The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 706: The Gentry and the People Pay Taxes Together

Big man.

Liu Bang leaned against the soft pillow behind him, tapping his thigh with his fingers occasionally.

"Don't say anything about the Zhu Emperor."

"Just look at the dynasties. After the first few monarchs, all the rest were in the deep palace."

"Looking at Yongzheng's actions and words...I think he must have been a low-class person when he was young."

Lu Zhi sat quietly aside and said calmly:
"Extraordinary achievements are due to extraordinary thoughts."

"And extraordinary thinking comes from extraordinary learning."

"And extraordinary learning comes from extraordinary experience."

"At the very least, the achievements made by this emperor are currently the best in the Ming and Qing dynasties."

Liu Bang nodded subconsciously.

In a war, there will always be one person who can fight out of a hundred people.

Not to mention the others, there were four emperors who were good at both military and martial arts: Liu Xiu, Liu Yu, Li Shimin and Zhao Kuangyin.

If the conditions are relaxed a bit, martial arts skills will no longer be considered.

At least there are two hands.

But there are only a handful of emperors who can handle domestic affairs perfectly.

The only one who is undisputed is Liu Heng.

Even Li Shimin's Zhenguan Administration had a certain degree of compromise.

"...It's true... The worse your martial arts skills are, the stronger your internal affairs are..."

……

Tang Dynasty and Emperor Gaozu's period
Li Yuan looked solemn.

Yongzheng's actions reminded him of another emperor.

Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty.

"If Yongzheng could avoid the rule that the government ends with the death of the ruler, the Qing Dynasty could have used the barbarians to enter the Xia Dynasty and used the Xia people to transform the barbarians."

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were at a loss for words when they heard this.

Strictly speaking, since the disintegration of the Han Dynasty and the invasion of the Five Barbarians.

It was during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui that the Xia-Yi Rebellion occurred.

Li Jiancheng silently sipped his tea, spat out some of the tea, and sighed:
"It's really hard to say whether a government will end after a person dies."

……

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the unspoken meaning of the Zhu emperor in the sky and sighed.

"All Chinese and foreigners are following the trend."

This was the goal he hoped his descendants would achieve.

The Yuan Dynasty's territory was too large, and it was not feasible to simply seize the land and people from all directions.

Originally, this matter should have been left to Biaoer.

He looked at Zhu Biao who was chatting with Empress Ma.

Then he looked up at the sky again.

All I can say is that plans cannot keep up with changes.

“It still has to change…”

……

Ming Dynasty Jiajing Period
Zhu Houcong did not consider at all the possibility that his reforms would fail.

He bent his arms.

Looking at the muscles bulging, he nodded with satisfaction.

Because I will definitely be able to convince them.

The only thing to consider is how to carry it out steadily.

He lowered his arms and sighed.

"Why did it only extend my life by five years..."

As long as he has fifteen years, he can ensure that this decree becomes an unshakable iron policy of the Ming Dynasty.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too."

……

[The return of the fire-consuming silver to the public has greatly reduced the extra burden on the people and played a decisive role in rectifying the administration of officials and reducing corruption.]

【But what happened next was the key reform that enabled Emperor Yongzheng to establish himself as the "Lord of the World" among the Qing Dynasty rulers.】

[He declared war directly on the gentry and the powerful.]

[First, the gentry "paid taxes and served as officials together." Second, the tax was distributed according to the amount of land.]

……

During the Song Dynasty and Renzong Period
Zhao Zhen was so shocked that he stood up and pointed at the sky, unable to speak for a long time.

As soon as these two policies came out, Emperor Yongzheng almost stood in opposition to the entire court!
How dare he?

He! He...did he not care about his reputation after death?

Zhao Zhen slowly put down his hand with a complicated expression.

Is this really... Lord Hu?

……

Ming Dynasty - Tianqi Period
Zhu Youxiao understood even more deeply how earth-shattering these two events were!
Compared with this, the difference between the fire consumption and the public consumption is simply like heaven and earth...

"Is it really that simple?"

Zhu Youxiao was a little dazed.

How come things that were so difficult to accomplish in the Ming Dynasty become so easy in your hands?

……

[The gentry paying taxes and serving as officials together was a challenge to the old system.]

[Yongzheng was fighting against the gentry group of the entire country. 】

[Among the gentry, there are different situations, and when combined, they are called gentry. 】

[Those who hold official positions but retire to their hometowns are called gentlemen.]

【Jin refers to Qingjin, the clothing of students, and represents students. 】

[Yongzheng required the gentry to serve and pay taxes together with the common people in order to appease the common people whose burdens were becoming increasingly heavy.]

[This is something he must consider as an emperor.]

[When Yongzheng evaluated these gentlemen, he said that they were "dissolute and disrespectful of reputation", "some went in and out of government offices, took on all kinds of lawsuits; some were arbitrary in the countryside, oppressing the common people; some resisted paying taxes and flouted the laws of the country...all kinds of vile and lowly things they did are difficult to list." ]

[These actions actually encroached upon the government’s judicial power and diluted the power of the government, causing the common people to fear them more than the officials.]

【Therefore, Yongzheng wanted to vigorously promote the gentry to serve and pay taxes together. 】

……

Great Sui.

Yang Jian applauded sincerely.

"By depriving the gentry of their illegal privileges and by equalizing taxes."

"Restore the contradictions among the government, the common people, and the gentry to a balanced state."

"You can imagine how much resistance he will encounter."

Dugu Jialuo also spoke:

"The superficial confrontation is relatively easy to deal with. After all, no one dares to openly challenge the iron-blooded emperor."

"But the opposing forces hidden in the dark are the most difficult to deal with."

Yang Jian said with emotion:

"So what Yongzheng needed to crack down on were all the privileges of the gentry."

"Destroy their will, crush their pride, and ultimately rebuild a new order acceptable to all three parties."

“…It’s really strange…”

"The heart of reform is the most indestructible..."

"He is actually a Qing Dynasty emperor..."

Yang Jian felt a sense of inexplicable absurdity.

The Ming and Qing dynasties...are like a different kind of Northern Qi and Northern Zhou...

"Destiny is so unpredictable."

……

[But gentlemen will not cooperate obediently when a knife cuts flesh. ]

[As soon as the new policy was implemented, opposition voices emerged across the country. ]

[In March of the second year of Yongzheng's reign (1724), the Yellow River began to wake up and the amount of water increased greatly.]

[Henan Governor Tian Wenjing supervised the Yellow River project. According to the "one person serving" policy, he required the counties and towns around the Yellow River to recruit one civilian for every ten mu of land.]

[As a result, no one paid any attention to it. The gentry did what they were supposed to do, and would rather move their homes to the upper reaches of the Yellow River than send anyone to repair the dam.]

[Not only that, all the scholars also attacked him, and portrayed Tian Wenjing as a cruel official vividly.]

【According to court officials, Emperor Yongzheng's actions were destabilizing the foundation of the country.】

……

{If you don't say something at this time, Tian Wenjing! My thoughts are not clear!}
{Three-piece set to add fuel to the fire: Be alert! Don't lose face! Good job!}
｛Tian Wenjing is a person whose reputation as an official and among the people is extremely inconsistent, which shows how different the needs of each class are.｝
｛His popularity was quite good in Shanxi, but it was very bad in Henan.｝
{This is all for a reason.}
｛Tian Wenjing was one of Yongzheng's favorite ministers. He served as the governor of Shandong, Henan, and Beihe (the governor of Beihe was the governor of the northern rivers). After his death, he was buried in the Tai Mausoleum of Emperor Yongzheng.｝
{Emperor Yongzheng personally wrote a eulogy for Tian Wenjing and engraved it on the stele of Tian Wenjing's tomb.}
{As far as I can remember, among the ministers of Yongzheng’s reign, only Tian Wenjing was buried in Tai Mausoleum.}
｛The most famous words Yongzheng said to Tian Wenjing were "I am this kind of man, I have this kind of character, I am really this kind of emperor. If you ministers don't let me down, I will never let you down again. Try your best." ｝
……

[In May of the second year of Yongzheng's reign, the provincial imperial examination, which was held every three years, was held in Henan.]

[With the support of the local education official Zhang Tinglu, Fengqiu County was supposed to have more than 130 candidates take the exam, but in the end only 23 students took the exam.] [The scholars who boycotted the exam carried the tablet of Confucius in a procession, accusing the new policy of "retrograde actions."]

[The imperial examination has always been considered the highlight of loyalty to the court and the emperor's selection of talents, but Henan Province has messed it up.]

[This was a huge event. Henan Governor Shi Wenzhuo and Provincial Governor Tian Wenjing arrested more than ten Fengqiu candidates, including Wang Xun and Fan Hu, who led the riot, and reported it to Emperor Yongzheng immediately.]

[The court officials and local gentry formed a joint effort, and more than one hundred officials in the court jointly impeached Tian Wenjing. ]

[At this time, everyone resented and hated Tian Wenjing, and he soon found himself in a situation where he was surrounded by enemies and could not move forward.]

……

Yanhan·Mingdi period
Liu Zhuang suddenly laughed and said:

"If it was an emperor with a weak will, Tian Wenjing would have died without a burial place."

"But meeting an emperor like Yongzheng who has a heart as strong as iron... hehe, that was a big help."

Liu Jing asked curiously:
"Father, what did they do to help Yongzheng?"

Liu Zhuang looked at him and frowned.

"I told you to read more books!"

"Everyone complains, everyone hates, we are surrounded by enemies, and it is difficult to move forward."

"What state is this?"

Liu Jin looked at his father's face and said cautiously:
"Isolated and helpless?"

Liu Zhuang's face looked even uglier.

"What kind of minister is this isolated and helpless minister?"

Liu Lun muttered a few words and his eyes lit up.

"It's a lone minister!"

Liu Zhuang snorted and said slowly:
"If you want to be a good guy, it's too easy to please everyone and make a fortune quietly, but if you want to do practical things, you will inevitably offend people."

"Yongzheng was an emperor with an iron fist and a strong will. Only when Tian Wenjing was a lone minister could he completely trust Tian Wenjing."

"In this reform, neither the emperor nor the ministers can lag behind."

"Otherwise it will be like the Song Dynasty..."

Liu Zhuang thought of the emperors of the Song and Ming dynasties. Almost every emperor wanted to reform, but none of them knew how to do it.

……

[Faced with Tian Wenjing, who was pointed at by many men, Yongzheng once again showed his qualities as a good boss. ]

[He comforted Tian Wenjing and told him to do his job with confidence, and that he would take the blame if anything went wrong.]

【Then Yongzheng sentenced Wang Xun, who led the boycott of the exams and resisted the new policy, to be executed immediately, and Fan Hu was sentenced to death by hanging in prison. Zhang Tinglu, the provincial governor of Henan, was dismissed from his post, and Chen Shixia, the provincial governor, was dismissed but retained his position.】

[And he made it clear: "If there is another boycott, Henan will stop the imperial examinations."]

……

Great Qin.

The four people in the hall looked at the emperor with strange expressions.

Because the emperor's expression was also very... gloating?
Ying Zheng was indeed gloating over someone else's misfortune.

He probably understood his own mood by gloating over the Ming emperor's misfortune.

Such an excellent emperor is not one of our own!

What’s more important is... you can’t even adopt the child!

He is Lord Hu.

"what……"

Four people in the hall: ...

It’s over, your Majesty’s madness has become more serious!

……

Ming Dynasty Yongle Period
Zhu Di sat on the chair and sighed to the sky.

"How come he is the emperor of the Qing Dynasty..."

"Why isn't it from Old Zhu's family..."

"Neither Dad nor I are weak people, right?"

"How can the offspring ..."

Empress Xu nudged him with her elbow.

"Zhu Houzhao is a good kid."

Zhu Di thought about it and sighed even louder.

In terms of intelligence, Zhu Houzhao is actually the smarter one.

Even more sad!
"Why is it like this?"

……

[In the third year of Yongzheng's reign, he issued another order that all tribute students who took on money and grain and defaulted on payments, no matter how much, would be stripped of their titles.]

[If the amount owed is less than 80 taels, it will be treated as corruption and abuse of power. In addition to paying the full amount, half of the fine will be paid into the state treasury.]

[For those who should pay, a list should also be compiled for verification and strict management. ]

[Gentlemen should indicate their names in the tax book and on the receipts and collect the tax on time.]

[Those who have paid taxes and grain must be checked household by household and a separate list must be made.]

[If any prefecture or county conceals the facts and fails to report them, they will be punished for the crime of sheltering.]

[At the same time, the money and grain that these gentry with honors should pay were compiled into a list and sent to the school officials for stamping and issuance.]

【Completed tasks will be reviewed once every quarter.】

[To prevent each other from covering up for each other, the five people jointly guaranteed each other at the end of the year. ]

[That is, if any of the five people in your group have not paid their taxes, you cannot take the exam.]

[This forced the gentry to pay the full amount on time, otherwise the fame they had already obtained would be in danger of being revoked at any time.]

[Under Yongzheng's thunderous measures, the gentry either had to work or pay money. ]

【After successfully promoting the "One-stop Service" in Henan, it was immediately promoted throughout the country. 】

……

Great Song.

Zhao Kuangyin was deeply envious.

Any reform is a struggle between reformers and vested interests, and even more so a test of willpower.

"The emperors of the Song Dynasty were weak-willed."

At the beginning of the reform, many people would be optimistic and constantly test the determination of the reformers.

If the reformers are weak or give in, they will inevitably fail.

"Qin Dynasty..."

Zhao Kuangyin thought of the Qin State.

The glory of Qin's wise rulers was overshadowed by the death of the second emperor.

However, the Qin State's determination to reform was something the Song Dynasty lacked and needed to learn.

"It's hard to describe..."

The emperor who was most committed to reforming the Qin Dynasty was the Qing Dynasty emperor.

……

Qing Dynasty Yongzheng Period
A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Yongzheng knew that he was safe.

But at least the system and people's livelihood columns are stable.

The military and diplomacy gave up on their own...

I have to give up, I really can't bring myself to brag about it.

but……

Yongzheng slowly regained his solemn expression.

How to know people by using them...

What about the debate between Chinese and barbarians?

Yongzheng understood that the idea of ​​Manchu supremacy could not be changed, but he still wanted to try.

"At the very least, let the Qing Dynasty not be so out of place..."

……

[Although Yongzheng wanted to vigorously promote the gentry to serve and pay taxes together. 】

【But Yongzheng did not intend to abandon this group. 】

[The gentry serving as officials and paying taxes together was essentially to achieve a balance.]

[Therefore, while implementing reform measures, Yongzheng also focused on protecting their interests. ]

[After all, these people are very useful as the country's reserve talents and should not be suppressed blindly.]

[For example, in the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, Tian Wenjing submitted a memorial stating that the gentry who abused the tenants should be punished according to the law and the Jinjian should be removed from his post.]

【But this time Yongzheng did not approve it, and instead asked Tian Wenjing to see both sides of the matter. 】

[Yongzheng taught him that we should not only see the gentry bullying the tenants, but also see the tenants defaulting on rent and neglecting the landlords.]

[This dialectical treatment of the gentry as one serving as officials and paying taxes made the gentry, who had been resisting, feel a little warmth from the emperor.]

[For this purpose, Yongzheng also specially formulated laws and publicly promulgated them, which extinguished the anger of the gentry and stopped the tenants who were preparing to resist paying rent.]

[In Yongzheng's eyes, the rich should not be unkind and the poor should not be malicious. ]

【He manages the country, always based on an ideal state. 】

(End of this chapter)