Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 703 This is Military Merit! !
The cold winter is over, the spring breeze gently blows across the ground, and the gates of the palace are wide open, which is very refreshing.

Yuan An calmly picked up the teacup in front of him, and took a light mouthful.

"The widow heard that the learned doctors in the country said that His Majesty is going to reform the official system of the temple, and the Sangong is the first to bear the brunt. Among the Sangong, Zhang Xiang is a disciple of Xunzi. Doctor Shi is our real brother, and there is only this Taiwei. He has rebelled several times before and has a bad reputation, so he may not easily delegate power. This is very detrimental to His Majesty's innovation. When I become a Taiwei, I will be able to join forces with the King of Wu and carry out the reform work together!"

It has been three days since King Zhao returned to Handan.

On the first day, he summoned the officials and said that he would be the head of the clan in the future, and he would do his best to support His Majesty.

The next day, he wrote to ask for the title of Taiwei.

Listening to what King Zhao said, Yuan An's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

Yuan An took another sip of tea, nodded with a smile, "Your Majesty is right."

King Zhao was very happy when he heard that Yuan An didn't object to him. He said again: "This is an act after careful consideration. As the eldest brother of His Majesty, what must I do? I am the Taiwei. It's suitable, what reforms your Majesty wants to promote, I can do it with all my strength, if the ministers don't agree to the reforms, that's fine, as a Taiwei, I will summon the whole country's army to attack those disobedient people!"

Yuan Ang smiled and nodded again, "What the king said is reasonable."

"This morning, a Lang Chinese party came to find the widow. He took off his shirt in a very aggressive manner, and hurled insults at the widow, saying that the widow was in a daze, and said that the widow didn't know what to do. The saliva was almost sprayed on the widow's face. It was really useless." Li! I was arrested by the widow and imprisoned in Tingwei. Today, even Yuan Xiang agrees with the widow's idea. It can be seen that this person is a villain who just wants to be famous. The widow is going to expel him from the Zhao country and no longer appoint He! It's the scholars in China who know what the widow thinks!"

"Your Majesty is right."

Liu Ruyi immediately talked about his great cause, and he said excitedly: "When the temple learns about this, it will definitely understand the painstaking efforts of the widow!"

Yuan Ang nodded, greeted King Zhao with a smile, and then walked out of the palace.

Only then did Yuan Ang give instructions to the left and right: "Release Lang Wenwen's party, reward a hundred gold, and send all those doctors in China to Xia Guo."

After ordering these things, Yuan An returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion with peace of mind.

Yuan Ang also saw it completely. Anyway, sooner or later he will die with King Zhao, so don't think about how to survive. Just do more things while you are still alive, which can be regarded as realizing your political ambitions. Even Chao Cuo People have realized their ambitions, and they can't be idle.

He quickly summoned many domestic ministers and began to discuss the reform of Zhao State. After the reform of the vassal state, he became the actual governor of the vassal state. Of course, the power in his hand had to be divided. , he doesn't care about it, he doesn't desire any power in his hands.

Let's cure Zhao Guo first, and exercise by the way, so as not to die halfway in the prison car.

"audacious in the extreme!!"

"This is to rebel?!"

"Heinous crime!!"

The ministers are gathering in the Hall of Houde at this moment, discussing King Zhao's letter. This is all the ministers' positive evaluation of King Zhao. The ministers agree that this daring prince who is trying to extend his hand to the Han Dynasty must be dealt with. up.

Liu Heng listened to everyone's words, his expression was as calm as ever, he shook his head, "Emperor Xiaoren's mourning period has not yet ended, it is really inappropriate to arrest princes and kings at this time. Well, let me come forward and write a letter to Rebuke King Zhao, reduce his income, and take back several of his county towns to take back the temples. Prime Minister Yuan Ang of Zhao is a capable minister, let him keep an eye on King Zhao more.”

The ministers still wanted to say something, but King Zhao was the emperor's elder brother after all, so they couldn't say much, so when Liu Heng opened his mouth, they accepted it.

The only one who was qualified to speak, the captain who was sitting in the top position, seemed to be indifferent at the moment.

In his eyes, Zhao Wang's behavior was probably a child's nonsense, which was not worthy of making him angry.

Everyone stopped talking about King Zhao, but started to move on to the next topic.

Liu Heng looked at the crowd seriously, and said the content of his letter.

During these days, Liu Heng put forward three proposals in total.

The first proposal is to promote thrift across the country.

He believes that extravagance is the greatest harm to the people, so he hopes that all the dignitaries and officials below the emperor will be diligent and thrifty, not wasting food, not wasting cloth, not hoarding a large amount of property, not building luxurious mansions, and reducing themselves. desire for pleasure.

None of the ministers objected, even if everyone disagreed with the big man who advocated morality, he dared not object to such a proposal openly.

When the letter arrived at the emperor's side, Liu Chang, who was furious because all the fine clothes and carriages were confiscated, simply ordered that extravagant people should be questioned!You can’t even enjoy it yourself, do you still want to enjoy it?Nai Gong wants to see who dares to live better than Nai Gong!
Liu Heng immediately objected, thinking that it could be advocated, but the order could not be forced, but the emperor rejected him and stuck to his own opinion.

Liu Heng's second proposal is to reduce the number of times of corvee, and not to carry out more than one large-scale corvee in the same year.

The third proposal is to require the noble children to actively seek military and political achievements.

Most of these were just suggestions, and the officials didn't have much objection. Seeing that Liu Heng was going to talk about his fourth proposal, the officials became serious, and they all looked forward to what the virtuous king could say. , including Taiwei is also quite caring.

Liu Heng said seriously: "My lords, farming is the foundation of the world. There is no other thing to do. Today, you are working diligently and earning rent and taxes. It is no different from the fundamental and the last. It is not prepared for the way to persuade farmers. Land tax. What do you guys think?"

Lu Jia, who was about to say yes, was about to applaud, but suddenly froze.

"What did the king say?"

"Exemption from national land tax."

"what???"

"Your Majesty, one tax per thirty is already an unprecedented feat. The people are extremely grateful to the holy family. It is absolutely impossible to exempt the land tax. If the land tax is not collected, is it necessary to increase the tax?? Is it unnecessary?"

"No, there is no tax increase, but the land tax is exempted."

Shen Tujia couldn't sit still anymore. He who was in charge of the Shaofu couldn't help reminding at this moment: "My lord, the annual consumption of the temple is huge. Whether it is a medical officer or enlightenment, it needs a lot of money. Tax, what does a big man rely on? I can’t afford it. This is not good, my king, I know that you love the people, but this is tax-free. This.”

Not only Shentu Jia, but all the ministers were extremely surprised at this moment.

Why is King Xian so confused all of a sudden?
Liu Heng looked at Zhang Xiang who was sitting opposite, and asked, "What does Zhang Xiang think?"

Zhang Cang didn't know why he was sitting here. The ministers didn't quite understand Liu Heng's words, but Zhang Cang knew very well that Liu Heng wanted to solve the poor situation among the people so that the common people could quickly accumulate Starting to store food and deposit money with the people, during this period of time, temples are destined to be unable to carry out major actions in the local area, and must support ordinary expenditures through commercial taxes and other taxes, so as to give the people a chance to get rich quickly and increase the income of the people. income.There are many places where the big man uses his money, but the big man has a very important source of income, which is poison.

After Liu Chang set out to conquer Shendu, Shendu has already expressed his surrender and is willing to pay tribute every year, and this tribute is not a small amount. In addition, the business is now developed, business tax plus tribute, and those miscellaneous Fu, For example, house tax, vehicle and vessel tax, slave tax, drinking tax, etc., can barely maintain expenditure, but it is unreliable to do something.

In theory, this is feasible, but Zhang Cang is still very entangled.

If it is feasible, then during the tax exemption period, the temple will not be able to do more, and you can have a leisure time, but the tax exemption has to go through strict calculations, and at that time, the matter of balancing the income and expenditure will definitely fall on you on the head
Seeing that Zhang Cang didn't answer in a hurry, the officials were shocked. Could it really be possible to do this? ?

Zhang Cang felt that it was a little troublesome, and he could do it this way, but if he let himself calculate the income and expenditure, and balance it, then he might not be able to be idle for a day.

He was about to shake his head, but he heard Liu Heng say softly: "I have heard that the way to enrich the country is to use frugally to enrich the people, and to treasure the rest. If the people are rich, the fields will be fertilized easily, and if the fields are easily fertilized, the yield will be a hundredfold."

"When the people are rich, the people are poor, and when the people are poor, the fields are barren and filthy, and the fields are barren and filthy, and the reality is not half"

Zhang Cang looked at Liu Heng blankly, and Liu Heng's voice gradually overlapped with the voice of an old man deep in his memory.

Zhang Cang trembled all over, pursed his lips, and said seriously: "Of course we can do this."

Jia Yi, who was sitting below, also became more serious. His teacher was really beaten to death by the King of Wu. Who could resist throwing out the words of the patriarch if he said something wrong?

The ministers looked at Zhang Cang one after another. If it was only Liu Heng who said so, they might be surprised, but Zhang Cang said it could be done, so they dared not object easily. They thought that their ability to govern the country had not reached Zhang Cang's level. the point.

Han Xin asked suspiciously: "If no tax is collected, what will the army eat? How will they feed themselves?"

"What about the salaries of officials?"

"Is the temple still functioning normally?"

Zhang Cang nodded, "The operation can still work, but going out to fight, expand enlightenment, and medical centers, I'm afraid it won't work."

"Can't do anything??"

The Taiwei also felt strange when he heard it, "This is the first time I've heard of it. Is this the way Mr. Huang governs the country?"

Zhang Cang was a little unhappy, "It belongs to Confucianism!"

The Taiwei didn't want to argue with him about the school of thought, so he just looked at Liu Heng, "I can tell you, this is not a small matter, if it is not done well, there will be big problems, if the time comes, if you can't even afford the salary, The army has no food and caused chaos, you are the princes and kings, and you must bear the responsibility!"

Liu Heng is very confident, "Thank you Taiwei for reminding, but with Zhang Xiang here, such a situation will definitely not happen. Zhang Xiang has a reputation for planning and is good at counting. He will definitely not cause too serious losses to the treasury. Balance of income and expenditure can still be achieved, besides, if the land tax is exempted, the common people will have money, commerce will be more developed, the business tax will play a big role, and miscellaneous taxes will also be brought up.”

None of the ministers was in a hurry to speak. This matter is of great importance, and it is difficult for everyone to come up with a conclusion.

Only Luan Bu and Jia Yi agreed deeply.

After the court meeting ended, Liu Heng quickly returned to the Yushi Mansion, summoned many officials, and began to handle the affairs of the Yushi Mansion. While he was busy, he saw a carriage rushing towards the Yushi Mansion, and almost ran into the Yushi Mansion. door.

When the officials of Yushifu saw it, they became very angry.

Well, it doesn't matter if you drive a car in front of Yushi's mansion, but you still want to run into it? ?Which is this.
When Liu Chang jumped down from the carriage, the official put on a hasty smile and went up to meet him, "I looked at it from a distance, and felt that the carriage had an aura of luxury. It turned out to be His Majesty's carriage." !"

"Where's my fourth brother?"

"In the study!"

Liu Chang pushed away several officials and rushed into the innermost study.

In the study, Liu Chang shook his head again.

"Fourth brother, you are confused!"

"Even if you exempt the taxes of a few counties or states, I won't say anything. Exempt the taxes of the whole country, okay, what will I eat in the future? What will the officials eat?"

Liu Heng glanced at Liu Chang, "You are afraid that you won't be able to go out to fight."

Although Liu Chang is very illiterate, he still has a clear understanding of state affairs. Liu Heng doesn't believe that he doesn't understand where his income comes from. He just thinks that he can't send troops or do big things if he is so big, so he complains.

"I used to be tax-free, but do you know what happened? The national treasury almost collapsed, and the powerful became bigger. The most terrible thing is that those people don't care about my well-being at all. After I restored the normal agricultural tax, they all Express dissatisfaction and speak ill of me!"

Liu Heng squinted his eyes, and looked at Liu Chang seriously, "The words of the common people cannot be passed into this Houde Hall. Most of the complaints you can hear come from those powerful people."

"Human nature is complex, there are good and evil, but there are always more good people than evil people. If you practice benevolent government, even if there are wicked people who don't appreciate it, they are still a minority. How can you delay the benevolent government that can benefit tens of millions of good people for the sake of a few wicked people? "

"Today's big men are indeed very strong and wealthy, but you should know better than me about the situation of the people at the bottom. After working hard all year round, after paying taxes, the food left behind can only last until next year's harvest. Eat frugally, I dare not eat more. If there is a disaster, even if a mouse enters the house, it can force and kill ordinary people. The prosperous age is not only about the soldiers and horses, but also waiting for the people to eat. Didn’t you always talk about the prosperous age? Could it be that the people in your prosperous age can't eat a big meal without counting millet?"

Liu Chang scratched his head, "That's right, but if it's powerful."

"That's the time for the Yushifu to come forward, and His Majesty doesn't have to worry about it."

Liu Chang was a bit bitter, he still thought that after the fourth brother came to deal with the affairs, he would take someone to meet King Anxi, but as a result, the fourth brother would be exempted from tax as soon as he came, so what's the matter? It makes sense, if the tax exemption can make more people have enough to eat and not go hungry, it would be considered a truly prosperous age.

"The ministers have exploded. They have everything they say. They say that fourth brother, you can win the hearts of the people. Forget it. You can avoid it. However, you will be exempted for one year and see the situation. If the situation is not right, you still need to adjust it. Come back!"

"only."

Liu Chang muttered, and when he looked up and saw Liu An who was sitting beside him with a serious face, he couldn't help cursing: "You idiot! Why don't you pour tea when you see Nai Gong coming?"

"Follow King Wu and study hard. If you don't study well, I will break your leg!"

Liu Chang threatened a few words, and left here in a hurry.

Seeing his father leave, Liu An let out a long sigh, "How miserable it is to be the eldest son!"

"Go ahead and don't complain. You can't go back until you finish these things."

Liu Ci wiped away his tears, and said goodbye to his mother, brother, sister and others seriously.

He had already bid farewell to his aunt, and Empress Lu had given many instructions, but she didn't intend to keep her.

As for the grandmothers, they seemed very determined at the moment, wanting him to go to Longxi for a while, and not wanting him to stay here, which made Liu Ci even more sad and angry, I am still a child!
Only the younger sister, who seemed a little reluctant, held Liu Ci's hand firmly.

In front of his sister, Liu Ci didn't want to show his weakness, so he could only pretend to be strong and rubbed her head.

"Don't worry, I will be back soon, when I come back, I will take you outside to play!"

Dong Zhongshu stood aside with a dazed expression on his face. Cao Shu and the others obviously did not regard him as an outsider, and ordered them together. Cao Shu even pulled him to his side, and said seriously: "Be optimistic about Liu Ci. Let him run halfway, if he drags you to run away, tell the escorting soldiers, understand?"

Dong Zhongshu nodded.

Finally, after Liu Ci and Dong Zhongshu bid farewell, they were led away from the palace by soldiers. Yong'e's eyes turned red immediately, and Fan Qing pulled her to comfort her.

Liu Ang and Liu Qi were also sitting in the carriage at the moment, they were about to return to their feudal country, and Liu Ci and the others were going back with them.

The three Lizi were sitting in Liu Ang's car at the moment, listening to Liu Ang bragging about his corvee experience to them.

"Actually, at your age, you won't be allowed to do heavy work. You just go to eat and live together, just to experience it. It's still very beneficial, don't complain."

Just when they were about to enter Longxi County, a group of people and horses appeared in the distance, with various ceremonial guards and flying flags. There were hundreds of people in the front and back, all of them were Hu people, led by officials and flanked by knights .

Seeing King Hu sitting in the treasure chariot, Xia Houci happily pulled out the short blade from his sleeve.

"Could it be that God gave me military merit?!"

Liu Qi's face twitched.

ps: Brothers, can I ask for a monthly ticket?

(End of this chapter)