"Shopkeeper Li, what you said is serious. If the court..."
"Without any eventuality, there are nearly three million people in Xi'an and Fengxiang. How can the court take them back?
Besides, now it’s these two prefectures, will it be the whole of Shaanxi in the future? What about the remaining two capitals and twelve provinces?
Tens of millions of people bought farmland, and the court took it back. The angry people overthrew the court every minute. As long as they were not stupid, it would be impossible to take it back. "
The people watching were stunned at the same time. It seems to be the truth. No matter how powerful the imperial court is, can it stop tens of millions of people?
"Old Wang, don't just watch the show. I advise you to go back and sell the farmland at home. Now that the people have land, they won't plant it anymore.
When the time comes, it will be abandoned and land taxes will have to be paid. The gain outweighs the loss! "
"I'm going to open a wine shop or restaurant. There will be no shortage of food in the two houses in the future, so making wine is a good choice."
"Fuck..."
Lao Wang screamed, pushed away the crowd, and rushed outside. Maybe he was too anxious or too fast. He fell three or four times in just a few dozen feet.
It made the onlookers laugh.
"Everyone, if you don't go back to the village to buy, the good land will be robbed if it's too late!"
"Keep smashing, I'll go to Lao Wang's house to see if you've broken any bones!"
In one sentence, the people ran away.
A quarter of an hour later, in the hall of Lao Wang's home, shopkeeper Li was applying medicinal wine to Lao Wang.
"Old Wang, it's just a show, don't really fall like this!"
Lao Wang bared his teeth and smiled bitterly: "Lao Li, this is mostly my true reaction. I have worked hard for decades and only have 2,000 acres of land.
The imperial court issued such an edict. If Mr. Yuan Ge hadn't given us a chance, I would have lost all these lands, or I would have had to sell them to the imperial court at a low price, and decades of hard work would have been in vain.
When you said that at that time, I was so panicked that I couldn't choose a way out... Hiss, please be gentle, it hurts! "
…
Looking at the dispersed people, Chongzhen whispered: "Yuan Aiqing, did you arrange this?"
"Back to Your Majesty, yes!"
Yuan Keli said in a deep voice: "I have arranged a similar scene in nearly a hundred cities and towns in two prefectures, seven states, and thirty-eight counties, but each has its own method.
For example, storytellers interpret imperial edicts and strategies, landlords sell their fields at low prices, and wealthy businessmen make trouble and demand land purchases;
The beggar caused trouble in front of the government office and asked the court to give him a quota. The accountant told the people the pros and cons of being a tenant or buying land.
Anyway, there is only one purpose. The court's land sale this time will not make you suffer a loss or be cheated. If you buy it, you will make a profit.
Opportunities don't come every day, so take action when it's time to take action. "
"Your Majesty, don't worry. These people were all prepared when I received the order to sell the farmland, but I only told them about the sale in these two days.
Some of these people were relatives of officials, and some had committed crimes. We threatened them and immediately agreed. "
"Yuan Aiqing, you are really the best director...the planner of the Ming Dynasty!"
After hearing this, Chongzhen was very emotional.
We had anticipated possible situations several months ago and had prepared for them without leakage.
With such a minister assisting you, you can save a lot of things.
Even a beggar knows that this is reliable. Are the common people worse than a beggar?
Driven by this, farmers flocked to their respective villages and towns to sell their farmland.
If it had not been arranged in advance for the guards and sergeants to guard the place, the place where the work was done would have been overcrowded. Even so, there was a stampede.
After watching the play, Chongzhen took the people back to Xi'an Mansion and visited nearby villages on the way.
Because everyone pretended to be officials from Xi'an City for inspection, the villagers did not have the slightest suspicion, and everyone watched the selling process openly.
There are three boxes placed in the open space in front of each village ancestral hall. Behind them are three scholars, four or five government officials and sergeants.
The people in the village were shouting at the top of their lungs: "Zhang Laisan, first hit the upper field, then the middle field, and finally the lower field, hurry up!"
When his name was called, Zhang Laosan immediately stepped forward, stood in the box and muttered something, then put his hand into the box with Ueda written on it.
After a few breaths, he took it out again, as did Nakata and Shimoda.
"Shangtian, one acre of land in District A!"
"Zhongtian, two acres of Bingchen land in the C-character area!"
"Go to the field, two acres of Renmao land in the T-shaped area!"
"Zhang Laosan, congratulations, from now on these three pieces of land and five acres will be your family!"
"Third brother, your ancestral grave is really smoking. You have taken away the best and most fertile land in Murakami's field!"
"The quality of the land is one thing. Whether you are diligent or not and whether you can plant is another matter. Third child, if the harvest is not enough to go to the fields, it will be a shame!"
The people in the village clapped their hands, cheered, and joked. If Zhang Laosan had it, so did they.
The land drawn may be bad or the land drawn may be good, but as long as it is your own land, it does not matter whether it is good or bad.
"Third brother, let me switch to the middle field with you later. The middle field your eldest nephew drew is next to the middle field you drew. It is convenient for the two pieces to be together.
From now on, I will give you a bushel of grain per acre of land or give you a day’s work. How about that? "
"Let's all go aside. Once everything is finished, everyone will make adjustments together."
"I've told you the rules, and the military masters are here. It's okay within the rules, but you have to force others. Don't blame the military masters for disqualifying you."
After Li Zheng emphasized a few words, the lottery continued. Every time he won the lottery, he would sing a harmony and then register it under the supervision of several sergeants.
After visiting several villages in succession, Chongzhen began to return to Xi'an City with unsatisfied feelings.
"Yuan Aiqing, after watching this journey, I have a new idea!"
"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions!"
Yuan Keli was just stunned and immediately saluted Chongzhen.
"Yuan Aiqing, tell me how wealthy merchants and gentry annexed land?"
"Your Majesty, there are three ways to annex land. First, legal means, such as marriage, gambling, illness, etc., and active selling.
Second, neutral means, such as major disasters, too heavy taxes, too many corvees, etc., force the people to sell;
Third, illegal means, including corrupt officials, local gangsters, local tyrants and evil gentry, forced purchases, bullying, etc.;
Of these three types, the second type is the most common, followed by the third type, and the first type is the least. Unless they have no choice, people will not sell the cultivated land they depend on for survival. "
After Yuan Keli answered, he understood the intention of Chongzhen's question, and immediately said: "Your Majesty, the rule we have set is that if the sold fields are to be sold, they can only be recovered by the court.
The land deed is made in triplicate and needs to be stamped simultaneously by the county government, the Land and Resources Administration, and the Department of Agricultural Assistance before it can take effect. This eliminates the possibility of annexation. "
"Then what if corrupt officials seize it but don't go through the sales process? The fields will still be farmed by the common people, but the harvest must go to the corrupt officials?"
Without waiting for Yuan Keli's response, Chongzhen continued: "As long as they think about it, no matter how well designed the system is, there will always be loopholes.
As the saying goes, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. The people are the weakest party.
If corrupt officials threaten the lives of people's families, they will probably just swallow their anger. Do you think this is possible? "
Yuan Keli was silent.
This situation is not possible. Based on his understanding of officialdom and officials, it will definitely happen.
They can't do serious things, but if they have such crooked thoughts, they can all outdo Zhuge Liang.
"Yuan Aiqing, look out the window!"
