Chapter 186: Distributing Land, Exempting Taxes

A few days after resolving the matter of the Eight Guards and one station, most of the military farmland of the Eight Guards had been confiscated, and the hidden lands of the gentry within Fengyang Prefecture were also being slowly investigated.

Zhu Cilang summoned the civil and military officials of all the prefectures and counties of Fengyang Prefecture, along with the generals of the Tianwu Army, to hold a court assembly in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy of the imperial city.

On the left side of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy stood the civil officials led by Zhu Dadian, while on the right side stood the principal generals of the Tianwu Army. Most of those present were his own trusted subordinates—all real power in Fengyang Prefecture could be said to be firmly in his grasp.

At present, the five prefectures and thirteen counties of Fengyang Prefecture were basically staffed with personnel newly appointed by Zhu Cilang. Yang Tinglin served as Prefect of Fengyang Prefecture, and the prefectural magistrates and county magistrates below were all selected from among the Imperial Academy students in the Tianwu Army.

At the lower end of the civil officials' ranks, Zhu Dadian felt somewhat tense. The Crown Prince had executed several hundred officials in one stroke, and his methods chilled the heart. At today's court assembly, who knew what new arrangements would be made.

After everyone performed the ceremonial bows, Zhu Cilang sat upon the dragon throne at the head and announced in a clear voice: "Today I hold this court assembly as an exception, to discuss the distribution of military farmland and recruitment of troops in Fengyang Prefecture."

Everyone listened attentively. Military farmland and troop recruitment were easy to understand—every dynasty had done it, and the Ming's guard station system was precisely that. The assembled officials felt the Crown Prince should be reorganizing the Eight Guards of Fengyang.

Zhu Cilang said: "I have decided to re-implement a new military farmland policy in Fengyang Prefecture, recruiting soldiers and civilians alike to reclaim land and cultivate it together. Every able-bodied man who joins the army will receive fifty mu of land per household. After five years of service, the permanent right to use the land will belong to him."

"For the distributed land, the government will build irrigation waterwheels for them and provide oxen and farming tools, but each mu must pay a rent of two dou per year."

Fifty mu of land seemed like a lot, but in this era it was barely enough to sustain a household of five or six people. After paying the rent, there would only be a slight surplus.

Though Zhu Cilang's move was similar to the guard station system, it was vastly different. The land he now distributed only carried usage rights—it could not be bought or sold, nor given as gifts to superiors. If discovered, it would be immediately confiscated. This could, to a certain degree, prevent land annexation.

In other words, from now on this land belonged to the court—rented out, never sold! And it was long-term leasing. The rent was naturally two dou of grain per mu.

Zhu Dadian said: "Your Highness, if this is done, I fear a great deal of silver will need to be invested."

To make crops grow amid drought disasters, water conservancy projects had to be built and farmland irrigation developed. At present, water conservancy across the Ming was severely neglected, and the maintenance funds of previous years had been embezzled by corrupt officials for their own gain.

If water conservancy were to be rebuilt, it would inevitably cost a vast amount of money. This was also why the gentry and powerful families would rather let land lie fallow than reclaim it—not to mention that an ox now cost eight taels of silver. With costs so high, who would be willing to invest?

Zhu Cilang said: "No matter how great the investment, it must be done. Without grain production, more and more commoners will starve to death, and the roving bandits will only grow more numerous the more we try to suppress them!"

"Dredge the old canals near rivers and lakes, dig new ditches, and install waterwheels. In places far from rivers and canals, dig deep brick-and-stone wells."

Fortunately, Fengyang Prefecture had numerous rivers and lakes within its borders. As long as things were managed well, irrigating several million mu of fertile farmland should be no problem.

Zhu Cilang's goal was to train at least fifty thousand troops in Fengyang Prefecture within a year or two through military farming, while supporting several hundred thousand commoners.

Zhu Dadian stammered: "Your Highness, th-this... the amount of silver this consumes is simply too great. Your minister does not have that much silver!"

Zhu Cilang said meaningfully: "Minister Zhu need not worry. The matter of silver is not your concern. I will first allocate three million taels for this purpose. If that is not enough, I have more."

Zhu Dadian was stunned, and the other officials were likewise dumbfounded, finding it utterly incredible. Just how much silver had the Crown Prince confiscated this time! It felt as though three million taels were nothing more than a trifle in his mouth.

Even the Tianwu Army generals who had carried out the confiscations did not know exactly how much silver and grain had been seized. Each unit had confiscated on its own, and each only knew that the silver it had taken exceeded a million taels, with grain beyond counting.

Huang Degong said: "Your Highness, all this land is being given to newly recruited soldiers. Then will our twenty thousand brothers of the Tianwu Army receive any? Do we also need to farm?"

Zhu Cilang mused: "You will not receive any for now. In the coming years, focus your main efforts on training and suppressing bandits. Later, once we reach Jiangnan, I will distribute to you the finest land in the world!"

Zhu Cilang had also considered whether to give the Tianwu Army priority in receiving a million mu of fertile land, but after careful deliberation, he ultimately rejected the idea. If the land were all distributed now, then when they later went to Jiangnan, how could they roll up their sleeves and snatch land from the local tyrants and evil gentry there?

Everyone listened cheerfully. They had heard that the land south of the Yangtze was the most fertile, and the girls raised there were also fair and lovely. They truly looked forward to going there later to find themselves a few beautiful wives.

Zhu Dadian sighed inwardly. The Crown Prince had finished grabbing Fengyang's land, and now he was already planning to go seize the lands of the nobles in Jiangnan. It was truly speechless.

Yang Tinglin, who had remained silent all along, was also astonished by the Crown Prince's intentions. He suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, is two dou of rice per mu too much? Your minister recently examined the Yellow Registers. The rent paid by commoners on their own cultivated land is only one dou, and in some places even just a few sheng."

Zhu Cilang waved his hand and said: "It is not too much, because besides collecting two dou of rice per mu, I will abolish all taxes on the farming households—including the poll tax and all other miscellaneous levies!"

"What? Your Highness, what are you—"

Zhu Dadian asked Zhu Cilang incredulously, and even the military officers who had been somewhat bored on the side looked over in shock.

Even the common soldiers knew that the court relied on tax revenue to keep the state running. Though no one knew where it all went, at least their own military pay came from the taxes the court collected. Now the Crown Prince wanted to abolish all taxes on the farming households—without tax revenue, where would the silver come from?

Zhu Cilang sighed: "Under the great drought disasters, the people's lives grow ever more difficult. Our Ming's taxes were originally the lightest of all dynasties. Even with my father adding the suppression levy this year, on average each household only pays a few extra catties of grain. Yet why are so many commoners unable to survive?"

"I think everyone knows the answer clearly in their hearts! Officials at all levels, on top of the regular taxes, extort with every conceivable pretext. From one regular tax item, seven or eight customary surcharges are derived. Where the court originally collected one extra sheng of grain, by the time it reaches the localities it becomes one dou, or even four or five dou! This yamen collects its share, that yamen collects its share—not only do civil officials collect, military officers collect too. How can the common people withstand such exploitation?"

Zhu Cilang said: "Eighty percent of the taxes the people pay end up in the pockets of corrupt officials. The court has been taking the blame for them for nothing. By abolishing the miscellaneous taxes this time, I intend to let the people recuperate and recover, and leave these corrupt officials with no place to lay their hands!"

Zhu Cilang continued: "The exemption of miscellaneous taxes currently applies only to the newly established farming households. In the future, it will gradually be extended to the Southern Metropolitan Area. At this moment, grain is the most value-preserving thing. With grain in hand, why fear being unable to buy anything?"

Everyone slowly digested the Crown Prince's words, and the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. It was like in Guide Prefecture of Henan—if a refugee were set before a basket of rice and a basket of gold, and could only choose one, the refugee would choose the rice a hundred percent of the time.

Because at this time, in many places even money could not buy food. One could only clutch gold and starve to death, whereas rice could be exchanged for many things.