Chapter 599 In order to protect the land, I can only spend money to recruit tenants to resume farming!
In Baisha Town, Zhongmou County, Xu Deli's family is a big family in this area. Their family owns six or seven hectares of paddy fields. Next to the town is his family's village.
Xujiazhuang is a large village. When it was prosperous, there were nearly a hundred farmers living in it, with six to seven hundred people living in it. The Xu family's land was also very good. It was close to the bank of the Qili River. It was full of fertile land. Tenants from far and near came to Xu as a tenant.
We are lucky to have the land in our family. Unlike other nearby landowners, the Xu family's land is still there, bone and skin. In peacetime, ordinary people cannot rent his family's land.
However, no one will be spared in troubled times, and the Xu family was not spared from this catastrophe. Starting from the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Xu family's situation became difficult. The chaotic world gradually caused such good land to become deserted.
There used to be six or seven hectares of land, but now only a little over one hectare is still being cultivated. Farmers have been running away, and this year there are less than 30 households left.
Xu Deli originally thought that after the imperial troops attacked, his manor would have hope of revival. However, he was not happy for a few days when he received a bolt from the blue. Before the governor appointed by the imperial court arrived in Zhengzhou, bad governance began.
All the fields that had been abandoned for more than two years were returned to the yamen, and the original land deeds were all invalidated. What is this? Isn’t it just plain robbery? Once such a policy comes out, how can the Xu family survive? Several generations of ancestors have saved
The ground where it was laid was uprooted in one fell swoop. Is there any reason for this?
"Dalang, how about you going to Zhengzhou to inquire about the news? Is it possible for the government to take back the order?" Xu Deli was so angry that he was bedridden. When he heard that the boss who had inquired about the information returned home, he quickly got up from the bed and asked about the situation.
"Dad, the situation is not optimistic. Yesterday the court announced another list, saying that if you have to pay all the agricultural taxes you owed before, or if you have to find a way to re-cultivate the fields, the court will give you a new land title. Otherwise, the land will be harvested.
It will definitely be collected."
"To pay taxes? We don't even have tenants on our land. It has been abandoned for so long and there is no output at all. How can we pay taxes? Now the tenants have fled and there is no manpower to resume farming! Such an announcement is worse than no announcement at all!
"
"That's right. There are a lot of complaints in the city now. They say that the new governor has been doing bad things ever since. If the government behaves like this, it will lose the support of the people."
Losing the support of the people? When Xu Deli heard what his son said, he couldn't help but have a question in his heart. There weren't even many people left, so how could he lose so many people's support? The imperial court probably saw it, and then it dared to do something like this.
Such an explosive policy.
"Dalang, do you think we should just ignore the chaos of the imperial court? There are so many wastelands in the world, how can the imperial court understand them all?"
"This won't work! I heard people say that when the fields were measured in Beizhili and Shandong, the imperial court sent nearly ten thousand people to pass through the sieves and leave the fields wherever they were. There must be no way to avoid the interrogation of some working group."
"What should I do? I can't keep the land that belongs to our family. It's like this. It's better for me to die. If I die and be buried in my ancestors' graves, I will be poked in the nose and scolded by my ancestors!"
"Dad, now that people have strong soldiers and horses, it definitely doesn't make sense. My contacts in the city say that if you want to keep the fields, the most realistic way is to find ways to replant some of the fields, although we may not be able to replant all the abandoned fields.
Yes, but we can always protect more land."
"Resume farming? Where will the manpower come from? The tenants are running away, and those who have no strength have no strength. There is no one available!"
"Dad, it is definitely unrealistic to re-cultivate all our abandoned fields. The only solution for now is to protect as many fields as we can. Our family will use some money and grain to let the tenants contribute some effort.
In the recent period, the fields have been opened as quickly as possible. In the spring of next year, we will provide more grain seeds to the tenants and plant as many fields as possible."
"Give grain and money to those mud-legged people and let them farm our land? This has not been true since ancient times. How is this farming? It is simply a waste of money!"
"Dad, the situation is compelling! If we don't do this, the government will take away all our wasteland. We have to weigh the importance carefully! It is worthwhile to spend some money to protect the land. Besides, the court has not been free of charge in the past three years.
Have you paid the agricultural tax? We can keep all the rent in our own hands. It comes and goes, and the loss is actually not big!"
"Oh, don't say it. The truth is indeed such a truth. Go out quickly and explain the matter clearly to the people in our village. If they have relatives and friends, call them all to our village. Tell them.
As long as they come to our house to farm, we will take care of the food when the fields are opened. Next year, my family will reduce the rent by 10%, and we will give them grain and seeds for free. We will also lend them farm tools and cattle for free. By the way,
Tell the second brother that he will go to the county town tomorrow and buy some cattle and some new farm tools. It is impossible to start a field without cattle and good farm tools. Now our family has a weak manpower, so we have to rely on these things to supplement our strength!"
When people are forced to be in a hurry, their brains will be very sharp. At this time, Xu Deli's thoughts suddenly became vivid! In order to keep the land, it seems that he spent a lot of money. The meat is rotten in the pot. At this time, he will give some to the tenants and wait for the land.
After taking care of it, it is still my family's foundation. If I don't want to give up money, how can I be a landlord if the land is gone? With the little land my family is still cultivating, I can't even live a prosperous life.
The Xu family in Baisha Town was not the only one who moved upon hearing the news. Not long after Song Quan's decree was issued, all the wealthy families in the Guangfu District moved into action, with many and the government trying to seize the land.
"Dutai, it will take some time for the working group sent by the imperial court to arrive, but now the big households in the surrounding prefectures and counties are in action, and they are all grabbing tenants to re-cultivate the abandoned fields. As a result, we will not be able to build farms and harvest the abandoned fields.
Is there a risk that the plan will not be implemented?" Officials in the Governor's Mansion quickly received feedback and were worried about the emerging situation.
"It doesn't matter, our goal is to restore the abandoned fields in the Central Plains to cultivation as much as possible. As for whether it is led by the government or organized voluntarily by large private households, the effect is the same. The manpower in the Central Plains is currently thin, give them a few months
They will not open up all the wasteland. With their strength, it will be a big deal to cultivate ordinary land at most. There are not many refugees left in the Central Plains, and it is unlikely that they will move here from outside.
, the remaining land is enough for us!”
"The Point Guard Is Here"
To rebuild the Central Plains, it is not possible to rely solely on the power of the government. It is naturally a good thing for large local households to think about production to save themselves. When Song Quan left Beijing, the emperor said in his conversation that policies are used to leverage the economy. Can they be used to their fullest potential?
The key to its effectiveness depends on whether the people can work hard. Judging from the reactions of these large households in Henan, the recently introduced series of land policies have touched their nerves, and they are starting to become anxious!
As for the government's inability to collect land, the farmers who actually cultivate the land are still being exploited by the landlords. There is still a long way to go, and there is plenty of time to compete with these unprofitable family members who can't afford to start early! They still want to collect 50% of the tenant rent.
, all the dividends from the imperial court's tax exemption will fall into your own pocket, so you can make your own wishful thinking!