Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 2092, European Enclosure Movement

With the arrival of the new year in Europe, the plague gradually dissipated.

Thanks to the good demonstration made by the Ming Empire, coupled with the cheap food from the Ming Empire, Europe was able to control the Black Death this time, and the number of deaths was not very large. Overall, Not much to lose.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Europeans have figured out some ways to deal with the Black Death. Since the Black Death appeared in Europe and caused large-scale population deaths, the Black Death will appear in Europe from time to time. The Europeans have also worked out some experiences and lessons.

The plague has dissipated, the earth has returned to spring, and Europe has also begun a busy new year.

The farmers who had fled in all directions returned to their hometown one after another, ready to start farming.

In a rural area of ​​Spain, farmers are preparing tools. At this time, European agriculture is still in a relatively primitive and backward state, and it is not like the mechanized farming model that has begun to be popularized in the Ming Empire.

They still follow the farming methods handed down from the Middle Ages, by cultivating the land, and then reclaiming new land after the fertility of the land declines, and the cycle repeats.

The Orientals have mastered the fertilization technology for a long time, but they have not mastered it at all, and they don't know how to maintain the fertility of the land.

This is also an important reason why European cities are very dirty, because they don't know that those things can actually be used for composting, adding fertilizer to crops, and watering vegetables and fruits.

The east side is different. Our ancestors discovered this very early on, so they were able to make full use of it.

Putting hay in the cowshed can not only keep the cows warm and feed them, but also transport the cow manure and the like to the fields in the next spring, which can greatly increase the fertility of the fields, mixed with rotten hay. , very fertile, very helpful for the growth of crops.

Since ancient times, we have been not only farming, but also raising fields, so even terraced fields on high mountains can gradually become more and more fertile.

This is not the case in Europe. They have never mastered this technology, so they often continue to reclaim new land.

Fortunately, the population in Europe has not been too large, and there are large areas of plains and land, so they can be so willful.

"I hope this year will be a good one. If there is another famine, how can we survive?"

Paco sorted out his own farming tools. As a Spanish farmer in this period, he had always been under a heavy burden, and the tax pressure on the nobles had always been great.

Having said that, I have to talk about the tax situation in Europe.

There is a big difference between Europe and the East in terms of taxation. European taxation is often a tax-inclusive system, which can also be called a tax-sharing system.

To put it simply, the king packs the entire taxation of a region to someone. For example, a region can collect about 1 taels of silver a year, and the king will give this to a certain noble or businessman. The noble or businessman only needs to pay 1 Give the king [-] taels of silver to obtain the right to tax the area.

As for how much you can collect, that is your ability. If you have the ability to collect 2 taels of silver, you can earn 1 taels of silver.

The Jews in ancient Europe often did this job, making money by doing it, and doing usury business by the way.

Because there are always people who fail to pay taxes when taxes are collected, the Jews can lend you a sum of money to allow you to complete the tax payment this time, but the interest on this money must be very high.

In the end, you will go bankrupt or sell your children to pay back their money. This is one of the reasons why Europeans hate Jews. There are many reasons for anti-Semitism, and one of the most important reasons is that they are indeed He did many, many bad things.

Under such a system, the aristocrats and businessmen who have obtained the right to tax will naturally not do business at a loss, and will inevitably levy various taxes on farmers.

According to statistics, there were hundreds of types of taxes in Europe in the Middle Ages. Even killing chickens had to pay taxes, buying wine had to pay wine taxes, and using mills had to pay royalties.

There are many kinds of taxes, and they desperately squeeze the peasants at the bottom. The peasants in Europe in the Middle Ages were very bitter, even more bitter than the peasants in the East. This is not an exaggeration, but it is true.

In addition to taxes, the church is also trying to squeeze these peasants, such as tithes, indulgences, etc., there are also various things with various names to squeeze you.

In contrast, the peasants in the ancient East were better. At least there was no church, and they didn’t have to pay taxes to the church. In addition, most of the emperors of the past dynasties paid attention to light corvee and light taxes, and paid as little as possible to the peasants. Burden and pressure, unlike in Europe, the monarchs don't care about these, they only care about whether their tax revenue will affect their luxury life.

Of course, this is also related to a characteristic of the Orientals.

Once the Easterners can no longer survive, they will immediately play peasant uprising with you, and often can greatly shake the ruling foundation of a dynasty.

This makes the rulers have to pay attention to this aspect of things, lightly pay and pay less, and provide relief to the victims of disasters are all basic operations.

On the European side, although people of later generations are generally bragging that Europeans are more rebellious, it is actually nonsense. They are just being squeezed too badly in the long history, so they slowly develop I lost the habit of negotiating taxes with nobles and monarchs, and made troubles habitually.

We orientals are different, either I will not make trouble, or if I want to make trouble, I will make a big fuss for you. Small troubles are not in line with the character and habits of Orientals. .

As a low-level farmer, Paco suffered from drought the year before and had almost no crops for two consecutive years. The continuous rainfall last year was coupled with the Black Death.

Paco, who was already extremely poor, almost couldn't survive. In the end, Paco sold his daughter in exchange for some food, plus the cheap food from the Ming Empire, the Paco family This has persisted until now.

He now only hopes that this year will be a good year with good weather and a good harvest.

"Clang~clang~"

"Come here all, come here all of them!"

At this time, someone was beating gongs and drums and shouting, and all the people in the village came out one after another. When they came out to take a look, they found that the nobles of the territory came here on tall horses.

"My lord!"

Many peasants saluted respectfully when they saw the aristocrats.

The land lords and nobles in Europe have a lot of power, and the royal power is relatively weak. The nobles and lords are almost unique in their own land. They can not only levy taxes, but also conscript soldiers, and everything on their territory All belong to the nobility.

Land, forests, minerals, etc., and even their low-level farmers and tenants belong to the nobility. It is a bit like serfdom, but it is much better than serfdom. At least most of the peasants are not slaves. Free, nobility cannot buy and sell them directly.

But there is no doubt that when facing the nobles in their own territories, all the peasants are respectful.

"I am now officially notifying you that no food will be grown this year. All land must be used to graze cattle and sheep and grow cotton. You will all graze sheep, shear sheep, and grow cotton for me in the future."

Igor looked at the dirty farmers in front of him and said with extreme disgust.

Now that the price of grain has plummeted, and the large-scale import of cheap grain from the Ming Dynasty, growing grain obviously cannot meet the extravagant expenses of the nobles, so a large number of nobles have started to raise sheep in enclosures and shear sheep for sale.

The price of wool has always been very stable, and the demand from Daming people is very strong, and it can be sold directly to Daming people in exchange for Daming people's vain silver dollars.

This can directly increase the income of the nobles by a large amount. One must know that the food grown in the past is almost worthless, especially if it cannot be sold to the people of Ming Dynasty.

Daming people have plenty of grain, so they won't accept your grain.

Therefore, the income growth of these nobles is limited. If they want to buy luxury goods from the East, they can only think of other ways, but the results are very mediocre.

Some aristocrats had more contact with Daming people. They knew that Daming people needed wool and cotton, and they also tried to raise some sheep, shear sheep and so on.

As a result, the income is quite good. The wool of sheep is always growing, and when it grows, it is cut off, just like cutting leeks, one crop after another, and can be sheared several times a year.

In addition, in the Mediterranean coast and the colonies of North Africa, there are also many nobles who are growing cotton. The price of cotton has always been very good, and it is also resistant to drought, which is a very good economic crop.

The income of these nobles has greatly increased, which has also stimulated other nobles to follow suit.

Originally, there was a habit of enclosing land in Europe. Since the Middle Ages, nobles have liked to enclose land, enclosing some unowned land and farmers' land for themselves.

Now with external economic stimulus, these nobles began to raise sheep on a large scale.

"Not growing food?"

"Herding sheep? Growing cotton?"

Many farmers were dumbfounded when they heard this. If they don’t cultivate the land, what do they eat?

Do they live by eating sheep like nomads?

How many sheep have to be eaten, and how much land is needed to raise enough sheep?
Besides, wool and cotton are inedible, how do you let everyone survive?
Thinking of this, many farmers are anxious one by one, this still makes people live!
They are not allowed to grow food.

(End of this chapter)