Raising his head, Wang Xiaolie rubbed his forehead vigorously and looked outside in confusion.
Cao Ge sent the county tax collection and tax list. Wang Xiaolie looked at it carefully and found that his head was as big as a bucket. There are too many items, the numbers are complex, and every money collected has a purpose, which is clearly listed one by one. Judging from these documents alone, nothing has changed at all.
The taxes in the Song Dynasty were actually not much, judging from the official taxes of the court alone. But in addition to regular taxes, there are also tax increases, as well as various changes, transfers, consumption increases, depletion and many other items. There are also items such as Hemai, Kepei, and Hebian, which evolved from the original normal trading behavior. There is also service money, etc. It was originally money collected from changing the service system, but it ended up being turned into taxes. Added up, the number is staggering.
After resting for a while, Wang Xiao, the hunter, called Cao Ge in.
Cao Ge saluted. Wang Xiaolie patted the tax book on the table. Said: "Cao Yasi, according to this, the taxes on the people are very heavy."
Cao Ge said: "Knowing the state has been like this since ancient times. Without collecting taxes, there are many places where money is spent in the state and county, as well as being paid to the court. Where does the money come from? All the money above has to be increased."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head slightly: "I heard people say that if the court charges an extra penny, the people will have to bear an additional five penny. In other words, most of the money collected is divided by state and county officials. "
Cao Ge grimaced and shook his head: "Zhizhou, that's just what an ignorant official said casually. How could it be so? Look at this tax book. I have listed all its uses in detail. Is there any inappropriate use?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It's a pity that you met someone like me who can really understand the account books. I looked carefully and found that more than half of it, about 60% of the money and food, actually disappeared. In other words, you collected the money , although it is recorded in the account books, it actually has no whereabouts.”
Cao Ge spread his hands and said, "Why did Zhizhou say that? The higher-ups clearly remember it."
Wang Xiaolie casually opened the account book and said: "Most of it is about how much chicken, duck, fish and meat I bought yesterday, and how much wine I bought the day before yesterday. I don't know what the wine and meat are used for. This is still a small amount of money, and there are many people who hired me today." How many people have we hired, and where will we deliver the items tomorrow? What exactly we hired people to do, and why we sent the items to other counties, were not explained clearly. In other words, it was just a written accounting."
Cao Ge's expression changed and he just said: "This has been the case since ancient times. How can you remember these chores clearly?
Wang Xiaolie stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth by the table. Turning around, looking at Cao Ge, he said: "I understand that many officials and servants in the county government actually have no salary. But if they don't pay, how can they do anything? If money is paid, there will naturally be many confusing accounts on the books. . This has been the case since the founding of this dynasty. As time goes by, it will naturally become more and more chaotic. But now is an extraordinary period. We have to support a large army and are short of money everywhere. It is not enough to be confused like this. The accounts must be clear, and the old habits must be changed. ."
Cao Ge cupped his hands and stood there silently.
Wang Xiaolie looked at Cao Ge and said in a more serious tone: "In addition, officials need to get money, and subordinates also need to get money. Of course, these money cannot be recorded in the accounts. They can only be renamed. Most of the so-called confused accounts , that’s all."
Cao Ge hurriedly said: "Why does the governor say that? I don't know how troublesome the accounts of a county are. It is normal for some to be confused."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head and said nothing for a while. Not to mention this era, the historical research of later generations does not know how detailed these ancient financial activities are. Who doesn’t know that a number on the books is actually another number? The heaviest burden on the people is not how much money the court charges, but how much money the grassroots officials add to this number.
Officials at this time were not completely ignorant of this phenomenon. Many officials have submitted memorials, especially those serving in the Third Department and the Ministry of Household Affairs. It’s one thing to find a problem, and another thing to solve it. Even though many people pointed out the shortcomings, they were not solved. Not only has it not been resolved, but it has gotten worse as time goes by.
During the Jingkang period, when the Jin soldiers besieged Kaifeng, local governments increased taxes one after another regardless of their intentions. Some were used for official purposes, and many were taken by officials themselves. Ye County is no exception. A lot of taxes were added during the Jingkang period and have been followed since then.
Cao Ge is a police officer. If he wants the officials below to support him, how dare he reduce their income? All these added taxes will be carried over.
After a long time, Wang Xiaolie said: "Only in the books, there are so many problems. There are many more that are not recorded at all. Add them all up, what is the number? An acre of tax cloth is six feet, and there are four buckets of rice. , the rest of the labor money, personal silver, tribute money, etc., all calculated, it costs more than 700 yuan, plus six buckets of rice. How can the land in Ye County be cultivated by the people without eating or drinking? "
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie kept shaking his head. "Actually, when I checked these account books, I only got a general idea. Who doesn't know? In addition to what's in the account books, there are also many things that are not included in the accounts. These things that are not included in the accounts are even more unclear."
He returned to his seat and sat down, looking at Cao Ge. Seeing that he was sweating profusely, Wang Xiaolie said: "Cao Yasi, you should be clear in your heart about what I said. I can't blame you. This has been passed down so many years ago, so what can I do? It's just that Ah, collecting money from the people like this, the people have worked for a year and have no food to eat and no clothes to cover their bodies. How can we talk about other things? Now is a difficult time and we need to work together. We can't do this anymore."
Cao Ge paused for a while. He cupped his hands and said, "Whatever Zhizhou wants, just give him the order."
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You are an official, so you should be aware of these things. What should I do? Is it enough to make the people live better in one sentence? Of course it is not enough. Offering money is definitely not enough. Less. Otherwise, where will the military expenditures come from? In addition to providing money, can the local revenue be reduced? Without this money, some people will be laid off. If these people are laid off, many things cannot be done. This cannot be done, If we can’t do that, wouldn’t the place be in chaos?”
Seeing that Cao Ge didn't speak, Wang Xiaolie said again: "There are two ways to continue this matter. One is to ignore it and I will recruit new people or send people from the army. The people farm the land and only receive money and rice. , three kinds of cloth, and all miscellaneous taxes and excessive taxes are abolished. The names of taxes are as simple as possible, with only two or three. Civil affairs are ignored. If there is a crime, it will be punished with heavy laws. In troubled times, heavy laws will be used to see who dares to commit the crime! "
At this point, Wang Xiaolie's tone became murderous. To be honest, Wang Xiaolie had been thinking about this approach for a long time and had always had the urge to do it. In extraordinary times, use extraordinary means and don't spend too much energy on civil affairs. Squeeze out all the financial resources of the people and use them to expand the army. As long as there is an army, territory can be occupied. Once you have territory and population, you have everything.
But from the experience of later generations, Wang Xiaolie understood that there were many disadvantages to doing so. Economic development is actually a very complex matter. If you want simple management, you will inevitably sacrifice economic vitality. If vitality is lost and the economy cannot develop, there will be no money in hand. Without money, many things cannot actually be done. It is relatively easy to keep the troops fed and clothed, but it is difficult to keep them well-clothed and motivated.
The army of later generations actually used simple methods to survive those difficult years during special historical periods. However, that had a special historical background. China is facing rare internal and external troubles, and the entire society is extremely poor. Moreover, external pressure is strong, and even if we want to develop the economy, we cannot actually develop it. We can only try our best to minimize the intermediate links and tide over the difficult times.
It's different now. Even if it was invaded by the Jin Kingdom, the Song Dynasty was still the most developed economy in the world. Although the burden on the people is heavy, they still have enough energy to spare, and the social economy is still quite active. Using such extreme measures can only bring into play the economic strength of the territory occupied by the headquarters, but cannot get help from other places. When the economy is active, it is not just a few states but can receive support from a vast area.
Wang Xiaolie hesitated because of this reason.
Cao Ge looked a little confused. Wang Xiaolie added: "There is another way. Find some old officials who are really hard at work and sort out the accounting and tax burdens. Which ones should be reduced, which ones should be cut, and how many people should be employed in the county government, one by one. Make it clear. People still have to be hired, things still have to be done, and at the same time, the burden on the people is really reduced. When the people have money, business can prosper. Prosperous business can bring tax revenue to the government. In this way, we can complement each other. A long-term solution.”
After hearing this, Cao Ge felt much more relaxed. He hurriedly handed over his hands and said: "Whatever the governor wants to do, just ask him! Although he is not smart, he must be of some use in the county government for many years."
Looking at Cao Ge, Wang Xiaolie said slowly: "To do this, in addition to using the experience of you old officials, the more important thing is loyalty! You must do this truly and wholeheartedly! Your own interests will be gained and lost. , Relatives and friends must be ignored! If you are uncertain, you will lose completely! Now that I have a large army, it is easy to find people who do things for me. But it is difficult to find people who do things sincerely! "
After hearing this, Cao Ge was stunned and thought carefully about the meaning of Wang Xiaolie's words.
Wang Xiaolie looked at Cao Ge and said: "This must be said clearly. If you want to do it, do it sincerely. If you don't do it, I won't force it. However, if you are willing to do it, you are half-hearted and only think about finding something for yourself. It’s good, but it’s bad!”
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie stood up and looked at the bright sunshine outside the door. After a long time, he said: "By loyalty, I don't want you to be loyal to me, but to be loyal to what you do. If you do well, I will not hesitate to reward you. As long as you do things with your heart, even if your performance is unsatisfactory, I will not punish you. Human. However, if you only care about yourself, your relatives and friends when doing things, you will definitely not be lenient!"
People always have to fight over everything in this world. I think this is right, you think that is right, and some people think another way. They often argue with each other and refuse to bow their heads. But in reality, how can things in this world be so clearly distinguished?
The most difficult thing in the world is not to find the best way to do things, but to grasp the degree. Most of the time, there's nothing wrong with doing this or doing that, it's just about the degree. No matter how good the method is, it will be harmful if it is excessive.
A good manager, or a good leader, is not about finding ways to do things or people to do things, but to always grasp the degree of things. Once excessive, deal with it promptly. If you grasp the degree well, you will get things done.
The truth of the world and the laws of all things are often just an illusion. All things have their limits, and the extremes of things must be reversed.
If Wang Xiaolie wants to grow and develop in the shortest time and at the lowest cost, he must not be afraid of using difficult methods. No matter how much effort you put in, no matter how high the price is.
Even though we know that the current government officials are unreliable, we still use them. Because they have value. It depends on Wang Xiaolie's ability to let them bring out their value and minimize the harm.
