Many people know that the Yuan Dynasty had a population hierarchy, but tracing back to its origins, such systems existed as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. Even earlier, similar systems existed.
Previously, when Guan Zhong was prime minister, he established the system of managing the people according to their occupational status as scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. As a result, the "household registration and land registration" system, which prohibited the arbitrary migration of people, became the symbol of the formal establishment of the household registration system.
During Shang Yang's reforms, those who violated the household registration system and did not report it to the government were even executed by being cut in half at the waist. Those who reported violations were rewarded with the same merit as those who killed the enemy, while those who did not report them were punished with the same crime as those who surrendered to the enemy.
During the Yuan Dynasty, people were divided into different classes, which was a "normal" thing. However, many Han people, especially those from the south, were not used to it because they were the lowest class of southerners, below Han people, Semu people, and Mongols.
When people were divided into four classes, there were also ten occupational ranks. If this were a beggar from the South, then that would be the true lowest class. Speaking of which, if Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't rebelled, he would have coincidentally been in the lowest class, the 'lowest class'.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the four-class system, he retained the system of low-class people from the Yuan Dynasty. As early as when Zhu Yuanzhang was the Prince of Wu, he made road construction and the rescue of household registration documents two important tasks while conquering cities and territories.
In compiling the household register, with the aim of "distinguishing between the noble and the lowly and rectifying names and status", the households were divided according to their occupations: royal family households, official and gentry households, civilian households, military households, artisan households, salt-making households, merchant households, Confucian households, post station households, etc.
In addition to the aforementioned population, there were also members of the imperial clan, those living in seclusion, and ethnic minorities. With the development of industry and commerce, city registration also became a new household registration system.
Based on this, the household registration certificate, or 'household register', was created. The household registration certificate detailed the household's hometown, population, age, and other basic information. The implementation of the household registration system essentially determined the basis for these people's livelihood and future development.
Once someone comes to the household, they are basically considered a military household or a household of officials or gentry, and this status is unlikely to change, especially for those of lower-ranking households.
Zhu Yunying looked at his grandfather and asked seriously, "Grandfather, in fact, over the years, there have been some instances of deceiving the population and households, and uneven distribution of taxes and corvée labor. I think these things definitely need to be changed. I want to implement new policies, whether it's the land tax reform or the single whip policy, it's not just about increasing land taxes, population is also very important."
Old Zhu became even more serious and said to Zhu Yunying, "That makes sense! Or we could just tell you, so as not to mess up our household registration!"
“The household registration system needs to be changed, but not entirely,” Zhu Yunying immediately retorted, saying to Old Zhu, “The household registration system will definitely be changed when it needs to be changed, whether now or in the future. Otherwise, cases of people absconding with their household registration will inevitably occur. If the household registration system isn’t changed, it will be very difficult for my grandson to open a bank!”
Old Zhu jumped up in anger, he was really anxious. "We've always thought banks were unreliable, and now that we're in a bank, they want to change our household registration?"
This is rather exaggerated. While the household registration system might restrict the expansion of banks, it was by no means the most fundamental factor. For Zhu Yunying, the idea of abolishing the household registration system for the sake of banks was completely unfounded.
Turning to Wang Chengen, Zhu Yunying said, "Bring the map over."
The grandfather and grandson weren't really in the mood for eating and drinking; studying national affairs was more important to them.
Pointing to the map, Zhu Yunying said, "Grandfather, the land tax of our Great Ming is naturally the heaviest in the Jiangnan region, where there are countless fertile and productive fields. As long as Jiangnan is prosperous, our Great Ming can still make ends meet even if it's tight."
Zhu nodded. In history, he was the only one who had truly achieved unification, fighting his way from south to north.
It goes without saying that Jiangnan was prosperous, and its literary culture was also flourishing—that much is beyond doubt. If we really want to pinpoint the exact time, perhaps it was during the southward migration of the elite that Jiangnan began to prosper, since the Central Plains during the Qin and Han dynasties were its foundation.
Zhu Yunying continued, "Actually, Jiangxi and Jingxiang are also good. They started developing quite well in the early years. Chen Youliang was able to fight against my grandfather because those places were prosperous. If we continue to develop them, they will surely become a grain-producing area."
Old Zhu nodded in agreement. He knew it was a good place with great potential. "When Hubei and Hunan prosper, the whole country prospers," he said, adding that they would have to wait a little longer.
In fact, the economy of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River began to develop during the Southern Song Dynasty, and many paddy fields appeared. However, it is only now, with the Jianghan Plain region in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River entering a period of large-scale development, that this trend is just beginning to emerge.
Zhu Yunying's next task was to fully develop the Huguang region. While he didn't expect it to replace Jiangnan, he aimed to at least establish it as a stable grain-producing base. This was not only crucial for consolidating the court's foundation but also a vital measure for the nation's development.
As for the 'Liangguang' region, namely Guangdong, Guangxi, or Fujian, Zhu Yunying naturally knew that it had enormous potential. In fact, those places had already begun to be developed during the Qin and Han dynasties. The Nanyue Kingdom and Zhao Tuo had started developing those areas as early as the end of the Qin dynasty.
It's clear that development wasn't a simple matter, and many people considered that area a "malaria-ridden land." It was only during the Song Dynasty that the area developed considerably; otherwise, it would have remained a truly wild and untamed place.
"What I mean is that the Ming Dynasty will definitely need several grain-producing bases in the future," Zhu Yunying said proudly. "Jiangnan is already doing very well, needless to say. We should start to vigorously develop Jing and Chu. Even if we don't expect immediate results, we already have a foundation. If we further develop these areas, we might even have grain production comparable to Jiangnan during Yin'er's reign."
Old Zhu beamed and said to Zhu Yunying, "That makes sense. If that were the case, it would have been done when Yin'er was in power."
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