You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 183 I'm Giving You a Mission

In the past few days, things have gradually calmed down both inside and outside the imperial court.

After several months of turmoil, the Great Zhou Dynasty finally enjoyed a few days of peace.

However, many people know that this stable situation probably won't last long.

The one on the dragon throne first purged the court and then exterminated powerful families; he was clearly not someone who could tolerate injustice.

The Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang held their own armies and acted arrogantly, obeying imperial orders but not commands, and twice evaded the emperor's wishes.

Judging from the temperament of the person on the dragon throne recently, it is impossible for him to remain indifferent to the actions of the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, listening to the reports from Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun.

The new year is approaching.

Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun also returned to Luoyang one after the other.

After listening to the reports from Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun, Zhou Chen looked at Cao Zhengchun and asked, "So, the Yuan, Zheng, and Fan families made preparations long ago and secretly sent some of their young members to escape to the border region?"

Cao Zhengchun nodded; "Yes, Your Majesty."

"By the time the Eastern Depot realized what was happening and sent people to intercept them, it was already too late."

"Therefore, the remnants of the three families all fled beyond the pass."

Cao Zhengchun said.

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, then said to Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun, "You two should go and rest first!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Zhou Chen didn't pay much attention to the fact that the remnants of the three great families had escaped beyond the Great Wall.

Perhaps these remnants might cause Zhou Chen some trouble later.

But in Zhou Chen's view, as long as he was strong enough, this little trouble was nothing.

These remnants who escaped beyond the Great Wall may run away, but they can't hide forever; sooner or later they'll all have to go down and reunite with the people from the three great families.

Just a few minutes after Lü Bu and Cao Zhengchun left, a palace eunuch came in to report.

"Your Majesty, Minister Xun is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Let him in."

Zhou Chen said it casually.

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

After a while.

Xun Yu then entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject Xun Yu greets Your Majesty."

Xun Yu entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"Wenruo, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhou Chen looked up at Xun Yu; "How is the matter at the Ministry of Revenue being handled? Are there any problems?"

Previously, Liu Ye had uncovered many problems in the Ministry of Revenue. After Xun Yu took office as the Minister of Revenue, these problems all had to be dealt with by him.

"Your Majesty, I have already dealt with all the issues concerning the Ministry of Revenue."

"However, with the year-end approaching, taxes from various regions have been submitted to the Ministry of Revenue one after another. Compared to last year, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou has decreased by more than 30% this year."

Xun Yu said with a sigh.

After Xun Yu joined the Ministry of Revenue, he spent a great deal of time learning about most of the ministry's affairs.

Xun Yu paid particular attention to the annual tax revenue of the Ministry of Revenue.

After all, taxation is a vital part of a country's lifeline.

If there are any problems with taxation, it will affect the operation of the entire Zhou Dynasty.

After learning about the annual tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Xun Yu felt very heavy-hearted.

Xun Yu did not expect that the annual tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty was declining.

In particular, this year's tax revenue has decreased by more than 40% compared to last year.

This forced Xun Yu to immediately go to the palace to meet the emperor.

"It's decreased by more than 30%?"

Zhou Chen frowned.

Taxation is fundamental to a country and a concrete manifestation of its prosperity.

To put it simply, a country can only have the confidence to do other things if it receives sufficient tax revenue.

Without sufficient tax revenue, a country is poor and backward.

"What's the reason?" Zhou Chen pressed.

Zhou Chen knew that the four northern states were suffering from a severe drought this year, so he exempted them from taxes for three years.

Even without the taxes from the four northern states, the Great Zhou's tax revenue couldn't possibly decrease by more than 30%!

Without the taxes from the four northern states, the Great Zhou's tax revenue would decrease by less than 20% at most.

But now the tax revenue of the Great Zhou has been reduced by more than 30%. So what is the reason for the reduction of more than 10% in tax revenue?

Xun Yu took out a memorial and handed it to Zhou Chen; "Your Majesty, please take a look."

This is the reason why Xun Yu's investigation revealed that tax revenue had decreased.

As the Minister of Revenue, Xun Yu immediately investigated the reasons for the tax reduction after discovering it.

This investigation made Xun Yu realize the seriousness of the problem.

If these problems are not resolved, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty will likely decline further.

Zhou Chen opened the memorial, glanced at it, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

The Great Zhou Dynasty implemented the equal-field system.

What is the equal-field system?
This means that the Great Zhou Dynasty distributed the land equally among the people.

Then the people cultivated the land, and the Great Zhou levied taxes according to the population.

The amount of tax collected by the imperial court depends on the number of people in the household.

It has nothing to do with the amount of grain grown or anything else.

This land system has many advantages, and if it does not encounter natural disasters or man-made calamities, it can greatly promote the prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty was able to last for so many years is inextricably linked to the equal-field system.

However, the equal-field system also had a major drawback.

That means the privileged class is exempt from taxes.

Some prominent families, sons of officials, and clan landlords all had the right to be exempt from taxes.

In other words, these people, no matter how much land they owned, enjoyed this privilege and did not have to pay taxes to the imperial court.

This kind of privilege has existed in every dynasty and is unavoidable.

Even Zhou Chen knew that this privilege could not be easily eliminated.

If it's just about having this privilege, there's not much of a problem.

After all, the privileged class is ultimately a minority.

The majority of people in this world are still ordinary citizens.

More than 90% of the people in the world are commoners.

As long as these people pay taxes, the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot be shaken.

However, the Great Zhou Dynasty has been in existence for hundreds of years, and the equal-field system has also been in place for hundreds of years.

Over the past few hundred years, the people who were originally allocated land have long since died.

Over the centuries, perhaps due to various reasons, the land they owned gradually fell into the hands of powerful landlord families.

Once the land fell into the hands of powerful landowners, it became their land, and they, possessing privileges, were exempt from paying taxes to the imperial court.

Thus.

The land remains the same land.

But it turned into a tax-free zone for aristocratic landlords.

The imperial court's tax revenue was thus reduced.

Over time, this continued for hundreds of years.

As a result, the taxes collected by the imperial court gradually decreased. The smaller portion naturally ended up in the hands of powerful landowners.

This is what is meant by powerful and influential families enjoying privileges while undermining the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty and seizing its land.

Zhou Chen looked at the memorial Xun Yu handed him, his expression shifting between light and dark.

The imperial court provided various forms of appeasement and subsidies to these aristocratic families, especially given their privileged status, which could be considered a form of preferential treatment.

But how did these powerful and wealthy families report to the imperial court?
They seized and annexed the land of the people.

They enjoyed the privileges of the imperial court, yet they undermined its foundations and competed with it for tax revenue.

This is what powerful and wealthy families do.

Zhou Chen knew that throughout history, there had been no shortage of such cases of encroaching upon and annexing the people's land.

This problem was most serious, especially in the later stages of each dynasty.

This is also one of the most important reasons why dynasties throughout history have come to an end.

Zhou Chen never expected that the land of the Great Zhou would be annexed and encroached upon to such a severe extent.

When ordinary people lose their land, they have no choice but to work for wealthy and powerful families, cultivating the land themselves.

The common people helped the powerful families cultivate the land, while the powerful families exploited the labor of the common people to strengthen their own power.

Over time, powerful and wealthy families will become stronger, and the imperial court will become increasingly weak due to insufficient tax revenue.

What will be the consequences if this continues?

Needless to say, Zhou Chen knew better than anyone else.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had already declined to its extreme in this direction.

It was just a hair's breadth away from following in the footsteps of previous dynasties and heading towards destruction.

This is no longer a simple matter of land annexation and taxation.

This is a matter concerning the very foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty and could shake the very basis of the nation.

It was precisely because these powerful and influential families possessed such privileges that the Great Zhou Dynasty was divided into a country within a country.

The local people only knew about powerful and wealthy families, but were unaware of the majesty of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Xun Yu's memorial also mentioned other reasons for the decline in tax revenue, such as the salt tax issue of the imperial court, which was also closely related to powerful and wealthy families.

In short, all the tax cuts made by the imperial court ended up in private pockets.

Zhou Chen's eyes flickered as he pondered these questions.

These problems must be solved.

Otherwise, the idea of ​​revitalizing the Zhou Dynasty would be nothing but empty talk.

Furthermore, these issues cannot be avoided if ZTE wants to revive the Great Zhou.

However, to solve these problems, the privilege of tax exemption for aristocratic landowners must first be eliminated.

Only by eliminating the tax-exempt privileges of aristocratic landowners can these lands be taxed.

Zhou Chen wasn't afraid of powerful families seizing and encroaching on his land; what he feared was the tax-exempt rights of these wealthy landowners.

Zhou Chen looked up at Xun Yu; "Xun Yu, taxation is the foundation of the country. Only with tax revenue can the court do other things."

“Currently, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou is decreasing every year. If this continues, it will shake the foundation of the Great Zhou.”

"How do you think this should be resolved?"

Zhou Chen looked at Xun Yu and asked seriously.

Xun Yu pondered for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, to solve the tax problem, we must first solve the problem of land annexation in the Great Zhou."

"Half of the tax revenue of my Great Zhou comes from land."

"Therefore, I believe that the privilege of tax exemption on land in the Great Zhou should be eliminated."

"At the same time, investigate all the lands in the Great Zhou Dynasty that have been annexed and seized."

“Redistribute these annexed and seized lands back to the people for cultivation.”

"Furthermore, other taxes also need to be revised and reviewed..."

Xun Yu revealed his innermost thoughts one by one.

Xun Yu had already prepared for these questions when he went to the palace to meet the emperor.

When Zhou Chen asked, Xun Yu only paused briefly before answering without much thought.

After listening to Xun Yu's suggestions, Zhou Chen nodded; "Xun Yu, your suggestions are all good."

“You’re right. To solve the tax problem, we must first solve the land problem.”

"However, these problems cannot be solved all at once."

"I am giving you a task: to survey the land of the world."

"Whether it is the land of ordinary people or the land of wealthy landlords, it must be measured, recorded, and documented clearly, without any error."

"I want to see how much of my Great Zhou territory is now occupied by land that does not require taxation."

As soon as these words came out.

Xun Yu's expression changed slightly.

To measure the land under heaven?
Isn't it about investigating those lands that have been annexed and seized?
What is Your Majesty trying to do?
Xun Yu didn't believe that Emperor Zhou Chen simply wanted to know how much land in the Great Zhou Dynasty was exempt from taxes.

Since His Majesty's purpose is not so simple.

What is Your Majesty's true purpose in surveying the land of the world?
In a flash, a brilliant idea struck Xun Yu.

Does His Majesty intend to seize all the land under Heaven?
Thinking of this, Xun Yu's expression became somewhat solemn.

If Zhou Chen's purpose is truly this, then this matter is of utmost importance.

The land that has been taken over from all under heaven.

The resistance from the common people wouldn't be too great.

But it's different for aristocratic and wealthy families.

For powerful and wealthy families, land is the very foundation upon which they truly depend for survival.

To take back the land of powerful and wealthy families is tantamount to undermining their very foundation.

The powerful and wealthy families would absolutely not agree to this.

At that time, the resistance from powerful and wealthy families will be enormous.

It's not an exaggeration to say that powerful and wealthy families might do something crazy.

"Does Your Majesty intend to reclaim all the land under Heaven?"

Xun Yu asked cautiously.

Zhou Chen shook his head; "The resistance to taking over the land is too great. Even if my blade is sharp, there is no reason to take over the land that originally belonged to the aristocratic landlords."

"Even I cannot do that."

"I have asked you to measure the land of the entire country in preparation for tax reform. In the future, taxes will be levied based on the amount of land cultivated."

Zhou Chen's words caused a glint to flash in Xun Yu's eyes.

However, Xun Yu's brows furrowed again immediately.

If taxes are levied based on the amount of land owned, then if no one cultivates the land, there will be no tax revenue.

If that's the case, then the problem will be even more serious.

Zhou Chen seemed to see through Xun Yu's thoughts and said, "This matter is only my initial idea. As for how to reform the tax system and how to collect taxes based on the amount of land, we still need to convene the ministers to discuss it."

"First, measure the land of the world for me and collect the data. Then I will have the Eastern Depot cooperate with you."

Zhou Chen knew that measuring the land under heaven was not an easy task.

There should also be resistance.

It's unlikely that powerful and wealthy families will cooperate easily.

However, compared to these problems, simply measuring the land will not pose much of a challenge.

With the assistance of the Eastern Depot, it shouldn't be too difficult.

"The minister obeys the order."

Xun Yu bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

Afterwards, Xun Yu reported some other matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue to Zhou Chen before leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Measuring the land under heaven is no simple task.

Xun Yu should hurry back and make a proper plan.

(End of this chapter)