Rebirth of Wu Ba Spring and Autumn

Chapter 113 Enfeoffment and Restructuring
At this time, Sun Ping, who was sitting on the side, said, "Your Majesty, I think that Guan Zhong's reform in the past still has a lot to learn from Wu Guo."

"For example, the national grain storage system established by Qi State, that is, the government purchases and hoards a large amount of millet grains, which is sufficient to control the fluctuation of market grain prices, so as to achieve a balance between abundance and hunger!"

"good."

Qing Ji nodded slightly, expressing his agreement.

The national grain storage system established by Guan Zhong in Qi State back then shows that he attached great importance to grain.

He does not allow anyone to manipulate food prices, and strictly prohibits the use of food sales to oppress farmers in times of famine. Food price fluctuations must be controlled by the state!
In the farming era, this move is undoubtedly very important!
In addition, Guan Zhong is also a master who is good at using price levers to adjust the economy and increase national income.

For example, he once said that if the country has a large amount of cloth, it no longer needs to levy cloth tax, but the raw material hemp, and the price of hemp will increase tenfold due to the tax, and the price of cloth may rise to fifty times because of this!
In the same way, if the country has a large amount of silk weaving, it can levy a tax on the raw material silk, which can increase the price of silk weaving tenfold.

In terms of foreign trade, Guan Zhong also advocated controlling commodity prices according to different situations, that is, "control the world because of the world".

If the quality of foreign goods is higher than that of the home country, the selling price of the goods in the home country will be increased to control the import of foreign goods.

If you want to encourage exports, you must lower the selling price, "the world is high and I will be low."

Guan Zhong's thoughts undoubtedly do not contain the theoretical knowledge of economics, and have far-reaching influence!
"Your Majesty, I think that we should implement the level purchase method on the basis of the national grain storage system."

Ji Ran bowed to Qingji and said, "Divide good years into upper, middle, and lower grades, and bad years into upper, middle, and lower grades."

"In a bumper harvest year, the state government buys surplus grain according to the bumper harvest of the year."

"In poor harvest years, according to the degree of poor harvest, the government will take out the purchased grain and sell it at a low price."

"Sell the grain purchased in the upper harvest year in the first bad harvest year, sell the grain purchased in the middle harvest year in the middle bad harvest year, and sell the grain purchased in the lower harvest year in the lower bad harvest year."

"In this way, even in the event of famine, floods and droughts, the people will not disperse if the purchase is not expensive. Only when the people do not disperse can the country be consolidated and prosper!"

Hearing this, Qing Ji nodded slightly, and Fan Li, who had always admired Ji Ran, couldn't help admiring: "What Prime Minister You said is very true."

"Govern the land diligently, and the mu will benefit three times. If you don't work diligently, you will lose the same! If our country of Wu can implement this kind of leveling and purchasing method, we will definitely be able to teach the strength of the land and let the farmers work diligently and work hard!"

"good."

Qingji had long been planning to implement the flat purchase law in Wu State, so considering this proposal, he passed the resolution immediately!

However, this is only Wu's economic reform.

Qingji is determined to forge ahead, so naturally he won't simply be satisfied with this!

Immediately, Qingji looked around and looked at the seven ministers including Jizha, Ji Ran, and Fan Li who were sitting under the majesty's platform, and said slowly: "Second and third sons, I am planning to implement the county system in our country of Wu."

"Our country of Wu now has Wudu, Hongshang, Meili, Mei, Yanling, Nanwu, Yunyang, Zhufang, Yan, Wuyuan, Xing, Li, Yu'er, Rui, Tong, Zhenzi, An, Chang An, Que, and Yongpu, a total of twenty cities."

"The widow's intention is to change the city into a county. For every twenty counties, a county magistrate is set up to govern the county, a county magistrate is set up to assist the county magistrate, and a county lieutenant is set up to take charge of the military. The county has several townships, capitals, pavilions, and villages under its jurisdiction. , each set up a long!"

"At the same time, the original enfeoffment system was changed. The officials who originally enjoyed fiefdoms and fiefdoms retained the right to tax their lands, that is, to live in the towns, and were no longer allowed to manage their lands or raise private soldiers."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked!

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!"

Dazai Ji Zha had no choice but to dissuade: "Your Majesty wants to implement the county system, but it is easier to change the old enfeoffment system and deprive the powers of high officials from all over the country. It is absolutely unacceptable!"

"If Your Majesty insists on doing this, I'm afraid there will be chaos in the country, and the Duke and Madam will be panicked!"

Wu Guo is easier to enfeoff, this is not a joke!
The enfeoffment system, also known as the feudal state and the founding of the country, is the political system of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The purpose of enfeoffment is to consolidate the rule of the Zhou Dynasty.

The object and method of enfeoffment is to entrust the royal family, heroes and nobles of the past (heroes with different surnames, royal nobles with the same surname, descendants of previous emperors and tribal leaders of distant clans) to be entrusted to various places to be princes and establish vassal states.

The duty of the feudal vassals is to obey the orders of the Emperor Zhou, contribute property to the Zhou royal family, and send troops to fight with the Emperor Zhou if necessary!

The important vassal states entrusted by the Zhou royal family successively include: Lu, Qi, Yan, Wei, Song, Jin and so on.

The role of enfeoffment is nothing more than to consolidate the rule of the Zhou Dynasty and expand its territory to the outside world.

At the beginning, the enfeoffment system did play a huge role. At least the major vassal states were able to defend the land and open up the borders, and defend the Zhou emperor.

However, as the Zhou royal family gradually declined, the great vassal states continued to engage in annexation wars in order to compete for land, population and control over other vassal states, and a situation of vassal hegemony formed in the world.

Kuiqiu League, Duke Huan of Qi's supremacy of "respecting the king and fighting the barbarians" was officially recognized, marking the collapse of the enfeoffment system!
Even so, the enfeoffment system was still very prevalent at this time.

The most prominent ones are Jin and Chu, the two hegemonic powers in the south and the north. The reason why they can prosper for a long time is nothing more than the positive effect of the enfeoffment system implemented in the country.

Gein, as early as the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, when the emperor of Zhou divided the princes, the princes had the right to manage the residents in the fief, and had the right to distribute their fiefs and Li Shu to their relatives or heroes. They were the officials of the princes!
The doctor of the Qing will then distribute the land and the people to the scholars, and the officials and the scholars will also undertake the duties of fighting and so on to the higher level.

This kind of enfeoffment continued layer by layer, forming a strict hierarchy within the aristocratic ruling class "son of heaven-vassals-officials-scholar".

In short, "vassals of my subjects, not mine"!
Every feudal monarch, within its fiefdom, is equivalent to a monarch, enjoying the right to taxation, conscription, governance, etc., which has taken away a lot of power from the monarch. How can Qingji tolerate this?
He needs to make the most of Wu's national power!

It's not like Jin and Chu, who have a strong body, but are like a bloated fat man, who can't exert much strength.

However, Qingji knew very well in his heart that it would not be easy to change Wu's original enfeoffment system.

Wu State is different from Jin, Qi, Lu, Wei and other countries in the Central Plains.

However, there are many high officials in the state of Wu, and if they want to ban their fiefs one by one and establish a county system, I am afraid that some difficulties and obstacles will be inevitable!
(End of this chapter)