My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 130 Chongzhen: This blame is too big for me to bear!

Seeing Chongzhen staring at him seriously, Zhu Cilang grinned.

"I want to reform the commercial tax system, starting with the grain transport system!"

Commercial taxes? Grain transport?
Chongzhen was stunned when he heard these two words. After all, in his opinion, there seemed to be little relationship between the two words.

It is no wonder that Chongzhen thought so, because the tax collected from the canal transport was only a few hundred thousand taels of silver each year, accounting for only about 1% of the total tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, in Chongzhen's view, as long as the grain transport could be guaranteed to be smooth and the tax grain from the south could be transported to the capital regularly every year, it would be good enough.

As for the additional tax revenue brought by the canal transportation, he actually didn't care much about it.

But since Zhu Cilang said so, he must have his own ideas.

So, Chongzhen continued to ask:

"Tell me carefully!"

"To put it simply, it means raising business taxes!"

Zhu Cilang continued.

Chongzhen was not too surprised, but just asked casually:
"How much do you want to add?"

Zhu Cilang didn't say anything this time, he just stretched out two fingers!
Chongzhen was speechless.

"Twenty percent tax? Is it necessary to be so mysterious about such a small tax increase?"

Zhu Cilang grinned.

"Your Majesty, you misunderstood. I meant 10% tax and 2% tax!"

what?
When Chongzhen heard this, he was stunned and his face was full of disbelief.

You should know that the commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty was determined during the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, which was the so-called one-thirty tax.

Although the final tax collected may be more than 1% in thirty, it will never be exaggerated to the level of 2% in ten.

If this is really implemented, then when the officials below collect taxes, won’t it become 10% to 5%?

In other words, half of the goods must be handed over to the court?

In this case, how can those businessmen survive?
Although the Ming Dynasty emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, it never intended to force merchants to death!

But if we really collect taxes according to Zhu Cilang's method, there will be chaos in the world.

After coming to his senses, Chongzhen quickly waved his hands and said:

"No, no, this is absolutely not possible. If you can add 10% or 20%, I will accept it, but 10% tax is absolutely unacceptable."

Zhu Cilang found it funny to see Chongzhen like this, but then he explained:
"Father, I understand your concerns. You simply feel that the 10% tax rate is too high for merchants and will surely provoke strong resistance from them."

"And this is exactly what I am going to say next."

"Although Taizu established a policy of 1/30 in taxes, you and I both know that the officials below actually collected 1/10 or even more."

"Today, taxation has become more complicated. I have done some research and found that the actual tax revenue in the Ming Dynasty has already exceeded 20%."

"You must be wondering, why are the taxes so high, yet no one is reporting them or any businesspeople are resisting?"

"The reason is very simple. This is because the Ming Dynasty's taxation mainly targets small traders, while the big merchants who really need to pay taxes do not pay them."

"They collude with local officials to evade or underpay taxes."

"Ten-and-a-half taxes are aimed at these merchants!"

"Of course, I also know that we can't generalize. All goods will be taxed at 10% of the rate."

"For some goods worth less than one tael of silver, they are tax-free, and for goods worth less than ten taels of silver, only one-tenth of the tax is levied. In short, the specific situation depends on the circumstances."

Although Chongzhen felt that what Zhu Cilang said made some sense, he still shook his head to express his disagreement.

But Zhu Cilang ignored Chongzhen and continued to explain:
"Also, the ten-and-a-half tax I mentioned is the total amount merchants will ultimately have to pay, and it does not include any other taxes."

"In other words, merchants only need to pay 10% tax from the time they transport and sell a batch of goods. They don't need to pay any other taxes!"

"Isn't this better than the old tax system? The old tax system seemed to be 1 in 30, but once they arrived at their destination, they had to pay other taxes and were troubled by lower-level officials. In the end, the tax they had to pay might be more than 2 in 10!"

"Of course, considering that the goods transported by the canal are generally transported to the land for sale, only one tenth of the tax is collected when these goods are transported by the canal."

"After we reach land, we can collect another tenth of the tax. This will also prevent the canal transport industry from becoming a monopoly."

Chongzhen was speechless.

I thought, what the hell, isn't it the same thing? In the end, it's still 10% tax and 2% tax!

Chongzhen pinched his brows helplessly and then said:

"According to what you said, you not only want to reform the taxation of the Grand Canal, but also all commercial taxes in the world, right?"

"That's right!"

Zhu Cilang nodded.

"Grain transport is just the beginning. Ultimately, the taxation system of the entire Ming Dynasty must be reformed!"

Chongzhen's head hurt even more.

He continued:
"Then have you ever considered one thing: the civil and military officials in the court will definitely not agree with you doing this."

"You will definitely be condemned by thousands of people then!"

Zhu Cilang touched his chin and said a little embarrassedly:

"Father, you don't have to worry about this, because I will definitely issue an imperial decree in your name when the time comes."

"So even if they really want to point fingers at you, they will point fingers at you, not me!"

When Chongzhen heard this, he was stunned for a moment.

He actually forgot that he was the scapegoat!

In other words, the person who will be criticized by thousands of people will really be him.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen closed his eyes with a look of pain.

Seeing Chongzhen like this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but comfort him:

"But you don't have to worry too much, Father. I have more than enough soldiers and horses at my disposal. If those people make too much trouble, the worst that can happen is that we can just kill them again!"

"Then we'll see whether their heads are harder or the knife in my hand is harder!"

When saying this, Zhu Cilang felt extremely at ease.

Because he really would!
Suddenly at this moment, Zhu Cilang seemed to have thought of something and continued:
"By the way, since we are going to impose heavy taxes on those merchants, I also plan to raise the status of merchants."

"After all, you can't ask people to pay you money while continuing to suppress them, right?"

"First, the various restrictions on merchants from the time of Emperor Taizu were abolished, including the prohibition on wearing silk and satin, and the prohibition on their descendants from taking the imperial examinations."

“All of this is abolished.”

When Chongzhen heard this, his whole body shook violently and his face instantly became extremely angry again.

He could still tolerate the abolition of the rule of wearing silk and satin. After all, by now, merchants had long stopped abiding by this rule, and violators were everywhere.

However, he absolutely could not tolerate letting the descendants of merchants take the imperial examinations.

Because once the descendants of merchants are allowed to take the imperial examinations, they will definitely use the money in their hands to bribe officials, and then the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom will become chaotic.

"Rebellious son, you are really going to piss me off to death!"

"I could tolerate the previous things, but this is absolutely not acceptable!"

Chongzhen stood up and pointed at Zhu Cilang angrily.

But Zhu Cilang remained calm at this moment. He first filled the cup in front of Chongzhen with tea, and then continued:
"I know what you're worried about. You're simply worried that allowing the descendants of merchants to take the imperial examinations will lead to a chaotic court and rampant corruption and bribery."

"But what I want to tell you is that although the imperial court now stipulates that the descendants of merchants cannot participate in the imperial examinations, those merchants have already figured out ways to deal with it."

"For example, you are a businessman who has made some money and wants his descendants to take the imperial examination, but the imperial court has a rule that merchants and their descendants cannot take the imperial examination."

"So what would you do at this time?"

"It's very simple. Just separate from your son and spend some money to convert his household registration to civilian. Then your son can take the imperial examination."

"Or, you can adopt your son to another member of the same clan who has civilian status, and your son can also participate in the imperial examination!"

"But in reality, isn't this son who took the imperial examination still a descendant of a merchant?"

"Since we can't completely prevent this from happening, why not abolish this rule altogether?"

"And, to tell you the truth, I plan to lift the ban on sea trade soon."

"Once the maritime ban is lifted, more merchants will surely appear, and they will bring more tax revenue and prosperity to the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, it is imperative to improve the status of businessmen."

After hearing these words, Chongzhen became numb.

Because the impact Zhu Cilang brought to him today was really too great.

If it were him, he would never touch these things for the sake of the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

But it is obvious that he no longer has the final say in the Ming Dynasty.

So no matter what, he couldn't stop Zhu Cilang from doing what he wanted to do.

Instead, after Zhu Cilang has done this, he will be condemned by thousands of people.
Although he had indeed made plans to take the blame for Zhu Cilang, he never imagined that the pot would be so big and so heavy!

He was really worried that he couldn't memorize it!

Seeing Chongzhen like this, Zhu Cilang didn't want to continue talking.

In fact, he originally wanted to tell Chongzhen that he also planned to separate the tax department from the Ministry of Revenue and set up a special "Ming Dynasty Tax Bureau."

Specifically responsible for collecting taxes.

In addition, an independent army must be established for the Ming Tax Bureau.

The duty of this army is to collect taxes. If they encounter people who resist or evade taxes, they can directly use tough measures to collect taxes.

The methods are not limited to torture, seizure of goods, and house searches.

In short, taxes must be collected from those who owe them no matter what.

Of course, for those who pay taxes in full, this army must also protect their legitimate rights and interests.

For example, after they have paid their taxes, if someone still causes them trouble over taxes, this army will protect them.

In a nutshell, as long as you pay taxes obediently, you are the boss and this army will serve you.

But if you don't pay taxes or evade taxes, then I'm sorry, this army has the right to seize your goods first, torture you, and then try every possible means to collect taxes from you.

This inspiration came from the American tax police in later generations.

As we all know, the American IRS has armed forces.

Their armed forces are completely independent of the government and only manage taxes.

Of course, even if Zhu Cilang really intended to form such an army, it must be firmly in his hands.

Immediately at this moment, Chongzhen finally spoke again.

But at this moment, Chongzhen had long lost his previous numbness, as if he had made up his mind.

He looked at Zhu Cilang and said:

"Since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say. However, I have two conditions." "As long as you agree to these two conditions, I will not care about your actions from now on, and I will bear all the consequences."

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he just felt funny.

After all, given Chongzhen's current situation, he couldn't stop himself from doing anything and could only passively take the blame.

But in order to maintain the scene of loving father and filial son, Zhu Cilang still spoke:
"Father, please speak."

Chongzhen took a deep breath first, then said:
"First of all, no matter how you try, you must not affect the grain transport revenue in the south."

"It's natural!"

Zhu Cilang nodded.

Are you kidding? Tax revenue from the south is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. Without tax revenue from the south, the capital would be out of food.

Moreover, this is a land tax, which is different from the commercial tax that Zhu Cilang intended to reform. How could Zhu Cilang possibly touch the taxation in the south?
He is not a fool!

Chongzhen continued:

"The second condition is that I want to go to Shandong with you."

When Zhu Cilang heard this, he was speechless again.

Did something go wrong?
Is Chongzhen addicted to leading the army in person?
But before he could refute, Chongzhen continued:

"Don't forget you promised me that after you recruit Li Qingshan, you would let me whip him to vent my anger."

Zhu Cilang pinched his eyebrows.

"Can't I bring him back?"

"no!"

Chongzhen flatly refused.

"I must go there myself!"

When he said this, Zhu Cilang suddenly reacted.

The reason why Chongzhen wanted to go to Shandong was no longer because of Li Qingshan's affairs, but for his own reform of commercial taxes.

Maybe he wanted to see for himself how he reformed, or maybe he wanted to help clean up the mess after he got into trouble.

After some thought, Zhu Cilang finally agreed.

"In that case, I will agree to your request!"

Chongzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, because if Zhu Cilang did not agree, he actually had no choice.

And Zhu Cilang guessed correctly. The reason why he insisted on going to Shandong together was because he was afraid that Zhu Cilang would cause big trouble with commercial taxes.

But if he, the emperor, were here, he would be able to take the blame no matter how big it was.

Although he was very dissatisfied and worried about Zhu Cilang's actions, Chongzhen still decided to take the blame for Zhu Cilang.

Because he had made this decision as early as when he was in Xuanfu.

Anyway, the past ten years have proved that he cannot save the Ming Dynasty. So, let Zhu Cilang do whatever he wants!
Afterwards, the two sides discussed the specific details before Zhu Cilang left.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Cilang called Fang Zhenghua and Li Ruolian and told them what he had just discussed with Chongzhen.

The two were stunned when they heard these words.

You know, the last time Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang went to Xuanfu together was scary enough, but I didn’t expect that they would go to Shandong together now.

Moreover, the situation this time was different from that in Xuanfu. Although the officers and soldiers of Xuanfu were suspected of treason, they were still subjects of the Ming Dynasty after all and had basically no intention of rebellion.

But it’s different in Shandong!

There has already been a rebellion in Shandong. What if something happens?
Thinking of this, Li Ruolian hurriedly bowed and said:
"Your Highness, I believe this action is unacceptable and far too dangerous. I hope Your Highness will reconsider."

Fang Zhenghua also hurriedly said:

"My Lord, I also think this is unacceptable. You and the Emperor cannot take such a risk."

Neither of them agreed to Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen going to Shandong together.

Zhu Cilang smiled and said,

"I know what you are worried about, but your worries are completely unnecessary!"

"Because there won't be any danger this time. Li Qingshan's so-called peasant uprising is actually just a minor incident. If a war really breaks out, the five thousand Guanning cavalry alone can wipe them out!"

"I have never taken him seriously. If it weren't for the safety of the canal transportation, I would have killed him long ago."

"And this trip isn't entirely for Li Qingshan. The more important issue is the commercial tax issue, because it represents the future of the Ming Dynasty!"

"I have made up my mind. No need to say more. You can go down and prepare."

"If you are truly concerned about the safety of me and my father, then take all necessary precautions."

After hearing this, Li Ruolian and Fang Zhenghua knew that Zhu Cilang had made up his mind and it was useless for them to say anything.

Then, the two of them could only bow and say:

"I obey!"

"Slave, you obey!"

After Fang Zhenghua and Li Ruolian left, Zhu Cilang summoned the generals of the former Yongwei Camp, now the Tengxiang Five Guards.

As well as Wang Xiantong, Li Guozhen, Zhang Shize, Li Banghua and others, and then instructed them on some things.

Just like that, that afternoon, troops from all over the capital began to be mobilized again.

Originally, Zhu Cilang didn't plan to bring many people with him when he went to Shandong this time.

Including the 5,000 White Spear Soldiers and 5,000 Guanning Iron Cavalry that were arranged previously, and he himself led another 5,000 people, a total of 15,000 people.

Who could have imagined the result?

Chongzhen actually wanted to go to Shandong as well.

In this case, this amount of manpower is not enough.

Because if Chongzhen wanted to go with him, he would definitely have to bring the emperor's supporters with him, and there would have to be two or three thousand of them alone.

Besides, there are actually some benefits to bringing Chongzhen along.

After all, the title of emperor is much more useful than that of prince. When they arrive in Shandong, they can just say that the emperor is leading a hundred thousand troops to personally attack Liangshanbo. I'm afraid Li Qingshan will be scared to death.

After some consideration, Zhu Cilang finally decided on the number of people for the trip.

Including the previous 5,000 white-pole soldiers and 5,000 Guanning cavalry, as well as the necessary support troops, he led another 10,000 troops to Shandong.

These ten thousand soldiers were all elite troops selected from the Guanning Iron Cavalry, the White Spear Soldiers, the Five Tengxiang Guards, the Jing Army, the Jinyi Guards, the Jingying, and the Five Military Commanderies.

And most of them are generals!
As for why these generals had to be selected, it was of course to let them get to know the future emperor!

Zhu Cilang wants to let these people know who is their master!
Since Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao of the Ming Dynasty, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty have only stayed in the deep palace and have never led an army to war in person.

This resulted in the soldiers fighting outside not knowing their emperor at all.

In addition, at this time in the late Ming Dynasty, the country was facing financial difficulties and most soldiers could not even get their wages. How could such soldiers be loyal?

So Zhu Cilang has been trying to change this situation.

He wanted to let the soldiers and generals of the Ming Dynasty know what the emperor and the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty looked like, so that they would know who they were fighting for.

This also lays a solid foundation for him to command troops in the future.

Because in the near future, Zhu Cilang will definitely lead the army to the battlefield.

Before departure, as usual, each person was given ten taels of silver, and officers started with thirty taels of silver. In any case, the welfare benefits were absolutely full.

When the soldiers and generals got the silver, they were so happy that they didn't know what to do.

I have been a soldier for so many years, but when have I ever received so much money?

In addition, there is no need to bring food and fodder, as supplies can be obtained from the prefectures and counties along the way.

Of course, Zhu Cilang will offset these grains and fodders in this year's taxes.

By the time everything was ready, it was already two days later.

On the third day, Zhu Cilang got up early before dawn.

After being dressed up with the help of Zheng Xiaomei, he spent some time with Zheng Xiaomei and then left.

Zheng Chenggong, Li Ruolian, Fang Zhenghua and others were already prepared.

After receiving Chongzhen, everyone led the army and headed straight for Shandong.

Chongzhen was sitting in the dragon chariot at this time, his face full of curiosity.

Because the destination was Shandong, it was definitely unrealistic to ask people to carry a sedan chair for such a long distance. As an emperor, Chongzhen could not just ride a horse all the way there.

So this time I chose the dragon chariot again.

But this time the dragon chariot is different from the last time!

This time the dragon chariot was extremely huge, like a moving palace.

The body of the dragon chariot is made of precious golden nanmu wood, and the surface of the dragon chariot is carved with lifelike dragon and phoenix patterns, symbolizing supreme authority.

The dragon chariot was pulled by twelve tall and mighty horses. These horses had shiny coats and strong physiques, and were all first-class, top-quality horses.

The reins and accessories on them are also extremely gorgeous, shining brightly in the sunlight.

The interior of the dragon chariot was extremely luxurious. There was a little eunuch holding a lantern on each side, illuminating the entire chariot like daylight.

The floor was covered with a thick velvet carpet, soft and comfortable, and every step felt like stepping on clouds.

An exquisite incense burner is placed on a small table made of golden nanmu wood. Curls of green smoke rise up, emitting a light and elegant fragrance, making people feel as if they are in a fairyland.

Some precious decorations are hung on the surrounding wooden walls, showing elegance and luxury.

There is also a rest area inside the dragon chariot, furnished with comfortable couches and pillows.

On the table next to it, there are exquisite tea sets and snacks, ready for people to enjoy at any time.

In this luxurious dragon chariot, it seems as if time has stopped, leaving only endless dignity and luxury.

But don't get me wrong, this is not Chongzhen's own dragon chariot, nor was it built under the order of Zhu Cilang.

After all, the Ming Dynasty was about to fall, and the father and son really had no intention of building such a luxurious dragon chariot.

The real owner of this dragon chariot is actually Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo.

That is, it was built for Chongzhen by his father, Zhu Cilang's grandfather, during his lifetime.

As a result, everyone knows that Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo died less than a month after he became emperor because of the "Red Pill Case".

At that time, the dragon chariot had not yet been built, so he never sat on this luxurious dragon chariot until his death.

After that, the dragon chariot was kept in the Imperial Household Department.

Until Zhu Cilang discovered it!

　There have always been two opinions about whether the descendants of merchants can take the imperial examinations, which makes me a little confused.

　　So let’s just follow the rule that it cannot be written! Anyway, the ultimate goal is to improve the status of merchants and make them pay taxes obediently!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)