The people of the Shang Kingdom were proud because of its policies and Li Xian’s speech: fight for your dreams.
In just a few days, the Shang Kingdom issued a formal decree:
Agricultural taxes were exempted, and the state established a minimum living security strategy. However, there is one thing: those who are generally recognized as lazy and hate work, and those who commit crimes, are not within the scope of the minimum living security.
"Starting today, we no longer need to pay taxes! From this year onwards, all the food from the fields will be ours!" The elderly chief of a small village announced this information.
"Uncle, it is a good thing that the country does not collect agricultural taxes. But if there is no tax, what will the wise king eat?"
"Yeah, yeah. The country doesn't collect taxes. That doesn't sound credible!"
The people are not stupid, they have their own judgment.
The old village chief leaned on his cane and said, "Take your time, take your time, and listen to me. This is what happened. The state does not collect taxes on grains and other food products, and has made clear regulations. This includes rice, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, millet, peanuts and other food crops. And this tax-free only refers to farming and eating at home. If you want to sell grain for money, you must pay taxes according to general commercial transaction rules. The state purchases grain from farmers through commercial means, and it is a free trade without forced transactions."
"I see. But it's pretty good. Uncle, how is the land calculated?"
"Each farmer has one mu of private land for life. In addition, land must be leased from the state. The state stipulates that the best land only costs 20 copper coins per mu per year, and can be leased for up to 100 years at a time. The worst land only costs three copper coins per year. Good land can be used to grow food, and poor land can be used to grow some special medicinal herbs. Currently, we have a total of 4,200 mu of land in Yangjia Village. You can discuss and divide it up."
"Fourth Uncle, I want to go out and try my luck. I want to do business. I want to see the legendary prosperous Anyang City. I want to see the super city Beidou City which is hundreds of miles wide." The farmer who spoke first said.
"Hey, Fugui, although you are considered a smart person in the village, dreams are not so easy to pursue. When Fourth Uncle went to the town for a meeting, he talked to some businessmen and found that the competition was very fierce. You want to go and see and do business, and Fourth Uncle agrees with this idea. But have you ever thought about how you can compete with those successful businessmen? Although the country now has minimum living security measures, you have never thought about that if you fail and lose a lot of money, the national minimum living security can only ensure that you will not starve to death. Child, listen to Fourth Uncle, you can go out and have a look; if you want to make a living, you can, but first find a company and get familiar with the market. Don't be too anxious about this matter."
"Uncle, time waits for no one!" Yang Fugui shouted, "Now that the country has just introduced a strategy to exempt agricultural taxes, we should seize the opportunity. I plan to mobilize the power of the entire village to run a grain trading business together. I have read the commercial laws of the kingdom, and taxes are levied on the basis of profits. If our grain prices are very low, the taxes will also be low. We will sell the grain that should have been taxed in the past at a low price, and the villagers will rely on their worthless efforts to accumulate a little foundation and seize the current opportunity. As long as we succeed this year, we can expand the business next year. In three years at most, I am confident that I can establish a grain business that ranks among the best in the Shang Kingdom! Lead all the villagers to become rich!"