"Dear Appis, this is not a problem, the rebellion in Britain is nothing more than a disturbance caused by a group of ants, and if you send the Tenth Legion to the land of North Britain, they will flee as birds and beasts. Even if they fought, they couldn't defeat our legions. ”

Attorney Ribrice said with a flattering tone. There was an immediate commotion at the meeting, and apparently, some people scoffed at such an obvious compliment, others smiled and showed their attitude. But none of this is what Apis cares about, and today's task is not to sift through the inside, but to solve the problem at hand.

"Yes, in terms of military strength, the rebellious tribes of Britain will not be able to defeat the Roman legions in another hundred years. But you never thought about why they rebelled? Could it be that our civilization is lagging behind them and has brought them into the Dark Ages? Apparently not. I have heard that the rebellion in northern Britain was caused by a Roman tax collector who had made it impossible for the local tribe to survive, and the leader of the tribe led the rebellion. Well, the problem is obvious, the mutiny was not a purely military mutiny, but something went wrong with our tax system. ”

Appis sat down in the middle of the conference table and said solemnly.

"Yes, I've heard that the tax collector has just contracted the taxes of the northern villages, perhaps out of greed, and has raised the tax rate without investigating the production and wealth of the local Celts. A scourge, his death brought more rebellion and unrest from the British tribes. ”

City Officer Maxwell added.

The atmosphere was a little silent, and everyone knew that Appis was dealing with Britain, not just with the British mutiny, but with the entire tax system.

Ancient Rome did not have a special tax office, and taxation was like a business, which was contracted to various knights, powerful nobles, or some wealthy merchants. Rome dictated how much tax each province had to pay each month, and these people were tasked with collecting taxes from the provinces, prefecture-level cities, and towns, and the more areas they contracted, the richer they became, and the more taxes these contractors had to pay to the central government. Therefore, once the tax collector wins this business, he will try his best to collect more taxes in the territory under his jurisdiction, so that he can make a fortune from it. As a result, local gangs, thugs, and violent taxation are common. Appis knew that this was a very barbaric and unreasonable system, but the ancient Romans used it to govern for hundreds of years. Now, it is not easy to change it for a while.

First of all, if the tax bureau were to be established as was the case in other countries 2,000 years later, it would inevitably increase government expenditures, and it would be inconvenient to manage it because of its vast territory and many provinces. Sitting in the capital of Gaul, you have no idea if these tax collectors are outside to collect taxes and fees without permission. Even if someone is sent to supervise, there is no guarantee that the person sent out will be absolutely incorruptible, and if they do not see the benefits, they will also embezzle together with the tax officer. However, Appis was determined to rectify the tax system.

"That's right. That's the crux of the matter. In order to maximize their own interests, the tax contractor will often increase the taxation of the contracted area. Although we have given the tax rate, these knights, profiteers, will not be so obedient to enforce this standard, and the tax rate system without supervision is actually empty talk. So, the problem is not the defection of the British tribes. But in our system, if the tax collector system is not solved, today I will lead the legions to exterminate the rebellious Britons, conquer and even slaughter them, and tomorrow, there will be other Britons, Germans, and Iberians who will rebel. Because our tax system is originally an imperfect system, it will lead to a system of provincial rebellion. In the past, the republic conquered many city-states and tribes, and the city-states and provinces outside Italy were never able to stabilize and rioted, and this is the reason. Therefore, the tax collector system must be changed. ”

Appis followed up on the words of City Councillor Maxwell.

"I'm going to set up a special tax agency."

……

As soon as Apis finished speaking, the audience inevitably became commotion. Gaul, northern Italy, the provinces of Upper and Lower Germania plus Spain, Britain, and now Aphilia and Mauritania. With so many provinces, each province has a large number of municipalities and towns, once this policy is implemented, it is necessary to recruit special tax personnel, and in the past, the old tax collectors will not have any opinions, and the administrative expenses will increase dramatically just to support these tax personnel. Even Levius said he didn't understand. He gave Appis a surprised look, they hadn't discussed the matter before the meeting.

"Appis, this is not an easy job, have you figured it out?"

In the chaotic venue, Levius asked in a low voice on the side.

"Yes, I've been thinking about this since I got back from Aphilia, and I've figured it out a lot in the past few months. We have to do it. However, taking back the power of the tax contractor to collect taxes cannot be achieved overnight. It takes a process. ”

Appis turned his head and replied with a smile. At the same time, he raised his right hand to signal the audience to be quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know what you are discussing at this moment, and I tell you very clearly, no matter how difficult and uncontroversial it is, this reform must be carried out, but not in its entirety, but on a pilot basis. Yes, the first pilot city is the city under our feet – Lugdurum. Over the next two months, I will gradually remove the power of the city's tax collectors. Let them work in other industries. At the same time, I will use the loot and wealth I have gained from the African battlefield as the initial capital to set up a special tax agency. and open hiring of a new group of tax collectors. Let these people replace the previous tax collectors and start collecting taxes in the surrounding townships of Lugdurum. These tax collectors will have to comply with specific laws and must not collect taxes violently. In the event of an unforeseen circumstance, an application must be made for the use of force and security forces. ”

In the astonished gaze of everyone in the Great Hall, Apis spoke his opinion and thoughts in a high-pitched voice. At this time, the Legion officials, including Maximus, realized why, along the way, Appis did not share the points of the African battlefield with the people along the way, nor did he call for any public facilities to be built in the capital, and did not even have a plan to hold a triumphal ceremony. It turned out that for this fund, Appis had already been useful......