Sun Ce tilted his head and looked at Mi Lan, chuckling. "Is this your opinion, or their request?"

Mi Lan shook her head. "It's their request, but I think it's feasible, at least worth considering. General, if nothing unexpected happens, the next few years will be the fastest development of industry and commerce. If taxes are still collected according to the previous methods, one is tax loss, and the general cannot make profits from the rapid development of industry and commerce. Second, businessmen have too much wealth, and they will inevitably have unreasonable thoughts. They live a luxurious life, and may have to buy land again, which will miss the general's major affairs. The most urgent task is to reform commercial tax and control this money in the general's own hands. This will not only quickly alleviate the debt difficulties, but also control the economy and people's livelihood to avoid losing control."

Sun Ce's interest increased greatly. He took off his clothes, jumped into the bathtub, and immersed his body in the warm water. "You continue."

Mi Lan breathed a sigh of relief, took soapcorns and melons, rubbed Sun Ce's back, and explained the matter about commercial tax.

The Han Dynasty implemented Confucian political concepts, focusing on agriculture and suppressing commerce, and the starting point might be good, but the result was not ideal. The powerful families rose, and they used their power to evade commercial taxes. The court's policy of suppressing commerce was completely ineffective for them, and their wealth grew rapidly. Ordinary merchants without power could not compete with them, and their survival was difficult, so the court naturally could not receive any taxes. The municipal tax in commercial tax was an important source of royal income. The result of the imperial court suppressing commerce was to reduce their own income, but it was cheaper for the aristocratic families. As for the Guanjin tax, it was originally to support the officials and soldiers of Guanjin, and most of these people came from local tyrants. The Guanjin tax indirectly gave them cheaper, which helped fuel the growth of local tyrants.

Now that Sun Ce controls the five prefectures and forms de facto independence, commercial tax cannot be handed over to the court, so it is better for Sun Ce to control it himself. In this way, it is recommended that the benefits brought by industry and commerce can be truly in Sun Ce's hands, rather than making wedding dresses for others. If we consider that after the five prefectures are pacified, the Central Plains and Jiangnan are connected, favorable conditions for commercial development have been formed, in the next few years, commercial tax will usher in a rapid growth, and it is even more necessary to control the commercial tax in advance. It will always be easier to control everything from the source. When a huge amount of interests is formed, and if you want to take them away from the beneficiaries, it will inevitably cause resistance.

Sun Cexin felt the same. He was short of money now, and Mi Lan’s suggestion was very timely. Of course, she was selfish. She canceled the customs and Tianjin tax, and Qingxu merchants engaged in long-distance trafficking benefited the most. A rough calculation shows that the gift they gave could be recovered in one or two years, and all of them would be profitable in the future. However, it is more meaningful to him. With financial power, his military power can be more stable. It is very important for him to directly grasp a stable source of wealth.

"General, do you think it's feasible?"

"It's feasible or not, I have to think about it, but it's a matter that you should give birth to a son for me, otherwise wouldn't you be ashamed of so many gifts for pregnancy?" Sun Ce turned around and picked up Mi Lan and sank into his hands. Mi Lan was startled and hugged Sun Ce's neck tightly. She had taken off her coat and was left with thin clothes. She was now soaked and stuck to her body. Her curves were delicate and convex, which was very attractive. She pressed her against Sun Ce's ears, both nervous and excited. "General, Sister Yuan and Sister Yin are not there, I am the only one. General, you should be pityed. Don't let me be laughed at. I will go to Wan City to visit tomorrow."

"Whoever dares to laugh at you, I will punish her severely!" Sun Ce laughed and said, "You always have Sister Yuan's shortness, just like her little tail. Did she teach you something? She is not here today, I see how much ability you have learned from her."

A carriage was slowly walking along the official road under the clutch of hundreds of knights. Zhou Yi sat in the carriage and looked at Zhou Yu opposite him, but he didn't say anything. Zhou Yu didn't say anything, but just sat quietly, waiting for Zhou Yi's inquiry.

"General Sun didn't make things difficult for you?" Zhou Yi finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

Zhou Yu shook his head. "No."

Zhou Yi looked out the window, and the people who were attending the carriage were all the Zhou family members he brought. The personal guards led by Wen Chou were far away, but his tall and upright figure was still vaguely visible. "What's going on with him?"

"Protect me."

Zhou Yi snorted: "You think I am five years old, believe you nonsense? I am fifty!"

"Yes, my father is already fifty years old, and it is the year of knowing destiny." Zhou Yu laughed. "What kind of destiny does my father think he is? Should he stop at Henan Yin in this life, or go further?"

Zhou Yi stumbled and let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know, so I'm nervous. Logically speaking, the world is in chaos and the victory or defeat is not decided, and the Zhou family should be their own masters. General Sun is good at fighting and won the five states for several years, which is exactly the same as the kingly spirit of the southeast. But his success does not mean that you can succeed. Han Xin will win the battle and win the attack. He has great military achievements, but in the end he ends up in the Zhongshi. I don't want you to follow his footsteps. Military generals are different from civil officials. Civil officials can still retire successfully. With a marquis, military generals will... "

Zhou Yi sighed and couldn't bear to continue talking.

"Yang Wenxian passed by Luoyang and said something to his father?"

"He said that the emperor was eager to be talented and valued you very much. If he could lead Jingzhou back, he would be promoted without any further promotion. I could also immediately become the Nine Ministers, and the three ministers in the future are expected."

"If you don't do Han Xin, do Ying Bu?"

Zhou Yi frowned, and wanted to speak but stopped. He felt that Zhou Yu's metaphor was very inappropriate, and there was an indescribable gloom. Seeing this, Zhou Yu leaned over and pressed his hand on Zhou Yi's knees. "Don't worry, Father, General Sun is not Gaozu. Even if he is me, his military ability is not as good as him. He will not be afraid of any general. Even if he succeeds in the future, he will be Emperor Guangwu. It is inevitable that he will be deprecated. It is unlikely that he will kill a meritorious official like Gaozu."

"Yeah?"

"Father, think about it, why did Emperor Gaozu kill Han Xin? Because Qi and Chu are both great powers and have the power to dominate. Emperor Gaozu was old and the prince was young and weak. If he did not kill Han Xin, then the new emperor might not be able to order his old ministers a hundred years later. I am the same age as Bofu, and I will not threaten the heir during my lifetime, so why should he kill me? If you have suspicion of me, just remove the military power and return to the country, why should you kill me and make everyone uneasy?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "If this is the case, then of course it's the best. Gongjin, I have limited talent. Whether our school can compete with the main body depends on you. Since Cai Yan is going to stay in Nanyang, then your mother and I will go to Wuxian. You can hurry up and have two children, let's have fun with our grandchildren and enjoy our old age, which is not bad."

Zhou Yu smiled. "My father is so rich and prosperous. Just when he is showing his great fortune, how can he be so free? Don't worry, after the wedding, Bo Fu has his own arrangements. As I said just now, you will not stop at Henan Yin, at least you have to take another step or two."

"Of course it's better." Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows. "I dare not expect too much. Henan Yin is just a good reputation. The court moved westward and its name has long been inconsistent with its reputation. It's better not to do it. It's enough to go to Jiangdong as the prefect of a county."

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Chapter completed!