Gently breathed, Lin Xu said, "Since that's the case, let me tell you what I think. In fact, the two things that implement the policy of changing rice into mulberry and the relief of disaster victims are not conflicting, and can be resolved together.
!”
“How to solve it together?”
Liu Mingju immediately asked.
"The dilemma is solved by reforming and relieving it."
Lin Xu said eight words.
"It's a dilemma to resolve the problem with reform..."
Liu Mingju nodded: "I understand what sir means. But can this method be implemented?"
Lin Xu gave his own analysis: "In fact, the previous method of Song, Feng and others can also be said to be reformed and relied on relief. To put it bluntly, it is to buy land from the people and then uniformly climb up mulberry trees.
They want to take advantage of the flood to buy land from the people at a low price, exploit it layer by layer, and make a fortune from disasters. This is too despicable and shameless, and if it is not done well, it will arouse civil unrest!"
"So, if you want to use reforms to provide relief, the key is to buy land from the people at a normal price!"
"In addition, we cannot force all the people to buy land. For those who are unwilling to sell land, we can lend them food, but we have to sign an agreement to plant mulberry trees in the fields after the flood recedes."
"In this way, these two problems will be solved."
After listening to Lin Xu's plan, Liu Mingju raised his own question: "If the people sell the fields, then the food they get will always be eaten. How should the people live at that time?"
"It's very simple. After a large area of rice is converted into mulberry, a large amount of labor will inevitably be needed. These people can work in mulberry fields, work in textile workshops, and then receive monthly salary."
"What sir means is to let these people be tenants and helpers?"
"On the surface, it means similar to the tenant farmers and helpers, but in fact, it is very different."
“What’s the difference?”
Lin Xu simply organized the language in his mind, and then explained: "The tenant farmer farms for the owner's land, usually after the harvest, and handed over a certain proportion of grain to the owner, that is, rent, usually 30%.
Paying a certain proportion of taxes is usually 20% to 30%, and the remaining little food is the food for the whole family."
"Even if this food is a good year, even if it is a good year, even the food and drink of the family may not be satisfied, let alone the surplus. If there is a disaster year and the harvest in the fields is bad, then he will not have the surplus food to overcome the difficulties, or sell himself as a slave.
, or become a refugee.”
"But, the job I mentioned is different."
"The workers who work are simply called workers. These workers do not have to pay rent or pay taxes. Of course, the harvest in the fields does not belong to them, but they can receive monthly salary. These salary is not only enough for their family to eat and drink.
, As long as there is no special expense, there will usually be surplus."
"Overall, the living standards of these workers are definitely much higher than before."
After hearing Lin Xu's words, Liu Mingju was very surprised!
Although Liu Mingju is not a conservative person, he is subject to the limitations of the times, and the merchants of this era generally exploit the workmanship workers very well, so he cannot fully understand what Lin Xu said!
If the worker lives much better than the farmer, then who still farms? Wouldn't it be better if all worker?