Judge of the Song Dynasty Chapter 730: Version answer
Chapter 730 version answer
After He Ning’s testimony, the expression on Zhao Xu’s face gradually became serious.
This is different from Wang Anshi's mentality at this time. Wang Anshi still sits firmly on Diaoyutai without panic at all. As He Ning said, after all, the basic market is not in chaos, and the court has also benefited from it, only losing a few businessmen. This It's not a big problem.
I am going after those profiteers. If they don’t lose, whoever loses will only deserve it.
But Zhao Xu still had his plan with Zhang Fei in mind, which was the huge business tax plan.
In fact, it is currently being implemented. Why is the tax revenue of Hezhong Prefecture increasing rapidly? All of them are commercial taxes, and there is little room for increasing agricultural taxes.
The reason why Zhao Xu adopted this plan was precisely because agriculture was the country’s fundamentals, and no one dared to act rashly. Whether it was the annexation system or the sharecropping system, the court only made minor modifications, and they had to be coaxed. But the problem is that the current agricultural tax is very difficult to collect, even if there is a tax department.
Because the Taxation Department only collects taxes other than those under privileges, it targets tax evasion and evasion. However, the privileges caused by redundant officials are also huge, and the potential is limited.
Moreover, most of these privileges are concentrated in agriculture, and only a few of them grant some salt and iron trading rights to some royal relatives as rewards.
But those are only a handful.
Therefore, we must turn our attention to commercial tax, and collect taxes from those privileged people through commercial tax. After all, the grain of the big landowners has to be sold, and the tax can be raised from here.
Southeast Sixth Road is the area with the most developed commercial economy, and the commercial tax in this area is very important in the entire plan.
This will kill all the businessmen. Where will the business tax come from?
You will die before you leave the army!
Zhao Xu began to feel tangled in his heart.
Compared to this grand plan, the average loss method seems a bit small.
Sima Guang and Fu Bi had long thought of this situation. The government would do business in person, just to deny businessmen a way to survive. This was also the purpose of this hearing.
After He Ning left, Zhang Fei summoned Sun Chongwen, deputy envoy of Jinghu South Road Transport, who was recalled to Beijing.
"Deputy Ambassador Sun, is there a money shortage on Jinghu South Road?"
"Yes."
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "And it is becoming increasingly serious."
Speaking of money shortage, Wang Anshi couldn't help but ponder. This was something he hadn't expected, but he didn't think it was a big problem. Compared with the advantages of the average loss method, it was nothing.
Zhang Fei asked again: "Do you have any evidence to prove this?"
Sun Chongwen said: "In the tax accounts of Jinghu South Road in the past two years, whether it is summer tax or commercial tax, most of them are paid in silk, tea, and grain. The reason is that the local currency is scarce."
Zhang Fei said: "Then did you report this matter to the court?"
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "Yes, but it did not attract the attention of the court."
After that, he quickly explained to the court: "The reason is that the weather on Jinghu South Road has been smooth in the past two years. Although there is a money shortage, the people can still barter with silk. At the same time, the local government Adjustments have also been made to allow people to pay taxes with grain and silk. This problem is not very serious."
After all, this is a public occasion, and you have to worry about the court's face.
There is a problem, but it is not serious.
Wang Anshi nodded, everything was as expected, this money shortage is not the first time, he can invest some money then, this problem can be easily solved.
Zhang Fei asked: "Deputy Ambassador Sun thinks this is caused by the equal loss method."
Sun Chongwen nodded and said: "Yes. The reason is just as those businessmen said. Due to the regulations and principles of equal transportation, the shipping department prefers to collect some light goods, that is, silk, from Jinghu Road and Fujian Road. , tea, coins, and then spend money to buy grain in Jianghuai and other places. This can save the court a lot of freight. But it will also inevitably lead to a local money shortage."
Zhang Fei asked: "Then do you think that the loss method will gain benefits for the court, or cause the court to lose benefits?"
"I don't know that."
Sun Chongwen, like He Ning, shook his head very decisively.
Zhang Fei did not force himself and asked again: "What about the commercial tax in Jinghu area?"
Sun Chongwen hesitated for a moment and said: "The business tax has been reduced a lot."
Zhang Fei asked: "Do you know how much the reduction has been?"
Sun Chongwen said: "Nearly 70%."
Hearing this, Zhao Xu stood up suddenly and whispered: "Is it reduced by so much?"
Zhang Fei also asked: "Are there so many?"
Sun Chongwen said: "Because Jinghu is different from Yuhang. Although the number of merchants in both places is decreasing, there is no serious money shortage in Yuhang."
"What impact will this have on the local area?"
"At present, the impact on ordinary people is not very big. They can still barter, but it is more complicated. However, the impact on many landlords and wealthy businessmen is still relatively large, because their goods cannot be sold. ”
Sun Chongwen added: "In addition, due to the large reduction in taxes, the fiscal revenue of local county governments has decreased. Not long ago, I reported to the court that more savings should be given to local county governments. Some local county governments no longer have it. Got a job."
Deng Wan was a little panicked after hearing this. Couldn’t he even afford the office servitude? He asked Wang Anshi in a low voice: "Ms. sir, what should I do?"
Wang Anshi said unconcernedly: "Just give me some extra money to save. Compared with the income of the shipping department, it is nothing."
Deng Wan nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "Thank you very much, Deputy Ambassador Sun, for being able to attend and testify."
"Where, where."
After Sun Chongwen went down, Zhang Fei invited Xue Xiang, the most critical figure in the case, to come up.
However, Xue Xiang was neither the plaintiff nor the defendant. He came to the witness box and sat down more confidently and calmly.
"Xue Fayun, you have heard what those witnesses just said."
"Yeah."
Xue Xiang nodded, then shook his head and said: "But what those businessmen said was purely exaggerated, nonsense, and confusing right and wrong. Today's results are all their own fault, and they can't blame others. You can't say that in order to let them earn Money, the court must lose money, the court has its own plans.
The imperial court is just trying to save money and make reasonable allocations, and those businessmen who complain are just because they cannot make huge amounts of wealth from the imperial court and the people. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. ”
It can be seen that he was sitting down, listening to the accusations of the businessmen, and it was very hard to hold it in.
Wang Anshi also nodded vigorously. What Xue Xiang said was exactly what he was thinking.
Those businessmen were very depressed.
Why do we deserve it? It’s obviously your problem.
Sima Guang, Liu Shu and other conservative officials even scorned.
It would be a great misfortune for the country to have such a person become the Third Secretary-General!
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile and asked: "I know what Xue Fayunshi meant, but there is one thing that I'm not very clear about. Is the purpose of losing the law to retaliate against those big profiteers?"
Xue Xiang was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said: "Of course not."
Zhang Fei asked again: "Are those businessmen our common people in the Song Dynasty?"
Xue Xiang nodded and said, "Of course."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Xue Fayun thinks that those businessmen just now, besides complaining to the government, what else can they do?"
Xue Xiang shook his head dully. The more he listened, the more confused he became. What on earth are you asking?
Zhang Fei added: "Since the purpose of all losing is not to punish businessmen, but those businessmen are also our common people in the Song Dynasty, the current situation is that a group of people are complaining to the government because the government's policies have caused losses to their interests.
So as a court official, should I choose to accuse them of not being able to accuse them, accuse them of being unkind, accuse them of being petty, or should I first understand the problem, explain it, and then solve it? ”
You are really good at twisting things around! Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei and said awkwardly: "Of course we are going to solve the problem."
"I think so."
Zhang Fei smiled and said: "After all, Ambassador Xue Fayun was also a victim in this regard. As the saying goes, don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you."
Xue Xiang nodded immediately and said: "Prosecutor Zhang is right."
When he was in court, he was most criticized for his personal ethics. Now you are accusing businessmen of being selfish, isn't that the same thing?
Wang Anshi, who was a little unhappy just now, couldn't help but laugh.
It turns out that the foreshadowing is here, hidden deep enough!
On the other hand, Wen Yanbo, Sima Guang and others had livid faces. Who are you insinuating?
"Just like our public prosecutors, we must defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals."
Zhang Fei said: "Therefore our Procuratorate is very willing to listen to the complaints of businessmen, because this is the only thing they can do. But I asked Ambassador Xue Fayun to come up, but I don't want to hear Ambassador Xue Fayun complain here, nor do I want to hear it. Xue Fayun sent him to accuse anyone.
Because this is meaningless. This involves national governance and people's livelihood, rather than a dispute over Confucian and Legalist ideals.
Therefore, we hope that the following questions will focus on understanding the problem, explaining the problem, and finally solving the problem. I believe this is what Xue Fayun is best at. ”
Xue Xiang couldn't help but sit upright and nodded in embarrassment.
Han Qi chuckled: "It's a bit interesting."
Fu Bi couldn't help but smile.
The implication of these words is that it is right for businessmen to complain, because that is all they can do, but you cannot complain to them, it is meaningless, you are the one who solves the problem, and this is your responsibility.
If you complain to each other, that's the end of it.
Problems can never be solved.
Of course, this also hints to Sima Guang and Wang Anshi that in this hearing, the problem is the key.
Zhang Fei had told them before that whenever the two of them met, there would always be a fight.
"Thank you, Ambassador Xue Fayun, for your understanding."
Zhang Fei nodded with a smile, then looked down at the copy, then looked up again, "I would like to ask Ambassador Xue Fayun to explain to us the method of losing, including the causes and consequences."
"Yes."
Xue Xiang immediately explained the concept of equalization in detail, and also gave examples to describe how beneficial it was to the country and the people, and how much money it could save the court.
Excellently spoken, very precise, and immediately sounded like a professional and experienced.
It’s a pity that there are only businessmen outside, so there isn’t much reaction. No matter how beautiful the words are, it’s not good for businessmen!
Only the reformist officials nodded in amusement, but the conservative officials opposite shook their heads with disdain.
"Thank you very much, Ambassador Xue Fayun, for explaining this method to us."
Zhang Fei nodded and asked: "So so far, has Junshufa accomplished the goal of establishing the Ordinance Department of the second government?"
"All done."
Xue Xiang said very confidently: "The equal transportation method saves the country about one or two million gu each year, and at the same time transports 6 million dan of grain to the capital every year. Before the equal transportation method, the amount of food transported to the capital was The maximum amount of food is only 550,000 shi. In addition, the even distribution method can also create a lot of profits for the court, which can be said to be a multi-purpose achievement."
Zhang Fei asked: "What I want to know about this profit is, how much is it specifically?"
Xue Xiang hesitated and said: "I don't know the specifics, but it must be more than the reduction in commercial taxes."
"Probably?"
"Well, sometimes it's more and sometimes less. After all, there are profits and losses in business. It's hard to say."
Xue Xiang looked at him a little.
Some censors stroked their beards with a faint smile on their lips.
Still want to hide it?
Can you keep it secret?
"But someone submitted a piece of evidence to our procuratorate. According to this evidence, one million yuan of expenditures by the Shipping Department disappeared."
As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.
Many officials stared with wide eyes.
One million strings?
Real or fake?
This is so crazy!
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there has certainly been corruption, but no one has ever been able to embezzle a million dollars.
This must be fake.
Even the businessmen who were watching thought so.
Wen Yanbo was very calm and sighed in his heart, they still couldn't hold it back! But this is good to prevent them from continuing this kind of business.
The reformist officials also looked unbelieving. It was obvious that Xue Xiang was silent and didn't answer. He suddenly became a little bit more convinced. He couldn't help but feel angry, "You **** thing, you've been greedy for so much money and you don't care about us at all."
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Is this the case?"
Xue Xiang glanced at Zhang Fei, nodded and said, "It's true."
Zhang Fei asked: "Then where does this million go?"
Xue Xiangdao: "Xihe area."
Wen Yanbo couldn't help but open his eyes, and Jiang Zhiqi and other censors also looked at each other.
Nonsense.
First of all, this money does not belong to the emperor, but to the internal treasury. Secondly, this money went into the emperor's pocket, how could it end up in the Xihe area.
Zhang Fei said: "What on earth is going on?"
Xue Xiangdao: "The initial purchase funds of our Shipping Department were all allocated from the Neicang Treasury, but when the Southeast Sixth Road collects taxes, it will all be returned to the Neicang Treasury."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "I know that."
Xue Xiangdao: "Due to the limited reserves of the internal treasury at that time, the officials not only ordered Liangzhe Road and Jiangnan East Road to transfer part of the tribute to the Shipping Department, but also allocated some money to the Shipping Department themselves.
This million dollars was originally meant to be returned to the official family. But later, Xihe opened a border and achieved great success, and at the same time it was necessary to increase a lot of military pay. However, the officials were worried that the burden on the people in the northwest would be too heavy, so they ordered me to secretly send the million strings to Xihe as a reward for the military pay. Therefore, I will count this million as the surplus of the official family, and then send it to the Xihe area. ”
Zhang Fei asked: "Is there any evidence to prove this?"
Xue Xiangdao: "Of course I have official edicts and accounting certificates, but the best proof is that there is now one million yuan deposited in the name of the official in Xihe Jiekupu. A lot of money may have been spent.
Also, the people in the northwest did not pay a penny more in taxes because of the Xihe War. You can know this by just checking. ”
Liu Zhao looked at Zhao Xu with a moved face after hearing this, but Zhao Xu had an expressionless face, holding his chin in one hand, and his eyes were dull.
What's going on?
Little did he know that Zhao Xu’s heart was bleeding when he heard this.
It’s not easy for me to make some money!
Although this matter was not mentioned in the last lawsuit, he also knew that since the censor had learned about it, he would definitely not be able to hide it. If he didn't tell it today, he would tell it tomorrow.
Sima Guang and Liu Shu looked at Lu Gongzhu at the same time.
Lü Gongzhu whispered: "I don't know yet, but the people in the northwest have not been affected by the war."
This...
Just allocating money to the past doesn't mean much, because this war is fought by the emperor himself. The key is that you pay for it out of your own pocket and don't add burdens to the people. This is a bit bold.
Wen Yanbo had some doubts before, but after hearing what Xue Xiang said, he no longer had any doubts. If he had to cheat at the last minute, it would be impossible to send the money so quickly, and he had spent a lot of it.
The key point is that this is also in line with Zhao Xu's position.
In this case, I can only praise the emperor.
Jiang Zhiqi and others were dejected. They originally wanted to use this incident to attack the Public Security Bureau, but the result was so touching!
Only the Jiangnan merchants were there with their mouths shut and a look of grievance on their faces, MD, this is all for our benefit!
"Concerning this matter, Yushitai should immediately send someone to investigate."
Zhang Fei joked, looked down at the copy, then raised his head and asked: "Xue Fayun thinks that during the implementation of the equalization method, does it affect the merchant's income?"
"Yes."
Xue Xiang nodded and said: "I have explained just now that the reason why Wang Xianggong promulgated the equalization law was mainly because the previous system was too rigid, which resulted in the goods delivered to the capital often not being needed by the capital, thus leaving Some merchants could buy it at a low price, and then the court had to pay a high price to buy it from the merchants.
The equalized transport method can avoid this kind of situation. Purchases are completely based on the needs of the capital. At the same time, the shipping department will collect coins from areas with poor harvests, and then go to areas with good harvests and lower prices to purchase goods. At the same time, the goods will be transferred to areas with good harvests. The goods are sold to the areas where they are needed. As a result, it is naturally difficult for merchants to hoard them.
The court will gain, but this will make various places more stable, because in this way, it can be well avoided that the court will be robbed by businessmen, and the people will be exploited by businessmen. ”
Zhang Fei asked: "Is there any specific case to illustrate this point?"
"Yes."
Xue Xiang nodded and said: "About two years ago, the Yangzhou Shipping Department had one million shi of grain in hand, but the food needed by the capital was already met at that time. If based on the previous situation, this million shi would have been sent to If it goes to the capital, it may have to be sold at a discount. But the shipping department knew the demand in the capital, so it reported the news to the court. However, it also caused some controversy. Some people suggested selling it locally and then sending it to light goods. Beijing.
This is indeed the most beneficial plan for the court, but it will inevitably impact local food prices and harm the interests of local farmers. At that time, Wang Xianggong resisted everyone's opinions and transported this million stone of grain to Jiangnanxi. Road, sold to some food-deficient areas, the shipping department earned almost nothing from this transaction, but it benefited the people. ”
As he spoke, he took out a piece of evidence, "There are specific records of this transaction."
A man came over immediately and handed the evidence to Wang Gong.
These words made many officials think deeply.
This is indeed an indisputable fact.
If it were the previous system, it would become very bad, and it would increase consumption and waste.
But Han Qi and Fu Bi both believed that this was down to people. Xue Xiang himself also said that there were disputes between the DPRK and China. If it were Lu Huiqing, it might be a different result.
Zhang Fei continued to ask: "Xue Shipunji believes that the shipping department can completely replace merchants?"
Xue Xiang shook his head and said: "Of course not. The main responsibility of the Shipping Department is to supply the capital."
Zhang Fei said: "But Xue Shipping also admitted that the equalization method made merchants unprofitable. At the same time, the shipping department cannot replace merchants. Won't this cause problems?"
Xue Xiangdao: "The equal loss method mainly affects those businessmen who want to take advantage of the situation and make huge profits, rather than targeting all businessmen."
Zhang Fei asked: "Suppose there is a shortage of five thousand pieces of silk in the capital, and the shipping department immediately comes up with the best solution, which is to buy it from Yangzhou. Can the merchants compete with the shipping department? Or, can the silk merchants in Yangzhou Do you refuse to sell the silk to the shipping department?"
Xue Xiang avoided important matters and said lightly: "Supplying the capital is a matter of great importance and there is no room for failure."
In private, he would definitely say, of course we can compete, who dares?
But in this situation, with everyone watching, he didn't dare to say that. If this group of businessmen united and fought with the shipping department everywhere, it would be over!
"That is, it cannot."
"Yeah."
"If a silk merchant wants to sell goods to the shipping department, does he need to pay a bribe?"
"No need, this is illegal and is strictly prohibited by the Shipping Department."
"Is this the case?"
"It also exists. Our Shipping Department has also dealt with a number of corrupt officials."
"But it still keeps happening?"
"If I knew, I would definitely punish him severely."
"Will the shipping department announce its buying and selling plan?"
"No, lest someone take advantage of the opportunity to profit."
"Just now, Xue Fayun said that the Shipping Department sold one million stones of grain to Jiangnan East Road and other food-deficient areas. However, I would like to ask Xue Fayun, if the Shipping Department had not gone there at that time, would there be merchants? Where do you go to resell food?"
"Yes."
"If the shipping department is gone, will there be businessmen going to the local area to resell grain?"
"That shouldn't happen."
"Why?"
"The profit earned by reselling the grain is the price difference. Now that the shipping department has supplied the grain, the price of grain will fall. If the grain is transported there, it may not be profitable."
"I was in Hezhong Prefecture and heard some stories about Xue Fayun. I knew that Xue Fayun was very good at managing money and made a lot of money for the government. If Xue Fayun was a serious businessman, he would encounter the above-mentioned How will you deal with these situations?"
".!"
Xue Xiang put his arms on the table, crossed his fingers, and looked dull.
The surrounding area was also silent.
Sima Guang and the others were also thinking about this issue. As the questions deepened, everyone gradually focused on solving the problem instead of what was right and wrong.
After a while, Xue Xiang touched his goatee and said, "Ahem. I. I admit that this will indeed affect the enthusiasm of businessmen."
After saying that, he immediately added: "But the imperial court must improve its financial problems in a timely manner. The equal loss method will not only reduce a lot of financial expenditures, but also reduce the burden on many people."
Zhang Fei asked: ""So, Xue Fayun believes that if this trend continues, it will not be harmful, but will be beneficial to the court? ”
Xue Xiang fell into silence again.
Wang Anshi looked anxious, why are you hesitating here? If this continues, what problems could arise?
A little loss is nothing compared to what we gain.
He is attacking these wealthy businessmen and landowners.
If this were Lu Huiqing, he would immediately refute Zhang Fei, but Xue Xiang was in the northwest region and had competed with Xixia and Tubo merchants. He was experienced in many battles, and he knew in his heart that if there was a large-scale reduction in merchants , which will also cause big problems.
First of all, this corruption problem is completely unresolved.
Dense beads of sweat were seen on Xue Xiang's forehead, but he didn't notice it. It could be seen that he was thinking about this problem seriously.
Zhang Fei was not in a hurry and waited quietly.
After a while, Xue Xiangcai replied: "It will definitely not work if this continues, but the concept of equal loss is absolutely correct, because the previous system was extremely unreasonable, and the equal loss method has proven It can save a lot of expenses, but our shipping department will also make adjustments according to this situation."
Zhang Fei asked: "How to adjust? Does Ambassador Xue Fayun have a specific plan?"
Xue Xiang thought for a while and said: "The details have not been discussed in detail, but our shipping department will appropriately increase buying and reduce selling. In this way, we can mobilize the enthusiasm of merchants. After all, they will make money. Businessmen will take action."
Xue Xiang is really a talented person, his brain works very fast. Zhang Fei said: "But there are also problems with buying. Just now, Ambassador Xue Fayun said that merchants must give priority to the shipping department. At the same time, merchants cannot compete with the shipping department, and there is also the problem of bribery."
Xue Xiang took a deep breath and suddenly looked at Zhang Fei, "I remember when I was in the imperial court a few days ago, I told you about the corruption issue in the Shipping Department. This is a supervisory responsibility, and I also Learn about the situation in Guohe Zhongfu.
I think that in order to solve this problem perfectly, we must let the public prosecutor and law go to the Jiangnan area as soon as possible. Because the equalization method is mainly to protect the court's own interests and reduce the burden on the people, it will never target businessmen. It just hopes to put an end to the phenomenon of maliciously raising prices and exploiting the people.
It may harm the rights and interests of some businessmen, but this is not the official intention, nor is it what Wang Xianggong expects. Many policies of Hezhong Prefecture are similar to the Junshu method, but the results are not the same. It can be seen that the problem is not the equalization of law, but the lack of legal protection for businessmen, resulting in accidental injuries. The Public Security Bureau and the Procuratorate are to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. I believe that when the Public Procuratorate and Procuratorate go to Southeast Sixth Road, many problems will be solved. It will be solved easily. ”