Chapter 621 0616 [Zhao Ding Is Released]

Before Bai Qi took Changsha, Zhao Ding had already arrived in Yueyang, accompanied by a large number of officials.

Although the population of Hunan has dropped sharply, it seems a bit reluctant to establish a province, but it is precisely because of the insufficient population and the urgent need for development that the court established Hunan Province to accelerate its development.

Zhao Ding, the prefect of Kaifeng, was transferred to serve as the first left governor of Hunan.

When he returns to Beijing after his term of office, he is likely to be promoted to a minister of a certain ministry, or the left vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.

"The court will send down an official document soon," Zhao Ding said, "The capital of Hubei Province will be moved to Xiangyang, and the capital of Hunan Province will be set as Changsha. The two provinces are interdependent and need to communicate more."

Li Guang, the Left Governor of Hubei, said: "Of course, the water conservancy of Jingjiang and Dongting Lake should be jointly developed by the two provinces."

Zhao Ding asked: "Is Hubei still sufficient in grain this year?"

Li Guang shook his head: "All the grain has been transferred to supply military rations, and there is not much left in each prefecture. Now Hunan has a lot of waste to rebuild, and the rice harvest is definitely poor. I am afraid that grain will have to be transported from Sichuan."

"Regardless of coarse grains and fine grains, how about transferring 10,000 shi?" Zhao Ding began to beg for money.

Li Guang was a little reluctant to give food. After all, a lot of food had been given during the expedition against Zhong Xiang, and Hubei also needed to store some food just in case. He did not refuse in person, but only said: "Your Excellency can report to the court first. Hubei will definitely give food if it receives an official document from the Ministry of Revenue."

"Thank you very much." Zhao Ding bowed quickly.

The Ministry of Revenue sent the document to Hubei. Li Guang would certainly cry poor and delay. It is estimated that he would have to make a discount in the end. It is the limit to be able to transport 4,000 to 5,000 shi to Hunan.

The share of Sichuan's support has been determined. 50,000 shi of rice and 50,000 shi of corn will all be transported to Hunan within this year.

Hunan and Hubei are the demonstration provinces for the full implementation of the land tax.

The gentry and landlords in Hubei are not strong. Hunan has been cleaned up by Zhong Xiang again. There is not much resistance to the full land tax.

To be honest, the advantages and disadvantages of the land tax policy are very obvious. Zhu Guoxiang and Zhu Ming don't know what they will do in the future.

I won't mention the advantages. The disadvantage is that the landlords pass the cost of the land tax to the tenants. And the local government may impose heavy taxes on the land tax after the land tax is paid, or simply levy the land tax directly, which is equivalent to repeatedly collecting the head tax.

This is not groundless worry. This is the case in the Qing Dynasty. The land tax did not reduce the burden on farmers, but only increased taxes for the central government.

What Zhu Guoxiang and Zhu Ming could do was to leave more of the ding levy that was allocated to the land for local finances at all levels, otherwise it would be equivalent to forcing local officials to collect taxes repeatedly. This is the same as Zhu Yuanzhang setting the official salary extremely low. If the officials were not greedy, even eating would become a problem.

Zhao Ding said: "Excuse me, how many households are there in Hubei after the redistricting according to the new law?"

"More than 800,000 households and more than 2.3 million people," Li Guang sighed, "and many are soldiers who may move away at any time. A group of them were moved away this year."

Hubei has resettled a large number of soldiers and refugees, with a high proportion of young and middle-aged people, and the population of each household is not large.

Zhao Ding muttered: "After the war, it seems that Hunan has at most 300,000 or 400,000 households."

The ratio of households to population in the Song Dynasty was basically about 1:2.

This "mouth" specifically refers to the ding population, that is, people who have to serve as corvée, corvée, and military service.

Since Hunan and Hubei have implemented the ding levy, they will no longer calculate the ding population, but directly count the population. Moreover, those under the age of fifteen are not counted, and only those over the age of fifteen can be registered.

Another change is that official households and civilian households are merged into one, and no distinction will be made in statistics in the future.

The calculation method of Fangguo households and rural households is retained, that is, urban households and rural households. However, the tax collection method needs to be adjusted. Urban households are taxed according to the area of ​​real estate, and rural households are taxed according to the area of ​​land. There is no distinction between households of first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grades, and there is no distinction between main households and customers.

Because of the classification of households and main customers, there are too many loopholes to exploit, more than the variety of concealing real estate and land.

Hunan was previously managed by Li Guang, and Zhao Ding asked him about many situations.

The next step is that Zhao Ding will write a letter to the governor of Jiangxi to establish a personal relationship between the two sides first.

His task this year is to maintain stability in Hunan and prevent the people from starving and rebelling. Next year, the immigration policy will be promulgated, mainly to absorb immigrants from Jiangxi, and land deeds will be given after three years of wasteland reclamation.

Jiangxi has a large population and little land, and the population is so large that it can just fill the population gap in Hunan.

When the Han population is sufficient, we can solve the problems of the Yao, Dong and Miao peoples.

The ethnic minorities in the mountains do not have to pay taxes, but many ethnic minorities have moved out of the mountains, and many Han people call themselves ethnic minorities. People of all ethnic groups living near Han settlements have actually become accustomed to being taxed by the Song Dynasty, but they often resist taxes and rebel when they encounter disasters or excessive taxes.

We must grasp a degree, and the official tax standards must be determined. We cannot levy taxes randomly like the officials of the Zhao and Song dynasties - most of the taxes collected by those guys from ethnic minorities were put into their private pockets!

By the way, we must also have a good relationship with the Duke of Shu.

After the fall of Zhong Xiang, a large number of Manichaeans are still there. Bai Qi needs to lead troops in Changsha as a duke for at least three years.

...

Pingxiang.

The crippled Jiangxi North Route Army returned to Nanchang in batches for reorganization, and the casualty pensions had to be calculated.

Song Huizong watched the last batch of troops leave, and muttered to himself: "This Zhong Xiang is too weak to fight. It took only three or four months to be defeated. I thought he was a top figure."

"Alas, the war is finally over!" County Magistrate Xie Ze sighed.

Song Huizong hurriedly said: "The Ming Dynasty soldiers are invincible. Zhong Xiang and his ilk are just clowns."

Xie Ze shook his head and turned to go back to the county government office. He had been very tired in the past few months.

After walking a few steps, Xie Ze turned back and said, "Finally, I have a free day. Come and have a drink with me at the county government office."

Song Huizong quickly followed and went to drink with the county magistrate.

The two had met before. Xie Ze was a Jinshi in the third year of Xuanhe's reign, and came from the last imperial examination presided over by Song Huizong in Kaifeng.

But Xie Ze's Jinshi ranking was relatively low, and he couldn't see clearly what the emperor looked like. After waiting for a year in Beijing, Xie Ze was sent to the Yingchang Guesthouse as an envoy, equivalent to the general manager of the Xuchang Hotel, and never met the emperor again.

When Zhu Ming raised his troops to march north, the farmers in Yingchang took the opportunity to revolt and killed a bunch of officials who left the city.

Xie Ze stayed in the city to arrange the reception and just escaped the disaster. Although Ju Ming did not stay in the hotel, there were not many officials left in Yingchang. Xie Ze was still busy and neglected, and now he finally got a county magistrate position in the new dynasty.

Xie Ze also had a brother named Xie Hong, both of whom were Jinshi in the same discipline.

If it were Xie Hong who was in Pingxiang, he would have recognized Song Huizong at a glance. Because Xie Hong was among the top twenty Jinshi, he was very close to the emperor at the wedding banquet.

Returning to the county government house, the county magistrate and the chief registrar sat down with each other over wine.

Song Huizong hurriedly poured wine for his superiors and flattered him: "These days, the county magistrate is exhausted from assisting in military affairs. I have to rest for half a month. I will help with all the affairs."

Xie Ze praised: "You are a capable person, and being the chief clerk is indeed an inconvenience. I will give you a top grade next time you pass the exam."

"Thank you, Lord County, for your appreciation!" Song Huizong smiled and raised his glass in a toast.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty and the New Dynasty who passed the examination needed to be evaluated by superior officials, followed by evaluations by government-level organizational departments, and finally went to Beijing to report to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Xie Ze asked: "Do you know about corn and sweet potatoes?"

Song Huizong replied: "I've heard of it."

Xie Ze said: "The new dynasty pays attention to people's livelihood, and the corn and sweet potatoes are what the emperor brought back from overseas. Pingxiang County is mountainous, so it should be suitable for planting. Now that there is no war, we will plant new crops next year. I have already Please bring some seeds over."

"The county minister cares about the people, I admire you so much!" Song Huizong immediately flattered him.

"You have to take this matter seriously," Xie Ze pointed to the north and said with a smile, "If you plant corn and sweet potatoes well, you might be appreciated by the officials. When the time comes, you and I will be promoted together, wouldn't it be wonderful? ?”

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty said: "Ganfu County respects Weiji."

Xie Ze corrected and said: "That's your Majesty's suggestion. I have received accurate information that the imperial court is going to set up an office to advise farmers in Yuanzhou Mansion, and there will be officers to advise farmers before winter comes. At that time, if there are officers to advise farmers, Pingxiang, you have to arrange a good reception."

Song Huizong nodded and said: "Definitely, definitely."

Xie Ze said: "Those officials who advise farmers, regardless of their low rank, can be regarded as disciples of the emperor, and they must not offend them in any way. What's more, they can also help with admonishing farmers and mulberry trees, and they may also be able to do something for them. What political achievements have you and I achieved?”

"The county magistrate is far-sighted and I really admire you." Song Huizong poured wine for his boss again.

Xie Ze drank a gulp and his face became more and more rosy: "I worked as a minor official in the capital last year. I have no other skills, but I am very well-informed. Do you know where the former emperor is now?"

Song Huizong was startled, thinking that the other party was talking about him, and quickly shook his head: "I really don't know."

"I've been transferred to Shandong as an official." Xie Ze said with a smile.

"Transferred to Shandong... and still serve as an official?" Song Huizong was confused.

Xie Ze said mysteriously: "Everyone in the capital knows that the previous emperor served as an agricultural officer, but few people know that he went to Shandong."

Song Huizong suddenly realized: "The county magistrate is talking about Zhao Huan?"

Xie Ze laughed loudly: "Who else could it be if it wasn't him? You wouldn't say Zhao Ji is that stupid king, right?"

Song Huizong was angry and quickly said with a smile: "It's okay if you don't mention it."

Xie Ze began to complain: "My imperial examination essays were excellent, but that ignorant and treacherous minister only rated a top-level Jinshi. Not to mention, I was a top-level Jinshi because I didn't send money or gifts. I was not allowed to take the exam. I couldn't even pass the exam. Later, I asked my servant to go home and raised a lot of money, and finally I was able to serve as an official, but I was only given a job as a guest ambassador. After studying hard for more than ten years, I was a serious Jinshi and was asked to be a guest ambassador! "

"It really shouldn't be!" Song Huizong agreed quickly, but what he was thinking in his heart was: You are a thief, you have no ability, and you are being promoted by being a guest envoy.

The more Xie Ze talked, the angrier he became, and he slapped the table and said, "With a foolish king and treacherous ministers in power, the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty should be destroyed! There are countless people like me who have unappreciated talents in all walks of life in the world."

Song Huizong wanted to strangle this guy to death, so he changed the subject and said, "Is Zhao Huan really an official in Shandong?"

Xie Ze smiled and said, "Isn't that true? Not only do I know that he is an official in Shandong, but I also know that he goes to Shandong specifically to grow cotton."

Song Huizong asked again: "Where are the concubines, emperors, and princes of the previous dynasty?"

"The officials were kind and did not make things difficult for them," Xie Ze, who was probably drunk, said with a wink, "the officials like married women, and Zhao Ji's young and beautiful concubines will probably continue to enjoy happiness in the future."

Song Huizong was so angry that his teeth itched with hatred. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He was no longer in the mood to flatter him, so he picked up his wine glass and drank a few gulps.