Chapter 1112 Benevolent Government vs. Benevolent Government
Since the Echigo army returned north to Numata Territory, Yoshigan Shiba moved into the residence behind Numata Castle's castle tower, while Terutora Uesugi found another residence in the city.
At this time, Yi Gin was walking towards the meeting hall of Lord Tenshu, with everyone supporting him with one heart and one mind.
Before appraising military merits, you must first appraise with the followers, so that you can know how much wealth you still have, and then you will have the confidence to reward your merits.
Outside the meeting hall, the left and right banners bowed and saluted, and then the door was opened. The room was already full of two families, and they all kowtowed to the ground in the middle aisle.
"The imperial palace is safe."
Teruhora Uesugi sat on one side of the main seat and bowed slightly. Yoshigan strode forward, walked up to the main seat on the other side, and sat down.
"Everyone, get up."
A group of Ji warriors sat with their backs straight and bowed again to Yiyin to show their respect. The two factions adhered to a clear distinction and sat on the left and right sides of the aisle.
On one side are the Uesugi followers led by Naoe Keizuna, and on the other side are the Kanto attendants led by Ohuma Tohide. The two lieutenants, Naoe Kanetsugu and Ishida Mitsunari, are beside them.
Yoshigami and Uesugi Terutora greeted each other politely, and then said.
"Everyone is here, let's start the review. Which of you comes first?"
Naoe Keetsuna and Daxiong Chaohide looked at each other and smiled at each other. Naoe Keetsuna came out and bowed and said.
"Please give me your permission from the imperial palace."
Yiyin smiled.
"We achieved a complete victory this time when we marched south. You also made great contributions by arranging food, fodder and armaments in the rear.
Mr. Naoe, there is no need to be polite. I just want to ask how much the logistics supply has been consumed. Is it more than expected?"
Naoe Keizuna said.
"I would like to inform your two highnesses that the Zhijiangjin market is prosperous and the military supplies are abundant.
However, the severe drought in Kanto resulted in a poor harvest, and the harvests in various areas of Echigo were only about 60% of previous years. The military ration gap was supplemented by purchased grain reserves from Naoetsu.
After the army went to war, a large amount of military rations had been transferred to Numata Territory. Now the amount of military rations in Numata Territory is enough for the army here to survive the winter.
However, there are still about 8,000 stones in Naojiangjin. I would like to ask my two lords to tell you how to deal with them."
Yoshigage nodded and glanced at Terutora Uesugi next to him, seeing her looking back at him with the intention of asking.
Since the opening of the Hokuriku Road trade route, Naoejin has gradually replaced the declining Sunpu Castle on the Tokaido Road and become the largest transshipment market in Kanto and Kansai. If you have money, you will not be afraid of not being able to buy military supplies.
What really limits the army's participation in battle is food. In the agricultural era, there was never enough food.
Before going south this time, Yiyin was determined to buy grain to maintain military supplies, against all opinions, instead of going south to grab grain from Guanbazhou, which was also suffering from drought.
Using the Hokuriku Road trade route, we purchased more than 200,000 koku of grain in several places in the Kanto region. After deducting losses, the amount of grain stored in the Naoetsu warehouse was approximately 80,000 koku.
Now that the war is over, there are still 8,000 dan of food in Zhijiangjin.
There is a severe drought in Guandong, and food is more precious than gold. No one dares to suggest how to deal with this food. The two masters must make up their own minds.
Yoshigan did not respond to Terutora Uesugi's questioning eyes, but changed the subject and asked about other things.
"What is the status of the tax rebates from the Second Public Security Bureau? Are there any disputes over the money and food returned to various places? Is there a shortage of money and food allocated to the water conservancy project?"
Naoe Keizuna replied.
"Each family sent people to discuss the distribution of the tax rebates from the Second Public Security Bureau, and each took it for his or her own use. So far, the Naojiang Customs Office has not received any complaints from any family, and there have been no problems for the time being.
The cost of water conservancy construction in the Echigo Plain is a fixed amount, which is implemented by the Kanto Shrine Office and supervised by Ina Tadatsuki.
I have no involvement in the specific affairs, but I have not received any complaints from her, so there should be no problem, right?"
Naoe Keizuna said, looking back at Ina Chuji who was sitting behind Daxiong Chaohide.
Ina Chuji came out and kowtowed to the ground and said.
"I have been keeping an eye on the water conservancy plan of the Echigo Plain. The allocation of money and food has gone smoothly, and I am also responsible for the construction in various places.
Before the first winter snow, ditches, reservoirs and other facilities in various places had completed this year's construction goals. Now that the Echigo Plain is covered with snow, the next goal will not be carried out for the time being."
Yiyin nodded, very satisfied.
The two public tax rebates and the water conservancy plan were his most important political achievements during his two years in Echigo.
The original intention of the two public tax rebates was to replace part of the land tax burden with the Hokuriku Road trade route, and transform the Echigo tax rate of six public and four citizens into four public and six private citizens.
However, due to the obstruction of the interest groups in the Uesugi family, they had no choice but to compromise in the end. The disputed grains from the two public houses were handed over to the public for the tax rebate review, in order to use another method to reduce the burden on the local government and provide feedback for local development.
The water conservancy plan was forced to be extended to a five-year period in order to reduce annual expenditures, and it was reluctantly accepted by the Uesugi retainers.
In the final analysis, Yoshihiro's two years in Echigo have been to compete with the Uesugi retainers, the largest interest group in Echigo.
He must not only unite them, but also prevent them from excessively exploiting the peripheral samurai families in Nakashigotsu. Draw these samurai families who are oppressed by the Uesugi retainers to his side and become his own strength.
This kind of behavior means that the powerful Terutora Uesugi acquiesces to helping Yoshiba Shiba. Otherwise, in another place, a civil war would have started long ago.
As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain, except one male and one female.
Because of Uesugi Teruhora's deliberate concession, today's Echigo dual politics came into being, a special political situation in which the Uesugi retainers and the Kanto imperial court stood side by side, uniting to move southward to the eight states of Kanto.
There is no love without reason in this world.
Okuma Asahide, Honjo Shigecho, and other local samurai families from Nakagetsu were willing to follow Yoshigan Shiba. It was because he could stop the Uesugi retainers from exploiting peripheral samurai families like them.
Therefore, when it comes to internal governance, Yoshihiro's first concern is tax rebates for the public and water conservancy projects. Whether these two benevolent policies operate smoothly is related to his foundation in Echigo.
The result of the inquiry made him very satisfied, so Yoshigami turned back and said to Uesugi Teruhora.
"Your Highness Uesugi, I have some ideas about the Kanto strategy. Please give me your advice."
Terutora Uesugi smiled.
"Don't take it seriously, I'm all ears."
Yiyin nodded and said.
"This time when I went south, I observed all the way.
Although the Guandong Plain is the largest plain among the sixty-six kingdoms, the eight states of Guanzhou are millions of stone high and are known as the capital of the king.
However, a hundred years of wars, water conservancy projects were in disrepair, the people were dispersed, and droughts and floods continued. The reputation of this king's capital is really a bit empty."
Teru Uesugi nodded.
"No matter how good the land is, it cannot afford such waste.
Starting from the feud between the Kanto shogunate and the Kyoto shogunate, the Kamakura Ashikaga family, the Ryogamisugi family, the Hojo family, and heroes from all sides took turns to appear.
The good Kanto Plain has been turned into a mess and its vitality has been severely damaged. It is no longer the place where the wealthy and powerful Kamakura family came from."
Yiyin said.
"Therefore, the Guandong Strategy should not be a battle for hegemony, but a just battle to help restore the vitality of the eight states of Guanzhou.
I want to gradually roll out the tax rebate and water conservancy plans in our new areas of Guanbazhou."
Terutora Uesugi was stunned for a moment and looked at Yoshigan Shiba. When he implemented these two benevolent policies in Echigo, the trouble was ugly.
The reason for success in the end was not because of justice, but because Uesugi Teruhu's fist was strong enough and the Uesugi retainers swallowed their anger.
But the land of Guanbazhou is different. The local martial arts family here is naughty and cunning, and the Hojo family is watching covetously from outside.
If something goes wrong, the cooperation between inside and outside will cause a big trouble, which will be detrimental to the Kanto strategy.
Teru Uesugi hesitated.
"Mr. Kenshin, the land of Kanshu is not as good as Echigo. I'm not saying that these two benevolent policies are bad, but I'm just worried that they won't adapt to the climate."
Faced with Uesugi Teruhora's implicit dissuasion, Yoshigami had his own ideas and said.
"Your Highness Uesugi, if our Kanto strategy is to be successful, the Hojo family will not be the only enemy. The local samurai families in the Kanto Bashu who are used to being undisciplined and unruly are also a problem.
The famous families in Kanto were unwilling to make progress and exploited the local area wantonly. Hojo Ujiyasu won over the grassroots of the eight states in Kanto with the benevolent government of four public officials and six citizens, and used tax system reform to reduce the burden on the villages.
Have you ever thought about it.
Hojo Ujiyasu will not make the mistake of Sano leader again. It is not that Hojo Ushimasa was young and impulsive and would not easily fight a decisive battle with us. Instead, she instigated the local samurai family to oppose us. What should we do?
A sentence of "four public officials and six citizens" is worth thousands of troops. If we do not have corresponding benevolent policies and rely only on strong suppression, it is not yet known whether we can seize control of the eight states and secure this place."
"this.."
Terutora Uesugi's eyes sparkled. Her military talent was outstanding. In Echigo Kingdom, she was tyrannical and suppressed dissidents.
After Yoshigan arrived, he helped her clear up the troubles in the three directions of Beishin, Shimotsu, and Echigo, and united the internal affairs of Echigo. This allowed her to avoid future troubles and concentrate her efforts on the southward campaign to the eight states.
Therefore, she has never suffered and is somewhat disapproving of the power of benevolent government that Yiyin talks about.
But Yoshigan knew how troublesome this old fox Hojo Ujiyasu was.
He was about to return to Konki, and he didn't know that Terutora Uesugi had an obsession with proving himself. He thought that the Echigo army would have at least a year or two before launching a new major offensive.
In a relatively peaceful situation, the Hojo family's tax reform is a very lethal soft confrontation.
The famous families in Guanbazhou have long been in ruins, and the people at the bottom have been exploited to the point where they can't breathe.
If Hojo Ujiyasu is allowed to do what she wants and she shouts the slogan "six publics and four citizens", most of the Musashi Kingdom will immediately switch sides.
Don't think that the famous boss can stop this situation. Isn't it rare that the retainers ask the family governor with a knife?
Tax collection is always the most important thing for a political power, but the problem is how to collect it.
In ancient times, unlike modern times, most fiscal revenue was actually military expenditures. Without money, there would be no army and no political power.
During the period of chaos in the Celestial Dynasty, the country was often founded with a lot of land and a small population. As long as they were willing to farm and have children, the court would support them, and the court's tax revenue mainly came from poll taxes and labor.
However, as the dynasty developed and the land was merged, it began to have more people and less land. At this time, tax revenue was not enough to maintain the increasingly bloated ruling group, and the court hoped to supplement it with land tax and property tax.
The poor have no land and money, and they will rebel if they are overcharged. If you want to raise taxes, it is best to spend money on the land and property owned by the rich.
But the question is, can you collect this tax money if you want to? The failure of reform is Wang Anshi, and the half success is Zhang Juzheng. Anyway, in the future, the whole family will be killed.
The Japanese martial arts are somewhat different from the Chinese.
The taxes collected by the Celestial Empire may seem light, but in fact they are heavy. The imperial court requires one portion, while the people below require ten portions. How can those who eat from the public family eat the imperial court and starve themselves?
However, the Japanese samurai family divided the land and collected their own taxes, which was the amount they should pay. There were few middlemen to make the difference.
But the Wu family also had its own troubles, because fighting every year cost too much money and food, and the people at the bottom couldn't bear such hardships, and resistance came one after another.
When the Xiaowu family goes to the countryside to collect taxes, they must bring all the people, horses and equipment. If you dare to bring a few less people, the unscrupulous women in the village will dare to kill you and hang street lamps. The name is tax collection, and most of it depends on robbery. This is really poor and crazy.
The eight states of Guan have been at war all year round, and the tax rate of six public and four citizens is the basic configuration. Some people are ruthless and directly receive seven public and three citizens. However, eight public and two citizens are not common, because the retainers group is about to rebel.
The most powerful thing about the Hojo family is not that her family can fight wars. The internal political governance presided over by Hojo Ujiyasu has controlled the tax rate within the Hojo family to four public and six citizens, and gradually spread it to the outer territories.
Moreover, in addition to the basic land and land taxes, there are also house-specific taxes, suspended money, labor services, etc., which are similar to poll taxes and surcharges. The unified standards have further reduced the burden on the grassroots.
The grassroots of the Wu family benefited from the Hojo family, and even if the upper-class famous families hated it, they could only follow the Hojo family in many cases.
This is what Yiyin calls benevolent government.
Village women and commoners are not considered human beings, but the village servants are the foundation of the Wu family. Without their support, where would the lord collect taxes? How many faces in the village do you recognize?
If the war subsides, Echigo will not have a corresponding benevolent strategy to keep up.
All Hojo Uyasu had to say was "Four publics and six citizens," and local servants from all over the country would hold knives and force the governor to force her to return to the warm embrace of the Hojo family.
If the family governor refuses? Kill him and replace him with an obedient family governor. The lower one can overcome the upper one. This is the traditional skill of the Wu family.
This was a spontaneous act from the bottom up. Even if Teruhora Uesugi's troops marched in and forced the samurai to surrender, they would rebel again in a few days.
Violent suppression is useless. This is not a matter of political stance, but an economic issue related to food and survival.
Yoshigan Shiba sighed inwardly when he saw that Teru Uesugi was not paying attention. Teru Uesugi was superstitious about force, which was her biggest shortcoming as a second-generation rich man. She had too much capital and had a high self-esteem.
But she is really good to Yiyin. They have been together for more than two years. Apart from never sleeping together, the two of them are already very close. There is also the sword of Damocles, the system mission, hanging high above her head.
Yoshigan was unwilling and unable to abandon Terutora Uesugi, so he could only rack his brains to gain her approval and cooperation.
he said.
“The tax rebate and water conservancy plan will not be fully rolled out to the eight prefectures, but will be used first in the new areas we have secured.
In addition, I want to melt those plate armors into steel ingots, and then transport eight thousand stones of grain from Naojiangjin.
Use this batch of steel and food to help the new leaders of Guanbazhou and the martial arts families of Guanbazhou who are close to us survive the famine.
This can be exchanged for concessions from the local martial arts families in the new territory to two benevolent policies, and support for us from the martial arts families in Guanbazhou."
Yoshigan's idea was still the same as in Echigo, which was to give some sweeteners in exchange for the cooperation of the local samurai.