Chapter 270: Those who know current affairs are heroes

"Since Kong brother can recognize that this policy is a benevolent policy and a good policy,

rather than thinking it is a tyrannical policy or an evil policy like other gentry,

it shows that you have the people of the world in your heart, Kong brother; you are worthy of being a descendant of the Kong Sage."

Zhang Jie, who got the answer he wanted, smiled with satisfaction and gave Kong Duanyou a high hat.

He didn't know much about this Yansheng Duke, Kong Duanyou,

and the only memory that was relatively deep was after the Jingkang Incident, when the Jin Dynasty invaded,

Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong were packed and taken back to Wuguocheng, and the Northern Song Dynasty was declared destroyed,

he carried the family heirlooms of the Kong family, such as the wood statue of Confucius and Lady Qiguan, and followed Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Southern Song Dynasty to cross the south in the second year of Jianyan (1128),

finally settling in Quzhou, Zhejiang, and establishing the Southern Kong Temple,

which could be considered the founder of the Southern Kong among the later North and South Kongs.

In terms of later reputation, the Southern Kong was better than the Northern Kong that bowed to the island nation's Emperor,

but now it seems that this Yansheng Duke still inherited the soft knees unique to the Yansheng Duke in the same line.

However, he was not trying to criticize Kong Duanyou now;

he needed such a hero who knows current affairs.

Marx, who wrote the Red Bible, hit the nail on the head about the relationship between government and taxation:

Taxation is the wet nurse that feeds the government.

The government must obtain fiscal revenue through taxation to maintain the normal operation of the state machine,

such as the administrative system, military, and public services.

Looking at the rise and fall of successive dynasties, there is no doubt that it all started from not being able to collect taxes.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it faced the problem of an increasingly large population,

while the land in the Yellow Register was becoming less and less, and tax revenue was becoming less and less.

By the Chongzhen Dynasty, the dignified Great Ming Dynasty couldn't even come up with enough military expenses.

It made a joke of "The Ming army is not satisfied with rations, and if they are fully satisfied, they cannot be defeated; where can they be fully satisfied? Manchuria's Huang Taiji!"

By the time Chongzhen bitterly begged the ministers to donate money to help with rations,

the civil and military officials were all crying poor, donating a few months or half a year's salary to finish it.

And Li Zicheng entered the capital and clamped out tens of millions of taels of silver with torture tools.

The Manchu Qing, relying on the bloody knife of the Eight Banners at the beginning, killed the Jiangnan gentry until heads rolled,

and collected the taxes in full or even in excess, which allowed for Kangxi's pacification of the Three Feudatories and collection of Taiwan,

Yongzheng's great victory in the Northwest, and Qianlong's so-called "Ten Perfect Military Achievements."

By the time the Eight Banners were no longer working, and the Banner officials also started to be brothers with the Han officials,

the taxes couldn't be collected, and various governors who held local military and political power appeared.

Taxation is the lifeline of a regime!

As the founding monarch, Zhang Jie naturally wanted to take the opportunity to build the tax system well.

He wanted to let these gentry know that under his rule, only death and taxes are inevitable!

Withdrawing his scattered thoughts, Zhang Jie continued:

"Since Kong brother also thinks this is a benevolent policy, why not be this propaganda ambassador?

I think after this matter, Kong brother's reputation as a descendant of the Kong Sage and concerned about the world will surely resound throughout the world!"

'Propaganda ambassador?'

Although he hadn't heard of this position before, Kong Duanyou could roughly guess what this was going to do from the name.

This was to let him, Kong Duanyou, use the reputation of the Kong Sage's descendant and Yansheng Duke to become the vanguard of promoting the new policy!

But, but this is to go against the scholars and gentry of the world!

His Kong family relies on the legacy of his ancestor Confucius to have some reputation,

and is also regarded as the model for the scholars of the world, but these are all empty!

Their Kong family is just a tool and a mascot used by the Great Song Emperor for propaganda.

A tool, a mascot should do is to be a good mud sculpture and wooden plastic on the altar,

if it had its own thoughts and wanted to guide the master to do things, then its end could be imagined.

'Not a human son, simply not a human son!'

Kong Duanyou cursed in his heart.

Looking at Zhang Jie's smiling face, he simply wanted to go up and give him a few old punches,

to let him know why the flowers are so red!

"Zhengdao, you will be the deputy propaganda ambassador and assist Kong brother."

Without waiting for Kong Duanyou to speak, Zhang Jie directly made arrangements.

Wang Lun, who had been standing behind Zhang Jie like a door god, stepped forward to Kong Duanyou and bowed with a smile:

"Yansheng Duke, please give me more advice in the future."

After the performance just now, he discovered that this so-called descendant of the Kong Sage

was just an ordinary person with two noses, two eyes, ears, and a mouth.

In front of their Liang Shan bombs and muskets, there is no descendant of a sage, all living beings are equal!

Kong Duanyou still wanted to say something, such as delaying some time, or politely refusing,

but looking at the gentle Zhang Jie and the smiling Wang Lun in front of him;

and then using the corner of his eye to look at the guards around him, each of them filled with murderous aura,

his words of refusal and delay got stuck in his throat and he couldn't say a word.

Perhaps the liquidation of other scholars and the Great Song Emperor was far away, but if he offended this Benevolent King now,

he wouldn't be able to walk out of this hall today.

Perhaps under the deterrence of the Kong Sage, the Benevolent King wouldn't dare to let the Yansheng Duke disappear,

but he, Kong Duanyou, is the Yansheng Duke, and the Yansheng Duke is not him, Kong Duanyou!

There are countless people in the Kong family who are willing to inherit the name of Yansheng Duke.

Killing him, Kong Duanyou, the Benevolent King could support another Yansheng Duke at any time.

Helpless, Kong Duanyou had to reluctantly bow to Zhang Jie:

"The Benevolent King is so kind, I will not refuse."

"Haha!"

Zhang Jie laughed and pulled Kong Duanyou's hand, saying very cordially:

"Getting Kong brother is like a fish getting water!"

Those who know current affairs are heroes; this Yansheng Duke is clearly such a hero.

After Zhang Jie left, a group of gentry gathered together secretly.

"What to do, are we really going to pay taxes to this so-called Benevolent King in the future?"

A wealthy gentleman was anxious, and after sitting down,

he didn't even have time to drink tea before asking.

"What else can we do?

If we are not as strong as others, what can we do?"

A local gentry shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Alas!"

Mentioning Zhang Jie's terrifying military power, the gentry sighed in unison.

Just from the terrifying weapons and elite soldiers that the Liang Shan army mastered today,

this Great Song is afraid it is finished.

Paying once or twice is fine, just treat it as feeding the dog,

but if this becomes a law, the new dynasty will always be on them, the gentry, sucking blood!

Thinking that in the future there will be no more privileges, and they can no longer evade taxes, they felt heartbroken.

That is white silver; are they just going to give it to the bandit leader, the Benevolent King?

"This Great Song imperial court is truly trash, even a third-place winner can be forced to rebel!"

Unable to do anything to Zhang Jie, the gentry aimed their spearheads at the Great Song that forced him to rebel.

They were all locals of Qingzhou and were very familiar with Zhang Jie's status as a Jieyuan.

In the township examination that Zhang Jie participated in, there were quite a few candidates who were their own family members.

After all, without enough silver to support, where would ordinary people have the ability to take the township examination?

At the same time, their families also had relationships in Bianliang and knew a lot about this imperial examination.

They thought that Zhang Jie was not liked by the Emperor in Bianliang, and even if he won the third place in the imperial examination,

he was demoted to the "three-no" official position of Qingzhou Tuanlian Vice-Commissioner with "no position, no power, no money,"

and his life was basically ruined, and he would never be able to turn over again.

But what they never expected was that in such a short time,

a generation of third-place winners had transformed into a giant bandit who commanded a large stronghold like Liang Shan,

and even led troops to take down Qingzhou, and even the Great Song was afraid it was not his opponent.

"Don't fear an opponent like a god, fear a teammate like a pig."

For some reason, this sentence floated in everyone's hearts.

Even a dignified third-place winner could be forced to rebel; this Great Song imperial court was as stupid as a pig,

especially when this third-place winner had such earth-shattering talent. ===== CHAPTER 271 =====