Chapter 233: Can be a Saint, Things Will Reverse When They Go to Extremes

Imperial study.

Wang Mang is handling government affairs.

The court was in urgent need of manpower, and even the emperor had to be diligent and set a good example.

When Gu Dan arrived here, Wang Mang was frowning and thinking hard.

He was dealing with matters related to Yuzhou.

When the source river bursts its banks, the countless silt produced every year flows into the plains along the breach, clogging the river channel, flooding the fields, overflowing the lakes, and blocking transportation and shipping.

The impact was not limited to Yuzhou, even Yangzhou was not spared.

Moreover, during the flood season every year, the water from the source river will overflow and flow back, submerging farmland. After the flood, there will be a locust plague. There are sand dunes everywhere, and the surface is uneven, making it impossible to cultivate, causing extremely serious damage to agriculture.

If it were not for the strong support of materials from the four countries, it would have been difficult for the Xia Dynasty to have enough food, let alone establish a country, in less than a year.

However, the Xia Dynasty could not pin all its hopes on the supplies sent by the four countries. Those supplies were certainly good things. In addition to the large amount now, they would continue to flow in the next few years. Even if the quantity would decrease, it would be enough to support the Xia Dynasty.

But living off the resources is definitely not the foundation of a country, and this kind of external support cannot be truly regarded as one's own national strength.

If Gu Dan had not appeared out of nowhere and ended this chaotic time, for the people of the Xia Dynasty at that time, saying that they were not able to get enough food would be a compliment, and they might have started to eat their own children.

Relying on personal force to take whatever one wants is indeed a shortcut, but Gu Dan has already shown his attitude and he didn't even show up at the founding ceremony.

It was obvious that he had decided to leave everything in the future to them to deal with on their own.

This was a huge challenge. When the Xia Dynasty was founded, it relied on the names of Mo Qiu and Mohism to win the hearts of the people. It was destined to take a different path and could not just ignore it like Dayue.

Otherwise, it would not only be a betrayal to our predecessors, but also to future generations, to ourselves, and even to Gu Dan, which would be completely unexplainable.

It is difficult to conquer the world, and it is even more difficult to rule the world.

Nowadays, the people of the Xia Dynasty have little recognition of the Xia Dynasty, especially after the announcement of Mo Qiu's death.

Wang Mang could only do his best and do his best, including but not limited to taking on various political affairs on the first day of the founding of the country.

Gu Dan continued to watch silently for a while as he did before. When Wang Mang went to take down a document, he coughed lightly.

Wang Mang immediately turned his head, his eyes lit up with surprise, "Brother Gu!"

Seeing Gu Dan, Wang Mang seemed a little excited, "I thought you wouldn't come today"

"You are the emperor now, you have the final say, don't expect anything from me."

Gu Dan shook his head slightly, pouring a basin of cold water on him, "If you want to conquer the world, personal force does have some effect, but if you want to control a country, relying solely on force is undoubtedly a futile attempt. You must understand this."

"I know."

Wang Mang nodded repeatedly, "I just feel that if Brother Gu doesn't come, it always seems like something is missing."

If it weren't for Gu Dan, the Xia Dynasty would never have been stable at this time. It is no exaggeration to say that he made great contributions.

It’s just that Gu Dan refused to reveal himself in front of others, and the people who really knew him were all at the top. The credit was also given to Mo Qiu, and the reputation of the Mo family was further enhanced.

The common people knew Mohism but not the emperor.

Wang Mang had no complaints about this. After all, he was unknown before and suddenly rose to a high position. It would be too petty if he couldn't even withstand a little abuse and slander.

"I'm here this time because there are two policy matters that I need you to handle. This is not a matter of negotiation, but a necessity."

Gu Dan said seriously.

"Brother Gu, please speak."

Wang Mang's expression also became focused.

He was very familiar with Gu Dan and understood Gu Dan's character very well. He seldom said such unquestionable words, but once he said them, it meant he had made up his mind and it could not be changed.

"The first one is about taxes."

Gu Dan said: "In the past, taxes were of various types and were imposed layer by layer. After the officials at all levels did their work, they could make up excuses and even rob people. When the Xia Dynasty was first established, there was no shortage of materials. In recent years, we should not collect taxes anymore. We should take advantage of this period to understand the situation of the people and implement a new tax policy.

I call it 'sharing the land tax'."

Taxes!

Upon hearing these two words, Wang Mang's expression became more solemn.

For a country, taxes are the real lifeline.

Whoever can control taxes controls a country, and all the money in the treasury comes from this.

Therefore, any tax reform has always been done with great caution.

Previously, Dayue used "head tax" as the main basis for taxation. The harm of this law was that it reduced the enthusiasm of the people to have children, and even led to the emergence of various hidden black households.

However, this kind of poll tax is actually extremely unfair. The poor become poorer and the rich become richer, and the polarization is particularly serious.

It’s not that no one can see the drawbacks, the question is how to change them?

"To put it simply, the tax system is to collect taxes directly from land. With land as the main basis, people without land will no longer be taxed. At the same time, the control of household registration will be relaxed to allow the lower-class people to migrate."

Gu Dan said seriously.

It sounds very simple to distribute the tax according to the land area.

But its effect is extremely powerful.

Compared with the burden of the head tax on all people, the land tax is targeted at the landlords with abundant land. The richer they are, the greater the damage. To a certain extent, it can indeed curb the problem of land annexation.

"The tax is distributed according to the land area."

Wang Mang pondered silently and soon thought of the various benefits of this method. This method can indeed effectively prevent the emergence of discontinuous wealth accumulation among the people and share the tax burden with ordinary people.

The only problem is that in order to do this, the land must be thoroughly investigated!

This placed a huge demand on low-level officials. No wonder Gu Ge said that taxes could be temporarily suspended in the first few years. He obviously understood the difficulties Wang Mang was facing at that time.

Strictly speaking, the Xia Dynasty was not a bottom-up resistance. There were even many termites from the previous dynasty remaining in Dayue, who were still sucking blood tirelessly and had not yet been completely eliminated.

The people had not yet been forced to the point where they could not survive unless they rebelled. The establishment of a country at this time could certainly stop the suffering and prevent it from getting worse, but the severe cleansing of the various powerful people and landlords among the people had not yet been truly accomplished.

This method is aimed at that group of people.

"No problem, I will do my best."

Wang Mang nodded seriously. It was not difficult to understand the tax distribution based on the amount of land, but the difficult part was the execution.

But the advantage of controlling the upper-level military force was revealed at this time.

The four countries are about to send five masters to Otsuki to help, won’t this be of use?

Are you kidding me when you think of the Grandmaster's power? !

Just see if you dare to kill someone and it’s over!

"The second thing is corvee labor."

Gu Dan said again.

When Wang Mang heard this, he became even more cautious.

Taxes and corvee labor.

These are truly two huge mountains pressing down on the people.

There was no escape from this in any previous era.

The taxes may be affordable for wealthier families, but even the poorer people can just scrape together a living by scrambling to get by.

But corvée labor is not allowed.

Unless you have meritorious service, even if you have a fortune, you have to go and perform corvee labor. Even if someone secretly colludes with you, the corvee labor you should perform will only be borne by another person, but you will never be able to escape it.

If taxes are a sword, then corvee labor is a rope.

A sharp sword may injure people, but a rope can take lives! The imperial palace of the Xia Dynasty at that time was built by mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people for corvée labor, during which countless blood, sweat, and bones were shed, which directly led to a surge in the momentum of the civil rebellion.

It is said that later generations mourn but do not learn from it, but the question is, what can they do if they learn from it? At least Wang Mang did not think of this answer, and those extremely smart officials in the past dynasties did not think of this answer either, and could only continue to follow the old system.

"From now on, all corvée labor can be offset with money. The money used to offset it can be used to hire people to do work."

Gu Dan put forward a good strategy that has been tested by history.

Why is there corvée labor? Because the country is short of money, but must build something.

Continuously increasing taxes is not a solution. It is no secret that a harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger.

Then another corvée came.

It is impossible to rely on the government to pay for employment, so the people will have to suffer more.

We know you have no money, so come over and work!

But in the final analysis, corvée is actually another form of taxation! It's just that the money used to be replaced by people.

Wang Mang, who had previously been in favor of the tax-tax system, now frowned and had to speak up, "In this way, those local tyrants and landlords can forever avoid corvée labor in this way! In the end, it is the lower-class people who can't afford the money who have to follow the old system!"

"So, the first rule is to distribute the tax according to the amount of land! After we have clearly measured the amount of farmland in the country and the land controlled by the wealthy families and local gentry, we will distribute the money needed for corvée labor to the amount of land. The more land, the more taxes there will be! When this law is truly implemented, we can even abolish corvée labor!"

Gu Dan said without any hesitation.

What's the point of making the common people suffer? Just make the noble families, the gentry and the powerful suffer! You like land annexation, right?

You like to force sales, right?

You like to make the people suffer, don't you? Just wait and see whether I can do it or not.

For any national policy, if the founding father does not implement it, it will be unimaginable how difficult it will be for future generations to implement it.

Gu Dan once said that he wanted to make life better for the people of the world.

These two things must be done from the very beginning and even become real iron rules.

Wang Mang did not respond to Gu Dan's words immediately, but instead began to think seriously about whether this method was really feasible.

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became.

How can this method not work?

It will definitely work!

Is the Xia Dynasty now short of supplies? Short of money? No, it just lacks enough officials!

When there are enough officials, why can't we make drastic reforms?

Equalizing the land tax will benefit the country and the people!

It will no longer be the common people who suffer, but the rich and powerful who suffer, and transfer the burden that the lower-class people need to bear to those aristocratic families!

“Okay, okay!”

After figuring it all out, Wang Mang's eyes lit up, "Based on this strategy alone, Brother Gu can be a saint!"

If quelling the war before was a great favor to the people who were suffering at that time, then after these two new national policies, or even simplifying them into one national policy, are implemented, people for thousands of generations will benefit from them!

It is no exaggeration to say that we have solved the two huge problems of taxation and labor in one go.

The title of saint is well deserved!

"These things need to be done by you and the entire court, and the credit will also be yours. If you want to be an emperor through the ages and leave a name behind, you must accomplish great deeds that others cannot accomplish."

Gu Dan patted Wang Mang on the shoulder. The long and arduous road ahead, and even the extremely complicated affairs, were all placed on Wang Mang's shoulders, so he also made his own promise, "If there is anyone who can't solve the problem, you can call me."

He doesn't need to be a babysitter, but he will lend a hand when necessary.

"With Brother Gu's words, I feel relieved."

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Wang Mang laughed.

It sounds simple to spread the tax based on the amount of land, it's just a matter of changing the way taxes are levied.

But popular resistance is not as easy as it sounds.

The aristocratic families, landlords and gentry who suddenly find that it is their turn to suffer will try every means to resist the new national policy, even to the point of inciting the people at the bottom.

These things are not just possible, they will definitely happen! When their own interests are threatened, never expect that group of people to have any decent awareness, they will only try every means to shirk responsibility, or even cheat.

Any good policy will be nothing but empty talk if it is not implemented properly.

"Let Gong Shang handle this matter. Qin Lisheng will lead the Mohists to review it. What do you think, Brother Gu?"

Wang Mang immediately had a candidate in mind.

Gong Shangguo was able to found the Mohist school together with Mo Qiu, so his ability is beyond doubt.

Qin Lisheng raised the banner of Mohism at that time. Considering the degree to which the Xia Dynasty respected Mohism, this national teacher was also a first-class figure.

Examining the matter in the name of Mohism will undoubtedly reduce resistance to a minimum. Being killed by Mohists will definitely be more embarrassing than being killed by the government.

Coupled with Wang Mang's full support, it can be said that they have done their best.

"Can."

Gu Dan nodded without hesitation.

If this method can be truly implemented, it will benefit the present and future generations, and it is reasonable for any number of people to participate in it.

There are indeed many inconveniences in a world where one has to rely on personal strength, but when one really wants to do something, it can be a lot more convenient - as long as one is the strongest one.

It is very difficult for those aristocratic families to raise a master no matter how hard they try. Even if they are lucky enough to produce one, how can he compete with the top figures at this time?

Not to mention that the Grand Master doesn't even care about that little bit of profit. He can make up for it in other ways. Why go against the national policy?

As long as enough wealthy families are killed, the implementation of this method will not be as difficult as imagined.

As long as these two things are truly implemented, no matter what, the lives of the people of the Xia Dynasty will be much better than the previous Dayue! In this way, Gu Dan can also fulfill the promise he once made.

The people living on this land will live a better life.

A room.

The former emperor of Dai Viet held a handful of pills in his hand, his eyes wandering.

He had tried this pill before. After swallowing one, he felt several years younger and his body became stronger again! He wanted to give such a miraculous pill to the seriously ill people? Are they worthy of it?! This thing should be enjoyed by himself!

The longer the night, the more dreams there are. Once the news gets out, I don’t know how many people will covet this pill.

Wang Mang was magnanimous and distributed the pills directly to them.

But it would be better to benefit myself than to benefit others! What does it have to do with me whether others can survive or not? Thinking of this, he quietly swallowed another pill.

Sure enough, that familiar vitality began to flow through the limbs and bones, and the familiar, extremely exciting feeling of rejuvenation was brewing in the body!

In the bronze mirror, the person's originally grey hair began to become shiny again, and some of it even turned black!

Almost like returning to youth, a miraculous elixir! The former emperor of Dai Viet had a clear look of joy in his eyes, "They said that if you eat too much, it will have no effect. It really is a lie to us! The Xia Dynasty controls such a magical object, but they don't know the reason for hiding it. They are confident in their military power and dare to show it to the public. Such a temptation is enough to make people gamble their lives, so what?"

Witnessing the changes in himself with his own eyes, he was overjoyed.

He swallowed pill after pill, and in the blink of an eye he had swallowed five or six pills.

The strong vitality radiating from inside out made him feel unprecedented warmth, and his whole body felt like he was immersed in the most comfortable hot spring in the world from the inside out. How could the word "wonderful" be enough to describe it!

The so-called attainment of the Tao and becoming an immortal is nothing more than this, right? Once the beast in the heart is released, there is no longer any restraint.

The former emperor of Dai Viet devoured the pills almost crazily. As the vitality in his body grew stronger, he even had the illusion that he would become immortal and forever young.

The vital force that continued to accumulate in his body continuously cleansed his body that had been too polluted by the world. The unprecedented lightness and beauty seemed to bring him back to his childhood, and he no longer had any burden at all.

All he needed was to ascend to heaven and become an immortal! After he swallowed more than ten immortal pills like a glutton, he was about to greedily swallow a few more when he suddenly felt full inside his body.

The feeling of fullness was not the feeling of having a full stomach, but a warning of being overwhelmed, which came from every meridian, every piece of flesh and blood, and every bone in the whole body.

However, the vitality accumulated in his body is far from being fully digested.

Before he could find any solution, the vitality that had already been replenished beyond repair didn't care about anything else. It focused on those bodies that had been completely repaired and were in better condition than ever before, and poured into them.

Flock in!

"ah!!!"

From within the room came a heart-wrenching howl, like that of an evil spirit.

The horrifying sound startled the other guests living next door to him, and they rushed into the room without caring too much.

At a glance, they saw the old man with white hair in front of the bronze mirror! The old man obviously recognized them, his eyes were full of anxiety, and he opened his mouth to call for help, but he said weakly: "Save me!"

As he spoke, his teeth began to fall out like scattered parts.

The changes are not over yet.

At this moment, the journey that belongs only to time is proceeding in his body at an incredible speed.

The originally tall body gradually became hunched, and the white hair began to become dry, just like the weeds on the land that were about to die out in the last moments of autumn.

What was even more terrifying was that his skin lost its luster at a speed visible to the naked eye, then became loose, and then age spots appeared. They broke in and saw it with their own eyes.

In just a short period of time, it seemed as if decades of changes had taken place in this person!

At first, he was still able to ask for help.

He was unable to utter a complete sentence afterwards, as the vital energy that had accumulated to the extreme and had nowhere to vent began to catalyze his body wantonly.

When all the vitality was gone, the person standing there was a skeleton that looked like a rotten wood. Just looking at the almost piled up skin and wrinkles, no one would dare to believe that the person standing here before was a middle-aged man! The strong aura of death lingered around him, but his unwilling eyes were still wide open.

Everything has its limits, and the uncontrollable vitality took his life.

"This is?!"

Several people who broke into the room looked at each other in shock.

"He swallowed a lot of elixirs!"

The sharp-eyed former Emperor Daqing discovered the clues on the spot.

Until his death, this guy still held tightly onto the package of elixir and refused to let it go.

Looking at the pills inside again, it was clear that half of them were missing!

In an instant, an indescribable chill rose from the bottom of my heart.

There is no doubt that this guy was greedy and swallowed a lot of elixirs by himself, and finally ended up like this! "Is there any hope?"

The former emperor of Dayong swallowed quietly and spoke cautiously.

Having witnessed what happened to this man, it's impossible not to feel scared.

Everyone has selfish desires, and the choice of the former emperor of Dai Viet might have been what they were thinking in their hearts. It’s just that their actions were relatively slow, and they were still struggling between conscience and man, but they were lucky enough to save their lives.

If they also have a bold idea, it is probably time to choose a suitable cemetery.

Qi Yinglong was able to remain calm. He walked over to the body that stood there like a rotten wood, looked at it carefully for a moment, and shook his head. "It's dead and can't die any more. How can we save it?"

"Is this an elixir or a poison?"

The former emperor of Daqing, who had taken a pill, had a drastic change of expression.

"Perhaps, taking one pill is a magic pill, but taking more than one pill is poison."

Qi Yinglong seemed to be thinking about something.

Of course, there is another possibility that after taking the pill, life and death will be controlled by another person behind the scenes.

It was just as terrifying as the legendary witchcraft! But no one mentioned this possibility.

"This guy is too greedy, he deserves to die! He deserves to betray the trust of that being!"

The former emperor of Dayong said decisively.

"That's right! We have never lied to him and we are loyal to him. We are not the same kind of people as him!"

The former emperor of Daqing also immediately expressed his loyalty, fearing that he would be observed by a pair of unnoticed eyes and suffer the same reckoning.

"That person wants our lives, why bother with so much trouble? Don't panic, just do your own thing."

Qi Yinglong said so, but was he really free of worries?

I’m afraid I can’t even explain it clearly.

But there is no doubt that after witnessing this change with my own eyes, a thorn was buried in my heart.

The following countries almost followed the lead of the Xia Dynasty, and the Xia Dynasty was praised as the Celestial Empire. The efforts of these people played an indispensable role in this.

Of course, that’s all in the past.

The wheel of history rolls forward without stopping for anyone.

(End of this chapter)