Chapter 1365

Fifteen shi of grain is about 450 Han jin.

A family of three, based on one jin of grain per day plus some wild vegetables, would consume nearly 400 jin in a year.

If the court collects taxes, it was 30-tax-1 in the Guangwu period, 10-tax-1 in the An Emperor period, and as for when Liu Hong was on the throne, it needed 10-tax-2.

One million shi of grain would almost empty the surplus grain in the homes of all the people in Jizhou.

But if it were really just like this, it wouldn't be unacceptable.

But the actual problem was not like this.

A large part of the land in the hands of the common people was not their own.

It was forcibly occupied by powerful clans and then rented to farmers.

In addition to paying taxes, farmers also had to pay land rent to the powerful clans.

Farmers needed to pay half of the grain harvested from the land to the powerful clans every year.

If calculated this way, after farming for a year, the remaining grain in the hands of the farmers was only half, which was about two hundred jin of grain.

It was barely enough for a family to survive, and they also needed family members to perform corvée labor, and plant mulberry and raise silkworms to supplement it to survive.

There was no extra money to pay taxes.

And powerful clans and aristocratic families did not pay taxes at all.

If on this basis, Jizhou's annual total grain production was 27 million, after removing the half paid to the powerful clans, if another 1 million in taxes were paid to Luoyang...

Transporting grain loses three or four out of ten, and according to this ratio, to transport one million shi of grain to Luoyang, one million five hundred thousand would have to be collected.

Directly extracting two-tenths of the rations of the people of Jizhou.

This is equivalent to taking lives.

At this moment, Yuan Shao, sitting in the main seat, looked at the imperial edict in front of him with a heavy expression.

And the people sitting below the hall were here for the council.

Xu You, dressed in a gray robe, sat in the first seat to the left of Yuan Shao.

Following him were Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Feng Ji, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping.

Sitting in the seat to the right were Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Cui Yan, and others.

And at this moment, regarding the court's collection of one million shi of grain tax, the hall was also divided into two factions like the seating.

Only Xu You, wearing a gray robe and a high mountain crown, stroked his chin's beard lightly, as if he were an outsider.

The Yingchuan aristocratic group led by Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Feng Ji, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping, and the Jizhou local aristocratic group led by Tian Feng and others had a fierce quarrel and completely opposite opinions.

"Guo Tu, what kind of talk is this."

Tian Feng glared at Guo Tu and said sternly: "How can there be a reason for changing the morning order in the evening? The Governor requested the court to exempt Jizhou from taxes for one year, so the people could live in peace and support the Governor so much. Now you want to change the order and collect taxes. What will the people think?"

"Has the warning from the past been forgotten so quickly?"

"Jizhou has just pacified the turmoil. If you say this, you are pushing the people of Jizhou into a fire pit. Now the court situation is turbulent, and Duan Yu in Chang'an is eyeing it covetously. If Jizhou is in turmoil again, will you take the blame?"

Guo Tu turned his head away disdainfully and snorted: "Tian Feng, you are being too serious."

"This is the court's imperial edict, not the Governor's proposal. Even if the people have resentment in their hearts, it is toward the court, not the Governor."

"Don't tell me you want the Governor to defy the imperial edict?"

The endless quarrel between the two sides made Yuan Shao dizzy.

"Alright, stop arguing." Yuan Shao frowned and waved his hand to interrupt the two who had been arguing all morning without results: "Is there no win-win solution?"

Guo Tu sneered and looked at Tian Feng: "Naturally there is, unless this one million shi of grain is paid by Tian Biejia and others. I heard that Tian Biejia and others have quite a lot of family assets."

"Guo Tu, you are talking nonsense, why don't you pay!" Tian Feng retorted.

The quarrel that Yuan Shao had just suppressed immediately erupted again.

"I would like to pay, but my home is not in Jizhou!" Guo Tu sneered and replied.

"Stop!"

The helpless Yuan Shao waved his hand and frowned: "Dismissed, dismissed, all dismissed, we will discuss it another day!"

Yuan Shao, with a head as big as a bucket, stood up and turned to walk toward the back of the Council Hall.

And the two groups of Guo Tu and Tian Feng divided into two factions and walked out of the Council Hall.