Rebirth of the best emperor

Chapter 711 Shocked

Lin Guodong jumped out with a reason that all the ministers could not refuse. Even though many ministers in the court have local work experience, but now there is only Lin Guodong in office.

Even if Lin Guodong, Jing Zhaoyin's jurisdiction, is actually quite different from the local area, a magistrate is a magistrate.

Lin Guodong smiled and said: "Your Majesty, ministers, I very much agree with Your Majesty's proposal to reduce taxes for the people. Compared with the people of the Central Plains, the people of our Great Qin are too miserable. The land of Great Qin is barren and there is not much production, but they need to be used by our Great Qin court. As a result, the agricultural tax in Qin State has been maintained at a relatively high level, and the people's lives are extremely poor, but my people know that it is His Majesty and the imperial court that protect their safety, so they silently donate to repay your kindness."

Lin Guodong went on to say: "In the past, half of the taxes entered in our treasury each year came from agricultural taxes, but now that the imperial treasury is abundant, some of the agricultural taxes are no longer needed by the imperial court. At this time, we should appropriately reduce or exempt agricultural taxes. , let the common people live and rest, it is a great virtuous government, your Majesty's merits will last for thousands of years, and thousands of families will be born Buddha."

The ministers listened to Lin Guodong's nonsense, and no one dared to interrupt. After all, while Lin Guodong was flattering Wang Mang, some actual situations were mixed in during the night, and they were not easy to interrupt.

Lin Guodong said solemnly, "But Your Majesty and all the ministers, I also agree with Master Zhang Han's words. Local officials help the court to guard the pastoral side, and they always need some means to control the people. From a historical point of view, taxes are The most direct and most effective method, this method cannot be thrown away easily, otherwise chaos will inevitably arise over time."

"The ministers have already said these things before, do you have any solution to these things now?" Zhao Dao said.

"No." Lin Guodong said: "I'm just talking about the actual situation. As for how to make a decision, His Majesty has to decide."

Wang Mang glanced at Lin Guodong, this guy talked for a long time, he was just here to show his face, he looked at the officials with some displeasure and said: "You don't want me to exempt the agricultural tax, so Zhang Jian didn't hesitate to sue his old age and return home. I may not be exempt from the agricultural tax, but rewarding farming must be done, and you must give me a plan today, otherwise I will make my own decision, and you should not object."

"The ministers listen to the hadith respectfully and will never object." The ministers bowed their heads.

Wang Mang's expression froze, he didn't expect the officials in the palace to be so bachelor, one or two didn't resist at all, it seems that Zhang Jian's leaving the court really frightened them.

"Since you have no objection, let's do this." Wang Mang glanced at the officials, and said directly with a thought: "The first agricultural tax is reduced by one-third, and the agricultural tax in our court is indeed a bit high, so reduce it by three points." One of them is probably only one-tenth less than the average level of the countries in the Central Plains. You can’t object to this matter. What’s the big deal about a mere 10 taels of silver? Second, I want to reward farming. The specific content is as follows: New planting methods can go to the government to receive certain rewards. For example, farmers who invent more efficient farm tools can also go to the government to receive rewards, etc. The third thing is to further build water conservancy. The reason is the lack of rain. In this case, we will overhaul water conservancy and use irrigation facilities to make the land of Daqin more fertile. In the past, the imperial court had many plans to repair water conservancy, but most of them were put on hold due to the lack of money in the imperial court. Now the Ministry of Households has plenty of money. The Ministry of Industry can find out the blueprints for construction, and after three years, I really want to see that the entire hinterland of the Qin State is full of fertile soil, so please wait for the order!"

"Your Majesty obeys the order, long live, long live, long live His Majesty!"

The officials looked at me and I looked at you, and finally knelt down on the ground in unison.

Among the ministers, some officials looked very ugly. Although their families have a lot of land for farming, their main source of income is the transshipment trade of grain. Reward farming and build water conservancy. It won't be long before Qin's grain production will increase, and it will leap from a pure grain importer to a grain exporter. They can imagine that the grain they transported from the Central Plains is piled up in the warehouse Moldy situation.

Of course, this part of the officials is only a very small part. After the face of most officials was ugly at the beginning, they quickly counted how much their family could get from this rewarding farming activity. The emperor did not hesitate to reward farming. At all costs, the Ministry of Finance has nowhere to spend the tens of millions of taels of silver. They have to think about how to move the silver from the Ministry of Accounts home.

Sitting on a high place, Wang Mang looked down at the various expressions on the faces of the ministers below, and said leisurely: "Yu Wenkai, how is the straight road leading to Yunzhong City and Hangu Pass going?"

Yu Wenkai was pointing his fingers there, thinking that the Ministry of Industry still had those drawings of water conservancy facilities, but Wang Mang suddenly called his name, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, it will take at most three months to complete the whole line. "

"Three months?" Wang Mang suddenly raised his voice, "Why is it taking so long?"

"Insufficient manpower." Yu Wenkai said: "It can be repaired in three months is already the result of the overtime work of the officials of the Ministry of Industry."

"No, the time is too long." Wang Mang said: "Within a month, the straight road must be repaired."

"One month?" Yu Wenkai said in surprise: "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't work hard, but that I really can't do it. With the current manpower, even if they all work overtime to death, they can't do it."

"If you don't have enough manpower, you can recruit people. If you don't have enough money, you can ask the household department." Wang Mang said coldly: "In short, I don't care about the process, but only ask about the result. Within a month, the straight road must be repaired."

"This..." Yu Wenkai looked embarrassed, then looked at Shang Yang and said, "Master Shang, you know about this straightforward thing, and you can't do it in a month."

Shang Yang looked at Wang Mang and said, "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?"

"I got the news that South Korea was very unwilling to be defeated by the Qin State last time, and is secretly gathering troops, preparing to take back Hanjiang City and send troops to Hangu Pass." Wang Mang said lightly: "At the same time, do you know where I came from?" come back?"

"Your Majesty is back from Cloud City," Shang Yang said.

"That's right, Yunzhongcheng." Wang Mang said: "In Yunzhongcheng, I annihilated nearly 200 million soldiers on the grassland before and after the Great Qin Dynasty, and also killed King Zuoxian of the grassland. Now the whole grassland is in chaos, and we have to guard against it. If Daqin is Yunzhongcheng, the entire west of Chang'an is a place where grassland cavalry ravages, and if my Daqin loses Hangu Pass, without the natural danger of Hangu Pass, my Daqin may have to run south."

Ah!
The whole hall was amazed. They only knew that Wang Mang came back from Yunzhongcheng, but they didn't know that a great battle in Yunzhongcheng wiped out nearly 200 million grassland people, and even killed King Zuoxian of the grassland. Such a feat can shake the whole world. Continent, why didn't they get any news before.

Wang Mang looked at Yu Wenkai and said, "Yu Wenkai, the straight road is about the defense of Yunzhongcheng and Hangu Pass, and about the safety of my Daqin. Do you still find it difficult?"

"There are difficulties, but I believe that there are always more solutions than difficulties." Yu Wenkai said seriously: "After the court, I will call all the skilled craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry, and I will personally supervise the work. We must complete the straight road within a month and turn Daqin Don't worry, Your Majesty, if you don't do it, you will commit suicide and apologize!"

Yu Wenkai swore a heavy oath, with a resolute expression on his face, that is to do things with the determination to succeed or succeed.

Wang Mang looked at Zhao Dao again: "How is Shiziyuan now?"

"Thanks to His Majesty, the Scholars Garden is running very well." Xin Zhao said cautiously.

"Very good?" Wang Mang said coldly, "Then I ask you, how many foreign scholars are there in the Scholars Garden?"

"There are... about a dozen of them." Xin Zhao was in a cold sweat. During this period of time, Wang Mang was not in Chang'an, so he played like he was on vacation. He didn't know what was going on in the Scholars Garden.

"More than a dozen, probably?" Wang Mang snorted coldly, and said, "When I established the Scholars' Garden, it was to run a large official school, and to make the Daqin Scholars' Garden stand tall among the scholars in the mainland and become a well-known place in the academic circles in the mainland. After Shiziyuan was established, I asked for money to give money, and if there were no people, I gave all the people in White Horse Academy to Shiziyuan. Now you tell me that I value Shiziyuan from all aspects."

"Your Majesty attaches great importance to it." Xin Zhao knelt down on the ground with a snap.

"Then I asked you to be in charge of Shiziyuan, how did you do it?" Wang Mang snorted coldly, "Xin Zhao, do you think I don't know what you did in Chang'an?"

"I deserve death for my crimes." Xin Zhao's entire face was covered with beads of sweat, he didn't dare to reach out to wipe off the beads of sweat, he just knelt on the ground and didn't dare to move.

Wang Mang said coldly: "Xin Zhao, I can tell you clearly that I am very dissatisfied with what you have done during this period of time. Shiziyuan has not achieved the effect I planned at all, not even one-tenth of the effect I planned. , I will give you some more time, give you one last chance, if you can't do it well, get out!"

"Thank you, Lord Long En." Zhao Xin said loudly: "I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust."

"Wang Yongji." Wang Mang looked at Wang Yongji.

Wang Yongji went out and kowtowed: "The minister is here."

"The results of the Battle of Hangu Pass, the Battle of Southern Rebellion, the Battle of Guo State, the Battle of Yelang Kingdom, and the battle of Yunzhong City, which will soon be introduced to Chang'an, the Ministry of War must seize the time to count the contributions of the combatants. Rewards, punishments for those who have done wrong, everything will be done according to the reward and punishment order for military merit drawn up by the Central Committee of the Shang Dynasty, and the Ministry of War will also come up with a plan to integrate the Yelang Army into the Qin Army. Wang Mang said.

"I obey the order." Wang Yongji nodded hastily.

Wang Mang looked at Lin Guodong and Chu Feng again, and said, "You two have managed Chang'an City well, and I am very satisfied. Each will reward you with a thousand taels of silver, and go to the household department to withdraw."

Lin Guodong and Chu Feng looked at each other, and they both kowtowed at the same time: "I am ashamed and dare not take it!"

"I'm ashamed, what should I say?" Wang Mang said.

"The minister is not good enough. Many ministers in the DPRK and China are conscientious in their work, far harder than me. It is a shame to reward the minister." Lin Guodong said.

Chu Feng said: "I have been in the Law Enforcement Bureau for a short time, and many things are not clear. During the time when His Majesty was away, although I did not commit any major incidents, there were indeed a few minor incidents that had a great impact. Well, it's too late for me to plead guilty, how dare I accept the reward."

"Hehe!" Wang Mang's face turned cold, and he said, "You are ashamed to accept it? You two are indeed ashamed to accept it!"

Hearing Wang Mang's words, Lin Guodong and Chu Feng didn't even want to kneel on the ground, not daring to say a word.

"Chang'an is the imperial capital of my Great Qin. It is the most prosperous and core city of my Great Qin. The ancestors of the Great Qin have been operating here for many years and spent countless efforts to build Chang'an City into the most iron-clad country of my Great Qin." Wang Mang looked at Lin Guodong and Chu Feng said: "You two, I trust you with the actual social management of Chang'an City, but how did you do it?"

Lin Guodong and Chu Feng didn't dare to speak, especially when they thought about the scene of the scuffle in Chang'an City some time ago, the two dared not speak.

Wang Mang snorted coldly and said: "It's a shame that you two have to show some face, knowing that you deserve it, otherwise I will let the soldiers drag you two out and chop you up now!"

"I will die!"

"The minister accepts the crime!"

Lin Guodong and Chu Feng trembled in fright, and almost collapsed on the ground. If it wasn't for Fu Zhixin's shock, the two of them would be dead by now.

Wang Mang said coldly: "You two are important ministers of the imperial court. I want you two to eliminate all bad influences in the shortest possible time, so that the people in Chang'an City must change their image of you two."

"I understand."

Chu Feng and Lin Guodong, who had escaped with their lives, completely extinguished their desire to defeat each other. Compared with power, life is more important, and this Majesty in front of him is really a difficult master to serve.

Wang Xiu hid among the officials, she shrank her head and didn't dare to make any sound, but when she felt a piercing gaze, Wang Xiu twitched and knelt down on the ground.

"Zong Renling, what's wrong with you?" Wang Mang's voice fell.

"Chen... I have a headache." Wang Xiu said with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, if you have anything to tell me, just tell me, I must... definitely want to help His Majesty... help His Majesty do this well." .”

"It's nothing, I just heard that you've been very busy in Chang'an City recently. I'm curious what you're busy with. After all, the Clan Mansion didn't have so many things going on in previous years." Wang Mang said flatly.

"This... ouch, I have a terrible headache... I have been worrying all night lately... this... this is indeed a bit busy... there was a cold wind last night...cough cough cough...the minister..."

Pfft!
With a sound, Wang Xiu lay vertically on the ground, seemingly fainted.

"It's not good, Zong Renling passed out!"

The officials around Wang Xiu were taken aback by Wang Xiu's appearance. They stretched out their hands to touch Wang Xiu's body, and couldn't help shouting.

Wang Mang snorted coldly, he could clearly feel that Wang Xiu was pretending to be dizzy, but as the order of the clan, Wang Xiu represented the face of the clan to a certain extent after all, even if Wang Mang wanted to have a fit, he had no choice but to give up. Deng Fang said: "Ask a few people to carry Zong Renling back, tell Zong Renling's family, and tell Zong Renling to come to the palace to see me after he wakes up."

Wang Xiu, who had been listening to the movement outside, heard Wang Mang's order, and regretted it in her heart. Why was she obsessed with wanting to draft a girl for the emperor, and then Wang Xiu completely fainted. She was really scared and fainted now.

(End of this chapter)