The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"Xingben, why did you say that the arena was built near Yanping Gate?" Li Fu asked with a smile, "Most of it occupies the area of ​​Yonghefang."

"There are fewer people here, but more land, so there are not so many people living here." Jiang Que said, "The east side of Chang'an City is more prosperous than the west side. You can see it from the East and West Markets. There are fewer shops in the East Market, but the things are precious. There are more shops and stalls in the West Market, and the things are cheap. Ordinary people in Chang'an City can afford them. Well... To put it bluntly, the southwest side of Chang'an City is poor."

"That's right." Li Fu nodded and responded, "The north-south direction is divided into the east and the west with Zhuque Street as the central axis. People living in the east are richer than those living in the west. There is the East Market in the east, as well as several famous temples. There are Furong Garden and Qujiang Pond in the southeast corner, where literati and poets often gather."

And there is nothing to show off in the west that can attract people to come here, so there are mostly ordinary houses, and even the houses are just thatched houses.

The north and south of Chang'an City are divided by the avenue between Jinguang Gate and Chunming Gate. In the middle is the Suzaku Gate of the imperial city. On the left and right are Buzhengfang and Chongrenfang. To the north, there are mostly deep mansions and courtyards. The houses of the court nobles are scattered on both sides of the imperial city. Going out of Xuanwu Gate in the north is the West Inner Courtyard. In other words, the north and the center of Chang'an City are the most honorable, followed by the two sides, and then the east of Suzaku Street. The closer to the imperial city, the more prosperous it is. "

"From Yanping Gate to Anhua Gate, draw a line between these two gates. What kind of people live in this corner?"

"Ordinary people, even ordinary people, are not as good as the several squares in this corner. Even the thatched houses are considered to be places with better living environments. Most of them are tents, which are temporarily built and can only shelter from rain but not wind.

After the curfew, all the beggars and unemployed people in Chang'an City gathered here. "

"I came from Banzhengfang. Along the way, I saw the mansions of nobles, the courtyards of ordinary people, the houses of ordinary people, and the huts and shanties around the construction site. These changes only took half an hour. "

"Your Highness, are you inspired by this?" Jiang Que asked: "Chang'an City is obviously the capital of the Tang Dynasty and the most prosperous city in the world, but under the same prosperity, there is also a side that the court officials and nobles cannot see."

"Or, it's not that they can't see this side, but they don't take it to heart and just ignore it."

Li Fu nodded.

"That's a bit like that. What kind of people are the craftsmen recruited on this construction site?"

Jiang Que responded: "They are all people affected by the locust plague, and there are also unemployed people in Chang'an City who come to the construction site to work and earn money. I know the people on the construction site. ”

“After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the government also checked and supplemented the household registration. How could there be so many unemployed people under the emperor’s feet?” Li Fu was curious.

Wude lasted for nine years, Zhenguan lasted for two years, and the Tang Dynasty has only been established for eleven years.

“There are many reasons. In fact, the unemployed people in Chang’an City used to be farmers, or city residents, doing small business. But people can’t always be smooth sailing. Farmers have land, but when they encounter something and need money, they can only sell their land or even houses. ”

“Businessmen make profits and losses. Losses are okay. If you want to turn things around, you borrow money, owe debts, and people come to collect money, you also have to sell your belongings. In the end, you can’t turn things around and become unemployed. ”

“This time, the construction of the arena does not impose corvée labor, but is hired, which really gives them a way out.” Jiang Confirmed said seriously: “At least you can make money.”

“Right, this is the benefit of hiring. "Li Fu said: "Although the imperial court has the right to impose corvée, for the people, it is free work, while hiring, although it costs money, has a great impact. Those who once lost their homes and could only live in shanties because of various things, now have such an opportunity to make money, can make a comeback, make money and improve their lives, isn't this good?"

"It was first implemented in Zhuangzi, and the effect is obvious." Li Fu smiled.

Li Fu is a county prince and has a fiefdom. Within the scope of the fiefdom, he, as a county prince, also has the right to impose corvée.

"Chang'an City, the foot of the emperor, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, how prosperous it will be in the future is just our imagination, but at present, we are all trying our best to make Chang'an better." Li Fu said: "Do you think it is possible to replace all the labor and miscellaneous labor in corvée with hiring in the future. "

So-called corvée labor is not just hiring people to work for free to build palaces and repair rivers.

Corvée labor is also divided into different types.

But all corvée labor is the court forcing people to do unpaid labor..

Including forced labor, miscellaneous labor, and military service.

Since the Zhou Dynasty, there have been relevant regulations. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were services such as guards, regular soldiers, and garrison soldiers. In the following dynasties, there were many types of corvée labor, and the methods were harsh, cruelly exploiting the poor people.

"Your Highness, the idea is good, but the court doesn't have that much money." Jiang Que smiled bitterly: "The construction of this arena was funded by the Da'an Palace, and the emperor was the emperor. The emperor has his own treasury, which is not in the same place as the Taiji Palace, so he can spend it however he wants. I also know that the emperor has a share in the tea business, so he is not short of money."

"But your majesty's treasury and the court's treasury are different. There are many things to do and many places to spend money. The officials in the court who manage money would like to spend ten cents a penny and let the court pay for labor service to turn the original free project into a costly project. I am afraid that after this proposal is put forward, someone will want to hit the pillar in the court the next day to ask your majesty to take back his order. So, it won't work. Your Highness's idea is still too simple."

"The court is really poor."

Li Fu said a very heartbreaking fact.

Jiang Que also smiled bitterly.

Yes, the court is poor.

If the imperial court was not poor, it would have marched north to fight the Turks on the grasslands. How could it tolerate the Turks' rampage?

"Not everyone has the talent of your Highness, and can make money easily." Jiang Que sighed.

"Oh, I don't make money easily. I have made a lot of preparations in the early stage." Li Fu smiled and said, "It's not that easy."

How many lives have been lost in the tea trade? How many more lives will be lost to keep this source of wealth?

Is it easy?

However, Jiang Que was right. He was indeed inspired by what he saw in Chang'an City, and his ideas were a bit too idealistic.

Need to reflect.