At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 330, New Deal and Decentralization
Prime Minister Zhou Zhang said: "This year's increase in taxes is indeed somewhat beyond my expectation."

Although there was no joint plan last year, the taxes calculated by the Han court increased by 2%, and this year it increased by more than 2%. Such a rapid financial increase surprised Zhou Zhang, because last year the Han Dynasty annexed the entire Qi State, and taxes increased. It's fair to say that, but the court has not made any big moves this year.

When Chen Ping saw the increase in the land tax, he said: "The harvest from the land tax is still less. In recent years, the prefects in various places in the Han Dynasty have vigorously built canals, waterwheels, windmills, and fertilizers such as struvite. The fields with a high yield of 4-5 shi of grain are now The Central Plains is already full of them. According to statistics from Sanchuan County, more than 5% of the local farmland has been cultivated, and such fertile farmland is still increasing rapidly. "

"But the imperial court still collects 3 bushels of grain per acre of land, and the field tax has dropped from the original % to less than %. The imperial court spent a lot of money on grain investment in the fields, but the increased grain production capacity cannot be recovered through land taxes. This is It is extremely detrimental to the court.

On the contrary, when the imperial court invests in industries such as steel and textiles, it can generally recover its investment in 1-2 years. Even for steel and shipbuilding industries, which are more expensive, it only takes three years. If the imperial court cannot increase the amount of land it acquires, If the income is high, it is better to invest money in industry, so that the rate of return will be higher and the wealth of the world will grow faster. "

Zhou Zhang immediately retorted: "Building canals, reclaiming land, and building water conservancy facilities are what the court should do. How can it be measured entirely in terms of money? Agriculture is the foundation. If there is not enough food to feed the people of the world, I will The Han Dynasty will definitely be in danger."

Chen Ping retorted: "But the current situation is that there is no shortage of food in the whole world. Food prices in various places are falling rapidly. The money invested by the court does not produce much benefit, but investment in the construction of workshops can quickly see benefits."

Chen Ping said to Xu Fan: "I believe that the court should strictly control the land tax. In this way, the court will get more food, and the people will naturally have less food, and the world's food prices will not fall too fast."

Zhou Zhang said: "Strictly controlling land tax will increase the number of big Han officials, which is not conducive to the people's recovery and recovery."

The Han Dynasty fully inherited the political system of the Qin Dynasty, but at the grassroots level, the Han Dynasty completely deleted the system of the Qin Dynasty.

But the system of Da Qin was originally a wartime system. This system is extremely advanced. Xu Fan can even say that the political system of Qin Dynasty is extremely close to that of later generations.

The First Emperor just didn't understand this. The Qin Dynasty's wartime system could not support itself and had to plunder from the outside world to maintain it. However, after the collapse of the Six Kingdoms, all the richest territories in the world had been occupied by the Qin Dynasty. If you occupy the remaining bad land, not only will there be no profit, but you will also have to pay for it. Without the supplement of external wealth, the wartime system of Bao Qin will collapse.

The Han Dynasty reduced the number of petty officials, although it relaxed its control over the world.

Xu Fan also shook his head and said: "The imperial court does not have such strong organizational power, and I do not believe in the Han officials."

There are at most one or two such large households in a county, and no more than a hundred people in a county. It does not take much energy to strictly control their taxes, but the court can limit the expansion of their power. The most important thing is that the court's taxation ability has been improved and it can do more things. "

Xu Fan looked at Zhou Zhang, who also nodded slowly.

Neither Xu Fan nor Zhou Zhang had a good impression of local powerful people. The basic national policy of the Han Dynasty was to suppress local powerful people.

Xu Fan and Zhou Zhang's eyes lit up and they said, "Maybe you can give it a try."

The tax collection will turn the world upside down in future generations, let alone this era. Xu Fan believes that as long as the court dares to give them a loophole, they will dare to poke a huge hole out. Rather than spending huge sums of money to benefit Han officials, it is better to let the people below get this benefit. At any rate, this can also slow down the gap between rich and poor and make Dahan more stable.

During the Qin Dynasty, each county had hundreds or even thousands of prisoners. But there were not so many people who broke the law in the Han Dynasty. A prison was enough, and even such a small number of prisoners were all escorted to the lands of the four princes to reclaim wasteland. Concentration camps such as Jiajiao were naturally abandoned.

Chen Ping said: "Your Majesty, it is difficult to strictly control the land in the world, but it would be much simpler if we only strictly control the powerful people with tens of thousands of acres of land. These powerful people already occupy rich land. They also had the lord's money to buy waterwheels, build canals, and get struvite to fertilize the land.

Then it would be better to simplify tax collection as we do now, treat all these lands as farmland, and the tax standards will be simple and clear.

Of course, the organization of the Han Dynasty at this time was still not as good as that of industrialized countries, and it was naturally beyond his ability to collect taxes in a refined manner.

The pavilion chief originally had a large number of subordinates, but in the Han Dynasty, the pavilion chief had become the lowest-level official, and the institutions at the county and county levels that were used to custodian people were quickly eliminated, just like Xu Fan was imprisoned in the past. The prison was demolished, and the minor officials attached to the prison were naturally cleaned up.

On the contrary, the current Han official system, which has taken a step back, has reduced the financial consumption by more than half, is smaller, and is easier to survive. Of course, even the current Han official system of the Han Dynasty is still stronger than the feudal dynasty. It has not degenerated to the extent that royal power does not go to the countryside.

But this system has a fatal flaw, which is that it consumes a lot of money. During the Qin Dynasty, most of the fiscal budget was spent on maintaining this system, and millions of criminals were required to sell their labor for free to maintain this system.

Chen Pingdao: "I have been in Sanchuan County for one year and collected a large amount of information on these large households. The imperial court can conduct a pilot project in Sanchuan County."

Xu Fan took a half step back from the violent Qin Dynasty. After all, he wanted to establish an industrialized country, not a feudal dynasty.

Refined tax collection requires hiring more tax collectors and closely supervising them to prevent them from being corrupted by local nobles. Does this mean that we need to increase the number of supervisory censors? So many Han officials have been added, but we don’t know. Whether the taxes collected are worth their salaries can easily lead to a smoky atmosphere in the place and complaints from the people.

It's not that Zhou Zhang didn't know that strict control of land tax could also increase the court's tax revenue, but it was not cost-effective to do so.

So Xu Fan said: "Yes"

Chen Pingdao: "I recommend Zhou Bo, the captain of Sanchuan County, to be the prefect of Sanchuan County to promote the new policy for the court."

Xu Fan said: "Yes"

September 29, the fifth year of the Han Dynasty.

After hundreds of audits by Han officials, Prime Minister Zhou Zhang teamed up with multiple departments of Jiuqing to calculate the annual financial budget of the Han Dynasty.

Excluding fixed expenses, the Dahan's balance for the year was also calculated. The food surplus was 8000 million shi and the money was 27 gold. This figure shocked the entire Dahan officialdom.

Dahan's financial balance has doubled from two years ago. Such a large amount of money and food means that the court can do more things. After knowing this number, many county guards directly doubled the money and food needed for the projects they reported. Two or three times more, the court has money anyway.

At the same time, there is another difference in this year's accounting. Xu Fan has published all the accounts of the imperial court this year in the "Dahan Monthly".

There are no articles by anyone in the October Dahan Monthly. There are only the income and expenditures of the Han Dynasty, as well as the land data, financial data, and population data reported by local counties and counties, so that everyone can feel that the entire world is developing rapidly. .

Zhou Zhangben objected to Xu Fan publishing the contents of Da Han's plan. He believed that it was Da Han's secret.

But Xu Fan said calmly: "Our Dahan is a country established by popular will. The people of the world are the masters of our Dahan. They are qualified to know the development of Dahan, and even if these data are known by the enemy, they cannot rely on them." Data to deal with my big man.”

"On the other hand, if the people know these contents, they will have a strong sense of pride in their hearts, which will enhance their sense of identity with the country."

Xu Fan liked to calculate GDP when he was studying. He still remembers his calculations when he was a child. According to a 2020% growth rate, GDP can double in seven years. It seems that it will surpass Japan around 2050, and it will surpass Japan in . Can catch up with Hope Country.

Of course, the reality is even more magical than what I calculated. Of course, it is undeniable that these data can indeed inspire a sense of pride, especially in an incremental society. It can make people in a country full of self-confidence and more willing to explore.

Xu Fan couldn't remember what he said in that video, "Thinking of the British Empire's battle fleets across the world, even a beggar in London can raise his head high." 'Although this sentence is very ironic, it is a very profound ideological change and social change, which means that even beggars in London think of themselves as part of the empire.

This sense of identity may seem useless, but it is the foundation of a modern country, the difference between a feudal country and an industrial country, and the biggest gap in the combat effectiveness of the two sides.

Feudal countries can only mobilize a small number of rulers, and ordinary people will not recognize themselves as part of the country. To them, the country's war is just a war of gentlemen. If it were another gentleman, they would continue to pay taxes.

Therefore, even if a feudal country had an elite army, it was only a one-time army. This army was wiped out, and the status of the feudal rulers became precarious.

As for industrialized countries, no matter how decadent their armies are, even if their armies are completely defeated, they can quickly mobilize a powerful army in their own country. Because the overall combat ability brought about by identity recognition is the biggest gap between the two sides.

In order to fight for hegemony, William of Prussia always said that the army did not belong to the country, but the country belonged to the army. He used such slogans to fool ordinary people into going to the battlefield.

But when he spoke too much, the people believed him and held guns in their hands, and the lie became the truth.

As a result, the structure of Great Qinzhou also began to change. In order to face increasingly cruel wars, the nobles had to delegate their power to the common people. In the end, this process became irreversible, and the nobles would be swept into the garbage heap of history.

But now the situation faced by the Han Dynasty is similar. During the Warring States Period, wars involving hundreds of thousands of people were carried out at every turn, which made the people of the world full of martial virtue. The nobles of all countries had to decentralize their power, and only talented people could become officials. Be a general.

A country that continues to maintain worldly status and prosperity, regardless of whether you are after Zhou Gong or Zhao Gong, will be swept into the garbage heap of history by an army of hundreds of thousands of mud-legged people.

At this time, the status of the common people was the highest in the two thousand years of feudal history, and the ideological atmosphere in the entire world was the most open. It was during this period of history that some slaves could become generals and great Sima, singers could become queens, pig raisers could become prime ministers, and officials with two thousand kilo could become officials.

Commoner generals and ministers were the pinnacle of an era. There will be no life-saving grace, but since it is just a white body, it is treated lightly and not as a courtesy.

You must know that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was less than 400 years ago from the end of the Qin Dynasty. The rulers are so realistic. When they don’t need hundreds of thousands of troops to fight for the world, they start talking about blood, the four generations and the three princes, the disciples and the old officials. .

It's a pity that productivity has not kept up, causing the reincarnation to continue for two thousand years in later generations. Even if productivity has caught up, the stamp of thought has become more stubborn. It can only be said that the ideas of the Eastern world matured too early and could not match its productivity. When the productivity caught up, the ideas degenerated again.

The era of the late Qin Dynasty was actually better. The feudal oppression of kings and ministers, fathers and sons, and the three cardinal principles and five permanent principles had not been completely formed at this time. Xu Fan believes that this era is the closest ideologically to the industrialization of later generations.

Zhou Zhang was persuaded by Xu Fan, but he was not as profound as Xu Fan thought, but he did not think that there was any other country in the world that could be the opponent of the Han Dynasty.

October 1, the fifth year of the Han Dynasty.

After the publication of "Dahan Monthly", there was a sensation in the whole city of Chang'an, in Guanzhong, and in the whole world.

This is the first time that the whole world has seen the content of the imperial court's plan. Especially the data recorded above is extremely shocking.

Chang'an City, Cuizhuxuan Teahouse.

Teahouses are a new thing in the past two years. Under Xu Fan's promotion, tea was first consumed by senior officials in the Han Dynasty. Later, it spread to the Ming Dynasty, and soon teahouses appeared in Guanzhong.

Nowadays, a pound of tea costs hundreds of dollars, and it is still a relatively expensive luxury product for ordinary people. However, a few tea leaves can make a pot of refreshing tea. It is also more honorable to say that you drink tea, so drinking tea has become a It is the preferred pastime for many Chang'an City citizens.

The boss hired a down-and-out scholar to read Dahan Monthly to the tea-goers around him.

"8000 million stones of grain, this pile is higher than a mountain, right?" a Chang'an citizen said in surprise.

The scholar asked: "Do you know Ao Cang?"

The tea guests around nodded: "Who doesn't know Aocang? It is the heart of the Qin Dynasty. Back then, the First Emperor stored all the grain in the world in Aocang. It is said that he hollowed out a huge mountain to collect grain."

Another tea guest laughed and said: "Back then, the Emperor and the First Emperor fought for the world, and Aocang was among the best in the world. Now the emperor took the lead in surrounding Aocang, so that even though Meng Tian's 30 elite troops sent troops to the Yellow River, they could not open up Aocang's grain road. In the end, Meng Tian was trapped to death by the emperor. "

The Qin-Han War has only ended in the past two years. People all over the world are familiar with these wars. Among them, the Central Plains War is even more talked about. This was the largest war after the end of the Warring States Period. The total strength of both sides exceeded one million. It was precisely because of the destruction of Meng Tian's Northern Xinjiang army that the Han Dynasty conquered the world and became unstoppable.

Every detail of this battle can be discussed for a long time, and Ao Cang is a key node. How could these tea guests not know.

The scholar said proudly: "Back then, the First Emperor stockpiled all the grain in the world in Aocang. It took ten years to store 10 million shi of grain in Aocang. This grain was enough to feed Qin's million-strong army for years. It is also the first emperor’s confidence to unify the world, and now I, the great man, can fill Aocang in only two years.”

"Now I, the Han Dynasty, are in a prosperous state. Not only the official warehouses in the world are full, but the people's warehouses are also full. Even a small city can't store enough food. The people of the world eat three meals a day, but they still can't consume the world. Food for growth.”

A commoner lamented: "The past two years have indeed been a time of peace and prosperity. Last year, I only ate two meals, one meal was dry and the other was lean. Now I have three meals a day, but I haven't seen a decrease in food. It's better for the emperor of Han Dynasty." "

The Han Dynasty popularized the three meals a day system in the army. After these soldiers retired and returned home, they brought this habit back to the people. Coupled with the Han Dynasty's rich material foundation, the people all over the world have adapted to three meals a day in a few years. system.

"The prosperous times are great. The common people like us can finally have enough to eat in a few years. I hope that the prosperous times of the great man will last as long as possible."

October 3, the fifth year of the Han Dynasty.

The annual Han Dynasty imperial examination begins, but the examiner this time is Shusun Tong, one of the new nine ministers.

As the Han Dynasty promoted education for longer and longer, there were more and more scholars in the world. This time, more than 2 candidates came to Chang'an City for the imperial examination.

What's more important is that among the candidates this time, there are not only candidates from the Han Dynasty, but also scholars from Wei, Liang, Dai and other princes, as well as candidates from Liaodong, Hexi, Baiyue and other places.

Shusun Tong became Zongzheng. When he went to court for the first time, he stated that the emperor is the master of the Han Dynasty and the emperor is the common master of the world. The imperial examination of the Han Dynasty is a prosperous age for scholars in the world. The scholars who should refer to it should not only be the scholars of the Han Dynasty. It invites talented people from all over the world to come together for the imperial examination. The imperial court should inform the world and let all the scholars in the world participate in the grand event.

Xu Fan thought it was reasonable, so before the imperial examination, he not only notified the counties and counties of the Han Dynasty, but also notified the scholars of the Han Dynasty.

This made scholars from various vassal states very happy. Compared with the small vassal states with no development prospects, the development prospects of the Han Dynasty are naturally better. And for the officials of these vassal states, and even the children of the vassal states, they also want to participate in the imperial examination. First, they can To prove one's ability, the second is that it is difficult to find a job in a small country. The officials in the vassal states are like carrots and pitfalls, including the positions of vassals.

These children have to wait for decades if they want to take over. In the eyes of these officials' children from the vassal states, instead of waiting to take over, it is better to go to the Han Dynasty and become a high-ranking official with 2000 shi. This is better than the princes of the Han Dynasty, so this An unprecedented number of scholars came to take the imperial examination.

(End of this chapter)