Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 567 Salt War

The deal was done, but it also seemed like it wasn't.

After the meeting, Prince Yong Li Lin and his party were settled by Fang Zhongyong in a guest room in the Dengzhou government office. Except for Li Bai who was unaware of the situation, the other two looked confused.

In order to avoid suspicion, Li Bai went to the harbor to enjoy the moonlight and find inspiration for his poem. Only Li Lin and Wei Zichun were left in the guest room, staring at each other.

"Zichun, what do you think Fang Qing means by this?"

Looking at the long list spread out on the table, Li Lin's face was bitter, sad and angry.

This is a list of personnel appointments and dismissals, with names of people and official titles written on it.

Fang Zhongyong's arrangement of his trusted subordinates is fully reflected on this piece of paper, and they are all key positions in his own territory. In other words, if Li Lin wants to arrange "his own people" in the future, there will not be much room for maneuver.

Of course, this is only temporary, because once the regime grows stronger, there will definitely be new territories, and Li Lin can then find opportunities to place his own people there.

As one side gains strength while the other loses strength, it is hard to say who will have the last laugh.

"Your Highness, Fang Qing asked us to go to Bianzhou, saying that he was going to let Your Highness ascend the throne there and build a palace. But Bianzhou is his old nest, and I'm afraid the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army will become the Imperial Guard.

It is hard to say whether these people will become too powerful to be eliminated in the future. "

Wei Zichun sighed lightly and said with some regret.

This situation was of course within his expectations, because Li Lin was not good at leading troops! If the emperor was not good at leading troops, he would inevitably be constrained by the generals in charge!
This is a no-brainer.

"Fang Qing has such a big appetite, I am a little dissatisfied."

Li Lin shook his head helplessly. What was written on the paper was not a list of rewards. It was Fang Zhongyong planning his own base!
Come to think of it, the ones responsible for fighting life and death are Fang Chongyong and the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army. Why don't others hold important positions, but make wedding dresses for you, a prince who is eating, drinking and having fun in the rear?

"Do you have any other ideas now?"

Li Lin looked at Wei Zichun and asked in a deep voice.

"Your Highness, there is no such method as you expect.

But I still want to say: You are the king and he is the minister.

Even if Fang Qing wanted to be Cao Cao, it wouldn't be that easy!

Time is on your side. No matter how powerful he is, the title he claims to the outside world is always you, the emperor, not him, the commander-in-chief. "

Wei Zichun said with gritted teeth.

In fact, he was not sure, because people's hearts would change slowly, and the appeal of the Tang Dynasty would become weaker and weaker.

Is time really on the side of Prince Yong? This statement is probably just to comfort Li Lin, who is often restless on weekdays. Whether it is Cao Mengde or Sima Yi, there are countless examples of predecessors, and they are there.

Wei Zichun knew that Li Lin had made up his mind and could not be persuaded. Even if Fang Zhongyong's proposal was a cup of poisoned wine, facing the current severe situation, Prince Yong would probably have no choice but to hold his nose and drink the poison to quench his thirst.

Wei Zichun felt that Fang Chongyong had six states under his command, plus the newly controlled Dengzhou (he only controlled the western part of Dengzhou, and there were still two counties in the east that were not under his control), which made a total of seven states.

Li Lin controlled three states. When the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army returned to Bianzhou from Dengzhou, they could also control the states and counties that were not controlled along the way.

In this way, Li Lin nominally controlled more than a dozen states.

Enough to split the land and become king.

Therefore, Fang Chongyong’s plan is actually not unreasonable. Without a righteous cause, how can one manage the territories of more than a dozen states?

Let Li Lin ascend the throne in Bianzhou and proclaim himself emperor first. This way, he will have the title of legitimacy. Then, both Fang Chongyong's subordinates and Li Lin's staff can put their minds at ease and receive rewards.

At least it is a reward for an official position.

This is very helpful for calming people's hearts! Because those who follow Li Lin already know what this gentleman wants to do!
People's hearts were at peace, and they could do their best without any worries, whether it was marching into Chang'an, defending Bianzhou, or going south to plunder land.

From this perspective, Fang Chongyong is truly... a man with a deep mind, and his tactics are too skillful and experienced.

Compared with Fang Youde's unswerving and disregarding cost to protect the Tang Dynasty, Fang Chongyong can be said to be a man who takes every step carefully and is proficient in military affairs and political strategies.

It is hard to say whether it is a blessing or a curse for a prince like Li Lin who is innocent to meet a governor like Fang Chongyong!

Wei Zichun was secretly worried.

The reasons are all there, what is lacking is the solution.

I only hope that Fang Chongyong will make more mistakes in the future, so that he will slowly lose his power and his former subordinates will become disloyal. Only in this way can we say that time is on Li Lin's side.

What Wei Zichun was thinking at this moment was the six words that have been said many times throughout the ages: Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Thinking of this, he comforted Li Lin and said:

"Your Highness, you should think positively about everything. There are many people who are dissatisfied with Li Heng's killing of his father and the king. If Your Highness takes the lead in raising the banner of rebellion, there will definitely be many people who will come to join you. This will be much better than us being trapped in Qizhou.

As for whether Fang Qing and his cronies will become too powerful in the future, that will be a long time in the future. For now, he will be inseparable from His Highness for a long time. "

Wei Zichun's words hit the nail on the head.

If Li Lin had remained trapped in Qizhou, there would have been only two possible outcomes for him: either he would be destroyed by the surrounding warlords, or he would be stabbed to death by his own men.

Neither is a good outcome.

He ascended the throne in Bianzhou and became the emperor... At least he got to experience the life of an emperor, didn't he? Even if he died in the end, it was a glorious death! Even if Fang Zhongyong wanted to turn against him, it would be a long time in the future.

What's the use of worrying now?
Hearing this, Li Lin looked much better. He forced a smile and said, "Zichun's words really hit home with me. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. We have no choice but to do it! Starting tomorrow, we will follow the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army and watch Fang Qing and his elite troops defeat the enemy."

Li Lin also thought that there was no need to return to Qizhou, so he sent someone to inform Gao Shang and asked everyone to go to Bianzhou to prepare to attend the coronation ceremony of him, the new "emperor"!

On the way back to Bianzhou, there were still three places, Laizhou, Qingzhou and Yanzhou, which were not under his control. Li Lin wanted to see how Fang Chongyong would deal with the governors of these three states.

……

At almost the same time, Fang Chongyong was also in the study of Dengzhou government office, giving instructions and discussing government affairs with Liu Yan and Che Guangqian in person.

"We need to hurry up and deal with the Dengzhou Salt Field. The scale of the Dengzhou coastal salt fields is too small. We need to expand the scale. At least, it cannot be smaller than the Changlu Salt Field.

More people who have lost their land should be employed in the salt fields."

Fang Chongyong told Che Guangqian that this trusted general would soon stay in Dengzhou on official business. In addition to training and recruiting soldiers and maritime trade, he would also be responsible for the expansion of the salt field.

He remembered that Dengzhou seemed to be an important base for producing sea salt during the Northern Song Dynasty. Su Dongpo once served as an official here and found that the price of local salt was the same as that of other places, so he wrote to the court to improve the salt policy.

"I understand your order, but I don't know what instructions the commander has for this?"

Che Guangqian asked doubtfully.

The technical threshold for making sea salt these days is extremely low, and there are even professional books telling coastal fishermen how to make salt.

The question is, what is the salt used for after it is produced?
How are the sales channels? Where is the distribution center? How to set the price?

Are they specially made for making pickles, bacon or salted fish for maritime trade ships?
Was it shipped to Bianzhou and then sold? Or was it exported to Bohai State?
Should we collect salt tax? How should we collect it? How much should we collect?
These details that have nothing to do with salt production are the crux of the problem.

"Calculate the normal material consumption and labor, and collect a 10% transaction tax. After the salt is produced, 90% is shipped to Bianzhou, and 10% is sold in this state and nearby states and counties, implementing a low tax system."

Fang Zhongyong said with a nonchalant smile and waved his hand gently.

This time, not only Che Guangqian felt surprised, but even Liu Yan found it incredible.

The salt tax is 10%, which is outrageous and a bit shockingly low.

What's the point of collecting salt tax if it's not collected several times more?

"General, forgive me for being blunt, but this tax rate is better than nothing. We really can't collect much money."

Liu Yan sighed helplessly.

"It is true that we cannot collect the salt tax, but... this way, Hebei, Guanzhong, and even Jiangnan will not be able to collect the salt tax."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently with a mysterious smile on his face.

Liu Yan was a smart man and immediately realized the crux of the problem.

That's right, according to Fang Zhongyong's idea, Bianzhou really couldn't collect much salt tax. But on the one hand, this is a policy of "supporting the people", so that the people of each state can better recuperate and rest, and gain their support for the regime.

On the other hand, the low salt price in Bianzhou means that salt tax cannot be collected from surrounding areas!
The official salt of Bianzhou would be transported away by merchants from all over the country and become "private salt" in other places, which would then impact the salt market in other places, leaving those official salt merchants who were heavily taxed with no way to survive. If the government wanted to force the sale, would the locals resist?

That's for sure. Those who understand will understand the power of "private salt dealers".

Why not create conflicts or even civil unrest elsewhere without spending a single soldier?

Fang Chongyong's move may seem simple, but it is essentially dumping, and it is also a case of "predicting other people's predictions."

In order to make money, whether it is the Chang'an court, the Hebei rebels, or any other local forces, they will definitely collect salt taxes to death. Then use this salt tax to recruit soldiers, buy food, and build armor and weapons.

It doesn’t matter whether I gain any benefit or not, as long as you don’t gain any benefit either, then I win.

"It's amazing! If I can't collect the salt tax, no one else can either.

This move by the commander-in-chief is really brilliant."

Che Guangqian clapped her hands and laughed, she had completely understood Fang Zhongyong's intention!
The salt was sent to Bianzhou for centralized sale, and the salt here would be much cheaper than the salt in the surrounding areas which was heavily taxed.

So, will there be many merchants coming here to sell salt?

According to the principle of not going back and forth empty-handed, those merchants who come must bring something else to sell in order to make it cost-effective, such as food.

If we add another decree that only by selling grain or other daily necessities can one obtain a "salt permit" and use the "salt permit" to buy cheap salt.

In that case, would the governors and county magistrates of the surrounding prefectures and counties feel like they are in ecstasy when they see that their prefectures and counties are unable to collect salt taxes and that supplies are desperately flowing out?

They had to go to Bianzhou to buy the salt they used for their own consumption.

With the cheap and low-tax Bianzhou salt, the salt permits will surely be sought after by merchants. Can they be used as currency?

In this way, will the economy be revitalized?

"The commander's strategy is brilliant."

After understanding the subsequent side effects that would have a huge impact, Liu Yan couldn't help but cross his arms and saluted the other party with a sincere tone.

On the contrary, a super-low salt tax and salt permit system was implemented, which invisibly gave the salt permit the attribute of "preserving value".

Why is this so? Because the price of salt in the surrounding counties must be expensive! In order to raise military funds, various forces will definitely make a fuss about the salt tax!

The low-price salt strategy is actually to use salt to exchange for various materials from surrounding counties and cities, and it can also build a good reputation. Why not do it?

The salt tax has been reduced, but will other commercial taxes increase?
Liu Yan was a man with great economic acumen, and he understood Fang Zhongyong's strategy as soon as he heard it. General Fang Jie was prepared for long-term development, and was not planning to make a quick buck in Bianzhou and leave.

As a separatist regime, it is able to formulate excellent economic policies, which gives it an extra pair of wings compared to other separatist regimes.

Bianzhou is a canal node and also a prosperous commercial port. As long as the situation in the world is slightly more stable, the location advantages here will soon be brought into play.

“The matter of salt is of utmost importance. After returning to Bianzhou, Judge Liu will definitely be promoted to Minister of Revenue. At that time, the salt administration will be left to you.

Low salt tax is a principle that cannot be violated. We will not use it to make money. As for the rest, Judge Liu will do whatever he wants.

The salt fields in Dengzhou should be as big as possible, and there is no need to worry about sales!"

Fang Zhongyong said this calmly, but he was sighing in his heart.

He had thought of many strategies for governing the country before, but the Tang Dynasty at that time did not have the conditions for implementation. It was difficult to satisfy everyone, and the vested interest groups were powerful, so any single move could have a far-reaching impact.

Now that we control a separatist regime, policies that were previously inconvenient to implement are now easy to implement.

Compared to the illusory Jiaozi, which was anchored by silk, salt, which was available at any time, was undoubtedly more real and would not go bad even if stored for ten years.

The popularity of low-tax salt will make salt permits a popular "token".

In this way, Bianzhou could use salt as a credit currency and increase leverage appropriately. This was exactly in line with the policy Liu Yan had planned before.

By the time the feudal society reached its heyday in the Tang Dynasty, it had already entered a bottleneck period. Any innovation was extremely valuable.

Fang Zhongyong had been planning this move for a long time. Now that he had unsheathed his sword, he was going to block the way for various parties to make money through salt taxes, making it impossible for them to even pay their soldiers.

"Building a new capital, expanding the army, and cultivating land all require money, a lot of money.

This commander intends to reform the tax law, abolish the rent and labor service, and implement the Two Tax System.

In principle, taxes are levied based on the amount of assets, twice a year in summer and autumn.

Now that the autumn harvest has passed, the policy will be implemented starting from next year. We should make careful arrangements and make all preparations now.

At that time, there will definitely be opposition from the big families in each state. Those who oppose must be resolutely suppressed.

Judge Liu, I will leave this matter to you to coordinate and plan. I will set up a team specifically responsible for collecting taxes and they will be under your command.

On weekdays, there are people in charge of recruiting and training soldiers, so you don’t have to ask about it.”

Fang Chongyong put forward another earth-shaking plan.

Everyone knows that the rent, labor service and tax system is not working anymore. Not to mention that Liu Yan used to be in the Ministry of Revenue, specializing in money management, and he can see clearly that the rent, labor service and tax system is only in name only.

However, when Ji Ge was in power, there were many different opinions in the court on how to change the tax law. There was a strong voice that the ancestral law could not be changed.

In fact, everyone can see clearly what is right and wrong, but the powerful will not take the initiative to change themselves. If you understand this, you will know why the new tax law has not been promulgated.

Liu Yan nodded slightly and said nothing more. There is still half a year to prepare. By then, if things go wrong, it might be earth-shattering!
But since Fang Chongyong gave up on making money through high salt taxes, implementing the Two Tax System became the inevitable choice.

"According to the new tax law, there will no longer be any distinction between main customers and clients. Taxes will be levied based on assets, and anyone who owns land in the local area will be considered a local.

Recount the land and property, and if you don’t cooperate, all your land and property will be confiscated and returned to the public.”

Fang Chongyong told Liu Yan this important principle.

Hearing this, Liu Yan immediately understood that Fang Chongyong was a real "expert" and only an expert could say such things.

The biggest problem with rent and labor service now is that the government account books hardly match the local household registration!
Those who should pay taxes don't pay them, and those who should be exempt from taxes are forced to run away due to heavy taxes, and in the end, taxes cannot be collected.

Acknowledging the current situation and levying taxes based on assets is a compromise with the past and a correction for the future.

Only a wise man can do it.

The advantage of doing this is: no one will evade taxes in the future. The more land you have, the more you should pay. I will not ask how you got the land for now.

The hidden disadvantage is that the land granting system of rent, labor and tax has been formally and substantially abolished. In other words, the distribution of land to landless refugees will no longer be a normal practice in the future.

Although the rent-labor-labor system was irrational, it at least had a cover before, and it still had "theoretical" land grants. It was just that there was no land, so it could not be implemented.

Let’s not bring this up now, which can be regarded as tacit approval of past mistakes and letting bygones be bygones.

Or to put it simply, just don't pretend.

Liu Yan nodded with a heavy expression. It was very rare for Fang Chongyong to have this awareness.

If it were other well-armored generals, what would they be thinking?
How to rob, how to kill, how to play with women, how to fight for territory. Who would think about how to implement the tax law, who would think about things like resting with the people?
"Please rest assured, Marshal, I will make careful preparations for the new tax law."

Liu Yan bowed deeply to Fang Zhongyong and said.

"Don't worry, Marshal Jie, the salt field in Dengzhou can definitely be built on a large scale."

Che Guangqian also saluted to Fang Zhongyong with a fist, feeling excited.

"Well, the army will set out tomorrow, so you all should go and rest.

These things cannot be completed in a few days.”

Fang Chongyong stood up and stretched, only to realize that it was already late and he was completely exhausted.

After seeing Che Guangqian and Liu Yan off, he lay down on the couch, staring at the dark beams in a daze.

"After all, we still have to compromise with reality."

Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

(End of this chapter)