Luo Sheng watched Han Lin leave Luo Mansion with his hands behind his back.
Anyang Hou Hanlin glanced at the mansion behind him in despair. He came to Luo Mansion because he was worried that the emperor's large-scale business tax inspection would hit too many areas and cause chaos, so he wanted to ask Luo's attitude.
After all, the Luo family has always supported the development of commerce. Putting agriculture first and paying equal attention to agriculture and commerce are the core ideas of King Luo Wen's governance. This is also one of the reasons for denouncing the Legalist farming system.
But thinking back to what Luo Sheng said to him.
"It is the power of the imperial court to collect taxes. If you want to be a loyal minister, then go all out to implement it. If you are worried about the chaos in the world, then consider the degree of it. What's the use of worrying here?
A thousand years ago, Sheng's ancestor Luo Wengong was still able to sort out the yin and yang world when the emperor was defeated in the southern expedition and the kingdom was in chaos.
The current situation of the Han Dynasty is much better than that of the past, so what is there to worry about? "
These words are typical and reasonable nonsense, which fully reflects Luo Sheng's attitude. He does not pay attention to the internal affairs of the Han Dynasty.
This made Han Lin a little confused.
…
Changle Palace.
There is still a need to discuss the method of collecting commercial taxes. Liu Dan has a rather violent personality and said directly: "There has always been a business trend in Guandong, especially in Qi, so we will start the investigation from Qi."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this and glanced at the emperor quietly. Are they really going to check the business tax?
The King of Jiaodong is in the county of Qidi, and he is also the elder brother of His Majesty. What should we do if this is traced to the King of Jiaodong?
Or is this the emperor's purpose?
Sang Hongyang asked solemnly: "Your Majesty, I am very worried. What should I do if I encounter noble Tianhuang during the investigation?
Since ancient times, it has never been heard that the following people have succeeded in committing crimes. The princes and kings of Qi are entrenched. This is something that I dare not offend. "
Liu Dan sighed with emotion: "Sang Qing, what you said makes sense, but if it is beneficial to the country, can you not do it?
Now that Emperor Gao's brothers and descendants are here, how many are left in the kingdom?
The kings of the Han Dynasty were all descendants of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu. Is this just because the court was unwilling to let them enjoy eternal wealth?
This is because they did not think about the hardships of their ancestors in starting a business and made a big mistake, which is why we have what we have today.
I saw it with my own eyes when the late emperor abolished his fifth brother's kingdom. I know that the late emperor was unwilling to do that, but he had to do it if he wanted to rectify the people of the world.
Now the same is true, the law is there, and honestly speaking, it is not harsh. Is it right not to enforce it?
I want to be a holy master and wise king like Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu. I have the ambition to overcome all difficulties. I also ask Sang Qing and Da Si Shang to take my sword and go to Qi to check the business taxes, whether they are princes or kings. Whether they are princes or princes, they are all left to your disposal.
I will wait for your good news in Chang'an. "
Liu Dan's words shocked Sang Hongyang. The emperor's determination was greater than he imagined, which made him very excited.
Legalist students have a lot of ability, but what they fear most is that the monarch’s support is not strong enough.
As long as the monarch agrees, he will let those Confucian scholars who are in high positions but can only talk and talk about what it means to govern a country and what it means to strengthen a country.
Let the world know why Legalism was able to end hundreds of years of chaos and why it was possible to hang up Confucian scholars and beat them.
"Your Majesty, I will never disappoint your expectations!"
Liu Dan said calmly: "Sang Qing, you need to bring the Imperial Guard with you when you go to Guandong. Those Guandong people are not easy to mess with. They are a group of desperadoes who do not care about their own interests. If they harm the high officials of the imperial court, it will not be easy." alright."
Liu Dan said this simply because he was like this when he was the vassal king. He knew very well what these princes and kings thought in their hearts.
Sang Hongyang was startled when he heard the words, and looked up at the emperor. He was keenly aware of a cold look in the emperor's eyes, which made Sang Hongyang a little frightened. He didn't know what the emperor wanted to do.
In other words, Sang Hongyang didn't dare to think about it.
But he didn't dare to think about it, but that didn't mean that others didn't dare to think about it. The emperor wanted to start the investigation from Qi. Although it was said that Qi was the most important place for business, many people thought that he was going after King Jiaodong.
The late emperor had hesitated between him and King Jiaodong before. This must be a thorn in the heart of the current emperor.
This scene reminded everyone of the old days when Emperor Xiaowu and King Li of Jiujiang committed suicide. There was a folk song that said: "A foot of cloth can be sewed; a bushel of millet can be pounded. The two brothers are incompatible."
This song may be more suitable for the current relationship between His Majesty and the King of Jiaodong, because King Li of Jiujiang still has a way to die, and the King of Jiaodong is really an unreasonable disaster.
Under the attention of countless people in the world, the imperial mission went all the way to Qidi, thousands of miles away. The entire Qidi fell into panic. This is because there are really many people in Qidi who have not paid business taxes. Basically, All merchants are looking for their owners to see how they can successfully pass this inspection.
After Sang Hongyang arrived in Qidi, he went directly to Beihai County. There was naturally a reason for choosing this place. Beihai County was the most powerful among the counties in the old Qidi. It was only guarded by Shouguang Hou. To the east was the Jiaodong Kingdom. As well as the Kingdom of Jimo, to the west is Zichuan County and the Duke of Qi. Once the Lu family changes, it will be very convenient to go east or west.
After arriving in Beihai County, Sang Hongyang didn't delay at all and immediately started to check the merchants here. Even he was shocked when he checked. The amount of money leaked and the number of people were simply crazy.
"With so many taxes confiscated, how did the Han Dynasty maintain its finances for so long?"
Sang Hongyang felt numb all over. Economic masters like him were a bit unable to turn around. This is actually very simple. Hanting's tax rate is low, and private business activities will naturally flourish. In modern society, many countries in order to stimulate the economy will This is the reason why we implement tax reduction policies.
Sang Hongyang lived in the palace of the imperial envoy and was not prepared to leave at all because he was worried that someone would assassinate him. Guandong has always had a chivalrous style, but in fact it was a group of unemployed vagrants who did not obey the king's law.
Sang Hongyang has countless ideals to realize and countless glory and wealth to enjoy, and he is simply unwilling to take risks.
"Your Majesty, the cloth merchant Wang has evaded a large amount of money. He seems to have colluded with officials in Beihai County, and other wealthy families in Beihai County are involved. He has never paid taxes to the court. He is one of the people found The most egregious one.”
The subordinates quickly found out the most ostentatious Wang family. Sang Hongyang immediately said after hearing this: "Are there county officials involved? Good thing, investigate vigorously! One official can bring out a group of merchants who have leaked.
In addition, he sent people to search his house and inventory his property. Since he was unwilling to pay taxes to the court, he would not have to pay them in the future. This must be what he wanted. "
As a result, before the order could even leave the cabin, another person hurried over and said, "Shang Qing, the head of the Wang family has committed suicide!"
Sang Hongyang was startled when he heard this. He didn't bother to think about whether he committed suicide or was killed. He immediately said: "Death is death. Not death is the end of exile. Go and count all the family properties first. They all belong to the imperial court." Qian, don’t let His Majesty think that we are not doing things well, and don’t let the Da Si Shang compare us. If we do well this time, maybe there will be no Da Si Shang Department in the future.”
The officials of the Ministry of Agriculture were very excited when they heard this. In the past, the wealthy people who did not dare to offend were now trembling under their own hands. This was also a kind of pleasure.
"Da Sinong, we found the caravan working for the King of Jiaodong."
finally come!
Sang Hongyang took a deep breath and said, "Summon King Jiaodong to Beihai County. I want to question him."
He has a sword given by the emperor himself, ranks above the princes and kings, and even has the power of life and death. This is what the emperor wants him to do.
…
Jiaodong Kingdom.
Facing Sang Hongyang's summons, King Jiaodong was extremely frightened and kept pacing: "What can we do? What can we do?
I told you not to accept the help of those businessmen who evaded taxes from the imperial court, but you have to accept it. What should you do now?
I heard that Sang Hongyang was from the Legalist family. They are all a bunch of lunatics, and they will definitely step on me and climb up. And your Majesty, will your Majesty want to kill me? "
The Queen of Jiaodong heard this and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please be calm. Those are all made by businessmen, so what does they have to do with the palace?
At most, it's just a lax subordinate.
As long as there are businessmen in this world, there will definitely be leaks. As long as we are still accepting the help of businessmen, such things will definitely happen among our subordinates.
You want benefits but are unwilling to pay. Is there such a good thing in this world?
I'm afraid it won't be our Jiaodong Prince's turn.
I will accompany you to see this special envoy from the imperial court. I want to see what he says! "
As soon as the Queen of Jiaodong said these words, everyone in the palace felt that they had a backbone, so the Jiaodong Kingdom and the whole party rushed to Beihai County in a mighty manner.
————
In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, Hongyang was ordered to leave the customs and enter Beihai. Within ten months, hundreds of people went bankrupt and more than a thousand people died. They were all the homes of wealthy merchants. People were angry at that time. Hongyang said with emotion: "Man-made people Wealth dies, birds die for food, and profit makes the mind so dim that it is time to die!"
People at that time said: "Those who do this will surely die." - "Hanshu Biography of Sang Hongyang"
————
In ancient dynasties, as the national power of the dynasty increased, in order to maintain their rule, the emperor would definitely start border wars, build canals, build palaces, build cities, and have extravagant palaces. These complicated matters would definitely put huge financial pressure on the dynasty, so To obtain more financial resources, we must increase more taxes, but history has proven that unless there is a supreme god watching over everything, any increase in taxes will eventually be imposed on the poorest and most distressed people. This is not even considered civilized. There are differences in types, national structures, and social processes, but they are common problems among human beings. When I write this paragraph, I have to admit that the decline of the Han Dynasty has begun. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of chapter)
