Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 283 The wisdom of collecting autumn grain! Li Yu is 200 years ahead

Miao Youlin reported the personnel adjustments of the 2nd Army to Li Yu in writing.

Li Yu finished reading and commented, "I understand."

The wind is light and the clouds are light!

The weather has been fine recently, making it a good time for the autumn harvest.

Minister of Economic Affairs Fan Jing sent out all the people under his command to collect imperial grain. The day the food requisition ends is the day the war on the Western Front begins.

At present, various regions are resolutely combating cross-border attacks and sabotage by the Qing army and escorting the autumn harvest.

In order to frighten the Qing army,

Each legion even cut off the heads of the Green Camp soldiers they killed, stuck them on branches, and erected them in the middle of the two sides.

The prisoners were escorted to Maanshan Iron and Steel.

Along the way, they beat gongs, held banners of "Unify Autumn Grain", and shouted along the way.

It was so painful that I could only swallow it.

There are also intermediate links such as fire consumption, balance surplus, and certain donations. In the end, the actual silver payment required per mu of land reaches 1 tael and 5 yuan.

This number is based on on-site inspections and precise calculations.

……

The farmer had no cash in hand. You must first send the rice to a rice shop and exchange it for cash and then pay the tax.

……

……

After the fleet docked, two former government officials led the temporarily recruited young men.

When I saw an official urging me to pay for food,

The Qing government levied about one-sixth of the harvest from each mu of land.

The first ship hoisted a flag: Conquer the Imperial Grain!
"Mooring ahead."

According to the rice price in Fengnian Jiangnan, one stone of rice (120 kilograms) is about 2.2 taels. The total harvest from one acre of land is more than 8 taels.

There is also a huge element of uncertainty.

Farmers in Anting Town, Songjiang Prefecture, who had been notified one month ago, quickly picked up sacks and loaded them on wheelbarrows.

Therefore, King Wu’s 60 kilograms of rice was the real deal.

……

What is implemented is a collection method that combines physical food and silver.

[The data refers to the "Manuscript of Qing History" and the "Complete Book of Taxation". Once writing historical articles involves objective data, it is a headache. It is not accurate and has no sense of reality. It takes a lot of time and effort to be accurate. The author can be regarded as understanding the reason why the master of historical classification is so troubled and ill-fated. 】

Open-pit mining has no technical content and only requires labor. One hundred kilograms consumes one wotou, which is very cost-effective.

It can not only show his generosity, but also contrast with the Qing court. Don't you be too lenient and be suspected by the people of being stupid?
The ancients have long said:

Local officials may use financial tricks to collect less physical rice and more cash.

Don't worry if the prisoners don't work hard, there are whips and steel knives nearby. The work efficiency is much higher than that of workers from Jiangning.

After tossing it inside and out, another layer of bloody skin was peeled off.

The clerk only weighs and registers the amount of grain delivered by the people. The salary is paid on a daily basis, 4 silver coins per day, three meals are included, and the treatment is good.

A fleet of empty boats sailed on the Wusong River.

In addition, the Qing court knew how to play finance, but King Wu did not. King Wu only harvested rice.

"Yes."

In the Qing Dynasty, the rice yield per mu in Jiangnan was approximately 450 kilograms.

But we, the Qing Dynasty, have our own national conditions.

It sounds like this ratio is okay and an affordable burden. Anyone who has farmed at home knows this!

"Hand over the emperor's provisions."

During the Qianlong period,

The king of Wu probably collected less than one-seventh of the harvest from each mu of land.

Li Yu finalized this number based on the national conditions of the Qing Dynasty, people's psychology, and historical facts.

This strange matching method is Li Yu's invention.

The person at the head of the ship giving orders was a clerk under the Minister of Economic Affairs, and standing next to him was a temporarily recruited shop clerk.

What's more, they can only get copper coins from rice shops.

如果全部折算成银子的话，相当于对于每亩地征收7钱3分银子，外加徭银2钱1分，总计每亩交银9钱4分。（1两=10钱，1钱=10分。）
9 cents and 4 cents, roughly equivalent to one-ninth of the income per mu of land.

2 months ago,
Li Yu began to arrange the matter and required 60 kilograms of rice per mu of land.

Then the government announced that only money would be accepted. Farmers had to go to the bank to exchange copper coins for silver, and then had their skin peeled off.

Xing, the people suffer.die, the people suffer.

If you only collect 30 pounds, the people will be afraid. Either he suspected that Li Yu was in trouble, or he felt that Li Yu would never go far.

The logic in this may seem absurd, but it is actually very reasonable!

……

The village office issued a license stamped with a red seal to each household based on the previously determined number of acres of land: a household grain payment voucher.

There were also door-to-door announcements:

When the gong rings and the ship arrives, I will rush to hand over the food.

Pay on the spot and clear on the spot.

It's clear, you don't need to deal with the government anymore this year.

I'm sorry if it's delayed.

You need to deliver the food to the designated place. If it doesn't expire, the whole family will be sent to the army, kaka kaka.

……

Anting Town,
Wu Laoliu from Qibao Village and his whole family pushed several wheelbarrows and ran wildly.

The person from the village office said:

The first 20 people to submit food will be rewarded.

Gritting his teeth, he drove the unicycle wildly across the field, flicking its tail many times, and finally reached the riverside one step ahead.

"Master Jun, I want to hand over the food."

"certificate?"

Wu Laoliu quickly took out the folded grain payment voucher and handed it over.

"Excessive proportions."

Wu Laoliu's family has 12 acres of land and the conditions are average. Fortunately, they don't have many children, so their life is just fine.

[Based on productivity at that time, the grain output from one acre of land was barely enough to feed a strong labor force. 】

The overweight guy loudly reported:
"720 pounds, pass."

After collecting the grain, the clerk stamped a red seal on the piece of paper:
"1776, tax payment certificate."

Wu Laoliu carefully folded it, wrapped it in oil paper cloth, stuffed it into his arms, and turned to leave.

"Fellow, don't leave, it's your prize."

A brand new hoe with a long handle and a hardened steel tip that looks very strong at first glance. There is also a line of black words branded on the wooden handle: Actively pay to grain farmers!
The branding process is not troublesome.

The people from Maanshan Iron and Steel found a piece of iron and imitated movable type printing.

When it is hot, press it lightly on the wooden handle, and the words will come out.

……

Wu Laoliu smiled happily, damn, he actually saw the money back. What a fucking first time!
Suddenly, he remembered something:

"Master Jun, you haven't asked me about my name and household registration yet? I need to check it off in the fish scale book."

An official said seriously:

"No need. The prince has an order not to read the fish scale book in the future. Just go to the village office and take a look at the piece of paper."

"Then, what if it's lost?"

"He was punished for resisting grain and was sent to the army."

Wu Laoliu was stunned.

This is Li Yu’s initiative:
There is no need to check the fish scale book when collecting food, which saves time, effort and efficiency. If everyone had to take their seats one by one, the amount of work would be too great.

Just collect food and don't care about anything else.

After 1 months,
People from the village office came to check the certificates, and Fan Jing sent some people to randomly check.

……

In the cabin, bags of grain were stacked up.

When one boat is full, it is replaced by the next one.

At present, most areas of the site can be transported by water to collect grain, which saves a lot of manpower and material resources.

The carrying capacity of a ship can be equivalent to one or two hundred wheelbarrows.

Li Yu took his calculation to the extreme.

The farmers themselves carried the grain bags and threw them into the cabin.

Don't underestimate the work of these steps. If you hire someone to do it, it will be a big expense.

Looking at the bags of food thrown in.

The hired man could not help but remind the clerk:
"My lord, the bags of these grains have not been opened for sampling, just in case they are in the sacks~"

The clerk smiled reservedly, imitating the way Economic Minister Fan Jing spoke:
"The prince is benevolent and trusts the people."

"The old man said that the people in Jiangnan are gentle and honest, and will not do shameless things, so there is no need for random inspections. I treat the people with a gentleman's heart, and the people will definitely repay me with an innocent heart."

The waiter was very moved when he heard this, and the farmers queuing up next to him were even moved to tears.

...In fact, what Li Yu really wants to do is: save time and effort!

In this era where government officials are like wolves and tigers, the probability that ordinary people would dare to put soil in bags or put wet grains in them is very low.

Don't dare! I really don’t dare!
The people of the Qing Dynasty must bear their own responsibilities as soon as they go out. How dare you cheat with the government for fear of trouble?

It is better to simply omit the bag opening process and save countless time and labor costs.

What a gentleman and innocent person, it’s all for propaganda purposes.

The real situation is:
The earlier the food is put into storage, the earlier the Western Front can start. Concentrate all manpower and material resources to officially launch the autumn offensive-attack Jiujiang.

Of course,
Next year or the year after, there will definitely be smart people who discover this loophole and maliciously mix soil and water into the grain with a sense of luck.

After all, the food saved belongs to the family.

Li Yu understood this clearly.

Next year and the year after that, there will be a sudden increase in the random inspection process. Anyone found will be taken down on the spot and the whole family will be sent to the army. Let's kill him without teaching him!

The mental skills of those in power are naturally 200 years ahead of their time.

It is natural for simple people to become cunning by chance, and they cannot be calculated.

……

More than two dozen nearby villages were all completed within half a day.

The fleet was fully loaded and sailed away.

According to the prior regulations, they will provide corresponding amounts of grain to the official warehouses in the county and prefectural cities along the way.

The remaining grain was sent to the war preparation warehouse in Taicang.

Currently, there are 4 combat readiness warehouses.

Distributed in the marginal areas under the rule, the purpose is self-evident, to support the army in fighting nearby.

There are many more fleets like this, plying the Jiangnan river network. From the high waterline to the deep draft, every day is full of rewards.

Warehouses everywhere were quickly filled to capacity.

Li Yu was surprised to receive an embarrassing message:

"The warehouse can't hold it."

"Are all the government warehouses and the four war preparation warehouses full?"

"Back to my lord, yes."

Fan Jing was very happy and proud. He began to speak with data:

"As of the 2nd, a total of 210 million stones of grain have been collected. It is expected that the total will exceed 300 million stones. Therefore, we must quickly build additional granaries."

……

As a senior former master, Hu Xueyu reacted quickly.

He smiled and said:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. The total amount of grain transported by the imperial court per year is 400 million shi. A dozen of our governments are close to this number. Where there is food, there will be people's hearts. Your Majesty's great cause is promising!"

Li Yu also smiled.

This is the bonus of not having middlemen eat the price difference. The fire consumption, surplus, Ding Yin, this tax and that tax all belong to me!

Fan Jing also smiled.

As a former member of Cunju Hall, he naturally had some associations.

At that time, the brothers relied on their reputation to collect "meager" security fees in Fucheng. Nowadays, "astronomical figures" of legal autumn grain are collected with a piece of paper.

The territory is only a dozen state capitals. What if the military flag is planted on the top of the Forbidden City?
Don't dare to think, don't dare to think!

The money and grain collected can fill up Taihu Lake!

Fan Jing was filled with pride for a moment and shouted impulsively:
"I invite you to ascend the throne and proclaim yourself emperor."

Li Yu was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand:
"It's early. It's early."

Hu Xueyu also nodded:

"Build the wall high, store grain extensively, and proclaim yourself emperor slowly. Your Majesty should expand your army vigorously now! Take over the whole province of Jiangxi and the important town of Anqing in the north of the Yangtze River as soon as possible."

……

Speaking of this, Li Yu remembered something:

"What is the current situation of the 4th Army?"

Everyone was stunned, not knowing how to speak.

It was Fan Jing who spoke:
"It is said that the 4th Legion has a special temperament that is difficult to describe in just one word."

The next day,

Li Yu took a fast boat and rushed to the east of the Huangpu River, where the 4th Army Corps was stationed.

The desolate Pudong would be an absolute countryside. It would be a good training ground, without the risk of gunfire disturbing the people or being spied on.

At the gate of the military camp, there is a couplet hanging:
On the left: Farming to open up wasteland is not as good as three years of doing business

On the right: Three years of doing business is not as good as the ancestors carrying guns
Horizontal comment: Long live the prince

……

Li Yu couldn't help but laugh, pointed and asked:

"Whose handiwork is this?"

An officer cupped his hands and said:

"This is the masterpiece of Director Jia Xiaozhen of the Publicity Department. If the prince feels it is inappropriate, his subordinates will immediately order someone to remove it."

"No, just right. Keep it."

After saying that, Li Yu strode into the camp.

The wooden houses and brick houses were built by the soldiers themselves and were quite satisfactory.

The gravel road is simple but practical.

Clean, simple and hygienic.

On the school field on the left, queue training is taking place. On the right side of the school field, shooting training is taking place.

Li Yuxian inspected the formation training and was greatly surprised.

Because this group of people marched pretty well. The response to left turn, right turn, three rows, and march changes is very fast.

A training officer also reported truthfully:

"The soldiers of the 4th Army have a high literacy rate. Only % are purely illiterate, and the rest more or less know some words."

Li Yu nodded.

Most of the people in this army were former small traders and shopkeepers, so it is not surprising that the literacy rate is high. In addition to being literate, he is also very clever, or cunning.

……

At the shooting school, the atmosphere was a bit strange.

An officer roared:

"Keep it steady, aim and strike again."

Bang bang bang, a burst of white smoke.

The officer ran over, looked at the target, cursed angrily, and kicked several people.

Li Yu frowned:

"How is this going?"

Others said awkwardly:
"Maybe it's a lack of arm strength, or maybe it's timidity. Shooting in formation is always not ideal."

Li Yu watched for a while, signaled to stop shooting, and then walked over.

He asked a recruit with a calm face:

"Did you volunteer to be a soldier?"

"Back to the official, yes."

"Aren't you afraid?"

The recruit whispered:
"Of course I'm afraid, but the wine distribution rights are really tempting~"

"Three years of doing business, why don't you carry a gun with your ancestors?"

"Thirty years in business is not as good as just surviving."

Li Yu smiled:

"So, you regard joining the 4th Army as a good deal?"

"Yes, yes, it's very profitable."

……

The guards stopped the officers who almost went berserk and motioned them to go away and not to disturb the prince to learn the truth.

Li Yu looked calm and asked:
"Does everyone think so?"

No one knew Li Yu, but they guessed that he was an official, had a good temper, and was a fellow from Jiangnan.

He bravely replied:

"Yes."

"So, you all have a good business sense?"

Everyone laughed, and an older person said:
"My lord, I am in the cooked food business. If you pair it with wine and meat, it will be even more powerful. In the future, it will definitely become a century-old brand and be passed down to future generations."

"Do you make money by selling alcohol?"

Everyone laughed, thinking that this young civil servant must not understand business.

So he explained:
"My lord, you may not know that you can only sell alcohol with a liquor license. This kind of business is guaranteed to make a profit."

“What if too many licenses are issued?”

……

[Explain possible readers’ questions. 1. Will some supporting characters be forgotten? No, the plot will appear on its own. There are too many plot lines and hundreds of characters, who can only appear as needed (except for the sister-in-law, who is difficult to handle and can only disappear). 2. Just making fun of the Qing Dynasty? No, when the plot reaches the international chapter, the white skin is equally black, including Li Yu. After all, there is no clear distinction between black and white in the world, only a delicate gray! 3. What do you want to write? I want to write less fake history! History is about people, there are no saints, there are no perfect people, there are only people. There is no charge for this section. 】

(End of this chapter)