The level of commodity economy in Lingao is very poor. [No pop-up novel website] There is less silver circulating in the market, the price of silver is relatively high, and the price of food is on the low side. To collect money, it is necessary to collect more grain. The price difference between one entry and one entry may seem like a small amount, but when accumulated, the number becomes very large.
The official land taxed by Lingao totals 1,660 hectares and 98 acres. According to the levy of 9 cents per mu, it is almost 15,000 taels of silver. Although some fields are taxed at 4 cents per mu, some are exempt. But the total cost is nearly ten thousand silver. For such a small county, the burden of additional dispatch is simply unbearable.
Therefore, when the time comes for grain requisition, the price of silver will rise very high, which is not only a huge burden for grain households, but also not easy for the county. In the past, there was no extra distribution, so it was easier to get enough food. Since the first increase in dispatches at the end of Wanli, the county government has been struggling to collect grain and silver.
The most troublesome thing for Wu Mingjin and others is that Lingao is a place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away. The authority of the county government is very limited. Not to mention the gentry in the county, they are ordinary wealthy locals who form villages to protect themselves. They can pay as much as they want. The government cannot ask more questions. As for the various hidden fields cultivated privately, they are countless. .
However, in the past, with Wu Mingjin's methods and Wang Zhaomin's efforts, Lingao's autumn grain collection was finally completed in time. Although the Australians came last year, they did not interfere too much with the autumn grain collection, and the task was still completed. . Although a reasonable burden was later imposed, it had nothing to do with the county government.
This year the situation is more subtle. The Australians openly opened up wasteland and planted crops on their own. Wang Zhaomin had a great hidden worry.
What's the worry? This is about "guilty mail". In order to avoid government taxes, a certain class of people often resorted to investing their land in the names of famous or powerful landowners. In fact, there were clear regulations on grain exemption in the Ming Dynasty. There were regulations on how much officials of different grades could be exempted, how much officials could be exempted, and how much students could be exempted. However, in actual practice, the regulations were often greatly exceeded. In Lingao, there are many examples of this kind of thing. There are not many distinguished gentry in Lingao, but there are many powerful landowners. There is no tax exemption in the law for fraudulent mailing to the names of powerful landlords. However, for the county government, it is a basic principle that when a local official does not offend the big households in the county, Often one can only turn a blind eye to the figures collected. All in all, both sides are doing fine.
Now the Australians are considered to be the most powerful households in Lingao County. If they blatantly refuse to hand over a grain of rice, and the county government has nothing to do about it, many small and medium-sized landowners or farmers who are watching may join them. Lingao's autumn grain collection will shrink a lot again. This is a very bad omen for Wu Mingjin and Wang Zhaomin - it is not only related to Wu Mingjin's performance appraisal, but also to their pocket problems. For local officials, the benefit of extra tax payments is a risk-free income.
After much deliberation, Wang Zhaomin proposed that there are only Australians with emotional intelligence and asked them to set an example. Judging from the performance of the Australians over the past year, Australians do not want to be enemies of the Ming Dynasty government. Sometimes they are even willing to spend money to buy a good image, so as long as the price is right, the other party may not necessarily refuse.
Xiong Buyou didn't know what his plan was, and he was thinking about what the other party meant.
"The grain tax in this county is very light," Wang Zhaomin saw him groaning, and quickly explained: "Each mu of land is only three dou and five liters. For your several thousand acres of land, a 500-acre class was established in Bairen Village. That’s it.”
Xiong Buyou shook his head: "Master Wang, I have to report this matter to the Executive Committee before I can give you a reply."
"Of course." Wang Zhaomin couldn't help but be overjoyed when he saw that his intention was negotiable, and thanked him repeatedly. If he hadn't already known that this group of thieves was not going to get in, he would probably have given him a lot of benefits.
After Xiong Buyou came back, he quickly reported to Wu De. This matter immediately attracted Wu De's great attention, so the executive committee immediately held a meeting to discuss the matter.
"This is a good thing that is delivered to your door!" Wen Desi's eyebrows were elated, "I was originally thinking about how to persuade them, but I didn't expect that it was delivered to my door!"
"This is not the same thing." Ma Qianzhu immediately sang the opposite tune, "He wants us to pay grain, but he doesn't want us to pay taxes."
"Although it's not the same thing, Wang Zhaomin has lost his pants now." Wen Desi used a vulgar metaphor.
"Originally we didn't know how much pressure Lingao County had on grain collection, but now it seems that they are under great pressure." Wen Desi analyzed, "Judging from Wang Zhaomin's request, at least it exposed the Lingao County government's There are serious difficulties with food."
Since there are difficulties in collecting food, the Crossing Group has a lot to do.
However, they still have no idea what the difficulty is. Before taking the next step, they must first find out the county government's trump card.
Naturally, the most direct way to inquire about this kind of thing is to ask the secretary of the county government's "hufang".
This matter is not easy. There are so-called "three classes and six rooms" in the county government. The leader of the third class and the secretary of the sixth room are difficult people to get along with. Only the clerk's office is familiar with the official affairs at the grassroots level of the yamen. This is their "capital". The real situation, as well as the key and key points, are secrets that are not passed down. Therefore, although the clerk's office does not have an explicit "hereditary" document, Invisibly passed down from father to son, there is a hereditary practice. These people are all old officials who are extremely familiar with official matters. They also have a clear understanding of the world's ways and the philosophy of officialdom. The time travelers have no control over the bribery, so the executive committee’s policy towards this group of people is to be gentle first and then use them for their own benefit. When the time comes, clean it thoroughly.
The household secretary office in Lingao County is called Chen Minggang, a local. It is said that this person's ancestors have been the book office of Lingao County since the Song Dynasty. He has many secret books hidden at home, and he is very familiar with the county. He wants to give him face in every aspect, and he is a very popular figure in the local area. Gou Dagong'er was running amok in Lingao County, and Chen Minggang benefited greatly - in fact, from Ran Yao's point of view, despite the fact that gangs like Gou Dagong'er seem to be powerful, it is not difficult to eradicate them. Once they fall, they disperse in a rush. A person as deep-rooted and intricate as Chen Minggang is the real so-called "invisible mastermind".
He is also an indispensable celebrity in the county. Wang Zhaomin was able to collect the autumn grain every year, and Chen Minggang had great contributions. In fact, whether we can establish a good cooperative relationship with the county household office can be said to directly affect the success of the county magistrate's official career.
Therefore, even Wang Zhaomin, a powerful figure in the county, would affectionately call Chen Minggang "Old Eight!" when he saw Chen Minggang - Chen Minggang was the eighth oldest person and thought that he was informal.
Because the Household Secretary Office was related to the county's taxation and was a very important figure, Wu De had always wanted to win him over. To this end, he sent Xiong Buyou to interact with him several times, and Lin Baiguang also went out to fight against him. Not satisfactory.
Chen Minggang is not an upright person. There is no question of his position at all, his attitude is extremely diplomatic. He tried his best to deal with the people who traveled through time. He never procrastinated or asked for all kinds of bad rules. It can be said that he bought face and bought twelve points. But when it comes to some key issues, especially the amount of land and the tax burden, he always ignores them. Half of it is said and half of it is hidden, sometimes some obscure terminology is simply mentioned here and there to make the time traveler confused.
In the archives of the General Administration of Political Security, there is a lot of black material about Chen Minggang. It can be said that he is one of the subordinate officials who has the most anger in the county, and he is even more guilty than the secretary of the execution room. Zhang Xingjiao also hates this person to the core - after all, his family's destruction started when Hufang colluded with Gou Dagouer to engage in the "production and grain storage" scheme.
But now, the Travelers still have to use him for another stage. Xiong Buyou immediately asked someone to prepare a post, asking Chen Minggang to come to the teahouse in front of the county government to talk about it.
Generally speaking, the street in front of the county government office is always the busiest place in the county, and there are always several teahouses and other businesses opposite the county government office. There are "agents" who are specially "stamped" by the government and specialize in writing complaints and complaints on behalf of others, and there are also experienced litigants who have hooked up with the three parties. As usual, they all sit in the Yaqian teahouse waiting for customers to come or wait for opportunities. Touting business. People in the yamen, such as subordinate officials, servants, and long-term attendants, often used this place to communicate with the outside world, negotiate, collude, and engage in fraud. If you want to go to the county government for business, this is the best window.
Lingao County is a small county and does not have many tricks like this, but the general situation is similar, but the specifics are subtle. So although the teahouse is small, it still exists.
Xiong Buyou is already a "celebrity" in this county. Who doesn't know that he is the big boss of the Australians, who is responsible for connecting with the county. So as soon as he arrived at the store, a waiter immediately ushered him into a private room at the back.
It is said to be a private room, but in fact it is very small inside. It can only accommodate a table and a few chairs, and the tea is not necessarily good. Anyway, people come to drink tea mainly to talk about things, not to drink tea.
When Xiong Buyou interacts with subordinate officials in the county, he usually makes appointments here, mainly because this is a familiar environment for the subordinate officials, which is enough to make them feel at ease. In addition, the executive committee has another layer of concern and is not willing to call subordinate officials directly to Bairen City for secret talks, lest outsiders think that the crossing group has too deep a relationship with the subordinate officials in this county. It is more suitable to talk in this kind of place where "eating, talking about tea" and "talking about things".
Not long after, Chen Minggang arrived. He is nearly fifty years old, with a dark complexion and a slightly blessed figure. Due to his status, his clothes are not very flashy, but the materials and workmanship are very exquisite. He also held a Sichuan fan in his hand.
The waiter ushered in, and Chen Minggang treated the traveling public. His attitude can be described as respectful, and he must salute every time he meets.
"No need to be polite, sit down! Sit down!" Xiong Buyou greeted.
(The following words beyond 3,000 words will not be charged.
Note:
1. In the Liao Dynasty, the salary was increased to 9 cents in the second year of Chongzhen, but it was slightly different in different places. No more details.
2. I haven’t found out how much Liao’s salary increase is in Lingao. This is calculated directly using the taxable acres of Lingao, which is definitely not accurate. I found a figure. In Yancheng County, Huai'an Prefecture, the Liao rate in the third year of Tianqi was 23,000 taels. Yancheng County is not an economically developed area, but it is certainly much better than Lingao.
3. The tax of three dou and five liters was the average level in the Ming Dynasty. There were 18 standards in Chaqiong Prefecture. Three buckets and five liters are the most common. Just take this number. (!)! ~!
