Chapter 615 The First Female Official
Gu Nanxi actually arrived very early. Because she was dressed in a low-key manner, she followed them silently and watched the whole process.
Lu Hongniang followed the crowd's gaze and saw a man and a woman standing at the end of the team.
They wore ordinary robes and looked like ordinary people, but their eyes were so bright and their gazes were firm.
"Greetings, Duke Yun."
Lu Hongniang bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Is this a ruler? Why have I never seen it before? Did you invent it?" Gu Nanxi was very interested in the tool in Lu Hongniang's hand.
Lu Qing was already so excited that he couldn't speak.
Lu Hongniang was very frank: "It wasn't me. I learned from the clerks in charge of surveying when I traveled to Qianzhou. Qianzhou has many mountains and terraces, so they are experienced."
Gu Nanxi looked at Lu Hongniang with admiration: "How do you calculate the area of the terraced fields?"
Lu Hongniang knew that this was a test. Although she didn't understand why Duke Yun was interested in her, she still spoke with confidence.
"The difference between the measured length times the width minus the slope loss. The total area is the accumulation of each layer."
Others were not sure whether what Lu Hongniang said was correct, but Gu Nanxi knew!
The smile on Gu Nanxi's face became even wider. She had to admit that there were still talented people in the aristocratic family.
Gu Nanxi continued to ask: "How to measure water areas and fields?"
This question did not pose any difficulty for Lu Hongniang.
"We can use the water level gauge method. We can insert markers to record the water levels in four seasons and calculate the effective cultivated area based on the flooding cycle."
Lu Hongniang saw how much Gu Nanxi valued measurement and transmission, so she shared all her thoughts with her.
"In actual land measurement, the most basic methods are the square field method and the string field method. The square field method mainly uses the walking bow to measure the four sides, which is the easiest. The string field method requires the use of a rope ruler."
"When faced with an irregular field, you can break it down into multiple similar triangles and convert the total area by proportion."
It was a rare opportunity for Lu Hongniang to meet a high-ranking official with great power, and she was not sure if there would be such a good opportunity again in the future, so she simply shared what she had learned from observations over the years.
It would be the best if Duke Yun could adopt me. If he cannot, I would have a clear conscience and would have lived up to my years of studying abroad.
"According to my observation, there are a lot of hidden farmlands in all the counties of the Great Zhou. In addition to the collusion between the noble families and the clerks, there are also reasons such as backward and inefficient measurement methods and different standards for dividing the land into different li and mu. I have been to Shuozhou, and the same problem exists there."
Li Mingde frowned: "There is no way there is a hidden field in Shuozhou."
The powerful people in Shuozhou have been dealt with by my godmother, so how dare they do anything? !
Lu Hongniang corrected him, "The core of the system of dividing li and mu is to define the boundary by li and calculate the tax by mu. Unclear demarcation can easily lead to centuries-long conflicts between the two villages. If the data for determining mu is inaccurate, too little will affect taxation, and too much will increase the burden on the people. There is no hidden farmland in Shuozhou, but its determination of mu is definitely inaccurate."
Gu Nanxi raised an eyebrow: "Are you so sure?"
Lu Hongniang raised her chin slightly, her eyes showing confidence in her own abilities: "I'm sure!"
"Okay! Madam Lu, this place is not suitable for us to discuss in detail. Why don't we move to the governor's mansion?"
"Good!" Lu Hongniang had actually been thinking about these words for many years.
She traveled all over the Great Zhou, always focusing on surveying and mapping the fields. She learned from many people and gradually formed her own path.
Unfortunately, she is just a woman, and no matter how much experience she has, no one is willing to listen.
Since Duke Yun is willing to listen, Lu Hongniang must of course speak her mind!
Gu Nanxi only invited Lu Hongniang and did not invite Cui Letian and others.
Cui Letian and the others could only go back to the post station obediently, but Lu Qing still followed them shamelessly under the pretext of serving tea and water to his aunt.
The lights in the governor's mansion were bright.
Gu Nanxi asked Li Mingde to call all the students from Baichuan Academy and the officials who could be used.
In less than half an hour, the originally spacious lobby was instantly filled.
The lobby was decorated like a college. Gu Nanxi and Lu Hongniang sat at the top, facing each other across a table.
Below were the officials sitting in an orderly row, with a table in front of them, on which were papers, pens and ink.
This is a test and also a teaching experience.
Gu Nanxi stretched out her hand and made a gesture of invitation: "Madam Lu, please speak freely."
Lu Hongniang originally thought it was just an ordinary duet, but she didn't expect it to be such a big event.
It can also be seen from this that Duke Yun attaches great importance to this matter and to himself.
In an instant, Lu Hongniang's heart was filled with emotions and a sense of pride arose in her heart.
Decades of hard work just for this moment today!
Lu Hongniang took a deep breath, sorted out what she wanted to say in her mind, and then slowly spoke.
"In every dynasty, farmland has been of utmost importance. My father once said that whenever land annexation becomes serious enough, the regime will be unstable. Therefore, managing the farmland well is an important task. If you want to manage it well, you must first measure it."
Gu Nanxi nodded. Judging from the current level of productivity, Da Zhou is still an agricultural society, and fields are the foundation.
This is also why Gu Nanxi attaches so much importance to this field measurement.
How can you manage it if you don’t even know how much farmland you have on your land?
When Lu Hongniang saw the affirmation in Gu Nanxi's eyes, a stone in her heart fell, and she continued.
"During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, a gnomon was used to measure the sun's shadow and determine the direction, and a plumb line was used to draw straight lines. The well was built in a square li, and eight families shared the well."
Gu Nanxi nodded.
A square well has 900 mu, with 100 mu in the center being public land and 800 mu around it. Eight households around it cultivate 100 mu each. This is the well-field system.
Lu Hongniang: "During the Qin and Han dynasties, field surveyors were appointed to measure fields. They invented the method of two oxen pulling a pole to determine the boundaries. The vertical lines were called qian, and the horizontal lines were called mo, to demarcate the boundaries of the fields."
"When it comes to our Great Zhou, we mainly use the square field method, with each square being five miles by five miles, and the terrain is divided into three categories: flat land and sloping land, and the acres are calculated according to the slope."
In the field she is familiar with, Lu Hongniang's confidence is unparalleled.
Her eyes became sharper. "But even so, there is still a lot of room for manipulation in surveying. For example, you can use the name of [ponds and ditches] to falsely report non-cultivated land."
A young official below suddenly looked serious.
He was transferred from Shuozhou.
He was once responsible for the field measurement and registration in Wudu County, Shuozhou.
At that time, there were indeed many fields with ponds and canals of various sizes.
Although all the farmland in Shuozhou belongs to the government, it is impossible for the government to keep an eye on the autumn harvest of every household at all times.
What's more, when collecting taxes, the tax is collected based on the registered number of acres of land and the average yield per acre.
Duke Yun loves the people and takes the average value. This move itself gives some benefits to the people.
But if we add in the lost land, the impact on Shuozhou’s tax revenue will be huge!
The others also knew the importance of the matter and listened more attentively.
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