In ancient times, there was a number of cups.

This word comes from the Hongmen banquet, and there is another word that has been circulated for a long time, Xiang Zhuang sword dance is intended for Pei Gong.

It's a pity that this word came out, but the Chu Overlord didn't really drop the cup back then, he didn't.

But on this day, on the Qinhuai River, in the Qingying Painting Boat, a person dropped a cup, and he was still the one who was most likely to break out in the eyes of everyone.

As a result, many people's faces turned pale in an instant, as if there were skilled craftsmen who smeared on the faces of these people, and the speed was fast and the craftsmanship was good.

Most of these people are local officials in Jinling, Fang Yue, Tao Sheng, especially this Tao Sheng, who is still swinging all over his body, as if he was seriously ill in an instant.

"Brother Tao is okay?"

At this time, Tang Xianglong was unmoved, but asked such a sentence, which was really caring.

"This, this...... Okay, good, haha......" How did Tao Shengke answer?

However, everyone thinks that this Tang Xianglong is indeed a powerful person, in such a situation, this Tang Xianglong can still be so calm, it is indeed powerful.

So, did Pan Shao'an, the Shaodong of the Cao Gang, have any arrangements?

"Oh, I'm sorry, this son's hand is a little unstable, I'm afraid he drank too much, hahaha......"

This......

Someone hurriedly changed the cup, but everyone also understood a little, it seemed that this Pan Shaoan was just scaring Tang Xianglong, but ...... Is it so scary?

He is a cabinet scholar of the imperial court, the youngest cabinet elder, or a minister, what are you doing?

However, Pan Shao'an was not an idiot, and said to the unparalleled black man with two beards on his face, the leader of the Jiangnan Dao Martial Arts Alliance: "This brother seems to have a good background. ”

"Where, where." Zhao Qinghe smiled freely, and didn't look at Pan Shao'an in his eyes at all.

Pan Shao'an's eyes narrowed slightly, and then turned to Tang Xianglong, "I said this big guy, between us is like fish and water, the court wants to collect taxes, this is right, and we should pay taxes, but why do we have to pay more and others pay less?" Isn't that fair? ”

This seems to be starting to make sense. Everyone was a little stunned, but Tang Xianglong over there smiled.

"What's so unfair about that? For example, if your family can earn 10,000 gold, and the tenant farmer's family does not talk about good land, even eating porridge is rare, and such people pay the same taxes as your family, which is called fair? ”

This is reasonable, but Pan Shaoan continued: "Big man, what you said is not right, in fact, everyone pays not the same amount of taxes, although everyone's poll tax may be about the same, but, my family earns more, and pays more, this is no way to do it, a pound of salt is transported from Jinling to Liaodong, the value will rise from a penny of silver to a tael, and the extra silver is not eaten by our Cao Gang, at most it is just a penny of silver, and many of them are given to local checkpoints, How much of this goes into the tax treasury, who can say? Therefore, we have already paid a lot of taxes, but now the court is asking us to pay more, which is unfair. ”

No one expected that this Pan Shao'an and Pan Gongzi really had two hits, not as he looked like a chicken and a lackey, but he could even give examples.

However, how could Tang Xianglong's argument lose to him?

"Haha, what Pan Gongzi said is also reasonable, but there are many confusions in it. For example, a lot of money collected in the local government is not like a tax treasury, that is, it cannot reach the hands of the imperial court. In addition, there is another key to this, that is, business tax! ”

Business tax, that's the real key!

Hearing this word, all the people from Jinling at this banquet did not look good, but why?

All dynasties and dynasties have paid attention to a major principle, that is, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business.

This is in line with the classic principles of Confucianism, and it is also in line with the rules of the previous dynasty.

Ploughing war, ploughing in the front, war in the back, naturally it is clear that farming must be the first.

Then, since agriculture comes first, the rest of nature must be put behind, and in addition, the rest, Shang will naturally be put last.

Since ancient times, merchants have the lowest status, however, merchants have money.

Everyone understands the truth, but since the status of businessmen is so low, there is a rule.

Commercial taxes are also extremely low.

Why is the business tax low?

It is to deny businessmen the opportunity to interfere in politics.

The reason is subtle and complicated, but it is also easy to understand that although the merchants are rich, they are not allowed to pay more taxes, so that they do not have much contribution to the affairs of the world, and most of the people will despise the merchants.

You see, they make so much money, but they don't contribute to our country, what a bastard thing?

And in this way, then businessmen always have to do something to make their reputation better, such as what to do good deeds, open some porridge houses in disaster years, and rich businessmen spend money to pave the way for bridges in some places.

Isn't this earned for nothing? The court made it for nothing.

It can be said that this is a simple method that smart people think of, and the reason is quite interesting, because in all dynasties, commercial taxes are low and pitiful.

One out of a hundred!

This is the original tax law of this dynasty, it can be said that it is extremely preferential for merchants, but everyone also understands that such a low commercial tax also forces merchants to do many, many other things.

The Cao Gang, to put it bluntly, is a group of businessmen, who eat the food of Cao Yun, and are in charge of the circulation of goods, and this exchange is actually business.

Pan Shao'an makes sense, and it is true. However, what Tang Xianglong said is also reasonable, and it is also true.

And now, what Tang Xianglong wants to do is to change his old habits!

But there is a trick in it, but ordinary people can't understand it.

The old system was one out of a hundred commercial taxes, and there was no change in Tang Xianglong's tax law.

is still the same as before, it is still one out of a hundred, to say that this is a good thing, but Tang Xianglong has changed into an acre, which makes many businessmen unbearable.

Merchants in the past dynasties would always do one thing because of their low status...... When you have money, you return to your hometown in plain clothes, buy land, and become a rich man.

It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with that, but ...... Isn't this going to be taxed?

Merchants buy land and land, nothing more than want their descendants to be 'first-class' farmers, such a future is also good to have a background, of course, with the money is easy, so he chooses to donate an official to do, without much real power, but can also wear silk and silver.

This has become a common practice, and now that Tang Xianglong has changed like this, won't it make the businessman's flesh hurt?

There are a lot of rich and big households, who buy fields, but they are all generous, you Tang Xianglong did not change the commercial tax, but your kid changed the field tax, which in the end is still a loss.

How can a businessman not see such a thing?

So, there are a lot of yang and yin violations, and there is also today's banquet, whether this is a Hongmen banquet or not, it's hard to say at the moment.

However, Tang Xianglong was not afraid, "You are all reasonable people, the tax law changed by this official is the field tax that has been changed, the so-called capable people work more, since there are more fields, pay more taxes, what's the problem?" In addition, the imperial court will give a lot of treatment to those who pay more taxes, and they are also from the gentry, and they can also cultivate and study heirlooms in the future, and they will have their own help in the scientific examination, so what's wrong with this? ”

What Tang Xianglong said at this time was actually his other means.

It should be said that Tang Xianglong himself understands that changing the tax law is definitely a first-class difficult thing in the world, especially this kind of thing, the civil and military kings of the Manchu Dynasty, as long as they are not too mediocre, then they all know that they need to be changed, especially when they enter a period of peace and prosperity, it is even more urgent.

Often, in times of peace and prosperity, there were more things to buy and sell land, so that there were more large households, more tenant farmers, and everyone paid the same tax, and the court could not collect anything.

This is also why many dynasties took a sharp turn after the peaceful and prosperous era, and there are countless examples of this in the history books.

Tang Xianglong didn't go directly to change the business tax, this is a soft move, not so tough, the means can be described as good, but this is not over, he has other means.

Paying more taxes can also find a background, which was not possible in the past, businessmen are not allowed to participate in scientific examinations, that is to say, businessmen have never had a proper name in their lives, and now, Tang Xianglong's means are like this, paying more taxes can not only participate in scientific examinations, but also descendants can also give certain preferential treatment as appropriate, isn't this a good thing?

Tang Xianglong thought about it, businessmen bought land for the sake of future generations, and now, let's help you think about it, how about it? Let's pay the tax.

The means are indeed very good, and there are many clever tricks, which is why Zhao Qianyuan values Tang Xianglong and uses him to supervise the transfer of this stall into the mu, so to speak, the power is in his hands.

However, human greed is indeed the most difficult thing to do.

Pan Shaoan then argued two more sentences, but he couldn't beat this Tang Xianglong, the debater of the cabinet scholars, and the killed Pan Dashao retreated in defeat and retreat.

But at this moment, the prefect Fang Yue stood up, picked up a glass of wine, and said, "Brother Xianglong, what you said makes sense, but the lower official only asks you one thing, that is, do you know what happened to this Xuanwu Lake?" ”

When Tang Xianglong heard this, an inexplicable expression appeared on his face, "Does this Xuanwu Lake have anything to do with today's tax law?" ”

That's right, this banquet has turned into a debate around the new tax law, and that Pan Shaoan Pan Dashao shook out all the things that many people wanted to say but didn't dare to say at this banquet, and everyone could see it.

"Relevant." Fang Yue drank it all and said, "Do it first for respect!" Brother Xianglong has lofty ambitions, and the younger brother admires it. However, there are some things in this, and the younger brother still hopes that Brother Xianglong can think twice. Brother Xianglong's methods are also clever, and the truth is also on Brother Xianglong's side, which also has the righteousness of the court, the meaning of the saint, everything, Brother Xianglong's supervision, the younger brother shouldn't have said a word, but!

Does Brother Xianglong know Wang Anshi and Wang Xianggong? ”

"Oh?" When Tang Xianglong heard this, he seemed to understand a little, "Please speak." ”

Fang Yue came to the window and pointed to Xuanwu Lake and said: "Wang Xianggong worked hard to implement the new law back then, and the merits and demerits are not talked about now, and we are free to comment." But let's just say that the Xuanwu Lake in front of you, when Wang Xianggong also governed Jinling, also governed this Xuanwu Lake, in Wang Xianggong's view, this lake is useless, if you farm, so, then do it like this!

But the result?

Ha, since Jinling returned to the land from the waste lake, there will be a catastrophe every rainy season, and this matter is recorded in the local chronicles of Jinling, Brother Xianglong wants to take a look? ”

As soon as these words came out, Tang Xianglong couldn't help frowning, he felt that today's game could be regarded as meeting an opponent!