jdhmnovel Chapter 1012
Chapter 1012
"grown ups!"
"Yeah! Let's talk about it after we go inside."
Wei Wu nodded in response, and then everyone followed him into the court.
After everyone was seated, Wei Wu looked at Zhu Zongshan and asked:
"Has the notice for the land tax distribution been posted?"
"It has been posted, and I have specially arranged for someone to read and explain it next to the notice."
"That's good, but it's not enough."
Wei Wu responded and continued:
"Many people are not in the city, and few of them go in. We need to arrange for people to go to the counties, townships, and villages outside the city to announce this matter to them."
"Yes, I will send someone there shortly, but it will take some time."
"That's fine. Implementing the land tax system won't be completed in a day, so there's no time to lose!"
The administrative system established by Zhu Yuanzhang was based on a village consisting of 110 households, with the ten households with the most people and grain contributing taking turns to serve as village heads.
Then a county is composed of one hundred miles, with an area of about fifty miles in radius, but in reality it is adjusted according to regional differences.
Only the township unit does not have a clear definition of how many miles constitute a township, and it is flexibly divided according to different locations.
In the north or marginal areas, a township is about two to five miles long, but in the south, where the population is dense, it is about five to fifteen miles long.
In Jiangnan, the most prosperous area, the jurisdiction of a township is at least ten miles, and the maximum may even reach thirty miles.
That is to say, a township in Jiangnan has about 1,100 to 3,300 households, and each household has about five to six people.
This is also why it is difficult to deal with the gentry and nobles in the Jiangnan region, because there are thousands of people in any village.
The situation during the Hongwu period was still relatively good. Land annexation was still in its initial stages, and many people had their own land.
But in the later period of the Ming Dynasty, all the land was in the hands of the gentry, and the common people basically became their tenants.
The lives and deaths of the tenants were controlled by the gentry. If any of them disobeyed, the gentry could starve them to death with just a word.
The imperial court was burdened with the poll tax, and the land was taken away by the gentry. If one wanted to survive, one had to either become a hermit or serve the gentry as a dog.
Or they could just flee and become refugees. That's why there were so many rebellions in the late Ming Dynasty, and why were there bandits and robbers everywhere?
It is because there are too many people who cannot get enough food, and if these people want to survive, they have to find another way out, even if it is a crooked way.
Li Zicheng was able to successfully rebel because of these people. His team was basically made up of refugees who could not survive.
Although the land-based tax system is not a perfect national policy, it is definitely effective at the current stage and is also the most suitable national policy.
However, the literacy rate in the Ming Dynasty is not high now, and most of the lower-class people cannot understand the notices or the benefits of them.
Therefore, the specific content of this national policy must be made known to the people at the bottom of society and must be firmly remembered in their minds.
In this way, they will not be deceived by the gentry and exploited by them without knowing it.
This is why Wei Wu asked Zhu Zongshan to send people to the countryside, and Zhu Zongshan also understood it.
So after Wei Wu finished speaking, he was immediately ready to let his master carry out the order, but at this time Wei Wu spoke again.
"There's no rush for this. You can first decide on the candidate. Before that, there's something more important."
"Sir, what's the matter?"
Zhu Zongshan bowed and asked, then saw Wei Wu chuckle and said:
"It's very simple. I want to know the news about the young people of the seven families who didn't come yesterday. Does Lord Zhu understand this?"
"I have heard a little about it, but I don't know much about it. However, my advisor is very clear about this matter."
As he spoke, Zhu Zongshan looked directly at his master, and then Wei Wu also looked over.
Seeing that both adults were looking at him, the master quickly cleared his throat and said:
"My Lords, I already knew about this when I compiled the invitation list last time. You are welcome to ask."
"Very good. Then tell me how many young people there are in those seven families. I mean both legitimate and illegitimate children."
Hearing Wei Wu's question, the lawyer immediately took out a booklet from his arms and calculated in his mind.
Later, from the master's answer and explanation, Wei Wu got the answer, which was more than 130 people in total.
I have to say that these wealthy families in Jiangnan do live a comfortable life, but the young generation alone only has so many.
That means there are about eighteen people in each family, but this is good news for Wei Wu.
So after hearing the master's answer, Wei Wu immediately smiled.
"Master Zhu, I'd like to trouble you to send someone to bring back all the people that the advisor mentioned."
Zhu Zongshan was stunned when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but ask a question.
"Sir, there must be a reason to bring them back. Are you ready..."
Wei Wu chuckled and told Zhu Zongshan his purpose directly without hiding it from him.
"This time when I came to Suzhou, in addition to promoting the court's national policies, His Majesty also entrusted me with the task of road construction."
"It just so happens that the road construction has been stalled recently, and we need to recruit a group of people to do the work. It's a good opportunity to let them do the corvée labor."
"Huh?" Zhu Zongshan was stunned, then quickly said, "Sir, this is probably not appropriate!"
"What's wrong with that? They are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. I think this is a very appropriate thing to do."
Wei Wu turned his head and looked at Zhu Zongshan, who quickly said:
"But Ming Dynasty law stipulates that money can be used in lieu of labor service. As long as they pay, we can't force them to perform labor service!"
"Well, you certainly can't!"
As soon as Zhu Zongshan finished speaking, Wei Wu nodded in agreement, but then he continued:
"But I can. Whether they want to sue me in court or find someone to impeach me, let them do whatever they want. I don't care."
"But……"
Zhu Zongshan wanted to say something else, but Wei Wu reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Old Zhu, you are a good official, but precisely because of this, these wealthy merchants and gentry know better how to deal with you."
"But I'm different. To deal with people like them, I need someone like me who doesn't play by the rules. Only then can I leave them helpless."
"So, just do as I say. This is also to ensure the smooth implementation of the land tax system. Even if the court holds you accountable, you won't be implicated at all."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zongshan immediately said:
"I'm not worried about being blamed, it's just... that's all. I'll arrange for someone to do it right away!"