Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 355 A Great Reform! A Thunderclap Shakes the Ming Dynasty!
Zhu Rongji once clearly stated that the best way to promote internal reforms was through external expansion.

Zhu Yunwen strongly agreed with this.

Internal conflicts are often the most acute and intense, and the most difficult to reform.

In comparison, the Ming army possessed advanced firearms and cannons, and was supported by a strong financial foundation, making it virtually invincible in this era.

There's no need to worry about defeat when expanding outwards, so why not?
As long as the Ming army wins victory after victory in foreign wars, many problems in the court will be easily solved.

After all, war can be used as a pretext to easily deal with any enemy that stands in one's way.

If land reform were to be implemented within the Ming Dynasty, it would undoubtedly encounter enormous resistance, and it might even be impossible to implement at all.

Ultimately, the emperor was merely the chief representative elected by the landlord class, and the largest landlord in the land.

If the emperor were to betray the landlord class, then it would truly become a question of "Why is Your Majesty rebelling?"

However, the situation was completely different when it was implemented in the Jurchen region.

First, this move will not affect the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so it will not attract much attention.

Furthermore, as a general, Lan Yu was pushing this matter forward with wartime decrees, so even if someone noticed it, they had no reason to interfere or stop it.

Thirdly, most of the three Jurchen tribes were still in a semi-hunting, semi-agricultural slave era. In addition, a series of previous measures had driven away the leaders of the Jurchen tribes, allowing the serfs to become masters. Therefore, it would be very easy to carry out land reform there.

Moreover, if the land reform here is successful, it will inevitably have a reverse impact on the Ming Dynasty sooner or later.

This was exactly what Zhu Yunwen had planned.

The wind rises from the tip of a duckweed.

Land reform is such a major issue that it must be approached with utmost caution.

Using the Jurchens as a testing ground was precisely for the sake of prudence.

Lan Yu first issued a land reclamation order, stipulating that all people from the three Jurchen tribes could reclaim fifty mu of land per household as long as they completed the registration.

As long as a certain amount of tax is paid to the Ming Dynasty court on time each year, these fields will belong to the household permanently.

The Jurchen tribes had a low population density and a large amount of uncultivated wasteland; fifty mu per household was not much.

After all, most of them still make a living by hunting.

However, before this, most of the spoils of the hunt had to be handed over to the chief and tribal leader.

Now the Ming Dynasty has arranged for officials to lead them in reclaiming land, and after reclamation, they only need to pay a small amount of tax.

From then on, the lives of the Jurchen people were truly guaranteed.

Before this, the three Jurchen tribes had not cultivated land on a large scale, a key reason being their extremely low level of productivity and lack of tools needed for land cultivation.

Ironware was extremely scarce and expensive in the grasslands and Jurchen regions.

Even the arrowheads for their bows and arrows were mostly made from ground animal bones, which shows how scarce iron was.

Historically, a major reason why nomadic tribes and the Jurchens invaded the Central Plains was to seize iron cooking pots, as they were desperately short of them.

Similarly, they were extremely lacking in the tools needed for land reclamation, such as sickles, four-pronged rakes, hoes, and iron plows.

The soldiers' armor was generally made of leather, and the only iron weapon they had—the scimitar used in combat—was incredibly expensive.

Those are often the "family heirlooms" of many families!
Of course, before this, ironware was relatively expensive in the Ming Dynasty, but it was far from being as ridiculously expensive as it was for the Jurchens.

Now, under Zhu Yunwen's rule, the smelting technology and level of the Ming Dynasty have made great strides, and the output of ironware has increased dozens of times.

Providing the three Jurchen tribes with the iron farm tools needed for land reclamation was naturally a piece of cake.

Moreover, the steel used in the various iron farm tools produced in the Ming Dynasty today is of much better quality than before.

From then on, the fertile black soil of Northeast China was able to be developed.

Following this, Lan Yu redistributed the land owned by the original leaders and a few chieftains of the Jurchen tribes.

By this time, the tribal leaders had already relinquished their power, and most of them had taken the silver and "treasures" given to them by the Ming Dynasty and gone south. Naturally, there was no hindrance in distributing the land they had left behind.

The remaining leaders, seeing that their leader's land had been divided up, dared not put up any further resistance.

After all, the Jurchens had a very low level of land development and utilization. Apart from the tribal chiefs, these minor leaders did not own much land.

Besides, at this point, it's good enough if we can save our lives.

Handing over the land is considered a financial loss to avoid further trouble.

Thus, the land reform in the Jurchen tribe proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

The backwardness of the Jurchen tribes ironically became a factor in the success of land reform.

Because of its backwardness, the power of its landlord class was not as deeply rooted as that of the Ming Dynasty, which reduced the resistance to reform to the lowest level, especially after excluding the factor of "tribal chiefs".

After completing the land distribution, Lan Yu issued a new "tax payment order".

The regulations stipulate that each household can own a maximum of 100 mu of farmland, and a "tiered tax system" is implemented.

For areas under 100 mu, only a small amount of tax needs to be paid; for areas over 100 mu, the tax rate increases accordingly.

One hundred to two hundred mu is one grade, two hundred to three hundred mu is another grade, three hundred to four hundred mu is another grade, and so on.

The more land one owns, the heavier the tax burden will be on each acre of land.

Once the area reaches over 1,000 mu, more than half of the harvest will be handed over to taxes.

In reality, after the land was redistributed, no one in the Jurchen tribe owned that much land.

Each household's land, including newly reclaimed land, is still generally less than 100 mu (approximately 6.7 hectares).

The implementation of a "tiered tax system" is purely a preparation for the future.

After all, as time goes by, wealth will eventually concentrate in the hands of a few, and land will gradually flow to a few as well.

The Pareto principle (80/20 rule) applies to any society; it is unavoidable.

However, implementing a "tiered tax system" can mitigate this problem to the greatest extent possible!
Because owning more land means paying more taxes, land consolidation becomes unprofitable.

If this policy were implemented in the Ming Dynasty, it would undoubtedly cause a huge upheaval.

However, its implementation in the Jurchen tribes, where land reform had been carried out, proceeded without any significant disruption.

Almost no one objected.

After all, at that time, not everyone had that much land.

As for the future, who cares?

Who knows if they will become a "landlord"?
No one would oppose the laws of the Ming Dynasty because of uncertainty and things that have not yet happened.

In addition to farmland, Lan Yu also stipulated that each household was only allowed to own one house.

The size and area of ​​the houses were also specified.

Anyone who owns multiple properties beyond the permitted limits will also be subject to a "tiered tax system".

A household owning only one house is exempt from taxation. Owning two houses will incur a small tax.

Taxes surged in three places.

If there are more houses, the taxes will become heavier and heavier until they become unbearable.

This is also a matter of planning ahead.

To prevent future "rich people" from buying houses instead of land.

Then, by renting out their houses to the poor and collecting high rents, they became landlords under the new circumstances!
……

As Lan Yu carried out land reforms in the Jurchen region, the *Da Ming Daily*, at Zhu Yunwen's behest, began to quickly follow up with reports.

The report, of course, described the unparalleled might of the Ming army and the widespread benevolence of the Ming Dynasty.

The Jurchen people welcomed the arrival of the Ming army with open arms and generous food.

Next, it begins to introduce the practical and good things that the Ming Dynasty's royal army did to help the Jurchen people, and how it rescued the vast number of Jurchen people who were living in dire straits!
How did the people come to live a happy life and develop a heartfelt gratitude towards the Ming Dynasty?

As for land reform and the tiered tax system, these are naturally "hidden" in this series of reports.

I'll just mention, incidentally, the "good method" the Ming Dynasty used to rescue the Jurchen people!
Zhu Yunwen attached great importance to this and personally guided the editors and reporters of the Da Ming Daily on many occasions on how to write these reports in a way that was both vivid and easy to understand, and also just right to subtly promote the advantages of land reform and tiered taxation!
Soon, under Zhu Yunwen's deliberate guidance, a wave of discussion about the three Jurchen tribes swept through Nanjing and even the entire Ming Dynasty.

"Have you heard? Our Ming army, as if aided by the gods, defeated the main force of the Jurchens with ease. Seeing that they were no match for them, the Jurchen tribes all surrendered!"

Inside a teahouse in Nanjing, a young man in his twenties was talking animatedly.

"Your news is way out of date! When did this happen? Why are you only bringing it up now?" someone mocked. "The Da Ming Daily reported it a long time ago."

"Yes, I've also heard that the Jurchen people not only don't hate our Ming army, but they even line up to welcome them."

"As mentioned in the Da Ming Daily, when our Ming army arrived, the Jurchen tribes were filled with the rumor that 'I will lead the way when the Ming army comes.'"

Although this content was published in the Daming Daily, some people are still unaware of it.

Upon hearing this, he immediately became interested and asked curiously, "Why is that? Shouldn't they be resisting the army of our Great Ming?"

He extended his own thoughts to others, thinking that if a foreign enemy invaded the Ming Dynasty, he would certainly rise up in resistance.

Shouldn't the three Jurchen tribes be the same?

"Why rebel against the Ming Dynasty?" someone immediately retorted. "Our Ming army is there to rescue them!"

"Yes, yes, our Ming army is such a benevolent and righteous royal army, sent to educate those barbaric Jurchens!"

"I heard that our Great Ming Dynasty also brought them a large number of iron farm tools, which greatly helped them!"

Everyone was very interested in these topics.

Each one of them had a louder voice than the last.

"But I find it strange that the Jurchen people initially trusted the Ming army," someone asked, puzzled.

“Well, you know what. This is really strange. Logically speaking, they don’t know what our Ming army is going to do after they arrive, so there’s no reason for them to welcome our army.” Someone chimed in.

"Haha, this is something you guys don't know." Immediately, a "know-it-all" came out to boast: "Actually, this is inseparable from the efforts of the Ming Dynasty's intelligence bureau."

"The Ming Dynasty Intelligence Bureau?"

Many people immediately showed expressions of sudden realization.

That's it!

Today, many ordinary people have heard of the Ming Dynasty's intelligence agency, a secret organization.

It was an incredibly mysterious organization.

But the more this is the case, the more the common people like to spread "rumors" about it.

Legend has it that everyone who enters that organization is a person of extraordinary abilities.

Some are highly learned, some are exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and some are proficient in various skills... In fact, according to some busybodies, the Ming Dynasty Intelligence Bureau even has monsters and immortals who possess "demonic arts" and "immortal arts"!

Therefore, upon hearing that it was the Ming Dynasty's intelligence agency's "method," the common people were immediately relieved.

After all, what can't people from that kind of place do?

"Why are you only concerned with these things? Have you heard that the Ming Dynasty led the Jurchen people to reclaim wasteland on a large scale and distributed land to them?"

A scholar-like man spoke up, saying, "This is the important matter that we common people should be concerned about!"

"I've heard about this too. It's said that the original leaders of the Jurchen tribes have all been driven away. All the Jurchen people have been allocated a lot of land, every household has some. I really envy them," someone sighed.

"Redistribute land? That's right!" Someone slapped their thigh and said, "The newspapers all say that the land of the Jurchen tribal leaders and chieftains has been confiscated and redistributed to the poor people. That's wonderful!"

"If only our Great Ming Dynasty could distribute all the landlords' land to the people, that would be wonderful," someone muttered quietly.

Upon hearing this, the teahouse fell into complete silence.

Everyone was silent.

This teahouse is very crude.

Those who come here to drink tea are mostly poor people.

Wealthy gentlemen will go to better places to drink tea and wine.

I won't associate with these poor bastards.

After a long pause, the scholar shook his head and said, "That's absolutely impossible, so don't even dream about it!"

"However, I heard that General Lan also issued an order to the Jurchens to implement a tiered tax system, which would impose additional taxes on anyone who owned more than 100 mu of land. I wholeheartedly agree with this."

If a scholar can afford to study, his family must naturally own some land.

Therefore, he instinctively opposed the redistribution of land.

However, his family owned less than 100 mu of land, so the scholar thought that implementing a tiered tax system would be a good idea.

High taxes should be levied on those wealthy landowners who own a lot of land.

The scholar's thoughts were also very simple.

That is, above the self, everyone is equal; below the self, there is a clear class distinction.

The poor should not receive land, but the land of the wealthy should be given back to me!

“That makes sense!” someone immediately agreed. “Not only that, but there should also be a tiered tax system for houses. Right now, some wealthy people in the capital have too many houses. The court should levy high taxes on them!”

"Is what you're saying even feasible?" someone asked. "It sounds like you're talking nonsense."

"Though things in the world are difficult, actions will yield results." The scholar, full of youthful vigor, declared resolutely, "I plan to gather a group of friends and together submit a petition to the imperial court, requesting tax reform!"

……

(End of this chapter)