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In the political context of the Qin Empire, the well-field system was a taboo topic. This system was inextricably linked to the Zhou Dynasty and was almost closely tied to the feudal system.

Since its founding, the Qin Dynasty has abolished the feudal system with a tough attitude, and all its measures are centered around the core goal of centralizing and unifying the empire. In order to achieve this goal, the Qin Dynasty even carefully constructed a new, top-down vertical management system.

Under this system, even the sons of the First Emperor did not have the slightest privilege. They could only join the army or politics like ordinary subjects, starting from the bottom and striving for promotion step by step with their own abilities. It was impossible for them to be crowned kings all at once and own a piece of land.

Under the powerful deterrence of the First Emperor, no one in the court dared to raise any objection. Even the many doctors in the Doctoral Academy, which brought together the elites of various major schools in the world, were silent on the topic of the well-field system related to the feudal system.

The well-field system, dating back to before the Spring and Autumn Period, was once seen as a way to achieve public ownership of land.

However, the well-field system recorded in Zhouli is actually an overly idealized land model, which is extremely impractical in actual operation. It should be noted that there are differences between the well-field system actually implemented in the Zhou Dynasty and the well-field system in Zhouli.

The only thing worth mentioning about the well-field system is that it stipulates that all land belongs to the state. But this so-called public ownership is not pure and has huge flaws. In fact, it was the Zhou king who occupied the land of the whole country on behalf of the slave-owning class, and then distributed the land to other slave owners of all sizes, while the slaves and common people who made up the vast majority of the population were completely excluded from the land distribution.

From this perspective, since the Zhou king and slave owners of all sizes were only a minority group, this well-field system was, in a sense, actually a variant of land ownership.

Yi Huawei has a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the well-field system.

The wheel of history has been rolling forward, which has fully proved that the well-field system is outdated and is a product eliminated by the times. We must never let history go back. However, the land system implemented by the Qin Dynasty was not perfect. Private ownership of land in a centralized country like the Central Plains gradually exposed many problems. Even in the distant future, the development experience of two thousand years later has shown that public ownership of land is the direction that conforms to the fundamental interests of national development.

"Yagyu, the well-field system you are talking about refers to the well-field system in Zhou Li, or the well-field system actually implemented during the Zhou Dynasty?"

For a moment, the ministers fell silent. In this silence, Li Si decided to personally debate with Liu Sheng.

Yi Huawei sat quietly aside, watching the development of the situation.

In Yi Huawei's opinion, the well-field system will never be revived, but since this is a court meeting and Liu Sheng has raised this issue, it must be discussed in depth and then the reasons why it is not feasible must be clearly stated. Otherwise, the court will become a one-man show, which will be extremely harmful to the stability and development of the Qin Empire.

"Your Majesty, what I am talking about is naturally the well-field system based on Zhou Li!"

Liu Sheng bowed respectfully to Hu Hai. Seeing that Yi Huawei did not object to bringing up this issue for discussion, Liu Sheng's eyes flashed with excitement, and his voice trembled slightly. Because once the well-field system was brought up again, it meant that Qin law might be shaken, and the existing policies of the empire had an opportunity to change.

At this moment, the doctors in the court, especially the Confucian doctors, became excited all of a sudden, like sharks smelling blood. Once the well-field system was implemented, the feudal system that matched it would have a chance to return to the historical stage. For the Confucian doctors, building their ideal society would no longer be just a distant dream, but would be within reach. After all, the real well-field system was a complex system that integrated agriculture, military, and administration.

"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate!"

Before Yi Huawei could speak, Li Si, as a loyal defender of the Legalist school of thought, stood up passionately and said, "During the Zhou Dynasty, the well-field system was just a land management system for the capital area, and there was a distinction between public and private land, which was complicated. As for the well-field system recorded in the Zhou Li, it was a completely unrealistic fantasy and had no possibility of being implemented in reality. Otherwise, why didn't the Zhou Dynasty fully implement the well-field system in the Zhou Li, but instead came up with an actual well-field system that was similar to the record?"

Li Si paused for a moment, looked around at the ministers in the court, and continued, "From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, and then to the present Qin Empire, the times are constantly changing. In the late Spring and Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period, the well-field system was no longer suitable for the situation in the world, so there was the Shang Yang Reform.

Today, we have entered the early Qin Empire from the end of the Warring States Period. The empire's land system does need to be adjusted and improved, but we should move in a more advanced direction rather than going back."

At this point, Li Si bowed deeply to Hu Hai, his expression sincere and solemn: "Your Majesty, I think Liu Sheng's words are completely nonsense and absolutely unacceptable."

When Liu Sheng heard Li Si's rebuttal, his face suddenly turned very ugly. He raised his voice and retorted: "Nowadays, private ownership of land has led to serious consequences. The phenomenon of land annexation is becoming more and more serious. Warlords have emerged all over the country, and the lives of the people are miserable. Now is not the chaotic world of the Warring States period when countries were fighting. The Qin Empire has unified the Central Plains. Now is the best time to restore the well-field system. Prime Minister, why are you trying so hard to stop it?"

Li Si sneered and responded, "Liu Sheng, you only see the surface of land annexation, but don't understand its root cause. The problem of land annexation is not because of private ownership of land, but because of poor enforcement of laws and lack of supervision. If the well-field system is restored rashly, it will inevitably cause greater chaos. Moreover, the Qin Dynasty governs the country by law, and all laws are formulated based on the current national conditions. If the Qin law is shaken by the well-field system, the country will inevitably fall into turmoil."

Liu Sheng was not to be outdone: "The law can be amended and improved to adapt to the well-field system. Moreover, under the well-field system, land is publicly owned, which can prevent the land from being concentrated in the hands of a few people. The people can all have land to cultivate. Why not do it?"

At this time, Meng Tian's cousin, Lieutenant General Meng Yu, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. Under the well-field system, the military is tied to the land. Now our Great Qin army is the army of the state. If the well-field system is implemented, the military system will be in chaos. How can the border security be guaranteed?"

Li You echoed, "Moreover, the implementation of the well-field system requires a large number of manpower to manage and distribute land, which will consume huge manpower and material resources, and the national finance cannot afford it."

Yagyu argued: "We can select talented people from the local areas to manage the area, and there is no need to increase the number of officials."

Li Si shook his head and said, "How do we select local talents? What are the standards? If we don't select them properly, corruption will easily occur, which will increase the burden on the people."

The debate in the court became more and more intense. Hu Hai sat on the dragon throne with a frown on his face.

Yi Huawei was silently analyzing the comments from all sides.

When the two sides were deadlocked, Wang Wan, who had not spoken for a long time, slowly said: "Your Majesty, I think that regardless of the well-field system or not, the most urgent task is to solve the current land problem of the people. You can first send people to investigate the land annexation situation and formulate corresponding laws and restrictions, rather than rushing to change the land system."

Hu Hai nodded slightly and looked at Yi Huawei: "Teacher, what do you think?"

Yi Huawei stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think what Lord Wang said makes sense. The well-field system is not feasible, but the land issue must be taken seriously. Hu Hai nodded slightly and looked at Yi Huawei with a look of respect: "Teacher, what do you think?"

Yi Huawei slowly straightened up and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I think what Lord Wang said makes sense. The well-field system is definitely not feasible, as history has shown. However, the current land issue is imminent and must be taken seriously."

After saying this, Yi Huawei paused for a moment, slowly glanced at the ministers around him, and then said:

"According to the detailed statistics of the Black Dragon Guards and the Internal History of Zhili, the current situation in Daqin is worrying. The old noble families, the new noble families, and the descendants of the six kingdoms, who account for less than 10% of the national population, actually control 80% of the land. These lands are like their private kingdoms, and have become the foundation for their wanton behavior."

"They used the large amount of land they owned to cruelly exploit and oppress the people. The people were reduced to servants, and although they worked hard in the fields all year round, they only lived a miserable life with insufficient food and clothing."

"And the common people, who make up 90 percent of the country's population, own less than 20 percent of the land. What's even more difficult is that most of these lands are very barren. Even if the people put all their efforts into planting and cultivating, they may not be able to get any harvest in the end."

"The common people work hard all year round, but they can hardly make a living under endless exploitation. In the long run, this will not only severely limit the rapid recovery of the national strength of our Great Qin, but also run counter to the demand for peace and stability in the world. Our Great Qin has experienced the great talent and strategy of His Majesty the First Emperor, and ended the war and chaos. The current emperor should create a peaceful world for the people of the world to live and work in peace. This is the mission of the Great Qin and the responsibility of Your Majesty."

"Food is the first necessity of the people. This is an eternal truth. If the Qin Empire is to maintain long-term stability, it is necessary to ensure that the tillers have their own land, so that the people have a basis for survival and hope for work. Only in this way can the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country can prosper."

At this point, Yi Huawei's eyes lit up even brighter. He knew very well that land reform was imperative, as it was the key to liberating productivity.

Only by liberating productivity will the people of Daqin have the confidence and ability to work hard to have children.

Within 20 years, the population will experience explosive growth. In today's world, population is the most fundamental factor for Daqin. And land is the most fundamental of these fundamentals. Land carries the livelihood of the people and is related to the rise and fall of the country.

Yi Huawei has great ambitions. If he wants to put his grand blueprint into action, it must be based on a rich country, a strong people and a prosperous population. That is why he has an urgent sense of urgency about land reform. He needs a huge population to support his grand dream.

Yi Huawei knew that if the population was insufficient, even if the Qin warriors were brave and fearless and made great sacrifices to conquer the vast land, it would eventually become barren and lost because no one cultivated it. Land and population complement each other and are indispensable.

Yi Huawei looked at the ministers and said word by word: "Your Majesty, the current policy should rely on the common people without land, protect the common people with land, and systematically and differently reduce the excess land occupied by the old aristocratic families, the new aristocratic families, and the descendants of the six kingdoms, so as to vigorously develop agricultural production."

"Within the empire, we can implement the method of drawing supplements and adjusting. Through reasonable allocation, we can solve the problem of insufficient land for the common people. For the excess land of the old aristocratic families and the new aristocratic families, the court can adopt the policy of buying it out."

"Use a certain amount of money or grain to buy their excess land, and then distribute the land fairly to the common people without land. In this way, it can not only ease the land conflict, but also protect the interests of all parties to a certain extent."

As soon as Yi Huawei finished speaking, there was a commotion in the court.

"Your Majesty, if we use the method of redemption, I am afraid that the court's finances will be overwhelmed and fall into a tense situation. In this way, the country may be in turmoil..." Wang Wan frowned and looked serious. He knew in his heart that if he really wanted to redeem those large amounts of land, the money required would be an astronomical figure, which would undoubtedly be a huge challenge for the court's finances.

"Your Majesty, what the Prime Minister said makes a lot of sense. Lord Yi's actions will not only cause the old nobles, the new nobles, and the descendants of the six kingdoms to rise up in rebellion because their interests are damaged, but the court will also inevitably face difficulties due to the huge amount of money spent."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Such a large-scale redemption will inevitably lead to an empty treasury, and all state affairs will be seriously affected. I hope Your Majesty will think twice..."

The ministers spoke one after another and raised various questions, and their concerns about this countermeasure have risen to the level of national security.

Among the ministers present, the vast majority were aristocratic or gentry families who owned large amounts of land.

The land policy proposed by Yi Huawei was like a bolt from the blue to them. It meant that their interests would be greatly impacted, so they almost unanimously expressed opposition.

"Your Majesty, I think this is absolutely unacceptable. If the court forcibly redeems the land, it will surely cause dissatisfaction among all parties. The old aristocratic families and other forces are intertwined and intertwined. If they unite to fight against the court, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Your Majesty, even if we don't consider their resistance, the court's finances cannot support such a huge redemption plan. Once the treasury is empty, border defense, water conservancy projects, people's livelihood construction, etc. will stagnate, and the country will inevitably fall into chaos."

Yi Huawei looked at the fierce reaction of the ministers and had anticipated it. He said loudly: "Your Majesty, I also know that this move is difficult, but if the land issue is not resolved, the Qin Dynasty will never have peace. Although the redemption will cost money, it can be done in stages. Start with the areas with serious land annexation and advance step by step."

"As for the financial problem, we can increase revenue and reduce expenditure in other ways. For example, we can strengthen the supervision of business and levy taxes reasonably; reduce unnecessary court expenses, etc. At the same time, the court should resolutely suppress the rebels."

"Your Majesty, Lord Yi's words are too idealistic. It is not easy to collect taxes from business. Those merchants are extremely cunning and collude with various forces. Reducing the expenses of the palace will also affect your majesty's majesty and the normal operation of the palace."

Hu Hai frowned and turned to look at Li Si: "Mr. Li, what do you think?"

Li Si stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao's plan is desirable, but it is extremely risky. You can first order someone to calculate in detail the cost of redeeming the land and the possible impact on the finances. At the same time, investigate the attitudes and reactions of various forces before making a decision."

Yi Huawei looked up at Li Si. This old guy was trying to fool people by dragging his feet.

It’s not that simple. Since you have proposed it, you must implement it. No one else’s advice will work!
(End of this chapter)