Li Zhao didn't know why His Majesty asked such a question, so he quickly responded, "Except for the dozen or so private slaves sent by Your Majesty, plus those who later volunteered to become private slaves in Chang'an Township, the others have not been registered as private slaves in Chang'an Township."
The Daqin household registration system was strict and strictly managed. Household registrations were divided according to the social status of the people. They were mainly divided into ordinary civilian household registration, servitude registration, apprentice registration, private slave registration, city registration, disciple registration, high title registration, clan registration, etc.
Private slavery is slavery. Once you join, you will be a slave of your master for life, and it is difficult to change.
Nowadays, most powerful people have their own private slaves. For example, if a powerful person owns ten thousand acres of land, they cannot cultivate it themselves, so they find ways to get slaves, join them as private slaves, and serve them for life.
It is indeed rare to have a small number of private slaves like Li Zhao.
"Oh! Why?" Ying Zheng was puzzled by Li Zhao's actions. Private slaves are a common method used by the powerful today, but it is a bit unbelievable that Li Zhao did this.
Li Zhaoyi cupped his hand and said, "Your Majesty, there are no private slaves in Chang'an Township. There is no need to insist on obtaining private slave status. We are all a family, and a family will not care about this."
It is true that the number of people in Chang'an Township has increased since he developed it, but he has never treated them as slaves, let alone abused them. Some of them have only treated them as equals. This is why Achao dared to talk to him without any fuss. reason.
In a family, there is no distinction between slaves and masters. There is only division of labor and cooperation, each performing his duties and fulfilling his responsibilities.
This is very different from the approach of other powerful people.
"We are all a family? There is no such thing as private slaves? Is this good?" Ying Zheng fell into deep thought.
After having been in contact with His Majesty for a long time, Li Zhao didn't seem very embarrassed and could speak freely, "It depends on the actual situation?"
"Your Majesty, please look below." Li Zhao pointed to the farmers working in the fields, "A few of these dozens of people are private slaves, and most of them are ordinary households. What do you think of the results of their work? "
“Very good, very motivated.”
"How does this compare with other private slaves of powerful people?"
"Worst than that." Ying Zheng was not just saying nonsense. As an emperor, he controlled all directions, and had a black ice platform to monitor hundreds of officials. He still knew what the situation of each family was.
For example, in the Li Zhao family, he could name Li Nian.
Yes, generally the slaves of the rich and powerful are not very motivated to work. In order to make the slaves work, some even ask people to manage them, and whipping is indispensable.
But the private slaves in Chang'an Township are different. They don't need anyone to care about them at all. They work consciously and very efficiently. What's even more rare is that the farmers who are not private slaves are also very motivated to work. It's just like that. His family is average.
But he was puzzled by how he could make these servants obedient and work without lynching or slavery. How did Li Zhao do it?
Could it be said that it was his own charm that conquered these people? This idea made Ying Zheng feel ridiculous when he thought about it. Didn't he still know who Li Zhao was?
Selfishness has no charm at all.
"How did you do it?" Ying Zheng asked with interest.
Li Zhao did not hide anything, saying: "Private slaves are treated equally, and farmers are hired with rewards."
Although the Qin Dynasty was a feudal society, it was in the initial stage of feudal society, that is to say, it was the transition from slave society to feudal society.
The bad habits of slave society still exist, and it is impossible to treat private slaves equally. In the eyes of the powerful, slaves are inferior people and do not deserve equal treatment, let alone employment.
There is little talk of employment in Da Qin.
The Qin Dynasty focused on agriculture, and most of the land was concentrated in the hands of landlords. Therefore, each landlord had many private slaves in his hands. Private slaves were slaves of the master's family, and there was no such thing as employment.
Another situation is that of farm laborers, that is, land is allocated to farmers for farming, and the landlord collects land rent. This situation can increase the enthusiasm of farmers to work, but it cannot be said to be employment.
Therefore, when Li Zhao said this, Ying Zheng's eyes widened. The existential concepts of this era made him unable to accept such an approach for a while.
But he did not say it out loud, but asked: "I can understand treating private slaves equally, but why do I understand that they are hired for compensation?"
Li Zhao smiled and pointed at himself, "Your Majesty, as a general, do I get a salary?"
"certainly!"
"This is how your Majesty hires ministers with rewards. When I serve your Majesty, your Majesty will reward me. In fact, the principle is the same. It's just that this reward only exists in the court, but few people think of using it on the common people."
"Actually, why the farmers in Chang'an Township are so active is because I hired them to work for me and I paid them."
"With remuneration, you can improve your family's life and get rid of poverty."
"Hire him to work? Why not rent his land and collect rent?" Ying Zheng asked.
Li Zhao held up his hands to Ying Zheng, bowed slightly, and said, "Leasing land is good, but it makes farmers breathless."
"Your Majesty does not know that the farmers recruited by Chang'an Township are all nearby farmers. They themselves have their own land to cultivate. If we rent the land to them again and do not care about each other, it will only make it difficult for them to deal with it."
"I only hire them to work in their free time and pay them."
"Oh! Can it still be done like this?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, our Daqin's taxes mainly fall on ordinary households. They have to bear both taxes and rent. They can only make ends meet. If the winter is bad and the harvest drops sharply, they will also face starvation. share."
"So I thought, why not give them more income and reduce their pressure. It would be good for them and me."
"In fact, they are very happy to accept this method, so they work actively."
Ying Zheng was silent after hearing this. Farmers took time to work in Chang'an Township while busy with their own work. This way they could get another income and reduce their own burden. Precisely because they did not resist this method, they even respected it. This will stimulate their enthusiasm for work.
It sounds like that's true.
Much worse than private slavery or renting land!
"Of course, some farmers have little land and cannot make ends meet, and are almost reduced to the situation of refugees. We, Chang'an Township, take them in. If farmers like this are willing, I will hire them as long-term workers and sign a contract, just for the sake of living. Serve in Chang'an Township and receive considerable remuneration every month."
"I call them contract workers, and those who come to help on a temporary basis are called temporary workers."
"Using both industries at the same time is what Chang'an Township does."
Li Zhao said so much in one breath and told Chang'an Township's employment practices without reservation.
Ying Zheng was deep in thought, frowning for a while and nodding for a while, looking very funny.
"Is this what Xiao He said is mainly distribution according to work, with various distributions coexisting?" He suddenly remembered this sentence.
"It's not entirely true. 'Distribution according to work is the main one, and various distributions coexist' is too broad. If we really want to say it, we can only say that more work means more gain, and less work means less gain."
"Oh!" Ying Zheng shook his head in confusion and continued to be lost in thought.
After a while, an older farmer passed by. Ying Zheng called him over and asked gently: "My father-in-law, what do you think of your income?"
The elderly farmer may be nervous and speak awkwardly, but who can make people hear clearly, "I'll give you your majesty's income. It's not bad."
Ying Zheng saw his nervousness, smiled and patted his shoulder, telling him to relax, "Can you tell me, are you a contract worker or a temporary worker?"
The elderly farmer was a little more relaxed, but also less nervous. "You are a temporary worker? You come here to help after you finish your work at home and increase your income."
"Oh! Why didn't you go to other places and come to Chang'an Department?"
"Your Majesty, there are no temporary workers in other places. Even if there are, they will not accept villains. Only Chang'an Township will not dislike villains."
"Besides, when you come to work in Chang'an Township, the young master will not only give you food, but also give you wages. The young master is a rare good person."
Listening to the farmer's boast, Li Zhao felt a little embarrassed. He looked at Ying Zheng deeply and continued to ask the farmer: "Is it possible to have enough for one day's meal?"
This question may be to the farmer's taste, and the conversation started immediately, "Back to Your Majesty, if in the past, the income from farming the villains had to pay not only taxes but also land rent, and the remaining income could only barely make ends meet. If When the harvest is reduced, it will be difficult to maintain a daily meal.”
"Just like this year, the price of rice has increased and the harvest has decreased. If the villain had not been favored by the young master and came to Chang'an Township, the villain's family would not be able to have enough to eat, and the villain would have no choice but to fall into trouble."
What the farmer said is true. Nowadays, farmers with ordinary rural household registration have to face exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. If the winter is not good, if they have no other income, they can only become thieves. This is one of the reasons why there are more thieves and bandits.
"What are you talking about? Now that the world is at peace and the people have enough food, even if the winter is bad, they won't turn into bandits!" Ying Zheng questioned, feeling a little excited, which immediately scared the farmers and made them shiver. Kneel down and say, "Your Majesty, please spare my life. What I just said was just nonsense from a villain. It's just nonsense."
Ying Zheng realized that he had lost his temper, and quickly calmed down, saying, "I have lost my temper. There is no need to be like this. If what you said is true, I can't blame you. But" he suddenly raised his tone, "If you dare to deceive me, you will not be spared." you."
The farmer was so frightened that he trembled and said quickly: "Everything the villain said is true. I would never dare to deceive your majesty. Moreover, and" he stopped talking.
"What's more, tell me quickly. If you don't tell me properly, I won't spare you." Ying Zheng pretended to be angry.
"Yes, yes." The farmer did not dare to hide it anymore and said, "Your Majesty does not know something. People like Xiaoren who can work in Chang'an Township are relatively lucky. Like some people, if the winter is not good, they will be Adding additional recruitment by the imperial court will only make things worse."
"You?" Ying Zheng looked extremely ugly after hearing this. He wanted to raise his hand and slap him directly, but he did not do so.
In addition to the imperial conscription, doesn't this mean him?
But just such a look and silence were enough to frighten the farmer, and he quickly fell to the ground, not daring to breathe.
"Okay, please step back!" Seeing that the farmer was so frightened, he couldn't bear it, so he asked him to step back.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The farmer hurried away, and only after he was far away did he collapse heavily on the ground. He has long heard that His Majesty is violent today, and today it seems that it is indeed the case. However, he also admires that he is bold enough to even mention conscription to His Majesty, which is courting death.
At this moment, he felt like he was surviving a disaster.
After a long time, Ying Zheng let out a breath and asked sadly: "Li Zhao, is what the farmer just said true?"
"This." Li Zhao tried his best to pretend to be ignorant. You know, farmers are brave, but he is not brave. How can he say it is true? He still wants to live.
"The first part may be true, but the second part must be false. It is an honor for the people to be recruited by the imperial court, so how can it be so miserable? Farmers are just short-sighted."
"Really?" Ying Zheng sneered and glanced at Li Zhao thoughtfully, "Are you even here to deceive me?"
"No, I would never dare. Everything I said is true." Li Zhao quickly knelt down and said confidently.
"Really? Huh! My ears are not deaf yet, and my mind is not confused yet." Ying Zheng did not mean to blame, as if he was talking to himself, his eyes filled with sadness.
He is in a high position and always considers the people. He recruits civilians for the safety of the Qin Dynasty. However, he is said to be miserable. This is indirectly saying that he governs harshly.
He never wanted to be oppressive.
"Your Majesty." Li Zhao saw the change in the emperor's mood and did not dare to say anything nonsense. He looked serious, "How about I accompany you for a walk?"
Only taking a walk can ease the emperor's mood.
"No, just let me be quiet for a while. You can stay with me."
Li Zhao stopped talking and accompanied him silently. He knew that His Majesty must be very confused at this moment. Yes, no one will be happy when they hear someone say that terrible things will happen under his administration.
All of a sudden, Ying Zheng seemed to have aged a few years. For a moment, he was as decadent as a beggar on the roadside. After a while, he said leisurely: "Li Zhao, if you don't let me come and see the farmers in Chang'an Township, I really didn’t know that the life of farmers outside Chang’an Township would be like this.”
"You are right. With more income comes more security. The farmers in Chang'an Township can almost change their difficult situation, but how many people can Chang'an Township accommodate? There are 20 million people in Daqin! Two thousand How many farmers are there in Wanli?"
“What can be done to change this?”
Ying Zheng walked slowly, his eyes empty and helpless, completely different from the majestic emperor in the hall.
Li Zhao didn't know how to persuade Ying Zheng, so he could only stand aside silently and let Huang adjust his emotions on his own.
"Li Zhao, do you think it's wrong to recruit civilians? They are my subjects of Great Qin, so they should serve Great Qin and make sacrifices for Great Qin. Did I do something wrong?"
Li Zhao continued to remain silent, even covering his mouth with his hands. If he answered this question well, nothing would happen. If he answered it poorly, he might be killed, so it would be more practical to just shut up.
"Why don't you speak? Do you want to see my joke?" Ying Zheng suddenly glared at Li Zhao, looking extremely angry.
Li Zhao quickly bowed and made an excuse secretly: "I don't dare. Your Majesty just said that you want to be quiet, so I don't dare to say anything. I hope your Majesty will atone for my sins."
"You kid." Ying Zheng forced a smile, looked at Li Zhao steadily, and said solemnly: "Li Zhao, you have to answer me honestly. You once asked me whether to recruit civilians to build the Great Wall. Now to answer you, yes, I have recruited civilian husbands, tell me, is this inappropriate?"
"The Huns invaded the border, and the people on the border were plundered repeatedly. If the Great Walls of various countries were connected to prevent the Huns from invading, it would be beneficial to both the people and the country. Why do farmers say that the conscripted people are miserable? The conscripted people are all the people of our great Qin Dynasty. Why is it so miserable?"
The more Ying Zheng talked, the angrier he became, but he tried his best to endure it.
Li Zhao was really in a dilemma, how should he answer? Could it be that he said that this was a harsh government that would only make the people displaced and live in dire straits? It was impossible. If he really said that, he might be the one who was displaced in the next moment.
"This," Li Zhao faltered, glancing at His Majesty from the corner of his eyes from time to time. "This," he faltered for a long time, unable to form a single sentence.
But in my heart I was very angry with His Majesty.
I thought: Qin Shi Huang, Qin Shi Huang, you are making things difficult for me, do you want me to tell the truth? If I tell the truth, can you bear it?
(End of chapter)
