Han Shizu

Chapter 1172 Extending from the Land Issue

On the main road, the parallel horse-drawn carriage drove steadily and steadily, heading back to Xijing City.After all, Zhao Pu did not go back to Luoyang directly with Emperor Liu. After all, his return to the imperial court was a certainty. To get rid of his worries, Zhao Pu could naturally be more reserved. "Things.

Emperor Liu obviously understood, and naturally he would not force it. After sitting in "Zhao Lu" for a while, he returned first.This time he was out of the palace for only a few days, apart from taking Liu Yang to see the political and public conditions around Xijing, he also visited Zhao Pu. After the work was done, it was time for Tired Bird to return to its nest.

It can be seen along the way that the summer harvest has come to an end. Most of the surrounding farmers are harvesting millet to raise money for tax payments, and then prepare for the next round of farming. Hardworking farmers, as long as they have land, can work all year round. .

Coupled with a relatively clear political environment and stable social security, most people with land can guarantee their livelihoods, not to mention wealth, at least they can be satisfied with food and clothing.

After all, the root of all problems lies in the land.

Unlike other Dao states, the land in the eastern and western capitals is relatively concentrated, and the merger situation is very serious.Under the Kaifeng mansion, the land is mainly occupied by employees and public land. On the Xijing side, it has been truly annexed. By the sixth year of Kaibao, [-]% to [-]% of the land belonged to the nobles of the Han court.

Some of these lands were rewards from the imperial court to the meritorious officials, and some were placed by them themselves.Honorable nobles and even bureaucrats bought land property, but it has been popular since the founding of the country. At that time, Prime Minister Su Fengji was punished by Emperor Liu. In addition to corruption, breaking the law and favoritism, it was also related to his extensive property purchase.

The problem in Xijing has always been serious. During Shi Hongzhao's tenure, he punished a lot of people, and the government also took back a large amount of land. Most of them were allocated to farmers for reclamation, some were used as employment fields, and a small part became royal land.

But over the years, the trend of land concentration has not been reversed, even though Emperor Liu doesn't like it, and it can even be said that he hates the concentration of land.

Emperor Liu attached great importance to the issue of land annexation. After 20 years in power, he also introduced a large number of measures to curb honors and nobles and protect self-cultivated farmers, but these policies were all palliatives, not root causes.

Among them, the most effective is to impose heavy taxes on land sales, but it still only has a suppressive effect.The land concept of the Han people has long been deeply rooted and penetrated into the bone marrow. As long as they can get the land, no matter how heavy the tax is, it will be difficult to stop their enthusiasm.

With the stability of the society and the development of the economy, the number of people engaged in handicrafts and business in the territory of the Han Dynasty has become larger and larger. However, businessmen who have made money must return to their hometowns to buy land in order to secure a place to live.

In the early years, Emperor Liu had the impression that the free sale and purchase of land was the bane of mergers and must be prohibited.Therefore, I once thought about re-promulgating the land equalization map and restoring the equal land system.

But in the end, I gave up. One is to consider, if the land equalization system is effective, how did it collapse in the Tang Dynasty?At that time, the problem of land annexation will be solved?The second is the limitation of the overall social environment. For three generations, despite the endless wars, the development of the commodity economy has been steadily moving forward, and the officials and the people are also accustomed to the free sale of land.

If Emperor Liu forcibly changed this system, the land policy would be retrogressed, which would not only cause opposition from nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords, but even ordinary people at the bottom might not agree.

After all, ordinary people also have the need to buy and sell land.In recent years, Dahan's economy has been prosperous and full of vitality, and land transactions have also occupied a large proportion of it.

So far, the imperial court has mostly cracked down on illegal transactions, while normal land transactions have not been prohibited.

"Land annexation has been a problem that is difficult to solve in all dynasties. In the later stage of development, it will often form a situation where the rich are connected to the fields and the poor have no land to stand on." The father and son drove together, and Emperor Liu discussed the land issue. Liu Yang discussed it and said: "The people of the Li people have no land to grow, and their livelihood is difficult. They either live in the rich and powerful, or they live in the rivers and lakes.

However, Qianshou was mediocre and ignorant, and he couldn't eat enough. Naturally, he had to find ways to survive. Breaking the law, being a thief, and being a thief were all normal.

How do you think the court can avoid such problems? "

Suddenly, Emperor Liu took such a serious problem to take the school exam, and Liu Yang was also a little at a loss. He may have practiced with Emperor Liu for a long time, and he knew something about it.

However, it was difficult for him to come up with a solution.Therefore, with a bitter face and a little bit of entanglement, he replied with a wry smile: "The sages of the past dynasties have no one-size-fits-all solution, and you have been worrying for a long time, please forgive me for being stupid, it is really difficult to come up with a radical solution!"

"You are honest!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu said.

Obviously, these words should not be taken as a compliment, and Liu Yang had no choice but to sigh in cooperation.Seeing Emperor Liu's pensive face, as if he was thinking about this matter, Liu Yang said after thinking about it, "Father, now the big man is like the rising sun, and the land situation is not as severe as you said."

Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Liu interrupted him impolitely: "Then what about the future? Right now, the land is sufficient and the population has not yet reached its peak, but you know the growth rate. Not to mention a hundred years, three to forty years later , I’m afraid that the land in this world will not be divided enough, and it will inevitably lead to a situation where there are more people and less land, then what I said about the situation at that time is not just talk!”

Hearing this, Liu Yang fell silent again.Seeing this, Emperor Liu said again: "After 30 years, I may not be still there. You will be the emperor at that time, ruling this country. If you are faced with this situation, have you thought about how to solve it?"

"I" Liu Yang opened his mouth, but he held it back after all. He didn't express his opinion hastily, but his face wrinkled even tighter.

After a long time, Liu Yang cupped his hands and said: "If that's the case, I can only try to attack those rich people who occupy too much land, implement land equalization, and distribute the excess land to the landless people!"

Emperor Liu obviously didn't approve of Liu Yang's answer, and his tone was a little harsher, saying: "Those who occupy a lot of land are nothing more than nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords. If you want to cut their flesh, it will inevitably arouse fierce opposition, and these people , is also the foundation of the great Han, you want to rely on them to rule the world and manage the people, do you think it will be easy to equalize the land?"

Liu Yang was questioned again, his sword eyebrows frowned even tighter, his hands on his lap couldn't help clenching his fists, and finally, as if erupting, he said: "If it really reaches that point, it won't change. , the country will inevitably become weak, and the world will inevitably become chaotic. For the sake of the country, whose flesh cannot be cut off, whose interests cannot be harmed? If everyone only cares about their own land and does not think about the country, such a person is worthy of being called the foundation of the country ?"

Hearing what Liu Yang said, Emperor Liu suddenly smiled cheerfully, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't spread your words!"

Seeing this, Liu Yang couldn't help being a little dazed, and took a while to react.But his interest has been completely hooked, and he asked actively, "If it were you, how would you solve it?"

Upon hearing the question, Emperor Liu also responded in a very serious manner: "I can't think of any radical cure either!"

Regarding this, Liu Yang was also speechless. You can't do anything yourself, so why bother to ask me?
Looking at his crown prince, Emperor Liu said leisurely: "I just want you to know that the land issue is related to the long-term future of the Han Dynasty, so never let your guard down!
As you said, when things really get to that point, what remains the same has to change!Moreover, to that extent, what is involved is not just the issue of land annexation, but must be accompanied by the administration of officials and the legal system.When governing the country, you must always clearly understand what the top priority and the main contradiction are, and prescribe the right medicine.

Also, although I have always advocated the rule of law and the rule of law, the essence of a great man is still the rule of man.All systems are ultimately implemented by people, and the reliability of the legal system depends on people in the end.And the emperor is not only the biggest defender of the rule of law, but also the biggest destroyer.”

Hearing Emperor Liu's words, Liu Yang was completely stunned, which obviously had a great impact on him.

Seeing him thinking seriously, Emperor Liu patted him on the shoulder again and said, "Think about it carefully."

Liu Yang buried his head in thought, and the car became quiet all of a sudden. After a long time, Liu Yang suddenly raised his head and said, "If there is not enough land in the country, I will find a way to open up new land for the landless people to make a living!"

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something, and then asked: "Is this why you sent troops to the outside world and expanded in all directions?"

(End of this chapter)