The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 305: Laddered Tax Collection

Faced with Zhu Xiongying’s question, Chen Jingke’s answer was:

"The rentier class."

Chen Jingke had told them this concept before, and Zhu Biao immediately guessed what he was going to say:
"Buddhism and Taoism do not involve production and do not pay taxes, but enjoy the worship of all people and arbitrarily annex land wealth."

"This has led to intensification of mergers, which has increased the burden on the dynasty and led to its demise faster."

Chen Jingke nodded and said, "Your Highness is wise."

"Classes were highly solidified in the pre-Qin period, and the rentier class was relatively simple, that is, the powerful class."

"After the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the rentier class increased."

"The powerful bureaucrats, gentry and landlords, powerful businessmen... are all rentier classes."

"With so many rentier classes taking action, the merger of wealth and land has accelerated many times."

"Then it starts to go downhill, and if it persists for another hundred or two hundred years, there will be no way back."

"But their existence did objectively accelerate the decline of the dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang perked up and said, "Oh, tell us in detail."

Zhu Yuanzhang said helplessly: "Suppressing mergers is easier said than done."

Chen Jingke replied: "Before we talk about guidance, let's first re-understand what wealth is."

"Even if there is no Buddhism, other religions will be born to take their place."

"The world is so miserable, and people need something that can comfort their souls."

"Instead of focusing on eliminating them, we should think about how to use them and think about how to inhibit mergers."

"This is also the fundamental reason for the failure of restraining land annexation in all dynasties."

Chen Jingke quickly shook his head and said: "It's impossible. The birth of Buddhism and Taoism is actually a historical necessity."

"To solve this problem, we need to redefine wealth and let people understand that wealth is not just land."

"Right now, religion is best suited to play this role."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Isn't it true? Money will eventually be spent, but land is permanent and can be passed down to future generations as the foundation of a family."

"Buddhism and Taoism are also rentier classes, and their emergence has accelerated the annexation of land and wealth."

"Not only Buddhism, but also other rentier classes cannot be eliminated, they can only be suppressed."

Chen Jingke said: "Although mergers cannot be prevented, they can be guided."

"This is why I want to use Mazu's belief to beat them."

"Shops are wealth, tea gardens are wealth, handicraft skills mastered are also wealth, and merchant ships purchased are also wealth."

Zhu Yuanzhang said thoughtfully: "Then destroying Buddhism, will the dynasty be prolonged?"

Chen Jingke nodded and said: "Mergers cannot be suppressed, but policies can be used to slow them down."

"We need to guide wealthy people to do business, buy shops, and buy merchant ships."

Chen Jingke sorted out his thoughts and said:
"We must realize that mergers and acquisitions are a natural consequence of human nature and are unstoppable."

“Now in everyone’s understanding, wealth is land.”

"Previous dynasties have been unsuccessful in suppressing annexations, largely because they did not have a clear understanding of wealth."

Zhu Xiongying suddenly realized: "So that's it. Let me just say, the theory of luck is illusory..."

“When you have money, you want to make more money. When you have land, you want to buy more land. This is where mergers and acquisitions occur.”

Zhu Biao asked: "You always see problems differently than others, do you have any way to deal with it?"

Chen Jingke spread his hands and said, "Look, even you think so, other people will definitely think so too, and then go out and buy land."

"There is no way those people don't understand this truth. How could they listen to us and go into business?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head repeatedly and said: "It won't work, it won't work. You may lose money in business, the ship may sink, and no land is safe."

"So, blind restrictions are against human nature and are unlikely to succeed."

"It is unfair to attribute the short life of the dynasty after the unification to Buddhism and Taoism."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "What should we do? Is it really impossible to escape from this dynasty periodic law?"

"As a result of human nature, no matter how stringent the laws we enact to prohibit land annexation, they will be destroyed."

"Every dynasty has been trying to find a way, but no dynasty has been able to succeed."

“When you get rich, the first thing you think of is buying land. When you make money from farming, you also buy more land.”

"At most, it will be annexed within a hundred years."

"So Buddhism and Taoism are not afraid of the imperial court destroying Buddhism and Taoism. What they are afraid of is that the imperial court will support another religion to replace them."

"When a dynasty is first established, 70% of the land is in the hands of the court and the people."

"Even if one or two ZTE masters emerge, they can only alleviate the contradictions slightly, but cannot reverse the overall situation."

Zhu Yuanzhang said doubtfully: "Guide? How to guide?"

Chen Jingke said: "So certain measures are needed to guide it."

"As we just said, merging is human nature. That is to say, if you have money, you will definitely annex."

“If you don’t want them to annex land, we need to guide them to annex other things.”

“Business is the best direction to divert traffic.”

"But as your Majesty just said, business is risky and far less secure than land."

"Then, let's start from this aspect."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "How to do it?"

Chen Jingke replied: "First of all, we need to reduce the income from land."

"If farming is a hugely profitable industry, more people will flock in."

"The people are weak and cannot protect their land from rentiers."

"So, the court wants to reduce the income from the land."

"Farming can only provide food and clothing, but it is not profitable beyond that, which reduces the enthusiasm of wealthy people to buy land."

This is actually a very helpless thing.

Why do farmers put in more hard work but can still barely have enough food and clothing?
Why can't you make a fortune by farming?

However, until productivity reaches a certain height, one can only compromise with reality.

The reality is that capital will flow to profit-making industries.

Farming can generate huge profits, and capital will inevitably flow in in large quantities.

Who was the largest private landowner on Earth in the past life?

The answer is Bill Gates.

A tycoon with a background in technology eventually invested his money in land.

He alone owns hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.

Although there are no such big landowners in China, everyone is familiar with land transfer, right?
Some contracted out their land, and some directly sold the contracting rights permanently.

Thirty-five thousand and one acres, a lot of people are very happy.

They only see that there is no money to be made from farming right now, and they can make more money by going out to work in one year than by farming in ten years.

I have to go to work anyway, and the land at home is abandoned, so I might as well sell it to others.

But I haven’t thought about it at all. What will I do if I run out of land?
What should I do if I encounter an economic crisis and lose my job?
If you have land, you can at least fill your stomach.

With no land, they can only wait for relief.

Some people may say that the profits from farming are still too low. If the profits were higher, who would be willing to sell?

However, how much profit is high?
With profits so high, can people keep their land in the face of the invasion of big capital?
Some people will say that it is a matter of the state, and the state should protect the people's land.

However, all previous dynasties understood this truth and were trying to find ways to resolve land annexation.

But no dynasty can do it.

Reality is reality.

There is nothing wrong with pursuing perfection, but don’t ignore reality just because you pursue perfection so much.

Therefore, reducing the profits from farming and making big capital lose interest is not a solution.

Instability without agriculture has two meanings:
The first level is the importance of food to people. Without food, there is nothing.

The second meaning is that land can carry a huge population and provide a last resort for countless people.

Those who have permanent property have perseverance, and the people have something to rely on, so they will not become refugees and will not rebel, which will contribute to the stability of society.

In the previous life, even the Lighthouse Country had countless refugees, but why are there almost none in our country?
In addition to policy support, the ability of land to protect the bottom line is also an important factor.

This is the true meaning of instability without agriculture.

People with limited abilities went to farm, relying on the land to ensure food and clothing for their families.

People with strong abilities can go out and create value in other industries.

This is the most pragmatic approach.

After a pause and waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang and the others to figure out the reason, Chen Jingke continued:
"Just reducing the income is not enough. His Majesty just said that the output of the land is the most stable."

"No matter how small the profit is, it is still profitable."

“Once the land is purchased, it is held for life and can be passed on to children and grandchildren.”

"Just the characteristic of 'stability' can encourage countless people to invest money in land."

"Then we have to find ways to increase the cost of holding land for them."

"For example, tax collection is in a stepped manner." "Five hundred acres is a step. If a household holds land within 500 acres, it will pay land tax normally."

"If you hold more than 500 acres of land, you will pay higher land taxes on the excess."

"If it exceeds one thousand acres, a higher proportion of taxes will be paid on the excess."

"Keep raising taxes to the point where they give money away, and naturally no one will hold large amounts of land."

Zhu Xiongying reacted quickly and said immediately: "If you have many children at home, you can divide the households and put the land in the names of the children."

“Wouldn’t it be possible to avoid tiered taxation and continue to engage in mergers and acquisitions?”

"Bang." Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his hand on the table and said excitedly:
"Okay, okay, this step-by-step tax collection is good, this is a grace order."

Only then did Zhu Xiongying realize that there was no such thing as father, son and brothers in the face of interests.

If you divide the household for your children and put the land in their names, it belongs to them.

When he was alive, his children might not have dared to do anything.

When he is gone, the family will fall apart and one big landowner will become many small landowners.

The harm caused by small landowners to the country cannot be compared with that of large landowners.

The harm of land annexation will naturally be reduced.

"Jing Ke, your brain is really good, haha..."

Zhu Biao couldn't help but nod his head. This step-by-step collection of land taxes was really a stroke of genius.

Since we can't prevent you from merging, then force you to divide your households.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and paced back and forth, showing how excited he was:
"Okay, okay, great. In this way, all the problems will be solved."

Chen Jingke, however, was far less optimistic. He poured cold water on the situation and said, "Your Majesty, a perfect policy requires both blocking and sparing."

"Laddered taxation is just a blockade. If the rich cannot spend their money, they will come up with crooked ideas."

"No matter how good the policy is, it cannot withstand their thinking every day."

"Therefore, there must be corresponding measures to guide them and find a place for their money to go."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with some disbelief: "How can they take advantage of the stepped tax collection?"

Chen Jingke sighed: "The court can't restrict me from renting land, right?"

"I don't buy land, I rent it, permanently."

"The land is still in my name, but the actual ownership belongs to me."

"I have a land lease contract, what can the court do to me?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's raised steps immediately stopped, and the excited expression on his face began to recede. After a long while, he said:

"If you are a bad person, you must be the worst kind in the world."

Zhu Xiongying said with deep approval: "I told you a long time ago that he is full of evil, now you believe me."

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "Go and talk about business, don't mess around."

Then he sat down again and said, "Tell me, how to provide guidance specifically?"

Chen Jingke said: "Guide capable people and excess money to more valuable places."

"Let them see that engaging in other industries is more profitable than buying land, and they will naturally stop focusing on that little bit of land."

"As for where to guide them...the ancients have already given the answer."

"Science, agriculture, industry and commerce basically cover all occupations."

"Some outstanding talents can be absorbed into the bureaucracy to help the court govern the country."

“The rest directs them toward industry and commerce.”

"How big the profits of industry and commerce are. Even if I don't tell you, Your Majesty should understand."

"And industry and commerce can best promote the development of productivity, guide the inflow of talents and resources, and also accelerate the progress of productivity."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said: "But the status of businessmen is low and business is unstable..."

Having said this, an idea flashed in his mind, and he thought of some previous things, and his eyes suddenly widened:

"You reformed the tax law, promulgated a new business bill, and even tempted us to open the sea... Has this day already come to an end?"

Chen Jingke said with a 'hehe' smile: "A virtuous circle, a virtuous circle."

"The previous innovations can only be regarded as laying the foundation, and future innovations will be carried out on the basis of the previous ones."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him and said, "Such a good idea should have been told to us earlier."

"Implement it early, and now it has been implemented all over the world."

Chen Jingke said helplessly: "I'm just afraid that you are too anxious and haste makes waste."

"I know you can rely on your authority to force this policy."

“But the business environment was not good at that time, and no one wanted to do business.”

"If it is enforced, it will bring huge resistance, and even nobles will have objections to you."

Why did Xungui support Zhu Yuanzhang? Does he look good in the picture?
Isn’t it just for that little bit of power and getting more land?

The largest group of landowners at the moment is the founding nobles.

They are the ones who suffer the most from the tiered fees.

Damn it if these people don't have an opinion.

"Now with the implementation of new tax laws and new commercial laws, coupled with the prosperity of sea trade, the potential for business has emerged."

"More and more people are trying to get involved in the business world."

“When we introduce tiered taxation at this time, we will encounter much less resistance.”

"If we are given some guidance on business, the effect will be even better."

Having said this, Chen Jingke sighed and said:

"In fact, now is still not the best time for implementation. In a few years, there will be even less resistance."

"But if you want to give up the throne to His Highness, you can only advance this matter."

The scope of the stepped tax collection is too wide, not only the landlords and bureaucrats, but also the nobles.

There will inevitably be strong counterattacks.

Zhu Biao is indeed very prestigious, but compared with Lao Zhu, he is not even a bit inferior.

If he were to implement this policy, he would inevitably face strong opposition.

It doesn't matter to Lao Zhu, he could do whatever he wanted in the Ming Dynasty.

People whose interests have been harmed don’t even dare to fart.

If I dare to disagree, it is because the household registration book is too thick.

"So, please settle this matter first and then abdicate."

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "You bastard, you are treating me like a bull, right?"

Chen Jingke was not afraid at all and asked, "Just tell me whether you want to do it or not."

Zhu Yuanzhang said categorically: "Fuck, whoever dares to stop Special Brew, we will send him to meet his ancestors."

Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying laughed. The old man's temper was really easy to control.

Of course, if others knew their thoughts, I wonder if they would agree with them.

At this time, Zhu Biao said seriously: "How many more years do you want to be my father?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "You really treat your father like a cow that will never die. If you don't want to do it, don't do it."

Seeing that Zhu Biao still wanted to explain, he waved his hand and said:

"We know what you think, but the sooner I abdicate, the better it will be for you."

"After you ascend the throne, you can make drastic reforms. If you encounter difficulties, we can still help you."

"In just a few years, your prestige will be established."

"If it's a few years later, we won't be able to walk anymore, and I won't be able to help you even if I want to."

"So this matter has been settled, so don't push it around."

"When the third and fourth elders come back, we can pick an auspicious day and hold the ceremony."

Zhu Biao was so moved that tears filled his eyes: "Okay, I will definitely not let you down."

Zhu Yuanzhang smacked his lips and said: "We have heard this several times. The first time I heard it, I was very moved. The second time I heard it, it was okay..."

"If you listen too much, it will only become awkward. Don't say it again."

Zhu Biao's expression froze and he was too choked to speak.

"Hehe...haha..." Chen Jingke and Zhu Xiongying on the side couldn't help laughing.

Isn't it? It's really awkward to have to do this every time you say you want to give up your seat.

But this kind of scene probably only existed in the early Ming Dynasty.

It would be impossible for any father and son in any dynasty to give up the throne like them.

After laughing, Chen Jingke reminded: "It's best to talk to the nobles first. After all, they are all heroes of the country."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "We know this matter well. We will call Tiande and the others over another day. They will definitely support it."

"You have another problem to worry about now."

"Business will definitely flourish in the future, and the power of businessmen will definitely increase."

"As for the consequences of businessmen taking power, you have already said before. Think carefully about how to solve this hidden danger."

(End of this chapter)