New Shun 1730

But as a gentry, if your own interests are harmed, you can't just talk about yourself. It is a bit too arrogant to tell the truth stupidly like the Song Dynasty and rule the world with scholar-bureaucrats.

Just talk about yourself, that is a villain's words.

If we talk about the people, we are asking for orders for the people.

And one thing is true, it has indeed had a great impact on the lives of small farmers.

The essence of industrial and commercial development is to drive small farmers into bankruptcy, force small farmers to work as laborers, or go to Nanyang to work hard.

In addition to material losses, there are also spiritual losses.

From a high-level perspective, the last Pantheon incident was an outpost of conservatives against the reformists who supported industry and commerce.

At the bottom level, it also involves the issue of changing customs.

The previous custom was to look at the person's origins to determine whether he or she would gain respect.

But now, Songjiang Mansion is looking towards Qian. If you have money, you are a master or a boss; if you don’t have money, even if you have some culture, you are a poor person.

Although this problem is not the first day it has appeared, it has not been this serious before.

Moreover, as a feudal dynasty, there was a strict hierarchy. There were regulations on what kind of clothes and fabrics merchants could wear.

But this rule has been gradually broken since the late Ming Dynasty. Although there are legal regulations on what to wear, in fact the regulations are very loose. Of course, things like the dragon robe, the house in the Nine Courtyards, the Zhumen Bronze Beast, etc., that is still the bottom line, and generally no one dares to touch it.

Nowadays, this problem has become more and more serious, and these gentry class have also been damaged on a spiritual level. In the end, the support of the conservatives at the top and the people at the bottom spontaneously launched the Xiangxian Temple case.

The essence of these problems is still economic. Etiquette, according to Japanese Confucian scholars, means using administrative means to oppose the economic foundation.

Liu Yu didn't dare to really engage in permanent tenancy or reduce rents and interest rates. This also destined that Liu Yu would be unable to win over these gentry in terms of words.

Is the nature of the difficult life of small farmers in Songjiang Prefecture due to the drop in rice prices? Or is it because of land annexation?

Which one is Ben? Which one is the end?

In fact, everyone present knew this.

Liu Yu also knew that he could only scare them, but he did not dare to do it.

The old gentleman talked about a lot of things that seemed very reasonable. After Liu Yu pretended to think for a moment, he decided to use a set of words that could not recognize the essence of the contradiction to test whether these gentlemen had not "kept up with the new era." possible.

The essence of the problem is land annexation and excessive land rent.

Liu Yu avoided this essential question, but said: "What the old man said makes sense. After all, the root cause of the small farmer's hardship is that there are more people and less land. I think even if the import of foreign grains is stopped, the life of this small farmer will not get better. ”

"Even if things get better today, if you give birth to sons, and then sons and grandsons in the future, your descendants will be inexhaustible. And if the land does not increase, hardship in the future will be unavoidable."

"The matter of permanent tenancy and land equalization I mentioned just now seems to be a bit ill-considered."

Seeing that Liu Yu could actually take the initiative to say that he had not thought well, these gentry were surprised and quickly followed the lead and said: "The Marquis Whale is dealing with many things every day, so it is normal for him to not think well for a while. Indeed, there are endless shortages of descendants. Even if we equalize the land today and do it again tomorrow, the land will not be enough in the future. This cannot cure the root cause. "

Liu Yu smiled and said: "You all have benevolent hearts, and you also think about the long-term interests of the country. I have an idea, what do you think?"

"Now that the imperial court has gone to Nanyang, there are a lot of wastelands in Nanyang. Not to mention Nanyang, even Taiwan has a lot of land reclaimed by previous generations. In addition to Taiwan, there are also Tohoku, Ezo and other places."

"Although you are gentry and have a lot of land, but you are not Christians, you will also have many wives and concubines, and your descendants will be prosperous. Although farming and studying will last a long time, you must not ignore the future foundation."

"Otherwise, how about you providing money and tenant farmers to go to Nanyang, Taiwan and other places to cultivate wasteland?"

"If you cultivate a hundred acres of land, the person who contributes will get half of it, and those of you who invest will also get half. It will be left to your descendants in the future, and it will also be an inheritance."

"After the reclamation is completed, you may return to your hometown to recruit tenant farmers, or live in Fujian and Guangdong and other places to recruit villagers to rent crops. Isn't this good?"

"In this way, since your property is large, you don't have to worry about the family property becoming thinner and thinner as your children and grandchildren prosper; it can also provide a large number of 'excess' people with jobs to rely on, and it will also contribute to the long-term development of the country."

"In the past, it would have seemed like a thousand miles away, which was really too far. But now, with the boom in shipping, we can go to Taiwan or Southeast Asia within a month."

"I think, how about we each take a step back?"

"I am not going to try out the policy of permanent tenancy, rent reduction, interest rate reduction, and thirty-year redemption policy in Songjiang Prefecture; and you should not discuss the price of rice anymore."

Capital itself is neither good nor evil. If the money in the hands of these gentry can be moved, it is also capital. As long as it is used in the right place, it will definitely be beneficial to Dashun.

Liu Yu is also giving these gentry some opportunities.

If he can't keep up with the new era, then he can only find a way to make these people eliminated.

If he could keep up with the new era, then he could be more tolerant and give them more ways out.

The businessmen doing big business in Songjiang Prefecture looked down upon things like reclamation and farming in Taiwan. Maybe they could set up some plantations or something, but there would be little incentive to cultivate and continue to collect rent.

Reclamation also requires capital, such as cattle seeds, water conservancy, resistance to natural disasters, etc.

Relying on the imperial court to organize landless people was inefficient, and the imperial court simply did not have that much money.

If these gentry can be allowed to organize or invest capital, this can indeed alleviate many conflicts and enrich the population of Nanyang.

If even the gentry in Songjiang Prefecture, which has the most developed industry and commerce, feel uneasy, nervous, fearful, or instinctively reject this, then all these people will have to be killed in the future.

The gentry did not expect that Liu Yu would give such a "compromise" solution, which was really beyond their expectations.

For a moment, everyone didn't know what to say. You looked at me and I looked at you, and they were all dumbfounded.

Liu Yu used the method of opening the windows and demolishing the house first. First, he said that he would reduce rent and interest rates for 30 years and then buy back the property. Then he took a step back and said this.

But these people are instinctively full of fear of things in distant places.

Even if you don't go there yourself, sending a housekeeper to manage it, or letting your son go, it sounds a bit far away.

They didn't know that in the "progressive" future that Liu Yu considered, there would be no place for gentry like them who would sit at home and collect rent and lend money.

It doesn't mean killing them all.

Instead, the money from rent collection and lending can be turned into capital and invested in businesses that are beneficial to the future.

Otherwise, they can only be a group of people who are abandoned when faced with dilemmas.

The methods he gave were just suggestions, not compulsions.

And he said it tactfully and clearly.

Don't always use the little people to pretend to beg for their lives, I know your interests will be damaged. So give me a direction that allows you to earn profits and explore the outside world.

Although he didn't say it clearly, the people present understood it.

After a long time, the old gentleman said: "The method given by the Jinghou Marquis is to make the people leave their homes and go to that painful and miasmatic place?"

"We only want to farm and study and inherit the family, and we don't want to get rich and profit. What does the land of thousands of miles in the South Ocean have to do with us? If we are not jealous, why would the whale prince use this land as a inducement to inherit the family?"

"In the capital of Yao and the land of Yu, does Jinghou think that there really isn't even a single person who sincerely prays for the people?"

"The Marquis of Whales has had too much contact with those merchants who value profit over righteousness, and he actually regards us as the same as them."

"Does Marquis Jing really think that we are here for our own rent? We feel that the imperial court is on the wrong track if it continues this way. Putting the cart before the horse will cause big trouble in the future."

"Jinghou has been in a high position for a long time. Why not go for a walk in the countryside? Why not take a look around? Go and see what the people expect and see the real plight of the people of Songjiang Prefecture? Go and ask them what the industrial and commercial development of Songjiang Prefecture has brought to them. The pain point?”

When Liu Yu heard this, he laughed and said: "I went to Wendeng Prefecture in the past and saw it. I think what the common people want is reduced rent and interest, permanent tenancy and redemption. I have seen it, and the first one I gave The solution is to reduce rent and interest. If you don’t agree, don’t I have to give you the second solution?”

"That's all. You guys will think about this again, and I will think about it again. How about you come back in a few days to see what the future holds?"

"As the saying goes, oranges are tangerines when they grow in Huainan, and they are tangerines when they grow in north Huaibei. Or perhaps, Songjiang Prefecture is very different from Wendeng Prefecture. I just happened to go and have a look, so I can know the sufferings of the people."

After finishing speaking, he raised tea and saw off the guests.

Although these gentry had heard of some of Liu Yu's style of conduct, they had never lived in Wendeng Prefecture. How can he know what the people are like if he still has a family with bells and cauldrons?

Seeing that Liu Yu had said he would come back in a few days, and thinking about Liu Yu's idea of ​​reducing rent and interest rates, and redeeming the property permanently, everyone felt uneasy.

But after all, Liu Yu's official position was too high. Even though they all had titles, they had no choice but to retreat one by one when someone really saw them off.

As soon as they left, Songjiang Prefecture Yin said with a smile: "Has Marquis Jing already had the idea of ​​​​immigration and reclamation? The head tax is paid into the land tax. This tax money has nothing to do with the head. When people leave, the land cannot be taken away. The tax money No change. There will be less trouble for hungry people.”

"However, they may not be willing to pay for cultivation. It would be a good thing if they can really pay for cultivation. Then it will be like the story of the old lady's two sons: the eldest son sells umbrellas and is worried when it is sunny; the younger one is selling salt and is worried when it rains. Or, if the older child sells umbrellas, he will be happy when it rains; if the younger child sells salt, he will be happy on sunny days.”

"At that time, Nanyang rice continued to be tax-free, and they enjoyed Nanyang's industry; if taxes on Nanyang rice were increased, they enjoyed Songjiang Prefecture's industry."

Liu Yu shook his head and laughed: "How can it be so easy? My attitude is to protect the industry and commerce of Songjiang Prefecture, but not the small farmers and gentry of Songjiang Prefecture. If you can't have both, you have to choose one. This is of course His Majesty's attitude. . How much is the agricultural tax in Songjiang Prefecture? How much are the other industrial and commercial maritime trade stamp taxes? "

"I said this, if we really want to do it in the future, we still have to rely on you. Either by persuasion or by means of means. In the end, if we can get them to invest in the cultivation, it will be a good thing."

The Songjiang Prefecture Yin nodded in agreement, thinking that since His Majesty asked him to be the Songjiang Prefecture Yin, he would of course be doing money and taxes.

Now that the head tax is also included in the land tax, I, the governor of Songjiang Prefecture, wish that all the "excess" people in Songjiang Prefecture would go to Nanyang. Small farmers are the most likely to make trouble and start rebellions. In the past, they had to consider the head tax. Now it would be best if they could be driven away.

But when it comes to asking these squires to pay for the reclamation of Nanyang, Marquis Jing's idea is too idealistic. It is not something that can be changed within three to five years.

While thinking, Liu Yu said again: "Since the gentleman said he wanted to see the suffering of the people, it's just right, come with me. I also know about the people's affairs, and you don't have to worry about seeing something you shouldn't see. I want to see which people are benefited and which people are harmed by the industrial and commercial development of Songjiang Prefecture. How much benefit and how much harm. You don't have to worry, it's not the position to intervene in the affairs, I'm not here to inspect Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

Songjiang Prefecture Yin smiled and said: "If Jinghou wants to see it, then see it. There are many disadvantages, I just want to ask Jinghou for advice. Why hide the disease?"

But in his heart, he thought, this is true, you can even think of a way to force small farmers to go to Southeast Asia, and I'm not afraid of you seeing the disadvantages and bad things in the eyes of others.