Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A new sky appeared.

A virtual anchor in a suit pointed at the virtual blackboard and said:

[Netizens are often curious: Why did the ancient imperial court prefer to collect taxes in kind, such as grain and cloth, rather than in real gold, silver or copper coins? 】

【Isn't it more convenient to collect money directly? 】

[The key to the answer lies in the weighing of the pros and cons of in-kind tax and monetary tax to the court and the people. ]

[First let’s talk about why our ancestors liked to collect grain as tax. ]

[Just think about it, in ancient times, 99% of the common people were farmers, working hard all year round, and they had no cash in their hands except for food and cloth. ]

[If the imperial court asks for money, what will the common people do? ]

[They could only sell the newly harvested grain and newly woven cloth at the market and exchange them for copper coins.]

[But there is suddenly so much more food and cloth on the market, supply exceeds demand, folks! ]

[It’s just like the promotions we have in our live broadcast room now. Once there are too many items, we have to lower the price. ]

[The prices of grain and cloth are falling like a slide.]

[Just think about it, originally one mu of land yielded 100 jin of grain, and the tax was 200 coins, but now the grain price has dropped by half.]

[We have to sell 200 kilograms to collect enough tax money. ]

[This is equivalent to doubling the tax burden. Who wouldn’t feel bad? ]

[Here is a real example - the two-tax system of the Tang Dynasty. ]

[During the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, the imperial court felt that collecting grain was too troublesome, so they simply changed the system to collecting taxes twice a year.]

[It was OK at first.]

【Later, the people discovered that something was wrong.】

[Originally, a piece of silk could be sold for 4000 coins, and a dou of rice for 200 coins. ]

[Now it has dropped directly to 800 and 50 wen. ]

[Break the bone directly! ]

[The amount of tax money has not changed, but ordinary people have to sell four or five times more things to make up the money.]

[This is equivalent to a four- to five-fold increase in taxes.]

[Who can bear this? ]

[The family had sold out all their food and cloth, so they had no choice but to flee and beg for food, becoming refugees.]

【From the court's perspective, collecting money is indeed easier. 】

[In the past, when we collected grain, we had to send someone to transport it to the granary. The grain would get dried and moldy on the way, causing huge losses.]

[Now that I have received the money, I can buy anything I want directly from the merchant. ]

[And the prices are cheaper, so maybe I’ll buy more! ]

Outside the sky.

Qin Dynasty.

When Ying Zheng saw this, he was also thinking and comparing in his mind.

But Ying Zheng did not speak directly, but asked Li Si:

"Li Si, take a look at the two-tax system of the Tang Dynasty and compare it with the taxation system of our Qin Dynasty. What are the advantages and disadvantages?"

Although it was a sudden question, this was Li Si's strong point.

Li Si knelt on the ground, thought for a moment and then answered:
"Your Majesty."

"Our Great Qin is an agricultural nation. The people work in the fields, and grain and silk are taxes. There is no need to suffer from exchange."

"The two-tax system forced people to sell grain for money. If it was a good year and grain was cheap, selling ten dan would only cover the tax on one dan."

"In years of disaster, the people had to borrow money at high interest rates to pay taxes. In the worst case, they had to sell their land, and in the worst case, they had to become slaves."

"This is to use the method of taxing business to deprive farmers of their profits, which runs counter to the purpose of the Qin Dynasty to emphasize agriculture and suppress business."

"The Tang Dynasty later ignored the fundamentals and pursued trivial matters. The double tax system would sooner or later lead to famine and rebellion!"

"It is far inferior to the taxation system of our Great Qin."

After hearing Li Si's answer, Ying Zheng was very satisfied and continued to look at the sky.

And as expected, Tianmu also started talking about the drawbacks of the Two Tax System.

Canopy:

[The court directly collects money, which is quite cost-effective in the short term. 】

【But it is only short-term and short-sighted. 】

[The imperial court set a fixed taxation task for each county.]

【For example, "We must collect 10 strings of cash this year." 】

[But the people have all fled, where will the taxes come from? ]

[It can only be shared among the remaining people, and the original payment of 100 coins becomes 200 coins. ]

[The rest of the people followed suit.]

[In the end, it was completely unworkable, and the Two Tax Law existed in name only. ]

[So during the Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, although some money was collected, it was mainly supported by grain and cloth, and monetary tax played a supporting role.]

[Then why did the "One Whip Law" and "Dividing the Land Tax into One Pound" suddenly become possible in the Ming and Qing dynasties? ]

【Have they all changed to accepting money? 】

【The key is that the total amount of money has changed. 】

【Before the Ming Dynasty, copper coins were mainly used. 】

[But China has few copper mines, and the amount of new copper coins minted each year cannot keep up with economic development.]

[It is equivalent to not having enough money in the market.] [This is deflation.]

[Just imagine, there are 100 kilograms of grain on the market, but only 50 coins. ]

[Then you can only sell each pound of grain for 0.5 wen. ]

[If the imperial court collected 10 wen in taxes, it would have to sell 20 jin of grain.]

[But if the imperial court insists on issuing large amounts of money, for example, by using one penny as ten pennies, or by reducing the weight of copper coins.]

[There will be retaliatory inflation soon, prices will soar, and ordinary people will suffer even more. ]

【The turning point was in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. 】

[The Age of Exploration came, and the Spanish dug silver from America. 】

【There is also Japanese silver. 】

[It is rushing into China.]

【Silver has become the mainstream currency. 】

【There is suddenly more money in the market, and there is even a bit of "inflation."】

【Money is worthless, but food and cloth are valuable.】

[More importantly, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, cities became more lively and commercially prosperous.]

[There are more and more people doing business and craftsmen. ]

[These people don’t farm, so they have to buy food.]

【Market demand has increased. 】

【The circulation is smooth. 】

[It used to be “farmers selling grain but no one bought it”, now it’s “citizens lining up to buy it”. ]

【The problem of oversupply has been solved. 】

[It is easier for ordinary people to sell grain for money, so they are no longer afraid of collecting monetary taxes.]

[There is also a hidden logic here: the in-kind tax relies on "self-sufficiency", and the people pay what they grow. ]

[Monetary tax relies on the "commodity economy", there must be people who buy and sell. ]

[Before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most people grew their own food, and the market was so small. If they were suddenly required to sell grain and pay taxes, wouldn’t that be a big loss?]

【After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the division of labor became more detailed. Some people specialized in farming, and some specialized in business. Monetary tax became a natural thing.】

[To summarize: whether to collect grain or money in ancient times depends on two key points. ]

[Do ordinary people have money? ]

【Is there anyone buying in the market? 】

[During the Tang and Song dynasties, people had little money and few people bought in the market. ]

【Collecting taxes for money is forcing the common people to become refugees. 】

[During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was more money and more people trading in the market, so it was more convenient to collect money.]

[This was not a decision made by the imperial court on a whim, but was made in response to the economic situation.]

[It’s determined by the economic foundation! ]

While the video was playing, netizens were discussing it crazily.

"Finally I know, the fundamental reason why people didn't collect money in ancient times was because they had no money to collect?"

《Some people charge money, but most of the time they only sell in kind.》

"The ancient imperial courts were not stupid. They were whipped by reality, not by their brains."

"In ancient times, agriculture was generally emphasized and commerce was suppressed. There was a reason for this."

"Both transaction efficiency and production efficiency are too low, so we collect taxes in kind."

"Zhu Chongba: I don't believe it."

"The Ming Dynasty's economy went into a vicious cycle, all thanks to Lao Zhu's Hongwu straw paper, which resulted in the court being unable to print money later on."

"Food is hard currency, and it makes sense for the ancients to collect grain."

"Xiao Bodhisattva: If you don't want big copper coins, then use the iron coins I made."

"In comparison, the Single Whip Method can only be said to have both advantages and disadvantages. It can be considered a success, but it is not perfect enough to be praised to the sky."

And outside the sky.

Han Dynasty.

Liu Che, who was planning more ways to make money, stared at the sky.

When Liu Che saw the Two Tax System during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, he thought it was very good at first.

It can enrich the national treasury.

As a result, when he saw the scene later where the people suffered because of the currency tax, Liu Che could not help but frown and thought to himself:

"This tax collection method is so complicated."

“While the monetary tax is temporarily convenient for the court, it greatly increases the burden on the people. If this continues, the people will lose their hearts.”

"Even if the Han Dynasty reforms its tax system, it must be done with caution."

Liu Che then asked Sang Hongyang, "Do you think these two tax laws can be used as a reference for our Han Dynasty?"

Sang Hongyang shook his head slightly.

“These two tax laws may seem simple, but they are actually unfair to the people.

"Our Han dynasty has always been based on agriculture and has stabilized the in-kind tax system. We must not change it at will and shake the foundation of the country."

Liu Che nodded and stopped thinking about it. (End of this chapter)