Dominate the Country

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…

"Boom, boom, boom..."

In the villages and towns around Yangzhou Fucheng, township officials led their men and beat gongs and drums through the villages and towns of all sizes, posting notices of Chen Han's laws at the beginning and end of the villages, and at the town offices.

All the people were alarmed, whether they were men or women. They came out of the small courtyards of their homes and gathered around the township officials, or gathered in front of the notice at the head of the village.

…

In Nanjing city, Chen Ming's face was a little grim, because today is the first day of the implementation of the new land policy reform. It was difficult for him to decide whether he was right or wrong when facing this matter in his mind, and the knowledge in his mind could not tell him the answer clearly. So he watched Chen Hui exercise his last right. Although what Chen Hui said didn't make sense, he was in a state of confusion and felt that it was unnecessary.

The Fuhan Army is not short of money now, and when banknotes are issued next year, the tax and finance will be even better. The Chen-Han Central Committee could use one cent of gold and silver reserves to issue three-cent or even five-cent banknotes.

However, Chen Hui still made the decision to restrict land annexation. He wanted to use the epoch-making 'creation' of 'stepped fees' to kill to the greatest extent the land annexation that had ruined all Chinese dynasties - this major issue. question. At the same time, this was also the last decree he issued in his several years as King of Han Dynasty, which implemented the stepped agricultural tax that had been discussed many times among the top leaders.

Chen Ming's eyes are deep, and there seems to be a sea in his eyes, making it difficult for people to see through. This policy was firmly implemented by Chen Hui, and he did not have any firm obstacles.

"Industrial and commercial development requires a lot of labor and a large number of farmers to come out of the fields." Chen Hui now understood this official company very well, and he persuaded Chen Ming, "But does this have anything to do with the implementation of the stepped agricultural tax? "

"How many families in the world have more than a hundred acres of land?" This law ultimately targets those landlords, and to a certain extent, it can also force the initial concentration of small pieces of private land.

They don't need to exceed the red line of one hundred acres of land at all. They only need nine acres and nine, and that's perfectly fine.

Finally, don’t forget that Chen Hui implemented a stepped agricultural tax, but it did not impose any burden on families with less than a hundred acres of land. This is cutting off the landowners' flesh and doing no harm to the vast number of poor people.

…

The time is getting closer and closer to the twelfth lunar month. Wangliu Village, Pinggang Town, Yunnan, is located on the east side of Dali City.

The township official posted the notice and took the people away. Wangliu Village, which was originally quiet, quickly became lively.

The Wang family, the landlord in the village.

Wang Chengxin scolded his mother-in-law with a scolding look on his face, "You have long hair but short knowledge. I told you that Chen Han has strict laws and disciplines. Nanjing is the real dragon that reigns supreme in the world. The officers and soldiers under his command do not dare to act haphazardly." You mother-in-law just keeps mumbling about bad things..."

The old thoughts in Wang Chengxin's head are still deeply ingrained. When an official comes to the village, as the leader of Wangliu Village, he must come forward to recruit the village elders to entertain the visitor enthusiastically, or at least bring him into his home. Drink tea and chat, and then have a meal of killing chickens and ducks. It seems that in this way, I can have a good relationship with the people of the new dynasty.

But his wife was worried that the township officials appointed by Chen Hangang would act randomly and cause "disaster" to their family. For example, if you collect taxes or recruit people, you will be stabbed in the back by the villagers. So when the township official entered the village with people playing gongs and drums, she held on to her husband for dear life. Have to wait and see what happens.

In fact, Wang Chengxin was also beating a drum in his heart at that time, and he shrank his head after being pulled by his wife.

Facts have proved that Chen Han's officials are quite honest, and they do not show any signs of disturbing the people at all. Wang Chengxin puffed up his chest and scolded his wife.

The landlady of the Wang family didn't care at all about her husband's reprimands. After decades of living, she knew what her husband's temper was like. It looks like he is angry now, but actually he is fine at all. The Wang family has a small business, and she is not willing to take any risks.

"Master, Master, it's not good..."

Wang Da, one of the only two servants in the Wang family, ran into the yard at this time.

Wang Chengxin and the landlord's wife, who were still moving their mouths, were shocked at the same time, "What's wrong..."

"Then the township official brought someone back again?" the landlady asked first.

"No, it's not." Wang Da gasped and replied.

Wang Chengxin and his wife immediately breathed a sigh of relief. But they relaxed a little too early. As Wang Da's next words came out, the blood pressure of the two of them rose as much as a hydrogen balloon with a broken line. "Ouch, I'm so dizzy." Wang couldn't stand any longer and was about to sit down while holding on to the chair.

"This, isn't this robbing the rich to give to the poor?" Wang Chengxin's face turned red and his body was shaking as if he was shaking.

"Is everything you said true?" the landlady's voice was trembling.

"It's true, Liu Xiucai read it in person at the head of the village. The land rent for landlords and tenants cannot exceed 30%; the agricultural tax is 20 per cent for households with less than 100 acres of land, and 15 per cent for land between 100 and 500 acres. , everything over 500 acres will be taxed 10%.”

"Ah..., damn Chen Han, damn Chen Han, you are tearing out my flesh... ah..." His legs softened and he squatted on the ground, as if he had been hit by an arrow. The landowner's mother-in-law yelled at the top of her lungs with tears in her eyes.

"Shut up, you woman, you want to kill the whole family." Wang Chengxin was still shaking, but when he heard what his wife said, he rushed forward and covered the landlord's mouth. The Xin Dynasty is the government, how can you scold? Don't you want to be the head?

And such a scene has appeared countless times in China in the past few days.

Restricting land annexation, the biggest starting point for Chen Hui to resolutely introduce this policy is to limit the speed of land annexation. He knew that this decree would cause a lot of scolding, but there were some such measures in all dynasties, and he was hesitant about some of Chen Ming's statements. And he also thought it was okay, the decree could be issued and abolished, if it really got in the way. And the scolding on him didn't matter, because he was about to withdraw from the "jianghu". After Chen Ming ascended the throne, some of the scolding and hatred would be transferred to Chen Ming, but it didn't matter.

As long as the army still absolutely supports Chen Han.

At the same time as the "tiered agricultural tax" was introduced, Chen Han also introduced a "special" policy. About farms!

This policy is a supplement to the former. This is also an "innovation" proposed by Chen Ming!

In Chen Ming's "proposal", "farms" are different from the usual cultivated fields. To be more precise, it should be a variant of "plantation economy". Although China's current "farms" are completely different from Western plantations, the former does not even have the innate conditions to become a plantation.

But isn't the name just a code? Chen Ming firmly divided the same thing into two different parts. He gave the "farm" an "economic" aura. There are no tenants on the farm, only hired workers, and everything on the farm is aimed at the economy.

This is somewhat similar to the plantation economy, but the form is very different.

Because in Chen Ming's vision, the future agricultural development of China is completely different from the household contract responsibility system in the previous life, but a farm economy like European and American agriculture. When the Fu Han Army occupied Southeast Asia and landed in North America, China would have several times more land to cultivate than Chen Ming had in his previous life.

And the household contract responsibility system is too restrictive for labor, isn't it?

China in this time and space will become the most powerful country on earth in the future, and will also be the first country in the world to introduce mechanization in agriculture. At that time, with the development of society and technology, farms will inevitably "eliminate" a large number of laborers, because the latter's identity is no longer tenants, but hired workers, and these people can just be added to the great wave of industrial development.

He didn't know what the development of workers and farmers in Europe and the United States was like in history, but in Chen Ming's imagination, based on the knowledge he had, he thought it was reasonable.

When social and technological development had not yet reached a relatively high level, a large number of surplus population could be fed by "farms"; and when society entered the electrical age from the steam age, with the invention of a series of agricultural machinery, farmers themselves would actively use machines to eliminate batches of hired workers in the process of pursuing maximum profits. Provide a large number of laborers for the wave of industrial development in the new era. Isn't this harmonious?

Chen Ming clearly put the "farm" on the side of capital. Capital exists to pursue profits. Farms require that all of its outputs have profits after deducting various capital and labor input costs, so that they can continue to survive. However, for tenants, even if they have no "profit" after deducting various capital inputs and labor costs, because the workers of family agriculture still receive "wages" as workers, they can still survive and will greatly exclude hired farms. Even if this kind of survival is often at the cost of more labor, lower labor remuneration and lower living standards, it will also become a big stumbling block.

What to do?

Chen Ming's solution is to use "agricultural taxes" to pull sides.

Although it is quite unfair to do so, in order to eliminate "tenants", Chen Ming can only do so. [If you have any objections, please raise them, everything is for "reasonable"! ]

The so-called special regulations are: Farm companies spontaneously formed by the people with more than 100 acres - [such as the previous production team], can enjoy a more favorable standard of 25% tax in the payment of agricultural taxes.

In fact, after the introduction of these two policies by Chen Hui and Chen Ming, Chen Han's income from agricultural taxes was reduced to a certain extent. Because the army, officials, and even some landlords now have the form of "land" in their hands - shares of military-civilian companies, which is the most obvious "farm" economic model. Then there are a series of regulations on farm land use, and there are very clear regulations on farm land use and tenant land leasing, which are absolutely "incompatible".

In this matter, Chen Ming used concessions to tie the army, the government, and some landlords firmly to his chariot, and then he was not afraid of anything.

Although it is not known whether the ministers in the court really agree with this matter, it is clear that their first reaction is not to oppose it, but to return home and immediately apply for registration of a farm company.

Time is about to enter the 19th century of the Western calendar. Now it is the second half of the 18th century. If the storm brewing in China does not have butterflies in North America, the gunshots in Lexington will sound next year, and there will be no months.

Eight years later, John Bull's thirteen North American states will stand as an independent country in the vast and rich America.

The world will enter a new era. In the next few years, the outbreak of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon...

Chen Ming felt that this was an opportunity given to him by God, and it was really a God-given opportunity. After a few years of recuperation, China can overtake Spain and the Netherlands and take the opportunity to extend its hand to North America. In this way, when the French feel the evil intentions and threats of the United States and discover that the old Americans who resisted the British are actually white-eyed wolves, no matter whether the person in power at that time is Napoleon, that Corsican monster, China should be better than Is it easier to buy Louisiana in the United States?

Chen Ming believed that under his leadership, China's industry and commerce would develop rapidly in the next two to three decades of the 18th century, but China's population is now too large. Two hundred million. Agriculture is still the foundation of the entire country. No matter how confident Chen Ming is, he cannot guarantee that he will be able to lead China to complete the overall transformation of society in his limited life.

As long as commercial capital has not developed to a certain level, engaging in agriculture is the greatest guarantee for resettling the population. And Chen Ming still remembers that except for the United Kingdom, France's urban population did not account for 50% of the total population until the outbreak of World War I. In Germany, the urban population only exceeded 50% in the early stages of World War I.

Chen Ming knew that such data could not be completely transferred to China, but he had no other 'reference material'. As long as he thought about hundreds of millions of agricultural residents without their fields, his heart would keep jumping. Yes, the later successors will always unswervingly relocate the Han people, but this is too dangerous and feels like walking on a tightrope. Therefore, in the face of Chen Hui's persistence, Chen Ming stopped insisting and made some additions. Since agriculture will still be the foundation of the country for a long time to come. The government needs to tie up many farmers with land, and it would be good to curb land annexation a little.

Although the farm company can buy shares and can be merged and traded.

"The laws of the ancestors are immutable" is impossible to happen in Chen Han. The way of governing a country should change with the times. Since the law has been accumulated for a long time, disadvantages will inevitably arise. Therefore, "there is no law that remains unchanged for a hundred years." If he could change Chen Hui's policies, future generations should also be able to change his policies.

This policy of restricting land annexation and maintaining national stability should not become an obstacle to China's social transformation in future generations.

Chen Ming, who has a 'short-sighted' vision, can now appreciate the feeling of 'crossing the river by feeling for the stones'.

Chen Hui firmly believes that China's transformation from an agricultural country to an industrial country will not happen overnight. Moreover, how many factories are needed to absorb such a large population of labor force?

Therefore, agriculture must not be chaotic.

Another important reason why Chen Hui resolutely introduced this policy was to disintegrate local clan power.

For more than 500 acres of land, the agricultural tax is one-tenth, which is twice as much as the lowest. Chen Ming does not think that many small and medium-sized landowners can endure such huge losses. They will definitely distribute the land to the names of their family members.

As for interests, it is easy to divide them, but it is extremely difficult to get them back together in the future. No one will spit out the fat in their mouth to the ‘clan’!

In the past few years, Chen Hui has collected a lot of information about Jiangnan clans. He should not do too many things that harm the public, enrich private interests, and corrupt others. Compare it to the Wang family's aunt and nephew in The Story of the Stone. Few members of this clan are clean.

In the land law that has been introduced now, the law clearly stipulates that the land under whose name belongs to that person and is a formal private property protected by national law.

This is to prevent 'false family separation'.

Who in the world can feel the power of local clans as deeply as the Chen family? The Chen family of Lushan Tumenji is a clan in itself. After the Chen family established a firm foothold, they were always wary of local clans. An obvious example is that the Fuhan Army, regardless of the lack of troops to fight in the north, stationed large armies in Jiangnan, northern Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hunan, where clan power was at its peak.

During the Qing Dynasty, local clan power had reached its peak. In rural villages, if a clan member made a mistake or violated clan rules or 'public morality', even if they were thousands of miles away, the clan leader had the right to send someone to seize him and escort him back to his hometown. be punished. Moreover, the Qing government also had a laissez-faire attitude towards this, so the clan power in the Manchu Qing Dynasty became more and more intense.

The prosperity of a clan cannot be supported by a group of poor people. It requires wealthy families as the backbone. They are also the source of the 'rights' of the landlords and gentry.

Chen Hui restricted land annexation, collected agricultural taxes at different levels, and cooperated with the inheritance law in order to eradicate the wealthy and noble families that supported the existence of the clan.

Chen Ming didn't know how effective this law would be, but he understood that this law was already the greatest expression of Chen Hui's talents.