Military farming is a major policy of a country, the basis for gathering grain and strengthening the military.
In the final analysis, military farming is actually a form of production in which landless peasants are tied to ownerless land, with the government providing agricultural tools and livestock.
Now, Your Majesty wants to just cultivate the land? ?
Cao Rui saw the confusion on Huang Quan's face, and also saw Huang Quan's vague sense of uneasiness, and continued: "I know the benefits of military farming much better than Huang Qing. But everything has its roots. Emperor Wu's establishment of military farming in the past required two conditions: refugees and unowned land."
"At that time, many heroes were fighting each other. If we did not establish military farms and tie the people to the land, not only would there be no food, but the people would probably migrate again. But now it is the fourth year of Taihe. Didn't I ask you to reduce the tax on military farms in Yuzhou by 10%? Isn't the effect quite good?"
Huang Quan hesitated a little: "Your Majesty, collecting 40% of the land for military farming is different from abolishing it. If we really abolish military farming, where will the people get their land from?"
"Dividing the land." Cao Rui said calmly, "We both know the story of Emperor Guangwu's land measurement, so I won't repeat it to you. I won't say anything about those who have permanent property having permanent heart and those who have land serving more faithfully. I just want to tell you one thing."
Cao Rui looked at Huang Quan and said, "The people are suffering so much. Huang Qing is the governor of a state, and I am the emperor of Wei. Even if it is a matter of rights and interests, can't we make some changes?"
Huang Quan sighed, "If it weren't for the Holy Lord, this would never be possible. I am so lucky to serve the Holy Lord! During my three years in Yuzhou, I put the most effort into farming and the seasons. I would like to share the pros and cons of this with Your Majesty."
"Let's talk."
As soon as Cao Rui finished speaking, he stood up, adjusted his robe and hair, and then sat upright on the chair.
This was the formal attitude of a petition, and it was only for major events. Huang Quan also stood up and stood ten feet away from the emperor, bowed respectfully, and then said:
"There are six benefits of military farming. I would like to explain them first."
"allow!"
Huang Quan said: "First, if war does not stop farming, farming does not stop defense, and defense does not stop fighting. Second, the military and farming are integrated, and the land is used as defense land, and it must not be destroyed. Third, the military farms are used as homes for soldiers, which can reassure the hearts of soldiers in the frontier areas. Fourth, the military farms can gather grain for national use, and there are fewer mistakes. Fifth, the soldiers in the frontier areas can be stationed for a long time, waiting for the labor and being ready to be called up at any time. Sixth, grain can be gathered in the frontier areas for a long time, without the need to be requisitioned from the interior."
"There are six disadvantages to military farming."
"First, the officials in charge of the military farms are greedy and short-sighted, often committing illegal acts and bringing trouble to the people. Second, the land is not theirs, so the people have no peace of mind and are often tired and lazy. Third, the people are in poverty, with no cloth or food in their homes, and no money to spend. Fourth..."
"I understand." Cao Rui interrupted Huang Quan and said, "I will summarize your words."
"The benefits of military farming are good for the country, and bad for the people. It is good for the country at the expense of the people. That's all. But the benefits Huang Qing mentioned are mostly benefits for the military, while the civilians often suffer from it."
"So I often wonder, now is not the time of forty years ago when many heroes were fighting for power. If we abolish the civilian settlements and only keep the military settlements, what will happen to the Wei Dynasty? The court distributes land according to the number of people, and the people have their own land. Only after they have savings can they use money, merchants and goods will circulate among the people, and the court will gradually become as prosperous as it was during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing."
"This is why I asked Mr. Huang today."
Huang Quan clasped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, I think it is possible! However, military farming is a long-standing system of the Wei Dynasty, so it is not appropriate to promote it all at once. We should choose one place as a trial, and then apply it to other states and counties after confirming that it is safe."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "So I came to see Huang Qing! How about it, does Huang Qing think Yuzhou is okay?"
Huang Quan pondered for a few moments, and seemed to have made great efforts. He shook his head and refused, saying, "Your Majesty, Yuzhou borders Jingzhou in the west and Yangzhou in the east. It is an important source of food and grass for the two states. Due to military reasons, I think we should not start with Yuzhou, so as to avoid mistakes and delay the important affairs of the court. Whether it is collecting taxes or collecting grain through military farming, we should not start with Yuzhou."
"I think it would be better to let Yanzhou do this first. Yanzhou is richer than Yuzhou, with fewer civilian settlements, so it is easier to disband. In addition, Yanzhou has not suffered from floods this year, so it is a good place to try."
"Yanzhou?" Cao Rui was really surprised by Huang Quan's words. Huang Quan didn't want such a political achievement that was delivered to his doorstep, and gave it to Yanzhou instead.
Cao Rui didn't know for a moment whether Huang Quan was being magnanimous, or was afraid of making mistakes, or was really trying to stabilize the food supply and avoid trouble.
"Let's take Yanzhou." Cao Rui said, "Huang Qing was also a minister beside me. Please draft an imperial edict on this matter and ask Sun Zi whether he can handle the matter of closing down the settlements and distributing the land in Yanzhou. After he has made a detailed plan, report back to me." "Look, the paper and pen are over there." Cao Rui pointed to the corner of the study and said, "Huang Qing, go and draft it. When you are done, show it to me and I will use my seal."
"Yes, sir!" Huang Quan replied.
This time the intention is to abolish civilian settlements, but in fact it will have no impact on military settlements.
What is military settlement? Lu Xun led the Qiang soldiers to plant wheat in Dazhong, Jiang Ji led 50,000 surrendered soldiers from the Wu Kingdom to plant crops in the north and south of the Huai River, and Jia Kui let the soldiers plant crops in the area around Wancheng. These are all military settlements.
The civilian settlements were where the common people who had left their hometowns and lands during the chaotic times at the end of the Han Dynasty were gathered together by the government to farm.
Most of the civilian settlements are in Henan, but relatively few are in Hebei.
The Yingchuan, Chen, Runan, Qiao, Liang, and Pei counties of Yuzhou, the Henan Yin of Sili, the Chenliu, Dongjun, and Jiyin counties of Yanzhou, the Jingzhao and Fufeng counties of Yongzhou, and Weijun of Jizhou were all places where civilian settlements were prevalent, and the reasons behind them were not exactly the same.
Yuzhou and Yanzhou were the first places where military farming started, with the most complete systems and more people. In other words, the more devastated a place was at the end of the Han Dynasty, the more military farming there was.
The military farms in Yecheng, Hebei, were mostly set up to accommodate and take care of the families of soldiers while the Wei army was fighting all over the country. After Emperor Cao Pi became emperor, he moved more than 50,000 families from Yecheng to Luoyang. In addition to the previous military farms in Henan, Sili also became an important place for military farms.
In fact, generally speaking, the number of large households and self-cultivating farmers in Wei was still greater than that of the people who settled in the villages. In the ten years since the founding of the country, the county governors and county magistrates of each state and county have withstood the test, and the counties dominated by large households and self-cultivating farmers are also able to requisition grain. The splitting of the temporary settlements during wartime has no substantial impact on the country, and the settlements are managed by the court and government, so it is easier to disband them.
The military settlement is still there.
The last thing Dawei lacks is land. There are few people and a lot of land, and the fields are barren. This is a problem that Dawei urgently needs to solve, and it is also an advantage that allows it to distribute land now.
If the settlement of civilians can be solved in the next few years, the next thing to solve will be the aristocratic families, wealthy families and high-ranking families. However, this bone is much more difficult than abolishing the settlement of military farms...
After seeing Huang Quan off, the newly appointed Imperial Guardsman Fu Gu came in from outside and said nervously, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Works and Liu Shumi are outside seeking an audience. Do you want to see them?"
"See you again? I haven't had dinner yet. I just sent Huang Quan away and two more came." Cao Rui said with a smile: "Go and tell them that I'm going to have dinner and they need to eat too. Don't wait for them, go back and eat, and come back to me in half an hour."
"As you wish." Fu Gu bowed and accepted the order, still a little nervous as he walked out. This was his first time serving the emperor, and also his first time talking to such important officials as the Minister of Works and the Privy Council. Should he repeat the emperor's original words, or summarize them himself?
Fu Gu, who was in a dilemma, chose to tell Sima Yi and Liu Ye the same words as before. Unexpectedly, Sima Yi and Liu Ye were exceptionally kind.
"In that case, we will come back later." Sima Yi and Liu Ye nodded slightly to Fu Gu, and then went to find the eunuch to bring them food.
Liu Ye had been a minister for a long time, and Sima Yi was a cabinet minister who often stayed in the palace. It was common for them to eat in their office. But Fu Gu, who was standing behind them, was surprised again.
Are Sikong and Liu Shumi so comfortable in the palace?
If it were normal, Cao Rui wouldn't mind having dinner with Sima Yi and Liu Ye. But today was Concubine Guo Yao's birthday, so if he couldn't make it, it would be fine. But since he could make it, he had to have dinner with her no matter what.
The two had not seen each other for a long time, and when they first met, they naturally talked intimately for a long time. Guo Yao also followed the same routine as the concubines in Luozhong, first congratulating the emperor on his military achievements in recovering Liaodong and establishing Yingzhou, then expressing her longing for him, and finally talking more about personal matters during the meal.
It's probably like this.
As Guo Yao was talking, she asked about Luo Zhong's matter: "Your Majesty has given birth to a third prince. I heard that he is not in good health. What is going on?"
Cao Rui said, "What else could it be? Su Huan was thin and frail, and she didn't eat much during her pregnancy. The child she gave birth to was also weak and needed to rest in the palace often. That's why I gave him the character 'Shou' as his name."
"Why did you think of asking this, Yaoer?"
Guo Yao put down the spoon in her hand and moved closer to Cao Rui, leaning her shoulders and arms on him. She put her red lips close to his ear and said softly and tenderly:
"Your Majesty, I also want a child..." (End of this chapter)
