Late Han Zhao Tang

In spring, the weather gradually warms up, the ice and snow melt, the Han River rises, and the current becomes more turbulent.

In Xiangyang City, Zhang Yu led his civil and military officials to the city wall to gaze at the Han River.

More than a hundred large ships on the river carried five or six thousand sailors, who, under the leadership of Wang Wei and Han Xi, were divided into two teams. The two generals sat on the giant Mengchong warships, using command flags to direct the ships, arranging them into various engagement formations on the river, or simulating boarding combat.

Seeing the boats operating in an orderly manner, Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and said, "The people of the Han River truly value water; their reputation is well-deserved. Boarding the boat is as easy as walking on flat ground."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked to his left and right and asked, "I have long heard that the Jiangdong navy is elite. I wonder how it compares to the Jingzhou sailors?"

"Your Majesty!"

Han Hao cupped his hands and said, "Boats are important, but Jiangdong also has them. Besides, arranging troops is not difficult. When sailors board ships to fight, the key to defeating the enemy lies in their archery skills."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, roughly understanding Han Hao's unspoken meaning. It was simply that the naval force being drilled was merely a facade, used to fool him, since a mere array of ships was quite different from actual combat on the water.

"What are your thoughts?" Zhang Yu asked.

Previously, Han Hao had suggested establishing military farms in Jingzhou, a suggestion that Zhang Yu found very appealing. Now, on the issue of the navy, Zhang Yu still wanted to hear Han Hao's advice.

"Your Majesty, the Jiangdong naval forces have the advantage of being elite troops, and they are superior to the Chu people in naval combat. However, compared to the Chu people, their disadvantage lies in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On the river, their boats take advantage of the river's current and can charge down enemy ships with unstoppable force."

Han Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Since Your Majesty has the advantage of the upstream, why not build large ships to use them to ram the small boats? Small boats are light and weak, and they are easily capsized in the wind and waves. They certainly cannot withstand the impact of large ships. Using large ships to destroy small boats is a strategy to play to one's strengths and avoid one's weaknesses!"

"What Han Qing said is indeed a brilliant insight!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Exempt the people of Jingzhou from taxes next year, and order all counties to levy people to repair large ships."

"promise!"

"Your Majesty, please wait!"

When Zhao Zi received the order, he suddenly heard voices of opposition from the crowd.

Zhang Yu looked in the direction of the voice and saw Pang Tong squeezing out from the crowd, saying, "If Your Majesty conscripts the people to build more boats, Jingzhou will surely be thrown into chaos next year."

For his meritorious defense of Jiangling, Pang Tong and Prefect Hui Qu were summoned to Wancheng and received by Zhang Yu. Hui Qu was credited with the greatest contribution, and Zhang Yu appointed him as the Prefect of Yingchuan. He was transferred from Nanjun, a large prefecture with nearly 100,000 households, to Yingchuan, a prefecture with more than 60,000 households. It may seem like he was not promoted, but from the perspective of a surrendered person, it could actually be considered a promotion.

After all, officials who surrendered to the State of Chen were either demoted or not employed at all. If Hui Qu hadn't been meritorious in defending Jiangling, how could he have been appointed as the Prefect of Shangjun? You should know that there are plenty of people eyeing the position of Prefect of Shangjun; under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been chosen.

Pang Tong's promotion is easy to arrange. He was previously a county clerk, so it would be sufficient to appoint him as the county magistrate according to the order of promotion!

However, after Zhang Yu and Pang Tong discussed their strategies, Zhang Yu found Pang Tong's insights to be remarkable. Considering Pang Tong's historical reputation, Zhang Yu arranged for him to work in the Privy Council.

Seeing Pang Tong step forward to offer advice, Zhang Yu did not get angry, but patiently asked, "Why do you say such things, Shi Yuan?"

"Your Majesty!"

Pang Tong said, “The people of Chu have suffered greatly from the forced labor imposed by Yuan Shu. Now Your Majesty has imposed this burden but has failed to pacify them. Instead, you have mobilized a large number of people to build ships. At present, the officials are urgently supervising the ships. The people of Chu will be burdened by the shipbuilding and may cause unrest as a result. If Your Majesty wants to build ships, you should find another plan.”

"Please speak freely!" Zhang Yu encouraged.

"Your Majesty, in your opinion, you might as well collect taxes from Jingzhou and use them to recruit skilled shipbuilders to construct giant warships. Distribute wages monthly; this way, Your Majesty's reputation will not be harmed, and the shipbuilders can concentrate on building these massive vessels!" Pang Tong suggested.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu's mind immediately became active. He had previously thought of exempting the people from taxes and using those taxes to offset the corvée labor for shipbuilding. However, he forgot that not everyone would be willing to accept this. After all, the people of Jingzhou were wealthy and might prefer to pay taxes rather than build ships.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "After the Tang Dynasty was established, taxes were collected in kind, but now it is difficult to pay wages in kind. Why not convert household taxes and corvée labor into money and use that money to recruit boatmen? What do you all think?"

Changing the tax collection method from goods to currency was not only convenient, but more importantly, Zhang Yu wanted to try out the monetization of taxes.

What is tax monetization?
As the name suggests, the in-kind taxes paid by the people were converted into money at market price. Money was then used for transportation to facilitate circulation between government departments. For example, during the Qin and Han dynasties, officials were paid with stones as their salary, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, they were paid with silver. This is one of the changes in the monetization of taxes.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, taxes were levied in both cash and in kind, thus indicating the beginnings of a monetary taxation system. However, during the Wei and Jin dynasties, due to prolonged instability, the state needed more tangible goods, and taxes were now levied in kind.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the tradition of the Northern and Southern Dynasties was continued, with taxes levied in kind through the rent-labor-tax system. However, after the An Lushan Rebellion, the foundation of the rent-labor-tax system was severely damaged, and a large number of unregistered households existed throughout the country.

During the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, Yang Yan initiated reforms, abolishing the land tax and labor service system and replacing it with the Two-Tax System, which also established a government-run salt tax. The Two-Tax System, initiated by Yang Yan, changed the tax system from in-kind to a combination of goods and money, a system adopted by the Song and Ming dynasties. During Wang Anshi's reforms in the Song dynasty, all labor service was converted into money, and the system was changed to a recruitment system where the government hired laborers. From then on, all taxes except for grain were converted into money.

Before Zhang Juzheng's reforms, the Ming Dynasty still relied on taxes in kind. However, due to the loss of goods transported from Jiangnan to Beijing, during the Zhengtong era, taxes from Jiangnan were converted into cash before being transported to Beijing. When Zhang Juzheng implemented the Single Whip Tax Reform to salvage the Ming Dynasty's dire finances, he extended the cash tax system nationwide, marking the beginning of the monetization of taxes in China.

The so-called "fire loss to the public" policy of the Qing Dynasty was essentially a policy problem exposed after the monetization of taxes.

Of course, while the monetization of taxes is a trend of the times, it does not mean that monetary taxation is necessarily a good policy. For example, among the many reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty, monetary taxation was one of them.

Therefore, considering various factors, Zhang Yu intends to use shipbuilding as a means to explore the feasibility of tax monetization. If it fails, subsequent tax reforms will likely require careful consideration.

"Many Han Wuzhu coins are still in circulation. Your Majesty could use them as a form of taxation. Although bartering is practiced in Jingzhou, Wuzhu coins can still be used for this purpose," Pang Tong said after a moment's thought.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "I think it would be better to continue using grain and silk as taxes. If the five-zhu coin is difficult to pass through, Your Majesty may need to allocate other grain and fodder to sell to shipwrights."

"Wenhe, don't worry, let's give it a try for now!"

Zhang Yu glanced at Jia Xu and smiled, "The construction of the large ships will be overseen by Qiao Rui as the chief, with Pang Tong as the deputy, and the prefects of each prefecture will be ordered to provide funding. If any unrest occurs among the people, report it to Chang'an immediately, and I will personally handle it."

"I accept your order!"

During the late Han Dynasty, due to war, the value of the Wuzhu coin decreased, to the point that during the Cao Wei period, the market economy declined to the stage of bartering, and even Cao Pi's re-minting of the Wuzhu coin was of no use.

The reason why Cao Wei could not reinstate the Wuzhu coin lies in the fact that Cao Pi was unaware that the Wuzhu coin became currency because it was backed by the Han dynasty. Furthermore, Cao Wei's practice of levying taxes in kind on the people meant that the Cao Wei government did not recognize the Wuzhu coin as legal tender, so why would the people use it?
For example, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Yuan government was repairing the Yellow River, but due to a tight treasury, it couldn't pay the laborers and had to temporarily issue paper money indiscriminately. The Yuan government didn't recognize this, so the laborers' money became worthless. Enraged, the laborers were instigated to launch the Red Turban Rebellion.

Therefore, the key to ensuring the circulation of currency lies not with the people, but with whether the imperial court is willing to endorse it. The best way to give currency circulation value is to make it an object of taxation. Only when officials gain the people's trust will the people be willing to follow the government's guidance.

Few people in the Han Dynasty understood economics. Jia Xu's ability to recognize the lack of market for coins and the potential reluctance of shipwrights to accept them was beyond the comprehension of many.

When it comes to economic regulation, probably no one in the late Han Dynasty understood it better than Zhang Yu!

After arranging the shipbuilding matters, Zhang Yu pointed to the navy and asked, "Besides building large ships, do any of you gentlemen have other ideas?"

"I have a base and despicable opinion, and I don't know whether I should say it or not!"

Huang Zhong stepped forward from the crowd and spoke.

"speak!"

"Your Majesty, although large ships can destroy small boats, I fear the enemy might use fire attacks. If we send small boats carrying firewood to approach the large ships and set them ablaze, burning the large ships, our army will surely be defeated!" Huang Zhong pondered for a moment and said, "Therefore, in my opinion, it would be better to select elite soldiers skilled in combat and send them in small boats to protect the large ships."

"allow!"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Han Sheng is the bravest in the army. Now that he has offered this plan, you shall implement it. Your soldiers shall focus on fighting. As for any missing supplies, please report to Military Advisor Xun."

"Yes!" Huang Zhong replied.

Seeing that there was nothing else to discuss, Zhang Yu casually asked, "What is Sun Ce's situation now?"

"Your Majesty!"

Guo Jia said, "Sun Ce failed to conquer the southern regions last year, and he annihilated many heroes and outstanding figures there. He also relocated 10,000 households of the southern barbarians to Bashu, where he strengthened his army and showed signs of regrouping. Now, Liu Bei and Cao Cao have both sent envoys westward, and it is expected that the alliance between the three will soon be finalized."

Zhang Yu remarked with emotion, "Sun Ce has great ambitions and refuses to be subservient to anyone. Now that he has conquered the south, he has no worries about the rear, and it will not be easy for our army to conquer him."

Guo Jia pondered for a moment and said, "Although Sun Ce is brave, he has slaughtered many heroes since he took control of Ba and Shu. Heroes are those who can win people's hearts, and the retainers and righteous men under his rule are all indignant. Therefore, in my opinion, even if Sun Ce is brave and resourceful, if he is unprepared for hunting and an assassin seeks revenge, he will be driven by the rage of a common man within five steps."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu glanced at Guo Jia, a thoughtful expression creeping onto his face.

Historically, Sun Ce died at the hands of an assassin, which brought fame to Guo Jia, and people were amazed by the accuracy of Guo Jia's prophecy. Now, judging from his own experience, the assassination of Sun Ce was not an unfounded rumor.

After all, in an era dominated by powerful clans, assassins were bound to be plentiful. For example, Liu Bei was attacked by assassins when he was in Pingyuan; and when Cao Cao was at war with Yuan Shao, an assassin nearly succeeded in killing Cao Cao.

Sun Ce's actions today mirror those in history; during his southern campaign against the Nanman, he slaughtered powerful clans and noble families. Given that these powerful clan members were driven by revenge, and Sun Ce's recklessness and lack of preparedness, assassination attempts are not impossible. (End of Chapter)