The Six Arts of the Gentleman in the Bright Moon of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1160 The Great Qin Dynasty: The Era of the Two Lis [Subscription Request*Monthly Ticket Request]

"This..." The local people were confused.

What are they trying to do? Turn more than 200 acres of land into good farmland. Are they crazy, or are the Qin government crazy?
"Those of you who are willing to continue cultivating the land here, please follow us to register!" The farmers set up a desk on the spot to work.

"We..." Everyone hesitated.

They saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears the farmers issuing the military order.

If they fail to achieve their goals, these peasants will commit suicide or be beheaded.

However, as ordinary people, they only have contact with a few officials, so it is not easy for these farmers to kill them before they die.

"What are you still hesitating about, folks?"

"In the past, you couldn't turn the land into good fields, not because you didn't work hard enough, but because you didn't have the tools to produce. Forget about the distant things, like oxen for farming? As for the nearby fertile land, besides what people eat and horses chew and poop, the rest is just the ash from burning straw."

"It's different now. This land has been leased by the government. The government has nothing else but oxen, plows, and cow and sheep manure produced in Bingzhou."

When the farmers saw that no one came to sign up, they also started shouting loudly.

A group of sturdy oxen, brand new plows and harrows, and bags of smelly cow and sheep dung piled up like mountains were also pulled up.

As farmers, no one dislikes the stench of cow and sheep dung. On the contrary, these things are priceless treasures in the eyes of farmers.

The children who were not yet able to work in the fields usually had to pick up cow and sheep dung and bring it home to make fertilizer.

But now, what lies before them is a mountain of feces.

If they also had so much cow and sheep dung, how could they not be able to build good fields?

"I'll sign up!" Soon, someone took the initiative to sign up.

It doesn’t matter who you are farming for. Now you are farming for the government. We have tools, seeds, and fertilizers!
"Let me make it clear in advance that everyone will receive a monthly salary, rather than waiting for the harvest as before, keeping their own grain and handing over the rest to the landlords and nobles," Tian Shelang continued.

"Ah? How can we survive without food?" Everyone hesitated again.

"Are you stupid? You have money but are you afraid of having no food?" The farmer was speechless.

"But how much money can we get?" a young man asked.

"Distribution is based on work. The more work you do, the more money you get. This is also to prevent people from filling in the gaps. You don't want to work hard but get the same pay as others!" Tian Shelang said with a smile.

"That's right. Old Wang next door is a lazy guy. He stays at home all day and neglects the fields. When I come back from a hard day's work, I only see him chatting with me in my house..." the young man cursed.

"!" The farmers all looked at the young man in shock.

"I suggest you go home more often if you have nothing to do, really!"

"Sir, please tell us how much money we have first!" said the young man nonchalantly.

"No, I really suggest that you do more than just work!" Tian Shelang suggested with some sympathy.

"I have eight wives, and the average age of them was no more than eighteen years old!" the young man said calmly.

"!" Tian Shelang was stunned, "Goodbye, I have a narrow vision!"

I thought the other party knew nothing, but now it seems that’s not the case!
No one is eighteen every year, but eighteen years happen every year!

"Okay, let's make it clear first. The government will provide you with means of production and tools, and you will be paid according to the amount of work you do. For example, if you are leveling the land now, you will get 15 cents per mu." The farmer did not continue to pry into other people's privacy, as he was afraid that if he continued to talk, he would be the one who would feel inferior. "Not bad. If you use oxen, you can probably work three or four mu a day." The young man quickly calculated it in his mind.

"Let me make it clear first, leveling is not just about looking flat. We will measure it every day and set standards for depth and softness."

Tian Shelang continued to remind.

"As long as the money is in place, I can make whatever you want!" the young man also promised.

"Okay!" Tian Shelang didn't say any more and started registering directly.

"This is your plan, Tonggu!" Li Yao understood how Li Si made money.

The government unified planning and leveled the land, abolished unnecessary ridges, and all fields were at the same height and quantified by the same standards. There were also professional farm officials to provide guidance, so it was difficult to have low yields. Even in years of disaster, there would be fortune tellers to give advance warnings and take precautions in advance.

The most important thing is that doing so will not provoke resistance from the feudal lords and nobles, nor will it arouse public resentment. At the same time, the government can also obtain enough tax revenue, and everyone gets what they want.

"Yes, this is what I realized when I went to Bingzhou to seek advice from Emperor Xuanwu!" Li Si said with a smile.

He was imitating the imperial merchants of Bingzhou, with public-private partnership and risk sharing, except that he put the risk on the government. But he also got more, after all, the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

"I admire you!" Li Yao did not hesitate to praise.

Perhaps Li Si's reforms would not offend the nobles like Shang Yang did, and he would not end up being torn to pieces by chariots.

It is even very likely that when Li Si passed away, the people would mourn, the nobles would carry his coffin, and thousands of families would build ancestral temples for him.

"It's a long and arduous task to unify weights and measures, currency, prices, writing, ethics, and train tracks, so I need a point to break the deadlock, and land is the best anchor to open the situation!"

Li Si said seriously, and bowed to Li Yao, "Please also give your full support to Tonggu, Lord Li Yao!"

"There is no reason for me not to support something that can make money. After all, if Lord Tonggu does a good job, I, who am in charge of the Su Nei Shi Yamen, will also get a lot of benefits." Li Yao returned the gift with a smile.

He really admires him now. Even after Xiong Qi retires, he can also be the left prime minister and assist Li Si in the dispute between the two prime ministers.

Two Lis, the era of two Lis in the Qin Dynasty?

This title seems to sound very good and very exciting.

Li Si didn't know that he had conquered his biggest competitor without even realizing it.

In other words, after gaining recognition from his mentor and acknowledgement and support from Confucianism, Li Si had abandoned his original caution and short-sightedness and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the wave of reform.

He wanted to become a great Legalist who surpassed Han Fei.

The culmination of Legalism?
No, he wanted to be a pioneer of the Legalists, a pioneer like Guan Zhong, Li Kui, Shang Yang, Shen Buhai and Shen Dao. He did not want to be the epitome of the Legalists, a patchwork freak. He wanted to stand on the shoulders of giants and push the Legalists to another height.

In the future, he will have an exclusive place in the temples of Legalism and Confucianism, instead of being a co-worshipper of someone else.

If he is not afraid of death, what else is there to be afraid of?
"Then let's go to the next stop!" Li Si and Li Yao smiled at each other.

The biggest competitor Feng Quji kicked himself out because of his own mistakes, so the only two left are the two of them.

"Please!" Li Yao deliberately fell half a body length behind.

Li Si was stunned for a moment, then he understood and walked ahead calmly.

(End of this chapter)