Chapter 436: Officials and Gentry Pay Taxes on a Per-acre Basis

Faced with the sudden flash of inspiration from Wang Hairui, the new Ming Dynasty figure.

Yan Shaoting decided to give him a high evaluation and praise.

"Brother Gangfeng has been in the official career for more than fifteen years."

"I personally think that there are more than 30,000 officials in our dynasty, and the number of officials is too numerous to count. Brother Gangfeng has been in the officialdom for 15 years, serving in various localities, and now he is in charge of dozens of prefectures and counties in Jiangnan. It can be said that his policies throughout his tenure in the government have benefited the common people."

In Yiran Pavilion, Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting aside, couldn't help but glance at Yan Shaoting, who was the incarnation of Kuakua Sect, and his brows moved slightly.

He looked at Hai Rui with some concern.

I felt that with Hai Rui's personality, he would probably not be able to stop after this round of praise.

Can't help it.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head silently.

I'm afraid that in the future, Hai Rui will be ordered around to death by Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting changed the subject at this time: "Brother Gangfeng is an official just like Brother Shuda. Both brothers care about the people of the world and think about actions that benefit the country and the people. Brother Gangfeng used to be in the prefectures and counties to understand the people's sentiments. Brother Shuda is in the government, sitting firmly at the center, as a cabinet minister, overlooking the government affairs of the country. The two brothers, one in the local area and the other in the government, have the same ideas. I think it is because of this that the two brothers can now be in the same room and work on the same things together."

Zhang Juzheng, who was originally lamenting for Hai Rui and thinking that he was going to be tortured to death by Yan Shaoting, couldn't help but hold his breath.

What a lousy thing!
Zhang Juzheng glanced at Yan Shaoting with a rather resentful look.

Although I know this is flattery.

But anyone who hears flattery will feel elated.

This is an eternal truth.

However, Hai Rui's face was already somewhat flushed. After Yan Shaoting's endless flattery and praise, he shook his head repeatedly with a look of shame on his face.

"I am older than you, but I can only serve as a prefecture and county magistrate. If I hadn't benefited others, how could I have taken over the position of governor? Don't talk about benefiting the people anymore. Compared with the ancient and modern sages, I have done nothing."

Shaking his head and waving his hands, Hai Rui lowered his head.

Yan Shaoting raised his head and curled his lips: "My grandfather once had some remarks about Brother Gangfeng."

As soon as these words came out.

Hai Rui and Zhang Juzheng both looked up at him.

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "Grandfather once said that most of the officials in our dynasty who work in government offices are either greedy or forced to live in seclusion due to the current situation. Even he is no exception. In the past, he indulged his students and old friends and did many things that are wrong now. But grandfather also said that Brother Gangfeng has been an official for more than ten years and can be said to be fair and strict, and fair to the people. It can also be said that he is a unique sword in our dynasty for enforcing laws and regulations, sweeping away evil spirits, and benefiting hundreds of millions of people!"

Although Lord Yan's reputation was very bad before the 40th year of Jiajing.

In fact, forty years before the reign of Emperor Jiajing, Lord Yan and the Yan family were in a position where everyone inside and outside the court wanted them to be punished.

It's only in the past few years, because Yan Shaoting led the Yan family in a different direction and kept a low profile in the court, the situation has completely changed.

But even regardless of all this.

The fact that Yan Song was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and gave Hai Rui such an evaluation was enough to make Hai Rui proud for the rest of his life.

The same is true.

At this moment, Hai Rui's face was completely flushed, his eyes were wide open, and he looked extremely surprised.

This is what the Prime Minister said himself.

I am the sword of the country!

Hai Rui couldn't help but be excited.

And on the side.

Zhang Juzheng smacked his lips silently.

Feeling a bit sour~╭(╯^╰)╮

Hai Rui was so excited that he actually stood up in front of the two men, bowed with both hands, and headed north.

"Hai Rui is not worthy of the title of Prime Minister. As an official in this life, I should do as the Prime Minister said, be the sharp sword of the country, cut off the evil spirits in the court, and benefit the common people!"

Yan Shaoting didn't expect Hai Rui to have such a reaction.

He quickly stood up and pushed Hai Rui back to his seat.

then.

He smiled and said, "So what Brother Gangfeng and Brother Shuda said before is to put the country's land tax on the land and evenly pay the taxes, which is better than letting the people bear the heavy taxes. Brother Gangfeng's words this time are more wonderful, and they must be a way to benefit the country and the people. Brother Gangfeng, please give me some advice. If Shaoting can help with this and benefit the people, it will be Shaoting's honor!"

If it weren't for the relationship and status between the few people, Zhang Juzheng felt that if it were in the past, Hai Rui would definitely bow down and worship Yan Shaoting as his lord after hearing his words.

Hai Rui's face flushed with shame.

He glanced at Yan Shaoting, and then at Zhang Juzheng who said that the land tax should be imposed on the farmers.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Hai Rui bowed to the two men, and then calmed down before speaking: "What we are discussing today is to return the land occupied by the big families to the people. The land tax is related to the livelihood of the people. Officials and civilians, regardless of their background, should pay the land tax. Shuda also said that the land tax should be divided equally according to the number of acres of land. This time, the court will make a decision based on the disasters and harvests in the year. In this way, no matter who you are, no matter your background, the kings and ministers will be the same as the common people and will have to pay taxes. To avoid mistakes, it is natural to attribute this land tax to the acres of land. In this way, no matter who you are, you only need to pay the required taxes based on the number of acres of land. Therefore, those who have more land should pay more land tax, those who have less land should pay less tax, and those who have no land will not have to pay any taxes."

Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng both nodded silently.

This is exactly what they both thought.

Although the systems of various dynasties in the Central Plains were different, taxes were always calculated based on the population.

This created a terrifying phenomenon.

When the country was first established, the population was sparse and all the people had their own land. The wealthy families of the previous dynasty were almost all cleared out, and the country presented a peaceful scene.

But as the country develops.

Naturally, new wealthy families and princes and nobles will emerge.

These people rely on their official positions and status to hold tax-free amounts, and they can abuse their power for personal gain and evade taxes.

However, each prefecture and county has a fixed total tax amount.

For example, in Yingtian Prefecture, if there were 100,000 mu of land at the beginning of the country, it would be correct for the state to collect land tax from these 100,000 mu of land. However, as the country developed, 50,000 mu or even 80,000 mu of these 100,000 mu of land were occupied by the rich and powerful, evading taxes.

However, the imperial court still had to collect taxes based on the 100,000 acres of land.

So what is the result?
Naturally, it is the people who own the remaining 50,000 or 20,000 acres of land who bear the taxes on the total hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

This is basically the origin of heavy taxes and levies, and one of the reasons why the burden on the people is becoming increasingly heavy, and ultimately their livelihood is difficult.

Of course, this does not mean that Yingtian Prefecture only has 100,000 acres of land.

But it's an analogy.

That's basically the truth.

Let’s talk about what Yan Shaoting, Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui and others are discussing now.

From now on, I will no longer consider status or other reasons. I will only look at the number of acres of land and who owns the land.

The imperial court levied land tax only on the amount of land.

then.

Those who occupied farmland had to pay land tax according to the amount of land under their name.

Of course, there are still loopholes that can be exploited, and fraud can still occur due to collusion between local officials and local dignitaries.

But in terms of the system, it is good and positive.

To ensure the perfection of the system, another set of methods is naturally needed to control it.

For example, the imperial court requires strong control and strict administration of officials.

Just no matter what.

The framework of the system must be built in advance.

Only with this system can there be someone in the court to do this.

and this.

This is also the core of the tax payment by officials and gentry.

Hai Rui then said, "It's just that the taxes in our dynasty were divided into different categories in the past. There was one tax on land and one tax on capitation. The tax on capitation and the tax on land have always been divided. If we now calculate the taxes paid by both the government and the people, then in my humble opinion, the tax on capitation should also be included in the land, just as the tax on land is evenly distributed among the land. In this way, the people can be freed. Those with less land will pay less tax on capitation. Rich families with more land will have to pay more tax on capitation. If there is no land, there will be no tax on capitation. In this way, people without land in places like Jiangnan can go in and out of the prefectures and counties on their own, go to the workshops without worries, work and earn money to support their families. This behavior can also promote the growth of various workshops and handicrafts. If the commercial tax is implemented, the country can also increase its fiscal revenue."

As soon as these words came out.

Even Yan Shaoting raised his eyebrows.

The problem of land tax was solved by having officials and gentry pay taxes together.

What surprised Hai Rui was that he could figure out the system of dividing the land tax into acres of land in such a short time.

The Ding tax mentioned by Hai Rui.

It's actually a poll tax.

It has been like this for eternity.

The poll tax and land tax have been a heavy burden on the people throughout history.

The rich and powerful could escape it, but the imperial court had its own rules, and just like the land tax and the poll tax, they were transferred to the poor people.

And it is different from land tax.

The Ding tax that Hai Rui mentioned was collected by local governments together with the four types of silver, namely the Lijia tax, the Junyao tax, etc.

note.

It was requisitioned by local governments.

The local government collects this money and grain, and then uses it.

This money was not turned over to the Ministry of Revenue of the imperial court.

then.

As everyone knows, those who understand know that most of these money and grain often fall into the hands of government officials and are put into their own pockets.

The rich have fields stretching for miles, but have few men to serve as laborers; the poor have no place to stand, but have to do more labor service.

That's probably the reason.

It was no wonder that Hai Rui could think of this and Yan Shaoting was surprised.

He couldn't help but sigh and said, "The land tax and land tax are combined. I think this is what Brother Gangfeng meant. If the court implements this, then the local people, whether they are powerful and wealthy or ordinary people, will pay taxes and grain according to the number of fields. At that time, the court only needs to strictly control it, and the wealthy families will pay the land tax and the land tax in full. The poor people will no longer have a heavy burden, and the country will prosper day by day!"

Hai Rui also smiled, "Spreading the tax into the ground! This summary is enough to express my thoughts, and it coincides with my thoughts!"

Yan Shaoting immediately shook his head: "This method was proposed by Brother Gangfeng, and I just summarized what Brother Gangfeng said."

Looking at the two people praising each other in front of him, Zhang Juzheng curled his lips.

He was not jealous at all, and even felt that Yan Shaoting and Hai Rui had really put in a lot of effort in the matter of the world's land.

Whether it is a unified tax system or a land tax system, these are good policies that benefit the people in a real and visible way.

after all.

His experiences since childhood, what he had witnessed in Jiangnan in recent years, and the recent investigation of land ownership in Songjiang Prefecture had all had a great impact on him.

Rich families have few people and much land, which can be said to be endless.

However, the people are numerous, but they only have a few acres of thin land, and yet they have to bear the huge taxes and labor service of the prefecture and county.

even.

Even based on the current situation, Zhang Juzheng still felt some worries in his heart.

If this continues.

The Ming Dynasty will end sooner or later!

If we do not restrict and change it now, one day, all the land in the world will belong to the princes, ministers, powerful gentry, and local tycoons, and the common people will have no land to farm and will all become tenants and servants.

There is no need for any powerful enemies to surround us.

All it takes is a natural disaster.

The world will immediately be filled with human disasters.

By that time, the whole world would probably be filled with people rising up in rebellion and raising the banner of rebellion.

As the old saying goes.

Before fighting the outside world, you must first make peace with the inside.

Zhang Juzheng deeply agreed with this.

There are powerful enemies surrounding us, and although they are strong, they are not impossible to solve and resist.

Taizu worked hard to govern the country and expel the Mongols, what a great achievement.

During the reigns of Taizu and Chengzu, even though the country was just founded and all industries were still underdeveloped and faced difficulties everywhere, the imperial army was able to repeatedly go out of the border and defeat the Yuan army, forcing them to flee in panic.

but now.

Especially a few years ago, the imperial court was in an increasingly difficult situation, with financial deficits and an empty treasury, so even the nine borders showed signs of being unable to cope.

If this continues, the nine important cities that the Ming Dynasty has relied on for 200 years will sooner or later become just a dilapidated city wall that foreign invaders can enter and exit at will.

In order to resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the internal situation.

In Zhang Juzheng's view today, it is not necessary to suppress the people, nor is it necessary to continue to extort money and food from the people.

It should be.

The purpose is to plunder all the wealth from the powerful and wealthy.

After all, the common people have little strength, and it is the powerful and wealthy who are sucking the blood and eating the meat of the imperial court!

Big business!
Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but speak out: "In my opinion, what Runwu and Gangfeng said today can be regarded as the words of saints and sages, and should be made public to the world."

Inexplicable.

Zhang Juzheng also began to praise Yan Shaoting and Hai Rui.

Without waiting for the two to speak.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Runwu proposed to pay taxes as one body, and Gangfeng proposed to pay the tax on the land. Both policies are good policies. In my opinion, if the court implements these two methods, it should also be combined with the "One Whip" method proposed by Gui'e. Since the local land tax and the tax on the capitation of ...

One whip method.

This matter is almost the thing that Zhang Juzheng has been concerned about for the longest time.

Hai Rui also nodded in agreement: "I have been in the local area, mostly as a county magistrate, and I also know that the court's levies and the local transportation costs a lot. If the court really uses this one-whip method to collect taxes in silver, it can indeed save a lot of money. However, we must be careful that when the court needs something, local merchants will take the opportunity to raise the price, and the court will suffer a lot of losses here."

These are all real experiences.

Both Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui had profound experiences in this regard.

but.

This is when I have to say "but".

As the two of them looked at him and waited for his answer, Yan Shaoting shook his head.

Zhang Juzheng's expression suddenly changed.

Could it be that the method I proposed doesn't work?
He didn't wait too long.

Yan Shaoting said, "I also understand the method that Uncle Brother mentioned, which was proposed by Gui'e to the court in the past. However, when I left Beijing and went south, I also discussed this matter with the students and scholars in the academy. They all thought that this method was feasible but not long-term. If we want to promote it, we need to be more detailed and adapt it to local conditions."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

Hai Rui glanced at the other party and asked, "If we follow Runwu's advice, how should we proceed?"

…………

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　Everyone knows about the system of equalizing the land tax and the tax payment system for officials and gentry. However, when it comes to words and plots, it is inevitable that there may be bias. So if there are any mistakes or omissions in this chapter, please leave a message and I will revise it.

　　Also... it's my birthday today~ so I'll see what time it takes to post the next chapter, and I'll post it if I can get it done, and then I'll go out for a drink tonight, so if I don't get it done, I'll post it if I'm not drunk tonight. If I don't get it done tonight, it means I didn't get it done or I'm drunk~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)