After these three fires, everyone deeply realized that the authority of the chief judge was no longer dared to challenge the temper of the chief judge with their own lives.
After all, even the political hall could not sway the judgment of the chief judge, and in the end they had no choice but to obey.
But is the political hall the victim?
no.
In fact, the Zhengshitang is also a beneficiary, because the authority of the Zhengshitang has also been improved accordingly.
When arguing with Zhang Fei, Zhang Fei said that of course the Supreme Court will strictly implement the government decrees of the Zhengshitang. Unless the decree is illegal, then from the side, the authority of the chief court president will also ensure the political affairs of the Zhengshitang. Government orders can be well implemented.
The execution ability was precisely what the Song Dynasty lacked most before.
When Wang Anshi carried out the reform, his method was to expel anyone who refused to accept the order from the capital and use his supreme authority to enforce the law. However, the problem was also obvious. The central government was constantly fighting, and the local governments were submissive and disobedient.
It's different now.
During this struggle, no minister was driven out of the capital. The reason was that the system and legal protections were there.
The prime minister has a lot to do under this system.
Wen Yanbo also reacted. He began to actively chair the political hall meetings and formulate new policies based on the current situation.
They just need to focus on policy now and not worry about the intrigues.
After the meeting, Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, and Xue Xiang were the first to come out of the Zhengshi Hall. Seeing that Sima and the others did not come out, Lu Huiqing whispered: "Wen Gong wants to save face for the Zhengshi Hall!"
Xue Xiang shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Judging from the current new tax law, reducing or exempting agricultural equipment tax and transportation tax will increase tax revenue. I think there is nothing wrong with these two policies, and they are also thought-provoking.
Because in the past, tax reductions and exemptions were only to reduce the burden on the people, but now tax reductions and exemptions are a fiscal policy that can enrich the country and the people. I even think that tax reduction policies can be used as a common policy in the future. "
Lu Huiqing smiled and said nothing.
Wang Anshi nodded thoughtfully and said: "You are right. Although there are many agricultural tool shops in the market, they cannot directly bring much wealth to the country. However, farmers who have these sophisticated agricultural tools can cultivate more land." With more wasteland, more food can be grown, and the agricultural tax will naturally be increased accordingly. Even if an acre of land is increased by half a catty of rice, it is much more than the tax on agricultural tools. The same is true for transportation taxes. "
"That's exactly what it means."
Xue Xiang nodded and added: "In some key industries, adopting appropriate tax exemption policies can increase national tax revenue."
The two of them chatted more and more enthusiastically. It was not until they arrived at the Hubu Department that Xue Xiang said goodbye and went back to the Third Division, while Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing entered the Hubu Department.
As soon as the door was closed, Lu Huiqing said to Wang Anshi again: "Teacher, I really didn't expect Zhang San to be able to force Mr. Wen into this situation. Will he still give us some thin noodles now?"
He has always been wary of Zhang Fei, and now his suspicion has been confirmed. Zhang Fei has grown into a huge monster. He doesn't think they can still use Zhang Fei for themselves.
How should we get along with each other in the future?
They also have to adjust.
Wang Anshi hesitated for a while and said: "Of course he won't be as easy to talk to as before, but it depends on what happened. I think he will still support us in official matters. He supports Xihe and Xixia to continue fighting, which is what we expect. , enough to prove that he indeed supports the New Deal.
But in other aspects, it's not necessarily the case. In fact, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't dare. Didn't you recently transfer your brother Lu Shengqing to be in charge of Yangzhou water transportation? "
Lu Huiqing nodded sheepishly.
Wang Anshi said: "Let your brother pay attention. This kind of thing is the most troublesome nowadays. Once something happens, it will definitely affect you. I finally let you be in charge of the household department, so don't fall into this."
In fact, Wang Anshi didn't care about nepotism, which was also one of the reasons for his failure. But now that the public prosecutor's office is here, if he is caught, he will almost certainly die.
Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "Yes, I will let him pay attention."
Since Han Qi returned to the court, he has been recuperating at home. He keeps a low profile and is very low-key. Unless summoned by the emperor or there is a hearing, he will not go out easily.
In history, Han Qi should have died of illness while in office last year. However, due to Zhang Fei's butterfly effect, he was able to return to Beijing early to recuperate. Although the stubborn illness is still difficult to cure, he can still survive.
In the morning, Han Zhongyan, who was on vacation, helped Han Qi for a walk in the courtyard.
"My father seems to be in better spirits recently than he was half a year ago."
"Maybe it's because I'm in a better mood recently."
"Yeah?"
Han Zhongyan asked curiously: "I wonder what happy things happened to dad?"
Han Qi did not answer hastily, but raised his hand to point to the wicker chair under the big tree. Han Zhongyan immediately helped him sit down. The old servant immediately came forward with a stack of newspapers and periodicals, "Master, this is Today’s newspapers.”
"let it go."
Han Qi pointed to the tea table next to him.
After the old servant put it down, Han Qi patted the newspaper and said, "This is good medicine."
Han Zhongyan reacted immediately and nodded: "In the past two years, various reforms have been steadily implemented and achieved fruitful results. The national strength is also growing day by day. There is indeed a trend of national prosperity and people's security."
Han Qi sighed: "I remember when I first returned to Beijing, I knew that my time was short, and I was already prepared to say goodbye to the old friends one by one. But the changes that have taken place in the country now are exactly what Fan Gong and I expected back then. , which also makes me want to live for two more years."
"Father will definitely live a long life." Han Zhongyan said hurriedly.
Han Qi waved his hands, with a bitter smile on his lips. The one he envied most now was Fu Bi. Fu Bi was a participant, and if he wanted to be a witness, he could only ask God to give him more time.
Han Zhongyan saw that this topic made his father unhappy, so he changed the subject and said, "Does father know about the recent household registration issue?"
Han Qi nodded.
Han Zhongyan said: "I didn't expect that Zhang San would have such great authority after he became the president of the great court. Not to mention Sima Junshi and Wang Jiefu, even the rich and civil servants had to be subordinated to him."
Han Qi chuckled and said: "If you think so, you are wrong. I know the characters of Fu Yanguo, Wen Kuanfu, and Sima Junshi very well. If they really object, they will not be able to compromise on this." Yes, even if the officials personally issue the order, they will not accept it, and how can they allow that little kid Zhang San to dominate."
Han Zhongyan asked in confusion: "Then why?"
Han Qi chuckled and said, "Those who are in charge are confused, but bystanders know better."
After that, he picked up a newspaper and said, "Oh, reduce transportation tax and farm equipment tax?"
Han Zhongyan said: "Yes, this seems to be the decree issued by the Political Affairs Hall yesterday. These two policies will be implemented in the public security and judicial areas next year."
Han Qi smiled and said: "It seems that the national treasury is rich, and taxes have begun to be reduced."
Legislative Council.
"Kuanfu, why are you so listless today?"
Fu Bi turned his head to look at Wen Yanbo, who seemed to be absent-minded, so he couldn't help but ask.
Wen Yanbo first glanced at Fu Bi, was silent for a moment, and sighed: "I thought I understood this new system. In fact, I just dare to do something. In this way, I can take the initiative. As long as I do my job well, there is no need to I was afraid of the chief judge, he would actually help me, but when I looked back, I found that there was nothing else I could do."
Fu Bi was surprised and said: "Who said that these two tax reduction policies of yours will be of great benefit to farmers and businesses."
"But none of that is worth mentioning."
Wen Yanbo shook his head and said, "Mr. Rich, do you still remember the ten reform measures you proposed during the Qingli New Deal?"
Fu Bi nodded and said, "Depose the emperor clearly, suppress luck, pay high tribute, select officials, equalize public land, support farmers and mulberry trees, cultivate military equipment, benevolent and trustworthy, emphasize orders, and reduce corvee service."
Wen Yanbo nodded and said: "I sorted it out carefully before and found that these ten reforms have all been completed, and even more."
Fu Bi opened his eyes, thought about it, and couldn't help but sigh: "Yes! All ten reforms have been completed."
There was a trace of sadness in my heart.
At the same time, I also understand why Wen Yanbo was so lost. We have been pursuing for so many years, dedicated our lives, and gone through many hardships, but we have not been able to achieve our goals. On the contrary, we almost caused a catastrophe, but in the end, everything was completed quietly.
Wen Yanbo came to his senses before and wanted to do something, but found that everything he needed to do was done. He really forced out two tax reduction policies.
Wen Yanbo asked: "Why is this?"
Fu Bi thought for a while and said with a smile: "The fisherman benefits from the fight between the snipe and the clam. In addition, don't belittle yourself. You and I also have a share of credit for this."
Wen Yanbo smiled bitterly: "But we did it unintentionally!"
In the final analysis, they are not actually opposed to the reform of the Public Security Bureau, but they initially wanted to use judicial reform to fight Wang Anshi's New Deal, rather than having much hope in the Public Security Law. However, the facts proved that what they supported was precisely their long-cherished wish.
Regardless of whether they do it intentionally or not, it is precisely because of their power that the reform of the public security system and the law can be successful.
If we change a group of prime ministers or change the emperor, it will not be possible.
If he meets Song Renzong, there will definitely be no chance. Regardless of whether Zhao Xu is ambitious or talented, his determination to reform is unquestionable.
Wen Yanbo said: "What should we do next?"
Fu Bi stroked his beard and said, "Of course it's to hold on to this hard-won fruit, but besides..."
He looked up at Wen Yanbo and saw Wen Yanbo looking at him with a smile.
Fu Bi couldn't help but shook his head and sighed: "Well, back then I advised the officials that they had not learned about military affairs for twenty years, but now it seems that this suggestion is really open to question!"
Don’t they want to regain the old lands of the Han and Tang Dynasties?
of course not.
In fact, they all thought very much that Fan Zhongyan also advocated using troops against Xixia at the beginning, but with the national conditions before, what could he use to fight the war?
Now that internal affairs have stabilized, foreign war should be considered.
For the Song Dynasty, war was not about great achievements, but about improving its living environment. In fact, it was necessary to fight. Even Song Huizong later wanted to regain Yanyun.
Without the Hetao, there would be no war horses and no offensive capital. Without Yanyun, it would be completely exposed to the iron hoof of the enemy.
However, at this moment, Shen Kuo, who had been negotiating with the Liao envoy in the north, suddenly received a letter.
It turned out that after more than a year of investigation, they had a rough understanding of the Liao State's intentions. On the surface, the Liao State requested that the watershed of the three states of Wei, Ying, and Shuo be used as the boundary. However, if they succeeded, they would have to annex at least 700 territories of the Song Dynasty. Many miles of land.
And Shen Kuo has clear evidence that those territories belong to the Song Dynasty.
But when the Liao envoy saw that Shen Kuo couldn't do it, he began to gather troops and horses at the border again, threatening the Song Dynasty. If you don't give it, then I will get up and get it myself.
Every critical moment, this shit-stirring stick will always arrive as promised.
Wen Yanbo and the others were so angry that they were jumping up and down, going on and on. They must have all opposed the cession of land and no one was in favor.
The ministers of the Song Dynasty actually hated the idea of ceding territory and seeking peace. They would rather give money than land anyway. But now that the country is booming, they are even less likely to agree.
It's just that Wen Yanbo and other ministers thought it was urgent to build military equipment and break off diplomatic relations with the Liao Kingdom.
However, Wang Anshi and Sima Guang still believed that they should not break up with the Liao State as a last resort, but they could not give land. This was not the case twice. The Liao State took advantage of this opportunity to get a lot of money and land. He was a wolf that couldn't be fed enough, but they all judged that the Liao Kingdom might not dare to use force easily.
However, they have no say in this matter, because the real leaders in this matter are Zhao Xu and Zhang Fei.
royal palace.
Zhang Fei put down Shen Kuo's letter, rubbed his forehead, and sighed: "What a mistake!"
Zhao Xu was startled, "What mistake?"
Zhang Fei said hurriedly: "Your Majesty misunderstood. What I meant was that Shen Tianjian should not have been sent there in the first place."
"Why?" Zhao Xu asked curiously:
"Because Shen Tianjian is so eloquent."
Zhang Fei said: "I sent him there because he is familiar with geography, and I thought he could quarrel with the Liao envoys repeatedly. But I didn't expect that he would silence the Liao envoys so quickly. If not for this, the Liao people would also We won’t reveal our true colors so quickly and directly threaten them with force.”
Zhao Xu waved his hand and said: "No wonder Shen Tianjian, this Khitan man is just deliberately looking for trouble. When they inspected the field, they couldn't find the place they mentioned. Wherever they saw the terrain was favorable to them, they wanted to start from there. Where is the boundary, and they were purely looking at the situation in Xixia. When the northwest was calm before, they were not in a hurry to investigate. Seeing the chaos in Xixia, they were eager to investigate again.
Moreover, according to reports from spies, after Xixia banned trade with our country, the Liao Kingdom immediately increased trade with Xixia and exchanged a large amount of grain with it. "
I have to admit, this shit stick is really a headache.
The Liao Kingdom also had many spies in Xixia. They all knew that the Song Dynasty was also one of the accomplices in the civil unrest in Xixia, and they immediately put pressure on the Song Dynasty.
Zhang Fei said: "But our plan is delayed. The more vague it is, the more we have to discuss, instead of fighting for a clear answer, because it is impossible to give land. Even if we are willing to trade land for time, when the war with Xixia begins, Liao The country will come to ask for more land, and they will definitely come to stir up trouble, which is endless."
Zhao Xu asked: "What should we do now?"
Zhang Fei thought for a while and said: "They are unreasonable now, so the evidence of the boundary is actually meaningless. I must add new conditions and continue to negotiate with them."
"What conditions?"
"Sui coins."
Zhang Fei said: "Your Majesty can send a secret letter to Shen Kuo, asking him to continue negotiating with the Liao State first. If the Liao State insists on using this boundary as the boundary, then we can agree, but the premise is that the annual coins given must be halved every year. .
Since the truth doesn't make sense, let's talk about interests. When we propose to exchange the land with the currency, it becomes a transaction of money, and the currency is in our hands, so we can continue to talk about it. "
Zhao Xu said: "Then what if they agree? If this gets out, I will be scolded to death."
"I definitely won't agree to it."
Zhang Fei said: "The Liao Kingdom has an absolute advantage over our country in terms of geography. Even if it is more, it is not much, because we are in the north and have no ability to attack. And now in those places, they have the majority of Liao people, but the Sui coins It is very important to the Liao Kingdom, it is a key bargaining chip to maintain peace between the two countries."
Zhao Xu said slightly uneasily: "Would that anger the Liao Kingdom?"
It can also be seen that he was still quite afraid of the Liao Kingdom.
Zhang Fei hesitated for a while and said: "It is possible, but I think the Liao Kingdom will not send troops easily.
First of all, our army has not yet sent troops to Xixia. At this time, if the Liao Kingdom goes to war with our country, we have enough troops and finances to defend Xixia. However, this is not in the interest of the Liao Kingdom.
Secondly, the Liao Kingdom actually knows that they are unable to destroy our country. Once they send troops, if they do not take advantage, they may lose their wives and lose their troops, because once a war begins, they will no longer be able to threaten us. Their last resort will not be used lightly.
Finally, according to the intelligence of the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom, from the nobles to the common people, has no intention of starting a war. "
Zhao Xu nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei said: "But we must also be prepared to fight. The biggest trouble at the moment is that the loss of people's power in Hebei is too serious. If Hebei develops, we don't need to be too afraid of the Liao Kingdom."
Even Zhang Fei, who didn't know much about military matters, knew that Hebei was crucial to defend the Liao Kingdom. However, Hebei had been devastated by natural disasters and man-made disasters and was unable to support the war against the Liao Kingdom.
Zhao Xu said: "As for the issue of people's power in Hebei, Lu Huiqing recently made a memorial. He believes that although the floods have been alleviated after these years of management, there is still the possibility of flooding.
Floods cause the greatest damage to farmland, but workshops can avoid floods very well. He suggested that more weapons inspections be established in Hebei to produce weapons, and also to provide work-for-relief to help the people of Hebei restore their power.
And he personally edited a book specifically regulating the production of weapons. "
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "This is feasible. We have to produce firearms anyway, and we can also build defenses around the artillery."
Having said this, what else came to his mind, "By the way, according to statistics from the WFP, the food coming from the Jianghuai River this year, including the food delivered by merchants, increased by at least 300,000 dan compared with previous years. At the same time, the number of forbidden troops in Gyeonggi Province In recent years, the number has decreased by nearly 100,000. Some of them have been transferred to the Royal Police to go to various places, and the loss has been reduced a lot. One is the other, and the other is ebbing. I think we can also reduce the supply of grain from Hebei to the capital and store grain like the northwest. Go to key fortresses for prevention."
After making plans with Zhang Fei, Zhao Xu held a meeting with the prime ministers to discuss the matter. On the surface, he still asked Shen Kuo to argue based on reason and not to compromise on territory.
At the same time, a series of personnel arrangements were made, and both Fan Chunren and Su Shi were transferred to Hebei to serve as chief prosecutors. Currently, Hebei does not lack judges, but only chief prosecutors. And as far as the current situation is concerned, the role of the chief prosecutor is actually greater than The President's.
Because the prosecutor general can take the initiative, this is naturally not a good thing for the powerful people in Hebei, but now they dare not challenge the authority of the public prosecutor and the law.
For no other reason, Hebei has transformed into a region with the largest number of royal police officers in the country.
He also dispatched Zhang Dun to Hebei to replace Lu Huiqing and serve as a transit envoy, responsible for Hebei's finances.
In terms of finance, Zhao Xu still relies more on the reformists, while in terms of justice, he is basically dominated by conservatives.
General Liu Changzuo was also transferred from the northwest to serve as the observation envoy and regimental training envoy to Xiongzhou.
And another 500,000 yuan was allocated from the finance to continue to maintain the work-for-relief program for Hebei, but this time it was mainly for the construction of military equipment and defense fortifications.
At the same time, an order was issued to reduce the amount of grain imported from Hebei to Beijing by half.
Its purpose is to strengthen Hebei's defense, whether it is civilian or military.
These policies were unanimously approved by the prime ministers.
The key is that the court has money.
Moreover, fiscal and tax revenue this year is still maintaining a high growth rate, which surprised both the DPRK and the Chinese ministers. Can this increase continue?
Last year's tax revenue doubled the Jianghuai region's finances.
As long as the tax department fully launches its work in a certain area, the tax revenue will definitely double, it depends on how many times. The reason is very simple. Big landowners have to pay full tax. Otherwise, it will be called a strange thing.
But this year, Jianghuai's fiscal revenue increased by another 30%, which is very surprising.
Where does all this money come from?
After statistics and analysis by the three departments, there are two main sources of growth. One is the increase in commercial taxes. Because the land in Jiangnan is uniquely endowed by nature, in the previous bad government, as long as the weather goes well, the people in Jiangnan can still have something to do. , let alone now.
Since you have some extra money, you can trade it, which will undoubtedly stimulate the growth of business tax.
At the same time, the wealth brought by maritime transportation was also increasing. The Song Dynasty actively encouraged navigation, because the land was different from the Western Regions at first, and now that the officials were in charge of the Qingming Dynasty, more merchants went to sea.
In fact, the main growth point of this part of finance is in the Fuguang area, but the market is in Jiangnan and Tokyo. More goods are shipped to Jiangnan, which also stimulates Jiangnan business.
Second, and also the main source of income growth, is the emergence of a large number of hidden households.
In the past, many people had concealed their household registration, especially in the Jianghuai area, because it was an area hit hard by corvee. Wang Anshi's reform was mainly inspired by Jiangnan. If the taxes and conscription there were not heavy, he would not be able to enact any law to exempt them from conscription.
But now the tax department is looking at the land to collect taxes. Although the tax department was busy dealing with the big landowners last year, it did not check these hidden households.
However, the royal police are very strict about household registration checks, especially in the trading market. Hidden households also face many difficulties. It is very difficult to establish a deed. At the same time, the court is constantly exempting corvee services, and hidden households have no economic value. , leading to the emergence of a large number of hidden households, a sudden increase in population, and an increase in taxes.
In response to this situation, the Ministry of Household Affairs decided to redesign the household registration next year, and all use new paper and printing technology. On the one hand, it can be regarded as a household registration census, and at the same time, it gives those hidden households a step down, which is a hint to everyone that the past accounts can be forgotten and we can start anew.
Secondly, it must be convenient to carry and use. Currently, in the public security and judicial areas, household registration is indispensable for anything.
At the same time, commercial taxes in tax currency areas are also growing rapidly, especially in Gyeonggi.
This part of the growth mainly comes from the entry of large landowners into business.
In the past, everyone was a miser, guarding the fields, gold, silver and copper, but now everyone uses tax coins, plus warehouse tax, resulting in many big landowners making a lot of money by selling grain, but that is all taxes If they don't have money, they lose the motivation to keep money. They have no hobby for paper money, so many big landowners also come out to do business.
Why Wen Yanbo decided to reduce the tax on agricultural tools before was because the production of agricultural tools in Gyeonggi Province increased fifty-fold this year.
Of course, this is also because in the past, the production of agricultural tools was pitifully small, and most of it was done by the government.
But this year is different. First of all, due to the commercialization of coal and iron mines, it is easier for businessmen to obtain coal and iron. Secondly, people have more money, and they have money to replace worn-out farm tools.
And many misers, who knew no other business, would engage in agricultural-related products, including agricultural tools and textile tools.
Raw materials, policies, funds, and markets are all in place, and a fifty-fold increase is actually not much.
But having said that, the money spent by the court every year is also increasing rapidly. For example, if you are exempt from corvee, you have to spend money to hire people, and this cost will inevitably increase.
It's just that now it has become a business agency to hire people, and the court directly spends money to buy from the business agency.
But after all calculations, it is actually not a loss, because the business administration is commercialized, which reduces a lot of unnecessary losses. At the same time, there are more people working, and taxes have also increased.
There are also tax coins. The court now spends tax coins, so it’s not that distressing.
This year, Xue Xiang suggested increasing the supply of tax coins to Jiangnan. For the time being, the tax coins will be released at 30% of the tax revenue of each region. Last year, the tax coins were only used to pay salaries to officials.
