62 Chapter 62
◎Land.
The lower-class people in feudal society not only had to face corvee labor, military service, and exorbitant taxes, but also had to face the possibility of the land on which their families depended for survival being taken away.
Of course, those who stole their land were the landlords, powerful people, princes and nobles.
When the princes and nobles of Han faced the Qin army's iron cavalry and sharp swords, they were so timid, but when they faced the people under their rule, they struck back with a heavy blow.
After looking at the statistics of the common people in Han and the arable land they owned, Fusu proposed that in addition to the land that should be rewarded according to military merit, all the remaining land of the princes and nobles should be distributed to the common people in Han.
As soon as these words were spoken, they caused a huge uproar. Even those who had firmly supported Fusu last time jumped out to oppose it, including Li Si of course.
The Qin State became strong by relying on the military merit system proposed by Shang Yang's reform. Establishing military merit, conferring titles and granting land was the carrot that held everyone in the Qin State captive.
After the war, when it was time to distribute the merits and land, they gave the Koreans land for free. Why? Not only would the court officials be unhappy, but even if word got out to the people, they would resent it.
To put it more seriously, Fusu's words were essentially digging at the roots of the Qin State.
Even Ying Zheng frowned deeply at first after hearing this bold suggestion.
But Fusu had his reasons.
"Father, think about it, the people of Qian can't even support their own families with their land. How can they pay taxes? How can they survive? How can they perform military service and labor service in the future?" Of course, Fusu would not appeal to his emotions. His father would not talk about feelings with the people of Qian. This was a moment to convince people with reason.
"Father, we not only want the land of Korea, we also want people." Fusu said.
These simple words touched Ying Zheng. He was the King of Qin, and he would be the king of the world in the future. He saw things differently from the court officials.
The court officials were afraid that the common people would seize their interests, but Ying Zheng did not have this concern. He only wanted capable people to be used, and he was not particular about the background of the talented people.
After the father and son reached a consensus, Fusu took the lead in proposing it during the court meeting, followed by the fierce opposition from the ministers as they had expected.
Even though Fusu repeatedly emphasized that the land would be distributed first according to military merit and the rest would belong to the common people, no one in the court agreed.
In the end, it was Ying Zheng who stepped in to mediate. According to Qin law, only the land that had been taken away from the Qianshou was returned to them, and no more was allowed.
The king's words were golden, and given the status of Qin law, the court officials quickly compromised. In addition to issuing an edict to the governor of Yingchuan County, Ying Zheng also sent someone to assist the governor in implementing the new land policy.
Fusu, in accordance with what he and his son had already discussed, took the opportunity to propose that they should do the same when conquering other countries in the future, so as to show the fairness of Qin and demonstrate the Qin King's broad mind of treating all the people in the world as his own people.
Unsurprisingly, this statement sparked a new round of debate, and because it wasn't an urgent issue that needed to be resolved, no conclusion has been reached yet.
Ying Zheng sent people to invite Fusu back because of this incident.
"Li Si submitted a proposal, which finally said what I wanted." Ying Zheng said.
Fusu took the memorial and read it. Li Si thought that if they only listened to the common people themselves say how much land they had lost, there would inevitably be people who would falsely report it and try to take advantage of the situation. In this way, it would be their Qin State that would suffer losses. It would be better to set a standard. The amount of land each common person could get should be determined by the court, and no one could get more. This would be fair and just, and it would also prevent people from falsifying information.
Fusu's mood was a bit complicated: "Li Tingwei is a smart man. He understood my father's true intention so quickly."
Li Si... He was really in step with his father, except for the last incident of forging the imperial edict.
Although it was Fusu who proposed the division of land, it was Ying Zheng who came up with the idea of dividing the land according to the number of people. However, he did not intend to propose it actively, but wanted to see the reactions of the court officials.
Ying Zheng took the memorial back and placed it aside. He smiled and said, "Li Si is indeed very good. Are you starting to like him now?"
Fusu hesitated for a moment and said, "Li Tingwei, one cannot help but like him."
Ying Zheng didn't like the tone of the words and turned to look at Fusu. He rubbed his head and asked in surprise, "Huh? Is Li Si so unpopular? Does it make you feel so wronged?"
Fusu couldn't help but laugh: "Father, I know Li Tingwei's ability. Don't worry, I won't influence the affairs of state because of personal feelings."
"Big things are certainly important, but you..." Ying Zheng thought for a moment and asked, "Is it still because of the dream from two years ago?"
His father suddenly cared about his mental health, which made Fusu sigh silently. He was like a snake that had once been bitten by a dragon, and he was afraid of ropes for ten years. He really couldn't tell his father the reason.
Fusu had no choice but to say, "Father, it's not that I don't like Li Tingwei. I... I don't like him, but I don't dislike him either."
Ying Zheng guessed what his eldest son meant and nodded, "That's not bad."
It is not good for a king to be too partial or too dislikeful to his subjects. Fusu, for example, only values ability, so he can be said to be impartial.
His Majesty the King of Qin was very satisfied.
Fusu wanted to quickly pass over Li Si's topic, so he said, "Father, I have another idea that I've been wanting to talk about."
Ying Zheng asked, "What is it?"
"Han State has invaded the land of the people, and I'm afraid our Qin State has done the same. When..." Before Fusu could finish his words, his father covered his mouth.
Ying Zheng tapped his eldest son's forehead with his free hand and glared at him, "Silly boy, you still think you haven't offended enough people, right?"
Previously, Ying Zheng disagreed with Fusu's proposal to distribute land to the common people in the court, because this would obviously offend all the civil and military officials in the court.
As the King of Qin, Ying Zheng knew better than anyone that all the ministers in the court claimed to be working for the Qin State and the King, but in fact many of them were only thinking about the interests and future of themselves, their descendants and their families. If their interests were affected, they would come up with high-sounding reasons to oppose it.
Controlling the ministers and promising them benefits - whether it is power, fame, or money, they are all benefits. This is what Ying Zheng has learned over the years.
To shake their interests is to shake their determination to follow Qin.
Coincidentally, this is also the reason why Fusu was the one who made the proposal.
Fusu was just the eldest son of the Qin State. The one who really held power in the Qin State was his father. It didn't matter if he did something that the court officials opposed. As long as the person at the helm was still someone who could bring them benefits in the eyes of the court officials, they would not waver.
Lu Xun once said that the Chinese people always like to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that the room is too dark and want to open a skylight here, no one will allow it. But if you advocate tearing down the roof, they will come to reconcile and be willing to open the skylight.
Fusu deliberately put forward a proposal that they would never agree to, and Ying Zheng then stepped forward to mediate the conflict. This not only achieved the goal of dividing the land among the people of Han, but also made the court officials realize that the king was not biased towards the eldest son without reason. It can be said that it killed two birds with one stone.
As for Fusu, if he wants to win the hearts of the people, he will have many opportunities in the future - besides, he doesn't care.
Considering the overall situation, Ying Zheng thought this plan was very good, but selfishly, he did not want his eldest son to be targeted.
However, Fusu was consistent in his words and deeds and did not care about anyone's opinion. He even wanted to add fuel to the fire, which made Ying Zheng's worries seem like unnecessary worries.
Fusu pulled his father's hand away and said with a smile, "Father, I am working for the welfare of the people of the world and for the future of Qin. How can I be foolish? I am clearly farsighted."
Ying Zheng snorted and said, "Is this what I mean? Do not blur my point."
"Oh." Fusu pursed his lips, "Then... let's not talk about it?"
Ying Zheng said, "I will bring it up."
Fusu rested his chin on his father's hand and pondered for a moment before saying, "Well, investigating corruption is indeed a good idea for my father to bring about. It can deter them."
Although it is said that clear water has no fish, the water cannot be too muddy, otherwise there will be chaos in the world. Matters like corruption must be checked regularly.
Ying Zheng withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "Could my words be wrong?" At this point, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "What did you say to Han Fei?"
Fusu answered honestly, "My lord asked the King of Han where they would be imprisoned, but he did not intend to see the King of Han. Besides, he wanted to travel around the world."
Ying Zheng was alert: "Traveling around the world? What is his purpose?"
Fusu tilted his head and asked, "What's the purpose of learning?"
Ying Zheng, however, did not believe it: "Han Fei has always wanted to enter the government."
Han Fei had the ambition to serve the Han Dynasty. Now that the Han Dynasty is destroyed, who knows whether he will take any action to restore the Han Dynasty?
"He really does have the ambition to enter the government," Fusu affirmed. "So, even when he's away, he still writes to me."
Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow and said, "You have always trusted him."
Fusu smiled and said, "Father, Mr. Han and I are teacher and student after all. I am trying to find a way for him to make a living, and he is also willing to do something for me."
Ying Zheng paused and nodded: "As for trustworthiness, I do believe in Han Fei's character."
Although Ying Zheng did not have much contact with Han Fei, he had read his writings and had no doubt that Han Fei's writing reflected his personality.
In addition, since his eldest son trusted Han Fei, Ying Zheng said magnanimously: "Since he wants to go, let him go."
Fusu smiled and said, "I'll tell Mr. Han someday that he's still ill and needs to recover before he can leave."
"Hmm." Now that it was settled, Ying Zheng had no intention of talking about Han Fei anymore. He turned to bring up another topic, but heard a "gurgle".
Fusu touched his flat belly and said, "Father, I'm hungry."
Ying Zheng glanced at the clock and said in surprise, "It's so late, serve the meal!"
Fusu covered his stomach and said exaggeratedly: "I'm so hungry that I can eat a sheep."
Ying Zheng laughed: "It seems that you are really hungry."
"Is there any mutton today?" Ying Zheng turned and asked the eunuch.
The eunuch hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there is a mutton pot."
"Wow, this is good." Fusu said with a smile.
Ying Zheng rubbed his head and urged him again to serve the meal quickly.
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