Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 857 Do a big vote

  It seems that many places where food cannot be self-sufficient are often barren mountains and wild mountains, very remote. Once the imperial court wants to transport food, the loss of the road is huge.

   Now that there is a catastrophe in Yunnan, the imperial court has to adjust grain.

  This year, although the imperial court is in a good year, to adjust grain, it is inevitable to recruit a large number of civilians. The consumption of this is really astonishing.

  Emperor Hongzhi sighed, and said: "Hurry up and adjust the grain, don't delay."

  But Liu Jian thought about it and seemed hesitant.

   After a long silence, Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, I have a message."

  Emperor Hongzhi stared at Liu Jian.

Liu Jiandao: "Fang Duwei has done great merit since he offered sweet potatoes and potatoes. Over the years, the imperial court began to promote his potatoes and sweet potatoes, but...the ministers found that because of the large-scale harvest and the price of grains, This caused many gentry to think that grain was too cheap, and they might not be able to get the income they deserved if they rented out their own land. As a result, many fields were abandoned, leaving many young adults unable to Rent and grow land, and they have to leave their homes and become refugees. Fortunately, these refugees are not without places to resettle, there are as many as tens of thousands of refugees resettled in Xishan."

"But... I am afraid that in the long run, there is no solution. Let's say this year, although a lot of grain has been harvested, the abandoned land is amazing. There are even many gentry, who heard that growing mulberry and silkworms is profitable, so Large-scale conversion of their own land into mulberry. Your Majesty, there is no agriculture in this world. Not to mention, more than 70% of the current imperial court’s grain comes from Jiangnan. For mulberry, it is the most serious. The imperial court needs to rely on the levied food to relieve the disasters everywhere, and also needs to adjust the food, and send a large amount of food to the southwest and Liaodong. If this continues, it is not an option."

  Emperor Hongzhi nodded slowly, and he looked at Fang Jifan: "What do Fang Qing's family think?"

Fang Jifan said: "There is nothing wrong with the gentry doing this. My ministers also think that this is a hidden danger. What Liu Gong said is true, no agriculture is unstable, but my ministers also think that no business is not rich. The food pressure in the south of the Yangtze River What's more frightening is that in the south of the Yangtze River, the gentry who really own a large amount of land, nine out of ten, almost do not need to pay taxes because of their fame and fame, while ordinary people only have a few acres of Susukida. but almost all of them are imposed on them.”

"In the past, food prices were fairly stable, and these small farmers could still rely on some fields to make a living. But now, because of the sharp drop in grain, the gentry's family has a big business, and it's just a matter of harvest. But for these small farmers , but it is a catastrophe. My son thought that the world may not be short of food, but the food collected by the imperial court is decreasing every year. Where is the root cause?"

Fang Jifan thought for a while: "I dare to say that the root cause is that people who have food in their hands cannot be collected by the imperial court. On the contrary, those small farmers who rely on food to survive are taxed very heavily. If it can be solved The real solution is the problem of the gentry paying grain together. Even if a large amount of land is left uncultivated, the grain in the treasury is enough to solve the current problem."

  The gentry pays food in one...

  All the monarchs and ministers looked at Fang Jifan in horror.

   This guy really dares to say it.

The gentry are big and small landlords all over the world. The children of their families have fame, and they themselves are powerful in the local area. They may not even offend the government. Their privilege lies in being able to use various methods to avoid taxes. You, Fang Jifan, are really... your words are so shocking and endless.

  Emperor Hongzhi smiled wryly, and exchanged glances with Liu Jian and others.

  Li Dongyang couldn't help coughing.

  Fang Jifan looked innocent: "Why, isn't it right? People who have land, grain and money shouldn't pay grain?"

   "This..." Liu Jian glanced at Li Dongyang.

  Li Dongyang no longer knows whether Fang Jifan is really stupid or fake.

  In fact, the Ming Dynasty has always given preferential treatment to the gentry, for example, they can be exempted from taxes. At the same time, because the officials appointed by the imperial court only reach the county level, and below the county level, almost all rely on these gentry for maintenance.

   Just like paying taxes, this is almost always the case in Ming Dynasty. .

  For example, in this township, how much food is needed by the imperial court, can it be collected, and how?

  Under normal circumstances, most people think that there will be special tax collectors to collect.

   But in fact, this is not the case, because there are not so many people in the county to be responsible for these things, and if everything is done by the government, the cost will be too high.

During the period of Emperor Taizu Gao, it was even more strict that the servants were not allowed to go to the countryside at will, because Emperor Taizu Gao believed that the servants were extremely vicious, and once they went to the countryside, they would easily disturb the people. Painful illness.

Therefore, the government often entrusts the collection of taxes to the local gentry. As long as you can help collect the grain that should be collected today, as for how to collect it, and whoever collects it... I can turn a blind eye to it .

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, large-scale land annexation, and intensified, stemmed from this. They had fame, were able to share with the government, actively participated in each other's affairs, and at the same time, there were gentry who assisted the government in collecting taxes. Finally, this heavy tax , on whose body the pressure is almost self-evident.

Li Dongyang said patiently: "Lieutenant Fang, the gentry pays food as a whole. This...is a good policy. In fact, Emperor Xuanzong once had such an idea, but do you know why it couldn't be carried out? It wasn't even mentioned... Anyone mention it?"

Li Dongyang smiled. He is the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Therefore, he really wanted to teach this naive captain a lesson: "The imperial court is not so much dependent on the prefectures and counties in various places as it is on the countless gentry. , once the gentry is allowed to pay as a whole, the gentry... eh..."

  He sighed. In fact, there is one more thing he didn’t say, he...and Liu Gong, Li Gong, and even the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, which one is not a gentry?

   When they leave their official posts and return to their hometown, it is different. They are gentlemen, their own children and grandchildren, isn’t it the same?

Fang Jifan thought to himself, of course I understand that in today's world, the emperor can only rely on civil servants, and behind the civil servants are countless and intricate gentry. A gentleman.

   does not solve this problem.

  The taxation of the imperial court will never be enough, and in the local area, the poorest people need to pay heavy taxes instead.

   It doesn't make sense if it doesn't end like this.

  If Fang Jifan hadn’t suffered from brain disease, I would have thought the opposite for the sake of the millions of people.

Fang Jifan smiled and said: "There is a lot of resistance, that's for sure, but if you don't do anything and let it go, what will be the final result... Therefore, I suggest that it is better to find a prefecture and a county to try it out. If you don’t even dare to try, how do you know if you can implement it?”

  Fang Jifan looked at Emperor Hongzhi, then at Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others.

  Fang Jifan knows that although these monarchs and ministers are representatives of vested interests criticized by later generations, no matter what, they still have some feelings in their hearts.

Fang Jifan said: "I'm going to say something that shouldn't be said. Your Majesty and all the princes, who don't know the suffering of the little people, how can they bear the heart and do nothing? My Ming depends on these thousands of little people to support me Yes, Your Majesty's fine clothes and food, as well as the salaries of the princes, which one does not come from their blood and sweat, why not, let's give it a try, come to think of it, there are always people who understand righteousness in this world, why not, first How about starting from Yifu?"

  Emperor Hongzhi was moved.

   But he couldn't make up his mind.

   This matter is going to be spread, but how can it be so troublesome?

  Try it in Yifu first?

  Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Jian and others.

  Liu Jian's first reaction was, Fang Jifan, what kind of plan is he planning? He eats people but doesn't spit out his bones. Is it really kind, or...

  Liu Jian's heart is extremely complicated. From his standpoint, he is resolutely unwilling to pay the gentry together. Your uncle, I am a gentry.

  But he has been an official for many years, and he knows that the fundamental drawback of Ming Dynasty lies in this.

  He can even imagine that, given time, if this goes on like this, the world of Ming Dynasty, nine out of ten, will perish here.

  The small people had to go bankrupt due to heavy taxes, and the gentry did not need to pay grain, which already had countless advantages. In addition, his land income was much higher than that of the small people. Naturally, they annexed land unscrupulously.

  Finally, fewer and fewer people pay taxes. The gentry who do not need to pay taxes have more and more land, how to maintain the treasury, and the refugee problem can be solved, but who will solve the financial problem?

  Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian looked at each other silently.

  The three of them fell into silence.

   This is too hard.

   Even setting this precedent will put them under tremendous pressure.

  Emperor Hongzhi saw that the three were hesitating, and he sighed in his heart: "The three Qing families... are they all uncertain?"

Fang Jifan gritted his teeth and said: "Every day, the fairs are thinking about how to save food, but what's the use of saving it? People who occupy most of the land in the world don't need to pay food taxes. How much can the money and food of the treasury accomplish. I Fang Jifan, such a person, even agrees to pay the grain, are you so afraid when you claim to be the disciple of the saint?"

Eh…

Liu Jian raised his head and sighed, prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Majesty will not abandon the old minister. What Fang Duwei said is not unreasonable. The old man is the chief minister of the cabinet, and he is hailed as the prime minister... The old minister really has no place to be ashamed. If Your Majesty Make a decision, the old minister is willing to look forward to His Majesty's lead, even if his body is broken, he will not hesitate."

  Li Dongyang and Xie Qian looked at each other with astonishment, Liu Gong... actually agreed.

  ...

  Chapter 2 has been delivered, there are too many lessons today, so the update is late, sorry.

  (end of this chapter)