After He Ning's testimony, the expression on Zhao Xu's face gradually became solemn.
This was different from Wang Anshi's mentality at the time. Wang Anshi was still sitting on the Diaoyutai, not panicking at all. Just as He Ning said, after all, the basic situation was not in chaos, the court also benefited from it, and the loss was just a few businessmen. This was not a big problem.
I'm going after those unscrupulous businessmen. If they don't suffer losses, who will? I can only say - they deserve it.
But Zhao Xu still had his and Zhang Fei's plan in mind, which was the huge commercial tax plan.
In fact, it has been implemented all the time. The reason why the tax revenue of Hezhong Prefecture has increased so rapidly is that they are all 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 foundation, and no one dared to act rashly. Whether it was the annexation system or the tenant system, the court only made minor adjustments and had to coax them. But the problem was that the current agricultural tax was very difficult to collect, even with the presence of a tax commissioner.
Because the tax commissioner only collects taxes outside of privileges and cracks down on those who evade taxes, but the privileges created by redundant officials are also huge and their potential is limited.
Moreover, most of these privileges were concentrated on agriculture, with only a small number granting the right to sell salt and iron to some royal relatives as a reward.
But that is only a very small minority.
Therefore, we should shift our attention to commercial taxes, and collect taxes from those privileged people through commercial taxes. The grain of the big landlords must be sold, and we can collect taxes from here.
...
...
The Southeast Six Roads are the areas with the most developed commercial economy, and the commercial taxes in this area are very important in the entire plan.
This will kill all the merchants. Where will the commercial taxes come from?
He died before accomplishing his mission!
Zhao Xu began to feel conflicted.
Compared with this grand plan, the equalization method seems a little insignificant.
Sima Guang, Fu Bi and others had thought of this situation a long time ago. The government personally getting involved in the business was just to leave no way for the merchants to survive, and this was also the purpose of this hearing.
After He Ning left, Zhang Fei summoned Sun Chongwen, the deputy envoy of the Jinghu South Road Transportation Department, who had returned to Beijing to report.
"Deputy Envoy Sun, may I ask if there is a shortage of money in Jinghu South Road?"
"have."
Sun Chongwen nodded and said, "And it is becoming increasingly serious."
Speaking of the shortage of money, Wang Anshi couldn't help but frown and think. This was something he had not expected, but he didn't think it was a big problem. Compared with the advantages of the equalization method, it was nothing.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Do you have any evidence to prove this?"
Sun Chongwen said: "In the past two years, the tax accounts of Jinghu South Road, whether it is summer tax or commercial tax, are mostly paid in silk, tea, and grain. The reason is that the local currency is scarce."
Zhang Fei asked, "Then have you reported this matter to the court?"
Sun Chongwen nodded and said, "Yes, but it did not attract the attention of the court."
After that, he quickly explained to the court: "The reason is that the weather in Jinghu South Road has been good in the past two years. Although there is a shortage of money, the people can still use silk to barter. At the same time, the local government has also made adjustments to allow the people to pay taxes with grain and silk. This problem is not very serious."
After all, this is a public occasion and we have to consider the reputation of the court.
There are problems, but they are not serious.
Wang Anshi nodded. Everything was as expected. This was not the first time there was a shortage of money. He could invest some money when the time came and the problem would be easily solved.
Zhang Fei asked, "Deputy Envoy Sun, do you think this is caused by the equalization of transport?"
Sun Chongwen nodded and said, "Yes. The reason is just as those merchants said. Due to the regulations and principles of the equal transportation law, the Shipping Department prefers to collect some light goods from Jinghu Road and Fujian Road, that is, silk, tea, and coins, and then spend money to buy grain in Jianghuai and other places. In this way, it can save a lot of transportation costs for the court. But it will inevitably lead to a shortage of money in the local area."
Zhang Fei asked: "So do you think that the equalization of transport system has brought benefits to the court or caused losses to the court?"
"I don't know about that."
Sun Chongwen, like He Ning, shook his head decisively.
Zhang Fei did not force it and asked again: "What about the commercial tax in the Jinghu area?"
Sun Chongwen hesitated for a moment and said, "The commercial tax has been reduced a lot."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you know how much it has been reduced?"
Sun Chongwen said: "Nearly 70%."
Zhao Xu stood up suddenly and whispered, "Reduced 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, Yuhang has not experienced a serious money shortage."
“How does this affect the local area?”
"At present, the impact on ordinary people is not very big. They can still barter, but it is more cumbersome. However, the impact on many landlords and wealthy businessmen is still relatively large, because they can't sell their goods."
Sun Chongwen added: "In addition, due to the great reduction in taxes, the local county government's fiscal revenue has decreased. Not long ago, I reported to the court that more money should be given to the local county government. Some local county governments have no yamen runners."
Deng Wan was a little panicked. Could it be that the yamen runners could not be used? He whispered to Wang Anshi, "Sir, what should we do?"
Wang Anshi said unconcernedly, "Just give more money for the deposit. Compared to what the Shipping Department gets, it's nothing."
Deng Wan nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Vice Envoy Sun, for coming to testify."
"Where, where."
After Sun Chongwen left, Zhang Fei invited Xue Xiang, the most critical person in the case, to come up.
However, Xue Xiang was neither the plaintiff nor the defendant. He sat down in the witness stand with greater confidence and composure.
"Envoy Xue, you heard everything the witnesses said just now."
"Um."
Xue Xiang nodded, then shook his head and said, "But what those businessmen said was pure exaggeration, nonsense, and confusion of right and wrong. Today's result is 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 must lose money. The court has its own plans.
The equalization of transport is nothing more than a reasonable allocation by the court to save expenses, and those merchants who complain are just because they cannot make huge fortunes from the court and the people. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. "
Apparently, he was sitting
Wang Anshi also nodded continuously. What Xue Xiang said was exactly what he was thinking.
Those businessmen were very depressed.
How can we deserve it? It's obviously your fault.
Conservative officials such as Sima Guang and Liu Shu were even more disdainful.
It is a great misfortune for the country to allow such a person to be the Minister of Three Departments!
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, then asked, "I know what Xue Fayunshi meant, but there is one thing I am not very clear about. Is the purpose of this equalization of transportation to take revenge on those big profiteers?"
Xue Xiang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Of course not."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Are those merchants the people of our Song Dynasty?"
Xue Xiang nodded and said, "Of course."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Xue Fayunshi thinks that those merchants just now, apart from complaining to the government, can they do anything else?"
Xue Xiang shook his head woodenly. The more he listened, the more confused he became. What exactly are you asking?
Zhang Fei added: "Since the equalization law is not intended to punish merchants, and those merchants are also citizens of our Song Dynasty, the current situation is that a group of citizens are complaining to the government that the government's policies have caused them to suffer losses.
So as an official appointed by the court, should I choose to accuse them of not making the accusation, accuse them of being dishonest, accuse them of being petty, or should I first understand the problem, explain it, and then solve it?"
You are really good at beating around the bush! Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei and said awkwardly, "Of course, I will go and solve the problem."
"I suppose so."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "After all, Xue Fayunshi 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."
The thing he was criticized for the most in the court was his personal morality. Now you are accusing businessmen of being selfish, isn't that the same thing?
Wang Anshi, who had been a little unhappy just now, couldn't help but laugh at this moment.
It turns out the foreshadowing is here, it’s hidden so deeply!
On the other hand, Wen Yanbo, Sima Guang and others had grim faces. Who are you hinting at, kid?
"Just like our public security, procuratorial and judicial organs, 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 Envoy Xue Fayun to come up, but I don't want to hear Envoy Xue Fayun complain here, nor do I want to hear Envoy Xue Fayun accuse anyone.
Because it is all meaningless. This involves national governance and people's livelihood, not some dispute between Confucian and Legalist ideas.
Therefore, we hope that the following questions will focus on understanding the problem, explaining the problem, and ultimately solving the problem. I believe this is also what Envoy Xue is best at. "
Xue Xiang couldn't help but sit up straight and nodded in embarrassment.
Han Qi chuckled and said, "It's quite interesting."
Fu Bi couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile.
The implication of this statement is that it is normal for businessmen to complain because that is all they can do, but you cannot complain about them because it is meaningless. You are the one who solves the problem and that is your responsibility.
If you complain to each other, it's all over.
The problem will never be solved.
Of course, this also hints to Sima Guang, Wang Anshi and others that at this hearing, the problem is the key.
Zhang Fei had told them before that whenever the two met, there would always be a fight.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Xue."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, then lowered his head to look at the copy, and raised his head again, "I would like to ask Xue Fayunshi to explain the equalization method to us, including the causes and consequences."
"Can."
Xue Xiang immediately explained the concept of the equalization system in detail, and also gave examples to illustrate how beneficial it was to the country and the people, and how much money it could save for the court.
He spoke very well and very precisely, and you could tell he was a professional with a lot of experience.
It's a pity that there are only businessmen outside and there is not much reaction. No matter how wonderful the equal loss method sounds, it is not good for businessmen!
Only the reformist officials were nodding their heads in self-amusement, while the conservative officials on the opposite side were shaking their heads and showing disdain.
"Thank you very much, Envoy Xue, for explaining this equalization method to us."
Zhang Fei nodded and asked, "So far, has the equalization method of transport achieved the goal of setting up two government regulations offices?"
"All done."
Xue Xiang said confidently: "The Equalized Transport System saves the country about one or two million guan of expenditure each year, and at the same time delivers six million dan of grain to the capital every year. Before the Equalized Transport System, the maximum amount of grain delivered to the capital was only 550,000 dan. In addition, the Equalized Transport System can also create a lot of profits for the court. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."
Zhang Fei asked: "Regarding this profit, what I want to know is, how much is it exactly?"
Xue Xiang hesitated a little and said, "I don't know the details, but it is definitely more than the reduction in commercial taxes."
"Probably?"
"Well, sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. After all, business has its ups and downs. It's hard to say."
Xue Xiang avoided the question.
Some imperial censors stroked their beards with a faint smile on their lips.
Still want to hide it?
Can you hide it?
"But someone handed our procuratorate a piece of evidence. According to this evidence, the Shipping Department had spent one million guan of grain capital, which disappeared without a trace."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
Many officials stared with their eyes wide open.
One million strings of cash?
Is this true or false?
This is really crazy!
There has certainly been corruption since the founding of the People's Republic of China, but no one has ever been able to embezzle one million strings of cash.
This must be fake.
Even the businessmen who were watching thought so.
Wen Yanbo was very calm, and sighed in his heart, they couldn't help it after all! But it's better this way, to prevent them from continuing this kind of activity.
The reformist officials also looked unconvinced, but seeing Xue Xiang remained silent, they immediately believed it a little more and couldn't help but get angry. "Damn it, you embezzled so much money and didn't even give us a bit."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Is this true?"
Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei, nodded and said, "It is true."
Zhang Fei asked: "Where will the one million strings of cash go?"
Xue Xiang said: "Xihe area."
Wen Yanbo couldn't help but open his eyes, and Jiang Zhiqi and other censors also looked at each other in confusion.
Nonsense.
First of all, this money does not belong to the emperor, but to the inner treasury. Secondly, this money went into the emperor's pocket, so how could it end up in the Xihe area?
Zhang Fei asked: "What on earth is going on?"
Xue Xiang said: "The initial purchase capital of our Shipping Department was all allocated from the Internal Treasury, but this money will be returned to the Internal Treasury when the tax revenue of the six southeastern routes is collected."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I know that."
Xue Xiang said: "Since the internal treasury had limited reserves at the time, the government 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 itself.
This million strings of money was originally to be returned to the emperor. But later, the Xihe frontier was a huge success, and it also required a lot of additional military pay. However, the emperor was worried that the people in the northwest would be burdened too much, so he ordered me to secretly send this million strings of money to Xihe as a reward for the army. Therefore, I counted this million strings of money as the emperor's surplus and sent it to the Xihe area. "
Zhang Fei asked: "Is there any evidence to prove this?"
Xue Xiang said: "Of course I have the imperial edict and the account proof, but the best proof is that there is a million strings of money deposited in the name of the government stored in the Xihe Jieku Shop, and perhaps a lot of it has been used.
Also, the people in the northwest did not pay a penny more in taxes because of the Xihe war. This can be easily verified by a simple search."
Liu Zhao looked at Zhao Xu with a moved face, but Zhao Xu had no expression on his face, one hand on his chin, and a dull look in his eyes.
What's going on?
Little did Zhao Xu know that his heart was bleeding when he heard this.
It's really 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 already known about it, it would definitely not be concealed. If it was not mentioned today, it would be mentioned tomorrow.
Sima Guang, Liu Shu and others looked at Lu Gong at the same time.
Lu Gong whispered, "I don't know for now, but the people in the northwest have definitely not been affected by the war."
this...
If you just allocate money, it doesn't mean anything, because the war is one that the emperor wants to fight. The key is that you pay out of your own pocket and don't add burden to the people. This is quite courageous.
Wen Yanbo had some doubts before, but after hearing what Xue Xiang said, he no longer doubted it. If they had to falsify the money at the last minute, it would be impossible for the money to be sent over so quickly, and a lot of it had been spent.
The key is that this also conforms to Zhao Xu’s position.
In this case, we can only praise the emperor.
Jiang Zhiqi and others were dejected. They had wanted to use this incident to attack the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs, but it ended up being so touching!
Only the Jiangnan businessman stood there with a pout, looking aggrieved. Damn, these are all our interests!
"Regarding this matter, the Censorate should send someone to investigate immediately."
Zhang Fei joked, then looked down at the document, then looked up and asked, "Does Xue Fayun think that the implementation of the equalization law has affected the profits of merchants?"
"have."
Xue Xiang nodded and said, "I have already explained it just now. The reason why Prime Minister Wang promulgated the equalization law is mainly because the previous system was too rigid, resulting in the goods delivered to the capital often not being what the capital needed, so some merchants could buy them at low prices, and then the court had to buy them from the merchants at high prices.
The equal transportation system can avoid such situations. Purchases can be made entirely based on the needs of the capital. At the same time, the Shipping Department will collect money from areas with poor harvests, and then purchase goods from areas with good harvests and lower prices. At the same time, the goods from areas with good harvests will be sold to areas in need. In this way, it will be difficult for merchants to hoard goods.
The court will gain some benefits, but this will make all places more stable, because it will prevent the court from being robbed by merchants and the people from being exploited by merchants. "
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 dan of grain, but the grain demand of the capital had been met at that time. If the one million dan was sent to the capital based on the previous situation, it might have to be sold at a discount. But the Shipping Department knew the needs of the capital, so it reported the news to the court, but it also caused some controversy. Some people suggested selling it on the spot and then changing it to light goods to send to the capital.
This was indeed the most beneficial plan for the court, but it would inevitably impact local grain prices and harm the interests of local farmers. At that time, Wang Xianggong went against all odds and transported the one million dan of grain to Jiangnan West Road and sold it to some grain-deficient areas. The Shipping Department gained almost nothing from this transaction, but it benefited the people. "
As he spoke, he took out a piece of evidence and said, "This contains the specific records of this transaction."
Someone came over immediately and handed the evidence to Wang Gong.
These words made many officials fall into deep thought.
This is indeed an indisputable fact.
If it were the previous system, it would become very bad and would increase consumption and waste.
But Han Qi and Fu Bi both believed that it all depended on the person. Xue Xiang himself said that there was controversy in the court. If it was Lu Huiqing, the result might be different.
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Does Xue Fayunshi think that the Shipping Department can completely replace 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 Fayunshi also admitted that the equalization system made merchants unprofitable, and at the same time, the Fayunsi could not replace merchants. Wouldn't this cause problems?"
Xue Xiang said: "The equalization law mainly affects those merchants who want to take advantage of the situation and seek huge profits, rather than targeting all merchants."
Zhang Fei asked: "Suppose the capital city is short of 5,000 rolls of silk, and the Shipping Department immediately comes up with the best solution, which is to buy it from Yangzhou. Then can merchants compete with the Shipping Department? Or, can silk merchants in Yangzhou refuse to sell silk to the Shipping Department?"
Xue Xiang avoided the main point and said, "Supplying the capital is a matter of great importance and cannot afford to make any mistakes."
In private, he would definitely say that of course we can compete, but the question is who dares to do so.
But in this kind of situation, with everyone watching, he didn't dare say that. What if this group of businessmen united and competed with the shipping company everywhere, then it would be over!
"That means no."
"Um."
"If a silk merchant wants to sell goods to the shipping company, does he need to pay a bribe?"
"No, this is illegal, and the Shipping Department has also strictly prohibited it."
“Does this exist?”
"That does exist. Our Shipping Department has dealt with a number of corrupt officials."
“And yet it continues to happen?”
"If I knew, I would punish him severely."
“Will the Shipping Department announce its own buying and selling plans?”
"No, lest someone take advantage of the opportunity to profit."
"Just now, Xue Fayunshi said that the Shipping Department sold 1 million dan of grain to areas with food shortages such as Jiangnan East Road. However, I would like to ask Xue Fayunshi, if the Shipping Department did not go there at that time, would there be merchants who resold grain to those places?"
"Yes."
“If the shipping company goes there, will there still be merchants going there to resell grain?”
"That shouldn't happen."
"Why?"
"The profit from reselling grain is the price difference. Now that the shipping company has supplied grain, the grain price will fall. We may not make any money if we transport the grain."
"I have heard about some of Xue Fayunshi's deeds in Hezhong Prefecture. I know that Xue Fayunshi is very good at managing money and has made a lot of money for the government. If Xue Fayunshi is an honest businessman, how would he deal with the above situations?"
".!"
Xue Xiang placed his arms on the table, crossed his fingers, and looked dull.
The surroundings were also completely silent.
Sima Guang and others were also thinking about this problem. As the questions became more in-depth, everyone gradually focused on solving the problem rather than on what was right or wrong.
After a while, Xue Xiang stroked his goatee and said, "Well, I admit that this will indeed affect the enthusiasm of businessmen."
After that, he immediately added: "But the court must improve its financial problems in a timely manner, and the equalization of transportation will not only reduce a lot of fiscal expenditures, but also reduce the burden on many people."
Zhang Fei asked: "So, Xue Fayunshi believes that if the trend continues, it will not be harmful, but beneficial to the court?"
Xue Xiang fell silent again.
Wang Anshi looked anxious and asked, "Why are you hesitating here? What problems could arise if things continue like this?"
A little loss is nothing compared to what we gain.
He targeted these wealthy businessmen and landlords.
If it were Lu Huiqing, he would have refuted Zhang Fei immediately, but Xue Xiang had been in the northwest region and had dealt with merchants from Western Xia and Tubo. He was a veteran and he knew very well that if the number of merchants decreased on a large scale, it would cause big problems.
First of all, there is absolutely no cure for this corruption problem.
Xue Xiang's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, but he was unaware of it. It was obvious that he was thinking about this problem very seriously.
Zhang Fei was not in a hurry and waited quietly.
After a long while, Xue Xiang finally replied: "It will not work if this continues in the long run, but the concept of the equalization method is absolutely correct, because the previous system was extremely unreasonable. The equalization method has been proven to save a lot of expenses, but our Shipping Department will also make adjustments based on this situation."
Zhang Fei asked: "How to adjust? Does Envoy Xue have a specific plan?"
Xue Xiang thought for a moment and said, "We haven't discussed it in detail yet, but our shipping department will increase purchases appropriately and reduce sales at the same time. In this way, we can mobilize the enthusiasm of merchants. After all, there is money to be made, and they will move."
Xue Xiang is indeed a talented person, and his brain works quickly. Zhang Fei said, "But there are also problems in terms of purchase. Just now, Xue Fayunshi also said that merchants must give priority to the shipping company, and merchants cannot compete with the shipping company. There is also the issue of bribery."
Xue Xiang took a deep breath and suddenly looked at Zhang Fei, "Remember when I was in the Imperial Court a few days ago, I told you about the corruption in the Shipping Department. This is the responsibility of the supervisory department, and I also learned about the situation in Hezhong Prefecture.
I think that to perfectly solve this problem, the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs must be sent to the Jiangnan region as soon as possible. Because the equalization law is mainly to protect the interests of the court itself and to reduce the burden on the people. It will never target merchants. It just hopes to put an end to the phenomenon of maliciously raising prices and exploiting the people.
It may hurt the rights of some merchants, but this is not the intention of the government, nor is it what Prime Minister Wang expects. Many policies of Hezhong Prefecture are similar to the Equalization Law, but the results are different. It can be seen that the problem is not the Equalization Law, but the lack of legal protection for merchants, which leads to accidental injuries. The public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. I believe that when the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs go to the Southeast Six Roads, many problems will be solved. "
(End of this chapter)
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