I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 14 The Disaster of Land Merger
Liu He's demonstration was over. Sitting on the ridge of the field, he watched those old farmers try Quyuanli one by one with a smile on their faces. His heart was calm and joyful.

However, when he first came to Dahan, he was actually desperate, because he found that in this era, wanting to manufacture things like steam engines, internal combustion engines, and rifles is tantamount to building wonders.

Especially when he learned that Dahan hadn't even popularized the iron pot, he completely cut off this leap-forward development model, and focused on some technologies that can be truly realized at the moment, gently promoting social progress.

What's more, the span from Zhiyuanli to Quyuanli is already very large. The real Quyuanli was not invented and used on a large scale until the Tang Dynasty.

Since then, there has been no further development for more than 1000 years. Even in the era when Liu He lived, in the most remote rural areas, farmers still use labor tools that are exactly the same as the Quyuan plow in front of us.

The development of a nation is calculated over thousands of years. As a person with a limited lifespan, Liu He cannot grow up with this nation. He can only give it some impetus at critical moments to make it grow faster , grow better.

The predecessors planted trees and the descendants enjoyed the shade. As for the future direction, it is up to all the people to decide.

The sun is setting to the west, the river wind is cooling, the insects are gradually singing, and the crescent moon is rising.

Liu He saw that the old farmers had become more and more proficient in using the Quyuan plow, so he stood up from the ridge of the field. He patted the mud on his buttocks, and called Wang He who was not far away.

"Do they all use it?"

"Reporting to the sect, everyone will use it."

"What did they all say?"

"It's easy to use. The plowing is not only fast, but also can be adjusted in depth. Everyone said that with this kind of curved plow, a family of three can grow [-] mu of land a year."

The ten mu of land of the Dahan is equivalent to the seven mu of land of the later generations. Using the most extensive method, three strong and laborious families can cultivate about [-] mu of land. About one hundred catties of raw grain with leather, this income is not low in terms of numbers, and is comparable to the salary of an official with a rank of two hundred shi.

However, the actual situation is not as good as the theoretical data, and the biggest reason for this gap is that farmers do not have a hundred acres of land in their hands.

There is no law of granting land in the Han Dynasty, and there are only three ways for farmers to have land.

The first is the conferment of military merit, and the land can be obtained by obtaining the title.

The second is to rent the land of the landlord, and then be firmly bound to the land, forming a dependent relationship with the landlord.

The third is to open up wasteland and cultivate land. As long as it is registered according to the law, the big man admits that the land opened up is privately owned.

Leaving aside the first method of acquiring land, it depends not only on the weather, but also on opportunities.

So the latter two methods have become the most common ways to obtain arable land.

The biggest disadvantage of leasing land from landlords is the high rent.

At this time, the land rent collected by the Han court was fifteen tithes, which was not too heavy, but the tenant rent collected by the landlord was as high as "see tax ten percent", and half of the tenant's annual harvest was handed over to the landlord.

A family of three worked hard for a whole year. After paying the land rent, they left the grain seeds for the next year, and after subtracting the food and clothing expenses for a year, there was not much left.

You can't save money to buy good land at all, you can only be tied to the land of the landlord for a lifetime, and be their vassal.

Then, if farmers want to stand up and get rid of the control of landlords, the only way left is to open up wasteland and cultivate land.

Only by improving labor efficiency can we have extra time and energy to open up wasteland.

Just like what Wang He said just now, the use of Quyuan Li can allow a family of three to cultivate an additional [-] acres of land, which not only means that the people can harvest [-] acres of land more, but also means that the production materials of [-] acres of land can be increased. ——Of course, land reclamation and farming cannot be completed in one year, and it will take time to realize it slowly.

And Liu He is not only to increase the harvest of the people and farmers, but also to use this method to fight against the biggest hidden killer of the feudal dynasty-land annexation.

Since Emperor Xiaowu, land annexation has intensified, and the number of self-cultivating farmers has continued to decrease. Although it has not reached a point of no return, if it is not stopped, history will definitely repeat itself.

In the end, there will definitely be a situation where the powerful and powerful will rise together, the powerful will be rampant, and the strong branches will be weak.

Birth of a new empire - glory of the empire - annexation of the land - decline of the empire - the birth of a new empire.

This cycle of dynasties has played out countless times in Chinese history, and this beginning is naturally the Han Empire.

This is what Liu He doesn't want to see, and it's what he wants to change.

To solve this problem, one is to increase productivity, and the other is to promulgate laws and regulations to curb mergers.

Liu He is currently only the king of Changyi, so he can only start with the first thing now.

In the past two years, from columbine carts to seedling horses, from dump carts to vertical well water carts, from substitute tillage frames to quyuan plows... Liu He moved out these advanced and traditional farm tools one by one in order to increase productivity.

With the help of these new farm tools, the life of the people in Changyi is much better than before.

And in Liu He's mind, there are still many farm tools that need to be moved out one by one.

"Thirty acres of land is not a small amount." Liu He said to himself.

"The people of Changyi will never forget the great kindness and virtue of my disciples," Wang He said seriously this time, without any flattery or perfunctory.

"Then talk to the engineer and find the right workshops and craftsmen to start making more of these farming tools."

"Under the door, the official has a sentence, I don't know whether to say it or not..."

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."

"In the past two years, there are at least dozens of farm tools made for everyone. Why don't you build a workshop in the palace to make and sell these farm tools? Most of these farm tools are made of wood, not in the salt and iron monopoly. scope."

"Don't blame the petty official for the market. Changyi is not the only big man. Although these agricultural tools are easy to imitate, if they can be sold first, they can still make a fortune."

Wang He said these words very smoothly, it seems that he has been thinking for a long time before asking.

"The people of Changyi Kingdom live well, that is, I live well. If the craftsmen earn the money, don't they have to pay taxes to the palace in the end?"

Wang He seemed to have understood a little bit, and the suspicion on his face dissipated a lot.

"In addition, what Wang Cao Shi said is very correct. The big man is not the only one in Changyi. As a prince, I should share the worries of the county officials. After all, the world of this big man is my world after all."

"Let the people of the world live in peace, the great Han can be passed down for generations, and our Changyi country can be passed down for generations."

"What's more, aren't those craftsmen also the people of my big man, they don't compete with the people for profit, and there are many good ones, and few bad ones."

Liu He spoke directly and tactfully, but Wang He only understood one layer of the meaning. He took two steps back and bowed in a dignified manner.

"The subordinates are virtuous, and the subordinates admire them."

(End of this chapter)