"Wang Yansheng!" Emperor Liu half-smiled, looking at Wang Yansheng who had a strong back but bowed his hands, he called softly.
"I'm here! What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Wang Yansheng looked calm and respectful, as well-behaved as a cat.
"Swinging a hoe is more difficult than wearing a sword and wielding a sword, isn't it?" Emperor Liu said.
Hearing this, Wang Yansheng immediately started to murmur in his heart. Who else had brought his words to the emperor? Glancing at Emperor Liu carefully, Wang Yansheng smiled innocently: "Your Majesty, you are a familiar minister. You are good at mounting a horse and charging into battle. The work in the fields is really difficult!"
"There are so many soldiers in the Han Dynasty, how many of them are from farmers? You have led troops in the northwest for many years. Which soldier did not pick up a sword to kill thieves and dismounted from his horse to plow the fields?" Emperor Liu's tone immediately became more severe and said: "The country is based on agriculture. Food is the most important thing for the people, so why do you despise farming and hate mulberry farming?"
Seeing the emperor's attitude, Wang Yansheng immediately changed his face, raised his hands and said solemnly: "Your Majesty's words are serious. I never meant this. I just spent many years in the army and paid little attention to the land. I don't have this way. If your Majesty really lets me farm the land, I will There’s nothing wrong with this year’s spring plowing, so there’s no harm in living on the edge of the fields and tending the crops!”
Seeing this, Emperor Liu smiled and glared at him: "If you, a veteran on the battlefield, are asked to plow the fields, even if you have no complaints, others will start talking about my employment methods!"
Hearing this, Wang Yansheng chuckled. Looking at him, Emperor Liu pointed to his side and ordered: "Sit down!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Yansheng didn't refuse and pressed his butt on a piece of upturned soil.
"I'm here to ask you, how much land does your family have?" Emperor Liu asked him.
Wang Yansheng was obviously stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment. Seeing this, Emperor Liu frowned slightly, and his voice became stronger: "Why, is this question difficult to answer?"
Wang Yansheng shook his head repeatedly, and finally choked out an answer: "I don't know either."
With a raised eyebrow and a surprised expression, Emperor Liu said, "You don't even know how many acres of land you have under your name? Is it too many to count?"
Wang Yansheng was a little embarrassed and responded: "I have never paid attention to it. My wife has always taken care of the affairs of the house. The court has rewarded some meritorious fields, which should be less than a thousand acres. When I return to the house, I will ask my wife, Report to Your Majesty again."
"That's all!" Emperor Liu waved his hand and chuckled: "You, you don't even know how many fields you have at home. Fortunately, you have a wife who can take care of the house, otherwise..."
As he spoke, Emperor Liu said leisurely: "If it's within a thousand acres, it's not much compared to those homes that often have hundreds of acres of land!"
In the early years, the rewards for meritorious officials were mostly acres of land, but later this was also cancelled, and they were treated purely with titles and salaries. However, after so many years, some ministers' families have acquired a lot of land. Especially within the tax-free quota, some people are also gradually purchasing.
"It's useless to have too much!" Wang Yansheng said directly: "No matter how much land you have, if no one is cultivating it, it will end up being abandoned."
Emperor Liu couldn't help but glance at Wang Yansheng. He thought for a moment and asked, "Is your land short of human race?"
Mentioning this, Wang Yansheng also answered honestly: "Before, my wife had whispered this matter in my ears. For this reason, during the farming season, I sent the servants from the government to the fields and hired some villagers to help, and then we solved it." ....”
From the situation of Wang Yansheng's family, we can get a glimpse of the current land and population of the Han Dynasty. To this day, the Han Dynasty still has no shortage of big landowners, especially aristocratic military meritorious landowners. However, although there is a lot of land, not much is actually utilized.
The limitation is that there is no land for those who can farm, and the extra land is just for decoration. The reason for this is that the farming population of the Han Dynasty was far from saturated. In the early days, ordinary people mostly owned and managed their own land. Coupled with the further development of commerce, the booming handicraft industry also absorbed a large number of farming and herding populations.
Therefore, for many large landowners, even if they have enough land, they cannot create enough value and wealth without enough manpower. At that time, the reason why Emperor Liu carried out large-scale relocation of wealthy people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was not only to suppress the powerful people, but also to liberate the population and labor force that were parasitic on the families of these powerful families. Population and land cannot survive alone.
"Guanglie!" Emperor Liu suddenly called again.
"Your Majesty!" Wang Yansheng stood up reflexively.
"It must have been several years since you returned to Beijing to serve in the Forbidden Army after the Battle of Hexi!" Emperor Liu said.
Wang Yansheng cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, five years and seven months!"
"You remember this clearly!" Emperor Liu glanced at him and said: "The generals on the edge of the town are stationed in the capital for a long time, like tying a tiger to a prison. You must be tired of it!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yansheng immediately said: "The two capitals are prosperous, and I have never had enough time to stay. I just haven't been active for a long time, and I am afraid that my body and bones will become old and I will no longer be able to attack cities and forts for Your Majesty!"
"Haha!" Emperor Liu laughed and said to Liu Yang beside him: "Look, everyone says Wang Guanglie is rude, but he is still very good at talking!"
"It all depends on His Majesty's teachings!" Wang Yansheng added.
The smile gradually faded, and Emperor Liu said to him seriously: "But I am still willing to lead troops on the border!"
Seeing this, Wang Yansheng did not hesitate at all: "Your Majesty, please give me your orders!"
"Go to Hexi!" Emperor Liu said decisively.
Wang Yansheng's eyes lit up and he asked proactively: "May I ask Your Majesty, do you want to attack the Western Regions or go north to attack the Liao Dynasty?"
"How can it be so easy to decide something that affects the whole body in one moment!" Emperor Liu was satisfied with Wang Yansheng's positive attitude, and his expression became gentler: "Guo Jin, I also planned to send to the northwest. You were the first to lead the way. Recover Gansu, now let’s continue to work together, after we return to the city, the order will be delivered!”
Finally, Emperor Liu added: "In addition, preparations for war must be done well, and you can go to war at any time according to the order!"
"Yes!" Wang Yansheng's voice was a little higher.
"It seems that the Han Dynasty still lacks people for farming! Our ministers and nobles, especially!" Emperor Liu sighed to Liu Yang after Wang Yansheng resigned.
"Dad, you have always been committed to suppressing the powerful and suppressing annexations. Since there is such a shortage of people and farming, you will not blindly annex and greed for more. This is a good thing!" Liu Yang thought for a while and said.
Emperor Liu shook his head and said calmly: "Suppressing annexation is certainly a policy, but it should not be neglected. The land is vacant and abandoned. More importantly, since there is a problem, smart people will find ways to solve it. Yes, if they have this need, they will take action. In this case, how do you think people who lack people's power will solve the problem to prevent their land from being abandoned?"
"This..." Liu Yang hesitated for a moment, frowned and asked, "Are you worried that there will be forced servitude of the people?"
"How can we know it without investigation?" Emperor Liu said softly.
Liu Yang understood and took the initiative: "I will order the censors and inspectors from all over the country to pay attention to this matter and see if there is such a situation!"
"Yes!" Emperor Liu responded, and then said: "After returning to the palace, prepare for the court meeting, the restructuring of the court, and the adjustment of official positions. They have been brewing for so long. Everyone is probably waiting impatiently for the results to come out."
Basically, Emperor Liu stayed in the fields all day, and when he returned to the palace at the end, his back was sore. After all, he was old and pampered. Working in the fields is really harder than riding a horse and shooting arrows.
"Your Highness, Zhao Pu, comes to see His Highness the Crown Prince!" In the honor guard, Zhao Pu received the Crown Prince's summons and hurriedly came to see him.
Because of Emperor Liu's teachings, Liu Yang was also very respectful to Zhao Pu and his attitude was as gentle as wind and drizzle. He said warmly: "Master Zhao, please get in the car and drive for a while!"
Seeing this, Zhao Pu looked around, bowed his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Then, with the help of a chamberlain, he got into the car. There was a faint fragrance inside. Looking at Zhao Pu, Liu Yang didn't waste any time and said directly: "I summoned Mr. Gu to ask me something!"
"I don't dare take it! Please give me your Majesty's orders. I will tell you everything I know!" Zhao Pu responded immediately.
Liu Yang said: "How many acres of land are registered in the Han Dynasty now?"
When asked, Zhao Pu responded ably: "According to current records, of all registered acres of land, including military and professional fields, the total number of acres of cultivated land in the country is about 3.91 million hectares!"
"Is this less or more?" Liu Yang asked.
"Based on the current population of the Han Dynasty, it is quite a lot! I have checked the records of land and fields in the past dynasties, and the current land situation of the Han Dynasty shows that there is still a lot of room for cultivation!"
Nodding slightly, Liu Yang thought for a while, and told Zhao Pu the topic Liu Emperor had just discussed, and then asked for advice: "Concerning the lack of people's power in the land of Gongqing, both Your Majesty and I are worried that there will be forced oppression of the people. How can my husband teach me about this?"
Zhao Pu suddenly understood and responded calmly: "Your Highness, I have also noticed these situations. Nowadays, it has become popular for the wealthy families of public ministers to hire people to work during the farming season. If Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are concerned that there is something illegal, the court can Issue a law to also regulate employment practices and protect the interests of employed people!"
Liu Yang looked slightly happy and seemed to think this was a good idea. However, he quickly calmed down and pointed out: "Even so, I'm afraid it will be difficult to completely solve the problem of labor shortage!"
"Your Highness is smart! However, the number of households in the Han Dynasty is still growing. When the household registration is full, what we need to worry about is that there are too many people." Zhao Pu praised Liu Yang.
Facing his gaze, Zhao Pu reported another matter, saying: "Previously, Zhao Kuangyi, the magistrate of Jiaozhou, reported that outside Annan, there are many native people who are good at farming, and they may be captured to enrich the interior as slaves and specialize in farming. Labor..."
