Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 527 Roughly Organized Household Registration, Nine Households of Hu People

In the winter of 200 AD, the second year of the Shenwu era.

On the day of the Imperial Statutes, all the prefectures and counties in the empire submitted their household registers to the Imperial Secretariat. After being sorted by Zhong and Du, Cui Yan went to the palace to report to Zhang Yu.

"What is the current state of household registration in the country?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Your Majesty, the two prefectures of Yin and Hai have 330,000 households, combined with the more than 70,000 households of Youzhou, and the total number of households in Hebei is 400,000. The three prefectures of Yong, Sili, and Bing together have 540,000 households, so the total number of households in the former territory is more than 950,000."

Cui Yan organized the data of the prefectures and counties and said: "Yu and Jing prefectures have a total of 410,000 households, Qing and Xu prefectures have a total of 220,000 households, Yan prefecture has 73,000 households, and the newly surrendered territories have a total of more than 700,000 registered households."

"Except for the prefectures of Liangzhou, the current registered households in the country are around 1.7 million, with a population of over 8.1 million. The detailed figures for the prefectures and counties are all in the official documents. If Your Majesty has any questions, you may consult me!"

Having established a new dynasty and declared himself emperor, the number of registered households needed to be filed and reported. A rough estimate of the total population, including the five and a half provinces of Yi, Yang, Nan Chu, Jiao, Ping, and Liang, suggests at least two million people, perhaps even three million. Therefore, a rough estimate of the total population is likely over ten million.

As for a detailed population count, it is highly unlikely that it will be possible to obtain such a count at present. Rather, it will be necessary to wait until the world is at peace and a period of governance has been completed before relatively clear data can be obtained.

Zhang Yu reviewed the official documents and saw that Jingzhou's registered households numbered only 180,000. He asked, "When the State of Chen surrendered, I remember that Jingzhou had nearly 300,000 households. How come there are only 180,000 households now?"

"When we surrendered, Jingzhou had five commanderies, of which Changsha Commandery had nearly 100,000 households. Now Changsha Commandery is occupied by Liu Bei, and Xiakou and Yiling are occupied by Cao Cao and Sun Quan respectively, so there are 100,000 fewer households. In addition, because Jingzhou is adjacent to the border, there is no strict policy of checking household registration at present."

According to the report from Jingzhou, Cui Yan said, "Qingzhou and Xuzhou are located in the Central Plains, and the population has increased significantly due to the reorganization of household registration by Generals Man and Li. Each province has more than 100,000 households."

Nodding slightly, Zhang Yu pointed to the data on the official document and said, "The household registration in Hebei and Guanzhong has remained unchanged for many years. Does the Ministry of Personnel know the reason for this?"

Cui Yan pondered for a moment and said, "When the household registration in the old area changed, I discussed it with the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and the Prime Minister. We believed that the reason why the population of Hebei was so small was because the war caused people to be displaced, and the powerful clans hid the people and took them in as tenants without reporting to the court. In addition, as far as I know, there are many people in Hebei who keep slaves."

"Based on the above two points, I believe that we should take advantage of the new tax reform as a pretext to conduct a thorough review of the household registration in Hebei and allocate land to the people. Secondly, the court should issue an edict to free the slaves, separating the population from the people. If we enforce the law strictly in this way, the number of households in Hebei may increase by tens of thousands within three years."

Zhang Yu nodded and said, “In the past, because Hebei had just been conquered, I dared not conduct a large-scale inspection of the household registers. Now that the counties of Hebei are at peace, the county officials should be allowed to conduct the inspection. As for the decree on the release of slaves, you may draft one, and I will have my servants copy it and issue it.”

"As ordered!"

How is the new tax progressing?

After examining the household registration records for a while and finding no major problems, Zhang Yu asked, "How can we calculate the assets of commoners in Guanzhong? If the new tax is implemented, will it significantly increase tax revenue?"

"Your Majesty, according to the statistics sent by the Ministry of Personnel, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and the officials in charge of the Guanzhong region, the middle-class households account for about 3.5% of the population; the poor account for about 60% of the households; and the upper-class households account for half a tier. Therefore, with the implementation of the three-tier, nine-grade system, the court's taxes are not much different from before, but the poor people have benefited greatly."

Cui Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "However, since this is a rough estimate, neither I nor the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel dare to make a definitive statement!"

"If it is nearly identical to the old tax, then it can be ordered to be implemented!" Zhang Yu put his pen on the table and said, "Order the Prime Minister to draft the articles as soon as possible and promulgate them before winter. Next year, the assets of households under his jurisdiction will be audited, and household taxes will be collected according to the new tax system."

"promise!"

Then, Zhang Yu inquired with the Ministry of Personnel about the amount of taxes collected this year. Because no taxes were levied on the newly surrendered territories after the pacification of China last year, although the country was initially at peace this year, Tang officials collected taxes in full, yielding a total of 5.1 million shi of grain, 1.7 million bolts of silk (or cloth), and 700,000 jin of cotton.

"You should discuss salaries with the Chancellor, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and the Minister of Personnel. In the past, due to shortages of money and grain, military pay was often prioritized, so salaries were usually paid at a reduced rate. This year, taxes have increased significantly, and the national treasury is much fuller. Let's see if we can issue more salaries," Zhang Yu said.

"The Ministry of Personnel has already discussed the matter of salaries. The consensus is that salaries of officials with a salary of 2,000 shi or above should be distributed according to a conversion. However, for officials with a salary of less than 2,000 shi, the full amount should be distributed as much as possible." Cui Yan said with his hands clasped, "Furthermore, salaries should be distributed according to the number of households in each prefecture, as an incentive for local officials."

Official rank was linked to salary. During the Qin and Han dynasties, salaries were paid annually. From the mid-Eastern Han dynasty onwards, salaries were paid monthly, with payment consisting of half cash and half grain. However, during turbulent periods, under the policy of prioritizing military affairs, officials often did not receive their actual salaries, but rather received discounted payments. Officials with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measurement) were considered lucky to receive 1,000 shi. Under Zhang Yu's rule, officials even frequently used salt to offset grain payments.

Therefore, with the tax increase this time, Zhang Yu was willing to pay more salaries. After all, being an official is somewhat different from being an employee, but that doesn't mean officials don't like money. Perhaps the sons of wealthy families look down on salaries because of their privileged backgrounds, but for officials of humble origins, an increase in salaries is of great significance.

"Draft a plan as soon as possible so that the salaries can be delivered to the civil and military officials before New Year's Day!" Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

After Cui Yan received the decree and took his leave, Li Song, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried into the hall and handed over the official document.

"We have made some progress on the matter of tiered taxation for the Hu people, and we request Your Majesty's approval!"

Zhang Yu perused the memorial and found its contents immediately intriguing. Li Song, based on the three-tiered, nine-grade system applied to the Han people and his understanding of the Hu people, formulated corresponding tax amounts.

The Hu people were divided into nine classes: classes one to three were upper-class households, classes four to seven were middle-class households, and classes eight and below were lower-class households. Upper-class households paid two sheep, middle-class households paid one sheep, and lower-class households paid one sheep in units of three households. If it was difficult to pay taxes in sheep, taxes were paid in local taxes.

Furthermore, regarding corvée labor, those who served in the military and provided their own saddles and horses were exempt from paying sheep tax if their service exceeded thirty days. Wealthy households could use sheep to offset their corvée labor, with one sheep equivalent to thirty days. For Hu people serving corvée labor, if their service exceeded sixty days but was less than ninety days, the court would reimburse them with half a sheep; if their service exceeded ninety days but was less than half a year, they would receive one sheep as payment.

In addition, sons born to non-Han people were registered as Han citizens and enjoyed the same treatment as Han citizens, and were not allowed to be considered non-Han households, thus promoting ethnic integration.

The Qiang, Di, and other agricultural barbarians were taxed at half the rate of Han households, and they could also pay for corvée labor. Their children were registered as Han citizens.

Of course, to allow the Hu people to adapt, the above taxes were levied on Hu people who had been subjects for more than two years, while those who had been subjects for less than two years were exempt from taxes. However, a practical study of the Hu people's taxes reveals that Li Song encouraged impoverished Hu people to serve in the military and perform corvée labor for extended periods in order to receive financial subsidies, thus balancing the dynasty's military and economic burden in the border regions.

"The taxes and levies formulated by the Northern Court are based on a deep understanding of the customs of the Hu people!"

Zhang Yu praised, "Compared to the upper-class Hu people, the lower-class Hu people are fierce by nature. Recruiting more of them into soldiers can strengthen the army. Now, there are few Han people and many Hu people in the border areas. If we can get more Hu people to serve in the army, we can greatly save the trouble of mobilizing troops from afar."

Li Song pondered for a moment and said, "If the Hu people join the army, they not only want money and rewards, but also aspire to advancement. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to issue an edict to select the most skilled Hu soldiers to join the Imperial Guard each year and relocate their households to the interior, so as to encourage the Hu people."

"How could it not be possible!"

Zhang Yu said, "The Chinese are the trunk, and the Hu people are the branches. Any Hu warriors among the border troops can be selected to join the Imperial Guard."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Song offered a compliment and said, "In addition to the three-tier, nine-level household system, I believe that tribal assemblies should be held regularly so that the court can promptly hear about local changes or the internal affairs of various tribes. During the Later Han Dynasty, barbarians often rebelled because the court was unaware of the internal affairs of the tribes, and local Han officials levied exorbitant taxes and levied heavy taxes."

"A small meeting once a year and a large meeting every three years, so that the imperial court can understand the internal affairs of various tribes!"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "The border nomads can come south for a grand gathering in autumn and winter, while the Qiang and Di people can gather in spring and summer. The specific details will be discussed and decided by you and the ministers of the Northern Court."

"promise!"

P.S.: The third update is here!

(End of this chapter)