I was the richest man in Da Song

Chapter 54 Merger
Vientiane was renewed after the Spring Festival in the first year of Jingde. He Shao’s biggest task this year is to guide and change the eating habits of the people in Kaifeng City who have been humiliated for many years. It is impossible to completely correct it, but at least mutton should not be the only table.

However, Li Hang's health was getting worse and worse. He Shao heard that Li Hang hadn't gone to court for two days, so he left everything at hand and hurried to the prime minister's mansion.

Li Hang was wearing a blanket and sitting on a chair. Standing next to him was Liu Chenggui, the great eunuch next to the emperor, holding an official document from the Zhengshitang.

Seeing that Li Hang's body is getting thinner and the wrinkles on his face are deeper than last year, it's only been a year, and He Shao's growth rate obviously can't keep up with Li Hang's aging speed.

"Feng Lang is here"

Li Hang's voice was weak, with some coughing mixed in from time to time.

"What you need now is a good rest"

"Now it's an eventful time, so I can't rest."

"The country is so big, there is no time to finish official documents, and your body may not be able to handle it." He Shao was very worried.

Li Hang patted a low stool next to him, and He Shao sat directly beside him.

"In fact, my greatest wish in this life is to be a teacher, to read the articles of saints, and to be full of peaches and plums.

But since he entered the court, he has won the trust of the late emperor and His Majesty, and he is more concerned about the world's major affairs. Even if I am exhausted, how dare I be lazy, look at this." Li Han handed the official document in hand to He Shao directly.

"Master Xiang, these court memorials cannot be shown to unrelated people," Liu Chenggui reminded.

"It doesn't matter, the envoy of Chongyi can truthfully report this matter to His Majesty"

With Li Hang's words, He Shao opened the memorial. The first one was sent by Si Nong Temple, saying that the Champa rice seeds had been shipped back, and distributed to various prefectures along the way to start farming.

"It's a good thing, sir"

"It is indeed a good thing. There will definitely be a good harvest this year, but look at this"

"During spring plowing, Prime Minister Kou inspected Zhangmu in the first generation of Gyeonggi"

Li Hang handed over another memorial and coughed violently again. He Shao hurriedly covered Li Hang with a blanket to let him lie down at ease.

"In the second year of Xianping, there were more than 17 mu of fertile land in Gyeonggi, and the existing fertile land is 20 mu. The land has increased by nearly [-] mu, but the tax has dropped by nearly [-]%"

"It's an annexation," He Shao said.

The more land there should be, the more land taxes, but there are some nobles who are exempt from taxes, and rich households hide a large number of real acres and pay less taxes. Only land annexation can explain this unreasonable phenomenon.

"That's right, and the speed of the annexation is shocking. It's only been 50 years since the founding of our dynasty, and it has already reached the speed of other dynasties' hundred years." Li Hang mentioned this matter a little worried.

"Master Kou and Cheng Cheng Si Nong have already discussed with me before, and they think that the reason for the speed of the merger is nothing more than that the imperial court has unleashed the reins of land transactions. Now there are voices in the court to restrict land transactions, and His Majesty is also swaying , what do you think about this matter?"

"Students feel that they can't stop eating because of choking," He Shao objected.

"Most of the current circulation of wealth in my dynasty comes from land transactions. After farmers sell their land and get money, they can only go to the city to work to make a living. These labor forces make all the squares and cities in Kaifeng City active, which also makes people everywhere. Business taxes have risen substantially.

If the land transaction is restricted, it will indeed guarantee the land tax and tie the people to the land, but all kinds of handicrafts and businesses will be fatally hit. "

He Shao knew very well that only by liberating the labor force from the fields can the economy develop.The reason why the Song Dynasty was extremely rich was that it did not restrict land transactions, allowing countless people to realize the transformation from farmers to workers.

Moreover, if the land transaction is completely banned, almost all the dignitaries in the Song Dynasty will be offended. Wang Mang has done this before, and he died miserably in the end.

"The land system is the foundation of all dynasties. Once it comes to the land system, even a small change will cause huge waves. If I don't think of a perfect solution, even I dare not touch it lightly. But right now, I can't let it develop into a situation where it can't be lost. Right?" Li Hang asked.

He Shao began to think about how the land transactions of later generations would be carried out, and suddenly he thought of a way, the official seal!

"Sir, pay attention"

"Help me up, you come read the old man to write"

Liu Chenggui helped Li Hang to the desk, grinding and licking the pen.

"The Zhou Dynasty had the system of well fields, and the Qin Dynasty had the method of paddy fields. From the early Han Dynasty to the late Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms occupied the land, and then to the Tang Dynasty's equalization of land. Every change in the land system will lead to the rise and fall of dynasties.

Therefore, from a historical point of view, no matter what kind of land system, it will eventually be destroyed by mergers.

Tiandi Jianfei did not start in the Song Dynasty and will not end in the Song Dynasty, but in my humble opinion, the imperial court can restrict it in the form of "systems" so that it will not be hard to return. "

Restricted by his vision, Li Hang knew the problem but couldn't think of a countermeasure for a while, so he could only respond negatively or passively, treating headaches and feet, and this is the strength of He Shao, who has the perspective of God.

Institutional constraints?Such a formulation made Li Hang feel fresh and new.

"Our dynasty will bring peace to the troubled times, extend China's prestige and change the disadvantages of the previous generation, do not establish land system, do not suppress mergers, and make the poor people's livelihood quickly recover from the chaos of war.

However, land property is related to the foundation of the country, how can we allow private transactions, although it cannot be suppressed, it cannot be allowed to flow, and should be under supervision.

Feng Lang thought that if there is a sale of land property, the government should intervene, and the signed deed should be in triplicate, and should be signed by the government's big seal and the person who handled it as notarization.

Those who signed the red seal of the government were the red deed, those without the seal were the white deed, and the white deed land property transactions were deemed invalid.

Except that the farmer and the harvester each hold a copy, the government keeps a copy for future disputes.

This system has three advantages, one is to check whether there is any other inside information in the land transaction, and to cut off the root of the noble and evil gentry's scheming;
Two, the hidden properties of rich households will be exposed to the glory, and there will be no way to avoid taxes in the future;
The third is that the land transaction is a commercial act, and the transaction can be levied commercial tax during the period when it is in the hands of the imperial court. "

Although Li Han's face was red and his body was weak, his spirit was abnormally excited, and he wrote faster and faster, even coughing while writing in his hand without any interruption.

The change of the land system may be the root cause of an empire's collapse, or it may be the help of an empire's rapid rise. He has a strong premonition that this memorial will cause a sensation in the court.

And his students, relying on this "Tian Ce", will become an existence that cannot be ignored in the court regardless of whether they want to be officials or not.

There are still many land transactions that belong to robbery, and forged contracts abound. The red seal of the government gives the contract a legal effect. This is the embryonic form of the perfected contract!

"seconds, seconds"

According to what He Shao said, if the land property transactions are strictly controlled by the government through the red deed, even if the land mergers cannot be completely cut off, the speed of mergers can be greatly suppressed, and the taxation of the Song Dynasty can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

　I hope everyone will like it

　　


(End of this chapter)