Looking at the hordes of refugees, Zhu Yiyuan's heart surged. What he needed most now was time to settle these people, select soldiers capable of fighting, and build a base area.
Only in this way can we withstand the subsequent siege of the Qing army.
He didn't know how much time Xie Qian could buy. Maybe ten days and a half, maybe three or two months, Xie Qian might be defeated, and then he would have to face the Qing army.
"Time waits for us!"
Zhu Yiyuan sighed, turned around and called his father over, "Everyone else is busy, so don't be idle. Go and register the refugees and send them to the village."
Father Zhu was startled, I am the commander of the capital, why do you think you are using me as a scribe?
However, Father Zhu did not dare to glare at his son. On the contrary, he also knew very well that time was indeed pressing and there was no room for delay.
They say that a father and his son go into battle, but he, as a father, cannot really just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor... He quickly picked up a pen and paper and registered the refugees... Any refugee who registered would receive fifty kilograms of grain.
These grains were also obtained from the big households in Zichuan, and Xie Qian took away the grains in the treasury. But as we all know, the mess left by the Ming Dynasty was that the imperial court was as poor as an old dog, and the big households were extremely rich.
Therefore, Zhu Yiyuan obtained more than 5,000 shi of grain from several large households.
Each refugee was given fifty kilograms of rations and waited until the autumn harvest before allocating the fields... The reason why the land was not allocated immediately was the result of Zhu Yiyuan and Mr. Pang's discussion.
At this time, there is still a little more than a month before the autumn harvest in August. The villagers have worked hard for several months, just waiting for the harvest. If the fields are divided at this time, how will the crops in the fields be counted?
There is no doubt that it will cause conflicts between the refugees and the villagers, and chaos will break out before the matter is completed.
Therefore, Zhu Yiyuan's strategy is to take two steps... First, tell all the villagers that this season's crops belong to them, and they do not need to pay land rent taxes. Past arrears and loan sharks will also be exempted.
Let the people get the benefits first, and then wait until the crops are harvested and the number of acres is verified, and then the fields are divided according to the situation.
If you work alone, you can receive five acres of land. For a family of five, the upper limit is twenty acres. If there are other meritorious services, you can increase the land as appropriate.
All in all, this is just a very rough plan.
But there is one thing. Zhu Yiyuan requested that the atlas of Zichuan County and the land deeds copied from several wealthy families be sent to the countryside and destroyed directly in front of the people, indicating that the old shackles no longer existed and everything
restart.
Zhu Yiyuan knew very well that the success or failure of this matter would determine whether his team could grow rapidly, so he decided to go there himself.
The first test site was Dazhuang Village, where the Zhang family originally lived.
It's interesting to say that Zhang Zhifa's family is not polite to other villages, but their own village of Dazhuang still retains some kindness, and there are dozens of households of farmers.
They were even allowed to record the land in the name of the Zhang family to avoid tax.
Therefore, when Zhu Yiyuan led the Qingshi Rebel Army and hundreds of refugees arrived, Dazhuang Village had already been divided into two camps.
Almost 80% of the tenant farmers sided with Zhu Yiyuan and were eager to get their land.
Other farmers, on the other hand, hated the rebels and resisted dividing their fields.
Zhu Yiyuan didn't say anything, but stood in front of everyone and started chatting with everyone.
"Our two villages are not far apart. In the first few days, the villagers in Qingshiji all got their own land. Since excessive land taxes were exempted, exorbitant taxes and various debts were removed, on average, one person can get more
Get two hundred catties of grain."
Upon hearing this, the tenant farmers in Dazhuang Village had their eyes gleaming.
They don't understand anything else, but they know very well what two hundred kilograms of grain means. An ordinary family of three rents land from a landlord. The weather is good all year round, and half of the harvested grain is paid to the land rent, and some more.
Excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes were levied, and the remainder was evenly distributed to everyone, which may not amount to more than 200 kilograms.
Almost every household drinks porridge during the off-season, and only eats something dry during the busy farming season. In addition, they have to take out the good grains and replace them with brown rice and beans. They also plant grains and vegetables in front of and behind the house. In short, they try their best.
The method, if you can barely avoid starving to death, is already blessed by your ancestors.
With an extra two hundred kilograms of grain all of a sudden, wouldn't everyone be able to have enough to eat and eat dry food every meal?
People who have never been hungry cannot understand the pain of an empty stomach, being tortured by stomach acid every night, and being unable to sleep.
It's just food. There are plenty of them on supermarket shelves, so just buy them.
I'm sorry, but it only took a few decades for the common people in China to be able to fill their stomachs. Looking back, hunger has always been with us and never left us for a moment.
This is especially true in the years of war.
Li Zicheng called for equalization of land and exemption of taxes. Although it was outrageously rough, so many people still followed him regardless of life and death. It was not that King Chuang was good, but the people had no way to survive and could only fight desperately.
There is no doubt that Zhu Yiyuan's accounts are much more detailed than those of King Li Chuang.
"The first thing we have to do is that the tiller shall have his own land. The land originally occupied by the Zhang family must be handed over to the villagers. Every household must become the owner of the land. This is the biggest iron law. Chapter 1
The second rule is how much land each person and each household can get. I made a rough estimate and the Zhang family tenant farmers generally rent about ten acres. This is also the ratio of population to land here. Therefore, my assumption is that a single person can get five acres of land.
Mu, a family of five can have up to twenty acres of farmland. The extra acres are under the control of the capital commander. People can rent them, but they must rent them once a year, and they must pay higher taxes.
If the population increases, this part of the land needs to be equally divided, and it may not be possible to rent it in the future.”
"After talking about the number of acres, let's talk about the land tax, which is unified to 15%, and the rented land can be up to 30%. In addition, no exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes will be levied. We have a basic principle, that is, after the adjustment, everyone should have it
With more food, you can eat fuller and live a better life."
"If you have any questions, if everyone generally supports the new approach, I can burn the original land deeds in public, burn the IOUs, and start over."
As he spoke, Zhu Yiyuan waved, and a rebel soldier brought over a wooden box containing the land deed and the IOU.
The villagers present couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
In fact, troubled times are not simply a problem of more people and less land. Since the Chongzhen Year, wars have continued, and the population of Shandong has decreased a lot...but the people's livelihood has not improved at all.
Sharecroppers can rent more land for farming, but they can’t stop landlords from raising land rents so quickly!
Do you think that if you work hard and work day and night, you can live a better life?
Isn’t this a dream?
As long as a mule or horse doesn't tire you to death, work for me.
I'm exhausted, I'll change again.
All in all, without the exhausting work of mules and horses, how could the Roman masters be well-dressed, well-fed, and blooming with flowers...
Therefore, when it comes to equalizing land, it is more about adjusting land relations, realizing land to the tiller, and adjusting tax proportions so that the people can actually see benefits.
Again, tenants not only have to work for themselves, but if you rent other people's land, the landlords and gentry can let you work for them, as long-term and short-term laborers, squeezing labor... You don't want to work for others? OK, that land
Don't plant it, I'd rather leave it alone than give you this mud-legged thing.
So when it comes to land, it’s not just about rent extraction.
The elders have many ways to make every tenant struggle on the line of life and death.
Want to get rich by renting farmland and working hard?
Damn it, don't insult the intelligence of this gentleman.
Zhu Yiyuan explained the truth clearly, and Qingshiji demonstrated it. Soon, more than 80% of the tenant farmers in Dazhuang Village expressed their support.
"Master Zhu, burn it quickly."
"We all listen to Mr. Zhu."
"Master Zhu, let us have enough to eat. You are truly a living Buddha."
…
The tenant farmers here praised him in unison, but on the other side, the relatively wealthy homesteaders who relied on the protection of the Zhang family had solemn expressions.
Because according to Zhu Yiyuan's calculation, they would have to give up at least dozens of acres of land. Moreover, their family has a large business and a large population. The upper limit of twenty acres is too low.
Furthermore, these people are generally related to the Zhang family. In the past, they could pay less tax or no tax, but now they have to pay the same tax as poor people. No matter how you calculate it, they are at a disadvantage.
"Mr. Zhu, our own land has been passed down from our ancestors. We hope that Mr. Zhu will show his respect." A middle-aged man said loudly: "I am not talented. I have been admitted as a scholar in Chongzhen for ten years. Mr. Zhu, I am famous in the Ming Dynasty.
A scholar!"
He is actually a talented gentleman.
Zhu Yiyuan said with a smile: "I'm sorry... Since you still miss the Ming Dynasty, I will give you two choices. First, you can find a crooked neck tree and follow His Majesty Chongzhen; second, I will give you a sum of money, and you can
Go to Fuzhou and follow His Majesty Longwu. Take a look, which one do you want to choose?" This chapter has been completed!