The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

The Qin Dynasty was an era with very strict laws. Qin Shihuang's tough measures also resulted in tyranny and wealth accumulation. After unifying the six kingdoms, Qin Shihuang continued to expand the territory, which also led to constant wars at the time, and corvée and military service became an important source for the continuation of the war.

However, the heavy taxation system of the Qin Dynasty also became unbearable for the people at that time and accelerated the fall of the Qin Dynasty. Here, we have to mention the corvée system of the Qin Dynasty.

"Tongdian" records: "It was not the case with Qin. It taxed people while holding the land. Therefore, when the land was not sufficient, the taxes were required, so the poor avoided it."

Before the Qin Dynasty unified China, Emperor Qin Shi Huang clearly divided the private ownership of land and the state ownership of land, and on this basis, he began to collect taxes. There were three main types of taxation in the Qin Dynasty: land rent, head tax, and corvée.

Since the state recognized private ownership of land, levying taxes on landlords became the first choice of Qin's taxation. The land rent was to collect a certain amount of money from the landowner according to the number of acres of land. At that time, Shang Yang proposed to abolish the well-field system and recognize private ownership of land. Farmers could freely carry out agricultural production according to the amount of land they owned.

This taxation method allowed farmers to conduct agricultural activities more freely, greatly promoted farmers' enthusiasm for agricultural production, and promoted the economic development of Qin at that time. After Qin unified the six kingdoms, this taxation method remained basically unchanged. Regardless of whether the landowner was poor or rich at that time, he had to pay land rent.

The only difference is that in order to protect the interests of large landowners and rich peasants, the Qin Dynasty adopted the "military merit system", which resulted in a large amount of land annexation, causing the poor to become poorer and the rich to become richer.

Of course, in addition to paying money, the rent for the land could also include the required fodder. In other words, those who did not want to pay the rent could use three stones of fodder and two stones of fodder instead, which would be collected by the government and used as fodder for the horses in the army.

In addition to land rent, the Qin Dynasty also had a tax system called head tax, which was a tax based on the number of people. This tax method was aimed at people who had no land and were idle. (So, in the Qin Dynasty, it was impossible for ordinary people to just lie down and do nothing.) This method of taxing people based on their heads became more and more perfect after the Qin Dynasty unified China, and its scope of application gradually expanded. Many elderly, weak, sick, disabled, and infants also needed to pay, which greatly increased the burden on the people.

When the people were unable to pay taxes, the government required them to do unpaid labor. Therefore, after the Qin Dynasty unified China, the corvée system became more and more perfect. Due to the frequent wars during the Qin Dynasty, corvée became a fixed form of taxation. When men reached the age of service, they were generally required to serve three times, including one month of local labor, one labor in the county, and one labor in another county.

But the Qin Dynasty still had a humane side. For example, the elderly and the disabled did not have to serve in the army. Or if you made meritorious contributions in some places, such as raising cattle and farming, you could be exempted from one month of local labor. In addition, soldiers also had the opportunity to be exempted from labor. For example, if they made military merits and reached the title of Bu Geng, they would not have to serve in the army. In addition, scholars and students who were regarded as reserve officials did not have to serve in the army. However, this seemingly humane point was almost gone in the late Qin Dynasty. Not to mention students, even the elderly had to participate in labor.

As for the Qin Dynasty's military service system, there is a poem that says: "At fifteen, one joins the army and can only return home at eighty."

It can be said that the Qin Dynasty's military service system was very strict, and the number of people serving in the military was very wide, and even women were included in the military. Before Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, the Qin Dynasty adopted a system of conscription by county. The service age of military personnel was generally between 15 and 65 years old. If there was a tense situation of war, these two age limits might be broken and younger or older men might be recruited.

After the Qin Dynasty unified China, the age limit for male military service was changed. It was stipulated that men had to serve in the army after the age of 17. Of course, under special circumstances, the age limit would also be changed. When you enter the army at the age of 60, it is the beginning of military service, and you have to stay in the army until you are 56 years old. If you have outstanding military merits or contributions during the war, you can serve until you are years old.

During the service, there are three types of soldiers: Gengzu, Zhengzu and Shuzu. Gengzu is the reserve army of the Qin Dynasty army. Men serving in this type of army are required to serve once a year, and each time lasts for one month.

Regular soldiers are those serving in the regular army. They are the main combat force on the battlefield. The service time of these soldiers is one year, and their main task is to participate in various combat trainings to provide qualified soldiers for combat.

Garrison soldiers refer to the soldiers guarding the border of Qin State. Most of these soldiers become regular soldiers and meet the training standards before being sent to the border for a one-year service.

Because the Qin Dynasty had always adopted an expansionist policy, military service became the main form of corvée service. It can be said that all the people in Qin were soldiers, and the court would arrange and organize the people to join the army according to different situations in order to expand the number of troops.

There are even historical records that when the war was tense, the court divided the army into three parts. One part was strong adult men, the other part was strong adult women, and the rest of the old, weak, sick and disabled were organized into a large group, which is the origin of the three armies.

At the same time, in order to strengthen the control over the Central Plains and the garrison of the border, Qin Shihuang carried out a large-scale transformation of the national transportation, not only building new roads, but also digging canals, which greatly facilitated the movement and transportation of the army. Such a huge amount of engineering is also the result of the labor of countless soldiers and civilians after serving.

The Qin Dynasty showed an unrestrained approach to taxation and corvee. On the one hand, the oppression on the people was too heavy, and the taxation and corvee were imposed without regard for the people's ability. On the other hand, the court wasted financial resources and built various projects on a large scale, which had a serious impact on the people's lives and economic development at that time.

During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, there were about 20 million people, but more than 3 million of them were conscripted, which means that nearly 15% of the country's population was doing corvée labor for the emperor. And they were all young laborers. Apart from the soldiers, you can imagine that there were almost no men farming in the country, and it was all women who worked.

In his "Memorial on Limiting the Land Used by the People", Dong Zhongshu proposed that the corvée labor in the Qin Dynasty was 30 times that of ancient times: monthly rotation, monthly re-operation, one year of garrisoning, and one year of hard labor, which was thirty times that of ancient times.

Not to mention that Dong Zhongshu slandered Qin Shihuang, Mr. He Tanye also specifically compared the amount of labor in the Qin Dynasty and the Shang and Zhou Dynasties in "A Study of the Corvée and Taxation System of the Qin Dynasty" and found that the labor in the Qin Dynasty was 35 times that of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

The Qin Dynasty's labor service was 44 years, starting at the age of 16 and ending at the age of 60. This number is a bit absurd. Not to mention whether 16 years old is an adult, the life expectancy of people at that time was not high. It is rare for a man to live to years old. In this era when the average life expectancy was less than years old, it means that a man had to serve from the age of until his death.

All the projects built by Qin Shihuang required a lot of manpower and financial resources, but manpower alone was not enough, financial support was also needed.

More than three million people were taken to perform corvée labor. Although it was free of charge, the management and food, drink, and defecation of these people still cost money, so the government needed financial support. Where did the money come from? From taxes.

Taxes are imposed by the rulers to maintain the operation of the state machinery. Taxes are imposed compulsorily, whether you are willing or not.

There are two types of taxes: land tax, which means you have to pay taxes for growing various crops, and head tax, which means you have to pay a certain amount of taxes based on how many people there are in your family.

The taxation system of the Qin Dynasty was mainly divided into: land rent and additional land tax, head tax, household tax, customs and market tax and commodity tax, and mountain, sea and lake tax. There are many types of these taxes, but to be honest, some of them are understandable and some sound ridiculous.

"Book of Han: Table of Officials and Palace Officials" states: Shaofu was a Qin official who was in charge of the taxes on mountains, seas, lakes and ponds to provide for the daily expenses of the royal family and the needs of the palace. Shaofu was an official position established during the Qin Dynasty, mainly responsible for managing the taxes on mountains, seas, lakes and ponds to provide for the daily expenses of the royal family and the needs of the palace.

By the way, the position of Shaofu was one of the Nine Ministers and had an important status. Shaofu had many subordinates, including Shangshu, Fujie, Taiyi, Taiguan, Tangguan, Daoguan, Yuefu, Ruolu, Kaogongshi, Zuoyi, Jushi, Ganquan Jushi, Zuoyou Sikong, Dongzhi, Xizhi, Dongyuanjiang, etc. These subordinates each had their own duties and assisted Shaofu in fulfilling his duties.

Specifically, the duties of the Shaofu include but are not limited to the following: managing the taxes on mountains, seas, ponds and lakes, which is the most important function of the Shaofu, including the tax management of natural resources such as mountains, forests, lakes and oceans. In other words, no matter what industry you are in, whether it is fishing, hunting or farming, you have to pay taxes.

Of course, the duties of the Shaofu were not limited to collecting taxes to support the daily expenses of the royal family. He also managed the private property of the royal family, such as the royal fields, manors, livestock, etc. He was responsible for the handicraft manufacturing of the royal family, including the production of weapons, tools, utensils, etc.

They also participated in the royal business activities, such as salt and iron monopoly, material procurement, etc.

The Qin Dynasty also had a head tax, but it was called a mouth tax, and it was divided into very detailed categories. Adult men and women over 15 years old paid a head tax called a sum tax, and minors between 7 and 14 years old also had to pay a head tax called a mouth tax.

"Book of Han·Records of Food and Money": It was not the case during the Qin Dynasty. The method of Shang Yang was adopted to change the imperial system. The profits from land rent, head tax, and salt money were twenty times that of ancient times.

This means that the Qin Dynasty's land rent, head tax, edible salt and other commodity taxes were twenty times higher than before.

As for the land tax, it had to be collected in every dynasty, and land rent and taxes were an important source of income for the Qin state.

In 408 BC, Duke Jian of Qin implemented a land tax reform and abolished the "Ji Fa" of the well-field system. Of course, the so-called reform was only a modification, not abolition. The land tax must be collected, and it was renamed "Chu Zu He". Taxes were collected according to the area of ​​the field. This was the beginning of the Qin State's land tax system. The land tax was the fodder and draft tax of the Qin Dynasty.

Straw and draft tax refer to the straw of crops.

"Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Qin Shi Huang" records: There were many dogs, horses, and other beasts that needed to be fed, but the supply was insufficient, so the county was ordered to transport beans, millet, and fodder.

What this means is that these animals have eaten too much and need to be transported. Why can they be transported? Because they have collected a lot of food from the common people.

The Qin Dynasty not only had taxes on mountains, seas, ponds and lakes, a head tax (i.e., mouth tax), a land tax and a surcharge on land, but also household taxes, customs taxes and commodity taxes.

After all, the reason why the Qin Dynasty fell was because Qin Shihuang and Qin Ershi imposed heavy taxes, corvée and taxes, which seriously lost the support of the people. Some people may say that the laws of the Qin Dynasty were harsh, which is true, but the purpose of the harsh laws was to control the people of the Qin Dynasty.

In order to ensure the long-term development of his dynasty, a founding emperor should have implemented a policy of recuperation and light taxation. Because the country had just been established and the war had just ended, the people had suffered so much from the war that they could not survive. If they were to be burdened with more corvée and taxes, they would not be able to survive.

This is the root of the suffering of the world under Qin. Faced with heavy taxes, frequent labor service, and harsh punishments, the people are like clockwork machines, unable to rest for a moment. At this time, a major change was brewing in the world. Xiang Liang of Kuaiji was secretly accumulating armed forces, and local county governors were thinking about how to protect themselves.

In fact, if we follow the simple method, Yi Huawei can change his identity and wait until the death of Qin Shi Huang, follow the trend of chaos in the world, rise up and seize the world. This method is not uncommon in history. All monarchs have established their own authority by taking advantage of the decline of the previous dynasty.

However, the course of history is not a simple matter of addition and subtraction. The fall of the Qin Dynasty brought about peasant uprisings and a series of wars between Chu and Han, conflicts that brought unprecedented damage to China's population. By the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, China's population had dropped sharply to about 1300 million, a figure that was more than half of the heyday of the Qin Dynasty.

This was a painful process of sharp population decline, with overall social and economic decline, people displaced and the land devastated.

Therefore, Yi Huawei chose a more difficult but more stable path - not through war, but through economic recovery and improving people's living standards to truly rebuild this powerful empire. Although this path is slow, it can lay the foundation for long-term peace and prosperity, so that all Chinese descendants in the world can live in a peaceful and prosperous environment.

The expansion of an empire can only be achieved through external means, if it does not involve excessive taxation at home. The expansion of a country or empire is essentially to seek more resources and territory to enhance its own national strength and influence. If it is unable to obtain sufficient human resources internally, it can only look to the outside world.

For a huge empire, internal stability and harmony are very important. Exorcism and heavy levies will lead to the people's livelihood being in dire straits and social unrest, thus affecting the stability and long-term development of the empire. Therefore, exorcism and heavy levies are not a wise choice.

Then, external expansion becomes the only option. Through external expansion, the empire can obtain more resources and territory, enhance its national strength and influence. At the same time, external expansion can also divert domestic conflicts and reduce people's dissatisfaction and pressure on the empire.

However, external expansion is not an easy task. It requires strong military power and shrewd political skills to deal with possible hostile forces and challenges. In addition, external expansion also requires reasonable strategies and tactics to maximize the advantages of the empire and avoid getting into unnecessary conflicts and wars.

In Yi Huawei's view, except for the 56 ethnic groups living on 10.45 million square kilometers, the rest are all foreign races. Since they are foreign races, Yi Huawei naturally has no scruples in attacking them.

What Yi Huawei gave Meng Tian was not the formula for cement. Under the current conditions, the cement produced would not last for more than two years, let alone a thousand years. Yi Huawei did not want Ying Zheng to think of taking him with him just because he offered him cement.

What Yi Huawei gave Meng Tian was the method of making stirrups and saddles, as well as a hygiene and epidemic prevention manual and an atlas of how to make food from wheat flour.

(End of this chapter)