The great man will live forever

Chapter 198 People are easily satisfied
"Clap."

"This traitor, what is he going to do?"

"Does he trust Liu Han that much?"

After learning that Liu Zheng was planning to worship Liu Han as his father-in-law, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in Ganquan Palace gasped in anger and kept smashing things.

"Your Majesty, calm down." Huo Guang had no way to persuade him, and he never thought that Liu Zhi would issue such an imperial edict.

"How can I calm down my anger? Also, he openly accuses me of my faults. Does he understand me? Does he know what I have done? If a son accuses his father because of a few words from outsiders, I will treat him After decades of training, they have all been fed to dogs. No, the hunting dogs of my Shanglinyuan are still guarding the house and guarding the courtyard to please me...

He wants to sweep away the majesty of the royal family and destroy what I have worked so hard to build over the past few decades. This is digging his own grave..."

Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very angry, he still had no choice but to do anything. He was probably tired of scolding, so he suddenly raised his head and looked at Huo Guang, "What kind of person do you think Liu Han is?"

Huo Guang didn't know how to answer for a while.

"I have seen many people in my life, greedy for money, lustful, sincere, loyal, hypocritical, power-hungry... Many people, I can tell what they want at a glance.

I thought I had seen through him before, but I found that I was wrong. Big mistake. What do you think he wants?Peace in the world and a name for eternity?Is it really for the common people of the Han Dynasty, without any selfish motives?Is he the sage of my great man?Do you want to become an immortal? "

Huo Guang was silent for a moment and did not answer directly. Instead, he said something that seemed extremely irrelevant: "In the past, there was a daughter of the Xin family who picked mulberries in Yichuan and found a baby in the empty mulberry. She said that her mother was pregnant in Yichuan. On the shore of the water, the Goddess Luo told him that the water from the mortar came out and went eastward.

Mother Ming saw the water coming out of the mortar, told her neighbors and left. She looked around the town and saw that the water was salty.His mother turned into an empty mulberry, and the son was found in it. He removed his daughter and offered it up, and he was raised in a cookhouse. When he grew up and became virtuous, he was called Yin in Yin Dynasty, and he was called Yi Yin. "

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was knowledgeable and talented, so he naturally knew what this was talking about. He was a famous prime minister of the Chinese generation and the first imperial teacher Yi Yin, also known as A Heng, who was born in the late summer.

According to legend, he was born in Kongsang and was adopted by a cook from the Shen Kingdom. He later assisted Cheng Tang and was named prime minister by Cheng Tang. He helped Cheng Tang destroy Xia and establish Shang. There is even a record in the oracle bone inscriptions that Shang Tang and Yi Yin were worshiped together. It can be seen that At that time, Yi Yin had a high status in the Shang Dynasty.

At the same time, Yi Yin also assisted Waibing, Zhongren, Taijia, and Woding, making outstanding contributions to the prosperity of the Shang Dynasty, and was revered as the "Sage of Shang Yuan" by later generations.

What's more interesting is that according to legend, the former king Zhongren died and Taijia succeeded to the throne. After three years of power, he became confused and violent, violated laws, corrupted morals, and did not abide by the major policies of Shang Tang.

In order to educate Taijia, Yiyin placed Taijia in a specific educational environment - Tonggong, where Chengtang's tomb was buried. Yiyin himself and other ministers governed on his behalf, which was known as the Republic in history. He also wrote "Yi Xun" and "Si Ming" Precepts such as "The Empress" describe how to govern, what can and cannot be done, and how to inherit Chengtang's laws and other issues.

In the specific educational environment created by Yi Yin, Taijia stayed in Tong Palace for three years. He regretted himself when he recalled Cheng Tang's achievements. He reflected deeply, "passed benevolence and changed righteousness", studied Yi Yin's precepts, gradually realized his mistakes, repented and returned. good.

When Taijia showed signs of changing from evil to good, Yiyin went to Tong Palace to greet him in time and handed over the royal power to him, while he continued to be Taijia's assistant...

This is a good story of a generation. Yi Yin did not depose the emperor, but he had the ability to imprison the emperor, but he did not usurp power. This is the most powerful thing.

Perhaps, he was also the person Huo Guang admired the most, so Huo Guang later did things similar to him, and even surpassed him. Huo Guang's reputation once surpassed that of Yi Yin, and he became the pinnacle of powerful ministers, even a model. Only few in later generations can compare with him. Prime Minister Zhuge is one, and Zhang Juzheng, the chief minister of Ming Dynasty, is one...

Of course, in the hearts of many people, there is only one Prime Minister Zhuge, and he is irreplaceable. Prime Minister will last forever!

There are many people who can resist the temptation of money and beauty, but not many people can resist the temptation of power, especially the supreme power. The corrosiveness of power is extremely terrifying. It is like concentrated sulfuric acid, only like glass. Only a transparent and pure heart can carry...

"So, he, Liu Han, is my big Han Yi Yin, and I am that stupid Taijia?"

Huo Guang hurriedly said: "How can your Majesty be Taijia? Your Majesty's achievements far exceed his. The imperial edict has said that your Majesty inherits the mandate of heaven, governs the people, expands territory, clarifies the world, has great virtues and outstanding achievements. Don’t take it lightly…

He also opened up territory, defeated the Xiongnu, connected to the Western Region, conquered the southern barbarians, settled the southwest, expanded Korea, expanded Fujian and Yue, his might and virtue are endless, and it is truly an unprecedented achievement...

Besides, after Taijia repented, he learned from the past, worked according to the rules and regulations passed down by Shang Tang, listened to the good advice of the ministers around him, and managed everything from national affairs to the lives of the people in an orderly manner. , brought the Shang Dynasty into a period of stable development, and was also a generation of wise kings.

It’s just that the current ideas of the Great Sima and the new emperor are different from yours. They are too young to understand your ideas and talents. Maybe they will understand in a few years..."

After listening to Huo Guang's words, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty softened his expression slightly, but his tone was still stern and a little lonely, "In a few years, I will probably have left. This rebellious son and rebellious minister may be eager to do so."

"Your Majesty, never say such words for ten thousand years."

Immediately, he murmured to himself: "New emperor, new emperor, I am already the Supreme Emperor, am I really wrong? No, I will not be wrong. I will live for another 500 years, and I will watch over you. , let’s see you admit your mistake.”

"You are the only one who will accompany me. Among those people, even Sang Hongyang has become the imperial censor. Shangguan Jie has also been rewarded a lot and given more important positions. Even your position as Shangshu Ling has been replaced by Zhang Shi'an. You are the only one." He is truly loyal.”

Liu Han only blocked the access of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He took the initiative to let Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty know some news. It was almost impossible for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to pass on the news and he could only passively accept it.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty looked at Huo Guang with admiration in his eyes, "The strong wind knows the strong grass, the fierce fire knows the true gold. Only at this time can you know who is the loyal minister."

"I will always be loyal to Your Majesty."

Huo Guang actually had mixed feelings in his heart. Although he seemed to be left out, his reputation was better. He still had his original intention towards Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and he had a reputation for loyalty.

If Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dies in a few years, it is not impossible for him to return to the court, and with a reputation of loyalty, he might be able to take a step closer. After all, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is Liu Shi's father. Who doesn't like loyal ministers?

"The running water does not compete with each other, but the competition is with the endless flow of words. Da Sima is almost 50, and his health seems to have been in poor condition..."

His eyes were dark and he had his own plans.

... On the official road, the fur merchant Wen Feibai was pulling a three-liang carriage and was on the way with his son Wen Tian.

"Tian'er, alas, our family's life has been getting worse over the years. The year before last, Liu Papi messed with us. After decades of accumulation, most of the family property is gone. We are quite lucky. Your Uncle Wang's family, I was reported by Li Demin, the man who gave birth to a son without an asshole, and all my family property was lost..."

He sighed to his son. In recent years, the people's life has been really difficult. Whether they are farmers or businessmen, his family is considered good. The Liu Papi he calls is the Jincao of the county, in charge of taxation.

"I'm afraid we'll have to pay four for these three loads of stuff. The 480 dollars will be gone. After a tiring trip, less than half of our income will be gone."

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in addition to public vehicles and military vehicles, private vehicles and commercial vehicles had to pay taxes. A "horsepower" civilian vehicle had to pay a tax of 120 yuan for every two thousand yuan.

A "horsepower" business vehicle requires a tax of 240 bucks for every two thousand dollars. Regardless of whether you have goods or not, it is equivalent to highway tolls in later generations. But Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made it clear that no matter what you are equipped with, you will have to pay for the carriage. .

"Aweng, we have three carriages, doesn't it count as three?"

Wen Feibai smiled bitterly, "Son, these military masters work so hard to collect taxes, why don't they earn some hard money?"

"Are they corrupt?"

"The world is as dark as crows. I don't know what will happen when the new emperor ascends the throne. Think about your uncle Wang. His decades of family property and generations of accumulation are all gone. He has become a servant of County Magistrate Liu's family." , Our family is pretty good, so let’s just pay the money to avoid disaster.”

After the Mayi War, a large amount of money was needed again, so Emperor Wu began to focus on taxation and resumed the commercial tax that had been abolished for decades. At the beginning, it only collected taxes on transportation vehicles...

But later, he thought it was too little, so he began to increase the intensity of property tax. As the businessman's property increased, he had to take a bite out of it. He began to seize the businessman's property, and began to pay taxes on assets exceeding two thousand yuan. , the tax rate is approximately three percent.

This may not seem like much, but in the eyes of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was only money and no detailed rules at all. Later he introduced rules, but they were very crude.

In addition, most of those who buy offices are corrupt officials, and these corrupt officials are handling these business taxes, and a large amount of money-making begins.People dressed up as beggars to hide their wealth so they wouldn't pay.

They were smart, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was even smarter, and he immediately issued a decree: "Gao Min Order".

The so-called "reporting" means mobilizing the common people all over the world to report tax evasion, and reward the whistleblower with half of the amount of tax evasion, and the other half will be confiscated to the national treasury; there will be no accountability for wrongful accusations or false accusations.

Good guy, as soon as this "complaint order" was implemented, profitable and blameless complaints suddenly became popular all over the country.This move made almost all profit-seekers red-eyed. The huge rewards stimulated the people's enthusiasm to inform on those who concealed their property, and there was an endless stream of informers.

A large number of them covet other people's property and take the opportunity to make false accusations. For example, the fur goods merchant Wen Feibai mentioned that Li Demin, who gave birth to a son without an asshole, falsely accused his good friend, and as a result, their homes were ransacked...

It can be said that during this period, almost all rich people were reported. They had money, but if they did not have power, they could only be slaughtered.

With the support of the emperor, the whole country came together to hate the rich and deprived the rich of their property. Half of the country was half of yours, which became a way for the country and the villain to make money.

The "reporting" system was extremely effective at first: the country "obtained hundreds of millions of people's property, tens of millions of slaves, hundreds of hectares of fields in large counties, and more than a hundred hectares in small counties, as well as houses."

But at the same time, the consequences are: the rich "kill the goose to seize the eggs and drain the river to fish", and the business industry falls into the quagmire of bankruptcy;
What is even more frightening than this is that the "reporting" system has corrupted people's morals and lost integrity. It has become popular for people to report to the government and act as government spies. The relationship between people is the same as that between a man and a wolf...

Put it this way, all the big men in this period were poor, and the rich were all accused. Unless you were rich, had connections, or had an official in your family, otherwise you could only be slaughtered. It would be better if your family was not ruined. of……

Who dares to do business like this?Business in the Han Dynasty entered an unprecedented depression. Fortunately, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established the state-owned enterprises in the Han Dynasty. Otherwise, the common people would not be able to buy necessities such as salt, farm tools, and clothes.

"That's it, Tian'er, look, if the new emperor keeps doing this, let's go home, sell off all our property, and go to the countryside to farm, otherwise sooner or later we will end up on the same path as your Uncle Wang!"

The fur trader Wen Feibai said, his eyes filled with sadness. His grandfather, his father, and his decades of struggle seemed to have returned to the starting point.

At noon, I came to a checkpoint, which was specially charged. But today there was still a person standing next to the checkpoint, wearing the clothes of the Habayashi Guards.

He was very confused and called a businessman, "Brother, if I read it correctly, that is Yulinwei. Why is he here?"

"You don't know yet. Nowadays, all cars must be counted half and no corruption is allowed. The new emperor specially asked the Habayashi Guards to supervise them. They are the emperor's own soldiers, and they will not accept the calculations. It is impossible to say that after some time, even the cars will not be counted. No more collection.”

"Ah? Really?" Wen Feibai, a fur goods merchant, suddenly felt that something was unreal. He had been collecting these goods for more than ten years, so why not?
"That's right, the new emperor has issued a decree to reduce taxes. He also scolded the emperor and reviewed his sins. He said that he would not be able to fight in 20 years, do light work and pay little taxes, and rest with the people. Your family may be far away, but the people in my hometown are happy. crazy……"

The fur merchant Wen Fei's brain was buzzing, and his tears fell unconsciously. As for scolding the emperor, he didn't care, nor did he reflect on it. He only cared that he didn't have to worry anymore. It seemed that the pain he had suffered was over. Ten Thousand Mountains!

"Long live your majesty, long live, long live!"

He looked at Chang'an, with tears in his eyes, and couldn't help shouting that the people were really good, and it seemed enough to just give them some hope.

And things like this are not uncommon in the entire Han Dynasty
……

　The "Bamboo Book Annals" unearthed during the Western Jin Dynasty has another conclusion about Yiyin and Taijia.Since the ancient version of "Bamboo Book Annals" has been lost in the Song Dynasty, all that can be seen in modern times are edited by the Qing Dynasty and modern people.Fang Shiming and Wang Xiuling's "Ancient Bamboo Book Chronicles Collection" contains the text of "Bamboo Book Chronicles" from the "Taiping Yulan", "Jin Shu", "Shi Tong", "Selected Works", "Tongjian Waiji" and other books:

　　Yi Yin put Taijia in Tong and became independent.Taijia sneaked out of Tong and killed Yiyin.Then he established his sons Yi Zhi and Yi Fen, and ordered them to restore their father's land and house and divide them among them.

　　"Bamboo Book Annals" was written by Wei State historians during the Warring States Period. Five or six hundred years have passed since the Shang Dynasty. Compared with "Historical Records", there is not much time advantage.What's more, the 600 oracle bone inscriptions with the name "Yi Yin" discovered so far all show that Yi Yin had a very high status and enjoyed the same level of sacrifice as "Shang Tang" and Shang Gaozu "Shangjiawei". The Ancient Bamboo Chronicle records that Yi Yin usurped power, but the oracle bone inscriptions say that he enjoyed great honors from the Yin and Shang Dynasties anyway, and he does not seem to have been a regicide.

　　My tendency is that it did not kill the king, just like Huo Guang, the things that have already happened will inevitably happen, like Prime Minister Zhuge, Youyou Cangtian, how can I be inferior to him, the Prime Minister will be proud of me in Sichuan forever, and I will always remember it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)