I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 383 Tax Reform Pilot
After hearing Lu Xiangsheng's inquiry, Zhu Youxiao calmed down and started thinking about it.

The Ming Dynasty originally did not have a tax-free policy, and all land, except Huangzhuang, had to pay official taxes.

Moreover, the official salary of the Ming Dynasty was extremely low, and the burden on the people was very small, even if the Liao salary was increased.

What really puts people under great pressure is the handymen.Not only are the amounts of handymen high, but the taxes are also complex, and the prefecture and county governments can also collect them as needed.

Especially after the implementation of the whip law, the handymen had to be exchanged for silver to collect taxes, which was undoubtedly a serious burden for the people.

It's just that this kind of miscellaneous tax is a burden to ordinary people, but not to officials, because in the Ming Dynasty, although everyone had to pay regular taxes, servants did not.

The imperial court gave preferential and exemption policies to those with meritorious status and official status.

Officials at each level have different levels of exemptions and exemptions. In order to prevent abuse of exemptions, the court stipulated that a maximum of 30 first-grade officials could be exempted.

However, since Wanli's neglect of government, no one has taken care of it. As a result, the number of people and the amount of exemptions has increased, and the corresponding tax revenue of the court has become less and less.And now many people attach winches to officials, called offering them, in exchange for the right to be exempted from paying labor fees.

Zhu Youxiao had known about this matter for a long time, but he was at a loss what to do. Regular taxes were already low, and there were many people who were exempted from favors.

In this way, how can the imperial court collect taxes, and the imperial court cannot collect labor from those who have exempted or contributed money, so it can only collect taxes from ordinary people who have no support like duckweeds without roots, which leads to the people's dissatisfaction. The pressure increases sharply. If you encounter a good year, you can still try your best to bear it. If it happens to be a bad year, your family will be ruined.

As a time traveler, Zhu Youxiao naturally knew the pros and cons. In six years, the Ming Dynasty would face an unprecedented drought. If tax policies were not changed in advance, many people under heavy pressure would rise up.

Therefore, he supported Ye Xianggao's implementation of the per capita land and labor system from the very beginning, re-determined the preferential and exemption quotas for handymen, prohibited contributions, and prohibited officials from expanding the preferential and exemption quotas.

There was a lot of resistance to doing this. When it was first implemented, there were a lot of remonstrances and impeachment papers from nobles and civil servants in the capital.

Thanks to the determination of Zhu Youxiao, Ye Xianggao and others, they have remained indifferent to the waves of impeachment criticism.Coupled with the suppression of rebellions in Gyeonggi, Hebei, and Shandong, these civil servants and nobles were frightened, and this allowed the smooth implementation of equalization of land and service in Gyeonggi.

But this problem only solves the problem of exemptions and exemptions for handymen, but does not solve the problem of low regular taxes.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao wanted to use this as a pilot to increase taxes appropriately.

As for how to add more, Zhu Youxiao also had an idea, which was to use the "grain-based" policy proposed by Lu Xiangsheng in history to solve the food and salary problem after he became the governor of Xuanda University.

The so-called grain-related policy is actually an increase in taxes on the rich. The specific implementation method is: all farmers who pay a tax of less than [-] taels will not be levied an additional tax, while for wealthy households who pay a tax of more than [-] taels, they will be taxed according to their property. Depending on the amount, grain taxes will be levied to varying degrees.

In this case, the poor will remain the same as before, but the rich will still have to increase taxes, and the burden on ordinary people will be smaller.

Zhu Youxiao knew in his heart that now that the war in Liaodong had stabilized, the court's expenses were sufficient with the increase in commercial taxes, customs duties, salt tax reform, etc., and there was no reason to increase taxes in history.

If Zhu Youxiao implements it forcefully, he will definitely encounter opposition from many people, so it is best to pilot it in a new county in Liaodong.

There, whether it is institutions, population, farmland, ports, etc., they have to be built from scratch, so the obstacles to promoting the new tax system will be very small.If it is successfully implemented there, it can be further promoted in Liaodong when Liaodong is established as a province in the future.

From then on, the system was slowly developed, and Zhu Youxiao also wanted to implement the policy of sharing the land with the land. Of course, that was also a future plan, and it was still a little early to do it now.

Zhu Youxiao thought of this and immediately explained to Lu Xiangsheng, and explained the Yinliang policy one by one.

Lu Xiangsheng nodded slowly when he heard this. During this time, he was on duty with the Imperial Academy and the Military Aircraft Department. He knew a lot about the imperial system and naturally knew the problems.

"Your Majesty, if this policy is implemented within the customs there will still be resistance, but if it is implemented in Xinzhi County at the mouth of the Liaohe River, I am still confident. I am afraid that it will attract a lot of criticism when we do this, so please ask Your Majesty and Governor Yang would like to give more support to the humble ministers."

When Zhu Youxiao heard Lu Xiangsheng's request, he immediately nodded and said:

"This is natural. Since I have decided to let you set the precedent, I will definitely support you. Just do it with confidence and boldness. As long as you do these three things well, you will definitely help Liaodong a lot, and it will continue to me. The prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.”

With this guarantee, Lu Xiangsheng became more determined, but he still had one last request.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I just have one more request."

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but curiously asked:

"It doesn't matter if you say it."

"Your Majesty, the newly established county is full of waste and needs to be revitalized. It is possible for me to go alone, but it will inevitably be difficult. Therefore, I boldly ask your majesty for someone to assist. This person is also an Enke Jinshi, and I have always known each other." Upon hearing this request. , Zhu Youxiao didn’t care very much, waved his hand and said:
"What did I think it was? This is simple. If you want anyone to tell the Ministry of Household Affairs directly, I will approve it. But there is only one county magistrate. If he goes, he can only be the county magistrate. It depends on whether he is willing. How did you persuade me?"

When Lu Xiangsheng heard this, he was immediately overjoyed and quickly raised his hands and said:

"Thank you Your Majesty for your grace."

Seeing that the matter was over, Zhu Youxiao was in a good mood, and then asked about Huang Dong's current situation.

Although Lu Xiangsheng has entered the Imperial Academy as an editor, he is not that ungrateful and ungrateful person. He does not look down on Huang Dong because of his status as a Jinshi. On the contrary, he has a very good relationship with Huang Dong.

"His business is now in full swing. The newspaper business has stabilized. According to His Majesty's instructions, he uses the inn to deliver newspapers. I think the business has improved to a higher level. Therefore, he is now focusing on maritime trade. superior.

At present, Zheng Zhilong is in charge of the Daming Trading Company. It has more than [-] ships and trades with each other in Liaodong, Jiangnan, Fujian, Guangdong and other places.I heard from Huang Dong a few days ago that Zheng Zhilong is still thinking about building a big ship and preparing to trade with North Korea and Japan.

Uncle Zheng Zhilong also brought people to the capital not long ago. He heard that this person often traveled to Southeast Asia, so Zheng Zhilong thought of cooperating with his uncle and sent merchant ships to trade in Southeast Asia. "

"This Zheng Zhilong is an extraordinary talent! He did the right thing. What's the point of only doing business in Liaodong and Jiangnan? If you want to go, you should go to Japan, Nanyang and other places, or even go to the West. It just so happens that the imperial court wants to send people to the West All countries, when the time comes, I will ask the Ming Dynasty Trading Company to send people to open up the vast trade routes for our Ming Dynasty, hahaha."

Lu Xiangsheng smiled immediately after hearing this, cupped his hands and said:

"This trip to the West is really a big news in the capital. Although many people think it is thrilling, there are still many people who are flocking to it. A few days ago, Huang Dong, Zheng Zhilong and others came to find Weichen and asked if Weichen could do it. Say something to them and ask His Majesty if you can let their people go too."

Zhu Youxiao laughed when he heard this, thinking that these two people were really sharp-eyed and they actually took a fancy to this great opportunity.

"These two people have a lot of ideas. Things have been quite busy recently, and I haven't left the palace for a long time. When I have some free time, I will go see them and ask them about their recent progress."

Lu Xiangsheng was a little panicked when he heard this. The emperor's leaving the palace was against the ancestral system. If something happened, it would cause turmoil in the country.

Thinking of this, he wanted to give some persuasion, but Zhu Youxiao had already known what nonsense he was going to say, and immediately waved his hand to stop him:

"Okay, okay, I know what you are going to say. Don't say any words of advice. I am not out of the palace to play in the world, but to observe the people's sentiments. If there is an official impeachment, I will take care of it for you. On."

Seeing this, Lu Xiangsheng had no choice but to give up and obey his orders.

"I am asking Huang Dong and others so that they can help you when the time comes. Especially since the Daming Trading Company mainly focuses on sea transportation, it will be very convenient to transport supplies and grains to the mouth of the Liaohe River."

Lu Xiangsheng had not thought of this. Now that he heard what the emperor said, he thought it was feasible.

"Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty. I heard from them that going to Liaodong is very profitable. Now many merchants are transporting grain to Liaodong. When the time comes, just let them transport the grain to the mouth of Liaohe River. I think they will be willing to do it."

"Every bustle in the world is for profit, and all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. They are not doing this for free, so they will naturally be willing."

Daming Trading Company is controlled by Zhu Youxiao. As long as he speaks, Zheng Zhilong and the others will readily agree and will not object.

Zhu Youxiao then gave Lu Xiangsheng a few more instructions, and asked Lu Xiangsheng to retreat and select his personnel, and then wait for the appointment of the Ministry of Personnel.

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng, whom he had high hopes for, walk away, Zhu Youxiao turned to look at the map of Liaodong on the document.

Setting up prefectures and counties at the mouth of the Liaohe River was a key part of Liaodong's strategy. He handed over this important task to Lu Xiangsheng, feeling both trust and anxiety in his heart.

Although I know that he is very capable, after all, this is his first time taking office and he still has to build something from scratch. He just doesn't know if he can do a good job.

But regardless of this, he had no room for maneuver when he decided to take action. All he could do at the moment was give Lu Xiangsheng more support.Thinking of this, he turned to look at Zhang Chang.

"Get ready and tell Wei Zhongxian that I will leave the palace tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

As Zhu Youxiao went out of the palace more and more often, Wei Zhongxian no longer dared to stop him easily. His only request was for the emperor to inform him when he left the palace, so that he could send someone to protect him in case of accidents.

Zhu Youxiao didn't have any objections to this. He agreed directly upon seeing it and told Wei Zhongxian every time.

"The slaves obey the order."

(End of this chapter)