At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 405: Dilemma of Population Migration and Youth’s Thoughts
After inspecting the textile area of ​​Luoyang City, Xiao He came to the Nanbei Market District of Luoyang City.

I found that Luoyang City was indeed the center of the world. Whether it was wool, cattle, horses and other large livestock from the north, Kunpeng meat and dragon candles from the south, ironware from Chen County, salt from the East China Sea, and even agate and jade that had just been transported to Chang'an City from the Western Regions, they could all be found here.

The opening of the Grand Canal not only strengthened Chen County's position in the Han Dynasty's economic map, but also increased Luoyang's position in the Han Dynasty's economic map. Luoyang even gained greater economic advantages. The two fastest-growing economic regions in the Han Dynasty were connected to Luoyang, further consolidating Luoyang's position as a key thoroughfare in the world.

Relying on Luoyang's convenient transportation and the overall upward trend of the Han Dynasty's economy, all industries in Luoyang City are thriving, and family workshops are everywhere.

Xiao He checked the government office in Luoyang and found that the tax revenue of Luoyang City was increasing rapidly. The tax revenue of Luoyang City accounted for half of the tax revenue of Sanchuan County. The population was also increasing rapidly. It felt like the accumulation of many years had finally exploded in one day.

Of course, the rapid development of Luoyang also had many problems. Sanchuan County was densely populated. When the Han Dynasty first distributed land, almost all the public land was distributed equally. The land in Sanchuan County could not increase, but the population was increasing year by year. Every year, there were a large number of young and strong adults, but Sanchuan County did not have the conditions to give them 100 acres of land.

Seven years have passed since the last equal distribution of land in the Han Dynasty. During these seven years, more than 100 million young people have reached adulthood. Some of these young people have not separated from their families and are still farming in the countryside.

Faced with this situation, Dian Qing could only say distressedly, "I have tried my best to promote the benefits of going to Jiangnan, Nanyang, Liaodong, etc. The court can even buy them houses, farm tools, oxen, and even give them wives. It can be said that everything is ready. They just need to go there to open up wasteland. In less than three years, they can save up a considerable fortune. However, there are still not many people in Luoyang City who are willing to go to those wild places."

The population distribution of the Han Dynasty was extremely unbalanced. For example, after several years of growth, the registered households in Guanzhong exceeded one million and the population was approaching 700 million. The population of Guanzhong had exceeded that of the Qin Dynasty. The registered households in Sanchuan County also exceeded 30 households. The population in Chen County, Kuaiji County, and Nanyang County was already twice that of the founding period of the Han Dynasty.

It is naturally impossible to distribute land equally in such a densely populated area.

But places like Nanjun, Qianzhong, Changsha, and Lujiang are extremely vast and sparsely populated, with deep forests, wilderness, swamps, and lakes everywhere. The number of Han people in these areas is not even comparable to that of the Baiyue tribes, and they are in great need of population to develop these areas. Not to mention the lands in Nanyang, Liaodong, and Hexi that need population development.

Therefore, among the Han Dynasty's assessments of Han officials, there was also an immigration assessment set up for densely populated counties. Generally speaking, a county that could provide 200 young immigrants each year was considered qualified, 300 young immigrants were considered good, and 500 young immigrants were considered excellent, and would receive priority for promotion.

It is a pity that although the conditions provided by the Han Dynasty court were good, no county magistrate had ever received excellent evaluation, and even few were qualified.

The immigration assessment has become the biggest headache for the Han officials in these wealthy counties. The court prevented them from using tough measures to migrate the population, and set such an assessment standard, which really made things difficult for them.

There were Han officials who tried to cheat and use tough means to immigrate thousands of people at a time, hoping to get the title of an outstanding Han official. However, they went too far and caused a sensation throughout the Han Dynasty. The higher authorities sent censors to investigate, and the Han officials who did this not only did not get promoted, but were dismissed and their entire families were exiled to Liaodong.

His deeds were even reported in the Han Monthly, and he became the object of ridicule by people all over the world. With such an example in mind, the officials of the Han Dynasty naturally did not dare to commit suicide.

Xiao He asked, "Is it that the conditions offered by the court are not generous enough, or is it that hundreds of acres of land are not attractive enough?"

The Han Dynasty tried every possible way to attract immigrants, spending tens of thousands of gold on immigration every year, but the effect was not very significant. The number of people willing to go to the border counties every year has never exceeded 30,000, and last year it fell to an unprecedented 19,000. How to attract the people of the Han Dynasty to open up the border counties has become the Han Dynasty's biggest headache.

Dian Qing said helplessly: "Young people in the Han Dynasty are unwilling to endure hardships. They don't even want to stay in their hometowns, let alone the poor border counties. Unless the court learns from the tyrannical Qin's policies and forcibly relocates the people, the people in Luoyang City will never go to the border counties even if they are beaten to death."

Xiao He immediately shook his head and said, "How can the tyrannical Qin regime be implemented in our Han Dynasty?"

Dian Qing said, "Then I don't have any good solution. They just want to stay in Luoyang City and don't want to go to the border counties. They even make sarcastic remarks to mock the immigration policy of the court, saying that they would rather have a straw house in Luoyang than a hundred acres of farmland in the border counties."

"I really don't know what they are thinking. Even the straw houses in Luoyang City are just straw. How can they compare to a hundred acres of fertile fields? If they don't want to eat when they are young, how can they start a family and provide a stable life for their descendants?"

However, because the household registration system of the Han Dynasty was not as strict as that of the Qin Dynasty, more young people envied the prosperous life in Luoyang and crowded into the city.

It happened that the handicraft industry in Luoyang City was also booming at that time, and a large number of laborers were needed in the upstream and downstream of the handicraft industry. These people poured into Luoyang City and solved the labor shortage problem for the workshop owners. At the same time, the salaries provided by these workshop owners were higher than farming. In Luoyang City, double-income families had higher salaries than ordinary farmers.

At the same time, the infrastructure of Luoyang City is much better than that of the countryside. There are primary schools, theaters, teahouses, parks, markets, and other facilities that can provide public services, which are far beyond the reach of the countryside. Therefore, whether from an economic or life perspective, young people want to stay in big cities like Luoyang. A large number of young and middle-aged people have flocked to Luoyang, creating the prosperity of Luoyang City today.

Xiao He thought for a moment and said, "Instead of spending money on immigrants, the court should spend more time on military settlements."

Forced immigration is naturally not advisable, but the Han Dynasty had a three-year compulsory military service system, and Hexi was developed through military settlements. At present, the effect seems to be good. More than 2,000 couples have been married this year, which has greatly accelerated the progress of Hexi's education.

A large number of people flocked to Luoyang City, causing housing shortage in Luoyang City. Or the rising rental prices, Luoyang housing prices have become a big problem. The high price of rice in Chang'an has also made rural youth around Luoyang City feel pressured.

Many young people who have just arrived in Luoyang City will buy some wood in the suburbs of Luoyang and build a shack to temporarily solve their housing problem.

Later, these shacks became larger and larger. With the growth of Luoyang's handicraft industry and the overall strength of craftsmen, the area of ​​the shacks became larger and larger, and they already looked a bit like slums in later generations.

When Xiao He wanted to understand the thoughts of the lower-class youth in Luoyang City, he saw a dirty and messy slum, where a large number of wooden houses were built together, leaving a crooked alley. Seeing this scene, he shook his head and said, "The housing problem of the people must be solved. If there is a fire, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Dian Qing said: "I have arranged five fire prevention teams to be stationed there. As soon as a fire is discovered, it will be put out immediately."

Xiao He said: "This is only a temporary solution. Only by transforming this place into a neighborhood can we solve the problem fundamentally."

Dian Qing said: "Mr. Chen also has this idea. He wants to learn from Chang'an City and carry out a comprehensive transformation of Luoyang City. After all, Luoyang City is the deputy capital of our Han Dynasty."

After thinking for a while, Dian Qing said, "Prime Minister, can you please keep the taxes in Luoyang City in Luoyang so that we can complete this transformation plan?"

Dian Qing had been to Chang'an City with Chen Rui, the governor of Sanchuan County. He was stunned by the new city of Chang'an at that time. The clean streets, tall buildings, and the constant flow of caravans all showed that Chang'an City was more prosperous than other cities. He also wanted to make his hometown, Luoyang City, the same.

The annual tax in Sanchuan County is extremely high, but 70% has to be paid to the court, and the remaining 30% is used to support officials at all levels in Sanchuan County and to maintain the various infrastructure in Sanchuan County. There is also a little surplus that will be used to build the County Shaofu workshop. It is difficult to complete the Luoyang City reconstruction plan relying solely on the finances of Sanchuan County.

Xiao He said calmly: "You should first formulate a reconstruction plan for Luoyang City, and then the sages will make the decision at the Sages' Conference."

Xiao He had been in Luoyang City for several days. Although the imperial court had said that he did not need to be accompanied by a prefect during his inspection, there were very few prefects in the Han Dynasty who actually did so. Chen Rui, the prefect of Sanchuan County, was the first person to do so.

Chen Rui is a veteran of Chen County and a member of the Chen family. He has a close relationship with the emperor. Chen Rui's father is the owner of Changan Coach and can enter and exit the Yan Palace freely. He can be said to be a veteran with all-powerful connections. He understands that Chen Rui is not convinced by himself as the prime minister and wants to give him a warning.

But although Xiao He had a good temper, not everyone could control him.

Xiao He took a closer look at the slum. It was extremely large and he felt that there were tens of thousands of people living in such a simple place.

At night, the sparsely populated slums began to see more and more craftsmen getting off work, and some special small restaurants popped up on both sides of the street. Craftsmen who had worked hard all day were willing to solve their meal problems in these places.

After dark, the place is filled with the smell of fireworks.

"Uncle, give me a portion of lamb skewers, four bowls of rice, a vegetable, a plate of fried chicken, and a pound of rice wine." A young man shouted.

Then the four of them found bamboo stools to sit down. "Got it!" A middle-aged woman took out a small jar of rice wine and four bowls and placed them on the table, and then she went in to get busy.

The four young men skillfully poured out the rice wine and started drinking.

"My dear, our boss is really the stingy person described in Mozi Monthly Report. He doesn't give a penny. Our factory has such good performance this month, but he didn't give me any reward. He even told me to work hard and try to buy a house and start a family in Luoyang City as soon as possible. I think he wants me to work hard to find him a concubine."

"I only do so much work for him based on how much money he gives me. He still wants me to do more for him. That's just a pipe dream."

Another young man laughed and said, "There's a joke like this in Mozi Monthly. If we work hard, we can give him a concubine. Do you really think we are ignorant country folk who don't even read newspapers? I am more knowledgeable than him, and yet I want to use this to deceive people."

When Xiao He heard what these young people said, he shook his head and laughed. These were all short stories in Mozi Monthly that warned craftsmen.

If you work hard, I can take a concubine next year.

As long as you are willing to endure hardships, there will be endless hardships to endure.

If you are willing to work hard, you are my brother; if you are not willing to work hard, you are not my brother, and so on.

Xiao He knew just by looking at these words that this was a story made up by the emperor.

In the whole Han Dynasty, there is no one who can ridicule the workshop owners so harshly. Through the small stories, the true face of the workshop owners, hypocrisy and greed, can be deeply exposed. These small stories are passed on to the entire Han Dynasty craftsmen through the Mohists of the world.

But Xiao He didn't understand. The emperor promoted the industry to the foundation of the country, and repeatedly warned the Han officials not to take it without permission. At the same time, he punished the Han officials who took it without permission to some extent. The emperor supported the workshop owner in action.

Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, these workshop owners have developed extremely rapidly with the support of the emperor. It is no exaggeration to say that the emperor is the backer of these workshop owners.

But in daily life, he mocked the workshop owners and even joined forces with the Mohists to restrict the development of the workshop owners. Xiao He did not understand the emperor's real thoughts.

In fact, Xu Fan’s idea was very simple. He wanted to use the little stories from later generations to make the Han craftsmen not too naive, to see the true face of the workshop owners, and not to be bewitched by them.

After all, in an era of growth, conflicts are eased and craftsmen are most easily bewitched by workshop owners, but their voice is also the greatest in the era of growth. Those workshop owners need craftsmen to make money for them and have no time to reduce staff and increase efficiency. They will even take the initiative to increase the salaries of craftsmen. This leads to the fact that they will not increase their own treatment when they have the greatest voice.

But the era of growth cannot exist forever. When we enter the era of stock, workshop owners and craftsmen will compete with each other for limited profits. This is exactly the time when craftsmen have the least say.

A simple sentence "If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will do it" can directly drive the craftsmen into the abyss, and it will be difficult to fight for good treatment at this time. Therefore, Xu Fan should warn the craftsmen when they have a high voice, not to be childish, and not to be spiritual workshop owners, and the struggle should never be forgotten.

Another young man said, "Working for others is a dead end. When we save enough money, we will open a machinery factory. What ability does he have? He just started his business two years earlier than us and caught up with a good era. Why should we keep working for him?"

"Open a textile factory. Textile factories make money." A young man said excitedly.

"A textile factory is a woman's factory. We are grown men, so why should we open a textile factory? If we have to open one, we should open an equipment factory and make an equipment like the water-powered spinning wheel to shock the world. We should also become nobles of the Han Dynasty with our own skills, just like Mr. Gongshuchou, and make ourselves rich while benefiting the people of the world."

Now Gongshu Chou's status among craftsmen is no lower than that of Mozi. As a craftsman, he became a noble of the Han Dynasty and was worshipped by the entire group of craftsmen of the Han Dynasty. In particular, the spinning wheel and textile machines he invented spread throughout the world and created the prosperity of the Han Dynasty's textile industry. His dream of clothing the world made the people of the Han Dynasty admire him very much.

Anyone can make lofty statements, but only a few can actually carry them out. Mr. Gongshu Chou is a wise man who truly integrates knowledge and action.

At this time, Xiao He said: "It's not easy for you to be like Mr. Gongshuchou."

Several people turned their attention to Xiao He.

Xiao He was not a good choice either. He sat beside them and said, "It's easy to talk about lofty ambitions, but to really do it requires not only perseverance but also knowledge. Mr. Gongsun is the descendant of Lu Ban. His family has been the best craftsmen in the world for generations, which is why spinning wheels and textile machines appeared. What knowledge do you have, young men?"

"Finished elementary school!" several people replied.

Xiao He smiled and said, "I think if you really want to have great ambitions, you should continue to study at Luban College."

But a few shook their heads and said, “We don’t have the money to go to the academy, and we can’t pass the entrance exam.”

"If you are given a chance to go to college, would you be willing to go?" Xiao He asked.

"Of course I am willing to go. Nowadays, only those who are educated can find good jobs. If we had a diploma from an academy, we would have gone to work as doctors for the princes long ago. There is no point in being treated like a beast of burden in Luoyang City."

Xiao He continued to ask: "The border of the Han Dynasty is vast and sparsely populated. If you go there, you can get hundreds of acres of land. Are you willing to go?"

They immediately shook their heads and said, "We just came from the countryside. We finally managed to stay in Luoyang City. Now we are asked to go to a more remote countryside. Why should we leave? Isn't it better to stay in our hometown?"

"In Luoyang City, there is everything to eat, drink and have fun. It is even convenient for studying, and you can earn more money. It is incomparable to the border counties. Only a fool would go to such a place."

Xiao He said: "Just now you said you had great ambitions and wanted to benefit the people, but now you are unwilling to even help the poor border areas."

A few people laughed awkwardly. How could they take such boasting seriously? This guy is too rigid.

Xiao He continued to ask: "What conditions do you think the border counties have to attract you to come?"

"First of all, we need a good school, preferably an academy. If we want to change our fate, we need to be admitted to an academy. There are not even a few elementary schools in the border counties. How can my descendants study and be admitted to the academy?"

"We still need to pay enough money. We can earn 600 coins a month in Luoyang City, and we can save 3000 coins after eating and drinking for a year. Farming in my hometown doesn't bring such a high income. Going to the border counties will probably be even worse. It's impossible for us to suffer more and earn less."

"Safety is also a big issue. We can listen to storytelling and watch opera in Luoyang City, and there are doctors to see if we are sick. But if we go to the border counties, a bad acclimatization can kill people."

"I have an uncle who followed the tyrannical Qin to the land of Baiyue. He disappeared within two years. I think he died of illness. It's better not to go to such a dangerous place."

After listening to this, Xiao He sighed and said that if one wanted to immigrate to the border, a series of supporting policies would be needed.

(End of this chapter)