On this day, Li Zhi sat in the second hall of the General Military Mansion and chatted with his younger brother Li Xing. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

"Big brother, the price of rice from other places has risen again this month, and it has risen to three taels and one stone. There are small crumbs to buy cheap grain in Fanjiazhuang cheap grain store, and want to sell it out of the city to make the difference, I caught three. ”

Li Zhi sighed and said, "This grain price is really an unsolvable problem. In the future, the residents of Fanjiazhuang will be given 50 catties of grain stamps per person per month, and the people will buy cheap grain with the tickets. ”

Li Xing's eyes lit up and said, "Big brother, this is really a good way." In this way, those small crumbs will not be able to buy large quantities of grain and smuggle them out of the city. I'll have the clerks make food stamps tomorrow and distribute them. ”

In the first half of this year, Li Zhi's 190,000 mu of private land collected more than 200,000 stone of grain. At that time, the price of grain was not as high as it is now, and the rice shop opened by the gentry lowered the price of grain as soon as it was time to collect the grain. Therefore, Li Zhi's tenant farmers were willing to sell grain to Li Zhi's cheap grain store, and sell it to Li Zhi at the price of two taels and one stone. Li Zhi now has more than 100,000 stones of grain in his hands, which is more than enough to support the citizens of Fanjiazhuang.

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Daming's broken ship, leaking rain above and water below, is getting harder and harder to support him." ”

Li Zhi and Li Xing brothers chatted, but they dared to tell the truth that they couldn't tell outside. Li Xing looked at Li Zhi and said, "Big brother, now, how can we turn the tide and save Li Min?" ”

Li Zhi said: "The reason why the Ming Dynasty is broken to the point it is today is nothing more than because the three groups of corrupt officials, officials and businessmen, and gentry have been moths and hollowed out the Ming Dynasty. Just like a person who is full of parasites, how can he still fight against foreign enemies? To improve today's situation, it is necessary to start with these three groups and get rid of borers. ”

Li Xing felt that the eldest brother's words were very reasonable, and asked, "What should I do?" ”

Li Zhi thought for a while and said: "The three groups of corrupt officials, officials and businessmen, and gentry seem to be three groups of people, but they are actually the same group of people. These people are gentlemen when they study, they are officials and businessmen when they are in business, and they are corrupt officials when they have fame. Among these three groups, corrupt officials are the most powerful and powerful group. These officials have no law to cover the monopoly of businessmen and the non-payment of taxes by the gentry. ”

"And the gentry are the most harmful group of the Ming Dynasty, not only the gentry do not pay taxes, but the people also send their fields in the name of the gentry, and they do not pay taxes. For more than 200 years in the Ming Dynasty, there were more and more people, and more and more fields were planted. But there are fewer and fewer fields to pay taxes, which is really a big joke in the world. ”

Li Xing said: "Then if we want to turn the tide, should we start by rectifying corrupt officials and gentry?" ”

Li Zhi shook his head and said: "Although corrupt officials and gentry are rampant, they occupy the court and public opinion, and it can be said that the current Ming Dynasty is composed of them. If you want to rectify these people, it will undoubtedly be a marrow and bone for the Ming Dynasty, and the severe pain is unbearable. ”

Li Xing said: "Then you should attack the businessman?" ”

Li Zhi nodded and said, "If you want to continue the Yangshou of the Ming Dynasty, you must get rid of some moths. Among the three major moths, the merchant group is the most vulnerable. ”

"When the Ming Dynasty was first established, it emphasized agriculture and suppressed business, and tried its best to devalue the status of merchants, so those officials and businessmen were congenitally deficient in public opinion. Moreover, Emperor Taizu Gao once set a tax rate of 30 taxes for merchants, but now it has not been implemented, which makes merchants even more unreasonable. ”

"So if the Ming Dynasty wants to revitalize, it must start with the levy of commercial taxes! During the time of Emperor Xian, the Ming Dynasty had sufficient treasury in the south and north of the country, precisely because the merchant tax and mining tax were levied on the merchants. ”

Li Xing asked, "Does the eldest brother want to levy business taxes in Tianjin?" ”

Li Zhi nodded and said: "I have sent people to post notices in various prefectures and counties in Tianjin this morning, stipulating that the annual turnover of forty taels is exempt from tax, and the turnover of more than forty taels is thirty taxes one!" ”

Li Xing didn't expect Li Zhi to really act, so he opened his mouth wide in surprise, and said after a long time: "Tianjin Town, one prefecture, two prefectures, and twenty counties, no better than the original Tianjin West Road. The eldest brother operated like this, and those civil officials were about to jump up one by one. ”

Li Zhi picked up the teacup and drank a glass of water, and said lightly: "It's okay to let these beam-jumping clowns jump." ”

Li Xing was a little speechless, grabbed the teacup and didn't drink, so he grabbed the teacup in the air in a daze.

While the two were silent, Han Jinxin, Lee Sik's ambassador of the guard, ran into the second hall. This former brocade guard walked a little erratically, and he specially chose the dark place to walk, as if he couldn't see the light. He walked up to Li Zhi and knelt down and said, "Governor Zuo, the tax notices we posted in various prefectures and counties have been torn up by the civil officials. All the civil officials of Tianjin gathered in the governor's yamen, probably discussing how to deal with the business taxes of the adults. ”

Li Zhi grinded the thumb and index finger of his right hand and thought about it.

"Send 2,000 cavalrymen of the Xuanfeng Regiment to various states and counties to pass on verbal messages, asking merchants of all sizes to take the initiative to file tax returns within ten days. Those who fail to report within the time limit will be fined three times! The fine was forcibly levied by the soldiers of the Tiger Division! ”

"Call Zheng Hui!"

Not long after, Zheng Hui trotted into the second hall of the General Soldier's Mansion and bowed.

"Have all the accountants hired for tax audit?"

"Don't worry, my lord, all 500 accountants have been hired, and they can start tax audits at any time."

"Okay, arrange the accountants to go to the states and counties, set up tax collection points, and send tiger soldiers to protect them."

Li Zhi was arranging there, but saw the doorman running in.

"Master, Governor Cha Dengbei came to the door with dozens of civil officials, and he was violent! Let them in? ”

Li Zhi looked at Han Jinxin and said with a smile: "The guest is here!" Let them wait for me in the lobby! ”

Li Zhi returned to the main room, changed into the python robe, black gauze hat and jade belt given by the emperor, and sorted out his appearance in the mirror, and then swaggered to the lobby.

In the lobby, dozens of civil officials were standing or standing, all with pale faces, as if they had been dug up by Li Zhi.

Seeing Li Zhi come out wearing the python robe given by the emperor, the civil officials were stunned, and no one spoke for a long time.

The imperial python robe is the most honored costume of the courtiers, representing the support of the emperor. Li Zhi is now the crown prince and the governor, and his official rank is much higher than that of the governor Cha Dengbei. Most of the civil officials present were petty officials such as military garrison, prefect, and prefect, and when they saw Li Zhi's noble demeanor, they were a little stunned for a while.

Li Zhi sat on the main seat, took a sip of water from the teacup, and said slowly: "You all came to my General Military Mansion, what are you doing?" ”

Cha Dengbei looked at the civil officials who did not dare to speak, and said, "I will come to persuade the Governor of Zuodu to stop the idea of levying commercial taxes. ”

Li Zhi shook his head and said: "I have collected the commercial tax, and it is impossible to stop!" ”

Hearing Li Zhi's words, Cha Dengbei's face darkened and he was speechless.

Yu Tao, who was sitting at the bottom of Tianjin's Xiadong Road, jumped out and shouted: "Li Zhi, you have gone back on your word!" Didn't you say in March that there would be no business tax? (To be continued.) )