The imperial court initially exempted and reduced taxes only in disaster-stricken areas, but later expanded the scope of the program to include greater intensity.
Liaodong was rebuilt, Mekong, Dongfan and Hainan were developed, and preferential policies for immigrants continued, with tax exemptions for two or three years at any time.
When a major disaster strikes, the entire province of Shaanxi will be exempted from taxes. In the future, many provinces and regions will be severely affected by disasters, and the court will continue to maintain this policy.
If it had happened a few years ago, such a large scale and intensity would have been absolutely unimaginable.
If taxes are exempted, how can we support the army, how can we maintain the operation of the court government, and how can we provide relief to the disaster areas?
But now, the emperor has such confidence. The reason is simple: the transformation of the Ming Dynasty's finances and economy is already sufficient to support the relaxed exemption policy to overcome major disasters.
A country that relies on agricultural taxes as its main source of fiscal revenue cannot withstand the invasion of major disasters and cannot bear the impact of large-scale droughts and floods.
Whether it is expanding overseas and in the south, or vigorously developing industry and commerce and promoting the prosperity of maritime trade, all of these are changing the financial structure of the Ming Dynasty.
From the beginning, agricultural taxes accounted for more than 90%, gradually decreasing to 70%, 50%, and 40%. So far, although it has not yet reached the emperor's goal, it has been able to support various policies during the great disaster period.
Agricultural taxes were gradually decreasing, while industrial and commercial taxes were continuing to increase. Coupled with the profits from invasion, expansion and plunder, the emperor was confident that he could survive the more than ten years of the peak of the disaster.
The emperor attributed this achievement to the improvement of official administration and the use of thunderous measures to eliminate corruption. Otherwise, even the best policies would not be implemented effectively and might even be misinterpreted and abandoned.
Since there is such an understanding, the rectification and supervision of official administration has always been the focus of the emperor's work and the focus of the work of the Censorate and the Imperial Guards.
Without consistent oversight and rectification, there will be no lasting clean and honest results. The emperor only believed in harsh punishments, not education, to address the greed and darkness in people's hearts.
Years ago, the spoils of war in Burma were finally published in the newspapers, and the income from war bonds was calculated, reaching an astonishing 23%.
In other words, if you bought a ten-yuan bond, you would have earned two and a half yuan in interest. Even if you were doing business, you wouldn't necessarily earn that much in just one year.
Those who bought bonds and are still holding them are jubilant, those who didn't buy are beating their chests, and those who sold early are filled with regret. When it comes to money and profit, the world's various attitudes are vividly reflected.
But the emperor's main goal was achieved, and external expansion and plunder would become a consensus of the whole people and be supported by the whole people.
People will only pay attention and participate when it concerns their own interests.
The slogan of "serving the country and the people" should be shouted, but more importantly, we should focus on reality. There is an essential difference between ordinary people struggling to make a living and officials making impassioned speeches in the court.
The issuance announcement of the second phase of war bonds was launched to take advantage of the situation, with a total amount of 10 million yuan and a term of five years.
In the emperor's plan, the conquest of Luzon, the recovery of the former territories, the continued attack on Myanmar, the opening up of the Shu-Shendu Road, and the expansion into South Asia will all be included in the proceeds of war bonds.
Although these expedition plans could not be made public, from the Ping Liao debt to the war debt, although the returns varied, they were all guaranteed to be profitable.
In particular, the incentive of the great victory in the war against Burma laid a good foundation for the issuance of the second phase of war bonds and created a good reputation.
Ten million, with a one-year issuance period next year, the emperor had no worries about this. Even if the major chambers of commerce didn't buy, the idle funds in the banks and the private sector that had been mobilized would be sufficient.
Moreover, the class most active in purchasing war bonds, if calculated based on the proportion of their wealth, was not the wealthy or big businessmen, but tens of thousands of soldiers.
This also shows in some ways the soldiers' confidence in their own combat capabilities and their eagerness for invasion and expansion.
Take the war against Burma as an example. The officers and soldiers who participated in the war reaped rich rewards. The gains from the war spoils and prisoners were almost equivalent to a year's military pay.
Before the war, soldiers in the southwest purchased a huge amount of war bonds, and they all firmly believed that they would win the war.
At first glance, it sounds like there is suspicion of insider trading.
You buy and trade on your own, yes, you fight on your own. But one thing is, how well you fight depends on yourself. How much you can earn on bonds depends entirely on the results of the war.
The emperor was delighted to see this happen, believing it was another way to motivate officers and soldiers. Just like dividing spoils of war among officers and soldiers, who wouldn't want to grab them?
Even if the form is changed, such as exchanging military merit for land, or even preferential policies after retirement, it will be equally effective in motivating officers and soldiers.
For example, during the reconstruction of Liaodong, retired soldiers like Zhang Zhuzi received substantial compensation in their resettlement, or rather, gratitude, for their service to the country, their bravery, and everything they had sacrificed.
In Liaodong, however, the use of firearms was gradually being liberalized, with Jilin Prefecture being one of the pilot areas. The further north one went, the more relaxed the restrictions on firearms became.
With muskets, immigrants could hunt wild animals to protect their families and production. If foreign enemies invaded, they would be greeted by thousands of black muzzles of guns.
The tragic history will never repeat itself. The days when the remnants of the Jiannu army and the adventurous Russians dared to invade the territory of the Ming Dynasty with only a few hundred desperate men are gone forever.
If retired soldiers or civilians were to join the battle, it would be a disastrous situation. The emperor did not believe that such a situation would arise with the current Ming army.
With peace and tranquility at home and the Emperor's policy of foreign aggression and expansion at home, the Ming Empire was gradually taking shape. In a few years, it would become deeply rooted and a long-term national policy.
Shanghai, General Chamber of Maritime Merchants.
As soon as Li Dan returned, he instructed his subordinates to purchase one million yuan worth of war bonds in his personal name.
According to the previous rules, or tacit understanding, all major chambers of commerce would express their support for the policies issued by the court in the name of the group.
But this time, Li Dan is keeping public affairs in mind and private affairs in mind. After he makes the purchase personally, he will pay more money after the Chamber of Commerce makes a decision.
"What do you mean?" Yan Siqi didn't quite understand why Li Dan did this. He thought it was a flattery, so he asked with some dissatisfaction, "Does it show that you're rich? Or do you show that you're loyal?"
Li Dan squinted at Yan Siqi and said disdainfully, "Think whatever you want, and say whatever you want."
Yan Siqi sat down across from Li Dan, examining him, pondering. He shook his head slightly and said, "No, you're hiding something from me and everyone else. You went to the capital, met the Emperor, and got some good job, right?"
Li Dan rolled his eyes, knowing that this matter must not be disclosed. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Don't worry about what it is. Trust me, just put more effort into Borneo. You won't suffer any loss."
"Borneo?!" Yan Siqi asked in surprise, "Isn't that what you're focusing on? Why are you handing it over to me?"
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