Lord Moyu was forced to open

Chapter 164 Exaggerated Southeast Taxation

The abnormality of the emperor Laozi only appeared for a short moment, and soon he returned to the appearance of Gujing without waves.

When all the officials below stood up and asked His Majesty to order an order to put down the rebellion as soon as possible, even Emperor Song showed a trace of sadness on his face, and said helplessly: "My dear friends, I also know how serious the consequences will be if Fang La is allowed to continue. The consequences, but now the court is also difficult!
Last year, the Xiongnu seized customs, and the imperial court managed to scrape together a sum of money and food. Coupled with Ye Aiqing's magical soldiers from heaven, it was enough to drive the Xiongnu out.

But the crisis that the imperial court is facing now is not just the Xiongnu, the Japanese pirates on the southeast coast, the chieftain barbarians in the southwest, which one does not want the imperial court to spend money to suppress?

Now even though the imperial court wants to send troops to quell the rebellion, it is really powerless and has no money. "

Emperor Song first complained about his suffering, and then proposed a solution.

"Well, now we can only let the "common people" in the southeast wait for a while. When the autumn tax comes down, the imperial court will immediately send troops to counter the rebellion when it has money!"

How can this be!When the autumn tax comes down, when will it be? Even if the rebellion is suppressed, the gentry in the southeast will be killed by that damn Fang La!

How could Zhang He be willing to wait so long, his mind turned quickly, and suddenly he had a flash of inspiration and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty! Didn't a sum of Lingyue County's business tax go into the warehouse a few days ago?
Just use that sum of money to put down the rebellion first!

Your Majesty, the people in the southeast can't wait! "

A group of officials who followed Zhang He and those from the southeast made such requests one after another.

"Your Majesty! Please send troops quickly to suppress the rebellion!"

"Your Majesty, Southeast can't wait!"

However, facing their request, Emperor Song firmly shook his head and said, "No, no."

Zhang He was in a hurry, and hurriedly asked: "Why not, Your Majesty, the court obviously has money and food! Why can't you send troops to suppress the rebellion?"

Song Emperor sighed and said: "Although the imperial court has money and food, the money and food have already gone. A few days ago, Chen Jiale, the governor of Lingyue County, said that the coastal areas of Lingyue were invaded by bandits, which had a great impact on Lingyue's sea trade. !
So that sum of money is ready to be used to prevent Japanese. "

"Your Majesty! Southeast is also a county under the imperial court!

You can't just focus on Lingyue and ignore the southeast! "

A group of southeast officials stood up and begged.

Emperor Song sighed in embarrassment when he heard the words, and then ordered one person to come out and asked, "Shangshu of the Ministry of Households, tell them how much the tax was for Dongnan last year?"

Cui Wen, who is already in his 60s and has gray hair all over his head, stood up and replied:

“回陛下，去岁东南四郡共上缴茶税26两、盐税250两、铁税15两、土地税20万两，商税27两、除去税银路的火耗，去岁东南四郡共上缴国库约19万2万两银钱。”

Emperor Song nodded and stood up, looked at the shocked Southeast officials and asked with a sneer, "A county under the imperial court? Is Southeast still a county under the imperial court?
Look!Take a good look!

The entire southeast, a rich land, people say that the southeast is the most affluent counties in the Song Dynasty, and the result?

The tea tax for the whole year last year was only 26 taels!
26 taels!What do you take me for?What do you think of the court?Being fooled?

Let's look at the salt tax, iron tax and commercial tax. Is there 300 taels in total?

But I remember that last year, the turnover of tea sold by Jianjiang merchant Li's to the capital exceeded 10 taels?
How did the tea tax of 26 taels come from?

How dare the local officials report to the imperial court!Say it!
By the way, there is also this fire consumption. What kind of fire consumption do you have? The total is only 20 tax silver, and the fire consumption is as high as 1 taels. Such a high ratio makes me wonder if all the silversmiths in the Song Dynasty are in it. up!

This is enough for all the silversmiths in Huohua Bureau to buy more than ten acres of land!

But after I investigated, I found out that they still couldn't get enough to eat, so where did the 1 taels go?Who will tell me?ah! "

Emperor Song's questioning made all his beard and hair swell, like a raging lion, which made the officials below tremble.

But you should also tremble. The four southeast counties, the wealthiest in the Song Dynasty, only pay such taxes. This really fools the court like a fool!

In fact, there are tax evasion phenomena in all counties, but they have never been exaggerated, overdone, or so blatantly done like the four southeast counties!

At most, everyone can only reduce the total amount by [-] to [-]%, but the four southeast counties are obviously lazy to give even [-]%.

At this time, an official from the southeast said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, maybe...maybe it was just last year that all businesses in the southeast were in decline, so...that's why the business tax is like this..."

The more he talked, the less confident he was, and he couldn't continue talking later.

Emperor Song sneered: "All industries are in decline? Do you believe this? Ah!"

The official fell silent.

Emperor Song snorted coldly, and asked Cui Wen again: "Tell them the tax of Yue County in Suiling, just tell them the total!"

The old Shangshu nodded, recalled it for a while and replied: "Your Majesty, plus the recent commercial tax, last year Lingyue received a total of 150 million taels of various taxes and silver, and the year before last was more than 300 million taels. This year, due to the Thieves have invaded the border, so the income from sea trade and commercial taxes has dropped a lot."

"Listen, all of you listen, you four counties don't even get a fraction of that!
It is also a coastal county, compared with others, you still have an advantage, the arable land in the county is much more than Lingyue!
As it turns out, the four of you add up to not have as many fractions as others!

Do you have the nerve!ah! "

The southeast official was completely silent, lowering his head and not daring to say another word.

Zhao Duan gasped for a few breaths, calmed down his excited heart, then sat down on his seat, and said in a cold tone:
"I put my words here today. You locals know more about the rebellion in the southeast than I do, and you know better than me. If you hadn't abused the people to such an extent that the people couldn't bear it, why would Fang Fang rebel? Raise the flag and the people vote one after another?

You are all to blame for the current result. The imperial court has no money for you to suppress the rebellion. When the people have vented enough, it may stop. "

Now the officials from the southeast were dumbfounded.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You can't give up on the southeast... The southeast is the place where the Song Dynasty's finances and taxes are important! Give up on the southeast! The tax revenue of the Song Dynasty will be greatly reduced!"

"Your Majesty! I know I was wrong! Next year! Next year's taxation will definitely satisfy the imperial court!"

"His Majesty!"

……

Song Emperor looked at their crying at this time, but his face was extremely calm.

Turning to Cui Wen, he said, "Allow the 19 taels of tax money to the four counties in the southeast, and I will not take advantage of them. I will pay them back whatever tax they pay, and let them put down the rebellion by themselves.

By the way, the Japanese pirates in Lingyue County must be taken seriously, and the money should be allocated as soon as possible.

The Ministry of War sent all the soldiers from the four counties in the southeast to Lingyue to fight the Japanese as soon as possible, so that the Japanese pirates along the coast could not affect the safety of our counties in the Song Dynasty.

Understand? "

Cui Wen and the minister of the Ministry of War bowed their hands respectfully: "I will do it immediately after I understand it!"

Hearing Zhao Duan's words, Zhang He and the other southeast officials were dumbfounded!
Not only did he not suppress the rebellion, he also transferred the soldiers from the southeast to Lingyue to fight against the Japanese?
How can this be good? !

……

(End of this chapter)