After listening to Zhuang Zhou's story, Li Er's eyes were full of admiration.

He stood up and said loudly:

“Every word Zhuang Zhou said is true and every sentence is a gem.

I have decided to immediately incorporate this policy into the court's affairs of state, and I will personally be responsible for implementing the reforms!"

All the officials were surprised when they heard this.

They didn't expect that the emperor would trust an outsider so much.

But looking at the emperor's determined eyes.

They also knew that this must be something the emperor had already agreed to.

"Gentlemen, if you have anything to say, please feel free to discuss it."

It is a completely harmonious scene.

It's like a meeting.

After the boss announced the topic of the meeting, he let the employees discuss it freely.

Right at this moment.

An official suddenly stood up and saluted Li Er, saying:

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Li Er looked in the direction of the sound and his eyes narrowed slightly.

This is an old acquaintance of the Prince of Qin's Mansion.

"Oh, is it the Minister of Civil Affairs Tang Jian? If you have anything to say, please speak up."

He nodded, signaling him to speak.

Tang Jian looked at Zhuang Zhou and said:

“Your Majesty, I believe that although the five-year plan of the Marquis of Zhuang County is ambitious, its implementation is fraught with difficulties.

Industrial development and transportation construction, in particular, require a massive investment of capital, manpower, and material resources, which Datang cannot currently afford."

As soon as these words came out.

There was another uproar in the court.

This is certainly what many officials present wanted to say.

They are worried that once the country invests a lot of resources to promote Zhuang Zhou's five-year plan, it will fail to achieve the expected results.

That will have a huge impact on the country's finances and people's livelihood.

Although they admire Zhuang Zhou's vision and wisdom, the reality of the problem cannot be ignored.

Li Er frowned slightly when he heard this.

He naturally understood that Tang Jian's worries were not groundless.

After turning his head to glance at Zhuang Zhou, Li Er turned to Tang Jian and said slowly:

"I understand your concerns, but I believe that County Marquis Zhuang's plan is feasible.

You should also think about the benefits of equalizing the land tax.

As for the issues of funding, manpower and material resources, I will find a way to solve them.

I hope everyone can support this plan and work together for the future of Datang."

After saying this, he looked at the officials with a firm and powerful gaze.

As expected of an emperor on horseback, his resolute aura is unquestionable.

"His Majesty!"

Then an old official stood up:

"I also believe that the imperial court's attempt to implement the system of equalizing land tax and levy is the source of chaos and goes against ancestral rules. It is absolutely unacceptable!"

Li Er squinted his eyes and looked at him, but he didn't expect that it was the Minister of Rites Li Xiaogong.

This surprised him a little.

The key point is that it goes against ancestral rules, which is really infuriating.

Li Er looked at Li Xiaogong, frowning slightly:

"I have also considered what Xiaogong said.

However, we cannot stand still just because it has existed since ancient times.

Reform is difficult, but if we don’t change, what will be the future of the Tang Dynasty?

Many of you here are well-versed in history and know the direction of this country's destiny.

There is no such thing as blindly conservatism. Otherwise, the development of the Tang Dynasty will stagnate and may even decline."

As he spoke, Li Er changed his expression:

"I know that what Li Xiaogong said is what many of you also want to say.

But have you ever thought about this? Now is the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, this is the New Dynasty.

Years of war have led to the common people still starving, so blindly clinging to the old ways is absolutely unacceptable."

As soon as Li Er finished speaking, the court fell silent.

The officials were shocked by the emperor's words. They had never seen the emperor so resolute.

Of course they knew that the emperor was determined to push forward this reform.

Seeing that everyone stopped talking.

Li Er glanced across the hall and looked at Wei Zheng standing beside him.

This guy hasn't said a word today!

I don’t know what he is thinking.

"Has Wei Zheng arrived?"

Li Er asked knowingly.

"Your Majesty, I am here!"

Li Er turned his head to Wei Zheng:

"Oh, you don't have anything to say?"

After hearing this, Wei Zheng paused for a moment before speaking:

"What Lord Tang and Lord Li said makes sense!"

When Li Er heard this, his face suddenly turned gloomy.

But then, Wei Zheng continued:

"But I believe that it is imperative to implement the tax-tax system."

"oh?"

Li Er's expression suddenly changed again, and he asked with a smile:

"Then tell me how it is imperative."

"Report to Your Majesty!"

Wei Zheng said slowly and calmly:

"The proposal of the Earl of Zhuang County to distribute the tax on each acre of land, once implemented, will reduce the burden on those people who have no land or little land.

This will give the people greater personal freedom, which will undoubtedly increase the population and quickly restore the strength of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Er nodded and asked:

"Anything else?"

"have."

Wei Zheng continued to answer:

“Of course, especially when the land tax and corvée labor of each prefecture, county, and city are combined.

The collection of taxes and grain was combined and all payments were made based on the amount of land.

Officials appointed by the imperial court would collect the money directly and put it into the national treasury.

In this way, the people had surplus food and the imperial court enriched its treasury.

This is what I believe is imperative.

I believe this policy should indeed be incorporated into national policy; it is a major undertaking that will benefit both the present and future generations."

You are so good, Wei Zheng!

Li Er was delighted.

In the court, Wei Zheng was famous for his outspokenness.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!