Chapter 83: Jin Chao

At the beginning of the Jin Chao's founding, Jin Taizu abolished the "Guoxiang" system from the tribal alliance era, and the central court power structure implemented the traditional Jurchen Boghile system. For example, after occupying the Liaodong prefectures and counties in 1116, an edict was issued to abolish Liao laws, reduce taxes, and establish the Mengan and Mouke systems exactly as in their own dynasty's system.

Mengan and Mouke were the military and social organizational units of the Jin Chao; Mengan meant "thousand," serving as both a Battalion Commander soldiers and a head of a Battalion Commander. They were military leaders established during the late primitive society period due to the needs of raiding and hunting, and later developed into fixed military organizations.

However, once entering the Han lands of Yan and Yun, this Jurchen system became unworkable, so they had to retain the original Han official system while simultaneously practicing a dual system of the old Jurchen system and the Han system. The so-called "Southern-facing Officials" in the early Jin were essentially the Han land Privy Council system.

As time progressed, the Mengan and Mouke households that originally used slave labor gradually transformed into landlords. This transformation mainly involved land allocation, taxation, and distinguishing between commoners and slaves; the Jurchen nobility used this to expand their land holdings and implement the "Land Seizure Policy."

Land allocation was the basic system regarding land ownership under the Jurchen slave system. Slave owners occupied different quantities of arable land based on the number of slaves and livestock they possessed. The system stipulated that anyone possessing one set of plow oxen (three oxen) and twenty-five people would receive four piculs and four mu of land. The term "people" included slaves and commoners of Jurchen tribes and clans. The more slaves and livestock a slave owner possessed, the more land they could legally occupy.

Under these circumstances, more and more Han people became slaves of the Jurchens. Additionally, the Jin Chao often sacrificed Han interests to aid the Jurchens. For the people in surrendered and attached regions, the Jin Chao adopted forced migration methods to move them to the interior; these residents, struggling to survive, were forced to sell themselves into slavery.

The Jurchens would take this opportunity to seize the most fertile arable land of the Han people. To increase the ever-growing living and military expenses, they continuously increased the taxes and corvée labor imposed on the Han people.

The contradiction between the Han people and the Jurchens was, as historical records state, that thieves and bandits filled the fields; those who once relied on state authority to suppress them were now viewed by the people as enemies with blood-deep hatred and bone-deep resentment, whom they would surely avenge before stopping.

Bandits and thieves were everywhere in the fields; those who had once relied on state authority to suppress them were now regarded by the people as enemies with deep blood feuds, and the people would not rest until they had exacted revenge.

After Zhang Chu'an and Zhang Xiaofan arrived in Weizhou, Shandong, they did not impatiently find a place to claim a mountain as their own, nor did they use their powerful martial arts to seize wealth from the rich and distribute land to the poor; instead, they opened a night school.

The people of Huaxia have a respect for intellectuals carved into their bones; for a place that neither hinders their own farming nor demands tuition fees, they cannot refuse.

Although they did not expect that learning knowledge would allow them to pass the exam to become a Xiucai, learning knowledge would at least enable them to recognize characters, understand legal documents, and not be deceived like blind men. Moreover, they not only taught literacy but also how to calculate accounts; mastering this skill would at least allow one to work as a Mr. accountant and earn a livelihood.

Therefore, not long after the night school opened, farmers from surrounding villages brought their children to attend classes. Since the number of people was truly too large and there were only two teachers, the Mr. named Zhang Chu'an devised a plan for the farmers to elect their own representatives to study with him; after learning, these representatives would then teach the farmers who elected them, learning and teaching simultaneously.

To attend classes with him, one needed the recommendation of twenty farmers. When checking learning results, they would not only inspect the representatives' learning outcomes but also their teaching outcomes; this way, if a representative withheld knowledge, the farmers could re-elect a representative.

This method received unanimous praise from several villages in the vicinity, but such practice made the landlords of these villages very dissatisfied, since originally the announcements issued by the court were read on their behalf, allowing them to interpret the announcements however they wished to deceive.

But now that was impossible; those mud-legs could read for themselves, which truly made them uncomfortable. Furthermore, the two new private school teachers were very familiar with the laws of this dynasty, and the tricks they had previously used by exploiting legal statutes were completely useless.

One late night, after the classes ended, the representatives each took out a piece of cured meat and placed it on Zhang Chu'an's lectern.

Zhang Chu'an looked curiously at these representatives, and a man named Ma Gui among them stood up and said:

"Mr. Zhang, in the past when Confucius taught students, he collected five pieces of cured meat from each person. But we are poor; don't say five pieces, we cannot even afford one. Yet you have truly taught us, not only teaching us literacy and accounting, but also using legal statutes to prevent those minor clerks from arbitrarily harming us. This year is the first time we have been able to save some grain and money; each of our households pooled money together to buy cured meat, which we representatives are giving to you."

"Oh, so that's how it is. Then you should quickly take this cured meat back and return it if possible," Zhang Chu'an finished speaking.

The representatives said anxiously, "How can this be returned? If it weren't for Mr., this year we would not only have failed to save money but would also owe the landlord two taels of silver."

"You yourselves said that without us two, you would still owe the landlord two taels of silver. Among you, those who have land can sell their land to landlords, and those who rent land from landlords can be sold by landlords to Jurchens at high prices. With so much money lost, will the landlords be willing? Also, the Jurchens could originally acquire land allocation by buying slaves, but now they cannot; will they be willing?"

"Calculating the timing, the landlords will join forces with the Jurchens to pressure the government to frame us with a crime and frame you with a crime as well, forcing you to hand over money and grain. Quickly return the cured meat; if you cannot pay the money then, you will be sold into slavery. If you are sold into slavery, those with sons are still okay to discuss, but those without sons will have their households completely wiped out; not only will all their belongings be divided up, but their wives and daughters will also be sold to brothels. Take the cured meat back and return it."

Zhang Chu'an sighed and advised. The representatives lowered their heads, walked up to the lectern, picked up the cured meat, and left. Watching the departing representatives, Zhang Xiaofan could not help but ask, "Do you think these people truly have the courage to resist?"

"If there is hope for survival, everyone wishes to live well, but the greed of exploiters and oppressors is destined to squeeze every drop of blood from these people. As for those who dare to resist them, they will naturally be wiped out completely." As they walked, Zhang Chu'an knew very well the greed and arrogance of these people.

Wherever there was a place to exploit, these people would exploit it as much as possible, leaving no trace unturned. The long-term servility of the proletariat made these people gradually arrogant; they believed these people were cowardly and timid, and would never resist no matter what.

But they forgot that when these people are driven to a situation where they have nothing left to lose, they will eventually pick up weapons and stand up. From that moment, those arrogant people will find they do not even have the chance to kneel and beg for mercy.