Of course, Shi Chonggui will also take into account the appearance of his food. Even if it is robbery, he must try to be as decent as possible.
For example, in November of the seventh year of Tianfu (942), Shi Chonggui Group made a big fuss about the salt tax.
In the Tang Dynasty, the policy implemented was salt and iron government management, that is, the government had a monopoly on salt, and the common people needed to buy the government's high-priced salt. As a result, private salt dealers came into being. They smuggled salt and sold it at extremely low prices to make huge profits.
In order to safeguard the court's salt interests, local governments at all levels must take on the task of catching smuggled salt. However, in the face of huge profits, there are always people who take desperate risks and risk beheading to engage in the illegal salt trade, and form gangs to form "salt gangs" with armed forces. Their representative is one of the protagonists in the previous article of this book - —Huang Chao.
Salt smuggling has been banned repeatedly, and the cost of anti-smuggling has also reduced salt profits. Therefore, the court changed its thinking. Since it could not be eradicated, it would pursue joint development and win-win cooperation. The court reconciled with the salt gangs and subcontracted the official salt to the salt gangs, who would solve the "last mile" problem. The court acquiesced to the salt gangs. Isn’t it wonderful that everyone can make money from selling smuggled salt?
During Shi Jingtang's period, smuggling of salt became increasingly rampant, and the government's profits dropped sharply. Therefore, the Shi Jingtang Group came up with a clever idea, simply lifting the strict ban. The government allowed the private sector to operate freely, but the people had to pay the salt tax. There are two hundred households, divided into five classes."
In fact, it was similar to the "Poll Tax", just with a different name. Everyone in the country had to pay the tax, and salt became an ordinary commodity and could be traded freely.
Now, in order to make money, the imperial court issued an edict to restore the salt ban. Salt is still monopolized by the government, and ordinary people have to pay a high price to buy it. At the same time, the "salt tax" has not been abolished. The imperial court is equivalent to double taxation. It not only wants to buy my high-priced salt, but also A salt tax must be paid per capita.
Loot legally.
In short, ordinary people were displaced and left their homes in the face of various natural disasters, and nearly a million people died of starvation due to disasters. Against this background, the Shi Chonggui Group extended its sinful hands to the poor poor people, Steal money, food, horses, people...
5.2 Zhumen is full of wine and meat.
Years of natural disasters, coupled with continuous military disasters, have plunged the people of the world into dire straits, with no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the earth. However, Shi Chonggui used the national financial constraints and support for the war as an excuse to plunder people's power. Is this really the case? Did Shi Chonggui also tighten his belt during these difficult days and share the suffering with the people?
hehe.
As the king of a country, Shi Chonggui's living conditions can be summarized in four words: drunkenness and wealth. When people all over the country were starved of food, Shi Chonggui, a nine-five-year-old man, was still well-dressed and well-fed, living in a state of intoxication and dreaming.
5.2.1 The Golden Heist
Historical records record that Shi Chonggui asked for silverware to be exchanged for gold whenever tribute came from all directions. His reason is that gold of the same value is much lighter than silver, which can save transportation capacity (gold is more expensive and lighter, which is convenient for manpower).
Why facilitate transportation? People at that time said privately that this was a sign that the emperor would move to the north (those who knew it also thought it was a sign of moving to the north). Convenient when walking.
"History of the Song Dynasty" records, "The young emperor was extravagant, often exchanging silver for gold and making a wide range of utensils..."
Later, Li Song judged the third division and took the account book to check. He couldn't help but be shocked. The actual inventory was more than a thousand gold ingots less than the book! Who is so bold as to make false accounts and spend money on the national treasury?
Li Song immediately found Liu Tao, the former person in charge, and asked him where the gold had gone, how could there be such a big hole, and there must be no deviation in the treasury's money. Didn't he understand?
Liu Tao was also aggrieved. At this time, Liu Tao was like Kong Qian in the early Late Tang Dynasty, while Shi Chonggui was like Li Cunxu. The person who embezzled public funds is none other than the current Shengshang Shi Chonggui. I am a small judge and warehouse manager. Do I dare to stop him? Do I dare to give him an account? This is the tacit understanding between my money bag and Shi Chonggui.
These words cannot be said clearly, accusing the emperor of embezzling the national treasury? Liu Tao doesn't have the guts. So he could only hint to Li Song, "Oh, it's common for certain expenses not to be recorded in time to prepare for emergencies."
Li Song was furious and immediately reported it to the relevant departments, impeaching Liu Tao for being a thief.
Liu Tao felt wronged and wronged, so he went to Prime Minister Sang Weihan privately and told him his unspeakable secrets. "Prime Minister, Li Song doesn't understand. Don't you still understand? Did I get the money? It wasn't all from that...that person. Can this matter be tried and investigated in public?"
Li Song originally belonged to Li Congke's civil service group, while Sang Weihan was 100% a direct descendant of Hedong. Therefore, although Shi Jingtang and Shi Chonggui respected civil servants such as Li Song and Sang Weihan, only Sang Weihan was "one of their own" and a direct descendant of the Shi family father and son, so he knew more about the inside story.
Sanvihan understood the truth of the matter. Therefore, in this shocking case of embezzling huge amounts of public funds, the "principal culprit" Liu Tao was only sentenced to "one month's salary fine." The trial and judgment of the case were particularly low-key, and were not even mentioned in the "Book of Jin". Found in "History of the Song Dynasty", because Liu Tao's official career lasted until the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Another incident about Liu Tao is also worth mentioning: During the period of Li Congke in the Later Tang Dynasty, Liu Tao served as a housekeeper. He accidentally read an article written by a failed candidate. After seeing this, Liu Tao was very impressed and concluded that this person was talented enough to be a prime minister in the future. So he took care of this candidate in the imperial examination the next year, so that he could pass the imperial examination and successfully enter the political arena.
This lucky candidate is named Xue Juzheng. Prime Minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, supervisor of the "Old History of the Five Dynasties". After his death, he was awarded the honor of serving in the temple of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty. During the Lizong period of the Song Dynasty, following the example of the Tang Dynasty's "Portrait Lingyan Pavilion", twenty-four deceased figures were also selected for portraits in the Zhaoxun Pavilion. Xue Juzheng was one of them. .
The Bole who discovered Xue Juzheng, a thousand-mile horse, is now the mute Liu Tao who eats Coptis chinensis.
5.2.2 "Small-voiced Female Music"
After the Shanxi-Liao War broke out, Shi Chonggui went on a personal expedition and won two battles in succession.
During the march, he had to watch singing and dancing every day. However, there was no decent royal performing arts troupe in the army, so he could only use war drums, huqin, Qiang flute, etc. to perform.
What Shi Chonggui appreciated in the palace were all elegant arts and "soft-voiced female music". He dismissed these rough and vulgar military music, and only reluctantly listened to them due to objective conditions.
When Shi Chonggui was having banquets with generals in the army, he often said to the people around him: "This is not music." Alas, this is simply noise and cannot be considered elegant.
Feng Dao and others were tactful and sophisticated, so they took advantage of the situation and asked for the restoration of "soft-sounding female music".
Shi Chonggui shook his head and waved his hands, saying that now was not the time. Firstly, there is a powerful enemy in front of him, and secondly, he is deeply filial to himself.
This is Shi Chonggui’s high-sounding reason. In the feudal period, people who were filial piety were not allowed to listen to music. As mentioned earlier, since the Tang Dynasty, if you listen to music while observing filial piety, you will be severely punished. Even if someone else plays music, you should stop by yourself. If you wait and see, you will be hit with a brick wall.
But, is Shi Chonggui really serious about keeping his filial piety? Humph, it’s shameless!
Shi Chonggui was more than just a graveyard dancer, he staged a performance that was indescribable before his death, and the scale was quite large.
