Great Warriors of Sui and Tang Dynasties

Chapter 1429

The barbarians in Yunnan like to eat insects, including poisonous scorpions, poisonous spiders, poisonous snakes and insects, but it is not easy to eat locusts there.

"When you arrive in the capital, you really have to taste the locusts. There are many ways to do it. The supply of locusts in our capital is even in short supply. It is said that there are bold businessmen who build tents and pull nets to raise them, and make a lot of money. It’s full, the locusts are more expensive than grain.”

Over the years, the imperial court, which has always attached great importance to food security, has been very strict about grain. There are granaries everywhere. The imperial court has to purchase tasks every year. The result is that the grain reserves are extremely rich. Nowadays, the price of grain in all parts of the world is the same, there is no difference, and even the price of grain has been stable for ten years, without any fluctuations, because in good years, the imperial court will raise the price of grain to ensure the farmers' income, and in the year of disaster, the imperial court will make preparations in advance Grain adjustments opened warehouses to level the market.

Ten cents for a bucket of rice, this price has been maintained for ten years.

From Luoyang to Chang'an, from Taiyuan to Liaoyang, from Fanyang to Jinling, from the grain-producing Jiaozhi to Wuwei in the northwest, and then to Gaochang and Yili in the Western Regions, the price of grain sold in official warehouses is maintained at ten cents per bucket of rice throughout the year. .

Behind this is the powerful grain reserves of the imperial court and the extremely powerful grain transportation and allocation system. Even if there is a catastrophe in more than ten counties, now there will be no such situation as in the past.

Every year, there are many grain ships among the ships that run on the sea and canals. These policies of transporting grain from south to north and from east to west ensure that there is enough grain storage in various places to cope with the once-in-a-century disaster. .

Food prices are stable everywhere, but those non-staple foods are not cheap. For example, the famous snacks in Luoyang City, roasted locusts, roasted ducks, and roasted geese are very expensive, while pigs and sheep are in large supply and the prices are stable and not expensive.

This is the unique logic of the imperial court for the protection of people's livelihood. All the necessities for people's livelihood must be sufficient in quantity and stable in price, while those that are not necessary may be more expensive, because the imperial court is responsible for these non-essential items. It will not be deeply involved, but the imperial court strongly participates in and controls food, beef and mutton, cloth, fur, medicinal materials, etc.

It’s like farmers buying cattle. Not only are cattle not expensive, they don’t have to pay taxes. After you buy them, you will get additional government subsidies. There is a deed tax to be paid and an annual inspection is required.

If you buy it not only for home use but also for business operation, you will have to pay additional operating tax, transaction tax, etc.

This is the logic of the court.

Just like buying land, it is necessary to guarantee the basic amount of arable land for the common people, and for those landlords who buy and sell additional land, it is necessary to impose a heavy deed tax, and even this deed tax is still rising step by step. The higher the deed tax, from the first grade of [-] tax one, to the second grade of ten tax one, to the third grade of ten tax two, until the fourth grade of ten tax three, the fifth grade of ten tax four, the highest can reach [-]% of the transaction amount is deed tax.

The same is true for housing in the capital, where residents in the city are allocated a specified number of homesteads, but for outsiders to purchase, the tax will be high.

As a result, local residents can have a minimum housing security, but the housing or land in the market is ridiculously expensive.

Many Beijing officials working in Beijing from other places cannot afford houses, so they can only live in the back hall of the yamen or in the mansion built by the government.

A small courtyard costs at least a few million dollars. If it is the main urban area of ​​the capital, especially the upper east and upper west districts in the golden zone, it will be even more expensive. Any house can cost thousands of dollars.

Luo Cunxiao patted his big belly, "I think our Daqin does not suppress business, but mergers. Although big businessmen are rich in wealth, and even millions of people can be found everywhere, the best thing the imperial court does is It is to care for the people at the bottom and give them the most basic guarantees, at least to ensure that the tiller has the land and the dweller has the house."

"Yes, our capital has a population of several million, but the streets are neat and orderly. Although the common people are in a hurry, no one has anything to eat."

In Luoyang, a metropolis with millions of people, there is not even a single beggar to be found.

It is impossible for you to be a beggar if you have hands and feet. If you really have no property, the government will arrange for you to work, and even immigrate you to the newly conquered frontiers to settle down and divide the land.If there is no one to take care of the disabled, orphans and widows, there will also be special agencies to adopt them, and they will be asked to do some work within their ability in exchange for their own food and clothing.

Even those people who are bankrupt and poor due to illness can apply for interest-free loans for serious illness and some subsidies from the imperial government.

At least there is no need to go through the miserable situation of one person being seriously ill, which may drag the whole family bankrupt, or borrowing usury due to famine and sickness, and finally being unable to sell the house and land, or even selling children and pawning wives.

The imperial court is very kind to these ordinary people at the bottom, and it is for this reason that although the imperial court has been using troops in recent years, and even has a lot of taxes in business, the common people still support the imperial court and are still loyal to the emperor.

It is because everyone feels that their lives are secure now. If you have money, you can buy a big house and a car. If you don’t have money, you can live in poverty and live a peaceful life.

What's more, the popularization of three-year elementary school compulsory education is also an opportunity for countless children from poor families to get education, and the vigorous promotion of Royal Huimin Pharmaceutical Bureau and Anle Hospital has also benefited tens of thousands of ordinary people.

Under the Two Taxes Law, the taxes borne by ordinary people are not heavy, and there is no personal bondage such as Yao slavery. Everyone has land to cultivate, and can do work to earn some money when he is free. For the common people, this is the life of the Holy King and the prosperity of the Great Ruler.

"The emperor will be in power for another 40 years, and the common people will be happy, but the emperor is only 60 years old, and his health is still so good, so he wants to abdicate. It really doesn't make sense."

Cunxiao patted his belly and sighed, if he had the ability to govern the country like his brother, if he could win the hearts of the people so much, and his health was still so good, he would wish to be on the throne forever, how could he even think about abdicating it.

"No, I don't know how many people were shocked when the imperial edict was issued. Since these days, officials and people from countless places have written to the court every day, asking the emperor to succeed him. I begged on my knees!"

"People's hearts!" Cun Xiao sighed. Although he had a high prestige in Yunnan and Lishui, it was a bad name. The people were afraid of him, and the emperor was truly supported by all people. .

(End of this chapter)