Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 115: The Debate of Public Sentiments
"Requiring tenants to pay taxes is a good way to save the situation. It is imperative and urgent."

After Yu Houji finished speaking, the three generations of the Mo family, from the old patriarch Mo Xunshi, the head of the family Mo Guangshu, to the deputy battalion chief of the Fourth Infantry Battalion Mo Erzhen, and Danchu's concubine Mo Yufen, were all shocked and looked at each other.

Mo Xunshi's white beard trembled violently. He looked at Cen Danchu, then at Mo Yufen, hesitated for a moment, and said, "General, this move is too reckless. Once the decree is issued, the gentry and landlords will surely rise up in opposition."

Objection? Objection is useless. Danchu blurted out, "I have the Yong'an Army, so what if the gentry and landlords object?"

These words were full of thorns, which made Mo Xunshi feel cold in his heart. The Mo family was the largest landowner in Yong'an Prefecture. If the tax was to be implemented, the Mo family would be the first to bear the brunt. Looking at Danchu's expression, there was no room for compromise.

But the Yong'an Army is no longer what it used to be. Its war horses are galloping, its armor is shining, its weapons are sophisticated, its soldiers are heroic, and its military discipline is strict. Everything is remarkable and it is well-known in Pingle and Guilin.

Who wants to object? You have to first consider whether you have a strong enough neck.

Mo Xunshi frowned, said nothing, and turned his gaze to his eldest son Mo Guangshu.

Mo Guangshu was working as a criminal secretary in the General's Mansion, in charge of the criminal law power in Yong'an Prefecture, and he was enjoying his job very much.

In the Ming Dynasty, criminal law and taxation were listed as two major government affairs in local prefectures and counties. The criminal law courts tried civil lawsuits and were very impressive in front of the people.

Mo Guangshu understood and said, "General, the most important thing to conquer the world is to win the hearts of the people. Forcing the tenants to pay taxes will certainly disappoint the gentry and landlords. They may resist paying taxes, kill the officials, and even start a rebellion!"

Danchu was unmoved and said, "My dear young master, what you said is wrong. What is the will of the people? It is not the will of the gentry and landlords, but the will of the common people and tenants. The number of gentry and landlords is very small, while the number of common people and tenants is huge. I would rather win the will of the common people and tenants than the will of the gentry and landlords.

"Our dynasty treated the royal family well, exempted them from land tax and corvée, treated the gentry with courtesy and exempted them from corvée, and won the hearts of the princes and gentry. However, the princes and gentry occupied all the good land in the world, but put private interests above public interests. When the bandits came, the princes were unwilling to send troops and pay the money. When the Tartars came, the gentry rushed to shave their heads and surrender.

"Li Zicheng called for 'equal distribution of land and exemption of taxes' and 'three years of tax exemption', which won the hearts of the common people and tenants. Although he was defeated many times, he rose again and again and finally captured the capital.

"When China fell, the Ming army surrendered one after another. Now those who can fight against the Tartars, such as Li Chixin and Sun Kewang, are mostly the remnants of the bandits. The root cause is that Li Zicheng has won the hearts of the people.

"It is better to win the hearts of the common people and tenants than to win the hearts of the royal family and gentry. Now that China is overturned and the great building is about to collapse, if we want to turn the tide, we have to take the risk of military action. If we make the tenants pay taxes, the gentry and landowners will not be able to make false payments, send money away, or stay as guests. The land tax can be collected by the government, and then the affairs of the world can be managed."

Danchu was famous for his eloquence, and these remarks on public opinion left Mosunshi speechless.

Let’s look at the two grandchildren, Mo Erzhen and Mo Yufen. One became the deputy of the Yong’an military camp and was often taught by the army and had been brainwashed for a long time; the other became Danchu’s favorite concubine. She followed her husband and admired her husband very much. She also wanted to support Danchu’s career with all her strength.

If you think about it carefully, since Danchu entered Yong'an Prefecture, the Mo family has contributed a lot of money and food, and has also improved their status. Since they are unable to stop Danchu, they can only continue to support him. What if he succeeds?
Mo Xunshi was helpless and said, "General, giving 10% of the harvest to the landowner is too low, maybe it should be increased."

Danchu and Yu Houji had calculated that Yong'an Prefecture had about 46,000 mu of rice fields, with an average annual yield of about three shi of rice per mu. The Mo family occupied the most fertile paddy fields in the Mengjiang River Valley, known as the Eighteen Mojia Villages, with no less than 10,000 mu of rice fields, with an annual yield of no less than four shi per mu.

Before the implementation of the system of renting land and paying taxes, the Mo family could earn 20,000 shi of rice per year, equivalent to at least 18,000 taels of silver. After the implementation of the system of renting land and paying taxes, the Mo family still had at least 4,000 shi of rice to share, enough to maintain a rich life.

The government will get 16,000 shi of rice from the Mo family, nearly doubling the amount. This is the power of the system of requiring tenants to pay taxes. Once implemented, the government will have sufficient financial resources, and the landlords will be able to maintain a decent life and will not rebel.

"The army needs money, so we can't increase the share for the landowners."

"Even 15% is not acceptable?" Mo Xunshi looked at Yu Houji, hoping that Yu Houji would say something good. After all, it was Mo Xunshi who took him in when Yu Houji was defeated.

Yu Houji avoided his gaze and said he was powerless.

Danchu looked calm and unfathomable, and said, "During the Tianqi period, there was a famous official from Anfu, Jiangxi, named Liu Duo, who served as the prefect of Yangzhou. Do you know this person, old man?"

Mo Xunshi's expression changed, and he said, "How could I not know? This person is extremely talented. He passed the imperial examination in the 44th year of the Wanli reign. On the day of the palace examination, he drank too much and wrote too much, so he failed to pass the imperial examination and was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Justice.

"At that time, Wei Zhongxian was extremely arrogant and attacked upright people. Liu Duo enforced the law impartially, protected upright people, and enforced the law as hard as a mountain. Wei Zhongxian was afraid of him and he was transferred to Yangzhou as governor. Shrines were built all over the country, even Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Liaodong, was no exception.

"But Liu Duo refused to believe in evil and was determined not to build a shrine for him. Wei Zhongxian heard that he had a precious fan and sent someone to ask for it. Liu Duo wrote a hidden poem on the fan, saying 'What a villain'.

"Wei Zhongxian was not famous for any reason, and he was very proud of himself, showing off his fan everywhere. When he was found out, he became angry and threw Liu Duo into the imperial prison, where he tortured him to death. When Emperor Weizong ascended the throne, he posthumously awarded Liu Duo the title of Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, and gave him the posthumous title of Zhonglie, and ordered a funeral.

"His wife, Xiao, and their young daughter carried the coffin back to their hometown. On that day, all the officials in the capital went out of the city to send him off. I was among them, and I cried and offered sacrifices for them."

Mo Xunshi is old now, and he can talk endlessly about the past.

Danchu listened to him patiently and said, "A few months ago, when I was fighting against the invaders in Quanzhou and Yongzhou, I met a volunteer army from Jiangxi. The leader was a woman named Liu Shu, who was Liu Duo's daughter.

"A son of a general, a loyal and brave man. Liu Shu started an army in the second year of Longwu, spent all her family wealth, fought for years, wandered thousands of miles, experienced life and death several times, but never regretted it. Although she was a woman, she was as brave as any man, making many men ashamed."

The last sentence made Mo Xunshi's old face turn red. He was the last governor of Liaodong Zizai Prefecture. When the Qing invaders broke into the city, Mo Xunshi managed to escape by chance. Later, he was punished by the court and paid a ransom.

"I heard that there is a saying in Guangxi that goes 'Tusi is permanent, but the imperial court is ever-changing.' The Mo family has been operating in Yong'an Prefecture for many years, so it is natural for them to cherish their property.

"But the Qing barbarians are a foreign race. They shaved my hair, changed my clothes, and massacred my city. They were extremely cruel. I was once an official in Liaodong, so I naturally know the morals of the Qing barbarians. Liu Shu was able to sacrifice her family to help others in times of trouble. The Mo family has received the grace of the country for generations. Are they not as good as a woman?"

The Mo family was already deeply tied to the Yongan Army, and Mo Xunshi had no idea what to do, so he could only say:

"The commander-in-chief has promoted the Mo family, granted official positions to my descendants, and married my granddaughter to him. As a former official of the Ming Dynasty, how could I not have a sense of shame? The commander-in-chief can rest assured that the Mo family will take the lead in supporting the tenants and paying taxes, and will not disobey in public."

(End of this chapter)