The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 106: Equal distribution of land! Government soldiers!
Exchange the reward money for other things!
Replace it with something else, something the court has!
For example...fields!
In this way, it can be called - equal distribution of land!
"Wenhe, did you say before that a large number of people in Guanzhong fled, causing large areas of land to become barren?"

"Your Majesty, I did say that."

Is this not just a scene in Guanzhong?
This is actually true in Hebei and Central Plains.

Natural disasters and man-made disasters occurred frequently, forcing a large number of people to abandon their homelands with their families and move to more closed and safer areas such as Jingzhou, Shu, and Jiangdong.

A large amount of land became barren, causing the wealth of the north and the Central Plains to gradually shift to the south. The number of registered households was nearly halved, making it difficult to restore the former prosperity.

"Your Majesty, do you want to award land to the people? ...Do you want to grant land for military merit?"

Jia Xu's eyes gradually became weird.

Your Majesty, are you planning to restore the tyrannical Qin system?

"Equal distribution of land does not mean granting land for military merit."

Liu Xie emphasized the difference between the two.

Anyone who can get one of the first-class soldiers will be rewarded with one level of nobility, one hectare of additional land, nine mu of additional house, and one concubine's son will be removed.

"In the past, Shang Yang's law was to divide the land among soldiers according to their military merits. But today, the land is not distributed according to the level of military merits, but the land is distributed equally, without any distinction between soldiers."

Zhong Yao: "Since you don't distinguish them by military merit and give them land equally, how can the soldiers be convinced?"

When it comes to rewards, there must be distinctions, and levels of high and low.

Giving the same thing to everyone at once, is that a reward or just playing house?
"This is the second thing I want to say—"

"House soldiers!"

Jia Xu, Zhong Yao and Xun You could understand the idea of ​​equal distribution of land.

But they had no idea what the palace soldiers were.

"So-called government soldiers are exempted from some taxes and labor service for soldiers who are allocated land. They are trained and examined during the off-season. The soldiers' weapons, clothes, pack animals, donkeys, and grain are all owned by the six families. They are raised and trained like children!"

To put it simply, it is the integration of military and agriculture!

The military system of the Later Han Dynasty was mostly a recruitment system. Soldiers did not engage in production, but concentrated on practicing martial arts and were hired by others.

It is also because of this that professional sources of soldiers such as "Danyang Soldiers" and "Wuhuan Soldiers" have become famous throughout the world.

If the Han Dynasty was strong, there would naturally be no problem with the conscription system.

The court only needed to pay during wartime, which was a very small burden, and it did not need to spend a lot of money to support the army.

But when the Han Dynasty becomes weak and has no money to recruit soldiers, it will immediately be hit hard by such a system!

Why were Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other children of noble families able to suddenly gather numerous large-scale armies to attack the imperial court?
It is precisely because of this recruitment system that they were able to quickly recruit elite troops and compete with Dong Zhuo!

The fubing system is something completely different.

Going back to basics, it is not like the conscription system of the Later Han Dynasty, but rather a bit like the military farming system and frontier soldier system implemented by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Soldiers would farm in their spare time, and report to the army with their own armor, weapons, and horses during war.

A military headquarters can have a staff of a thousand people.

These soldiers were dispersed and another layer of bureaucracy was built within the military system, such as colonels and captains in charge of the military... In this way, the soldiers were divided into different levels and could be rewarded with positions according to their military merits.

The court has no money now.

But what does the court have?
There are fields.

famous.

The money cannot be taken out, but after cleaning up the fields, there is still a large amount of unowned land.

As for fame...it's just casting some medals and talismans, how much can it cost?

In this way, isn’t the problem solved?
Is the matter...resolved?
All three of them saw shock in each other's eyes.

How can this be called a reward for the soldiers?
This is clearly intended to change the Han Dynasty's military and tax systems!
This was to completely smash the system that had been passed down for two hundred years in the Later Han Dynasty, and to establish a completely new system based on the equal-field system and the military system!

The reward for the soldiers was fine, how come it suddenly turned into such a major event as changing the country's foundation?
……

"Why aren't you talking? Is my idea a bad one?"

"It's not bad..."

Even Xun You, who had just arrived at the Secretariat a few days ago, could hear the complexity and difficulty in Liu Xie's plan.

"This is a major matter that involves changing the laws of our ancestors... Your Majesty, please do not make this decision lightly!"

The ancestral method?

Liu Xie sneered: "If the laws of our ancestors were really good and flawless, how could I, the Han Dynasty, be forced to this point today?"

"It is precisely because of the flaws in our ancestral laws that we must forge ahead and eliminate the shortcomings of the past!"

The system of the Later Han Dynasty, when Emperor Shizu rebuilt the Han Dynasty, was perhaps the most suitable system for that era.

But now two hundred years have passed.

Two hundred years!
No matter how perfect a system is, it will eventually be full of loopholes.

Don’t say anything else.

The payment for the "recruitment system" alone would be enough to drive the current imperial court to death.

Therefore, the reform was not a sudden idea of ​​Liu Xie, but because it was imminent!

Also.

The Han Dynasty now controls only the Guanzhong area.

Compared with the Han Dynasty during its heyday, this dynasty was naturally pitifully weak.

But there are always two sides to things.

A small territory means the situation is less complicated.

If we really try the equal-field system and the fubing system, the ship will be small and easy to turn around, and we can reform it thoroughly and eliminate the drawbacks accumulated in Guanzhong for two hundred years.

If Liu Xie were really given three capitals and thirteen states now, I'm afraid he would not be able to carry out the reforms.

Now that the Guanzhong families are weak and the previous order has lost its power, it is time for the court to take action and officially be reborn from the ashes!
The three of them still felt their scalps tingling.

But when they saw Liu Xie planning the blueprint for them like the blazing sun, they felt inexplicably at ease.

To change the system of the Han Dynasty that had lasted for two hundred years was a pressure that ordinary people could not bear.

But if the person standing behind them was the emperor, they wouldn't seem to be so hesitant.

"It's not just me standing behind you."

Liu Xie cheered the three of them on.

"Standing behind you are the Grand Master, the soldiers, the people of Guanzhong, and the millions of Han people who want to restore peace and prosperity!"

"With these people here, the method of breaking the old and establishing the new will surely succeed!"

Change cannot be achieved just by Liu Xie's words.

Any change never requires the determination of those in power or the efforts of bureaucrats.

What it needs is public opinion and public support.

exactly!

The equal-field system and the military service system were the correct reforms that truly ended the hundreds of years of conflicts after the end of the Han Dynasty.

Let the soldiers have property.

To enable the people to have martial virtues.

Make the country surplus.

Make the world fair.

Such a change is not a castle in the air or a mirage, but a prescription that has been truly tested in practice and can end troubled times and revive the empire!
But Jia Xu still had doubts.

"Your Majesty, will the Grand Master really agree to this? After all, this will change the military system, and I'm afraid the Grand Master will not easily change it."

The biggest obstacle to the equal distribution of land and the military system is not the aristocratic families. The aristocratic families in Guanzhong had already been killed by Dong Zhuo in batches.

Another group of people were killed before for privately minting small coins.

Now that Wang Yun has been implicated, another batch of people will surely be killed soon.

If there were still those who were so foolish as to want to challenge the imperial court, even Liu Xie would praise them for their courage.

Instead it was Dong Zhuo.

Because they wanted to carry out equal distribution of land and the establishment of military forces, it was actually a disguised way of dispersing the soldiers to various places in Guanzhong, which was suspected of weakening Dong Zhuo's authority.

That’s why Jia Xu asked—

Dong Zhuo, will you agree?
"Will do."

"Most definitely."

In the first year, he put an end to the rebellion; in the second year, he conquered Yin; in the third year, he conquered Yan; in the fourth year, he established the Marquisate and the Wei; in the fifth year, he built Cheng Zhou; in the sixth year, he established rituals and music; in the seventh year, he handed over the government to King Cheng...

He established Cheng Zhou and created rites and music.

Once upon a time, he didn't believe that he could achieve the same political achievements as Duke Zhou even if he killed Dong Zhuo.

But now the equal-field system and the military service system were placed before Dong Zhuo.

If these two systems were really implemented by Dong Zhuo and recorded in history books...his achievements, even if they cannot be compared with those of Zhou Gong, I'm afraid he can be half as good as Zhou Gong, right?

"But if the Grand Tutor were to look at such a rough plan, he would definitely be confused and would not agree to these two decrees."

Still need to be meticulous.

For example, the equal-field system.

How many acres of land should be granted to each person? Can the granted land be sold? Even if it is allowed to be sold, what conditions need to be met? Do you need to report to the government? How should the cattle be distributed? What should be planted on the farmland to meet the needs of the court? How many acres of land should officials at all levels be allocated? All these things must be explained clearly and clearly.

Like the fubing system.

How much land rent and taxes should be exempted for the soldiers, how the soldiers should be trained on a daily basis, the specific system for managing the soldiers, the status and treatment of the generals that match them, and the specific locations of the soldiers...these frameworks must also be made clear at the beginning, without any ambiguity.

Fortunately, Jia Xu had visited various places in Guanzhong before and knew the specific details of each place, so he didn't need to investigate again.

In addition, Jia Xu had also served in the army and was very familiar with the military system under Dong Zhuo, so there was no need to ask again... This naturally saved a lot of time.

From night to day.

From laurel to crow.

From the stars to the clear clouds.

Liu Xie and the three men kept arguing in the Shangshutai!
Never tired, never sleepy!

The more we talk, the more excited we get, and the more intense it gets!
Because several people knew that what they were carrying at this moment was the pillar that could support the Han Dynasty!

A word they say casually today may change the lives of countless people in the Han Dynasty!
Promote the preservation of the people and improve politics and education!
Who can take such a thing lightly?

Never mind whether Jia Xu is good at planning for his own future.

Never mind whether Zhong Yao is good at dealing with people or not.

Never mind whether Xun You is taciturn and hides his incompetence.

At this moment, the three of them were arguing with red faces and saliva flying!
Who cares whether you are the emperor or the minister?
If you say something wrong, you will be criticized! Then you will seek a unified answer in the fierce collision!
For ten consecutive days, the lights in the Shangshu Terrace were always on!
The scale of the "war" also extended from the emperor and his four ministers to almost all the ministers and officials in the Shangshu Tai!
The Secretariat is the place where government affairs are handled. When it comes to understanding of people's livelihood, these people are the best in the world today!
At the beginning, they might have been concerned about the status of the emperor and others.

But after the atmosphere heated up, even this group of low-ranking officials of the Shangshu Cao dared to confront Liu Xie and Jia Xu.

"Is this really what the emperor said? Huh? This is just talk!"

"Come on! If you don't agree, let's go to the nearby Huayin County and see if the farmland there can grow the same crops as the farmland around Chang'an! The fields are like people! There are high and low grades, don't you understand?"

"What? Two cows per household? You make up for the shortfall!"

"Damn it! Go out and fight!"

……

……

During the quarrel, the truth gradually came out.

Amid the chaos, order gradually emerged.

Reason gradually emerges from sensibility.

Two official documents that are sufficient to support the foundation of the Han Dynasty are gradually taking shape in the Shangshu Tai.

The only thing that makes people a little worried is the mentality of everyone in Shangshutai...

When Dong Zhuo heard that Liu Xie had not come out for ten days since he entered the Secretariat that day, he was also a little worried.

"Is it possible that I have driven His Majesty mad?"

Isn't it?

Dong Zhuo did not want to make things difficult for Liu Xie.

His ideas are actually similar to Zhong Yao's.

If we add a little more tax and make the people suffer a little, wouldn't we be able to get by?

Don’t force the emperor into trouble over such a small matter...that would be a real disaster!
"Bai, how much money is left in Meiwu?"

"many."

"How much is a lot?"

“The kind that you can’t use up!”

At this moment, Dong Bai was holding saltpeter and throwing it into the basin one by one.

There was a little bit left at the end, so she quietly put it into her mouth, to see if it could help her cool down a little.

"Why is it so hot? It's not cold at all!"

……

Dong Zhuo had begun to soften his heart and was considering whether he should pay the money himself.

But he has paid the money this time, what about the next time?
Dong Zhuo wanted to keep all the money in Meiwu as a dowry for Dong Bai!
Even if I wronged someone, I would never wrong my granddaughter!
at this time.

Suddenly, a palace servant came to report—

"Grand Master! Your Majesty and Jia Lingjun have left the Shangshutai and are on their way here."

His Majesty is coming out?
Only then did Dong Zhuo feel relieved.

"It's good that you're out! Why don't you let Your Majesty go to rest? Just say that I can figure it out myself and Your Majesty doesn't need to make it difficult!"

The palace maid had just left, but soon came back.

"Grand Master, His Majesty insisted on coming here right now. And there are two carriages full of bamboo slips behind His Majesty, and he has already started to ask the palace servants to help carry them, saying that they are going to present them to the Grand Master!"

Bamboo slips from two horse-drawn carriages?

Dong Zhuo was increasingly unable to guess what Liu Xie was trying to do.

Liu Xie saw that the palace servants were still helping to move the bamboo slips, and they had not finished moving them yet, so he took a pile and carried it on his shoulders: "These bamboo slips are really inconvenient. There are only a few hundred thousand words, but they need two carriages to transport them? It is better to get the paper as soon as possible, otherwise it will be a hassle just to convey government orders in the future."

Jia Xu, who was also carrying bamboo slips behind, had a resentful look on his face.

Although he didn't know why the "paper" Liu Xie mentioned could facilitate the transmission of government orders.

But he knew that Liu Xie was about to find him a job!
"It is really hard work to serve as your Majesty's Shangshu Ling."

But this hard work is really joyful!

Liu Xie dropped the bamboo slips on the table heavily while Dong Zhuo was stunned.

"Grandmaster! I have a way to reward the soldiers!"

(End of this chapter)