"I understand your concerns."

Look at this unpredictable Mr. Qiu.

Jiang Xinghuo dug a hole with the silver coin in his hand, inserted it on the hand-painted chessboard on the ground, and then hastily buried some soil on the surface.

"This silver coin is a tax, and the grid on the chessboard is the countless towns and villages in the world, and the tax is rooted here, the imperial power is helpless, and the policy of 'the gentry pay for food in one piece' cannot be implemented, yes or no?"

"That's right." Natsuhara nodded.

Jiang Xinghuo rubbed his knees, which had been squatting for a long time, and continued.

"Then since you think that the implementation can't be carried out, we might as well talk about it, what is policy implementation?"

Zhu Gaoxu and Xia Yuanji, who asked this question, were stunned.

What is policy enforcement?

Policy implementation is called policy implementation!

"Let me first talk about the definition and content of 'policy implementation' that I understand, as well as the factors that affect policy implementation, whether you listen to it or not, whether it makes sense, if you think it makes sense, let's continue to discuss how to let the 'gentry pay for the whole thing' continue to be implemented, how about it?"

Jiang Xinghuo said very politely, but the two of them naturally could only listen to it first and then make conclusions.

It's also fresh, Xia Yuanji, a capable minister who has been in the household department for so many years, now thinks about it carefully, what is called policy implementation, his heart is like a mirror, but if he wants to say it clearly, he can't say it.

Is Natsuhara Ji in words?

Of course not.

That is, what cannot be said and summarized into a system, just like the skills of Chinese craftsmen, they can do it or not, and there is no systematic induction.

Jiang Xinghuo said slowly.

"The so-called policy implementation refers to the implementation of such policies as the imperial court and the political envoys below, the county government, etc., the implementers of this kind of policies, using a variety of political, economic, and cultural resources, through the formation of corresponding organizations, including interpretation, implementation, service, publicity, etc., will be the content of the 'policy concept' itself, into 'practical effects', so that the established policy objectives can be realized."

When this complete definition was thrown out, Xia Yuan Yoshifang nodded knowingly.

What Xia Yuanji also wants to say is this set of meanings.

Everyone understands things and can do them, but it is difficult to set standards and define them like Jiang Xinghuo.

Don't underestimate [define] this small thing.

Think: Hey, what's all the fuss about the next definition? Who wouldn't say a few words?

In fact, an important floor tile of the modern scientific system is [definition].

Only by interpreting all the things in the classified disciplines within each scientific system in a rigorous way can we systematically cultivate the corresponding talents of each discipline.

Otherwise, we will return to the era of empiricist master-apprentice inheritance.

One is one, two is two, it cannot be said that only by relying on personal comprehension can we learn, relying on that kind of "seeing the mind" type of learning, we will never be able to cultivate the talents needed for the modern scientific system, as well as the vast number of industrial workers needed to promote the rise of the modern nation-state.

Jiang Xinghuo continued: "The content of policy implementation, compared with the definition, will be more helpful to practice. ”

"The content of policy implementation includes organizational preparation, personnel preparation, policy decomposition, policy experiment, policy publicity, policy promotion, and a series of activities such as command, communication, and coordination required by this process."

After that, Jiang Xinghuo wrote these words on the ground one by one.

(1) Organizational preparation

"What is Organizational Readiness?" Jiang Xinghuo turned his head and asked the bearded man.

Zhu Gaoxu tried to answer: "What do you do, you have to have a corresponding organization to do?" ”

"That's a good point."

Jiang Xinghuo affirmed: "Then you say, do you need to prepare a special organization to do this matter of tax collection?" Or is it better to just do it now? ”

Xia Yuanji replied: "Now the central government has a household department to coordinate tax collection, thirteen political envoys, and the political envoys are in charge of paying taxes. For those who directly manage the payment of taxes, there is a tax department under the political envoy department, and there are also tax tax departments, tax treasury departments, and river berths at the prefectural level. ”

Jiang Xinghuo is kind and persuasive: "In other words, in fact, Daming has a complete and existing taxation system, but this taxation system cannot reach the township and below, so you feel that the 'gentry pay for food' cannot be implemented, right?" ”

Xia Yuanji vaguely felt that Jiang Shi seemed to have an extremely complete set of ideas.

And this feeling is like the prey following the bait all the way and eventually falling into the pit.

But Xia Yuanji was fascinated by the authorities at this time, even if he was slightly alert, he could only nod his head and say yes.

"That's the case, at the township and below, the imperial court can only rely on the gentry to collect taxes."

Jiang Xinghuo Fu asked again: "Then do you want to establish a set of tax collection agencies below the township level?" ”

"Impossible!"

Natsuhara almost blurted out.

Anyone who has a little understanding of the grassroots governance of the Ming Dynasty knows that this is almost impossible.

At the grassroots level of the Ming Dynasty, the gentry and clans were mixed together, intertwined, and there was no way to sort them out.

Their power was so small that the Ming army could easily destroy any place.

It's like. Plucking.

But their number is too huge.

So, can Da Ming pluck all his hair?

After unplugging, how can you resist the cold and regulate your body temperature?

It's so difficult to pluck hair, let alone squeeze open the pores one by one to implant another new hair.

Daming, there are 1,427 counties!

Each county, according to the area on the map, clockwise divided into dozens to hundreds of "capital", "capital" is not an administrative unit, just a convenient geographical division, equivalent to a small grid in the map of the county level of Daming.

The so-called "township" in the Ming Dynasty is not an administrative division, but a regional concept formed by the spontaneous identity of the people.

In a county, there will be about a few to a dozen townships, with an average of six to eight, and there are few exceptions of more than twenty townships.

Then it is calculated according to the fact that each county has seven natural townships.

There are 9,989 natural townships in the Ming Dynasty, which is about 10,000 natural townships by rounding the whole number.

What is the concept of 10,000 natural towns?

Once a specific tax collection agency is set up corresponding to a township.

Then this township-level tax collection agency will only set up four or five clerks.

This new institution.

The total number has already exceeded the number of officials of the Ming Empire!

Yes, you read that right.

The official team of officials in the Ming Empire, by the end of Jianwen and the beginning of Yongle, was "only" more than 40,000 people!

In other words, if the Ming Dynasty made up its mind to go to the countryside.

The Ming had to feed a new team of almost the same number as the current bureaucracy.

Even if the salary of this new team is low, when multiplied by four to fifty thousand, it is still an extremely terrifying number.

Then the high-level decision-makers of the Ming Empire must weigh it.

In order to better collect taxes, it has caused new redundant officials and excessive expenditures, and can the overcollected taxes make up for this part of the expenditure? What if it's a loss-making transaction?

Is it worth it?

When Xia Yuanji said his calculations and concerns, to his surprise, Jiang Xinghuo actually agreed.

"From the point of view of accounting, it is true that a set of township-level tax collection agencies cannot be established alone."

"What then?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

Jiang Xinghuo reassured: "Don't worry, whether to establish a separate township-level tax agency, this issue can be put on hold for the time being, and we will continue to look at it in accordance with the process of policy implementation." ”

Jiang Xinghuo scratched out a few words with his fingers on the dirt again.

(2) Personnel preparation

Looking at these words and the serial number of Arabic numerals, Xia Yuanji thought thoughtfully and thought in his heart.

"If I put everything in the household department like this, it will be stipulated according to the process. Which department is responsible for what things, to which person, and what needs to be done in the future. Isn't it a significant increase in efficiency? ”

At the same time as Natsuhara Ji pondered.

Jiang Xinghuo replied and asked: "Then let's put aside whether to establish an independent township-level tax agency, and only talk about personnel issues." ”

"What kind of characteristics and abilities do you think should be preferable to those who are responsible for collecting taxes?"

——————

In the secret room, Zhu Di asked.

"What do you think of the two Shangshu?"

Zhu Di asked about the two Shangshu, so he naturally didn't want to favor one over the other.

But in fact, both of them know that this kind of personnel question is actually asking about the official department.

In other words, this is an examination of righteousness.

The question of the investigation is not difficult, Jian Yi answered without hesitation.

"People who collect taxes first need to be literate and know how to do math."

"Otherwise, if you can't even write your name and don't understand the accounting, how can you collect taxes well? It's just a matter of being deceived like a ghost. ”

Ru Yu nodded, that's the truth.

"Second, theoretically, it is better for the people who collect taxes to be foreigners, or people who do not know the locals, otherwise, they are easily constrained by various relationships."

"Finally, the one who collects taxes had better be noble in his conduct. If it can't be done, then there is some way to limit him from being bought, and it is okay. ”

After saying these three points, Jian Yi himself shook his head.

It's not hard to find a few, dozens, hundreds.

But the problem is that Daming needs tens of thousands!

It's too hard.

Hearing this, Zhu Di also knew that it seemed, as if, it was not feasible to establish an independent township-level tax collection agency in terms of cost and personnel?

This couldn't help but make Zhu Di a little depressed.

It seems that there is indeed a reason why the imperial power does not go to the countryside.

It's not that Zhu Di is reluctant to throw money, the question is, after throwing money and building a set of township-level tax institutions at a loss, is it done?

Impossible.

If they do not meet the requirements, their ability and conduct do not meet the requirements, they will not be able to collect taxes, and they will soon become corrupt and degenerate.

In fact, it is too difficult to ask people to do things by character.

The bottom line of human morality is something that cannot be tempted.

Ru Yu added: "And Your Majesty, if you want the tax collector to be stationed in the township, no matter who you are, if you live for a long time, you will be influenced and assimilated by the locals over the years, and then become the same as the current Lijia system." ”

Zhu Di couldn't help but nodded.

But he continued to be hard-mouthed.

"It's okay, Mr. Jiang will always have a way."

Looking at the emperor who refused to bow his head, Jian Yi and Ru Yu could only roll their eyes in their minds.

The emperor is as stubborn as a donkey, what can they do as ministers.

As for what Jiang Xinghuo will do?

Jian Yi and Ru Yu didn't think Jiang Xinghuo would have any way.

In the face of this choice of establishing a new township-level tax agency is doomed to lose money, and it will lose money and elect people, and after a few years, it will become corrupt and degenerate into an ineffective institution.

Who can figure it out?

It's an unsolvable problem!

The imperial power did not go to the countryside, and it was not a problem of the Ming Dynasty.

If this problem is solved, why can't the dynasties of thousands of years find an answer?

——————

Under the tree with a new crooked neck.

Natsuhara Yoshichi almost said the same answer as Jian Yi.

"Literate, numeracy, honest, and a stranger."

Jiang Xinghuo pointed to the ground and said: "Okay, then we will not talk about the (3) policy decomposition (4) policy experiment (5) policy propaganda (6) policy promotion in the future, let's discuss the previous (1) institutional preparation and (2) personnel preparation." ”

"After all, if the problem of institutions and corresponding personnel cannot be solved, then there is no way to talk about the follow-up policy implementation."

Zhu Gaoxu and Xia Yuanji agree very much with this.

"Since ancient times, people are the ones who do things, and no matter how good the policy is, it needs to be implemented by people with the corresponding quality and ability to ensure that the policy is not out of shape."

"Otherwise, even if the original intention of proposing the policy is very good, in the end, in the hands of the people below, it will be out of shape."

"In fact, the dilemma of grassroots governance is a very difficult and difficult thing to solve, not only in our current era, but even predictably in the future hundreds of years from now."

Several people in the secret room became more and more curious, it seems that Jiang Xinghuo knows these practical problems.

The two Shangshu couldn't help but jump in their hearts, Jiang Xinghuo knew that there were tigers in the mountains, why did he still prefer Tiger Mountain?

Could it be that Jiang Xinghuo really has a way to solve the problem of "people"?

As soon as this thought arose, it seemed strange to them.

"So after all that, is there a way to crack it?"

Jiang Xinghuo's knees finally sore, he rubbed them and stood up.

Jiang Xinghuo's cold words floated from above the heads of the two.

"My answer is, yes!"

When this "yes" was spoken, everyone was stunned.

It's not Jiang Xinghuo's vulgar history in his previous life, and the brainless Xiaobai Shuang wrote about the emotions of "shock!" Shocking! Instead, he was stunned.

Yes, this answer is a fantasy for people in the Ming era.

People are not shocked by the fantastical things.

I just feel a little stunned.

What's this? Really?

Without giving them time to react, Jiang Xinghuo continued.

"As Mr. Qiu said, the person who is responsible for collecting taxes needs to have four abilities or conditions."

"We might as well push backwards, first, strangers."

"Excuse me, what group in Daming is full of strangers from all over the world?"

When this question comes up.

Zhu Gaoxu was excited, and his beard seemed to be about to rise.

"Army!"

"You're smart." Jiang Xinghuo smiled.

Before Jiang Xinghuo could continue, Xia Yuanji hurriedly interrupted.

"If the army is allowed to collect taxes, won't it repeat the tragedy of the late Tang Dynasty?"

"Knife handle and money bag, the world, but it's going to be a big mess!"

Jiang Xinghuo said: "No, has Mr. Qiu ever thought that there is still a possibility? ”

"What is possible?" Xia Yuanji asked intently.

"Except for the quota of military households under the guard, I heard him say." Jiang Xinghuo pointed at the beard, "Actually, many recruits were recruited into the field army during the Battle of Jingjing?" Now that the war is over, there is no need for so many standing troops, and the veterans in the field troops can actually be discharged. ”

Xia Yuanji was a little enlightened, but he still felt that there was a problem: "Even if you are not a guard soldier, there is no Zhize Garden to stay, those old soldiers who were temporarily recruited during the Jing disaster, and when they are old and discharged, shouldn't they be disarmed and returned to the field?" ”

The "Legacy Garden" in the guard system is a nursing home, and the military system of the Ming Dynasty was originally a guard soldier, and there is no such thing as retirement.

However, in order to eliminate each other, both the northern and southern armies made great efforts to recruit soldiers to the maximum extent.

As a result, the Northern Army (Yan Army) now has hundreds of thousands of field and local garrison troops waiting to be placed.

And Zhu Di hasn't figured out what to do for a while.

After all, in his father Zhu Yuanzhang's system, Wei made money and spent it, and he didn't want to take it home.

The guard house is the home of the military family, and when Lao Tzu dies and his son is up, there is no such thing as being discharged from the army.

And the Battle of Jingjing changed all that.

"Before the time comes to disarm and return to the field, the country needs to use it, can you still refuse to continue to do things?" Jiang Xinghuo said: "Besides, an old pawn doesn't mean that he is really seventy or eighty, he went to the battlefield in his teens and rolled for seven or eight years, so he is not considered an old pawn?" If you don't want to go to war anymore, or if you're wounded, should you be discharged? How to settle after discharge? Could it be that he is young and strong-blooded, and he has learned a killing technique in the army, and he wants to return to his hometown to cause trouble? ”

Natsuhara Yoshichi was speechless for a while.

Zhu Gaoxu added: "Mr. Jiang is conservative, he said that those who have not died in seven or eight years on the battlefield, even if they have not died after several major battles in a year, they are all shrewd and tough veterans." ”

"So, in addition to strangers, this doesn't meet another condition - shrewdness and toughness."

Jiang Xinghuo said with a smile: "Moreover, in addition, the old pawn also has a common characteristic, that is, he is more disciplined and obedient than ordinary people. ”

In the army of this era, the punishment of soldiers by officers is a common phenomenon, and the solution to disobedience to discipline and command on the battlefield is most likely to be "borrowing your head for a purpose".

Kill chickens and monkeys to set an example.

Perhaps the pawns will have the habit of arrogance, but in any case, they must be more disciplined and obedient than ordinary people.

Xia Yuanji frowned deeply, he always felt that there were still too many conditions lacking between the veteran of the army and the qualified tax collector.

"What about incorruptibility? How is it guaranteed? This group of veterans must be arrogant, when they arrive in the local township, they pour a few meals of wine, eat and drink well, and then send those pickled enjoyment, and they will be put to rest. ”

Zhu Gaoxu thought of the virtues of those arrogant soldiers under him, and couldn't help but nod approvingly.

What Natsuhara Yoshi said is so right!

"Honesty cannot rely on character, it needs to rely on the corresponding system."

"The system guarantees integrity, in three aspects."

"The first aspect, salaries."

Jiang Xinghuo held his knees and said: "The salary that can guarantee honesty does not need to be high, but it is better to continue." ”

"Continuity means that once you commit a crime, you will not have the salary for most of your life, and this salary can be the reward for leaving the army in batches every year, plus the salary of the new position, and bind together."

"And your salary for most of your life must be much higher than your 'cost of crime'."

"The reason is also very simple, the tax revenue of a township, the veterans who have retired from the army want to do tricks and tricks from it, it is impossible to embezzle it all, right? That's simply not realistic. If he wants to embezzle or accept bribes without being discovered, then this amount is destined to be incomparable with his salary for the rest of his life. ”

Here is to say that whether there is a salary for discharge, or a one-time discharge reward, is actually still to be studied.

But in any case, Jiang Xinghuo proposed that the retirement reward be distributed in batches, and the salary of the township officials should be added to the tax, and the two should be bound together, and if they want to be severed, they should be cut off together, which is undoubtedly a good idea.

This will greatly increase the cost of crimes committed by veterans when they serve as township-level tax collectors, as Jiang Xinghuo said.

"Of course, there's a backdrop here." Jiang Xinghuo continued.

"That is, the second aspect of the system to ensure integrity, the inspection system."

Jiang Xinghuo wrote the words "clear inspection" and "secret visit" on the ground.

"Township-level tax agencies should establish an independent inspection system to combine open inspections with unannounced visits."

"That creates a deterrent effect."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled: "I told you that I came to investigate, you have to prepare carefully." ”

"I didn't tell you that I came to investigate, didn't you prepare seriously?"

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Of course not, because they don't know whether it is a secret investigation or a secret visit!" ”

"That's it." Jiang Xinghuo continued, "As for the question of who will supervise the tax inspection agency, let this go first, if you want to do this, then it will be over, let's talk about the following first." ”

"The third aspect of the system to ensure integrity, the Medal of Honor system."

Zhu Gaoxu interjected: "Mr. Jiang, what is a medal?" ”

Jiang Xinghuo pulled out the silver coin from the ground and pointed at it and explained.

For example, it can be a knick-knack made of iron, copper, silver or even gold, tied with a ribbon (generally used to hang official seals in ancient times), as a symbol of honor, according to the different materials, it is easy to distinguish the rank of meritorious service. And the specific contribution can also be made according to the unit to which he belongs and the battle he participated in, different styles of medals can be made. ”

"Soldiers, if they regard honor as higher than life, they must have matching medals to commend the honor they have won through bloody struggle. At the same time, with these medals, you can also enjoy some priority rights in the society of the Ming Dynasty, which may not play a big role, but must have a considerable sense of superiority. In this way, a virtuous circle of honor and profit can be formed. ”

When Zhu Gaoxu heard this, his eyes suddenly showed a feverish look.

That's right! That's right!

In this way, because of the conscription of the Jingyan Campaign, a large number of veterans who needed to be disarmed and returned to the fields had a place to be resettled, and they had new guarantees in terms of property and honor.

It is far better than directly handing out a reward and sending them back to their places of origin to create new local security problems.

"In this way, strangers and incorruptibles, are they all solved?"

Jiang Xinghuo pointed to the handwriting on the ground and continued.

"Next, it's about how to solve the problems of literacy and numeracy, and these two problems, combined with the Medal of Honor system and the previously discussed concept of the nation-state, will actually bring a series of beneficial ripple effects."

(End of chapter)