Chapter 711: Chapter 400, Korolya Pays Taxes_2
Late into the night, the conversation had already ended when Shang Yanwu suddenly raised a question in the dark:
“Brother, what do you think about me joining the military?”
“Join the military?”
“Yes, preferably the Navy!”
“That would be quite good,” Shang Yanwen said, “but as you are now, you can’t become anything. The selection for the Alliance Army is getting stricter and stricter, and I’m afraid you might not even make it into the Planetary Defense Army… You need to work hard, preferably getting into the Naval Academy.”
“But that’s too hard!” Shang Yanwu fell into despondency again, “The Naval Academy, even on Flying Wing Star, is the best, isn’t it? I can’t get in no matter what… Isn’t there any way to become a Navy sailor? That’s got to be much easier than getting into the Naval Academy, right?”
…
Shang Yanwen felt his brother was right.
Even with his own outstanding grades back then, which were unbeatable, actually applying for the Flying Wing Naval Academy was still rather difficult.
Not to mention his brother’s current situation.
However, aiming for the Naval Academy is the path to becoming a naval officer. If one simply wants to be a navy soldier, a navy sailor, or even a member of the Navy Marine Corps, then the level of difficulty is nowhere near that of becoming a navy officer.
It’s very difficult to get into the Tianma Fleet, as their size is rather fixed. The governor’s fiancée is a general in the Tianma Fleet, fighting on the front lines, but the naval forces on the front lines don’t draw reinforcements from the rear Tianma Star Sector.
Moreover, there’s a particular aspect of naval combat: generally speaking, the losses are not significant, but when they are, it could be a total annihilation of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands on a single ship. Replacements are only made when a new ship is built and ready for crewing.
However, if it’s not possible to join the Tianma Fleet, there should still be opportunities in the Alliance Navy. Based on the information currently held by Shang Yanwen, the Alliance Navy is facing an increasingly serious pirate challenge, and the production capacity of the two major shipyards of the Alliance is quite ample. Besides the portion paid as Imperial Tax, there is still quite a bit of surplus capacity.
That capacity is unlikely to go to waste.
It can be foreseen that the fleets of the Alliance Navy will definitely continue to expand.
His own younger brother truly has a chance to join.
As for the dangers of joining the military, Shang Yanwen is aware of them, too.
If possible, he would also wish his little brother could always stay with their parents, even if it means being an ordinary worker with a regular job. Under the current system of the Alliance, as long as one works, their livelihood for the future is certainly secured.
However, since his brother has aspirations, Shang Yanwen feels that joining the Navy isn’t a bad idea. Dangerous it may be, but for a young man to dream of the stars and the sea is definitely not a bad thing.
There’s still plenty of time; his little brother is just twelve years old, with at least five or six years to go. He will keep an eye out for him.
But for now, he still cautioned, “Even if you just want to be a sailor, you need to start learning more diligently now. If you can’t even attend middle school, everything will be in vain.”
…
The next day, Shang Yanwen said goodbye to his parents and reported for duty at the government office in Green Bee Street District.
His sponsoring unit was Nuo Yan City. He had already reported to Nuo Yan City, and they had arranged for him to work in the local office of his hometown.
As soon as he entered, he was warmly welcomed.
The head of the Green Bee Street District government was a Korolya person, but not from Nuo Yan City. He came from Mingyan City, where he had previously tackled a community reform project and was recently transferred to handle a larger street district.
This man, named Moody, was a somewhat balding middle-aged man.
“Comrade Shang, you’ve come at just the right time! We are in dire need of top talents like you!”
“I won’t bother you with pleasantries. We are in our busiest time, and I apologize for not having the time to give you a proper welcome. You will need to shoulder your responsibilities immediately.”
“I came here for this very reason, please instruct me, leader.”
“Good!”
Under Moody’s explanation, Shang Yanwen quickly understood what the first major task was upon returning to his hometown:
Imperial Tax.
The mere mention of these three words instinctively made Shang Yanwen tense.
Imperial Tax, in his past memories, was profoundly significant.
Each time the Imperial Tax was levied, with a period of two years, it was a time of suffering for the people in the Lower Nest District of Korolya.
Various supplies would begin to tighten before the Imperial Tax was due. Food would become scarce, everyday necessities would be in short supply, and every family might be saddled with the obligation to contribute a person.
His grandfather, his eldest uncle, his uncles, all were taken as part of the population tax and never returned.
His own family had been lucky. But he thought if Mr. Gu hadn’t led the Alliance to save Korolya, in six years’ time, their family might have had to contribute another person for the tax—it could have been his father, himself, or his sister.
But after the Alliance took over, the Korolya Battle Zone was exempt from taxes for six years.
Now, counting the years, six years had passed, and Korolya was about to return to the normal state of paying Imperial Tax.
However, under the rule of the Alliance, the payment of Imperial Tax should not be the insurmountable hurdle it used to be, right?
Indeed, that was the case.
Now, the Imperial Tax no longer concerned ordinary citizens; it had completely evolved into an obligation of the government and businesses—except in places that had not yet completed reforms. But even within the forty Nest Capitals of Korolya, there should not be many such places left.
In the reformed areas, the populace was assigned ranks and job positions and enjoyed welfare and subsidies. Of course, with Shang Yanwen’s current knowledge, he understood that these benefits and subsidies were not as much as the wealth created by the people.
But he was still clearly aware that the opportunity to create wealth was given by the Alliance Government.
Besides, the common people who created wealth only had the duty to labor, abide by the law, enjoy benefits, and subsidies, but not the obligation to pay taxes. The additional value they created that was taken by the Alliance Government meant that the government should ensure a peaceful and stable life for its people, guarantee upward mobility for those who work hard, and ensure they would not suffer or go bankrupt due to unjust taxes.
In the Green Bee Street District, an area that had already begun reforms, this concept was thoroughly implemented.
The district government officials had to meticulously account for all production in the area, connecting various businesses, factories, soilless plantations, and other production organizations. They had to complete a series of tasks such as inventory, storage, and transportation of all production outputs.
Indeed, it was a huge project.
Shang Yanwen soon threw himself into the busyness.
All this was within the district government, which had some experience and lessons learned. Although it was the first time paying Imperial Tax, the Alliance system itself had been running for the past four years. The production and material circulation within businesses were firmly the government’s responsibility, and the procedures for these tasks were already established.
It’s just that during the tax season, this part of the work became much more burdensome.
And Shang Yanwen indeed played his role in this process.
After overcoming an initial period of unfamiliarity, his processing speed for all kinds of documents and affairs became extremely fast. Moreover, with the management knowledge he had learned, he could identify inefficient and time-consuming parts in their workflow and propose practical amendments through his participation.
Although these were only changes in the details of the work process, not involving any significant changes, they did indeed make the operation of the entire organization smoother and more efficient.
This also earned Moody’s praise.
“Top students really are different!”
Shang Yanwen was modest in response, “I still have a lot to learn and many areas in which I can contribute to the Alliance.”