Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 588: Conferring titles on meritorious officials and tax reforms~
Your Majesty is wise after all.

After indulging himself in wine and women for three or five days, he regained his former wisdom.

Actually, it’s nothing.

After fighting for such a long time, isn't it right for Your Majesty to enjoy himself?

The imperial delegation was reluctant to bid farewell to Your Majesty. Their sincerity and sadness came from the bottom of their hearts.

The emperor was very moved and rewarded two large boxes of jewelry from the Forbidden City, one for each member of the imperial group. Jewelry with dual certification from the former Qing imperial family and the current imperial family can easily be sold at a high price.

……

of course,

His Majesty also did not forget to treat everyone equally and visited each bedroom in turn in the following days.

From the Queen to Concubine Wei, they are all familiar faces.

Your Majesty's harem has not had any fresh blood for a long time. The ministers all said that your Majesty's heart was filled with the nine provinces and the world, and he had no time to care about his children.

July in Jiangnan.

The first grand court meeting after the Northern Expedition.

A total of 500 people, including civil and military officials, representatives of wealthy businessmen, and ordinary people, filled the hall.

Fortunately, the Wu Palace is a new building with a large dome and a large area.

If they were in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there would not be enough space for so many people, and most of them would have to stand outside the hall to bask in the sun.

……

The first half was about conferring titles on meritorious officials and rewarding meritorious soldiers.

The Duke has,
The old ministers who followed the emperor: Fan Jing, was given the title of Duke of Su. Du Ren, was given the title of Duke of Zhejiang. Lin Huaisheng, was given the title of Duke of Wan.

The two fathers-in-law: Hu Xueyu, Duke of Gan, and Zhao Lixia, Duke of Yue.

Including the Duke of Jinghai who had been enthroned, the empire now had six hereditary dukes.

The Marquis has,
Ministers who followed the emperor: Liu Wu was given the title of Marquis of Jinshan. Liu Qian was given the title of Marquis of Mudu. Li Xiaowu was given the title of Marquis of Shihu. Miao Youlin was given the title of Marquis of Huangshi. Wei Jun was given the title of Marquis of Qingyue.

Including the Pan brothers who have been canonized, there are a total of seven hereditary marquises.

His Majesty specifically emphasized:

"In the future, if there are no particularly dazzling achievements that attract national attention, no hereditary titles will be added, and only lifelong titles, also called generational titles, will be conferred."

Lifetime title, no fiefdom.

After the death of a generation of nobility, the noble title will automatically disappear.

Hereditary titles have fiefs, with 3000 acres for a duke and 2000 acres for a marquis, and no tax is required. Titles and fiefs can be passed down from generation to generation.

……

More than 80 lifetime titles were conferred at one time, ranging from marquis to baron, and each was rewarded with 10 to 1 silver coins.

There were military officers, civil servants, demoted officials, local officials, and merchants.

among them,

Liu Akun was granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty.

Two sworn brothers: Hu Zhihuang, named Marquis Yicheng, and Fucheng, named Marquis Fanwu.

The descendants of chieftain Peng were granted the title of Shunyi Earl.

Zheng Hean was never posthumously honored.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the titles of hereditary titles are all place names, while the titles of lifelong titles are all adjectives.

Adjectives are empty.

Place names exist forever.

……

Inside the hall, many merchants who were rewarded with titles had red faces due to excitement.

Even if it is just a generational title, it is still aristocracy.

From then on, no one was afraid of him when he went out. When any official saw him, he would first greet him respectfully: "Hello, Sir."

Everyone knows that Your Majesty treats merchants well.

Therefore, it is not uncommon to confer titles on merchants.

What shocked everyone was that a foreigner and a local inventor were both conferred titles.

Smith, an Irishman, was not present but was created Baron of Mindoro.

Inventor Zhan Yougen was conferred the title of Marquis Jingqiao.

The title of Jingqiao Hou was drafted by His Majesty himself, mainly to recognize his contribution to the field of transmission. He is quite knowledgeable about the combination of sliding bearings, gears, connecting rods, and ratchets.
His Majesty invested 1 silver coins, accounting for 49% of the shares of the transmission factory founded by Zhan Yougen.

……

After the title, there are rewards for civil and military officials.

Your Majesty promoted more than 7000 officers and soldiers and more than 300 civil servants in one go.

In addition,

The Ministry of the Army spent 1850 million taels of silver on military merit rewards and 900 million taels of silver on pensions, clearing all the previous backlog bills in one go.

The Navy Department spent 190 million taels of silver on military merit rewards and 120 million taels of silver on pensions.

More than 7000 disabled soldiers were resettled.

According to personal wishes, either a one-time buyout or an arrangement for ordinary vacancies in local governments, factories and mines.

Anyway,

Emperor Wu was always generous to the army, from uniforms to pay, from service to retirement.

The morale of the army belongs to Your Majesty.

……

Now that the rewarding phase is over, it’s time to get down to business.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, there are six major things in the empire. One, immigration. Two, river management. Three, colonization. Five, education. Six, technology."

"Each of them requires mountains of gold and silver."

"Each of them is difficult in the present but beneficial for future generations."

"Everyone, I need your full support. Of course, these six major tasks cannot be launched at the same time, otherwise, our father-in-law will be exhausted."

Everyone laughed.

Just now, Finance Minister Hu Xueyu's face turned green.

If we pick three of these six projects and start implementing them, the people in the Finance Department can all start to sing the flower drum together.

……

Li Yu said meaningfully:

“Increase revenue and reduce expenditure.”

"Spend what you should spend, and earn what you should earn. The factories in the empire continue to expand production. I make you a promise that no matter what happens in the future, every product produced by the factory can be sold."

"If you can't sell them, I'll use guns and cannons to clear your inventory."

moment,

The hall was silent.

Your Majesty's meaning is very clear.

"More than half of Java Island's land has been given to you. You can open up the wasteland and mine the minerals. In the colony, you don't have to be too restrained. You can let go as much as you want."

"I suggest you hire some of our people to go to Java and have them help manage the local natives. It's not easy to travel across the ocean, so you need to provide them with food and accommodation, and pay them more. You need to have a long-term vision."

Several businessmen shouted:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

……

At this point, Li Yu suddenly asked:
"Lan Fang, has the flag changed?"

"Your Majesty, the Nanyang Fleet has been ordered to go. I guess Lan Fang has already hoisted our flag by now."

"Yes. The arable land conditions in Borneo where Lan Fang is located are not good, but there are gold mines, tin mines, and coal mines. If anyone wants to contract them, go and sign up after the court is dismissed, and it can be considered as a debt settlement."

Hu Xueyu stepped out:
"Your Majesty, the national treasury is in a difficult situation right now. I suggest further improving the taxation system."

"speak."

Hu Xueyu spoke calmly and slowly:
"The taxes of the empire are of three kinds: land tax, industrial and commercial tax, and customs tax."

"Regarding the land tax, I think the system proposed by Your Majesty to divide the prefectures and counties into two categories, with the first category collecting the full amount and the second category collecting the difference, is a very good one. The people have suffered from continuous wars for many years, and the court should be more considerate."

"However, the industrial and commercial taxes need to be revised. For the sake of long-term governance, I believe that taxes should be accurately collected based on the actual output of the factory."

Wow~
There was an uproar in the palace.

Everyone realized that this was a double act, and there were some things that His Majesty couldn't say himself.
……

Li Yu remained calm and asked:
"The father-in-law's idea is good, but how to implement it?"

"I propose to set up an unofficial third-party agency, which will send people to factories, called tax commissioners, to confirm production. Then, taxes will be collected based on the profit levels of different industries."

"How can you ensure that the tax commissioners stationed in the factories report the figures impartially?"

Hu Xueyu tells the story:
"I have thought about implementing mobile factory stationing and lifelong employment. If tax commissioners maliciously overreport production, the factory can impeach them and request the court to send personnel to the factory to review again. The court can also conduct random inspections at any time. If it is found that tax commissioners and factory owners are colluding to underreport or conceal the output, the tax commissioners and their families will be exiled, and the factory owners will be fined five times the amount of tax evasion."

"In order to nip problems in the bud, the tax specialists' stay in the factory cannot be too long, and the limit is three years."

"There is no promotion path for tax specialists, but they guarantee a lifelong career. And if there are no mistakes, this job can be passed on to your son."

……

Li Yu smiled:

"Okay, let's try it first."

"Is there anyone willing to cooperate with the pilot?" "Jiangnan Cotton Mill is willing."

If everyone sings the same tune, the matter will be accomplished, and it's all a script.

At this time,

Jiang Chun stood up:

"I believe that in order to demonstrate the fairness of the court, the factories under the Ministry of Industry should also be taxed."

There was an uproar in the palace.

Everyone looked at Jiang Chun in surprise.

Minister of Industry Du Ren's face did not look good, His Majesty's face was complicated, and Minister of Finance Hu Xueyu's face was neutral.

……

Li Yu nodded:

"I think what General Manager Jiang said makes sense. Only if we treat everyone equally can the civilian merchants be convinced. Then~ let's do it."

Your Majesty’s word is final. This matter is settled.

This means that from now on, the three major heavy industries, five major cement plants and four major shipyards directly under the Ministry of Industry will all have to pay taxes.

Many people were worried about Jiang Chun.

But they never imagined that this script was written by His Majesty himself. Everything was for checks and balances~
An empire needs internal checks and balances.

Hu Xueyu continued:
"I would like to set up customs in the colonies in Southeast Asia to collect customs duties."

"Approved!" Li Yu said, "To show your support, I will hand over the Royal Mint to the Finance Department. We will focus on minting coins from now on and strive to completely eliminate silver ingots and use only silver coins within five years."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Everyone in the hall was silent.

Your Majesty is really willing to give in. So, since Your Majesty has already shed some money, what else can we say? Just pay as much as you can.
……

The Director of the Department of Agriculture, Fan Zhongmo, stepped out and said:

"Your Majesty, I have an idea too! The land tax collection process has many drawbacks and is very costly. I have an idea that each village should elect a grain chief who must be a local for a period of two years and can be responsible for 2 to 1 villages."

"How to choose?"

"All villagers vote. After the two-year term is up, there will be another election and they will be allowed to run for re-election. Let the people be responsible for themselves."

"It sounds very creative. Let's try it first." Li Yu smiled and said, "The Ministry of Economy is too big and Fan Jing has too much to bear. I have decided to split the Ministry of Economy and establish the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from today. Director Fan Zhongmo will be promoted to the Minister of the Ministry. In addition, the responsibility of collecting land taxes in the world will also be assigned to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries."

Fan Jing immediately bowed:

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I am indeed incapable of doing this."

There was a slight commotion in the hall.

Politics is the art of compromise and negotiation, and it was fully demonstrated at this moment.

The script for selecting the chief grain officer was also written by Your Majesty.

……

Fan Zhongmo was very happy. Although he had no title, he was content.

He is the new generation leader of the Gusu Fan family, and he and Fan Jing are related by marriage.

As for Huang Wenyun, the Director of the Water Resources Agency who failed in the competition for minister, if he performs well in river management, there will be a position of Minister of Construction, Transport and Water Resources waiting for him.

When conquering the world, power must be concentrated.

After taking over the world, one must disperse and balance the powers.

His Majesty's voice spread throughout the hall:
"This year is the most stressful year. You must all do your best to serve the empire."

"After we get through this year, the road ahead will be smooth."

……

In these few days,
Li Yu ordered the establishment of the "Royal Asset Management Company", which was under the jurisdiction of Sihai Finance, Sihai Tobacco Industry, Sihai Wine Industry, Sihai Luxury Goods, and Sihai Real Estate.

Five subsidiaries.

Private participation in the business of the first two subsidiaries is prohibited.

The liquor industry was split into two parts, allowing private individuals to freely engage in the entire chain of white liquor business, but prohibiting them from engaging in yellow wine. Sihai Liquor Industry specialized in yellow wine, opened hundreds of factories in various places, and distributed half of the profits to local government offices.

Finally, there are no restrictions on the business of the two companies.

……

Among the five subsidiaries, the most special one is Sihai Real Estate.

The Forbidden City, imperial mausoleums, local palaces, the Temple of Heaven, royal gardens, part of the city's land, royal palaces, and the six ministries were all under its jurisdiction.

It is not convenient to sell these real estates to the public, otherwise it will have a negative impact on the current royal family.

Li Yu's considerations are:
Hold it in your hands, manage it yourself, and earn rent for a long time.

In addition,

It can also be used to win people's hearts.

For example:

Grant outstanding students a boating trip to the North Sea, grant disabled warriors a vacation in a corner of the Old Summer Palace, and grant businessmen who have made great contributions a visit to the Forbidden City.

Such kindness has an extraordinary effect.

The king treats me as a state hero, and I serve the king as a state hero.

……

In the northeast, immigrant villages have advanced to the south of Aihui City.

It seemed as if overnight, the vast and desolate black land around us turned into the bustling Central Plains, with dialects from all corners of the country, people of all shapes and sizes, and curling smoke from cooking fires.

First reclaim the wasteland, then build the wooden house.

Considering the severe cold winters in Northeast China, the immigrants have already started preparing for winter.

Tun No. 40086.

The village chief was a Shandong native, tall and strong. He was directing everyone to put up the beams of a newly built house.

Putting up the beam is a big deal.

A little ceremony is required.

……

Almost all the houses in Northeast China are printed from the same mold.

Drawings provided by Wu Ting Architectural Department.

First, build a main house with a wooden structure. The walls are 1 to 2 feet thick, and the thickness increases towards the north. The main door must open inwards.

Two adobe rooms were built at the back, one for storing farm tools and grain, and the other was the kitchen.

Then, circle the yard.

Build a small enclosed toilet in the corner of the yard.

The dimensions on the drawings were all specified in advance, and no village was allowed to make any changes. The Building Department was worried that unauthorized tampering would cause many ignorant people to die in the winter.

Thanks to the rich forest resources in the Northeast, tree trunks are used to build houses and branches are used to burn firewood, so nothing is wasted.

……

every day,

The immigrants are busy from sunrise to sunset.

The ideal of 50 acres of land and 3 houses for each person has basically been realized.

Everyone is looking forward to the upcoming harvest. The black soil is so fertile that it is impossible not to have a good harvest.

of course,

The cost is also heavy.

The number of people who died from land reclamation and logging is uncountable.
……

"Fellow villagers, take a break and eat some meat."

The beam is finished.

The owner of the house was smiling happily and shouting to greet people.

2 days ago,

He dug a trap in the nearby forest and caught two little wild boars, and also caught a group of wild rabbits in the fields. Today he killed them and stewed them with wild onions and mushrooms.

The brand new big iron pot for stewing meat came from Fushun Heavy Industry, and they only got 5 of them.

He lifted the lid of his homemade pot, and instantly, the aroma of meat wafted out.

……

“It’s a really bad stew.”

"It took three hours to stew on low heat. I think Heilongjiang is a great place. In my hometown, who would be willing to burn wood like this?"

"Hey, firewood is very expensive back home."

"That's right. We are now better off than the rich people back home."

"Next year, let's ask someone to go back to our hometown and find a wife, right?"

"Can it be done?"

"The imperial court said that the villages in Heilongjiang don't have to pay taxes for 10 years. We each have 50 mu of land. With such fertile land, we can produce at least 500 kilograms of fine grain per mu. How much grain can we have left in a year? Rice will keep us full. There must be a good woman in my hometown willing to come."

Everyone chatted and ate~
The village chief lamented:

"Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler."

Everyone nodded and gave all kinds of compliments to His Majesty the Emperor with a down-to-earth flavor.

(End of this chapter)