Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 583: The Great Cause of Founding a Nation is Ready to Go

As the successor to the title of Emperor Li Xian, Li Lin was named King of Ning. Li Bai observed that his study was obviously more luxurious than the study in Fang Chongyong's residence in Bianzhou.

Even though Li Bai had followed Ji Ge for several years and was already accustomed to the furnishings of the imperial palace, he still couldn't help but sigh that the emperor's family was indeed quite wealthy.

He is also willing to spend money on himself, unlike Fang Zhongyong who always has a pauper's mindset and is unwilling to spend money to enjoy himself, and doesn't even decorate his home.

After Li Lin, Li Yu and Li Bai sat down, Li Lin looked at Li Bai and asked with a smile: "I wonder what business Mr. Taibai has in coming to Chang'an this time? I still have some face. If Mr. Taibai encounters any trouble, I can help him."

Li Bai was a very naive person in politics, but Li Lin's situation was one of "showing kindness for no reason is either a traitor or a thief", and his attitude of cheating was too obvious.

Even someone like Li Bai can't be fooled.

"Your Highness, Li is busy with official business and cannot disclose it."

Li Bai responded calmly, pretending to be mysterious.

Li Lin didn't waste time talking to him, but got straight to the point:

"The emperor today is unjust, and killing his father and his king is an outrage to both humans and gods.

Our family has been deeply indebted to the late emperor, and there is not a day that we do not think about avenging him. The emperor's lineage wants to support His Royal Highness Prince Yong to enter Chang'an, ascend the throne and restore order.

I have already said it all. I wonder if Mr. Taibai can tell me why I came to Chang'an from Bianzhou this time?"

Li Lin stared into Li Bai's eyes and asked. Although her tone was not harsh, her true intentions were exposed at this moment without any disguise.

They are here for “that thing”.

Li Bai never expected that Li Lin and his gang would play such a big game that they even directly said they wanted to dethrone the current emperor Li Heng and support Prince Yong to take the throne!
How dare they!
This made Li Bai feel very confused for a while.

He never thought that the country had become so chaotic that the royal family members were already discussing changing the emperor!

Is the position of Emperor Li Heng so unstable that people in the royal family have already started discussing deposing him?

Li Bai didn't know what to say about this. He was a good poet, and one could even say he was extremely talented.

But these political conspiracies were beyond Li Bai's understanding.

He could only cross his arms and bow to Li Lin and said perfunctorily: "Your Highness's meaning, Li will definitely bring it to Prince Yong."

Seeing Li Bai avoiding the question, a hint of disappointment flashed across Li Lin's eyes, and then his expression returned to normal.

Li Lin smiled indifferently and said, "Of course, Mr. Taibai, when you go back, just tell Prince Yong about our good intentions. I will be very grateful."

Li Lin's attitude suddenly became much colder, because he had already realized that Li Bai was just a "runner" and had not received Li Lin's "full authorization" at all. He did not participate in diplomacy and could not give them any guarantees.

This time, Li Lin was too lazy to even write a handwritten letter.

If Li Bai was detained, the handwritten letter in his arms might give people an excuse to criticize him.

When Li Bai was about to leave, Li Yu, who had been silent, suddenly asked, "Mr. Taibai, why did you go to see Mr. Yan? Can you tell us?"

It was hard to refuse this question, after all, Li Lin had already told Li Bai that they hoped to support Li Lin as the emperor. If Li Bai still kept the matter secret, it would be a bit impolite.

There may even be a risk of death!
After all, Chang'an was not Li Lin's territory, and it would be easy for people from the emperor's lineage to frame Li Bai with some minor charges and detain him.

In desperation, Li Bai had to truthfully introduce the situation to Li Lin and Li Yu: "Your Highness Prince Yong wants to send troops to Luoyang to open up the three cities of Heyang so that the grain transport can be smooth. Li's visit to Mr. Yan is to promote the dispatch of troops from Guanzhong to attack Luoyang with us, and then great things can be accomplished!"

Li Bai spoke excitedly, as if he was leading his troops to teach Marshal Baochen a lesson!
Li Lin and Li Yu looked at each other. Although this news was not what they expected, it was still very exciting!

Chang'an had been in a predicament of lack of food and supplies recently, and Yan Zhenqing was worried about it every day and was unable to deal with it. If Luoyang could be recaptured, not only would the government army have a bridgehead to move forward, but it would also be able to open up the blocked water transport nodes.

It's just wonderful.

However, soon, the two men thought of the same question that Fang Chongyong had thought of at the beginning: After Luoyang was conquered, to whom would the city belong?
"That's great. I will definitely try my best to make it happen."

Li Lin suppressed her inner doubts, clapped her hands and laughed.

No matter what, opening up the water transport between Guanzhong and Guandong is the most urgent task at present.

No matter how difficult it is, you have to do it!
Even though Li Lin and others had completely different positions from Li Heng, it did not prevent Li Lin and others from fully supporting the dispatch of troops to Luoyang.

Li Bai heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Li Lin readily agree.

In fact, this matter is still quite confidential. If Li Lin interferes with it as a prince of the royal family, it will inevitably cause some twists and turns. However, if the royal family can support the dispatch of troops, I believe that the dispatch of troops from Guanzhong to Luoyang can be put on the agenda soon.

Seeing that Li Lin and Li Yu had no intention of continuing the conversation, Li Bai said a few polite words and then stood up to say goodbye. He still had to go to Yan Zhenqing to confirm whether this matter could be done, and it would be best if he could get a handwritten letter from Yan Zhenqing.

After Li Bai left, Li Lin looked at Li Yu and asked, "What should we do about this matter?"

"If you don't do anything, it's Mr. Yan who should be worried."

Li Yu said with a smile.

Li Lin was stunned at first, but then he changed his mind and felt that it was indeed the case.

They would not risk their lives unless it was a matter of life and death.

"That's right."

Li Lin sighed softly, what Li Bai brought was finally good news.

Who knew that Li Yu then suggested: "Brother, the grain price in Chang'an will definitely drop after the grain transport is opened. Why not sell the grain at a high price now? You can gain fame, make money, and get rid of the old grain. Isn't it killing three birds with one stone?"

After hearing this, Li Lin finally came to his senses.

The imperial court will most likely send troops to Luoyang, because Chang'an is now in dire need of food. If this continues, even if the noble families do not rebel, the people of Chang'an will.

Since we can send troops and have the cooperation of troops from Bianzhou, it should not be difficult to at least open up the water transport channel.

Once the canal transportation is open, grain and fodder from Lianghuai and Jiangnan can enter Chang'an, and the grain price in Chang'an city will naturally fall.

This time point will probably be when the ice and snow melt in the spring of next year.

Therefore, from now until next spring, the price of grain in Chang'an will be high, which is a good time to sell off old grain!

“Sell, you must sell, even sell it as soon as possible!

Knowing that the imperial court is going to send troops, others will surely follow suit and sell grain!"

Li Lin said excitedly.

When the ruling class is united in wanting to accomplish something, it is almost certain that the government will make great efforts to achieve it.

Opening up the canal is beneficial to Chang'an and even the entire Guanzhong area. It's just a matter of who benefits more.

The court will definitely move forward.

Li Lin and Li Yu decided to take advantage of the opportunity before the policy was issued and make some money in advance.

……

In the study of the Bianzhou government office, Liu Yan, expressionless, handed a stack of manuscripts to Fang Chongyong. This was a preliminary statistics of the land area in the state sent by the governors of the six states in Xuanwu Town, and Liu Yan sorted out the accounts.

To describe it in one word, it is shocking.

The data here only covers the six states under the jurisdiction of Xuanwu Town. As for the three states originally under the jurisdiction of Tianping Army and Dengzhou and Qingzhou on the east coast, the statistical data have not been sent here for the time being because the local government has not yet fully controlled them.

Among them, the land owned by self-cultivating farmers accounts for less than 10%.

Of course, there are very few super-powerful landlords who own particularly large tracts of land, and the land they own accounts for less than 10%.

The stories of big landlords with tens of thousands of servants are just legends, at least they don't exist in Henan.

Other big landlords, middle landlords, and small landlords owned a lot of land.

These people account for almost 80%, the mainstream, and it is common to see dozens of tenant farmers working on their own fields. Of course, these are just rough statistics.

This situation was somewhat beyond Fang Zhongyong's expectations. There might be some big landlords in Guanzhong, but not many in Henan.

But if you think about it carefully, it is normal, because the Tang Dynasty has been implementing the strategy of "demilitarization of non-Guanzhong and non-border areas", and the super landlords outside Guanzhong are all targets of severe crackdowns.

Such big landlords and powerful people could easily raise a group of people with a single call. Their existence really made the Tang Dynasty, which was founded by powerful people in Guanzhong, sleep uneasy. The most incredible thing was that the public fields belonging to government offices had fallen to a level that was almost negligible.

"When the rent-and-labor tax was still in effect, how did the various prefectures in Henan collect their tax revenue?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled look on his face.

The three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight. The current land distribution situation and the phenomenon of state-owned land being "returned to zero" obviously did not form in a day or two.

“I think that as long as there is a canal, we can collect commercial taxes to supplement the land rent, and it will not be difficult to handle the task.

It’s hard to say for areas with inconvenient transportation.”

Liu Yan smiled.

Why did he say that?

Because when he was the county magistrate of Xia County, he used this method and collected almost no land tax in the local area.

If Liu Yan can use this method, then other bureaucrats can naturally use it as well.

Even Zheng Shuqing used it before! Kuizhou directly treated the commercial tax as land tax.

"How is Judge Liu going to collect the two taxes next year? The situation is not optimistic."

Fang Zhongyong asked with a sigh, putting the account book in his hand aside.

Li Lin's ascension to the throne was equivalent to "founding a country". This window of opportunity was just right to make strong adjustments to the land policy.

This is what must be done.

“The states should keep some of the land for the public.

Without public land, there would be no charity granaries.

Without charity granaries, the government would not be able to control grain prices.

This is a point that cannot be compromised.

The rest can be planned gradually.”

Liu Yan whispered to Fang Zhongyong.

Regardless of the consequences, the government first took back the land and then asked tenants to farm it. This was also a disguised form of "equal distribution of land". It was conducive to the resettlement of the agricultural population that lacked arable land.

More importantly, this step of reform can justify taking action against disobedient landlords and powerful people!
The government wants public land, but you have so much land but are unwilling to give any of it away, so I can only say sorry.

Those who do not support the government are all unruly people. Since they are unruly people, no matter how much land you have, you will be the target of severe crackdowns!

The more land, the more reactionary!
"Public land should account for at least 30% of the state's land, and preferably half.

If this cannot be achieved, the government will not even have the ability to regulate grain prices.

How can we talk about governing a region?"

Fang Chongyong nodded and agreed with Liu Yan's opinion.

The government must control a portion of the land, otherwise, if something like a flood or drought occurs, Fang Chongyong will probably have to kneel down at the door of a wealthy family and kowtow to beg for alms.

How can there be such a thing in the world!
“For some people, handing over their land to the government is like cutting off their own flesh.

Is the commander planning to use force?"

Liu Yan asked with some confusion.

This is obvious. Once the government issues an order, it will definitely instruct which family to give up a certain amount of land, what proportion, and which specific land needs to be transferred to the government.

No matter who you are, you will feel uncomfortable if you see such a decree fall upon you.

Overt and covert resistance is inevitable, as this is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm.

It is impossible to push the policy forward forcefully without bloodshed. We need an army to do this.

“I have ordered the formation of a new army, called the Tax Police Corps, with 3,000 soldiers, led by Cui Qianyou.

He will cooperate with you. You are fully responsible for how to operate it.

The minimum is 30%, and the maximum is 50%. Some of the land needs to be transferred to the families of the Silver Spear Military.

Some salt can be given as compensation.

In addition, salt permits issued in the future must be accompanied by an extended redemption date, such as three months, six months, or one year.

After all, although there is a lot of salt on the beach, it takes time to dry it out.

A soft hand and a hard hand, then there won’t be so many people who resist.”

Fang Chongyong instructed Liu Yan.

He had conducted private research and, on the surface, the feudal state's implementation of the equal-field system and the birth of the "self-cultivating farmers" class seemed to be a relatively appropriate handling of the land distribution issue.

However, this perspective only considers the issue from the perspective of distribution, and does not consider the issue from the perspective of production.

It cannot be denied that self-cultivating farmers have poor risk resistance and low efficiency, and their per-acre yield is often not as good as that of landlords. Their farming skills are also uneven and generally low, and they lack agricultural tools.

That’s right, farming requires skills and professional farm tools. It can even be said to be a “technology-intensive” job.

The farming techniques mastered by self-employed farmers are far inferior to those of aristocratic landlords, let alone inheritance.

In the feudal era, the central court would regard the local officials' guidance of farming and achieving a good harvest as an outstanding political achievement and as one of the criteria for assessment.

In other words, forcibly demolishing feudal farms and converting them into a self-cultivating farmer model may be fairer in terms of distribution, but in terms of productivity, it is a historical regression.

Therefore, this time Fang Chongyong did not simply and crudely implement the "land distribution" to expand the size of the self-cultivating peasant class.

Although this is easier.

Fang Chongyong tried to separate the "ownership" and "cultivation rights" of the land, and wanted to experiment with the "production brigade" model so that the farming experience and knowledge could be passed down and bound to the families of the Silver Spear Elite Army.

Of course, the construction of Bianliang City has not been completed yet, so we can also use a supporting model to mark out an area in a planned place and build unified houses for the military families.

This is also convenient for management.

A series of measures are aimed at creating a new class that owns the right to cultivate land, allowing them to naturally stand in opposition to the landlords and powerful people, and ensuring the loyalty of the armed forces!

Yes, be loyal to Mr. Fang, not Prince Yong Li Lin.

Once the means of production are under control, we can continue to promote the "property registration" required by the Two Tax Law and implement taxation based on land ownership.

If you make a little progress each year, you will be able to gradually control taxation over the years!

Seeing Fang Zhongyong in a daze, Liu Yan said softly:
"General, the shops along the ferry crossing in Bianzhou are in disarray. I suggest that we tidy them up, classify the goods into different categories, and build several specialized markets.

This method of building a market first and then a city is also a natural outcome, and it will naturally become a huge city in time.

It also makes it easier for the government to collect business taxes!"

The reason for not charging the ship berthing fee is to reduce the logistics cost and attract more merchants and tourists to settle down. However, it is impossible to do business and open a shop in Bianzhou without collecting business taxes, otherwise where would the government's tax revenue come from?

Liu Yan has extensive administrative experience, and almost all of the solutions he proposed are insightful.

Fang Zhongyong came back to his senses, nodded and said, "That's great, let's do it."

Strengthening the commodity economy in places with developed transportation is a good way to "enrich the country and strengthen the army." Let's not talk about how to train the troops for now. First, we need to increase the government's tax revenue. Without money, everything is just empty talk.

After Liu Yan left, Fang Chongyong took a look at the account books for this month. Since the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army returned to Bianzhou, the commercial taxes received by the government have increased significantly compared to the previous few months. It is obvious that this is because more people are optimistic about the future of Bianzhou.

Seeing such a thriving scene, Fang Chongyong became more confident.

He just didn't believe that he couldn't defeat Li Baochen or Shi Siming!

(End of this chapter)