radicalducati Page 223
Page 223
Of course, this order will have a huge impact, especially since these people may not be many, but their influence is enormous, and their businesses are spread throughout all walks of life in Kyoto.
One wrong move could cause a major upheaval.
Therefore, he had already set up the tax bureau and the price supervision and management bureau in advance.
The rewards he had previously drawn from the system
They also recruited several legendary figures, including Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui, Fan Li, Shen Wansan, and Lü Buwei.
Now is the time for them to shine in this era.
·· Requesting flowers ··
"Father, something terrible has happened! The imperial court is acting like bandits!"
A young man rushed into the study with a sheet of white paper covered in tiny writing.
In the study,
An elderly man with white hair and beard, a face full of wrinkles, and dark eyes, possessed an extraordinary air about him.
He snorted coldly: "You're always so clumsy and indecisive. How can I entrust this huge family business to you?"
The young man, on the verge of tears, said, "Father, what about the family business? Please take a look."
The old man took the paper from the young man, glanced at it, and his usually composed expression changed drastically in an instant.
By the end, my vision blurred and I nearly fainted.
"How could this be? How dare you do this? This is to make an enemy of the whole world!"
He grabbed the young man's hand, the veins on his thin palm bulging.
..0
"Is this matter true? How did you obtain this decree?"
The young man gritted his teeth and said urgently, "The imperial court has already posted a notice saying that we must go to the tax bureau to pay the outstanding taxes within three days, otherwise..."
The old man shouted angrily, "What else can I do?"
The young man lowered his voice: "Execute the entire family."
The old man's vision went black again, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the table.
"Father, Father, wake up! You haven't told us what to do yet, Father, Father?"
This scene has been observed in many places in Kyoto.
The common people, however, seemed remarkably calm.
According to the government decree, many of them do not even need to pay a single penny of tax.
Whether it's agricultural tax, commercial tax, or property tax, a certain amount must be met before it can be paid.
Many people work very hard, and may only be able to pay the minimum amount of tax.
The amount of tax they paid was even lower than what they were required to pay previously.
For a time,
Countless people hailed the Holy Emperor, with many simply watching the spectacle with amusement.
They once looked up to the wealthy and powerful with immense envy.
Now they've become like a drowning dog, how amusing!
You know, resentment towards the rich...
Throughout history, there has been no real difference.
But there's a right way to make money. You can have money, but the money you spend on one meal is more than I earn in a year or even several years.
When the wealth gap is this large, it's no longer a matter of jealousy or resentment towards the rich.
Now, a very simple question has been placed on the heads of those important people.
Money or your life? (A)
Chapter 140 From this day forward, His Majesty will be my greatest support!
Historically,
Almost all those who advocated reform met extremely tragic ends.
Dismemberment by chariot, slow slicing, extermination of the entire clan
These were all acts of retaliation by those whose interests had been infringed upon during the reforms.
These people often wield great power and control enormous wealth.
After all, every reform and change is actually a means of redistributing wealth.
The main targets of this attack were the interests of landlords and nobles.
Their counterattacks are often more powerful than those of ordinary people.
However, in ordinary history...
They could use their power to collude and oppress the monarch, thus preventing the reforms from taking place.
But in the present Qing Kingdom, Li Chengqian, as a Grandmaster, or even the strongest among Grandmasters, is capable of fighting against thousands of troops by himself.
All the great power converges in one body.
They will not be afraid of any counterattack or resistance from either side.
Ultimately, regardless of any conspiracies, schemes, or plots, the only way for the "137" to truly resist the new policies is through rebellion.
Could they rebel?
Even if they gathered tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of troops, who could kill Li Chengqian, who stormed into the palace in a single day and forced Emperor Qing to abdicate?
Even now, within Kyoto itself, if everyone were to unite, they probably couldn't muster an army of over ten thousand.
Those so-called nobles are probably even difficult to contend with, let alone the power of the Overwatch Council.
Simple-minded Ba Jiu San Jiu said, "Resistance is a dead end." (VI) Feeding the steeds 0
There is no other possibility.
The very top nobles, in particular, were able to see this more clearly.
Faced with the choice between sacrificing most of their wealth and facing death, the extermination of their entire clan, and the execution of their entire family.
Anyone with a modicum of rationality would probably choose the former.
Therefore, before the three-day deadline had passed,
Then, one after another, people took the initiative to come to the tax bureau to conduct property verification and pay taxes.
Countless riches flowed in from all over Kyoto, attracting countless curious onlookers.
Outside the tax bureau, there was a huge crowd.
Looking at the once unattainable nobles, their faces now filled with sorrow and despair,
The common people, however, showed no sympathy whatsoever.
Because all the tax details were clearly posted outside the tax bureau.
There were also special officials who gave lectures.
Those enormous and terrifying sums of wealth are simply astonishing.
That is wealth that countless people could not earn even after hundreds of years of hard work.
After the elite nobles chose to compromise, countless people in commerce and politics, each with their own agendas, had no choice but to suppress their thoughts and obediently pay their taxes.
峮彡其（二）酒依
Of course, there are also some people who do not intend to cooperate.
Some people attempted to flee Kyoto overnight with their wealth, but these individuals were already on the Control Yuan's list.
Want to leave Kyoto? That's just wishful thinking.
Some people ignored it, wanting to see what would happen if they didn't pay.
Inside the tax bureau.
Zhang Juzheng sat at the head of the table, calmly closing the files on the desk.
"Hai Rui, you must make sure the tax revenue is counted and deposited into the national treasury, and report it to Minister Lin in a timely manner."
below,
A thin, rather stern-looking middle-aged man responded in a deep voice.
Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly, then his expression turned somewhat cold.
"Also, inform Dean Chen that we can begin."
At this point, those who remain stubborn and unyielding will naturally not be shown the slightest leniency.
With the establishment of the tax bureau, there are naturally corresponding tax laws.
And it's quite rigorous.
Depending on the amount of unpaid taxes, punishments included exile, imprisonment, confiscation of property, death, extermination of the entire clan, and so on.
No one can escape it.
Hai Rui gave a curt reply and hurriedly left.
Even if he were to be reborn, he would have absolutely no goodwill towards these extremely wealthy families.
Across from the tax bureau,
In the Price Supervision and Administration Bureau, Lü Buwei sat at the head of the table.
Countless files were piled up on the desk in front of him.
Below, Fan Li and Shen Wansan were also extremely busy.
Such a large-scale operation, with a large amount of money flowing into the national treasury, naturally could not have no impact on the people.
In particular, those nobles control almost all trade and commerce in every industry.