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

Chapter 379: Rich Country, Poor People
Liao Dynasty - Emperor Shengzong
"Mother, Wang Anshi was successful in the local area before."

Yelu Longxu supported Xiao Chuo for a walk in the garden, while asking questions about the doubts in his mind.

"Why did you become like this after entering the temple?"

Xiao Chuo patted the hand that was supporting her and said with a smile:

"The reason was also stated by the later generations."

Then he stopped smiling and said seriously:
"Wang Anshi did all this in a small place before because the small place allowed him to maneuver around."

"Later, he dominated the whole country and the corruption among officials was beyond his control."

"Fan Zhongyan saw it more clearly than he did. The specialty of these officials is to deceive their subordinates and deceive their superiors, pretending to obey but actually disobeying."

"No matter how good the law is, it will become corrupt once it passes through their hands. The corruption of the Qingmiao Law is an example."

Xiao Chuo looked at the sky with a bit of regret.

"The original intention of this law is that the state will take out a certain amount of money to lend locally to prevent the poor from being exploited by the rich."

"However, local officials regard lending as one of their duties."

"Once the money lent by the state comes into their hands, they will levy it on the common people, forcing those who don't need to borrow money to borrow it, making them pay the interest in vain."

"These officials are unreliable. Fan Zhongyan's approach is correct."

"Speaking of Fan Zhongyan...did he succeed?"

Yelu Longxu was annoyed when he heard this:
"No! The little emperor in the south hid the people long ago!"

Xiao Chuo nodded and said calmly:
"It doesn't matter. There's always a chance."

……

[In November 1069, the Farmland Irrigation Law was promulgated.]

[We encourage all regions to reclaim wasteland and build water conservancy projects, based on the principle that whoever benefits will work and pay for the construction.]

【The expenses are shared by local residents according to their household status. The shortfall can be borne by applying for a loan from the government in accordance with the Qingmiao Law.】

[If the project is large in scale and one state or county cannot handle it, several states and counties can jointly build it.]

[If funds are still insufficient, the government can persuade wealthy households to lend money, charging interest according to regulations, and asking for repayment on their behalf. As a result, farmland and water conservancy projects in various places were quickly built.]

……

Great Sui.

Yang Jian stroked his beard, a slight look of joy on his face.

Dugu Jialuo looked strange.

"What are you laughing at? Is this funny?"

Yang Jian put his arm around Dugu Jialuo's shoulders and asked with a smile:

"What do you think was the contribution of that beast in opening the canal?"

Dugu Jialuo shook her shoulders but didn't shake him off. She whispered:

"He is a beast, what are you and I?"

"Carrying food! You want to say...oh?"

Dugu Jialuo understood instantly, she fell into deep thought, and then said nervously:
"Will this work? There is also the Qingmiao method in it."

Yang Jian squeezed her shoulders and comforted her:

"It's not a difficult thing to do, but no one has broken this window paper."

"We are short of food, but don't those noble families in Guanzhong and Shandong lack food?"

"They are all pretty much the same."

"The canal was opened to transport grain from the south to the north, but there is still a lot of grain."

"But this farmland irrigation law is different. It increases the total amount of grain!"

"All they used was the land along the river."

"Whether to build a canal or implement an irrigation law, I believe everyone in the world knows the answer!"

……

【The implementation of the Xifeng Farmland Irrigation Law produced huge economic benefits in various parts of the Song Dynasty. 】

[It changed the geographical distribution pattern of agricultural economy after the mid-Tang Dynasty, which was "heavy in the south and light in the north". Agriculture in the north and south began to develop basically on par with each other, and both achieved rapid development.]

[Its water conservancy fields (irrigated fields and silted fields) have expanded to more than 65 million mu, and the output has generally increased three times compared to before. ]

[If we calculate based on the average yield of two to three dan per mu in the Qingli period, the annual grain production can be between 13,000 and 195 million dan.]

[More than 35 million mu of arid and semi-arid arable land was newly reclaimed. Even if we estimate the minimum yield per mu in the Qingli period to be around one dan, the minimum annual grain output is more than 35 million dan.]

[The Farmland Irrigation Law increased the Song Dynasty's grain production by 165 million shi per year, and the maximum amount could reach more than 230 million shi.]

[This was the main source of huge wealth during the Xifeng period.]

……

Datang.

Li Shimin looked at everyone, twisting his beard and smiling:

"Isn't the Song Dynasty also useless?"

"What do you think? Is it feasible or not?"

All the ministers nodded in praise.

Ditch construction and water conservancy are the foundation of governing a country and nourishing the people.

The canal transportation can only result in the transfer of wealth rather than its increase.

Transferring grain from the south to the north often does not enrich the north, but makes the south poor.

Food is everything, food is above everything!
"Except for the Green Crop Law, which needs some discussion, this Farmland Irrigation Law is feasible."

"The only thing we need to pay attention to is whether the number of water conservancy projects built will become a criterion for evaluating officials' performance."

Du Ruhui said slowly with a pale face:
"If this is the case, I am afraid that local officials will force the people to build water conservancy projects, which will increase the burden on the people."

Li Shimin restrained his smile.

It seems that I still need to give it more thought.

Fortunately, those two magical objects are still available.

……

[In May 1070, the Song Dynasty abolished the Three Departments Regulations Office and returned its powers to the Secretariat.]

[In December, Kaifeng Prefecture tried out the "Exemption from Military Service Law", also known as the "Recruitment Law".]

【Households that were previously subject to corvée service can be exempted from corvée service by paying exemption money.】

[All kinds of civilian households and official households that were not originally obliged to serve in the army paid half the amount of exemption money, and the government used this money to recruit people to serve.]

[In addition to collecting the full salary, in order to prevent drought and delays, an additional 2 cents of exemption money was collected, which was called "exemption money". ]

Sima Guang said in his memorial: "The officials have made laws only for the sake of money. The rich are relieved, while the poor are getting worse and worse."

[Because for the poor, even if they wanted to pay the labor service fee, they could still sell their grain at a low price in a good year, but in a bad year they could only kill cattle and sell their fields to make up the difference.]

[In 1076 AD, the government received more than million strings of money in labor service and spent million strings on labor service, leaving a surplus of nearly million strings.]

……

Later Tang Dynasty - Ming Emperor Period
Li Siyuan stroked his thick chin and pondered.

Being a police officer has always been free, so not many people are willing to do it.

The work is tiring and there is no money.

He was punished for failing to do his job.

Wang Anshi’s idea is quite good.

The court will recruit people from the people who are willing to do this.

Since it is recruitment, it is not an obligation but a contract. If there is no reward, who would be willing to do it?

This is the exemption money...

Just look at the Qingmiao Law, the exemption money is not good at all.

Not to mention that poor households have to pay labor service fees.

The official waved his hand and changed the poor families into wealthy ones. What could they do to him?
"We still need to discipline the officials."

But it won't work like Fan Zhongyan did.

Li Siyuan had some ideas in his mind.

This reform has to be implemented from top to bottom.

……

Later Zhou Dynasty: Emperor Shizong's reign
Guo Rong took the military newspaper, looked at it and then looked at the sky.

When changing labor service to employment and collecting labor fees, there is absolutely no reason to collect them from the lower-class households in the countryside.

Since both upper and lower class households have to pay labor service, do households with women or single men have to pay?
The service fee, which had not existed before, suddenly became an additional burden.

No, all households have paid. How could it be possible that you are the only ones who don’t pay?
This is a good idea... but it's a bit rash.

...Song Dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin squatted in the pit, expressionless and motionless.

The poor people were already being exploited by the upper class.

As a result, money has to be paid to subsidize high-end users, which is like adding insult to injury.

The situation in the Song Dynasty had not been so stable since the reign of Emperor Renzong, and some hungry people had already risen up in rebellion.

This shows that many poor people are already unable to get enough food. Ordinary people have trouble even feeding their families, so what else do they have to fear?

It’s better to take a chance than to wait to starve to death!

This will increase the factors of instability.

"Alas...If you change it, you will die. If you don't change it, you will die."

……

In March 1072, the "Market Exchange Law" was implemented in Kaifeng, and the Market Exchange Office was established. The court allocated million strings of cash as capital to purchase unsalable goods from various places at a fair price and sell them when the market was out of stock.

[Merchants mortgaged their assets to the city trader and purchased the city trader's inventory on credit at an annual interest rate of 4% and sold them in various places.]

……

Great Qin.

Ying Zheng looked at the decree and uttered four words.

"Whimsical."

The essence of the Shiyiwu was that the imperial court paid money to operate it.

By purchasing large quantities of goods when prices are low in the market, and then reselling them after prices go high, we can stabilize prices, hoping to protect the interests of ordinary people and crack down on wealthy people who hoard goods and engage in speculation.

That's nice, but impractical.

If the market exchange system was really implemented in the Song Dynasty, the imperial court would become the largest and only "rich merchant".

There will be no more trade and competition in the world, and all commodities will be monopolized by the government.

If this continues to expand, the government's power will be omnipresent and all-encompassing.

All commercial operations will be deprived, from commodities to trade to all land and property owned by the people, all will be violently seized by the government.

……

The period of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty
Liu Fuling and Huo Guang looked at each other and said in unison:
"Equalization Law!"

This is Sang Hongyang’s price stabilization method!

This Wang Anshi is a member of the Legalist family!
It's really a way to enrich a country...

If the government takes charge of everything, it is easy to create such a situation.

The imperial court monopolized all products, and all transactions were handled entirely by government officials.

Even if this cannot be achieved, the court must set the price. Otherwise, the so-called goal of stabilizing prices cannot be achieved.

But whether this is competing with the people for profit or the people not being taxed more and the world being well-off... it is hard to say.

Wang Anshi's reforms will certainly enrich the country, but as for whether they will enrich the people...

Just look at the implementation of the Qingmiao Law and you will know.

It was Fan Zhongyan's important order that was the foundation of Wang Anshi's reform.

Otherwise, if the next one becomes another, it will be difficult for the people not to rebel.

The amount of tax added on a single basis is indeed not much, but when added up it is indeed a lot!
If the local officials make some more moves...

……

【Because of the various drawbacks of the new law, Wang Anshi was attacked from all sides. 】

[For example, those who opposed the Qingmiao Law included Han Qi, Fu Bi, Ouyang Xiu, Cheng Hao, etc.]

【Those who opposed the equalization of transport system included Su Shi, Su Zhe, etc. 】

[Those who opposed the Market Exchange Law included Wen Yanbo and others.]

[The famous historian Sima Guang opposed almost every policy of Wang Anshi...]

[But their reasons for opposition are often based on facts, which also makes the implementation of the new law encounter great resistance. ]

……

{I’m sorry! But I couldn’t help laughing when I saw Sima Guang objecting to almost every point! He’s such a polemicist!}
{When we were studying "Answering Sima Jianyi", the teacher specifically mentioned that they spoke well of each other and said that the other was a true gentleman. (dog head)}
{Almost the same. Although there are party disputes, there are bottom lines, and they are basically still at the stage of dealing with the issue rather than the person.}
{Wang Anshi's reforms in the court were more about a dispute over values ​​than a dispute over interests.}
{As for the understanding of the world's wealth, most opponents believe that wealth is constant, but Wang Anshi seeks to open up new sources of wealth.}
{And his reform spirit, which was even more radical than Fan Zhongyan's, also disgusted many ministers.}
{On the other hand, the so-called opposition and conservative factions such as Fan Chunren and Zeng Gong all came to support the new law after local practice.}
{Su Shi used the law to facilitate the people in the local area. Later, Zhang Dun and others also sought to adjust and reform the law. Sima Guang also supported the square field equal tax law.}
{The new law was used by officials to govern the country. If it worked, they would use it. It did not rise to the level of ideology. Because at that stage, even Wang Anshi had feudal ideas, which were given by the historical background. There was no essential difference.}
……

Great Qin.

Ying Zheng didn't understand what came next, but he didn't want to ask.

What is feudal consciousness?

What does this have to do with the Zhou Dynasty?
What does consciousness have to do with establishing a state?

baffling.

……

Big man.

I felt three pairs of eyes staring at me.

Liu Bang was stunned.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"What can Nai Gong know!"

"but……"

Leaning back, Liu Bang said lazily:
"What about the historical background... This sentence is very interesting."

"In fact, after watching the sky curtain for so long, Nai Gong has been thinking about a few things."

"Why did the First Emperor and Xiang Yu both think of the period of war among the feudal lords?"

"Why did Naigong defeat Xiang Ji?"

"Why did the Han Dynasty last for four hundred years?"

Liu Bang stroked his beard and gave a knowing smile.

"These four words, historical background, made me understand."

The other three looked at each other.

What did you understand?
I do not know!

I...seem...to understand something.

Lu Zhi and Liu Ying glanced at the little guy in the middle.

What do you understand!
“There are very few people who can see the way forward without taking the historical context into account.”

“It’s even rarer to find people who can see the way forward and keep their feet on the ground.”

"The only one who can be down-to-earth and achieve something...hahahaha! It's Naigong!"

Liu Bang laughed out loud with a tremor of his robe sleeves.

The extremely wild laughter echoed in the Linhua Palace.

Liu Ying and little Liu Heng looked at their father in this state and felt admiration for him.

And Lu Zhi...

A blush appeared on her cheeks without her noticing.

She just put her hand over her heart.

The pounding of her heart made her very flustered.

This feeling... this feeling...

Yes!

I was scared by him!
Damn it! Why are you laughing so loudly?
……

【Wang Anshi's reforms did increase the financial revenue of the Song Dynasty.】

[After several years of implementation, the history books commented that "the treasuries at home and abroad were all filled, and the money and rice accumulated in small towns did not decrease by less than 200,000 yuan."]

[Annual income is 60% higher than during the reign of Emperor Renzong]

【But this kind of national wealth is based on the poverty of the people. 】

[The imperial court set the interest rate for the "Qingmiao Law" at 20%, but local governments raised it to 40% or 60% without authorization.]

[The imperial court wanted to suppress private merchants, so the localities replaced them with even worse official merchants.]

[The imperial court wanted to replace corvée with money, so the localities tried desperately to collect money.]

[No matter how good the original motivation of a measure is, local officials who implement it can always insert their own private agenda into it.]

[The policy went against its original intention during implementation, and the result is predictable.]

……

(End of this chapter)