Wentang

Chapter 638 Inadvertently planting willows and willows

The Tang Dynasty occupies a special position in the development of Chinese civilization.

Before it, many systems were still in a relatively primitive stage, such as the military service system.

Before the Tang Dynasty, soldiers were not paid wages, and they had to prepare their own military rations, ordnance, and some poor families even went bankrupt because they could not afford the rations for soldiers.

Of course, as a person in power, he must find a way to provide benefits to the soldiers, otherwise, no one would want to follow him.There will be rewards for victorious battles, and looting is allowed after conquering the city.

The early Tang Dynasty adopted the Fubing system. After serving as a soldier, hundreds of acres of fertile land were allocated, and all military rations and machinery were provided from hundreds of acres of fertile land. The imperial court did not pay a penny of military pay.

But one-time claiming several hundred acres of land is enough for a family to live affluently for several lifetimes. Soldiers don't have any worries, and they fight very bravely.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the army in the early Tang Dynasty was very terrifying, and it was often able to defeat enemies several times its own.

In the Kaiyuan period, the population surged and land mergers were serious. The country could not afford so much land to feed the government soldiers, so it started the recruitment system, which is to serve as soldiers and get paid.

Only when people are alive can they get military pay. If they die, they have nothing. Soldiers dare not die, and their combat effectiveness plummets.

During Tang Dezong's reign, there was even a situation where the emperor spent money to hire troops to attack feudal towns, and as a result, those troops and feudal towns jointly acted to defraud the emperor of money.Dezong was also a very capable emperor, but there was nothing he could do about it.

In addition, there is no salary for being an official.

To be precise, only Beijing officials have salaries, not local officials.The imperial court divided local officials into job fields, and local officials' salaries and yamen expenses all came from the job fields.

The salaries of the army and the salaries of officials were the two most important expenditures of the imperial court. During the early Tang Dynasty, there was no need to worry about these two expenditures, and the burden on the imperial court was much smaller.

This situation also created a wonderful tax policy in the early Tang Dynasty.

Salt and iron are privately owned, no commercial tax is charged, and even the household tax is collected intermittently. Li Yuan and Li Shimin know that the people are poor, so they often pardon a certain place from paying household tax.

There is only one kind of tax that can really be collected on time, land tax.

This is why the imperial court's annual revenue in the early Tang Dynasty was only 400 million guan.

This amount is very small for a court. Compared with other unified dynasties, it can be said to be pitifully small, and it is not even enough to subdue the Song Dynasty for a year.

However, in the early Tang Dynasty, the court did not need to pay military salaries and official duties, and there were relatively few places that needed to spend a lot of money. Generally, it was to build roads and embankments, provide disaster relief in disaster years, and reward the armed forces after winning battles.

The tight money is enough to spend.

It is precisely because of this that the household tax, which is the main source of tax revenue, was not taken seriously in the early Tang Dynasty.

The imperial court didn't even collect much tax, so the motivation for a comprehensive population check was naturally insufficient.

What's more, most of those hidden and black households are in the hands of aristocratic families. Forcibly checking them is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is easy to cause social unrest.

At this time, the power of the aristocratic family was still very strong, Li Yuan and Li Shimin knew very well what their family relied on to build their country, so naturally they did not dare to offend the aristocratic family to the death.

So the thankless task of checking the population was naturally ignored by everyone.

Besides, there are many foreign enemies at this time, and the court's priority is to deal with external forces. As long as there is no internal turmoil, just turn a blind eye and close one eye.

After Yueshan crossed, he provided the court with countless ways to get money, and built a commercial city in the north. The court borrowed his ideas to build a Shencheng in Songjiang Prefecture, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, and advocated the development of Lingnan to allow the court to build an additional granary.

As a result, the imperial court has increased its income by more than 1000 million guan every year. Last year was the tenth year of Zhenguan, and the imperial court earned nearly 2000 million guan a year.

It's just that what dissatisfied the princes in the court was that nearly ten million guan were included in the internal treasury, which is why the Minister of the Ministry of Households cried poorly and asked the internal treasury for money.

With so much money, the imperial court's finances can be said to be so rich that two coins can be spent as one.

Under such circumstances, there is naturally no incentive to conduct a census.

But that's not a good thing in the long run.

The census is related to the long-term stability of the country, and the sooner it is carried out, the better.

Yue Shan was not the Minister of the Household Department, so he didn't know much about this matter, but Zhang Hong asked him to talk to him and he knew what was going on.

Naturally, both hands and feet are in favor.

At the same time, Zhang Hong, who proposed this suggestion, also looked at it differently.

This is a person who can do things and dare to do things.

Needless to say, if you dare to do something, you must be a person who dares to do things if you don't hesitate to offend the powerful family to conduct a population check.

He can do things because he sees a good opportunity.

First of all, Datang has defeated the Eastern Turks to solve the biggest foreign trouble, and can go back and clean up those miscellaneous forces in the country.

Secondly, the imperial court engaged in large-scale development everywhere, which required a lot of labor, and had the motivation to check the population.

In the end, Yueshan launched a nationwide crackdown on abduction.It is very difficult to carry out the census. There is too much resistance in the local area. If it is not done well, the inventory personnel will die inexplicably. It is much easier to cooperate with Six Gates.

The Six Gates itself is a violent organization holding a knife in its hands. It has the power to mobilize local government officials and even apply for help from the army. It is not afraid of local tyrants mobilizing crowds to resist.

And if you want to fight abduction in depth, you must find out the population of the place. You don't even know who is in a certain place. How to fight abduction.

In this way, the household department and the six doors have a common goal and a basis for cooperation.

Adding all the above conditions together, it can be said that now is the best and most suitable opportunity to conduct a population inventory.That's why Yue Shan said that Zhang Hong is a person who can do things.

But most of the time, Yue Shan either doesn't do it, or does it all at once.

Just a population check?He wasn't satisfied with that.

So he looked at Zhang Hong and said, "Zhang Shangshu, do you dare to get a big one?"

Zhang Hong also froze for a moment, wondering if the census is not big enough?What does this Qingshuihou want to do?
Thinking this way in his heart, he asked calmly, "I don't know what Yuehou's so-called big event is?"

"Qing, Zhang, Tian, ​​Mu." Yue Shan said word by word.

"Hiss." Zhang Hong gasped and made his own contribution to global warming. He thought he was bold enough, but he didn't expect that he was nothing compared to this Qingshuihou.

Why do you say that?

If it is said that the population check is to strip the skin of the aristocratic family, then the Qingzhang Tianmu is to cut off their lifeblood.

Aristocratic and powerful families have thick skins, and they can bear a few layers.It's going to cost them their lives, and they'll do it.

Zhang Hong couldn't help backing down, saying: "Yue Hou has amazing courage, I feel ashamed."

"If you accomplish this feat, you, Shangshu Zhang, must have made a great contribution in the history books. With this feat, you can at least keep the Zhang family rich and honored for a hundred years. It's really worth a fight." Yue Shan laughed.

"Yue Hou don't lie to me, this is a life-threatening matter, I don't think I can live to that day." Zhang Hong smiled wryly.

"That's too disappointing. I admire you very much when I learned that you want to check the population. I thought I would meet someone with the same goals. Forget it, if you don't dare, don't dare. I will find a chance to do it myself in a few years." Yue Shan said disappointedly.

A trace of displeasure flashed in Zhang Hong's eyes, and he still struggled a bit. He argued: "It's not something that one person can accomplish to clear Zhang Zhang's land. Even if I agree with the people below, I wouldn't dare."

"Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men. We can ask the court for an order. All officials who participate in the work of Qingzhang's fields will be promoted to a higher level after the completion of the work. If they die unfortunately, one of their descendants can be an official." Yue Shan said:

"In this way, I believe there will be countless people rushing to do this job."

Zhang Hong has no doubts about Yue Shan's words, people die for money, birds die for food, and many people can even die for the sake of getting ahead.

If the imperial court really has this determination, then Qingzhang Tianmu is not an impossible task... Just as the idea came up, he shook it again and again as if trying to shake it off.

Others don't order him to want it, he is already the Secretary of the Household Department, so there is no need to take that risk.

Yue Shan still refused to give up, and continued to seduce: "Besides, the people below are the ones who are dangerous. Who would dare to touch you, the majestic Minister of the Household Department? To move you is equivalent to treason, a serious crime of the Yi tribe, they dare not."

This sentence was the last straw that broke the camel's back, and Zhang Hong was moved.

It is the officials below who charge into the battle. He only needs to sit in the center and command in the center. What danger can there be?
And indeed, as Yue Shan said, moving him is tantamount to rebellion. Don't those aristocratic families dare to fight for a century-old ancestral business not to attack him?almost impossible.

So generally speaking, his danger is not great, and the only consequence may be that his family will never be among the powerful families.

But if this matter is really done, what a powerful family is.

Some time ago, several top families like Wu Xing Qiwang were wiped out by the imperial court. Behind him is the imperial court. Are you still afraid of them?
But this matter involved too much, even if he was tempted, he didn't dare to agree easily.

He smiled wryly and said: "It's a pity that Yuehou won't be a lobbyist, but the matter is so important that I need to think about it before I can give you an answer."

Yue Shan did not continue to persuade, said: "Okay, I will wait for your good news."

Zhang Hong left with a heavy heart.

However, Yue Shan showed a smile of success, turned around and began to write a memorial to check the population and clear the acres of land.

Although Zhang Hong hasn't agreed to Qingzhang Tianmu's affairs, human eyes can't lie, and Yue Shan saw ambition in his eyes.

How could an ambitious person miss such an opportunity.

……

After leaving the six doors, Zhang Hong's mind was full of Yue Shan's words, and he became a little confused.When I came home from get off work to eat, I was also absent-minded, and I almost sent my chopsticks into my nostrils.

After dinner, his wife, Zhang Liushi, came over and asked, "What kind of problem has Mr. Lang encountered? Why is he so out of his mind?"

Zhang Liu was born in a scholarly family and was quite knowledgeable, and he often gave him advice in the past, so Zhang Hong didn't hide it from her, so he told the whole thing in detail.

"I'm not a saint's mansion, and I have no one to rely on. It's a lot of luck to get to this position. If I can do this, I will stand out and become the minister of the humerus in the eyes of the saint."

"But this matter is too dangerous. If something goes wrong, it may affect the whole family. The most worrying thing... the matter of Chao Cuo is still in front of us."

Chao Cuo is keen on the long-term consideration of the country, but does not see deep harm.He strongly advocated the reduction of the feudal clan, and was finally betrayed by Emperor Han Jing, and he died by beheading, which can rank in the top ten punishments for cruelty.

Why is it said that the cut in half can be ranked in the top ten cruelty list...

Cutting in half doesn't directly kill people, the person who is cut in half will roll back and forth on the ground in pain, with internal organs scattered all over the floor, and the executioner often dies from pain or bleeding.

Some with tenacious vitality could mourn on the ground for a quarter of an hour before dying. Thinking about it, you will know how bloody and cruel the picture is.

Therefore, it is well deserved to be ranked in the top ten cruelty list.

From this point of view, Emperor Han Jing is really not a fun thing.

Zhang Hong was also afraid.

If Qingzhang Tianmu provokes a civil uprising—it is said to be a civil uprising, but in fact it is a powerful family coercing the people to rebel. It is okay if there are few rebels.

If there are more rebels, will the emperor follow the example of Emperor Han Jing and kill Zhang Hong to calm the anger of the people?
This is a very real problem.

The reason why most reformers throughout the ages are worthy of praise, at least their courage is worthy of admiration, is because every reform is a risk of death.

Zhang Liushi also knew about Chao Cuo's matter, and understood her husband's worries, and she was also worried. She might be able to give some advice on other matters, but such a big matter was beyond her ability, so she dared not make irresponsible remarks.

After thinking for a while, I said: "I am a woman, and I can't understand this kind of important family and country affairs. I can't come up with any useful ideas. I can only tell you that it is enough to follow your own heart, no matter what you do. I support your decision."

Lying on the bed at night, Zhang Hong was still thinking about this matter, tossing and turning and not falling asleep in the middle of the night, but in the end, desire defeated reason.

He got up from the bed, put on his clothes, went to the study, took out a blank piece of paper, and wrote a line on it: Please check the population and clear the Zhang Tianmu.

……

Early the next morning, when Yue Shan came outside the gate of Yong'an Palace, he saw Zhang Hong with two dark circles under his eyes.

The two didn't communicate at all, just a glance to understand each other's plan.

In the early dynasty, not surprisingly, dozens of officials impeached the six sects and wronged the people for public benefit and personal gain.Yue Shan acted as if he hadn't heard it. Everyone knew what was going on, and no one took them seriously.

In fact, those impeached also know that the fight against abduction is a foregone conclusion, and there is no possibility of stopping it.The reason why they stand up for impeachment is to warn Yue Shan not to get too involved, and sometimes just turn a blind eye and close one eye.

The prince was still lying on the bed and couldn't move. Li Shimin, who was angry, didn't care what they thought, and told Yue Shan directly to let him continue to increase his efforts, but he was obstructed by being sent to prison regardless of his status.

Of course, everyone didn't take Li Shimin's words completely seriously.

Things still need to be done by the six doors, and the speed is in Yue Shan's hands, as long as Yue Shan knows how to do it.

What will Yue Shan do?
As I said before, buying a small population is a problem for the whole society, and it is impossible to deal with it across the board, which is unrealistic.

What he has to do is to destroy those bad gangs and curb the human trafficking business, and the others can only be punished and let go.

The real court discussion began after this air-to-air confrontation ended.

Today's court meeting is also very lively, mainly due to changes in high-level personnel.

The day before yesterday, Gao Shilian resigned for the third time, and yesterday Li Shimin agreed that he would resign when he was old and return home, so his post would be vacant and needed to be reappointed.

In the early morning today, Li Shimin used his eldest grandson Wuji as the minister, the right servant, and the minister of the Ministry of officials.

Ma Zhou, who was promoted to Zhongshusheren not long ago, replaced him as a cabinet scholar.

In addition, the original Minister of Rites was transferred to the Minister of Officials, which was regarded as a promotion.

The vacancy of Minister of Rites was filled by Kong Yingda, who was responsible for the holding of imperial examinations.

It was Yu Kexun who took over Kong Yingda's position as the Son of the Kingdom's sacrificial wine. In the past few years, he had worked hard to assist Kong Yingda in his work, and with Yue Shan's support, he finally reached a new level in his official career.

The last two appointments also thoroughly clarified the scope of powers and responsibilities of the imperial examination and Xuezheng.

In the past, Kong Yingda was the one who promoted both the imperial examination and the academic administration, so both powers and responsibilities were in his hands.This is not a long-term solution. Sooner or later, responsibilities must be clarified.

Now he serves as the minister of the Ministry of Rites, which means that the right to hold the imperial examination belongs to the Ministry of Rites.

In the past, the Ministry of Rites could be said to be the one with the lowest status among the six departments. Apart from being in charge of etiquette, it couldn't control anything else.But with the right to hold the imperial examination, the status will rise in a straight line, and it will become the real power department second only to the Ministry of Officials.

It is conceivable that Kong Yingda's arrival will be unanimously welcomed by the Ministry of Rites.

The power of education and administration was left to the Guozijian, after all, it was itself the highest institution responsible for education.

From then on, the Ministry of Rites was in charge of holding the imperial examinations, and the Imperial College was in charge of marking papers. The division of labor was clearly defined to avoid favoritism and fraud to the greatest extent.

After this personnel transfer was over, everyone found that Gao Shilian's position was taken by his eldest grandson Wuji, who was also a foreign relative. In fact, he swapped his left hand for his right hand.

Some people are not willing to jump out and say that the eldest grandson Wuji is the elder brother of the queen, and it is not good for the country to be the prime minister.There was no need for Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji to speak, someone stood up and refuted them speechlessly.

After everyone accepts the reality and thinks carefully, the one who makes the biggest profit is the silent Ma Zhou.

Not to mention the position of Zhongshu Scheeren, the cabinet scholar is very jealous.

Although the cabinet is nominally only a secretarial body responsible for handling affairs, in fact it plays an increasingly important role in the court.

For many things, the emperor no longer directly issued orders to the corresponding yamen, but told the cabinet, and they conveyed them to the yamen.

There are too many articles that can be done here, and this position can be said to truly explain what it means to be humble and powerful.

It is not a problem to say that the cabinet scholar is half the prime minister.

This makes some people call it envy, jealousy and hatred.

Wait...Ma Zhou seems to be recommended by Yue Shan, right?Until now, he still wears the title of Mr. Weishui Academy. He is from Yueshan.

Connect all Yue Shan's actions over the years.

For several years, the law department was established in Weishui Academy, and Sun Fujia, who was not well-known at the time, was invited to be the vice president, and Ma Zhou was recommended to Li Shimin as secretary...

Then, today, a few years later, Sun Fujia took charge of Dali Temple, and Ma Zhou also successfully replaced his eldest grandson Wuji as a cabinet scholar.

Kong Yingda, the newcomer Minister of Rites, is the core figure of Xinxue, and Yu Kexun was single-handedly promoted by him.Moreover, the academic and political system cultivates talents for the country, and the imperial examination system selects talents for the country, both of which directly affect the future of the country...

Not only that, there is Dizhou as the base camp in the local area; Su Dingfang, Xi Junmai and others recommended by him in the army control nearly half of the power of the Shenwu Army, and one of the two largest naval forces in the Tang Dynasty is in the hands of his personal disciple Liu Rengui inside……

A huge faction has surfaced from the central government to the local government and across the military and political circles.

so horrible.

The most frightening thing is that the rise of a new force will inevitably cause friction with other factions, but Yueshan has no such thing at all.

He took aim at the blank areas of the major forces, and started the layout several years in advance, and finally picked the biggest fruit without any waves, but did not have any friction with any faction.

Is this the political method of the children of the gods?Terrible, terrible.

Everyone looked at Yue Shan with fear in their eyes.

This kind of person is invincible.

If Yue Shan knew what they were thinking, he would definitely deny it three times in a row, no, I am not, don't talk nonsense.I was only doing things for the imperial court out of public interest, and it was completely accidental to develop to this extent.

If you have to blame, then you can only blame your teammates for being too strong.I just gave them a chance, and I grew into a towering tree.

His competitors, unaware of this, feared him, and his allies rejoiced.

Zhang Hong was so happy that he almost laughed out loud. What are you worried about now? Just do it.

Thinking of this, he gave Yue Shan a wink, and stood up first and said, "I have this to play."

(End of this chapter)