The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Two days later, a report came out from the palace.

"Officials in the two capitals and thirteen provinces will have their salaries increased by 30%. The new commercial tax law will be implemented. In the future, they will have to pay silver instead of goods, and the door tax and commercial taxes of unknown origin will be abolished."

The officials were shocked when they saw the report. Salaries increased?

They read it again and again in disbelief. This news was so exciting that their salaries increased by 30% all of a sudden.

It was a big pie in the sky, without any warning!

"Salaries increased?" When Du Xing, the constable of Shuntian Prefecture, saw the report, he was overjoyed. His monthly salary was three stone of rice, which was barely enough for several people in his family.

A 30% increase would save some money.

"Sir, please read today's report!"

Liu Qing was drinking tea in the government office. When he saw the report, he almost choked to death. He put down his teacup and read it again and again. The court actually increased the salaries of officials?

As a third-rank official in the court, his monthly rice salary was 35 shi, and a 30% increase would be about 10 shi.

"What are you laughing at, sir?" asked the prefectural chancellor who had just walked over.

"My salary has been increased!"

...

Not only the officials, but also the merchants in Shuntian Prefecture were quite surprised when they saw the official report, "The commercial tax has been changed to silver, not goods?"

How much silver do they have to pay!

When the merchants were angry, they saw the bottom of the official report: "No more door and street taxes and minor taxes, only one tax per prefecture, and more bills?"

The impact was not great, and the goods could be sold for silver, as long as the tax did not increase.

How much silver would this save compared to before?

The official report was passed to Hejian Prefecture, and the reaction was similar to that of Shuntian Prefecture.

The officials were shocked, and their salaries were increased?

The gentry were also shocked, the door and street taxes and some other minor taxes were no longer collected, and the commercial tax was still one in thirty, and they only had to pay silver.

There were also gentry who resisted and complained, and went to the government office, but the salaries of the gentry officials increased. If the new commercial law was not implemented, wouldn’t the cooked duck fly away?

So the officials said righteously: "This is the new tax law implemented by the court, do you still want to rebel!"

They detained and took in the gentry who were really dissatisfied.

Yan Mansion,

Yan Chengjin saw the court report, which was thousands of words long, but it was summarized in just two sentences.

For officials: give you a salary increase, keep an eye on the commercial tax;

For gentry and merchants: reduce some of your commercial taxes, and change to transaction silver.

"The new commercial tax is actually Zhang Juzheng's one-whip method. Zhang Juzheng, a minister, can implement it, and Hongzhi, as the emperor, can do it even more."

Yan Chengjin wanted to persuade Emperor Hongzhi from beginning to end.

Emperor Hongzhi was in power, and with the full support of three cabinet members, it was much easier for him to implement the new commercial law than Zhang Juzheng.

Raising the salaries of officials is not to stop them from being corrupt, which can never be eradicated in any dynasty, but to stop them from interfering with the implementation of the new commercial tax.

Reducing the door stall tax and fine tax for merchants is not to benefit them, but to relieve their pain.

To put it bluntly, it is like giving a slap in the face and then giving a candy.

The commercial tax is still 30% and the tax is 1%, so not many people will resist.

"The thirteen censors in the two capitals will have an additional task in the future, which is to check the invoices of local commercial taxes to prevent officials in the tax department from embezzling." Yan Chengjin looked at the court report carefully. It was he who proposed to Dai Shan that the Censorate intervene.

Just like selling salt, merchants have to hand in the invoices to the government office after arriving at the local area before they can do business.

Once the censors check the invoices of the tax department and the merchants, they will know if there are any shortages.

"The silver received by each prefecture is handed over to the court and returned to the warehouse. When local areas need disaster relief silver, they will beg the court to distribute relief silver." Yan Chengjin put down the court report.

The commercial taxes of the Ming Dynasty are divided into two types: transit tax and residence tax.

Transit tax refers to the taxes paid by the customs and banknotes when transporting goods across the border. Under the new commercial law, transit tax is only paid once, and the invoice can be presented when passing through the customs.

No matter which tax customs collects it, the silver will be paid to the warehouse in the end.

Residence tax refers to the tax paid when the goods are stored, including when they are sold. It is mainly collected from collapsed houses and warehouses, and it is also only collected once, and the invoice can be issued.

Yan Chengjin took a sip of wolfberry tea and felt much better.

It turned out that the commercial tax did not collect silver, but it was enough to support the Ming Dynasty. Now that the new commercial tax collects silver, the treasury will be more abundant.

Starting today, the new commercial law will be implemented in Shuntian Prefecture, and even the gatekeepers have become smiling.

The gentry did not react much. One out of thirty was taken, and the transit tax and residence tax were only paid once with invoices, and they could not pay much silver.

The court report was spread all the way to Nanzhili.

Ning Wangfu,

Zhu Chenhao frowned slightly after seeing the official report: "The court actually changed the commercial tax and wants to collect silver?" The astronomical telescope last time made him confused. What is His Majesty going to do this time?

The counselor on the side said: "This move will definitely make some people dissatisfied. Your Majesty, why don't we secretly send someone to make a fuss?"

"No!"

Zhu Chenhao is quite smart. Now Emperor Hongzhi is in his prime and holds great power. He has not bribed any officials in the cabinet and the six ministries.

With the few small fish and shrimps he bribed, he couldn't make any noise in the court. If he was investigated by His Majesty, he would be exposed.

"The new commercial law seems abrupt, but it can increase the salaries of officials and abolish some old taxes. This move not only appeased officials, but also appeased gentry and merchants. I am afraid that other places will also implement it." Another counselor said.

Zhu Chenhao nodded. It was not a good thing for him that the court received silver.

…

Huizhou Prefecture,

In the pavilion of his own bamboo forest, a book boy was grinding ink, birds were chirping everywhere, and a servant suddenly brought up a report from the court.

Cheng Minzheng opened it and saw that the court was going to change the commercial tax, increase the salaries of officials, and cut the excess commercial tax?

He glanced at it quickly and found no news about Liangxiang.

The Cheng family was a famous Huizhou merchant, mainly engaged in silk, tea and porcelain.

Hearing that Yan Chengjin had settled the refugees in Liangxiang, many strange and exotic goods were produced there, so he sent people to Liangxiang for trade.

When the shopkeeper came back, he was amazed, which made Cheng Minzheng very curious.

He would take a look at the official reports from the capital.

As for the new commercial law implemented by the court, he read it carefully.

"Master, Liangxiang has already implemented the new commercial law." The housekeeper said.

Cheng Minzheng nodded.

………

At noon, the sun outside the hall was dazzling. Yan Chengjin was walking outside in his casual clothes, and it was a little hot.

He walked down the jade steps slowly, ready to go to the yamen of the Duchayuan.

Now that there is a surplus in late summer, harvests are plentiful in various places, and the treasury is full.

"According to the rhythm, the Tatars should come to plunder soon."

I need to write a letter to my father to ask him to strengthen his vigilance. Every year when there is a good harvest, the Tatars will go south to plunder. This is a tacit secret between the Tatars and the Ming Dynasty.

Now the court is implementing the new law. If the Tatars invade the nine borders, the court will definitely not be able to take care of the implementation of the new law.

What Yan Chengjin didn't know was that the Tatar army had already pressed to the border of Ningxia.

...

Ningxia border,

Three days ago, the Tatar army was stationed on the river beach ten miles outside the city.

Yan Kesong ordered the soldiers to return to the city, fortify the walls and clear the fields, and the Red Barbarian General was set up on the wall, and the Song family telescope monitored the movements of the Tatars outside the city.

The Ningxia border army plus the three thousand Shenji camps may be able to open the door and fight.

But the court sent the Red Barbarian General and ordered the nine borders to close the city and not to take the initiative to fight with the Tatars unless the Tatars attacked the city.

A cavalryman rushed from a distance. Yan Kesong looked through the Song family telescope and saw that it was Lin Song.

Lin Song rode into the city, climbed the city wall, and said to Yan Kesong: "The captive general stationed outside the city is Dayan Khan. According to my understanding of him, he has rested for three days and should attack the city soon."