Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 391 Another Killer Move
After Shen Rong discussed with Lu Yufu, he immediately made up his mind and decided to visit the prefect again to see what benefits he could get in exchange for handing over the land.

It is actually normal for him to make such a decisive decision. A person who can become the richest man in this era cannot be a fool. Whether to choose to obey or resist is nothing more than a matter of where to sit, not a matter of low IQ.

Now Lu Jin has deployed 300,000 troops in eastern Zhejiang, and the internal guards have spies all over the villages and towns. Anyone who dares to resist taxes and rebel will immediately have his property confiscated and his family exterminated. Since it is impossible to resist, one can only actively support them and try to exchange their loyalty for some benefits.

Isn't this the weakness of the petty bourgeoisie? Do you really expect them to rise up in rebellion? That's overestimating them. The saying "a scholar can't succeed in a rebellion even after ten years" is about this bunch of people.

Besides, Lu Jin still has the imperial examination to control them. In the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic that Confucian scholars used to learn, there is the sentence "If you excel in learning, you will become an official." Studying, taking the imperial examination and becoming an official are concepts that they have memorized since childhood, and the imperial examination has long been ingrained in their minds.

This group of landlords and powerful people use the logic of studying, taking the imperial examinations and becoming officials to maintain their class advantage. They are used to bullying the common people by relying on their class advantage. They are most willing to maintain the imperial examination system to maintain their own advantage. If you don't let them take the imperial examinations, it would be more painful than killing them.

Following the same logic, Lu Jin is now a "nobleman", and it is only natural for a nobleman to use his power to bully the powerful people like them. This is the logic of the Confucian world. So when Lu Jin bullies them, they will try to resist first. If they really cannot resist, they can only accept it with pleasure, and even find excuses to comfort themselves. This is the servile side of Confucianism.

As long as you are stronger than them, you have the right to bully them!
Shen Rong did not wait too long. He estimated that all the wealthy people had left, so he came to the government office again that afternoon. This time, Yu Yunzhou did not turn him away. He also knew that the Shen family was a wealthy local with more than 300,000 acres of land. If such a person could be dealt with well, it would definitely be much easier to deal with other wealthy people.

Shen Rong was led to the backyard to meet Yu Yunzhou. After they bowed and sat down, Yu Yunzhou was the first to ask.

"I feel that I have explained the policy and situation very clearly this afternoon. I wonder if Mr. Shen still has any questions?"

Shen Rong then said, "Oh, Yu Fuyin's analysis of the current situation at noon was very insightful and penetrating. I understood it very well. Since the Marshal's Mansion is determined to carry out this policy, then we have no choice. Dividing households according to their level and collecting taxes according to their ability is indeed a benevolent policy. I am also willing to support the Marshal's Mansion's policy and cooperate with the government in dividing the land and households.

“But my family has 32 mu of land. Even if we let my brothers and nephews who have already married each divide the land, the land of each household is still more than mu. With the highest tax rate set by the Marshal’s Mansion, it is still difficult for my Shen family to maintain.

"So I thought, instead of dividing the land and keeping it for myself, which is still not sustainable, I would rather donate the extra land to the government to be used as official land. What do you think, Governor Yu?"

Yu Yunzhou then looked at him with a hint of surprise and asked curiously, "Are you willing to donate your family's land to the government? Are you willing to do so?"

It's no wonder that he was so surprised. Yu Yunzhou's family was also in business, and they had hundreds of acres of land. But whether it was business or land, they couldn't compare with the Shen family. If his family had such a large fortune, no one would be willing to donate it. They would have to think about it. Until the last moment, when the knife was on their necks, how many people could be so open-minded and voluntarily donate their wealth?
Shen Rong sighed and told the truth, "There is nothing we can do about it. The Marshal's Mansion does not tolerate big landlords like us. What else can we do if we don't donate? Of course we are reluctant to do so.

“But I know that outsiders call my family the richest in Jiangdong. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. There are so many eyes staring at my Shen family now. I don’t want to bring disaster to my family, so I am willing to set an example and donate the land to the government.

"It's just that Shen is so cooperative, I wonder if Yu Fuyin will give some compensation, otherwise I will be unwilling to accept it. After all, this is what my father and I have earned through decades of business. It will be hard to let it go if it is gone in one day."

Yu Yunzhou suddenly realized, okay, it seems like he is here to blackmail me, he immediately said with a smile.

"You want to ask me for compensation? What can I give you? The official document sent by the Marshal's Mansion clearly states that land is a red line. If you touch it, you will be beheaded. Besides, even if you donated the land, it is still public land. What do you expect me to give you?"

Shen Rong was stunned when he heard this, and seemed to understand something. He asked tentatively, "Does Yu Fuyin mean that this land should be donated to a private family?"

Yu Yunzhou was drinking tea from a bowl, and nearly spit out a mouthful of water when he heard this. "Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense. I'm not asking for a bribe, but I really don't have any compensation for you. Don't hurt me. I'm so young, but I've already become a prefect. It's not impossible for me to be promoted to a provincial government or transferred to the central government in the future. Don't ruin my future."

Shen Rong was immediately embarrassed and quickly apologized, "Don't blame me, Yu Fuyin. I misunderstood you. It's just compensation. Although I know that the Fuyin can't give any benefits, you are a senior official in the Marshal's Mansion after all. You can report to the emperor. I heard that in addition to the imperial examination, the Marshal's Mansion also has other examples of recruiting talents.

"Although my Shen family is well-known for business, after we became wealthy, we also invited famous teachers to teach our children. My son and nephew also have some literary talent. If the Shen family is willing to donate most of the land, I wonder if Governor Yu can help them write a letter of recommendation so that my son can be directly appointed to an official position, even if it is just a chief clerk."

Unexpectedly, Yu Yunzhou became furious when he heard this, and immediately said coldly, "You want to sell official positions? Do you think this is still the world of the violent Yuan Dynasty? Or do you think the Marshal's Mansion is a vegetable vendor and you are allowed to bargain?!"

Shen Rong immediately cried out inwardly that something was wrong when he saw this, and quickly stood up, knelt down and bowed, "I have absolutely no such intention, I just want to ask the prefect to recommend a young man from my family. If it is not possible, then forget it. I will never make it difficult for the prefect. It is Shen who is rude, please forgive me, the prefect."

Yu Yunzhou looked at him coldly for a long while without asking him to stand up. His mind was full of thoughts. If he wanted to be promoted, he naturally needed political achievements. If he could persuade Shen to donate his land, it would undoubtedly set an example for other gentry. But he certainly couldn't sell official positions and titles. Besides, he didn't have the power. He still had to find a way to make this guy hand over the land.

So he took the initiative to give her a way out and said, "Humph, you Shen family don't have the guts to do this, get up."

"Thank you, Prefect." Shen Rong was almost fifty years old, and it was really uncomfortable for him to kneel down. Now that he was sternly rejected by Yu Yunzhou in person, he didn't dare to mention it again. He was just going to be polite and leave.

Unexpectedly, Yu Yunzhou took the initiative to remind her.

"I don't know where you heard this news from, but it still has some errors. Although there are examples of people being appointed without taking the imperial examination, they were never appointed through recommendation."

Shen Rong's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked humbly, "I am a country boy, so I am naturally not as knowledgeable as the prefect. Maybe I really heard it wrong. Could the prefect tell me in detail?"

“It’s okay to tell you, since the establishment of Luzhou, the Marshal’s officials have mainly come from four sources.

"One is a person who has made contributions, such as the chief civil servant of the Marshal's Office, the secretary of the Secretariat, Dingyuan Li, Baishi Xiansheng, Li had the merit of surrendering the city, and cooperated with the army to capture Dingyuan, and was awarded an official position for his merits. There is also the temporary establishment of the Right Governor of Huainan Province, Chaoxian Qin, who also had the merit of surrendering the city and cooperated with the army to capture Chao County. He was awarded the position of county magistrate for his merits, and was later promoted to the Right Governor of the Province, which is equivalent to the Provincial Prime Minister of the Yuan Court. These two people were awarded official positions for their merits.

"The second is a person with special talents. If the Marshal's Office needs them and the Marshal happens to know their names, he will send people to find them and take the initiative to recruit them as officials. For example, Mr. Wang Huanzhang from Jiangxi, this person went to sea alone when he was young, and has been to Southeast Asia, India, Persia, and the West. He has been to sea twice. Now he is just forty years old, but he has traveled more than 100,000 miles on the sea. His overseas experience is far beyond that of ordinary people. The Marshal recruited him as an official, and now he is in charge of shipbuilding in the Marshal's Office.

"There is also the Ge family from Suzhou. Because of their superb medical skills and their expertise in medical education, they were recruited by the Marshal. So far, there are only these two cases of people being recruited.

"The third is the imperial examination, and the fourth is this kind of person."

Shen Rong was stunned when he heard this, somewhat confused, and quickly asked, "What kind of person is Yu Fuyin? He didn't get into the government through the imperial examination?"

Yu Yunzhou did not feel embarrassed and explained immediately, "Before the Marshal crossed the river, there were only two examinations. At that time, the territory and cities under the Marshal's jurisdiction were too few, and there were also some people who were awarded official titles due to their merits and needed to be resettled. Therefore, the number of people who took the examination and were admitted as officials was very small, and I was also one of those who failed at that time.

"But later, by chance, I was favored by the nobles in the Marshal's Mansion and was given an assignment. As a result, I gained military merit and was awarded an official title as the prefect."

"Military merit? This..." Shen Rong was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that the prefect in front of him was awarded the title because of military merit.

Yu Yunzhou waved his hand and said, "Don't ask, don't ask. I won't tell you even if you ask. And even if you take the initiative to find him, he won't hire you. He has to take the initiative to find you. It all depends on luck. And this job is very dangerous. It can be said that you have to risk your life. Although the reward is generous, you have to risk your life for this job.

"Why would you be given an official title just because you donated some land? Once the Marshal's tiered tax law is implemented, can you still keep those lands?"

Shen Rong suddenly realized that it seemed that this fourth path was also difficult to take. Of course, there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world. However, the information that Yu Yunzhou told him was still very useful. It just depended on whether he could use it. He digested the content and then bowed to express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your guidance, but I still want to ask you to write a letter." Yu Yunzhou's face turned cold when he heard this. How could this person be so ignorant? However, before he could get angry again, Shen Rong took the initiative to explain.

"Don't worry, Prefect. What I want this time is not a letter of recommendation, but a letter of introduction. I just heard the Prefect talking about the great commander recruiting talents who travel across the sea to trade with foreigners. I thought that perhaps I could try this approach. Although the Shen family is a merchant, they are also merchants who travel across the sea to trade with foreigners. Most of their goods are shipped to Southeast Asia and Western Asia. Although they are certainly not as knowledgeable about overseas situations as Mr. Wang, they also have some understanding.

"Since the Marshal needs such talents, the more the better. If Shen can recommend himself, he may be able to get a position. However, I am a commoner and I am afraid it will be difficult for me to see the emperor.

"If the prefect can write a letter to recommend Shen and help Shen get an audience with the commander, no matter whether this succeeds or fails, I will be grateful to the prefect and will repay you in the future!"

"this one"

Yu Yunzhou hesitated immediately. If it was just a recommendation, he wouldn't have to pay anything and could earn a favor from the richest man for nothing. If he really let him recommend himself and get the official position, then he would naturally earn more from this favor. But if this person took his letter of recommendation and ran to Jiankang to assassinate the king, then he would definitely be implicated. Should he write this letter or not?
Yu Yunzhou thought about it and decided that for the sake of political achievements, to get the Shen family to cooperate in the land distribution, to be able to stably implement the progressive tax system and to prevent major chaos in his jurisdiction, he was willing to give it a try.

So he thought for a while and said, "I can write this letter for you, but I will write it truthfully. Just say that your family has a huge amount of land and wants to donate the land, and ask me to recommend you to be an official, but I sternly refuse. However, in order for the Suzhou gentry to actively cooperate with the new land distribution policy, even if it is for a thousand gold to buy horse bones, I am still willing to give you a chance and introduce you to the Marshal. As for whether the Marshal will meet you, I can't guarantee that. How do you do?"

Shen Rong immediately said, "That's great. The Shen family will definitely reward you handsomely."

Yu Yunzhou waved his hand and said, "Forget about the generous reward. I have a bright future ahead of me, and I don't want to be accused of corruption and bribery.

"But I want you, the Shen family, to cooperate with the government in the land distribution in a big way. I will send more people to your house to measure the land. You can keep as much as you want and donate as much as you want. We need to make the event bigger so that all the wealthy people in Suzhou can see it. Are you willing to cooperate?"

Shen Rong immediately agreed, "Of course. The prefect has treated me so well, Shen will not make things difficult for him. We will set an example and cooperate with the government in distributing land. If necessary, Shen is also willing to lobby for the government and use this little bit of face to persuade other gentry to cooperate with the new policy."

"Shen is so open-minded, he should be a model for the gentry, this is the best! Then I will write you a letter."

Yu Yunzhou also happily agreed. If this matter was accomplished, his political achievements would definitely be recognized. Maybe it wouldn't be long before he could be promoted to the provincial government after another development next year.

The speed of promotion during the change of dynasties was so fast. As long as you had achievements in politics, you could be promoted. In normal times, even if you passed the imperial examination, you would have to rely on your seniority to advance through the ranks. By the time you reached the central government, you would probably be close to retirement.
However, Yu Yunzhou was also very cunning. He wrote the letter of introduction in front of Shen Rong but did not give it to him. He insisted that Shen Rong cooperate in the division of the land before he would give him the letter. Shen Rong had no choice but to do as he was told.

Yu Yunzhou asked Shen Rong to go home for a few days to prepare, explain everything to his family, and then he would lead the team to visit on February 12.

During this period, other powerful gentry were still waiting and watching, and no one took the initiative to divide the households and divide the land. Yu Yunzhou was not in a hurry. On February 12, Shen sent the storekeeper Wang Xiang to the government office to invite Yu Yunzhou to come out. Yu Yunzhou immediately led people to divide the land with great fanfare.

Along the way, the prefect's ceremonial procession was in full swing. Someone in the front was beating a gong to clear the way. Yu Yunzhou was riding a horse in the middle, and was guarded by soldiers of the Shengwu Army on both sides. He also took the initiative to spread the news that he was going to divide the land among the Shen family. If anyone on the road asked about the prefect's whereabouts, he would not hide it but announced the news in a big way, which immediately attracted many powerful gentry nearby to watch the fun.

When Yu Yunzhou arrived in Zhouzhuang, there was already a long line of guards following the prefect's procession. Yu Yunzhou did not chase them away and just let them do their official duties.

Shen Rong also brought his entire family, young and old, and supported his father Shen Wansan to come out to greet the prefect.

Shen Wansan's family was quite prosperous. He and his younger brother had five sons. Shen Wansan had three sons, Shen Rong, Shen Mao, and Shen Wang. The second oldest son, Shen Wansi, also had two sons, Shen Dechang and Shen Hanjie. These sons were generally in their forties or fifties. They were the pillars of the Shen family and the heads of the family.

According to this generation, they were first divided into five households. The two old men, Shen Wansan and Shen Wansi, each had a household with their eldest son.

Then there are Shen Mao's sons. There are also quite a few people in this generation. He himself has three sons, Shen Sen, Shen Dong, and Shen Qing. His two brothers also have three sons each, making a total of nine people. Shen Wansi's branch has a slightly smaller population, and his two sons each only have two grandsons.

Shen Rong decided to divide his peers into five families first, and then the eldest sons of the five families who were already married would be divided into five more families, which made a total of ten families. In addition, Shen Rong's second son and another nephew were also married, so two more families were divided out.

In the end, the entire Shen family was divided into 12 households, and each household retained acres of land. Even though they were now forced to bear the heavy tax of three percent, they were determined to leave the land to their descendants, which added up to acres of land.

Then Shen Rong took out some more land and distributed it to his trusted servants, such as the shopkeepers, stewards, and ship captains who helped them run the business. For example, Wang Xiang, the shopkeeper who managed the shop in the city for him, also got 1,000 acres. A total of 20,000 acres of land were divided out. The Shen family retained a total of 80,000 acres of land.

The remaining 24 acres were donated to the government in front of everyone!

The people in the surrounding area were suddenly in an uproar. They didn't expect that Shen would be so decisive.

The prefect Yu Yunzhou also announced on the spot that all the 24 acres of land donated by the Shen family would be designated as government land.

We will decide who these lands will be distributed to in the future, but as long as they have not been distributed and are still government land, the tenants who are still farming on these lands will be allowed to continue farming them, and the rent for government land will be reduced by 10%. In the future, the rent for government land owned by the government will be divided into 60% and 40%, with the tenants taking 60% and the government only paying 40% in rent.

As soon as this news came out, countless tenants who rented land for the Shen family cheered and called Yu Yunzhou the "honest master"!

The government only asked for 40% of the land rent, which was really a great favor.

What does 24 mu of land mean? If each household has 50 mu, it is enough to be distributed to 4800 people. If each household contributes one person, it is enough to form a group, and there is still more than enough people!

After solving the problem of the Shen family, the government instantly gained the support of nearly five thousand families. What a huge force!
But other gentry felt uncomfortable. The faces of those powerful gentry who had not yet divided the land, or were planning to divide the land but wanted to retain more land, instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

why?
They had previously calculated how much land it would be most cost-effective to retain. For example, the tax for 30 acres is four to one, plus the capitation tax and corvee, which would probably reach %. Then % would be given to the tenants, and they could still retain %, which was barely enough to continue to maintain their business.

But all this was calculated on the basis of a 50-50 split for the tenants, but Yu Yunzhou did this and directly reduced the rent for the tenants by 10%, making it a 60-40 split, with the tenants taking 60%.

If they also raise it to 60%, then the taxes on the 1,000 to 3,000 acres will all be unprofitable, and even if they try to keep the land, they will not make any money at all.

Then you say I can just not follow the government to lower the land rent, that's fine, but as long as the government has more idle official land, my tenants will definitely be the first to run over, who wouldn't want to rent a land with a low rent, then they won't be able to keep the tenants.
If the government doesn't have any idle land for more people to rent and cultivate, and I insist on continuing with the 50-50 split, that's fine too. But if I do that, the tenants will surely curse the landlord behind his back every day and will be more inclined towards the government, and the landlord will lose the support of the people.

This move was like cutting off the source of the trouble. It was really too cruel. However, those powerful gentry could not say anything. Now this was the government's official land. The government was willing to reduce the rent by 10%. What was it to you? !

Of course, the idea of ​​reducing the rent of government-owned land by 10% to win the hearts of the people was also proposed by Lu Jin. Yu Yunzhou, the prefect, did not have such great power to use the government's land rent income to buy people's hearts.

However, this is just a transitional period. After the country is unified in the future, these landless tenants will definitely be immigrated to less populated areas to divide the land and settle down. By then, the landlords will not be able to recruit tenants, and will only speed up the distribution of land to reduce their own tax pressure. By then, all the powerful landlords will disappear and become registered households that farm the land and pay taxes to the court.
At the same time, Shen Rong got the letter of introduction written by Yu Yunzhou as he wished, and together with his brothers and nephews, he embarked on a journey to Jiankang to seek an official position.

(End of this chapter)