Chapter 264: 4 refugees emerge, pressure increases dramatically

Chapter 264: 4 refugees emerge, pressure increases dramatically

Chapter 264: Refugees Rise and Pressure Increases (Part 1)
Huang Lao Han is an ordinary farmer from a small village in Chuyuan Province. His family has been farming for generations and they barely make a living by relying on a few acres of thin land. After the implementation of the Single Whip Law, the tax in kind, which was originally levied on the land, was changed to silver. Huang Lao Han had to sell the grain he had worked hard to grow in the market in exchange for silver to pay the tax.

However, the market price of grain fluctuates greatly. If it is a year of bumper harvest and low grain prices, even if Old Man Huang sells all his grain, he still cannot raise enough silver for the tax. Moreover, now is a year of disaster and the grain harvest is poor, which makes the situation even worse.

What made Huang Laohan even more miserable was that local officials took the opportunity to exploit him. They deliberately lowered the ratio of grain to silver and forced the people to buy the official silver at a high price. In order to pay taxes, Huang Laohan had to borrow high-interest loans from landlords. The interest kept increasing, and he was eventually forced to mortgage his land. There were many farmers like Huang Laohan in the village. Many of them could not bear the heavy taxes and debts, and even had to leave their homes and become refugees.

It was the tax season, and the village was filled with gloom. Officials and runners went door to door to collect taxes, and if anyone delayed, they would beat them up or even arrest and detain them. Huang's son was severely injured because he resisted the officials' brutality, and the only labor force in the family also fell. Huang looked at the empty granary and his son on the sickbed, and his heart was filled with despair.

"No life saves the world, Maitreya Pure Land, the homeland of emptiness..."

Many landless people who became refugees wore white scarves and shouted similar slogans.

These scenes are constantly happening in Chuyuan Province and neighboring provinces.

The refugee army in Guanzhong was almost impossible to blockade.

...

...

"Jiangnan and the area outside of Jiangnan are already two different worlds." Xu Qing listened quietly to the information sent by Su Lianqing, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Today, outside of Jiangnan, the survival pressure on the common people is only better in Northern Zhili.

The phenomenon of distorting the Single Whip Law is not only found in other provinces, but also in the Jiangnan area. It's just that with Xu Qing and the old emperor in charge, others dare not be too blatant.

These things would not be enough to overthrow the Great Yu Dynasty.

Because a lot of taxes are collected through the Single Whip Law, the official army of the Dayu Dynasty is now much more powerful than before.

Throughout history, at the end of a dynasty, the key to improving the combat effectiveness of refugee troops was often related to the joining of the defeated official troops.

The greatest harm caused by the influx of refugees is that it undermines the already problematic tax base, causing problems or even stagnation in many basic operations of the country.

Just like when a person is sick, the qi and blood are blocked, which leads to other more terrible problems...

It can be said that the intensification of land annexation was inevitable from the implementation of the Single Whip Law. However, because of the ability to collect taxes, the country's strength would rise for a period of time.

Moreover, if the refugees can be suppressed properly, the population can be reduced and the contradiction between population and land can be eased.

If it weren't for Xu Qing, the imperial court would definitely have raised the butcher knife and severely suppressed these landless refugees.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the officials in the court, the victims of the disaster are not people, but weeds. Not only are they of no benefit, but they also harm normal crops.

On the other hand, Xu Qing also received a letter from the old prime minister.

There is also a memorial from the old prime minister in which he confessed the mistakes and omissions in the Single Whip Law.

Although the situation of refugees is serious, it is not yet to the point where it will cause unrest in the world. Moreover, the refugees now have no power to resist the government troops.

But memorials from all over the country flew to the temporary cabinet of Yingtian Prefecture like snowflakes.

It seems that officials from all over the country have a tacit understanding to put the blame on everyone, although this is indeed the case.

Faced with this news, the old emperor could no longer remain calm and at peace.

...

...

The imperial palace of Yingtian Prefecture - Yannian Palace.

There was solemnity and silence in the hall, and all the ministers were trembling with fear.

The old emperor looked gloomy, as if saying, I have handed over the world to you to govern, and this is how you govern it.

Huo Jing also looked solemn.

Lord Liang is now a cabinet advisor and has no power, so he is very relaxed in his heart, but his face is still solemn.

"Tell me, what should we do?" The old emperor glanced at his ministers.

The others were silent and dared not speak.

At this time, Xu Qing smiled slightly, stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, now is a prosperous era, the population is the most abundant in history, and refugees are everywhere. It is not entirely due to the Single Whip Law, but more because the population is too large in the prosperous era, and the land cannot bear the burden."

As soon as he said this, the old emperor's expression relaxed.

The other ministers had to admit that Xu Liushou's level was still higher.

Of course, Xu Qing was not just talking nonsense, but he continued to quote classics and compare the population gap between the present and the previous dynasties, as well as the grain production...

Anyway, compared in all aspects, the land and population of this dynasty have reached the highest level in all dynasties.

It can be said to be the best in three generations.

The first dynasty since the Three Dynasties must definitely be this one.

After listening to this, the old emperor couldn't help but smile: "Stop flattering me, Xu Qing, tell me how to deal with this matter?"

Xu Qing said: "Your Majesty, the land clearing in the whole country has not been completed yet, but almost all the fertile lands in the world have been cleared. I think that Your Majesty is a sage king of all ages, and we are living in a prosperous era. It is better to announce to the world in your name that the land in a prosperous era will never be taxed, and the people in a prosperous era will never be forced to work."

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Although I know that you, Xu Gongming, always do things in an imaginative and unexpected way, this idea is too outrageous.

What should we do if we encounter difficulties if the court does not impose additional taxes and labor service?
Can you, Xu Gongming, conjure up money, food and people out of thin air?
The old emperor looked calm.

He didn't understand Xu Qing's intention, but he understood people. Xu Qing must be sure of what he said. Let's see...

Xu Qing pointed at Huo Jing again and said, "Mr. Huo, what do you think of my intention?"

Huo Jing prided himself on being a pillar of integrity in the world. If he openly opposed such a decree that was beneficial to the people of the world in the court, wouldn't he be ruining his reputation for the rest of his life?
After all, you scholars and officials always say not to compete with the people for profits, but now Xu Liushou is directly giving benefits to the people of the world, and you come here to oppose it.

So the “people” that you scholars and officials are referring to are actually some other kind of “people”.

Even if this is the truth, you can't just say it out loud!

Huo Jing's expression changed several times. He was not sure about Xu Qing's intention, but there seemed no need to object to this matter. It was the court's business to suffer the loss.

Besides, there is no border threat at the moment, and if something really happens, it will be in the future.

After all, he knew very well that these refugees would not be able to achieve anything.

He immediately agreed.

With Huo Jing taking the lead, it would be difficult for others to object.

In fact, the only people who can oppose Xu Qing in the court now are Prince Yu and Minister of Personnel Wang Gong. However, Prince Yu is now in the capital as regent, assisted by veteran ministers like Wang Gong.

Huo Jing, who was able to hinder Xu Qing a little, was controlled by Xu Qing.

Therefore, in Southern Zhili, Xu Qing's words were more effective than those of the former prime minister.

Xu Qing's words were supported by everyone, and then he got to the point.

The key to never increasing taxes and labor service is to use the Yellow Book of Land Clearance to determine a total amount of taxes and labor service for each province and prefecture. If it is a disaster year, the court can verify it and reduce or even exempt it as appropriate. As for good years, taxes and labor service will not be increased.

This means that all the rules and regulations set by the old prime minister were cut off and the government orders were directly streamlined.

This is a bit like the tax farming system of the previous dynasty, but the core is different. The tax farming system of the previous dynasty did not clear the land, and the collection of local taxes and labor service could only rely on local gentry.

The Dayu Dynasty has just cleared the land not long ago, and it is not without influence on the grassroots. There are also newspapers, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and storytellers trained by the Neichang.

After all, the sound from above can be transmitted to the below.

This is also Xu Qing's transformation of the Xiuyiwei and Neichang. They are no longer just supervisory agencies, but also play the role of the mouthpiece of the central government of the imperial court.

I can’t say how good it is, but at least a breakthrough has been made.

In the past, if the court had any good policies, the lower classes had no way to learn about them and could only allow themselves to be exploited and bullied by officials. In the end, the benefits went to the lower classes and the resentment was directed at the higher classes.

In fact, if Xu Qing's demonic cultivation becomes extremely high, there is another way, that is, every household worships his portrait, so that he will have the opportunity to communicate directly with the grassroots.

The problem is, he certainly can't afford that right now.

The distracting thoughts of hundreds of millions of people rushed in, and Xu Qing immediately became "selfless".

It's no different than suicide.

Of course, this is the most ideal situation. Just because Xu Qing can't do it for now doesn't mean he can never do it.

The purpose of not imposing taxes and labor service was to stabilize the other people who had not become refugees, and to cut out the complicated provisions of the Single Whip Law, so that there would be fewer loopholes for low-level officials to exploit. It would also be beneficial for the court to conduct assessments and reduce the exploitation of the low-level people.

This method is said to be able to cure the root cause?
That certainly won't work.

It's nothing more than a temporary drastic measure.

Moreover, without increasing taxes and labor service, the imperial court would have no other source of income and would absolutely not be able to survive.

To put it bluntly, if the imperial court does not increase taxes and labor service, it will be difficult to maintain its operation. If taxes and labor service are increased, the lower classes will become increasingly miserable and thus rebel...

This is also the inevitable decline of the dynasty.

...

...

After the grand court meeting, the cabinet will hold a meeting.

This is also the key to solving this problem.

Right now there are refugees everywhere. How to quell the rebellion and how to clean up the mess after the rebellion is quelled? There are so many complicated issues to deal with, but it all comes down to one word: "money".

Without money, how can we quell the riots?
But Xu Liushou was worthy of being Xu Liushou, he took out a brand new silver dollar.

In fact, Xu Qing had discussed minting silver coins with the Prime Minister a few years ago. Now with the cooperation of Fang Xiandao and the Ministry of Industry, the use of steam engines to mint coins, both in terms of efficiency and the exquisiteness of silver coins, far exceeds the copper coins minted before.

It can be said that technically speaking, it is extremely difficult for the wealthy and powerful to replicate the silver coins unless they steal the court's coin minting machine.

The problem is that Xu Qing guards this thing very strictly and doesn't give any loopholes.

Moreover, Xu Qing also planned to ask the old emperor to send a team of shadow guards to guard the mint.

With the mint, maritime trade and the silver obtained from previous house raids would become of real use.

The old emperor understood Xu Qing's meaning, and used silver coins to open Dayu Money House, with the court responsible for its operation and issuance of coins.

Moreover, the copper coins produced by the mint were also made by steam engines, which were far superior to the inferior coins of the past and had lower costs.

In short, silver coins can even replace some of the functions of Baochao in the early years of the National Dynasty, and they are made of silver and will not depreciate as seriously as Baochao.

In fact, the most important point is to use it to strengthen the financial power of the central government.

The same principle applies to Emperor Wu of Han minting Wuzhu coins to enrich the national treasury.

To put it bluntly, Xu Qing did not impose additional taxes and labor service, but he was able to reap the benefits of the gentry and nobles through financial means.

His style of play is more advanced.

And it is backed by power and force.

Other wealthy and powerful people did not want to play this game and could only rebel.

Then Xu Qing and the old emperor were very happy that they rebelled.

With the military power controlled by Xu Qing and the old emperor, it would be better for these people to rebel than not to rebel.

The old emperor was a money-grubber, so he could roughly understand what Xu Qing said.

"Now that I have Gongming, I can sleep peacefully." The old emperor commented and went back to practice meditation with peace of mind.

He is very self-aware and doesn't mess around or cause trouble.

Taoism advocates inaction.

Coinage was the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, led by Lord Huo and coordinated by Xu Qing.

Chen Fu, the Minister of Revenue, was Xu Qing's staunch supporter. The Minister of Works had seen Xu Qing's river management methods last time, so he would not mess around. Moreover, Xu Qing had been rooted in the Ministry of Works for a long time, so his say was self-evident.

There is not much in Nanzhili, but it has a lot of silver.

From high-ranking officials to wealthy landlords, everyone likes to hide silver.

Xu Qing took advantage of the opportunity of coin minting and asked these people to exchange their silver for silver coins.

These people have to be replaced.

Because of the same value, silver coins are exquisite.

Even a fool knows that it is better to exchange it for silver coins or keep the silver.

Xu Qing put all his efforts into starting the coin minting machine, focusing on the goal of large quantity and sufficient supply, and good coins driving out bad coins.

After the currency was unified and Dayu Money House was opened, silver naturally flowed in. Because Dayu Money House opened by Xu Qing not only did not charge interest, but also paid interest to depositors, although it was small, it was enough to attract the gentry and nobles in Nanzhili.

In fact, if the imperial court endorsed it, Dayu Money House would definitely not be able to continue operating.

The problem is that Xu Qing personally endorsed this matter. If the interest could not be paid, Xu Qing would say it publicly in the newspaper and he would pay it himself.

In Nanzhili, you can distrust the imperial court, but if you distrust Xu Liushou, even the gentry who hate Xu Qing the most will slap you in the face.

Although they hated Xu Gongming, they would never question his integrity.

In the past, people in ancient times always said that a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Now Jiangning Xu Liushou's words about going in and out of the mountains are priceless.

This is well-known in the industry.

Even the Duke of Wei recognized it!
It has to be said that the character that Xu Qing had established before played a big role in the establishment of Dayu Money House.

With the loan from Dayu Money House, the imperial court had enough money to dispatch a large army to suppress refugees and even resume production.

Huo Jing was dumbfounded by this.

He knew very well how much effort Zhang Tai'a and the old emperor had put in and how many ways they had thought of in order to snatch money from the local gentry and nobles.

As a result, the money he made over the years is probably not as much as Xu Gongming makes in a month.

Although this money is borrowed.

But as long as the money is spent and has an effect, what does it matter if it is borrowed?
To put it bluntly, Xu Qing activated part of the wealth accumulated by the Jiangnan gentry and nobles through smuggling and maritime trade over the years and put it into circulation again.

With this money, industry and commerce will no longer have to worry about funding.

Invisibly, Dayu Money House was transforming into the largest creditor in Southern Zhili.

Because most of the money in the money houses comes from the gentry and nobles, they cannot destroy the emerging workshops and chambers of commerce, otherwise they will not be able to collect the interest and the principal may also be eaten up.

After all, Xu Gongming said he would pay compensation, but the problem is that he has no money. How can he pay?
Although we trust each other, we naturally have to consider some practical factors.

Moreover, Xu Qing also emphasized this point in the newspaper.

But even though the nobles understood that this was a conspiracy, there was no reason for them to refuse.

Put your money in a bank and you can earn money even if you do nothing, but don’t be too good for your descendants.

Even if the old men objected, the playboys in the family would not allow them to object.

There are certainly clear-headed wise men in this world, but faced with the general trend, they can only go with the flow.

It has always been the case that those who follow the will of heaven will be at ease, while those who go against it will be toilsome.

Now Xu Qing is the king of Nanzhili.

Although Xu Qing's operation temporarily solved the court's financial shortage, the food problem remained serious. In addition, the war in the north and Liaodong began again.

For a time, the court's border defense pressure increased sharply.

There was no food, and many suppressed refugees were brutally killed by the government troops. For a time, those remote and poor provinces were filled with resentment, and many evil spirits began to revive.

The gap between Jiangnan and many provinces outside of Jiangnan is becoming increasingly obvious, like the difference between the human world and purgatory.

(End of this chapter)