Although the Ming Dynasty had a large population, with tens of millions of people emigrating, it was the highest in the world. However, there were still many restrictions on emigrating from the mainland to overseas.
When sailing on the open sea, you must not get seasick, so you should limit yourself to the coastal areas; the same is true on land. From the northwest to the southwest, for example, in the Burma area that is about to be occupied, it is daunting if you cannot adapt to the climate and water.
Given the medical level at the time, these problems were not easy to solve, and people could only migrate from nearby or similar areas.
For example, Mekong Province would receive mostly people from the southern coastal areas, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other provinces. As for the Burmese territories to be occupied, they planned to divert the chieftains of Yunnan, ostensibly to expand their influence but in reality to weaken their power.
Therefore, the expansion to the south and north was for the people in different regions, so that they had sufficient land and enough living space.
The emperor's understanding of land annexation had deepened, and he temporarily halted the plan to nationalize the land. However, the fiefs of the princes and the garrison lands had now all been taken back.
Land concentration has both advantages and disadvantages, but in the long run, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It facilitates intensive management and mechanized farming. Large-scale farms are undoubtedly much more profitable than individual households.
The goal of "land to the tiller" proposed from ancient times to the present has always been without a conclusion, becoming an idealistic or misleading slogan.
The reasons are both simple and complex.
The emperor knew that even if the court took back all the land and distributed it equally according to the number of farmers, order would still be in chaos within ten years.
Let’s take the most common reason: farmers cannot make a living due to illness or disaster. What is the most valuable thing they can sell? It could be a house or farmland.
There are also farmers who were originally poor but became rich through farming or other means, and then bought land to expand production and became small landlords.
Of course, if all the land is nationalized and farmers only have the right to cultivate the land but not the right to buy or sell it, it can solve a big problem. This was also the emperor's original idea.
But from the current perspective, the emperor's view that nationalizing all land might not be the most rational policy was not necessarily the best. Moreover, to achieve this goal, forcible seizure was the worst option, while bribery was too expensive.
The simultaneous existence of nationalization and privatization may promote land development, especially in newly developed territories, such as the fertile and vast Great Northern Wilderness.
Beijing, headquarters of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Inspector Yang Runmin sat in the middle, and all the Chamber of Commerce members in Beijing gathered. The meeting had not yet begun, and everyone was whispering.
"Hey, twenty times the fine, why do you say this?"
"I underpaid two or three hundred, and was fined four or five thousand. That's a tally! Tsk, tsk."
"Young people are always short-sighted. I'm afraid the old manager of Longxing will have to take over again."
"Longxing Trading Company's share in Datong Border Town was given to Sihai. There must be a reason behind this." Merchant A shook the document in his hand and curled his lips.
At this moment, Yang Runmin coughed dryly, glanced at everyone, and after the room had quieted down, he said in a deep voice, "The decision regarding the tax evasion of Longxing Company has been made and has been distributed to everyone. I hope you will take this as a warning and not be greedy for small gains and lose big ones."
The establishment of a chamber of commerce was subject to rules and regulations, all of which had to be approved by the relevant departments of the imperial court. Self-inspection and self-correction were important, and the presence of an inspector to oversee the process was also a necessary requirement.
The inspector not only supervises the law-abidingness of chamber of commerce members, but is also responsible for resolving disputes with local officials, or the harassment and extortion by local officials, and upholding justice for merchants.
Because of this, members of the Chamber of Commerce have enjoyed great convenience. Even if the business tax has increased, they can still earn more than before without the messy arrangements and have fewer troubles.
They enjoyed the care of the court and had someone to protect them, but they still engaged in illegal activities such as tax evasion. It is not an exaggeration to say that they were ungrateful.
The Longxing Company incident was reported and investigated by members of the Chamber of Commerce. On the one hand, there was competition, and on the other hand, everyone was worried about losing the favor of the court and the special treatment it had received.
Everyone speculated that it was probably the Sihai Chamber of Commerce that reported him. Otherwise, why would they have given him the Border City share? It was clearly intended as a reward.
The Longxing Company readily paid the fine just to maintain its membership in the Chamber of Commerce.
Otherwise, if they are kicked out of the chamber of commerce and cannot enjoy preferential treatment and care, they may decline or even go bankrupt under the competition of other chamber of commerce members.
Apart from anything else, the Longxing Company has branches in several major cities in Liaodong. The store was given to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce free of charge by the government. If you are not a member of the Chamber of Commerce, then you will have to find a place yourself and pay for it yourself!
Tax evasion is a case of losing the big picture for the sake of a small detail, and if you don't remedy the situation quickly, you will also suffer the consequences of a small detail.
After Yang Runmin finished his report and admonishment, he stopped talking and picked up another document from the table. He said to the crowd, "The court has introduced new policies regarding the land of Liaodong and land taxes. Some people may not be interested, but I still want to inform you all."
Isn't there a policy? Permanent farming rights are already quite good. If the family is large enough, acquiring land for management can also bring in a lot of income.
Although merchants were not as interested in land as gentry and landlords, they still listened attentively to Yang Runmin's report.
"Land in Liaodong, Jilin Prefecture, and the area north of Jilin Prefecture can be freely bought and sold. For reclaimed land, half of the harvest must be paid, and the land will become yours after three years..."
A low murmur of discussion arose, saying that this was a greater benefit than the permanent farming rights.
Land ownership no longer belonged to the imperial court, but to the people themselves. Restrictions on reclaiming abandoned land were also lifted, and the land was now theirs to do with as they pleased.
While traveling for business may seem to bring in more money, it also carries greater risks. Land, on the other hand, offers long-term, stable income, which is favored by the more conservative.
"...the rent and taxes paid by the tenants who cultivate the land shall not exceed the upper limit set by the imperial court..."
When everyone heard this policy, they couldn't help but exchange glances, revealing expressions of understanding or confusion.
Smart people immediately realized that rigid regulations on rent and tax were a prerequisite for liberalizing land transactions. Land mergers were allowed; the interests of tenants were protected by national laws, and there would be no unbearable exploitation.
The key point is that state ownership and private ownership go hand in hand. The land in Liaodong is now basically owned by the state. Furthermore, there is a policy of granting land for reclamation, so the people there have no shortage of land for farming.
Oh, this is a long-term plan for the future. At the same time, it is also a restriction on landlords across the country and a protection for all tenants.
The land will become less and less, and this trend will not change as the population increases, except for large-scale wars and disasters.
But with this policy, even if land annexation reached a very serious level, tenants could still make a living by working.
This is a national policy for long-term peace and stability! Many people sighed, secretly praising this policy for its long-term thinking. Now that the empire is strong and the emperor's authority is at its peak, will the landlords and gentry oppose it?
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