Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 379 Professional tasks should be left to professionals.

Jinyong City.

"See you, Your Majesty!"

A group of northern generals left the Tian Ce Mansion, leaving behind only Guanzhong generals with honorary titles.

Yang Kan, Li Bi, Gao Ang, Hou Jing and others were all present, as were Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai, the two newly appointed Grand Generals.

"Everyone, sit down!"

The northernmost city of Jinyong, Jia City, nestled against Mount Mang, boasts the highest elevation and served as the central command center for military operations. Multi-story buildings and pavilions dot the city, while the two gates of the northern wall connect to control the Yellow River crossing.

The place where Li Shuang summoned his generals was the Hundred-Foot Tower in the northwest corner of Jia City.

This building and the surrounding high platform are modeled after the Three Platforms of Ye City. In wartime, they can be used as watchtowers and arrow towers to defend against enemy troops.

However, there was no war at the time, and this hundred-foot-tall building was used as Li Shuang's residence.

The higher you stand, the farther you can see.

In peacetime, away from the tragic scenes of war, the area around Baichi Tower is now a magnificent landscape.

The sliding door opens, and beyond the railing, Mount Mang stands to the side, its undulating slopes shrouded in mist.

The generals sat down.

Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai were not from the Guanlong Military Clique, but after Li Shuang awarded them the rank of General, they came as half of his own people, and their positions were quite prominent and eye-catching.

Because Li Shuang's generals were clearly at odds with these two people; they were outsiders, "of impure blood"!
Even those from the Six Garrisons, such as Hou Jing and Hou Mochen Chong, firmly maintained their stance and kept their distance from Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai on this occasion.

Li Shuang summoned everyone for a simple reason: to settle the battle results and improve the military merit system.

In this Battle of Luoyang, the soldiers who made meritorious contributions should be rewarded, and the soldiers who died in battle should also be given compensation.

Gao Ang and Hou Jing were finally promoted to Grand General, and Wei Xiaokuan was promoted from General of the Cavalry to Grand General. In addition to the rewards and pensions for the soldiers, the most important thing was to improve the military merit system.

The implementation of the Fubing system was inseparable from the Equal-Field System.

Following the turmoil of the Five Barbarian Invasions, the north was sparsely populated but had abundant land. After the Northern Wei Dynasty unified the north, in order to restore production, it granted open fields: forty mu for men and twenty mu for women. In addition, men were also granted twenty mu of mulberry fields as hereditary land.

The so-called "Lutian" refers to unclaimed wasteland, while "Shiyetian" refers to private property granted by the imperial court to households. As long as it is cultivated for a certain number of years, it can be owned permanently, but buying and selling it is prohibited.

Of course, this is just a general template, and there will be corresponding adjustments depending on the specific circumstances of each region.

For example, the general rule for allotted land is to plant mulberry, jujube, and elm trees. However, in some areas where mulberry is not suitable, other crops will be planted instead, and the number of acres of land allocated will change accordingly.

In addition to this for ordinary households, officials would also grant public land, but the grants were calculated by the hectare. All public land belonged to the officials, but similarly, the land could not be bought or sold.

It has been almost fifty years since the Equal-Field System was promulgated in the ninth year of the Taihe reign.

While the equal-field system made the Northern Wei Dynasty powerful for a time, due to frequent wars and various other factors, it is now in a state of semi-dead operation.

For example, the conflict between the Han and non-Han peoples was serious, and there were frequent instances of non-Han peoples encroaching on Han people's land, which the government repeatedly tried to stop but could not stop.

However, these are ultimately minor influencing factors. The major factors were the Northern Wei's large-scale defeat in the war against the Southern Liang and the outbreak of the Six Garrisons Rebellion.

The imperial court in Luoyang lost control of the local area and even became a puppet, so how could it maintain the equal-field system?

After Li Shuang entered Luoyang, he needed to revive the economy.

While the implementation of some major engineering projects is secondary, the most important thing is to consolidate and expand the foundation.

"I intend to issue the Equal-Field System Decree to distribute permanent land to the people, soldiers, and meritorious officials under the jurisdiction of the Qin Prince's Palace in the Guandong region."

Li Shuang's base of operations was in Guanzhong, Longxi, Bingzhou, and other areas, and at most, Luoyang today.

In other regions, whether it was Hebei, Shandong, or Henan, he didn't conquer them through war. After taking control of the imperial court in Luoyang, these areas followed suit. Therefore, his control over these regions was weak, and one could even say he had very little say in their affairs.

Previously, Li Shuang had reclaimed land and built water conservancy projects in Guanzhong, Longxi and Bingsi, and had already granted land to the people.

However, it has not been implemented in the Kanto region.

Li Shuang essentially inherited Erzhu Rong's estate, including his fiefdoms in Hebei and Henan.

It should be noted that this was a real fief, not a property.

"I intend to grant the households under the Qin Prince's jurisdiction in the Guandong region eighty mu of open-field land to male members and forty mu to female members, and also grant twenty mu of hereditary land to male members. What do you all think?"

Li Shuang's words were just a formality.

The people living under the Qin Prince's residence are not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, so Li Shuang can do whatever he wants with them, even treat them as slaves, and no one will care.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The generals present bowed and said.

What they were most concerned about was the improvement of the military merit system.

"The soldiers of various prefectures and counties shall receive 100 mu of allotted land and 20 mu of permanent land, and their households shall be exempt from rent and taxes!"

The amount of land granted to soldiers was not much different from that of ordinary people. The difference was that soldiers and their families were exempt from paying taxes and performing corvée labor.

After Li Shuang finished speaking, he continued:

"The Wuqiwei received 240 mu of land allocated to the people and 60 mu of permanent land; the Yunqiwei received 320 mu of land allocated to the people and 80 mu of permanent land; and the Feiqiwei received 400 mu of land allocated to the people and 100 mu of permanent land."

From Wuqiwei to Feiqiwei, this level was the lowest rank of military meritorious officials, and they were the most numerous. In addition to being exempt from rent and taxes, they also had the rights to own slaves, raise horses, possess armor, and wear honorary uniforms.

These men were the main force of the cavalry in the army.

"The Commandant of the Valiant Cavalry receives 400 mu of land allocated to his household and 200 mu of land for permanent use; the Commandant of the Cavalry receives 500 mu of land allocated to his household and 300 mu of land for permanent use; the Commandant of the Light Chariots receives 600 mu of land allocated to his household and 400 mu of land for permanent use."

From Xiaoduwei to Qingcheduwei, this rank comprised the backbone of the military meritocracy and mid-level officers in the army. In addition to the privileges of the previous rank, they were also qualified for official positions.

"The General of Chariots and Cavalry receives 20 hectares of land allocated to him and 10 hectares of land for permanent use; the General of the Flying Cavalry receives 25 hectares of land allocated to him and 15 hectares of land for permanent use; the Grand General receives 30 hectares of land allocated to him and 20 hectares of land for permanent use."

The ranks from General of Chariots and Cavalry to Grand General represent high-ranking military officers, those who are able to attend meetings at the Hundred-Foot Tower. In addition to the rights of the previous two ranks, they also possess the rights to support retainers, receive titles, have ceremonial processions, wear purple and scarlet robes, and establish their own retinues.

As for the ranks from Grand General to Pillar of State, this level is already equivalent to a regional lord. To advance to this level, the military merits required are not easy to accumulate; it requires defeating armies, annexing territories, and destroying states.

Even in this hundred-foot-tall building, there were only a handful of people.

Yang Kan, Li Bi, Gao Ang, and Hou Jing were present. Among those who did not come were Yu Jin, who was still in Taiyuan, and Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai, two newcomers.

What makes Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai special is that while the other generals have a large number of meritorious officials under their command, they do not; their subordinates are all loyal retainers and soldiers from the Six Garrisons.

Although their military achievements were enough to qualify them for the highest rank of General, they were not included in the Tian Ce Mansion's settlement system.

In other words, they were more like receiving an honorary title, being recruited into the government, and joining Li Shuang's ranks, thus becoming distinct from the northern generals and becoming "one of Qin's own." Li Shuang's forces included not only the imperial guards, but also many Hu cavalry from the tributary states and a small number of recruited soldiers, such as the newly recruited Qi Hu cavalry.

The soldiers of the imperial guards and those of military merit were under the jurisdiction of the Tian Ce Prefecture and were the main force. The Hu cavalry of the Ji Mi Prefecture were auxiliary troops, but these recruited soldiers were different. All their food, pay and equipment were provided by the Qin Prince's Mansion, so they could be said to be Li Shuang's private army.

In this respect, he is actually similar to Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai.

They also had a large number of followers who obeyed only their orders.

After Li Shuang finished explaining the details, it was already nearing noon, so he announced the meeting was adjourned and told everyone to leave.

Before leaving, he ordered someone to prepare a meal in the corridor for them to eat before they departed, which was called "corridor meal"!
Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai ate without restraint. After all, the abundance of food was secondary; the important thing was that they might as well eat it.

They were merely honorary generals, and the policies announced by Li Shuang were only implemented in a small part of Kansai and Kanto, and had little to do with them.

Even though they both understood that Li Shuang's land equalization decree could strengthen the nation's foundation and enhance its power, they were unable to implement it.

The land in Hebei was either in the hands of Li Shuang, or in the hands of powerful families, the two of them, and their subordinate generals from the Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan factions.

Li Shuang planned to distribute the land to the people under his fiefdom, which was essentially a matter of spending a fortune to buy their bones.

Li Shuang could do this because he didn't care about these lands; the entire Guanzhong, Jin, and Xia regions were under his control.

But Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai only have these chips in their hands.

If they divide up all this land, how will they support their troops?

Moreover, would those soldiers from the Six Garrisons even want to farm?
Besides, those powerful families who owned fortified villages, tenant farmers, and vast amounts of land wouldn't stand by and watch them do this. After all, the two of them needed the support of these powerful families to establish themselves in Hebei.

As Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai were eating, they saw another group of people approaching.

Li Shuang established an academy under the Qin King's residence, recruiting strategists and wise men as scholars to help him handle government affairs and discuss military matters.

Besides Su Chuo, who was still in Chang'an, there were also former officials such as Lu Rou, Yang Yin, Changsun Yu, Liu Qiu, and Li Mu, as well as those newly recruited after arriving in Luoyang, such as Lu Bian and Liu Min.

Most of them were of low rank, and unlike the military officials who wore crimson and purple robes, their clothing was mostly blue.

After glancing at the people who had almost finished eating under the corridor, the scholars hurriedly entered the Hundred-Foot Tower.

Li Shuang summoned many scholars to the Hundred-Foot Tower for the second half of the meeting, which was a discussion of economics.

The Equal-Field System manifested militarily as the Fubing System and economically as the Zuyongdiao System.

When the Northern Wei Dynasty first promulgated the Equal-Field System, it also promulgated the Rent and Tax System, which stipulated the land rent (four liters of millet per mu) and the household tax (two bolts of silk and two catties of cotton), as well as policies such as "no increase in rent for increased production" and "no increase in tax for increased population".

In order to restore production, the Northern Wei Dynasty naturally wanted to reduce taxes and corvée labor.

However, with the defeat in the war, in order to make up for the lack of military funds, taxes were increased significantly. In addition, the royal family and nobles in Luoyang were extravagant and indulged in luxury. In order to make up for the deficit, they came up with various pretexts, including new taxes such as wine tax and merchant travel tax, and even wanted to collect six years' worth of rent and taxes in advance.

Under such a corrupt government, a large number of people would naturally flee, and the equal-field system would fall apart.

Li Shuang wanted to resume production and implemented the equal-field system in Guanzhong, Longxi, Jinzhou, and Luoyang, which did not encounter much resistance.

However, they would certainly encounter considerable resistance in the Central Plains. The powerful families in Guandong practiced a manor economy, with fortified villages as the core, and owned a large number of tenant farmers. They concealed their population, reduced land surveys, and secretly built up their own retinues.

These measures were both a means of self-preservation in the chaotic world and a bargaining chip for them to gain a foothold in the imperial court.

Li Shuang did not intend to stir up a hornet's nest immediately. Instead, he planned to first consolidate his territory, distribute the land, and then implement the corresponding rent-and-labor system.

Rent is the payment of grain, labor service is the payment of silk, and corvée labor is the payment of military service.

Whether it's building large-scale projects in various places or accumulating money and grain to prepare for a future southward campaign to destroy the Liang dynasty, a proper financial system and the accumulation of time are both necessary.

In chaotic times, the lowest level of morality is what matters.

However, things are different when a single force can unite all the major powers.

In the past, everyone was on the opposite side, so they would use any means necessary. But now that everyone is on the same side, it's time to start getting serious.

The implementation of a system involves a complex interplay of various factors.

For example, the competence of officials, the condition of the prefectures and counties, and the quality of the people.

However, it's also simple in a way; Li Shuang only needs to grasp one key point.

As long as it's better than those aristocratic families, that's enough.

For example, the tenants under the Hebei aristocratic families could only eat two meals a day, and each meal was thin. They could only have some meat during festivals. But the people under the Qin King not only ate three meals a day, but each meal was thick. They could also eat fish and meat during festivals.

This is enough!

If you follow the King of Qin, you'll eat nine meals in three days!
Once this simple slogan spreads, people will vote with their feet, and their hearts will be swayed.

After Li Shuang finished discussing with everyone, Lu Rou said:

"Your Majesty, the Xianbei soldiers who have surrendered in Luoyang are showing signs of rebellion. What should we do?"

In the Battle of Mangshan, 180,000 Xianbei soldiers were defeated. In addition to those who died in battle and went missing, more than 100,000 were taken prisoner.

What to do with them is a huge problem! After all, they fought alongside Erzhu and lost, so theoretically they were all prisoners of war.

But Li Shuang couldn't really bury them all alive.

Of course, many of these prisoners were taken by those with connections. Many strong and brave men were also chosen.

Whether they were slaves or retainers, having a few tall and mighty Xianbei warriors to keep up appearances was quite a cool thing.

However, Luoyang is now in a state of disrepair and urgently needs reconstruction. The wealth of the nobles and the imperial family is limited, and they cannot absorb so many people.

Li Shuang sighed and said:

"If all else fails, let them build the canal!"

"Open a canal?"

"Build a canal from Luoyang to Zhuojun in Youzhou!"

Everyone was shocked; this was an extremely troublesome matter. If handled poorly, it could incur the wrath of both heaven and man!

"Will the edict be issued by our Qin Prince's Palace?"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"The biggest difference between us and the Erzhu clan is that we know how to respect others and leave professional matters to professionals!"

……

(End of this chapter)