Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 328 The world is shaken! Zhu Di's fear as he approaches Yingtian!

"The so-called right to exempt taxes disrupts the foundation of the nation, jeopardizes its destiny, and throws the world into chaos."

"Therefore, the tax exemption privilege has caused chaos among the people, promoted land annexation, and allowed the powerful and wealthy to seize the land owned by the people by trickery and force, which is a great crime."

"This was Zhu Yuanzhang's mistake, and we should remember the lesson and never repeat it."

"With this as a warning, Zhu Yuanzhang should hold the world accountable. With this edict, he should make it clear to the world that Zhu Yuanzhang will never repeat this mistake."

Liu Jing read the imperial edict aloud, his voice carrying a solemn tone.

After hearing this imperial edict...

The surrounding people were all terrified.

"This...this is the Emperor's edict of self-reproach."

"How could this happen?"

"The Emperor actually issued an edict of self-reproach."

"His Majesty has been infinitely benevolent to the people of our Great Ming Dynasty. He is a diligent and good emperor. Yet he has issued an edict of self-reproach for this matter. This... this is truly a sage ruler for all ages."

"Yes."

"Land annexation and the powerful and wealthy seize land by trickery and force; perhaps even the emperor has been deceived."

……

With the issuance of this edict of self-reproach.

This was the greatest crime and the greatest punishment for the emperor.

Or.

Zhu Yuanzhang did indeed realize that he had made a mistake in this matter, and he used this edict of self-reproach to warn the powerful and wealthy people in the country, as well as his sons.

In order to ensure the implementation of this national policy.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the mighty Ming Dynasty, issued an edict of self-reproach, which set an example—an example of acknowledging the mistakes of the national policies he had previously established.

Anyone who openly defies national policy is going against Zhu Yuanzhang.

"As you have all heard."

"This decree is an edict of self-reproach issued by the Emperor himself. When the Emperor established the power of tax exemption in the past, it was to bestow grace upon meritorious officials and talented individuals."

"However, the Ming Dynasty has only been established for twenty-four years, so the right to tax exemption has caused many injustices and unfair treatments to our Ming Dynasty."

"After being advised by the eldest grandson of the emperor, the emperor realized the harm brought about by the implementation of this tax exemption policy. Therefore, today we should announce to the world that the right to exempt taxes will be terminated."

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen to His Majesty proclaim a brand-new national policy to the world, a policy that benefits the country and its people and bestows blessings upon all people under heaven."

"This national policy was proposed by the eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, and implemented despite strong opposition."

Liu Jing spoke with a solemn expression.

immediately.

He then took the official proclamation of this national policy from the hands of his attendant.

"The Emperor, by the order of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, declares!"

"Now, in the autumn of the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu, the Great Ming Dynasty has been established for twenty-four years."

"Of course."

"Due to flaws in national policies, the fundamental interests of the Ming Dynasty and the interests of all its people have been greatly harmed because of the tax exemption for the powerful and wealthy."

"Therefore."

"From this day forward, I hereby abolish all tax exemptions. All princes, nobles, scholars who have passed the imperial examinations, and all subjects of my Great Ming Dynasty shall pay taxes legally. There shall be no more tax exemptions, and no more tax-exempt persons."

"This is one of the national policies."

"Second."

"National policies concerning taxation."

"The poll tax has been in place for thousands of years since the existence of China, and it has remained unchanged."

"Of course."

"The eldest grandson of the emperor pointed out the drawbacks of the poll tax. First, the powerful and wealthy have seized land, leaving countless ordinary people with no land to cultivate. They have to pay exorbitant rents to rent land, bear the rents and taxes, and live in constant fear of poverty. This is the first drawback."

"The world is vast, and people are scattered, making it difficult to completely count household registrations."

"Many people who do not own land are required to pay taxes."

Those who own a lot of land are exempt from taxes.

“Such tax policies are truly unfair, unfair to all the people of the world, and unfair to those who toil their whole lives but cannot find peace.”

"This is the second drawback."

"Therefore."

"The eldest grandson of the emperor, Zhu Xiong Ying, proposed a new national policy, namely the policy of 'integrating the poll tax into the land tax.' After discussions between the emperor and the crown prince, this policy was determined to be the foundation for the future collection of taxes by our great Ming Dynasty."

"From today onwards."

"Announce to the world that the original poll tax is abolished and replaced with the land tax."

"The previous practice of our Great Ming Dynasty levying taxes based on the number of registered residents is hereby abolished."

"From this day forward, our Great Ming Dynasty will collect taxes based on the area of land. During the implementation phase of this national policy, the tax rate will be set at two-tenths."

"This decree is hereby proclaimed to the world, by imperial decree."

With a sense of awe, Liu Jing solemnly read the words aloud.

As Liu Jing finished speaking...

The countless people gathered around all wore expressions of shock, and at that moment, there was an indescribable silence.

This imperial edict was drafted by the Ministry of Rites, but it was easy to understand.

Everyone clearly understood a key point.

There will be no more poll tax.

From now on, taxes will be levied based on the amount of land owned.

Just that.

This is enough to inspire countless people.

but.

Some of these still need to be determined.

"May I ask, Your Excellency, Minister?"

"Does this mean that taxes will no longer be levied on those who do not own land?"

A middle-aged man asked with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

And this question.

Everyone around was watching Liu Jing, waiting for his answer.

If that's really the case, then that would be fantastic news.

"As for the collection of grain tax alone, it is not collected if there is no land."

"The poll tax no longer exists in our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Only those who own land are subject to taxation. The more land one owns, the more taxes one pays. Those who own no land are exempt from grain tax," Liu Jing said loudly with a smile.

The reason why the Minister was personally sent to proclaim the imperial edict was to demonstrate the Emperor's high regard for this national policy, to legitimize the Ming Dynasty's policies, and to ensure that the people would have complete faith in the policy, given the Minister's authority.

"Really?"

"If that's the case, then we won't need to pay taxes anymore, and we won't need to spend exorbitant rents to lease land."

"Yes."

"Great."

"This...this is truly a national policy that benefits the country and its people. No one has to pay taxes if they don't own land. That's wonderful."

"From now on, my family will finally be able to live a better life. Haha, that's great."

"No wonder those noble lords have been frantically selling off land these past two days; it turns out they already knew about the new tax policy that was going to be implemented."

"This is great news! There's no more poll tax, so we won't have to pay exorbitant rents anymore."

"The conversion of land tax to poll tax is truly beneficial to the country and the people. This is the Emperor's grace to us ordinary people."

"The more land a family owns, the more taxes they have to pay. Those noble lords are in for a tough time this time..."

"Gentlemen, please don't forget that this was proposed by His Highness Prince Yu Huai, the eldest grandson of the emperor."

"Heaven has eyes! We have the Emperor, a wise ruler for all time, and the benevolent Crown Prince. Now that the eldest grandson of the Emperor has returned, he is even more considerate of the people's suffering. That is why there is such a benevolent national policy for us commoners."

"Well said, that's right."

"His Highness the Crown Prince grew up among the common people, so naturally he cares about them and knows their hardships."

"Our Great Ming Dynasty has three generations of wise rulers, so why should we worry about not living a good life?"

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Crown Prince, long live the eldest grandson of the Emperor."

"Heaven has eyes..."

this moment.

After Liu Jing directly explained the fundamental principle of merging the poll tax into the land tax, it naturally excited countless people around him, who cheered enthusiastically.

The entire place where the imperial edict was proclaimed was in an uproar, with shouts of "Long live Zhu Yuanzhang and his three generations of descendants!" echoing continuously, the sounds transforming into surging waves of heat that spread layer by layer.

See this scene.

A smile appeared on Liu Jing's face.

"The policies of the eldest grandson of the emperor are truly beneficial to the country and its people." "As long as these policies are implemented, the strength of our Great Ming will become even stronger."

Looking at the moving and exciting scene around us, this was no illusion.

Although the interests of the powerful and wealthy were affected, the interests of tens of millions of Ming Dynasty citizens were preserved, and the prestige of the Ming court and the three generations of Zhu Yuanzhang and his grandsons became even more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Under this situation.

If the Ming Dynasty had been established for more than fifty or even a hundred years, the powerful and wealthy class would have been firmly established and deeply entrenched.

This policy of merging land tax with poll tax would be difficult to implement.

But now.

The founding emperor was still on the throne, his power was unparalleled, and the army was completely under his control.

Although there may be some resistance, it will not be too great given the overall trend.

"Pass on this document to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat."

"The Emperor's decree was sent to all prefectures and counties by fast horses."

"The Ming Dynasty should implement this national policy as soon as possible."

"The sooner the imperial decree arrives, the sooner all the people of our Great Ming Dynasty can enjoy the blessings from the court," Liu Jing immediately said to the two vice ministers behind him.

"Your subordinates obey," the two accompanying vice ministers replied immediately.

Inside the palace!
The main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was dealing with the memorials, suddenly stopped, pricked up his ears, as if he had heard something.

"Did you hear anything?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked Yun Qi, who was standing to the side.

"This old servant heard you, but I couldn't make it out," Yun Qi replied respectfully.

It's also at this time!
"See His Highness the Crown Prince."

A sound came from outside the hall, and servants knelt down to pay their respects.

Zhu Biao waved his hand and walked into the main hall with a smile on his face.

"father."

"Did you hear that?"

"The entire city of Yingtian is celebrating, it's even more lively than the New Year."

Upon Zhu Biao's arrival, he spoke with great emotion.

"It seems the response to this national policy announcement has been quite positive," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

"The response was more than just positive."

"He has won the hearts of the people. The entire city of Yingtian is now shouting 'Long live the Emperor!' Of course, this includes my son and Xiong Ying."

"Everyone is saying that Heaven is protecting our Ming Dynasty and that there will be three generations of wise rulers," Zhu Biao said with a happy expression.

To receive such praise from the common people is the greatest honor for an emperor.

Moreover, these three generations of the family were all wise rulers, which will be a beautiful story in the future history.

"This is still Yingtian City, right under our noses."

"The people were so excited."

"When these national policies truly reach all prefectures and counties, then the people's hearts will truly be won over," Zhu Yuanzhang said with great longing.

For Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although he had selfish motives towards his own descendants, he also had benevolence towards the people of the world. The reason he was so strict with officials was so that the people of the world could live a good life.

Now that this national policy is truly enabling people across the land to live a good life, Zhu Yuanzhang is naturally very pleased.

This was all suggested by my own grandson.

"Biao'er."

“We have already issued a secret decree to Lan Yu and the others, and also have troops stationed in various prefectures and regions.”

"If anyone dares to defy this national policy, we have already granted the army the authority to deal with them on the spot."

"Please pay close attention to this matter as well."

"The implementation of national policies cannot be delayed; it should be carried out in this initial stage," Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

"Please rest assured, Father."

“My son has been keeping an eye on things,” Zhu Biao replied immediately.

"Hmm." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then asked, "Where have your brothers gone?"

"We should be able to reach Yingtian within half a month," Zhu Biao said with a smile.

"That kid U.A. might have foreseen this."

"With your brothers gone from their fiefdoms, national policies can be implemented more effectively."

"This kid..." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a wry smile.

Although it was Zhu Ying who issued the decree to summon the princes to the palace, it would be strange if there were no connection between the two.

"Anyway."

"The foundation of the nation is paramount." Zhu Biao stood on the side of his son, and even more so on the side of the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

"Yes."

"The foundation of the nation is paramount."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement, his mind filled with endless thoughts.

……

Within the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture!
A cavalry convoy is traveling on the official road.

They were all dressed in royal guard armor, and their banners bore the name "Yan".

It was Zhu Di's carriage that was escorted by eight hundred royal guards.

"Your Highness, we have now reached the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture, and we will arrive in Yangzhou City in two more days," Zhu Neng reported respectfully as he rode his horse closer to the royal carriage.

"Once we arrive in Yangzhou, it will be less than ten days' journey from Yingtian Prefecture."

"That really is fast."

Zhu Di spoke slowly, his face showing a solemn expression.

If it weren't for Zhu Yuanzhang's decree, he really wouldn't have wanted to come to Yingtian to pay homage. As for Zhu Di, he had a vague feeling in his heart that if he really went to Yingtian, it would be like entering the gates of hell, and he would never come out.

It was precisely because of Zhu Yuanzhang's decree.

This made Zhu Di not even dare to feign illness, because it was his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, not his elder brother.

Feigning illness wouldn't work on Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Husband."

"You've been so worried the whole way. What happened?"

Inside the carriage, Xu Miaoyun looked at Zhu Di with great concern.

From the moment he received the imperial decree until he set off.

Zhu Di's expression was not pleasant; he seemed very resistant.

This puzzled Xu Miaoyun.

In the past, Zhu Di would have been very happy to receive an imperial decree to come to the capital for an audience.

This time, however, it was completely different.

"fine."