At the end of Song Dynasty: I want to be the master of ZTE

Chapter 212 The Mountain People
It was June, and the heat and rain were unbearable, making it difficult to walk. However, in Jiangle County, Nanjian Prefecture, Fujian, the county captain Wang Hou was climbing a mountain.

The mountain was high and the forest was dense. It was very difficult for the one-armed prince to climb, and the more than ten soldiers accompanying him also complained incessantly.

After a while, someone couldn't help complaining: "County Lieutenant, the Wangjia Village is located in a deep valley, and there are only more than a hundred people there, so why bother?"

"We are all under the rule of the people, how can we ignore them and not ask them?" the prince replied.

This Wangjia Village is not in the county government household register. If the prince had not accidentally heard a hunter mention it, he would not have known that there was such a village hidden in the mountains.

However, as the hunter said, Wangjia Village is indeed quite far away. The group of people traveled more than [-] miles for six days, but they still haven't arrived.

So the county government doesn't care about Wangjia Village. It's such a long way, and even if it can collect some taxes, it won't be enough for the government officials to spend on the road.

After walking for another two days, the prince finally heard the sound coming from the front.

Everyone was refreshed and hurried over, only to see a few villagers collecting wild vegetables and fruits.

They were skinny and ragged, and some even only had grass around their crotches. It was obvious at a glance that their lives were very difficult.

When everyone walked through the mountain forest, the people on the opposite side stayed for a moment, then suddenly turned around and ran away.

"The tax collectors are here~"

"It's not good~ The government is here~"

"Inform the clan leader quickly..."

The princes were stunned and all the people ran away.

An older soldier said: "Official, I'm afraid that the people here are being persecuted so hard that they won't be easily persuaded."

"We have to give it a try. Life outside is becoming more and more prosperous, but the mountains are still poor. How can we abandon it?" said the prince.

"If we follow the past, there is nothing wrong with staying in the mountains. Being poor is poor, and there will be no harsh pressure from the government. Now that the government is in charge, it is really time to go out."

"Yes, in the past, taxes were heavy, and a year's work was not even enough, and the family and property were easily ruined."

"If Li Zong was as frugal as the officials in governing the sect, why would he come to the mountains to struggle for survival?"

The prince didn't care about the gossip of his subordinates, because what they said was the truth.

Before Zhao Shi ascended the throne, people named Zhao were really not good to the people, and all kinds of taxation and corvee could really crush people to death.

As far as the prince's own memory is concerned, the family is busy every day, but they still don't have enough to eat, so it's good that the official family was exempted from miscellaneous Fu after becoming the throne.

After following the trace for more than two miles, a valley suddenly appeared.

There is a river at the bottom of the valley, and there are fields beside the river. However, the rice in the fields has just been washed by water, which will definitely reduce the yield.

The house is built on a high place, so there is no need to worry about flooding. There are just many wooden sheds, and at a glance there is air leakage everywhere.

That is to say, it is warmer here in Fujian. If it were in the north, it would definitely not be able to survive the winter.

While he was looking at it, an old man walked in with a few common people and said, "Young old man Wang Youyi has seen a high official."

"My father, you're welcome." The prince helped Wang Youyi up and said, "I am the captain of Jiangle County. I heard that Wangjia Village is hidden in the mountains and isolated from the world, so I came to visit."

Wang Youyi trembled and said: "Good instructors know that if we don't pay taxes, if the government doesn't come, there is nothing we can do."

...The prince stayed for a while, and said: "Don't worry, everyone, we didn't come here to collect taxes, and now the imperial court only collects [-]% of the land tax, and all miscellaneous taxes and corvees are exempted..."

Wang Youyi was doubtful.

They have lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests for more than 20 years. They really don't know the news from the outside world, and they simply can't believe that such a good thing can happen. "If you tell lies, thunder will strike from heaven!" The prince swore, and he only slightly comforted the Wang family.

After initially gaining people's trust, the prince took a closer look at the situation in Wangjia Village.

At that time, Jia Sidao's practice of public land law would have prevented them from being blamed. However, powerful officials colluded and took away all their land in Wangjiazhuang. In order to survive, they had to go into the mountains.

“We collect food on weekdays, plant beans when there is soil, and plant rice on the tidal flats by the river. We are indeed poor, but we have never starved to death.

As for the salt, we all exchange it with the Yi people in the deeper areas. It is a little expensive, but it is better than safety. "Wang Youyi is quite satisfied.

The prince said: "There was a great epidemic in the southeast the year before last. There was not even one out of ten south of Qiantang and north of the Yangtze River. Now that the world is stable and there are many farmhouses, you can go out and settle in the mountains. If you want to come here, you will have thirty acres of good land."

With a [-]% tax, the price of salt along the southeastern coast is now eight cents, and we can usually weave and have enough food and clothing. "

"How can such a good thing get my turn?" A young villager sneered.

The entourage was impatient and said: "The high-ranking official has traveled across mountains and rivers to come here just to deceive you and others? If you have such skills, what can't you do?"

This rude attitude did not make Wang Youyi unhappy, but instead he breathed a sigh of relief.

In their impression, it was unusual for a prince to be so polite. In fact, they rarely saw county captains. They only dealt with government officials, and most of the government officials had their nostrils turned upward.

Wang Youyi was relieved, but he still had concerns: "If we move, the mountains are high and the roads are far, and we might starve to death halfway there."

"You don't have any savings?" The prince asked in vain as soon as he finished speaking.

If I could save some money, I wouldn't be so skinny.

“It is convenient to water the river beach, but when the water rises, it will flood. It is God’s blessing that we can have three to five buckets in a season.

There are more than [-] people in this village, with only [-] acres of land, and really no savings. "Wang Youyi replied.

"Don't worry, old man, the government will pay for any losses caused by the move." The prince agreed happily, but Wang Youyi had doubts.

The officer sneered and said: "You only see that the official is young, but you don't know his background. You must know that the name of the official is a gift given by the emperor. It is all due to his merits in protecting the emperor. Not to mention that you and other wild people in the mountains are all the people in the state and county. , who doesn't look up?
If the high-ranking officials had not taken the initiative to ask for help, why would they have come to such a poor and remote place in Jiangle County to suffer? "

"It's okay not to mention the past. Now that I am a herdsman official, I should work for the benefit of the people." The prince said.

That's what he said, but if it weren't for Jian Zai's heart, he wouldn't have dared to say that the county would pay for the immigration, because Jiangle County was a lower county with few people and poor people, so it could only be implemented with subsidies from the state.

The two parties discussed for a long time, and Wang Youyi finally decided to move out. However, it was almost evening today and it was obvious that he could not leave.

Wangjiacun tried their best to entertain the prince and his entourage, but it was just a multi-grain meal mixed with wild vegetables, which was not enough to satisfy them.

The prince didn't care and asked about the situation in the nearby mountains.

Since Emperor Gaozong, the population in the south has been increasing day by day. Many people live in seclusion in arable areas in the mountains and can barely survive. Moreover, these people are basically not included in official statistics, which is equivalent to an invalid population.

If they were all moved out, there would be a hundred and eighty thousand people, which could completely restore Chengtian Mansion to its peak.

Of course, this is a huge project that cannot be accomplished in one place and in a short period of time, and it will consume a lot of money in the short term, but in the long run, it will definitely be good governance that benefits the country and the people.

Therefore, when the imperial court received the report from the prince, it immediately put the immigration plan on the agenda and made it the focus of official performance evaluation.

The assessment is not only based on the number of people, but also includes the death rate on the migration journey. Only with a mortality rate of no more than half, can one obtain a high-level performance evaluation. If you don't have the ability, just rest, because only the top-level can be promoted, and the middle-level can be promoted or retained. Go home later.

Half of the death rate can only be achieved with sufficient logistical support, which is also to prevent officials from rushing for quick success and ignoring human lives.

(End of this chapter)