Three Kingdoms

Guanzhong, Chang'an.

While Liu Bei and others were working hard in western Sichuan, Fei Qian received a heavy brocade box from Pingyang in Chang'an. After opening it, he did not feel any joy, but seemed a little puzzled and worried. He held his head and thought. It took a long time until Huang Xu came in to report that all the generals had arrived. He closed the brocade box and walked to the front hall with his hands behind his back.

When Fei Qian was young, he often wondered why some people always carried their hands behind their backs. Their appearance was not good-looking, and they did not have the spirit of making strides forward in high spirits. Moreover, from a physiological point of view, they could not swing their hands from side to side to maintain their body posture. Balance and coordination are really a worthless gesture.

However, until now, Fei Qian no longer knows when he got up and often walks with his hands behind his back.

There are too many things to carry...

Various invisible pressures are pressing on my back. It seems that only in this way can I feel more relaxed and remind myself to straighten my back.

Entering the lobby, Fei Qian had already restored his original gait, strode into the festival hall, and then sat down on the mat. Everyone saluted Fei Qian, and Fei Qian returned the half salute, and then asked everyone to sit down.

It's said to be sitting, but actually it means kneeling on the mat, with at most a brocade cushion.

Fei Qian had actually asked craftsmen to make stools and other things a long time ago, but in such a formal occasion, Fei Qian still maintained the Han Dynasty meeting method, using a sitting mode of one table and one seat.

This has some advantages. My knees hurt when I kneel down, so I have to speed up the pace. Just like many companies in later generations will use the independent posture of golden rooster to hold meetings, and even choose to hold meetings on the rooftop. The meeting place is too comfortable, but there are Sometimes participants cannot fully concentrate.

Before the meeting officially started, Fei Qian chatted for a few words, then smiled and said that he would not deal with government affairs for now, but said: "Another great sage is here today. Wait for a certain general to come in..."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out. Pang Tong and Xun Chen naturally understood and walked out together with Fei Qian. The others, such as Du Ji, Zhang Liao and others, were a little confused, but they also followed suit. A huge group of people came out of the front yard.

In front of the courtyard gate were Xun You and Xu Ding. The two of them originally thought they should be escorted into the hall, but they didn't expect Fei Qian to come out to greet them in person. They were immediately moved and quickly bowed down in greeting.

Fei Qian chuckled, took a few steps forward, and helped Xun You and Xu Ding up. For some reason, he remembered the first time he met Liu Biao in Jingzhou, and couldn't help but use a little more strength on his hands.

The essence of human beings is actually a repeater plus pigeons, plus real fragrance...

After Fei Qian led Xun You and Xu Ding into the festival hall again, and after introducing each other again, they sat down again and dealt with the current government affairs.

The most important thing at the moment is naturally still mulberry farming.

Although the climate of the Little Glacier in the Han Dynasty has gradually emerged, Guanzhong, which is sheltered by mountains, is still much milder and wetter than Mobei Binbei, especially because the Wei River runs from east to west, bringing abundant irrigation. The water source, and therefore the foundation of agriculture in Guanzhong, was originally better than that in Bingbei. After two or three years of recovery and adjustment, it is now about to usher in an explosive period.

"In Guanzhong, there are yellow soils, the upper ones are eighty-five, the black ones are loam soil, the middle ones are two hundred and fifty-seven, and there are one hundred and sixty-seven thin, wax, and preserved fields. The number of newly cultivated fields has not yet been calculated... ..." Regarding the matter of farming and mulberry cultivation, Zao was naturally the clearest. He immediately said without looking at the wooden slip in his hand, "... Build canals, one hundred and ten miles, build waterwheels, more than two hundred, and make fertilizers. There are more than 1,200 official oxen and more than 5,000 chariots in more than 400 places..." (Note to this chapter)

The numbers popped out of Zao's mouth one by one. Even the other people who didn't know much about Nongsang were refreshed and felt that after hearing these numbers, they felt peaceful and comfortable.

"So, the fortune for the new year..." Zao said at the end, and subconsciously glanced at the number that had been calculated on the wooden tablet again, and then said in a deep voice, "It's five million stones!"

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but beam with joy and smile. In the past, Guanzhong had to rely on the grain and grass imported from Hanzhong. Now it is not only self-sufficient, but also has a lot of surplus. This is naturally a happy thing.

However, this is not the end of joy, but just the beginning. As Pang Tong smelted steel in industry and built the number of armors, and then Xun Chen described the profit surplus in trade, money and utensils, etc. one by one, Everyone in the hall couldn't close their mouths anymore, and everyone was smiling like a flower.

Although Fei Qian was also listening, his mind was not on these numbers, but on other things...

The annual gift is the amount of grain and grass harvested by Fei Potential. As for the total amount of grain produced in Guanzhong, it should be about 13 million shi. Of course, such a high annual gift also owes a lot to the work of the refugees working in the fields.

Under Fei Qian's rule in Guanzhong, the thirty-year tax system of the Han Dynasty was naturally implemented for a hundred years. However, this so-called thirty tax system may sound like a small amount, but in fact, it is not the case at all.

"Han Shu Food and Huo Zhi" records: "When the Han Dynasty was prosperous, according to the Qin Dynasty, the princes remembered that the people lost their jobs and there was a great famine. Five thousand grains of rice and five thousand stones were eaten by people, and more than half of them died. Gaozu made this agreement to save the ban. The light land rent is fifteen and the tax is one." From the time of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, the policy of "one tax for every fifteen years" was implemented. During the period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, there was also an edict to "halve the land rent", which was the policy of "one tax for thirty years".

It continues until now.

However, these fifteen-to-one tax and thirty-to-one tax do not mean that the land is divided into fifteen or thirty parts, and then the state collects one of them, but there is a special calculation method.

"Fifteen taxes and one tax" means that after the landlord collects five-tenths of the land's output from the tenant farmers, or half of the output, the landlord then pays a tax of one-tenth of the land's output to the state. That is to say, the land yield is ten shares, and after the landlord and the tenant farmer split the land 50-50, the landlord pays one share of the tax to the state. That is, the ground rent rate is 50% and the tax rate is one-tenth. This is the true meaning of “fifteen taxes and one tax”.

As vassals of landlords, tenant farmers do not have household registration, and naturally there is no independent channel to pay taxes to the state. Similarly, the so-called "Thirty-one tax" does not mean that landlords pay one-thirtieth of the land's output to the state. The tax should be understood as the yield of the land is ten shares, and then it is divided into thirty-seven shares. The tenant farmer gets seven shares, and pays three shares to the landlord as land rent, and the landlord pays one tax to the state.

That is, the ground rent rate is 30%, but the tax rate is still one-tenth. "One-fifth tax" and "one-thirty tax" do not mean that the tax rate is "one-fifteenth" or "one-thirtieth". Or strictly speaking, it should be recorded as "ten, five, tax one" and "three, ten, tax one".

So generally, land-owning farmers, that is, those who own their own land, pay only one-tenth of the tax to the state. This is very clearly written in "Hanshu Shihuo Zhi", "Today, one man has five people and manages a hundred fields. He collects one and a half stone every year, which is one hundred and fifty stone. In addition to the tax of ten and fifteen stone, the remaining amount is one hundred and thirty-five." stone."

It can be seen that in fact, the burden of the owner farmers has not changed much. What has changed is the land rent of the tenant farmers who are dependent on the big landlords. These people bear the heaviest burden, just like those who own their own houses in later generations often only need Paying water, electricity, sanitation, property fees, etc. may be less than one-tenth of the salary, and if you rent a house...

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the tax rates for large landowners and self-cultivated farmers were the same, but it was obvious that large landowners gained more, and the gap in the amount of wealth accumulated year after year continued to grow. The risks borne by self-cultivated farmers were obviously higher than those of the landlord class. , once a natural disaster occurs, the landlord class will only rely on the balance in their hands to absorb more and more land assets that the farmers have to sell, thus expanding again.

Therefore, the emperor of the Han Dynasty felt that this was not feasible, so he reformed the tax system. During the Emperor Gaozu's period, "he made an agreement to save the tax, light farm rent, and pay a tax of 1 out of ten." "Tax is also a tax", which can firstly reduce the burden on tenant farmers and alleviate the sufferings of these basic people. Secondly, it can also inhibit the speed at which these big landowners accumulate wealth. However, it is obvious that there are policies and countermeasures at the top, and there is no egg. use……

The so-called use of tax rate regulation is a mild placebo. Unless the land holding tax is ruthlessly levied, the people at the grassroots level will always be in trouble.

Therefore, Fei Qian did not focus on tax reform from the beginning. Instead, he struck at its roots and established a hierarchical tax system based on jue and land, forcing large landowners to maintain more interests. It is necessary to make more contributions and obtain more merits than ordinary people, otherwise it will decline in the process of inheritance from generation to generation and become ordinary people.

This may be fairness on another level.

Regarding this point, many nobles in Guanzhong, including Hanzhong, are also very unhappy. However, on the one hand, they are indeed unable to compete with Fei Qian. On the other hand, these noble children are actually waiting to see...

In the eyes of these gentry children, ten or eight years is not a long time at all. And who is the largest landowner in Guanzhong and north of Guanzhong at the moment?

It’s Fei Qian, the great Han hussar general!

The refugees are working in the fields. These refugees are equivalent to the tenant farmers of the Han hussar general Fei Qian!

After five or eight years of paying high land rents, if Fei Qian, the hussar general of the Han Dynasty, still survives, will he be willing to really give these lands to these refugees who are stationed in the fields?

It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Pursue wealth when there is no wealth, but often stop pursuing wealth after being exposed to it. This is human normality and a shortcoming of human nature.

Even if Fei Qian’s generation can do it, what about Fei Qian’s next generation?

Therefore, these noblemen are not in a hurry. Even though there are some opponents, there are still many people waiting, watching, and watching. Sima Yi could sharpen his sword for thirty years, and the other sons of the gentry were not bad either.

But now the old Sima is pursuing victory in the scriptures, while the young Sima has not fully grown up. Should he and Brother Zhu fall in love and kill each other at some point?

In the festival hall, everyone who heard about the many good things couldn't restrain their excitement. Some of them praised and sang their praises. Fei Qian smiled and nodded slightly.

Fei Qian looked at the smiling people in the hall. Among these people who have gathered here, they naturally have certain pursuits, even the newly joined Xun You and Xu Ding, and these people have gained a certain amount of wealth. After authority, what else will you pursue?

These are all problems that will be faced in the future, and these problems are far more difficult than the current problems...

After a while, Fei Qian's smile remained unchanged, as if it had been like this from the beginning. He stretched out his hand and lightly knocked on the table twice. The voices in the hall suddenly stopped, and everyone agreed in unison. He straightened his back, clasped his hands and listened.

"Right now, both the military and civilian matters in Guanzhong are of paramount importance..." Fei Qian said slowly, his voice not loud but very powerful, "For soldiers, one is to train new soldiers, and the other is to teach martial arts... Wen Yuan, You are in charge of these two matters, and you will come up with a charter within three days... Ziping, for the time being, you will follow Wenyuan and help him train his troops..."

Zhang Liao stood up and accepted the order.

Xu Dinglie quickly stood up and said yes together.

"People..." Fei Qian motioned Zhang Liao and Xu Ding to sit down, and then continued, "There are many affairs... If there is hope for a good harvest this year, what about the warehouse... the number is a bit insufficient. In this matter, Shi Yuan, and Qinglong Temple Let's do it together...Xiu Fu, you will assist Shiyuan in choosing a location and establishing a foundation. Don't slack off... It's the same thing. I'll give you a charter within three days..." Qinglong Temple also needs to be rebuilt, so the civil engineering work will be completed together. Gave it to Pang Tong.

Cangxun originally had many in Guanzhong, but many of them were burned down during the war. These rebels only rob the warehouses of food, and they often set fire to it. Is this the instinct of human beings when they do evil? If you set a fire and burn it, you can leave no evidence and treat it as if there is no such thing? So, it was time to rebuild again. Fortunately, the basic stone strips and everything are still there, so it’s not like starting over.

Pang Tong and Wei Duan looked at each other and accepted the order together.

"This year someone wants to make cotton..." Fei Qian turned to look at Zao, and then at Du Ji, "The number of acres of this kind of cotton needs to be expanded. In addition, the second school of agriculture and engineering will open after the tax this autumn. Accepting the award... Zijing still needs to put more thought into it, and Bohou also needs a lot of help... Are there detailed agricultural rules? I have read them, and there are some changes. I will take them later, revise them again, and submit them within three days... ..." Fei Qian patted several volumes of letters beside his hand, and then motioned to the guard to deliver the letters to Zao.

Zao Zao and Du Ji were originally together, so there was nothing wrong with it. Although they felt that the agricultural regulations had not been passed at once, they were still within the normal range, so they accepted the order and did not mention it.

Fei Qian nodded, and then said to Xun Chen and Xun You: "With the help of Gongda, it will be easier to be a friend... The trade goods are complicated. Although the trade between Hebei and Henan is currently shrinking, there are still new things, but once Sichuan and Sichuan are newly attached, and the mountain roads are difficult to travel. Secondly, the Western Region is newly opened, and the journey is long. You still need to be careful... In addition, Chang'an City Square is mostly damaged and needs to be rebuilt. This matter is also left to you. Three days within……"

After two or three days of deliberation, Xun You didn't have the cowardly petty attitude of some people, so he officially joined the political group under the leadership of Xun Chen. However, because of his original official position, he still needed to communicate with Liu Xiehe Cao Cao said, go through a process...

Fei Qian plans to separate part of Bingbei's business and trade to Chang'an, and Pingyang will mainly keep workshops and other affairs. Too much business will also lead to complicated and unstable flow of people, so Chang'an, as a new business center, will naturally It was mentioned on the agenda.

Naturally, Xun Chen's uncle and nephew had no objections.

The main items have been arranged. As for the specific operation, it is naturally impossible to finish it in just a few sentences now. Instead, we have to wait for each person in charge to submit the specific charter before studying it and then detailing the detailed projects. .

Fei Qian looked around and said with a smile: "In addition to making decisions on military and civilian matters, there is another person I would like you to meet..."

After saying that, Fei Qian clapped his hands and asked the guards to bring someone in from outside the hall. Everyone in the hall couldn't help but turn their heads together, and their eyes widened in surprise...

"It turned out to be him..."