Tang Dynasty Never Night

To be honest, according to the current level of science and technology, the ships of the Tang Dynasty are actually the most advanced ships in the world. After all, the watertight cabin structure, dowel joint and putty caulking technology, wave-proof boards and large wax have all appeared. To be honest There is no problem in terms of carrying capacity, but the biggest problem is that the sea transportation in the Tang Dynasty is not developed now, and these ships are mostly transported by rivers.

But the river is different from the sea, especially after Yang Guang dug the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the domestic water transport has become more developed and there is no need to rely on the coastline.

After all, the sea is more mysterious and unpredictable than the river, and now the boats for water transport are generally sand boats, that is, flat-bottomed boats.Flat-bottomed boats are suitable for navigating in shallow waters. If you want to sail in deep waters, you’d better use a sharp-bottomed boat. In the early Tang Dynasty, the Cantonese boats gradually took shape. Li Xian compared his own design drawings with sand boats. , and then decisively decided to improve on the basis of Guangzhou Shipyard-it is unrealistic to eat a fat man with one bite, and this era is 500 years behind the era of the model diagram in his hand.

The generation gap of so many years is not something he can achieve with hard work, not to mention that he knows only a little bit. The reason why he can invent more times is to provide an idea, and then many things left are Rely on the wisdom of the people of this era to get it done.

So, don't underestimate the ancients. In an era without computers and modern numerical control equipment for various machine tools, the skills of ancient craftsmen were also very superb.

The person in charge of communicating between Li Xian and the craftsmen here is the craftsman Du. This craftsman looks good, but he is a little bald. His surname is Liang, and his name is.

Speaking of it, Liang Yi was also very conflicted. When he first heard that the king of Zhou was coming to build a ship, he was ready to deal with a bear child. What kind of boat to build?

Liang Yi accepted the task with a sigh, and then saw the structural drawing of the ship designed by King Zhou. To be honest, in Liang Yi's opinion, many places were whimsical, but it is undeniable that the design drawing looks really exquisite, And it inspired Liang Yi a lot in many places.

He began to change his mind. It seemed... King Zhou really knew how to build ships?But this is even more strange. Whose parents have nothing to do to teach their children how to build a boat, not to mention the royal family, even a smaller family would not be able to do this. Not very bright.

Now that a prince who can design ships suddenly appeared, Liang Yi always felt very strange.Moreover, this prince's requirements are too high. What do you mean he must be able to withstand even greater wind and waves? Where are you going to sail the boat to?

It's just that even though the doubts in his heart had already started to flood the screen, Liang Yi responded to Li Xian very conscientiously. Li Xian didn't have any lofty thoughts - even when he came here, he had already fantasized about sailing the sea in a big boat. There is nothing left in front of the blow.

Therefore, the ship must be tested first in inland rivers and shallow seas - in fact, if conditions permit, Li Xian really wants to build a test site, just to see how strong the ship is, but no matter how rich he is, he won't do it , not to mention that it is too far away from the industrial age, and it is impossible to simulate the strong winds, waves and various dangerous situations at sea without the assistance of various machines.

The inland river experiment first is to test the water resistance and balance. Even if Li Xian really masters advanced shipbuilding technology, he has to do as the Romans do. What's more, what he has mastered...that is, he knows more than people who don't know. That's all, in front of real professionals, he is the rhythm of being blown out.

While learning various terms of ancient shipbuilding, Li Xian communicated with Liang Yi what kind of ship he wanted.It's just about communication. In fact, Liang Yi discussed it with his subordinates and then came to report to him. Li Xian is just an outsider. He still needs to make up a lot of homework to figure it out, and it's impossible to do it in a year or two. In addition, he doesn't want to figure it out too much. If he understands it, can he still go to shipbuilding?It's impossible to think about it, the most important thing for Li Zhi to send him here is to isolate him and Zheng Qi, otherwise he wouldn't have come here in person.

So after Li Xian became enthusiastic for two months, he could only leave it to Liang Yi to do it. Of course, he also has a bottom line. If you fool him, then don't think about it.

It's just that when he occasionally asked about the running account of the dock, Li Xian found out with distress that shipbuilding is really...too expensive, and the gift he received on his birthday suddenly made him realize that Li Zhi asked him to come here because he knew It costs money to build a ship, and then let him come over to make money, right?

After all, Li Zhi spent money from the internal treasury on the construction of this dock at the beginning, and now Li Xian is maintaining it. Yes, he is indeed not poor now, but he wants to support a dock, especially when he is inventing and creating things that only cost money. It is too difficult to make money in the dock.

Thinking of this, he accepted the filial piety given to him by Yangzhou officials without hesitation. Anyway, he was taking from the people and using it to the people in an alternative way.

Time passed slowly. To be honest, life in Yangzhou was pretty good. At first, Li Xian couldn’t get used to it for a long time because he moved to a new place, but he relaxed after a long time—he didn’t need to use So be careful!

From time to time, he communicated with Li Zhi and Empress Wu. To be honest, he rarely saw them because he was far away. He relaxed a lot when writing letters, and then occasionally communicated with Zheng Qi.

Empress Wu and Li Zhi always asked about the progress here, and then cared about his life and so on. Zheng Qi talked to him a lot, mostly about trivial matters.

For example, Wu Minzhi and Princess Xuancheng are married. It is said that Wu Minzhi didn't even enter the wedding room on the wedding day, so he slept in the study all night. Princess Xuancheng was very annoyed. He picked a fault, and after returning home, he was locked in the Duke's Mansion and never came out again.

Li Xian pondered...Princess Xuancheng probably went from one place of imprisonment to another place of imprisonment, but Wu Minzhi looked like this and didn't know if she would be exiled. After all, according to Zheng Qi's narration, now Wu Minzhi It's no longer a little transparent above the court, and there are also a group of cronies around.

But let Li Xian take a look, those cronies are enough, people are grouped into groups, even if Wu Min is pretending to be a decent person now, he is still a middle-school psychopath inside, and it is the most serious and annoying one .

Li Xian is actually not interested in Wu Minzhi's situation, but he occasionally receives letters from Wu Minzhi. I can also read the Di Bao, but far away from the central government, a lot of news is easy to be ignored. What Zheng Qi picks is these small things that are easy to be ignored.

But Wu Minzhi's letters are more literary and artistic. Today I will talk about the passing of winter, tomorrow I will talk about the winter jasmine flowers in the yard, and the day after tomorrow I will talk about how he made a flower viewing party. Life seems to be so rich and petty. Petty bourgeoisie, and Xinli Wu Minzhi also expressed very artistically that since Li Xian left, he has been "incessantly thinking about it", and now he is working hard to strengthen himself, hoping to bring Li Xian back one day.

Li Xian scoffed at this. He didn't want to go back at all. He lived a leisurely life in his seaside villa. When he returned to Chang'an, he had to pack quail. Although he was a bit of a quail himself, he felt oppressed by race It's just so annoying.

When Li Xian was in Chang'an, he didn't open his house when he arrived in Yangzhou, except that he had to deal with the officials' banquets from time to time at the beginning, but later he didn't even have to go for this - whoever has nothing to do always invites him, You don't need money for a banquet?

Under such circumstances, everyone likes such a boss who doesn't meddle in what he should do and doesn't shirk. This can be said to be passive and sabotage, but Yangzhou's acceptance of him is quite high!

It's just that the high acceptance is high, and Li Xian is also holding back bad water. To be honest, he knew from the beginning that businessmen these days don't have to pay taxes.

In fact, when he knew it, he was mentally lying. Yes, Nongsang's tax is very important. After all, it is an important material such as grain and cloth, but the merchant's tax is also very important, and he can collect a lot throughout the year!

To be honest, Li Xian didn't dare to raise the issue of tax reform in the beginning. After all, he didn't make any achievements in politics, and he probably wouldn't be taken seriously if he said it. Zheng Qi could bring it up, but Zheng Qi's political image It is very important, if reform is not done well, one must be prepared to be scolded. It is impossible for him to let Zheng Qi suffer this grievance.

The current tax system of the Tang Dynasty still adopts the rent adjustment method established during the reign of Emperor Gaozu. The basis of taxation is population and land. It has to be said that this method is very good for recuperation, but when a country develops to a certain level, this method It’s not so good, because the royal relatives, relatives and officials enjoy tax-free treatment. As the country grows, more and more officials will increase the pressure on the central government’s finances by not paying taxes. The pressure from the common people, coupled with years of famine... Now the national treasury can still function, in fact, it is the result of Li Zhi's hard work.

In Li Xian's opinion, the tax policy based on population and land is always unsafe. He doesn't understand the economics in it. He only knows... In later generations, there are so many tax evasion and tax evasion, so even if it is pushed forward In 500 years, even if the people's folk customs are simple, it is impossible to ban it.

If the population and land have changed, then the basis for taxation will be lost. Rich households who merge land can be exempted from tax according to the tax exemption policy. This is tax evasion in this era, and the state will collect even less.

In this way, as the country develops, sooner or later, the national treasury will be empty, but the various landlords will become rich instead. It is no wonder that the central government is unable to restrain the chaos at that time.

Li Xian didn't think about the long-term. Looking at it recently, if the national treasury is not rich, then find a way to make it rich. It's just that the tax system is not easy to move, and it is not Li Xian's specialty when it comes to all aspects.

Li Xian thought about it, and summed up the tax system in his mind that is more suitable for the Tang Dynasty. The most important one is that merchants collect taxes, but Li Xian has no idea how much to collect. He has never worked in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he doesn't understand The current income market, as well as housing transactions and taxation, and now salt, iron, tea and wine are monopolized by the state, and rats who have been hit by disasters in the treasury for years and have not been free come here to raise mice.

After Li Xian listed them one by one, the tax collection by merchants is more complicated, because merchants can do everything, oh, and there are also customs duties. Imported products from the Silk Road are generally sold at a high price, and this tax must be paid.

Extending from this, Li Xian even thought that when the tax comes up, the country can start building roads when it has money, and then it can collect road maintenance taxes or tolls from people with ox carts, horses and carts. Small expenses.

The only regret is that the stepped personal income tax is not suitable in this era and can only be thrown out.Li Xian changed his mind for a long time, and finally felt that... tea and wine can be opened, not only for the state to buy and sell, but merchants are taxed anyway, so you sell it, the more you sell, the more tax you will collect.

Then the taxation cannot remain unchanged, and the most important thing is to change according to the fiscal expenditure.There is nothing to write here except that the interests of the merchants are relatively damaged. Li Xian thought about it and wrote it hesitantly. Taxes are collected according to the household registration, which means that no matter how many masters and vassals are in the household registration, they will be paid. Taxes are collected according to the number of people. In fact, this is to attack the wealthy and prevent tax evasion.

Li Xian brainstormed for a long time, and finally wrote a thin booklet. He felt that he had thought a lot, and it was relatively complete. After all, it was reformed in conjunction with the taxation legal system of the Datu Dynasty. It should be almost the same Bar?

So he wrote a letter to Zheng Qi excitedly. Zheng Qi was still very happy when he received Li Xian's letter. After Li Xian left, he often missed him. It is a major event that benefits the country and the people" was suppressed, and since then, being able to read Li Xian's letter has been his greatest comfort.

As a result, the letter I received today was different. Li Xian didn't show off how big and wonderful his sea view villa was, how delicious the seafood was, and he didn't lament how prosperous Yangzhou City was. He said that he was very concerned about the country and the people. problem.

In fact, Zheng Qi has already noticed this problem. Before he was reborn, he was considered a veteran figure who had gone through three dynasties. At that time, he really climbed up little by little. Looking at the country's fiscal revenue and expenditure, he has already seen that the national strength is declining a little bit.

In fact, it is not a decline in national strength, but the central government's control is getting worse. The central government has no money, and the local governments have money. If the central government has no money, how can it raise soldiers?If there is money in the locality to raise soldiers, then the soldiers will naturally listen to them. At that time, Zheng Qi noticed it but did not do it.

Because the country experienced a lot of turmoil at that time, especially in just seven years, the emperor on the throne changed three times, plus the various bloody palace coups experienced before, to be honest... At that time the country's most important The only thing is to seek stability.

What's more, the Zuyong adjustment method has been used for too long from the founding of the country to Li Longji's period, and it is not so easy to change. In addition, the central control is declining, and it is not easy to ensure the strong implementation of tax law reform. easy.

Zheng Qi looked at Li Xian and said that he had some thoughts in his heart, and he had already written it out, but he didn’t know if it was suitable. He wanted to ask Zheng Qi to read it for him and then write it to Li Zhi. Zheng Qi, once the letter to Li Zhi is handed in, there is no room for regret, and he is also afraid that his empty talk will harm the country.

Zheng Qi's legs went limp when he saw this paragraph, mother, this brat is going to die again!

He had previously thought that Li Xian's life in Yangzhou was too good. The heart is not to be desired, once the heart is glassy, ​​the mind will be dizzy and come up with something. The children of the royal family are quite destructive. Even now Li Xian seems to be out of power, but... he is among the literati and soldiers. The reviews are still good.

Especially the sergeant side, they really liked his various inventions, and they were about to confess Li Xianzhen as a god.

But the tax system...is it free to move?It's the country's purse, and it has too much influence. If you are not careful, you will offend many people. At that time...even if you are the prince, you may not be able to keep you!

Zheng Qi's heart was broken because of this guy, the only thing he was thankful for was that this guy knew to show him things before he wrote the letter and didn't write the letter rashly, otherwise he might not be able to keep Li Xian even if he was talented.

It's just that what surprised him was that what Li Xian wrote was very practical, but some methods were more drastic, such as real estate tax, which I'm afraid the common people would not be willing to pay, and there was a uniform taxation according to the residents. Taxes, this has a greater impact on the gentry.

Furthermore, Zheng Qi still has a hidden worry, that is, if taxes are collected in this way, I am afraid that the family will grow again by then.These days, as long as they can be called aristocratic families, regardless of the big and small families, at least there are people in the family who have official status, the difference lies in the size.If this kind of tax policy is followed, the local gentry will not have any fame or fame, and they may have to rely on the aristocratic family, and then rely on the aristocratic family for protection.

The aristocratic family originally spoke forcefully. One relied on the accumulation of hundreds or even thousands of years, and the other was that they had a large number of people. Why did Emperor Taizong formulate the clan annals?It's not about balancing the aristocratic family and the upstarts. The more the aristocratic family has, the more money and power they have, and the greater the power. Sometimes even the emperor is restricted.

And Li Xian's tax policy for businessmen made Zheng Qi more accepting. There is no way to make the businessman's status lower. After knowing that a lot of money can be squeezed from them, Zheng Qi has no acceptance of this one. Stress, and even a little excitement after doing the calculations—it’s all money.

Zheng Qi thought about it and wrote a letter to Li Xian. Now he is not talking with Li Xian in an air of pointing, but more like a discussion between friends, but the discussion is of a higher level. Just click.

Zheng Qi talked about his worries, and made some comments. Li Xian saw that Zheng Qi's letter was more supportive of his tax system reform, and he couldn't help being very happy. When he was happy, he became dizzy and directly picked up his pen. Write a letter to Zheng Qi: If the aristocratic family does not cooperate, then everyone will have to pay taxes. The royal relatives, officials and those special people who do not have to pay taxes will all pay taxes to me!

In this way, there will be more taxes, and I am a little happy when I think about it.

When Zheng Qi received this letter, he really wanted to beat up Li Xian. To be honest, since he felt that he liked Li Xian, he hadn't thought of it for a long time. The students naturally wanted to beat him up. , but it's too late for the person you care about, how can you beat him?

But... No amount of tenderness and sweetness can hold back this little thing running wildly on the road to death.

It’s fine if you collect real estate tax, merchant tax and gentry tax. Although there must be objections, those who oppose it probably don’t have much authority. If the country guarantees strong implementation, although it will definitely grind its teeth, it will probably succeed in the end.

But he didn't expect that Li Xian would attack the high-level when he came up. If he really paid taxes as a whole, it would have an impact on the interests of the entire high-level. If you don't die, who will die?Even if everyone stops working, we must kill this dangerous person!Even if the tax system has not been reformed, the person who thinks of this is already a dangerous person, okay?Coupled with his special status, everyone will feel uneasy if he doesn't kill him.

Zheng Qi angrily wrote a letter to Li Xian and sent it to Li Xian. In the letter, Li Xian was scolded bloody. From the beginning to the end, it can be summed up in one sentence: Don't die if you have nothing to do!

If it wasn't for him not being able to leave the capital without authorization, Zheng Qi really wanted to run thousands of miles to beat up that brat first.I know that the easy life corrupts people, and I have become sensible a little bit before, but within two months after arriving there, I started to be whimsical again!

After Li Xian received the letter, his head drooped. He also knew that Zheng Qi was doing it for his own good. He sighed in his heart and wrote a letter to apologize to Zheng Qi. Well, he said it was an apology, but in fact it was almost like acting like a baby, of course. He would definitely not be able to say the words in person, that is, writing a letter.

Zheng Qi was a little helpless after receiving the letter, seeing that Li Xian really understood what he meant, so he instructed him how to write the letter.In fact, to put it simply, don’t be too radical. The reform of the tax system cannot be done at one time.

Let’s talk about the businessman’s tax collection first. To be honest, this is already more complicated, because the businessman’s tax payment also involves many details. This is not something Li Xian can handle alone. To be honest, this alone is enough for the Ministry of Account Get rid of the headache, it is not easy to formulate taxes or something.

Li Xian thinks about it too. The translation of Zheng Qi's words means don't take too big a stride.

So Li Xian turned his head and wrote a letter to Li Zhi. At first, he was lamenting that Yangzhou was surrounded by rich and rich merchants, and then he extended it to the reform of the tax law.

Li Zhi also breathed a sigh of relief when he received the letter. He and Empress Wu didn't know a lot about the content of the correspondence between Li Xian and Zheng Qi, but they both knew about the same about the thin booklet written by Li Xian. When they first saw it, as the rulers of the country, they all knew that this was very good, but they also knew that it was difficult. If their son really signed up, whether to do it or what to do would be troublesome.

In particular, many of them violated the interests of the family gentry, which is not easy to handle. Now Li Xian's letter emphasizes that businessmen can pay taxes, which is a relatively safe topic.

Li Zhi threw out Li Xian's letter and discussed it in court. At this time, Zheng Qi was destined to take the lead—who made him understand Li Xian's meaning best, and who made him have the most experience, even if it was Hubu Shangshu may not be able to compare with him, because the current situation of the country is still good, and the central control is strong, while Zheng Qi's country at that time was already... let alone.

So Zheng Qi is bound to think a lot. During the court meeting, although everyone spoke, everyone felt powerless when Zheng Qi stood up. To be honest, Zheng Qi’s position is still quite embarrassing. He should be regarded as a general, but the general thinks he is too gentle, but even if he can't stand it, he has something to do.

After everyone agrees to add this tax law, then Li Zhi is going to give rewards to his son - this is what his son proposed. Although his son was not in front of him and did not participate in court discussions, many of what he said were adopted. , must reward!

It's just that no one expected that when Li Zhi's commendation and reward arrived, the envoy didn't see Li Xian at all, because Li Xian was beating pirates on a certain island!