Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 243: The True Marquis of Annan
The open and secret struggles in the court were too difficult for Jia Lian, and he could not survive in the track that others were familiar with.

There is no other way but to find another way.

When talking about the population that could not survive, Emperor Chenghui was really moved.

This is thanks to the existence of Long Jinwei. This department, which seems to have achieved nothing in recent decades, actually has not achieved anything.

However, this department has been doing one thing, which is the function left by Taizu, which is to conduct population surveys.

Of course, this survey is not something shady. It is just to compare the annual yellow book and study the changes in population and taxation.

In the era of unified imperial power, there was a population tax. In the West, it was called a poll tax, which means the same thing.

The Zhou Dynasty's adult tax stipulated that men would be taxed when they reached adulthood.

According to the report of the Dragon Guard, the population of the Great Zhou should exceed 100 million, but the tax on the heads of people has not increased for 30 years. The results of investigations in many places show that there are tens of millions of people who have lost their land and either fled or were hidden as slaves by local gentry.

This is just a rough survey, and the data is just an estimate. The actual situation should be more serious. The same report from Long Jinwei said that since the Ming Dynasty, there have been countless people from Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong who have entered Southeast Asia. So far, there are millions of people in various parts of Southeast Asia.

In other words, without any official organization, the people who could not survive had spontaneously gone to various places in Southeast Asia to make a living.

In an era without fertilizers and agricultural technology, no matter how carefully the land was cultivated, the yield would be limited.

For those who cannot survive but refuse to sit and wait for death, becoming a bandit in the mountains or going out to sea are the last resorts.

What if the government provides guidance?

The prerequisite for all this is to have a strong navy.

The practice of transferring population abroad and diverting social conflicts was exactly what Emperor Chenghui wanted.

Official immigration also costs a lot of money, which is definitely unrealistic at this stage.

"Take your time. I think we can allow coastal residents to go out to sea to make a living without restrictions."

It is rare for Emperor Chenghui to say this. In the agricultural era, the government did everything possible to tie the people to the land.

The life and death of the people is not important. What is important is that there are people to support the old men.

This level certainly cannot satisfy Jia Lian, but what can I say, it’s good to have a beginning.

There is another problem. In most cases, it is difficult for ordinary people to survive after leaving their hometown. Economically developed areas like Jiangnan are better, as they can find jobs in cities.

As the government basically left private economic activities alone, some vibrant social groups naturally formed.

This topic would be too long to discuss, so I will skip it.

"In any case, the navy affairs can't be delayed any longer and should be started as soon as possible. I think we can hire Westerners and learn from their navigation experience. Those who perform well can be granted military positions." Jia Lian made another suggestion, but Emperor Chenghui did not comment. This was his style. He would think about everything and would not make decisions immediately.

Emperor Chenghui has already made the decision to build a navy. As for the navy mentioned by Jia Lian, Emperor Chenghui will put it aside for the time being.

"Wang Ziteng is very strict in managing the army. What I am worried about is that he is not good at naval warfare. However, I have no one to use. What should I do?"

When Jia Lian heard this, he immediately took over and said, "Your Majesty, to govern the army, we must first govern the generals. We should set up a naval academy to train officers. I still say that those who excel in the official academy will be received by Your Majesty and granted the honor of being the emperor's disciple and corresponding treatment."

Emperor Chenghui was very interested in this suggestion and asked seriously, "Are there any specific rules?"

Jia Lian was not an expert on how to run a school, but he could always tell me a thing or two. Such a good opportunity could not be missed. After organizing his thoughts a little, he said, "The current navy is obviously not suitable for long-distance voyages, let alone combat. The first problem is to go out and send people to study in the West. Regarding the selection of candidates, we can recruit students from the society, regardless of their academic achievements, as long as they can read and write and pass mathematics. In today's imperial examinations, we can always find some people who are willing to take a risk. After returning from their studies, some of them can become naval officers, and some can become school instructors. In short, the court should make it clear that those who are willing to go out to sea to study can be appointed to vacant positions when they return."

Hearing the idea of ​​returning to be appointed as an official, Emperor Chenghui frowned. After all, there are thousands of officials waiting to be vacated in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If this is really done, won't the people below make a fuss?
Fortunately, Jia Lian said: "The appointment of officials is also within the scope of the navy, and will not conflict with the officials who are waiting at the door of the Ministry of Personnel every day. In any case, it is time for the Great Zhou to make changes, otherwise, the next cycle of order and chaos will only take a hundred years."

"For this matter, you go back and draw up a plan. I will bring it up at the cabinet meeting first to see how the ministers react."

Emperor Chenghui wanted to build a navy, but sending people out to study was a matter that needed to be taken seriously and considered carefully.

Jia Lian took on another temporary assignment. This time he was lucky because the French delegation had not left yet.

After leaving the palace, Jia Lian was stopped by Wang Ren on his way home: "Brother-in-law, my uncle wants to see you."

Wang Ren, who was locked up at home during this period, was like being in prison. If he could study behind closed doors, why would he wait until now?
The only good news is that Wang Ren’s wife is pregnant and there is hope for a baby.

"Why is Wang Yi not here?" Jia Lian thought, shouldn't it be Wang Yi who comes to stop him?

"Don't mention it. He is even more depressed than me. He went to the east of the city as soon as he was released. He said he would stay in Chunxiang Tower for three days." Jia Lian followed him to Wang's house. Hearing this, he couldn't help but complain: "This name is a bit vulgar."

"Hey, this is a newly opened brothel. The girls inside are all from North Korea. The main attraction is an exotic atmosphere. The men in Beijing are looking for something new. The business has been booming recently. If it weren't for my brother-in-law's iron-fisted suppression, they would have fought over the girls. I say, if my brother-in-law meets one of our own, don't put him in a study class."

Speaking of the study class, Jia Lian looked at Wang Ren curiously and said, "No, you weren't arrested in this study class."

"Does that mean they won't catch me? There were two times when I ran fast! Normally, even if I ran away, I should have been caught. It should be that the people below knew the relationship between you and me, so they let me go." Wang Ren was very knowledgeable and told the truth.

"By the way, speaking of exotic customs, women from the Western Regions are supposed to be more distinctive. Why doesn't anyone hold one?"

Jia Lian is still very interested in the affairs of the romantic world. I may not go, but I have to understand a little bit about it.

"Who said there is no such thing? It just failed. It happened a month ago." Wang Ren was obviously an expert. He knew all the details. According to what he heard, this brothel with a western style has existed for a long time. It's just that because of its rough style, scholars would not come back for the next visit. Scholars rarely go there, so it is not very famous.

Despite this, the exotic style still attracted many customers who had never tasted fresh food, and the business has always been good. A month ago, the store suddenly announced that it would close. No one knew why it closed down, and no one knew where the girl went. Speaking of this Western style, Wang Ren said with regret; "It's just that there are more body hairs and the smell is a bit strong, but everything else is fine."

The topic went off topic, but fortunately when they arrived at Wang's house, Wang Rencai, who was still not satisfied, stopped talking.

Wang Ziteng saw that only Wang Ren came back with him. He glanced at him calmly. Wang Ren immediately trembled and confessed: "Uncle, it's really not me. It's Brother Yi who was too bored at home and had to go out to play."

Jia Lian smiled and stepped forward to greet him, and then he said, "You've been locked up for a few days, it's good to go out and relax. If you stay shut up too much, something bad will happen."

Wang Ziteng then let him go and said, "Go find him. If you can't find him, don't come back. Make up your mind outside."

Wang Ren immediately ran away, not daring to stay any longer. Seeing this, Wang Ziteng couldn't help but sigh, "What a misfortune for our family!"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "We all want to be military commanders, there's no need to be so disciplined."

Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Lian calmly, the meaning was very clear, he can't compare with you, he is using you for comparison.

In response, Jia Lian immediately changed the subject: "What instructions do you have, uncle?"

Wang Ziteng did not speak immediately, but led him to the study. After closing the door, he asked seriously, "It is easy to understand that His Majesty has granted me the title of Marquis of Annan, but why does he also have to serve as the President of the Navy? You know His Majesty better, so judge what His Majesty means."

Jia Lian did not answer immediately, but pretended to be in deep thought. It took Wang Ziteng about ten minutes to wait patiently. Finally, Jia Lian spoke up, "The Great Zhou has many problems. In particular, the country has been peaceful for more than a hundred years, but the population has increased rapidly, while land annexation has become increasingly serious. Your Majesty asked for advice from me, and some ministers suggested that the tax be distributed according to the land, and that the gentry should pay taxes together. However, the court cannot even collect the arrears of officials, so how can this policy be feasible? My uncle knows the current situation of the court. This policy can only be put aside, but the problem cannot be solved. If it cannot be solved, it must be alleviated. Among them, the Yunyang uprising lasted for two years and had a huge impact on Your Majesty. The nobles cannot be moved, and the gentry cannot be moved. What should be done?"

Wang Ziteng nodded slightly after hearing this. "As long as the emperor is alive, Your Majesty will not take any major actions. At most, you will do what happened in Jiangnan, killing a few ineffective officials and forcing the gentry to pay all the taxes they owe. If the root cause is not changed, the gentry in Jiangnan will make trouble for a while, but the court will not soften. The gentry in other provinces will just watch the fun and will be lucky not to add insult to injury. Naturally, the trouble will not last long."

Jia Lian further added: "The debt was lent out during the reign of the retired emperor. The officials and gentry who owed money were hoping that the court would just give up. Your Majesty was afraid to use force! At that time, my uncle was not in Beijing, and the empty warehouse of the Ministry of Revenue made the mice cry. In order to raise military funds for the rebellion in the Western Regions, Your Majesty could only think of various ways. Eating food before it is earned, minting silver coins, and opening banks all came from this. The coinage tax plus the deposit of private banks filled the hole of the rebellion in the Western Regions."

Wang Ziteng said thoughtfully: "So, Your Majesty, you want to raise the navy to acquire land from overseas and transfer population? But why go to far away instead of near? Liaodong may be cold, but it is not uninhabitable. The large uncultivated land can at least accommodate millions of immigrants."

Jia Lian looked at him and smiled without saying anything. In fact, Jia Lian didn't know why, so he could only pretend to be profound.

Wang Ziteng figured it out quickly. He slapped his thigh and said, "I see. Liaodong is a cold and bitter place with tough people. In the past, most of the land granted by Taizu was in Liaodong, which led to the complexity of the power of Liaodong nobles. Once Liaodong is vigorously developed, if there is an outstanding person who can integrate the forces of all parties, Liaodong, which is only a Shanhaiguan away from Zhili, may rush into the interior at any time and threaten the capital. During the reign of the Emperor Taishang, restrictions on immigration from Liaodong were imposed. Now, the population of Liaodong is less than 10 million."

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "There is another point. Some nobles are colluding with the Liaodong military leaders to prevent civilians from migrating to Liaodong. In this way, they can monopolize the benefits of Liaodong and enrich the coffers of several families."

"You can just say he is the Prince of Dongping. I know you have conflicts with his family." Wang Ziteng couldn't help laughing.

Jia Lian shook his head: "It's not that I have a conflict with his family. It's impossible to stop the immigration to Liaodong without the cooperation of civil officials. This is a huge interest group. I even suspected that it was influenced by the old loyal king. If I guessed right, the emperor might have also been involved. I haven't been to Liaodong, so I dare not say anything."

"The cooperation of civil officials, the old loyal prince? Well, it's very likely. Fang Baiyi has been in power for many years, and his students and former officials are spread all over the court and the country. He is also the regent minister left by the retired emperor. It seems that it is not just a matter of benefiting Liaodong." Wang Ziteng became serious. In fact, he had his own guesses about some things a long time ago. After communicating with Jia Lian today, he became much clearer.

Jia Lian was not talking nonsense. He was just guessing from Jia Zhen's story. How could a mere Dongping County Prince monopolize the benefits of such a large Liaodong? There must be many people sharing the profits. Even the Jia family had a farm in Liaodong, and the annual income was between five and six thousand taels.

Jia Lian judged that Wang Ziteng probably didn't say everything, and there were many things he didn't say. It's just that the cheap father of the family may not know some of the earlier arrangements of the Jia family. The fact that it was not mentioned in the original book does not mean that the first generation of the Jia family did not do it. Assuming that the Jia family's arrangements in Liaodong were abolished, what about other families? Otherwise, why did the emperor always work hard to suppress the four kings and eight dukes during his reign?

From Jia She, we learn that the most prosperous time for the Four Princes and Eight Dukes was the generation of Jia Daishan. The Four Princes and Eight Dukes strongly supported the Emperor's ascension to the throne. How could the glory of the Jia family at that time be compared with that of today? Otherwise, Jia She would not be a first-rank general. Look at Jia Zhen, who was one generation younger but dropped to the third rank.

Also, Jia Lian made a scene twice regarding Jia Zhen's matter, but the Prince of Dongping quickly gave in and paid the money without any hesitation. Is it really that he has too much money to spend? There must be something he doesn't want others to see.

Did Wang Ziteng know about these things? Jia Lian judged that he knew some of them, but he was just not sure.

"In that case, raising a navy is only the first step. In the next step, Your Majesty should hope that I can become the real Marquis of Annan. Once this is done, it can be said that a good start has been made, and other nobles can follow suit in the future. From this, it can be seen that Your Majesty has great ambitions. It would be best to send all the nobles in the capital to the poor mountain valleys." Wang Ziteng couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Jia Lian could not help but interrupt him when he heard this: "The real Marquis of Annan means that the Wang family has its own foundation. By then, I believe that all their thoughts will be on Annan. In my opinion, Your Majesty is making an attempt. If Annan is really conquered, my uncle will have no choice but to move to Annan with his family."

Wang Ziteng…….

(End of this chapter)