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

Chapter 733 Minister's Opposition

In the sixth year of the Wude era, after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Li Enyi left the Puji Hospital where he had lived for three years and put on a brand new, clean long gown.

He followed the dean to Wuji Fortress, and under the tall soapberry tree in front of the fortress, he saw the Prince of Dai again.

Li Enyi stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Your name is Enyi, right?" The Prince of Dai reached out to help him up. "Get up quickly. A man's knees are worth gold; don't kneel lightly."

Li Enyi still knelt there and solemnly kowtowed three times, saying, "The Prince of Dai has treated Enyi like his second parents, and I will never forget this kindness in my lifetime."

Li Yi helped him up and brushed the dust off his new clothes.

The emperor walked over with a smile, looking the boy over. "Li Enyi, hmm, indeed a kind and righteous child, very good. After you return to the palace with me, you will follow Crown Prince Chengqian. You are a few years older than the Crown Prince, so take care of him."

Accompanying the Crown Prince in his studies
This is a tremendous sign of trust and appreciation.

Li Yi said, "Why don't you thank His Majesty?"

The Eastern Palace has tutors and students, both of whom are seventh-rank officials selected from among the literary talents to serve the Crown Prince in his studies.

Of course, Li Enyi, who accompanied the Crown Prince in his studies, was neither a tutor nor a lecturer; he was merely the Crown Prince's page.

But the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and every close attendant around him must be carefully selected.

The emperor mounted his imperial horse.

The team set off for Beijing.

Li Yi patted Li Enyi on the shoulder, "Hurry up and catch up."

The autumn wind blows in gusts.

The weather is cool.

Li Yi also mounted his horse, forced to leave the pleasant countryside and return to the capital.

The group left the streets of Onjuku town.

After crossing the tall Luojiabao stone arch bridge,

We passed through the tall town gate.

Walking along the banks of the Hao River through the rice paddies, the golden rice stalks sway in the wind, like waves.
The air carries the scent of rice.

The emperor beckoned to Li Yi.
Let him ride side by side.

"Looking at this bountiful harvest in the rice fields, I feel exceptionally pleased," Li Shimin said, beaming from ear to ear. "Since the founding of the dynasty, the people have suffered from hunger, and grain prices have remained high, with a bushel of rice costing as much as a bolt of silk."

Changsun Wuji, trailing behind by a horse's length, chimed in, "His Majesty ascended the throne, and the summer harvest was bountiful across the land. Now, with the autumn harvest imminent, another bountiful harvest is on the horizon."

Prices in the capital are high, but now a dou of rice costs only twenty coins, and a dou of millet costs only twelve coins.

After the autumn harvest, the price of rice will likely drop even further.

"This is because the Holy Emperor is on the throne, hence the favorable weather and abundant harvests."

Li Shimin was very pleased to hear these words.

At the time, the retired emperor hesitated repeatedly, but ultimately broke his promise and did not choose to make him the crown prince.

He sent eight hundred guards into the palace and seized the throne.

He'd been holding back a lot of energy; it wasn't about proving how great he was, but about taking back what was rightfully his.
He wanted to tell the retired emperor, the officials, and the world.
This position should have been his all along.

He would be a better crown prince or emperor than Jiancheng.

And now,
One hundred days after the palace coup,
He has already delivered a satisfactory answer.

He proved with facts that he truly deserved that position.

The Turks submitted.

The Western Turks, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, and others all submitted to the Turks and paid tribute.
He stabilized the court, the local areas, and the border regions.

even,

Even prices have stabilized.

A dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice costs twenty qian (a unit of currency).
Grain prices have fallen tenfold compared to a few years ago.

"No leisure,
I heard that when you were in Daibei, you told your staff that in three years, a bushel of rice would only cost three or four coins?

Li Yi looked at the heavy ears of rice and said, "Your Majesty, three years of farming yields a year's worth of surplus, and nine years of work yields three years' worth of reserves."

As long as the weather is favorable and the people are at peace, there will be at least one year out of three when grain prices will naturally not be so high.

A bushel of rice costs three or four coins; this is quite normal.

With good governance, harmonious people, and favorable weather,
It's easy for the emperor to recite and say, but difficult to actually do.

However, the emperor was extremely ambitious.

If he can seize complete control of the world and bring peace to it in a hundred days, then give him another three years.

He believes he can do better.

The external threats to the border have been eliminated.

Domestic affairs are stable.
The situation he faces is much better than what the retired emperor faced.

This trip to Yushu Township gave the emperor even more confidence in the future; he had found the key to governing the country.

The main customer system and the introduction of commercial taxes, along with the grain reserves in public granaries, will form the basis of the future two-tax system.
All of these can help the Tang Dynasty reach new heights.

ten years,

Li Shimin only needed to focus on reform and development for ten years.
Ten years of accumulation,

I wouldn't dare say the population will double, but it will definitely add one or two million customers.

Nine years of farming yields enough food for three years; ten years is sufficient for him to stockpile ample provisions and equipment. Then he can conquer the Tuyuhun and then subjugate Goguryeo.

The Anxi Protectorate and the four commanderies of Liaodong, which were once part of the Han dynasty, were restored.

Li Yi rode a Khitan horse, swaying with its weight, watching the rice paddies along the Hao River that were about to be harvested.

Since his return, the area along the Hao River in Yushu Township has seen no major droughts, locust plagues, or early frosts for the past five or six years, except for a few summer and autumn floods.

These few years,
The people of Yushu Township are indeed living better and better lives.

Are there any major natural disasters expected in the next few years?

He tried hard to recall, and it seemed that there had been significant disasters in Guanzhong during the ninth year of the Wude era and the first and second years of the Zhenguan era.

There was a drought, and then there were floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

Then there was a major locust plague.

He had no recollection of the past two years; perhaps he didn't, or perhaps he simply didn't remember. He did recall historical records stating that in the first or second year of the Zhenguan era, a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice was worth a bolt of silk.

Grain prices remained high, largely due to the war. From the sixth to the ninth year of the Wude era, the Turkic invasions became increasingly severe.
Jieli even reached the Guanzhong Plain, drank from the Wei River, and besieged Chang'an.

The entire Hedong region, from Bingzhou and Daizhou to Zelu, was plundered by Turkic nomadic cavalry, and the area north of the Wei River in the Guanzhong Plain was not spared either.

Now, Li Yi and Li Shimin joined forces and subdued the Turks seven years ahead of schedule.

The northern border troubles have been resolved.

Even the separatist rebellions in the interior were resolved ahead of schedule.

The Tang Dynasty that Li Shimin has now inherited

It is indeed an excellent window of opportunity.
No external threats, no internal strife
Focus on developing domestic affairs and allow the economy to recover and thrive.

Theoretically speaking, even if Li Jiancheng were pulled out of his prison cell in the capital now and put on the throne, as long as he doesn't cause trouble,

He can even create a "rule of peace" like this.

After all, following the great chaos, the people longed for peace, and the population had decreased sharply, leaving some land available for distribution.

If things are relaxed a little, people can gradually improve their lives.

Unless you encounter someone as ruthless as Yang Guang, who managed to ruin the prosperous Kaihuang era left by his father in less than ten years.

From this perspective,

The new reform policies that Li Shimin discussed with him in Yusu Township seemed somewhat out of place.

It is not advisable to make any major moves at this time.

If we followed the established rules, we might be more secure.

The old system, despite its many irrationalities and fatal flaws, is still functioning at present. However, implementing new policies will inevitably affect the interests of many people.

It can easily cause instability.

Yang Guang was a very capable emperor, skilled in both civil and military affairs. His major decisions, such as moving the capital to the east, building the Grand Canal, opening the Silk Road, and conquering Liaodong, were generally correct.

The only mistake was being too hasty.

If they had taken twenty or thirty years to gradually accomplish what he had accomplished in just six or seven years, perhaps the country would not have perished.

When passing by Changning Palace

The emperor specially led his prime ministers to the site again to offer incense to his deceased mother.

In front of this royal building are large cornfields.
People are harvesting corn in the fields.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes were also planted nearby.
These seemingly insignificant grains have increased the income of the people by a lot. Although they are coarse grains, they can still fill their stomachs.

It can even be used to raise pigs, which can generate a lot of cash.

Previously, most people grew millet, sorghum, or even sorghum, but now most people grow corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, resulting in a significant increase in yield.

These additional resources often allow a family to survive the famine that occurs during the lean season each year.

This avoided borrowing grain and the bloodsucking debt.

Thirty miles,

Following the South City Avenue, we soon returned to Chang'an.

The towering city walls stood before us like mountains.

Soldiers were guarding the city gates.

A sense of oppression washed over me.

After entering the city, we passed through straight and wide streets.
Besides the tall walls standing on both sides of the street, there are only lonely roadside trees.

In comparison, the streets of Onjuku town, though not wide, are bustling with activity, filled with the noisy cries of vendors, the various shops lining the streets, their signs and banners, and even the enticing aromas of food.
It's all more full of life and warmth.

The next morning,

The emperor reiterated the land restriction order.

"Those below the rank of prince or duke shall have a limit on the amount of land they may occupy, and they shall not exceed the limit."

The interpreter read out the imperial edict limiting land use in the palace.

Ordinary people without official rank or title could own up to 100 mu of land if they were male, and the middle-aged men could also own up to 100 mu of land.

Occupying land refers to having the right to own land.

The imperial court distributed land to the people on a 100-mu (approximately 6.7 hectares) basis, but this was only based on the maximum land allocation. The actual amount of land allocated depended on the size of the area and the availability of public land owned by the government.

In this land restriction order,
A middle-aged man or a middle-aged man can occupy 100 mu of land.

Forty mu each for elderly men, those with serious illnesses, and those who are disabled; thirty mu each for widows and concubines; and for heads of households with such households, an additional twenty mu.

Industrialists and merchants reduced their land holdings by half, while Taoist priests and Buddhist monks held thirty mu of land, and nuns and female Taoist priests held twenty mu of land.

The land grants to nobles ranged from princes to dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, with the land quota decreasing from one hundred qing (a unit of area) to five qing.
Officials of various ranks, from the first to the eighth or ninth rank, received a decrease in the amount of permanent land they could acquire, from sixty hectares to two hectares.

Officials of the fifth rank or above who held land were equivalent to other officials in charge of related duties.

The ranks of meritorious officials ranged from Shangzhuguo to Yunqi and Wuqiwei, with the land they were entitled to decreasing from thirty qing.

The land quota for titles, official ranks, honorary officials, and meritorious officials is calculated based on the highest quota only, and is not cumulative.

As the interpreter Cui Dunli read the text,

The atmosphere in the imperial court changed abruptly.

Some people even lost their composure and spoke out.

The palace censor impeached him.

The emperor reiterated the land quota.

Even the highest-ranking prince could only possess 100 hectares of land, and a ninth-rank official could only possess 2 hectares.
The first-ranking military officer, a cavalry captain, only had sixty mu of land. Even with the minimum of one hundred mu, the total land quota was only one hundred and sixty mu.

A third-rank official is entitled to 25 hectares of land, while a fourth-rank official is entitled to 12 hectares of land.

Nobles, officials, and commoners could all buy and sell permanent land, but the sale of allotted land was generally prohibited.

“Anyone who occupies land beyond the limit shall be punished with ten strokes of the cane for every ten mu, and one degree more for every ten mu. For those who occupy more than ten mu, the punishment shall be sixty strokes of the cane, and one degree more for every twenty mu. The punishment shall not exceed one year of penal servitude. If the land is occupied in a lenient or secluded place, no punishment shall be imposed.”

"Those who occupy more land than permitted must sell it within a specified period. Those who violate this rule will have half of the excess land requisitioned by the imperial court and converted into public land, which will then be leased out and the rent collected will be used to replenish the national treasury."

For the remaining excess farmland, two dou of millet will be levied per mu.

The whole hall was in an uproar.

"Your Majesty, I object!"

(End of this chapter)