Li Zhi hired 50 literate account offices, and at the same time bought a courtyard in the downtown area as an office in each county to prepare for the collection of commercial taxes. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

For the next month or so, Han Jinxin used stalking and bribery to collect the dirty things of big merchants and bureaucrats on Tianjin West Road, and gradually gained something:

The magistrate of Jinghai County often met the Dong's family for usury, and the amount was huge, and he once forced five poor families to die.

The magistrate of Xingji County once accepted a bribe of 3,000 taels from the gentry and forcibly occupied 4,000 mu of land on the riverbank for the gentry, causing hundreds of landed peasants to become gentry tenant farmers.

The nephew of the county magistrate of Qingxian County ran a casino, cheated people out of money, and forced more than a dozen gamblers to death.

Li Zhi took this list of crimes and sneered. The officials and businessmen of the Ming Dynasty really did a lot of evil, and none of them had a clean ass. Moreover, these officials and gentry rely on their power and rely on themselves to take care of the gods of all parties, and they do not hide their illegal business at all. Once Li Zhi is martyred, these charges are all reasons for Li Zhi to embarrass and even arrest them.

Li Zhi looked at Han Jinxin and said loudly, "You did a good job!" ”

Han Jinxin bowed and said, "The lower officials just did their best. ”

Li Zhi put the list on the tea case and said, "Then let's start, tomorrow the order will be issued, and the General's Mansion will start collecting commercial taxes." According to the tax rate set by Taizu: 40 taels of turnover per year are exempt from tax, and 30 taels of turnover above 40 taels are taxed! ”

Zheng Hui was stunned, it was the first time he knew that the general was going to collect business taxes, and said in surprise: "My lord, will the entire West Road be collected?" ”

Li Zhi replied: "The country is short of money, but the merchants do not pay taxes, and the financial recession is unable to support the national defense soldiers, which is a stubborn disease of the country. We levy a tax, of course, on the entire West Road. Let the businessmen take the initiative to file taxes, and then send 50 account offices to the three county towns to check the taxes one by one! If there is a large discrepancy between tax declaration and tax inspection, heavy penalties will be imposed! ”

Zheng Hui nodded, and then withdrew to go to the busy poster.

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As soon as Li Zhi posted a notice to collect commercial taxes, the entire West Road was in an uproar.

Most of the merchants were gentry families, and if they wanted to take money out of their pockets, they had to ask the backers behind them if they agreed. The businessmen have found their backers and complained about their grievances. The bureaucrats and gentry of the three counties quickly took action, looking for connections layer by layer, and finally gathered at the home of Song Daoming, who was in the West Road Bingbei Road.

On January 16, the 11th year of Chongzhen, just after the Shangyuan Festival, the civil officials and gentry of Tianjin West Road gathered in the military garrison to discuss how to deal with Li Zhi's commercial taxes.

These big businessmen have assets of tens of millions, but Li Zhi's turnover of 40 taels can be taken care of by tax exemption, and Li Zhi's tax rate of 30 taels is equal to pulling teeth from the tiger's mouth, and he is snatching food from their mouths.

When Song Daoming heard the words of the gentry, his beard trembled with anger, and he said loudly: "This Li Zhi is bold, who does he think he is?" How dare you collect commercial taxes on behalf of the government? Did he think the West Road belonged to his family? ”

Chang Fengdong, the magistrate of Jinghai County, said: "Lord Bingbei, Li Zhi didn't discuss such a big matter with an adult, this Li Zhi didn't take the adult in his eyes!" ”

A merchant gentleman stroked his beard and said: "This is a repetition of the disaster of the Wanli Dynasty's commercial tax!" The tax supervisor of the Wanli Dynasty doesn't know how many people have been ruined and how many people have died. In the end, there was an uproar in the world, and it was over. ”

Song Daoming snorted coldly and said, "Don't pay!" Nor will he be given a single copper coin, but what will happen to him? ”

Chang Fengdong said uneasily: "My lord, this Li Zhibing is strong and strong, and now after posting the notice, he has stationed a thousand men and horses outside the counties. These soldiers and horses are the army of tigers and wolves, if they don't pay taxes, I'm afraid this Li Zhi will be strong! ”

"He dares to use force?" Song Daoming rolled his eyes, had a sense of powerlessness, and said, "Is there still a court in this Li Zhi's eyes?" ”

Chang Fengdong said worriedly: "If you are short of money today, you will accumulate wealth everywhere." I'm afraid that once Li Zhi pays the tax money, the Son of Heaven will not be unhappy! ”

A merchant sitting at the bottom of the table said in a loud voice, "Are you afraid of him?" Let's strike! Make a big deal out of it, and see what the Son of Heaven does with him! ”

This suggestion was quickly unanimously agreed by all the businessmen, who said: "Yes, we will strike the market!" ”

"Make a big deal out of it! If there is a mess, the Son of Heaven will not be able to spare him! ”

"Xiaomin's family doesn't have a few days of rice, and as soon as the grain store strikes, there will be chaos in the counties of the city, see how Li Zhi ends!"

Song Daoming stroked his beard, nodded and said, "It's indeed a good way to strike the market, what else do you have?" ”

Song Daoming's second son, Song Jinyu, also sat in the lobby, sitting behind his father, hearing this, Song Jinyu said loudly: "Father, the students in each county can strike classes!" ”

In those years, poor families had no money to study, and most of the scholars were children of gentry families. Li Zhi's taxation of the merchant gentry was to collect taxes on the family members and relatives of the scholars, which was enough to cause a crusade against the scholars.

Hearing this, Song Daoming's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and said, "Okay, this method is wonderful!" In the rain, you will contact the students in the three counties and strike together! The more lively it is, the better! ”

Hearing his father's praise, Song Jinyu's face was happy, and he quickly agreed, and said loudly: "Father, don't worry!" I'll do it! ”

Everyone discussed with Song Daoming for a while, and felt that they had found the backbone of the main heart and put their hearts at ease. The gentry and merchants chatted for a while, and then made up their minds to go back to the counties and organize a strike on the market and classes.

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After Li Zhi's commercial tax notice was posted, the merchants of Fanjiazhuang took the initiative to cooperate and went to the official hall to pay the commercial tax.

Li Zhi's 30 tax is equal to 3.3 percent of the business tax. The gross profit of the merchants in Fanjiazhuang is generally about 30%, and the business tax of 3.3 percent is equivalent to collecting about one-ninth of their profits, which is still bearable. What's more, the general exempts the turnover of less than forty taels from tax, which makes the tax rate for small traders even lower. The small traders in the bazaar have a turnover of only about 100 taels a year, and half of their turnover is tax-free.

Most of the merchants in Fanjiazhuang were wealthy and could afford such taxes. What's more, the general's taxation must be due to a lack of money, and the peasants in Fanjiazhuang have paid so many taxes, so what is it for the businessmen to pay a little commercial tax to the general?

Every morning, there was a long queue at the entrance of Fanjiazhuang's official hall, all of whom were Fanjiazhuang businessmen who paid taxes.

Li Zhi looked at the businessmen who paid taxes in Fanjiazhuang, and was relieved, and secretly said that he had run Fanjiazhuang for several years, so that the people of Fanjiazhuang could live a well-off life, and these people had not forgotten themselves.

The situation in the other three counties of West Road is completely different.

From the day after Li Zhi's commercial tax notice was posted, the merchants of Jinghai County, Qingxian County, and Xingji County went on strike and closed all their storefronts. Not only did the businessmen not have the consciousness of taking the initiative to file taxes, but they all had the momentum to fight with General Longhu to the end. The three county towns were deserted all of a sudden, not only did no one shout for business, but even the grain farms that sold rice were closed! (To be continued.) )