PFC Chapter 29 Land Distribution!
Chapter 29 Land Distribution!
The mobilization meeting was a complete success thanks to Zhu Di's "physical persuasion".
Next comes the specific implementation phase.
Zhu Zaiyi did not adopt a nationwide unified approach, but rather very cleverly chose the strategy of "pilot projects first".
Such a big matter, if it goes wrong, would shake the very foundation of the nation.
First, test the waters under your nose, familiarize yourself with the process, and then expand it nationwide. This is the mature and prudent approach.
The first pilot project was held right under the emperor's nose.
Shuntian Prefecture.
He ordered the formation of a "Land Survey Working Group" composed of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the newly established "Royal Academy of Natural History." The group was led by Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.
Zhang Juzheng, the reformer who is famous in history for his Single Whip Law, is now receiving unprecedented support.
It has trust, it has authority, it has force, and it has technology.
He had Zhu Zaiyi's absolute trust, Zhu Di's military power, the Jinyiwei's violent machinery, and the advanced measuring tools provided by the Imperial Academy of Natural History...
Theodolite and level.
These instruments were simplified versions of magical artifacts made by craftsmen using mortal materials, based on Zhu Zai Rui's knowledge of artifact crafting in the cultivation world.
The telescope tube is engraved with miniature arrays, and the bottom of the mercury pool is inlaid with balancing array patterns. Although it is not driven by spiritual power, it is more than a hundred times more accurate than the previous method of using a bow and a ruler to measure land and calculate area.
As soon as the working group entered Shuntian Prefecture, it immediately demonstrated its decisive and efficient style.
They first posted notices in various counties and towns to publicize the new policies.
The notice was simple and straightforward, written entirely in plain language that ordinary people could understand, without a single word of official jargon.
"Anyone who voluntarily reports a landlord for concealing land ownership will receive 30% of the land discovered!"
Those who are allocated land will not need to pay taxes for three years!
As soon as these notices were posted, the entire population of Shuntian Prefecture went crazy.
At first, no one dared to believe it. In teahouses and on the ridges of fields, people were whispering among themselves.
Some people sneered, saying that the government has been exploiting the people for hundreds of years, so why would it turn around and give land to the peasants?
Some people hesitated, wondering if it was just a new name for increasing taxes. Others were bolder, going up to the notice and reading it word by word. After they finished, they stood there in a daze.
But soon, they saw the real thing.
They believed it.
"Oh, Your Honor!"
"Long live His Highness the Regent! Long live the Emperor Emeritus!"
After being oppressed for hundreds of years, they experienced for the first time what "the emperor's boundless grace" meant.
At this moment, the hearts and minds of the people converged on Zhu Zai Rui and Zhu Di at an unprecedented speed.
Inside the palace, Zhu Zai Rui could clearly feel a surge of powerful and pure "human destiny" converging from all directions and flowing into his body. It was not spiritual energy; it was deeper and warmer, like the pulse deep within the earth.
Although his cultivation level did not break through immediately, his golden core became more and more solid and dazzling, with faint golden patterns appearing on its surface, and his foundation was extremely solid.
The "Human Emperor's World-Suppressing Ceremony" is indeed closely related to the fate of the nation and the hearts of the people.
A strong nation makes us strong. Popular support makes us prosperous.
The people were mobilized, and the land survey went exceptionally smoothly.
The villagers know better than anyone how many acres of land his family owns, which plots are newly reclaimed, and which were seized from others. You can falsify your accounts and hide your land deeds, but you can't hide hundreds of acres of wheat fields.
"That grove of trees behind the Li family's house was forcibly taken from Widow Wang ten years ago!"
"Squire Zhang only has fifty mu of registered land, but his family owns more than two hundred mu of land by the river to the west, which they have never paid taxes on! They've already harvested three crops of wheat!"
"And then there's Master Zhao, whose land deeds are hidden in a secret compartment in the bedroom wall! I personally saw his steward stuffing things in there in the middle of the night!"
Countless letters of denunciation arrived at Zhang Juzheng's desk like snowflakes. Some were written on scraps of paper, some were torn from the edges of account books, and some were even written by illiterate individuals who went directly to the work group's door to verbally state their accusations. The Imperial Guards followed the clues precisely, arresting them one by one.
In just one month, the entire land of Shuntian Prefecture was thoroughly surveyed and clearly identified.
Nearly 30% of the concealed farmland was discovered.
The taxes and fines paid alone filled the Shuntian Prefecture's treasury several times over. The mountains of silver ingots and copper coins left the old clerk, who had managed the treasury for thirty years, dumbfounded. He stammered that he had never seen so much money in his life.
Of the land that was confiscated, some was awarded to the people who reported it, and some was distributed to landless refugees.
The entire Shuntian Prefecture presented a thriving and prosperous scene.
The people were allocated land, and their enthusiasm for production soared to unprecedented heights. Everyone worked like crazy in the fields. They would go to the fields with their hoes before dawn and were reluctant to return even after dark, wishing they could sleep on the ridges of the fields.
Even the idlers and loafers in the village have become honest—now that they have land, who would still be a loafer?
The gentry and landlords who had been robbed of their flesh, though their hearts were bleeding, could only swallow their anger and resentment at the menacing Imperial Guards and the angry glares of their fellow villagers. They hid in their halls, muttering curses in hushed tones, not daring to utter a sound.
The pilot program in Shuntian Prefecture was a great success.
The news spread, and the world was shaken.
Couriers from all over rode swift horses, spreading the news far and wide. Some rejoiced, some were fearful, and some remained skeptical. But everyone knew—this day was likely truly about to change.
Zhu Zaiyi seized the opportunity and immediately ordered the "Shuntianfu Model" to be promoted nationwide.
He promoted Zhang Juzheng to Minister of Revenue, putting him in charge of land reform nationwide. At the same time, he distributed thousands of surveying instruments manufactured by the Imperial Institute of Natural History throughout the country.
Furthermore, 30,000 elite troops were drawn from the Beijing garrison and, under the command of Qi Jiguang, formed the "New Policy Supervision Army," which was dispatched to various regions to provide military support to local work groups. This army was disciplined and well-disciplined, and did not commit any offenses in its path, which reassured the people along the way.
Countless corrupt officials, gentry, and landlords were uprooted in this storm. Some were so frightened that they voluntarily surrendered their hidden land; some resisted stubbornly but were directly arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard; and others tried to use connections and influence, only to find that the bigwigs in the capital were all silent and no one dared to touch the subject.
The foundation of the Ming Dynasty is being gradually strengthened.
Of course, reform will inevitably be accompanied by growing pains and resistance.
The Jiangnan region, far from the capital and far from the emperor's reach.
Would they be willing to have their flesh cut off like this?
In the deep courtyards of Jiangnan, lamps burn late into the night.
An even bigger storm is brewing.