Chapter 244: Enfeoffed States, Land and County System

"The river mouth fortress in the north, the Talsas River in the south, the mountains of Sitacuaro in the east, and the mountains of Sacap State in the west. This vast land is my fiefdom!"

Shulot laughed, showing his white teeth. The young king's smile is full of elegance, and there is a bit of calm majesty in his elegance. He stretched out his fingers and groped along the edges of the album, memorizing the mountains, rivers, villages and towns one by one, and comparing them with the memories along the Western Expedition.

"The country runs from north to south, with two rivers sandwiched between two lakes; from east to west, from mountains to mountains. The climate here is a tropical grassland with distinct dry and wet conditions, and the terrain is a fairly flat mountain plateau. There are mountains and rivers crisscrossing the country. During the period, the plateau sunk in the hinterland, forming a series of natural lakes. The rivers gathered around the lakes, forming a lake area. The land in the lake area is rich, just like the Bashu Basin; the river terrain is similar to the Guanzhong Plain. "

The young king browses the map and extracts information, while using the memory of later generations to understand and integrate it.

Governing a feudal country requires specific data to support it, and governance must not be based on slapping your head and thinking blindly. Although the figures estimated based on information from sample surveys in various places are not accurate, they can play a vital guiding role.

Shulot looked down at his fiefdom and first estimated the specific area.

"The feudal kingdom in the lake in my hands at this time covers about three kingdoms. It is roughly 100 kilometers from east to west, and more than 150 kilometers from north to south. It covers an area of ​​15,000 square kilometers, which is about one-tenth the size of Henan."

Shulot's fingers groped on the map. He touched the blue-marked lake and measured the green-marked plain around it. The land in these places is fertile and the terrain is flat, and most of them have been reclaimed into farmland.

“This land is the essence of the Kingdom of Tarasco, with the most prosperous Lake Patzcuaro area in the center, the once densely populated Lake Quiceo area in the north, and the north bank of the Talsas River with developed commerce in the south. In this era, the population was always concentrated around water sources, relying on rivers and lakes. There were once a million people in this 15,000 square kilometers of land, accounting for 60% of the population of the Kingdom of Tarasco.”

Thinking of this, the young king looked at the map carefully again. He recalled all the gathered information and roughly estimated the farmland area of ​​the feudal country.

"In this fully developed elite area, the area of ​​cultivated land that has been burned and reclaimed accounts for about 1/4 to 1/3 of the entire feudal country, or 0.4-0.5 million square kilometers."

"At this time, the young man is not tall enough and his stride is slightly smaller. One foot is taken on each side as one step, and the length of one step is about 1.3 meters. One acre is 240 steps long and 1 step wide, which is 1.3*1.3*240, 405 Square meters. So, 10,000 square kilometers is about 25 million acres. The number of acres cultivated in our country is between 10 and 12 million acres!

Shulot paused for a moment and made quick calculations with the charcoal pen in his hand. Kuruca watched from the side, secretly learning the strange numbers that His Highness often used. After a while, the young king calculated the acres of land in the feudal country. He looked at the numbers on the tip of the pen, felt refreshed, and continued to estimate.

"Milpa agriculture is adopted in most areas of the feudal state, using slash-and-burn cultivation, wide-spaced sowing, and mixed crop cultivation. There is no deep plowing of the soil, and fertilization is extremely limited. Except for the fertile soil within a few miles of the lake, most of the farmland is It needs to be burned and left fallow. Then the actual land that can be cultivated in each farming season is about 5 million acres!”

Shulot thought for a moment and pondered for a moment. He has always been very attentive to the cultivation of the fields. He is used to going to the fields to inspect the fields in person, and often summons old farmers to ask questions.

At this time, the density of farming was low, and corn breeding had not reached the extremes of later generations. Including beans and pumpkins, the yield per acre of Milpa is about 80 kilograms of corn, beans, and 100-200 kilograms of pumpkins. Because corn has slightly lower calories and pumpkin has even lower calories, the output of every 4 acres of land can fully sustain the needs of an adult male for a year. As for this unit, Shulot referred to the data from the Neon Warring States Period and set it to one "stone". One stone here contains about 320-350 kilograms of staple food, plus 400-800 kilograms of miscellaneous grains. The main cereals are pumpkins and sweet potatoes, which are used to fill the stomach and prepare for shortages.

"My feudal kingdom has more than 5 million acres of farmland. If there is sufficient labor force to cultivate it, and with the current level of technology, the annual output will be approximately 1.3 million shi, supporting a population of more than 1 million. This number is consistent with previous population estimates. It matches, so it should be credible. In other words, I am also a famous person with a million stones!"

This idea suddenly appeared in the young king's mind. He couldn't help but smile. This time he made great efforts in planning and redefined the land system, dividing it into steps, acres and stones. Then relying on these data, military and civilian villages were organized. Naturally, they had lofty goals and wanted to establish the laws and regulations that laid the foundation of the feudal state!

Without iron farm tools and large livestock, a farmer's farming ability is very limited. In China's intensive farming world, a strong farmer could only farm about 5 acres using manpower alone. Iron tools can reduce physical exertion and plow the soil deeply. Cattle and horses can expand this number by at least 2-3 times.

Therefore, in the early Tang Dynasty, 20 acres of land were granted to one person, which was regarded as the limit of effective farming. There are iron tools and cattle. The northern plains have one harvest a year, and one person cultivates 20 acres. The paddy fields in the south have two harvests a year, and one person cultivates 10 acres.

In Shulot's feudal kingdom, the area of ​​one acre of land was roughly the same as that of the Celestial Empire, but slightly smaller. The density of crops cultivated was only one-third to half of that of farmers in the Chinese Dynasty, and the busy farming time was about twice as long due to the diversity of crops.

Calculated in this way, the maximum cultivated area for a young man is about 8-10 acres. A normal annual harvest is between 2 and 2.5 dan, which can support two young men, or one young man, and the rest is used as tribute and savings for famine.

It was based on these data that Shulot worked out the details of the military and civilian villages, roughly planned the future tax levels, and conceived the direction of further reforms.

The military camp cultivates 10 acres per ding and harvests 2.5 shi, and the remaining grain is used by the military camp to go out on expeditions. Each village has 8 acres and can collect 2 stones, half of which is self-supporting. The remaining three-fifths are tribute and two-fifths are village savings, which means the tax is about 30%. However, if a young and strong woman plows 6 acres, she will get 1.5 shi, and if the old and weak plow 4 acres, she will get 1 shi, both are calculated according to this calculation. Taking into account the labor during the slack period, the future tax level of the feudal state will be equivalent to that of the Qin state after the reform and centralization of power.

"Encourage farming and build water conservancy; organize households and people, reward fertility; develop metal farm tools, grant land to the country based on military merit, support ten people for every twenty dan, and every ten people will be given three dings. In wartime, one of the three dings will be drawn. For one million and two hundred thousand stones, we will send 60,000 troops.”

Numerous thoughts flashed through the young king's mind and turned into a smile on his lips. Learning from Shang Yang's reforms and imitating the Qin Dynasty's farming and warfare system are his future political directions, but there are still details that need to be sorted out. He continued to look at the map and thought about the population status of the feudal country.

"The northernmost border of the vassal state is bounded by the Leman River, with the River Mouth Fortress as the center, and dozens of miles to the southwest is Lake Quetseo. This is also where the Alliance Navy is anchored. Kuruca, you went to the River Mouth Fortress and saw it My father?"

Hearing this, Kuruca nodded, and then replied in detail.

"Your Majesty, I went to see the deputy marshal. He is sitting at the mouth of the river. He has repaired the fortress and arranged the logistics very well. The wounded have also been treated, and some recovered warriors have begun to return to the legion. The surrounding defeated armies have been After being incorporated and eliminated, the towns and villages maintained obedience and order, and the farmers completed the spring plowing on time. However, the number of priests there was seriously insufficient. After the nobles were liquidated, the villages were mostly managed by the village elders. "

"The water around Lake Quiceo is abundant and the land is fertile. Within dozens of miles around the lake, there are many villages, which once had a population of two to three million people. There are millions of acres of cultivated farmland here, all of which have no Tree roots and mature land with stones removed.”

Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded. He stood up and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.

There were originally more than 40 large villages and towns around the Quiceo Lake area in the north of the feudal country, which were densely populated and rich in products. It's just that the north has gone through wars, the kingdom has been mobilized several times, the army has been fighting constantly, and the towns and villages have been the most damaged. Now that Akambaro State in the northeast is divided and becomes Tepopolo's fiefdom, the entire north needs to be reorganized. Determining the division of feudal states is the first step of the New Deal.

The young king thought for a while and made a decision.

"Monkey, pick up a pen and take notes."

Kuruca nodded in agreement. He took out a thin brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write and draw crookedly.

"Reorganize the country's county system and divide its boundaries and population. South of the Leman River, north of the Huayamo Fortress, and the northern part of the country, one hundred and fifty miles from east to west and more than fifty miles from north to south, including the entire Queceao Lake area. Half of Sakapu State was set up as a "county". With the Hekou Fortress as the county government, it was called Hekou County. It governed more than 40 large villages with a population of 100,000 people and established them as soon as possible. Mintun!”

"county?"

Kuruca picked up the pen to write, drawing a series of small figures and simplified radical characters. Then doubt appeared on his face.

"Your Majesty, what is a county? How is it different from a state?"

Shulot pondered for a moment and smiled slightly.

"Autonomy is a state, and direct jurisdiction is a county!"

Then, the young king's eyes traveled from the north to the south, focusing on the Patzcuaro Lake area and basin in the center of the feudal kingdom. Here is the most prosperous royal capital and the center of the universe in Prepecha people's mythology.

"The area south of Huayamo Fortress and north of Apachengan State, with the source of the mountains and rivers as the western boundary, and Sitacuaro as the eastern boundary, more than 100 miles from north to south and 200 miles from east to west, shall be designated as the capital. The capital of Qincongcan is the center. It has 100 villages and towns with a population of more than 200,000, including about 70,000 Dingkou and surrendered troops, including 50,000 military villages, 150,000 civilian villages, and about 30,000 residents in the capital. "

By July, the 20,000 surrender troops promised by Avite had arrived in the hinterland of the Lake District not long ago. They have been traveling all the way during the rainy season. They have been short of food for several months since they surrendered, and they are all sallow and skinny. At this time, these militiamen and troops have been unable to catch up with this year's spring plowing, and their bodies also need to be recuperated.

Shulot only sent officers and priests to organize the newly arrived troops, while letting the priests transform and teach the faith. These young men can be put to work during the autumn harvest. In the young king's mind, there is another plan waiting to be investigated.

"Take the copper mine dozens of miles south of Ivacchio City as the northern boundary, the Talsas River as the southern boundary, extending to the Sitacuaro Mountains in the east, and the first north-south river in the west. Hundreds of miles from north to south, east to west For more than a hundred miles, the entire Apachengan state is centered on Kuramo City, which is called Zicao County. It has nearly a hundred villages and towns, a population of 200,000, and a population of 40,000. Well, as soon as possible. Investigate the local noble fiefdoms so that we can implement the next plan!"

The area of ​​​​Apatchingan State is very large and can be roughly divided into three parts according to its characteristics. There are several shallow copper mines slightly to the north, and there are a large number of open-pit gold and silver mines in the south. In fact, there are also copper branches deep in the veins here, and gold, silver and copper coexist with each other. The southernmost part is close to the Talzas River, which flows through half of the world, and there are many small towns that prosper due to river trade. This is a land rich in minerals and prosperous business!

The city of Kuramo is located in the southernmost part of Apatchingan State, slightly to the west, and is a large riverside city. The Talzas River, the largest river in the central and southern parts of the world, expands here to form a wide lake basin and also connects to the edge of the Colima Mountains. This big city is a famous commercial distribution center. Merchants from Mixtec, Zapotec, Tepanic, and Tekos all gather here, forming one of the most developed cities in the south.

And Iskali's advance corps landed in the southeast of Apatchingan and did not pass through the city of Kuramo. The city was thus spared from the war, but it also retained its traditional aristocratic rule.

The meaning of Curamo in Purépecha language refers to the ragwood of the Boraginaceae family, a beautiful tall tree that usually reaches 8 meters and has bright cymose flowers. The ragwood blooms in clusters in summer, which is very attractive and is very popular among the Purépecha people. It is worth mentioning that the seeds of the ragwood contain a lot of oil, which is one of the rare sources of oil in Central America.

With his thoughts turning quickly, Xiu Luote walked to the huge wooden board again. He crossed the carefully marked map with his hand. The three counties of the north, middle and south are the core of the feudal state in the lake.

During the Western Expedition, the Hekou County in the north and the Jingji in the middle experienced war, and the Tarasco nobles were almost completely cleansed and lost their local influence. The population of Jingji has been divided into military settlements and civilian settlements, and is directly governed by the central government; while the population of Hekou County is in a semi-autonomous state, and as long as a new batch of priests arrive, they will be completely under control. Only the Apatchingang State in the south, the planned Zicao County, has not experienced too many wars. While retaining most of the population, it also retains too many remnants of the old nobles.

Thinking of this, the young king's expression turned cold. He pressed his palm hard on the position of Kuramo City, and his eyes became deep.

"Your Majesty, what is the next plan?"

Seeing the action of His Highness, Kuluka looked up. He asked carefully with a smart look in his eyes.

Xiuluot smiled. He reached into his arms, took out a book, and slapped it on the wooden table in front of him. At the top of the book, there were four neatly written characters.

"Military merit grants land!"

It took significantly longer to write these chapters. The author needs to consult a lot of reliable data, and then rely on the data to think about real and feasible administrative strategies. Here are some notes.

1. According to the data of the Tokugawa Shogunate, one stone of Japanese Warring States should be 130-150 kilograms of brown rice, which can be consumed by an adult man for one year.

2. In the early Tang Dynasty, 1 person was granted 20 mu of land, located in the northern plains, with oxen and iron tools.

3. Every 20 shi of land was used to support 10 people, and every 10 people provided 3 people. During wartime, 1 person was drafted out of 3 people. This was a common military mobilization ratio during the Warring States Period in Japan.

4. After Shang Yang's reform, the various taxes and labor services in Qin State added up to about 30% of the land revenue. In the late Qin Dynasty, it was even increased to 50% in some areas.