Datang Nongsheng

Chapter 602

Exempting the agricultural tax is indeed somewhat impractical at present, because it will be cheaper for the landlord class who currently owns the most land.

But this provided a direction for Li Shimin's next step in his administration. After Li Chengqian spoke out the benefits of exempting agricultural taxes, Li Shimin recognized its feasibility even more.

In the end, Li Shimin approved Wei Zheng's request to amend the obligations that both banks and lenders should perform into a law, which will be temporarily implemented. When the next revision of the code is promulgated, the money law extended from the bank management system will be specially added to it. Then, he invited Li Chengqian, Xiao Yu, Wen Yanbo, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Du Zhenglun, Gao Shilian and others to the imperial study room again.

Moreover, he specially asked Du Zhenglun to take the taxation structure documents of the imperial court to the imperial study.

Du Zhenglun is also one of Sun Xiangfu's fanatics. He built the Ministry of Commerce single-handedly. Now, more than a dozen state-owned enterprises and industries bring millions of dollars to the court every year. This credit has allowed him to win the doctor's letter from Jin Ziguanglu. Scattered official titles, and also served as a more powerful official like the Minister of the Ministry of Households, it can be said that he has gained both fame and fortune.

And Li Shimin asked him to read these things, and he immediately thought of what Li Shimin wanted to know. After unfolding the various documents on the book case, he took the lead in saying, "Your Majesty, my land that is registered as taxpayer in the Tang Dynasty, In addition to the military settlements, there are about 6000 million mu. Among them, due to the large number of farmland in Zhongxiatian, among the existing fields, Shangtian, which has more output, accounts for about 9000 million mu, Zhongtian, accounting for about 5000 million mu, and Xiatian. It occupies 2000 million mu, and most of them are located in mountainous areas where barbarians or ethnic minorities gather.

Calculated based on the average output of these fields last year, the average yield per mu of Shangtian in one season was about 200 shi grains, and the taxable grain per mu was about 96 catties. In total, it was [-] million shi grains.Equivalent to the price of rice and wheat in various places, the market value is about [-] guan. "

Even in Chang'an, the market price of rice and wheat, before they are husked into rice and flour, is only about eighty pennies a stone, and it is even lower in other places.

Of course, in terms of yield per mu, he also calculated higher. This is because the high yields in Guanzhong, Dingxiang Road, Lingnan Road, and Shannan Road, which have gradually realized intensive farming, have increased the yields in other places. Except for these few places, the output of Shangtian in other places is actually more than three stones, which is only about [-] to [-]% more than when the original farming tools were not developed.

"The yield per mu in Zhongtian is about 500 shi, and the taxable grain per mu is about 40 catties. The total grain received is about [-] million shi, and the market value is about [-] guan."

"The yield per mu in Xiatian is about 130 shi, and the taxable grain per mu is about 11 catties. The total grain received is about [-] million shi, and the market value is about [-] guan."

"Based on two seasons per year in most areas and three seasons per year in a few areas, the total agricultural tax in the country is about 300 million yuan, accounting for about [-]% of all tax revenues of the imperial court last year."

"One percent?"

"Only [-]%?"

"This... how could it be [-]%."

After Du Zhenglun finished reporting the data, everyone said in disbelief.

Du Zhenglun pointed to the data on the receipt and said, "That's the truth! Last year, commercial tax revenue accounted for 300% of the country's total tax revenue, state-owned enterprise operating revenue and personal income tax each accounted for [-]% of the total court revenue, and the remaining A fraction of [-]% is from the agricultural tax side, and next year, after the property acquired from Zhengming is included in the income of state-owned enterprises, the [-] million yuan agricultural tax may only account for about half of it.”

The agricultural tax of 300 million yuan, if calculated according to the tax revenue in the first year of Zhenguan, has already covered the country's total fiscal and tax balance for a year, but now, including Li Shimin, no one takes it seriously, and the imperial court casually opened it. The cost of building a river and building a road is more than 300 million yuan.

"It seems that in Zhengming's heart, he has always had an accurate prediction of the future form of our Tang Dynasty." Li Shimin finally said this, and all the officials nodded again and again.

Fang Xuanling seized an opportunity at this time, and said, "Since this is the case, I hope that Your Majesty will return to the court as soon as possible. With him in the court, the direction of our administration will definitely be clearer."

Punishing Sun Xiangfu was an attitude Li Shimin showed to the world. Now that the foreign representatives have all returned to China, the point of public opinion is no longer in this respect, and Fang Xuanling feels that it is almost the same.

However, Li Shimin didn't think about Fang Xuanling's words, and shook his head, "It is a serious crime to resist the order and not obey it. Really stay in Jingzhou! If you love Qing, if you don’t know something, you can send him a private message and ask him.”

Regarding Li Shimin's attitude, the ministers were actually a little surprised. Although Li Shimin's reason was accepted by everyone, but if he really dealt with it like this, it was not like his previous open-minded style, let alone resisting the order. He held frequent banquets, and rewarded his courtiers with no merits too generously. Wei Zheng scolded him in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, but he didn't see him do anything to Wei Zheng!Why is it that Sun Xiangfu is so stubborn when it comes to Sun Xiangfu!

They couldn't understand this because they didn't see the brochure left by Wang Hao. The lump in Li Shimin's heart now is the problem of "the disadvantages of the feudal monarchy". As the road continues, his sense of existence as a monarch will probably become less and less.

For example, Li Chengqian mentioned earlier that the system is used to manage people, and everything is managed by the system. What does he, the emperor, control?
When all the management systems are in place, can he, the emperor, follow the law and decide the world's major events?
I'm afraid that at that time, if he wants to spend a little money from the treasury to build something he loves, it's not up to him.

Moreover, when the people do not need to rely on the emperor to protect them, but only need to rely on the system to protect them, they will support the system, not the emperor.

This feeling became more and more obvious in his heart. Although Sun Xiangfu didn't say that there was any system better than the feudal monarchy, everything he did would potentially affect the foundation of the feudal monarchy. He was worried that he would One day he will not be able to restrain him, or in other words, he is confident that he can live in Sunxiangfu, but he feels that his future generations will definitely lose control of the situation when the problems caused by these new political models erupt. , As a result, the Li Tang Jiangshan he laid down, like the former Han Dynasty, the regime changed hands in the midst of prosperity.

As a monarch, his angle of consideration is somewhat different from that of the ministers. Therefore, even though he knew that Sun Xiangfu was in the court and had a greater impact on the country than he was in the opposition, he still chose to leave him outside temporarily. When he was not sure of solving the problems he was worried about, he would not consider bringing back Sun Xiangfu.

"Then, the agricultural tax exemption?" Seeing that Li Shimin had set the tone again on Sun Xiangfu's matter, Du Zhenglun turned the topic to the present.

Li Shimin thought for a while and replied, "The Ministry of Household Affairs can make a plan. I think it can be gradually reduced first, and then exempted at the end. It will be carried out in several years."

At this time, Xiao Yu suggested, "If that's the case, I suggest that starting next year, we should first reduce or exempt the agricultural tax on border areas and mountainous areas where ethnic minorities live, where grain and crop output are not abundant.

We have already exempted the poll tax and apportionment for supporting government soldiers this year. We will reduce it a little every year, divided into three to five years, and gradually make the land structure more reasonable. Then we will completely exempt the agricultural tax. This will make everyone feel that our big Tang, is getting better every year, and the life of the peasants also has something to look forward to. "

The so-called 'allocation of the land structure is more reasonable' means that the high-quality land in the hands of the aristocratic family is allocated to those who actually cultivate the land. In this regard, it is not too difficult to make a plan, because, Datang has such resource conditions. For example, the fields developed by Shannan Road, the west and east sides, and the military fields developed are all upper fields, and these upper fields can be gradually transformed into the hands of the people who are still farming middle and lower fields. , Return the barren land in their hands to farmland.

After listening to Xiao Yu, Li Shimin nodded in agreement and said, "Xiao Xiang's words are reasonable, and the Ministry of Household Affairs will draw up a regulation based on this method, and announce the tax reduction policy for next year before the Spring Festival."

"I obey the order." Du Zhenglun accepted the order.

Now that the matter has come to this point, today's meeting should actually be over. Just as the ministers were about to leave the palace, Wang Deyong came in with another memorial and said, "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Ningchuan Road."

"Urgent report? Read."

Ningchuan Road is now a military sensitive area, because it borders Tubo for thousands of miles. So far, Tubo has not negotiated with Tang Dynasty about Lu Dongzan's captives. In a sense, the two countries are actually hostile now. Even in the state of war, when the twelfth lunar month is approaching, there is an urgent report, and it is very likely that the war will start again.

However, when Wang Deyong read the report, everyone knew that this was not the case.

Songtsan Gampo sent Gartsan Xiruo, the eldest son of Ludongzan, as an envoy to drive three thousand yaks and five thousand horses to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, and, as a sub-state, to help Songtsan Bu seeks to marry Princess Datang to show the goodwill between the two countries.

For such a marriage proposal, Li Shimin in history refused at first.

However, later, they were persecuted by Tubo, a rogue country that couldn't beat them, and couldn't defend them well. Finally, they agreed to marry each other, and this was the incident of Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet.

However, the situation is different now. The main force of Tubo was defeated in the battle at Yanpingmen. He was imprisoned in the prison of Chang'an City. Songtsan Gampo had no one to send him, but he actually sent Lu Dongzan's eldest son, a boy who was not yet 20 years old. It's no wonder that Li Shimin looked up to him. The little things that were sent were not enough for Yi Nan's gift every time he saw Li Shimin!

Now it is said that Li Shimin does not have a suitable daughter to marry Songtsen Gampo, and even if he did, it is impossible to marry him. Datang's hundreds of thousands of troops are screaming for war, and they are training in the west for winter!He doesn't mind sending them to brighten their muscles around the Tubo Plateau.

"What do you think?" Although Li Shimin was very upset in his heart, he was still more rational and prepared to listen to the opinions of the ministers.

However, before the ministers opened their mouths, they heard that Songtsan Gampo was going to spoil his underage younger sisters, so Li Chengqian quit first and said, "Father, my son thinks it's wrong. How can I be with the majestic Tang Dynasty?" A small foreign country that was defeated in the war can not make peace with it, nor can it make peace with any foreign country in the future. Master Sun once taught his sons and ministers that a dynasty must have a dynasty. No marriage, no compensation, no land, no tribute, the emperor guards the gate , The integrity of the king's death of the country, otherwise, the barbarians of the foreign countries will think that my Tang Dynasty is a weak and bully country, and will disrespect my Datang even more."

"No marriage, no compensation, no land, no tribute, the emperor guards the gate, the king dies..."

Seeing the angry look on Li Chengqian's face, Li Shimin and many ministers silently recited the words he just said, and suddenly felt that there was a surge of blood in their chests.

After a long time, Li Shimin said with a look of relief, "In this way, the matter of the Tubo envoys will be handled by the crown prince."

(End of this chapter)