"After Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin State lived for only one thing: war. Farming served the purpose of war. Growing more grain allowed the Qin State to muster more troops and gain an advantage over the other states."
"To encourage soldiers to fight to the death, Shang Yang stipulated that only those with military merit could be granted titles, and even members of the Qin royal family were not exempt. Therefore, historical records say that the Qin people rejoiced at the thought of war, wishing they could fight every day. With titles, they could enjoy tax exemptions, good food and clothing, and even official positions such as generals. Naturally, the Qin people were obsessed with war and could not extricate themselves."
"For ordinary soldiers, besides these material and spiritual enjoyments, the most important thing is land. A higher title corresponds to more land. Only with enough land can they support their families and live a comfortable and happy life."
"This system of granting land based on military merit did indeed inspire the Qin people's fighting spirit, but it clearly posed a huge hidden danger. As the scale of the war grew, more and more Qin people would be granted land based on military merit, and the amount of land available for distribution in the hands of the government would undoubtedly decrease."
"When the Qin State was constantly expanding outward, this wasn't a big problem; all it needed to do was seize land from other states. But after unifying the six states, all the land became Qin territory, and all the people became Qin citizens. Whose was there to seize?"
Ying Zheng's breathing became a little faster. Indeed, apart from resisting the Huns, the Qin Dynasty had no large-scale wars. The system proposed by Shang Yang was not applicable to the current Qin Dynasty.
"Five years ago, the First Emperor issued a decree requiring the common people to cultivate their own land. The government no longer granted land. The common people's land was not guaranteed, and the nobles and merchants took advantage of the opportunity to occupy large tracts of land. As a result, grain prices skyrocketed, and they remain high today."
"Then, is there any solution?" Ying Zheng took a deep breath. His daughter understood things more clearly than he thought.
"The solution, naturally, is to overturn all the systems and re-establish a new order that suits the Qin Dynasty." Zhao Qingrui knew what was going on. At least she would not suggest her father to use this system.
Ying Zheng's breath was stuck in his throat. This girl came here to collect debts.
"Then let's continue with the taxation system and the land system."
"The main problem lies in the increase in taxes and labor service, that is, heavy taxes and harsh labor service. As for the land, as I said just now, many Guizhou people cannot get any land, while the nobles can be exempted from taxes and occupy a large amount of land. There are even some people with connections who can hide the households and turn the Guizhou people under their names into private property." Zhao Qingrui drank a glass of warm water brought by Wan Mengyi. He talked for a long time and his mouth was dry.
"Then what is the solution?" Ying Zheng fell into deep thought. The Qin Dynasty had a lot of taxes, and the types were indeed very diverse, but these were necessary taxes and it was impossible to exempt them.
"In later times, an emperor implemented the policy of allocating taxes to each acre of land, combining the 'capitalist' and 'land' taxes. Various land taxes were changed to taxes based on land. Large-scale land inspections were carried out to verify the land tax. The land tax, corvée service, and 'capitalist' taxes that had been passed down through the dynasties were gradually combined into one, resulting in a system where everything was based on the land tax."
"The number of males is calculated based on the land area. The more land, the more males; the less land, the fewer males. By calculating the land area, there is no possibility of fraud. The first benefit is that the people do not have to bear the pain of compensation. The second benefit is that in the year of compilation and review, the records are compiled according to the routine and no further audit is required. The third benefit is that everyone completes the calculation of the males for their own land, and everyone can do it without any problems. The fourth benefit is that."
"Once our great cause is accomplished, I plan to add one more clause: all the land will be nationalized. No sale will be allowed. The people will have the right to use it. Ultimately, these fields will belong to the state."
Zhao Qingrui particularly missed the modern life, which was peaceful, without unrest, and where everyone was equal.
Even if she succeeded in her rebellion, it would probably not work for the Qin Dynasty to directly implement modern methods.
Ying Zheng stood up in surprise, "Haha, Caicaicai." He didn't expect that his daughter would give him such a surprise.
Of course, if this set of policies were to be implemented, the nobles would certainly strongly oppose it.
Meng Yi was also shocked. If what the little princess said was true, the Qin Dynasty would definitely become even more powerful.
"These are all other people's wisdom. I just picked them up from others." Seeing his father so excited, Zhao Qingrui smiled helplessly.
"All of this is based on the fact that the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms and laid a solid foundation for future generations. He was a pioneer who built the Great Wall, dug the Lingqu Canal, constructed the Qin Straight Road and the Qin Chi Road, standardized the writing system and the wheel gauge, and unified the weights and measures. He is a well-deserved emperor of all ages." Zhao Qingrui sighed. Without the First Emperor, there would be no splendid Chinese culture.
Ying Zheng was very excited to hear that he held such a high position in his daughter's heart.
"Do you really think so? People outside say he is a tyrant." Ying Zheng suppressed the joy in his heart. His daughter said that he was the greatest emperor of all time and no one had ever commented on him like this.
"Soon after the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, he began a frequent and extensive construction program. Although some of these projects, such as the Great Wall and the Lingqu Canal, benefited the country and the people in the long run, they also greatly undermined productivity."
"Although Qin Shi Huang issued some policies that benefited the people, the pace should not be too hasty or too fast. The Qin Dynasty at that time did not have such conditions, and it would only make the lives of the people more difficult."
"The people he killed during the Book Burning and Burying of Scholars were all alchemists. The books he burned were all preserved. Books on medicine, divination, and tree planting were all preserved. It was all those scholars and alchemists who brought this upon themselves."
Ying Zheng looked at his daughter with admiration, and it was his daughter who understood him.
Unlike Fusu, who just knew how to oppose him and make him unhappy all day long.
And there's Chunyu Yue, who is very active. He finally unified the world, but this bastard came out and wanted him to restore the ancient system and divide the world into fiefdoms. Then what was the point of him fighting for the world?
"Aren't we going to rebel? You just said that there is a problem with the Qin Dynasty's official selection system. What is the problem? What are you going to do in the future?" Ying Zheng looked at Zhao Qingrui with shining eyes. At this moment, he no longer cared about Zhao Qingrui's rebellion.
"Talent selection in the Qin Dynasty is nothing more than a combination of military merit, inheritance, and recommendation."
"Let's not talk about military merit and hereditary succession. Let's talk about recommendations. Recommended individuals must possess both ability and moral integrity. This system also has significant flaws. The emperor can only select and appoint officials from a very narrow range, which can be described as nepotism. Furthermore, it's easy for aristocratic families to develop cliques and control power, making it difficult for truly talented people to contribute to the country."
From the hereditary system, the recommendation system, the conscription system, the nine-rank system, to the imperial examination system, the official selection system of successive dynasties has become more reasonable in selecting talents as history develops and society progresses.
Of course, in her mind, the best is still the modern one.
"What's the solution?" Ying Zheng looked at his daughter expectantly, wanting to see how many surprises she could give him.
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