Chapter 242 Backward Production Relations
Afterwards, Xiao Baoyin himself felt a little bored, so he simply dismissed all the generals and stopped the military meeting.
Wei Sui returned to his tent, and his nephew Wei Xiaokuan came up to him and asked:
"Uncle, why are you back so early today?"
Ever since Liu Kai led his troops to war, Xiao Baoyin had been arguing endlessly at every meeting, and even simple military discussions would last until the evening.
Wei Sui immediately told him what had happened recently. Wei Xiaokuan stroked his chin, which had not yet grown a beard, and said:
"It seems that General Su really won a great victory."
Wei Sui added:
"Could it be Yang Kan's achievement? Yang Kan's father was once the governor of Liangzhou and had made many military achievements."
Wei Xiaokuan shook his head and said:
"It was Yang Kan's credit to shoot and kill Mo Zhe Dadi, but it must be Su Ze's credit to pacify Liangzhou. Otherwise, as a doctor in the Xingtai, Yang Kan would not have been less meritorious than Su Ze."
"Yang Kan must have voted for Su Ze, otherwise the credit should go to the Xingtai, and it is impossible for him to be credited together with Su Ze."
Wei Sui suddenly realized.
Then Wei Sui looked at Wei Xiaokuan and said:
"Xiao Kuan, I want you to take some of your children to Liangzhou to have a look."
Wei Xiaokuan naturally understood what his uncle meant. The scholars in Guanxi were already disappointed with Xiao Baoyin. Now that a new option had emerged, he naturally had to take people to take a look.
These aristocratic families had long understood during the turmoil that one should not put all their eggs in one basket.
Wei Xiaokuan crossed his hands and said, "Yes."
-
Although Xiao Baoyin lived in the army, he stayed in Wugong City at night except for meetings in the tent.
A few days ago, as the war situation in Guanzhong improved, Xiao Baoyin asked his wife, Princess Nanyang, to go to Chang'an.
However, after Princess Nanyang received his letter, she rushed from Huazhou to Wuxing first.
Xiao Baoyin did not welcome his wife. He asked Princess Nanyang to go to Chang'an for political purposes.
Many of the Guanxi nobles lived in Chang'an for a long time. Princess Nanyang did a good job in winning over the nobles and ladies in Huazhou, so Xiao Baoyin also hoped that Princess Nanyang could play to her strengths in Chang'an and help him win over the hearts of the people in Chang'an.
When Xiao Baoyin returned to the house in Wugong City, he saw his wife directing a strong woman to clean the house.
Xiao Baoyin glanced at the study, and when he thought of the letter from his "nephew" Xiao Zong (see Chapter 182), he became nervous again.
Since Xiao Baoyin went to war, Xiao Zong has been writing letters to him.
Xiao Zong believed that he was the posthumous son of Xiao Baojuan, the last emperor of Southern Qi, and recognized Xiao Baoyin as his uncle. He became even more crazy after he was sent to Xuzhou.
Just because Xiao Yan's nickname was "Lian'er", Xiao Zong ordered all the neem trees in Xuzhou to be cut down.
In addition, he practiced running skills.
He ordered his subordinates to spread coarse sand in the yard and walk barefoot on the sand every day, forming calluses on the soles of their feet. Even without shoes, they could walk hundreds of miles a day so that they could be ready to escape at any time.
At the same time, Xiao Zong also wrote a letter to his "uncle" Xiao Baoyin, asking him to act as a middleman and help him escape to the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Xiao Baoyin was naturally unwilling to do so. It was enough for the Northern Wei Dynasty to have him as a mascot from the Southern Qi royal family. If there was another posthumous son of the last emperor of Southern Qi, wouldn't that be competing with him for influence?
Moreover, Xiao Zong's actions were not careful and he had no ability. Xiao Baoyin knew how powerful Xiao Yan was, and he did not think that Xiao Zong could surrender to the Northern Wei with Xuzhou.
Xiao Yan was very meticulous in his plan to usurp the Qi Dynasty. He should have known all of Xiao Zong's affairs.
Xiao Zong was sent to Xuzhou, but the civil and military power were in the hands of Xiao Yan's people, so Xiao Yan simply allowed Xiao Zong to "make trouble".
Because of the bloody example of the royal family killing each other in the previous Qi Dynasty, Xiao Yan attached particular importance to the harmony of the royal family, and he was so lenient with the royal family that it was difficult to enforce the law.
Over the years, Xiao Yan became increasingly devoted to Buddhism. Even meat was no longer eaten in the palace, and he refused to kill. The Southern Liang Dynasty often issued general amnesties.
However, if the news of his correspondence with the prince of an enemy country were to spread, it would certainly arouse suspicion among the Northern Wei court.
Xiao Baoyin walked into the study and saw his wife cleaning the room. He immediately said angrily:
"Who let you in!"
Princess Nanyang looked at her husband at a loss. Xiao Baoyin said hysterically:
"Are you Yuan clan girls so reckless? I am leading the troops at the front line, and you insist on coming to the barracks to disrupt the morale of the army. How will the officers view me?"
Princess Nanyang sobbed, and Xiao Baoyin continued:
"If Your Highness does not wish to go to Chang'an, please return to Luoyang."
When Princess Nanyang heard this, her body trembled as if struck by thunder. She had worked so hard to come to Wugong from Huazhou, but her husband treated her like this.
Princess Nanyang couldn't believe that this was her husband who had once been in harmony with her and treated her with respect.
Thinking of this, Princess Nanyang rushed out of the study.
Xiao Baoyin felt a little reluctant, but he still rushed to the desk, opened the secret compartment on the desk, and saw that the letter Xiao Zong wrote to him had not been touched. Only then did he feel relieved.
He felt a little regretful, but after being slapped in the face by Su Ze for several times today, he didn't want to be humble and try to please his wife.
When he heard the report from the government official that Princess Nanyang was going back to Chang'an, Xiao Baoyin just waved his hand to indicate that he understood and let Princess Nanyang go.
-
Su Ze dragged his tired body back to the military camp. Even though he exercised every day, he was still a little tired after running around outside the city every day.
Lu Xiuning brought a basin for washing, helped Su Ze take off his armor, and used a hot cloth to melt the purple bruises that were pressed by the armor. She looked at Su Ze's back with some heartache, and really didn't understand why he had to work so hard.
Among all the big shots that Lu Xiuning had met, none was like Su Ze.
He clearly has knights like tigers and leopards, archers like wolves and eagles, and strategists like foxes.
If my grandfather had such a team, he would probably spend every day on the hunting grounds or among women.
However, Su Ze, with a self-abuse-like self-discipline, inspected the villages, manors, forts, and pastures near Nanzheng one county after another. Wherever he went, he would check the grain planting and grazing conditions, chat with the villagers, and ask about their lives.
After coming back, I still have to deal with the pile of documents, and today I have to call my subordinates to discuss matters.
After Lu Xiuning finished wiping carefully, Su Ze changed into single clothes. He waved his hand and said:
"Please invite Military Advisor Su and Sima Feng to discuss this matter."
Feng Shu was followed by five clerks, each of them holding a wooden box, which contained the laws and regulations that Feng Shu had recently revised.
However, these regulations are not the content of today's meeting, but are handed over to Su Ze for his review.
Su Ze called Feng Shu and Su Liang today to discuss how to deal with the Yang family in Hanzhong.
Su Ze looked at Feng Shu and asked:
"The lawyer sent down reported that all the lands of the Yang family are registered?"
Feng Shu nodded, and Su Ze asked doubtfully:
"The population was obtained through harsh laws and punishments, so how did the Yang family own these lands?"
Feng Shu said:
"All of this started with Emperor Xiaowen's Equal Field System."
Su Ze took the brewed tea handed to him by Lu Xiuning, and asked someone to serve tea to Feng Shu and Su Liang.
Ground tea leaves, pepper and some milk are made into "Hu tea", which is common in the northwest. It should be a product of the fusion of Han and Hu cultures in the north.
Lu Xiuning is very good at making tea. The bitter tea aroma is mixed with the peppery taste of pepper and hemp, and finally blended with milk.
Especially in the gradually colder season, after drinking a sip of Hu tea, you will feel sweat on your back and the cold in your bones will be driven away.
Feng Shu also took a sip of tea and said, "Emperor Xiaowen's land grant order granted a certain amount of land based on population."
"The original intention of this order is to distribute the land equally across the country, so that those who till the land can own their land."
Feng Shu changed the tone and said:
"But in the Equal Field System, in addition to men, slaves and servants can also be granted land, and cattle can also be granted land."
Su Ze immediately discovered the loophole in the decree and asked:
"The slaves are granted land? Are the slaves' land their own? Or the master's?"
Feng Shu sighed and said:
"That's the problem. From the perspective of the law, the Equal Land Distribution Order granted land to slaves, which should belong to them. But everything they have belongs to their masters, so granting land to slaves is actually equivalent to granting land to their masters."
Feng Shu said:
"The reason for this regulation should be that Emperor Xiaowen considered that the equal-field system had just been implemented and adopted an appeasement policy to reduce resistance from the wealthy and powerful."
Su Ze nodded. No policy can be implemented just by formulating it.
Policies need someone to implement them. When problems arise, they must be fed back upward layer by layer, and then the policies must be modified and patched based on the problems. Finally, those officials who implement the policies well will be rewarded, and those who are passive and lazy will be punished.
All of this requires a system to operate.
No matter how powerful Emperor Xiaowen was, it was impossible for him to abandon the powerful families and send people to implement the Equal Field System himself.
This compromise is almost inevitable.
Feng Shu said:
"Over the years, most of the land owned by the Yang family in Hanzhong was recorded on their registered slaves and cattle."
It’s really troublesome.
Land and population are tied together, forming a strong personal-land dependence relationship. It is no wonder that these powerful families cannot be eradicated even when the world is in chaos.
Based on the knowledge they have acquired, they are always able to find loopholes in various policies and quickly attach themselves to the new regime.
Su Ze couldn't help but want to kill, but he still restrained himself.
He looked at Feng Shu and asked:
"Is it true that the Yang family has no loopholes?"
Feng Shu smiled and said:
"That's not the case."
Feng Shu said:
"First of all, the population. The Yang family has more than 10,000 slaves registered, and there are many slaves who are not registered."
Su Ze asked:
"Since slaves can share the land equally, why doesn't the Yang family register all slaves?"
Feng Shu also conducted a serious investigation and said:
"There are two reasons for this. First, even if the Yang family has many people, there is a limit to the land they can own. There is no land available near Nanzheng. If we register the slaves, we will have to pay rent and taxes. This is not cost-effective."
The Northern Wei court collected rent and taxes from the people. Rent was the rent for the land, and taxes were the special products associated with the land. Some places handed over silk, some places handed over spices, and some places handed over tea.
"Secondly, if they were slaves registered in the official service, they would have to report their births, old age, illnesses and deaths to the official service, which would also be very troublesome."
Su Ze nodded, what Feng Shu said was the actual situation.
Feng Shu continued, "Since there is no register, then slaves who are not on the official register are hidden households. According to the laws of our dynasty, hiding a household is not a minor crime."
Su Ze's eyes lit up.
But Su Liang said: "But this trick is not enough to overthrow the Yang family. The Yang family can say that these are refugees who escaped from the south and have not had time to register their household registration."
Feng Shu nodded and said:
"Military Advisor Su is right, but I have another solution."
Su Ze asked: "What method?"
Feng Shu said:
"It's still the equal distribution of land."
Feng Shu did not keep the audience in suspense and directly recited the original text of "Equal Field Order":
"All mulberry fields are the property of this world, and one will never return them. Those who have surplus can sell their surplus, and those who have insufficient can buy their insufficient."
After Feng Shu finished saying this, Lu Xiuning was completely dumbfounded. What was this scholar talking about?
Feng Shu knew that Su Ze was from a military household and was not very familiar with land policies, so he explained:
"The fields granted under the Equal Field Order are divided into two types: open fields and worldly fields."
"Lutian is a land that is granted and returned. The law stipulates that land is granted to male adults when they reach adulthood, and the land is returned when they die or turn fifty. This land is equally owned by the whole country."
"The ancestral land can be passed down to descendants, and the extra land can be traded, making it a generational land."
"The land of the Yang family in Hanzhong also has Lutian and Shitian."
Su Ze asked doubtfully:
"Since it is Shitian, how can we seize it?"
Feng Shu said:
"The ancestral land mentioned in the Equalizing Fields Order is clearly defined as 'mulberry fields'. If mulberry fields are converted into farmland, they are no longer ancestral land and must be returned."
Su Ze still asked doubtfully:
"Hanzhong produces silk, so why should we convert mulberry fields into farmland?"
The Yang family is not an ordinary family and does not have to worry about food security. For a family like theirs, producing silk from mulberry fields is actually a better choice.
Su Liang has a say on this issue. He had experience in farming and studying when he was young. He explained:
"General, this kind of mulberry and silkworm breeding is not something that everyone can do, and not everyone can do it well."
"In my hometown, those who can raise silkworms and weave silk are all girls from good families. They must learn from their mothers from a young age. Girls who can weave silk are sought after by people from all over the country."
"In Wugong County where my family is located, apart from the daughters of our Su family, who are a farming and reading family, only the daughters of Sanchang Village can weave silk."
"The Yang family in Hanzhong only raises slaves and servants, so how can they weave silk?"
"So they simply cut down the mulberry fields and replaced them with farmland that was easier to cultivate."
Su Ze understood it immediately.
Sericulture, silk reeling, silk weaving and cloth spinning were all technical jobs in ancient times.
Although farming in ancient times was also a technical job, it was relatively extensive compared to sericulture.
To put it bluntly, in the slave estate of the Yang family in Hanzhong, female slaves were not qualified to work in the sericulture industry.
This is easy to understand. Before the Civil War, why did southern plantations in a certain beacon country grow cotton instead of setting up factories to weave it into cotton cloth and then sell it?
Did they not want to? That was because slaves could only be satisfied with work like picking cotton, and the work of textile workers was too complicated for them.
After being a slave for a lifetime, who would be willing to learn how to weave?
Only those good girls who work hard for their families are willing to learn sericulture, sewing, cooking and other housework skills from an early age for the sake of their small families.
Su Ze said: "So the Yang family's ancestral land is not mulberry fields, these should also be granted by the government?"
Feng Shu nodded heavily.
(End of this chapter)