My Ming Dynasty, I have the final say

The Shuntian Prefecture, in conjunction with the Jinyi Guards, directly suppressed the armed tax resisters, and then they were even rushed to the imperial court.

[The first offender was sentenced to death, and the whole family was exiled to Liaodong]

Seeing the emperor's reply to Liu Chengyu's tax resistance, Bi Ziyan shook his head helplessly.

The emperor never told lies when it came to killing people. He would kill you if he said he would kill you.

From the bottom of his heart, Bi Ziyan was not willing to kill anyone, but if some people wanted to die, he couldn't be blamed.

With this in mind, Bi Ziyan continued to lower his head and began to write his "Du Zhi Memorial".

Every time there is a reform, there must be an outline and program.

Wang Anshi's reform, there is a memorial called "A Hundred Years of Nothing in This Dynasty", which uses praise and derogation, and through the so-called "hundred years of nothing", it reveals the dilemma faced by the court, from the administration of officials to the administration of officials. Education, imperial examinations, agriculture, finance, military and other aspects put forward their own ideas.

This led to the establishment of three departments of regulations to coordinate finance, and implemented the equalization law, the young crop law, the recruitment law, the Baojia law, the square field tax equalization law, the market change law, the exemption law, etc.

The implementation of Zhang Juzheng's reform was divided into successive stages.

"The first article is to simplify the tax system. This move is to reduce the burden on the people. The four types of silver, land acres, and corvee are all compiled into one article. In addition, as your Majesty said, the tax is divided into acres, and clear tax collection items are set. Pay as much tax as the acres of land.”

"Discussion? Any discussion is nothing more than the words of some fishy gentry."

The first stage was in the 28th year of Jiajing. Zhang Shentong imitated Jia Yi's "Chen Zhengshi Shu" and gave Jiajing the title "On Current Affairs Shu", which was the first to describe one of the diseases of "blood and Qi congestion", and then continued Refers to the five diseases of "bloat, flaccidity and paralysis". Then, this memorial disappeared like a mud cow into the sea.

Just when Bi Ziyan was engrossed in writing, Yuan Shizhen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, walked in with Dong Yingju, the prefect of Shuntian, Li Changgeng, the Shaoqing of the Taotie Department, and Tian Ergeng, the Jinyiwei post.

The article points out issues such as clan, talent, bureaucracy, armaments, and financial revenue.

"This is your summary of Zhang Jiangling's whipping technique back then?"

Nodding, Bi Ziyan spoke up.

"His Majesty's imperial villas and shops have paid taxes. Are they more noble than His Majesty the Emperor?"

Seeing the three groups of nine words written by Bi Ziyan, Dong Yingju touched his chin and looked at Bi Ziyan.

After handing Yuan Shizhen the Duzhizouyi Caolun he had written, Bi Ziyan sat on the chair and said.

With that said, Bi Ziyan signaled the clerk to serve tea to several people.

"Simplify the tax system, broaden the tax base, and tighten tax collection and management."

"Mr. Ge, there has been a lot of discussion about this year's summer tax."

These days, he asked Duzhisi to take over the Changying Treasury of Taipu Temple, which caused a lot of discussion. He wanted to use this memorial to calm down the discussion.

The later "Jianling Gongzheng" was proposed from six aspects: provincial discussion, promoting discipline and outline, attaching importance to edicts, verifying names and facts, consolidating the country's foundation, and ordering military preparations.

"Correct."

The "Du Zhi Memorial" that Bi Ziyan is currently writing is explaining the blueprint for the economic system reform he will carry out in the Ming Dynasty.

Hearing this, Bi Ziyan put down the brush in his hand and shook his head disdainfully.

"The three of us have all served as officials for the common people. We also know that those gentry and right-wingers are able to occupy tens of thousands of acres of land from ordinary people. Certain conditions are required."

The second memorial was "Chen Liu Shi Shu" written by Zhang Juzheng after Xu Jie returned home in the second year of Longqing.

"Not to mention natural disasters, many times it is man-made disasters that help them. Local officials cleverly create names and impose excessive taxes. In order to survive, the common people have no choice but to shelter the powerful."

"As soon as this whipping method comes out, if those local officials want to use clever names to collect people's wealth, they have to carefully ask the people whether they agree."

"good."

After hearing Bi Ziyan's words, the two people present nodded in agreement.

"Moreover, now the imperial court is imitating the Baojia Law and setting up township officials in the countryside, handing a steel knife to the hands of state officials."

In this regard, Yuan Shizhen also put forward his own views.

"With this steel knife in the hands of state officials, they can better restrain those gentry and powerful people."

"Yes." Hearing this, Bi Ziyan nodded in agreement and arrived again.

"Article 2: Broaden the tax base and pay tax to all the land in the world."

Regarding this, Yuan Shizhen has something to say.

"During the Hongwu period, Taizu ordered his father-in-law to compile the "Zhang Shizhang", which counted 8,496,523 hectares of land."

"In the fifteenth year of Hongzhi, 4.22 million hectares were produced."

As he said this, Yuan Shizhen's expression became very strange.

"Wanli Accounting Records written by Wang Guoguang records that the number of fields in the sixth year of Wanli was 7.01 million hectares."

"In the first year of Taichang, 7.43 million hectares."

"Do you believe this number?"

With that said, Yuan Shizhen looked at the two people present.

"Do not believe."

Hearing this, Bi Ziyan and Yuan Shizhen shook their heads at the same time.

"Numbers that trick ghosts."

With a cold snort, Bi Ziyan continued.

"The Ming Dynasty has been stable for more than two hundred years. Compared with the founding of the country, the number of acres of land has not increased but decreased. Has the court been living off the land these years? This number is really ridiculous!"

With that said, Bi Ziyan looked at the people present.

"When I was in Shaanxi, I saw that there were honest people, no matter whether they were working in the fields or working in the fields, every acre was registered, and there was no shortage of royal grain in summer and autumn. There were those bold people who owned thousands of hectares of fertile land, but not even an acre was registered. A penny in taxes and a lot of food every day.”

"As the saying goes, you don't worry about scarcity but inequality. If things go on like this, who will be willing to contribute to the imperial court?"

"The human heart is like this. If I trust you or not, it will definitely not work. Naturally, everyone will try their best to escape if they can."

"If this continues for a long time, the tax base of the imperial court will be damaged, resulting in reduced revenue for the national treasury and hardship for the country."

From the perspective of people's hearts, Bi Ziyan made it clear the importance of this round of new policies for the imperial court.

"And this third article is strict collection and management."

With that said, Bi Ziyan looked at Li Changgui and Tian Ergeng from the Taotie Department.

"In the past, the imperial court would not inspect taxes at all. To say that a gentleman is ashamed of his words and to rely on His Majesty's imperial edict to have the world's gentry hand over their white money to the imperial court is tantamount to wishful thinking."

"The court can't expect these people to realize their conscience and hand it over voluntarily."

With that said, Bi Ziyan looked at the four people present.

"Do they have a conscience?"

"no."

Hearing this, Jin Yiwei's deputy Qianhu Tian Ergen shook his head.

His grandfather was Tian Le, the Minister of War in the early years of Wanli. He was barely considered a martial artist because of his outstanding service as a guard. He could not urinate in the same pot as those civil servants. Of course, he would not speak for the gentry at this time.

“As the saying goes, wealth is unkind.”

As soon as Tian Ergen finished speaking, he heard Yuan Shizhen mockingly.

"But I don't think about it, how rich is the benevolent?"

As soon as Yuan Shizhen finished speaking, Li Changgui and Bi Ziyan both clapped their hands and praised him.

"Color!" (End of this chapter)