"In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is not uncommon for farmers to be forced to sell their land at low prices and use their lives as tenants. In order to avoid heavy taxes and survive, many officials and wealthy gentry have donated money to themselves. This has become a trend..."
"If we can no longer control it, the fields in the world will be built as the fields of the officials and gentry, and the farmers in the world will be built as the farmers of the officials and gentry!"
At the court meeting, Fang Xiaoru was ordered to read out Hu Jun's memorial "Pleading for the People of Jiangsu and Zhejiang" in front of the civil and military officials of the court.
Zhu Yunwen looked gloomy, glanced at the ministers, and shouted sternly: "On the day of the Lantern Festival, I promise all people a prosperous life! In just ten days, I received such a memorial. Haha, is this the truth about our Ming Dynasty? You want me to have it?" How can you face the people of the world? Huang Zicheng, as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, how do you view this matter?"
Huang Zicheng hurriedly left the office and saluted: "Your Majesty, Hu Jun's words are shocking. I think that if the land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is really as Hu Jun and others said, the land annexation and the trend of surrender have begun, the imperial court should take strict measures. Inspect the property of the gentry and impose restrictions."
Zhou De, the left governor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, stood up and objected: "Interrogation? Officials' salary fields are tax-free, and rich peasants and gentry can enjoy part of the tax-free land. This is Taizu's system! Your Majesty, I believe that farmers are not managed well, or Under natural disasters, it is common for families to be devastated due to lack of harvest. Relying on officials and gentry can protect their production and survive. Hu Jun's words are too scary and are actually words to intimidate the court and should be punished!"
Huang Zicheng turned around suddenly, his anger rising in his heart, "I, a minister, haven't finished speaking, what are you doing, a censor, jumping out?"
"What Zhou Yushi said makes sense. Your Majesty, since ancient times, farmers have been attached to the fields, and the fields have been attached to the rich peasants, gentry, and the government. Even if some self-cultivators become tenant farmers, it is not necessarily a good thing. After all, they still have fields to cultivate. The imperial court only needs to collect the corresponding tax money, and there will be no shortage of tax money, and everything can be solved."
Fan Jun, the right censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, stood up to support Zhou De.
Huang Zicheng became angry and retorted sternly: "If the people have no land for their own farming and are completely dependent on the gentry, then do the people belong to the court, the Ming Dynasty, or the gentry? You two censors Zhou and Fan should know, right? Even if you harvest two dan per acre, you still have to hand over one dan, or even five dan per acre!"
"Don't you still have five buckets? I won't die of hunger!"
Zhou De said coldly.
Huang Zicheng clenched his fists and shouted: "But according to the whip method, as self-cultivating farmers, they only need to turn in one bucket and three liters of grain for two stones!"
"It's only three liters per dou? Haha, Lord Shangshu, according to Taizu's system, the agricultural tax is only thirty taxes per one, and two stones of grain should be only six liters. Why has it been increased to three liters per dou!"
Zhou De asked rhetorically.
Huang Zicheng shouted: "A whip law changed the agricultural tax from thirty taxes per one to fifteen taxes per one. This matter has been discussed in court! Why do you bring it up again? The cabinet has made it clear and even produced an investigation of the North and South Zhili. The agricultural tax seems to be thirty to one, which is very low, but the various corvee taxes imposed on the people every year have already exceeded ten to one, or even seven to one, or five to one!"
"A whipping method seems to increase agricultural taxes, but in fact it reduces the burden on farmers. There is no longer the suffering of all kinds of corvee, and there is no more chaos of various sects. Zhou De, you must know that tenant farmers are taxed one for two! This is so outrageous and resentful. You still support the matter, and even say that you will starve to death, are you still serving the people as an official?!"
Huang Zicheng was angry. He had read reports from southern Zhili, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The number of farmers at the bottom had dropped by 30% compared with ten years ago. In other words, at least 300,000 of the million farmers had lost their fields. !
These fields are not the result of their poor management, but the result of the joint exploitation of the gentry! Private ownership, taxation under the old system, repeated tax collection, and corvée levy were all used. The peasants had already run out of food. What else could they do at this time?
He sold the land he relied on for survival at a very low price, and at the same time, he also sold himself and his family!
Selling one's life is only the first step. In the years to come, they will no longer be humans, but cattle, horses, and donkeys!
Let others whip and humiliate you, work on the land endlessly, there is no freedom anymore!
Huang Zicheng was angry at the methods of the lower class, but as the Minister of Household Affairs, he cared more about taxes. If 300,000 self-cultivators turned into tenant farmers, the taxes collected by the imperial court would be a lot!
Ten acres per person is equivalent to three million acres of land. According to the old system of thirty-one tax, six liters of grain tax per mu is nearly 180,000 dan. And this is still the lowest figure. The real figure may be several times higher. Times as much!
After all, non-commissioned officers have their salary fields, that is, official fields, and the court does not collect taxes on this part. As for the wealthy gentry, Zhu Yuanzhang also granted some tax exemption rights during his period.
All the people's fields belong to them, but they don't pay taxes or pay less taxes. How do you ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to collect taxes?
In this case, let alone a whipping method, even if the whip is broken, it will not hit the gentry on the head!
Although the whip law protects the peasants and prevents these gentry from taking things by force, the people at the bottom have their own methods. These people's madness for the land cannot be stifled!
Unless the court issues strict policies!
But these censors are all talking nonsense here, thinking that it is a good thing for farmers to turn into tenant farmers, and that the gentry has done good people and good deeds!
After all, it’s still profit!
Behind these officials, there must be a large amount of land.
They jumped out just to protect their own interests!
Needless to say, although the clearing of land during the whipping process has not yet touched their interests, it has aroused their vigilance. They are jumping out to oppose now just to delay the court from pursuing further investigations!
There was a lot of noise in the court, but there was no conclusion.
Zhu Yunwen's eyes were cold. Thinking about it, these people are officials, but after taking off their official uniforms, they are all landlords...
People who came from poor families and entered the palace also transformed into landlords by buying land and occupying it. As a landowner, safeguarding your own interests is not a matter of course.
But these landowners are too greedy. They are so greedy that they want to eat the meat, chew off the bones, and take away the garbage from the fertile fields. They just don't want to give any to the court!
These people read the words of saints, but in action they become ruffians.
One face, two-faced.
not bad, very good!
Since you new landlords don't follow martial ethics, then just do it yourself.
"enough!"
Zhu Yunwen shouted loudly.
The court fell silent, and some ministers who were standing in the wrong position returned to their positions.
Zhu Yunwen said solemnly: "Hu Jun's memorial was copied five times by the cabinet and ten times by the six departments! The remaining twenty times! I copied it here! This matter will be discussed tomorrow!"
The eunuch looked at Zhu Yunwen who was getting up, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should shout "Retreat from the court".
When all the ministers saw this, they knelt down and worshiped Shan Hu.
Jie Jin arranged for his servants to prepare pens, inks, paper and inkstones, with a smile on his face. Yu Xin and Zhang Yan also relaxed. At least the emperor didn't mention killing people, so the matter would be easy to handle.
Yu Xin took Hu Jun's memorial and said, "Hu Jun is right. If the land issue in prefectures and counties is not dealt with, there may not be any trouble at this time, but a hundred years later, it will become a big trouble."
"Haha, it's not easy to solve this problem."
Zhang Yan frowned and sighed.
Jie Jin looked at the sad Zhang Yan, came closer, and whispered: "Master Zhang, you want to say that the one who occupies the most land is the royal family, right? Haha, believe it or not, these people in the Sixth Department will discuss this matter tomorrow Make it clear."
