The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 335: The Age of Light Begins with Emperor Taizu of Zhou

【Zhou Taizu changed the tribute system of previous dynasties.】

[Previously, all the vassal states, including the remote ethnic groups such as the Uighurs and Goryeo, had the "custom" of paying tribute of "treasures", but this was waived when it came to Guo Wei.]

[At the same time, he issued an edict specifically for reducing tribute, which roughly meant:
The people of the world have not yet lived a good life, so how can I afford to indulge myself too much?

Rather than spending lavishly and making others work hard, I would rather restrain my desires and live a frugal life.

All daily necessities in the palace will be reduced.

All the precious and unique items contributed by all parties will be terminated. 】

[These may be a bit cliché, but they are standard for a wise ruler. ]

[What really distinguishes him from other wise rulers who issued similarly frugal edicts is the next one.]

[Order all prefectures and vassal states to stop contributing rare delicacies. ]

……

On the skylight, accompanying the imperial edict was a long and very detailed list of tribute delicacies.

……

Datang.

Li Shimin twisted his beard and looked at the long list and couldn't help but sigh sincerely:

"Although these things are all local products, they are all taken from the homes of ordinary people, which is a pity to trouble the local people."

"And they're not cheap. Plus, they're burdened with labor and long-distance transportation. After they're shipped to the capital, they have to be stored in the government offices. They're totally useless!"

"This Zhou Taizu Guo Wei was able to see the potential for the people's power to be mobilized from these relatively minor events. This is the heart of a sage!"

"I'm not as good as that."

"Issue an edict! All prefectures and cities in the country should stop sending rare and delicious food as tribute!"

……

【At the same time, he really loves the people of the world. 】

[In 952 AD, the Khitan-ruled territories of Yingzhou, Mozhou, and Youzhou suffered from floods, and refugees entered the border areas and scattered throughout Hebei, with a total number of hundreds of thousands.]

[The Khitans were unable to save the victims, and the states and counties did not stop them, allowing the refugees to move south.]

【After hearing the news, Emperor Taizu of Zhou issued an edict: All states and counties concerned must provide relief and reception for the refugees.】

[After this incident, more than half of the people in the Central Plains who had been robbed or fled to Khitan returned.]

[In July 953 AD, there was a drought in Southern Tang. Wells and springs in the Huainan area had dried up. The Huai River was so dry that the riverbed was exposed and people could walk across it.]

[The hungry people crossed the Huai River and headed north, and the flow of people continued.]

[However, the Southern Tang Haozhou and Shouzhou sent troops to prevent the people from escaping.]

[After the common people fought with the soldiers, some of them were lucky enough to run towards the Later Zhou.]

[Because this would consume the grain belonging to the Later Zhou, some people proposed to stop the refugees from the Southern Tang from going north.]

[Zhou Taizu said: "Their people are the same as our people. Let them buy food freely and take it back."

[The Southern Tang people therefore built many warehouses and bought large quantities of rice to meet the needs of the army.]

In August, Emperor Taizu of Zhou had no choice but to issue an edict: "People in the south are allowed to use manpower and animals to transport grain. But those who use ships or vehicles to transport grain are not allowed to sell it to them."

……

Great Qin.

Ying Zheng suddenly remembered something.

Similar things happened in Qin and Jin at that time.

During the time of Duke Mu, the State of Jin was suffering from a famine and asked for help from the duke, and Qin borrowed grain from Jin.

The next year, there was famine in Qin and a good harvest in Jin. Duke Mu asked Duke Hui of Jin for help, but Duke Hui refused to provide food aid.

In the end, everyone in Qin united in hatred of the enemy and defeated the State of Jin.

If Jin had borrowed grain at the same time...

Perhaps the friendship between the two families will last a little longer?
……

Big man.

"This guy wants to use military force against Southern Tang..."

Liu Bang thought for a while and suddenly spoke.

Lu Zhi frowned slightly, nodded, then shook her head and said:

"This person has a kind heart for all the people in the world, but his vision is still somewhat limited."

Scratching his head, Liu Bang stretched his waist and said:

"There's nothing we can do. This has been a split for so many years, almost two generations have been cut off."

"Although it would be a relief for the people of Southern Tang if we gave them food, we would not let these soldiers rob the people of their food."

"But whether these soldiers will appreciate it is another matter."

Liu Bang thought for a while, holding his sleeves:

"Just look at how these vassal states are turning their backs on us."

"It's more likely that they will eat it and then deny it."

……

The period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
"Only those who protect the world can rule the world."

Liu Che felt a little emotional when he saw the kind-hearted Zhou Taizu in the sky.

If I put you in my place, you are not my people, so what do you do to me?

The money and food I get don’t come from the wind!

...That was left to me by my great grandfather so that I could fight the Huns!

But if it's the father...

Liu Che smacked his lips.

I can’t figure it out. My great grandfather is hard to figure out... I guess he’s even more ruthless than Emperor Taizu of Zhou.

If things went wrong, the entire country of Southern Tang would have surrendered.

……

[Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, a large number of troops have been stationed in the Central Plains. All the major vassal towns have looked for unowned fields to set up so-called "camp fields", and then recruited wealthy farmers to cultivate them and pay rent. ]

[As was the case at the local level, the central Ministry of Revenue also set up a related agency to manage the "farming" of the country. The rent and taxes collected by this agency were paid to the national treasury and were not affiliated with the local prefectures and counties.]

[This led to two situations: on the one hand, there were many young people who wanted to farm but had no land to farm, and on the other hand, the county took in thieves and lawless people, giving them shelter, and the prefectures and counties had no power to intervene.]

[At the beginning of the Later Zhou Dynasty, the people did not know who these military farms belonged to, so they did not dare to invest in building houses or planting trees on the military farms.]

[At the same time, because Zhu Wen fought a great battle with Huainan King Yang Xingmi, he took back hundreds of thousands of oxen from Huainan. These oxen were distributed to farmers, who paid rent to the court every year.]

[But after the fall of Liang, "for several decades, cattle died but rent was not paid, and the people suffered greatly."]

[These two messes were thrown together into the hands of Zhou Taizu. ]

……

On the canopy.

Figures rushed from the capital to various states and counties. Edicts written in black ink on white paper were posted on the walls.

The people talked to each other and then shouted Long live!

A blink of an eye,

Thatched and wooden houses were built in those wastelands that no one dared to touch.

There are oxen plowing in the fields, and mulberry trees planted on both sides.

This picture turned into a memorial and was presented to the emperor.

in the hall.

Guo Wei was persistent in presenting his memorials to the emperor, and he smiled and talked happily to all the ministers.

Suddenly a man stepped out, his eyes filled with greed.

"Your Majesty, there are so many farmlands left over from the past, many of which are fertile and rich. It would be better to nationalize them all and then sell them off."

"In this way, we can at least get hundreds of thousands of strings of money to enrich the national treasury."

Guo Wei's smile froze on his face, then he slowly restrained his smile and said in a deep voice:

"The benefit is to the people as well as to the state."

"What do I do with this money?"

……

【At that time, some ministers suggested that local governments could "act according to their own discretion" and abolish military farms. 】

[Zhou Taizu disagreed. If the military farms were abolished, what would happen to the people who had been cultivating the land for decades?]

[He then issued an imperial decree, abolishing the management of the military farms by the Ministry of Revenue from that point on, and assigning the farmers who cultivated the military farms to the local prefectures and counties.]

[Their current fields, huts, oxen, and farm tools will also be given to the current cultivators as permanent property!]

[All previously stipulated cattle rents will be exempted from now on.]

[“That year, the Ministry of Households increased by more than 30,000 households. Since the people were able to obtain permanent property, they dared to repair their houses and plant trees, and gained several times the benefits of the land.”]

……

The period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty
"The country is governed in a proper way, and the atmosphere of peace and prosperity in the world is beginning to emerge."

Liu Heng keenly sensed that the times were beginning to change again.

"But it is not easy to change the bad policies of the previous generations and to rectify the customs and habits and bring the people back to health."

These good policies that eliminate the evils that harm the people are a good way to save the current situation.

But good governance alone is not enough if the world is to be governed.

When a person dies, his policy ends.

The problem with the Five Dynasties was that the emperors changed frequently, and there was no permanent law to fix the bad governance.

There must be a king who can make laws to stop all these malpractices.

Even if the king does not do a good job, it is better than having no laws at all.

Just as the Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system and made some additions and deletions to it.

……

Later Tang Dynasty: Mingzong Period
Li Siyuan stared at the sentence in a daze, muttering:

"The benefit is to the people as well as to the state."

"The benefit lies in the people... just as it does in the country..."

And why does this person look so familiar?
Li Siyuan frowned and thought hard.

He must have seen it somewhere...

Where is it...where is it...

Shunzhou Governor...

and many more!

Li Siyuan suddenly remembered!
Back then, Liu Rengong seized control of Youzhou and killed the governor of Shunzhou!

After Zhuangzong defeated Liu Rengong, he took Guo Jian's son into his personal army!
then!

I have disbanded my personal army...

hold on!
Liu Zhiyuan! This man defected to Shi Jingtang? !
In other words... he is still in the capital!

"boom!"

"Come here! Issue the order! Order Zhuangzong's personal army, Ma Zhi Guo Wei, to enter the palace!"

"I will reward him!"

……

【Zhou Taizu also had many other good policies.】

[For example, "rat and bird consumption" and "provincial consumption" shall no longer be levied. ]

[During the Later Han Dynasty, stealing a penny would result in death, and relatives would often be implicated if the crime was not serious. Emperor Taizu of Zhou stipulated that relatives would no longer be implicated if the crime was not a serious crime such as treason or killing relatives.]

【The Later Han Dynasty also cracked down on private salt trafficking. Anyone caught making private salt would be killed, no matter how many people there were. Even if they suspected that the salt in their hands was private salt, they would be killed.】

【Zhou Taizu issued an edict stipulating that anyone who privately produced more than five catties of salt would be sentenced to death.】

[At that time, the sale of cowhide was prohibited and could only be collected directly by the transport officials.]

[Tang Mingzong also compensated with salt, while the Later Han Dynasty directly "privately committing an inch of cowhide is punishable by death, but it is indispensable for daily use by the people."]

【Zhou Taizu accepted Li Gu's suggestion, 'about every year the people's cattle hides tributed will be reduced by two-thirds; for every ten hectares of land, one hide will be taxed, the rest can be used by the people themselves or sold, but it is forbidden to sell to enemy countries.'】

[The people of the Central Plains, who have suffered so much, are finally fortunate enough to experience the benevolence and righteousness that have disappeared for many years and the humanity that has been forgotten for a long time.]

……

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the pancake and sighed while eating it.

"Before Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, rose to prominence, he had no reputation."

"But looking at what they did, it is not without reason that Chen Li, a survivor of the Southern Song Dynasty, praised the Five Dynasties as "Zhou Shizong first, Tang Mingzong second, and Zhou Taizu third."

Queen Ma kneaded the dough and sighed:
"Zhou Taizu's life was not easy. He lost his parents in his early years, his wife in his middle age, and his son in his old age."

“There are three great misfortunes in life, and not one less.”

Zhu Yuanzhang felt uncomfortable when he heard this, but he calmed down and it passed.

"Fortunately, we just had a big misfortune."

Queen Ma rolled her eyes at him.

But in the end, I didn't say anything to him. After all, matters of life and death are still a bit taboo.

……

[On the 954th day of the first lunar month in AD, the -year-old Zhou Taizu died of illness in Zide Hall in Bianliang. He was posthumously named "Emperor Wuxiao" and buried in Songling Mausoleum.]

[The last words left behind were: Make sure to bury him simply, do not force the people to work, do not kill anyone, do not bury palace maids with him, do not use stone horses or stone figures, just erect a stone tablet with these words engraved on it.]

[“Before his death, the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty made an agreement with the successor emperor, who, because he had always been frugal, ordered him to be buried in a clay coffin and paper clothes.”]

(End of this chapter)