Han official!

Chapter 49 Two Oxen and a Couple

After the Spring Festival, it is the Beginning of Spring.

The construction of Jincheng Village was completed, and it was the first Spring Ox Ceremony. From Guo Jie to the villagers, they all attached great importance to the first Spring Ox Ceremony. It was also the first time that the fields on the left side of the river were reclaimed.

At breakfast (8:15-9:00), Guo Jie wore green clothes and a green headband, and set up a green banner beside him. He placed clay cows and farmers outside the gate to inform the villagers that the time to plow the fields had arrived.

The earthen farmers consist of a man and a woman, one holding a plow and the other holding a hoe, with the purpose of leading the people to farm.

Guo Jie led the villagers who were welcoming the spring towards the fields. When they reached the ridge of the field, a young boy wearing a green scarf and green clothes walked out of the field, and everyone saluted him.

This time, there was no boy accompanying him on his trip to Hezuo, and there was no human habitation within a radius of dozens of miles. Guo Jie called Zhao Guo, who was known as the god of agriculture, to dress up as a boy.

No one is more suitable to be the symbol of the envoy of spring than Zhao Guo.

"Plow the fields!"

Guo Jie shouted loudly and plowed the land with a plow. He looked at the crimson-robed knight who was registering the people of Jinchengli within a hundred miles, and hundreds of soldiers who were busy plowing the fields. He felt an indescribable surge of emotion in his heart.

He looked at the five hundred acres that stretched as far as the eye could see, and at the vast, uninhabited, fertile land on the left side of the river.

A fertile land that belongs to him alone.

Farming life officially begins.

Hezuo will gradually become Guo Jie's aristocratic estate!

Zhang Qian, Wei Guang, Yi Zong and all the others joined in the exciting work of reclaiming the fields. Their faces were full of joy. From time to time, they looked up at the broad river and the vast fertile land to the left of the river. They picked up their plows and hoes and worked hard to reclaim the fields.

The Han people have always had a great passion for farming.

I have a special feeling for the land under my feet.

After the Beginning of Spring, the frozen fields begin to become soft. The tilling tools such as plows, hoes, and hoes are pulled by open carts, and the land preparation and planting tools such as tan, rakes, hoes, and mos are used.

They were distributed one by one, and every household had one set.

This once again aroused the envy of the executioners. They were all from common people with plain hats, had farmed, and usually had only one or two plows and rakes at home.

However, the residents of Jinchengli had complete sets of farm tools such as plows, hoes, sandalwood, and rakes. There were separate houses in the lì, and all kinds of cooking utensils such as mortars, pots, and steamers were available.

It's like the life of gods and ghosts in the dreams of executioners.

When he returns to Chang'an tomorrow, the executioner will tell the other executioners from Ting'an who are working with him about what he saw and heard in Jinchenglu. I wonder how many executioners will be shocked.

"Mr. Guo."

As Ji Shaogong followed Guo Jie through the cultivated land, he said worriedly, "Have you really decided to charge a rent of one-tenth of the land per mu? That's too low. The powerful people charge a rent of one-tenth of the land, and they take half of the millet."

The residents of Jincheng who were cultivating the land pricked up their ears, listening to the conversation that could determine their survival. When they heard that Guo Jie collected a ten percent tax on the land rent, they were all shocked.

too low.

The land rent for the powerful is 10% tax.

Guo Jie said sternly, "Jincheng Luli is, after all, a frontier fortress, separated from the Xiongnu by only a river. The Great Wall is two hundred miles away from Jincheng Luli. If we want to absorb a large number of people, we must build this place into a Chang'an on the frontier, a fertile land."

The imperial court's tax rate was one in thirty.

The tenth tax may seem heavy, but it is actually very light.

Jincheng Luli looks like a neighborhood, but it is actually a manor of an aristocratic family, and all the fields belong to Guo Jie.

The villagers who rented Guo Jie's land only needed to pay one-tenth of the land rent, and all other taxes would be exempted.

The court's taxes included not only the 130% land rent, but also fodder tax, straw tax, and head tax.

The oral tax is divided into oral money and calculation money.

Although compared with the regular taxes in the Qing Dynasty, additional taxes and levies were imposed, such as fire consumption tax, lijin tax, grass tax, reed marsh tax, etc., which were so serious that even pulling out a weed required paying taxes.

The common people of the Han Dynasty had a much better life than the common people of the Qing Dynasty, but they still had to make a living. Guo Jie only collected one tenth of the land rent, and no other taxes were required. Even though Jincheng Luli was a frontier fortress, it was very attractive to the common people.

Jinchenglili was backed by Gaolan Mountain, so when they encountered a large group of Hun cavalry, they could directly flee into the mountain caves, which was safer than the Didao Great Wall.

The residents know.

Outsiders don't know.

Hundreds of executioners returned to Chang'an and were keen to tell what they had seen and heard in the city. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, as they waited for their service to end, there were always people who would risk their lives to make a living.

Since the executioner has nothing, he might as well go to the frontier to fight for a living.

Guo Jie needed courageous people, and he incorporated them into the village soldiers, all of whom were top-notch elite soldiers.

"only."

Ji Shaogong, the village official in charge of Jincheng's neighborhoods, worried, "Maintaining a private army is no match for the Han court's regular soldiers. Besides land rent, the Han court also collects taxes on fisheries, market rent, labor, and other levies from merchants and artisans. A tax of one in thirty is enough to support a large number of garrisons."

"In Jinchenglu, there's only land rent."

Ji Shaogong said calmly, "If the land rent is collected at the rate of one-tenth of the tax, only two dou of grain can be collected per mu of land. To support one guest or soldier, at least one hundred mu of land is needed."

One hundred guests require ten thousand acres of land.

A huge and astonishing amount.

Guo Jie sighed. He knew very well that the tax base was small, with only agricultural tax. Unlike the imperial court, which could levy commercial tax, customs duty and other large taxes, there was no need to worry about supporting the army with the lower agricultural tax.

in a dilemma.

High taxes cannot attract people to Jinchengli.

If the taxes are too low, we can’t afford to support more soldiers.

"Hey."

Ji Shaogong also sighed heavily: "There is no other way, we can only increase the rent. Not to mention eighty acres to support one child, but at least ninety acres to support one child."

Even if taxes are raised, the area can only be increased to eighty or ninety acres to support one village soldier.

As for raising one on 70 mu or one on 60 mu.

Can't even think about it.

"Mr. Guo."

Zhao Guo stood beside him, holding the plow, wiping the sweat off his face with the sleeve of his linen jacket and trousers. He said hesitantly, "I have a plan that can solve Mr. Guo's problem. Without raising taxes, we can raise one herd on fifty acres."

Fifty acres to support one?!
No need to increase taxes!
Guo Jie was overjoyed. He shook Zhao Guo's arm and said, "Tell me quickly."

Seeing Guo Jie's attention, Zhao Guo's face lit up with joy. "In order to avoid over-consumption of soil fertility, the land in Guanzhong and Guandong is left fallow in winter, and only one crop is planted each year. I have a plan to promote two crops a year in Jinchenglu. It just requires a large number of oxen, using the method of two oxen forming a couple and two oxen pulling a plow."

There are two seasons in a year, and the rent collected from one extra season is equivalent to doubling the amount of land.

Originally, one hundred acres could support one.

It has been reduced sharply to one per fifty mu.

Zhao Guo was worthy of the name that Emperor Wu of Han invented an official position specifically for him.

"Haha."

Guo Jie said with a smile, "You don't have to go back. Stay in Jinchenglu and work with Ji Shaogong in the fields. When I return, I will help you pay the money and get rid of the criminals."

Zhao Guo was overjoyed and bowed deeply excitedly.

Guo Jie helped him up and said sternly, "Next time you come back, I'll want to see your two oxen and one couple in Jinchenglu."

(End of this chapter)