"Hasn't the telegram arrived yet?" The first thing Hong Nanfeng did at the meeting was to ask the liaison.

The liaison quickly shook his head, "Senior, the telegram hasn't arrived yet." ”

Hong Nanfeng frowned, but didn't say anything. As it has always been, the telegram should have arrived. That is, when the capital of the Great Song Dynasty was located in Hangzhou, the telegram of approval or disapproval could arrive in Luoyang in three days. Now that the capital of the Great Song Dynasty has moved to Kaifeng, there will be no back and forth in a day, so it should be faster.

But the telegram didn't come, and Hong Nanfeng couldn't be dispatched so simply. He could only announce, "Today's school study meeting begins." ”

The Great Song Society recruits some newcomers every year, and whether or not they are members of the society has a great impact on individuals. There are also many people who are interested in joining the Society, and the Society holds a study meeting every week, which is attended by both regular members and preparatory members of the Society. As the senior of the Luoyang Taxation Bureau, Hong Nanfeng talked about tax issues at this meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you think there is anyone else who is our opponent of the Song Army?"

The crowd immediately shook their heads, if the Song army had any opponents, it would not expand its territory as much as it did now.

"Twenty years ago, the Lin'an court of the Great Song Dynasty was defeated by the Mongols and surrendered. For all of a sudden the wind and clouds change color. I'll start with our tax situation. Hong Nanfeng does not leave the bank in three sentences, and what he is most familiar with is taxation.

Whether it is the Northern Song Dynasty or the Southern Song Dynasty, the tax is said to have reached 100 million yuan. In the Song Dynasty, Jiaozi has always only exchanged money 770 Wen, 4 Guan Qian (4000 Wen) to exchange 1 tael of silver (Southern Song Dynasty), and the Northern Song Dynasty made about 2500 money and a tael of silver (375 grams), and the Song Dynasty was a parallel tax in kind and monetary taxation, the physical grain is counted in stone, the straw, the salary steamed (military horse grain and grass) is counted in the circle, the cloth is counted in horses, gold and silver, and silk cotton are counted in two, of which the straw and the salary are basically worthless, and the circumference is 100 Wen, and the Northern Song Dynasty is about 300 to 600 Wen for a stone of grain, and the Southern Song Dynasty is about 2 (1540 Wen), Silk is basically the same as the usual money, silk cotton is about 04 taels of silver, that is, 800 to 1600 Wen, and the Song Dynasty annual income of 70 is grain, straw, and steam.

In Zhao Jiaren's era, the Great Song Dynasty tax was comprehensively reformed in more than ten years. From the parallel way of tax in kind and monetary tax, it has changed to the era of monetary tax.

This is not to say that the physical object is useless, for example, in the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, the harvest in the field, the rice has the tax of rice, and the straw must also be counted as a harvest. Although in theory, straw can also be used for many purposes, for example, the Song army led by Zhao Jiaren used straw rope to turn straw into straw bags during the war, and the straw bags were filled with soil to build temporary military stations. But these things are only for temporary use, and there are no such temporary facilities on land like Luoyang, which has been completely recovered.

After talking about this, Hong Nanfeng told everyone the conclusion, "Now the annual tax of the Great Song Dynasty is about one billion mu, and the land tax charged per mu is about one billion yuan, and this amount alone is one billion yuan per year." In addition, the industrial, shipping, and housing taxes add up to about 500 million yuan. The total adds up to 1.5 billion. In terms of quantity, it is more than ten times that of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. Do you think that the yield of land today is ten times that of the past? ”

Some members of the old school know such figures, so they say that the land production is definitely not as high as before. Those new members didn't learn this at all, and never even thought about it. Hearing that the Great Song Dynasty tax was viewed from the perspective of the imperial court, everyone was very excited, and they couldn't say how confused they were.

What is the concept of 1.5 billion banknotes, these people can't figure it out at all. Moreover, the Great Song Dynasty has now implemented the payment of banknotes, replacing copper coins with paper banknotes. Now the consistent money is 1,000 Wen. If it is calculated in writing, the tax revenue of the Great Song Dynasty has reached as much as 1.5 trillion wen every year.

Seeing that many of the members of this group of society were confused, Hong Nanfeng continued: "Some people say that Zhao Guan's family expropriated and extorted money from him. I ask you, compared with the past days, do you think the present is better or the past? ”

Such a question is easy for everyone to understand. Those tax collectors from ordinary families immediately said that life is better now than in the past. In the past, who could afford to use candles, especially stearic acid. Compared to oil lamps, stearic acid candles are really much better. And the personnel of the tax office can afford it.

That's what most people say. But everywhere there are a few people other than the majority, and one student asked, "Didn't you say that after becoming an official, you became a rich man?" I think we're still far from the rich. ”

This is too real, and many students were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then showed all kinds of embarrassed or not embarrassing smiles. Thousands of miles away to be an official, if you can't make a fortune as an official, who will be able to be an official if you are full. Compared with the legend that after becoming an official, you can accumulate all kinds of money, and now there is a big gap between the income of the tax bureau personnel and the legendary realm.

At least with the income of the current tax officers, they can't afford to support three wives and four concubines, and they can't afford to spend 100,000 yuan a meal like Kou Zhun in various legends, and they still have 'nowhere to go'.

The person who said this was obviously joking, and the guy in his twenties closed his mouth when he saw Hong Nanfeng's ugly face. Because Hong Nanfeng's face means that he is unhappy. That expression proved that Hong Nanfeng's mood at this time was the opposite of being very happy, it was very unhappy.

As the atmosphere became weird, everyone who thought that this joke was too much. Everyone's faces have also become serious, at least no one dares to be less serious at this time.

Hong Nanfeng made a note in his heart for this member of the society, but as a senior, he has seen a lot of things. This is not the first time that someone has said such remarks in the Great Song Society, even if it is Hong Nanfeng, it is not the first or second time that he has heard of it, and Hong Nanfeng has always heard all kinds of strange things more than a hundred times about the income of current officials and cadres.

When the atmosphere of the meeting returned to the normal range, Hong Nanfeng continued: "If you don't want to be corrupt officials, this question is very good. This question explains why the Great Song Dynasty died again more than 20 years ago. The people in the court and the government are all Wen Tian and Wu Xi, can they not lose the country? When the tax revenue of the Great Song Dynasty was only 100 million yuan, where did the money go. It's all in the hands of a few, as Fang just said......"

Speaking of this, Hong Nanfeng stared at the student who had just spoken, making the student blush and bow his head. When everyone saw this, they couldn't help but laugh. However, looking at Hong Nanfeng's cold face, he laughed for a moment and quieted down.

"Xunzi? The royal system chapter says that the princes and heirs of the princes have gathered and counted, but they have not had time to take the people. Those who take the people from the children have not yet become politicians. Those who are in charge of politics have not yet had time to repair the ceremony. Therefore, the king of the cultivators, the one who is strong in government, the one who takes the people is safe, and the one who gathers is dead. Therefore, the king is rich in the people, the overlord is Fuji, the only remaining rich doctor in the country, the rich basket in the dead country, and the real treasury. The basket is rich, the treasury is solid, and the people are poor: the husband is said to overflow and leak. If you can't defend it, and if you can't fight it, you can overturn and perish. Therefore, we gather together to die, and the enemy is strong. Those who gather are also the way to summon the enemy, fatten the enemy, destroy the country, and be in danger, so the Ming Jun does not follow it. ”

The Great Song Dynasty used to be an era when science was rampant, and the people of science were very disapproving of Xunzi and had a critical and negative attitude. As for Xunzi's apprentice Han Fei, he is even more negative. However, Zhao Jiaren's attitude is to agree with the views of Xunzi and Han Fei and deny science. As a member of the society, although Hong Nanfeng does not read the Four Books and Five Classics, "Xunzi" and "Han Feizi" are in the society to lead the study.

Xunzi's attitude towards national taxation is very clear in the "Royal System". The monarch who reigns the world enriches the people, the monarch who dominates the princes enriches the warriors, the barely existing state enriches the doctors, and the sovereign who dies only enriches his chests and fills his storehouses. Their chests are full, their warehouses are full, and the common people are poor, which is called overflowing from above and leaking from below. Such a country cannot be defended internally and cannot be fought externally, so its downfall and demise can be waited for immediately. Therefore I plundered the people's goods until they perished, and the enemy got them and became rich and strong. Plundering the people's wealth is really the road to invite invaders, fatten the enemy, destroy the country, and endanger oneself, so a wise monarch does not take this road.

After telling the students about the royal system, the students below, including the student who said strange things, became serious. The officials and cadres of this era are all educated, but they really don't read enough, especially this kind of political books, they may not be able to understand after reading them.

At this time, I listened to the experienced senior of the school leading them to read, and it was this kind of very, very simple and easy-to-understand book of the pre-Qin princes, but they didn't understand it all, but they also felt that their horizons were wide open.

"The reason why the previous Lin'an court finally surrendered to the Mongols was because the monarch of the dead country only enriched his own boxes and stuffed his warehouses. Their chests are full, their warehouses are full, and the common people are poor, which is called overflowing from above and leaking from below. Such a country cannot be defended internally and cannot be fought externally, so its downfall and demise can be waited for immediately. And that's how the Lin'an court perished. When I was a teenager, I heard that the Lin'an court surrendered, I really thought it was incredible, the Great Song Dynasty for more than 300 years, even said that if it was destroyed, it would perish, and the wind and clouds changed color overnight, and it collapsed. But that's the reality. ”

Hong Nanfeng talked about the past, and his voice became high-pitched and intense. After so many years of military career, after joining the society, I have gained a lot of knowledge, and it is natural that when I look at history, it is very different. "The Zhao official family is different, under the rule of the Zhao official family, we, the people, have become rich. Let me ask you again, do you think your personal life has changed for the better or worse over the years? ”

No one said anything strange this time. The tax bureau used to be the domain of petty officials, and these tax officers themselves regarded themselves as officials, but in fact they were all cadres. The lives of these ordinary people have certainly changed for the better over the years, so the one who said strange things at the beginning immediately said loudly: "Report senior, my family was originally an ordinary family in Luoyang, and my parents asked me to go to school, and now my family's life has changed a lot." ”

Seeing that this guy finally knew what was serious, Hong Nanfeng nodded, and then looked at the others. Of course, other people are not stupid enough to say anything nonsense, and it is also true that their days are getting better day by day. Everyone said that they clearly felt that the days were improving.

After getting a unified statement, Hong Nanfeng continued, "I went to Kaifeng to study a while ago, and I talked about the problems at the meeting and some people today. ”

After speaking, Hong Nanfeng looked at the people who were laughing louder again, so that they couldn't help but lower their heads, and then continued, "At present, the official cadre system of my Great Song Dynasty has changed completely, and the number of officials and cadres has reached 700,000. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that we are all part of the cadre contingent of officials. Before the Great Song Dynasty, there were only tens of thousands of Jinshi in three hundred years, and those who became officials later became famous were less than 100,000 in the Lin'an Imperial Court era. But the vassals of these people, that is, those who can only work for them forever, but will not have official positions, are about dozens of times. The so-called corrupt officials are such a situation. I want to ask you, do you think it is better to be a corrupt official, or to be a formal official and cadre, with your own establishment, a fixed salary, a pension system, and when you are old, you still have a pension and corresponding treatment? ”

This comparison came out, and everyone thought it was good now. But amazingly, when their true status was made clear, no one immediately spoke up.

Although everyone knows that it is impossible for him to become the legendary giant greed and make a fortune by various actions. But he really admits that he is just an official cadre who gets a dead salary, and after he can't become an official, he will soar and do whatever he wants. It still makes people feel unspeakable, and they don't want to speak out loud.

Hong Nanfeng can understand such a mood, and at the study meeting of the Great Song Society, the members of the Society also had similar performances. This is also something that Zhao Guanjia wants everyone to understand when they hold a meeting of the society. Hong Nanfeng has a deep memory of Zhao Guanjia's words, "Comrades, the era of our Great Song Dynasty salvation and survival has passed, and after everyone's struggle, although there are still foreign enemies, there is no foreign enemy that can make our Great Song Dynasty perish." Historically, it is indeed a homeless family outside, invincible foreign patients, and the country is dead! The words of your ancestors are not a joke, you have undertaken the arduous task of confronting foreign enemies, and you have completed this great mission. Now that the threat of war has disappeared and the wounds of war have subsided, we must turn our main energies to the country and build a great Song Dynasty that can be more sustainable. But the danger has not disappeared, and a new abyss is in front of us. But many of us don't see the abyss, and a lot of us simply don't want to see the new abyss, let alone admit that it exists. The role of the society is to let everyone see and admit that the abyss still exists. ”