The war in the south did not seem to have any impact on the city of Kaifeng. For the people of Tokyo, there was no reason for the imperial court to defeat Jing and Hu. In comparison, the impact of the arrival of summer on their lives was more worthy of attention.
As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, besides paying attention to the wars in Jing and Hu, there were also more military and political matters that required his decision-making. At this time, Liu Chengyou was faced with another important and big issue, regarding the farming affairs in the Daoist states of the Han Dynasty.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were hundreds of wastes waiting to be renovated. The Central Plains suffered from the Khitan scourge, causing serious damage, displacing the people and leaving the land deserted. But if we want to correct chaos, restore order, and develop production, the most efficient one is farming. Concentrating production resources and developing development will be of great benefit to the country.
The first farming affairs of the Han Dynasty were after the Battle of Luancheng, in Heng, Shen, Ji, and Zhaoshi. At that time, they attracted more than 100,000 refugees from all sides. Later, it was successively launched in Zhengzhou, Weibo, and various states in the Central Plains. Over the years, the total number of villages in the country has exceeded one million.
In the initial stage, the development of village services was of great benefit to the country's recovery and fiscal and tax revenue. To this day, it is still a considerable amount of money. However, it has to be said that the policy of farming is still exploiting and squeezing the villagers. Even now, the government only collects 40% of the farm output.
At the beginning, the refugees were displaced, suffering, and in desperate need of peace. The court was naturally willing to contribute to their farming, survival, and protection. But as the country develops and the situation stabilizes, the original favor turns into exploitation.
In particular, compared with those self-cultivators who own their own land and enjoy government policies, the psychological gap is even greater. We have always worried about inequality rather than scarcity. Even though the taxes of the Han farmers were not light, they were not comparable to those of the villagers. More importantly, the land they cultivated belonged to them.
In the past two years, reports have been reported from various places that villagers have frequently abandoned their farmland and fled, and civil unrest has broken out twelve times. Nowadays, the pros and cons of garrison affairs have been placed on the case of the emperor and the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, and it is an issue that urgently needs to be solved.
Looking at the two prime ministers Li Tao and Xue Juzheng waiting in the palace, Liu Chengyou first offered a seat. It was not a formal occasion and there was no need to show off.
"Second Qing, please tell me about the situation of military affairs in various places!" Liu Chengyou asked.
It was Li Tao who was the first to speak, and said to Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, according to reports from various state governments, the total number of people living in villages across the country is about 970,000, which is a decrease of more than 40,000 compared to the beginning of the sixth year of Qianyu."
"In two years, more than 40,000 people escaped?" Liu Chengyou frowned slightly: "What are the military officials in various places doing!"
Hearing this, Li Tao said: "This is still under the situation where the village officials have strengthened their control! Most of the people who escaped from farming are farmers from other places, and most of them fled to their hometowns. Governments in various places also take in many of these people who have returned to their hometowns, and create households. Qi the people, distribute land, increase their household registration, and record them as political achievements!"
After hearing what Li Tao said, Liu Chengyou also sighed, but he didn't get angry. He just said quietly: "That's the case, but it's no wonder!"
"Your Majesty!" Xue Juzheng also spoke: "According to the calculations of the officials of the three divisions, from the fifth year of Qianyou to this year, it is clear that the annual income of farming is decreasing year by year, and it is getting better and better every year. The year is serious. The people in the settlements in various places are full of resentment and have no intention of working, so that the newly cultivated acres are in ruins."
"It seems that the settlement issue has to be resolved!" Liu Chengyou said, with a calm expression on his face: "However, this involves millions of villagers!"
"Your Majesty! I believe that the government should promote the advantages and eliminate the disadvantages when administering the government! When your Majesty took over the throne, he stopped the 'field management' of the previous generation, which burdened the people. Now, the disadvantages of farming all over the country have appeared, and the people are suffering from it. With your majesty's sage virtues and love for the people, you should eliminate the disadvantages and bring benefits to the people! I believe that the 'tunnel service' should be reformed!" Li Tao opened his mouth, and his words were mixed with compliments.
Looking at the two of them, Liu Chengyou said: "If the farmland is withdrawn, the imperial court will lose a lot of income!"
"If the disadvantages are not eliminated, there may be chaos! In the past two years, the chaos among the people in the villages is worthy of the court's vigilance!" Li Tao said.
Nodding slightly and thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou asked: "How should we take measures? Has the Second Minister considered it?"
After hearing the question, Xue Juzheng handed over his hands and said: "After repeated discussions and careful weighing, I decided to gradually abolish the farming in various places over a period of three years. In the Central Plains, farming in Zhengzhou is the most prosperous, just in Kinki, and it can be used as an experiment.
The land cultivated by the villagers, including acres of land, cattle, and farm tools, can all be sold at a price to the household. If the family capital is not enough, the farming regulations promulgated by the imperial court will continue to be implemented. The farmland production will be collected by the imperial court and then reduced by 10%..."
Xue Juzheng gave a general outline, while Liu Chengyou thought about it carefully and showed a smile on his face. According to the measures proposed by the Third Division, there are three advantages. First, the court can continue to enjoy the benefits of farming for three years; second, just selling those production materials is a huge income for the court's finance; third, the court's restructuring will provide hundreds of Tens of thousands of people hope that the troubles can be temporarily eliminated.
Of course, this is just a general direction. The specific implementation and deeper impact on the villagers are still open to debate. After all, it is a major project involving millions of people. But, overall, a good thing.
"Regarding the abolition and reform of farmland, the Political Affairs Hall should issue a set of policies, consider it more comprehensively, and disseminate it to the world as soon as possible to reassure the hearts of millions of villagers!" Liu Chengyou looked satisfied and ordered: "Also, like Xue Your Majesty, Zhengzhou is just around the corner, and it can be used as a pilot to implement the redemption policy. If there are no serious problems in the trial, it can be promoted nationwide!"
"Yes!" Li and Xue Chen responded immediately.
"The reform of the farmland is a matter of great importance and involves a wide range of things. It requires ministers. Who should be responsible for this task from top to bottom in the court?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"Jing Fan once served in Zhengzhou and was in charge of his farming affairs, but now he has the responsibility of Kaifeng Prefecture and cannot leave lightly!" Li Tao said.
Xue Juzheng raised his hand and said: "I recommend Bian Guangfan, the Minister of Household Affairs, who has served in many fields, has outstanding talents, always handles things properly, and has a good reputation, so he can take on big tasks. If he takes charge of farm affairs, the people will be relieved of their worries and benefited. The court is at peace!"
Looking at Xue Juzheng, Liu Chengyou smiled and said, "I have heard of Bian Qing's reputation. Furthermore, if Xue Qing can recommend him, he will definitely be qualified for this position."
"That's it!" Liu Chengyou looked at Li Tao: "I will use Bian Guangfan as the envoy of the farm system and participate in the planning of the restructuring policy. When the order is issued, I will go to Zhengzhou to start the restructuring!"
"Yes!" Li Tao responded.
After thinking about it, Liu Chengyou brought up another matter: "Now that the civilian villages have been reformed, what about the military villages?"
In this regard, Li Tao and Xue Juzheng were both more serious. After all, it involved military affairs. Li Tao said: "Your Majesty, the scale of the Han military garrison is not large, and the military garrison involves military affairs and the peace of the border. It should not be touched lightly!"
"You have misunderstood me!" Liu Chengyou shook his head and explained: "What I am considering is that the court should appropriately improve the treatment of the soldiers and civilians in the military camp."
Liu Chengyou has always wanted to immigrate to Shibian. However, the current Han Dynasty has insufficient population and the internal land has not yet been digested. How can it attract people to move to Shibian? As for forced relocation, it is even less necessary. The only thing that can be done is to pretend to garrison the border and march the army.
However, just because it doesn’t work now, doesn’t mean it won’t work in ten or twenty years. Liu Chengyou's gaze has always been far-sighted.
Seeing that Erzai couldn't keep up with his own thoughts, Liu Chengyou didn't take it seriously and waved his hand: "Let's not change the military settlements for the time being. Let's deal with the civilian settlements first!"
After all, when it comes to the military, the Privy Council and the Ministry of War need to be included in a joint meeting to synthesize opinions before making a final decision.
"yes!"
"Second Qing, please step aside for now!" Liu Chengyou ordered.
After meeting the two prime ministers, without taking a break for a cup of tea, Liu Chengyou immediately received a notification from Nanping envoy Sun Guangxian requesting an audience.
"Tell him to come to the palace for an audience!" Thinking of this person, Liu Chengyou's expression became obviously more relaxed, and he looked southward, seeming to have seen the situation in Jiangling City.
