The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 598 Land Registration System (Part )

In principle, this rewarded more than the original Qin policy, and relatively enhanced enthusiasm and flexibility of the land market, but the additional land tax limited the wanton expansion.

For newly conquered cities and newly recruited noble officials, the land they already owned would not be taken back, and even if it exceeded their status, the land tax would not be increased. However, before the title was upgraded, the land was not allowed to increase, and the same was true for the descendants who were demoted to the same level, and the above Qin law was also enforced.

These are the basic principles of land policy. The empire is too large, so its specific implementation must be based on actual conditions.

For example, in remote and cold areas, policy support will be given for the sake of local development, to attract immigrants and enhance their enthusiasm, such as increasing the amount of land that civilians can own and reducing taxes.

After implementing this set of land policies, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages overall.

The advantages are that it is conducive to political management, breaks up large families into small families, reduces local clan power, facilitates national management, and strengthens centralization.

For economic development, it can stimulate production enthusiasm, distribute land according to households and provide a matching reward and punishment mechanism, and provide support for different types of land, which can stimulate people's production enthusiasm, improve land utilization, and promote agricultural development.

We will vigorously curb land annexation, curb land annexation from multiple aspects such as land distribution, sale and taxation, protect land rights and interests, and maintain social stability.

It also promotes market circulation, allows the sale of some land, and to a certain extent promotes the rational flow and optimal allocation of land resources.

In terms of social stability, we will protect people's livelihood, distribute land and houses to civilians, guarantee basic living, implement tax and labor service reduction policies for the elderly, encourage supporting the elderly, maintain social ethics and morals, and protect vulnerable groups.

At the same time, the most important incentive mechanism is to grant land to nobles in exchange for their titles, and to give them preferential treatment when the land is passed down from generation to generation. This not only encourages the people to obtain titles through military merits, but also limits the unlimited expansion of noble land.

As for the disadvantages, the main one is that the separation of the family leads to greater pressure on the common people. The land tax is collected according to the total amount of land, regardless of the land output. In the event of a disaster or poor land, the tax pressure on the common people is great and it is easy to become poor. However, this can be reduced through policy subsidies, as well as policy-based, phased, and time-based policies.

There is no other way. There is nothing perfect in the world. This is already the best solution.

The ruler is the one who needs to make the most choices. Everything must be calculated clearly, implicitly, explicitly, in the short term, and in the long term. If there is a problem, it must be solved! A solution must be found! One person can wait, but so many people in the world cannot.

Compared to having no solution, even a solution that is not a solution is still a solution.

Compared to having no system, any bad system is still a system.

Unfortunately, once a system is formed, it will inevitably create relevant vested interest groups. Even if it becomes inappropriate in the future or there is a better one, it is difficult to abolish or change it. After all, there is no difference between a bad person getting rich and killing people.

But now, this system is not bad. On the contrary, in this era and under the previous cruel current system, this is a greater privilege.

As for officials, the Qin Dynasty has gradually separated nobles and officials. It is of course easier for nobles to become officials, but it is no longer only nobles who can become officials. As for if non-nobles become officials, how to give preferential treatment to officials? Ying Zheng will classify officials in the future, and for now, a new scattered rank system has been added.

There are also eighteen ranks, corresponding to eighteen ranks of nobility, and they enjoy corresponding preferential treatment and land policies. Compared with pure officials and nobles, the biggest difference is that only the preferential treatment of officials cannot be passed on to future generations for a long time.

In order to prevent officials from being too reckless, the land of officials can be passed on to their sons, just like the nobles, with inheritance by descending ranks. However, sons cannot pass it on to their grandsons.

In this regard, Ying Zheng also gave the greatest preferential treatment, that is, all the land of officials can be bought and sold, and can be passed on to their children. Moreover, the household registration will not slip directly among the children's generation. The official is the head of the household, and even if he dies, his son cannot become an official until his grandson dies, and then the household registration will be transferred to civilian status.

Even if the children are not good, there is no need to worry about the family's sudden downgrade. At least they can sell the land and become a wealthy man, so that officials will not be desperate and commit corruption without restraint for the sake of their descendants.

Under the current circumstances, as long as one becomes an official, it will take time for his descendants to decline in social class. Currently, most people who hold official positions without titles are of humble origins, so this can be implemented smoothly.

Regarding the policy of native place, nobles can become officials, and officials can also become nobles by making meritorious contributions. The treatment of the two can be combined, but the land inheritance policy gives priority to the nobles.

Today's nobility is different from the nobility of the past. They are a new type of nobility and have no administrative power at all, only official positions.

There were also many nobles. Anyone with a title was considered a noble, no matter how small it was. Ying Zheng deliberately expanded the noble group, which made it impossible for them to unite. The difference between nobles of all sizes was even greater than the difference between nobles and commoners.

If you want to become an official, you have to take an exam. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on recommendations.

The poor scholars from the lower classes who had just entered the officialdom spared no effort to defend the rule that one could become an official only by passing an examination, and Ying Zheng was naturally happy to implement it.

As for the title, it is not only for military merit that one can be awarded the title. As long as one has made contributions, one can be awarded the title. This is also the carrot that Ying Zheng used to hang all officials.

Being an official only makes you rich and powerful. Only being a nobleman can make you rich and powerful for a long time. Only a nobleman can bring you real wealth and glory.

Now the nobles are in one circle, the officials are in another circle, and those who are both nobles and officials are in another circle.

For Ying Zheng, the most important ruling base is of course the common people, but the most important tool to help rule is naturally the aristocratic group. These are the largest vested interest groups in the empire and are Ying Zheng's most staunch supporters.

The nobles, this group that firmly defends the power of the Ying regime. They must be relied on to defend the regime, but they must not lose control or become a burden, and they must also perform a good purification function. Most of this group must be absolute elites. If all of them are useless, they will not be able to sit on the throne.

A land of wealth and luxury cannot produce a hero.

Although we have excellent conditions to cultivate people with certain talents, there are many things that can only be given through hardships, and at critical moments, only those things can make the final decision.

Just like courage, the courage to fight to the death, the courage to lose everything.

A strong will, an unyielding will no matter what happens.

People are all lazy, and it is natural for parents to spoil their children. But some things can only be forced out. If you can hold on, the light will be infinite, but if you can't hold on, it will disappear.

There is no shortage of talented people in the world, but the real pillars of a family can never grow up in a mild environment.

Only the towering trees that have experienced violent storms, the passage of time, and the trials of hardship and can still stand proudly can become pillars of society.

Since ancient times, no tree planted in anyone's backyard has ever become the mainstay of their home.

Nobles must also feel pressure. If they are not capable of being an official or making achievements, they can only watch their wealth and honor decrease until they disappear.

As long as you want to be rich and prosperous, everyone must roll up. If there are no conditions, Ying Zheng will create them.

The land policy will not change much in the future, but the system of nobles and officials will have to be overhauled after the empire is unified. It is sufficient for now.

As for the inheritance policy, there is not much to say about the common people, it is mainly the nobles.

Ying Zheng did not use the Enfeoffment Order. They had no fiefdoms and did not need it for the time being. The Enfeoffment Order would be used for other purposes in the future.

The current land policy is sufficient and class mobility is not a problem. When too many people are privileged, fairness becomes a concern.

Let's talk about the rank first. Currently, excluding the marquis, the Qin Dynasty has eighteen ranks of nobility. The rank is reduced by three ranks each time the inheritance is passed on. The ranks of officials are also eighteen, corresponding to the ranks of nobility.

The household registration of nobles and officials does not require division of the family when the children reach adulthood, but rather division of the family after the death of the head of the household.

Inheritance among the nobility was still based on primogeniture, but with the addition of the "second son system".

What is the 'two-son system'?
That is, the family property does not have to be passed entirely to the eldest son, and the title can be divided. If it is downgraded by three ranks, it can be downgraded to the fourth rank, but there can be three more sons to inherit, and there is no need to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate sons.

Of all the land and property, the eldest son shall receive at least 50% and the rest shall be decided by the head of the family.

However, even if the land of all the nobles is not enough to match their titles after being divided, or even if the head of the family sells all the land, it will not be replenished. After the division of the family, they will only be given the same basic acreage as the commoners.

If they do not want to divide the family property, then except for the eldest son who inherits the title, if the others do not benefit from it, the other sons will be turned into commoners after the family property is divided and treated as commoners. If they hold official positions, they will be turned into officials.

The scattered ranks of officials cannot be divided and are only allowed to be passed on to the eldest son, who will be the new head of the household. If the eldest son cannot become an official, then when the eldest son dies, his grandson will become a commoner.

Ever since this policy came out, the homes of middle and high-level nobles have been bustling, as they can no longer unite anyway.

As long as the people below are not united, you can sleep soundly.

Now is the best time for Ying Zheng.

Any policy needs to be implemented in practice, which is inseparable from strict laws, harsh punishments, strict household registration management, and land management. This requires sound grassroots management and a healthy environment for social class changes.

Now the aristocratic class is gradually declining, the new landlord class has not yet seized power, and since the Qin Dynasty's reform, the concept of abiding by the law has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

The harsh laws and punishments had already pushed everyone of all classes to their limits, so Ying Zheng gradually put on the brakes to calm the people. In addition, Ying Zheng was a generous person, and he gave more money and goods to those who were awarded titles to ease the pain of the reform. Even if the current policy was implemented, it was still considered a benevolent policy with low resistance.

With the military merit system and the popularization of knowledge, a large number of people of common origin entered the court. The rapid development of the empire and the huge gains can meet the needs of everyone.

Only by combining all of these can Ying Zheng truly implement his will. If the foundation is not laid now, once the vested interest groups gain a foothold, even Ying Zheng will find it difficult to change them.

(End of this chapter)