Three Kingdoms: I will act as a substitute for the Hunjun

Chapter 98 Blackmailing the Yuan Family (Please subscribe)

Liu Ming was reviewing the memorials when suddenly Shi A came in and whispered a few words beside Liu Ming.

Liu Ming nodded, indicating that he understood, and Shi A withdrew.

After returning from the Hunting Garden, Liu Ming asked Wang Yue and Shi A to find ways to recruit more people from the world to help him explore various important information.

Although there are various constraints in government affairs, the world is a vast world. In addition, all parties currently do not pay enough attention to intelligence work. Even if there is a layout, it is relatively rough and simple.

Moreover, Wang Yue and his disciples also had innate advantages in the world, so the overall progress was relatively smooth.

Shi A just came in to report two things. One is that he has arranged for people from all over the world to go to his hometown in Heishan to find Zhang Yang's whereabouts.

Counting on Dong Zhuo to destroy the Black Mountain bandits does not necessarily have to wait until some monkey year and horse month, and there may be various variables. The most urgent task is to find Zhang Yang first. Only in this way can the outcome of Empress Dowager Dong be confirmed.

Second, Jian Shuo went to Yuan's Mansion. When he left, he carried away several large boxes and was accompanied by several beauties.

Liu Ming couldn't laugh or cry. It seemed that Jian Shuo used Yuan Shu's crime to trade with the Yuan family. The outcome should be that Jian Shuo let Yuan Shu go, and the Yuan family spent a lot of money, or exchanged it for other benefits.

It’s like gathering firewood from a tiger’s den—loving money rather than life!

With Yuan Wei's cunningness and the position of the aristocratic family, it is absolutely impossible for him to cooperate with the eunuch group. At most, it will be a short-term exchange of interests. If Jian Shuo is deceived by the appearance, he may not even know how he died, and he will die without even a bone. Leftover.

Liu Ming found one from a pile of memorials. It was a memorial about the impeachment of the Yuan family for embezzling land, hiding property, raising private soldiers, not paying taxes, etc. It had been too long and had fallen into dust. , fortunately, he was discovered by Lu Qiang, and then he saw the light of day again.

"Lu Qing, tell me my decree and let Yuan Situ come to the palace to see you." Liu Ming ordered.

"I obey." Lu Qiang agreed and turned around to leave.

The Yuan family is a piece of fat, and they can't just take advantage of Jian Shuo. Although they can't make a big move against him yet, they can still take advantage of the opportunity to shave off a few kilograms of meat. They can't let him escape so easily, and they have to take advantage of it. This is an opportunity to implement a reform.

That's the tax system.

Nowadays, bandits are everywhere, refugees are everywhere, and the Yellow Turban Army has resurrected from time to time. Many states and counties have been unable to collect taxes normally for many years. Rather than doing this, it is better to take advantage of these troubled times to reform them.

Taxes and taxes in the Han Dynasty were two different collection methods. Generally speaking, the land tax was not high. When it was low, it was as low as thirty taxes per one. Although the finances were sharply reduced after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the tax rate was Increase, but the maximum tax does not exceed 15%.

In other words, the amount of tax collected is one-fifteenth to one-thirtieth of the land output.

But this is only an official tax, but a large number of tenant farmers also face the exploitation of land rent and have to pay heavy land rent to the landlords and gentry. The amount often exceeds 50%, which is the heaviest burden on the farmers. Mountain.

This is just the rent tax, and there is another thing that is often called the head tax, which includes calculation tax, oral tax, replacement tax, household tax, Xian tax and so on. There are countless fees, some are based on family, some are based on head, and some are based on head. Those based on age, some based on gender, etc., together can account for about 40% of annual income.

In other words, farmers have worked hard for a year to cultivate the land. Apart from paying rent and paying taxes, there is basically nothing left, and they can barely make ends meet.

What's even more terrible is that in order to avoid taxes, those wealthy families deliberately hide their land acres and population and pass it on to ordinary farmers.

As a result, it is difficult for farmers to store food and have no ability to resist risks. In disaster years, there will be a large number of refugees, leading to social unrest.

If this situation is to be reformed, there will inevitably be many resistances, and the biggest resistance undoubtedly comes from the aristocratic families. They occupy a large amount of land and population, but pay a small amount of taxes. If they can divide the land into acres and limit the land rent, then there will be Greatly alleviating the pressure on farmers at the bottom can help the entire society breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, Liu Ming is ready to take the opportunity to operate on the Yuan family. If the Yuan family can be subdued, even if other aristocratic families object, then let them fight with the Yuan family first.

Yuan Wei had already organized his personnel, food and supplies, and was about to set off. Suddenly Lu Qiang came to deliver a message, asking Yuan Wei to enter the palace immediately. His Majesty had to summon him on important matters.

"Summoned by Your Majesty?" Yuan Wei frowned slightly. To be honest, it has been more than a year since His Majesty summoned him alone. His Majesty was first indulged in fun, and then seriously ill. Although he recovered later, he was dominated by Jian Shuo, so he was rarely alone. Summon the minister.

I don’t know what the purpose of His Majesty’s sudden summons was at this critical moment when he was about to go on an expedition.

Yuan Wei took out a lot of money and handed it to Lu Qiang, and said with a smile: "Sir, do you know why your Majesty summoned you?"

Lu Qiang smiled and pushed the money back and said, "I don't know about my humble position. I will know when Situ goes there."

Yuan Wei was filled with doubts. Could it be that His Majesty knew about the accident on the highway? Or are there other plans for the Yuan family's expedition?
  But now that the Yuan family's buttocks were full of shit, Yuan Wei did not dare to neglect, so he had to follow Lu Qiang in a hurry to the palace.

After entering the palace and bowing before him, Yuan Kui said with fear and fear: "Old minister, I have come to see your majesty. I wonder what your majesty is doing?"

"Since I've specially summoned you, I have something to explain." Liu Ming said with a smile, "The fourth and third sons of the Yuan family often regard themselves as the best family in the world. There should be nothing that I can't do if you want to do it."

"I don't dare to take this position." Yuan Wei said quickly. At the cusp of this storm, the Yuan family did not dare to be too high-profile. "If your Majesty has a wrong punishment, I will be smashed to pieces without hesitation!"

"Very good, he is worthy of being a minister of the pillars of the Han Dynasty." Liu Ming said with a smile, "Now that the Yuan family has committed the crime of genocide, we still ask Yuan Situ to die generously without having to be broken into pieces. I have the virtue of living a good life, so I can behead him in public. Today I summoned Situ to the palace to check the names of the Yuan family members so that they can be executed together!"

Yuan Wei was shocked, his face turned pale, his beard bulged and trembled, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat in an instant. Who is old enough to bear this!
  Bang bang bang bang...

Yuan Wei kept kowtowing, scolding all the eighteen generations of Jian Shuo's ancestors in his heart. Didn't you say that Zhang Zi's performance was not shown to His Majesty? Now His Majesty said so, in addition to the disaster caused by Yuan Shu's gang, , what else could cause the Yuan family to be exterminated?
  But then I thought again, with Jian Shuo's ability, it is possible to hide a performance from His Majesty, and if the Yuan family is to be exterminated, the old man will not be summoned to the palace alone. There must be something fishy in this.

"I know very well that my nephew is eager to avenge his father and has acted arbitrarily. His crime is very serious." Yuan Wei defended, "But His Majesty has shown mercy and ordered the Yuan family to lead troops to resist Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital to atone for his sins. This has already been achieved. Chi, Lu led the army to the north, and the veterans are ready and are about to set off from Chi Chi. The whole Yuan family obeys His Majesty's imperial edict and dare not be negligent in the slightest. I don't know where the crime of genocide comes from, so please let Your Majesty make it clear."

"Dong Zhuo? Haha, of course you have to resist this, because you are the one who brought this evil dog." Liu Ming said solemnly, "But this is far from being able to offset the sins of the Yuan family, privately recruiting troops, attacking cities, and massacring innocent people. , robbed the treasury, how is your behavior different from Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju? How is it different from Guo Guo and Han Sui? How is it different from the Yellow Turban bandits? No matter which one of them is enough to make you exterminated, let alone so many crimes!"

Yuan Wei knew as soon as he heard this, and his majesty also knew what Yuan Shu had done in Nanyang. He secretly cursed Yuan Shu in his heart for failing to succeed and failing, and scolded the thieves for defrauding him of so much gold and silver. In the end, he was the only one left to bear the splint. gas.

And another important thing is that His Majesty seems to know that the Yuan family and Dong Zhuo are secretly colluding...

With so many things piled up together, Yuan Wei, no matter how old and cunning he is, is still a little numb at the moment.

"Your Majesty, please be merciful!" Old Yuan Kai burst into tears and his whole body was cold. "Yuan Jiujiu is indeed reckless, but he is loyal to His Majesty. The Yuan family is willing to donate money to support the army, and is also willing to donate money and silk to Your Majesty to repair the palace. All I want is for Yuan Give me a chance to get away with my crime and make meritorious deeds."

"Donate to support the army? Donate money and silk? Are your Yuan family willing to do so?" Liu Ming sneered, "I have put countless memorials here, all impeaching your Yuan family for embezzling land, hiding property, and not paying taxes. I'm afraid. It’s not all out of thin air, right? How could you be willing to donate money if you are so amassing money?”

"Your Majesty, please consider the Yuan family's loyal and hard work for the Han Dynasty for generations, and give the Yuan family an opportunity to make meritorious service." Yuan Wei burst into tears, but with his keen perception, he could feel that in essence, His Majesty still did not Bian, like Jian Shuo, can still be moved by money. "Even if the Yuan family has to dissipate all their wealth, they will not hesitate."

The Yuan family is in trouble this time. The worst thing they can do is spend some money and come back in a few years. Where there is life, there is hope.

"It's actually simple. You don't need to strain your Yuan family's muscles and bones, nor do you need to spend all your family's assets." Liu Ming helped Yuan Wei up and said with a smile, "All you need is Aiqing to do a trivial thing!"

(End of this chapter)