Xue Donglai was forced to take up the post of the Military Commissioner of Jingzhao Prefecture, and he had to admit that everyone was under tremendous pressure at this critical moment.
Fortunately, he had been doing business in the Song Dynasty for more than ten years and was very experienced in commerce. Dealing with officials in the government was a common occurrence for him.
I've never eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run.
The emperor specifically requested him to go, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.
But to Xue Donglai's surprise, as soon as he took office, the emperor dismissed all the officials of the former military governor's office and imprisoned them.
He became the first military commissioner in the history of the Song Dynasty to be completely bewildered upon taking office.
Before he could even settle in, he rushed to the emperor's temporary palace to argue with the emperor and persuade him not to be so rude and impulsive.
To his surprise, as soon as he arrived at the emperor's palace, the emperor began to talk to him at length.
"During this rebellion, the financial system collapsed, the value of Jiaozi (paper money) rapidly depreciated, and the people lost confidence in the imperial court, wanting to use Jiaozi to exchange for the copper coins and silver reserves held in the banks."
"But local governments do not allow the exchange."
"The reason is that local governments don't have enough gold, silver, and copper coins to exchange. If they were to exchange them one by one, the Imperial Bank of the Great Song Dynasty would go bankrupt before they were all exchanged."
"When banks can't exchange gold, silver, or copper coins, people naturally lose faith in them."
"There is going to be a war in the Central Plains. The rebels are issuing a new currency in the north. People are worried that their paper money will become worthless due to the war, so they are starting to buy things like crazy."
"However, merchants were also worried that the paper money would depreciate or become worthless, so many merchants began to refuse to accept it."
"The financial crisis triggered by the war has led to a further economic crisis that has engulfed the north, including Shaanxi Road."
"The immediate priority is to restore order in the capital city. This includes: first, maintaining public order; second, stabilizing the paper money system; third, restoring the fiscal and tax system; and fourth, ensuring the employment opportunities previously held."
"Therefore, Xue Qing, your task is very important. I will leave Zhang Hao here to assist you. Kill those who should be killed immediately, and I will cover for you!"
Xue Donglai's heart skipped a beat. Although he often dealt with officials, he only truly understood the immense pressure on his shoulders after actually sitting in this position.
Sun Bangyuan's perverse policies and current tax administration are undoubtedly aimed at plundering the people's wealth, causing a series of livelihood problems. It is indeed impossible to recover without killing people.
Take those wealthy merchants, for example. As far as he knew, a large number of them lived in mansions in Chang'an and made a fortune. They were all beneficiaries of Sun Bangyuan's rebellion.
The Liao king increased taxes on wage earners and farmers, but reduced taxes on large financial groups in order to win them over.
The Jingkang New Policy stipulated that all commercial taxes would be levied at a minimum of 20% and at a maximum of 45%.
Take Xue Donglai, for example. He had to pay 45 taels of tax to the government every year.
The Liao King's strategy for consolidating his power was to rob the poor and give to the rich. He used his newly established tax policy to win over wealthy merchants, who were naturally willing to stand on the Liao King's side and contribute manpower and financial resources to support the new emperor.
This would undoubtedly leave the common people with no way to survive, turning them into meat on the chopping block of wealthy merchants and the imperial court, to be slaughtered at will.
The reason why the Liao king dared to do this, and why the wealthy merchants of the Song dynasty dared to follow suit, was primarily because the Holy Martial Emperor had died in battle in the Western Regions.
Some ministers in the court were also eager to participate. They thought that if the Jingkang New Deal changed and the tax rate for merchants was reduced by 2%, the ministers could also participate in commerce and earn more money. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Xue Donglai stole a glance at Zhao Huan, and at that moment he felt that the emperor was under more pressure than he was.
Most of the wealthy groups in the Song Dynasty accumulated their enormous wealth through the Jingkang New Deal, which can be said to have been supported by the Holy Martial Emperor.
But upon hearing that Emperor Shengwu had died in battle, he sought to undermine the emperor's policies and oppress the people.
One can imagine how deep the emperor's anger is right now!
Zhao Huan thought to himself: Even if I return now and give everyone a shot of adrenaline, if they can't recover quickly, this adrenaline will turn into dog blood, and the situation will become even more passive.
He noticed the worry in Xue Donglai's eyes and said, "Xue Qing, you are now one of my most trusted ministers. I entrust the people of Jingzhao Prefecture to you, and I believe you can do a good job. Zhang Hao will fully support you."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!"
"Remember this: I don't want to see any of those merchants involved again. I've conquered a vast territory in the Western Regions, and there's a shortage of manpower there!"
"But Your Majesty, if we hold everyone accountable, it could implicate hundreds of thousands of people."
"What are a few hundred thousand! I've already shown mercy by not taking their heads! My soldiers fought in the Western Regions, expanding the territory of the Song Dynasty and opening up trade routes for the people. The number of deaths is far more than a hundred thousand! Who has ever paid tribute to the lives of these soldiers!"
Zhao Huan stood up, his brows furrowed, and his voice was firm: "They benefited from the new policies of the court, made money, and then turned around to exploit the people and overthrow the dynasty. Isn't this a capital offense!"
Xue Donglai quickly replied, "Yes! Your subject will certainly comply!"
"I have already cleaned up those incompetent officials in the Generalissimo's Office. As for the students in Chang'an University, those who should be promoted should be promoted. Choose those who are calm, capable and virtuous. My Song Dynasty is full of talents. The talents cultivated by Prime Minister Shi's new education over the past ten years should also be promoted. We must give young people opportunities!"
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary people!"
"Yes!" Xue Donglai listened intently, and roughly understood that correcting the government's orders, stabilizing the overall situation, and calming people's hearts were the most urgent tasks.
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