After the morning session, I said to Xiao Qi: "Xiao Qi, call sir. Come with me to Dongkangfang to have a look."
"Dongkangfang. That area is a relatively poor area near Tianjie. Why do officials go there?"
"What? You're taking care of official business."
"Ah, I don't dare." Xiao Qi said hurriedly. "In the official family, how dare you, young man, to interfere in the affairs of the official family? I just asked casually out of curiosity."
I smiled and said, "Haha. Xiaoqi, I'm joking with you. There is a dispute over the demolition of a residential house in Dongkangfang."
Xiao Qi said calmly: "Demolition disputes. This has happened in many towns in our country. The more developed the place, the more serious this phenomenon is."
"Xiaoqi. Why is this? Doesn't our government have regulations on demolition and compensation?"
"Officials. Although our laws have clear provisions, in fact the phenomenon of forced demolitions has existed for a long time. Although the government has tried its best to crack down on forced demolitions, due to the huge interests involved, the phenomenon of forced demolitions has always been the same. It exists in a semi-private form. Of course, the powerful figures are indispensable behind it. They can always find ways to get approval from the government. As for developed areas, the construction of new houses occurs frequently, which naturally involves more demolition matters. The amount of compensation is determined by the government. In the past few years, there were too many huizi. What the people asked for was always inconsistent with what the government approved. And at least half of the compensation received was from huizi, etc. This will naturally cause problems. Of course, among the people’s complaints, there will also be some so-called unscrupulous people who take advantage of the opportunity to extort money.”
"Xiao Qi, you know a lot about this."
"In the official family, I once heard from my fourth brother that something like this happened to me in my hometown, so I know a little bit about it."
I nodded and thought to myself. It seems that the trouble of demolition has been around since ancient times.
With the continuous development of the commodity economy, the closed market system originated from the Tang Dynasty was gradually destroyed. The rapid expansion of urban population led to the continuous emergence of illegal buildings, which also led to an increase in social demand for residential and other buildings. The government is demolishing these illegal buildings. During construction, the real estate industry will also be vigorously developed. Just like in later generations, this is also an important support for the gross domestic product (GDP) of various places.
In the Song Dynasty, the economy became more developed and the scale of towns became larger and larger. Cities with a population of millions began to appear. Naturally, the demand for housing also increased greatly. During the construction process, in addition to expanding the urban layout, it also affected the original In the sixth year of Yuanfeng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1083), Kaifeng Prefecture official Zu Wupo drafted a regulation on compensation for demolition, which was implemented after approval by Song Shenzong. The regulations stipulate that for the demolished households, the government needs to provide physical resettlement or monetary compensation. Physical resettlement means that the Beijing Military and Horse Department is responsible for measuring the houses to be demolished, and the Ministry of Housing and Zuozangku will allocate funds to build houses of the same area elsewhere. . Provide accommodation for the demolished households.
This regulation may be the first compensation regulation for house demolition in history. When it was first implemented, the government could still be fair and just. However, in the late Southern Song Dynasty, with political corruption, collusion between officials and businessmen, and oppression of the people, compensation was The regulations gradually went out of shape. Coupled with the serious depreciation of Huizijiaozi and other banknotes, this led to a serious imbalance in demolition, which greatly affected the government's reputation among the people.
Throughout the ages, there have often been inevitable disputes of interest between the demolishers and the demolished. One party is their own homeland. Although they are in a weak position, they also hope to obtain maximum compensation. The other party is in a strong position and of course hope to obtain maximum profits. .
My idea is very simple, and perhaps naive. For the powerful, the demolition process is just a matter of making more money. But for ordinary people, it is the foundation for a family to settle down, because the house is their life. The greatest wealth.
After Qian Shuoyou took office, in order to improve the appearance of Lin'an City, he demolished many illegal buildings facing the street with an iron fist. Although there were many complaints, I supported Qian Shuoyou's actions and ignored those complaints. But this time it's different. Dongkangfang is a residential building, not an illegal building that arbitrarily occupies the road on the street.
Go north from Hening Gate in the north of the Imperial City. Then go straight. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, you arrive at Dongkangfang, not far from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Dongkangfang is located at the foot of Ziyang Mountain. Go further north and cross Wangxian Bridge. The starting point of Tianjie is toward Tianmen.
Although there are only Yuan Ji, Shen Mo and Xiao Qi with me, I know that there are at least twenty imperial guards and more than ten members of the Longya Security Department near me. But I don't know them. where.
The winter breeze blew through, bringing with it bursts of chill.
The buildings in Dongkangfang are messy. It is the simplest area from the Imperial City to Tianjie. When I walked closer, I saw people coming and going in the square. It seemed very lively. Most of the residents were busy organizing furniture. supplies. They are preparing to move to the resettlement designated by the government. There is no dissatisfaction on the faces of these people. I asked a few people at random. They all felt that the aftermath of the demolition in Dongkangfang was quite normal. The compensation and resettlement provided by the government were also satisfactory. It's basically reasonable. Some houses in the square have been relocated. Many workers in uniforms are doing demolition work.
Due to the extreme uncooperation of the Tian family, Tian Ming suddenly became a celebrity in Dongkangfang. Almost everyone knew it. This made it easier for us to ask for directions. Although the place was like a maze, we still found it smoothly. Go to the Tian family.
I hugged my fists and said straight to the point: "Mr. Tian, I am a staff member of the Song Dynasty Royal Newspaper. I came here to pay a special visit."
"Da Song Royal Newspaper."
"Exactly."
Tian Ming nodded and said politely: "I read every issue. It's a good reward. I dare you to ask your surname."
"My name is Huyandonghai."
"Master Huyan, please come to the house."
It seems that the Song Dynasty royal family is quite popular. I thought.
Most scholars are very concerned about the government affairs. This is no different in the past dynasties. Although scholars are generally dissatisfied with the government affairs in recent years, this concept has been gradually changing since the first year of Xianchun. It is not out of trust in the court. .but a good impression of the new emperor. Especially after my instructions in Gongyuan were published, all the scholars in the world felt excited. It was like a fire in winter. It quickly burned among these people.
Not long after the launch of the Song Dynasty Royal Newspaper, there was a saying among scholars that the paper was a private newspaper of the royal family. All its contents represented the holy will of the current emperor. This was also the main reason why Tian Ming was polite to me. reason.
The Tian family is not big. Judging from the decoration and furnishings, the Tian family is relatively wealthy in Dongkangfang. But in the entire Lin'an city, it seems very ordinary.
"Sir, please sit down."
"Old sir, please sit down too."
Tian Ming personally prepared a pot of hot tea for me and said: "Master, it's cold and I don't have anything good to entertain you in my humble room. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."
Compared with the good tea I usually drink, Tian's tea is really unpalatable. However, I have also become accustomed to the taste of various teas in later generations. I don't feel anything wrong when I drink it.
"Mr. Tian, I have heard about the demolition of Dongkangfang. The purpose of visiting Mr. Tian this time is to make a report on this matter."
"Master Huyan, what do you want to know? Please feel free to ask."
"Sir, does Lin'an government provide reasonable compensation for this demolition?"
Tian Mingdao: "For the aftermath of the demolition in Fangli, Lin'an Mansion's resettlement compensation is considered reasonable."
"Then why don't you want to move?" Before coming here, I always thought it was due to the unreasonable demolition fees. "What's more, Lin'an Prefecture is going to build a people's activity square here. This can be regarded as a public welfare undertaking that benefits the people. .I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
Tian Ming's face showed a slight embarrassment. He said: "Young master, I don't know. This house is the only property left by our ancestors. My family has lived here for nearly a hundred years. I am reluctant to leave. Of course, although I He is a dull person, but he has read a few books. He is not ignorant. The behavior of the Lin'an government office should have been a good thing. However, the people in the government office did not discuss it with the people in the office in advance, so they handed it down with an official document. That's all. The most unacceptable thing for me is that the Hongyun Construction Company responsible for the demolition here has an arrogant attitude. My son can't stand it, so he made a few complaints. Unexpectedly, he got insulted by the other party. If he hadn't been there at the time The Lin'an government officials tried to dissuade them, but the people from Hongyun Trading Company wanted to beat them up. Later, the people from Hongyun Trading Company actually complained first. They went to the Lin'an government office and said that our Tian family was forcibly obstructing their demolition."
Tian Ming took a breath and continued: "Later, the Lin'an government office said in the following text that my family disrupted the unified deployment of Lin'an government. He also said that the Lin'an prefect had ordered my family to move out within a time limit. Otherwise, the government office would Forcibly demolished. There are several similar companies in Dongkangfang that are similar to mine. But because they are afraid of the power of Hongyun Trading Company, they have compromised. I know a little about the law and know that the private property of our dynasty is protected. In anger, I will Lin'an Prefecture filed a lawsuit with Lin'an Tong Judgment. The general judge was unwilling to accept my complaint. I then submitted the complaint to the Ministry of Punishment. However, nothing has been done so far."
"Lin'an Government Office. Hongyun Trading Company."
Tian Ming hummed and said, "Sir, that's roughly the situation."
Shen Mo behind me whispered: "Sir, I have heard of Hongyun Trading Company. It is a famous construction firm in Lin'an City."
I thought for a while and asked: "Mr., do you think there is anything wrong with the Lin'an government office's approach during this demolition?"
"Sir, I think the Lin'an government office should communicate more with the people of this village beforehand. The government should not only care about its own interests and political achievements. It should also pay attention to the interests of the people. For example, the demolition of Dongkangfang this time. I think the Lin'an government office should We should send people here to publicize and let everyone understand and support the government's decision. We should not just let people from Hongyun Trading Company come to carry out the demolition matters. Today's emperor attaches great importance to people's livelihood. As the saying goes, the emperor is less important than the people. But the officials below are not. I failed to keep up with the emperor's thinking in time. I still put official prestige first. If things continue like this, it will be detrimental to the reputation of the government."