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In the court, the ministers had different expressions.

Yi Huawei took a step forward, bowed, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, 'All land under heaven belongs to the king.' The ownership of the land within the Great Qin Empire should belong to the Great Qin Empire and to Your Majesty. The people of the country should only have the right to use the land."

Hu Hai heard this and leaned forward slightly, with a hint of interest in his eyes: "Teacher, what is ownership?"

Yi Huawei smiled and explained, "Your Majesty, ownership is the right to completely control an object. Just like this land, whoever owns it can decide all matters related to the disposal, sale, etc. of the land."

Hu Hai nodded, not quite understanding, but still with a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Then isn't the ownership of the land in the hands of the owner now? The nobles and landlords have been managing the land for generations, and the common people also have their own small plots of land. Aren't they the owners of the land?"

Yi Huawei bowed again, his expression becoming more solemn: "Your Majesty, that's not the case. All the land in the world belongs to Your Majesty, this is the law of nature. It's just that now, the ownership of the land is mixed, which has caused many chaos. I request that from today on, the right to use the land be separated from the ownership. This is a major matter concerning the foundation of the Great Qin."

Hu Hai frowned slightly and fell into deep thought: "Teacher, do you mean that the current situation of this land is not good for Daqin? But the ownership of this land has always been like this, why should it change?"

Yi Huawei shook his head and continued, "Your Majesty, now land annexation is serious. The nobles and landlords have more and more land, but many people have lost their land and become refugees. If this continues, the foundation of the Qin Dynasty - the people - will not be able to live and work in peace. Moreover, the court's control over the land is also weakening, tax revenue is decreasing, and local forces are becoming stronger. This is a great threat to the Qin Dynasty. If the ownership of land is nationalized and the right to use is reasonably distributed, these problems can be solved."

As he spoke, Yi Huawei bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I request that from today on, the right to use the land be separated from the ownership. This is a major matter concerning the foundation of the Great Qin."

As soon as the words fell, the court suddenly became noisy.

Li Si and the others looked at each other, suppressed their restlessness, and glanced downward.

However, Liu Sheng was the first to jump out and object, and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, this move is absolutely unacceptable! The land of the nobles has been passed down for a long time and is the foundation of the family's prosperity. If their ownership is deprived, the nobles will be in chaos, and the Qin Dynasty will also be in turmoil."

Kong Zhuang, the son of Kong Yu and the crown prince secretary, also hurriedly agreed: "Your Majesty, the land of ancestral halls and temples carries the people's faith and sustenance. The land of the major court institutions is also necessary for them to perform their duties. If the ownership is abolished at once, I am afraid that the people will be in chaos. Moreover, the debts incurred by the common people due to the land have a long history. It is illegal and unreasonable to abolish it rashly."

(Although Hu Hai did not make Zhao Tong the crown prince, he established the crown prince's palace officials in detail according to the old rules of Qin Shihuang.)
Yi Huawei remained unmoved and continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that the land ownership of all noble families and landlords must be abolished, regardless of the amount of land or the source of the land. At the same time, the land ownership of ancestral halls, temples, and major court institutions should also be abolished. As for the debts previously incurred by the common people due to land, they should also be abolished. Only in this way can we ensure the safety of the people and the stability of the country."

Looking at the angry ministers below the stairs, Hu Hai frowned and tapped the armrest unconsciously.

Yi Huawei continued, "Your Majesty, the ownership of land throughout the country should be nationalized. On this basis, the Internal History of Zhili will be responsible for counting all the fields in the world, recording them in detail, and compiling a yellow book. After the autumn harvest, the land will be fairly divided according to the population and the barrenness of the land."

At this time, Meng Yu's face flushed red, and he stepped out and shouted angrily: "Zhao Gao, you are trying to destroy the foundation of our Great Qin! My noble family has fought for the Great Qin and managed the land for generations, but now you want to take it away. What is your intention?"

Yi Huawei narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly: "The land in the world originally belongs to Your Majesty. Now it is just to restore the orthodoxy and make reasonable planning. Moreover, when the court signed the contract with the common people, the land use rights were contracted to the farmers for a hundred years, and it remained unchanged. This is a policy to protect people's livelihood."

After a short pause, Yi Huawei continued, "Except for the land awarded by the court for merit, the rest of the land is divided according to population. However, the number of acres of the awarded land must be reported to the governor, and taxes must be paid according to the amount of land."

Hu Hai looked at Yi Huawei and said, "Teacher, this is a good plan, but it is difficult to implement. Do you have a specific plan?"

Yi Huawei responded with a bow: "Your Majesty, after the land is divided, the court will sign a contract with each household and contract the land to each household. Taxes will be collected according to the amount of land contracted, and the same amount of tax will be collected for each piece of land. The harvest of the fields will be borne by the farmers themselves. As long as the farmers pay the prescribed taxes to the court every year, the remaining harvest will belong to the farmers."

Seeing that Hu Hai was quite interested, Feng Quji stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao's move seems to be comprehensive, but in fact it has many problems. It will take a lot of money to redeem the land. Does the court have the financial resources to do so now? Moreover, the redistribution of land will inevitably cause local unrest, and the people will also be in panic. I don't know how to appease them?"

Li You frowned, stepped out of the line with a solemn face, and bowed to Hu Hai, saying: "Your Majesty, the lands of the nobles and landlords are all the result of the painstaking efforts of the families for generations. If they are suddenly nationalized now, it will inevitably cause them to be extremely dissatisfied. These nobles and landlords have huge power and wealth in the local area, and the relationships between them are intricate and complicated. It is very likely that they will collude with each other and unite to fight against the court. If this situation really happens, the consequences will be disastrous. Your Majesty must take precautions early."

After hearing what Li You said, Hu Hai's face became solemn. He nodded slowly, and then cast his gaze towards Yi Huawei, his eyes full of inquiry: "Teacher, what Li You said is very true. Do you have a proper way to deal with these difficult problems?"

Yi Huawei looked calm and answered again with a bow: "Your Majesty, I have thought about it. First of all, regarding the issue of money, I think we can allocate a portion of the other taxes collected by the court each year to redeem the land held by the nobles and landlords. Although this is a long process, in this way, the court will not fall into financial difficulties due to excessive one-time expenditures, and it can also provide a certain buffer for the nobles and landlords."

"Furthermore, in order to deal with the local unrest that may be caused by the redistribution of land, the court needs to send a group of highly capable and honest officials to various places to supervise the land division. These officials must strictly follow the established standards and procedures, and ensure that the land division is fair and impartial based on factors such as population size and the barrenness of the land. Any acts of favoritism and fraud must be severely punished. Only in this way can the people be convinced and unnecessary disputes can be reduced."

"As for those nobles and landlords who may rebel because their interests are damaged, the court must be fully prepared. On the one hand, we can strengthen military vigilance and increase the number of garrisons in important strongholds and areas where chaos may occur. We have three million brave soldiers in the Qin Dynasty. They are well-trained and disciplined, and are a solid force to maintain the stability of the Qin Dynasty. As long as there is the deterrence of the army, those who intend to rebel will be afraid before taking action."

Yi Huawei paused, straightened his body slowly, looked around, and said in a loud voice: "I have three million soldiers in the Great Qin Army. This is the confidence of the Great Qin Army. If there are those who don't know how to live or die and try to disturb the stability of the Great Qin Army and raise troops to cause chaos, I want to see how the world will be in chaos. The army of the Great Qin Army will surely quell the rebellion and safeguard your majesty's authority and the stability of the Great Qin Army."

Wang Wan looked at Hu Hai and said, "Your Majesty, even if we have military preparations, the nobles and landlords have been operating in the local area for many years and have deep roots. What if they secretly incite the people and confuse their minds, so that the people also participate in the rebellion?"

Yi Huawei smiled and said, "The key to this problem is to make the people understand the benefits of this land policy to them. Notices can be posted in various places to explain in detail the content and significance of the land policy. At the same time, officials who supervise the division of land should go deep into the people and communicate with the people to let them know that the court wants them to have land to cultivate and live a stable life. As for the people who are bewitched by the nobles and landlords, as long as they can wake up in time, they will not be held accountable."

Li Si stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, if the money for the redemption of the land is allocated from other taxes, then other financial expenditures will inevitably be affected, such as water conservancy projects and road construction, which is not good for the development of the Qin Dynasty."

Without waiting for Hu Hai to speak, Yi Huawei replied: "Of course there is a way. During the land redemption period, some non-urgent construction projects can be appropriately slowed down. When the land policy is completed, agricultural development will surely be more prosperous, and the court's tax revenue will also increase. At that time, we can increase investment in water conservancy, road construction and other construction. Moreover, after the land policy, we can reasonably plan water conservancy and road construction according to the new land situation to make it more in line with actual needs."

Hu Hai nodded slightly, but his brows were still slightly furrowed and his eyes were solemn.

The ministers were like a lake into which a stone had been thrown. There was a lot of discussion and the court was filled with noise.

Gongsun Yan's face was filled with worry. He took a few steps forward, knelt on the ground with a plop, and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this move will plunge our Great Qin into chaos! This land system has been passed down for a long time, and a small move will affect the entire body. The nobles and landlords are deeply rooted in the local area. Once the reform is implemented, they will surely fight back frantically, and the people will also be panicked by this sudden change. I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"

After saying this, he pressed his forehead to the ground and his body trembled slightly.

Wang Ben glanced at Yi Huawei, stepped out, bowed to Hu Hai, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, although Lord Zhao's proposal is risky, it is a good way to strengthen the power of the court. Your Majesty, look at the current situation, how serious is the land annexation? A large number of people are displaced and starving. If the land can be redistributed so that the people have land to cultivate and houses to live in, they can live and work in peace and will be loyal to the court. In this way, the foundation of our Great Qin will be stable!"

Having said that, Wang Ben raised his head slightly and looked at Hu Hai, his eyes full of anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng's face turned red, and he snorted, "That's easy to say! The redistribution of the land will greatly damage the interests of the nobles. Our nobles have worked hard for the Qin Dynasty for many years. Who will protect our rights? If the court enforces it by force, it will surely cause chaos, and the Qin Dynasty will be in an irreparable situation!"

As Liu Sheng spoke, he waved his arms excitedly, and his eyes were full of anger when he looked at Wang Ben.

Yi Huawei smiled coldly, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "Humph, if the new aristocracy disagrees, then crush it. If the old aristocracy insists on resisting, then kill the old aristocracy. All under heaven is the king's land, and all the people are the king's subjects. Your Majesty is now promoting reforms for the sake of the Qin Dynasty for thousands of years. If anyone wants to go against Your Majesty and the court, the Qin warriors can show their swords again and let them know the consequences of disobeying the emperor's orders."

Yi Huawei took a step forward, exuding a majestic aura. He looked around at the ministers and his tone became gentle, but this gentleness revealed a chilling murderous intent:
"In fact, I hope they will rebel, so that the court can have a legitimate reason to kill them. Not only can we save money on redeeming the land, but I believe that after the confiscation of their families, the gold, silver, treasures, and land resources will flow into the treasury of the Qin Dynasty, making it more abundant."

After listening to Yi Huawei's words, Hu Hai's eyes flashed with a mixture of greed and coldness, as if he had already seen the mountains of wealth, and he couldn't help swallowing.

"Your Majesty, the construction projects of the Qin Empire are in great need of manpower. The Chidao Project and the Zhidao Project are still short of manpower. If we can find enough people, we can restart the repair of the Great Wall and even expand the Lishan Mausoleum. These are great undertakings that will benefit future generations!"

"Why not... start with the civil and military officials first!"

As soon as Yi Huawei said this, the court fell into deathly silence. The ministers looked at each other with fear in their eyes.

They didn't expect Yi Huawei to say such bold words, which meant that he would point the blade of change at the court itself first.

Yi Huawei bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, this land policy is imperative. Civil and military officials who own land should set an example and take the lead in supporting the reform. Anyone who disobeys should be severely punished."

An old official said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao, this is absolutely unacceptable! If we start the land investigation from the court, it will inevitably cause greater chaos. If the court is suspicious of each other, how can it unite to deal with the resistance of the nobles and landlords? I hope Your Majesty will understand this."

Yi Huawei disagreed: "Your Majesty, reform is to break the old and establish the new. If even the court cannot be fair and selfless, how can the people be convinced? How can the nobles and landlords bow their heads? Let the ministers report the amount of land on their own. If there is any concealment, once it is verified, it will not be tolerated! ”

The grand court meeting was over, but the main hall of Xianyang Palace seemed to have been paused, with a deathly silence.

From the three dukes and nine ministers to the civil and military officials, everyone stood there as if under a spell, and remained silent for a long time. No one dared to speak to break the suffocating atmosphere.

The shock they suffered this time was unprecedented since they entered the court as officials.

The proposal put forward by Yi Huawei was like a sharp knife piercing the lifeblood of the old noble families, ruthlessly digging out the foundation on which they depended for survival. In the past, the old noble families relied on a large amount of land to enjoy the fruits of their labor, control the local economy and resources, and possessed wealth and power that others could not match.

However, now, the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Land ownership has been nationalized, and the old nobles have lost a lot of land. Even the remaining land they own has to pay taxes to the court according to the number of acres. As a result, even though the old nobles have a large population and originally had a certain advantage in land ownership, this advantage has disappeared in an instant. They can no longer easily obtain wealth as before, and must manage the land themselves, otherwise they can only let their clansmen engage in various industries or squeeze into official careers to maintain the survival of the family.

This decree was like dropping a huge rock into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar.

Li Si slowly stood up and walked out of the Xianyang Palace with a serious expression.

He knew clearly that this decree was like a spark that would quickly ignite a huge wave in the Central Plains. This was not just a simple change in the ownership of the land, but also touched the foundation of the power and interest structure of the entire Qin Dynasty.

"He who tills the land owns it!" These four words may seem simple, but they contain tremendous power.

For the lowest class of Chinese people, this is undoubtedly great news. They have suffered from land annexation for a long time. Many people have lost their land and lived a miserable life of hunger and cold. Now, they finally have the hope of owning land. They can work on their own land, and the harvested grain will belong to them except for paying taxes. This will greatly stimulate the enthusiasm of the people for production and let them see the dawn of life.

But for the old aristocratic families, the new aristocratic families and other forces, this decree was like a knife cutting flesh.

They have long enjoyed the huge benefits brought by the land, and now asking them to give it up is like asking for their lives. They will never accept it willingly, and will definitely try every means to stop this change... (End of this chapter)