Qin Official

On the afternoon of August 3rd, just as Lu Jia left, Prime Minister Xiao He and Shaofu Zhang Cang came together to report government affairs to Heifu.

"So, according to records recorded in the 26th year of the First Emperor of Qin, there were more than 200,000 civilian, business, and industrial households in the Neishi area. Later, 120,000 households were moved to Guandong in the Neishi area. With the increase in population, the number reached 400,000. More than two million, although there is some loss now, it is still around two million..."

Neishi has thus become the most densely populated area in the world, with one tenth of the country's people living in just one county.

Heifu flicked the documents presented by the two men and clicked his tongue:

"In addition, there are actually 800,000 slaves and prisoners in Guanzhong under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu!?"

In the past, Heifu also knew that the Shaofu governed a large population, but because the specific number was a court secret, he did not know.

Now that the black and white writing is in front of me, I understand how huge the manpower employed by the Shaofu is!

Zhang Cang flexed his fat fingers and explained the details to Heifu bit by bit:

"The largest number are naturally prisoners. The Shaofu has Yongxiang Prison, Ruolu Prison, Daoguan Prison, Zhishi Prison, Kaogong Prison, Sikong Prison, Biehuo Prison, Jundi Prison, Temple Hu Prison, and Shanglin Prison There are more than ten types of prisons, including 700,000 men, women, and children from all over the country, who are responsible for all kinds of labor inside and outside the palace. The First Emperor built Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum, all of which were used by others."

The 170,000 prisoners captured by Heifu in Lishan were only the young and strong among the 700,000 prisoners. Their families were scattered throughout Guanzhong.

"In the Xianyang Palace alone, there are tens of thousands of official slaves and maidservants of various kinds serving as worshipers. Among them, the eunuchs and Tang officials who are responsible for the royal meals alone have 3,000 slaves and maidservants each, and 700 butchers and butchers. 200 people. There are also thousands of weavers and dyers in the imperial palace and weaving room responsible for the production of palace clothes. The number of singers, dancers and musicians in each palace has been expanded several times, and there are thousands of people..."

This is only the department in Guanzhong, and with the convicts and slaves working in government-run enterprises such as salt, iron, sugar, and wine all over the world, it is not surprising that the Shaofu has a population of one million.

Let’s not talk about the state-owned enterprises that control the lifeblood of the world. However, apart from the 800,000 people in Guanzhong who specialize in manufacturing weapons, armor and leather, building roads and bridges, and building infrastructure, the rest are all here to support the emperor’s extremely large palace. exist.

Not to mention possessing a large number of craftsmen and laborers, the key point is that they continue to suck the blood of the world.

"The annual official fee for the gold, silver and lacquerware made by the three workers of the Shaofu is 30 million, and the same is true for the East and West Weaving Rooms."

"Taiguan and Tangguan hosted palace meals, and the annual fee was 50 million yuan. This was when the First Emperor was not on tour. If there was a long-distance patrol, with tens of thousands of people accompanying him, Taiguan and Tangguan would have to arrive at the county several days in advance. , purchasing meat and vegetables, and supplying meals, spending up to tens of millions of dollars a year!"

This is just ordinary daily expenses. If the royal family has major events such as marriages and betrothals, it will be even more extravagant. Although the First Emperor does not make his sons princes, but he only controls the name and weapons, the treatment of the princes is not bad.

If we slowly reform, we don’t know how much resistance we will encounter.

But now, this huge house has been swept clean by the black man!

Zhao Gao was executed, Hu Hai died, and the dignity of the old court was wiped out.

The Meng and Wang families, which had great influence in the army, were left with only side branches.

Most of the group of young masters were eliminated by the six countries, and the remaining three or five people were not enough to cause trouble.

Among the Qin officials and civil servants, except for a few who jumped up and down, the rest held their breath under the sword and ax of Hei Fu, and there were countless people who sharpened their heads and wanted to join the new government.

In this way, Heifu can free his hands and start some drastic reforms!

"The salt, iron, etc. under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu are important matters of the country and cannot be easily changed. The old system will still be used."

State-owned enterprises are unable to do anything, and even need to increase support, but these are diverse internally, account for the population, and cost a lot of jobs...

"It's time to get rid of this historical baggage!"

"The restructuring of the Shaofu begins with liberating the prisoners and opening up the gardens!"

…

"The members of Lishan, no matter what crimes they were detained for in the past, will be exempted from their crimes!"

"If your wife and parents are servants of the government, we will pardon them all and reunite you soon!"

After the formal amnesty order was issued, the "Wugou Army" who had returned to Weinan to station themselves cheered and said:

"Marquis Wu Zhong really keeps his word!"

They were originally from the Qin Dynasty. They had committed various crimes and became prisoners. Their families were also implicated in serving as hidden officials and engaged in various industries under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu.

Young and strong people were selected to form the Chi Prisoners. They had a higher status than the ordinary prisoners, but they were still not free: after building the Chi Road, Afang was waiting for them. Afang was finally delivered, and Lishan Mausoleum had to be completed within half a year. Completed...

The life of the prisoners was hard, and there were many who tried to resist and escape, but this was the hinterland of Guanzhong, the area with the most powerful rule. Except for a few lucky ones who escaped into the mountains and forests as thieves, most of them were captured.

The first time he was whipped, the second time he ran away and had his feet chopped off, and the third time he was executed directly!

The whip hit the body, and the bloody mouth slowly formed scabs and fell off, leaving scars. The ink on the face will never fade away.

Endless suffering, endless labor, seemingly endless.

It wasn't until Hu Hai's court suddenly collapsed, until Wu Zhonghou led the Northern Expedition to Lishan to stop the prisoners' rebellion and made a promise, that everyone's lives turned around.

But after the long-awaited freedom, the freed prisoners fell into confusion again.

"Where should we go in the future?"

After many years of imprisonment, most of their families were implicated. The land and houses in their hometown have long been owned by others. Even if they go back, they will have no food and clothing. What's worse is that Qin is extremely discriminatory towards those who have been sentenced. Judging from the ink characters on their faces, no one would dare to ask for them even if they were a mediocre person.

Fortunately, Marquis Wu Zhong seemed to have taken this into consideration and provided a place for the freed Lishan prisoners:

"Guanzhong Garden is vast, and there is no shortage of sacred places. Soldiers who want to be punished can go and garrison it!"

Everyone couldn't believe that they were familiar with the gardens. Shanglin Garden spanned three hundred miles in Weinan and covered a vast area. There were more than ten other large and small gardens, basically supporting the nearby Ligong Villa. It was the Qin Dynasty Garden. The royal family reserved forests, ponds, and places for breeding animals.

Is the garden built to protect the environment? Don't be stupid. These days, the forest coverage rate in Guanzhong is still at least 70-80%, and in some areas it is even as high as 90%. It is far from the point of soil erosion. Even if the people are farming, they cannot cover every inch of land. Just open up wasteland? It is necessary to reserve such a large field near Wangji simply for the hunting and recreational use of the royal family and nobles.

The Qin Dynasty also had the "Laws of Stable Gardens", which strictly prohibited common people from entering the royal forbidden gardens without authorization. If anyone entered the forbidden gardens for fishing and hunting in spite of the prohibition, the guards could kill them!

At the beginning, Guanzhong was full of wasteland, with few people and lots of land, which was fine. However, as the population increased, when the population of Guanzhong exceeded the two million mark, when the fields and huts in Weibei and Lantian were densely packed, it was no longer possible to When resettling new residents, the gardens covering hundreds of miles in Weinan were a bit of an eyesore.

There was a conflict between the emperor's garden for personal enjoyment and the further development of agriculture in Guanzhong. How should we choose at this time?

The First Emperor's choice was to preserve the gardens and send the meritorious soldiers who were in urgent need of land to distant places...

During the reign of Hu Hai, gardens were first placed before farming. It is said that the emperor personally held a crossbow and shot down civilians who strayed into the gardens.

Now that Heif is in charge, it's time to do the opposite...

After discussing with Zhang Cang, he issued an order: "During the time of the First Emperor, it was proposed that the Great Garden should be built as far as Hangu Pass in the east and as far as Yong and Chencang in the west. At that time, Youzhan said: 'Shan, if many animals are allowed to roam in it, they will be invaded. Coming from the east, it is enough for the elk to touch it.’ The First Emperor then stopped.”

"Nowadays, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms are causing trouble in Guandong. If we want to wipe it out, we cannot rely on the elk and cranes in the garden. We can only have enough soldiers and food. Therefore, the garden can be abolished, and counties and villages can be established on their land to place meritorious soldiers and released prisoners. Tuen Tian!"

This discussion naturally aroused some discussion in the court, and a stubborn Yang Yushi objected: "The reason why the late emperor established the Guangyuan is to allow the Qin people's children to practice martial arts by shooting and hunting. If the garden is abolished, it will As far as farmland, where do people from Guanzhong go to practice martial arts?"

However, Qianghua, the cavalry school captain who had just come from the North and escorted Heifu's eldest son into Xianyang, laughed at this shallow understanding:

"Now that the world is in chaos, there are many bandits from the Six Kingdoms for hunting. Even if the world is settled in the future, those who want to practice martial arts can go to Shangjun, to the North, and to practice in the vast world. Why shoot some at the doorstep? Fox, rabbit and mouse, but think they are brave?”

After the resolution was passed, Heifu asked the Shaofu to issue a specific resettlement strategy:

"The executioners marched to Shanglin, and in the autumn they harvested the millet, wheat, grass, vegetables, acorns, and jujube millet from Wuyuan. They kept their own rations and handed the rest to the government."

"After autumn, the household registration was established, the land was divided, the people were fifty acres, and they built their own houses to live in."

"In winter, your family members can be sent by the government to the garden for reunion..."

At the beginning of August, after this order spread among the prisoners, they were all very happy, and some thoughtful people spread the word among the people:

"In the past, King Zhao of Qin would rather starve the people to death than open the gardens."

"Even the First Emperor would rather keep the gardens and drive the meritorious soldiers to the frontier to suffer."

"Hu Hai led a group of people to hunt and gallop out of the garden area, taking pleasure in trampling people's fields and crops, and even shot and killed people who entered the garden by mistake."

"But today's Marquis Wu Zhong opened the garden to us for farming, established three counties, and built ten thousand households. This is truly a good governance that has never been seen in the sixth generation of Qin Dynasty! How dare you not be grateful?"

These words made all the prisoners nod in agreement. In their eyes, Marquis Wu Zhong was their liberator. The man who broke the shackles was now granted food, clothing and farmland. They were all grateful and discussed:

"After we settle down in Shanglin, we will build a shrine to Marquis Wu Zhong in the village, so as to tell our children about Marquis Wu Zhong's kindness!"

…

At the same time, the "Yuefu" affiliated to the Shaofu also received a series of restructuring orders from Zhang Cang.

Yuefu is an official office that specializes in managing music. Because the Qin Dynasty eschewed poems and books, there were few poems played and sung, and only some simple melodies were sung during sacrifices. In daily court banquets, the so-called "music of Zheng and Wei" and popular music from Handan were mostly used in modern times.

But now, everything has changed.

Marquis Wu Zhong advocated frugality. He was no longer allowed to sing the music of Zheng and Wei in the past, nor was he allowed to dance the grand dance array. Instead, he asked the Yuefu to create a series of new themes and new elegant odes...

"In ancient times, there were officials who collected poems. The king observed the customs, knew the gains and losses, and examined himself to be correct. He got the songs of the fifteen countries, which is the wind."

"The noble Wang Ji sings elegant music upright, which is elegance."

"The ancestral temple offers dances, songs, and lyrics to praise the ancestors' achievements. This is a tribute."

Yuefu was encouraged not to indulge in "Yangchun" and "Baixue", but to adopt more songs like "Xia Li" and "Ba Ren" to connect with the people.

Of course, there are no conditions for going to various places to collect folk songs, but you can go to the military to collect them. The folk songs and folk ditties from the South, Guanzhong, and Bashu that were loved by the soldiers of the Northern Expedition were slightly modified and the less elegant parts were slightly transformed, turning them into songs as widely sung as the "Military Song of the Northern Expedition."

At the same time, Noble Gaara will be toned down.

The hymn will no longer be a hymn to the ancestors and kings of the Qin Dynasty, but will become a song praising the great unification, praising the justice of the Northern Expedition, and praising the new policy of Marquis Wu Zhong...

Therefore, an old music official who once composed "Ode to Qin" for Qin Shi Huangdi according to the rhythm played by Gao Jianli was completely dumbfounded when he saw the request for an "Ode" issued by Marquis Wu Zhong.

This song is a propositional composition, and the tune and melody are freely composed by the Yuefu, but the theme must be...

"Return the prisoner..."

"Singing?"

…

ps: It’s still comfortable at home. I slept all day long...The second chapter is at night.