"There are 1.3 million households, 6.1 million people, and 30 million acres of land, 70% of which is irrigated land. There are many two or three crops a year..."
Even though the rain was pouring outside the window, the palace was quiet as usual.
Prime Minister Liu Guan spoke loudly with a relaxed expression: "Our country, Qin, is growing rapidly. As far as I know, the entire province of Guangxi is no more than this, and the cultivated land is less than 30% of our country."
"And during this summer's harvest, our Qin State will receive 3.8 million shi of grain, which is equivalent to 1.9 million dan when converted into silver dollars..."
Most of the Qin State has two crops a year, and a small half has three crops a year, so the summer-autumn tax model is not suitable and needs to be adapted to local conditions.
Therefore, the Qin State adopted a per-mu taxation model.
Divide the land into dry fields and paddy fields.
For each acre of dry land, taxes are levied twice a year, in October and May, after the rainy season ends and before it begins.
One dou of grain was collected each time, which equaled two dou of grain per mu of land in a year.
For paddy fields, two bushels per mu are collected twice a year, not according to the number of harvests.
After all, if there were three harvests a year, the court would have to levy three taxes. The rice yield and quality would be different each season, making it difficult to control, which would only increase the difficulty.
In other words, the officials had to go to the countryside three times, which seriously disturbed the people.
Officials who have a certain color can open a dyeing workshop, how can they not make extra money?
Qin still pays food instead of money.
In addition to millions of dollars in salary, most of these grains will be sold to Guangdong and Guangxi to fill the national treasury.
"If the same is true for autumn taxes, then in the 20th year of Shaowu's reign, our Daqin's grain taxes alone amounted to nearly eight million dan——"
King Qin Zhu Cunming felt a little unbelievable, but at the same time he thought it was reasonable.
You must know that in Chongzhen and the Tianqi Dynasty, the annual grain tax was only 30 million dan, which was a quarter of that.
The Qin State has many paddy fields, with two or three crops a year. This is equivalent to another southern Jiangsu area. Eight million dan per year in southern Jiangsu is not an exaggeration.
However, commercial taxes are not as good as those of the Ming Dynasty.
Qin's customs duties and commercial taxes combined were only two million silver yuan a year, while the Ming Dynasty's was dozens of times that.
"Then, Liu Qing, which province of the Ming Dynasty can I, Da Qin, be?"
Liu Guan was stunned. He pinched his beard and said, "I heard that Jiangsu can pay taxes of nearly 10 million yuan a year, not including tariffs. In neighboring Guangxi, the tax is only 2 million yuan, and in Guizhou it is less than 1 million yuan."
"Looking at it this way, our country of Qin is comparable to Anhui, and no matter how bad it is, it is comparable to Hubei."
If calculated in terms of silver dollars, the Qin State's annual tax revenue was nearly six million, which was also less than that of the Ming Dynasty.
The King of Qin laughed and said: "If our Qin country is not longer and narrower and has more insects, it will definitely be no worse than that of Jiangsu."
"Pity!"
These words had a different flavor in the ears of the ministers.
King Qin wanted to expand.
"The territory of our Great Qin Dynasty was a result of the great king's heroic strategy and the annexation of the city. The territory is the widest since Annan, but its shortcomings are also revealed. Our country is long and narrow from north to south, like a bow, and the bowstring is easy to break, which is really disadvantageous."
At this time, Ruan Cheng, the prime minister, suddenly raised his hands and said, full of emotion.
Annan has always wanted to annex Champa, but due to lack of strength, it has been difficult to succeed. Therefore, the previous dynasties have always guarded the Red River Delta as their foundation.
Now that Champa has been captured, it has also expanded to the Mekong Delta, reaching its greatest power.
This put Qin in an embarrassing situation: it was difficult to consolidate the head and tail.
In other words, it is easy for separatist forces to form in the south, as was the case with the Ruan family back then.
Moreover, with the continued development of the Mekong Delta, agriculture will inevitably grow. In feudal society, agriculture was the foundation of all industries, and prosperity was only a matter of time.
The Qin State took the Red River Delta as its political center. In order to prevent local branches from being larger than the trunk, it was impossible to delay the opening up, so it could only strengthen the north.
Under normal circumstances, it would be logical to annex the nearby Nanzhang Kingdom (Laos).
In this way, Qin changed from a bowstring to a hammer, and the central power was strong enough to suppress everything.
Moreover, King Qin’s ambition cannot be ignored.
Although nominally speaking, the Qin State was conquered by the command and leadership of King Qin, the main force was Zhu Jing, who was mixed up as an earl.
Therefore, King Qin couldn't wait to prove himself.
Liu Guan's heart sank, and he quickly sent out an assist: "Nanzhang has become increasingly prosperous in recent years, but it is like a fat pig, attracting covetous attention."
"Your Majesty will not entrust the vassal kings there, and the land cannot be wasted. He will definitely join us in the Qin Dynasty."
"I think it is very appropriate to send troops to Nanzhang."
The second prime minister, Mao Fu, followed him closely: "As soon as the Nanzhang Kingdom becomes more powerful, it will definitely cause trouble to the Qin Dynasty in the coming years. The sooner we send troops, the better, so as to eliminate border troubles in the bud."
Seeing that all three aspects understood him, King Qin laughed out loud for a moment: "Very good, you and I, the king and my ministers, have the same views."
Zhu Cunmai was quite happy.
Sending troops to Nanzhang not only provided enough money and food to fulfill his ambitions, but also had the effect of tempering the army and calming people's hearts.
Especially winning people's hearts.
You know, he fought from Saigon in the south to the north. Most of the people in the officialdom and the army were Ming people or came from the south.
Just like in the early years of Shaowu, all the civil and military officials in the imperial court were basically nobles from Shaanxi and Chu.
It is inappropriate for the North, which accounts for most of the population and land, to only share 10% or 20% of the power.
The imperial examination is too slow.
The expedition to Nanzhang can allow many northerners to perform meritorious services and become a noble class. In a year or two, conflicts can be alleviated and a balance can be achieved in a certain sense.
This is literally killing two birds with one stone.
"I have written to Beijing, and His Majesty has agreed to send troops. The Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi will definitely be fine."
The King of Qin said loudly: "When the dry season comes, that's when I, the Qin Dynasty, will send troops to the south."
All ministers bowed in obedience.
At this time, people discovered that His Highness the King of Qin was only twenty-two years old. In fact, he was only twenty-one. Among the people, he had only been crowned for a short time.
Back in the harem, Zhu Cunming's interest remained undiminished.
The Palace of Qin was expanded on the basis of the palaces of the Later Li Dynasty and the Zheng Family. It covers an area of nearly 500 acres. Although the pavilions and pavilions are a bit cramped, after the craftsmen repaired them, they have become in compliance with the regulations and are magnificent.
You know, the Forbidden City is only 1,100 acres, and his Qin Palace is half the size.
The harem they live in has about 300 acres, nearly 3,000 rooms, and more than 1,000 maids and eunuchs.
Princess Qin came with the prince.
The three-year-old prince is already walking steadily, but he only jumps up and down, which is quite cute.
Zhu Cunmai hugged him halfway, feeling extremely pitiful.
Although he had many concubines and three or five children over the years, the one who occupied his heart was still the prince.
Princess Qin watched the father and son being intimate and touched her growing belly, exuding maternal light.
Seeing the princess like this, King Qin frowned and suddenly had another idea.
My father has dozens of children, but I don’t want to compare them, but only half of them, that’s only one or twenty.
It's okay to be a concubine, but you have to make arrangements no matter what happens to your legitimate son.
After taking over the Southern Palm, he set up palaces in the best areas that were easy to control, and placed his sons in some remote areas so that they could also become kings.
In this way, we, the Qin Dynasty, have been separated from each other...
…
Luzon.
With the arrival of the rainy season, the humid climate makes people become more lazy unconsciously, which makes Zheng Sen lose energy.
"Master, get up."
"Got it!" Zheng Sen said lazily.
As the subsequent governor who succeeded King Castle, King Castle had already accomplished an outstanding job during his tenure as governor.
When he first came to Luzon, he thought it was a remote place, but little did he know that the scale of Luzon was beyond imagination.
There are 120,000 households and 530,000 people.
Among them, there are more than 100,000 Han people who have migrated over the years and those who have settled long ago.
Eighty thousand Western Yi.
There are 350,000 natives.
Luzon strictly implemented the method of enlightenment, first dividing the indigenous people into raw and mature groups, and then continued to educate, divided their leaders, and then turned them into people with household registration.
In the past ten years, the results have been remarkable.
Financially, Luzon pays more than 3 million yuan in taxes a year, and the payment ratio has been continuously increasing over the years, and it is already 50-50.
One and a half million silver dollars are collected in one year, which is such a huge number.
The Luzon Navy, which occupies the majority, has more than 5,000 people, and its annual expenditure is only about 500,000 yuan. The officials and patrol camps have a total salary of 300,000 yuan, with a surplus of 500,000 yuan or 600,000 yuan.
When Zheng Sen came to Luzon, the biggest headache was how to spend money correctly and efficiently.
Build roads and bridges, build social schools, build charity warehouses, and suppress the indigenous people.
How much can we spend on land in twenty counties?
Moreover, in everyone's eyes, he is just Xiao Gui and Cao Sui.
"Brother——"
While washing, his younger brother Zheng Chuan suddenly came over in a hurry.
Zheng Chuan is the younger brother of Zheng Sen who was left behind by his maternal grandfather. He always wanted to return to the country, but was blocked by the shogunate. Later, the Ming Dynasty threatened the shogunate to become a vassal state, and he was able to escape.
He also changed his name from Tagawa Nanzaemon to Zheng Chuan.
When Zheng Sen came to Luzon to take up his post, Zheng Chuan, as the controller of the Zheng family's maritime trade, came with him.
In addition, there are a large number of servants, staff, etc., which show the magnanimity of Nan'an Marquis Mansion in the county.
Although the Zheng family surrendered the army, they have always been the leader in sea trade by virtue of their knowledge in sea trade, earning millions of silver dollars every year.
Zheng Sen came to Luzon to take up a post, so the Zheng family's tentacles would naturally move south.
"What's wrong?"
Zheng Sen said calmly: "The sky hasn't fallen, so why are you anxious?"
"Brother, today is the day of the Luzon Provincial Examination!"
Zheng Chuan slowed down his pace, but his tone was still urgent.
After Jin Bao and Zheng Sen jointly submitted a letter, the imperial court allowed Luzon to hold the provincial examination without having to participate in the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture to fight for the rare places.
Jinbao naturally wants to give back to Luzon, which has been in charge for ten years, while Zheng Sen thinks about political achievements.
In the 19th year of Shaowu's general examination, even Chahar had one person, but Luzon still failed to score. This is so embarrassing.
Therefore, in order to get more Jinshi, we have to promote people.
If you want to have more candidates, you can't compete for the quota in Shuntian Mansion. You have to have your own quota.
The more people there are, the higher the probability of becoming a Jinshi.
Of course, in the final analysis, Zheng Sen's connections were much stronger than Jin Bao's, so this matter was achieved.
The general rural examination is held in August, but it was the rainy season in Luzon and it was not suitable for heavy rains, so it was placed in June, the beginning of the rainy season.
It doesn't rain heavily and it's cool.
"I know."
Zheng Sen said casually: "Although it is the first provincial examination, it is arranged by the examiner. Why should I join in the fun? On the contrary, it is easy to violate taboos."
The examiners of the rural examinations are arranged by the imperial court, and local officials can at best serve as the same examiners.
"But, you are the one who took the lead in this provincial examination."
Zheng Chuan said in confusion.
"You, remember, if you take credit for anything, don't mention it too much. If you don't mention it in a conspicuous way, it will be too much, and it will easily give people the idea of repaying for the small effort."
Zheng Sen casually lectured his brother, and then slowly drank his morning tea.
A bowl of rice porridge, a plate of pickles, and four large meat buns.
The brothers talked about business again.
Zheng Chuan was very clear about this: "The Dutch are very friendly in Japan, but overseas, they are aggressive."
"However, our Zheng family's signboard is loud, and they have started doing business. They accept all goods, whether they are from North Korea or Japan, and they can also get the most important raw silk."
"If this is done well, we can carry twenty or thirty boats a year."
"That's good." Zheng Sen's expression remained unchanged.
He has seen a lot of money since he was a child. Although he doesn't eat minced meat, he doesn't care much about money anymore.
The Marquis of Nan'an and the Governor of Luzon, these two things are what he cares about most.
If this term is done well, eight ministers can do it.
After chatting for a while, after dinner, Zhenhai County Magistrate and Tong Magistrate asked to see him.
Zhenhai County is now the governor-general of Luzon.
The Luzon Governor-General's Mansion does not have a government office, but the Governor-General is in direct charge of twenty counties, so he can do it with ease.
"Let them come in."
Zheng Sen said helplessly.
The two came respectfully, and after saying hello, they explained their intention.
It turns out this is a lawsuit about inheritance.
Mainly because his family is extremely complicated.
A Spaniard named Alfonso has lived in Luzon for decades, experienced Spanish and Ming rule, and is already a pure native.
When the Ming Dynasty ruled Luzon, the Ming Dynasty Law was implemented, so concubines were allowed.
Alfonso immediately became interested and took five or six concubines in a row, including Spaniards, indigenous people, and Chinese women. After all, he was rich and it was not illegal.
Over the past ten years, I have had seven or eight children. Including the original ones, the number exceeds twenty.
He died of illness not long ago, but unfortunately he left no will, or the will disappeared, so fighting for family property became the theme.
His first wife died early, so the Spanish concubine demanded primogeniture, that is, the eldest son inherited all the family property, and the remaining children were given away.
This immediately caused conflict.
The concubine of the native people demanded that her youngest son inherit all the family property in accordance with the rules of the native people.
Han Chinese concubines are required to follow the Ming Dynasty law and implement the principle of equal distribution, and everyone has a number.
According to common sense, the law of the Ming Dynasty should prevail, but in a complex region like Luzon, it is different.
In Luzon, the implementation of criminal law is the same as that in mainland China, while in civil matters, a combination of customary law is adopted.
That is, Spaniards can observe primogeniture without breaking the law; at the same time, it is not against the law to divide wealth equally.
Govern according to customs, respect customs, and pay taxes legally.
This Alfonso is the first such complicated family inheritance in Luzon. More importantly, he did not leave a will, which is a headache.
It’s okay to follow either side, but neither side is okay.
Zhenhai County Magistrate and Tongpan can only solve the problem by recruiting the Governor.
Because this is a classic case.
(End of chapter)
