"There are 478,480 households, nearly 3 million people. I had known that the land of Wuyue would be full of households, and my expectations were high enough, but I didn't expect that there would be such a large number of people, almost no less than those in the Liangjiang area! "In Chongzheng Hall, Emperor Liu was beaming, and everyone present could feel the joy in his voice.
The Third Chief of Staff, Red Xiang, reported: "Your Majesty, these are only based on the records of Wu and Yue. The compilation period is not short, and there are still discrepancies with the actual situation in various states and counties. If we also include the growth in these years and the hidden households in various places, , the actual number of Dingkou in the two Zhejiang provinces is probably even greater than what King Wu and Yue presented!"
"After the imperial court takes over Wu and Yue, just like the two rivers, the census of population and the measurement of land should be carried out simultaneously. Officials at all levels are strictly urged to do it rigorously. No concealment or omission is allowed. I want accurate and correct numbers!" Liu Chengyou directly raised his hand, weighed the memorial in his hand, and ordered rather forcefully: "To take over Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is not enough to just accept those atlases and books! The three divisions are responsible for the population, land, finance and taxation. Pay special attention to it!”
"Yes! I understand!" Faced with the emperor's order, Red Xiang hurriedly responded. As the third envoy in charge of the Han Dynasty's finances, he certainly did not dare to slack off on this matter. In fact, after taking over the south, he was the busiest Perhaps it was the bureaucracies such as the Privy Council and the Ministry of Personnel, but the ones who were most excited were the three divisions. There is no doubt that Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the most prosperous and prosperous regions in the world today. The foundation has been laid, and it is only waiting for the court to continue to develop and harvest.
With obvious excitement between his eyebrows, Red Xiang continued to report the happy situation: "Your Majesty, if we add the people of Wu and Yue, the number of Han people living in Dingkou has reached more than 3.7 million households. It’s already equivalent to the population at the end of Zhenguan!”
Knowing that Emperor Liu admired the Zhenguan rule, Red Xiang directly used it as an example, which was intuitive and prominent. During the years when Liu Chengyou was in power, he had vigorously developed the population and encouraged births. However, after unifying the south, these three hundred and seventy-seven More than half of the 100,000 households were provided by the South. One can imagine how important the South is to the empire in this era.
Seeing the emperor nodding, Red Xiang continued: "According to the calculations of ministers and officials, when the south is completely pacified and stability is restored, if the wealth of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is included, the annual income of the imperial court in the future should be 35 million. If the two taxes are levied according to this amount, there will be no problem, and it may even be more. And Jiannan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang may be able to provide more than 60% of the tax amount..."
Seeing Red Xiang's excited expression, Liu Chengyou also smiled, and then said seriously: "Prince Qian really gave me a great gift to the court this time!"
You must know that even now, Wu and Yue still maintain about 120,000 troops in various places. With such a large number of troops, not to mention their combat power, if Qian Hongchu insists on resisting, even if it is difficult to resist in the end, it will still bring trouble to the court and easily bring trouble to both sides. Bringing trouble to Zhejiang was something Emperor Liu did not want to see. Once he considered this, Liu Chengyou felt better about Qian Hongchu.
"The land of the two Zhejiang provinces has been passed down to Qian Hongchu for nearly sixty years since Qian Mu. There has been little turmoil before and after, and the policy of restorative care has always been followed, so that the people of the two Zhejiang provinces have received sufficient rest and recovery. This achievement has been achieved , not surprising!" After returning to Tokyo, Tao Gu directly threw himself into the work of the prime minister. He had rested long enough in Hangzhou to participate in the discussion, and he took the initiative to say:
"However, as far as I know, the situation in Wuyue has declined a bit since Qian Miao's death. When Qian Hongchu, the king of Wuyue, succeeded to the throne, although he continued the old policy, encouraged farmers to teach mulberry trees, and started large-scale reclamation, it was still worse than before. Without further development, many people in Wu and Yue will struggle to make ends meet!"
"Oh!" Listening to what he said, Liu Chengyou looked very interested, but he raised his eyebrows slightly and said: "You have stayed in Wuyue for such a long time, and it seems that you have gained something. You might as well tell me about it! "
Among the ministers present, Tao Gu is the oldest, but he is also the most expressive. Facing the emperor's inquiry, the old man said with a smile on his face: "I would like to say something. Wu Yue is certainly one of the few in the world. It is a blessed land, but it has two main disadvantages.
First, although the people in the narrow land claim that there is no abandoned farmland in the territory, it is also a manifestation of the lack of arable land. However, as the population grows, more and more landless people in Guizhou become more and more difficult to make a living, so they have to join the big family; secondly, the Qian family is in power. With generous contributions on the outside and extravagance on the inside, there is also a lot of glitz and extravagance in Wu and Yue's country, so that the crops are abundant, but the taxes are harsh and cruel, and the people are suffering greatly!"
A glance at Tao Gu revealed that this was the reason why Tao Gu's reputation and prestige in the court was not high and he was criticized a lot, but Emperor Liu always used him in high positions and even gave him the position of prime minister. As a knowledgeable person, he could often see the problem and could often speak to Emperor Liu's innermost feelings.
"In such a wealthy place, it is inevitable that there will be a trend of extravagance. Everyone hopes to live a prosperous life, be carefree, and pursue beauty. There is nothing to criticize!" With a slight smile, Emperor Liu said calmly, but his tone gradually changed. Li: "However, what I don't want to see is that the wine and meat of Zhumen are stinky, and the bones are frozen to death on the road! I want the world to be rich and healthy, but I don't like luxury and waste.
I heard that in places like Tokyo, Luoyang, and Damingfu, the trend of hedonism has begun to rise in the past two years. The country has not yet been completely unified, and the world has not yet been truly peaceful. Looking around, it is difficult to make a living in Yunei, and there are still so many people living in poverty. , it’s far from the time to seek comfort and enjoyment..."
"Your Majesty's lesson is right! With a wise king like this, why worry about the world not being governed, the country not being rich, and the living beings all around not being well?" Tao Gu hurriedly agreed, even though he was the most greedy among the ministers present. enjoy.
"Lü Yin, draw up an edict in my name and declare it to the world, advocating frugality and prohibiting extravagance!" Following the somewhat eccentric topic, Liu Chengyou ordered to Lu Yin.
"yes!"
Taking a deep breath to calm down the sudden excitement, Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said: "The shortcomings of Wu and Yue are similar to those in Jiangnan. How to correct them? The imperial court still needs to come up with a practical policy. Way! However, if you want to govern, the first step is to select officials. In the area of Liangjiang, I plan to send Fan Zhi to take charge. In the Wuyue area, who should be appointed? Do you have any suggestions?"
After hearing the inquiry, Dou Yi, who is the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, reported confidently: "Your Majesty, I think that Zan Jurun can be appointed. Duke Zan has rich experience in governance and outstanding ability. He has been in Hunan for eight years and has restored peace and order to the dilapidated Hunan." , his political achievements are outstanding, and he can serve as an example! In view of the complicated people's sentiments in Hunan, Zangong manages it with ease, and Wu Yue has newly attached himself to it. I think he is worthy of this responsibility!"
"Yes!" Emperor Liu confirmed his recommendation with just one word.
Among the ministers present, in addition to important ministers such as Wei Renpu, Dou Yi, Leide Xiang, and Lu Yin, there is also a new face. However, although the face is new, the person is the old one, the emperor's old minister, the governor of Huaidong Envoy Wang Pu. Now that Wang Pu was over 40 years old, Emperor Liu felt that he could be transferred back to the capital to serve, so he directly said to him: "Wang Qing, the next three divisions will be quite hard, so I hope you will work hard to join the army." Let’s serve as the Minister of Household Affairs!”
Wang Pu was not too surprised, he cupped his hands and said: "Yes!"
"Xue Juzheng and other officials have suggested to me that we should change the Yuan Dynasty next year. What do you think?" Liu Chengyou asked suddenly.
In this regard, Wei Renpu, as the head of the ministers, spoke on behalf of the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, now the sea has been unified, the world has been restructured, the Han Dynasty has been rebuilt, and the universe has a new atmosphere. I believe that the name of the era should be changed to comply with the current situation and destiny!"
"What about you?" Liu Chengyou looked at the others again.
There was a lot of agreement. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"Since all the ministers think it's okay, let's change it!" Liu Chengyou smiled lightly and said, "Then let's discuss the new name!"
After hearing this, all the ministers became interested and started thinking immediately. However, before anyone could make a suggestion, Emperor Liu suddenly said forcefully: "I have made up my mind to change the Yuan and open the treasure!"