June 12 was originally an ordinary day. This day is neither a general celebration nor a calendar solar term, nor is it the birthday of any god or Buddha. However, decades later, this day will be firmly remembered by thousands of people in Jue.
"Hey, that Taoist priest, what are you going to do!" The guard saw a white-bearded and silver-haired Taoist priest in green approaching with a sword from a distance, so he stepped forward and shouted sharply. The guards behind him each grasped their weapons tightly and stared at Qingxuan.
"You are innocent, killing you is the way of heaven." Qingxuan looked up to the sky and sighed, suddenly pulled out the long sword with a "buzz" sound, and turned into a phantom and disappeared from everyone's sight.
... ...
"Prince Ning, is there a compromise on the tax reform?" Duanmulan leaned over from the throne and asked.
The court of Jue Kingdom has always been characterized by diligent administration. The morning court lasted from the second quarter of the Mao hour to the second quarter of the Chen hour. At this time, Duan Mulan, the superior of the Qinzheng Hall, was discussing with a group of relatives the tax reform for the coming year. King Ning Duanmu Ke was the emperor's half-brother and a minister of the state of Jue.
"Back to the emperor, my brother and the prince cannot agree on the same strategy, so I would like to ask for the emperor's Holy Judgment." Duanmu Ke held his hand and replied.
"Well..." Tax reform is an important matter of national affairs. Prince Ning and the prince each have their own opinions, and no one can convince the other. This really gives Duanmu Lan a headache, "Prince Ning, first tell me how you think the tax should be reformed?"
King Ning took two steps forward, held his hand and said: "Looking at Jue Country, the cultivated fields within its four borders are very barren, and it will be difficult for the people to live in Japan. The current taxation is already quite high, and it is really not appropriate to increase taxes. Jue Country is not the same as the big country. Sooner or later, there will be a war in China. People should be encouraged to have more children. Household and Ding taxes should not be increased, but should be reduced or reduced appropriately. Dahua's silk, medicinal materials, Shatuo's grain, and Xianma's war horses are all far better than self-produced ones. It is good, we must try to make it flow inward, and the quick way is to exempt it from taxes, customs duties and commercial taxes. Therefore, I believe that the tax policy for the coming year will be to reduce or reduce taxes to improve people's livelihood."
"Well... what you said makes sense." Duanmu Lan nodded, obviously agreeing with what he said. Seeing Duanmuyu frowning, he asked, "Prince, what do you think?"
"The war with Dahua will take place within a few years. The Jue Kingdom has 550,000 soldiers preparing for war. Each person eats half a catty of rice a day. The entire army's food consumption per day is 440 dan, which is 16 dan per year. Ten thousand shi. The current price of one shi of polished rice is 7 taels and 8 taels, and 160,000 shi is equivalent to 1,200,000 taels. In addition to the military pay of one tael per person per month, military pay and military rations will cost 720 taels per year. Ten thousand taels! Other new armors, armors, weapons, and equipment should cost at least five million taels. The current national treasury surplus will be tens of millions. Once the civil war cannot be won within a year, the national power will be exhausted and the front line will be exhausted. The supply is difficult to sustain, and the army will be defeated without a fight!" Duanmu Yuxing came to King Ning and said seriously, "The people have been suffering for many years, and there may not be a need for urgent relief. However, with Dahua, there will be only one war in a hundred years, and we will wait for it. We should work together as one, even if we use up everything we have, we must complete the victory in one battle! The most important thing at the moment is to raise money widely, train troops diligently, and win the battle quickly, so as not to burden the country's power. Raising taxes should be the first priority when raising money."
"What the prince said makes sense." Duanmulan frowned, obviously a little embarrassed.
Prince Ning had no intention of giving in, and asked again: "Prince, how long do you expect to win the battle with Dahua?" The look on his face was quite aggressive.
"As all generals know, wars are complicated and the weather, geography, and morale can all influence the outcome. Although we strive for a quick battle, we can never guarantee when we will be victorious. Uncle Ning must understand this. "Duanmuyu did not directly answer his question.
"Prince, you are the head of the military generals. You are in charge of the Northern Expedition. You do not think about anything but the military camp. I am the head of the civil servants, and all I care about is the people. The people's livelihood is very difficult, and they have reached the point where it is difficult to eat. So I have to impose additional taxes. , will inevitably cause complaints and fear of civil unrest! When the external war fails and internal worries arise again, what should we do? I think we should stabilize internal affairs first, and then seek benefits in the war!" King Ning said with wide eyes. "You ask for millions of taels of land with just one mouthful, but I can't make any money! The legislation, taxation, and food security are all done by my people. The people in the world are scolding me as the chief civil servant. Even if you are a big man, After Hua was defeated, it was you Duanmuyu who was praised by the world, but it was the millions of hardworking people of Jue who wanted to pull my muscles and peel off my skin. No matter what, I cannot give in to this matter." Duanmu Ke thought to himself.
"Dahua's danger is only now!" Duanmuyu retorted coldly, "Dahua's foundation is far greater than mine, and Jue's opportunity lies in the internal strife in Dahua's court. At present, the four sons of Xia Luhua are fighting each other, and it has reached a state of fire and water. This is the moment when the country is at its weakest in the past three hundred years. It is also the best opportunity that our country has been waiting for for hundreds of years. Internal troubles have always been there. How can we solve them in a short period of time? How can we miss such an opportunity? "
"What the Crown Prince said is a bit exaggerated. According to..." Before King Ning finished speaking, he heard a dull "Woo-Woo" sound coming from the octagonal platform on the palace wall. This was made by the "Shibiela" at the palace gate. Warning sound.
Shibiela, also known as Shihaixiao, is a stone tool with an ingenious structure. It has always been used as a warning tool in the palace to report danger. Whenever there is a flood, earthquake, or enemy situation, the palace gate guards will blow it. When the inner court guards hear this "whining" sound, they will seal the entrances and exits, and the whole city will be under martial law.
"Go and see what's going on!" Duanmu Lan hurriedly stepped down from the throne, looked out, and said to the old eunuch beside him.
The old eunuch said "yes" and hurriedly exited the palace and headed towards the palace gate.
... ...
"Twenty-three Dou Zhuan Xian Bu" uses the overlapping movement of the sixty-four hexagrams and the seventy-two earthly evil stars to determine the progression and the footing, and uses the overlapping movement of the twenty-eight stars and the thirty-six Tiangang stars to determine the abdication. It can be said that the door is extremely complicated. However, once mastered, his body movements and martial arts have endless uses. Qingxuan's body technique has already reached the state of transformation, to the point where it "moves like the wind, is both virtual and real, both illusion and emptiness". At this time, he had turned into a shadow and shuttled among the eight hundred people.
"Ah, my legs...my legs!"...
"There! Xujia position!"...
... ...
"Ah, my eyes!"
... ...
"In the Renyou position!"
... ...
Qingxuan's figure was as fast as a ghost. Even though he was right in front of his eyes, no one among the eight hundred people could see him clearly. Only someone who was injured could tell his approximate whereabouts. However, when everyone reacted, Qingxuan was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, Qingxuan only wanted to hurt people and didn't want to kill more people, so the palace gate turned into another Shura field before he could.
... ...
Seeing Mei Yuanchen rushing down the mountain, Zhan Wei looked even more worried.
"Junior brother, this little junior brother of ours is amazing. I'm afraid that in a few years, there won't be many people in the world who can match him." Zhan Ming stroked the stone railing and smiled at Zhan Weidao, who looked sad on his face. , was about to ask, but heard him say: "Of course I know."
"Oh, this is surprising! Isn't this your first time meeting him?" Zhan Ming turned around and asked in surprise.
Senior brother, my martial arts skills are not as good as yours, but my attainments in stargazing and fortune-telling are far above yours. "Zhan Wei sighed in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Yuanchen has an extremely domineering appearance, and anyone who is close to him will inevitably be conquered by him. Senior brother, even you and I should pay more attention and never interact too closely with him, otherwise, it will be a disaster rather than a blessing! "
Zhan Ming was shocked and replied calmly: How could this be? "
