After He Ning's testimony, the expression on Zhao Xu's face gradually became serious.
This is different from Wang Anshi's mentality at this time. Wang Anshi still sits firmly on the Diaoyutai without panic at all. As He Ning said, after all, the basic market is not in chaos, and the court also benefits from it, only losing a few businessmen, this is nothing Big problem.
I'm just going to deal with those profiteers. If they don't lose, whoever loses can only say that they deserve it.
But Zhao Xu still had his plan with Zhang Fei in mind, which was the huge business tax plan.
In fact, it is currently being implemented. Why is the tax revenue of Hezhong Prefecture increasing rapidly? All of them are commercial taxes, and there is little room for increasing agricultural taxes.
The reason why Zhao Xu adopted this plan was precisely because agriculture was the country's fundamentals, and no one dared to act rashly. Whether it was the annexation system or the tenant farming system, the court only made minor modifications and had to be coaxed, but the problem was At present, it is difficult to collect agricultural taxes, even if there is a tax department.
Because the tax department only collects taxes outside of privileges, it targets tax evasion and evasion. However, the privileges caused by redundant officials are also huge, and the potential is limited.
Moreover, most of these privileges are concentrated in agriculture, and only a small part of them grant some salt and iron trading rights to some relatives of the emperor as a reward.
But that's only a handful.
Therefore, we must turn our attention to commercial tax, and collect taxes from those privileged people through commercial tax. After all, the grain of the big landowners has to be sold, and the tax can be collected from here.
Southeast Sixth Road is the area with the most developed commercial economy, and the commercial tax in this area is very important in the entire plan.
This will kill all the businessmen. Where will the business tax come from?
He died before he left the army!
Zhao Xu began to feel tangled in his heart.
Compared with this grand plan, the average loss method seems a bit small.
Sima Guang, Fu Bi and others had long thought of this situation. The government would personally do business, just to deny businessmen a way to survive. This was also the purpose of this hearing.
After He Ning went down, Zhang Fei summoned Sun Chongwen, deputy envoy of Jinghu South Road, who was recalled to Beijing.
"Deputy Ambassador Sun, is there any money shortage on Jinghu South Road?"
"have."
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "And it is becoming increasingly serious."
Speaking of money shortage, Wang Anshi couldn't help but think deeply. He didn't expect this, but he didn't think it was a big problem. Compared with the advantages of the average loss method, it was nothing.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Do you have any evidence to prove this?"
Sun Chongwen said: "In the past two years, most of the tax accounts on Jinghu South Road, whether summer tax or commercial tax, were paid in silk, tea, and grain. The reason is that the local currency is scarce."
Zhang Fei said: "Then did you report this matter to the court?"
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "Yes, there is, but it has not attracted the attention of the imperial court."
After that, he quickly explained to the court: "The reason is that the weather on Jinghu South Road has been smooth in the past two years. Although there has been a money shortage, the people can still barter with silk. At the same time, the local government has also made Adjust and allow people to use grain and silk to pay taxes, so this problem is not very serious."
After all, this is a public occasion, and you have to worry about the court's face.
There is a problem, but it's not serious.
Wang Anshi nodded, everything was as expected. This money shortage is not the first time. You can invest some money then, and this problem can be easily solved.
Zhang Fei asked: "Deputy Ambassador Sun thinks this is caused by the equal loss method."
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "Yes. The reason is just as those businessmen said. Due to the regulations and principles of equal transportation, the shipping department prefers to collect some light goods from Jinghu Road and Fujian Road, that is, silk, tea, coins, and then spend money to buy grain in Jianghuai and other places. This can save the court a lot of freight. But it will also inevitably lead to a money shortage in the local area. "
Zhang Fei asked: "Then do you think that Jiulongfa will benefit the court, or will it cause the court to lose benefits?"
"I don't know that."
Sun Chongwen, like He Ning, shook his head very decisively.
Zhang Fei did not force himself and asked again: "What about the commercial tax in Jinghu area?"
Sun Chongwen hesitated for a moment and said: "Business taxes have been reduced a lot."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you know how much the reduction has been?"
Sun Chongwen said: "Nearly 70%."
Zhao Xu stood up suddenly after hearing this and whispered: "Is it reduced by so much?"
Zhang Fei also asked: "Are there so many?"
Sun Chongwen said: "Because Jinghu is different from Yuhang. Although the number of merchants in both places is decreasing, there is no serious money shortage in Yuhang."
“What impact does this have on the local area?”
"At present, the impact on ordinary people is not very big. They can still barter, but it is more complicated. But the impact on many landowners and wealthy businessmen is still relatively large, because their goods cannot be sold."
Sun Chongwen added: "In addition, due to the large reduction in taxes, the fiscal revenue of local county governments has been reduced. Not long ago, I reported to the court that more money should be given to local county governments. Some local county governments no longer have government officials. .”
Deng Wan was a little panicked when he heard this. Couldn't he even afford the office staff? He asked Wang Anshi in a low voice: "Ms. sir, what should we do?"
Wang Anshi didn't take it seriously and said: "Just give me some extra money to save. Compared with what the shipping department earns, it's nothing."
Deng Wan nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "Thank you very much, Deputy Ambassador Sun, for being able to attend and testify."
"Where, where."
After Sun Chongwen went down, Zhang Fei invited Xue Xiang, the most critical figure in the case, to come up.
However, Xue Xiang was neither the plaintiff nor the defendant. He came to the witness box and sat down more confidently and calmly.
"Envoy Xue Fayun, you have heard what the witnesses just said."
"Um."
Xue Xiang nodded, then shook his head and said: "But what those businessmen said was purely exaggerated, nonsense, and confusing right and wrong. Today's results are all their own fault, and they can't blame others. It can't be said that in order for them to make money, the court You have to lose money, the court has its own plans.
The equal loss method is just a matter of the court trying to save money and make reasonable allocations, and those businessmen who complain are just because they cannot make huge wealth from the court and the people. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. "
It can be seen that he was sitting down and listening to the accusations of the businessmen, and it was very hard for him to hold it in.
Wang Anshi also nodded vigorously. What Xue Xiang said was exactly what he was thinking.
Those businessmen were very depressed.
Why do we deserve it? It's obviously your problem.
Conservative officials such as Sima Guang and Liu Shu even sneered.
It is really a great misfortune for the country to have such a person become the Third Secretary-General!
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile and asked: "I know what Xue Fayunshi meant, but there is one thing that I am not very clear about. Is the purpose of losing the law to retaliate against those big profiteers?"
Xue Xiang was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said, "Of course not."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Are those businessmen our common people in the Song Dynasty?"
Xue Xiang nodded and said, "Of course."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Xue Fayun thinks that those businessmen just now have nothing else to do except complain to the government?"
Xue Xiang shook his head dully. The more he listened, the more confused he became. What on earth are you asking?
Zhang Fei added: "Since the purpose of Junsufa is not to punish merchants, and those merchants are also common people in our Song Dynasty, the current situation is that a group of common people are complaining to the government because the government's policies have caused losses to their interests.
So as a court official, should I choose to accuse them of not being able to accuse them, accuse them of being unkind, accuse them of being petty, or should I first understand the problem, explain it, and then solve it? "
You are really good at twisting things around! Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei and said awkwardly: "Of course I'm going to solve the problem."
"I guess so."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "After all, Xue Fayun is also a victim in this regard. As the saying goes, don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you."
Xue Xiang nodded immediately and said: "Prosecutor Zhang is right."
When he was in court, he was most criticized for his personal ethics. Now you are accusing businessmen of being selfish. Isn't that the same thing?
Wang Anshi, who was a little unhappy just now, couldn't help but laugh.
It turns out that the foreshadowing is here, hidden deep enough!
On the other hand, Wen Yanbo, Sima Guang and others had livid faces. Who are you insinuating?
"Just like our public prosecutors, we must defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals."
Zhang Fei said: "Therefore our procuratorate is very willing to listen to the complaints of businessmen, because this is the only thing they can do, but I asked Ambassador Xue Fayun to come up, but I don't want to hear Ambassador Xue Fayun complain here, nor do I want to hear Ambassador Xue Fayun To accuse anyone.
Because this is meaningless. This involves national governance and people's livelihood, rather than a dispute over Confucian and Legalist ideals.
Therefore, we hope that the following questions will focus on understanding the problem, explaining the problem, and finally solving the problem. I believe this is what Xue Fayun is best at. "
Xue Xiang couldn't help but sit upright and nodded awkwardly.
Han Qi chuckled: "It's a bit interesting."
Fu Bi couldn't help stroking his beard and smiling.
The implication of these words is that it is right for businessmen to complain, because that is all they can do, but you cannot complain to them, it is meaningless, you are the one who solves the problem, and this is your responsibility.
If you complain to each other, that's totally over.
The problem is never solved.
Of course, this also hints to Sima Guang and Wang Anshi that in this hearing, the problem is the key.
Zhang Fei had told them before that whenever the two of them met, there would always be a fight.
"Thank you, Ambassador Xue Fayun, for your understanding."
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile, then looked down at the copy, then looked up again, "I would like to ask Ambassador Xue Fayun to explain to us the method of losing weight, including the causes and consequences."
"Can."
Xue Xiang immediately explained the concept of uniform loss in detail, and also gave examples to describe how beneficial it was to the country and the people, and how much money it could save the court.
Very well spoken, very precise, sounds like a professional and very experienced.
It's a pity that there are only businessmen outside, so there isn't much reaction. No matter how beautiful this is, it is not good for businessmen!
Only the reformist officials nodded in amusement, but the conservative officials opposite shook their heads with disdain.
"Thank you very much, Ambassador Xue Fayun, for explaining this method to us."
Zhang Fei nodded and asked: "So so far, has Junshufa accomplished the goal of establishing the Ordinance Department of the second government?"
"Completed."
Xue Xiang said very confidently: "The equal transportation method saves the country about one or two million gu each year. At the same time, it transports 6 million dan of grain to the capital every year. Before the equal transportation method, the grain transported to the capital was the highest." It’s only 550,000 dan. In addition, the equal loss method can also create a lot of profits for the court. It can be said that it kills multiple birds with one stone.”
Zhang Fei asked: "What I want to know about this profit is, how much is it specifically?"
Xue Xiang hesitated and said: "I don't know the specifics, but it must be more than the reduction in commercial taxes."
"Probably?"
"Well, sometimes it's more and sometimes it's less. After all, there are profits and losses when doing business. It's hard to say."
Xue Xiang looked at him a little.
Some censors stroked their beards with a faint smile on their lips.
Still want to hide it?
Can you keep it secret?
"But someone submitted a piece of evidence to our procuratorate. According to this evidence, one million yuan worth of expenditures by the Shipping Department were missing."
As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.
Many officials stared with wide eyes.
A million dollars?
real or fake?
This is really crazy!
Corruption has certainly occurred since the founding of the People's Republic of China, but no one has ever been able to embezzle a million dollars.
This must be fake.
Even the businessmen who were watching thought so.
Wen Yanbo was very calm and sighed in his heart, they still couldn't hold it back after all! But this is good to prevent them from continuing this kind of business.
The reformist officials also had expressions of disbelief. It could be seen that Xue Xiang was silent and didn't answer. He suddenly became a little bit more convinced and couldn't help but feel angry, "You damn thing, you've been greedy for so much money and you don't care about us at all."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Is this the case?"
Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei, nodded and said, "It's true."
Zhang Fei asked: "Then where does this million go?"
Xue Xiangdao: "Xihe area."
Wen Yanbo couldn't help but open his eyes, and Jiang Zhiqi and other censors also looked at each other.
Nonsense.
First of all, this money does not belong to the emperor, but to the internal treasury. Secondly, this money goes into the emperor's pocket, how could it end up in the Xihe area.
Zhang Fei said: "What on earth is going on?"
Xue Xiang said: "Our shipping department's initial purchase funds were all allocated from the inner treasure treasury, but when the Southeast Sixth Road collects taxes, it will all be returned to the inner treasure treasury."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I know that."
Xue Xiangdao: "Due to the limited reserves of the internal treasury at that time, the officials not only ordered Liangzhe Road and Jiangnan East Road to transfer part of the tribute to the Shipping Department, but also allocated some money to the Shipping Department themselves.
This million of money was supposed to be returned to the official family. But later, Xihe opened a border and achieved great success, and at the same time it was necessary to increase a lot of military pay. However, the officials were worried that the burden on the people in the northwest would be too heavy, so they ordered me to secretly send the million strings to Xihe as a reward for the military pay. Therefore, I will count this million as the surplus of the official family, and then send it to the Xihe area. "
Zhang Fei asked: "Is there any evidence to prove this?"
Xue Xiangdao: "Of course I have official edicts and accounting certificates, but the best proof is that there is now one million yuan of money deposited in the name of the official in Xihe Jiekupu. Maybe They have been used a lot.
Also, the people in the northwest did not pay a penny more in taxes because of the Xihe War. This kind of thing can be known by casual inspection. "
Liu Zhao looked at Zhao Xu with a moved face after hearing this, but Zhao Xu had an expressionless face, holding his chin in one hand, and his eyes were dull.
what's the situation?
Little did they know that Zhao Xu's heart was bleeding when he heard this.
It’s not easy for me to make some money!
Although this matter was not mentioned in the last lawsuit, he also knew that since the censor had learned about it, he would definitely not be able to hide it. If he didn't tell it today, he would tell it tomorrow.
Sima Guang and Liu Shu looked at Lu Gongzhu at the same time.
Lu Gongzhu whispered: "I don't know yet, but the people in the northwest have indeed not been affected by the war."
this...
Just allocating money to the past doesn't mean much, because this war is fought by the emperor himself. The key is that you pay for it out of your own pocket and don't add burdens to the people. This is a bit bold.
Wen Yanbo had some doubts before, but after hearing Xue Xiang's words, he no longer had any doubts. If he had to cheat at the last minute, it would be impossible to send the money so quickly, and a lot of it was spent.
The key is that this is also in line with Zhao Xu's position.
In this case, I can only praise the emperor.
Jiang Zhiqi and others were dejected. They originally wanted to use this incident to attack the Public Security Bureau, but the result was so touching!
Only the merchants from Jiangnan were pouting and looking aggrieved, MD, this is all for our benefit!
"Concerning this matter, Yushitai should immediately send someone to investigate."
Zhang Fei joked, looked down at the copy, then raised his head and asked, "Does Ambassador Xue Fayun think that during the implementation of the equalization method, the income of merchants has been affected?"
"have."
Xue Xiang nodded and said: "I have explained just now that the reason why Wang Xianggong promulgated the equalization law was mainly because the previous system was too rigid, which resulted in the goods delivered to the capital often not being needed by the capital, thus allowing some merchants to After buying it at a low price, the court had to buy it from merchants at a high price.
The equal transportation method can avoid such situations. Purchases are completely based on the needs of the capital. At the same time, the shipping department will collect coins from areas with poor harvests, and then go to areas with good harvests and lower prices to purchase goods. At the same time, goods from areas with good harvests will be transferred to Sold to the areas where they are needed, it will naturally be difficult for merchants to hoard them.
The court will gain, but this will make various places more stable, because in this way, it can be well avoided that the court will be robbed by businessmen, and the people will be exploited by businessmen. "
Zhang Fei asked: "Is there any specific case that illustrates this point?"
"some."
Xue Xiang nodded and said: "About two years ago, the Yangzhou Shipping Department had one million shi of grain in hand, but the food needed by the capital was already met at that time. If based on the previous situation, this million shi would have been sent to the capital. , and may have to be sold at a discount. However, the shipping department knew the demand in the capital, so it reported the news to the court. However, it also caused some controversy. Some people suggested selling it locally, and then changing it to light goods and sending it to the capital.
This is indeed the most beneficial plan for the court, but it will inevitably impact local food prices and harm the interests of local farmers. At that time, Wang Xianggong defied everyone's opinions and transported the million stones of grain to Jiangnan West Road for sale. To some areas where food was scarce, the shipping department gained almost nothing from this transaction, but it benefited the people. "
As he spoke, he took out a piece of evidence, "There are specific records of this transaction."
Someone came over immediately and handed the evidence to Wang Gong.
These words made many officials think deeply.
This is indeed an indisputable fact.
If it were the previous system, it would become very bad, and it would increase consumption and waste.
However, both Han Qi and Fu Bi believed that this was due to people. Xue Xiang himself also said that there were disputes between the DPRK and China. If it were Lu Huiqing, it might be a different result.
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Xue Shipun, do you think the shipping department can completely replace the merchants?"
Xue Xiang shook his head and said: "Of course not. The main responsibility of the Shipping Department is to supply the capital."
Zhang Fei said: "But Xue Shipping also admitted that the equalization method made merchants unprofitable. At the same time, the shipping department cannot replace merchants. Won't this cause problems?"
Xue Xiangdao: "The equal loss method mainly affects those businessmen who want to take advantage of the situation and seek huge profits, rather than targeting all businessmen."
Zhang Fei asked: "Suppose there is a shortage of five thousand pieces of silk in the capital, and the shipping department immediately comes up with the best solution, which is to buy it from Yangzhou. Can the merchants compete with the shipping department? Or, can the silk merchants in Yangzhou refuse to buy silk from Yangzhou? Sell the silk to the shipping department?"
Xue Xiang avoided the important matter and said lightly: "Supplying the capital is a matter of great importance and there is no room for failure."
In private, he would definitely say, of course we can compete, who dares?
But in this situation, with everyone watching, he didn't dare to say that. If this group of businessmen united and fought with the shipping department everywhere, it would be over!
"That means you can't."
"Um."
"If a silk merchant wants to sell goods to the shipping department, does he need to pay a bribe?"
"No need, this is illegal and is strictly prohibited by the Shipping Department."
"Is this the case?"
"It also exists. Our Shipping Department has also dealt with a number of corrupt officials."
"But it's still happening?"
"If I knew, I would definitely punish him severely."
"Will the shipping department announce its buying and selling plan?"
"No, lest anyone take advantage of it for profit."
"Just now, Ambassador Xue Fayun said that the Shipping Department sold one million stones of grain to Jiangnan East Road and other food-deficient areas. However, I would like to ask Ambassador Xue Fayun, if the Shipping Department had not gone there at that time, would any merchants have gone there to resell the grain? Those places?”
"Will do."
"If the shipping department is gone, will there still be businessmen going to the local area to resell grain?"
"That probably won't happen."
"Why?"
"The profit earned by reselling the grain is the price difference. Now that the shipping department has supplied the grain, the price of grain will fall. It may be impossible to make money by transporting the grain."
"I was in Hezhong Prefecture and heard some stories about Xue Fayun. I knew that Xue Fayun was very good at managing money and made a lot of money for the government. If Xue Fayun was a serious businessman, he would encounter the above situations. , how will you respond?"
".!"
Xue Xiang put his arms on the table, crossed his fingers, and looked dull.
There was also silence all around.
Sima Guang and the others were also thinking about this issue. As the questions deepened, everyone gradually focused on solving the problem instead of what was right and wrong.
After a while, Xue Xiang touched his goatee and said, "Ahem. I. I admit that this will indeed affect the enthusiasm of businessmen."
After saying that, he immediately added: "But the imperial court must improve its financial problems in a timely manner. The equal loss method will not only reduce a lot of financial expenditures, but also reduce the burden on many people."
Zhang Fei asked: ""So, Ambassador Xue Fayun believes that if this trend continues, it will not be harmful, but will be beneficial to the court? "
Xue Xiang fell into silence again.
Wang Anshi looked anxious, why are you hesitating here? What problems could happen if this continues?
A little loss is nothing compared to what we gain.
He just attacks these wealthy businessmen and landowners.
If this were Lu Huiqing, he would immediately refute Zhang Fei, but Xue Xiang has competed with Xixia and Tubo merchants in the northwest region. He has experienced hundreds of battles, and he knows in his heart that if there is a large-scale reduction of merchants, this will not be the case. It will cause big problems.
First of all, the corruption problem is completely unresolved.
I saw dense beads of sweat on Xue Xiang's forehead, but he didn't notice it. It was obvious that he was thinking about this issue seriously.
Zhang Fei was not in a hurry and waited quietly.
After a while, Xue Xiangcai replied: "It will definitely not work if this continues, but the concept of equalized loss is absolutely correct, because the previous system was extremely unreasonable, and the equalized loss method has been proven to be able to save money." It will cost a lot, but our shipping department will also make adjustments according to this situation."
Zhang Fei asked: "How to adjust? Does Ambassador Xue Fayun have a specific plan?"
Xue Xiang thought for a while and said: "The details have not been discussed in detail, but our shipping department will appropriately increase buying and reduce selling. In this way, the enthusiasm of merchants can be mobilized. If there is money to be made, their merchants will It’s moving.”
This Xue Xiangguo is really a talent, his brain works very fast. Zhang Fei said: "But there are also problems with buying. Just now, Ambassador Xue Fayun said that merchants must give priority to the shipping department. At the same time, merchants cannot compete with the shipping department, and there is also the problem of bribery."
Xue Xiang took a deep breath and suddenly looked at Zhang Fei, "I remember when I was in the imperial court a few days ago, I told you about the corruption issue in the Shipping Department. This is a supervisory responsibility, and I also know that across the river government situation.
I think that in order to solve this problem perfectly, we must let the public security organs and prosecutors go to the Jiangnan area as soon as possible. Because the equalization method is mainly to protect the court's own interests and reduce the burden on the people, it will never target businessmen. It just hopes to put an end to the phenomenon of maliciously raising prices and exploiting the people.
It may harm the rights and interests of some businessmen, but this is not the official intention, nor is it what Wang Xianggong expected. Many policies of Hezhong Prefecture are similar to the Junshu method, but the results are not the same. It can be seen that the problem The problem is not about the equalization of the law, but the lack of legal protection for businessmen, which leads to accidental injuries. The Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate are to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. I believe that when the Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate and Procuratorate go to Southeast Sixth Road, many problems will be solved. "
(End of chapter)
