warring states careerist

Chapter 51
First, Si Chenghuang was given an impossible condition: use Mozi's righteousness.This is impossible for Si Chenghuang to accept.

Then he quietly gave in while cursing: It's okay if you don't need my righteousness, then you can reduce or exempt taxes.Of course, Emperor Sicheng couldn't accept it either.

Then he sold himself out, saying that if he wanted gold, it would be unrighteous for Mo Zhe.

Si Chenghuang was overjoyed and far exceeded his previous expectations, so of course he wanted to say a few beautiful words.

In Si Chenghuang's opinion, there is definitely no way in the world to be able to do justice without exempting taxes. Since you, Mozi, are feeling emotional, I am also feeling -- it's not that I don't do it, it's that there is no such way in the world. My Jiahe is unrighteous, why don't you give me Jiahe soon?

Little did he know that there was a trap hidden behind these words, a possibility that Si Chenghuang thought did not exist but actually existed.

Si Chenghuang never thought about the possibility of doing justice without reducing taxes. In his opinion, this kind of thing is impossible.

But in the face of the progress of productivity, this possibility exists completely.

This kind of confidence came after Mozi saw the village community that had been operating with two yi gold for half a year.

As a result of the discussion last night, I chose a very good place.

Pei.

Pei at the Sishui Pavilion was blown by a strong wind, and Pei who was stationed in Xuande to shoot the halberd first.

Nearby is the fiefdom of the Yang Kingdom in the past, and the small country resisted the intervention army of the Thirteen Kingdoms led by the Jin Ba for 29 days.Although Pei is not an ancient city, it is also a place where the towns and villages gather, and the folk customs have always been extremely tough.

Today, there are small towns with thousands of people, such as Pei, Liu, and Huling. The Three Jins have not really risen, and the Song Dynasty has not moved its capital to Pengcheng to move people south. This is still a marginal area of ​​the Song Dynasty.

Pei, not far to the south is Pengcheng.

The reason that can be said will be told to Si Chenghuang, and he will be able to speak eloquently and make a lot of sense.

There are many reasons why it cannot be said.

The land in Pei County is fertile, and there are huge underground coal and iron mines.

Xuzhou, not far away, was a mining city in later generations. Many iron smelting works were set up here in the Han Dynasty, and there are at least three or four iron smelting sites and open-pit coal mines.

There are only a few iron smelting sites in the Han Dynasty that he knows.One is in the hands of Chu State and will be governed by Wu Qi in a few years, two are in the capital of Zheng State, and several will soon belong to Han and Wei.

Song Guoneng chose Pei County, Pengcheng.

In addition, to the east is the state of Teng where the state of Yue perished, which is an enclave for the state of Yue.It is appropriate to know that Yue State will move its capital from Linyi back to its homeland due to the rebellion of the Wu people in the near future, and its control over Teng State will be weakened rapidly. A small country like Teng State is prone to trouble.

The Xue State in the north is also a small country, and it is the fiefdom of the later King Mengchang, but it is still an independent Marquis country at this time, and its strength is not good.

In addition, the Kingdom of Fei separated from the Ji family of the State of Lu, the State of Xiaopi not far from Pengcheng, and the State of Nizi... Once the State of Yue declines and there is internal turmoil in Chu, these countries will not have the ability to attack externally and can only protect themselves. , is also a bunch of small countries that are easiest to control.

When Chu Yue was strong, this place looked like a dead place.

But Shi knows very well that something will happen soon to these two great powers.

A strategic center abandoned the Yangtze Estuary, which was its foundation, and went to Linyi Langya to fight for hegemony in the Central Plains. The conquered Wu nobles were already ready to move.

The other monarch will suffer a coup within four years, and the two sons and nobles will stand aside and say that there will be chaos for at least six or seven years, and then the overall strategy will shrink and lick the wound.

Therefore, Pei and Pengcheng, which seemed to be a dead place at this time, were actually a place of vitality.

You can enter Chu in the south, and preach in Qilu in the north, and it is also the place where Danshui and Surabaya meet.Going up along the Surabaya River leads to Heze Taoyi, and going down along the Danshui River leads to Hangou on the Huai River.

After the upcoming final round of Jin-chu hegemony, the main theme of the early and mid-Warring States period is the Central Plains War, which can also be avoided here.

He and a group of Mohists have no interest in usurping a country, so the location here is excellent.

Just the few iron mines, the coal mines in Xuzhou, and the fugitives from those small countries are enough to choose this place.

And he also used "Mr. Tang Han once traveled all over Kyushu. Pengcheng and Peiju have the evil gold mine mentioned in the paradise. This thing is of great benefit to the world, but this thing must be held in the hands of my Mohist. I don't believe that others have the heart of righteousness." Mozi was easily persuaded on the grounds that he must seek personal gain.

At the banquet before, I was terrified when I heard it.He thought Mozi was the kind of person who would only reason when he disagreed with him, but he didn't expect Mozi to dig a big hole and sink Emperor Sicheng into it, so he felt relieved.

Shi Jiatun on the side may have seen Shi's anxiety before, and touched Shi quietly to reassure him, saying that as long as the husband thinks it is possible to do righteous things, how can there be anything that can't be done?
Sure enough, when Emperor Sicheng sighed with Mo Zi, thinking about the meaning of King Wen Yan and Zhou Yi, Mo Zi stopped sighing and said: "However, my disciple said yesterday that there is no need to reduce taxes, and he can do justice. The solution. Sicheng, why don't you listen?"

Sicheng Huang had just finished saying that if there is such a law, it must be implemented. At this time, when he heard Mozi say it, he could not listen to it, so he nodded in agreement.

Mozi glanced at Shi, got up and saluted, and said: "In the past, the King of Yue granted Mozi five hundred miles of land, but Mr. refused because the King of Yue could not do justice. Now Mr. still does not accept the fief, because the salary of the fief belongs to Mr. Yes, this is a betrayal of my righteousness. My method can not only not sell my righteousness, but also preserve the tax. It is difficult for my husband to make a decision, so I ask Sicheng to decide."

Si Chenghuang nodded slightly, not daring to underestimate Shi.

Although this person's reputation is not obvious at this time, Si Chenghuang believes that there are many talents in the Mohist school, so how can he follow Mozi if he doesn't have some skills?Jia Tun's reputation in that city has long been known, and this person can walk with him, so he should not be underestimated.

The appropriate reason has already been thought out, but today, after hearing the reason why Si Chenghuang wanted rice, he came up with another one.

"Since I was a child, I have learned farming from strangers, and I think I have some means. Therefore, I can cover the tax of a land and let the people use it. This method is of great benefit. If Sicheng and the emperor can agree to the way of doing justice , I will promote the whole country; if the city and the emperor cannot agree, I have no choice but to occupy a part of the land, without reducing taxes, so that it can be used by the people."

He explained the meaning of tax package a little bit, and Si Chenghuang understood.

There is no such thing at this time, but there are similar things. For example, some big businessmen will contract copper and tin mines and pay three to five tenths of the interest every year.

But things like taxation rights and land have really never happened.

The aristocratic fiefs are different. The taxes of the aristocratic fiefs are handed over to the nobles themselves, not handed over.Even for a person like Zhao Zhipingyuan in the later generations, he would not agree with the tax collectors going to his fief to collect taxes after the reform of Zhao Guo. One can imagine what the situation is like in the current aristocratic fiefdom.

This is not about fiefdom, but about being a tax collector for free.

If it were someone else, Si Chenghuang would definitely have to think about it a lot, but this matter was proposed by Mozi. With Mozi's reputation for doing righteousness for decades, Sichenghuang did not doubt him at all.

In Si Chenghuang's view, if someone really said: Mo Di, commit suicide, the world will be peaceful if you commit suicide... If he can provide enough evidence, Mo Di and his disciples will definitely wipe their necks without hesitation.

This is the reputation of Mo Zi's 50 years of righteousness, and no one can shake it.

The reason for the appropriateness is indeed very good. Since he brought these grains, then he may really have a way to increase production.

As for what Shi said about doing righteousness, Si Chenghuang obviously understood what it meant, he just said: This method will be implemented throughout the country, but the tax will not increase, otherwise it will not be done.

In Sichenghuang's view, these people want nothing more than taxation rights, land distribution rights rather than ownership rights, Tianzheng management rights, and help him exercise the power to collect taxes.

People with military power and land ownership have no interest at all, they just want to improve the wealth of the people while keeping taxes unchanged.

Mohist's reputation is absolutely trustworthy, and in Sichenghuang's view, this kind of thing has only advantages and no disadvantages: the ownership of the land is in his own hands, and he can take it back at any time. At that time, the land after the increase in production will still be his own?

The Song State was completely different from the Qin State after the reform. There were not enough grassroots officials at all. The degree of rural autonomy was very high, and tax collection itself was a difficult task.

After Ting Shi explained, he showed joy and said, "I believe in the talent of Mr. Mo Di's disciple. If that's the case, why not? It's just... where is it going to be?"

Shi bowed and said: "Pei. Pei is a small city, east of the tiger and wolf, and close to Fei and Xue. This place is barren and there are many refugees. I heard Sicheng say that the Three Jins are powerful, and I think that if the Three Jins are strong, they may not be as strong as Chu greedy, if one day the three Jins go south, the Song people can also move to Pei and Pengcheng to resist."

"Sicheng can count the tax of Peidi and determine the amount. I, the Mohist, will guarantee it for ten years and supply it in full every year. If this method is achieved after ten years, the amount of taxation can also be discussed again."

This sounds like what the county magistrates of later generations did. The system of prefectures and counties was still early. The counties in Chu State were semi-hereditary autonomous and fiefdom military counties, which is completely different from what Shi said.

This kind of thing would be an ordinary job for a county magistrate in later generations, but in Song Dynasty at this time, it was considered groundbreaking.

No noble would do such a thing, and the monarch did not have enough power to deal with the nobles, nor did he have enough officials to manage it like this.

Sichenghuang is not yet a monarch, and his behavior has always been inconsistent with Mozi, so he can't attract Mozi.

These days, those who are capable will not think about being a county magistrate, but will think about being a noble with a fief.In Si Chenghuang's view, only a fool like Mo Zhe would do such a thing.

Si Chenghuang understands that there are many benefits but no harm.

It is difficult to manage if it is not enough to make money in Xiaoyi, but also to prevent the Yue people from raiding and harassing, and to gather the fleeing people.If this group of Mohists can manage it well, that would be great. If it manages well in the future, it can just be used as their own fiefdom.

Besides, Emperor Sicheng's ambition is to win the Song Dynasty within five generations. It would be a good thing for him if the Song Dynasty can be governed by learning from Natian Zhao Hanwei, and it can be governed under his name.

The only fly in the ointment is that most of his fiefdoms are in Taoyi. It would be a blessing from heaven to have such a group of Mohists to help manage them.

But I don't want this group of Mohists to choose Peidi...

There are quite a lot of talents among the Mohists. If they can help manage their fief and abandon it after ten years, what will their fief look like?
After all, Napei is not the center of the Song Dynasty, and it is in the place of the Four Wars. Now it is getting stronger and stronger, it is really not a good place.

Sichenghuang agreed in his heart, but he was still puzzled by one thing, so he asked Mozi who was opposite him: "Sir, if you don't become a doctor, you won't be entrusted with a fiefdom. How is this different from a fiefdom now?"

Mozi replied solemnly and cautiously: "If you are a doctor, if you are entrusted with land, you are a monarch and a minister. If you do not do justice, I will persuade you; if persuasion is useless, I will resign."

"In this matter, what I Mozi is loyal to is the righteousness in my heart, and what I fulfill is only the contract that has been made, and what I maintain is only my own promise. How can I be the same as the monarch and minister? Am I Mozi now the minister of the emperor? Is it a subordinate of your Sicheng? No, my Mo family is now only a subject of this contract, an official of righteousness. I am righteous on my own, and if I do righteousness, I don’t need to persuade me.”

"The benefit of the Mohist is righteousness; the benefit of the Sicheng Lord is tax. This is what everyone needs and what they get. It's just that the needs of my Mohist are neither gold nor copper."

(End of this chapter)