The emperor's abnormality only appeared for a short moment, and soon returned to his normal appearance.
When all the officials below stood up to ask His Majesty to order an order to put down the rebellion as soon as possible, even the Song Emperor showed a trace of sadness on his face and said helplessly: "My dear friends, I also know how serious Fang La will be if he continues to let it go. The consequences, but it’s difficult for the court now!
Last year, the Huns seized control of the country, and the court finally managed to collect a sum of money and food. With the help of Ye Aiqing's magic soldiers descending from the sky, it was possible to drive the Huns out.
But the crisis the court is facing now is not just the Xiongnu, but also the Japanese pirates on the southeast coast and the chieftains and barbarians in the southwest. Who doesn't want the court to spend money to suppress them?
Now even though the imperial court wanted to send troops to quell the rebellion, it was really powerless and didn't have the money. "
Emperor Song first complained about his pain, and then proposed a solution.
"Well, now we can only let the "common people" in the southeast wait for a while. When the autumn tax comes down, the imperial court will immediately send troops to quell the rebellion when it has money!"
How is this possible! When will the autumn tax come down? Even if the rebellion is suppressed by then, I am afraid that all the gentry in the southeast will be killed by that damn Fang La!
How could Zhang He be willing to wait for so long? His mind was racing, and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty! Didn't a business tax from Ling Yue County enter the treasury a few days ago?
Just use that money to quell the rebellion first!
Your Majesty, the people in the southeast cannot wait! "
A group of officials who followed Zhang He and officials from the southeast requested this one after another.
"Your Majesty! Please send troops quickly to put down the rebellion!"
"Your Majesty, Southeast can't wait any longer!"
However, facing their request, Emperor Song firmly shook his head and said: "No, no."
Zhang He was anxious and asked: "Your Majesty, why can't you? The court clearly has money and food! Why can't you send troops to quell the rebellion?"
Emperor Song sighed and said: "Although the imperial court has money and food, the money and food have already gone somewhere. Some time ago, Chen Jiale, the governor of Lingyue County, said in a book that the coastal areas of Lingyue were invaded by bandits, which had a great impact on Lingyue's maritime trade. !
So that money has been prepared to be used to prevent Japanese pirates. "
"Your Majesty! Southeast is also a county under the imperial government!
You can't just focus on Lingyue and Guangdong and ignore the southeast! "
A group of officials from the southeast stood up and begged.
Emperor Song sighed in embarrassment when he heard this, and then named someone out and asked: "Shang Shu, tell them how much the taxes were from Southeast last year?"
Cui Wen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, who was over sixty years old and had white hair all over his head, stood up and replied:
"Your Majesty, last year the four southeastern counties paid a total of 26 taels of tea tax, 250 taels of salt tax, 15 taels of iron tax, 200,000 taels of land tax, and 270 taels of commercial tax. Excluding the fire damage on the tax bank road, last year The four southeastern counties turned over a total of about 192,000 taels of silver to the national treasury."
Emperor Song nodded and stood up. Looking at the shocked Southeast officials below, he sneered and asked, "A county under the imperial court? Is Southeast still a county under the imperial court?"
Take a look! Take a good look!
The entire southeast, a sacred land, people say that the southeast is the richest counties in the Song Dynasty. What is the result?
Last year, the tea tax for the entire year was only 26 taels!
26 taels! What do you take me for? What do you think of the imperial court? Being fooled by a fool?
Let’s look at the salt tax, iron tax and commercial tax. Does it add up to three hundred taels?
But I remember that last year alone, the turnover of tea sold by Jianjiang merchant Li to the capital exceeded 100,000 taels?
Where did this 26 tael tea tax come from?
How did the local officials have the nerve to report it to the court! You say it!
By the way, there is also this fire cost, what are you talking about? The total is only 200,000 tax silver, but the fire cost is as high as 10,000 taels. Such a high ratio makes me wonder, are all the silversmiths from the Song Dynasty included? Reach out!
This is enough for all the silversmiths in Huohuo Bureau to buy more than ten acres of land for their families!
But after my investigation, I discovered that they still didn't have enough to eat, so where did the ten thousand taels go? Who will tell me? ah! "
When Emperor Song asked this question, his hair and beard were all flaring, like a furious lion, which made the officials below tremble in fear.
But you should also tremble. Only the four southeastern counties, the richest in the Song Dynasty, paid such taxes. This really fooled the court into thinking it was a fool!
In fact, tax evasion occurs in every county, but it has never been as exaggerated, excessive, and blatant as the four southeastern counties!
At most, everyone only reduced the total amount by 10% or 20%, but the four southeastern counties were clearly too lazy to give even 10%.
At this time, an official from Southeast China whispered: "Your Majesty, maybe... maybe it was just last year that all industries in the Southeast were in decline, so... that's why the commercial tax is like this..."
The more he talked about it, the less confident he became, and by the end of the story he couldn't speak anymore.
Emperor Song sneered: "All businesses are in ruins? Do you believe this? Ah!"
The official fell silent.
Emperor Song snorted coldly and asked Cui Wen again: "Tell them the taxes from Guangdong County in Suiling. Just tell them the total amount!"
The old minister nodded, recalled for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty, including the recent commercial tax, Ling and Guangdong collected a total of 11.5 million taels of tax money last year, and more than 13 million taels the year before last." Two, this year because of bandits invading the border, the revenue from maritime trade tax has dropped a lot."
“Listen, all of you, listen, you four counties don’t even have a fraction of what they have!
You are also a coastal county. Compared with others, you still have an advantage. The arable land in the county is much more than that in Lingyue!
As a result, the four of you combined are less than someone else’s!
Are you sorry? ah! "
The southeastern official was completely silent, lowering his head and not daring to say another word.
Zhao Duan took a few deep breaths to calm down his excitement, then sat back down and said in a cold tone:
"I'll put these words here today. You locals know more about the rebellion of the people in the southeast than me, and you know better than me. If you hadn't abused the people to the point where the people can't bear it anymore, how could Fang Thief be so cruel? As soon as the flag was raised, people went to vote for it?
The current results are all your own fault. The imperial court has no money to give you to suppress the rebellion. Maybe it will stop when the people have vented enough. "
At this time, the officials from the southeast were dumbfounded.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You can't give up the southeast... The southeast is the financial and tax center of the Song Dynasty! Give up the southeast! The tax revenue of the Song Dynasty will be greatly reduced!"
"Your Majesty! We have realized our mistake! Next year! Next year's taxes will definitely satisfy the court!"
"His Majesty!"
…
Emperor Song looked at their cries at this time, but his face was extremely calm.
Turning to Cui Wen, he said: "Allocate the 190,000 taels of tax money to the four southeastern counties. I will not take advantage of them. I will pay them back as much tax as they pay, and let them put down the rebellion on their own.
By the way, the Japanese pirates in Lingyue County must be taken seriously, and the money must be allocated as soon as possible.
The Ministry of War will transfer all the soldiers from the four southeastern counties to Lingyue and Guangdong to quell the Japanese as soon as possible. We cannot let the Japanese pirates along the coast affect the safety of our counties in the Song Dynasty.
Understand? "
Cui Wen and the Minister of War both bowed their hands respectfully: "I understand, I will do it immediately after I go to court!"
Hearing Zhao Duan's words, Zhang He and other officials from the southeast were dumbfounded!
Not only did they not suppress the rebellion, they also transferred the troops from the southeast to Ling Yueping and the Japanese?
What should I do? !
…
(End of chapter)
