Chapter 162: From the Single Whip Law to the Land-based Tax System
In Xiuwen Hall, the debate and discussion continued, and the empty room seemed to be divided into two parts.
At the "conference table" in the center, young scholars were using their talents to offer suggestions for the new policy in front of the empress and Grand Tutor Dong, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
Even Mo Zhaorong, after reading the text on the "meeting minutes", stood up, walked to the side of the empress, and participated in the discussion.
So, the only one left in the corner was the lonely Zhao Duan.
And a recorder who was busy typing and concentrating on transcribing the discussions of the scholars.
Just like in his previous life, many times after get off work, Zhao Duan liked to go to a busy civic square near his home.
The old people would dance in the square, music would blare from the speakers, and the children would run and laugh in groups of three or five, creating a lively atmosphere.
Zhao Duan would sit quietly on a park bench at the edge of the square, thinking about something with his head down.
Just like now.
"Performance Evaluation Method."
Zhao Duan stared at the three words he wrote on the paper, and many memories flooded into his mind like a dam breaking.
Historically, Zhang Juzheng's reforms were undoubtedly successful.
Although it also had many drawbacks, it enabled Wanli to revive the country, wipe out the decline, and did not leave behind any major problems.
Even after his death, some of his new policies were abolished, but some of them were retained.
Even after the change of dynasties, it was still used by the new emperors, which shows the advanced nature of its strategy.
Most importantly…
suitable.
It is very similar to the situation that the Dayu Dynasty is facing today... However, this is not a coincidence, but a kind of inevitability.
Under the feudal dynasty system, the difficulties faced by successive dynasties have actually not changed in essence.
Just like even in the previous life, on the road to development, the advanced ones stepped on some pitfalls, and even though they knew they existed, the latecomers had no choice but to step on them, there was no other way.
Zhao Duan sat on the chair, leaning back slightly.
The stack of paper in my hand is very thick and can be used as a notebook.
He simply placed the thick "notebook" diagonally on the edge of the table, and continued to write new words on the paper with the slender brush in his hand:
"In the pursuit of order, there is no greater urgency than ensuring the people's livelihood; the key to ensuring the people's livelihood lies in the scrutiny of official administration."
"Hang the law before the public."
"Give and take, and uphold justice..."
Having written this, he paused, not because he ran out of ink, but because this was not the key point.
This is not a policy paper... There is no need to point out the theme at the beginning, or use a general-specific-general structure or a one-two-three point structure.
I'm used to it.
Zhao Duan turned his wrist and drew a dividing line on the paper, then recalled the key points of the performance evaluation method and only excerpted the most core words and sentences.
"Set a limit for the examination."
"Blame people for their actions."
Well, this time it’s correct, Zhao Duan has a bit of a toothache.
Because he suddenly remembered that these two sentences were the knowledge points he had learned from the chalk civil service exam paper when he was preparing for the exam.
At that time, I was only concerned about improving my grades and did not seek to understand the details. Later, in order to make progress, I studied history books and finally figured out the relevant content.
What's more, when necessary, I can speak it out casually, pretend to be cool flexibly, and I have memorized many key contents. It is not difficult and it can be regarded as the basic skills of the job.
I changed a new piece of paper and dipped it in ink again.
After a brief recollection, I only started to write, and the words flowed out like a trickle of water:
"Set deadlines, keep records, and close records at the end of each month. Those who are late will be investigated by the Ministry; those who conceal or deceive will be investigated by the six departments; if the six departments fail to detect, the cabinet ministers will investigate. There will be monthly inspections and annual audits... Those who make mistakes will be punished..."
His calligraphy was not very good, at least compared with that of these ancient scholars, it was far inferior.
But the advantage is that it is neat. In a short time, he wrote two pages by half memorizing and half revising.
"Huh... I said, if you keep thinking about it, there will be a response. The effort I put in back then will be useful sooner or later." Zhao Duan sighed.
I looked up and found that the discussion in the room was still going on.
"This problem has been accumulating for a long time, not just in a few months. I still stick to my original opinion."
"I disagree. In my opinion, the governance of officials ultimately depends on supervision."
"Expand the number of censors? Send more patrolling censors? But censors can't be stationed in local areas permanently. They'll inevitably muddle through, which will only waste people's time and money."
"Perhaps we could work on the assessment method?" someone suggested. "People can only hold office for a short time. We must always rely on the law."
"That's true, but...how can we change it? The ancestral system is already complete..."
The heated discussions continued, but gradually became less intense.
This shows that these scholars have finished expressing their views.
Zhao Duan discovered that the Empress and Grand Tutor Dong never expressed their opinions. The Empress just listened and seemed not to be prepared to speak.
Grand Tutor Dong asked a few questions from time to time, but most of the time he was still lost in thought.
At this moment, seeing that no consensus could be reached for the time being, he was not surprised. After thinking for a while, he said:
"Putting aside the question of official administration, what advice do you have on the empty treasury, the excessive corvée, and the depleted finances?"
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, remembering what Mo Chou had just said, that the main purpose of the new policy of the Dayu Dynasty was to solve the financial problem.
As Grand Tutor Dong spoke, the air suddenly became quiet.
No one was in a hurry to speak.
Wang You, the son of the Minister of Personnel, who had spoken a lot before, also shut up, as if he didn't want to say anything more on this topic.
Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Dong cast a sharp gaze at Han Zhou beside him and gestured to him.
Then he turned to look at the empress and said:
"Han Zhou previously wrote a very comprehensive memorial on finance and taxation. I showed it to this old minister. Perhaps it would be worth listening to."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly and looked at the other person.
Recommended by the Grand Tutor himself... Is this an endorsement?
Zhao Duan also looked over curiously.
Han Zhou, nicknamed Banshan and rumored to be "the most talented man in the capital", a gentleman with a modest appearance, stood up.
He bowed to the Empress and the Grand Tutor in succession, then took out a thick memorial, presented it with both hands, and said:
"I observe that the crux of the Yu Dynasty's financial problems today is not excessive spending, but rather insufficient production. The root cause is the people's poverty and weakness. Why? First, excessive corvée labor, and second, annexation by powerful families!"
"When I visited the countryside in the past, I heard the proverb: 'The rich have land but no food, while the poor suffer from burdens and illnesses...'"
"The wealthy families hid their land, household registration became chaotic, and in years of disaster, they hoarded grain and annexed it... As a result, private households grew richer, public officials grew poorer, the country became impoverished, and the people were suffering. This was the real problem..."
In the room, Han Zhou's tone was indignant, and every word he said was as sharp as a needle.
During the statement, Zhao Duan hid in the corner of the room, listening attentively, so as to understand the financial situation.
To put it bluntly, feudal dynasties could not escape several major drawbacks.
The imperial court had too many projects to do every year, such as water conservancy, roads, border defense, mining... As a result, corvee labor always fell on the people, affecting production.
Furthermore, Dayu’s taxes were varied and were levied on a per capita basis.
These days, taxes are often collected in the form of goods, which pass through many hands, making the statistics extremely complicated.
In addition, local powerful families annexed land and concealed the population in order to pay less taxes, resulting in a large amount of hidden land in the accounts...it was a mess.
Zhao Duan glanced at everyone present and found that the scholars looked calm.
Obviously, the above analysis is well understood, and the key lies in how the new policy can improve it.
At this time, Han Zhou also came to the point and said loudly:
"For this purpose, I have written ten articles."
"First, the Spring and Autumn Tax System... Whenever there's a lean season, the government can lend money to the people, paying 2% interest over six months... and repaying the money with the Spring and Autumn Tax."
"Second, the method of exemption from military service..."
"Third, the method of dividing the land..."
This slightly frail scholar put forward one strategy after another.
Every time one was thrown out, the expressions of the young scholars present changed a little.
Guo Jieyuan, who was well versed in finance and taxation and always smiled at everyone he met, sat up straight and quickly calculated the loan interest in his mind.
Wang You, who came from an aristocratic family and had the bearing of a noble young man, had a gloomy expression on his face, but he said nothing and just pursed his lips.
The other scholars also had different expressions.
Some were surprised, some were amazed, some were silent, and some looked worried...
But no one noticed.
In the corner, Zhao Duan, who was eavesdropping with a pen and paper in hand, had a gradually strange expression on his face.
Although there are many subtle differences among these ten strategies, what is this vague sense of familiarity?
Zhao Duan frowned and thought, and the long-forgotten memories gradually became clearer.
There is a gap between the old and the new, so the tax system is divided into two parts...
etc!
Zhao Duan's breath was choked, he remembered!
No wonder it seems so familiar. The “Spring and Autumn Two Taxes” Law is clearly just the “Qingmiao Law” with a changed name.
There is also the measurement of land and the division of it into three classes: upper, middle and lower... Although there are differences, isn't it also a variation of the equal-field system?
The more Zhao Duan listened, the more familiar it sounded.
Many of the other party's strategies were similar to the reforms of Wang Anshi in the Song Dynasty that he was familiar with.
However, compared with Wang Anshi's strategy, although Han Zhou's strategy has some similarities, it is much milder in the explanation of specific details.
And especially emphasize:
"We must proceed step by step and employ talented people."
Obviously, this number one talent also knew in his heart that some of the strategies proposed had drawbacks.
If we act too hastily or use the wrong people, even if we succeed in reversing Dayu's financial crisis, the hole left behind will not be small.
"Hiss...are you making such a big deal?" Zhao Duan shook his head slightly.
No one knows the specific results of any unproven strategy.
Therefore, these ten strategies, on paper, are indeed extremely effective in reversing the crisis in the court, which is probably the reason why Grand Tutor Dong mentioned them.
Han Zhou is indeed no ordinary person. With only the position of Hanlin editor, he was able to come up with these ten strategies, which shows his wisdom.
What a pity... Zhao Duan shook his head slightly, knowing that the essence of this set of laws was to plunder the world's wealth and put it into the national treasury.
If you go against objective laws, you will probably fail.
With a brush in hand, he first wrote down the names of Han Zhou's ten strategies on the paper one by one, and then put an X after "Spring and Autumn Taxes" and "Land Division Law".
I also checked off several strategies, including the Imperial Examination Reform Method, which are worth adopting.
Then he turned another page, too lazy to listen anymore.
Instead, he quickly wrote the four words "One Whip Method" on the paper, then thought about it and crossed it out.
Having already copied it, he decided to finish it in one go. He started a new line and wrote the four words "提丁入牧".
And just as Zhao Duan was recalling the relevant content.
Grand Tutor Dong and others also had a heated discussion on Han Zhou's ten strategies.
Obviously, this memorial caused quite a stir.
With this memorial, Han Zhou also secured his position as the top young scholar in Xiuwenguan.
But the empress remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
Grand Tutor Dong also knew that although this method was effective, it also had many drawbacks, so he simply allowed the scholars to discuss it together, pool their wisdom and ideas, and work together to discuss it.
Time passed very quickly during the discussion.
Grand Tutor Dong glanced at the hourglass and was surprised to find that it was almost noon. He patted the table lightly and everyone looked at him.
(End of this chapter)
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