The ice basin quickly released its power. After a while, the heat in the Taiji Palace had dissipated. To be able to feel the cool autumn air on a hot summer day was a great enjoyment in life.
"No wonder His Majesty canceled the trip to the Ninety Percent Palace!"
The officials suddenly understood. If they could live in such an environment every day, then there was no need to go to other places to avoid the heat. There were too many aspects involved when the Emperor traveled.
"Your Majesty, how much is the cost of making ice in summer? Can it be implemented on a large scale?" Dai Zhou asked the question that everyone was concerned about.
"Rest assured, my dear officials. This is wall frost, which is saltpeter. As long as saltpeter is added to water, it can be made into ice. It is simple to make. According to Meton, the saltpeter in the water can be boiled and used again." Li Shimin said clearly.
The loyal officials suddenly understood. The Minister of Works, Duan Lun, said happily, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Saltpeter is not rare. It will not be long before the Ministry of Works will find enough saltpeter for Your Majesty."
The Ministry of Works was in charge of all the mines in the world. Of course, saltpeter was not unfamiliar. Just the mines under the Ministry of Works produced saltpeter. Duan Lun was confident that he could supply the palace.
"Minister Duan is considerate. After the production of saltpeter ice is done on a large scale, my dear officials will no longer have to work in the heat." Li Shimin waved his hand. Li Shimin was familiar with this kind of action to buy people's hearts.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
For the officials in the imperial court, their bodies were priceless. They usually lived in luxury and naturally did not want to suffer from the heat.
At the same time, he praised in his heart. Only the Mo Clan could create ice in the summer with such uncanny craftsmanship.
Li Shimin saw the harmony in the imperial court. He nodded and said, "Today, we will discuss another matter. That is the tax distribution system proposed by the Minister of Civil Affairs, Dai Zhou."
"Tax distribution system!" The officials in the imperial court were surprised and could not help but look at Dai Zhou in the front row.
Dai Zhou walked to the front and cupped his hands. "My colleagues, when I was collecting taxes from the Mohists Village, I happened to meet Chang 'an County Magistrate Su. I have personally experienced the long-standing conflict between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the counties, the struggle for financial power."
"A struggle for wealth and power!" The officials in the imperial court immediately understood.
"All this time, the Imperial Court and the various counties have used the method of collecting taxes locally, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs will plan the specific uses of the taxes. In this way, it's hard to avoid flying unevenly, which will cause many places to be trapped. "
The courtiers immediately nodded. There were so many states and counties in the country. It was inevitable that there would be places that they could not take care of.
"This is especially true for some of the rich counties. They collect a lot of taxes, but in the end, the taxes collected are used to subsidize the poor counties. This causes many places to be inactive in collecting taxes. Last year, 80% of the counties in the country only passed the standards set by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Very few exceeded the standards." Dai Zhou revealed a bloody fact.
Taxes could be said to be the foundation of a country. The expenses of the army, the salaries of the officials, the operation of the empire, and the development of the country all required the support of taxes. If the taxes decreased, it would mean that the country would decrease.
However, it was a pity that sometimes, there really wasn't enough money. At this time, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who was in charge of the finances, would obviously use the money where it was most needed, and the development of the local areas would be placed last.
"The country needs money, and the local areas need to develop. Therefore, I believe that we should establish a reasonable tax system and split the taxes into two. Most of the taxes will be planned by the country, and a small portion will be left for the various counties to use. This way, we can take care of the Imperial Court and the local areas, and also allow the local areas to actively collect taxes." Dai Zhou concluded.
"This is not feasible! The Imperial Court's taxes are already tight. If we let the local areas keep a portion of the taxes, it will only cause the country to be poor and weak! " Just as Dai Zhou finished speaking, Fang Xuanling was the first to jump out to object. He was in charge of government affairs, and naturally knew how much the Imperial Court's annual expenses were.
"Prime Minister Fang, you are wrong. The states and counties are the foundation of the Empire's taxes. If the local areas are rich, then the taxes collected by the Imperial Court will be even higher." Dai Zhou retorted.
"If the local areas are rich and the Imperial Court is poor, it will not be beneficial to the stability of the Empire." Zhangsun Wuji shook his head and said. In ancient times, it had always been the practice of using the strong to deal with the weak. The most feared thing was for the local areas to grow big and threaten the Imperial Court's rule.
"Lord Zhangsun, how can a small area threaten the Imperial Court? Moreover, a rich area is the blessing of the local people. It will not only reflect His Majesty's benevolent rule, but also contribute more taxes to the Empire." Wei Zheng stood up and argued for Dai Zhou. In his opinion, a tax system that could take care of both the local areas and the Imperial Court was naturally the blessing of the people.
The entire Imperial Court was immediately divided into two factions. Those who opposed the tax system and those who supported it had more reasons. No one could convince the other.
Li Shimin waved his hand, and the entire Imperial Court immediately quieted down.
"The struggle for financial power has existed since ancient times. If you are biased, you will be in the dark. Since this matter was caused by the conflict between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Chang 'an County, I have already informed the Chang' an County Magistrate to wait outside. Why don't we listen to what he has to say?" Li Shimin said.
After a while, a guard led the Chang 'an County Magistrate, Su Luosheng, who was sweating profusely, into Taiji Palace.
"Minister pays his respects to His Majesty!" Su Luosheng bowed respectfully.
"Minister Su, please rise. The tax system was caused by the conflict between you and the Ministry of Revenue. You can speak freely now. I declare you not guilty." Li Shimin said.
"Yes!" Su Luosheng was suddenly emboldened. He said proudly, "My lords, Chang 'an County is the capital of the Empire. Daily maintenance costs a lot of money. Since the new year, Chang' an County is short of money. There are at least three bridges and five roads that need to be repaired urgently. The Green Stone Road in Chang 'an City can guarantee the maintenance of the main road, but many other roads need to be repaired immediately. However, it has been delayed.
Su Luosheng spat. As the saying went, "Three lives of misfortune." The county magistrate was attached to the Emperor. He was attached to the Emperor. He was a villain for ten lives. There was no need to mention the hardships.
"The roads and bridges will be repaired when the people serve the Corvee. It will be solved after autumn." Fang Xuanling frowned.
"Lord Fang, Chang 'an City is the place with the most flow of people. Tens of thousands of people go in and out every day. If we wait until autumn, I'm afraid it will be delayed." Su Luosheng smiled bitterly.
Fang Xuanling was silent. What Su Luosheng said was true.
"Although the tax system is reasonable, the tax system is the pillar of the country. How can it be changed just like that?" Zhangsun Wuji still objected.
Many courtiers nodded in agreement. Although everyone knew that the place was in trouble, no one dared to take the risk of changing the tax system unless it was a critical moment.
Li Shimin also nodded in agreement. Although he appreciated the tax system, the Tang dynasty was established not long ago. It needed stability. At this time, he did not want problems to arise.
Dai Zhou was immediately disappointed. Based on his insight, he naturally knew the benefits of tax sharing. After the implementation of the tax sharing system, small matters could be transferred to the local governments. The Ministry of Revenue only needed to control large expenditures. However, he also admitted that this was not something that could be passed in a day or two.
Su Luosheng already knew that there would be such a situation. He said, "Your Majesty, the Minister also agrees with Lord Zhangsun's point of view. The country's tax system cannot be changed easily."
Instantly, the officials in the imperial court glanced at Su Luosheng in surprise. They didn't understand why he, who was fighting for the authority of the region earlier, suddenly changed sides. Could it be that he was afraid of Zhangsun Wuji's authority? Even Li Shimin couldn't help but frown.
Unexpectedly, Su Luosheng immediately took out a memorial and handed it to Li Shimin respectfully. He said, "However, the Minister believes that the tax system is the best solution to the dispute between the Ministry of Revenue and the local governments. Any new system will inevitably have flaws. Chang 'an District is willing to be the pilot of the tax system to help Your Majesty find out the flaws. If it is feasible, it will be a blessing to the world. If there are flaws, Chang' an District will be able to correct them in time."
Everyone's mind turned. They immediately understood Su Luosheng's plan. They thought that Su Luosheng had a good idea.
"What do my courtiers think?" Li Shimin's eyes flashed.
"The Minister agrees!" Dai Zhou was the first to speak.
In this way, the Ministry of Revenue and the local governments had already agreed. Moreover, Chang 'an District was only a pilot. Naturally, they did not need to be petty.
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