killing!" ”

He took a deep breath, his gaze more determined than ever, and his expression had never been so serious.

At this moment, the gentle and humble emperor's eldest grandson disappeared.

The figures of Han Taizong and Han Xiaojing gradually overlapped with him.

Born with the people, for it to be placed in the king to nourish it!

"No!" Zhang Yue bowed and bowed: "The minister respectfully obeys!" ”

Just now, Wang Fugui revealed to them the unspoken rules of land tax that are now in use in the grassroots areas of the Han dynasty - no matter how many acres of land you have, if it is less than 100 acres, it will all be levied according to 100 acres!!!!!

Wang Fugui's family only has 30 acres of land, and the actual field tax of 100 acres of land is levied every year!

What's even more terrifying is that these grassroots officials have also limited the amount of land tax.

Four liters per acre!

At present, the current measuring tool of the Han Dynasty is the Shengdou Hu bell system stipulated in the Zhang Cang period.

Ten liters in one bucket, ten buckets in one Hu (stone), ten Hu in one bell.

Four liters is 4 percent, which is in line with the current 30 taxes and one system.

But the problem is that the officials will expropriate all the land below 100 acres according to 100 acres.

In this way, taking Wang Fugui's family as an example, the actual land tax borne by his family has risen from 30 taxes to 10 taxes!

This is true of the field tax, and the same is true of the land tax!

And where did these overcharged land taxes and manuscript taxes end up?

It can't be said that the officials are worried about the country's social welfare, and they don't take a penny, and they all transfer it to the national treasury, right?

Don't talk about Zhang Yue about this kind of thing, Liu Jin doesn't believe it either!

In fact, you can know with your ass that these overcharged field taxes and manuscript taxes end up in whose pockets?

Of course, it's the warriors!

There are several acres of Hanjia fields, and they are all registered.

In other words, if the small people pay more, the Haoqiang clan can pay less.

The powerful clans colluded with the bureaucrats and passed on the taxes that should have been borne by them to the small people.

Knock the bone and suck the marrow to take its advantage!

Speaking of which, in the original Han Dynasty, the collection of land tax and the collection of land tax were both actually collected and paid.

This is the rule set by Zhang Cang that year, under the system stipulated by Zhang Cang, the tax collectors are to go down to the grassroots pavilion, under the witness of the three elders and the local gentry, weigh the output of the people on the spot, and collect the field tax.

There are clear examples and explanations of this matter in the "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic".

From Taizong to the first emperor, at least in Guanzhong, the Han family still strictly followed Zhang Cang's stupid method to collect field taxes.

Although this method is stupid, it can actually reflect the output of the land in the current year, and can minimize the harm caused by the officials.

However......

When Er Kuan was in charge of the internal history, he felt that this method was too stupid.

As a smart person, Er Kuan thought of a clever way - to change the actual taxation to the taxation of the acre.

For each acre of land, the approved field tax is four liters.

In this way, the people do not have to be oppressed by the officials in order to pay the taxes in time during the tax collection season.

Government taxation can also save a lot of manpower and material resources.

It's a pity that Er Kuan didn't expect that when he was there, his unparalleled prestige and status naturally overpowered all the bulls, ghosts, snakes, and gods.

But what about when he's gone? Is he dead?

What Er Kuan didn't expect was that people were lazy.

Bureaucrats, in particular, are the laziest people.

Bureaucrats are creatures of inertia, and as long as there are no problems, no eyebrows, they are generally unwilling to do things.

Especially the Confucian bureaucracy.

For many Confucian scholars, it is not easy to find an official, do they still have to go to the local grassroots level to see the mud legs complaining?

That's what a fool would do!

Staying in the official office, having nothing to do, talking about Fengyue, singing about wine with the nobles, and talking about allusions, isn't it happy?

The people below took a look, yo, it's so easy to fool!

So, it became the current situation.

It can only be said that Er Kuan did bad things with good intentions.

Just like Zhang Juzheng in the Ming Dynasty, a whip is spread into the acre, the ideas and ideas are very good, and the practice is also very good at the beginning.

But the monk in the back recited the scriptures crookedly.

So much so that the reforms that might have saved the Ming Dynasty turned out to be a talisman for the Ming Dynasty.

As a traverser, Zhang Yue is very clear.

If you want to change this situation, you will abandon Er Kuan's clever method and change it to Zhang Cang's stupid method.

Although the method is stupid, it also means that there are not too many loopholes!

The only problem with this stupid method is that the work pressure and intensity of the magistrates will be greatly increased!

Especially for the front-line officials at the grassroots level, the work pressure and intensity have increased by at least ten times!

And the current problems of the Han family are not only that!

Leaving Wang Fugui's house, Zhang Yue and Liu Jin visited three ordinary families in the elm tree.

The results and answers obtained are almost the same as what Wang Fugui recounted.

In addition to the land tax, the bureaucracy played a new trick.

According to the Han law, the annual statutory levy of the people is one month.

But in reality, it is not practical to use so much conscription, so, in fact, many times, there is no need for service.

But the officials don't care, if there is a levy for conscription, they will conscript the people to serve, and if they don't go, they will pay the money.

Even if you don't, you have to pay it.

Even a fixed routine has been formed, and if the people dare to resist, then they will not force it.

But the following year, the family would face the most terrible form of conscription—the conscription.

They will be ordered to escort a shipment of grain to Biansai, thousands of miles away.

Although the public eats all the way, no one dies of hunger.

But when this people return home, he will be faced with a whole year of uncultivated, barren land.

There are also wives and children at home who are waiting to be fed.

At that time, only bankruptcy awaits him!

This is more vicious than murder!

There are even more tricks to play with the mouth.

Because, the income of the local officials of the Han Dynasty was actually diluted into the oral taxes and taxes.

After all, local governments are now in financial difficulties and the government is running a serious deficit.

However, no matter how poor you are, you can't be poor officials, and no matter how hard you are, you can't be bitter leaders, right?

The official office is repaired, and the magistrate wants to engage in a face-saving project, and even the children of the county lord and the county lieutenant are full moon...... The so-and-so family married a concubine......

These expenses were all diluted into the items of oral taxes and manuscript taxes.

As a result, the burden on the small people has been further increased.

Now, it is only in the elm tree of the Yuyu Society, judging from the situation of the four civilian families visited by Liu Jin and Zhang Yue.

The land they occupy ranges from thirty to fifty acres.

The actual land tax they had to bear was a hundred acres.

They also have to bear the additional 300 yuan per year that does not exist, as well as all kinds of expenses and expenses of officials at all levels.

Even the birthdays and wedding expenses of the three aunts and seven aunts of the county bosses.

The actual burden on the average household is more than three times their legal reasonable burden!

Moreover, the poorer the burden, the heavier the burden!

In other words, poverty is the original sin!

You're poor, you're damned!

Such a distorted world naturally distorts people's values.

As a result, everyone in Guanzhong pursues wealth.

No matter who he is, what means he uses, as long as he is rich and rich, he will be sought after.

By the time he got out of the door of the fourth family, Liu Jin had already collapsed.

The current situation of the people and the difficulties of their family's life were like a sharp knife piercing his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Zhang Shizhong, I know why I want to go to Taixue to encourage students to come to the grassroots level...... Liu Jin muttered to Zhang Yue: "If you don't go to the grassroots level, don't come to the people's homes, how can you know the suffering of the people?" How do you know the hardships of the people? ”

………………………………

"I know today the plight of the people......"

Hundreds of miles away from Xinfeng County, where Zhang Yue and Liu Jin are located, looking at the village pavilions of Yuyi County, where there is a lot of mourning, desolation everywhere, and the people are struggling to make a living.

Prince Liu's hands and feet were cold, like falling into the abyss.

"Zheng Quan damn it! Li Xun should be punished! Introspection! He stamped his feet and stood like a child in the desolate countryside, looking at the children who were screaming and wailing, the gray-haired, ragged fathers, and the desperate people who fell to their knees in the fields.

These children, these old people, these people, are all his courtiers, and they are the fathers of his Shiyi County!

In essence, he should be his most loyal and reliable people.

is a diehard who can fight for him, overcome obstacles and step on blood!

But now...... They have been caught in the most terrible disasters and crises!

From the depths of his heart, he had a deep fear.

Yu Yi's situation, if he doesn't come, he won't know.

And what's even more terrifying is that if this continues.

The wrath of the people will be like dry wood, and it will be burned at a point.

Once something happened, my father learned about it......

Liu Ju didn't dare to think about it anymore.

As the prince of the Great Han, he knew his father's temper too well.

In the past, he also had a benevolent character, and a benevolent reputation where his father was.

No matter what he did wrong, his father could forgive him.

Even if he can't, he will look at the relationship between the great Sima and the general, and open up to him.

However......

The situation here, if he was caught off guard, was stabbed.

His benevolent people set up collapsed!

His benevolent reputation is about to stink!

He could imagine his father's roar in the Ganquan Palace.

"Thou shalt not serve the weight of the temple, and thou shalt not bear the sheji!"

"The first emperor can abolish Prince Su, and I can also abolish you!"

"Why did I give birth to such a rebel as you! Unfilial son! ”

Thinking of this, Liu Ju raised his head, looked at the sky, knelt down involuntarily with his knees down, bowed his head and prostrate deeply between heaven and earth, his forehead buried in the soil of the hot and cracked field roasted by the sun, and tears flowed out involuntarily.

"Lone sincerity is guilty, appointing traitors, harming the people and crippling the people, causing the people to suffer deeply......"

"Fasting and bathing alone to forgive his sins!"

"Lonely and plain clothes to avoid the main hall, respectfully to thank the people......"

Listen to the words of the prince and watch the behavior of the prince.

The accompanying ministers and bureaucrats and guests all prostrated deeply, and bowed their heads and said: "The ministers are guilty of capital crimes!" ”

"Go to the rescue!" Liu Ju roared like a madman when he heard it: "If a family in Yuyi County goes bankrupt, displaced or even starves to death due to drought this year...... I have killed you alone! ”

"Chuan Gu's order, immediately mobilize the guards of Bowangyuan, open the storage of Bowangyuan, and load all the grain hidden in it into a truck immediately!"

"Please inform the queen, please ask the queen to dispatch all the palace cars of Changle Palace, day and night, to assist in transporting the grain from Bowangyuan!"

"Send someone to Xinfeng, find the waiter to get Xinfeng to order Zhang Zizhong, didn't Zhang Shizhong say that he has miraculous skills, can he be used as a device to draw thousands of buckets of water a day? Please ask Zhang Shizhong to draw it immediately, and let Shaofuqing start manufacturing it immediately, and ship it to Yuyi at any cost! ”

"The drought is incomprehensible, the people's distress is uneven, and loneliness will not leave Yuyi!"

"Nuo......" The ministers were all frightened.

How had they ever seen such a prince?

The current crown prince, what is like the benevolent prince in the past?

But no one dared to object, and everyone had to do as they were told.

At this time, what kind of tricks and ornaments, what kind of ingenuity, what kind of tricks and tricks, are all left behind.

Everyone knew that if they didn't get the prince to go well this time, then all their efforts and all their expectations would be in vain.