"Your Majesty, the young prince of the Zhu family is very powerful. He really has some thunderous skills. If all the nobles and ministers in the southeast are finished, they will just wait to confiscate their homes and wipe out their families. After more than two hundred years of wealth, tens of millions of taels of silver can be stolen, and the land will be even more Needless to say, his position in the Southeast is now considered secure."
At this time, Fan Wencheng was in the East Nuan Pavilion of Wuying Hall in the Imperial City of Beijing, reporting to his master Dorgon the secret report he had just received about the "Nanjing Eunuch Rebellion."
The Qing court didn't believe in eunuchs or anything like that. In Fan Wencheng's view, Zhu Cixiang's move was to take away the wealth accumulated by Southeast nobles and ministers for more than 200 years. With this wealth, Prince Zhu's rule in the southeast can be stabilized
"He is safe in Jiangnan, but how can we be safe in Beizhili?"
Dorgon's long, somewhat pale face was expressionless, and he seemed to have no interest in Zhu Cixiang making a fortune in Jiangnan.
Because he couldn't attack Zhu Cixi now, and he didn't even have time to deal with Li Zicheng from Shanxi.
For the Qing Dynasty, there were two top priorities. One was to move the capital. Only by moving the capital from Shengjing outside the Pass to Beijing within the Pass can we use Beijing as a stronghold to further annex the land of the Central Plains.
The second is to encircle farmland and occupy houses
This is somewhat of a heroic deed. The Qing Dynasty gained a firm foothold in the customs by "taking root" through the notorious land enclosure and house occupation orders.
"Your Majesty, I have already asked someone to investigate." Fan Wencheng understood what Dorgon meant and immediately replied, "There is a lot of unowned land by the Han people in Gyeonggi Prefecture County, tens of millions of acres, and they can all be enclosed and divided. Give it to the kings and soldiers from the east, etc."
"There are really so many." Dorgon didn't believe it. "The area around the capital is densely populated. How could there be so many unclaimed lands?"
"It's true," Fan Wencheng said with his fingers. "The first is the land of the guards in the Southern Dynasties. The land of the guards is government-owned military settlements, not private land. Now of course it is ownerless land.
The second is the land of the distinguished nobles and ministers of the Southern Dynasties who fled or were exterminated by Li Zicheng. These lands are now ownerless, and they are just for us to encircle. "
Dorgon nodded, "With these tens of millions of acres, the kings and soldiers from the east can take root."
But the soldiers and men of the kings from the east have to fight, and these lands can be cultivated."
"Yes," Fan Wencheng smiled, "we can make the landless Han people become slaves."
"Are the Han people willing to surrender?" Dorgon was a little worried.
"You have to be willing even if you don't want to," Fan Wencheng said with a grim smile, "It is an old method of the Qing Dynasty for Han people to surrender as slaves. If they don't surrender, they will be displaced, hungry and cold, and they will be so hungry that they can't bear it anymore. If it doesn’t work, let the head of the farm manage the farm to force you to do so.”
“Is this okay?”
"Your Majesty, isn't this what our Qing Dynasty does outside the customs all the time?"
"But now we have entered the border." Dorgon hesitated.
Seeing Dorgon's hesitation, Fan Wencheng reminded him: "Your Majesty, if you don't do this, you won't be able to take root.
The peasants who rent their land are not as useful as the banner slaves. The banner slaves are the slaves firmly in the hands of each banner.
With this group of slaves, we, the Qing Dynasty, can firmly control the territory of Beizhili. If they are allowed to act as tenants, our Qing Dynasty in Beizhili will not be stable. "
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the method of controlling the land and population was more sharp than that of Prince Zhu. Directly forcing the Han people to work as slaves was much more cruel than being tenants. The slaves themselves were a piece of wealth and could be beaten, killed or sold. And with these newly attached serfs, the old coats brought from outside the pass have been upgraded. Even if they don't raise the flag, they are still half masters. Naturally they are aligned with the Qing Dynasty, so the basic base of the Eight Banners has expanded in disguise.
Dorgon nodded and said: "That's the truth, but our roots can't just be rooted in the countryside. This city of Beijing must also become the foundation of our Qing Dynasty."
Fan Wencheng was stunned, "Your Majesty, Beijing is in our hands."
"Are you there?" Dorgon glanced at Fan Wencheng, "There are many Han people in Beijing, and they are extremely unreliable. When the rebels come, they greet them. When the Qing Dynasty comes, they still kneel down to welcome them. Such people have to rush to do whatever they want. Going out can make people feel at ease.”
"This," Fan Wencheng thought for a while, "otherwise, a house occupation order will be issued to occupy all the houses in Beijing and distribute them to the Eight Banners soldiers and coated slaves, and no Han people will be allowed to live there."
"Yes, that's what it has to be."
What Dorgon is now preparing to implement is land enclosure, investment and house occupation, which were called the third of the six major malpractices of the early Qing Dynasty in later history.
The so-called "enclosure" and "investment" actually meant that the land and farmers around the capital were used as rewards and distributed to the Eight Banners warriors.
Through "land enclosure" and "investment and filling," the land and population that the Eight Banners organization can control have also greatly increased. Around the capital, it has taken root.
As for "occupying houses", it means turning the fortress of Beijing into the territory of the Eight Banners and their slaves.
Historically, Beijing was a city of bannermen until the late Qing Dynasty. Most of the country's bannermen and slaves of the Shangsan Banners live in Beijing.
With the three major policies of land enclosure, investment and housing occupation, the Qing Dynasty could gain a firm foothold around Beijing.
As for such bad policies, they are just the words of Emperor Kangxi after he kept pace with the times.
Of course, for the Han people in the capital and Beizhili, an extremely tragic era is beginning.
"How are you still full?"
"Your Majesty, you are full."
An old man with wrinkles on his head and face, kneeling at the feet of the Dashun Emperor Li Zicheng, was already crying with gratitude.
Outside this village near Taiyuan, farmers dressed in their best clothes were kneeling, all looking at their new owner Li Zicheng with grateful eyes.
From a certain perspective, among the several forces competing for the world today, Li Zicheng was really good for some poor and lower-middle peasants.
Of course, it was only part of it, because the policies of the Dashun Dynasty were very erratic.
In the late autumn of the first year of Yongchang in Dashun, the poor and lower-middle peasants in Taiyuan Prefecture must have been bathed in the kindness of Emperor Yongchang.
The emperor's grace is quite magnificent.
Unlike Zhu Cihong and Dorgon, Li Zicheng was an emperor from the bottom. He sympathized with the working people and really wanted to bring some welfare to the working people.
Although his army often causes great damage when he passes by. But as long as there is no war, his "three years of no taxation", "equalizing land and freeing grain" and "cutting the rich and giving to the poor" can still bring some benefits to the poor in the country.
Don't think that Li Zicheng is faking it. In fact, his policies can be partially implemented. For example, the three-year non-levy policy is still in effect. In fact, the equalization of land and grain exemption has been implemented. Although there is no "fighting against landlords and dividing land", it is already difficult for landlords to receive rent on the territory that the Dashun regime can really control.
If you can't collect the rent, doesn't it mean the land is equalized?
Anyway, the poor and lower-middle peasants around Taiyuan Prefecture are still very happy now. All the grain harvested from this autumn harvest belongs to them.
There is no need to pay royal grain or gentry grain, and you don’t even need to pay usurious loans.
As for the gentry near Taiyuan, because they had launched a rebellion before Li Zicheng's defeat in Beijing, they were either suppressed or had their tail between their legs. They did not dare to use force because they could not receive rent and interest.
"Your Majesty, the people's hearts are with you."
"Yes, the people's support can be used."
Li Zicheng's military advisor Song Xiance and his nephew Li Guo followed him on patrol around Taiyuan, and saw many scenes of people's surrender.
Li Zicheng stretched out his big hand, helped the old farmer who was kneeling on the ground, and said warmly: "My husband, as long as you have enough to eat, then you can go. Take me to your granary to have a look."
"I obey," the old farmer responded, and walked into the village with the support of a young man.
At this time, Li Zicheng said to Song Xiance and Li Guo: "It seems that people's hearts are still on Dashun's side. Since ancient times, those who win people's hearts will win the world."
Emperor Dashun still doesn't seem to understand that winning people's hearts and winning people are not the same thing.
He has won the hearts of the people in some respects, otherwise he would not have had the devastating victory he had before. But his regime did not control the population and land, so it failed to take root.
If in the territory ruled by Zhu Cihong, there is currently a temporary balance between imperial power and gentry power, and in the territory of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial power overwhelms the gentry power, then in the territory of Li Zicheng, the imperial power and the gentry power disappear at the same time.
Those farmers who were grateful to Li Zicheng were not actually under Li Zicheng's rule, but were in a "state of anarchy" because of Li Zicheng's arrival. No one is in charge, no one is collecting taxes or rent, and we can be self-sufficient. How can we be unhappy?
But the problem is that their power is not controlled by Li Zicheng, and Li Zicheng does not have the ability to defend this "anarchy".
Li Guo frowned and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the brothers from the old camp below are still a little dissatisfied."
Li Zicheng just remained silent and did not speak.
He also knew that the brothers in the old camp had some complaints about their current treatment, but he had tried his best to reward everyone.
As for distributing the population and land of Taiyuan Prefecture as prizes to his old soldiers, Emperor Li always felt that doing so would lose the hearts of the people.
After a moment of silence, Li Zicheng finally whispered back to Li Guo: "Let's wait until this battle is over to discuss the management of the territory."
