Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Gu Yanwu, who stayed in Suzhou to lead the engineering camp and support the hired workers' association, had a deeper understanding of the power of the workers and farmers uniting after seeing the cooperation between hired workers and farmers to force big businessmen to make concessions.

At the same time, we also understand why the emperor said that workers are more militant and can serve as the vanguard:
"These hired workers have nothing, so they fight even harder."

"As long as we organize them, they can serve as the vanguard."

"All undemocratic systems in Suzhou Prefecture can be destroyed by them."

I strongly agree with the idea that the emperor and the people should rule the world together, and I prefer the line in "Unity is Strength" that says "Let all undemocratic systems die."

Gu Yanwu believed that the emperor who composed this song was truly practicing the saying "People are the most important, the country comes second, and the emperor is the least important", putting the people first and promoting a democratic system.

Therefore, he was very supportive of Liu Lishun, who came to Suzhou and Songjiang to establish a new district and explore the democratic system. He was determined to protect him and clear the difficulties encountered in the preparation and construction of the new district.

"Mr. Kou, the emperor has said that the new district must implement public ownership of land."

"Except for the Shanghai district where private land is allowed, the new Wusong and Baoshan districts will all be replaced with government land."

"Let's not talk about Shanghai District and Baoshan District in Songjiang Prefecture. All the land in Wusong District will be nationalized."

"If this matter cannot be handled well, how can we report to the emperor?"

Gu Yanwu discussed this matter with Suzhou prefect Kou Shen. Although he respected the official who had recruited him in the boy's examination, he would not delay the emperor's order.

He explained to Kou Shen the construction of the new district and Liu Lishun's responsibilities in coming to Jiangnan.

After learning the whole story, Kou Shen frowned and said:

"The land in Wusongjiangso originally belonged to the garrison, and there are many official fields around it."

"It is not difficult to convert the west bank of the Wusong River into government farmland, but what is difficult is how to collect taxes?"

"Will the taxes for this new area be separately levied, or will they still be levied by Suzhou Prefecture?"

"If it is listed separately, the amount of taxes in Suzhou will have to change."

Other Suzhou officials shared this view. Huang Daozhou said:
"What level is the new district, a prefecture or a district?"

"Where can we appeal cases in Wusong District in the future? Will it be under the jurisdiction of Suzhou Tingwei Office?"

This series of problems all need to be solved.

On the contrary, the military affairs that Gu Yanwu was in charge of were simpler, because the military affairs of the new area had been determined to be under the charge of the Yulin Guard, which was under the jurisdiction of the Prince's Guard.

After thinking about it, he said:

"The new district is to be built into an industrial city. The taxation department of Taihu Inspectorate will be responsible for the future and will be distributed to the new district in proportion."

"In addition to being used as funding for the new district government, the remaining funds from this part of the tax will also be distributed to the Jiangnan Governor's Office."

"It is impossible for the current expenditure of the Governor's Office to be drawn from the Susong Customs."

"In the future, how much of the customs revenue each region will get will be determined."

As a governor's office without provincial institutions, where the expenses of the Jiangnan Governor's Office come from has always been a problem.

Theoretically, the five prefectures in Jiangnan could be asked to pay a portion of their taxes, but in that case the Governor's Office would need many more corresponding agencies, and it might even become a provincial-level office in fact.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian previously authorized the Jiangnan Governor's Office to share the tax revenue from the Susong Customs to solve this problem.

But this was obviously unsustainable, because after seeing this example, all regions also demanded a share of customs revenue. The Ministry of Revenue and the General Administration of Customs of the Ministry of the Navy were of course opposed to this.

Therefore, after planning the construction of the new district and the Taihu Inspection House, Zhu Youjian decided to move the Jiangnan Governor's Office to the new district and collect the remaining taxes from the new district as funds for the Governor's Office.

At the same time, the tax commissioner of Taihu Inspectorate would retain some of the tax revenue after collecting commercial taxes in the Jiangnan region as funds for the Taihu Inspectorate and the Jiangnan Governor's Office.

This means that Suzhou Prefecture will basically not receive any tax revenue from the new district. Kou Shen asked him:
"If the deposit is allocated in this way, what about the shipment?"

"Will the shipping quota currently borne by Wusong District be transferred to other districts and counties, or will it continue to be borne by Wusong District?"

Gu Yanwu laughed and said:

"Don't worry about this, Mr. Kou. The new district will bear the responsibility."

"To tell you the truth, Lord Kou, the 200,000 taels of silver that Chu Fan used to build resettlement housing have all been allocated."

"Even if Wusong District is asked to bear 200,000 taels of tax, it can be paid this year."

"Now, please ask Lord Kou and the officials in the government office to help divide the land in Wusong District."

"I will immediately organize a project to build houses so that the hired workers will have no place to live in the winter."

Although the emperor did not contribute a single ounce of silver to the construction of the Susong New District, he invested half of the funds he received from the Chu vassal into the new district.

Now it is confirmed that there are three million taels of silver, and it is easy to take out two hundred thousand taels of silver.

But two hundred thousand taels of silver was the tax for 1.6 million acres of land. It was obviously impossible for Kou Shen to assign such a large area to Wusong District.

After consulting with officials from Suzhou Prefecture, he finally allocated 400,000 acres of arable land to the Wusong District, which was about half the area of ​​Jiading County.

All of these arable lands will be converted into official fields and allocated to the newly formed Wusong District together with nearby wastelands and tidal flats.

Gu Yanwu immediately paid 50,000 taels of silver as a tax for the 400,000 mu of farmland. He would later collect grain from the land as a source of food for the engineering camp and the hired workers' association.

It is also necessary to cooperate with Sihai Grain Store's unified purchase and sales to control the grain industry in the new district.

Then, he did the same thing again and agreed with Songjiang Prefecture on the scope of Baoshan District and Shanghai District. Although Songjiang Prefecture had not yet forcibly reclaimed the official fields, it was easier to allocate land.

Because private land is allowed in Shanghai District, and Baoshan District is now mostly wasteland.

The three places together eventually owned one million mu of land. The lower reaches of the Wusong River and the Huangpu River were included in the new district.

Gu Yanwu quickly selected a location and arranged for the engineering battalion to build a port terminal and create residences for the hired workers.

The residential houses were naturally built according to the communities planned by the capital, and various building materials had been transported from the capital and other places.

The workers who joined the engineering camp started construction with great enthusiasm after they knew that the community they built would be assigned to them. The new district was already under construction in full swing even before it was officially established.

Many workers used their intelligence and wisdom to put forward various suggestions at the three-in-one collective meeting. A bricklayer from Suzhou proposed to invite the Xiangshan Gang to build the house:

"The Xiangshan Gang was passed down by Kuai Luban. They have lived in Xiangshan for generations, and their descendants still exist."

"The Xiangshan Gang is good at construction. They participated in the construction of the capital and the imperial palace."

"If we invite them to build the new district, they will definitely make it look better."

Kuai Xiang and Kuai Lu Ban were not only the builders of Chengtian Gate, but also the originators of Suzhou-style architecture. There were Kuai clan members in Suzhou, and many craftsmen learned from the Kuai family, forming the so-called Xiangshan Gang.

Gu Yanwu was friends with Lu Xiang and others in the capital, so he naturally knew that the Ming craftsmen admired Kuai Xiang. He also went with them to the Lu Ban Temple to pay homage to this great craftsman who was enshrined alongside Lu Ban.

When he heard that Kuai Xiang's descendants had formed the Xiangshan Gang, he immediately said with joy:
"I've heard of Kuai Shilang Hutong in the capital, but I didn't expect he has descendants in Suzhou." "They have been building houses in Jiangnan for hundreds of years, so they must be very capable."

“We can invite them to come and transform the community design from Beijing into something more Suzhou-style.”

Gu Yanwu couldn't say that he disliked the architecture of the capital, but he obviously felt more familiar with the architecture of his hometown.

What's more, the climate and soil in Suzhou and Beijing are different, so local people who are proficient in construction are necessary.

So Gu Yanwu quickly decided to invite the Xiangshan Gang to come and build a beautiful Susong New District.

Some bricklayers from the Xiangshan Gang also joined the employment association, and soon they went to Wuxian to hire people with Gu Yanwu's invitation.

When Kuai Xiang's descendants learned that they had the opportunity to preside over the Susong New District, they immediately led the entire Xiangshan Gang to come over.

For craftsmen like them, it was a rare opportunity to preside over the construction of a city. The reason why Kuai Xiang left a great name was because he built the imperial palace and participated in the design of the capital.

What's more, the Susong New District was established by the emperor's order, and Kuai Xiang was carried into the Lu Ban Temple by the current emperor, and his descendants were also conferred hereditary knighthood.

After knowing that they could serve the emperor, they felt obliged to come to the new district.

After the joining of these professional craftsmen, the construction speed of the new district was further accelerated and the planning became more reasonable.

Gu Yanwu also quickly realized the advantage of Jiangnan, that is, there is no need to worry about freezing, and cement can be used for construction in winter:

"If it's in the capital, it's already starting to freeze over, right? We can't use cement for foundations anymore."

"But here in Jiangnan, the ice forms later and lasts for a very short time. Compared to the capital, construction can be done almost all year round."

"It is much easier to build a new city in Jiangnan than in the north."

Buildings in the north need to be protected from cold and heat. Wensiyuan has not yet solved the problem of cement freezing in winter.

But in Jiangnan, there is no need to worry about this at all, as construction can be carried out even in winter.

This made Gu Yanwu realize the advantages of Jiangnan, and also realized why the emperor wanted to establish a new district in Suzhou and Songjiang as a foothold for the inner court:
"Jiangnan is indeed a good place. Construction is not affected in winter and it is not too hot in summer."

“This is not only beneficial in agriculture, but also in industry.”

The advantage of two crops a year in Jiangnan made it a grain center soon after it was developed in the Tang and Song dynasties. There was a saying that "when Suzhou and Lake Tai are prosperous, the whole world is well fed." Even when it later turned to growing cash crops, the grain center did not turn to the north, but to Huguang.

At this time, Gu Yanwu realized that after the industry in Jiangnan developed, it would have advantages over the north and would likely become an industrial center.

This made him more enthusiastic about presiding over the construction of the new district, and at the same time he considered whether to sell some land and invest in industry in the new district.

Before that, he had his family sell 50 acres of land to reduce the property tax they had to pay, and invested in industry and commerce in the capital.

Now he wants to go a step further and sell another 250 acres of land to invest in industry and commerce in Jiangnan.

His current hereditary knighthood entitles him to 500 acres of land in the Central Plains, so the 750 acres he had left behind were naturally redundant.

Gu Yanwu planned to sell the 250 acres of land and invest in industry and commerce in the new district.

When Gu Yanwu brought up this idea during his visit home, it was undoubtedly opposed by his adoptive grandfather Gu Shaofu, who said:

"Seven hundred and fifty acres of land is not a lot. According to the new measurement system, it is only barely five hundred acres."

"These fields can all be used as your title fields, and you only need to pay the tithe tax."

"They cannot be sold anymore. They must be your property."

When Gu Yanwu heard his grandfather say this, he thought of using the new system to measure land.

Unexpectedly, his family business also shrunk from 750 acres to 500 acres.

Now he doesn't need to sell land anymore. With his status, he doesn't need to pay property tax on the 500 acres of land.

This made him feel both amused and sad, and he sighed:
"No wonder the scholars and people of Suzhou all support the new system for measuring land."

"In addition to reducing the land tax, it is also possible to reduce the property tax."

"I have to give Mr. Kou some good advice and ask him to collect all the property taxes."

"Perhaps we can pay the two million shi quota without paying industrial and commercial taxes."

It cannot be said that the property tax in Suzhou was confiscated, but it was obviously not fully collected.

One of the crimes Zhang Pu had previously accused Wu Shirui of was failing to pay property tax.

If this part of the tax is added to the land tax, it is possible to make up for the reduced tax.

Thinking about this matter, Gu Yanwu felt that it was right. The Suzhou gentry did this, and it was obvious that they were ready to pay the property tax.

Maybe they have split up again to lower the tax rate. As long as the Suzhou officials take a tough stance, they will probably be able to collect all the taxes.

Gu Shaofu heard that he was also thinking about these things at home, and said anxiously:

"I won't mention that you supported the hired workers before, but why do you still want to offend those gentry?"

"Do you still want the Gu family to stay in Suzhou, and do you still want the fiefdom to be in New Jiangnan?"

Obviously, he wanted Gu Yanwu not to be too drastic and offend the Suzhou gentry too much.

Gu Yanwu disagreed and said:
"Didn't Grandpa always teach me to take the world as my responsibility?"

"Now the world needs the taxes from Jiangnan, I will help your majesty do this."

"Grandpa, you have never been to the north, so you don't know what the north is like."

"If there is no more money and grain from Jiangnan, I'm afraid there will be chaos soon."

Although he spent most of his time in the army after joining the army, Gu Yanwu never relaxed his attention to political affairs, especially since the emperor was interested in training him and specially let him read the internal reference.

Gu Yanwu read many reports on disasters and banditry in the internal references issued by the Tongzhengsi, and realized how serious the situation in the north was. As a Suzhou native, this made him support the levy of more taxes on Suzhou.

Gu Shaofu was not very successful in the imperial examinations and never became an official. But he was also very concerned about current affairs and read every issue of the official newspaper. He even copied out and bound them to record important events.

Although the information he read in public newspapers was not as much as what Gu Yanwu read in internal references, he still knew about the disaster-stricken immigrants in the north.

Hearing what Gu Yanwu said, he couldn't say against his conscience that Jiangnan was in a more difficult situation. He sighed and said:
"You are older now and have your own opinions."

"You can make your own decision, but you can't sell the family land."

"I'll get you as much silver as you need. We can always make up the little money we have."

Take out the accumulated silver and let Gu Yanwu invest in industry and commerce. (End of this chapter)