Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 181 Warm water boiled frog

Chapter 181 Warm water boiled frog

"Father, I believe that 'those who are not of my race will have different hearts.' If we want the land of Annan to become an integral part of our Ming Dynasty, one of the most critical and decisive conditions must be met."

Zhu Gaoxu said very seriously: "This condition also applies to counties and counties in the Western Region, the desert, and even the Nurgan region!"

Zhu Di said thoughtfully: "You want to talk about the Han population?"

"Father is wise." Zhu Gaoxu complimented: "It is the population of the Han people!"

Later, he explained: "If Annan has a population of 100 million, including 70 Han people, who would dare to rebel in Annan? If there is a rebellion, there is no need for the imperial court to send an army south. All it takes is a decree and the local Han people will unify the army. Then we can mobilize troops on the spot to put down the rebellion."

"Immigration does not happen overnight, and now that Annan is in peace and all industries are withering away, how many people in the Ming Dynasty are willing to move to Annan?"

Zhu Di felt that Zhu Gaoxu was taking it for granted, so he immediately raised a very practical question.

"Father, this is what I think. Since the descendants of the Chen family will not be found for a while, we can simply implement military control over Annan for the time being, set up a guard station, and farm the land."

Zhu Gaoxu said: "As for the garrison fields in Annan, the military garrison grains will be exempted for the first three years. This will allow the garrison soldiers stationed in Annan to work hard to cultivate the fields."

"Firstly, we can give an explanation to the Annan Elderly Home. Secondly, the court has not violated its original promise. After all, it is still continuing to search for the descendants of the Chen family."

"If the imperial court wants Annan to have long-term peace and stability, in addition to immigration, it also needs to win the hearts and minds of the people of Annan. Therefore, the ministers suggested that during the period of military control, the Annan State should be implemented with the same Li Jia system, one whip method, and the system of sharing every cubage as the mainland of the Ming Dynasty. , and immigrated from Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places. The immigrants are mainly refugees who have no land to cultivate due to flood disasters."

For now, the Lijia system is still the basic social organization of the Ming Dynasty. Lijia in the city is also called Fang, and those near the city are called Xiang.

There are 110 households in each li. The ten households in a li that receive more food are the li chiefs. The remaining [-] households are divided into ten Jia, with the head of Jia.

The head of the li is responsible to the superior government, supervises the households under his jurisdiction, makes statistics on the growth and decline of the household's property, supervises the household's production matters, mediates civil and criminal disputes within the li, and arranges them according to the tax and labor rolls in order of grain payment and property amount. Year of enlistment.

Before the implementation of the One Whip Law, the corvées assigned in Lijia units were called Liyong or Jiajie, and there were two types: regular servants and miscellaneous servants.

The Lijia official is an important official responsible for every household in Lijia. It is determined by the Lijia chief and the head of Jia every ten years.

Every year, a governor from the same class as the head of the village will lead the ten households of the first class to serve, and the remaining nine district chiefs and the households of the ninth class will take turns to serve in the next nine years.

The main contents of Lijia's official duties are to collect taxes and grains, purchase and transport tribute materials, and support the government's public affairs.

Because the village chiefs "distributed the rich and divided the poor", the corvee was seriously uneven.

After the One Whip Law was implemented, the imperial court measured the land across the country, collected taxes according to the number of people and acres of land, combined the land tax and various types of corvee taxes, and at the same time spread part of the burden of the labor service into the land acres, and replaced the previous taxes based on household and farm labor. The corvee service was changed to apportionment of grain according to the number of dings and fields.

Except for the government's need to collect rice and wheat, all taxes and servitude burdens will be converted into taels of cash. Farmers and households with various financial burdens can pay for the servitude, and the government will hire people to undertake the servitude.

The collection of taxes and levies was handled directly by local officials. The original "minsu mingjie" system, in which taxes and levies were collected and released through grain chiefs and li chiefs, was abolished and replaced by the "official collection and official release" system.

As a result, Lijia's official servants were assigned to acres of land, collected in exchange for silver, and recruited into service. Lijia's ten-year service law was abolished.

However, the lijia system was preserved, and the lijia chief and the jiajia chief became an honor for large grain recipients.

In addition, the local yamen would remunerate the district chiefs and Jia chiefs for serving the imperial court, depending on the amount and complexity of the work.

"The implementation of the Lijia system and the Yiyi whip method in Annan is to show that the court treats everyone equally and promote the return of the common people. However, I am afraid that the spread of the land will arouse the opposition of the powerful local families."

Zhu Di still felt that what Zhu Gaoxu said was a bit taken for granted, so he raised another extremely realistic question.

The one-whip law played a role in encouraging farmers to reclaim wasteland, but it could not really prevent land annexation and had a limited effect on increasing the population.

In order to promote population growth, Zhu Di issued an edict in February of the second year of Yongle's reign to "never increase the number of people and never add taxes."

In April of the following year, under the influence of Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di finally implemented the method of allocating a small amount of people into an area of ​​land.

This put an end to the chaos of taxes and servitude in areas, households, and dings, and enabled the Ming Dynasty to complete the process of integrating the head tax into the property tax, completely abolishing the head tax since the Western Han Dynasty.

The so-called tax payment is based on the number of acres of land. In this way, those with more land will pay more, those with less land will pay less, and those without land will not pay.

This measure benefited the poor but not the official and gentry landlords, and relieved countless poor people from heavy shackles. However, the official and gentry landlords with large amounts of cultivated land were bound to pay more land taxes.

"Father, after the peasants in Annan are divided into acres, the object of taxation by the court is only the land. The peasants with little land can get rid of the burden of labor and no longer have to be forcibly bound to the land. For these people who were originally For those who may become refugees, the court can hire them to work, or recruit them into the garrison to plow the land for the garrison soldiers."

Zhu Gaoxu replied unhurriedly.

Zhu Di asked: "What if some Annan people disobey military control and gather a crowd to rebel?"

"In order to weaken the rebel force of the Annan people, we can recruit local young men and form them into auxiliary troops after simple training."

Zhu Gaoxu responded calmly: "I have also thought about the arrangements for these auxiliary troops. First, they will be transferred to Yingtian for training, so that they can see the prosperity of our Ming Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River, and then the best ones will be selected and transferred to the northwest or north." Xinjiang served as combat soldiers, and the rest were transported back to Annan and turned into local guards, specifically responsible for wiping out disobedient or bandit forces in Annan."

"Just now, my father said that if we implement the idea of ​​dividing people into acres in Annan, the powerful families there may rebel, so let these Annan soldiers destroy those rebel forces, and then distribute the acquired land to the landless people. In this way, The imperial court can gain the support of a group of people again."

"Three years later, those Annan people who have benefited from being divided into fields or becoming guardsmen will become staunch supporters of Annan in the imperial prefectures and counties. Because among these people, the young and strong are all guards who have land, food and military positions. The soldiers, young and old, will stand on the side of the court for the farmland they have been allocated."

"At that time, Annan, the imperial prefecture and county, will become the general trend. If there are ambitious people who want to rebel, they do not need to send troops from the imperial court. They can only suppress it by dispatching soldiers from Annan's local guards. After all, who would not cherish the wealth that has been obtained? ?”

"My son also thought about directly implementing land equalization in Annan, but doing so would inevitably arouse strong resistance from local officials, which was not the best idea. Therefore, he came up with strategies such as spreading farmers into acres, attracting young people, and boiling them with warm water. Frog Way, County Annan.”

When Zhu Di heard this, he took a deep breath.

He looked at Zhu Gaoxu with gratified eyes and couldn't hide his joy and said: "It was obviously an extremely wise decision for your grandpa to appoint you as the crown prince after I succeeded to the throne. Looking at the annals of history, I really can't think of any dynasty where the crown prince His talent is comparable to yours!"

"Father, you are overly praised." Zhu Gaoxu said, "I just did a lot of hard work in advance."

In this way, the next day, after Zhu Di read the recommendations of the clan kings and courtiers on the management of Annan, and after several days of careful consideration, he finally decided to adopt Zhu Gaoxu's "boil the frog in warm water" strategy to manage Annan.

Therefore, at the morning meeting on June [-], Zhu Di issued an imperial edict temporarily imposing military control on Annan and announced it to the world.

Afterwards.

Hall of Martial Arts.

"Bao'er, do you know why I asked you to take charge of Taicang?"

Zhu Di stood with his hands behind his hands and looked at Taicang on the globe and asked.

On his left stood Zhu Gaoxu, and on his right stood Ping An, the commander-in-chief of Cao Cao and commander of Taicang Guards.

Pingan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Liujiagang is under the rule of Taicang, and Taicang is an important military town where the imperial court stores grain. I guard Taicang to guard the granary of the Ming Dynasty for your Majesty."

"Yes, the most important thing about Taicang is the granary and Liujiagang. This port started in the Southern Song Dynasty and flourished in the former Yuan Dynasty." Zhu Di nodded and said: "The territory of the former Yuan Dynasty was vast. In order to realize the transportation of grain from the south to the north, the court of the former Yuan Dynasty established the In just a few decades, the Grand Canal was rebuilt, new maritime transportation was established, and overseas trade continued to expand, making Liujiagang a gathering place for water transportation and maritime transportation in the south of the Yangtze River at that time."

Ping An then said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. At the beginning of this dynasty, there was a rumor among the people that Shen Wansan, the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River, lived in Liujiagang and often did business across the sea."

Zhu Gaoxu pointed to the position of Liujiagang on the globe and said to Ping An: "Uncle Ping, Liujiagang is at the center of our east coastline of the Ming Dynasty. It is connected to the Yangtze River in the north, the East China Sea in the east, and the ports of Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Qingyuan, Tianjin and so on in the north and south. Very convenient to contact.”

In mid-May of this year, after Zhu Di inspected Northern Xinjiang, he took a boat out to sea from Zhigu. Seeing that this place was convenient for river and sea transportation, and its location was very important, he ordered that Zhigu be renamed Tianjin, which is where the emperor passed. The meaning of ferry.

Zhu Di considered that this area was an important transportation route into Beidu from the sea, so he ordered to build a city and set up guards in the Xiaozhigu area southwest of the mouth of the Sancha River. As a military important place, it was called Tianjin Guard. Later, Tianjin Left Guard and Tianjin Right Guard were added. .

"Uncle Ping, please take a look."

Zhu Gaoxu moved his finger from Liujiagang back to the inland area and said: "Behind Liujiagang is the vast Yangtze River Basin and the prosperous Taihu Lake Basin. The grain that maintained the survival of the former Yuan Dynasty was mainly obtained from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu in this area. The land of Jiangxi and Huguang.”

"Baoer, I ask you, how do you plan to transport grain from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places this time?"

Zhu Di asked in a deep voice.

After Ping An thought for a moment, he replied seriously: "Your Majesty, I plan to divide the grain into three inland river transportation lines to move the grain to Liujiagang."

"First, the western Zhejiang line. Sea ships depart from Liujiagang to Pingjiang, Wuxi, Changzhou, Haiyan (today's Haiyan, Zhejiang), Huzhou (today's Wuxing, Zhejiang), Songjiang (today's Shanghai urban area), Wunijing Grains were transported to nine warehouses (in the south of present-day Shanghai), Jiangyin, and Zhenjiang. This inland waterway can make full use of the waterways in the Jiangnan area."

"Second, the eastern Zhejiang line. Grain ships there, including Fujian ships, were sent to Shaoxing (now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province), Taizhou (now Linhai City, Zhejiang Province) and Qingyuan to load grain and concentrate on Liujiagang."

"Third, go up the river. The grain ships from Liujiagang sailed up the river to Zhenzhou (which ruled today's Yizheng City, Jiangsu Province), Yingtian (which ruled today's Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province) and Taiping (which ruled today's Guichi City, Anhui Province). ) to hold grain."

Zhu Di stroked his beard and said, "These three transportation lines of yours are the same as the inland water routes used by the Yuan Dynasty to transport grain from the south to the north to collect grain from the south of the Yangtze River!"

"Your Majesty clearly knows that these three inland river transportation lines are indeed the best routes to save time and manpower."

Ping An cupped his fists and saluted.

Historically, the former Yuan Dynasty used these three inland river transportation lines to connect Liujiagang and the Yangtze River Delta more closely as a whole. There were two phases of water transportation every spring and summer. The port gathered about [-] sea-going ships and tens of thousands of sailors. The prosperous scene is evident.

"Then which route do you plan to take to transport grain northward by sea?"

Zhu Di then asked.

"Your Majesty, when the founder of the former Yuan Dynasty established his capital in Yanjing, the north was in short supply, and all supplies in the capital were provided to the south of the Yangtze River. However, the Grand Canal channel was not smooth, making transportation difficult and expensive. The imperial court of the former Yuan Dynasty intended to store grain and pay to consolidate the country's foundation. , but are worried about the protracted grain transportation and huge expenses, and urgently need a water transportation channel that is fast, easy and reduces expenses."

Ping An replied: "In order to meet the increasing need for food in Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Qing, who had been a pirate, and his deputy Zhang Xuan were ordered to transport food from the sea."

"They combined their many years of experience at sea to find the best route from Liujiagang to Yuandadu. After waiting for the monsoon and searching for the warm Kuroshio current, they finally discovered the best route. This route The forty-day voyage can be reduced to ten days at the shortest.”

From the 22nd year of the Yuan Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Qing and Zhang Xuan led [-] canal boats, which were fully loaded with [-] shi of grain. The water transport fleet followed them for ten miles, and they left the Yangtze River estuary from the mouth of Liuhe River and headed northward on the sea channel. Arrive at Zhigukou.

This sea transportation of grain was a great success, and the cost of water transportation for the former Yuan Dynasty was greatly reduced.

Kublai Khan, the founder of the former Yuan Dynasty, was overjoyed when he heard this. He awarded Zhu Qing a golden talisman, granted him a thousand households, and ordered him to supervise sea and water transportation.

"The route I decided to take is this route. Taking this route can greatly shorten the water transportation voyage. It only takes ten and a half days to reach Zhigu Port in Tianjin when the wind is favorable, and then transport the grain to Beidu."

Having said this, Ping An stretched out his hand and pointed at several points on the globe and said: "Your Majesty, this route starts from Liujiagang, first to Qidong, then to Weihai Chengshantou, then enters Laizhou Bay, and finally arrives in Tianjin. guard."

"Very good, your plan is very popular with me."

Zhu Di smiled and said: "You have been in Taicang for several years and you have made a lot of progress!"

"Your Majesty is overly complimentary." Ping An bowed.

Zhu Gaoxu continued: "Taicang has outstanding people, and Wang Dayuan, the author of "Dao Yi Zhi Lue", is a Taicang native."

"I know this man. When he was young, he traveled with merchant ships and roamed overseas for eight years. Finally, he wrote the book "Dao Yi Zhi Lue", which recorded his visits to more than 20 eastern and western coasts that could be sailed at that time. countries and regions.”

Zhu Di nodded and said: "Zheng He went on a cruise for the first time, thanks to the "Dao Yi Zhi Lue"."

Immediately, he changed the topic and asked Ping An: "Bao'er, who else is there in Liujiagang now?"

"Your Majesty, after Zheng Guo's second voyage to the West, tens of thousands of sailors have left Liujiagang. Therefore, the people currently living in Liujiagang, except for the officers and soldiers stationed there, soldiers transporting grain, and local residents, The most active ones are those who are full of gold-mining dreams, that is, merchants, visitors to China, envoys and attachés, etc."

Ping An replied respectfully.

Zhu Di thought for a moment, and then solemnly ordered: "Bao'er, the location of Liujiagang is very critical. From now on, you must often cooperate with local officers and soldiers to eliminate thieves and pirates there."

"Yes." Ping An bowed and accepted the order.

Zhu Gaoxu added: "Uncle Ping, my father took a sea ship from Tianjin to Weihai and then to Longjiang late last month. It was you who accompanied him all the way. This time my father ordered you to transfer the food, building materials, and paint needed to build the new capital. Materials and other supplies are coming from the north and the south, and there are so many things to worry about. I am afraid that you will be exhausted mentally and physically. Therefore, my nephew asked my father to send you a helper."

Ping An raised his head slightly and looked at Zhu Di, with surprise in his eyes.

Zhu Di said with a smile: "This is what I mean."

Just now.

Li Xing bowed into the palace and reported: "Your Majesty, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, has been ordered to come to see you."

"Pass him in."

Zhu Di nodded and said.

"I am here to see Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Xia Yuanji bowed and saluted.

"Without courtesy, Wei Zhe (Xia Yuan Ji's courtesy name Wei Zhe) came just in time."

Zhu Di first turned to look at Xia Yuanji, then turned back to Ping An and said, "Bao'er, this is the helper the prince has found for you."

"Shilang Xia." Ping An bowed and clasped his fists in salute.

Xia Yuanji immediately bowed in return and said, "Commander Ping."

PS: Thanks to Hanjiang Guying, who is indifferent to my years, an intellectual novelist, the class teacher next door, who will jump 1 every time I play, Mirror Impression, An Huaxin, Linyun Jushi, Zhongyou 1104181817, Brother Zichuan, looking at Chang'an from Chang'an City, ll Yuan ll, Sonxin, you Ke young and other brothers voted for recommendations and monthly votes!grateful!

(End of this chapter)

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