Chapter 565: Jinling is in chaos. He doesn't want to stay in Jinling and wants to go home.
The fact that Duke Xu took the lead in measuring his own land caused a huge stir in Jinling, and the entire Yingtian Prefecture was in a panic, with everyone feeling insecure.
When Sun Shan returned home, Wan Songjin immediately came to greet him and asked anxiously, "Brother Sun, do you know what happened today?"
Sun Shan nodded.
Wan Songjin asked again: "Brother Sun, do you think the new policy is good or bad?"
Sun didn't answer but asked, "What do you think?"
Wan Songjin hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but stopped himself.
Sun Shan smiled, gave him a reassuring look and said, "Just say whatever comes to your mind. Don't be afraid. I won't tell anyone."
Wan Songjin thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather cursed the emperor and Duke Xu, saying that the new tax law they came up with was shit and misleading the country and the people."
Sun Shan was delighted to hear this.
Imperial Physician Wan is a wealthy man, and the wealthy people in Daqian love to buy land, so the Wan family must have a lot of land. It is reasonable for Imperial Physician Wan to curse.
Sun Shan laughed inwardly, but asked in a nonchalant manner, "Are you also following your grandfather's lead in scolding me?"
Wan Songjin scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Not only is my grandfather scolding me, my father is also scolding me. If we do this, our family will have to pay a lot more taxes."
Imperial Physician Wan had retired from the palace and had a rank, the eighth rank.
Although some of the land is tax-exempt, Dr. Wan is a wealthy man and the land he purchased definitely exceeds his tax-exempt range, so he naturally has to pay taxes on the extra land.
Sun Shan smiled and said, "What do you think about this?"
Wan Songjin thought for a moment and said, "People like me who own so much land all say it's not good. But today at the prefectural school, some classmates also said it's good. The new tax policy is much better than the old one. At least the tax collection procedure is simpler, and there is no need to deprive people of their land layer by layer. It's easier for the people and the court. And the people don't have to do corvée labor, and they don't have to be oppressed by government officials anymore."
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Your classmate's analysis is correct."
Sun Shan recalled the scene when Sun Bomin went to serve in the army when he was a child.
At that time, I was thinking about passing the imperial examination to become a scholar, so that no one in my family would have to serve in the military.
Sun Shan said, "Song Jin, I'll tell you the truth. I support this new tax policy. It gives poor families without land a way to survive and prevents them from becoming refugees. The Shigou family benefited the most from the new tax policy. In order to pay the tax, the Shigou family worked day and night. After paying the tax, their family's income was barely enough to survive. Not to mention eating a full meal, even eating half a full meal was a luxury."
Sun Shan looked at Wan Songjin and continued, "Your family just has to pay more taxes, but Shi Gou's family doesn't have to pay taxes, so they can eat half full."
If the policy of allocating land tax to each acre can be fully implemented, it will be possible to see in which hands the land is mainly distributed. The court can then assess the extent of land annexation and make further policy adjustments.
In addition, landless farmers can continue to rent land for farming, or they can seek other ways to make a living such as engaging in handicrafts or doing business.
In summary, landless farmers have many options available to them, including breaking free from the constraints of the land and seeking a living elsewhere.
As for being a landlord and a tenant, it is the worst option among many options.
Sun Shan thought about it and realized that Jinling was a place with relatively developed commerce. If the new tax policy was implemented, he believed that many landless tenants would leave the landlords' homes, promoting population mobility and activating commercial prosperity.
Wan Songjin nodded and said, "Brother Sun, what you said makes sense. Different people look at things differently. Every new policy has its pros and cons. When the pros outweigh the cons, it can be implemented."
Sun Shan looked at Wan Songjin approvingly and said with a smile, "You are right. But let your grandfather and father worry about this matter. You should first pass the imperial examination. If you have ambitions, you need an official title to better implement them. Come, let's go to class."
When they returned to the academy the next day, the students were discussing the court's new policies, and even the academy's teachers were engaged in a heated discussion.
Some scholars clamored to write letters to oppose the new policy, while others said that the new policy was good and that the emperor was wise.
Supporters and opponents were arguing fiercely.
The same was true for the students, but Sun Shan found that the majority of students were in the opposition group, with only a few supporters.
It seems that the vested interests are all dependent on themselves and have no intention of overthrowing themselves.
Sun Shan observed President Geng and discovered from his words that he actually supported the new policy.
Some scholars suggested finding Duke Xu to express their objections.
Dean Geng lived up to his destiny and very straightforwardly stated that he was a supporter. It was impossible for him to go to Duke Xu to express his opposition.
He had already sorted out the land books and was waiting for the officials to come and measure them.
These words made the teacher of the opposition so angry that he had a heart attack. He was so angry that he stopped attending classes and went home to recuperate.
Sun Shan remembered that the motto of Chongzheng Academy was "to respect orthodox learning and promote orthodox ways".
It emphasizes the idea of "ruler is ruler, minister is minister, father is father, son is son".
Today's new tax policy was promulgated by the emperor himself.
Secondly, the new policy is indeed beneficial to ordinary people and is in line with Confucius' advocacy of putting people first. Those in power should govern the country with virtue, reduce exploitation and improve the status of the people.
President Geng's support for the new tax policy is in line with the educational purpose of Chongzheng Academy.
The next day, Sun Shan witnessed the power of the opposition.
After Duke Xu's self-revolution, his first target was the most prominent family in Jinling - the Wang family of Langya.
The fields of Song Junhua's family compared with the fields of Wang's family in Langya are like the comparison between a mouse and an elephant.
Duke Xu chose his family as the target to attack, just like the emperor chose Yingtian Prefecture as the target to attack, to chew the hardest bone first.
How could the Wang family of Langye surrender without a fight?
They forced their own tenant farmers to fight against the officials who came to measure the land.
In order to measure the land, the tenant farmer dug it with a hoe.
When Sun Shan heard this, he remembered a certain Eastern country where an immortal wanted to reform agriculture. The landlords drove their tenants to the capital to cause trouble, and as a result, the immortal's reforms were thwarted, and finally the agricultural reforms came to nothing.
It seems that Wang Clan of Langya is also prepared to take this path and let the tenant farmers who are unaware of the truth resist.
The students of the academy wanted to watch the fun, but Sun Shan was overwhelmed by their excitement, so he left quietly and went to find Dean Geng.
It’s better not to join in such fun. As a weak and unarmed scholar, if a fight breaks out between the army and the tenant farmers, bystanders might be implicated.
Dean Geng was very angry when he heard this.
The guards were immediately arranged to lock the gate of the academy, so that not only the scholars but even a fly could not fly out of the academy.
When the students saw that there were burly guards guarding the entrance to the academy and could not get out, they went to the dean to argue.
Fortunately, even the most passionate students respect their teachers.
Under the cold face of Dean Geng, the students had no choice but to go back to class obediently.
Sun Shan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Jinling was in chaos. He didn't want to stay in Jinling and wanted to go home.