My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 330 The Other Side of the Prosperous World

"emperor……"

"Um……"

···
"Your Majesty, do you feel that the local counties in Guandong have not done enough to relocate heroes from all over the world to strengthen Guanzhong and consolidate the foundation of the country over the past few years?"

After a brief silence, Empress Dowager Dou asked this question, which officially kicked off the meeting between the two "emperors" of the Han Dynasty regarding Liu Rong's mausoleum system.

——On the premise that the mausoleum of the previous emperor, Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi, Yangling, is still 'vacant' and can still accommodate tens of thousands of immigrants from Guandong, the current Liu Rong still decides to build a Maoling for himself that can accommodate 200,000 people in one go!

If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely think Liu Rong was crazy!

You have to know that the entire Guandong, including Yan, Dai, Zhao in the north, Bashu, Hanzhong in the southwest, and even Baiyue in the south, has a total population of less than 20 million!

What does it mean to relocate more than 200,000 local tyrants from Kanto at one time?
Two hundred thousand out of twenty million people - a ratio of one percent!
On average, one out of every hundred people in Guandong was forcibly relocated to Guanzhong because they were "too powerful to be controlled", "bullying the people in their hometown", and "two thousand stones were too powerful to govern"!
This ratio is too exaggerated.

You must know that the reason why local tyrants are called "tyrants" and the reason why "two thousand stone officials cannot govern" is precisely because they have accumulated a small part of the wealth of several counties, or even a county or a country.

In addition to wealth, they also have complex connections in both the black and white worlds to match their wealth.

Finally, in addition to this - in addition to the connections and protection that can protect them, they also have the ability to protect their own wealth, industry, and power.

To put it nicely, it was 'thousands of child servants';
To put it bluntly, they are a disaster to the people and have countless lackeys.

How is it possible that there is only one person like this per every hundred people?
If the ratio is really just 'one in a hundred', then they would not be described as powerful local tyrants who 'cannot be governed by two thousand stones'.

——In the counties, the rank of two thousand stones is directly equated with the title of "county governor"!
If a county with a population of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands really has hundreds or even thousands of "tyrants", then the county governor has nothing to do and can just go find a way to kill himself.

In fact, in a county with a population of 200,000 to 300,000, there are probably no more than five powerful local tyrants who can truly be called "not even two thousand stones can govern".

For example, the negative example of "powerful people bringing disaster to a region" is Hedong County, which has been controlled by the Yang and Bao families since the late years of Emperor Taizong.

For example, the largest grain merchant family in Kanto: the Xuanqu Ren family, controls more than 40% of the Kanto grain market!

Especially during the reign of Emperor Taizong, the Xuanqu Ren family won verbal praise from Emperor Taizong for their family motto: "One shall not have food or clothing unless it comes from the crops and livestock; one shall not drink alcohol or eat meat until official business is completed."

With this, the Xuanqu Ren family completely soared to the top, and with the personal endorsement of the living saint: Emperor Taizong Xiaowen of Han, they firmly established themselves as the leader of the Guandong clan forces.

Such a powerful and influential local tyrant, who was also endorsed by a great sage, was not only a county governor with a salary of 2,000 stones, but also a clan prince with a golden seal and a red ribbon;
——Even in the imperial court of Chang'an, if one wants to deal with such a powerful local tyrant, one has to put in a lot of effort and thought.

As for the family motto of the Xuanqu Ren family, what does it mean?
It is nothing more than: never eat food that is not grown by one's own fields; never wear clothes that are not made of silk from silkworms raised by one's own families;

Before all public obligations - taxes and levies - are paid in full, people must not drink alcohol, eat meat, or gather for banquets.

As we all know, Emperor Taizong lived a frugal life, one could even call him "simple and honest"!
It was obvious that it was natural for Emperor Taizong to praise such a family motto that advocated diligence and thrift and emphasized civic obligations.

Closer to home.

Counting on one's fingers, in the Han Dynasty today - whether in Guanzhong or Guandong, whether in the south or the north, there is only one local tyrant like the Xuanqu Ren family with such influence.

Even the second-rate ones, those powerful families who could at most make the county governors feel troubled but could not cause any trouble to the court in Chang'an, basically only numbered one or two, two or three in each county.

No more than five.

——You have to know that there is competition among the powerful!

Moreover, the competition between the powerful is not a gentle business competition, but a bloody struggle for survival!
Without absorbing as many competitors as possible and forming alliances with those that cannot be absorbed, the powerful will never be able to become one of the "powerful".

This is precisely the reason why the Han Dynasty's mausoleum system has become somewhat weak in recent years, and its role in restricting local tyrants in Guandong has gradually become ineffective.

——After the brutal competition and annexation in the early stages of development, the local tyrants who survived the competition, grew stronger and could not do anything to each other will eventually choose to form an alliance.

Take the Yang and Bao families in Hedong County as an example;

Since the early years of Emperor Taizong, these two families have gradually grown into representatives of the powerful local tyrants in Hedong County. In just thirty years, they have already spread their tentacles throughout the military, political, and business circles of Hedong County!

All officials in Hedong County, except for the county magistrate and county lieutenant appointed by the central government in Chang'an, almost all the powerful positions in the county government were divided up by these two families!

Whenever a county magistrate took office, the two families would each send representatives to pay a visit, carrying large and small packages of gifts.

The words are also nice: Upon learning that you have taken office in this county, as the two most prestigious "good gentry" in this county, we dare not fail to visit you with valuable gifts to show our sincere service!
I heard that these two families are the most influential families in the local area, and the newly arrived county governor will most likely be delighted.

——Local tyrant!
——Ready-made political achievements!
——As long as we get rid of these two local bullies, won’t I be able to get whatever I want in this county?

Therefore, the county magistrate righteously rejected the gifts from the Yang and Bao families, and made it clear: You two families should just take care of yourselves!
When the Chang'an court relocates the inhabitants to Shiling next time, I will report both of your families!
Then, the county magistrate was dumbfounded.

——Just when he had clearly stated his attitude of "never going along with Yang and Bao", the county governor's office suddenly stopped working without blinking an eye!

After asking, I found out that except the county governor who was in charge of civil affairs, and the county lieutenant who was in charge of military affairs, all the officials in the county government, such as the chief official, the county magistrate, the captain, the generals, and the officers, were all from the Yang and Bao families without exception!

Either, people from the Yang and Bao families were assigned to these positions;
Or, those who climbed to these positions through their own strength were tied to the Yang and Bao families through means such as marriage.

Of course, key positions such as the capital post, the chief official, and the county magistrate are all either Yang or Bao - they are directly the children of these two families!
When things got to this point, the young and energetic county magistrate finally realized: without the Yang and Bao families, he would not be able to achieve anything, let alone maintain the daily operation of the county government.

So, the situation changed and it was the county magistrate who came with gifts and apologized to the Yang and Bao families in the most humbly possible manner.

——Oops~
——I am too young~
——Without your two families, we in Hedong County won’t be able to accomplish anything!

——Please forgive me, a young man, for my mistakes...

Seeing that the county magistrate was so sensible, the Yang and Bao families did not take offense and immediately restored the county government to normal operations.

Then, he said earnestly to the young and ignorant county magistrate: Oh, it's all a misunderstanding.
You are the governor sent by Chang'an, that is the God of Hedong~
But as the saying goes, it takes three to make a fence, and it takes three to make a hero.

If you want to govern Hedong County well, you still have to rely on us 'good gentry' to do the work...

At this point, the contract was reached. ——The governor of Hedong County won the support of the Yang and Bao families by "not interfering in government affairs", especially not infringing on the interests of the Yang and Bao families.

Although the Yang and Bao families gained power, they did not delay their important work - taxes, levies, labor and service, they were all handled properly.

This went on for several years, and the county magistrate managed to achieve many solid political achievements, and was soon promoted and left.
Afterwards, the Yang and Bao families once again sent people with valuable gifts to visit the newly appointed governor of Hedong County...

"There are some things that my grandson cannot say openly."

"But with the experience of the Royal Grandmother, it should be no problem for her to understand this matter..."

Liu Rong did not directly answer Empress Dowager Dou's question about whether she was dissatisfied with the work of the local counties in Guandong regarding the mausoleum system.

As soon as he gave a vague answer, Liu Rong smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying to himself: "Emperor Taizu Gao worked hard to establish the Liu Han Dynasty, and he told the world: Merchants are the last industry, and their harm is even worse than the corrupt scholars in Lu!"

"The emperor ordered that merchants were not allowed to wear silk or ride in carriages, and were to be registered separately, as they were considered to be different people..."

"He also established the system of mausoleum towns, and moved many local tyrants in Guandong and those who were unable to govern with the 2,000-stone official rank to mausoleum towns, in order to strengthen Guanzhong and consolidate the foundation of the country."

"——The seventh year of Emperor Taizu Gao, the eighth year of Emperor Xiaohui, and the eighth year of Empress Dowager Lü;"

"During the twenty-five years of the Han Dynasty, our Han family relied on the system of Lingyi, so that there was no trouble from powerful people in Guandong and no trouble from clans in the local areas."

···
"When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne from Dai, he was hindered by old ministers such as Chen Ping and Zhou Bo, and the sons of King Daohui of Qi were eyeing him covetously and had ulterior motives in Guandong."

"In order to protect the ancestral temple, Emperor Taizong had no choice but to first abolish the ban on mountains and swamps, then abolish the salt and iron government operations, and even allow the people to privately mint copper coins."

"——People all say: Emperor Taizong reigned for 27 years, and all the people in China were peaceful, no one picked up lost items on the road, and no one locked their doors at night."

"Emperor Taizong also implemented benevolent policies, ensuring that the people had enough food and clothing, and that the merchants had enough products and profits;"

"In this way, for 27 years, all the abandoned things in the country were revived, and the workers and merchants were like fish in water."

"However, the common people of the world do not know the evils here, the nobles and relatives do not care, and the officials know but dare not speak out."

"Even if I am your grandson, I dare not speak honest words that would hurt the virtue of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen..."

Such words not only made Empress Dowager Dou fall into deep thought, but also made Liu Rong fall into a long silence.

There is no doubt that: as the first prosperous period in Chinese feudal history, the contribution of the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing mainly lies in the founder, namely the "Wen" in the two characters "Wenjing".

During the reign of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, the state of Chinese civilization can be completely summarized by the word "loose".

Clan relatives and princes?

——As long as you don’t rebel, it’s up to you!

Mining, minting coins, smelting iron, mining the sea and boiling salt - even if you clearly look like you are planning a rebellion, the Chang'an court will remain tolerant of you until the day you officially raise the flag.

Bottom-class farmers?

Not to mention that.

If you have nothing to eat, then go up the mountain and hunt - Emperor Taizong will reward you with a full stomach!
If you run out of firewood, go up the mountain to cut wood - Emperor Taizong will give you warmth!
Even if you have no money to spend, Emperor Taizong can grant you wealth - just melt some copper and cast it into the shape of coins, and you will have money to spend!
In particular, taxes and levies that truly concern the actual interests of the grassroots people have become the most solid foundation of the rule of Wen and Jing.

——Emperor Wen of Han reigned for twenty-seven years, and for thirteen of those years, he completely exempted agricultural taxes for all people in the world!

Among the remaining fourteen years, agricultural taxes were halved for eleven years, to an ultra-low tax rate of only one in thirty!
Even during the three years when the agricultural tax was collected at the statutory rate of 1 in 15, it was entirely to prevent people from getting used to it and truly regarding Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's benevolent agricultural tax rate of 1 in 30 as "the way it should be."

This is the agricultural tax;

The statutory head tax of the Han Dynasty was one hundred and twenty coins per person per year, but it was tacitly accepted by the people of the world that one hundred coins was paid for every three people, or forty coins per person per year.

Because since the fourth year of Emperor Taizong's reign till now, the Han dynasty has never collected the legal amount of 120 coins per head.
As a result, most people in the world, especially those born in the later years of Emperor Taizong, believed that the Han people's tax had always been 40 coins per person per year...

The clan princes acted recklessly, and the living environment of the lower classes was quite relaxed;
Correspondingly, the development of industry and commerce, as well as the growth and expansion of local powerful and wealthy families, inevitably became an extremely "eye-catching" landscape during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, especially during the more than 20 years of Emperor Taizong.

The reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing was a prosperous era for the common people and also for the powerful and wealthy.

The reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, which lasted for fifty years in history and more than thirty years in this timeline, became an epic breeding ground for the powerful and wealthy to quickly complete primitive accumulation, build up complex forces in the local area, and thus cause trouble to one side!
Therefore, Liu Rong’s answer to Empress Dowager Dou’s question was affirmative.

——In the past thirty years, even if the Han Dynasty’s mausoleum system had not been completely shut down, its effectiveness had already been greatly reduced!

Over the past thirty years, many powerful and wealthy families who should have moved to the mausoleums long ago have repeatedly avoided forced relocation under the protection of local county officials.

Over the years, let alone 200,000 - even in Guandong today, there are 300,000 or 400,000 people who can be labeled as "powerful", and Liu Rong would not be surprised at all!
This time, Liu Rong built the Maoling Town that could accommodate 200,000 people in one go. He was almost telling the world bluntly: I am extremely dissatisfied with the Han Dynasty's mausoleum town system of the past 30 years!

However, this matter, after all, concerns the reputation of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen and even the historical evaluation of the "Reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing";

No matter how young and naive Liu Rong was, he still had to discuss things with the Empress Dowager first.

——Let's discuss how to ensure that the mausoleum town system can once again play its role as a "regulator of national destiny" while at the same time avoiding the political impact of this incident on Emperor Taizong Xiaowen to the greatest extent.

Indeed: Emperor Taizong Xiaowen has become a historical term.

But Liu Rong's surname is Liu.

Liu of Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi;

Liu of Emperor Taizu Gaohuangdi Liu Bang;
Naturally, it is also the Liu in Emperor Taizong Xiaowen: Liu Heng.

For Liu Rong - and for every Han emperor in the lineage of Emperor Taizong - maintaining the political image of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was a political instinct that required no thought at all.

(End of this chapter)