Video spoilers history, starting with the blitzkrieg on Poland

A map of Jin State appeared on the sky curtain.

Jin State was the strongest of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period!

On the surface, this is a complete map of the State of Jin.

But as the camera zoomed in, it was discovered that the huge Jin State was actually a bulked-up Jin State.

Within the scattered Jin State, various families including Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi and others divided up the land of Jin State.

The entire map of Jin State is painted with different colors, looking fragmented and disjointed, a nightmare for map lovers.

And the sky slowly began to tell the story.

[In 512 BC, the funeral of Duke Qing of Jin had just ended.]

[The nobles and officials of the Fan, Zhonghang, Zhi, Han, Wei, and Zhao families are performing the Last Supper with meat-cleavers.]

[The power struggle among the nobles of Jin, represented by the Six Lords of Jin, entered a white-hot stage in the late Spring and Autumn Period. ]

[In order to expand their power and compete for the actual control of Jin State, the major families have tried their best to recruit talents. ]

【A series of very attractive preferential policies have been introduced. 】

[In that era based on agriculture, land was the foundation of wealth and power, and was also a key factor in attracting talent.]

[Originally, the Jin State implemented the well-field system of "one hundred steps per mu". ]

【This system originated from the Western Zhou Dynasty.】

[As described in Mencius Teng Wengong I: "A square li is divided into wells, each well is nine hundred mu, and the middle is the public land. The eight families each have a hundred mu of private land, and they work together to maintain the public land; only after public affairs are completed can they dare to deal with private affairs."]

[Divide the land into regular squares, with each square measuring 100 steps.]

【This is used as a unit for distribution and cultivation. 】

[The public fields in the middle are cultivated by the eight families together, and the harvest belongs to the public, while the harvest from the private fields belongs to the farmers themselves.]

[This system did ensure social stability and orderly agricultural development in the early days.]

【However, with the changes of the times, its drawbacks have gradually become apparent. 】

[Against the backdrop of the collapse of the well-field system, the use of iron farm tools, and the rise of the small peasant economy. ]

[The six major families, Fan, Zhonghang, Zhi, Han, Wei, and Zhao, formed differentiated strategies for governing the country with the adjustment of the mu system as the core:]

[In order to attract more people and talents, the six ministers made bold reforms to this traditional system. ]

[Fan and Zhonghang families: 160 steps equals 1 mu, which is about 0.4 mu today.]

[Zhi Shi: 180 steps equals 1 mu, which is about 0.45 mu today. ]

[Han and Wei: 200 steps equal 1 mu, which is about 0.5 mu today.]

【Zhao was even more radical! He directly divided 240 steps into one mu, which is about 1 mu today! 】

【The bigger the step, the more land area will be. 】

[For farmers and small landowners who are eager for land, this is undoubtedly a huge attraction. ]

[This numbers game is actually a conspiracy to compete for talent. ]

[The essence of expanding the area per mu is to reduce taxes - if the tax is levied according to the Zhou system of 41.7 steps per mu, the actual tax burden of the people under the Zhao family is only % of the traditional standard. ]

Outside the sky.

Liu Che, who was also an expert in internal affairs, had been studying since he was young.

Naturally, I also learned the story of the Six Lords of the State of Jin.

Seeing Tianmu mentioned at this time, Liu Che also analyzed and said:
“Indeed, the difference after the reform is huge.”

“Not to mention comparing with others.”

"It's just a comparison between the Zhao family, the Fan family, and the Zhonghang family within the Six Lords."

"Even though it's the same farming, the income from farming in the Zhao family is 50% higher than that from farming in the Fan family or the Zhonghang family, or even more!"

“That’s enough to drive people crazy.”

"Let the world's talents join the Zhao family."

"Let the people of Zhao fight and die for them."

"To put it bluntly, there will always be brave men when there is a big reward."

"We must also ensure the treatment of our soldiers."

“Only the best treatment can produce the best soldiers.”

Huo Qubing on the side also said:

"Yes, the Yulin Army composed of good family members can become the elite troops of the Han Dynasty."

"Besides their own good backgrounds and being reliable enough."

"The more important reason is that they do have a high social status and are wealthy enough to train on a daily basis."

"It's just that if all soldiers are to be treated well."

"How much does that cost?"

Even Huo Qubing noticed this and made sure all the soldiers were treated well.

is impossible.

Liu Che could only sigh.

I was reminded of the poor and terrible old Han soldiers in the TV drama that appeared on the sky.

"If only the veterans of the land of merit had a large enough piece of land."

"It shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

……

The sky continues.

[Other vassal states at the same time were also paying attention to the effects of the reform of the Six Lords of Jin.]

[King Helu of Wu once asked Sun Wu: Which of the six nobles of Jin will die first? ]

【Sun Tzu answered: Those with large acreage and light tax will survive.】

[This conversation was completely preserved in the cultural relics of the Yinqueshan Han Tomb.]

【So, is Sun Tzu's speculation correct? 】

【Please see the subsequent development of the Six Lords.】

[Fan Jishe and Zhonghang Yin, the in-laws, are playing a dangerous balancing act in the northern border of Jin. ]

[They compressed the acreage system to 160 steps, but set up many training centers in their territory and used large sums of money to recruit loyal warriors.]

[According to the "Guoyu", his followers "ate fish and drove cars every day", and there was even a strange sight of assassins wearing brocade and farmers with no clothes to cover their bodies.]

[In 497 BC, Zhao Yang executed Zhao Wu, a traitor in Handan, and Zhonghang clan took the opportunity to launch an uprising.]

[When the two nobles' allied forces besieged Jinyang, their 3,000 heavily armored soldiers were well-equipped, but because they had too much food and grass, they were constantly poisoned by farmers during the march.]

[Finally, in the Battle of Tieqiu between Jin and Zheng, these warriors who ate refined rice were defeated by the brown-clad army formed by the people of the Zhao clan.]

[A peasant wearing coarse linen clothes enjoying the Zhao family's lenient policies. ]

[He smashed the gold and jade-decorated helmet with a hoe.]

【Sun Wu's prophecy began to take shape: "The Fan and Zhonghang families have the narrowest land system and will be the first to perish."】

【The policy of the ruling minister Zhi was more compromising. 】

[Although its per mu system was looser than that of Fan and Zhonghang, it still increased the yield per unit area through intensive farming, maintaining a strong tax collection capacity while attracting middle-class gentry with its benevolent administration.]

[The 180-step-per-acre system was like a precise balance, which not only controlled refugees through the five-household joint guarantee, but also attracted middle-class gentry by granting land through military merit.]

[This seemingly safe strategy, however, lacked fundamental change and gradually showed signs of fatigue in the subsequent struggle for hegemony.]

[Although there was Yu Rang who died for his confidant, there were also a group of talented scholars who came to him. ]

【But in the end, they were at a disadvantage in the choices of the vast majority of farmers. 】【When Zhao Xiangzi dug the Jin River to flood Jinyang, the seemingly unbreakable alliance of the Zhi clan collapsed in an instant. 】

[As Sun Wu said: "Although the Zhi clan is wise, their policies are not benevolent."]

【Let’s look at the Han and Wei families. 】

[Han Buxin and Wei Chi's 200-step-per-acre system is like boiling a frog in warm water. ]

[Han promoted tax exemption for land reclamation in the southern foothills of Taihang Mountain, attracting refugees from Wei State to reclaim saline-alkali land;]

[The Wei family implemented the integration of farming and warfare in Hedong, and farmers were automatically converted into garrison soldiers after the autumn harvest.]

[It was no accident that Han Hu and Wei Ju defected during the Battle of Jinyang in 453 BC.]

[Sima Qian laid a foreshadowing in "Records of the Grand Historian": Before the war, Zhao Wuxiu sent Zhang Mengtan to visit the camp of Han and Wei at night, and the first thing he said was that the lips and teeth would be in danger.]

[In fact, Han and Wei had already accumulated the power of backlash through the land system reform. ]

[After the war, when the three families divided up the Zhi clan's land, Han and Wei specifically asked for the Fen River Valley, which was convenient for irrigation - that was their talent warehouse for the next hundred years.]

【Sun Wu's comment: "Han and Wei hold the middle path, and their survival depends on people."】

【The most radical and reformist one is Zhao. 】

[Zhao Yang's 240-step large-acre system was simply a dimensionality reduction attack at the time! 】

[The land area per mu is 2.4 times the traditional level, which has reduced the actual tax burden of the people by 58%. 】

[He implemented the policy of "cultivating three crops and having one surplus" in Jinyang: farmers could have one year's surplus grain after cultivating for three years, and the surplus grain could be exchanged for a title.]

[According to the Lüshi Chunqiu, the people under the Zhao family did not lock their doors at night and did not pick up lost items on the road.]

[There were even scholars from the Wei State who came to seek refuge disguised as refugees.]

[This strategy of keeping the wealth in the hands of the people not only made Zhao's territory a paradise for refugees, but also cultivated men who were willing to die for the country.]

Outside the sky.

Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng stroked his beard and nodded slightly, his eyes full of admiration:
“Learn from history.”

"The six nobles of Jin dared to break the old system and reform the land system, which is somewhat similar to the reform of our Great Qin in the past."

"Using land as bait to attract talents and develop production is indeed a wise move."

"Think of the great reforms of our great Qin Dynasty, abolishing the well-field system and opening up the fields, which greatly increased the national strength of Qin."

“It all comes down to the land!”

"And the division of Jin among the three families was also formed in the same way."

[The siege of Jinyang in 455 BC became the ultimate test of the per mu system reform. ]

[When Jinyang was under siege, the allied forces of the three nobles of Zhi, Han, and Wei diverted the Fen River to flood the city. The people voluntarily dismantled the roof beams to make arrows, melted copper tripods to make spears, and tried their best to protect the Zhao family, fighting for their lord and themselves! ]

[Sun Wu accurately predicted in "Wu Wen": Zhao's family will become large and eventually conquer Jin. ]

[The larger the acreage, the longer the family can last. 】

[This seemingly simple game of land numbers is actually a systematic project - Zhao Shi obtained a stable source of soldiers and food by light taxes and taxes and granting land for military merit, and also attracted strategists such as Zhang Mengtan to join him.]

[Although Fan and Zhonghang spent a lot of money to recruit loyal soldiers, their foundation was weak and they eventually collapsed in the torrent of people's opposition.]

【This institutional competition that lasted for a century left a profound revelation for future generations: those who win the hearts of the people will win the talents. 】

How to win people's hearts?

【Keywords have emerged.】

【land!】

And in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the introduction of the land system reform of the Six Ministers on the skylight, his expression solemn and thoughtful.

After the scene ended, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke slowly.

"Recently, I have been thinking about the demise of the Ming Dynasty."

“It seems that in order to discover and solve problems, we have to read history!”

"The six nobles of Jin State on the sky curtain all made a big fuss about the land system in order to recruit talents and expand their power, which fully shows that land is the key to the problem."

"Look at Zhao Yang, he used a ruler of 240 steps to measure out the 300-year history of the country!"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly and looked into the distance, as if recalling the past.

"I was born in poverty and I know the people's desire for land."

"Back then, when the Ming Dynasty was first established, there was a lot of work to be done,"

"Only when the people have land and live and work in peace and contentment can the country have a stable foundation."

"The Ming Dynasty has just started to develop."

"The land policy I have implemented in the Ming Dynasty encourages land reclamation and suppresses mergers, so that every citizen can have land to plant and food to eat."

"The fall of the Ming Dynasty was definitely due to problems with its land policy."

“The decline of a country is a comprehensive process.”

"Maybe there are military issues."

"But the lack of fighting capacity among the military households is also closely related to the loss of land."

"But the core of the problem should still be the land."

"The affairs of the land must not be neglected."

Zhu Yuanzhang emphasized his tone.

"In the future, the Ming Dynasty must pay more attention to the distribution and management of land. We must not allow the people to be displaced or the land to fall into the hands of lawless people."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked Zhu Biao who was standing beside him.

"Biao'er! Do you think this world was obtained by sitting on the throne or growing out of the dirt?"

Zhu Biao replied calmly, "Father, your Majesty revived the country through agriculture, so the soil should be the foundation."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and said:
"As you can all see, this land policy concerns the foundation of the country and the livelihood of the people."

"My dear ministers, please tell me how we should improve our land policy in the Ming Dynasty and come up with a feasible plan."

Zhu Biao stepped forward and said respectfully:
"Father, I think that the current policy of encouraging land reclamation in the Ming Dynasty has been very effective, and has provided many landless people with a basis for living."

“But we also need to prevent land annexation from resurfacing.”

"We can strengthen supervision over local powerful families and restrict their excessive purchase of land."

Liu Bowen nodded slightly and continued, "Your Highness is right. I suggest setting up a special farmland supervision agency."

"Regularly check the land, verify the number of acres and ownership, ensure the accuracy of land registration, and avoid chaos such as hidden land and tax evasion."

"We can also specially cast an iron ruler and engrave the four characters 'Hongwu Measure Fields' on it, and use this standard to measure fields all over the world."

"And inform everyone in the world that if they find that the land does not match the Hongwu land measurement ruler, they can report it directly to their superiors. If they find it, they will be rewarded heavily."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with this proposal.

However, amendments were also proposed.

"Hongwu Land Measuring Ruler, a few words can be engraved on the back."

Zhu Biao asked curiously: "What word?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled coldly: "If you are shorter, you will be skinned!"

Start with this sentence.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been worried about the tragic fall of the Ming Dynasty in future generations in recent days, finally had some clues.

Get to the heart of the matter.

Just as Tianmu said: "The key word has emerged - land!" (End of this chapter)