In the eighth year of Jingming, it was midsummer.
The war in the south is in full swing.
The Great Zhou army marched straight in and captured fifty cities in one go.
Yang Ji's reputation was unparalleled at that time.
In order to cooperate with the overseas development plan, under the strong promotion of the emperor and the empress, the court promulgated a series of systems on land transactions.
In the past, anyone with money and power could buy land at will.
This is what is often called land annexation.
The imperial court had almost no effective means to prevent it.
More than 90% of the incidents of forcing women into slavery, forcing women into prostitution, and even killing people are rooted in the land.
For example, during years of natural disasters, wealthy families would drive up food prices, suppress land prices, and engage in food hunger marketing.
Although they do not understand the theory of hunger marketing, it does not prevent local tycoons from adopting such methods.
Moreover, natural disasters are often accompanied by epidemics.
On the one hand, the fields failed and people were starving, and on the other hand, they suffered from various diseases. What if they had to pay taxes and complete labor service? The degree of cruelty was a real-life tragedy.
The result is that the rich become less wealthy, the less wealthy become poor, and the poor can only sell their children.
As long as the natural disaster lasts for more than half a year, after selling the children, the land should be sold.
And the price is extremely low.
Local tycoons would seize the opportunity to buy up large amounts of land. In a village, a pavilion, a township, or even an entire county, most of the land would fall into the hands of a single family.
The rich and powerful will always be strong, while the common people will go bankrupt.
The bankrupt common people had better become tenants, farming for wealthy families to make a living.
The next best option is to sell oneself into slavery or flee famine and become a refugee.
As long as they did not return to their registered places, the government would not be able to collect taxes or impose labor service on them. This is why so many people chose to flee famine.
As for selling yourself, not everyone will buy you just because you want to.
When wealthy families buy people, they usually only buy children. After training them for a few years, they will become capable and loyal.
Boys and girls can use it right after buying it.
No wealthy family would want older people, such as men and women in their thirties or forties.
Even if you don't want wealth and just want a bowl of rice to eat, no rich family would be willing to accept you if you work for free.
…
There is another common situation that does not necessarily require a natural disaster.
Natural disasters do not occur every year.
But there is a need to purchase land every year.
When wealthy families first became wealthy, they usually bought dozens of acres of land here and a few hectares of land there.
I buy more and more, but they’re all scattered here and there.
At this time, the wealthy families wanted to connect the lands under their names.
Imagine a scene where a guest comes and points to a large piece of land and says, "All this land here is mine."
Listen, how heroic.
Other people's land that blocks the way between the various pieces of land appears particularly eye-catching.
what to do?
Buy it!
But no one was willing to sell.
Most people will not sell their land unless their families are so poor that they cannot afford to eat.
Even when faced with difficulties, they would first consider other solutions. No one would sell their land unless absolutely necessary.
The land that our ancestors saved and carefully tended for decades finally turned the barren land into fertile land. Why should I sell it just because you want to buy it?
At this time, one wants to buy and the other doesn't want to sell, and a conflict arises.
what to do?
The thugs and gangsters raised by the wealthy families came in handy.
All kinds of shady means were used to force people to sell their land.
Forced buying and selling like this has been happening every day for thousands of years.
Hatred, poverty, clan conflicts, and various natural and man-made disasters often have their roots in the land.
…
In the eighth year of Jingming, the new land system that the emperor and the empress had been planning for many years overcame numerous difficulties. After compromises by all parties, the terms were supplemented and revised, and finally it was released.
Starting from the first day of August in the eighth year of Jingming, all good citizens of the Great Zhou Dynasty, regardless of whether they were farmers, workers or industrialists, could only own a maximum of 100 mu of land.
A slave could only own ten acres of land.
Within this standard, the tax rate is one tenth.
Anyone who has purchased land in the past and owns no more than 100 mu of land can enjoy this tax rate.
Any land exceeding the number of mu but within double the area will be taxed at 10% and 5%.
If it exceeds double, the tax rate will increase.
For example, a good citizen owns 120 mu of land, of which 100 mu is taxed at one tenth.
For every 20 mu of land that exceeds the tax rate, the tax rate will be 50%. For every 100 catties of wheat harvested, 50 catties of grain tax will be paid.
There are separate rules for scholars.
The upper limit of land under the name of a scholar is 150 mu, and there are two men.
That is to say, in addition to the scholar himself, three people in the family can enjoy the benefit of owning 150 acres of land and paying 10% tax at the same time.
The number of Juren and Jinshi increased gradually.
Once you become an official, for example, Lord Lu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, the head of all officials, you can own up to 25 hectares of land in your name, pay one-tenth of the tax, and have 25 people.
…
Along with the promulgation of the Land Law, there was also a new Slave Law.
There are many rules and regulations that concern everyone's vital interests. Once the announcement was made, the whole world was in an uproar.
The new land law was being discussed in the streets, alleys, brothels, teahouses and taverns.
The Press Bureau launched its first large-scale operation, requiring all newspapers in the country to publish the Land Law and Slave Law regulations, as well as the interpretation of the regulations.
At the same time, Sanhe Express, Shaofu Bank, Sihai Meat and Vegetable Store, and other commercial organizations also joined this publicity war.
They went deep into the remote countryside and mountain valleys to explain the new land law to local villagers.
This is to prevent someone from taking advantage of the information gap and doing things recklessly.
All newspapers have launched special reports, and it is no problem to do special reports for three consecutive months.
This means that for the next three months, all news will give way to the laws of the land.
What have people cherished most for thousands of years?
Not life, but land.
From the emperor and high-ranking officials in the court to the common farmers, everyone was fighting for land.
The emperor had to expand his territory and occupy more land, or defend the territory conquered by his ancestors.
High-ranking officials in the imperial court had to endorse their families and purchase large amounts of land, the more the better.
Small families become large families, large families become powerful families, powerful families become aristocratic families, and aristocratic families influence the court...
This is an infinitely rising channel that no one is willing to give up.
The farmers in the countryside work hard, going out early and coming back late, just to buy a few acres of land and save some family property for their children.
Even the big merchants, who made endless money, kept buying, buying, buying, buying enough land, and transformed themselves from merchants into landlords and gentry.
Now, the Great Zhou does not restrict the children of merchants from taking the imperial examinations.
As long as one is a good citizen, regardless of whether one is a scholar, farmer, merchant or artisan, anyone can take part in the imperial examination.
Even the sons of the imperial family could take the imperial examinations. After years of hard work, seven or eight scholars had already passed. In a few years, perhaps even a few more juren and jinshi would emerge.
In other words, merchants no longer needed to change their identities. Their merchant status did not affect their children's imperial examinations.
However, there are still many businessmen who follow the customs of their ancestors and keep on shopping.
With so many people buying land, there must be land of the same area to sell.
Where does the land come from?
They can only sell it from the common people, take it away, or seize it, or force it...
In short, in the middle and late stages of every dynasty, it was inevitable that land would be taken away from the hands of the common people and concentrated in the hands of the powerful and wealthy class.
Now the court suddenly promulgated a land law, along with a slave law, which immediately cut off the loophole for unscrupulous land purchases.
Buy it!
Just buy it!
Sorry, the new land law is not enforced by the Ministry of Revenue.
I bought a lot of land and want to get tax exemption. Sorry, I found the wrong person. Turn right and look for the Shaofu.
The Ministry of Revenue was a bunch of weaklings, entangled in interests and inextricably linked with the local powerful. Asking them to levy taxes and measure lands was like abolishing half of the new land laws the moment they were promulgated.
The Emperor and Empress, through various means and compromises, placed all responsibility for the new land laws under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu, with the Jinwu Guard and the Ministry of Internal Affairs cooperating.
The Eunuch Supervisor, who was once limited to the harem, has transformed into the Ministry of Eunuchs.
With the improvement of standards and the increase of staff, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already recruited a large number of unemployed juren and jinshi, as well as scholars with outstanding numerology.
Except for the scholars, all the recruited juren and jinshi were given formal positions in the court and received court salaries.
Ask the scholars and Jinshi who were recruited into the Ministry of Internal Affairs how they felt.
The mood is a mixture of pain and happiness, and it is very beautiful from time to time.
Why?
Of course it’s because of power!
Cooperating with such a large project involves the interests of all parties. It is conceivable that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will bear the greatest infamy in the world and become the veritable scapegoat.
The Emperor and the Empress established the Ministry of Internal Affairs, presumably to take the blame. They were truly farsighted.
The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were willing to take the blame.
It takes more than just anyone to take the blame for the Emperor and Empress. One has to be in the Emperor and Empress's eyes and have power in their hands to be qualified to take the blame.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was burdened with such a huge responsibility, so one could imagine how much power it had. Its power had also been increasing, at least by 30%. They dared not raise a finger at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Deng Cunli, the Shaofu, took up his machete and chopped off the finger extended by the eunuch without saying a word.
So bold!
He even dared to reach out to the Shaofu.
I want you to know what’s right for you.
The eunuch covered his chopped-off finger and cried out in pain, but he could only cry out in secret and not in front of others.
It’s so frustrating!
You have to endure that.
Follow behind the Shaofu and hit wherever he points.
The most difficult thing about the new land law is taxation!
The Ministry of Revenue and local government officials are mostly a bunch of weaklings when facing local tyrants and powerful families.
Anyone with a pig's brain can tell that the new land laws are mainly aimed at restricting local tyrants and wealthy families.
Common people simply don't have the ability to buy a hundred acres of land.
If local authorities were asked to collect taxes from the wealthy and powerful, they would probably be beaten out before they even arrived.
Therefore, the emperor and the empress specifically assigned the task of implementing the new land laws to the Shaofu, and asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Jinwu Guard to cooperate.
This configuration represents the emperor and empress's determination to implement the new land laws.
If they want to buy land recklessly, a small family of only 80 or 90 people will own hundreds or even thousands of hectares of land. Fine, double the tax, and keep doubling it until it reaches 90%.
When land fails to bring profits and instead becomes a burden, we will see who dares to buy land recklessly.
Not convinced?
Release the Jinwu Guards!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
