Xinshun 1730

Chapter 962 The Last Successful Reform of the Dynasty ([-])
After turning around a few times, the emperor finally couldn't help asking: "How effective is Aiqing's Qingmiao loan? If it is done elsewhere, will it work?"

Liu Yu immediately shook her head like a rattle.

"Return to Your Majesty, you can't get a loan for young crops elsewhere."

"The premise of doing green crop loans is to increase taxes, measure the acres of land, reduce the burden on small farmers, and have enough self-cultivating people, cancel the labor of transporting grain and rice, and ensure that the labor law is spread into the tax per mu."

"Otherwise, what's the point of the green crop loan? The land rent will be increased as much as the loan. It's just giving money to the squires."

"The young crop loan in southern Jiangsu is only loaned to farmers with more than ten acres of land. No loan is given to half-cultivated and half-tenanted people. Either sell underground Nanyang, or sell the land to work. Loaning to them is tantamount to a free loan. , it’s useless, on the contrary, all the money has flowed into the rent.”

"This is one of them."

"Secondly, if the national tax of extremely low mu tax is paid, and the burden is all on the small peasants, how can they get the loan? The county only said that it would charge additional apportionment and service money. Doesn't this mean that those who do the green crop loan will send money to the county?"

"It was the reform of the per-mu tax in southern Jiangsu and the abolition of labor labor for grain transportation in canals, and then there was a green crop loan."

"As for the young crop loan that I got in northern Jiangsu, it's just...just spending money to buy their labor time for the rest of their lives. It's for going to Nanyang, not to help small farmers. I can't help at all."

The emperor carefully understood what Liu Yu said, "one whip will cancel the canal rice transportation and labor labor" and then the order of the young crop loan, and nodded involuntarily.

I thought about the meaning of these words, in fact, it means that the New Huaihe District in northern Jiangsu can be done.

Since a major case is going to be carried out in the Xinhuai area of ​​northern Jiangsu, it must be accompanied by a complete set of new laws after it is completed.Including mu tax a whip and so on.

It's just that it's impossible not to buy and sell land.

Even if it is stipulated that the sale of land is not allowed, farmers will still produce "field skin" and "field bone", which is even more troublesome.

Since land can be bought and sold, if the imperial court lends money and cannot get it back, it has to take the step of land requisition.Collecting the people's land is the most difficult and the most prone to chaos.

However, since the imperial court wanted to try to strengthen the centralization of power, it had to change its past methods of only ruling but not governing. If it wanted to deepen its rule, it had to assume many roles played by the squires.

And always have to consider the cost, what if the compensation is too much, and the court is so incompetent that it doesn't even have the ability to engage in young crop loans in one state and two counties?

After thinking about it, the emperor asked again: "As Aiqing said, assuming that a whip method is practiced in one place, and most of them are self-cultivating small farmers with land, then this green crop loan can be used, right? But, if What if the farmers have no money?"

Liu Yu was extremely calm, with no mercy in his tone.

"If there is no money to repay, the mortgaged land will be collected and enforced. Young crop loan lenders also have the responsibility of taking officials as teachers in the Qin Dynasty, and preach it clearly."

"After the land was recovered, the court publicly sold it."

"People who lost their land may go to work in southern Jiangsu and other places, or go to Nanyang to plant plantations."

"If there is such a place and such a system, I dare to guarantee that it will be accommodated, and there will be no changes in refugees."

"First, the common people have their own land, and the burden is lightened. Even if there is a disaster, it is not just that they have nothing all at once and become refugees."

"For example, if the Hongze Lake breaks its embankment all of a sudden, fish and turtles will be found in the southern and northern parts of the country; but if it is dug into the sea and the river trickles, it will be fine."

"Nowadays, with the development of foreign trade, industry and commerce need new workers every year. But if there is an influx of 30 to [-] people like the previous Funing flood, it will definitely not be able to accommodate, and there must be a civil uprising."

"And if the common people have land property, they will go bankrupt by two thousand this year and eight hundred next year, that's easy to say, and it's enough to accommodate them."

"Young crop loan, in turn, can slow down the speed of this kind of bankruptcy, so that people can slowly start doing business in a trickle way."

The emperor was a little stunned, and said for a while: "Aiqing means that even if the land is being equalized in the world, Aiqing will never support Jingtian, but allow mergers and acquisitions? It's just after the land is equalized, before the merger, so that the industry and commerce can accommodate the loss of land every year. of the people?"

Liu Yu kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't support Jingtian. Rather, does the imperial court have enough ability to control the farmers in Jingtian, and the people who come to the city every year to work are just what the city's business needs? If there is no such ability, what good will Jingtian do? ?The industry and commerce are not flourishing, the population is multiplying, and the land is not increasing, and sooner or later there will be refugees.”

"That's right, I have always scoffed at the theory of the Northern Confucianism. They regard the means as the end, and they don't know where to go next."

"If we can equalize the land, we can match it with young crop loans, increase taxes and reduce burdens, and slow down the speed of mergers. In addition, we can gain markets in Southeast Asia, India, Persia, Europe and the United States, develop industry and commerce, and match them with rice from Southeast Asia and India. for."

"The theory of suppressing mergers has only been talked about in previous dynasties. How can we really suppress mergers? Wang Mang really wanted to suppress mergers and treat the symptoms, but the world was in chaos."

"From the point of view of the previous dynasties' ability to govern the country, it is impossible to suppress mergers, so we can only follow the trend. Use the green crop loan to slow down mergers, but not restrain them, so that industry and commerce can absorb people who have lost their land. Even if they can't absorb them, there is still All the way to Nanyang Plantation."

"The green crop loan in the Song Dynasty was for the people to use it without raising taxes. If the green crop loan was issued in some places in the current dynasty, it was to delay mergers. The purpose of the green crop loan in southern Jiangsu is to increase land prices and prevent merchants. Buying land instead of investing in industry and commerce. Although they are all young crop loans, they have different purposes everywhere, so it is not appropriate to generalize."

The emperor tried to understand Liu Yu's logic, and he could only say that he neither fully agreed nor totally opposed to Liu Yu's thoughts.

There are indeed a lot of Nanyang rice and Indian rice.

And if there are markets in Southeast Asia, India, Persia, Africa and other places, it is not impossible for millions of people to work in industry and commerce.

More may not be accommodated.

But what the emperor wanted to ask was the north of Jiangsu, which is very close to the south of the Yellow River, only separated by a Nantong state.

In farther places, there is no such opportunity to equalize the land, and it is impossible to travel thousands of miles to southern Jiangsu to work in industry and commerce.

It sounds like there is no problem, but the emperor always feels that something is not right.

However, Liu Yu's words also proved that both of them pretended to be confused while pretending to understand.

The emperor didn't say that he was talking about northern Jiangsu, and Liu Yu didn't say that he knew that the emperor was talking about northern Jiangsu, but every sentence was related to the industry and commerce in southern Jiangsu. Shaanxi, that is really out of reach.

"So, Ai Qing thinks, if the method of lending young crops is implemented, will the imperial court lose money?"

At this point, Liu Yu firmly shook his head.

"Your Majesty, if there is a land, the land should be equalized first, and then the green crop method should be implemented. Even if the green crop loan loses money every year, it will actually be profitable."

"Your Majesty, you should know that if you use banknotes, you can issue more!"

"As long as the people take advantage of the green crop loan, they will recognize paper money. In fact, the extra paper money issued every year is enough to earn back. It seems that the green crop method loses money, but printing some money will get it back."

This idea made the emperor even more astonished. Meng Yuanqianming's banknotes and banknotes have already exploded, and now Liu Yu dares to think so?

But in this matter, the emperor trusted Liu Yu again.

"Oh? Isn't Ai Qing afraid of banknotes like the precious banknotes of the previous dynasty?"

Liu Yu said with a smile: "Your Majesty, don't worry. If there is an average farm in a certain land, but there are no restrictions on trading... I dare to try to say for Your Majesty: If a small farmer has cattle, he should have a hundred mu. Even if the fields in a certain place are averaged, can a small farmer average a hundred mu?"

The emperor smiled faintly, knowing that this was a question that did not need to be answered at all.

How many lands and people Dashun has, he knows how many.

Hundred acres?Not far.

Liu Yu said again: "Then, if you are a small farmer with less than a hundred mu of land, your Majesty also knows how the people of the Celestial Dynasty love the land, so how can you not save money to buy land?"

"Save money and buy land, and the money will not be used indiscriminately."

"Where does their money come from? From selling food."

"The banknotes issued by the imperial court can be exchanged for their food. As long as they want to save money to buy land, then they will continue to sell things and sell more things in exchange for money; on the other hand, money can buy Food, shopping."

"Even if banknotes are issued, these people who are eager to buy land will also be like a pool and store these banknotes in the pool."

"This is one of them."

"Secondly, if the young crop law is practiced, if the people lack money, they will come to borrow the green crop loan. Therefore, if they go bankrupt and take back their land, it is still the imperial court."

"People want to buy land, but the annexed land is in the hands of the imperial court. And these lands can be bought with banknotes."

"The court publicly auctioned off these lands to the people, and the people then spent the paper money to the court. The court took part of the stamp duty, and the recovered money continued to flow into Qingmiaodai."

"Paper money can be used to buy land and pay taxes, and the common people recognize paper money even more. If paper money can even buy land, then what else can't be bought?"

"In this way, with the mentality of the common people intending to buy land, they are used as a reservoir for banknotes; and they rely on Qingmiaodai to monopolize land sales and collect stamp duty. At the same time, let the people know that banknotes can buy land, and they trust banknotes even more. .”

"In addition, the number of overissues is not much. Even if the Qingmiao Loan is paid out, it will be returned after a little overpayment. How can we lose money?"

"The imperial court wants the people to recognize banknotes. One is that the imperial court must first recognize them. Like the previous court, the imperial court did not recognize the tax itself, so how could it be possible for the people to recognize it?"

"Another one is to let the people be sure that banknotes can buy things. Moreover, it is best to have things in the hands of the court. There is nothing in the hands of the court. Can the people recognize it? With the green crop loan, there will be something in the hands of the court. Land, salt, taxes, loans, why don't the people recognize it?"

"The key is that Qingmiaodai controls the flow of land to the imperial court. As long as the people are sure that they can buy land, then they need banknotes."

"If they want paper money, they have to sell grain—but in fact, it is the people themselves who convince the people that paper money can be used. It is their behavior of selling grain and depositing paper money to buy land that makes paper money become money instead of money." Not paper."

"Therefore, the Green Crops Loan must be matched with the equalization of the land, and then with the land as a mortgage, and finally with banknotes."

The emperor did not expect that land equalization, banknotes, young crop law, and tax reform with one whip are all related.But after thinking about Liu Yu's words carefully, it seems that it is indeed the case.

Banknotes can be overissued. As long as there is a means, overissues can be made while banknotes are stable.

The green crop loan mentioned by Liu Yu is obviously not just banknotes, but also includes "salt", "seeds", "farm tools", and "grain for crossing the famine". In other words, let the people confirm that banknotes can buy these things.Finally, it is the land when Qingmiaodai needs debts.

If the banknotes can even buy these things, then the people will recognize the banknotes, and more banknotes can be issued appropriately.Similarly, because of the huge export surplus of silver, it is enough to ensure that the banknotes have a certain ability to be redeemed. In addition, the people in Juntian have accumulated water and sediment, and they are going to buy land and hoard money and sell goods to ensure the value of the currency. question.

That being the case, it is impossible to lose money with Qingshao Loan, and it has many other benefits, so it seems that it can indeed be tried.

What's more, there are industry and commerce in southern Jiangsu and going to Nanyang to cover the bottom line, and refugees will not become a big problem.

The key issue of "a large number of small officials" here is precisely not a problem for Dashun.Even Liu Yu acquiesced that this problem did not exist at all.

It even solved a difficult problem for the emperor-a lot of literate and learned people have nothing to do, can't be officials, and can't take imperial examinations. Isn't this because they think they are slow to die and dig a hole to bury themselves?Although the first-rate talents have all gone to the Academy of Naval Artillery Commerce and Trade, the second-rate talents in the new school are scary enough.

While the emperor was thinking, Liu Yu added another sentence.

"Your Majesty, even if the common people can't afford it, then there will be people doing this kind of business."

"Businessmen feel that it is profitable, so they will pay the money for the common people, and then send the common people to work as bonded labor, and send them to the factory to work to pay off their debts."

"If the land can be equalized, the labor costs will increase, and it will naturally be profitable. After paying off the debts of the people, sending them to the factory to work until the money is paid off, how much wages will be paid, isn't it up to everyone?"

"If the imperial court has to consider whether to pay or not to pay, this minister can only say so, and never lose money."

"But if the imperial court considers not just whether to lose money, but the country and the country, then there is another way to say this question, and it should not be considered based on whether to lose money or not."

(End of this chapter)