Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4462 Coercion of Hostages
"What did he really say?"

On the long street, the carriage was swaying, Xiao Yu and Cui Xin were sitting opposite each other in the carriage, after hearing Cui Xin's words, Xiao Yu felt more and more uncomfortable.

It seems that the ultimate goal of all the actions and plans of the imperial court is to measure the acres of fields...

But even if all the fields in the world are measured clearly, what's the use?
The population is what matters...

Cui Xin was a little dejected, nodded his head and said: "It's not bad at all... This naughty son has long since ignored the Shandong family. If he is not afraid of his own reputation, I am afraid that the old man will not meet if he comes to the door in person."

I regretted it too much, who would have thought that an unsuccessful "counter-indirect strategy" would not only fail to achieve the goal and make Cui Dunli stand on the side of the Shandong family, but instead make him form a deadly enmity with the Shandong family, pushing the most outstanding son of the Shandong family into the opposing camp, it was a big difference...

However, the matter has come to this, what can we do?

Xiao Yu rubbed his forehead, sighed and said: "This must be a strategy that His Majesty has planned long ago. Using Shandong children to coerce the Shandong aristocratic family to cooperate in measuring the acres of land. With such a large-scale campaign and careful planning, the imperial court is determined to win the matter of measuring the acres of land."

Suddenly, a light flashed in his mind, and he subconsciously said: "...Could it be that the imperial court wants to link land and taxes?"

Cui Xin was stunned, then shook his head: "From ancient times to the present, has there ever been a precedent for paying taxes with land? The land is constant, but the population is more or less. When the population is large, the tax is reduced, which is not good for the court. When the population is small, it is inevitable that the world will be abandoned, and it will be difficult to pay taxes..."

After thinking about it carefully, he said decisively: "There is no precedent for this matter. If you want to implement it, it will be a huge change that overthrows all the old systems. It will be impossible. Besides, when the tax is collected by the head, the population can be hidden, and the land can also be hidden by the land tax. The pros and cons are equal, so why bother?"

Xiao Yu deeply believed it, and also felt that his sudden idea was a bit unrealistic.

If land is the basis for taxation and there is no precedent to follow, then it is necessary to design a taxation method that is realistic and has no loopholes from scratch. Moreover, this taxation method cannot be imagined out of thin air.

This process cannot take several years, more than ten years, or even decades. After all, the empire has a vast territory and vast territory. There are great differences in the amount of land, barren or fertile, mountainous or fertile land, etc. It is difficult to search for laws and formulate a set of policies that are compatible with all regions...

Wouldn't it be asking for trouble if we abandon the existing "rental system" that has already been proven to be almost perfect, and instead develop an unprecedented policy?
"It's not because of my whimsy, it's because the imperial court's measurement of the field is too weird this time, and I can't figure out His Majesty's real intentions, it's really hard to sleep and eat..."

Xiao Yu sighed.

Cui Xin is also worried, but he is not in the mood to think about the real intention behind the measurement of the fields. The most important thing is to bring back the tens of thousands of captive Shandong children. At the end of the day, he has to figure out how the court plans to deal with it...

The carriage came to the gate of Chongrenfang and was blocked by the servants. The servant who drove the carriage handed over the name card of Duke Song.

The servants of Duke Liang’s mansion saw a beautifully decorated carriage approaching from a distance, and hurried out to greet them. When they got closer, they saw the badge on the carriage and recognized it as the Xiao family’s carriage.

Fang Jun, who had just returned to the mansion, was waiting outside the main hall door. Xiao Yu looked at Fang Jun who was saluting on the steps, and was filled with emotion in his heart.

Once upon a time, he used a "charity" mentality to win over Fang Jun, hoping that he could use him for himself and enhance the strength of the Lanling Xiao family in the court. Facts have proved that his vision is correct, and it is not a loss to marry the Xiao family's daughter to Fang Jun as a concubine against all opinions.

However, today, Fang Jun's height is so high that he looks up to him. Now that the King of Jin is defeated, he is notorious and trembling. Fang Jun assists Li Chengqian to put down the rebellion, and his military achievements are promising.

Faced with Fang Jun's etiquette, Xiao and Cui did not dare to trust him, and quickly returned the gift. Although they are still the leaders of the two great powers in the world, Fang Jun is now Shangshu Youpushe, Jin Wuwei General, and Minister of the Ministry of Industry.

Fang Jun didn't show his authority in front of the two of them, he invited them into the main hall, and was served with fragrant tea, he asked with a smile: "You two come to the door, what advice do you have?"

Xiao Yu and Cui Xin looked at each other, and the former said: "This time, the king of Jin has remonstrated and suffered a great defeat. We are attached to rebels, and our crimes are unforgivable. However, His Majesty is tolerant and will not be severely punished. He allowed the old man to retire and return to his hometown. This kindness is overwhelming. There is no way to repay him. He should have returned to the south of the Yangtze River immediately to prepare for the matter of measuring the acres of land and try our best. However, there are still some constraints that have not been completed, so we have to delay time."

Fang Jun took a sip of tea, glanced at Xiao Yu, thought for a while, and did not embarrass the other party, but asked in cooperation: "I don't know if there is any other bondage?"

Xiao Yu and Cui Xin heaved a sigh of relief when they heard the words. If Fang Jun didn't talk about this and instead talked about him, he really didn't know how to continue the topic. Since Fang Jun asked a question in cooperation, it meant that Fang Jun actually understood the purpose of the two of them and would not deliberately avoid it.

Xiao Yu cheered up and said: "Speaking of it, I have to ask Erlang's opinion on this matter... This time, the King of Jin raised troops, the Shandong aristocratic family joined the rebellion, and recruited [-] private soldiers to enter the customs. Waiting for punishment... Today, I came to the door together with Cui Gong, just to ask Erlang, how does His Majesty plan to deal with it?"

Cui Xin also said on the sidelines: "At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there was great chaos. Shandong was the site of the Four World Wars. The people's livelihood was desolate and the fields were barren. The Tang Dynasty established the country for more than [-] years. After the Wude and Zhenguan dynasties, Shandong's population recovered. hand, the people of Shandong will remember their kindness for life and life!"

After saying that, he got up and left his seat, and bowed to the ground.

At this time, he couldn't care about his dignity at all, and could only show his sincerity, bowing his knees in front of Fang Jun, trying to get Fang Jun's help, and return tens of thousands of captured Shandong private soldiers to their original places...

Fang Jun picked up the teacup and sipped the tea slowly, and remained silent for a while, letting Cui Xin bow and bow.

Cui Xin was filled with endless grief and anger. As the leader of the Shandong family, he considered himself to be a nobler existence than the Li Tang royal family with barbarian blood.

However, today he has to suffer such humiliation in front of such a junior, and he still has to endure it, not even daring to show the slightest bit of anger...

Xiao Yu on the side moved his buttocks and felt uncomfortable. Although the Jiangnan gentry was not the same as the Shandong aristocratic family, it was Cui Xin who suffered humiliation instead of him, but he still felt the same.

Can't help coughing lightly, said in a low voice: "Erlang, this matter..."

Only then did Fang Jun put down his teacup, waved his hand, stopped Xiao Yu's words, and sighed, "It's because I don't want to extend a helping hand. I really can't help. Oh, Mr. Cui, please hurry up. How can I bear such a great gift? I'm so frustrated!"

Cui Xin: I can't bear it, you have endured it for so long?something unworthy of a son of man...

As he was getting older and his lumbar muscles were strained, he finally straightened his waist, returned to his seat, and asked eagerly: "Erlang is a confidant of His Majesty, and now he has made great achievements and is powerful in the world. If you think about it, there must be a solution for such a trivial matter!"

Etiquette, if you want to ask others, you should give it first, and the good things of rites... Although I still feel depressed and angry, since "Zuo Zhuan" says that it is right to do so, why can't I bear it?
Fang Jun shook his head and said: "These Shandong private soldiers sound like 'anti-justice soldiers', but they are actually prisoners of war. How to deal with them requires the court to discuss a conclusion, and I dare not interfere indiscriminately."

Cui Xin argued: "Erlang's words are wrong. Song Guogong and the old man led these children to 'anyway' before the defeat of the King of Jin. They took the initiative to draw a line with the rebels, and they were not defeated and captured."

Xiao Yu also said: "Although we have never turned against the King of Jin, it is because of Erlang's incomparable bravery, he took the first step to put down the King of Jin, so we can't deprive us of our 'merit anyway'. Otherwise, how can we win the trust of the world?"

"Anyway" and "captured" are two absolutely different concepts, and they also mean completely different treatment. This is a matter of principle and cannot be ignored.

Moreover, Fang Jun's red mouth and white teeth wiped out his "success anyway", which is simply unreasonable!
If it wasn't for asking someone at this moment, Xiao Yu might turn his face on the spot...

Fang Jun smiled and said nothing, asked the maid to change a pot of hot tea, and then said calmly: "You and I know the truth, why bother to dwell on those one or two words? But I am not prevaricating. Your Majesty has decided that these private soldiers from Shandong cannot return to their original places before the land of Shandong has been measured."

For the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, they can use the sea trade to force them to cooperate in measuring the acres, but the Shandong family did not regard the sea trade as the main source of income. If they don’t hold these private soldiers from Shandong, will they just let them go back and wait for them to fight against the court again and prevent the land from being measured?

Measuring acres of land is crucial to the ground-breaking reforms that will follow. No matter what means are used, they must be implemented.

(End of this chapter)