It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 352



Only Noblemtl
Read Novel Noblemtl

Episode 352. Shaking my country (2)

“My country’s poll tax…”

I chewed over this word ‘poll tax’.

This also appears in the history of Yuan.

I’m not talking about the Han Dynasty founded by Liu Bang.

The Han Dynasty is also famous for its poll tax… but the Han Dynasty only collected the poll tax. However, the Spring and Autumn Period was a little different.

You can know this by looking at the anecdotes of Jehwan-gong, Kang So-baek, and Gwan-o.

-These days, there are many wars and the government is having a hard time, so how about we collect an additional poll tax like other countries?

Yes, that’s right.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the poll tax was not a ‘basic tax’ but an ‘additional tax’. Basically, the land tax was collected, and the poll tax was added to it.

At this, Guanwu shook his head.

-If there is a poll tax, people won’t have children.

-But if not, where do you get the money from?

-People like it when you give them, but they get angry when you take it away. It is better to collect taxes invisibly. And if you are going to do it, it is better to collect from the rich.

-It’s not easy to walk away from the rich.

-Instead of raising taxes, we need to make people pay money to the country without even knowing it.

The coffin immediately buys and sells fruit and utensils through orchards and craftsmen who make utensils.

And they hold grand ceremonies. They hold ceremonies not only for the royal family of their country, but also for the high-ranking officials.

The gentlemen who saw this asked their lord.

-Well… My king held a memorial service for my meritorious subjects, but by any chance, your highness… Ahem.

Under this pressure, the great lords also began to perform ancestral rites for their vassals. In this ancestral rite fever, the first things to rise in price were the ancestral rites essential items, the offerings and fruits.

And since the government had already bought and sold these items, it was possible to expand tax revenues and, conversely, reduce taxes for the farmers.

It doesn’t end here.

– Also, it is important to bring in invisible taxes.

He arrests 900 prostitutes who do not pay taxes.

-You prostitutes were usually ignored, and even when you died, no one recognized you. But now, you are citizens of the country. Who would ignore you?

In this way, the government made these people into national subjects, taught them music and academics, and made them high-class prostitutes to entertain merchants, travelers, and nobles.

-Luxury is better than frugality. A frugal country cannot develop. The king and nobles should step forward and indulge in luxury. If one noble indulges in luxury, a hundred peasants will make money.

This is considered the world’s first public prostitution system, and the Chinese entertainment industry sees Guanwu as its starting point. In this way, Guanwu expanded taxes through indirect taxes and luxury taxes.

However, in this history there was no Guan O.

Kang So-baek created a poll tax that was not an indirect tax or a luxury tax, but simply a ‘visible’ tax.

As Guan Yi said, this tax increase did not result in ‘everyone not having children’.

When the tax rate reaches around 70%, like in Japan’s Warring States period, a culture of child-rearing emerges, but my country is not at that level.

Although a decline in the population growth rate was unavoidable, the population increased even more through the war waged with the financial expansion through the poll tax, so it was a successful bill.

‘Until now, you know.’

If only I could suck honey from the poll tax.

It’s time to give it a try.

***

Sister-in-law, north of here.

It didn’t take long for news of Asadal to spread throughout the former territory of the Yan Kingdom.

“Does Asadal really only pay one-tenth? Just like us, they only pay one-tenth in words, and on top of that, they also take land tax and poll tax?”

“No! Just a tenth of the amount!”

“How on earth does Asadal run the country with that?”

Actually, there are many reasons for that.

Vast amounts of wealth were accumulated through the spice routes and meadow roads.

By using the Asadal granary to buy rice in good years and sell it in bad years, the country’s wealth is accumulated.

Gold and silver are constantly flowing in from the gold mines of Seorabeolbu and the silver mines of the archipelago, so the national treasury is also quite strong.

They are targeting the money of the wealthy, not the peasants, by imposing huge luxury taxes on numerous luxury goods.

He keeps an eye on the rich and sometimes gives them horses as gifts.

Isn’t this just giving more to those who have more?

How much does it cost to raise a horse? It is given to us to maintain cavalry power and save money on raising horses.

Since it is a national treasure, if you are caught throwing it away or killing it, you will be fined heavily.

Nowadays, depending on the region, instead of horses, they give mulberry or paper mulberry seedlings. This is better than collecting progressive taxes by checking the yield of each harvest.

By running the economy this way, there is no need to collect a lot of taxes from small-scale farmers.

But Asadal, who occupied this area, did not answer like this. It was too difficult to say everything. He answered in a more cheerful, refreshing, and attractive way.

“Asadal… the rich pay a lot of taxes!”

“what?”

“Just for this battle, Poongbaek and Gwan-o emptied all their private wealth to prepare their armies! They also emptied the private wealth of countless other rich people!”

At those words, the people were shocked.

“The nobles of the Central Plains don’t pay taxes?”

That goes without saying.

Whether they are nobles, great-great-great-great-great-great-great, or private, they are given the right to collect taxes, which is the right to collect taxes. In return, they do not receive a separate salary.

“And you’re saying you’re stealing your own property? I’ve never heard of such a thing! All I do is drive trams and go around collecting taxes!”

The word itself is strange.

Even if this is the Central Plains, a country with a population of 20 million in an era when the world population is 200 million, private soldiers do not come out by digging the ground.

Of course, these elite soldiers are created by the lords by emptying their pockets, and they are the first resource to be called up and consumed when war breaks out.

In fact, the fact that gold was offered when war broke out and the fact that soldiers made of gold were offered are in the same context.

When you originally dislike someone, a lot of unreasonable things tend to come out.

Of course, the godfather and the sons did not stay still.

“What on earth are you guys talking about now!”

The commander of Yeonseo, who had surrendered to Asadal a while ago, shouted.

You may wonder why I’m saying this when I’ve already surrendered… but it was worth it.

Although he surrendered to Asadal, his son is fighting hard on the front lines for his country.

In this situation, if Asadal wins, both he and his family will live, and even if Kang So-baek wins… even if he has to kill himself, his family itself will be preserved for the sake of his son.

Moreover, the character of the great lord is basically that of a local leader. The people of the region followed him or his family.

Whether it’s Asadal or Je Nara, it would be difficult to just abandon them like this.

Because of this calculation, Yeonseo Daeboo got on the rope.

But what about now?

-You bastard! Are you still in power after doing that?

The very ‘people’ who are their very foundation are directly opposing it.

“When war breaks out, the lords use their private wealth to expand the army, and taxes… What on earth are they talking about? Just like Asadal receives a salary, we receive a water supply!”

Yeonseo Daeboo made an excuse while sweating profusely.

Then the people asked,

“Oh? Well said. Then where is the army?”

“…What?”

“Where is the army that was supposed to protect us? The army of our country, created with our taxes!”

“They are now in the states of Lu and Song…”

“The countries of Lu and Song, which are a hundred miles away from us? No, honestly, do they really exist? Are you just casually answering that they are far away?”

“It exists! It exists!”

“If there is, it would be even stranger! Asadal-kun is so close, but I can’t even see him! Where on earth is he?”

Actually, even Yeonseo Daebu was curious about that.

Where did the army go?

“I, I don’t know…”

The Yeonseo Daebu swore that he only told the truth.

“Are you still evading the truth? It’s obvious that you guys ate it all up! If not, where did the grain that was exchanged for Asadal’s sugar come from?”

This is similar to the teacher’s question, ‘How many times will you get hit?’ No matter what you answer, you will be hit appropriately.

But in the meantime.

“Tea, warehouse…”

“The grain must have come from the warehouse!”

“I’ll give you all the sugar and cloves! Just let me live!”

Still, the godfather, being a godfather, showed his wit by finding the perfect model answer and answering it.

Soon the warehouse door opened, and Yeonseo Daebu was barely able to escape from the angry people and return home.

“Father, are you okay?”

“You guys too, what is that appearance?”

There were vassals who had suffered similar things, their faces bleeding. Most of them were old men, as the young men had gone to the front lines.

They probably haven’t found an answer as wise as I have. Or maybe they haven’t stocked up their warehouse as well as I have. One of them asked.

“What should we do about this?”

The public sentiment around Gyehyeon had already turned to them… and if Asadal won this war, it seemed clear that there would be no place for them there.

If so, there is only one answer.

“Let’s go to our homeland. If we reveal the truth about this place and ask for help, the nobles there will not stay still!”

“But there are so many horsemen on the plains… If we get caught, we might die!”

“Yes. If we get caught, we’ll die. However, if Asadal wins like this, the entire family will be blown away. Even if we die, we have to do what we have to do.”

“I see, this is the spirit!”

“Yes, this is the will of the great master!”

“But, what are you going to ride?”

A man asked.

“The tank Asadal took it. That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s okay.”

Yeonseo Daebu said.

“We have two strong legs.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * Baca Novel Korean * *
* * * Noblemtl dot com * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

***

In the capital city, Jiang So-baek felt a headache.

It’s not so strange anymore.

After Asadal’s invasion, his headache was the same as his friend’s.

However, the cause of this headache is not because of what is happening in the north. Imchi’s Kang So-baek is still unaware of the chaos north of Je-su.

“Sister-in-law?”

“Still… Asadal’s navy is in control.”

“Hasn’t the signal fire come up?”

“There is no signal fire either.”

After Asadal took possession of the land, he began destroying beacon fires in the north. As a result, the territory of the former Yan was virtually cut off from the current state of Je.

“So you’re saying there’s no news from the North at all?”

“Hey, there are some refugees.”

“a little?”

“The enemy is not even visible to the enemy right now, and the number of refugees is small, so doesn’t that mean that Gongsun Seopung of Gye-hyeon is holding off well? If the enemy doesn’t make any significant gains until fall, we can conscript troops after the farming is over and defeat the enemy in one blow!”

So, I don’t know anything about news from the North.

Kang So-baek asked again.

“What about the Sawa lords who are in the southern region?”

“Here, there is a bamboo slip.”

The subject picked up the bamboo slip and read it.

“If Jihyeon had fallen, the enemy would have appeared in Jesu, but I heard that there is no such news in Jesu. Also, there are no refugees, so this means that Gongsun Sheepeng is holding his ground well. We will also follow their example and protect our country’s borders.”

“However, I cannot risk my country. I will send troops within the range that I can.”

The army that said they would come was about 20,000 strong, half of the main force. Even that number was only said to be sent, but they kept delaying it, so the army that set out for Imchi was only 5,000 strong.

Jiang So-baek barely held back the urge to tear the bamboo slip in half. They still seemed to have no intention of giving up their fiefdom.

‘under…’

Jiang So-baek felt a sense of loss. The current country is only one country in name, and it is as good as being divided into three parts.

He had no idea about the news from the north of the country, and the main force of the scholar-officials who were in Song, Lu, and other places seemed to have no intention of coming.

Then, there is also a way to additionally conscript citizens (people living in the capital).

Imchi is a large city with 10,000 households living within the castle walls and 40,000 households living outside the castle walls.

Since there is at least one adult per household, if we conscript that many, we can easily get 40,000 people.

But this is also difficult.

It may be because it is the farming season, but Kang So-baek recently held a Bongseon. What is a Bongseon?

It’s a rich food.

A sacrifice to pray for a bountiful harvest in the place closest to heaven. Of course, heaven cannot determine the abundance or failure of a harvest based on a mere human sacrifice.

Even after the Fengxian Festival, there were frequent droughts, and whenever that happened, the king of the Zhou Dynasty was not replaced.

The meaning of Bongseon is a bit more political.

This is closer to a story of protection than a story of abundance and scarcity.

The leader steps forward and says, ‘I will protect you so you can farm with peace of mind.’

Therefore, only the emperor with a strong military force can proclaim this, a promise to the people.

But in the midst of all this, a summer conscription declaration?

It’s just suicide.

Public sentiment will turn away in an instant.

He remembers Gongsun Wuji.

When Jiang Xiaobai attacked Gongsun Wuji, the city gates opened by themselves. The people said, “Heaven’s will is with Jiang Xiaobai.”

If we look closely at this, it is obviously not a miracle. It was a group of people who were dissatisfied with Gongsun Wuji who opened the door.

So, the will of heaven is the will of the people.

A monarch who gathers the hearts of the people and brings them to a visible ‘result’ is the will of heaven.

Soon, when the public’s heart turns away, the heart of heaven will also turn away.

As a Jiang Xiaobaek who has falsely claimed to be the Emperor… this method is unusable. That is, unless Asadal appears beyond the throne right away.

at last.

Right now, there aren’t many options that Kang So-baek can take. Strategy? Or rather, it should be called strategy.

That part made Kang So-baek’s head dizzy.

‘Who the hell is it?’

It is never easy to know the political situation of another country. Even Kang So-baek, who thought he knew Asadal well, made a big mistake when he judged the Asadal Republic on his own.

And, usually, the opposite should be the case. However, Asadal presented his strategy as if he knew the situation of his country like the back of his hand.

The very act of putting it out there was worth it. But carrying it out without a shred of doubt was a different story.

This is a strategy that only a high-ranking minister or a powerful official in my country can come up with. Only those at that level can say for sure that this strategy will work.

‘…Is it a foreskin?’

That name came to mind first.

But soon he shook his head.

‘…no.’

Posuk would not have thought of such a method. It is not a matter of intelligence, but of character. It is the exact opposite strategy of Posuk, who has lived by example with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.

Moreover, it is highly unlikely that Asadal would have formulated a grand strategy based on Posuk, who had only been converted a few months ago. There was someone else.

‘Kwan-o, Geon-suk, Baek-ri-hae?’

Neither are they. They are my people, but they are not people who have lived closely enough to know my country’s political order. After much thought, Kang So-baek blurted out a name.

‘…Poongbaek?’

It’s nonsense. He is not a citizen of my country and has never been to my country. How could he know my country’s political order like the back of his hand?

However, even though my head screams that it is nonsense.

His intuition screamed that it was the right answer.

‘He also predicted that I would become a monarch.’

When he was a boy, Poongbaek gave himself more precious things than his brothers, and said that maybe he could become king too.

At that time, Kang So-baek had two older brothers and a cousin. If he hadn’t seen the future, how could he have predicted the downfall of all of them?

“…stop.”

Kang So-baek shook his head at that point.

It is foolish to underestimate the enemy, but it is even more foolish to overestimate the enemy. There was no need to be confused by unnecessary awe of the enemy commander in the midst of the battle.

He turned his attention back to the war.

The only one who can help here is yourself. Even Donggwak-ah wasn’t of much help in the war itself.

That’s why Kang So-baek was worried.

‘Asadal occupied Jesu and cut off communication with the North. And since then, there has been no news.’

First of all, it didn’t seem like the enemy was besieging Gyehyeon. If something that big had happened, even if Asadal was tightly wrapped up, the news would have arrived.

‘Did you decide that it would be difficult to take Gyehyeon through a siege?’

Gyehyeon is also a difficult fortress. So if you think that Asadal used a strategy of blockading Gyehyeon and then cutting off all communication… it’s not that strange.

‘Once autumn comes and the farming is finished, the village can easily gather tens of thousands of troops.’

Kang So-baek thought.

‘It feels bad that things are going the way the enemies intended… but isn’t it the case that Asadal is not seeing any benefits as a result?’

If someone other than Asadal had done this, Kang So-baek would have criticized it as a ‘stupid act’ just like the current officials.

And the questions didn’t end there.

There was a second, more fundamental question.

‘Why is the number of refugees only this many?’

Usually when war breaks out, the number of refugees increases rapidly.

However, the number of refugees who came to Imchi was less than a fifth of what Kang So-baek had expected… and even among them, most were those who fled in fear at the news of war before even seeing Asadal’s face.

“This means that the whole world is not in chaos, and perhaps it is proof that Gongsun Seopung is holding up well?”

In fact, fewer refugees is a good thing in war.

But Kang So-baek, on the other hand, was anxious.

If something that is supposed to happen doesn’t happen, it is right to be nervous, no matter how fortunate it is.

‘By now… Asadal must have occupied at least several households’ worth of land, so why aren’t any refugees coming down from there?’

Gongsun Seopbong is currently under blockade and is probably holding out in Gye-hyeon. In that state, it would be impossible to govern the people’s hearts in the northern surrounding areas even if the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were to be revived.

The only way to control the public sentiment when the enemy is coming is to win and repel the enemy. However, Gongsun Sheepeng was not blocked, but rather repelled by Asadal?

If so, why isn’t that news being spread?

‘I have no idea whatsoever.’

What is Asadal doing blocking the north?

And why don’t the refugees come down?

Kang So-baek was unable to come up with a solution to two questions.

Because the first answer negates the second answer, and the second answer negates the first answer.

And, in that crucible of chaos.

“Your Majesty! They say that the Yeonseo Daebu has escaped beyond the line of duty!”

The person who answered the question arrived from beyond the sister-in-law.

***

“The Yeonseo Lord has come?”

As a godfather, Yeonseo Daeboo is not a very high-ranking godfather. However, a godfather is a godfather.

Normally, one would be disgusted by the escape of a high-ranking official, but… paradoxically, it felt like a blessing to Kang So-baek, who knew nothing about the affairs of the North.

Besides, the fact that ‘the enemy from the north came and the great lord fled’ is something that could have been expected.

When you become a godfather, you will know information about the north.

There will definitely be something to be gained from it.

“Bring him here right now!”

“That, that… I’m so sorry, but I don’t think that’s possible.”

“what?”

“The peasants living near my sister-in-law… hanged Yeonseo Daebu, calling him the enemy of a million peasants!”

…what?

Kang So-baek doubted his ears for a moment.

This too was unexpected.

Read Novel Noblemtl
Read Novel Noblemtl