The yellow one is the emperor.
Black people are gentry.
Although the sand table is simple, the colors are distinct.
For every acre that black expands, yellow loses one acre.
The originally mottled and scattered black spots began to appear in a continuous trend, and the intuitive visual impact shocked everyone in the court.
Xie Jin was surprised by this method. Using a sand table model to show the changes in acres of land made the facts clear and clear at a glance.
Xie Jin is no stranger to sand tables, but he has never thought about using sand tables to transform fields.
Familiar things have fresh applications.
Only those who have thoughts that can be changed and apply them to millions and millions of people can become wise.
The emperor is a wise man.
"In the 30th year of Hongwu's reign, how many acres of land were taxed in Southern Zhili?"
"Back to the emperor, it is 99.57 million acres. Compared with the 26th year of Hongwu, it is 27.39 million acres less!"
Xia Yuanji's voice made the courtiers take a deep breath.
As the eunuch applied black paint again, another area occupied by yellow was lost, and the added black looked so dazzling!
"Where is Hongwu's 31st year?"
Zhu Yunwen asked in a deep voice.
Xia Yuanji shouted with a loud voice, filled with suppressed dissatisfaction and pain: "Back to the emperor, in the thirty-first year of Hongwu, the taxable land was 87.56 million acres. Compared with the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, Reduce 39.4 million acres!"
The whole hall was shocked!
It seems that the original yellow area on the sand table has been severely reduced, and the black area occupies more than one-third of the yellow area!
"Five years!"
Zhu Yunwen was heartbroken and shouted angrily: "In just five years, the taxable land in Southern Zhili has dropped by nearly 40 million acres! Xia Yuanji, tell me, how much taxable land was in Southern Zhili in the 31st year of Hongwu!" "
Xia Yuanji took a step forward and said: "Back to the emperor, in the 31st year of Hongwu, the summer tax in Nanzhili was 3,150,261 shi. The autumn tax has not been completely paid due to a whip method, but according to the ministers After inspecting the seven prefectures, it is estimated that the autumn tax is nearly 400 dan, which can be totaled to 7 million dan, which is equivalent to the 26th year of Hongwu."
Zhu Yunwen looked at the ministers and said sternly: "Okay, very good! Hou Tai, tell me, in five years, the tax land has been reduced by 40 million acres, but the tax has not been reduced. How did you do it?" "
Hou Tai, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, left his duties, looked pale, and replied feebly: "I don't know!"
"Is it because I don't know or I dare not say it?!" Zhu Yunzhen shouted coldly. He no longer looked at Hou Tai who was kneeling on the ground, but turned his gaze to Jing Qing and asked: "Jing Qing, do you know why?"
Jing Qing knelt aside and shouted, "I don't know, I don't know!"
"Haha, it's a fight over fields! After arguing for so many days, you still dare to say you don't know? Then are all the memorials you copied and the endless arguments in vain?"
Zhu Yunwen asked angrily.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Zhu Yunwen looked at Huang Zicheng and asked: "Huang Zicheng, tell them what is the way to reduce the farmland sharply without reducing the land tax!"
Huang Zicheng came out of work and said in a rich voice: "The state and county governments cleverly set up names and increased taxes without authorization. The weight of the land tax lies in the remaining taxed acres! Although there has been a sharp decrease of nearly 40 million acres, these 40 million acres The taxes are evenly distributed among the remaining 87.56 million acres!"
"good very good!"
Zhu Yunwen looked at Xia Yuanji and asked: "In your opinion, how many acres of tax land will be reduced in southern Zhili this year!"
Xia Yuanji was stunned for a moment, made some calculations in his mind, and said, "Your Majesty, judging from previous years, this year the taxable acres of land in Southern Zhili will be reduced by at least 8 million acres."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly.
Eight million acres is a very conservative estimate.
Xia Yuanji thought that 40 million acres would be reduced in five years, which would average to 8 million acres a year. However, he forgot about the trend. In the first year, it only decreased by 3 million acres, but in the most recent year, it increased to 8 million acres. Twelve million acres!
The results presented by averages are just averages.
Sometimes, there is simply no representation and no way of revealing what the future may hold.
But since Xia Yuanji said so, let's do it.
The two eunuchs painted some more black paint on the sand table, which meant that the eight million acres of taxable land had been divided up again.
"Next year it will be calculated as eight million acres. Is that okay?"
Zhu Yunwen asked.
Xia Yuanji said bitterly: "No problem."
"do it!"
Zhu Yunwen said coldly.
The eunuch painted black again.
In the third year of Jianwen, another eight million acres were reduced, leaving roughly the remaining acres...
In the fourth year of Jianwen's reign, another eight million acres were reduced, leaving roughly the remaining acres...
…
In the tenth year of Jianwen, another eight million acres were reduced, leaving roughly 7.56 million acres of remaining land.
At this time, the sand table was completely dark, and there was only a little yellow area left, which was pitiful.
"Xia Aiqing, according to the tax of fifteen, one dou and three liters per acre of land, 7.56 million acres, how much tax can we get?"
Zhu Yunwen asked.
Xia Yuanji calculated it on the wat board and said: "Your Majesty, 7.56 million acres, the tax is about 990,000 shi, which is equivalent to 2,530,000 taels of silver, and the reserved space is 160,000 taels. The imperial court has three hundred and seventy thousand taels.”
Zhu Yunwen looked at the officials, his tone became cold, and shouted: "Ten years later, the entire southern Zhili will only have 370,000 taels of tax silver! Haha, 370,000 taels, what is enough for a harem? The annual expenses are 350,000 taels! I have laid off all the harem, 300,000 taels, is it enough to give you a salary?!"
"There are more than 30,000 civil and military officials. If we divide it up, each person will receive ten taels of silver a year. Would you like it? You can't even get one tael of silver a month, and you can't buy two stones of rice! Which of you is willing to stand here and work hard for the country?"
"who?!"
"Southern Zhili is an important national taxation area of the Ming Dynasty, and it is still like this. With the efforts of the Ming Dynasty, will it be enough to give you a salary? Is it enough to raise soldiers and horses? The consequences of land disputes will not be like this in ten years, but what about fifty years? What about a hundred years from now? What about two hundred years from now?! You are the ministers of the Ming Dynasty. You should not only consider yourself, but also consider future generations!"
"You have taken away the land of the peasants and let the tenant farmers work for you all their lives. There is plenty of food at home, but where is the court? What about the Ming Dynasty? If the Ming Dynasty is not here, which of you can live a peaceful life under the horses of the Northern Mongolia? Or are you willing to do this? A fourth-class bitch, relying on the enemy's breath?!"
Zhu Yunwen's words came out like a storm.
People in the Central Plains who are opposed to land disputes among hundreds of officials have secretly realized that the harm caused by land disputes may seem ordinary, but in fact it is fatal.
Although he didn't want his own life, he wanted Daming's life.
If the Ming Dynasty was destroyed, then my life would probably not be much better.
If another Yuan Dynasty second came, all the wealth could only be given to the Tatars and live in humility.
"The harm caused by land disputes is like being possessed by thousands of insects, eating away day and night. It will inevitably weaken our Ming Dynasty. We should vigorously investigate and strictly control!"
A loud voice came from the gate of Fengtian Hall, and everyone couldn't help but turn around.
Zhu Di strode forward with his head held high, arrived in front of the palace, paid homage, and shouted: "Your Majesty, Zhu Di, bow to the emperor, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"
"Uncle Yan Wang, get up quickly."
Zhu Yunwen was a little surprised that Zhu Di went to court, but according to his words, he seemed to be prepared.
Zhu Di stood up, looked at the sand table, and then said to Zhu Yunwen: "Your Majesty, the imperial court should impose strict laws to annex land and curb the trend of surrender. My minister Zhu Di sincerely requests the emperor to abolish the salary fields and tax-free fields! All fields should be owned. Pay taxes! I am willing to dedicate all the land in the fiefdom to the people of Ming Dynasty, so that they can live and work in peace and contentment and cultivate for thousands of years!"
