Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 458: The Yellow Book of the Great Zhou Dynasty (Special thanks to the book friend 2017…3466 for the 2 monthly tickets!)

On July 20th of the 33rd year of Kaixi, after more than half a year of traveling to various states across the country, Ding Wei, who was in charge of the national census, returned to Bian Jing.

Chai Zongxun summoned Ding Wei to the Yangxin Palace.

After the greeting, Chai Zongxun saw that Ding Wei had lost at least two sizes of weight, and his skin had become darker and rougher. He couldn't help but laugh:

"Lord Ding, it seems you have suffered a lot in the past six months for the national census."

Ding Wei bowed and said:

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your grace and concern!

It is my duty to compile statistics on the national conditions and situation for Your Majesty. I do not find it tiring at all, but rather enjoy it."

Chai Zongxun immediately ordered Ding Wei to sit down and asked him to give a brief report on the general situation of the national census.

After Ding Wei thanked him and sat down, he took out a beautifully bound booklet from his bosom and said:

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this time I led more than 100 officials from the Ministry of Revenue to rush to various prefectures across the country, mobilizing more than 2 million local officials and spending half a year to compile detailed information on the country’s fields, population, workshops, businesses, and shops, totaling more than 600 volumes of files.

This is the summary of the national census results. Your Majesty, please have a look at it."

The chief eunuch Tang Qi, who was standing behind Chai Zongxun, walked down the jade steps, took the booklet and presented it on the imperial desk in front of Chai Zongxun.

Chai Zongxun casually flipped open the booklet and read a few pages. He saw that Ding Wei had classified the statistical data in an accounting way and wrote it in an orderly manner.

Ding Wei said excitedly:
"Your Majesty, according to the statistics collected by me over the past six months, our Great Zhou Empire currently has a land area of ​​1 billion hectares ( million square kilometers). As of May this year, the population has reached million! Among them, there are more than million minors under the age of , accounting for % of the total population.

There are 2.2 billion hectares of farmland in the country, of which 1.8 billion hectares are farmland and 400 million hectares are pastures.

The number of workshops in the country, based on the number of employed workers, was 3.2 million, with an average of eleven employees.

There are 2.16 million businesses in more than 1,500 state capitals across the country, including more than 1.3 million domestic trade businesses and more than 800,000 businesses specializing in maritime trade. The average number of employees is 12.

There are more than 5.2 million shops in all counties and cities across the country, and the total number of adults engaged in industry and commerce exceeds 62 million!"

Chai Zongxun was very pleased and said:
"Excellent! For the first time in Chinese history, the adult population engaged in industry and commerce in our Great Zhou has exceeded the agricultural population, reaching more than 60%!

The population under the age of 16 accounts for 34% of the total population, and the population structure is full of vitality! "

The emperor and his ministers talked for a long afternoon. According to Chai Zongxun's analysis of the data, the annual GDP of the Great Zhou with a population of 150 million is above the 4 billion taels of silver line, and the per capita GDP exceeds 25 taels.

The national treasury tax revenue is currently around 1.2 billion taels per year, and the tax rate is less than 30% of GDP.

Chai Zongxun said:

“Minister Ding Aiqing did a great job in presiding over the national census this time!
After the data from this census is sorted and improved, it will be stored in the "Star Picking Building" for safekeeping, so that it can be consulted when needed in the future, and a national census will be conducted again from time to time. "

Ding Wei said:
"I will obey your majesty's order!

Your Majesty has completed such a detailed national census for the first time in Chinese history, and we are honored to share the honor.

I beg your Majesty to name the book that results from this investigation!"

Population statistics have a long history in China. As early as the Warring States Period, the Qi State had already said, "At the end of autumn, the people are often reviewed." When the Qin Dynasty unified the country, the "reporting system" for evaluating local officials included household registration, and the central government required local governments to report the changes in household registration numbers.

However, the national census covering all major economic items ordered by Chai Zongxun this time is indeed the first in Chinese history, or even in world history. Chai Zongxun pondered for a moment and said:
"The national census data is of great significance. These books will be called the 'Yellow Book of the Great Zhou Dynasty'."

After Ding Wei bowed and expressed his gratitude, he left the hall and went to the Ministry of Revenue to check the use of silver from the national census.

In the morning court sessions of the following few days, the emperor and his ministers heatedly discussed the national strength reflected in the national census data and summarized the gains and losses of government policies since the Kaixi period.

On August 2, the 33rd year of Kaixi, there was an early morning court session.

The Prime Minister Li Hang came out and said:
"Your Majesty, I and the other ministers in the cabinet have been studying the Yellow Book of the Great Zhou these days. We have drafted three policies based on the current national situation. I beg Your Majesty to correct them."

Chai Zongxun said:

"That is what Minister Li and the other ministers in the cabinet have come up with after several days of careful research. There must be a good plan!

Tell me quickly."

After Li Hang thanked him, he said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the first item:
Today, the population of our Great Zhou has grown to 150 million, and the people are well-fed and well-clothed and are becoming increasingly prosperous.

Although the proportion of widows, widowers, and orphans in the total population is decreasing, their total number is increasing.

In the early years of Kaixi, His Majesty ordered Prime Minister Li to build "orphanages" throughout the country to take care of orphans, the elderly, and the disabled who had no ability to survive in society. It was a benevolent policy for the time being and saved countless lives.

Today, the population has increased nearly tenfold compared to the early years of Kaixi, but the "orphanage" to help the widowed, the widowed and the lonely has not been built, which is obviously insufficient.

As for the various Central Asian Star religions, Khitan, Khwarezm and other places that Your Majesty has newly incorporated into the territory, the number of people struggling to survive due to the war for several years is even more incalculable. "

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

“This is an excellent proposal.

Over the years, I have been busy expanding my territory externally and establishing systems internally to lay an everlasting foundation for my Great Zhou. I did not notice that the "poor houses" across the country have long been insufficient.

As for the people in the newly conquered Xingxing Sect and Khitan lands, they will from now on become the subjects of our Great Zhou and will be treated equally with our Han people.

This proposal is approved. "

After Li Hang bowed and thanked him, he continued:

"Your Majesty, regarding the second item, our Great Zhou Empire is vast, with complex terrain and a large population. Although the annual climate disasters are not serious, the total number is not small.

When climate disasters occurred, the imperial court would open "charity granaries" and release grain to help the people, so that the victims would not suffer from hunger or cold.

However, in recent years, with the development of the commodity economy of our Great Zhou, the people have become increasingly wealthy. Every time a natural disaster occurs, the property losses of the affected people have become more and more.

For many disaster-stricken families, decades of accumulated wealth was wiped out overnight.

I think the court could set up a "natural disaster assistance fund" to help the people affected by the disaster to resume production and life as soon as possible and maintain their previous livelihoods, so that they will not become poor overnight due to natural disasters. "

Chai Zongxun was very pleased and said:
"Lord Li is indeed a talent for the country, and is good at finance!
Financial assistance to the disaster-stricken people is very important. It can help them resume their old jobs as soon as possible and avoid falling into poverty due to a natural disaster. It is also greatly beneficial to the stability of the country.

This second one is also approved.”

(End of this chapter)