Yuan Keli listened to Chongzhen's voice, opened the window of the carriage, and looked through the window.
I saw many people cheering and jumping in the fields. Some people knelt on the fields and kissed the land. Some people started to turn over the land with farm tools.
Some people put simple sacrifices in the fields, as if praying to God for good weather and good harvests in the coming year...
Everyone expresses their joy after acquiring land in their own way.
"Yuan Aiqing, the land must be in the hands of the people and must produce food."
Chongzhen's tone was very firm and he continued: "So, I have a few ideas,
First, establish a field Lijia system. Lizheng is responsible for the entire village's land, and is responsible for checking, reporting, supervising planting and other matters of cultivated land.
Secondly, set up an inspection department under the Bureau of Land and Resources, and set up an inspection office in each province to conduct random inspections of farmland conditions in various places, etc.
At the same time, we will formulate a cultivated land census system. A census will be conducted in one prefecture in each province every year, in one province every three years, and nationwide in six years.
Third, set up a reward-based reporting system. Reports of land occupation will be rewarded after verification. The supporting information will be what kind of punishment will be given to those who occupy land, etc.
These measures may not completely eliminate mergers, but they can significantly reduce the number of mergers. You must consult with the cabinet as soon as possible on this matter. "
"I understand. I will make a plan immediately after I return."
After Chongzhen finished making arrangements, he looked out the window again.
In fact, the merger method that Yuan Keli just answered is not comprehensive. The most important one is the issue of rewards.
The prince is granted the title of king and is rewarded with a large piece of land; the civil servants and generals are rewarded with a piece of land for their meritorious service.
It would be fine if the land awarded belonged to the royal family, or if it could be paid with land tax.
But the problem is whether they belong to the royal family and they don't pay taxes. This is a very painful problem.
For example, when King Fu came to the vassal, Wanli granted him 20,000 acres of land at one time, including 11,28 hectares of farmland in Henan, 4,480 hectares from Shandong, and 4,485 hectares from Huguang. .
This is the largest part of land annexation.
Now that the sales have started, it depends on when public opinion can gather together.
Take over the clan first, free up more cultivated land, and return it to the hands of the people.
Then there is the issue of taxation of officials and gentry. For this point, we can refer to strategies such as the officials and gentry working as errands together, paying the grain as one, and returning the lost money to the public.
It will take at least three to five years before it can be implemented.
"Hey, it's really not easy for me to control the farmland in the hands of the court and the people. I have worked so hard!"
Chongzhen sighed in his heart, and before nightfall, the carriage entered Xi'an again.
Compared with the cheers of the people, the wealthy merchants and gentry in the two houses felt as if they were mourning for their heirs.
In a mansion in the east city of Xi'an, several people gathered together.
These people's faces were so gloomy that they could shed tears. They escaped the case in Prince Qin's Mansion.
Because the incident at the Prince of Qin's Mansion killed many gentry and wealthy merchants, the court did not care about the vacated market, so they naturally took over.
They thought they would take this opportunity to do something big, but as soon as they became ambitious, the imperial court cleared the farmland, confiscated the farmland they had concealed, and also required it to be confiscated and prohibited from referring to the imperial examination.
Okay, they admitted it, after all, they broke the law.
The emperor is strong and bows to the strong... No, those who understand current affairs should be called heroes.
After all, when the land was cleared two months ago, there were seven or eight gentry who blocked it and were killed.
They had just finished recovering and handing over the land deeds, and before they could take a breath, the court took action again.
Now we have developed a strategy for selling farmland using installment payment and planting first and paying it back later, and we have also prepared farming tools, seeds, etc. for the people.
As a result, no farmers would want to farm their land.
If no one is planting, the land will be abandoned. If it is not planted for one year, the fertility will be greatly reduced. If it is not planted for two years, it will basically become a wasteland.
Moreover, if you don’t cultivate the land, you will have no food income, and you will have to continue to pay the land tax, which means you will lose both ends.
It is estimated that the money earned by those shops can only cover local taxes.
"Everyone, we have to get a charter for this matter. It's not a big deal if we just waste it like this!"
"What else can you say? Which farmer do you think can't handle this? Why would you foolishly come to be our tenant?"
"I asked someone to find out. The Qin Palace and the confiscated arable land are about 80,000 to 90,000 hectares. According to one person and five acres, that is about 1.8 million people.
There are more than 3 million people in the two prefectures, and there are still more than 1 million without land. We can lower the rent to the farmers. If 50% is not possible, then 30%. If 30% is not possible, then 10%. In short, let’s keep farming! "
"Brother Bai, there is something wrong with your calculation. The people themselves should own 30%. If you calculate it this way, less than 30% will not be able to buy land, and there is still a certain amount of space."
"Yes, yes, let's figure it out and figure out how much rent is appropriate, which will not only allow farmers to grow, but also maximize our profits. We must work together on this matter."
"Can we provoke some people to make a fuss over whether someone bought it or not?"
"Yes, it is no small matter for hundreds of thousands of people to riot. When the time comes, people in the other six prefectures of Shaanxi will also riot.
The imperial court was forced to cancel today's edict under pressure, and we still returned to the stable days of the past. "
…
Listening to the discussion, an old man on the lower left shook his hand slightly, and took the opportunity of serving tea to cover his face with his sleeves and exerted force.
Then he put the tea cup down, coughed violently, and took away the handkerchief. The traces of blood were extremely conspicuous under the candlelight.
"Brother Jin, what's wrong with you? Why are you so angry that you vomit blood?"
One person next to him was shocked, and others gathered around him.
"It doesn't matter. The old illness from my youth has recurred in recent days. I'm afraid I will only have a few years left to live."
"Brother Jin, I know him..."
"Brother Zhao takes it in kindly. My body is like a lamp that has run out of oil. It doesn't matter whether it can be cured or not."
Jin Junming waved his hand, then coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood, wiped the corners of his mouth, and continued: "Everyone, I am getting old and I don't have a few more years to live.
The sons in my family all only know how to eat, drink, whore, and gamble. I want to sell the farmland at home, but I don’t want them to think about it.
While I can still live for a year or two, teach me a lesson, and maybe I can leave a legacy for my Jin family.
If you want my farmland, I will sell it to you at a low price. "
Seeing Jin Junming's sad face and the blood slowly oozing from the corners of his mouth, everyone also sighed. Their own family knew their own affairs, and those bastards of the Jin family knew it very well.
"I have brought the land deeds. If you are willing, we can trade now."
After everyone looked at each other, they didn't say much.
Seeing this, Jin Junming held the armrests of the armchair with both hands and stood up vigorously.
The whole process was a bit strenuous, and the veins on the back of my hands were pulsing, as if all my strength had been exhausted.
He tremblingly clasped his fists towards everyone: "Everyone, everyone, I know your difficulties, so I won't disturb you anymore. I'll take my leave!"
