Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 390 Asking for some compensation
These rural landlords are short-sighted and out of touch with the news. Moreover, it is an era of war and trade and travel have been cut off. If the government does not take the initiative to disclose information, it will be difficult for them to obtain timely and effective information from the outside world.

If they misjudged the situation at this time, they would inevitably make some extreme actions in order to resist taxes. Yu Yunzhou gave them a frank introduction to the current situation in order to prevent them from misjudgment and told them clearly that resisting taxes would not have good results and rebellion would be a dead end.

On the contrary, if you are willing to actively cooperate, there will be many benefits. Apart from other things, there are so many newly conquered territories that there must be officials to govern them. Do you want to take the imperial examination and become an official?

Yu Yunzhou said that the Shengwu Army's northern frontier had reached Shandong, which was only a few hundred miles away from Dadu. This was hinting to them that Lu Jin was capable of launching a northern expedition to drive out the Yuan invaders at any time, and a change of dynasty was just around the corner. So, do you want to take advantage of the establishment of the new dynasty to gain the merit of following the dragon, or do you want to commit suicide and be buried with the old dynasty?

Those present were all landlords and powerful people, and very few of them were illiterate. Even if they themselves could not understand, they could afford to hire educated retainers to help them analyze the situation. They were not really afraid that they would not understand. If there were still idiots who wanted to rebel, then just kill them directly. There was no point in such idiots living.

Yu Yunzhou was still helping them analyze the situation.

"These news are all military and political affairs. Although they are not confidential, the government has no obligation to tell you. Today, I am shutting the door and speaking to you openly. I hope that you will not misjudge the situation and make any unwise moves. This is also for your future.

"Now that the Yuan Dynasty is about to end and the New Dynasty is about to rise, it is a time of rise and fall that has not happened in a hundred years. The commander-in-chief obeys the will of heaven and responds to the people, comforts the people and punishes the criminals. He is favored by heaven. After a year and a half of hard work, he has a territory of thousands of miles, from the Fei River in the west to the Cangming Sea in the east, from Qi and Lu in the north to Jiangzhou in the south. There are tens of millions of people under his jurisdiction and 600,000 to 700,000 soldiers.

"On the other hand, the Yuan Dynasty was corrupt and decadent, with treacherous ministers fighting among themselves and the emperor and his ministers at odds. They even handed over 200,000 soldiers on the front line and abandoned their military prowess. Now our army has cut off the salt tax in Huaiyang and the grain transport in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Yuan Dynasty has been cut off from money and food. The princes and nobles in Dadu have begun to starve, and the people in the north are even more miserable. The destruction of the Yuan Dynasty is just around the corner!
"At this time, the Xu family's pseudo-Song in Huguang is in a state of decline. Although they captured Hangzhou by surprise attack last year, they were soon defeated. Now they have retreated to a small corner of Jingmen and Anlu, and their lives are difficult. Why is that?
"Because they used 'crushing the rich and enriching the poor' as their slogan, they slaughtered all the gentry they met and confiscated their property. They also gathered people to serve as soldiers by burning incense as a cult. Throughout history, has anyone in the world succeeded in burning incense? Therefore, few Confucian scholars were willing to join them.

"As a result, Xu's pseudo-Song Dynasty appointed many officials who were just paying homage to the emperor, and had no moral principles or governance. Therefore, even though its military might be strong for a while, it was difficult for it to gain a foothold in the newly annexed land. Once the Yuan invaders counterattacked, it would be defeated.

"In comparison, my Gongshu Marshal's Office follows the ancient system of the pre-Song Dynasty, dividing the people into nine classes and collecting taxes according to their ability. The poorer the person, the lighter the tax. This is a benevolent policy. If you don't want to pay heavy taxes, you only need to divide the land among your children. The land is still the same and has not been reduced by a single cent. You don't have to suffer the disaster of extermination of the family like the Xu family in the pseudo-Song Dynasty. Why not do it?
"It is also important to note that our Shengwu Army is different from those who burn incense. The Gongshu Marshal's Office respects Confucianism and Taoism. Even in the edicts and military orders, it is specifically stated that soldiers are not allowed to break into the academy and disturb the scholars. The Marshal is even more eager to seek talents. Before crossing the river, he imitated the imperial examination system in Luzhou and held two examinations to recruit officials. After crossing the river, he issued a notice to recruit talents again. This year, the examinations will be held again in spring and autumn.

"Nowadays, there are many newly annexed territories. There are more than 10 cities in Xuzhou alone. People's livelihood has been declining under the rule of the tyrannical Yuan Dynasty. There is a lot of work to be done. The ruler just needs virtuous and capable officials to govern the local areas so that the people can live and work in peace and restore their livelihood as soon as possible.

"I advise you to think carefully about whether you want to resist the law violently and bring about the disaster of being killed and exterminated, or take this opportunity to participate in the imperial examination to gain fame. In the past, when the Yuan barbarians held the imperial examination, they discriminated against our Han students and divided them into two lists, the left and right lists. The examination papers of the Semu and Hu barbarians were very easy. Now the imperial examination in the Marshal's Mansion does not have such things. Don't you have children with good character and academic performance who want to try?
"I have spoken these words to you all behind closed doors today, speaking from the bottom of my heart. If there are still people who refuse to change their ways, then please do not say that I did not warn you.

"Finally, I have two things to tell you. First, regardless of whether you have sent your children to Jiankang to take the exam, the final imperial examination results will be determined by the tax situation this year. Even if Jiankang has already finished the exam and announced the results, and has granted official positions, as long as this government finds out that the candidates' families have not paid taxes according to the law, whether they are on the list or not, their results and future imperial examination qualifications will be cancelled and they will be blacklisted. As long as our dynasty exists, they will never be employed again!
"Second, do not attempt to incite the tenants and the common people to cause trouble and resist the law. Our internal guards have gone deep into the towns and villages. The soldiers are all drawn from each village. While I am explaining the policy to you, the military missionaries are also explaining the same policy to the internal guards in various places, and then sending them back to their hometowns to preach, so that the people will know the great commander's benevolent policies.

"Also notify the village and town heads in various places to monitor the localities. If there are powerful and evil gentry who want to do something illegal, the people nearby can report it and kill them immediately! The person who reported it will be given 20% of the confiscated property! Therefore, those who intend to deceive the superiors and deceive the subordinates, deceive the tenants and the common people, and intend to cause chaos can be spared.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. You all should take care of yourselves. There are so many of you here today. Please forgive me for not hosting you well and not preparing tea for you. Open the door and show the guests out!"

With a creak, the gate of the government office was reopened, and Yu Yunzhou turned around and went back to the backyard. Only the gentry and powerful people were left standing in the yard, looking at each other, and the people gathered outside the gate pointing at them.

Seeing that Yu Yunzhou had really left, the gentry who were staring at each other finally spoke up, "That's it. The prefect didn't even let us say a word? He should at least listen to the people's voice, right?"

Shen Rong, who was standing at the innermost part, also walked out immediately. When he passed by the man, he said, "Didn't Yu Fuyin say that he was here to explain the policies? What is a decree? A decree is the law of the land. How can you bargain like a vegetable vendor?

"They have made it very clear. Whether you want to listen or not, those who want to resist the tax with violence or start a rebellion will only end up dead. For now, the only way out for us is to divide the households and the land."

After saying this, Shen Rong said nothing more. He immediately separated the group and turned away.

Someone immediately followed behind him, "Brother Shen, wait for me."

Shen Rong turned around and saw that it was his own son-in-law, Lu Yufu, the head of the Wujiang Lu family. "It turned out to be my father-in-law. I thought you didn't come today."

Lu Yufu caught up with him and sighed, "Such a big event, which concerns the rise and fall of the family, how dare I not come? But today I really opened my eyes. I didn't expect that the Yuan court would do such a stupid thing, dismissing the prime minister on the battlefield and forcing the army to disband. It's incredible! Incredible! It reminds me of Yue Wumu of the former Song Dynasty. I'm afraid Yue Wumu never encountered such a situation today."

Shen Rong also sighed, "When a country is about to fall, there must be evildoers. The Yuan court was so incompetent that it is not unfair for the country to fall."

Lu Yufu asked, "I wonder what Brother Shen is going to do now. I'm afraid your family's land is difficult to deal with, right?"

Shen Rong looked around and said, "There are too many people here, why don't you come with me to the inn in the city, and we can have tea and talk in detail."

"That's perfect. I'm also worried about what to do with the family's land, so I'd like to ask Brother Shen for advice." So the two in-laws went to Shen's inn in the city to discuss the matter. After the two left, the man who had just been scolded by Shen Rong said in a sarcastic tone of jealousy.

"Why are you so arrogant? Everyone knows that the Shen family of Pingjiang is the richest man in Jiangdong. They own hundreds of thousands of acres of land. Even if they distribute it to their children, it will be the highest tax. A tall tree attracts the wind. Who knows how many eyes are staring at him. After this, I'm afraid the title of the richest man in Jiangdong will change hands, hum!"

The people around did not dare to respond after hearing this. They all left with worried looks on their faces. Some left in groups of three or five, discussing countermeasures as they walked, but in the end there was nothing to discuss, as there were not many ways out left for them.

Yu Yunzhou really came to show them his cards this time, and analyzed the situation in the world clearly.

The Yuan court has done such outrageous things as dismissing the prime minister on the battlefield and disbanding the army. There is no need to expect them to come back.

Xu Shouhui of Huguang is also unreliable. His slogan is 'crush the rich and benefit the poor', but his policy towards the powerful is worse than Lu Jin's. What Yu Yunzhou said just now is right. If you are asked to divide the land now, at least it should be divided among your own family members. If you wait for Xu Shouhui to come, then not a single hair will be left for you.

Besides, Xu and Song are an army that only cares about burning incense and they don't use Confucian scholars. Even if you want to become an official there, you will definitely not be valued.

Of course, this is all Yu Yunzhou's political propaganda, deliberately vilifying his opponent. In fact, the real Xu Song was not that bad. His military discipline was also very good. When he occupied Hangzhou, he never robbed the people.

However, in this era of underdeveloped information, the cost of spreading rumors is too low. After all, they have no channels to verify the true situation of Xu Song. They just believe whatever the government says.
There is no need to count on Liu Futong in the Central Plains. This group of people are the founders of the Incense Army. Yu Yunzhou said it very clearly that in history, no one who burns incense can succeed. If the White Lotus Sect could succeed, Zhang Jue would have become the emperor a thousand years ago.

Of course, even he himself didn't know that the White Lotus Rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was perhaps the closest the White Lotus Rebellion had ever come to success in history. If Zhao Jun hadn't used this guy to mess things up, perhaps the Longfeng Northern Expedition would have allowed them to capture Dadu.
On the other side, Shen Rong and his father-in-law Lu Yufu went to the inn together. Lu Yufu then asked, "Brother Shen, what are you going to do? Your family has so much land, and if you give it all to the younger generation, I'm afraid it will still be the highest level of tax. What should we do?"

Shen Rong took a sip of tea and said, "I have calculated that according to this tax law, the tax rate for land between 1,000 and 3,000 acres is 40%, and the tenants take 50%. The tax plus other taxes account for about 30%, and I only have 20% left.

"That is to say, if the registered land is less than 3000 mu, it can still be maintained. If it is more than mu, it will be three taxes and one tax. After deducting % from the tenants and nearly % from the government, there will be nothing left, and it will be difficult to continue to maintain.

“So even if we divide the land among the children of the family, each person can only keep 3000 mu at most. There are less than people in my Shen family, young and old, so we can only keep to mu at most. The remaining mu cannot be disposed of.

"Perhaps there is another way. Leave 9999 mu in each household registration. This way, it is still three taxes and one tax. Although after deducting the % tax from the tenants and the nearly % tax from the government, there will be nothing left, but at least the land can be kept in the name. When the descendants multiply in the future, they can be divided among the younger generations and let them pay taxes at a lower level. This way, more property can be left for the descendants."

Lu Yufu nodded and said, "This is a solution. Although there is nothing left now, it can save more family property for children and grandchildren.

"But with the number of people in your family, even if each person keeps 10,000 mu, there will still be some land left. What's more, the government collects taxes based on households, so it can't be divided into one household per person. Those who have already started a family can live alone, but those who haven't started a family still have to live with their parents. In this way, you can keep even less land. What do you plan to do with the extra land, my father-in-law?"

Shen Rong stroked his beard and was silent for a while before he made up his mind and said, "I plan to donate the extra land to the government."

Lu Yufu's eyes widened immediately. "Donate to the government? What a pity! This Gongshu treats us like this. If I were to divide the land, I would give it to beggars on the street, and I would never donate it to the government!"

Shen Rong frowned upon hearing this and said, "Father-in-law, you are so confused! What is the most taboo thing for the government? The most taboo thing is that the powerful show favor to the common people. Father-in-law, don't you know the story of Tian family replacing Qi, taking in small amounts and spending large amounts, buying the hearts of the people, and plotting to usurp the throne? You are just a commoner, what qualifications do you have to show favor to the people? If you really do this, I'm afraid you will be killed!"
"Then didn't Marshal Gongshu come up with this tiered tax system just to suppress the powerful and win the hearts of the common people? If you compete with him to show favor to the common people at this time, and make him unable to show favor, won't he hate you?
"Even if the land is to be distributed to the common people, you and I can only donate the land to the government first, and then the government will show favor to the common people and redistribute the land. This is the way to protect yourself."

Lu Yufu opened his mouth when he heard this, as if it was really the case, so he immediately slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I almost made a big mistake, thank you for your warning, father-in-law.

"But I still feel uncomfortable with donating so much land for nothing."

Shen Rong stroked his beard and said, "So I don't plan to keep 10,000 acres for each person. Since we have to donate it anyway, we might as well donate more. I plan to visit the prefect again and ask if the government can give us some compensation and ask for some benefits, so that we won't lose out."

Lu Yufu hesitated and said, "He is just a person who follows orders. He did not formulate the tax law. What kind of compensation and benefits can you get from him?"

Shen Rong said with a determined look, "If the prefect can't do it, then go directly to Jiankang and find Marshal Gongshu. My Shen family still has millions of properties, and I don't believe that I can't get benefits in return!"

(End of this chapter)