Survival Three Kingdoms

Chapter 307 The Annoyance of Population

Zhou Cang racked his brains to come up with three points, but it was really beyond his power. This is thanks to the fact that the firm is in his own hands and can be regulated. If it is free trade, it will be troublesome.These three measures are enough to support two or three years, and the pressure will be reduced when sending troops to Liaodong, and then we can consider setting up banks to use a little monetary policy in the future.Zhou Cang made up his mind to occupy Liaodong and began to issue his own currency.

"Zhang Jin will go to Jiangdong in a few days to negotiate the exchange of Jian'an paper for food. If he is generous, he will send a knife to the big families for trial. If he is addicted to it, we don't need us to find him. He will come to ask for it. Jingzhou can go find it. Cai Mao, promised to hand over the trade of Jian'an paper to him as the sole agent of the Cai family, and still exchange medicinal materials and grain. I heard that the two lakes are ripe again this year, so how can I get 50 million shi from him?" When it comes to food issues, Zhou Cang was eloquent. "Food is still an important guarantee for Xuzhou at present and in the future. The idea of ​​commercial banks subsidizing farmers is good, but do you think there are other ways?"

Zhou Wen suggested that the trading company make a bargain and sell it at a price lower than the purchase price. Immediately, he himself felt unreliable: those farmers don’t need to grow grain, they just need to buy from the commercial company and sell it to the commercial company or give tax credits to the Finance and Taxation Department to count the money. .He thought of another way: create registries for peasant households, prohibit them from buying grain, and deny themselves before they speak out.

Zhang Jin said: "Farmers should be encouraged to grow grain, not forced. It must be profitable for farmers. As for how to benefit, we can think of a way."

After all, he was a young man with a lively mind, and a simple sentence gave everyone a little light in the darkness.

Su Ping said: "Well, this is beneficial. It is not necessary to subsidize the merchants, which will inevitably increase the price. The Lord's method of reducing and exempting the agricultural tax is far-sighted. I think it is feasible. Without the agricultural tax, the burden on the farmers will be reduced. Naturally There is no need to increase the purchase price.”

Turning around and then transferring to the agricultural tax, only then did everyone realize Zhou Cang's good intentions.Zhou Cang never thought that he would benefit from lowering the agricultural tax.

"My lord, I thought of another way. Create a registration for farmers. Depending on how much they pay, they can reduce or exempt corvee. How about non-farmers not being exempt?" Zhou Wen felt that his method of creating registration for farmers was still useful.

Zhang Shuang nodded, "This method is good. It doesn't need to pay more money, and it can let farmers farm with peace of mind. But what about the shortage of corvees?" Xuzhou now has many places that need corvees for building roads and bridges, controlling floods, reclaiming land, building cities and repairing houses.

"Farmers can be rewarded for their corvée service, and the longest period will not exceed two months." Zhou Wen replied.

We still need to give money, but this money is not to subsidize the price of food, but to the wages of the farmers. The farmers still focus on farming, and let the farmers work part-time during the slack season, which is equivalent to subsidizing the family.

The power of the masses is enormous, and the wisdom of the collective is infinite. Zhou Cang feels that the burden on himself will not be so heavy in the future.

"Yuanfang's suggestion is good, but it needs to be considered carefully. Don't solve one problem and cause more troubles. Yuanfang, you, Ji Bi and Su Ping, work together carefully and come up with a detailed plan." Zhou Cang said, I didn't expect that a jar of wine and a knife of paper would cause so many things. "By the way, when it comes to reducing or exempting corvee, I suggest that college students who are studying can count as one, but only for themselves."

Mi Fang felt more and more that the Economics Department was not easy to do. It seemed simple, but it really had to be carefully grasped, and all kinds of affairs were constantly cut and messed up. It was not easy to find the best balance. "My lord, we have been farming for many years and there is no shortage of food and grass. Why do we need to buy food so much?"

"A lot? I don't think there is much." Zhou Cang shook his head and said, "What is most important in troubled times, one is to have people, and the other is to have food, especially food. Only when there is food will there be people. If there is food in the family, don't panic. .”

"My lord's words are very true." Zhang Jiong said in agreement.He knew very well that the food needed for sending troops to Liaodong, stabilizing Liaodong, and resettling the refugees would be in the millions, and Zhou Cang's preparations were not overstated.Especially if you want to gain a firm foothold in Liaodong and win people's hearts, food is the biggest weapon.

"That's all for today's discussion. When you go back, everyone should think about it carefully. It doesn't matter if you slow down, and stability is the first." Zhou Cang set the tone again, "You all know about the establishment of medals. The first batch of medals are already famous. Lord, if you do a good job, you will be rewarded with a medal."

"Yes!" Seeing other people's medals, those who didn't get them were extremely jealous. With Zhou Cang's words, they will try their best to get one. It is not only their own merit, but it can also be passed on to their families in the future.

"There is one more thing, please let me know. During the Battle of Guandu, refugees from Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou flooded into Xuzhou. After the war, they were curbed a little, but they still didn't stop. The officials in the neighboring counties of the three states negotiated with us many times and asked to stop accepting them. We have been ignoring them all the time." Chen Jiao said.

"It's a joke, the legs grow on people, they can't keep them, so can you blame us?" Zhou Cang asked, "I never asked, what is the current population of Xuzhou?"

"Excluding the two counties of Dongnae and Chengyang, there were 37 households and 160 million people at the end of last year. Now there are probably 38 households and 1605 million people. Including the two counties, it is estimated that there are 42 households and 180 million people. "

"Too little, too little." Zhou Cang shook his head. In later generations, a province with a population of over [-] million is a drizzle, but now it is only one percent, isn't it small?

Chen Jiao's face was turning green, that's not enough. "Master, Xuzhou has such a large population that it is already a large state. The arable land is insufficient now, and it will be difficult to maintain any more. Moreover, the population has dropped sharply due to the wars in the past few years. Under the management of the Lord, the population has increased sharply in the past two years. No It will exceed 200 million in three years!"

Forget about this, people are born, and more and more people are born.Zhou Cang smiled secretly, he still couldn't get rid of the logic and thinking of later generations. "Since people have arrived in Xuzhou, they are optimistic about Xuzhou and Zhou Cang. It is impossible to send them back. You can reassure the people and make those three states give up. As for the future, whether they can stop or keep people's hearts is their business. But when they get to the border of Xuzhou, they are my Zhoucang people, if they dare to cross the border and arrest people, I don’t mind keeping their heads.”

Say it proudly!Let go!
Zhou Cang also said: "All those who come to Xuzhou get along with the people of Xuzhou on an equal footing and are treated equally. As for the lack of arable land, don't destroy forests and reclaim wasteland, fill in swamps and expand fields. You can arrange people to work in various workshops to support their families. From now on, women can also Migrant workers, separate work from male workers, and do not discriminate against female workers. Dongnae and Seongyang counties are underpopulated, so move the refugees to [-] households, and tell them that as long as they work hard, I promise to feed their families!"

There is still a shortage of people in mining and metallurgy in Donglai. If there are workers, people will naturally need someone to wash and cook for them. This is the simplest economic principle.There is also Liaodong, the population of Liaodong is even more pitiful.

(End of this chapter)