The autumn wind is bleak, the grass grows and orioles fly, and the last breath of summer disappears with a heavy rain.
It's the end of September, and the year has come to an end.
The temperature in the north has begun to turn colder. Autumn frost and heavy fog have arrived in the morning, and the temperature has almost reached freezing point.
And it’s time to harvest the corn.
In order to make it easier for farmers to pay taxes and sell rice after harvesting.
Liu Che ordered that the Nei Shi Yamen and the Shaofu Yamen should take the lead, together with the Wugan Zhonglang generals, and the military envoys of the northern and southern armies, to assign capable officials according to the ratio of one to one from each Yamen to go down to the collection of the Han Dynasty's official warehouses.
Grain point, supervise the storage and weighing of corn.
At the same time, the newly formed embroidered clothes guards also came out in full force. After cleaning up, the rangers secretly pretended to be farmers selling grain and went to various official warehouses to stay.
As a time traveler, Liu Che is well aware of the bureaucrats' methods of cheating farmers.
This time last year, Liu Che was just a prince and couldn't control him even if he wanted to.
Now, it’s no longer possible to ignore it!
A thousand-mile embankment was destroyed in an ant nest. The peasants and small landowners were Liu Che's biggest financial and military resources, and they could not be destroyed by corrupt officials.
But the situation this year is very good.
The examinations that have just passed injected a new stream of fresh blood into the local grassroots political power.
It is unknown what the future will be like for young people who have just emerged from the pile of old memories and are ready to show their ambitions, but at least for now, they are still very idealistic, very ambitious, and quite moral.
The information gathered in front of Liu Che from various channels showed that at least there were few problems with the grain collection and tax payment work in Guanzhong this year.
The incidence of various fraud incidents has almost dropped to the lowest point in history.
Occasionally, a few subordinate officials who had the courage to play tricks were caught by various surveillances and thrown into Tingwei Prison.
So, in the last few days of September, Liu Che got this year's tax report card for all counties in Guanzhong.
Not surprisingly, the situation in the counties on both sides of the Wei River this year is still very clear.
In the vast area east of Chang'an where water conservancy facilities are developed, especially in the core areas of the ancient Qin Dynasty, the yield per mu generally reaches more than three shi, and in some places it even reaches four or five shi.
But in the Kansai and Kanbei regions, which are barren and arid and have serious land salinization, the situation is not optimistic.
In these places, the average yield per mu is only two dan, and even for some farmers, the yield of millet per acre is less than one dan.
Such a yield per mu really makes it difficult for Liu Che to feel at ease.
You know, hundreds of years ago at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period, when Li Kui was in charge of the Wei State, the yield per mu of the Wei State reached an average of one and a half stones...
"Next year, the water conservancy construction in Guanzhong will be tilted towards poor areas!" Liu Che called the internal historian Tian Shu and the Shaofu Ling Cenmai to discuss next year's water conservancy construction.
"The Baoxie Road project must be stepped up..."
"No!" Cen Mai, the young master's order, smiled bitterly and could only obey the order.
Liu Che looked at the map of Guanzhong. His eyebrows were knitted together.
There is no other way, he just ordered to encourage and reward fertility.
What if the common people’s children were born and there wasn’t enough food to feed them? That would be a tragedy!
If the farmers have nothing to eat, they will definitely rebel!
Moreover, it’s not just about eating enough. It’s also about eating well!
Only children with adequate nutrition can grow into the most reliable warriors and taxpayers of the Han Dynasty in the future.
You have to know that almost 30% of the current standing army of the Han Dynasty came from Guanzhong.
As many as 40% of Liu Che's palace guards and palace gate guards were from Guanzhong.
Therefore, Guanzhong is the most important and core base of the Liu family's regime in the Han Dynasty.
It was only with the support of the Guanzhong elders that Liu Bang was able to win the Chu-Han War. It was also with the support of the Guanzhong elders that the princes and ministers were able to eliminate the Lu family. It was also with the support of the people of Guanzhong that Liu Che was able to sit firmly in the Weiyang Palace.
Give orders to the world.
However, the northern and southern areas of Guanzhong have never been highly developed due to historical and geographical reasons.
Not to mention anything else, it has been almost a year since the Baoxie Road project started.
But it's still in the initial stages of construction.
So far, only one-tenth of the entire project has been completed.
According to the current progress, it will take at least three to five years to dig out the entire Baoxie Road and open up the transportation between Shu County and Guanzhong.
In this age without violence, it is necessary to carve out a road and channel in a fast river or steep canyon with just your hands. The difficulty is undoubtedly hellish.
There is no need to rush this matter!
You know, in the past year, the Baoxie Road project has taken the lives of dozens of people.
When it is opened, it is estimated that it will consume at least ten times more lives.
There is no way around it!
Not to mention now, some key projects in future generations, even if they have all kinds of high technology and all kinds of ridiculous technical equipment, will still rely on human lives to fill in those dangerous areas in the end.
The Guanbei and Guanxi regions, at least until the construction of the Baoxie Road is completed, cannot count on water resources from Shu County.
The local water resources are limited, and are subject to geographical environment and historical conditions, so the utilization rate is simply outrageous!
Liu Che looked at the map, concentrated for a long time, and finally made up his mind to strike hard to change the current situation of water resources in the Kansai and Kanbei regions.
"Fortunately, the painters of Moyuan have further improved the structure of the waterwheel..." Liu Che couldn't help but feel happy.
Moyuan's hydraulic forging technology has reached a critical node, which has brought about huge technological progress.
According to Liu Che's visual inspection, the new generation of waterwheels should have reached at least the level of the Tang Dynasty.
The wheel axle had been invented and used on waterwheels.
The invention of the wheel and axle solved the limitation that waterwheels could only be used in places with abundant water resources and high terrain.
Of course, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested in this, and this is just the cost of materials...
However, it is worth it.
"I will issue an edict to order dozens of Mo Yuan's Mo masters to manufacture and assemble waterwheels from at least one professor and Shaofu craftsmen..." Liu Che looked at Cen Mai and ordered: "Your mission is to do this in October next year.
Let as many craftsmen as possible learn to make and assemble waterwheels in November, December, January, and February next year. In these four months, I will popularize waterwheels throughout Guanzhong. The focus is on Guanxi and
Kanbei region!"
"But..." Cen Mai raised his head and glanced at Liu Che cautiously, and asked: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, a waterwheel now easily costs tens of thousands of dollars, and the people may not be able to afford it..."
"If His Majesty contributes funds, the internal treasury and the national treasury will also be under pressure..."
Liu Che nodded. He had already discussed this matter with his staff, Prime Minister Zhou Yafu, and Imperial Censor Chao Cuo.
Water trucks are expensive and there is no way around it.
A waterwheel costs thousands of dollars in labor alone from manufacturing to installation!
This is still the standard where the craftsmen of the Shaofu do not need to be paid at all, and only their basic salary is counted.
As for various spare parts, especially wheel axles, which are relatively high-tech precision parts nowadays, they are even more expensive.
This kind of tall, high-tech machinery is simply beyond the reach of ordinary farmers in this era.
Only the big landowners and the bureaucratic class had the resources and wealth to install waterwheels.
But the big landowners and the bureaucratic class themselves are existences that cannibalize people without spitting out bones. They may make a show of giving porridge and rice during times of famine.
But I want them to pay for the mud-legged man to load the water tanker.
Do you think they are live Lei Feng?
I'm afraid that if the water tanker is to be installed, they will only install it on the edge of their own fields, and they will send people to keep an eye on it. They will not allow mud-legged people to touch their water tanker.
Liu Che remembered clearly that in his previous life, when Xiaozhu ruled, the Yellow River embankment was in emergency.
In order to protect the fields of his feudal state from being flooded, Tian Fu, the prime minister at that time, burst the gourd and diverted the Yellow River to the south, affecting the people of the sixteen counties.
This is the first example of the Yellow River being breached for personal gain recorded in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Compared with him, Duke Kaishen of later generations was really a saint!
Later, for his own personal gain, Tian Fu did all kinds of tricks to prevent the Han Dynasty and the court from blocking the mouth, which actually caused the Yellow River to flood for twenty years!
It was not until later that Xiaozhu was touring the world and saw the tragic situation of the people near the Huzikou breach. He couldn't help but feel sad in his heart. He ordered the accompanying guards and troops to join in the work of blocking the mouth. The imperial soldiers jumped down from the Huzikou breach with bamboos and dry firewood in their hands.
and life blocked the breach.
Through this story, Liu Che learned that the landlords and bureaucrats would only enjoy themselves and not care about the lives of others.
The so-called wealthy families were stinking of wine and meat, and their bones were frozen to death. Did it not only happen in front of Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty?
Throughout the dynasties, similar stories have never been seen.
Liu Che spent his own money and the government organized the construction of waterwheels for the people along the Wei River and its tributaries.
Liu Che's small treasury can barely support this expenditure.
But it cannot support such a large-scale investment in the long term.
What's more, if the benefits in Guanzhong are so generous, will Guandong be jealous?
Originally, the welfare of the people in Guanzhong was more than one level higher than that of Guandong. If you continue to play like this, the people of Guandong will definitely cause trouble.
This world does not suffer from scarcity but from inequality!
When the time comes, if there is trouble in Guandong, I am afraid that Liu Che will face a situation where the counties in Guandong are alienated from each other.
The gain outweighs the loss!
Therefore, for this matter, we really have to make a fuss about the landlords and the bureaucratic class, and we have to find a way to get these iron cocks to pay for it.
But how to make these iron cocks generous?
What kind of moral ethics and propaganda can be dispensed with!
In his previous life, in order to raise military expenses, Xiaozhu didn't say anything good. He just had to say something good. But few of the rich, landlords, big businessmen and powerful bureaucrats in the country contributed money.
In the end, Xiaozhu was forced to panic, so he simply lifted the table, made a lawsuit and used money, and solved the problem with a knife.
Fortunately, as a time traveler, Liu Che still remembered some measures from his previous life.
"Those who install waterwheels can get tax refunds!" Liu Che looked at Cen Mai and said, "At the beginning of next year, I will issue an edict to the world that anyone who purchases waterwheels or oxen, horses and animal power can receive tax refunds on an annual basis, and they will be exempted from corvee!
"
In later generations, Western developed countries often gave tax rebates to farmers in order to encourage their own agriculture.
For example, no matter how much you invest, you will get a certain percentage of tax refund.
Of course, what will be returned is definitely not real money, but it will be turned into seeds, farm tools, production equipment and other things.
Now, Liu Che wants to play with this tax refund, but he actually has no leverage.
Fortunately, the painters at Moyuan came up with soil fertilizer.
Soil fertilizers are currently limited by technology and raw materials, and the output is very small.
Things are rare and expensive, so the price is naturally high.
Liu Che is not a good man and will sell fertilizers at low prices when the output is still very low - this will not only not help the farmers at the bottom, but will harm them.
If you think about it, the output of chemical fertilizers is small and not enough to supply the majority of the people. If it is sold at a low price, the bureaucrats and landlords will make a fortune.
They can take advantage of their own resources and status to monopolize the supply of chemical fertilizers, and then sell them to farmers at high prices to make huge profits, or even, if they are unscrupulous, not give it to farmers at all.
In this way, the bureaucratic landlords who monopolize chemical fertilizers will become richer and richer.
The general peasants and small landowners will become increasingly poor.
What's even more troublesome is that because of the presence of chemical fertilizers, this gap will become wider and wider.
After the bureaucratic landlord class tastes the benefits of doing this...
Liu Che felt that they would probably use all means to prevent the advancement and spread of fertilizer technology...
by that time……
Therefore, in this early stage, at least until soil-based fertilizers can be manufactured and produced on a large scale, prices must be kept high.
Use the high profits from chemical fertilizers to continue to promote technological progress and development and accumulate capital for future large-scale production.
After discovering the problems in Kansai and Kanbei, Liu Che changed his mind and simply tied the supply of chemical fertilizers with tax rebates - only those with tax rebates can use the tax rebates to purchase a corresponding amount of fertilizers.
Anyway, with such a large demonstration signboard like Shanglinyuan, Liu Che is not afraid that the landlords and bureaucrats will not buy it!
But Cen Mai doesn't know this. At present, the details and system of this matter are still being formulated and discussed. Even if there are only ten people who know that Liu Che plans to implement the tax refund policy.
Therefore, Cen Mai couldn't help but ask a lot: "Your Majesty, what is a tax refund?"
Liu Che laughed and said: "This matter is still an idea for the time being. I will discuss it with the Prime Minister, the Censor and the Queen Mother before I come up with it. You will naturally know the details by the beginning of next year!"
Even after it is established, this system must be continuously modified and improved to adapt to the needs of the times and the current situation of society.
In fact, during the implementation process, there will definitely be many bumps and bruises, and even conflicts.
Liu Che had expected all of this.
Liu Che looked at Uncle Tian of the Internal History Ling, and said: "This matter will still require the protection of Mr. Tian. The relationship between the Internal History Yamen and the Shaofu Yamen is very important. Mr. Tian must be prepared to cooperate with the Shaofu Yamen. If necessary, I will order Wu Guanzhonglang to cooperate with the Shaofu Yamen.
Tingwei Yamen cooperates!"
When Uncle Tian heard this, his heart trembled.
A general with good facial features?
Tingwei Yamen?
Want to kill someone?
Although he was doubtful in his heart, as a veteran, Uncle Tian knew what was appropriate. He nodded and said: "Your Majesty, put it down. I will definitely cooperate even if I give up my old bones!"
Although Liu Che didn't want to kill anyone, he knew that if he wasn't prepared to kill people, he wouldn't be able to succeed in this kind of thing!
If we don't cut off a few heads and destroy a few families, those powerful people, landlords and bureaucrats will not know how powerful it is!
In China, this has always been the case.
Any reform or new deal can never be successful unless it kills people and leaves them with lots of heads!
When Shang Jun carried out his reform, he took advantage of the crown prince and the old nobles, and killed all the opponents who became supporters of the New Deal. Only then could Shang Yang's reform be successful.
The reason why Wang Anshi's reform failed is that he did not kill anyone. (To be continued, please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!