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

Chapter 719 White Dragon Fish Robe
East Palace,

Inside Xiande Hall,

Li Shimin frowned as he looked at the thick stack of memorials before him.

These are all against the establishment of public granaries and the collection of two liters of millet per mu. However, they are not entirely against the establishment of public granaries, but rather against the collection of two liters of millet per mu.

His brother-in-law, Duke Changsun Wuji of Qi, led the opposition and spoke the most vehemently.

Li Shimin knew that Wuji now owned several thousand hectares of land, some of which had been granted as rewards and others which he had purchased. With several thousand hectares of land, and each mu yielding two sheng of millet, that would amount to several thousand shi of millet a year.

The more he read, the more agitated he became. Li Shimin slammed the memorial on his desk and stood up, pacing around the palace.

This time, the opposition is overwhelming.

Even his trusted brother-in-law led the opposition, and Pei Ji, a veteran of the Wude era, also submitted a memorial opposing it.

Xiao Yu, who was demoted to Qizhou, also sent a memorial opposing the ban.

The governor of Hanzhou, Feng Tongren, even pretended to be dealing with another matter and rode a post horse for hundreds of miles to Chang'an. He came to the court and spoke frankly and earnestly, hoping that the emperor would rescind his decision.

They also said that paying two liters per mu was too much of a burden on the people.

In the previous dynasty, the grain tax collected from the granaries was no more than seven dou for middle-class households and no more than four dou for lower-class households. Now, however, the tax is two sheng per mu, and each adult male in a common household is entitled to one hundred mu of land. If there are three adult males in a family, then the grain tax collected from the granaries will be six shi of millet.

This is equivalent to doubling the national rent.

They desperately pleaded with the emperor to rescind his order.

Li Shimin knew that the accounts were not calculated in that way.

He and Li Yi had discussed the implementation of the Equal Land Allocation Edict many times. From Guanzhong and the capital region to the Central Plains and Henan, and then to Hebei, Hedong and Shannan, there were very few places where the land was allocated in full. One hundred mu per person was just an ideal.

In fact,
In the Guanzhong region, land allocation had long been halved, but even the original fifty mu per adult male is now difficult to actually receive. Most households can only be allocated thirty or forty mu of land, and this usually involves more than one adult male.

Only in remote, sparsely populated areas where the population has not yet recovered after the war could a single person be granted a hundred acres of land.

In the Guanzhong region, a household with 30 to 40 mu of land would have to set aside some for planting mulberry, hemp, and jujube.

There are still many people who haven't been allocated land.

The middle-class households paid seven dou (a unit of dry measure) and the lower-class households paid four dou, which was actually more than the two sheng (another unit of dry measure) of millet per mu (a unit of land area).

After all, the tax of two sheng per mu only levied on grain fields from the public granaries. Furthermore, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui also proposed dividing the land into several grades based on its fertility and yield, and levying two sheng of millet per mu on land that yielded one shi per mu.

If it is dry and barren land, two or three mu can be converted to one mu.

Generally speaking, for land that yielded one shi per mu, two sheng of grain from the public granary were levied, amounting to one-fiftyth of the tax. As for the regular land rent, each adult male paid two shi of rent for one hundred mu, which was also two sheng per mu, resulting in a tax of one-twenty-fiveths.

The opposition is so strong,
But Li Shimin was unwilling to give up.
The legacy left by the Sui Dynasty has been almost exhausted.

After the retired emperor raised an army, he sent troops to attack cities and seize territories, while also sending envoys everywhere to bestow official titles and ranks, and to win over various forces.

The effect is naturally good.

The Tang Dynasty pacified the entire country in just a few years.
However, it also left some hidden dangers, such as too many princes being granted titles to members of the imperial family, and even many princes of different surnames, as well as titles such as duke, marquis, viscount, and baron, not to mention various honorary officials and meritorious officials.

In addition, in order to win over and appease the various armies, Li Yuan initially established a large number of new prefectures and counties to appoint military leaders as generals, governors, and so on.

This also led to a situation where nine out of ten sheep were herded, and the number of prefectures and counties in the Tang Dynasty far exceeded that of the Sui Dynasty.

Having more titles and official positions naturally means more expenses.

The imperial court really needs grain from the public granaries.

The country now has three million households and a population of over ten million, but only two million are tax collectors.

This means that even if all taxes and levies were collected, the imperial court would only have four million shi of grain, one million bolts of silk, and one million shi of cotton as regular tax revenue.

However, nowadays the imperial court often reduces or exempts taxes and levies in areas that have just experienced war or disaster, so the actual amount of taxes and levies that can be collected is only a little over half.

A considerable amount of this millet and silk still needs to be left in the prefectures and counties.

Although the rent, grain, and silk collected by these prefectures and counties were also under the central government's financial control, local governments still had to make expenditures.
Nowadays, the taxes levied by the state are mainly in kind.
It's impractical to go through all the trouble of transporting the entire amount to the central treasury, only to have it then be transported back to the local governments. Therefore, a portion of the rent and taxes must be retained locally.

Local authorities need to use it, so they submit an application report, the imperial court approves it, and then it is used.

After all,
The imperial court is poor.

The campaign against Liang Shidu, which used the Turks as the main force, was not only to test the loyalty of the surrendered Turks, but also, more importantly, to save money.

Even if the soldiers provided their own food and clothing, the expenses for food, horse feed, war rewards, and pensions were still considerable when they were assembled for battle.

If it weren't for the availability of Turkic soldiers...

They still can't defeat Liang Shidu this year.

Shuofang is a poor place.

Going to fight there would be a losing proposition; don't expect to capture anything on the spot or get food from the enemy.

Nowadays, officials in the capital receive no salary, and their stipends are quite low.
There aren't enough official fields to distribute.

After all, when the Tang Dynasty was established, it only controlled Guanzhong and Hedong, but now it has the whole country and the number of court officials has greatly increased.

However, the amount of farmland in Guanzhong will not increase.

In recent years, the amount of official land in Guanzhong has been decreasing, with some being used for military farms and others for land granted to meritorious officials.

With fewer official land plots available, officials' incomes also decreased.
Officials frequently petitioned for an increase in their salaries.
But all of this required money and grain from the national treasury, which Li Shimin could not afford.

The only option is to open source it.

The grain stored in the granary was a lucrative commodity.
The difference in the amount of grain collected between levying taxes by household and by acreage is enormous.

Li Shimin could only insist on levying taxes on princes, officials, and commoners alike, at a rate of two sheng per mu.

If the tax is two liters per mu, then all the land in the country, when converted, could collect millions, or even tens of millions of shi of grain a year, which is more than double the country's annual land rent of four million shi.

This would immediately solve the imperial court's financial predicament.

Not only will we not have to worry about logistics and supplies when fighting Liang Shi this year, but we won't have to worry about them when fighting Tuyuhun next year either. We can even immediately increase the salaries of our officials.

Those who were not allocated official land could still receive two bushels of grain per mu.

The implementation of public granaries is imperative.

This concerns the survival of the nation.

With the war of unification essentially over, the next challenge was internal governance.

Feeling upset.

Li Shimin simply walked out of the main hall.

"Someone, prepare the carriage."

"Your Majesty, where are we going?" Commander Xu Luoren stepped forward.

Li Shimin looked up at the floating clouds in the sky.
“Go to Yusu Township, go to Wuji Fort. Wu Yi injured a toe and has been resting for so long. The Mid-Autumn Festival is over, and he is still hiding in the countryside and not returning to the court.”

I'm constantly dealing with these troubles, while he's enjoying himself in the countryside. Go find him.

The emperor wanted to go to the countryside to relax for a while.
They also sought advice from Li Yi.

A few years earlier, Li Yi had already implemented measures such as paying two liters of grain per mu (unit of land area) for public granaries, merging prefectures and counties, streamlining officials, and even issuing bonds to borrow money for war.

However, most of those policies were implemented temporarily during wartime.
Now, Li Shimin wants to implement it nationwide, but things are different.

But Li Yi is definitely more experienced.

Leaving the East Palace,
The hundred cavalrymen on duty stationed at Chongguang and Xuanming gates were summoned.

The emperor was dressed in hunting attire.
He took only two generals, Xu Luoren and Zhou Xiaofan, and fifty cavalrymen on duty with him, and left Chang'an for Yusu Township.

Wang Gui, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, wanted to meet with the Emperor to report on matters.

"His Majesty has gone to Yusu Township, saying he has matters to discuss upon his return to the capital," the eunuch informed him.

Wang Gui looked helpless.
The emperor left without warning, taking only fifty horse guards with him.

That's far too capricious. The emperor resides within nine gates, and his procession is strictly controlled. How could he abandon the entire court and officials at the slightest disagreement and run off to the foot of Nanshan Mountain?

"Imperial Residence, did His Majesty go to see Minister Li?"

The eunuch remained silent and did not answer.

He had given instructions, and he dared not reveal the emperor's whereabouts without them.

Li Shimin led several dozen horsemen out of Chang'an City and headed south along the main road. When they reached Shenhe Plain, they first went to Changning Palace, which he had personally built for his mother a few years earlier.

Changning Palace is quiet and secluded.
Distant mountains appear like dark eyebrows, while nearby, the eaves of houses soar upwards.
Those ancient ginkgo trees were covered in golden leaves.

I'm afraid even my mother in heaven couldn't have imagined this.
He thought he would become emperor.

Wandering through the winding corridors and paths of Changning Palace, the Hao River, like a jade ribbon, meanders past the plateau beneath Changning Palace.

I sat under the golden ancient ginkgo tree and basked in the sun for a while.
Li Shimin's mind calmed down for a long time.

Even the fatigue seemed to vanish.

"Let's go to Wuji Fortress."

Wuji Fort and Changning Palace are only ten miles apart.

Li Shimin mounted his horse and quickly arrived with a hundred guards.

Looking at the tall gate standing on the main road at the foot of the plateau,
He thought he had taken the wrong turn.

This is completely different from what I remember.

"I remember this used to be Fengjiabao. The original gate wasn't here, and it wasn't this grand."

Xu Luoren urged his horse forward.
There were guards at the gate of the fort, and he went up to ask them.

Then turn around and come back.

"Your Majesty, that's not the Fengjiabao gate. The gatekeepers said this is the north gate of Yusu Town, also known as the North Market Gate, and they'll check your goods before you enter."
If the transaction takes place in the town of Yushuku, a surcharge will be levied, one percent of the value.

Li Shimin surveyed the towering brick gate, several meters high, and asked, "Yusu Town, worth one in a hundred?"

Somewhat unexpectedly,

"Let's go and take a look."

Li Shimin had visited this place several times before, but back then there was no such tall fortress gate, and no one set up tax collection points.

The guards on duty at the fortress gate are from the market fair in Yushu Town.
The captain, who was at the head of the group, knew they were extraordinary just by looking at them.

He nodded to himself; there were fifty guards, all on tall, magnificent horses, and most importantly, they wore tiger-striped shirts and rode leopard-striped saddles.

Each person also carried a knife, and each person was accompanied by two horses.

Such elite guards,
Captain Luo only saw his own Situ Gongyou, so he didn't dare to be negligent. When the man who looked like a military officer came over to ask questions, he answered everything he knew.

When the group of people came over

Team Leader Luo didn't even dare to go forward for a routine inspection.

Xu Luoren then introduced himself.

"I am Xu Luoren, Commander of the Left Guard."

Captain Luo was secretly surprised. He hadn't expected that this young man, who looked like a guard captain, was actually a fifth-rank military commander. What kind of identity must the person next to him have?
Could it be that person?
He remembered seeing that person from afar at Master Situ's house before.
My memory is already hazy, and I dare not confirm it.

"Commander Xu, please."

Li Shimin stopped his horse and asked some questions.

After passing through the fort gate, you enter what used to be Feng Family Fort, but it has changed drastically. The main road that once ran through the fort is now lined with rows of houses on both sides.
The shop is located in the front, the workshop in the back, and includes a courtyard and warehouse.

The streets are wide.

The trees that were planted are already growing quite lushly, and there are also underground drainage ditches on both sides of the road.

A dazzling array of signs and banners.

Merchants were constantly calling out their wares and greeting customers.

On the street, there were also vendors pushing carts and carrying loads, hawking their wares, and others setting up stalls along the roadside.
Such a bustling street market,
Li Shimin thought he had arrived at the East and West Markets of Chang'an.

I thought this market street was small.

But as you continue forward, the market stretches on and on.
Down the slope,
Even after the appearance of the Great and Small Wuji Fortresses, the streets continued to expand.

The shops and workshops lining the street, the vendors hawking their wares, and the people shopping at the market—it was quite a lively scene.
The aroma of meat and wine wafting from the restaurants and taverns, in particular, filled the street with a lively, bustling atmosphere.

After descending the slope,

The area around Da and Xiao Wuji Fortresses is even more lively now.

Two roads, one on the plateau and one below, converge here and then lead to Nanshan Mountain.

This three-way intersection has become the center of this street market.

There are also shops with two or even three floors here.

The towering twin castles have become a local landmark.

Li Shimin looked around and even bought a string of candied hawthorns and a back scratcher made by an old man in the countryside, both of which were very cheap.

With a back scratcher stuck around his neck and a hawthorn and malt candy skewer in his hand, he walked and ate as he went, arriving directly in front of the Great Wuji Fortress.

There were guards and servants of the Li family in front of the fort.

There were also imperial guards stationed in garrison camps assigned by the emperor to protect Li Yi.

They know the current emperor.
Upon seeing the emperor appear in disguise, they were initially taken aback, but then they noticed the two imperial guards generals, Xu Luoren and Zhou Xiaofan, appearing...
They were all immediately jolted awake.
There's no mistake, it really is the Emperor arriving.

Hurry up and step forward to greet them, and bow.

"No need for formalities,"

Is Situ at home?

"Your Majesty, Minister Li just went out to attend a class at the academy in Xiaowuji Fortress."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin did not enter the Great Wuji Fortress again, but instead went to the academy in the Small Wuji Fortress.

In the academy,
Li Yi was listening to Scholar Dong preach. Today's topic was the Book of Changes, one of the five classics required for the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, numerous schools of Confucianism have emerged. During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the country was divided for a long period, resulting in the loss and distortion of Confucian classics. Consequently, the study of Confucian classics gradually developed into Southern and Northern schools.
Within Confucianism, numerous sects existed, each following their own teacher's teachings, constantly arguing with each other, creating chaos within the Confucian scholarly circle.

Old Dong also studied under a famous master.

It belongs to the Northern Academy.

"It seems to be different from the lineage of Kong Yingda, a scholar of the Imperial Academy,"

After listening to the lecture, Li Shimin said to Li Yi.

"Yes, according to what my teacher, Mr. Dong, there are indeed many factions within Confucianism today, each following their own teacher's teachings, which is very chaotic. I think the court should step in to rectify this chaotic situation in classical studies and compile and promulgate the Five Classics' Correct Interpretations, which unify the interpretation of the classics."

"We should gather the great Confucian scholars and renowned figures of the world today to jointly compile the correct interpretations of the Five Classics and unify their meanings."

From now on, scholars should be proficient in the classics and take the imperial examinations, and their understanding of principles should be based on the correct interpretations of the Five Classics.

Li Shimin nodded in approval, but that wasn't why he came today; he had something more important to do.

"Accompany me on a stroll through the streets of Yusu Town. Last time I came here, it was just a few small villages. I never imagined it would become such a bustling and prosperous market town."

I've heard that this place is managed by a local association, and they even levy a tax of one-hundredth of the total tax.

Li Yi accompanied the emperor on a stroll through the streets, explaining with a smile, "This is a rural market, spontaneously formed by the people. Villagers, vendors, and others manage it themselves, and the tax is used for the management and maintenance of this market."

When the emperor heard that this small gathering had now amassed over a thousand acres of land and had over three thousand strings of cash in its accounts for lending and interest collection, his eyes widened in astonishment.

"This is even richer than a typical county government office," the emperor exclaimed. "Wu Yi, how did you manage to do all this?" Li Shimin, who was mired in financial difficulties, seemed to see a ray of light.

(End of this chapter)