Chapter 297 See you at the poor dagger! The farmland is returned to the public, and the first step is taken!
Nanyang, Wancheng.
In front of He Mansion.
He Xian stood proudly, surrounded by people who were watching the excitement and did not think it was a big deal:
"Is this Lu Su crazy? He actually dares to collect taxes from the He family."
"Isn't that right? He Xian is the cousin of His Majesty. He is a relative of the Emperor."
"What about the royal family members? Can't they still pay taxes?"
"I heard that many wealthy families are now eyeing He Xian."
"They have no harvest this year, and who is willing to pay taxes?"
"Listen to what you mean, if He Xian doesn't pay taxes, they won't pay either?"
"That's for sure! Is it because he is a relative of the emperor that he is special?"
"..."
In the midst of the discussion, He Xian raised his head and said coldly: "Lu Shangshu, do you know who I am?"
Lu Su bowed his head respectfully: "Of course I know you, aren't you your Majesty's cousin? I would like to advise you, as a relative of the emperor, you must abide by the national laws, pay taxes and grain, and don't embarrass your Majesty."
"Are you right?"
Lu Su deserves to be Lu Su.
Facing a relative like He Xian, he refused to give in at all.
He even took out his identity as a relative of the enemy's emperor and deliberately turned an army against him, putting He Xian in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Just a few words and you have the upper hand.
This is the Lu Shangshu of the imperial court.
"you......"
When it comes to bickering, He Xian is no match for Lu Su.
When Lu Su rebelled against the general's army, he was immediately disgraced and became furious. He opened his mouth and cursed: "Who do you think you are? How dare you shout in front of me!"
Lu Su was still neither humble nor arrogant. He held his head high and responded loudly: "I am Lu Su, the minister of the dynasty. Although you are a relative of the emperor, you are still a citizen of the Han family."
The implication is, you kid, don’t use your status as a relative of the emperor to suppress me. I, Lu Su, will not fall for your tricks. If we talk about official positions alone, I am the minister of the imperial court, and you are just an ordinary citizen. How amazing is that?
Since you are a common man, you should fulfill your obligation to pay taxes, and you must not shirk it. In short, I, Lu Su, have just accepted your land tax. What can you do?
"I will ask you one last time."
When Lu Su faced He Xian, his momentum was not weak at all: "Your He family has 16,342 acres of farmland in Wancheng, and a tax of 817 shi per liter of grain should be levied."
"Are you going to hand it over or not?"
The sound is like a bell, and the sound is like thunder.
There was no room for negotiation between Lu Su's words, as if He Xian only dared to say half a word "no", and the group of soldiers with swords behind him would immediately execute Han laws and standard punishments.
"I......"
He Xian was about to reply harshly.
Squeak—!
Behind him, the door of He Mansion slowly opened, and a graceful and beautiful woman walked out of it: "What does Lu Shangshu mean? There are still three days of surplus before the deadline set by the court. Is it possible that I have to pay taxes today?"
?”
"No."
Lu Su bowed his head and replied solemnly: "The imperial court has an order. All you need to do is pay it in full before the deadline. However, there are some rumors that the He family in Wancheng are relatives of the emperor and refuse to pay taxes, so I came here to ask."
, just to get an accurate answer.”
"In that case..."
The beautiful woman said loudly: "What does Lu Shangshu mean by bringing troops here? Could it be that if we say 'no' today, we will attack my He family?"
"this......"
Before Lu Su could speak, the beautiful woman's voice suddenly became sharp: "Lu Su, you are so brave. Your Majesty's deadline has not yet come, are you going to take action in advance?"
Lu Su raised his hand and said, "How dare you lower your rank?"
The beautiful woman spoke sharply, and when the situation was reversed, she did not dare to pursue it fiercely: "Although there are rumors in the market, they are definitely not from my He family. Lu Shangshu should send people to investigate the rumor makers instead of going to my He family.
Come find answers."
"As for whether to pay food or not..."
The beautiful woman also did not dare to make the decision without authorization, so she could only make vague remarks: "We will know in three days! Husband, let's go back to the house, I will stew black chicken soup for you."
He Xiandan smiled: "Okay, let's go."
Squeak—!
He Xian took the beautiful woman and turned around to go back to his house, not caring about Lu Su outside the house.
Lu Su was not annoyed at all, and even secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The guard with a knife on the side couldn't help but be curious: "Lu Shangshu, let's..."
Lu Su smiled faintly: "I have already mentioned what should be reminded. If He Xian is smart enough, he should know what to do. We have done our best to be benevolent and righteous, let's go."
"ah?"
The guard was a little angry: "You're leaving like this? I'm afraid your reputation in Wancheng, Minister, will be ruined."
Lu Su didn't mind at all: "Someone has to do this kind of thing. If I am afraid of getting a bad reputation, it will be even harder for Your Majesty to do it. As ministers, we should share His Majesty's worries instead of adding to them."
The guard suddenly realized it and cupped his hands: "Shang Shu is really a righteous man."
"where."
Lu Su waved his hand and did not take such praise to heart at all: "Compared with His Majesty's magnificent ambition, I am nothing. If I can be your Majesty's pioneer, I, Lu Su, will not regret my humble name."
The guard was deeply impressed and said: "Shang Lu is very righteous, but I am not as good as me."
"It's business here, let's go, it's time to go back."
"Here."
Lu Su led the people away, and the door of He Mansion was immediately closed.
Inside the mansion, the beautiful woman turned to look at He Xian: "Husband, do you really not intend to pay taxes?"
He Xian said coldly: "There is no harvest from the fields this year. How can we pay taxes? No!"
"But......"
The beautiful woman frowned slightly: "What Lu Su said is right. I'm afraid you will make things difficult for His Majesty. Although our He family has helped His Majesty, this matter is related to His Majesty's national affairs. I'm afraid Your Majesty will not show mercy."
He Xian naturally knew the emperor's temperament: "You are right. Our Majesty is absolutely extraordinary. When he attacked the Kong family, the Deng family, and the Yin family, he did not hesitate at all."
"That's right."
The beautiful woman nodded affirmatively: "Husband, you can't act on your own initiative!"
He Xian frowned: "Then what do you mean?"
The beautiful woman said softly: "Although I don't understand any big principles, I always feel that Lu Shangshu's visit has a profound meaning."
"Deep meaning?"
He Xian pondered for a long time, and an incredible thought flashed through his mind: "Could it be a warning from His Majesty?"
Nowadays, many wealthy families in Nanyang are unwilling to pay taxes, and some people are waiting for their move, using the He family in Wancheng as their shield. It is impossible for His Majesty the Emperor to abandon national affairs just because of himself.
"no!"
He Xian suddenly realized something: "I have to go to the palace to find out what your majesty means."
*****
Emperor's palace.
Hall of Wende.
Liu Bian looked at the paper in his hand, pondered for a long time, and asked secretly: "Teacher, this paper is indeed much whiter than before. Does this mean that our bleach research is successful?"
Most of the paper made in ancient times was naturally bleached by the sun, so the production efficiency would be lower. The key is that the quality of paper is different from the paper made by adding chemical raw materials such as bleach.
If the imperial court wants to master ultra-high technology, it must be beyond this era. It is absolutely impossible for them to copy it in a short period of time.
Therefore, we researched and produced a bleaching agent, and fully prepared it based on the raw materials in Nanyang area to produce a paper that was relatively qualified in the eyes of experts.
The voice of the Military Advisor Alliance followed: "Basically, it has been developed successfully. After going through several other processes, this kind of paper will not be possible to copy for at least ten, or even twenty years."
"In addition to controlling the papermaking process, we can also control the text and seal, add some relatively complex official seals, and official seals with seam seals, which are the same as the anti-counterfeiting of modern contract documents."
"If Mr. Ben is still worried."
The Military Advisor Alliance is very confident about this: "We can also print patterns on paper and use the marks hidden in the patterns to achieve anti-counterfeiting purposes. The more complex the patterns, the more complicated the forgery process will be."
"If there is no absolute benefit to be gained, with the superposition of various anti-counterfeiting methods, it should not be so easy to overcome. It should not be a problem to use it for five years, not to mention ten years."
"If we can succeed this time, when business prospers in the future, the foundation will be laid for the imperial court to issue banknotes. During this period, we can also test the reaction of aristocratic families to this kind of thing."
Liu Bian naturally believed in the technical level of the military advisor alliance. If it couldn't even handle this, would it still be called an expert military advisor?
"Wouldn't that mean..."
Liu Bian's eyes suddenly brightened, and he asked tentatively: "We can now take the next step, nationalize the land of the wealthy families, and completely tie them to our chariots."
"Can!"
The Military Advisor Alliance was extremely certain: "But Mr. Bian, we still have to strive to be in a passive situation. If we are too proactive, we may cause unnecessary trouble."
"kindness."
Liu Bian naturally understood this truth: "Don't worry, according to the information provided by Guo Jia, the complaints of Nanyang's wealthy families have become bigger and bigger, and there is even a tendency to form a group."
"so!"
The Military Advisor Alliance emphasized: "Now is the time for us to take action. The He family in Wancheng is the best breakthrough point. If we make concessions to the He family, the other noble families will naturally follow suit if they have hope."
"Remember, the ownership of the land belongs to the court, and these acres will become public land. Otherwise, we will not be able to enjoy the preferential policies of the court's favor order. This is the principle we must grasp."
Liu Bian nodded: "Teacher, don't worry, you have reminded me of this 800 times!"
The Military Advisor Alliance smiled: "Is it such an exaggeration?"
Liu Bian was extremely sure: "It's not an exaggeration at all! Don't worry, teacher, it's a matter of principle, no matter who comes, it's useless. I will definitely stick to this bottom line."
"good!"
The Military Advisor Alliance was very satisfied with Liu Bian's answer: "Remember, kindness does not lead to soldiers, righteousness does not support wealth, kindness does not serve as an official, and emotion does not establish affairs. The shortcomings of human nature must be overcome."
After being the emperor for nearly a year, how could Liu Bian not understand this truth: "Don't worry, I will keep it in mind and regulate my thoughts, words and actions at all times."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the hall.
Liu Bian raised his eyes and looked.
But then, Zhu Tong pushed open the door and walked in. He bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, your cousin He Xian wants to see you."
Liu Bian was secretly happy in his heart, but his face remained calm and calm: "But when Lu Shangshu collects tax grains, does it go to the He family?"
Zhu Tong nodded: "Yes! Lu Shangshu's attitude is extremely tough, and he even threatened to punish the He family according to law. He Xian knows Lu Shangshu's character, so he can't sit still."
"I wonder if your Majesty..."
Zhu Tong naturally knew the purpose of He Xian's coming here, and asked tentatively: "See? Or not?"
Liu Bian was eager for He Xian to come over quickly. How could he not see him? He waved his hand and said, "Let him come in. I have to have a good chat with him, otherwise this matter will not be solved."
Zhu Tong leaned forward and raised his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
Bowed and left the hall.
Not long after, He Xian entered the palace and stepped forward: "He Xian, a common man, comes to see Your Majesty."
Liu Bian smiled indifferently and waved his hand to signal him to take a seat: "Cousin, please get up quickly."
He Xian then straightened up, his attitude still respectful: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I wonder what the purpose of my cousin's visit is?"
Liu Bian was too lazy to talk nonsense to He Xian and asked directly.
"this......"
At this moment, He Xian was in a bit of trouble.
However, His Majesty the Emperor looked calm, obviously well prepared.
After a pause, He Xian finally plucked up the courage and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, I have come to the palace this time for an important matter, and I would like to seek your opinion."
"kindness."
Liu Bian nodded and said, "If you have anything to do, just say it bluntly. There is no need to be coy. We are a family."
"Ah yes."
He Xian deeply agreed and hurriedly agreed: "Yes, we are a family. In that case, I will speak frankly."
Liu Bian waved his hand: "It doesn't matter what I say."
"That's right."
He Xian became more and more certain that the emperor was behind Lu Su: "The imperial court's favor order was well intentioned, and I raise my hands to express my approval. Even though the He family has thousands of acres of farmland, not many people are farming this year, but before that
I will never complain."
"But Your Majesty..."
He Xian sighed and frowned slightly: "The He family did not collect much grain this year. All the grain stored in the family before was given to your majesty to conquer Dong Zhuo. Although the eight hundred shi of tax grain is not much, it is not much for the current He family.
, but it’s life-saving food.”
"Is that so?"
Liu Bian was naturally aware of the He family's predicament.
When the major aristocratic families in Nanyang supported their challenge to Dong, the He family immediately took out all their food reserves, leaving only some daily necessities for themselves.
I originally thought that I could recover all my more than 10,000 acres of land by working for just one year, but I never thought that the imperial decree would catch the He family off guard.
Although the He family's farmland was not completely abandoned and he could get some tax revenue, he still couldn't get over this hurdle in his heart, so he was unwilling to pay.
"Cousin."
Liu Biyang was in a difficult position and pondered for a moment: "I can understand your difficulty, but the imperial decree must be implemented, and you must pay this tax."
"but......"
Speaking of this, Liu Bian made a twist and said: "I would like to think of a way to ensure that you have food every year, and your food income will even increase as time goes by."
really!
His Majesty the Emperor has already prepared.
He Xian's interest soared and he couldn't help but wonder: "Your Majesty, what can you do?"
Liu Bian paused for a moment and did not hide it anymore: "That's it. As long as the He family's fields can be turned into public fields, they can enjoy the preferential policies of the imperial court's favor order. I can promise you that I will deduct 10% of the tax revenue every year.
Consider any family’s income.”
Will the He family’s fields become public fields?
Doesn't that mean...
He Xian was stunned for a moment. He was stunned in place like thunder and lightning: "Your Majesty, do you want to turn all the fields belonging to my He family into the public fields of the imperial court?"
Liu Bian had already expected that He Xian would not accept it so easily, but he still nodded affirmatively: "That's right! But what I said is wrong. It is shared between the imperial court and the He family. The He family can get at least one bushel of grain for every acre of land every year.
, this kind of income shouldn’t be low, right?”
The Military Advisor Alliance has reviewed the information of Nanyang and found that the average yield per mu is one stone and five dou, and their field rent is generally around two tenths. In other words, the actual annual income per mu of land should be three dou, and excluding the cost of land tax and other costs, the actual
The income is about two buckets.
As for the imperial government's public land, the average yield per mu was two stones and two buckets, and the land tax was relatively high, one-half. In other words, half of what the common people cultivated belonged to the imperial court.
Calculated in this way, the court's land tax per mu was one stone and one dou. If 10% was given as dividends to the actual owners of the land, it would be equivalent to an income of one dou and one liter per mu.
Although this income is slightly lower than two buckets, it does not require them to manage, provide farm tools, cattle, etc., all of which are managed by the government, which can also save a lot of money.
certainly!
In addition, the most important thing is that compared to wealthy families like the He family, today's farming is simply a hot potato and a money-losing business.
Now, Liu Bian has ordered it to turn its losses into profits, and it is a long-term investment. It can obtain food every year. In terms of profit distribution alone, the He family actually does not suffer a loss.
"The imperial court shares it with the He family?"
He Xian frowned and asked cautiously: "May I ask, Your Majesty, what does this mean?"
Liu recognized He Xian's concerns and explained casually: "Don't be nervous, cousin. In fact, this will be good for you. In addition to being able to obtain the qualifications for public land, you don't have to worry about the management process. There are court officials responsible for the whole process."
"Of course, the most important thing is that if the imperial court needs to occupy this land due to development in the future, it will also give the actual owner of the cultivated land a compensation. A conservative estimate is that it will be at least twenty years of income."
He Xian didn't understand the benefits of being classified as public land, but it was really hard to accept that the cultivated land passed down by his ancestors became the public land of the imperial court.
What's the difference between this and selling one's family property?
However, the imperial court did not just buy it out in one go.
He Xian refused in his heart.
But he also understands that if the court insists on this, within two or three years, his farmland will have to be sold, and instead it will be annexed by the Deng family, the Yin family and other aristocratic families. By then, there will really be nothing left.
.
"His Majesty."
He Xian sighed and said with difficulty: "You are forcing me!"
Liu Bian, on the other hand, was serious: "Cousin, think about it for yourself. Should you become a royal land and enjoy dividends every year? Or should you keep this ancestral property and eventually be annexed by aristocratic families like the Deng family and the Yin family?"
"I can't guarantee anything else!"
Liu Bian's voice was loud and clear: "If you leave your ancestral business in my hands, your annual dividends can be guaranteed, and there will only be more in the future. Maybe in less than ten years, it will surpass your original income from farming.
"
Having said this, He Xian no longer needs to linger: "In that case, I'll take my leave first."
Liu Bian gave his final instructions: "Cousin, you only have three days to think about it."
The implication is that if the deadline comes, I will never tolerate it.
He Xian nodded: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will consider it carefully."
"Okay, you go."
"Here."
Looking at He Xian's leaving figure, Liu Bian asked tentatively: "Teacher, do you think we can do this? Why do I feel that He Xian looks unwilling?"
The Military Advisor Alliance was extremely certain: "Don't worry, a wealthy family like the He family in Wancheng must be unwilling subconsciously, but if they resist, I'm afraid they will only die."
"He Xian is not a fool. After he returns, he will definitely weigh the pros and cons. Submitting to the imperial court is the only way to preserve his interests. He will definitely change his mind in less than two days."
"The He family is not the Deng family. He does not have the influence, let alone the ability to challenge Mr. Bian. When such a decree is implemented for two years, the He family will taste the benefits and their resistance will definitely disappear completely."
"Don't forget."
The Military Advisor Alliance reminded: "We are currently just improving the farming hardware, but we haven't done anything about the software yet. When fertilizers are also produced and the output continues to increase, it will be easier to deal with these wealthy families."
"What will be the outcome in the end?"
The Alliance of Military Advisors said with great confidence: "If you follow the imperial court, you will have food to eat, but those who oppose the imperial court will not only not have enough food to eat, but they will not even have the strength to resist."
"Submitting to the imperial court will be their only choice."
"No one!"
The Military Advisor Alliance is extremely sure.
"All right."
Liu Bian nodded: "For our strategy, I can only be ruthless. If I show mercy to the He family, it will be even more difficult to convince the public in the future."
The country is based on the people, and food is the first priority for the people!
agriculture!
It will always be the foundation of a strong dynasty.
Liu Bian must control this point in his own hands and must not be influenced by the aristocratic family.
Not only the cultivated land, but also the mines, rivers, and forests must be controlled by oneself. This is the real confidence to be the master of the country. Otherwise, you can only rely on others.
"Don't worry."
The Military Advisor Alliance expressed relief again: "As long as we can get through the He family, at least half of the remaining Nanyang wealthy families can be settled. As for the remaining ones who are unwilling to submit, they can only continue to suffer and wait to be annexed by the noble family."
Liu Bian asked tentatively: "Teacher, when can we officially attack the Deng family?"
Military Advisor Alliance: "It depends on how much capital we have in hand, how much damage we can do to the Deng family, the Yin family and other aristocratic families? If more than half of the Nanyang wealthy families can surrender, we will be more confident."
"Is it okay to submit more than half of them?"
"rest assured."
The Alliance of Military Advisors said softly: "Having He Xian, most of them are done. When they really taste the benefits, Nanyang's wealthy families will flock to him, and maybe all of them will submit."
"As long as we can gain an absolute advantage in terms of yield per acre, sooner or later, the Deng family, the Yin family and other aristocratic families will succumb. Even if they resist, they will not be able to resist at all."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Maybe I've eaten up my stomach and felt extremely uncomfortable.