"Canceling the preferential exemptions for the gentry is a feasible strategy. Most of those who have land now are gentry, so the amount of preferential exemptions is huge. If the preferential exemptions are cancelled, and the officials and gentry are made to pay the grain and work as errands, it will at least increase the current annual income by more than 20 million shi. , it is enough to raise one million elite soldiers at present, but the expenditures of the imperial court are increasing. Salaries and pension funds for vassal vassals and officials, subsidies for scholars, and pension funds for veterans are all increasing. Will they be enough in the future? It’s unknown.”
Cabinet Minister Xu Guangqi spoke first at this time.
His family was the first to cooperate with the emperor in running government-run industries. Like Fang Congzhe, they did not care how the court taxed them, because most of the government-run industries they cooperated with the emperor had already been attributed to the court.
Regarding the issue of officials and gentry receiving food from the same body, Xu Guangqi, who was born in a merchant family, did not feel that he was being cut off.
Therefore, he also expressed his support for the policy of integrating officials and gentry into paying grain.
However, as an important minister of the imperial court, Xu Guangqi had to pursue his own affairs in his position. Naturally, he would think about the necessity of "officials and gentry receiving food from one body" at the national level. Therefore, it would be difficult to continue to say that "officials and gentry should pay food as one body" to maintain the annual royal tax. When it came to growth, I didn't think of taking care of Fang Congzhe's face. He only talked about the good side of "officials and gentry receiving food from one body".
“If it’s enough, it’s better to directly raise business taxes!”
But at this time Bi Ziyan, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, took advantage of the situation and made a surprising reply.
Zhu Youxiao and other important ministers all raised their heads and looked at him.
Bi Ziyan was a bureaucratic landowner in Shandong. In addition to himself being a minister, his younger brother and others in his clan were officials in the imperial court, and even held important positions as governor.
Although the powerful gentry of the Ming Dynasty were both landlords and wealthy businessmen.
However, due to different geo-economics, there is also a bias. Most of the families like Bi Ziyan are traditional landowners. Their main economic income is agriculture, and the proportion of commerce is not large.
Therefore, Bi Ziyan was more willing to let the court directly increase commercial taxes.
"The imperial court's commercial taxes and tariffs have been increasing, and they are increasing much faster than the land tax! The cancellation of the gentry's preferential exemptions is no different from the imposition of land tax. It can only solve the temporary gain, and cannot make the imperial court's annual tax continue to increase. Increase, only if the commercial tax can be increased and directly become the main tax of the imperial court, then wherever business goes in the future, the Ming Dynasty's annual tax will increase because of it!"
Bi Ziyan continued.
"Wherever a good trader goes, Ming Dynasty's annual wealth will increase because of where he goes!"
The emperor Zhu Youxiao was a little moved after hearing this.
But to achieve this goal, strong force is needed to back it up.
Ming Dynasty is now the country with the most developed productivity in the world.
The huge population base and the accumulation of agricultural civilization for thousands of years have resulted in a large number of skilled craftsmen and the products produced are of high quality and low price.
It has an absolute advantage all over the world.
But the rulers of other countries are not fools. They will naturally engage in trade wars, ban trade with the Ming Dynasty, and change the form of trade deficit with the Ming Dynasty.
And this requires the Ming Dynasty to have enough strong ships and cannons to get there before it can trade there.
As a result, Ming Dynasty still needs to use money to raise more elite land and water soldiers first.
Zhu Youxiao felt that Fang Congzhe's proposal was good. He could first pay the grain to the officials and the gentry together, and then use the money collected from the officials and the gentry to raise the soldiers. After raising so many soldiers, the collection of commercial taxes would not be a problem, and the Ming Dynasty would expand its external relations. Markets for trade and increased business profits are not a problem either.
But what Bi Ziyan said about officials and gentry receiving food from the same body was equivalent to an additional annual tax in disguise, and he had to think carefully about it.
Once the privileges and exemptions for the gentry are cancelled, it is indeed equivalent to imposing an additional land tax on the gentry, and the gentry will naturally transfer this debt to the tenant farmers, forcing the tenant farmers to pay higher land rent, causing the tenant farmers' economic income to decline.
Obviously, when officials and gentry pay taxes as one, the privileges and exemptions for the gentry will be abolished. Those tenant farmers who previously avoided taxes by donating their fields to the gentry will suffer the most.
They could either force their gentry to rebel together, or they would have to pay for their original choice to evade state taxes.
In this case, the unified payment of grain by the officials and gentry can inhibit the donation and annexation. At least it will not cause the peasants to actively donate themselves to the large gentry as slaves, which will help change the social structure and promote the emergence of more free people and reduce the number of free people. serf.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao made up his mind and said: "We will discuss the business tax later. Let's continue talking about the government and gentry paying the grain together."
Seeing this, Han Xu, the second assistant, who had recovered from a serious illness, guessed the emperor's intention. He, who was always silent, was busy holding the elephant wat and bowing: "Your Majesty! I believe that the government and the gentry working together to pay for food is not only practical governance, but also good governance. ! The purpose of studying and serving as an official is to serve the king, bring peace to the people, and support the country, and not for the sake of preferential treatment or exemption. It is a natural thing to accept gifts for the country. Princes, generals, ministers, farmers, industry and merchants should all have this awareness! "
After Han Xu finished speaking, he stood still.
But Zhu Youxiao and the ministers were silent afterwards.
The atmosphere therefore seemed a bit awkward.
Zhu Youxiao was an emperor who was determined to innovate. Naturally, the people gathered around him were mainly capable ministers who were determined to innovate. Even if he had the ability to adapt to the wind, he also had his own political opinions, and people like Han Xu who only wanted more A minister who kowtowed and spoke little, and acted as an official and spoke in accordance with the emperor's wishes, seemed a bit out of tune with the other ministers present.
Fang Congzhe smiled because of this.
Like Han Xu, he only acted according to the emperor's will and spoke according to the emperor's wishes, but what was smarter than Han Xu was that he knew how to put forward some constructive suggestions that surprised the emperor but also made him happy.
In terms of pleasing the emperor, Han Xu was indeed inferior to Shang Congzhe.
When it comes to pleasing ministers, Han Xu seems to be no better than before.
Bi Ziyan glanced at Han Xu angrily at this time.
Because he wanted to encourage the emperor a little more on business tax matters, Han Xu couldn't wait to express his support for the unified payment of grain by officials and gentry, without thinking about future tax reform.
"Corpse meal!"
Bi Ziyan cursed secretly.
Yuan Keli, who had just finished rectifying the capital camp for the emperor, also glanced at Han Xu with a complicated expression. He remembered that Han Xu had his own opinions in the past. At that time, when the Donglin Party controlled the court, the reason why Han Xu was recommended by the court as the cabinet minister Chen, because he dared to compete with the emperor.
"Now it has become like this!"
Yuan Keli thought this way.
Then, Yuan Keli also expressed his position: "Your Majesty! In my opinion, it is feasible for officials and gentry to pay grain as one, which can restrain the power of local power. However, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the gentry and even tenant farmers all over the world, or there may be some extreme cases, which will cause trouble. , I believe that if this strategy is really to be implemented, the imperial court must work hard and not give up halfway, otherwise the prestige of the imperial court will be completely lost. I suggest that we enhance the ability of Xichang to collect taxes and let all armies in the world compete to choose the most powerful one. The officers and soldiers formed the West Factory Commission and imposed additional land taxes on the gentry that should have been exempted and exempted, so that if any gentry or tenant farmers caused trouble, they could be suppressed directly!"
"Accurate! First of all, we decree that the governor-general soldiers of the nine-border towns, together with the Imperial Guards and the Yong Guards of the capital, select the strongest battalion in the town and gather in Liaodong to compete in martial arts. Each type of competition will send troops to harass the Eastern captives. Who can kill the Eastern captives? Whoever has more prisoners will work for the West Factory! The codename of this competition is 'Liaodong Liting'"
Zhu Youxiao stood up and said.
He directly regarded Houjin as a hunting ground.
7017k
