Due to the mobility of commerce, its taxation had always been a major problem for the absolutist feudal dynasties, and it also caused the rulers to resent the merchants. Most dynasties practiced the monopoly of high-profit industries such as salt, iron, silk, and tea, and this kind of government-run business stifled the vitality of the commodity economy. The only people who could make a large profit were the court and the so-called imperial merchants, and the middle and lower class suppliers and craftsmen were so exploited that they could not grow on a large scale, and could only survive as small handicrafts.

However, without the implementation of property monopoly, commercial taxes cannot be collected fairly and comprehensively, and tax loopholes cannot be avoided even in modern governments, not to mention the low level of productivity in ancient times, and the taxation of commercial taxes is purely based on character and fate. The Ming monarchs looked at the greedy eyes of the wealthy businessmen, and their own bearing made them unwilling to do things such as raiding homes and breaking houses, killing chickens and taking eggs.

In ancient times, commercial taxes were levied in the form of city passes or bazaar taxes, both of which could easily escape the past. For example, when crossing the city gate to collect taxes, as long as the city gate officials are bribed, the valuables are reported as cheap goods. Another example is the bazaar tax, which the big merchants can use to trade outside the bazaar, or even secretly.

Beiting is located on the northern route of the Silk Road, from the Dashi, Zhaowu nine surnames, the eastern Qarluq and Hui merchants all pass through here, there is no complete post system like Anxi, and even Tingzhou, Gaochang and other cities do not have such a complete trading place as Xishi.

Cen Shen therefore suggested to Li Siye: "Zhongcheng might as well start with the document of the pass, and all business travelers entering from the outside must have a pass issued by the Beiting Metropolitan Protectorate in order to pass smoothly." When these caravans arrived at the Imperial Palace, they were taxed in advance, and the amount of the tax was levied according to the number of people and livestock in the caravan, and the number of goods, so as to ensure a certain fairness. ”

Li Siye asked hesitantly: "Then what if these business travelers do not walk from our Beiting territory because they are avoiding taxes, but instead go on a long detour to the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate to open a station?" ”

"This can only be asked to be collected in advance by the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate."

Isn't this tantamount to nonsense, how can he, an envoy of the Northern Court, order the Anxi Protectorate to change the decree. Cen Shen also felt that this discussion was inappropriate, and hurriedly added: "Zhongcheng can adjust the tax rate a little lower, presumably business travelers will not take a long detour in order to save this money." ”

Cen Shen crossed his hands again and said: "I will submit another suggestion to Zhongcheng, that is, when the businessmen with household registration in Tingzhou and Xizhou take the household registration to the Duhu Mansion to issue a certificate, the tax rate can be appropriately reduced. ”

Of course, Li Siye understands that this is a policy adjustment made in order to retain the floating population in the local area.

Cen Shen also said: "Gaochang is rich in grapes and wine, there are dozens of wineries in the city alone, and many Central Plains business travelers come to Gaochang to purchase, and this tax is also not a small input. ”

Li Siye pondered for a moment and asked Cen Shen: "Can the output of the winery be taxed in advance, and the winery will naturally increase the price of grape wine." ”

"It's okay, but this needs Zhongcheng to send someone to the wine shop to discuss it in detail."

After the tax matter was discussed, Li Siye asked Cen Shen about encouraging the people to cultivate the land. Cen Shen suggested: "In order to attract people to a variety of fields, attract outsiders to come to Tingzhou to farm. I suggest that Zhongcheng issue a notice in advance, and from this year onwards, those who take the initiative to reclaim wasteland can go to Puchang, Jinman, Luntai and other county parties to take the initiative to report the number of acres, and then the county magistrate will go to register and make a register in person. At the same time, the existing land in Tingzhou and Xizhou was cleared and registered, and the old land was distinguished from the reclaimed wasteland. The Metropolitan Protectorate issued a preferential decree that the people would be given a small amount of economic subsidy for every additional acre of barren land cultivated, and the output of the first year of the cultivated barren land would not be subject to rent adjustment. ”

Li Siye couldn't help but applaud and said: "This is good, using preferential treatment to attract people to increase the acres of land can increase the annual output of grain in my Beiting." ”

He then asked, "So how do you increase the population of Tingzhou and Xizhou?" ”

Cen Shen rubbed his brows and smacked his tongue and said: "There is no good way to do this, but to encourage the issuance of notices to encourage childbirth, whoever has the most children can get the monetary and in-kind rewards of the Metropolitan Protectorate." ”

Li Siye nodded and said: "This is also a method, but it has been ten or twenty years since I received the results, and I can't wait that long." ”

Cen Shen glanced at Li Siye quietly with a strange expression, Zhongcheng has just stood up this year, it is when he is in the prime of life, why can't he wait so long, does he know his deadline?

"There is no good way to do that Cen Shen, although Tingzhou is not as barren as Anxi, but it is not a good place, it is not as good as the spring in the south of the Yangtze River, it is not as good as the Jiangnan Hetao, and it is not as good as the rich Longyou in the world, and outsiders are generally reluctant to move here."

Cen Shen was right, the Central Plains and Jiangnan were very rich, and who would want to go to the North Court to settle down, unless those convicted of exile.

However, the imperial court issued and exiled, and they were all sent to Lingnan and other miasma-ridden southern, although the conditions in Beiting Anxi were a little worse, the bad environment was still not as bad as Lingnan. He thought that he should tentatively send a letter to the imperial court, hoping that the imperial court could send some criminals with less serious crimes to the northern court, and also increase a part of the population.

He agreed with most of Cen Shen's decisions, and was ready to start implementing them in the Beiting Metropolitan Protectorate, and the distribution of the documents issued by the Metropolitan Protectorate was temporarily under the unified responsibility of Cen Shen, and other matters would be discussed later.

Because Cen Shen often goes in and out of Li Siye's Jiedu Envoy's mansion, it has attracted Pang Yue's attention and caused his dissatisfaction, they are all just in the North Court, and they are all Li Siye's staff, and they are also all dark lines sent by the right minister, why are you so valued by Li Siye, and I have to sit on a cold bench here.

A few days before Pang Yue arrived, Li Siye often summoned him to express his closeness, but when he really did things, he put him on hold as a judge of the festival. Judge Pang said in his heart how could this be? I still want to approach you to spy on the news, so that if I am excluded, I will be able to complete the entrustment of the right minister in the year of the ox.

He had to find a way to get Li Siye's attention, and he had to get his favor.

People who play Infernal Affairs have to have their own talents, but this Pang Yue has two games in addition to playing leaf opera and gambling, and the level of cockfighting is not low, but other aspects are not satisfactory. may have had several conversations with Li Siye, and it was also learned that he really had no great talent and no crooked talent.

Since the talent makes the other party look down on it, then you can only find a way to make meritorious contributions, but what is the merit to make at the moment? He pondered for two afternoons before he finally came up with a rather strange idea - that is, to go to Li Siye to tell Cen Shen.

Isn't it because this Cen Shen has been valued in front of Zhongcheng that no one listens to his words, and no one looks at his face. If you want to get close to Li Siye, you must defeat your rival Cen Shen.