Chapter 491: In the Hearts of the Common People There Hangs a Scale

"In ancient times Lord Shang moved the log to establish trust, and now the Commandery Governor in Jiaodong is using official examinations to do the same. With Lai Sheng and the others as examples, everyone in Jiaodong knows that learning Qin speech and Qin script brings both fame and profit — they will surely follow one after another, eager to send their sons and younger brothers into the public schools!"

That evening, after the bustle at the township school had died down, Commandery Libationer Xiao He expressed his admiration to Heifu.

Feng and Pei were also commanderies and counties newly established by the Qin dynasty, so Xiao He felt this deeply. Although the court demanded standardized writing, because there were no corresponding preferential policies, apart from a small minority, very few were willing to learn Qin small seal script.

This situation was even worse in Jiaodong, far from the Guanzhong heartland. As a result, five years after Jiaodong became a commandery, some county magistrates still could not understand the Jiaodong dialect, while the people of Jiaodong listened to Qin speech as if hearing a heavenly scripture. The literati continued using the script of the former Qi state, and the government could only govern the region through the intermediary of powerful local elders.

Heifu smiled. "All under heaven bustle and hurry, all coming for profit; all under heaven jostle and scramble, all going for profit. If there is no benefit to themselves, people will not take the initiative to act. Conversely, once they discover there is profit to be made, they will naturally swarm to it like ants to rank meat."

He had firmly seized upon this word "profit." The newly opened public schools had a series of preferential policies, and even more eye-catching were the several "results postings" each year — a fine thing that brought both fame and fortune, instantly stirring up the Jiaodong scholars' enthusiasm for learning Qin small seal script and Qin speech.

The students' only misgiving was fear of being cursed and reviled by their fellow townsmen, but even this worry dissolved into nothing after Fu Qiubo was compelled to take up the post of County Thrice Venerable.

Then there were the down-and-out fates of Shen Sheng and Lu Musheng as a contrast: those who submitted to Qin were rewarded with gold and renown, with future chances to become officials, while those who defied Qin were tattooed on the face and banished — the gap was simply too vast.

And what was the price paid for all of this?

Xiao He was not only skilled in writing and personnel matters, but was also highly sensitive to money and grain. He had already done the calculations:

"From now on, 'Listening and Speaking' and 'Reading and Writing' will be combined into one subject, with an additional examination on statutes and ordinances. Two semesters per year, four examinations — midterm results will be posted without reward, final results posted with reward. So all told, the government will need to pay out 200 taels of gold…"

It seemed like a lot, but Heifu knew that a Qin tael was only equivalent to less than 16 grams in later times — 50 taels of gold was no more than 800 grams. In the Qi region, one tael of gold could be exchanged for five dan of millet. A year's scholarship expenditure came to 1,000 dan of grain, equivalent to half a year's salary for Heifu as Commandery Governor…

The price of a thousand dan, and in exchange all the educated men of Jiaodong would come over to his side — this deal was simply too good a bargain!

In truth, this was inspiration Heifu had drawn from how Wei Liaozi and Li Si used bribery as a stratagem against the feudal lords. Back then, Wei Liaozi had an audience with the First Emperor and offered this counsel: "May the Great King not begrudge wealth and goods, but bribe the powerful ministers of the other lords to throw their plans into chaos. At a cost of no more than three hundred thousand in gold, all the feudal lords can be finished!"

Though the Six States had been destroyed, in governing the region — situated in a Jiaodong brimming with hostility — one could likewise "use stratagems," dividing the enemy and pulling them into one's own camp!

The intellectuals, with the weakest resolve and the most wavering stance, were the best candidates to serve as guides for the invaders. Even if a few hard-boned ones like Shen Sheng emerged, the majority were driven by the thought of "excel in learning and enter officialdom," trading knowledge for a rice bowl…

Heifu fixed his eyes on Xiao He. "I entrust the matter of the public schools to you. Within half a year, we must ensure that among these people, several dozen can become assistant clerks, helping the government penetrate deep into the villages!"

Xiao He cupped his hands. "I shall exert myself to the utmost."

Afterward, Xiao He seemed about to speak but hesitated. After thinking it over, he bowed and said, "Commandery Governor, co-opting the scholars and Confucian students, bringing them into the public schools to be used by the government — though this is a fine move, it only touches the surface of Jiaodong…"

Xiao He knew very well whether Heifu could govern Jiaodong well did not hinge on this group of scholars, who made up less than one percent of the population, but on the silent majority — on the peasants, who made up ninety percent of the population!

The fame and profit given to the scholars were things the peasants could not enjoy. Toward the government, they remained brimming with hostility.

The reason was simple. Several hundred years ago, in the era of Duke Jing of Qi, the state collected two-thirds of the people's harvest in taxes!

After the Tian clan replaced the Jiang clan in Qi, they adopted Huang-Lao governance — light corvée and low taxes, storing wealth among the people, collecting only a one-tenth tax. Even if local ministers and grandees skimmed off another layer, it was no more than a two-tenths tax. One mu (a large mu) yielded three dan, so at most one paid six dou of grain…

But Qin's land tax was "one dan and a half per mu"…

Qin collected more than half in taxes — this was not slander, but fact. Land tax, poll tax, and the profits from salt and iron were twenty times those of antiquity. Perhaps not twenty times, but two or three times they certainly were.

This was also the hallmark of Legalist statecraft. Without collecting heavy taxes, how could one wage war year after year? How could one afford to build the Great Wall, the Lishan Mausoleum, and the palaces of Guanzhong?

Heifu sighed. "You are right. The township school affair can fool the scholars into taking the bait, but it cannot fool the peasants' bellies!"

Completely opposite to Qin, Qi, as a developed state, earned foreign exchange by selling salt, and its domestic taxes were not heavy. The common people were prosperous and well-fed; with grain left uneaten, they could brew wine. After eating and drinking their fill, they still had the leisure and inclination to go into the streets for cuju, liubo, or to take up amateur pursuits like strumming the zither and blowing the sheng. And now?

Ever since Qin had ruled Jiaodong, the people of Jiaodong could only tighten their belts to get by. How could they possibly support the government? In later ages, raising taxes by one percent was enough to get the common folk cursing for years — let alone Qin raising them by so much all at once?

In the hearts of the common people there hangs a scale. Do you think they don't know whether life is better or worse than before? Small wonder, then, that the people of Jiaodong all yearned for Qi, wishing that the Qin dynasty would collapse immediately so they could return to the good old days of the one-tenth tax…

Xiao He weighed his words carefully as he said, "The land tax the government collects is indeed somewhat heavy. Apart from the tax grain, the common people must also pay the poll tax and perform corvée labor. The populace is already full of bitter complaints."

His learning was quite eclectic — he understood a bit of the Odes and Documents and had studied the law, but deep down, like Chen Ping, he inclined toward Huang-Lao thought and was in favor of light corvée and low taxes.

"The land tax cannot be lowered, at least not for the time being."

After pacing a few steps, Heifu also laid it out plainly.

The tax rate was set by the Emperor, by the court. As a local Commandery Governor, altering it on his own authority would be a violation of state law. He would never pass the annual performance review, and moreover, the First Emperor would suspect him of using public taxes to buy personal popularity…

But fortunately, Qin's land tax was not a floating percentage levy, but was firmly fixed at "one dan and a half per mu"!

Harvest more, keep more; harvest less, keep less. This was the method Lord Shang had used to spur the Qin people to diligent farming. If you were so lazy that you couldn't even harvest one and a half dan by simply scattering seeds everywhere, then you had no right to farm — you could hand the land back to the government and go become a bondservant or a hired hand!

Heifu said, "Since we cannot lower the land tax, we can only raise the yield per mu. When one mu of land can produce three and a half or four dan of grain, the people's resentment may subside somewhat…"

"The most important task next is to organize the spring plowing and not delay the farming season. We will also introduce the composting and fertilizer-soaking methods already widespread in Guanzhong, Nan Commandery, and even the Central Plains into Jiaodong."

Xiao He, however, voiced his own worry: "But the common people harbor considerable hatred for the Qin officials who collect heavy taxes. They will absolutely not listen obediently, much less allow strangers with full-on foreign accents to meddle with their own fields!"

Heifu smiled. "If the people of Jiaodong don't trust the government, then we'll find people they do trust!"

Just as they were speaking, Chief Clerk Chen Ping, whom Heifu had entrusted with the important task of overseeing the spring plowing, returned with a pleased expression. Upon entering the room, he nodded to Xiao He and reported to Heifu:

"Commandery Lord, the person you sent Ping to find has been located!"

…

At the same time, in the Tian clan estate outside Jimo City, lamps and candles flickered. The family head, Tian Jiao, paced inside the room, listening to his younger brother Tian Jian recount the events that had occurred at the township school that day…

"Seeing that Lai Sheng and Yan Sheng had received fifty taels of gold, the several thousand onlookers were all green with envy. Word of this spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, and now the whole city knows. Amidst the envy, people are also remarking that, as it turns out, the Qin government does keep its word…"

"Luring them with fame and profit — what a fine tactic!"

Tian Jiao clicked his tongue in wonder. This new Commandery Governor, newly arrived, had announced the opening of public schools. At first, it seemed he was only recruiting the sons of old clans like the Yan family, remnants of Jiang Qi, and the impact would be small. Who would have guessed that, by leveraging the Confucian students' mob protest, the Commandery Governor would turn this situation to his advantage, expanding the recruitment target to the scholars of the entire commandery!

Compared to years of arduous study in private schools, only to end up as a retainer or house guest, the fame and profit offered by the government undoubtedly held far greater allure. Those Confucian scholars who lived by their glib tongues would surely swarm to it in droves!

"Exactly. To save his disciples' lives, Fu Qiubo had no choice but to become County Thrice Venerable. With that, when the scholars and Confucian students throw in their lot with the government and enter the public schools, they need no longer fear others gossiping behind their backs."

The more he spoke, the more uneasy Tian Jian became. In less than a month, Heifu had already brought the scholars and Confucian students under his control. Who knew what he would do next?

Growing rash in his anxiety, Tian Jian even said:

"Had we known it would come to this, we should have agreed to that visitor from afar's proposal — the various Tian branches provide the men and the funds to assassinate Heifu together! If we could have killed him on the Wei River at Chunyu, we'd have none of this trouble now! Now that his guard is so tight, it's not easy to make a move!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Tian Jiao glared at his younger brother. "Do you want to bring clan extermination upon our Jimo Tian family?"

Tian Jian, realizing he had misspoken, hastily shut his mouth. Fortunately, only the two brothers were in the room, and that matter was top secret — apart from a few trusted confidants, no one knew of it.

"Qin has already united all under heaven, and its momentum is at its peak. Kill one Commandery Governor Heifu, and another Commandery Governor Baifu will come. Men like Jing Ke are merely trying to stop a boiling pot by ladling out the water — it does nothing to solve the root problem. Let others do this deed; our family must absolutely not get involved."

He had the will to restore Qi, but he inclined toward lying low and biding his time, waiting for the right moment.

Tian Jiao paced a few steps in the room with his hands behind his back, then suddenly understood something and burst into loud laughter.

Tian Jian was so anxious he stamped his feet. "In another half year, that public school will produce dozens of local scholars who can speak Qin speech and understand Qin law, serving as running dogs for the government. The Qin people will then be able to bypass our family and directly govern the villages outside the city! Instead of thinking of countermeasures, Elder Brother actually laughs?"

Tian Jiao shook his head. "I laugh at that Commandery Governor Heifu — he puts the cart before the horse."

Tian Jian was astonished. "What do you mean by that?"

Tian Jiao said, "Farming is the root occupation; all else are secondary pursuits. Can a few petty favors to several dozen Confucian scholars and gentry dispel the resentment of hundreds of thousands of common folk crushed under heavy rents and harsh taxes?"

"Elder Brother, you mean…"

Tian Jiao said, "Younger brother, have you forgotten? In the Spring and Autumn period, the common people divided their harvest into three parts — two parts went to the Jiang-Qi ducal house, and one part sustained their own food and clothing. Duke Jing of Qi's hoarded wealth rotted and bred worms, yet the elderly shivered from cold and starved. And because punishments were so cruel, in the markets of Linzi, shoes were cheap but artificial legs were dear!"

"Our ancestor Tian Chengzi seized the moment to care for the people — he lent with large measures and collected with small ones, bestowing grace upon scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. They loved him like a father and mother, and flocked to him like flowing water. Thus later came the matter of the Tian clan supplanting Qi."

Tian Jian seemed to understand somewhat, and Tian Jiao, no longer worried, laughed coldly:

"The common people have a scale in their hearts. Let the Commandery Governor do as he pleases. No matter how much reward gold he gives the gentry, so long as the government's rent and taxes do not drop a single day, the farmers' resentment will pile up day by day, and their hearts will long for Qi. This is the greatest disadvantage for him, and the greatest advantage for our family. We need only keep currying favor with the common people, putting down roots in the countryside, and when the time is ripe and the realm shifts — won't a single call rouse a hundred responses!"

PS: Units of measurement referenced

1 Qin jin = 253 grams

1 Qin liang = 15.8 grams

One banliang coin weighs 7.9 grams

Gold served as the "upper currency," indicating it was a precious metal used for large-sum payments. It was commonly used to bestow heavy rewards on those who rendered great merit. Examples listed in the "Legal Questions and Answers" include:

According to law, if one reported a murderer, "one shall be rewarded with two liang" — that is, a reward of 2 liang of gold; if one captured an escaped convict sentenced to "wall-building labor," "one shall be rewarded with two liang" — likewise a reward of 2 liang of gold.

Also, Wu Zhenfeng, extrapolating from data in the Guanzi, "Qingzhong Jia," estimates: 200 fu of Qi equal 200 dan of Qin, worth 2 jin of gold; thus 100 dan are worth 1 jin, 1 jin being 1 yi, 1 yi being 20 liang; 20 liang of gold can buy 100 dan of millet, 2 liang buy 10 dan of millet, and 1 liang buys 5 dan.

(End of chapter)