Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

If one of Wang Anshi's reforms had all the benefits without any harm, it would undoubtedly be the Farmland Water Conservancy Law.

In the seven years since its implementation, more than 10,000 water conservancy sites have been built across the country, which can irrigate more than 36 million acres of civilian farmland, and a large amount of wasteland has been reclaimed as farmland.

Fu Xingzhong presided over the dredging of mountain and river weirs, and he brought the "Farmland Water Conservancy Law" with him.

Moreover, the government does not need to spend too much money and food, because it can be "divided into an acre". That is, according to the villages that the mountains and rivers flow through, money and people are paid according to the number of acres of land, embodying the principle of "who benefits, who shares the share".

Under normal circumstances, as long as the government does not mess around, the people will actively cooperate.

In each village, there must be countless small disputes. For example, my family's field is obviously further away from the canal, so why should I share it with you? For example, if a canal passes by and takes up a ridge of land from my house, the government should compensate it.

These minor disputes can be handled by the villagers themselves, and the government only needs to force them to do so.

This is the literal meaning of "spreading a small amount into an acre".

The essence of what Yongzheng did was to change some local taxes into national taxes and link them to land properties in order to stabilize tax collection (it was also tried in the Southern Song Dynasty and achieved certain results).

Zhang Juzheng implemented a whipping method, and the corvee was collected in silver taels, which was called "Dingwei money".

In the Ming Dynasty, "Dingwei money" was used for local expenditures and did not need to be handed over to the central government.

In the second year after Chongzhen ascended the throne, he thought about handing over the money in proportion. But until he twisted his neck and hung himself from a tree, it was only implemented in some areas.

Yongzheng came very hard, and all provinces across the country had to hand over "Dingwei money" and spread the "Dingwei money" into the land tax. This is the so-called "divide the Dingwei money into the land tax". Some provinces turn over a smaller proportion, while others turn over a larger proportion. The overall average is about 80%.

For example, a city wall in a certain county collapsed, and corvees were required to repair the wall.

In the Ming Dynasty, the county collected 10,000 taels of Dingwei money, which could all be used to build the city wall.

After Yongzheng, 8,000 taels needed to be handed over to the central government first, leaving the local government with only 2,000 taels left to handle matters.

What should I do if the project funds are not enough?

Either raise taxes or apportion.

It means that nothing has changed. The corvee still has to be levied when it should be levied, and the landlord just pays an extra amount. The landowners will pass the losses on to the tenants.

So, it is purely to collect more taxes.

There are also benefits: the central government's finances have increased, household registration management has been relaxed, social population mobility has become more active, and most ordinary people do not have to bear the burden of money.

By the way, no matter how powerful Yongzheng was, he did not implement the system of allotment throughout the country. The reform was completely completed during the Guangxu period. The driving force behind the reform was that the Qing government was short of money and forced provinces that had not implemented it to hand it over.

…

Fu Xingzhong took several officials and more than a dozen soldiers to inspect the Hanzhong Basin by boat and horseback.

Whenever he arrives in a county, he first contacts the county magistrate and convenes a meeting with local officials.

Then he visited Shanhe Weir on the spot and discussed the situation with local gentry. There were many country gentry who came as free attendants.

According to Zhu Guoxiang's plan, the management of the mountain and river weirs will be completed in three years: in the first year, the original weirs and canals will be dredged; in the second year, additional weirs will be excavated from Baocheng to Xixian, and from Nanzheng (Hanzhong Prefecture) to the city The section was solidified; in the third year, the Shanhe Weir was extended to Yangzhou.

After the project is completed, the Shanhe Weir will be completely integrated into the Hanjiang River system and will benefit the entire Hanzhong Basin.

The food supply in Hanzhong Basin is very likely to double as a result!

Double is not an adjective, but a statement of fact. There is a huge difference in yield between dry fields and paddy fields. Moreover, in a disaster year, the dry fields are likely to have no harvest.

The preliminary preparation work for the Shanhe Canal was carried out in conjunction with Zhu Guoxiang's Fangtian Order. Because the construction of canals is divided according to the land acres, the number of acres must be found out first, otherwise there is no telling how many wealthy households will pass on the corvee labor.

After visiting for more than a month, Fu Xingzhong returned to Hanzhong Fucheng with a thick set of drawings.

"A great victory, a great victory. The general wiped out 100,000 enemy soldiers in Zitong. There is no strong enemy on the road to Chengdu, and the troops are empty. It depends on the message..."

More than a dozen officials took Lubu and read it throughout the city, and then went out of the city to preach, and then went to other states and counties.

The whole city of Hanzhong was abuzz with excitement, and countless people rushed to tell the news.

These days, good news comes one after another.

Sometimes a good news report was sent from the front line, and Zhu Guoxiang deliberately broke it into several copies and released them separately seven or eight days apart.

Even if Ju Ming detached hundreds of soldiers to occupy a remote empty city, he could use them alone to promote it. Just like those small county towns, there are really a large number of officers and soldiers stationed there.

This creates an atmosphere: the rebels always win battles, and great victories come every now and then, and the officers and soldiers simply cannot resist them.

Not long after Fu Xingzhong entered the city, he saw hundreds of people standing in front of the dew cloth and watching. There are scholars reading loudly, and the people standing outside can hear it.

"If this continues, Mr. Zhu will be the emperor!"

"How can the rebel army be won without fighting?"

"It's not that the officers and soldiers didn't fight without fighting, it's that the general is very powerful. Didn't you hear Lubri say that the general led hundreds of cavalry and charged into the formation, killing thousands of officers and soldiers, all the way to the Chinese army's formation, and chopped down the banner? Was the enemy commander captured alive?"

"I heard that the general knows magic. He learned the magic from overseas from Prime Minister Zhu."

"I have known for a long time that Xingyuan Mansion...no, it should be called Hanzhong Fucheng. It was captured by the general who invited meteorites."

"Don't talk nonsense. The general is both civil and military. Fighting relies on strategy and martial arts. Capturing the enemy commander alive among thousands of troops is a peerless general. Xiang Yu's resurrection is nothing more than this."

"Han Erlang, you've also read a book, why don't you become an official soon? You still have time to watch Lu Bu with us."

"I went to ask for an official in the past two days. I knew that Zhu Xianggong could succeed. I was watching the stars for Xianggong Zhu a few days ago. Yesterday, I got the horoscope. The guest star invaded the Ziwei Palace, and the Ziwei star was dim. This was a sign from heaven to the Song Dynasty. It must perish, a new king has arrived, and the dynasty will soon change!"

"Didn't you say last month that the Emperor's Star is so bright that rebels will perish?"

"This moment is the same as that moment. The stars are unpredictable, and it is difficult for mortals to understand them. They change day and night, not to mention that it has been more than a month."

"..."

Fu Xingzhong was amused and continued walking to Zhu Guoxiang's residence.

But he saw more than twenty scholars gathered outside the yamen.

These guys had been holding a wait-and-see attitude. When they learned that all the officers and soldiers in Chengdu Fulu were wiped out and that the rebels' occupation of the Chengdu Plain was a foregone conclusion, they finally couldn't help themselves and came to seek an official position.

Suddenly, an official came out and announced: "The Prime Minister (Zhu Guoxiang) asked me to pass on a message. All the kings are the pillars of the country. If they have talents, they must be reused. There will be another exam after the spring of next year. Please come back next year. .”

The scholars seemed very anxious. If they wait until next year, all the good jobs will be taken up.

Now everyone is beginning to regret that they should not wait and see. Those scholars and officials who were quick to become thieves had reached the highest level of knowing the state, but they themselves were compared with those of subordinate officials!

A scholar asked: "Can we still sign up at this time to be field inspectors in various counties? We don't want anything. We will bring our own expenses and inspect each county, just to check for errors and omissions and gain some political achievements."

"That's right, that's right, bring your own money to be an inspector, it won't cost Zhu Xianggong any money or food!" The other scholars agreed.

The subordinate officer said: "Everyone, wait a moment."

The official went in to ask for instructions, and came back after a while: "Mr. Jianglue said that you can be an inspector, but you are not allowed to take the opportunity to harass the local area, and you are not allowed to eat for free in the countryside. Once such behavior is found, you will be punished. The roster will never be filled! If you are willing, just come in and get your badge."

"Yes, yes!"

When a group of scholars rushed in and could easily become officials, they watched with cold eyes. Nowadays, it is more difficult to be an official. Instead, he is so enthusiastic that he is willing to work as an inspector at his own expense just to accumulate political achievements before being officially hired.

Fu Xingzhong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. With these guys eager for political achievements watching, it is estimated that clearing the land will be smoother, and officials and landowners will be caught if they are not careful.

After waiting for a moment, Fu Xingzhong was invited in.

Zhu Guoxiang asked his entourage to watch the tea and asked with a smile: "How was the investigation?"

Fu Xingzhong held out a thick stack of drawings, pulled out the top one and said: "This is the mountain and river weir map from Baocheng to the northeast of Nanzheng (the first phase of the project). According to the old map preserved in the early Song Dynasty, many places need to be omitted. Change, after all, things have changed over time.”

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "What is the attitude of the people?"

Fu Xingzhong said: "The gentry are the most active and willing to provide money, food and people. If there are disputes, they will mediate on their own. The common people are more indifferent, but they do not resist it."

This stems from Zhu Guoxiang's popular prestige, and he has never gone back on his words, so his credibility is directly boosted.

To put it bluntly, the Zhu family and his son may have been exterminated by the imperial court, but the built mountain and river weirs have always been there, and the landlords can enjoy their benefits for a long time.

Zhu Guoxiang could get the gentry and landlords to work together to build the weir, but Song officials could not. Because credibility is so poor, the landlords don't trust the government even if they make wild claims. They always feel that those guys want to take advantage of the opportunity.

"How much food is needed for one period?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Fu Xingzhong said: "After taking into account the people's apportionment, the Jinglue Mansion still has to allocate 5,000 guan in money and 8,000 shi in grain."

"Yes, I will raise funds as soon as possible." Zhu Guoxiang expressed satisfaction because it was so cheap.

It was so cheap, so of course the common people paid the bulk of it.

Zhu Guoxiang added: "The Ministry of Economic Affairs has officially established the Water Conservancy Department, and you will be fully responsible for it. Officials and officials will be transferred to you. It is best to start construction as soon as possible and repair it before spring plowing."

The water conservancy project connecting the two counties has two main weirs and many branch weirs. The construction period is very tight in one winter.

Even if all the village elders join forces, if there is heavy snow, they will probably not be able to complete the task.

Fu Xingzhong pointed to the drawings and said: "It is guaranteed to dredge the two main weirs, but the branch weirs may not be able to do so. In particular, the branch weirs that connect the two main weirs and the Han River are almost completely blocked, and it is no different from re-excavation." "

Zhu Guoxiang said: "You don't have to worry about how much you will plant this year. The rest will be dug after spring plowing next year."

"yes!"

Fu Xingzhong was very ambitious, and serving as an official under Zhu Guoxiang was much more interesting than serving as an official in the Song Dynasty.

There were many things that he wanted to do but could not do before.