Facing the discussion presented by Zhao Hao, Li Si was both surprised and amazed.
He discussed the prosperity and failure of the country with the First Emperor more than once.
But none of them thought that land was related to the rise and fall of the country.
"Master, why did you say this?"
Li Si looked at Zhao Hao with a puzzled expression.
Zhao Hao smiled and said: "The old country is destroyed and the new country is established. In this process, there will always be wars, and the duration of the wars often lasts for a long time, some are more than ten years, and some are decades;
I wonder if Li Tingwei discovered that when the old country was destroyed, there was no land in the capital of Guizhou? "
"this"
Li Si hesitated and said, "Isn't that true?"
As far as he knew, after the Qin Dynasty overthrew the Six Kingdoms, not much of the land in the heads of Guizhou was taken away, only the land of those nobles was taken away.
"Although not necessarily, these lands are simply not enough to support the whole family."
Zhao Hao smiled meaningfully.
"What do you want to say, Master?"
Li Si narrowed his eyes slightly.
Zhao Hao picked up the cup slowly and took a sip of water before saying:
“First of all, what we need to understand is that countries that have gone through war will experience a sharp decrease in population.
For example, those who died in war, those who died of illness, those who suffered from famine, and those who were displaced are everywhere. These are all factors in population reduction. "
"The impact of population reduction must be that the demand for food has decreased. Coupled with the establishment of the new country, land will be redistributed, just like the Great Qin Dynasty. My father has issued an order to encourage private people to open up wasteland. All land that has been opened up will be , owned by the parties;
A family can clear about thirty acres of land. On average, each person can clear about seven or eight acres of land. As long as Guizhou is more diligent, this land is enough to support the whole family. "
"but."
As he spoke, he changed the topic and continued: "Why is it that at the end of the country, there is no land in the capital of Guizhou? There is not even a house to live in, and it is reduced to displacement?"
"Why?"
Li Si asked eagerly.
He felt that Zhao Hao was saying something very important.
Although this thing was not obvious when the Seven Kingdoms were fighting for hegemony, it seemed to have appeared during the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.
"In my opinion, there are two reasons, one is land annexation, and the other is natural and man-made disasters."
Zhao Hao said, looking at Li Si seriously: "In the early days of the founding of the new country, the capital of Guizhou had land, but after all, the capital of Guizhou was a small family, and its ability to withstand natural and man-made disasters was very poor;
Even if they have land in their hands, they will sell it for various reasons, such as serious illness, family decline, etc. No matter what time it is, dignitaries are frantically acquiring land. "
"Why is this happening?"
Cold sweat broke out on Li Si's forehead instantly, eager to know the answer.
During the years when he assisted the First Emperor in governing the country, he discovered this problem once, but he never understood why.
Obviously those dignitaries are not short of land, so why do they want to acquire other people's land?
The Qin State has not banned land trading so far, it just thinks it is normal.
But Zhao Hao now told him that land annexation was the cause of a country's demise, and he could no longer take it lightly.
"The reason is actually very simple, because there are huge profits from land."
Zhao Hao smiled and said: "Li Tingwei has been with Lu Buwei for a while, so he should know his discussion. Lu Buwei once said: Business has three times the profit, and land has ten times the profit;
I dare to ask Li Tingwei, who wouldn’t be tempted when faced with ten times the profit? Who wouldn’t flock to it? "
"."
Hearing this, Li Si reacted for a moment, then turned cold and scolded angrily:
"Lu Buwei is a profiteer and his like. How ridiculous his argument is! The dignitaries enjoy everything the country gives, but they do things that harm the country. Your Majesty is very disgusted!"
"hehe."
Zhao Hao smiled noncommittally.
In the minds of those high-ranking officials, the so-called family, country and world are family first and country second.
They only care about themselves and not the interests of the country.
Seeing that Li Si's mood calmed down a little, Zhao Hao continued:
"It's true that Lu Buwei is a profiteer, but he understands the thoughts of dignitaries and knows that they will do anything for their own benefit."
"Furthermore, people have a sense of luck and always think that they will be the luckiest one. It's like a rain of arrows falling from the sky. They know clearly that the area covered by the arrow rain will kill everyone and animals, but they always think that they will survive. The one!"
"this"
Li Si was shocked. To him, this was human nature, an unsolvable problem.
But when he heard Zhao Hao mention this matter, he looked at Zhao Hao with hope: "Young Master, is there any way?"
"No."
Zhao Hao shook his head simply.
"That"
"I have a half-baked suggestion."
"Master, please speak!"
Li Si's hope suddenly rose amidst his disappointment.
Even immature suggestions are better than no solution at all.
In the past, when faced with this problem, those in power and those who governed the country would choose to avoid it, or even never delve into it.
Now faced with this problem again, Li Si can only place his hope on Zhao Hao.
After all, Zhao Hao had already proven his ability when discussing politics in the Doctor's Palace.
If Li Si was asked to choose one of the known capable people who could solve this problem, the first person he would think of would definitely be Zhao Hao.
Although Zhao Hao slapped him in the face more than once or twice, wise men will always cherish each other, just like Laozi and Confucius.
"Use strict laws to prohibit land annexation, but this matter must be done by my father, because my father is as powerful as the three emperors and five emperors, and has enough courage to suppress everything!"
Zhao Hao said calmly and solemnly.
"."
Li Si was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.
This is indeed a feasible approach.
There is no doubt about the ability of the First Emperor. The things he did can be said to be unprecedented and unprecedented.
In the Qin Dynasty, apart from the fact that the First Emperor could not live forever, nothing else was a problem.
"but."
Zhao Hao changed the topic again and added: "I don't know very well whether this method is effective."
"What do you mean, Master?"
Li Si frowned, looking a little confused.
Zhao Hao smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Ten times the benefit is too great, big enough to trample on any harsh punishment laws!"
"Besides, dignitaries are not a group of people without ability. Capable officials and dignitaries can take advantage of legal loopholes, which is fatal to the head of Guizhou!"
"For example, the law limits how much land they can own. They can change the law to eat more and occupy more, or disperse the land to the same clan and clan, or simply take the land in Guizhou as their own and retain the nominal ownership rights in Guizhou. .”
"this"
Li Si was frightened when he heard this. No matter how many books he read, how many memorials he reviewed, or how many civil investigations he conducted, he still did not fully realize the dangers of land annexation.
Although he was greedy for power, he was dedicated to the country and valued land, but he never delved into the consequences of land annexation for Da Qin.
In fact, part of the reason for the demise of the Qin Dynasty was that the First Emperor did not implement the feudal system, and the Qin Dynasty did not prohibit land sales, which led to the Qin Dynasty's nobles frantically annexing land, and the original aristocratic families like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang lost their land and became tenants.
Eventually, dissatisfaction accumulated due to the postponement of the Wei labor force, and he led a group of tenants to raise the banner of resistance to the "violent Qin".
It can be said that the Qin Dynasty perished in just fifteen years, which had nothing to do with land annexation.
Fortunately, Li Si's will was strong enough. Even when faced with such a harmful issue as land annexation, he could still sit upright and continue to ask Zhao Hao: "Is there more?"
"Yes! Why not?"
Zhao Hao answered with a smile, then picked up the cup in his hand and took another sip of green tea.
Immediately, I felt the aroma of tea, refreshing.
Since Li Si tasted the green tea from Liuheju, he fell in love with the taste. Not only did he give up the original tea, he even didn't want to drink the original soup.
Whenever he encounters troubles, drinking a pot of green tea always makes him feel refreshed.
"Land annexation is not a simple purchase and sale issue, it is a very complex social issue. Both Li Tingwei and my father are impatient, but this matter must not be rushed and should be dealt with slowly."
When Zhao Hao talked about the key point, he couldn't help but remind Li Si, just because he was afraid that he would be eager for success and run to find the First Emperor.
If the First Emperor knew about it, given his character, he would probably cause a bloody storm anyway, which Zhao Hao didn't want to see.
After all, when the empire was first established, the population was not large. Even if the people of the Six Kingdoms and Lao Qin were added together, the population would only be over 30 million.
In future generations, more than 30 million people will not be as many as the number of people in a province.
Even though Zhao Hao originally did not belong to this era and had no deep feelings for this era, he still felt that it would be best if he could kill less people.
As long as they can exert their remaining value, it's okay to keep them alive.
"I understand, sir, please tell me."
Li Si nodded solemnly and raised his hand to signal.
Zhao Hao pondered for a moment and then continued: "I once proposed to my father the system of integrating officials and gentry as errands and paying taxes, but my father rejected it because he said the time was not ripe;
But when I thought about it later, even if this system was not implemented, it would not be completely tax-free as it is now. "
"Why?"
Li Si was confused and said: "Officials and gentry do not pay for food. This has been the case since ancient times. Scholars become officials for the same reason. Should we let them study and farm at the same time?"
"Things that have been done since ancient times are not always right."
Zhao Hao shook his head and said: "Students are not engaged in production. The state can give them some compensation, but it cannot exempt them from taxes. Although the current scholars are mainly Confucian students, the imperial court does not put them in high regard, so even if they are exempted from tax, it does not matter;
But Li Tingwei should not forget that the examination to become an official has been implemented. In the future, many students will take the examination to become an official. By then, will the imperial court still exempt them from taxes? "
"You know, behind a student who becomes an official is a family. If the land of a family is put under his name, the tax exemption will not be a small amount!"
"this"
Hearing that the land of a family was put under the name of a student, Li Si was suddenly shocked and murmured to himself: "It would be fine if there were hundreds of people, but it would be better if there were thousands or even tens of thousands of people;
Not to mention that there is not so much land that can be used for tax exemption, even their salaries cannot be provided by the court."
"Li Tingwei is right."
Zhao Hao nodded in approval, and then said solemnly:
"The Qin Dynasty is now divided into thirty-six counties. Some counties do not even have county magistrates, let alone petty officials;
However, as the land area increases in the future, there will be more and more officials, and tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of officials will not be enough;
They don't have to pay taxes, and the taxes will naturally fall on the heads of Guizhou;
Coupled with the implementation of the sharing of land into acres, Guizhou leaders would sell their land and work as tenants in their homes if they could not bear the heavy tax.
By then, does Li Tingwei know what it will be like? "
"this"
Li Si's eyes widened, as if he had seen that scene. He stood up and put his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in front of Zhao Hao. After a long time, he sighed:
"The capital of Guizhou went to work as tenants in the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles. The high-ranking officials and nobles did not have to pay taxes, and the court's tax revenue would become less and less;
Once trouble occurs, taxes will be increased, which makes the head of Guizhou miserable. Eventually, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms will take advantage of him and rise up against Qin, making the country uneasy! "
"What Li Tingwei said is true!"
Zhao Hao raised his glass and saluted Li Si.
Li Zhan on the side followed suit and saluted his father.
Although he didn't understand it at all, he thought it was very powerful.
But Zhao Hao could respect him, but he couldn't. Li Si's face turned dark at that moment.
Zhao Hao had no choice but to help change the topic again: "So, the national policy of tax exemption for officials and gentry must be reformed!"
"Um?"
Li Si looked stunned and asked Zhao Hao: "What do you mean, Master?"
"Even if it cannot be stopped temporarily, tax exemption conditions must be established."
"this"
Li Si pondered: "This is a way, but it is still difficult. As His Majesty said, the time is not yet ripe."
Hearing this, Zhao Hao smiled slightly, then raised the tea cup in his hand and said: "Li Tingwei, please look, I have drank half of this cup of tea, how can I keep drinking it?"
"What's the problem? Just keep refilling the cup!"
Before Li Si could say anything, Li Zhan stood up and poured Zhao Hao a cup of tea.
Zhao Hao shook his head and said, "Thank you, Brother Li."
"Young master, you are welcome."
Li Zhan scratched his head and showed a flattering smile.
Li Si, who was originally planning to scold his son, saw this scene, and most of his anger disappeared instantly.
Because the better the relationship between Li Zhan and Zhao Hao, the wider his road will be.
But Zhao Hao continued: "The land in this world is like this cup of tea. Everyone wants to drink tea, but they can't get enough, and the court doesn't want this cup of tea to be drank up. There is another way, which is unlimited. "Refill"
Having said this, he paused and looked at Li Si meaningfully: "Now Li Tingwei understands the meaning of the land of Jiuzhou, right?"
"Young Master, do you mean to launch a war abroad and plunder more land?"
Li Si said with a surprised look on his face.
He never thought that conquering the land of Jiuzhou would have such meaning.
When the first emperor said he wanted to dominate the Nine Continents, he thought it was just a pie, but he didn't expect it to be used here.
"Plundering other people's things is far simpler and more convenient than creating it yourself. Da Qin has the strength to do this, so why not do it?" Zhao Hao said lightly.
"color!"
When Li Zhan heard Zhao Hao's words, he cheered excitedly for no reason.
He likes this kind of use-ism, he doesn't need to work hard on his own, just get something ready-made.
"Well"
Li Si's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but ask: "Master, is there any other way?"
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(End of chapter)
