Some ministers worried: "If we forcefully promote population census and land measurement, it will inevitably arouse dissatisfaction among the clans in various places. If someone uses this to criticize the court, slander His Majesty, or even rise up, the world will be in chaos!"
Fang Jun, who had never spoken before, asked back: "You keep saying that censuses of the population and land measurements should not be carried out, and you show all the disadvantages, but why don't you ask the leaders of the world's famous families for their opinions?"
There was a moment of silence in the hall, and some people couldn't help but panic.
Currently, the only ones who can be called "leaders of the world's famous families" are Yuwen Shiji, Xiao Yu, and Cui Xin. Yuwen Shiji has been imprisoned, and the Guanlong clan is about to be destroyed, leaving only Xiao Yu and Cui Xin.
But now Xiao Yu and Cui Xin are involved in the serious crime of treason. Although His Majesty is willing to let these two people live without severe punishment, what if he regrets it? At this time, Xiao Yu and Cui Xin were asked about their opinions on population census and land measurement. Even though they were reluctant in their hearts, how could they dare to say "no"?
As long as the Jiangnan clan and the Shandong aristocratic family did not object to this, others could not stop the imperial court's will.
Obviously, the whole thing was planned in advance, and the imperial court was bound to win...
However, it involves the interests of everyone, how can we back down?
Let Xiao Yu and Cui Xin come and see what they have to say, but even if they allow the court to conduct a population census and measure land acres, they firmly cannot agree...
After a while, Xiao Yu and Cui Xin were brought to Wude Hall. They took two steps forward, knelt down and said in unison: "The guilty ministers have an audience with Your Majesty."
There is no need to kneel down in the Tang Dynasty court, but it is not prohibited under some extreme circumstances. For example, now that these two are guilty, they need to kneel down to express their repentance. I hope To be forgiven by the emperor...
Li Chengqian looked calm and asked: "Just now, Xu Shangshu advised that a detailed inventory of the world's population and land should be conducted so that the imperial court can reasonably formulate various national policies... What do you two think?"
Xiao Yu knelt on the ground, hesitated slightly, and then said: "Your Majesty clearly knows that Xu Shangshu's advice is indeed beneficial to the country and should be implemented. However, the current situation should still be considered. At present, various places are experiencing turmoil and management is extremely chaotic, especially In Shandong and Jiangnan, even the officials and aristocratic families in Shandong and Jiangnan are not sure about the exact population. If the imperial court rushes to send people to investigate, it will definitely take a long time. In the end, a lot of manpower and material resources will be wasted, and it may not be possible to find out clearly... In my humble opinion, it is better for the imperial court to first issue a formal document and send it to all states and counties in the world, ordering all localities to first conduct an inventory of all kinds of hidden populations, lost populations, and slave populations. When some results are achieved, the imperial court will send people to conduct in-depth inspections, and natural waterways will be established. .”
Cui Xin nodded in agreement: "That's right. Most of the household registration lists in various places are inherited from the former Sui Dynasty. Although they were sorted out after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there are still huge differences in general. Let each place correct and self-examine first, and then the imperial court will move forward. If there are any hidden If the population is severely punished and no credit is given, it will definitely get twice the result with half the effort.”
Many people saw that these two people, with steel knives on their necks, dared to protect the interests of the family, and their confidence and morale increased, and they all spoke out in agreement.
In any case, it is absolutely impossible for the imperial court to conduct a population census...
Li Chengqian was noncommittal and coughed lightly. After the eunuchs who maintained order in the court stopped the noisy ministers, he continued to ask, "What do you think about the measurement of acres?"
"This..." Xiao Yu paused and said hesitantly: "This is fine. The fields are just there. You can measure them however you want. The guilty minister will definitely ask his family to cooperate fully. There will be no disturbance in the entire Jiangnan. .”
In fact, this was the "talking technique" that Fang Jun discussed with him and Cui Xin before. The purpose of the court was not to count the population at all, but to measure the acres of land. At first, Xiao Yu thought that the imperial court was afraid that aristocratic families from all over the world would oppose the population census too loudly and resisted too fiercely. Later, he realized that this was Fang Jun's strategy.
The interests of the aristocratic families are basically completely contrary to the interests of the imperial court. If the imperial court wants to increase taxes, it must cut off the income of the aristocratic families. However, if the aristocratic families want to continue their life of bells and whistles and continue to control their own places, they can only It can cut off the control of the court, so whether the court wants to count the population or measure the acres, as long as it is proposed, it will definitely be opposed.
However, Fang Jun first proposed a census of the population, and then feinted a shot and then proposed the measurement of acres. The priorities were clear, and the family members naturally opposed the main proposal. When the court "had to retreat to the second best option due to fierce opposition," the family members also It would be hard to take a violent reaction to the matter of measuring the land...
This is not an earth-shattering strategy, but it captures everyone's psychological weakness and achieves the real goal with a small means.
Cui Xin on the side also said: "It is indeed very difficult to count the population. It takes more than ten years to do it. But if it is to measure the acres, the Shandong family will fully cooperate."
A census of the population is simply a matter of destroying the foundation for the survival of the family. If all the people were counted, everyone would have to pay a "head tax", and the economy of the family would collapse in an instant.
But measuring the acres is fine. Every acre of land has a legal title deed in hand. The court can't confiscate it all without having the title deeds, right?
It is related to the credibility of the court. Your Majesty will definitely not do this, because such a move will inevitably involve the currency reform that will be carried out later. How can a court that has no credit and can confiscate private legal land at will gain the trust of the people of the world to promote the currency system? What about reform...
Li Chengqian raised his head and looked around at the ministers in the palace: "These two have agreed to cooperate with the imperial court in measuring acres of land in the world. Do you have any objections, dear ministers?"
The ministers looked at each other in confusion. Although measuring acres is essentially different from counting the population because it does not involve the taxes of each family, is the imperial court really wasting so much manpower and material resources just to grasp the accurate number of acres in the world?
I feel a little uneasy in my heart...
But things have come to this point. Two of the three largest factions in the world have bowed their heads and one is about to be destroyed. How can there be any room for opposition from others?
Anyone who dares to oppose may become the target of the court's full attack. After all, suppressing the family is a national policy that Li Chengqian would rather lose the throne than waver. As long as Li Chengqian reigns for one day, the family members will have to live with their tail between their legs.
"I have no objection."
"It's just that if this happens, the court will spend a huge amount of manpower and material resources, so we ask the Ministry of Civil Affairs to make preparations in advance."
"Yes, since the Eastern Expedition, local finances have been almost unsustainable, and they are definitely unable to support such a large-scale action."
How much land is there in the world? No one has an accurate figure, but everyone knows that this must be an astronomical number. To measure such a number of acres would definitely take a long time. It could not be completed in three or two years, but it would take five years at the fastest.
The time is long, the task is heavy, and there are many people, it is inevitable that countless money and food will be consumed. If the court assigns this consumption to the localities, then the local governments will have to lose their pants. Once the county-level officials cannot guarantee this Part of the money and food must be allocated to various aristocratic families within the jurisdiction.
Everyone has the same purpose: we cannot object to the measurement of land acres, we can only cooperate with it, but if we want to use this to consume the wealth and family wealth of each family, I'm sorry that we can't do it...
Li Chengqian pointed at Xu Jingzong: "Xu Shangshu will be solely responsible for measuring the land in the world, so Xu Shangshu will explain it and clear up your doubts."
Xu Jingzong did his duty, straightened his chest, and raised his chin slightly: "This measurement of the world's acres is a century-long or thousand-year plan for the empire. The whole country must give its full support. Whoever dares to obstruct will be punished by the 'Hundred Cavalry Division' and others." The Ministry of Criminal Justice will conduct a joint investigation, and if the evidence is conclusive, the crime will be increased and the punishment will be severe!"
These murderous words made the whole hall become even more silent. The cold wind blew in from the windows, and many people felt chills in their hearts and couldn't help but shudder.
Everyone knows that His Majesty wants to suppress the world's elites. If anyone falls into His Majesty's hands because he obstructs the measurement of land, it is no wonder that His Majesty takes advantage of the situation. The miserable end is almost foreseeable...
Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, frowned. He had no knowledge of this matter beforehand. Now Xu Jingzong suddenly brought the Punishment Ministry out, which made him very dissatisfied. Although the current situation is such that the family members can only bow their heads, it is conceivable that there will be many conflicts during the entire process of measuring the land. Xu Jingzong will face criticism and criticism from the whole world. It is difficult for him to have a good ending. He is not willing to He was tied up with Xu Jingzong and offended people everywhere.
But now that His Majesty is here, he doesn't dare to say anything against it. He has made up his mind to meet His Majesty later and shirk this job. If it doesn't work, then he simply resigns. This Minister of the Ministry of Justice is destined to suffer a lot. If he doesn't do it, Whatever...
Xu Jingzong saw that the ministers were trembling, and he felt more and more relieved that he had the power. He continued: "As for the money and food needed during the measurement of the land, it was all provided by your Majesty's internal funds. But one thing shows that your Majesty's internal funds can be used to come up with it." Money and silk, but many places are too far away and difficult to transport, so it is difficult to transport food in time, so local governments need to purchase food and then pay for it with internal funds. Do you have any objections?"
When everyone heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, they were also secretly stunned by the abundance of His Majesty's internal funds.
The cost of measuring the world's land is astronomical, and it can be fully paid for by His Majesty's internal funds... How much profit has the Royal Navy made from maritime trade in the past few years?
It's simply appalling...
"If the death is like this, the officials everywhere will have no reason to shirk."
"As long as the money and silk arrive in time, purchasing food is a trivial matter, and I will not dare to delay the important affairs of the court."
"Whoever dares to take advantage of others will be severely punished!"
Li Chengqian took advantage of the power of victory and finally successfully carried out this matter...
Seeing that there were no objections from the ministers, Li Chengqian was in a good mood and nodded: "This matter has been agreed upon. The imperial court will issue an official document later, and various places are actively preparing. Please step down from the third-rank and first-rank officials for the time being."
The next step is to re-appoint and remove officials from various departments of the imperial court. For the ministers in the palace, this is the top priority.
(End of chapter)
