Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 224, Section 223: Salt Tax Reform
Ji Heng frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time.

The salt and iron industry is of great importance, so how can the salt tax be changed lightly?

Moreover, ordinary people buy very little salt anyway, so if the salt tax is reduced, wouldn't their income be even lower?
Qin Shi did not urge them.

In fact, what she wanted to change was not just the salt tax.

They even wanted Ji Heng to [travel through the forbidden mountains and marshes].

This policy, implemented by Emperor Wen of Han (Liu Heng) to enrich and support the people, allowed them to have more ways to support themselves by loosening the state's monopoly on natural resources such as mountains, forests, and lakes. It also laid a solid foundation for the "Reign of Wen and Jing" in the early Han Dynasty.

After the area was opened to the public, people went into the mountains to hunt, gather firewood, cut down some trees, and dig up some medicinal herbs...

These are all normal private activities and will not be subject to taxes or crimes.

If there is really no food at home, one can go into the mountains to dig up grass and eat tree leaves to survive for a while.

Unlike today, back in Pinyang, when Qin Shi asked about the persimmon trees, a folk girl named Chou'er boldly spoke up, saying there was an early-ripening persimmon tree in the mountains, but her mother hurriedly stopped her...

Those all belong to the King!
Now, the only thing we can do is start by persuading people to pay the salt tax!
There was no experience in governing a country during the Qin Dynasty.

I wouldn't dare claim that I have a talent for this.

However, following the example and implementing benevolent policies is always a good thing.

Moreover, Ji Heng faced far more resistance from civil and military officials in governing than Liu Heng did.

This is because the entire Qin state relies on his absolute power; once he utters a word, everything is utterly destroyed.

Even Emperor Taizong of Tang had Wei Zheng, a stubborn man, to obstruct him in various ways. But looking at the entire Qin state, even the prime minister, who was second only to the King of Qin in the court, was just a deaf and mute old man in his daily life.

Whatever the king says, then we shall do.

He said whatever the king thought.

Pity.

Qin Shi even felt a little regretful: if the Qin state were to follow the Huang-Lao philosophy of governance, and if Prime Minister Wang Fu had such a character, his evaluation in historical records would be no less than that of Prime Minister Cao Can, who "followed the rules of Xiao He and Cao Shen."

She slowly and deliberately traced the strokes of the seal script again—the clerical script begins with a reverse stroke and continues with a central stroke, but the seal script requires a rounded beginning and ending.

Today, the official script in the Qin court is still seal script, while clerical script is only used for information circulation among the common people and the lower and middle classes.

Furthermore, seal script is difficult to distinguish, while clerical script is much simpler.

Therefore, she could only be patient, and her learning progress was not fast; she simply continued writing day after day without stopping.

Ji Heng was initially feeling somewhat annoyed and did not accept the Queen's suggestion, but seeing that the other party was still practicing calligraphy at a leisurely pace, he couldn't help but watch quietly for a while.

Only after the seal script on the paper was completed did he ask:

"The Queen made a suggestion, but she didn't strongly persuade me. What if I don't agree?"

Qin Shi, however, seemed oblivious, and calmly put down his pen, saying:
"This world belongs to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not agree, there is nothing I can do."

Then she laughed again, and gently took Ji Heng's hand: "If I beg the king a little more, will he agree?"

She nestled closer, her eyes filled with unmistakable trust and pleading.

For a rare moment, Ji Heng looked bewildered, but after a short while, he immediately opened his mouth to refuse.

He was about to say something like, "Major state affairs cannot be changed by whining..."

But before he could speak, Qin Shi continued:
"The national treasury is empty, and Your Majesty's private treasury is also growing thin. It is clear that Your Majesty will have to manage the finances well."

"Hasn't this always been the way of the common people? Women manage the household finances, and by being thrifty and saving money, they can make a living."

“The local private salt fields were nationalized, and an extremely low salt tax was set. Then, only a few coins were added on top of that to sell the salt to the people.”

"Whether farming or serving in the military, people need salt to maintain their strength. If a stone of salt only costs thirty coins, then eight or nine out of ten families should be able to afford it."

At this time, the reliance on manpower was quite heavy. If there was any way to increase strength and do more work, the people would tighten their belts and work diligently. Of course, Qin Shi didn't care about the difficulties in implementation or whether everyone would rush to buy salt as she envisioned—

That's something that officials at all levels will take care of.

What she needs to do now is to make the data sound more appealing, create more beautiful presentation slides, and paint a more convincing picture of the future.

Isn't this how it's always been done to attract investment?
If you don't paint a more appealing picture of the future and exaggerate the data, how can the other party be willing to invest?
Among these, the most intuitive digital demonstrations are still indispensable today.

"My Qin state now has a population of about 25 million. Due to years of war, families are not wealthy. If we only calculate an average of five people per household, there are still 5 million households."

"If we assume that 80% of people consume salt, then there are 4 million households."

“These 4 million households can earn 120 million coins a year just from salt alone, at 30 coins per coin.”

"Let's call it 12000 gold."

This is the official circulation figure today, but in reality, the conversion formula between one gold tael and half a tael of Qin tael is often linked to grain.

When grain prices are low, the exchange rate is also low.

When grain prices are high, the exchange rate is also high.

During the Qin Dynasty, it was only used as a casual example.

"Of this twelve thousand taels of gold, two thousand taels will be used to consolidate the salt fields, pay employee salaries, and cover transportation costs, etc..."

She seemed to be rambling on casually, before asking a question with surprise:

"May I ask Your Majesty, how much tax revenue does the Qin state collect in a year?"

Ji Heng remained silent for a moment.

say what?
It is said that even at the height of the nation's prosperity, when Shang Yang used reforms to enrich the national treasury, it took more than ten years, and the highest amount of tax revenue in the treasury was no more than 40 gold.

This is still the strongest reserve for preparations for war.

Now, after the war, everything is in ruins, the population is dwindling, and tax collection is a difficult task.

As a result, the Qin state returned to the state before Shang Yang's reforms, unable to even raise 3 gold coins a year.

Of these 30,000 taels of gold, 10,000 taels came from the salt officials of the Imperial Household Department who granted special privileges to merchants.

Although this was just a simple monetary tax, there were also other items such as grain, silkworms, cloth, pearls, gems, feathers, and pig bristles.

But the salt tax was so heavy that it took to collect such a sum of money!
But according to the Queen, as long as the salt fields are nationalized, taxes and prices are reduced, and the people buy them, the income will not decrease...

Ji Heng frowned.

He knew that things would not go as smoothly as the Queen had said. The people of Qin were poor, and it was wishful thinking for eight out of ten families to come and buy them.

But, if people eat more salt, they'll be able to do things faster, right?
His imperial highways were straightened, the Ling Canal was repaired, and the Great Wall was rebuilt...

Moreover, since he has spoken on the matter, and has said that corvée labor will be reduced, the population will surely increase in the next year or two.

Does that mean we won't buy salt this year, nor next year or the year after?

However, if the franchise is handed over to a businessman, the annual franchise fee will be a fixed amount.

His inner balance wavered instantly.

Qin Shi sighed silently to himself.

We really need a Sang Hongyang right now!
She had done everything in her power regarding finances, but this was all she could manage to conjure up.

　There is a preface chapter at the end.

　　(End of this chapter)