Chaos of Ming 1628

Is this punishment?

One second they were ready to die and sincerely accept their punishment. The next second, they were completely immersed in joy.

"Please give us your orders, young master, and we will go through fire and water for you!"

The two had no doubts about Sun Qing's words. After spending time with him, they knew that whatever Sun Qing decided to do, he would definitely do.

He said if he could get the money, he definitely could.

He said he would make sure everyone had enough to eat and he would never break his promise.

No matter how incredible or incomprehensible the process may be, the final result will surely be success.

Sun Qing nodded solemnly: "I will definitely change Jiahe County."

"Tomorrow, I'll trouble Mr. Meng to do something on the Hexi mudflats. Turn the entire Hexi mudflats into collective property, that is, public property."

"The riverside wasteland and wharf beaches that were cleverly seized by local gentry will be reclaimed and brought under the unified ownership of the residential area. The shops, canal loading and unloading facilities, and ferry warehouses at Botou Wharf will all be brought under collective management."

"The revenue from shops, the freight charges from canal transport, and the profits from river works are not pocketed, but are all deposited into the central public granary."

Sun Qing finished speaking in one breath.

This wasn't because Sun Qing was particularly clever, but because this model already existed in the Ming Dynasty; the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Sacred Treasury was almost exactly the same.

Meng Zhaoxiang's eyes were filled with blind worship.

The details are no longer important; anything suggested by Sun Qing is bound to be good.

"Yes, young master, I will certainly do as you say." Meng Zhaoxiang readily agreed.

He was originally an official in the capital, so he could handle this kind of thing with ease and without any trouble.

Sun Qing then looked at Su Jiuda.

Su Jiuda's eyes were full of longing, but Sun Qing's gaze only swept over him and finally landed on Meng Zhaoxiang.

It's not that Su is incompetent, but Meng Zhaoxiang is more experienced in these matters.

Seeing that he had already prepared paper and pen, Sun Qing realized that he was about to quickly record what Sun Qing had said.

He was both amused and exasperated, and continued, "The wealthy households who were previously punished by having their treasuries emptied are now ordered to donate their surplus land, farm tools, cloth, and oxen for collective use. All labor output and infrastructure surpluses will be deposited into the public granary to prevent private appropriation."

That statement is clearly unrealistic.

Su Jiuda couldn't help but raise a question: "Young master, those wealthy families are no ordinary people. Will they really accept such actions?"

"Then let's go!" Sun Qing said defiantly.

Wei Zhongxian allowed him to return, and even had Yang Qingqing bring so many people with him. Now that they're all here, can't he still use them?

The eunuch faction hasn't fallen, and its reputation remains. Making good use of them will make his long journey worthwhile.

"Young Master," Su Jiuda said, still deeply worried, "if all the wealthy households leave, how will Jiaohe pay its taxes and survive?"

The common people need money, and the imperial court needs it too.

Many of them can't even do the simplest things.

"Let them be." Sun Qing didn't care at all: "If you want to eat from the same pot, there are no special privileges. It's all about equality for everyone."

This word is even more baffling. Su Jiuda sighed again: "But my lord! Where in this world is there any peace? Fate has already marked the stakes when a person is born."

"Alright." Su Jiuda was about to speak when Meng Zhaoxiang interrupted him.

Meng Zhaoxiang said in an annoyed tone, "Mr. Su, I'm not trying to be mean, but given your current situation, it will be very difficult for you to get out of this predicament."

Besides, this isn't just anyone I'm talking to. This is Young Master Sun! He can give orders whenever he wants to do something.

"These are things we can't understand. If we could understand them, would we have been bullied like this by the eunuch faction?"

"Let's do as you say!"

Meng Zhaoxiang's thinking was spot on, and Su Jiuda blushed deeply, saying with shame, "I was overthinking it."

Sun Qing smiled and said, "Mr. Su, there's no need for that. It's a good thing that you have questions."

"Please remember that the resettlement housing in Hexi will be organized into groups of ten or five households, registering the elderly, children, able-bodied people, and the sick and disabled, and filing the records."

Sun Qing didn't explain what their purpose was; he only needed to state what they did.

These will be the sole basis for the distribution of food rations, cotton clothing, and other supplies in the future.

Meng Zhaoxiang's affairs are now enough to exhaust all his energy.

And what happened next was not something Su could easily interfere with. Everyone has their own strengths, and Sun Qing wouldn't do everything herself, but she needed to accurately identify each person's role.

"Sigh!" Sun Qing couldn't help but sigh, "If only there were more people, we're clearly short-handed right now!"

Meng Zhaoxiang hurriedly said, "Please do not hesitate to ask if you need anything, young master."

"A person's energy is limited. As long as you do your job well, that's enough," Sun Qing said clearly.

Meng Zhaoxiang nodded repeatedly, full of apology: "Young master is right, I was too hasty."

Su Jiuda stood to the side, but still didn't hear Sun Qing call his name, and his disappointment was evident.

"Since you don't have anyone to help you, I can recommend someone to you." Suddenly, a soft laugh came from the tree.

Shen Junru was sitting on a treetop at some point, quietly watching down below.

"Miss Shen, what brings you here?" Sun Qing's tone was clearly delighted.

"I don't know if it's her or this old man." Another voice came from the doorway, and Song Xian walked in from outside.

Although he no longer wore the tattered clothes of a storyteller, he now carried a gourd of wine on his waist and would take a sip from time to time.

"Mr. Song, Miss Shen, what brings you here?" Sun Qing was not surprised, as they had said they were leaving earlier.

"Jiaohe County has already sent our Sun family here for the funeral, so naturally we should be the first to go." Song Xian laughed and looked Sun Qing up and down: "Looks like you're not missing any limbs. You've got guts, kid, daring to hang that sign there. You went to Wei Zhongxian and came back intact."

Thinking about what happened in the capital, Sun Qing felt a little guilty. What would happen if they found out what had happened in the capital?

"I'm quite interested in what you just said. So tell me, what can I do?" Song Xian asked.

Song Xian was already an official in the capital, and even though he now preferred to travel the world, his status and position remained extraordinary.

With his connections, Sun Qing wouldn't refuse to give him face.

Moreover, Song Xian was a remarkable official.

"Since Mr. Song is willing, then I won't stand on ceremony." Sun Qing couldn't suppress his smile: "Everything must follow rules, so we need to separate everyone."

The public fields were cultivated in a unified manner, with shifts for land reclamation, irrigation, and autumn harvest, and priority was given to cultivating the collective grain ration fields.

Ma Yu explained:

They were stationed at the shops and canal wharves in Botou, responsible for freight transport, hand weaving, and building material processing;

Maintain and manage river embankments, resettlement housing, roads, and granaries; repair public facilities.

"As for management..." Sun Qing paused slightly.

"Every day, a bell is rung to call attendance, and positions are assigned according to physical ability: able-bodied men are responsible for heavy physical labor, the elderly and weak are responsible for guarding the warehouse, women are responsible for spinning and weaving, and children are responsible for odd jobs and learning skills; the sick, the widowed, the disabled are exempt from labor and are supported by the collective."

"Implement a work log system: attendance hours and work performance are recorded and used as a priority for allocation, eliminating the problem of freeloading and balancing idealistic universal benefits with labor incentives."

Although Song Xian didn't understand what would happen, he nodded and memorized everything.

Su stared at him for a long time, but still did not give him any instructions.

He hurriedly said, "Everyone will receive corresponding compensation based on their labor, and meals will be prepared and distributed uniformly."

As for the cotton, Sun Qing hasn't brought it up yet.

He repeatedly instructed: "A portion of the surplus from wharf commerce and public field harvests exceeding daily consumption should be stored in disaster relief warehouses; the remainder should be used to expand the wharf, improve fertile fields, establish schools, and repair residences."

"A portion will be used to purchase oxen and farm tools to expand production, and any surplus will never be distributed privately."

Su's eyes were full of logic, and his voice was much lower: "If this continues, internal conflicts will inevitably arise sooner or later."

"I don't think this path will last long."

Sun Qing looked at him without saying a word. After all, there were many things they couldn't understand. Just doing as he said would definitely be better.

Finally, Sun Qing repeatedly instructed: "Do not forcibly eliminate the small number of private vegetable gardens that people keep for themselves. Only core food rations and large supplies should be distributed publicly, and a small number of private small items should be retained."

"Furthermore, those who make meritorious contributions can receive a small amount of meat and refined grains as a reward, thus preventing slackness caused by absolute equality."

Song Xian nodded repeatedly, finding it amusing.

Su opened his mouth slightly and finished speaking, but still didn't arrange anything for him.

He lowered his head and silently walked out.

It turns out, he was the most useless one...