The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 189: I have nothing to do with you once and for all

Pei Xingjian turned around slowly, looked at Fan Gao and said with a smile, "This matter has nothing to do with City Lord Fan. Since Pei dares to do it today, he will naturally dare to do it in the future, without bothering City Lord!"

Fan Gao pointed to the crowd below and said, "What about them? The army has no food. Don't we still have to come out from them? Can Pei Changshi guarantee that my people in Xizhou will not be plundered to deliver military food?"

Pei Xingjian shook his head, and his clear and resonant voice sounded far away, "City Master Fan is wrong! Our Tang army went out to protect the people, not to harm them; to exterminate the Turkic rebels, we must not only bring the thieves to justice, but also The purpose is to pacify the Western Territory so that all the people of the Tang Dynasty can live and work in peace and contentment. The people of Xizhou are also our people of the Tang Dynasty. But if we collect the money and food according to this debt, the result will definitely be that the people of Xizhou have already arrived before the army arrives. Half of them are bankrupt, how can this be the original intention of the army to go out to protect the territory and the people?"

"Let's talk about the land equalization system. The Tang Dynasty implemented this system to ensure that all farmers in the world have their own land, and everyone can have food and clothing if they work hard, but it is not to make the people starve and live in poverty just for the sake of fame. Xizhou has already If you don’t have a hundred acres of land, you should have collected taxes based on the actual land. What Guo Duhu and Chai Duhu did back then was out of ignorance, while Qu Duhu was kind and considerate of the people, but he had some misunderstandings. Because of the good intentions of the two previous governors, the taxes were not adjusted.”

“Today I am burning this debt note because the people of Xizhou have never defaulted on their taxes. They should have paid rent per mu and paid taxes per household. Why should we keep these debt notes and make everyone feel uneasy?”

Fan Gao stood there blankly, with only one thought in his mind: You speak lightly! Just as he was about to speak, he heard a cheering sound coming from somewhere in the crowd, and then the cheers and cheers started loudly, deafeningly, and lasted for a long time. Although the heads of the large families living in Wucheng in the east corner were not overjoyed, they were relieved. Naturally, they also had their share in the burned bills, including ten stones of grain and a few bolts of cloth. It's not in their hearts at all, but it's a good thing that a turmoil can be invisible.

 Amidst the waves of cheers, the fire gradually extinguished, leaving only ashes blown around by the wind. Looking at the pile of ashes, everyone's chest couldn't help but surge. Those closest to the fire were the dozen Muramasa and Rimasa. They saw Pei Changshi standing there with his hands behind his hands, his expression calm and determined, which was almost impossible to look at in the sunlight. Zhou Cunzheng, the most impatient one, felt the excitement in his chest was uncontrollable and suddenly knelt down, "I misunderstood Chang Shi earlier. Please forgive me, Chang Shi. Thank you, Chang Shi, for saving me. I am in dire straits!" "

As soon as he knelt down, the village chiefs around him immediately knelt down and said, "Thank you, Chang Shi!"

Pei Xingjian hurriedly stepped forward to help them up. The crowd behind him suddenly fell silent, and then more and more people knelt down. In the blink of an eye, a large area of ​​people knelt down in darkness, and the voice of "Thank you, Pei Changshi" was heard. Getting louder and louder.

Fan Zao stepped aside half a step, his face turned a little dark - did this Pei Changshi actually want to use the taxes of Xizhou to benefit the people? He had a good plan! He looked at Pei Xingjian coldly, but saw that he was slightly startled, and suddenly returned a deep salute to the kneeling crowd, and then straightened up, "No need to thank me, everyone, please stand up and speak!"

Seeing the crowd cheering and standing up, Pei Xingjian's voice sounded again, "Everyone, please listen to me. What Pei did today was just what he should do as the governor of the West. He does not deserve such thanks from you." . It should be noted that Xizhou is now part of the Tang Dynasty, and you are all citizens of the Tang Dynasty. From now on, the taxation system in Xizhou will also implement the real Tang Dynasty system, so that everyone has land, every household has food and clothing, and money and land. You must fulfill your duties as a people, and those who are lonely, old, poor, and weak can fulfill the blessings of the Holy One!”

"First, the amount of land leased will be based on the actual acres of land from today on. Each male will be rented out three dou, and each female will be leased half a meter. In the future, land will be allocated to each ding, and according to the old system of Xizhou, good land will be allocated to each ding. Four acres, six acres of land, sand dunes and desert land, will not be counted from now on!"

 In other words, not only will the grain and silk owed before be cancelled, but you will no longer have to pay so much in the future? The crowd couldn't help but let out cheers of joy. Pei Xingjian stretched out his hand and pressed down. Everyone hurriedly shut their mouths, only to hear him continue, "As for the local tax, you may not know. In the second year of Yonghui, the Holy Emperor issued an order to order all states to establish household taxes." To pay local taxes, households in the world are divided into nine grades. From the top to the bottom, each pays corn, green wheat, etc. ranging from five stones to five liters. This is what Xizhou should do! Hundreds of households are divided into households, among which the upper households pay about 10%, and pay five to three shi of grain every year, the middle households pay about 30% of the grain, and the annual grain payment is 2 to 1 shi, and the lower households pay 60%, and each household pays seven to five dou of grain. ”

As soon as this statement came out, many people began to make calculations in their minds. Sixty percent of them were from lower households, and they were probably the same. So for the land tax and rent adjustment in the next year, they would only need to pay eight to one stone of grain, and half a zhang of grain. The cloth and silk were less than the one stone and two measures of cloth that the Qudu protector now actually charged at 30%. What a good thing! Those who are richer need to pay one stone, three bushels to two stones and three bushels of food, which is the same as today or slightly more, but it is still better than the original rent of four stones a year and two feet of cloth. Although Duo-Qi Duhu didn't force him to hand over all of them every year, looking at the appearance of Lord Wu, he definitely wanted to settle the score with the Queen! If you go by what Pei Changshi said, you can just hand over these and sit back and relax, so why not?

This account was not difficult to calculate, but after a moment of silence, someone shouted, "If we make good relations this way, and pay the rent and taxes accordingly, we will never be in arrears for even a grain of rice or an inch of cloth in the future!" Approvals started to rise and fall one after another.

Only the dozens of people standing at the east corner looked at each other with slightly unhappy expressions, but someone whispered, "So what if we just pay the household payment? Although it is one kilometer more than what we should pay now, But we also saved ten and a half feet of cloth, and in total, we saved a few dozen dollars! Anyway, this fire has helped us save a lot. It is better than letting the long history call for money and cause chaos in Xizhou. We will do everything. If you don't succeed, you have to be strong!" People like them would not take these few stones, millet and millet seriously. They just don't want to be more friendly than others. After thinking about it, they feel a little calmer. Some people nodded and said, "We are willing to pay according to this!"

Pei Xingjian's eyes slowly swept across the field, looking at the faces with sincere smiles, and he breathed out softly. He had already calculated repeatedly. According to the current method, Wucheng's grain harvest would be enough to meet the demand. It is now flat, and can increase slightly in wealthy rural areas. As for the cloth item, the actual collection now is only half a foot, there is no difference. Just because 60% of the families can pay less food than now, and compared with the previous harsh amount, even those who go to the household do not suffer a loss, everyone feels so happy now - it is said that they can get it. For such an effect, the first person to thank is City Lord Fan. If he hadn't shown such a selfless look today and urged him repeatedly, how could the people of Wucheng be so happy as if they had escaped from death!

Fan Zao's mind changed a little and he roughly calculated the account. His face couldn't help but become more and more ugly. It seemed that the government did not suffer from Pei Xingjian's change, but what Qu Duhu and the prince had done before, these stupid people Who else can read it well? Even today, I have become a clown who sets off his father-in-law, Pei Changshi, who loves the people like a son! His angry eyes swept across the laughing crowd and landed on Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian seemed oblivious, and smiled and waved to the dozen village leaders, "I have made a list of the distribution of households in each village in the past few days. Please see if it is still appropriate? If you can't get it, Yes, you can ask a few more prestigious people in the village to come up and take a look at it. If there is anything inappropriate, just tell me." He took out a volume of documents from his sleeve, each one with a note on it. Remembering the distribution of each household in the dozen or so villages in Wucheng, I read the names one by one and asked the village leaders to come up and receive them. Some village chiefs were illiterate, so they hurriedly found someone who was literate in the village to read out the list, and some asked for help from a police officer who was standing aside with the same smile on his face. The entire venue suddenly became lively, with dozens or hundreds of people surrounding these people, and the sound of joking and urging could be heard endlessly.

I just heard the name and rank of the head of the household read out one by one. In most villages, there are few upper households. Only some wealthy households with slaves, cattle, sheep or orchards are classified as middle households. Most of the villagers are Among the upper-class households, only the poor households without slaves, oxen, or horses can be classified as the middle-lower households. The lower-class households who do not have to pay local taxes are all poor, weak, widowed, and lonely. It is said that one does not suffer from poverty but from inequality. Everyone listens. Later, I felt even more at peace.

Fan Gao looked at the increasingly jubilant crowd coldly, and finally couldn't help but walked to Pei Xingjian with a sullen face, "Pei Changshi, I have something unclear!"

Pei Xingjian glanced at him with a smile, "The city lord just said it doesn't matter."

Fan Zi narrowed his eyes slightly, "If Chang Shi makes such a change, it may not cause any serious problems to the Protectorate of Xizhou. However, Chang Shi will not say anything about how to prepare military rations in the fall. The subordinates will feel uneasy after all. I hope Chang Shi can give me advice." !”

Pei Xingjian's face was extremely calm, "Whether City Lord Fan believes it or not, Pei has no idea about this matter, but it depends on people. There is still half a year, and he can probably come up with a solution."

Fan Gao widened his eyes in surprise and said, "You..." But he didn't know what to say - is this person in front of him so brave?

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "City Lord Fan, since you are willing to ask me the truth, Pei also has a truth to tell you. Today's incident must be solved with this fire. If I don't let it go, naturally someone will come." It makes no difference to me, but if I light the fire, they..." He turned his eyes to the laughing crowd below, "But at least they can live and work in peace and contentment in the future. City Lord Fan, as the Lord of Wucheng, how can you Are you willing to bring troops to capture your people, or watch them live in fear of tax arrears forever?"

“Hasn’t City Lord Fan ever had a trace of pity for them in his heart?”

Fan Zi stood there in a daze, suddenly feeling that there was a thousand kilograms of weight on the tip of his tongue, unable to spit out a single word. Why doesn't he show mercy? According to Prince Qu's plan, once the fire is burned, he and the crown prince will come forward to help the people of Wucheng hand over the more than 4,000 shi of grain and more than 1,000 pieces of cloth at their own expense. In this way, Pei Xingjian will be the leader of the army today. He escaped unscathed, and there is no way he can continue to collect taxes from Xizhou. The army will still be without food or silk when it arrives...

 Unexpectedly, Pei Xingjian set the fire himself! For him, although he has gained popularity, he still cannot solve the difficulties in the future. However, the people of Xizhou will no longer have to suffer from heavy taxes. Seeing that he has made a list of grades today, you can see how much effort he has put in these two days. It is just a calculation, not his own...

Fan Zi took a long while to swallow with difficulty. He was about to say something, but when he saw dust flying in the distance, his face suddenly turned pale. The prince had arrived too late!

Pei Xingjian also looked up and smiled, "He came at just the right time."

Hoho, that poor guy is coming for abuse...

The taxation land system involved in this chapter, including the change of Xizhou from the equalized land system to the real land system in the early period of Emperor Gaozong, and the nine-class household classification and tax rate in the second year of Emperor Gaozong Yonghui, all have historical basis.

Also, I have to work on the proposal report this week, and it will still be 3,000 from Monday to Friday. Thank you all for your praise of my diligent coding this week. By this Friday, if Pink reaches 160 votes (it is already over 140 votes now), there will be an update on the weekend. If it reaches 200 votes (I guess it won’t reach 200 votes...hehe), updates will be added on both weekends.

 (End of this chapter)