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

Chapter 117: Rural Politics
Wang Daqi's father was so simple that Danchu was filled with emotion. The common people were too simple and submissive all their lives. As long as they were given a little benefit or a meal, they would be grateful and even willing to work for him.

There have been many so-called prosperous times in the history of China over thousands of years. But if you penetrate the fog of history, you will find that most of the prosperous times were just in name only. The common people in the prosperous times were just able to have enough food and clothing without war.

He could not help but remind himself that if destiny was in his hands, he must end the war in the late Ming Dynasty and create a truly prosperous era so that the people could enjoy peace, have enough food and clothing, and lead a well-off life.

Danchu rarely went to the countryside, so he asked the village chief to find the village elders, Mr. Wang, and tenant farmers' representatives to listen to their opinions.

The conditions in the field were simple, so they found a vacant space under a big mulberry tree. Danchu sat on a chair, while the others spread their saddles on the ground.

Those present included the township head, the village head, soldiers, scholars, the elderly, and tenant farmers, covering all classes in the village.

"Everyone, today I am delivering pension money to Wang Daqi's family, and I would like to invite you all to come and have a chat. It's not for anything else, but mainly to hear the truth, to see what you think about the tenants paying taxes and the establishment of the post of township head. You can also give your opinions and suggestions on what the Yong'an Army has done after being stationed there for a year."

We are all country folk, how could we have seen the world? Who dares to speak nonsense in front of the general commander or the general who conquered the barbarians?

Seeing this, Liu Shu said, "The Marshal is approachable and willing to accept good advice. It is rare for him to come to Silian Village. If you have any opinions or confusions, you can ask the Marshal."

The female village head was fierce and capable, and everyone had heard of her reputation. The village head was the head of a village. Although he did not receive a salary and was not a formal official, he had the power to lead the villagers and the obligation to obey the village head.

He was the first to speak: "It is stipulated above that all the mountains, rivers and lakes in each village belong to the government. Even if the villagers go up the mountain to collect firewood or go down the river to fish, they have to pay one tenth of the value. May I ask the commander, how should my village deal with the firewood, fish and shrimp collected as taxes? Should we hand it over to the township?"

This is indeed a problem. Collecting firewood and burning firewood are necessities for the people. If we really want to collect taxes, on the one hand, it will be difficult to implement. On the other hand, the amount of firewood is too large. Even if we collect firewood, it is not valuable and difficult to handle.

Fortunately, Danchu reacted very quickly and said, "There are two situations. For example, if the villagers collect firewood for their own use, they are exempt from taxes. If they sell the firewood to others, they will be subject to the normal commercial tax of one tenth. Other matters, whether fishing or mining, are similar."

The village chief nodded repeatedly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Marshal."

In the process of policy formulation and implementation, there will always be problems of one kind or another, and there is always a need for revision and improvement. China is a vast country with different places having different particularities, so policies must be revised from time to time.

Danchu was very humble and immediately told his secretary Lang: "Write this down and go back to tell General Zuo to revise and improve the commercial tax regulations."

Secretary Yang Yunqing was originally a student of Guilin Prefecture. Later he joined the army and was appreciated by Danchu, who appointed him as secretary and made him a close confidant of Danchu.

"Yes." Yang Yunqing was a careful and serious person. He immediately took out his pen bag, took out a pen and paper, and briefly wrote down Danchu's instructions.

Mr. Wang was dressed in Confucian robes, and he was moved, but he didn't say anything.

He was a large landowner in Silian Village and a student in the provincial school. It was unclear whether he got in through examination or by buying his way in. Anyway, with the status of a student, Mr. Wang was quite arrogant. When the villagers saw him, they had to respectfully call him "Master Wang".

Now, the provincial school has been abolished. The Yong'an Army has set up night schools and teaching teams. The township has a township head, who is directly appointed by the general's office. The village also has a village head, who is elected by the villagers.

As a student, his status plummeted.

"Mr. Wang, what do you think?" Danchu asked in a very polite tone.

Wang Xiucai felt embarrassed and said, "I have no objection, but there is one thing I don't understand. After the tenants pay taxes, the government collects taxes directly from the tenants. Does the land belong to the government or to the landowner?"

Isn't this just taking off your pants to fart? The notice clearly stated that the land belongs to the landowner and the rent belongs to the government. Mr. Wang was still asking questions, just to get confirmation from Danchu.

It seems that we need to increase the propaganda efforts. "The land still belongs to the landowner, and the land deed is still valid. Don't worry about this, the Yongan Army will not take your land, but will only reduce the rent and improve the lives of the tenants. The ownership of the land will remain unchanged."

Mr. Wang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Marshal."

Most of the people in Silian Village were surnamed Wang. One tenant farmer, surnamed Wang, mustered up the courage to ask, "May I ask, Marshal, to whom should the land we have reclaimed belong?"

"The mountains, rivers and lakes all belong to the government, and the land that has been reclaimed naturally also belongs to the government. The government implements the tax system for tenants, and the general principle is 60% for the people and 40% for the government. If there is a landowner, the tenant gets 50% of the harvest and the landowner gets 10%, for a total of 60%.

"For land that is reclaimed, the rent will be 60% for the people and 40% for the government. The government will collect 40% of the rent, and the remaining 60% will go to the reclaimer. Reclaiming wasteland is laborious and this regulation is intended to encourage it and stimulate production."

Tenant Wang was very happy and said, "We are relieved that the commander-in-chief has made such a rule. When the farming season is over, we will vigorously reclaim wasteland and increase the harvest."

Danchu smiled knowingly, as if he could see a bumper harvest of grain next year and the warehouses would be filled with rice.

The speeches gradually became more and more lively, and one of the personal soldiers bravely said: "General, the land tax should be reduced for soldiers who died in battle. If there are able-bodied men in the family who join the army, or able-bodied men who serve as civilian laborers during the war, it seems that the land tax can also be reduced as appropriate."

"Well, that's as it should be." Danchu pondered for a moment, and told Yang Yunqing, "Write it down and give it to General Zuo for study."

An old man said, "General, in the past, corvée was the most disturbing to the people. The notice says that corvée fees are all exempted. If there are projects involving public welfare, corvée will still be assigned according to the old rules. How do you explain this?"

Before Danchu could answer, he asked Liu Shu, "Village Chief Liu, has Xinxu Township arranged any corvée labor this year?"

Liu Shu was very confident and answered, "No."

“Maybe there are some public works?”

Liu Shu thought for a moment and replied, "The village lacks office space, so we borrowed the temple and planned to build a new government office during the slack season at the end of the year."

"To build a government office, do we need to assign corvée labor?"

Liu Shu shook her head and said, "No need. The township will pay for the labor and materials, so there is no need for each village to assign laborers."

Danchu smiled at the old man and said, "Old sir, do you understand? Tenants are required to pay taxes, six percent for the common people and four for the government. In the future, if there is corvée labor, the common people will not be bothered. They will be hired from the 40 percent of the land rent.

"Unless, unless it's a major project, and it's a major project that involves the welfare of the entire people. For example, building a water conservancy project is a huge project, and all the villages need to help together. Only then will they jointly assign corvée labor."

The old man understood and said with a smile: "The commander loves the people like his own children. He guards Yong'an and benefits the people of Yong'an."

Liu Shu also asked: "General, the people in the village are usually most concerned about litigation. In the future, when the people go to court, can the village make a judgment?"

This is also a major part of rural governance. Danchu thought for a moment and said:
"The township has six chambers, which are the first level of formal government. There is a criminal chamber, which of course has the power of judicial judgment. The township head can make his own decision on whether to punish with less than 50 canes. If it is more than 50 canes, it must be reported to the prefecture or county for approval. If there is a major case such as robbery and murder, it should be reported directly to the prefecture or county for trial."

The Ming Dynasty stipulated that prefectures and counties could decide for themselves if the punishment was less than 50 strokes of the cane. In times of chaos, it was natural to use heavy punishments and delegate judicial power to township governments.

(End of this chapter)