Augustus Road

Lepidus continued, "In addition, the administrative district envoys are paid. In this regard, they are different from the previous nobles. In the subsequent draft, we will set their salaries within a reasonable range, that is, both It allows these officials to enjoy the corresponding glory and pomp without making them excessively greedy.”

At this time, some knights in the crowd asked to speak, "Your Excellency the High Priest, where do you place the Senate now?"

"The Senate is still the Senate, and its lofty status is still sacred. However, due to some special historical reasons in the past, it has occupied some powers that should not have belonged to it. Therefore, in the following years, both the Senate and the People's Assembly will Return to their original tracks - the Senate will once again become a pure state advisory body, the people will only have the power to pass laws, and the power to propose bills will only belong to the consuls and consuls. , the tribunes only had the power of veto. As for the quota, the Senate continued to keep Caesar's original quota unchanged, which was still nine hundred people, who were promoted by veterans, freed slaves and knights, unless they committed treason. , otherwise it will still be valid." Lepidus paused, "Many friends may also ask me who will have the power of conquest and appointment of envoys from now on. I think the power of conquest will still be granted to the consul from the meeting of the Centurion, and he will govern. The power of the official should be appropriately extended to three or five years. In addition, all sixteen provinces in the Republic can refine the administrative areas according to the situation, whether they are old provinces or wartime provinces, and have the right to draw lots. It also fell into the hands of the two consuls. Finally, the prerogative of immunity from lawsuits was lifted during the term of office. If any residents of the provincial administrative areas had judicial complaints against them, they were referred to the Metropolitan Advocate. Trial. The final right of interpretation belongs to the consul. If the crime is confirmed, the chief executive of the region will be removed from office.”

This narrative stirred up a thousand waves. Everyone in the city of Corduba knew that the Senate was going to be abolished, its power of war, the power of provincial governors to draw lots, and the power of trial and public enemies. The power of ultimatums was lost, and the power of the consuls was to expand to an incomparable degree.

At this time, the high priest raised his finger. The crowd around the venue suddenly became quiet again, "The war in Spain is now over. I am going to select thirty highly respected people in the area and invite them to join the Senate in Rome. I have prepared the list of these people and will be there soon." I will also introduce new reforms in the tax system in Spain, which will separate the taxation of administrative regions from the national taxation. I will give local administrative regions considerable tax withholding rights for their local use. The improvement of roads and urban construction, the payment of slaves and small bureaucrats, the construction of farmland and water conservancy, and the state's tax revenue will be used to pay for the army, pay for the maintenance of the fleet, pay the salaries of public officials, and use it for grand festivals. . They will be included in the evaluation of envoys' performance, so I will continue to retain the governor, but what is the function of the governor now? It is very simple, it is to command the garrison troops in each administrative region to defend it when there is a crisis on the border. It is responsible for judicial review and administrative district bureaucratic assessment and supervision.”

"In addition, special resources such as silver ore, copper ore, plant ash, marble, etc. in Spain are still monopolized by the state. In this regard, it will be no different from the policy of the province of Cyrene. The crystal, madder there are The same is true for the resources of printing, dyeing and silk weaving. In addition, the country will also levy a unified tax on all people within the territory, that is, the population tax, namely the 'head tax' and the 'yoke tax'. From then on, even in Italy and the mainland, There is no tax exemption. For the former, adult men are fully taxed, women and underage children are taxed half, and five slaves will share the poll tax of an adult man - yes, slaves also need to pay it. tax, will you free them to avoid the tax, or use them to create greater value? It will be up to me to grant freedom to the masters of slaves; for the latter, it will be based on the yield, size and fertility of the land. To determine the amount of tax based on the comparison of barrenness, the taxes on wheat fields and olive groves are naturally different, and the taxes on pastures and fields are also different. In order to thoroughly review the real estate in the entire republic, the entire bureaucracy is about to expand rapidly, and we must do it. Make long-term preparations, talent is scarce, but the first wave of adult talents from Italy and Greece, and even Alexandria will solve the urgent needs, so we will further expand knights, procurator financial agents, and The number of slaves in the country, in addition, I will build libraries and colleges throughout the country. In Spain, I will build four schools, namely Oscar, Olcreisi, Italia and Magarra, and select all Young children can enter the academy to study the seven arts. In the future, they can pass the assessment and be recommended to the local administrative district to take up grassroots public offices, and then be promoted step by step. As for Italy, Gaul, Africa and other places, I will build them in sequence, which will also shape the future of the republic. Thirty years or even a hundred years of talent reserve.”

“So, from now on, you can rest assured to forge swords into plowshares! The barriers and competition between tribes and free cities will no longer exist. Everyone will be unified under the rule of a national concept. Criminals, prisoners of war and slaves will no longer be sacrificed and executed at will. I will send them to the coast of Africa and Mauritania, or to Gaul, Britain and Belgium, and other new territories that will be newly developed and conquered in the future. Under the leadership of the corresponding colonial committees, they will bring new benefits to the entire empire with swords or plowshares. As for you, just rest assured to graze, farm and reproduce, pay taxes and serve the country. Spain’s naval battles, land battles and banditry will disappear, and roads and trade will once again Connecting all regions into a brotherly and intimate whole, every citizen will benefit from development and prosperity. Therefore, I believe that some small tax burdens will be insignificant to you. "

After saying that, Lepidus waved his hand, "Let us offer rich sacrifices and beautiful dances in front of the altar of peace, and thank this light for descending on the country!"

As the masked male and female priests howled and sang happily, they filed onto the altar built next to the city hall. In the end, the general appearance of Lepidus's policy has been outlined. He wants to eliminate the old republic framework and build a brand new "Tower of Babel" based on the entire empire! And this meeting in Corduba is the stage for him to officially speak out and promulgate a grand blueprint. (To be continued...)