A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 483 Is my royal family, the Li clan, inferior to your five surnames and seven noble families?
Zheng Rou Niang was not a stunning beauty, but she possessed a cold and aloof temperament.

That evening, Li Yi went to her room. There wasn't much entertainment to be had at night in the Tang Dynasty, and this was even more true during their journey.

Heave-ho...

Heave-ho...

Li Yi stretched out his arm and pulled her into his embrace.

Even after all this time, she still seemed a little reserved and not quite familiar with the place.

"Does Ah Lang really want the Zheng family to pay a million in compensation?" Zheng Rou Niang leaned against that strong chest and couldn't help but ask.

Today, Li Yi took her to the Zheng family's house, but she didn't understand why.

"Yes, why wouldn't I want it?" Li Yi chuckled, gently patting her delicate skin. Although she didn't possess stunning beauty, her figure and skin were quite good.

She wasn't very tall, but she had a bit of baby fat, and it was very comfortable to hold her in my arms.

"I've never heard of anyone making the Five Clans and Seven Families pay out their dues before," Zheng Rou Niang chuckled.

“I am a member of the royal family, Li. Am I not as good as the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?” Li Yi said.

Zheng Rou Niang was stunned for a moment.

Is the royal family, Li, no match for the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?

To be honest, it certainly can't compare. The Li Tang dynasty was only established four years ago, and the country was not yet unified. The imperial Li family was the Li family of Longxi, and both the Li Bao family and the Li family of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans were descendants of the Western Liang Kingdom. However, the Li Yuan family was not among the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

Of course, even if this view is held by the majority of people in the world today, it's not appropriate to bring it up in public.

Especially when Li Yi openly declared that the Li family, the imperial clan, was not as prestigious as the Five Surnames and Seven Clans of Guandong, even Zheng Shanguo had to think carefully before answering.

Last time Li Yi caused such a big commotion, even the Crown Prince complained to the Emperor about Li Yi, so why didn't the Emperor mention it at all?
The Crown Prince may have been so focused on standing up for his wife Zheng Guanyin's family that he forgot he and Li Yi were both members of the imperial family.

Even if the whole world thinks that the Five Surnames and Seven Clans are the highest in terms of social status,
But the emperor was absolutely dissatisfied.

When Li Yi shouted those words, he had already flown into the atmosphere.

"The Zheng family will not pay any compensation, absolutely not."

“I know,” Li Yi smiled. “Whether they give it to me or not is one thing, whether I want it or not is another.”

Zheng Rou Niang looked up at Li Yi and was indeed somewhat impressed by him. Others were too busy currying favor with the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, and many noblemen and scions said they wished they could marry a woman from one of the Five Surnames.

Li Yi, however, got the benefit but acted innocent, taking women from five different families as concubines and even demanding that they pay him a fee to maintain his family's social standing.

This truly shows a complete disregard for the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

He seemed incredibly reckless, but Zheng Rou Niang found him to be so charismatic.

"Do you know, today I not only demanded compensation from the Zheng family, but I also asked them to send your dowry. In addition, I had the Zheng family of Xingyang lend five million coins to the Grand General's Office of Mingzhou."

Zheng Rou Niang sighed, "How exactly did my husband manage to get the Zheng family to compromise and back down with you time and time again?"

"Because I am a member of the imperial family, Li, and I am also the Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary of the court, as well as the Prince of Wu'an and the Grand Governor of Mingzhou."

Although your Xingyang Zheng clan has a great reputation, only Zheng Yuanzhu and Zheng Shanguo truly hold positions of power in the court. Zheng Yuanzhu, the Duke of Xin and Minister of Ceremonies, is currently being held captive in the Turkic Khanate, herding sheep for the Turks.

He was accused by the Turks of poisoning the Great Khan Chuluo, and it was uncertain whether he would be able to return.

As for Zheng Shanguo, although he is currently deeply trusted by the Crown Prince and holds several positions, is his official rank higher than mine, or does he wield more power than mine?

"Could he be more favored and trusted by the emperor than I am?"

Zheng Rouniang felt that Li Yi was by no means reckless; he only seemed reckless, but he always acted after careful planning.

“From the moment I chose to leave the Zheng family, I didn’t care about the dowry at all,” she said.

Li Yi smiled and said, "I'm quite good at making money. I wouldn't say I'm richer than a country, but I can afford to support you. The reason I asked the Zheng family for your dowry is because it's what you deserve."

Li Yi did not linger in Xingyang for long.

The next day, Zheng sent his sons to invite Li Yi, saying he wanted to host a banquet. Li Yi simply said that he had to rush to Mingzhou to take up his post and was too busy. He then set off along the Suo River to the Grand Canal, then circled back to Heyin Biankou, crossed the Yellow River and entered Hebei.

Li Yi didn't originally need to pass through Xingyang on his way to Mingzhou, but he came here specifically for that purpose, so he had to make a detour back.

This detour was worthwhile.

The Zheng family of Xingyang has reached an agreement to subscribe to 5,000 strings of cash worth of bonds. This gives Li Yi's bonds the endorsement of the Zheng family. When he talks to other powerful families, he can use the Zheng family as an example.

Entering Hebei,

Li Yi's bond plan has been discussed and is taking shape with his advisors. Zhang He, the governor of Xiangzhou, and others have reluctantly accepted Li Yi's plan and decided to try it out together.

He had Ma Zhou write a ten-thousand-word memorial to the emperor in Chang'an, proposing a trial issuance of local bonds to appease the people and promote development. He even had Yun Dingxing review and approve it.

"How many bonds does Your Majesty plan to issue?"

"How about we send 300,000 strings of cash first?"

Even Lianyun Dingxing felt that Li Yi's appetite was a bit too big. The Mingzhou Grand General Administration only actually governed three prefectures. Although the Mingxingzhao region was not small, after the merger, the three prefectures only had twenty-eight counties.

In the fifth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty, these three prefectures were Zhao Commandery, Xiangguo Commandery, and Wu'an Commandery. At that time, the number of households in each of the three commanderies exceeded 100,000. Xiangguo Commandery had 7 counties with 105,000 households, Wu'an Commandery had 8 counties with 118,000 households, and Zhao Commandery had 11 counties with 148,000 households.

The three prefectures together have more than 370,000 households, averaging about 14,000 to 15,000 households per county.

However, the population loss was still significant after the chaos of the Sui Dynasty. There are now two more counties than during the Daye era, but the official household registration is less than 170,000 households, averaging less than 6,000 households per county.

The three prefectures and twenty-eight counties of Mingzhou Grand General Prefecture have a total of less than 170,000 households and a population of around 800,000. Yet Li Yi is going to issue a bond of 300,000 strings of cash.

"Is it too much?"

The imperial court now collects household taxes, 400,000 strings of cash in a small year, and an additional 800,000 strings of cash every three years.

Four hundred thousand for a minor year, and only one million two hundred thousand strings of cash for a major year—that's the entire world.

Li Yi, who governs three prefectures and twenty-eight counties, actually needs to borrow 300,000 strings of cash, 100,000 strings per prefecture and more than 10,000 strings per county.

“I think it’s still a bit too little. On average, it only amounts to 10,000 strings of cash per county.”

Currently, each county in Mingfu has an average of 6,000 households, 70-80% of which are middle-class or lower-class households and all need the support and assistance of the imperial court.

Once we begin resettling refugees and providing relief to the people, I believe many more will return, and it will be possible to have 10,000 households in each county at that time.

After all, the plains have plenty of farmland, making them suitable for habitation.

Li Yi was doing the math and realized that the one or two thousand yuan in aid per household was really a drop in the bucket.

"Borrow as much as you can, so that we can get things done more easily, especially resettling the people and restoring production, which are urgent matters."
"If we delay, it'll be a whole season..."

Yun Dingxing also considered himself to be someone who had seen many ups and downs, having served under three emperors of the Sui Dynasty, supported Wang Shichong, and now joined the Tang Dynasty, thus having lived through five dynasties.

But he had to admire Li Yi's ideas, and even more so his big appetite.

Asking out hundreds of thousands of strings of cash at a time, is money really that easy to borrow?
Or does a 5% annual interest rate mean it's not interest, so there's no burden and no need to repay?
It should be noted that even though the Zheng family of Xingyang readily agreed to the five thousand strings of cash, it was after exchanging a great deal of privileges and benefits.

"Try to borrow as much as possible. The more you can borrow, the better. Of course, it must be voluntary. Whether it's a wealthy family or an ordinary citizen, we can't force anyone to contribute."

If wealthy and powerful individuals don't care about the low interest rates on bonds, then you have to compensate them in other ways and give them tangible benefits in exchange before they will be willing to lend you money.

The average middle-class person or self-employed farmer might be interested in the interest rate, but they don't have much money to spare.

Li Yi hadn't even considered how to repay the loan, or what to do if he couldn't repay it. Why should he repay money he borrowed through his own abilities? This was money borrowed by the Grand General's Mansion; did it really need to be repaid? He governed three prefectures and twenty-eight counties. Li Yi wasn't thinking of using punishment to settle the debt, but he could use other resources to convert it into a debt. Why would he really need to repay it?

If he really wants to repay the money, then it's because Li Yi is incompetent.

"The money we borrow through bond issuance needs to be used for a comprehensive budget. A portion of it must be used to repair river embankments, irrigation canals, dredge waterways, and build bridges and roads."
A portion of it is used to purchase food to ensure supply.

The remainder was used to develop agricultural settlements, resettle people, and help them resume production.

Restoring production is the top priority, especially restoring agricultural and food production. Targeted loans for seedlings could be issued, with interest rates as low as possible or even waived.

The agricultural loan can be used to purchase farm tools, cattle, etc., and can be purchased at a low interest rate.

If ordinary people need loans for house repairs, weddings, funerals, etc., the review process will be stricter and the interest rate will definitely be higher.

Loans such as seedling loans and agricultural assistance loans can range from interest-free, to annual interest rates of 10%, 20%, and up to 40%.

"If the people lack cattle and horses, we will try to attract investment or directly buy cattle and horses to supply the market. If the people lack food and clothing, we can also adjust the market."

"We're arranging supplies of seeds and farm tools; they can be sold or rented. In short, we're paving the way for the resumption of production..."

"We can also provide small vendors with some operating capital loans..."

Yun Dingxing exclaimed sincerely, "Your Majesty has truly considered things from a long-term perspective and is genuinely willing to do practical things. If it were any other official, I'm afraid they would prefer to avoid trouble."

Li Yi felt that since he was a local official and was called the "parent official," he should lend a helping hand to so many people who were having a hard time.

to him,

This is also my responsibility.

Both in public and private terms,

He has a responsibility and obligation to do this wholeheartedly.

Of course, doing a good job would also be very beneficial to him. Officially, it would bring him political achievements. Privately, he could also involve the Li family in this round of major local reforms, whether it was mining, the distribution of important commodities, or important resources such as farmland, they could all get a share of the profits.

He has decided to have Luo San transfer 10,000 strings of cash from Du Shiniang to purchase Mingzhou bonds in the name of the Li family's major businesses, thus legitimately obtaining entry tickets to Mingzhou.

Those losses in interest,

They can obtain more compensation in other areas.

The three prefectures of Mingzhou General Administration are adjacent to Taihang Mountain and have abundant mineral resources, especially coal and iron ore, as well as many other minerals. As long as you can obtain mining qualifications, you can make a fortune.

Distribution rights for commodities such as salt and tea can also bring substantial returns.

In order to attract more powerful families to subscribe to his bonds, Li Yi also planned to open up commercial settlements. These powerful families could hire or enslave people to cultivate land and establish merchant settlements under the name of their trading companies or guilds, since the population had not yet recovered.

There are still quite a few vacant fields, and they're just lying around doing nothing. We should open up the commercial settlements first and allow the merchants to contract and cultivate those lands. Although we won't give them property rights, there will be a food shortage for a long time to come.

In particular, there will inevitably be many wars with the Turks in the future, and the northern border will need a lot of grain. The grain grown in Hebei Shangtun will never have to worry about being sold.

Li Yi would not easily sell official land under his rule. He would only distribute land to commoners who had no or little land. Even if he increased the land quota for wealthy and powerful families who already owned a lot of land in exchange for subscription bonds, he would not sell the land held by the government to them.

They have the ability to consolidate land among the common people themselves.
Li Yi would only use the public land in the hands of the government to grant land to commoners, to provide land for the army to cultivate, or to attract merchants to cultivate land.

(End of this chapter)