Liao Yingzhong said with joy on her face: "Your Majesty, the Fujian Road Land Office recently received news that more than nine stops of land surveying work on Fujian Road have been completed. It will be completed by the end of this month."
"Okay." I said happily. "Liao Aiqing, this time the boundary measurement of Fujian Road went quite smoothly. I will record my achievements for you as a government official."
"Your Majesty, this measurement is mainly due to the high degree of cooperation of officials from various prefectures and counties in Fujian Road. The Guantian Division is just doing its duty."
"Don't be arrogant when you take credit. Liao Aiqing is very upright and upright."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
In late August of the first year of Xianchun, when I learned that the Fujian Road land survey was about to be completed, I once again brought the land reform issue to the court meeting. I refined it on the basis of the original land programmatic document and formulated specific plans. frame.
"Dear dear friends, before the founding of the Song Dynasty, the tax revenue from agriculture accounted for more than 90% of the country's total revenue. In our dynasty, the proportion of agricultural tax revenue began to decline. I think there are two main reasons for this. .First of all, our dynasty's commerce, including handicrafts and foreign export trade, has developed greatly. The imperial court has also relaxed restrictions on commerce. The status of merchants has been improved accordingly. This has made our dynasty's commodity trade .In particular, overseas trade far exceeds that of previous generations. In the future, I will increase investment in non-agricultural industries such as commerce and handicrafts to ensure the balanced development of multiple economic methods. Secondly, it is because of the policy of not suppressing land acquisition implemented by our country. This has created a situation where the rich have fields and the poor have no place to stand. This has reduced the number of "small farmers" who are the subject of agricultural taxation. Many large landowners have concealed the amount of land to evade taxes. This is land. The fundamental reason for the reduction in tax revenue is that while developing industry and commerce, I will also pay attention to agriculture."
As the time traveled to the late Song Dynasty became longer and longer, I learned more, more deeply and more accurately about the situation of this era.
The commerce of the Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly developed. From the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" we can see the bustling scene of the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty. After Gaozong's southern crossing, the court still relaxed restrictions on commercial activities. The surge in business tax revenue made the Song Dynasty the only country in ancient China. A dynasty in which commercial tax revenue equals or exceeds agricultural tax revenue.
Despite this, the average tax revenue in the Song Dynasty was still roughly half and half. The development of commerce could not conceal the essence of our country as an agricultural country. Therefore, the importance of land is still very prominent. This is the primary issue related to the livelihood of most farmers. And farmers are still In the Song Dynasty, the common people were the main body. No matter how developed commerce was, after all, the working class had not yet been formed.
If most of the land reform program I published at that time came from my memories of later generations, then now my consciousness has been imprinted with many marks of this era.
"Dear dear friends, I have said before that the purpose of land reform is to let the tillers have land, and at the same time, let the able ones work more. This will not change. Land reform must be carried out on the premise of accurate land measurement. The measurement of today's Fujian Road is nearing completion. So we will start with Fujian Road on a trial basis. Now I will talk about my specific thoughts on land reform. First of all, I plan to set the maximum amount of land ownership for the landlord class. According to paddy fields and dry land The difference is that the limit is 3 to 9 times the amount of cultivated land owned by farmers in our country. During the period of 3 to 6 times the amount of cultivated land per capita, the tax is the same. The land between 6 to 9 times the amount of cultivated land per capita is levied at double tax rate. The tax on land exceeding 9 times will be compulsorily collected by the government and then released to farmers. The price of cultivated land is calculated based on 2 to 3 times the annual harvest of the main products of the cultivated land. For landlords, the new land policy comes with certain compulsions. Sexually. Liao Aiqing. Your Land Affairs Bureau, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, will work out specific implementation details. You must set a reasonable proportion based on the actual situation of Fujian Road."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I obey your order."
"Second point. Land expropriated from landlords is merged into official land. These official lands will be sold to farmers one after another. The land price is the same. It is 2 to 3 times the annual harvest of farmland products. In order to reduce the burden on farmers The entire land price is paid by farmers in installments within ten years, and is calculated in kind to avoid being affected by currency appreciation or depreciation. At the same time, farmers do not have to bear interest. For excess official land, refugees can be recruited to cultivate it, or it can be established by the government. The national farm can also be used as a venue for workshops, etc."
Liao Yingzhong asked: "Your Majesty, if local farmers come from other places and do not have local identity documents, can they enjoy the same conditions as local farmers?"
Isn’t this the relationship between migrant workers and registered residents in later generations?
I was stunned for a moment and then asked: "Hubu, is there any precedent for this in our country?"
Ma Guangzu, a veteran minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said: "Your Majesty, there is no similar system in our dynasty. There is no precedent."
I thought for a while and said: "Let's do this. I propose a way. Ma Aiqing, please discuss it and see if it is suitable. Any foreigner who has lived locally for one year can apply for the local certificate with the identity certificate of the original place of residence. Temporary identity certificate. And enjoy the same preferential conditions as local residents.”
Ma Guangzu said: "Your Majesty, although this kind of thing is rare, it still happens. I will report it to Your Majesty after discussion."
"kindness."
Liao Yingzhong then asked: "Your Majesty, if the employee owns land in his original place of residence and then goes to another place to apply for it, is it considered a repeated application?"
This is very similar to the housing purchase restriction policy of later generations. In some areas, purchase restrictions are implemented. You can only buy two houses locally. But you can go out to buy a third house or even a fourth house. Does that count as a violation?
"Liao Aiqing, I don't think we need to worry about this for the time being. As long as the land tax on both sides is paid normally. Problems like this may be encountered during the trial run of Fujian Road. You will study it carefully then."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"The third point is to formulate a rent collection system for landlords to rent to tenant farmers. First, 20% of the harvest of the land will be extracted and given to the tenant farmers as their basic daily expenses, fertilizers, seeds, etc. The rest will be divided between the landlord and the tenant farmers. An equal distribution method of 40%. In this way, the landlord's rent to the tenants shall not exceed 40% of the annual harvest. In addition, the landlord shall lease the land. The lease period shall not be less than five years. After the expiration, the tenants may have priority in renewing the lease. The landlord shall not arbitrarily The rent should be canceled and raised to ensure the relative stability of tenant farmers. When the agricultural harvest is poor, the landlord should temporarily reduce or reduce the land rent. However, if the tenant farmer fails to pay the rent for two years, the landlord has the right to terminate the lease. The tenant farmer will also compensate the landlord for the loss. "
"The fourth point. Anyone who belongs to the basic cultivated land area, whether ordinary farmers or landlords, can be exempted from paying taxes in the first year. This is mainly to give those poor farmers a buffer. From the second year onwards, normal taxes will be paid. For special For poor farmers, the government raises funds to establish a 'convenience bank' for loans and relief."
"Point 5: For farmland that has been vacant for two consecutive years, the government will have the right to take it back depending on the situation."
"The sixth point is that the conversion of cultivated land to other uses must be reported to the local government land department. It can only be approved by the government land department."
"The above points are the framework measures that I have in mind. The detailed plan will be submitted before the end of this month after consultation between the Department of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture. After my review, it will be piloted immediately on Fujian Road. The time will not exceed September 10th."
"I obey your orders."
"Dear dear friends, land reform involves the interests of thousands of households. It is a basic element of the stability of our country. The implementation of land reform policy will definitely stimulate the enthusiasm of tenant farmers to purchase land and produce, and improve the living conditions of the majority of farmers. .However, once the land reform system is introduced, it will also encounter open opposition from the large landowners in various places. Let's discuss the possible problems that may arise. What are the countermeasures? Sir, you have implemented the public land law for several years. There should be many Let me know your thoughts."
Jia Sidao did not dare to look at me again this time. He whispered: "Back to Your Majesty, I believe that when formulating the detailed system, we need to consider the supporting management system to prevent the public land law mentioned by Lord Ma Tingluan from being implemented. Several major problems have arisen.”
"Well, what the teacher and minister said makes sense. Wen Aiqing. During the implementation process, the Government Administration Council must conduct timely supervision."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Jiang Wanli came out and said: "Your Majesty, I think it is necessary for our government at all levels to take the initiative to contact the landlord class. I will explain the ideas and purposes of the court's land reform in detail to the landlords and gentry, and try to gain their understanding." and support. After the farmers' enthusiasm for production is mobilized, a substantial increase in grain output will be of great benefit to stabilizing the situation in our country. As the saying goes, everything will be prosperous when the family is in harmony. Only in this way can the court concentrate on dealing with northern Mongolia, and our country can steadily move towards the resurgence of the country. At the same time, I am also considering whether there can be some plans to compensate the local landlord class."
Ma Tingluan said: "Your Majesty, I agree with Mr. Jiang's proposal. If we can give a certain amount of compensation, we will get twice the result with half the effort."
"Well, I think it is feasible as some dear friends have suggested. First of all, we must do a good job in ideological education. We cannot blindly adopt a high-pressure policy. Then we will provide a certain amount of compensation. Everyone, let's discuss together how to compensate. .”
"Your Majesty, you can implement the practice of ancestral officials."
"I think I can bestow certain idle official titles."
"Under the same conditions, children of landlords may be given priority in the imperial examination."
Ruan Deng Bing of the Royal Silver Village, who rarely spoke at court meetings, said: "Your Majesty, I have this memorial."
"Ruan Aiqing, please speak."
"Your Majesty, I have an immature idea."
"Let's talk. It's just a good time for everyone to discuss it together."
"Your Majesty, with the rise of commerce in our dynasty, I believe that the future Yinzhuang will definitely make great achievements. In order to speed up the popularity of Yinzhuang in various places, I propose that the original management agencies responsible for Jiaozi and other banknotes in various places should be transformed into The branch of the Silver Village can also attract these landowners to participate together. In other words, the landowners are allowed to take shares in the Royal Silver Village of the Song Dynasty based on the reduction of the land."
"Joint-stock system." I was a little surprised. How could Ruan Dengbing come up with this?
"Your Majesty, it can be said to be a joint-stock system. According to my plan, the functions of the bank will be divided into two. One is to represent the court as an institution that issues banknotes. The second is to serve emerging businesses. I gave a simple example. A businessman has a good project, and he happens to be short of funds. Then our bank can lend him a loan, or simply invest in it. After the businessman's project is completed, the bank will also share the profits, and the agricultural output will only be a little. Increasingly. Profits cannot continuously increase exponentially. However, the income of a bank can increase several times or even dozens of times. The profits can also increase accordingly. This will give the landlord class a new investment opportunity. At the same time, it will also It can speed up the construction of silver banks in various places."
Ma Tingluan said: "Master Ruan, what should I do if the bank loses money?"
"Sir, it is indeed possible to lose money. There are risks in doing business. That's why there is a saying that wealth is gained through insurance. For landlords to invest in banks, it must be voluntary for both parties. The benefits should be shared and the risks should be shared. Ruan's words are just that. It's just an additional method proposed because the court needs to compensate these landowners. Of course, in the long run, Yinzhuang will not lose money."
In later Taiwan, the Kuomintang adopted this approach when it carried out land reform. That is, the four major state-owned cement, industrial and mining, papermaking, and agriculture and forestry companies were converted into private companies. By issuing company stocks, the landlords were allowed to hold shares according to the amount of land transferred. .This is equivalent to a kind of compensation for it.