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

Chapter 210 I think this method is very good, so you'd better think the same as me!
Seeing Chongzhen's furious look, Zhu Cilang on the side almost couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Looking at Chongzhen's current appearance, no one would suspect that he was acting!
"good very good!"

Then, Chongzhen gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words word by word.

The sound seemed to burst out from between teeth, filled with endless anger.

"It seems that I was too lenient to these gentry in the past, which made them even more unscrupulous!"

"Tax evasion and tax refusal are one thing, but now they dare to commit such a heinous act as assassinating the king!"

At this point, Chongzhen suddenly seemed to have thought of something, his expression suddenly turned cold as ice, and he continued:

"No. This is the capital. How could a killer show up here with a bow and arrow, and even set an ambush on the road I must pass through?"

"Who among you dares to say that there is no insider behind this?"

"Are there any of you who are involved in this?"

"Just because I want to collect taxes, you want to take my life, right?"

When Chongzhen said this, his eyes swept across the crowd like a sharp blade, and every look seemed to see through people.

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials present were instantly frightened out of their wits.

Their faces turned pale in an instant, and their eyes were filled with fear and despair.

The next second, they all knelt on the ground, shouting:

"Your Majesty, I absolutely do not have such thoughts. Your Majesty, please understand!"

"Your Majesty! I am wronged! I would never dare to have such a rebellious heart!"

"Your Majesty, please do not embarrass us. We are all loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to Your Majesty!"

For a moment, all the officials knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and the sound of their foreheads hitting the ground could be heard one after another.

Even Xue Guoguan and others who knew the inside story were no exception.

There is no other way. After all, at this moment, they can only accompany Chongzhen in acting!
"Shut up, everyone!"

As if he was a little annoyed by these people's noise, Chongzhen roared again.

At the same time, Chongzhen punched the dragon throne hard, making a loud knocking sound.

As the punch landed, the wound on Chongzhen's arm instantly burst open, and the bright red blood quickly stained his sleeves like a red plum blossom blooming in spring.

Blood continued to seep out of the wound, flowing down his arm and dripping onto the dragon throne.

Of course, this was something Chongzhen had planned long ago.

Seeing this scene, Wang Chengen on the side couldn't help but exclaimed:
"Your Majesty, why are you bleeding?"

When the officials heard the cry, they hurriedly looked up in fear and saw Chongzhen's right arm stained with blood and his face distorted with anger.

This scene made them even more frightened, and they were more convinced that the previous assassination was real.

Then, just as Wang Chengen was about to summon the imperial physician, Chongzhen shouted angrily:
"Why are you calling the imperial physician? I can't die!"

The voice was filled with endless anger and majesty, like a thunderclap out of nowhere. Wang Chengen was so frightened that he knelt on the ground on the spot, not daring to say another word.

At the same time, the ministers in the audience became more and more frightened, feeling a chill running from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

Immediately afterwards, Chongzhen dragged his injured arm and slowly walked down the dragon throne step by step, each step being extremely heavy.

There was a flame of anger burning in his eyes as he stared at the civil and military officials in front of him, as if he wanted to eat them alive.

The civil and military officials kneeling on the stage didn't even dare to breathe or look up. They only felt a figure carrying endless anger and majesty approaching them step by step.

The next second, Chongzhen suddenly pulled out the Embroidered Spring Knife from Li Ruolian's waist and threw it to the ground.

In an instant, the sound of the blade hitting the ground was heard, making everyone feel even more panicked, and they had no idea what Chongzhen was going to do.

But then they knew.

Chongzhen raised his bleeding arm, pointed at the embroidered spring knife on the ground and said:

"Have you always thought that I am a waste and should not sit on this throne?"

"In that case, you should pick up this knife now and kill me with one blow, then kill the crown prince with another, and then kill my princes. Then the throne will be yours."

"You can either do it yourself, or find someone you like to do it, how about that?"

Chongzhen's voice became hoarse due to anger, but it was full of deterrence, like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's heart.

When everyone present heard this, how could they dare to respond?

Everyone buried their heads deeper and trembled all over.

Xue Guoguan, Duke Yingguo and the others were also a little confused at this moment. They were all thinking:
Not
How is this different from what we agreed?

Aren’t we going to talk today about collecting taxes, allocating land taxes, and the unified payment of taxes by gentry?

How come Chongzhen became addicted to acting?
Although they were a little puzzled, no one dared to say anything. They just knelt on the ground pretending to be terrified like everyone else.

At this moment in this hall, perhaps only Zhu Cilang understood what Chongzhen was thinking.

It was obvious that Chongzhen was now recalling how he had been fooled by these civil and military officials, so he could hardly suppress his anger.

But this is also a good thing, because the angrier Chongzhen is, the more conducive it will be to pushing forward what happens next.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang beckoned Wang Chengen over and whispered in his ear:
"Go, call the imperial physician."

After receiving the order, Wang Chengen hurriedly trotted out of the side hall.

During this period, Chongzhen was still dragging his injured arm, pacing in the hall, angrily accusing the civil and military officials in front of him.

With every step he took, the blood on his arm would drip down his fingers onto the ground, making a slight 'dripping' sound.

However, this slight sound made everyone feel even more frightened.

Some even thought Chongzhen was crazy.
Because Chongzhen was injured, the imperial physician Li Xinyuan was always guarding outside the palace, waiting to be summoned at any time.

So not long after, he walked into the hall with Wang Chengen.

"Your Majesty, how could you do this!"

Li Xinyuan was shocked when he saw Chongzhen pacing back and forth in the palace with his bleeding arm and roaring angrily from afar.

Especially when he saw a lot of blood stains on the ground, he became even more anxious!

It's just a show, is there any need to take it so seriously?
The next second, he hurriedly rushed over to support Chongzhen, and then he and Wang Chengen, one on the left and one on the right, helped Chongzhen back to the throne.

It seemed that he had just vented his dissatisfaction and anger, so at this moment Chongzhen did not refuse the support of Li Xinyuan and Wang Chengen.

Immediately afterwards, Li Xinyuan no longer cared about the rules and regulations, and stood beside the dragon throne to start treating Chongzhen's wounds.

At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Because things have developed to this point, the drama has been played out, and there is no need to disguise this wound anymore.

As for the little bit of bleeding just now, it is not a big problem for an adult. You just need to take some blood-replenishing prescriptions and recuperate for a period of time and you will be almost healed.

From beginning to end, all the civil and military officials remained kneeling on the ground motionless.

The air was filled with a faint smell of blood, mixed with the scent of sandalwood in the hall, making everyone present feel extremely depressed.

Not long after, Li Xinyuan bandaged Chongzhen's wound, and this time he finally used normal hemostatic drugs.

Judging from the condition of the wound, it will heal in at most half a month.

After treating his wound, Li Xinyuan knew that it was not advisable to stay here for long. He bowed to Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, then turned and left the hall.

While no one was paying attention, Zhu Cilang secretly gave Chongzhen a wink, indicating that the play was almost over and it was time to get to the point.

Chongzhen had completely calmed down by now, and he naturally knew that he should get down to business next.

After calming down a little, Chongzhen finally spoke:
"Okay, you all get up."

When the civil and military officials heard this, they all stood up tremblingly.

For the younger ones, since they are physically strong, it is no big deal for them to kneel for such a long time.

But several old ministers headed by Xue Guoguan suffered. Their knees had already become numb and they could hardly stand up.

Fortunately, there was a sharp-eyed person nearby who saw how hard they were getting up and quickly reached out to help them. They were able to stand up with some difficulty, a trace of pain still lingering on their faces.

My legs really hurt!
Seeing that everyone stood up, Chongzhen continued:
"I tell you, no matter whether you have anything to do with this assassination or not, and no matter what you plan to do next, I will no longer be afraid of you!"

"If you still want to play those 'Nine Lotus Bodhisattva' tricks, just come at me!"

"I have many sons anyway, so losing one more is no big deal."

"But if I detect anyone daring to have such thoughts, I will definitely exterminate their entire clan!"

When the civil and military officials heard this, they were so frightened that they almost fell to their knees again, especially the nobles who were extremely terrified.

After all, everyone knows that the previous "Nine Bodhisattvas" incident was caused by the nobles headed by Duke Chengguo.

Although all those involved in this incident have been executed, it is obvious that this incident left a deep psychological shadow on Chongzhen, so much so that it is still being brought up now.

Seeing that Chongzhen had strayed from the topic again, Zhu Cilang felt helpless and could only give Chongzhen a look again.

After receiving the signal, Chongzhen continued:

"I have decided to collect the land taxes owed by all the gentry in the world."

"Anyone who resists will be executed immediately without mercy! All their property will be confiscated, the men in their families will be exiled, and the women will be sent to the Jiaofang Bureau as slaves for generations."

"If anyone incites the people to resist taxes, their entire clan will be exterminated and all their property will be confiscated!" "Wherever the imperial edict reaches, local officials, the Imperial Guard, and the garrison must cooperate in its execution!"

"Anyone who refuses to cooperate or shields the gentry will be executed immediately, regardless of their rank!"

"To ensure this goes smoothly, I have decided to mobilize 50,000 troops from the Beijing camp to supervise tax collection in various parts of the south."

"Everyone, do you have anything to say?"

After saying this, Chongzhen looked at the people in front of him with a cold gaze.

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked.

They looked at each other and saw shock and surprise in each other's eyes.

It is obvious that Chongzhen is determined to do this this time, otherwise he would not have dispatched the Beijing Camp!
Sending the Beijing Army to supervise tax collection has never happened since the founding of the Ming Dynasty!
To be honest, in the past, they would have kneeled down and begged Chongzhen to revoke his decision at all costs.

In the past, as long as they knelt, Chongzhen would often have to compromise.

But now, they really don’t dare!

Because everyone knew that Chongzhen had just been assassinated and was very angry at the time. Anyone who dared to stand up and openly oppose the collection of taxes at this time would be seeking his own death.

If Chongzhen determines that you are involved with the rebels who assassinated him, it won’t just be one person who will die, but nine generations of your clan!
Besides, they have already paid taxes. Even if the unpaid taxes are really to be collected, it will not be collected from them. What reason do they have to object?

At this moment, the Cabinet Chief Minister Xue Guoguan, who had been unable to wait any longer, hurriedly stepped forward and said with a bow:
"Your Majesty is wise, and I believe this is feasible."

Following Xue Guoguan's words, Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu, Minister of War Li Banghua, and Duke of England Zhang Zhiji all stepped forward and said, "
"We also agree with your majesty's decision."

Seeing that these important ministers have expressed their opinions, how could the other ministers dare to continue to play dumb?

They all expressed their views:

"Your Majesty is wise, and we, the ministers, also believe that this is feasible."

In this way, the matter of collecting taxes owed by gentry all over the world was settled so smoothly.

But of course, Chongzhen did not specify which year's arrears of taxes to collect. Although in the capital, only the arrears of taxes from the first year of Chongzhen to the present were collected, but if it came to the south, it would be a different story!

According to Zhu Cilang, the collection had to start from the Wanli period of his great-grandfather.

It would be fine if he just handed over the money obediently. After all, Zhu Cilang was not an unreasonable person.

But if you refuse to pay the money, then I’m sorry!

Check out Nine Clans Elimination Game!
Although the collection of taxes owed by gentry across the country had been agreed upon by all officials, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace was still extremely solemn.

Obviously, everyone knew that things were far from over.

But the next person to appear is not Chongzhen, but Xue Guoguan!

The next second, Xue Guoguan slightly adjusted his court robes, took another step forward, and said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, regarding the issue of taxation, the Cabinet has recently been discussing it with several ministers, including Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu, Minister of War Li Banghua, Duke of Yingguo Zhang Zhiji, and others. They have finally come up with a solution, and I hope Your Majesty will grant its approval."

"If this method is promoted throughout the Ming Dynasty, it can bring in at least 30 million taels of silver per year for the imperial court."

"More importantly, it will greatly reduce the tax burden on the people."

As soon as these words were spoken, confusion instantly appeared on the faces of those officials who had no prior knowledge of the matter.

What kind of magical method is this to collect a fixed tax of 30 million taels of silver every year without increasing the burden on the people?

Why does it sound so unreal?

While they were secretly speculating, Chongzhen pretended to be very interested and said:

"You have such a good plan? Tell me about it quickly."

"If this method is truly feasible, I will immediately issue an order to promote it!"

Then, Xue Guoguan slowly and calmly explained to everyone present the strategies of "equalizing the tax burden on each acre" and "the gentry paying taxes together".

And it clearly explains the details and benefits.

I have to say that Xue Guoguan is indeed extremely intelligent.

After listening to Zhu Cilang's detailed explanation yesterday, he quickly grasped the subtleties of "equalizing the land tax" and "the gentry paying taxes together".

After I went back, I sorted it out again, added some of my own opinions, and then I got the scene in front of me.

After Xue Guoguan finished speaking, everyone present was so shocked that they stood there in shock as if they were cast under a spell.

Their eyes widened and their faces were filled with disbelief.

Because no matter from which perspective, this so-called "taxation based on land area, and unified tax payment for all gentry" can be called a stroke of genius!
Like a ray of dawn, it penetrated the Ming Dynasty
Do not!
It should be said that it has completely solved the shadow of insufficient taxation in China for thousands of years!
If this method is really implemented, the court's annual tax revenue will basically be fixed.

According to today's land tax standards, let alone 30 million taels of silver per year, I'm afraid 40 million taels is out of the question!
More importantly, as Xue Guoguan had said before, this strategy would not add any extra burden to ordinary people, but would instead reduce their tax pressure.

The ones who really need to bear more taxes are the gentry who live a life of luxury on a daily basis.

And there are all these civil and military officials in the court!
After all, strictly speaking, they all belong to the gentry class.

Thinking of this, many officials cursed in their hearts.

These damn old guys are really cruel! In order to please the emperor, they actually came up with such an idea. This is simply pushing them into a dead end!

Because the amount of taxes they have to bear every year will increase significantly in the future.

At this moment, at least more than half of the officials were cursing Xue Guoguan and others in their hearts.

However, they only dared to curse in their hearts but never dared to curse out loud.

Because no matter from which perspective, this strategy is undoubtedly beneficial to the country and has no harm.

If we stand up and openly oppose at this time, wouldn't that be equivalent to openly opposing the Ming Dynasty and its millions of people?
With Chongzhen's hot temper, he might order the man to be dragged out and beaten to death on the spot.

At this moment, Chongzhen finally spoke again. Although his voice was not loud, it was clearly heard throughout the court.

"My dear ministers, I think the plan proposed by Lord Xue is brilliant!"

"What are your thoughts on this approach, which can both bring stable tax revenue to the court and not burden ordinary people?"

When everyone heard this, they were all speechless.

On the surface, this seems to be asking for their views and opinions, but in fact it is a warning to them!
Translated into the vernacular is:
I think this plan is very good. I will immediately order it to be promoted nationwide. You'd better share the same idea as me, otherwise I will kill people!

Then, all the ministers bowed and said:
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. We believe this is feasible!"

"Mr. Xue is truly a pillar of the nation, having come up with such a brilliant solution to the tax problem. I believe it should be implemented nationwide as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, I also believe this policy is very effective and should be implemented as soon as possible. This way, our Ming Dynasty will have a steady stream of tax revenue, and the country will surely prosper."

In this way, without any suspense, the decision of "equalizing the tax rate based on the amount of land and requiring all gentry to pay taxes together" was also easily agreed upon by everyone.

However, the other ministers in the cabinet looked confused at this moment, exchanging glances with each other, full of confusion.

Because they really couldn't figure out when Xue Guoguan came up with this idea?

As cabinet ministers, they knew nothing about it?
Besides, shouldn't such an important matter concerning national taxation be discussed with these cabinet ministers?

This old guy seems to be low-key on weekdays, but I didn’t expect him to be so hidden!

For a moment, the other three cabinet ministers flattered Chongzhen while cursing Xue Guoguan in their hearts.

Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, looking at the civil and military officials below, and couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart, and a hint of imperceptible pride flashed in his eyes.

Because he knew in his heart that even if everyone agreed with this plan on the surface, they might be disgusted and opposed to it in their hearts.

And if nothing unexpected happens, these people must have cursed Xue Guoguan and others in their hearts.

You know, the original plan was for him, the emperor, to announce the strategy himself, but now it has become the cabinet!

I have to say, it feels really good not to have to be the scapegoat.

Although it has been decided to officially promote the "taxation system based on land area and unified tax payment for all gentry" in Ming Dynasty, it cannot be implemented immediately.

Because before it can be officially promoted, the land in the Ming Dynasty must be remeasured before the amount of land tax can be officially determined.

But it doesn’t matter, because that’s what the Ministry of Revenue does, it just takes some time.

Moreover, the collection of taxes owed by gentry throughout the country and the "tax distribution based on land area and unified tax payment by gentry" can actually be carried out at the same time.

Wherever the army arrived, they would first collect the taxes owed by the local gentry, then measure all the local fields and record them in a register immediately.

In this way, when the taxes owed by the gentry were collected, the land in the world would be almost measured.

After the policy of 'equalizing the land tax and requiring all gentry to pay taxes together' is fully implemented, the land tax can also be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty Tax Bureau.

You should know that up to now, the Ming Dynasty’s tax army is actually still in charge of commercial taxes.

In any case, everything was going smoothly according to the plan originally formulated by Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

Chongzhen was very satisfied with this.

At the same time, I also feel that all the hard work I’ve done before was not in vain!
An "assassination" completely solved the taxation issue that China had not solved for thousands of years!
But from this point of view, he should also deserve the title of "the greatest emperor of all time", right?

Immediately afterwards, just when Chongzhen felt it was almost time to adjourn the court, an imperial censor suddenly stood up from the crowd.

Then he shouted loudly:
"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the commander of the Imperial Guard, Luo Yangxing!"

"Luo Yangxing has committed numerous crimes, including accepting bribes, releasing prisoners without authorization, and murdering loyal officials. I implore Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

When Chongzhen heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses.

He almost forgot that there was still one thing he had to do today!
(End of this chapter)