Chapter 1174: Rooted in Land Issues

Once on the main road, the carriage proceeded steadily and smoothly, heading back toward the Western Capital. In the end, Zhao Pu did not directly return to Luoyang with Emperor Liu. After all, his return to the court was already a settled matter; with one worry removed from his heart, Zhao Pu could naturally afford to be somewhat more reserved. At the very least, he had to go to his late mother's grave, kowtow a few times, shed a few tears, and respectfully announce the matter of "being recalled from mourning."

Emperor Liu obviously understood this as well and naturally would not press the matter. He sat for a while at the "Zhao Hut," then took his leave and returned first. This trip out of the palace had lasted only a few days—besides bringing Liu Yang to observe the political and popular conditions around the Western Capital, it was mainly to visit Zhao Pu. With matters concluded, even a weary bird should return to its nest.

Along the way, one could see that the summer harvest had already ended. Most of the farming households nearby were threshing and drying grain, making preparations to raise the money for taxes, and getting ready for the next round of cultivation. Hardworking farmers, as long as they had land, never lacked for work throughout the four seasons.

Add to that a relatively clean political environment and stable public order—then commoners who owned land could mostly secure their livelihoods. Not to say they would be wealthy, but at least food and clothing would be satisfied.

In the final analysis, the root of all problems still lay in the land.

Unlike other circuits and prefectures, the land in the Eastern and Western Capitals was actually rather concentrated, with annexation being quite severe. Under Kaifeng Prefecture, official salary fields and public fields predominated; here in the Western Capital, it was true annexation. By the sixth year of Kaibao, six to seven tenths of the land belonged to the meritorious nobles of the Great Han court.

Some of this land was bestowed by the court upon meritorious subjects; some was acquired by the nobles themselves. Meritorious nobles and even bureaucrats purchasing landed estates had been prevalent since the very founding of the dynasty. Back then, when Chancellor Su Fengji was investigated and struck down by Emperor Liu, besides corruption, embezzlement, breaking the law, and bending justice for personal gain, his extensive acquisition of property was also a factor.

The problems of the Western Capital had always been rather severe. It was only during Shi Hongzhao's tenure that a good number of people were rectified, and the government recovered a large batch of fields—most were allocated to farmers for cultivation, a portion became official salary fields, and a small portion became imperial clan lands.

But over the years, the trend toward land concentration had not been reversed, even though Emperor Liu did not like it—one could even say he detested excessive land concentration.

Emperor Liu took the problem of land annexation very seriously. Over his twenty years in power, he had issued a great many measures to restrain the meritorious nobles and protect self-cultivating farmers, but they were all policies that treated the symptoms rather than the root cause.

The most effective among them was levying heavy taxes on land transactions, yet this still only had a suppressive effect. The land consciousness of the Great Han's people was already deeply ingrained, penetrating to the bone. As long as they could obtain land, no matter how heavy the taxes, it was difficult to stop their enthusiasm.

With social stability and economic development, the population engaged in handicrafts and commerce within the Great Han was growing ever larger. But merchants who made money would invariably return to their hometowns to purchase land, seeking a guaranteed place of refuge.

In earlier years, Emperor Liu had impressionistically believed that free buying and selling of land was the root curse of annexation and must be prohibited. Thus, he once considered re-promulgating the Equal Field Chart and restoring the equal-field system.

But in the end, he gave up on it. First, he considered: if the equal-field system were effective, then how did it collapse in the Tang dynasty? Would the problem of land annexation have been solved then? Second, the overall social environment was limiting. For three generations, though warfare had been unceasing, the development of the commodity economy had advanced steadily, and officials, commoners, and the people alike had all grown accustomed to the free buying and selling of land.

If Emperor Liu forcibly changed this system, it would set land policy backward. Not only would it provoke opposition from nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords, even the lowliest commoners would not necessarily approve.

After all, ordinary people also had needs to buy and sell land. In recent years, the Great Han's economy had been prosperous and full of vitality, and land transactions occupied no small share of it.

Up to the present, what the court had mostly cracked down on remained illegal transactions; normal land buying and selling had not been prohibited.

"Land annexation—in every dynasty and every era, it has been a problem difficult to cure at the root. And as it develops in the later stages, it often forms a situation where the rich own fields stretching across the ridges, while the poor have no place to stand a needle..." Father and son rode together in the carriage, and Emperor Liu used the land problem to discuss with Liu Yang, saying: "When the common people have no land to till, their livelihoods become difficult. Either they take shelter with wealthy households and powerful families, or they drift through the rivers and lakes.

And the black-haired common folk are base and ignorant. When they cannot fill their bellies, they will naturally scheme by every means to survive. Breaking the law, becoming bandits, turning to thievery—all of these are normal. In severe cases, who knows, they might gather in the mountains and forests, or even raise banners and rebel.

What do you think—how should the court avoid such problems?"

Suddenly tested by Emperor Liu with such a serious and difficult question, Liu Yang was somewhat at a loss. Having trained under Emperor Liu for quite some time, he knew a little about such matters.

But truly asking him to come up with a solution was also taxing him. Therefore, he wore a pained expression, wrestled with it for a while, and finally replied with a wry smile: "The sages of every generation have had no one-and-for-all solution. Father, you too have long been troubled by this. Please forgive your son's dullness—I truly find it hard to devise a root cure!"

"At least you're honest!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu said.

These words clearly could not be taken as praise for himself. Liu Yang was helpless and could only cooperate with a sigh. Seeing Emperor Liu with a contemplative expression, appearing to be pondering the matter, Liu Yang thought for a moment and said: "Father, the Great Han is now like a rising morning sun. The land situation is not as dire as you describe..."

Before he could finish, Emperor Liu impolitely interrupted him: "And what about the future? At present, land is still sufficient, and the population has not yet reached its peak, but you know the rate of growth. Not to mention a hundred years—just three or four decades from now, I fear the land under heaven will not be enough to divide. A situation of too many people and too little land will inevitably form. Then what I described will not just be empty talk!"

Hearing this, Liu Yang fell silent again. Seeing this, Emperor Liu continued: "Thirty years from now, I may not still be here. You will be emperor by then, governing this nation. If you face such a situation, have you thought about how to resolve it?"

"I..." Liu Yang opened his mouth, but in the end held back and did not rashly voice his opinion. He merely furrowed his face even more tightly.

After a long while, Liu Yang clasped his hands and said: "If it comes to that, your son can only devise ways to strike at those wealthy ones who hold too much land, implement equalization of fields, and distribute the surplus land to the landless people!"

Emperor Liu clearly did not approve of Liu Yang's answer. His tone even turned somewhat stern: "Those who hold much land are none other than nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords. To cut their flesh will inevitably provoke fierce opposition. And these people are also the foundation of the Great Han. You need them to rule the realm and govern the people. Do you think equalizing fields will be easy?"

Liu Yang was stumped again. His sword-like brows furrowed even tighter, and the hands resting on his thighs involuntarily clenched into fists. Finally, as if bursting forth, he said: "If it truly reaches that point, then without change and reform, the nation will inevitably decline and the realm will inevitably descend into chaos. For the sake of the rivers and mountains of the state, whose flesh cannot be cut, whose interests cannot be harmed? If those above and below only look after their own land and do not think for the nation, are such people still worthy of being called the foundation of the state?"

Hearing Liu Yang say this, Emperor Liu suddenly laughed cheerfully. He patted his shoulder and said: "Don't let these words of yours get out!"

Seeing this, Liu Yang was somewhat stunned. After a pause, he finally reacted. But his interest had been thoroughly aroused, and he took the initiative to ask: "If it were you, how would you resolve it?"

At the question, Emperor Liu responded in a very serious manner: "I too cannot think of a root cure!"

At this, Liu Yang was rather speechless. If you yourself have no solution, why torment me with questions?

Looking at his crown prince, Emperor Liu said leisurely: "I only want you to know that the land problem concerns the long-term stability of the Great Han's rivers and mountains. Never relax your vigilance!

As you said, if it truly reaches that point, then change we must, whether we like it or not! And when it reaches that level, what is involved is no longer just the problem of land annexation—it will inevitably be accompanied by governance of officials and the legal system. When governing a nation, you must always clearly recognize what the foremost task and principal contradiction are, and prescribe the right medicine for the illness.

Also, although I have always advocated rule of law and governing the nation according to law, the essence of the Great Han is still rule by men. All systems must ultimately be implemented by people, and whether the legal system is reliable ultimately depends on people. And the emperor is both the greatest defender of rule of law and its greatest destroyer..."

Hearing Emperor Liu say all this, Liu Yang was completely stunned. Clearly, the impact on him was great.

Seeing him thinking seriously, Emperor Liu patted his shoulder again and said: "Think it over carefully..."

Liu Yang buried his head in deep thought, and the carriage fell quiet. After a long time, Liu Yang suddenly raised his head and said: "If the land within the nation is insufficient, your son will find ways to open up new land, to provide for landless commoners to till and make a living!"

As he spoke, seeming to realize something, he immediately followed up: "Is this the reason you raise armies abroad and expand in all directions?"