The low rate of commercial tax collection in the Ming Dynasty is really jaw-dropping, even to the point of making people laugh and cry. Because, according to the law of the Ming Dynasty: all commercial taxes, thirty and take one, and those who pass it will be judged as violating the order.

The reason is naturally due to the destruction of commerce by the plundering of the Yuan Dynasty in the early days of the Ming Dynasty, so Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, announced that most of the commerce would be tax-exempt in order to restore commerce. The emperor's edict said: "The exterminators and ministers gather, and the taxes and finesse are very shameful. From now on, the things of the military and civilians marrying and mourning, boats, cars, silk cloth, etc., are not taxed. ”

And even if it is levied, the commercial tax it collects is very light: all commercial taxes, thirty and one, the one who exceeds the order is regarded as violating the order. Look at this Da Ming law, everyone will know what it means, that is, only low, not higher than 30 and take one tax rate.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, its agricultural tax accounted for about 75 percent, and the salt tax accounted for about 10 percent, and the income of Huangzhuang and the mess added up to about 5 percent, and the remaining 10 percent was the commercial tax income of the Ming Dynasty.

Let's talk about a simple analogy, the Ming Dynasty has been established for decades, and during the Yongle period, Zheng He opened up the maritime trade routes, and, through the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it has been light commercial taxes, so that a considerable part of the people of the Ming Dynasty have been invested in industrial and commercial trade, among them, of course, there is no shortage of scholars.

It can even be said that the weight of the commercial trade of the Ming Dynasty is actually in the hands of the families of those who read. Or rather, the merchants and the scholars colluded to get rich together. In the Ming Dynasty, officials were not allowed to collect taxes, eunuchs could not collect them if you wanted to, and Jinshi and Juren were also within the scope of tax exemption.

That is to say, as long as you are a scholar, no matter how big your family is doing business, as long as you hang the sign of you as a jinshi or a lifter, you can blatantly and reasonably avoid taxes.

In addition, there is a major issue is the Ming Dynasty sea ban, during the Hongwu period, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang out of the need to prevent the need for political prevention and economic mercantilism to put an end to the outflow of precious metals, as well as the coastal warlord Yu Dang and pirates nuisance, in foreign trade except for some countries or tribes allowed to trade through the "tribute", other private overseas trade is prohibited.

-------------------- this is the origin of the sea ban, the main object of the sea ban is the business ban, which prohibits Chinese from doing business overseas, and also restricts foreign merchants from trading in China. This edict accompanied Zheng He's voyage during the Yongle period, and with the consolidation of the Ming coastal defense and social stability, the ban was gradually relaxed, and it was finally lifted. However, during the Yongle period, although the sea ban was opened, no one came up with a reasonable, compliant and legal charter to tell everyone what to do in this maritime affairs, how to trade and trade, and how to collect taxes, all of which were completely none, so that Zhu Qizhen was particularly speechless after hearing the words of Luo Hengxin, an old minister who had been working during the Yongle years.

It is really nonsense for a country to have a statute for maritime trade, and not even a trial regulation. Moreover, after the death of Taizong, the matter of maritime trade naturally became more quiet, or it seemed to be tacitly forgotten by the officials of the Ming Dynasty.

In short, every year, the tax revenue obtained by Haimao is really pitiful, so that the few big men don't pay much attention.

What makes Zhu Qizhen even more regretful is that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty did not expect, or did not think at all, to continue to promote China's maritime undertakings based on the valuable experience and practice gained by Zheng He in the West, and did not transform the ancient civilization with a long history into a commercial and diplomatic trade and knowledge country.

In vain, he left behind the historical regret of living in a state of solitude and isolation, otherwise, he should rewrite the history of the world. Zheng He's greatness is not only to spread the "yellow civilization" of the Chinese nation, but also to create a new era and provide experience and technical support for the rise of the blue civilization. And if Zhu Qizhen really didn't seize this opportunity to do it, then unless he was crossing over, his head would be caught through the crack in the door.

Well, digression, and then turn back to the previous topic, Zhu Qizhen is fine if he is not a traverser, but he is a traverser after all, of course, he understands very well, and it is also very clear that the current Ming Dynasty is not a war-torn era decades ago, it has been peaceful for decades, and all aspects of the Ming Dynasty have achieved unprecedented and rapid development.

Not only did agriculture develop rapidly, but so did industry and commerce, and since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the scholar class and merchants were closely colluded together, and with this layer of protection, industry and commerce developed rapidly at an almost unbridled and exaggerated speed.

In 1368 AD, the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang can be said to be built on ruins, but after nearly a hundred years of rapid development in peacetime, to the present, the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty can be described as the first in the world.

Thinking about future generations, the Chinese people and the Republic of China have gone from a country that was almost destitute to the third largest country in the world in terms of GDP in the past 50 or 60 years.

And the Ming Dynasty has obtained a period of peaceful development for nearly 100 years, and there are no economic sanctions, let alone a messy economic and trade blockade, can its development speed be lower than that of later generations?

Of course, even if it is lower than that of later generations, the rapid development of industry and commerce in the Ming Dynasty has not brought more tax revenue to the country, and even sometimes it is still declining, what does this mean?

The rapid development of the economy and trade of the Ming Dynasty has not only driven the economic industries of all countries in the country, but also caused prices to begin to change, and the country's tax revenue is still the same, although it has increased, but the growth is not large, which cannot help but make Zhu Qizhen pay attention to this matter.

After all, a strong country is not only to make the people rich, not to mention that the wealth of today's Ming Dynasty is concentrated in the hands of the scholar class and merchants, not evenly distributed in the hands of the people, and even the interests of the country have been violated by these two combined groups.

Although Zhu Qizhen is not an economic expert or the like, he knows a little about history, and it is very clear that the trade activity of the Ming Dynasty today is definitely no less than that of the former Song Dynasty, and the tax income of industry and commerce in the Song Dynasty can be equal to its agricultural tax income, or even exceed.

Therefore, now the tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty is definitely caught in a strange circle, the merchants united with the scholar group, controlling the economic lifeline of the country, and the country, can only obtain the tax revenue due to the state from the hands of the ordinary people engaged in agricultural production, to maintain the control of the Ming Empire.

-------------------- this made Zhu Qizhen understand the domestic situation of the Ming Dynasty, the more shocking he felt, the greed of human beings is endless, and the pursuit of interests by businessmen is also endless, and it is precisely because of the naked interest concept in the bones of businessmen that after infiltrating the scholar class, the scholar class of the Ming Dynasty also began to become corrupt.

While they continued to sing praises to Confucianism in their mouths, they whitewashed their appearance. On the other hand, it is naked, plundering the wealth of others and the interests of the country without scruples, in a word, since the combination of the merchant group and the scholar class, it has formed a most vivid metaphor: both as a bitch, but also to set up a memorial arch.

When the literati felt the enjoyment of wealth, their spirit began to melt, or rather, their integrity was gradually replaced by the naked interests, replaced, although it is not that all scholars have been corroded, but it is certain that most of the scholars have begun to deteriorate.

Officials are also gradually assimilated by interests, and they will only do everything in their power to prevent the state from infringing on their interests and trying to obtain greater benefits. It can be said that the reason for the collapse of the Ming Empire, in addition to many other factors, has a close relationship with this, when the internal authorities of an empire are only for their own personal interests, then, the country, will lose the last cohesion.

Everyone in the water pavilion quietly looked at Zhu Qizhen, who was in deep thought after saying a few words, and looked at Zhu Qizhen's serious and heavy expression, everyone knew very well that Zhu Qizhen, His Majesty the Emperor, was thinking about a major issue again.

“…… Money Clock. It took a long time for Zhu Qizhen to raise his head, get rid of that suppressed and dull thinking, and his eyes fell on Qian Zhong's body.

"Wechen is here." When Qian Zhong heard this, he quickly cheered up and replied respectfully, "What does Your Majesty command?" ”

"Tell Yuan Bin that the news on the grassland should be intensified, and in addition, by the end of this month at the latest, my pro-army will be transferred to the right guard, and all ordnance and materials must be prepared in place by the middle of this month at the latest."

Zhu Qizhen stood up, slowly paced to the Qian Zhong, and after thinking about it for a while, his voice was so low that only two people could hear it: "In addition, send someone to contact the general soldiers of Zhubian Town and tell them that within three or five months, there will be chaos in the tile." ”

Qian Zhong looked at Zhu Qizhen in a daze, not quite understanding why Zhu Qizhen would give such an order, but Zhu Qizhen just smiled faintly: "Tell them that I said it." Others, there is no need to say too much, I believe that there is no one in my Ming Dynasty who is not eager to make meritorious contributions, let alone not know what it means to fall into the well. ”

"Weichen obeys the order, and someone will definitely convey Your Majesty's will to the general soldiers of all border towns." Hearing this, Qian Zhong nodded vigorously, and then walked away quickly.

Zhu Qizhen turned around, walked to Qian Yiniang, who had already sat up, glanced at these charming beloved women, and looked at the delicate faces that were full of smiles, but faintly revealed sorrow and low resentment, Zhu Qizhen showed a smile that seemed a little helpless, and his voice seemed so gentle, but extremely firm. "We're going to be apart for a while, but I promise you, I'll be back......"

(To be continued)