There seems to be no relationship between road construction and land annexation, but in national affairs, many things are not viewed in isolation, but as a whole.
Zhu Yunwen knew very well that judging from the "inertia" and supporting power of private ownership, it would be completely unrealistic to force the nationalization of land and would cause big problems. The Ming Dynasty might "die".
There are many ways to solve land annexation, and the ancients also gave a lot of experience, such as "limitation", "expropriation", etc., but the punishment measures cannot keep up, resulting in many laws and regulations being in vain.
Zhu Yunwen’s logic for solving land annexation is just one:
The Ming Dynasty Land Management Law was introduced.
Don’t feudal kings, gentry, Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, etc. have money to buy land?
The imperial court allows you to buy and sell legally, but you need to remember that the imperial land law stipulates that abandoned fields are not allowed. Once the fields are abandoned, the imperial court has the right to confiscate the abandoned fields.
This rule is not Zhu Yunwen's original creation. During the Han Dynasty, there was the "Edict of the Four Seasons and Months", which clearly stipulated that agricultural production must follow the seasons and plant what should be planted. You are not allowed to not plant after the season. If you don't plant the land, it will be abandoned. Yes, you will be punished.
When Wang Mang reorganized the system, he proposed that "if the land is not cultivated, it will not be colonized, and three husbands' taxes will be paid; if the people are idle, they will pay one husband's cloth." This directly explains that if you don't cultivate your land, you will be punished with three times the tax.
Especially during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the land equalization system was adopted, and the state had a high level of control over land. Don't think that you can grow cucumbers as long as the land is allocated to you. You can grow whatever the court tells you to grow.
For example, in the Tang Dynasty, it was required that "each household's Yongye field should be planted with more than fifty mulberry roots per mu, and more than ten elm and jujube roots each, and the planting should be completed in three years."
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang also interfered with the issue of land use and directly demanded:
For people with five to ten acres of farmland, half an acres each of mulberry, hemp, and kapok should be planted, and twice as much for ten acres or more...
Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's decree to "take back the abandoned land and recover the imperial court" did not appear to be abrupt, and the resistance he faced from the court was also very low.
The gentry bought land not just to make money from farming, but who would waste it? Even if the court promulgated such a decree, they would laugh it off and even say:
Superfluous!
But what they didn't understand was that Zhu Yunwen was going to play a big game.
Although their land was annexed, they could buy the land however they wanted, but the court didn't care and let them buy it. Anyway, the court would collect taxes on every transaction, and the taxes that should be collected were indispensable.
These people have a lot of land in their hands, but they cannot let it go to waste. They can only find people to farm the land. Who can they find?
Besides farmers who have lost their land, who else can help them farm?
Tenant farmers will become an indispensable farming force for these landowners.
But if Zhu Yunwen promotes a five-year large-scale infrastructure project and recruits these farmers who have lost their land into the infrastructure construction, what kind of farmland will the landlords use?
You can't just work by yourself every day, right?
Trying to take care of thousands of acres of land with just a few men at hand is pure fantasy.
Once there are no tenant farmers, the land in the hands of the landlords will inevitably be abandoned. At that time, the court can naturally take away their fields, and then let the farmers spend money to buy them back. Wouldn't the matter be solved?
How much money can you make in a year doing farm work for the landlord?
Five taels?
Three taels?
Don't have a penny?
Now the imperial court will give you two taels every month to build roads. Do you want to do it?
Zhu Yunwen planned to sit back and watch the land annexation, and then lure the farmers who lost their land to go out to "work", and then wait for the landlords who had eaten too much land to be strangled to death and had to spit out their land.
Landowners could not compete with the court because they could not give their tenants twenty-four taels of silver a year.
Many people think that twenty-four taels of silver a year is too much and unrealistic
Realistically, but this standard is already on the low side. Two taels of silver a month, or sixty-six cents a day, how much can you say?
You must know that in the former Song Dynasty, if you went to a hotel waiter, you could earn 120 to 150 pence a day. Although the early Ming Dynasty was not as prosperous as the previous Song Dynasty, it was not so poor that you could not get more than 66 pence a day.
But the landlords are good at exploitation and want to take away everything the farmers have. For twenty-four taels of silver a year, the value of the land they bought will be gone.
Spending more than 20 taels of silver to hire farmers to work is unprofitable. If there is no profit, who will annex the land?
And after it is abandoned, the court will take it away. This is simply a loss-making business...
Zhu Yunwen told Xie Jin, Huang Zicheng and others of his considerations, and said seriously: "The imperial court is based on agriculture, and will never allow any vassal king, gentry, temple, Taoist temple, or any personnel to leave idle and barren farmland."
Huang Zicheng, as the Minister of Household Affairs, recognized this point very much and stated: "The fields should be productive and should not be abandoned. If they are abandoned, it is natural to take them back to the court and distribute them elsewhere."
"Your Majesty, although I have said this, I believe that the court should discuss clearly what is abandoned. The court will take back the abandoned property. If there is a natural disaster, how to deal with it should be formulated into a detailed and feasible law."
Zhang Yan suggested.
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and ordered: "My opinion is that if it is used for one year and is not used for farming, a warning will be given. If it exceeds one year, the court will levy five to ten times the desolation fee based on the yield per mu. If it is not used for two years, the court will It will be withdrawn. The specific details can be drafted by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Revenue, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, etc., and will be discussed in court at a later date."
Xie Jin, Huang Zicheng and others agreed. After turning to the land issue, they discussed the five-year infrastructure plan until noon before they retreated.
Outside Daning Mansion, thirty miles to the north.
On the originally silent road, there was suddenly a burst of rapid horse hooves, and then the thunderous sound of horse hooves broke the silence in the forest.
After hearing the noise, the businessman Wei Bin quickly turned around, glanced at the three carriages and thirty handcarts behind him, and shouted to the panicked more than fifty people: "There are cavalry, quickly, avoid them and hide in the woods." .”
The caravan hurriedly pushed the carts and horses to the woods on the roadside, but it was not easy to turn from the road to the forest. In the panic, some carts overturned to the ground, and sacks fell on the road.
Just as the businessman was calling people to leave quickly, several horses came closer and closer.
"Hush!"
Ning Wang Zhu Quan saw someone in front of him, and quickly pulled the reins of the horse. The guards Keshan and Liu Changge beside him also reined in the horses. Dozens of cavalry behind them stopped one after another, and behind the watch, a large group of cavalry was approaching.
"Your Majesty, he seems to be a businessman."
Keshan took a look and reported.
Zhu Quan frowned and said: "Businessmen? Since they are businessmen, then leave them alone and let them get out of the way. Don't delay our return to Daning."
"As commanded."
Keshan drove his horse forward and shouted: "Get out of the way, the cavalry brigade behind will be here soon, don't hinder it."
"Wait a minute."
Liu Changge suddenly shouted.
Keshan turned around and looked at Liu Changge. Zhu Quan was also a little confused and asked: "Master Liu, what do you mean?"
Liu Changge pointed to the businessman hiding in the forest and asked: "Your Majesty, why are there businessmen here?"
Zhu Quan smiled calmly and explained: "In order to supply the border, the imperial court encouraged merchants to transport grain to the border. After the merchants arrived, the border issued a certificate that they could return to the place to collect salt and make a living by selling salt. , Mr. Liu should know better."
Liu Changge shook his head slightly and said: "Liu naturally knows this. But Your Majesty, this is located to the north of Daning Mansion. They can transport food as far as Daning at most, so why go north? Further north, it's Tai Ning defends."
"Oh, that's a bit strange." Zhu Quan looked towards the forest and said slowly: "In that case, let's ask a few questions to see if they have gone the wrong way."
Liu Changge squinted his eyes and shook his head: "Absolutely impossible. This way can only come from Daning. Your lord, Liu wants to inquire in person."
"Isn't that necessary? It's getting late right now. We need to get into the city before dark, but we can't afford to delay."
Zhu Quan said reluctantly.
Seeing Zhu Quan's refusal, Liu Changge became even more confused and said: "These merchants are obviously afraid of us. If they are serious merchants, it is okay to go to Guanbei. Why are they in such a hurry and hiding in the woods? Look at the goods on the road. Abandoning it seems to be due to guilt and panic. Since there are doubts, we have to find out and hope that the prince will understand. "
"All right."
Zhu Quan nodded helplessly, and then said to Keshan: "Bring people to pull all the merchants to the road and let Mr. Liu question them."
Keshan agreed and waved his arms, and the cavalry rushed into the woods and drove the evading businessmen to the road.
"Who are you?"
Liu Changge asked.
Wei Bin looked at the person in front of him tremblingly and said, "To tell you what, sir, we are merchants in Peking. We are planning to go to Tainingwei before winter comes to see if we can trade some cattle and horses, or rush to the pass to sell them."
"Since you are merchants, what kind of goods do you bring?"
Liu Changge asked, driving his horse towards the carriage.
"It's just some beans, buckwheat, and horse feed."
Weibin said while trying to remain normal.
Mr. Liu Chang dismounted his horse and reached out to grab the sack on the carriage. It was indeed beans. Selling horse feed to Tainingwei and other places was not a big mistake.
After all, the three guards of Duoyan surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and some innocuous transactions were still allowed to exist.
Liu Changge touched several sacks one after another, but found nothing unusual. He turned around and mounted his horse, preparing to leave with Prince Ning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile on the lips of a waiter, and he also glanced at the sacks on the carriage in front.
A trace of doubt came to mind. Mr. Liu Chang dismounted, drew out his sword, and without waiting for Wei Bin and others to stop him, he stabbed it into the sack. With a sharp stroke, yellow soybeans flowed out.
"Master Liu, is that enough?"
Zhu Quan rode over and looked at this scene and couldn't help but frown.
Liu Changge shook his head slightly and said to Zhu Quan: "None of these people can be let go!"
Zhu Quan looked at Liu Changge in confusion. Liu Changge suddenly pulled out his sword, looked at the white powder on the blade, and said, "Your Majesty, someone secretly provided salt to Taining Guard without telling the court!"
"this?"
Zhu Quan was taken aback. He quickly dismounted and tore open the sack. When he opened it, there was a small sack inside, and it contained table salt.
"Catch them all, don't let any of them escape!"
Zhu Quan ordered sternly.
The cavalry behind them moved upon hearing the sound, and a group of sergeants dismounted and tied up Wei Bin and others.
Zhu Quan walked towards Wei Bin and asked sternly: "The imperial court has a ban and merchants are not allowed to sell salt and iron to the Hulu. You wrapped the outside with soybeans and hid the salt inside. It seems that you know the imperial ban! You know the crime and commit it again. The crime is aggravated, I think you are tired of living! Come on, chop him down!"
"My lord, no!"
Liu Changge quickly stopped him.
"Violating the imperial ban, what are you doing if you don't kill him?"
Zhu Quan shouted and asked.
Liu Changge protected Wei Bin behind him, clasped his fists at Zhu Quan and said, "There are still many doubts about this person. The security bureau needs to find out. Please show your support."
The flesh on Zhu Quan's cheeks trembled and he said: "Since you have moved the security bureau out, I can't say anything else. Keshan, take them back to Daning Mansion!"
