The First Young Master of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 1402 Farming

"Jing'er, your house is also running shops, and there is also a chamber of commerce. If the imperial court really attacks merchants, what do you think from the perspective of an outsider?" His Majesty Li Er said: "You have a family business like that. It’s not 01:30 points that the businessman loses if he changes the policy.”

"But in the long run, it will benefit the country and the people." Xuan Shijing said: "Yu Guo, the national government tax Zeng's family, and ordinary businessmen will not oppose the imperial court's policy because their status can be improved a little. Of course, The premise is that the imperial government’s reforms for merchants will not be too excessive. As for high officials and nobles, it is indeed an obstacle. In addition to the businessmen’s affairs, the taxation of the people in the Tang Dynasty just mentioned by the minister just now has huge flaws. The further the reform goes, the more damage it will do to Datang. In the end, it will not be the common people, but the rich and powerful.

Taking the merchants around Chang'an City as an example, how many merchants belong to the noble family?Or are there more ordinary businessmen?Among these ordinary businessmen, there are naturally those who come to Chang'an from foreign countries to do business. It depends on how the imperial court plays out the banner of reform. Once the policy is announced and most businessmen agree, even those high-ranking officials and dignitaries cannot shake public opinion. For example, if the son of a merchant can take part in the Chunwei Imperial Examination and become an official, does His Majesty think that those merchants will oppose the imperial court's policies? "

The atmosphere of Datang is open, and the mind is broad in the face of foreign things. Therefore, doing business in Datang is relaxed and generous, both in terms of humanities and environment. Although merchants have a good business environment in Datang, their status is not It has always been adhering to the previous dynasty. After all, it is said that businessmen value profit over parting, which is why they look down on businessmen.

Merchants are rich, but they are not allowed to take a sedan chair when they go out, they are not allowed to wear brocade clothes, and their sons are not allowed to be officials. The rules and regulations are all on the merchants. They are indeed rich, but in such a life, the merchants can only live in humiliation. .

Once the imperial court shows a slight sign of letting go, businessmen will definitely fight for the imperial court's policies at all costs for their own status, so they will not object.

Since most of the merchants would not object, how could the remaining handful of merchants headed by Zhan's aristocratic families resist the big trend, and the aristocratic families in the court, as well as the royal family and loyal officials loyal to the Tang Dynasty, suppressed it.

If it is a policy reform for businessmen, this is bound to be a reform that can set off a storm. Even if the treasury has no money, it can be done. Once it is done, within a year, what will the treasury look like before the new palace is built? Well, after a year, the national treasury will return to that state again, and in the future, if there is no money spent, the national treasury will only become more and more full.

And the scenery of the Tang Dynasty that Xuan Shijing described for His Majesty Li Er earlier was a matter of spending money.

After all, it's about money.

"Well, that's not bad. Merchants seek profit, and they understand how to maximize their own interests." His Majesty Li Er stroked his beard and said, "Leaving aside the matter of merchants, you said that the rent that Datang used to the people today The longer the tax system is adjusted, the more damage it will do to Datang, what's going on?"

There is no rush for businessmen’s affairs. Today, Datang is still based on farmers, and the main source of taxation is farmers’ taxes. There is no doubt about this. Businessmen’s affairs need to be changed, but we can’t put the cart before the horse. , in order to take into account other.

"Inheriting the improvement of the tax and service system since the Northern Dynasties, the burden of rent adjustment has been slightly reduced compared with the previous generation, and there are measures for reducing classes for floods and droughts; there is a certain degree of flexibility between service and payment, which is an advantage. However, rent Yongtiao is based on people, regardless of the amount of land and property, the same amount of silk millet must be paid per Ding. Based on the land equalization system, does Your Majesty still remember the raids on temples around Chang'an a few years ago?" Xuan Shijing asked.

His Majesty Li Er nodded.

"So many lands were confiscated just under the name of the temple, what about the land under the honorable name?" Xuan Shijing asked: "Think about how many lands were owned by farmers in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. , How much land is left under the name of the peasant household, if the Ministry of Households has a statistics on this, it can be seen from the comparison of the two."

Now there is a problem of land annexation in the Tang Dynasty, but it is not too obvious. Of course, only some of the gaps that are visible to the naked eye are not so obvious. Go to the Ministry of Officials to find out how many nobles around Chang'an had fiefs, how many lands they had originally, and how many lands they have now after they have been annexed.

The scope of the fief remains unchanged, but the actual scope can be continuously expanded through land mergers. For example, Xuan Shijing's fief is Dongshan County, but what if Xuan Shijing buys all the land around the edge of Dongshan County?

Don't underestimate the greed of the nobles of the family. For the sake of the family for thousands of years, they can do anything. Not everyone is an upright saint.

In the future, such situations will only increase, and land annexation will become more and more serious.

"The land is becoming more and more concentrated in the hands of a few people. A large number of farmers in the Tang Dynasty will go bankrupt and flee, or become tenants of the landlord's family. The land equalization system will collapse during the interim period. The unbearable heavy burden is no longer compatible with their land occupation, and the gap between rich and poor will become more and more serious, what does your majesty think?" Xuan Shijing said.

"It is indeed a very serious problem." His Majesty Li Er said.

Xuan Shijing mentioned the inspection of the temples in Chang'an City in the past few years, His Majesty Li Er still vividly remembered, and the ledger was sent to him. Even he, the emperor, was shocked by the private property of the temple. So much land wealth was hidden in the Temples, from one to the other, where did the land of the temple come from?Someone sent it, who sent it?Common people's land is the way of life for a family. Who will give away the capital of their own life, except for the common people, that is, those who enter the temple to become monks. They were ordinary people before entering the temple and became monks. It is also given to the temple, and moreover, it is the rich and noble family.

And where did their land come from?Sealed by the emperor?The emperor's fief is not something that can be given away casually.

Therefore, the problem of land annexation has existed for a long time, not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also in the previous dynasty. It's just that this problem has never been faced squarely and has never been resolved.

"What good strategy do you have?" His Majesty Li Er looked at Xuan Shijing and asked.

(End of this chapter)