I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 283 Tears of Joy! The nationwide land survey was completed on schedule, adding over one million hectares of farmland.

On December 20th, the weather was getting colder and colder, and the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year was getting stronger.

With the promulgation of the order to open the seas and introduce silver, the unhealthy practice of exchanging silver for money and the exchange of money for silver was completely alleviated.

Those unscrupulous merchants who suffered heavy losses dared not complain at all. If they dared to utter a single word of slander against the order to open the sea for silver, they would be summoned and reprimanded by the Imperial Guards.

at the same time.

The villagers who had their pockets and savings switched without their knowledge became the lucky ones. The extra money they received was enough for them to buy two more feet of cloth and two more pounds of meat during the New Year.

Because next year will be the major triennial exam, there are a lot of students gathering in the capital at the end of this year.

The capital city was bustling and lively.

At this time of year, most officials in the capital would have already begun preparing for the New Year.

But this year is completely different.

Once the order to open the seas and attract silver was issued, multiple government departments needed to work together to prepare, such as which ports to open first, which countries to export which goods to, how to formulate maritime trade regulations, and how to build a naval fleet.

All government departments are extremely busy so that many plans can be implemented directly at the beginning of next year.

Of the six ministries, the Ministry of Revenue may not be the busiest, but it is certainly the most anxious.

In ten days, the two-year land survey period across the country will come to an end.

Although the imperial court has dispatched elite guards, it remains uncertain whether they will be able to complete the land survey task on schedule.

……

The back hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

On a white wall, wooden plaques are hanging.

Each wooden plaque is inscribed with the name of the province and the amount of cultivated land increased by the measurement, such as: Henan Provincial Administration Commission, 64324 hectares.

All those hung above signify that the task of measuring the land has been completed.

For example, in Henan, the increase in land area after the land survey was determined to be 64324 hectares (based on the original quota from the fish-scale register of the fifth year of the Longqing reign).

Currently, the increase in cultivated land in five regions—Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Southern Zhili, and Yunnan—has not yet been statistically analyzed.

In the middle of these wooden signs, there hangs a large blank wooden sign, about five times the size of the other signs.

Once the Ministry of Revenue has compiled the total amount of increased cultivated land in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, and written it on a large wooden plaque before the New Year's Day of the following year, the task of measuring the land will be considered completed on schedule.

Yin Zhengmao has moved from the Cabinet to the Ministry of Revenue, with the aim of reporting the total increase in cultivated land quota as soon as possible.

now.

Emperor Wanli was very anxious, Zhang Juzheng was very anxious, and all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were extremely anxious.

But all we can do is worry.

All that has been done is done; now we can only leave the rest to fate.

Perhaps the elite guards are still busy surveying and compiling statistics, or perhaps the memorials reporting the increase in cultivated land are already speeding along some official road.

……

December 25th, early morning.

In a branch of the Yaodong Trading Company in Baoding Prefecture, Beizhili.

Hundreds of employees lined up in a long queue, all with smiles on their faces, while many onlookers gathered around, their faces full of envy.

Today is the day when the employees of this branch of Yaodong Trading Company receive their monthly wages and bonuses.

The people distributing their monthly wages and rewards in the courtyard were Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing, the owners of Yaodong Trading Company.

Because of the outstanding performance of this branch of Yaodong Trading Company in the recent money exchange incident, with not a single employee participating in the money-for-silver exchange, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing came here specially to reward them.

According to the rules of Yaodong Trading Company, all employees who have worked in the company for more than six months will receive two months' wages at the end of the year. The extra month's wages are called New Year's wages and are used for the New Year.

In addition, these employees performed exceptionally well.

He also rewarded one person with two zhang of cloth, five jin of meat, and ten jin of dried fruit.

For wealthy landlords and gentry, this reward might be nothing special, but most of the employees of Yaodong Trading Company were manual laborers.

Before they came to Yaodong Trading Company, they could hardly afford to buy their wives and children a new piece of clothing or let their families eat a bite of lard. But after joining Yaodong Trading Company, their lives got better and better, and they gradually accumulated savings. Some even moved from the village to the county town.

In the counties and villages of the north, any unmarried clerk of Yaodong Trading Company was highly sought after, and respectable families from all around would be willing to marry their daughters to one of them.

Without a doubt, Yaodong Trading Company is the best trading company for its employees.

In the past two years, Yaodong Trading Company has also been hated by many unscrupulous businessmen who have tried every means to find problems with Yaodong Trading Company, and even resorted to slander.

They originally thought that Shen Nian was the backer of Yaodong Trading Company.

Later, after the Embroidered Uniform Guard repeatedly helped Yaodong Trading Company out of trouble, many merchants realized that Yaodong Trading Company's backer was the imperial court, namely the current emperor.

In the past six months, Yaodong Trading Company has been developing smoothly and has completely revitalized the trade north of the Yellow River, selling agricultural products and handicrafts to major cities.

……

Near noon.

After distributing rewards to the employees, Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi sat down to rest in a tea room.

Shen Yaoshan looked at Gu Dongyi and said, "Brother Gu, I have already drafted the document for the transfer of Yaodong Trading Company to the public treasury. After the New Year, I will submit it to His Majesty!"

Gu Dongyi nodded.

"Let's work hard for another year next year, then we'll go back to Qiantang to retire. It's time to let go!"

When Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongyi first conceived the idea of ​​revitalizing trade in the north, it was simply to help Shen Nian go further in her official career.

The two never expected it to grow to such a large scale.

Now, under the protection of the young Wanli Emperor, local governments are giving them the green light in every aspect of their business dealings. The business model of Yaodong Trading Company has already taken shape. After the imperial court implements the Single Whip Law, the people will be more free, and commerce will flourish even more.

The two felt it was time to hand over the Yaodong Trading Company to the imperial court.

After discussing it, the two decided to hand over Yaodong Trading Company to the imperial court for management. Local officials would be involved in and supervise each branch of Yaodong Trading Company, but the business model and employee benefits would remain as they had agreed.

Thus, with its ability to circulate goods, Yaodong Trading Company could sell whatever the imperial court commanded.

The two plan to hand over their duties to the court officials next year as behind-the-scenes strategists. Apart from the money that all the merchants are entitled to, all the remaining profits will be handed over to the court for their own use, and then they will retire to their hometowns.

The two of them had this idea.

On the one hand, the Yaodong Trading Company is now too large to affect the trade flow of several provinces.

On the other hand, Shen Nian is now a third-rank official, and one more step forward will allow him to enter the cabinet. If they were to take charge of such a huge commercial system, it would easily bring trouble to Shen Nian. They do not want Shen Nian to become the second Zhang Siwei.

……

Before we knew it, it was December 29th.

Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve.

The remaining farmland increase quotas for Gansu and Yunnan provinces have not yet been submitted.

Afternoon, the Ministry of Revenue's office.

Yin Zhengmao sat in the middle, with Liu Sijie and Shen Nian sitting on either side.

Yin Zhengmao paused for a moment and said, "I have made two preparations. If the land survey documents from either of these two provinces have not been delivered by sunset tomorrow, I will submit a memorial to apologize and resign."

"Neither of you need to sign your names. I am the Minister of Revenue. The national land survey has not been completed on schedule, and I am the principal offender. Even if you want to plead guilty, you must do so after me!" After saying this, Yin Zhengmao put the memorials of apology and resignation aside.

The nationwide land survey, with a two-year period, was set by Zhang Juzheng, but it was Yin Zhengmao, the Minister of Revenue, who was responsible for its implementation.

If it cannot be completed on schedule, it will be a disgrace to the imperial court and a blow to the momentum of the new policies, so someone naturally needs to take the blame.

Yin Zhengmao wanted to take the blame upon himself.

Liu Sijie and Shen Nian exchanged a glance but remained silent. They knew Yin Zhengmao's temperament well; once he made up his mind, no one could persuade him to compromise.

Followed by.

Yin Zhengmao sat up straight, puffed out his chest, and continued, "If we can complete the land survey task on schedule, then our Ministry of Revenue will be able to do whatever we want for the whole next year."

"My plan is that once the total amount of land increase is tallied, I will immediately go to the Cabinet and report to His Majesty. Eshan (Liu Sijie's courtesy name) and Ziheng, you two, along with the officials and clerks of our Ministry of Revenue, will take the plaques on the wall and assemble at the Daming Gate. Then, form a line and call out the land increase quotas for each province. Proceed from the Daming Gate to the Chengtian Gate, then through the Duan Gate, past the Altar of the Land and Grain and the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and through the Meridian Gate, and present these plaques to His Majesty. Such a joyous occasion should naturally be celebrated as lively as possible!"

Upon hearing this arrangement, Liu Sijie and Shen Nian couldn't help but laugh.

If Zhang Tian completes the project on schedule, it certainly deserves such high-profile publicity.

Yin Zhengmao went to the Forbidden City to report, allowing Liu Sijie, Shen Nian and other officials from the Ministry of Revenue to shine in the limelight, perfectly demonstrating the humility of a good superior.

"I believe that tomorrow we will be able to walk proudly from the Great Ming Gate to the Meridian Gate!" Shen Nian said with a smile.

Immediately, both Yin Zhengmao and Liu Sijie laughed. ...

It was near noon on the last day of the seventh year of the Wanli reign.

The back hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

Yin Zhengmao, Liu Sijie, and Shen Nian paced back and forth, drinking three pots of tea, but still received no news.

Not far away, several accountants were already prepared.

Once the land survey documents from the Gansu and Yunnan provincial administration offices were submitted, they could verify them within half an hour and calculate the total amount of increased land.

Meanwhile, other officials in the various departments and offices of the Ministry of Revenue were also feeling uneasy.

They were all dressed in their official robes and ready to walk from the Great Ming Gate to the Meridian Gate.

This action will surely be recorded in history.

Unfortunately, the land survey documents from the Gansu and Yunnan provincial administrations have yet to be delivered.

And this moment.

The young Wanli Emperor in the Wenhua Hall, Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing in the Cabinet Office, and officials from various government offices were all concerned about the Ministry of Revenue's movements.

If the nationwide land survey can be completed on schedule, it will greatly boost the morale of all officials, ensure everyone has a good New Year, and make the implementation of the Single Whip Law next year smoother.

Even a delay, even if postponed to tomorrow, will give people a completely different feeling.

……

Before long, it was noon, and Yin Zhengmao became increasingly anxious.

"What...what...there's still no movement from Gansu and Yunnan! What are the officials in those two places doing! Who are the officials in charge of these two places, the senior officials, and the clerks? I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

Just then, three clerks walked over quickly, each carrying a food box.

"Grand Secretary Yin, Left Secretary Liu, Right Secretary Shen, it's time to... have lunch!" Knowing that Yin Zhengmao and the other two would not be able to eat at the official kitchen, the three of them brought the food directly to the back room.

"You guys eat, I have no appetite!" Yin Zhengmao said, pursing his lips.

Shen Nian waved to the three of them and said, "Put it down first!"

The three of them couldn't even sit still, let alone eat.

Just then, a hurried footstep sounded outside, and a clerk rushed into the back hall, holding a document in his hand, and shouted: "The land survey document from the Gansu Provincial Administration Commission has arrived!"

"Quick...quick...quick...bring it here!" Yin Zhengmao said.

The accountant in charge of statistics, who was not far away, quickly took the document and began to check and calculate.

Just then, another hurried footstep sounded outside.

"The land survey document from the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission has arrived!" The clerk's voice was particularly loud.

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian exclaimed excitedly, "We...we completed the field surveying task on schedule! We completed the field surveying task on schedule!"

The moment Shen Nian turned around, she saw Yin Zhengmao and Liu Sijie standing there, tears streaming down their faces.

"Grand Secretary Yin, Left Secretary Liu, we have completed the land survey task as scheduled!" Shen Nian announced loudly to the two of them.

Instantly, the two went from crying to laughing, and then excitedly hugged Shen Nian, jumping up and down like children.

Immediately, Yin Zhengmao called out loudly, "Tell everyone to pack up and meet at the Daming Gate later!"

"Yes!"

Moments later, bursts of weeping echoed from various halls of the Ministry of Revenue.

"At the end of last year, my wife gave birth... I... I didn't even have time to go home, but it was worth it! It was worth it!"

"This July, I stayed up for three days and three nights straight, and I lost all my hair, but... I don't regret it!"

"It was so...so difficult! We did it! We did it! We will all be remembered in history! Remembered in history!"

……

Weeping filled the various halls and departments of the Ministry of Revenue.

Officials and clerks embraced and wept, recounting their efforts over the past two years in surveying land across the country.

Only those in the Ministry of Revenue know how they survived these past two years.

But at this moment, everyone felt it was absolutely worth it.

……

About half an hour later.

Holding a brush, Yin Zhengmao wrote the total amount of increased farmland nationwide on the huge blank wooden plaque. Shen Nian and Liu Sijie felt very proud when they saw this number.

"Prepare a sedan chair, no... prepare horses directly. I need to get to the Forbidden City as quickly as possible!"

Yin Zhengmao stuffed the document summarizing the total increase in national farmland into his pocket, and casually tore the memorial of apology and resignation next to him to shreds.

……

A moment later, Yin Zhengmao rode his horse ahead of him towards the Forbidden City.

Liu Sijie and Shen Nian led more than a hundred officials from the Ministry of Revenue to first gather at the Daming Gate, and then, while announcing the increase in land survey quotas for each province, they rushed towards the Meridian Gate.

……

"In Beizhili, the amount of cultivated land increased by 33255 hectares."

"In Southern Zhili, the amount of cultivated land increased by 49898 hectares."

"In Zhejiang Province, the amount of cultivated land increased by 45896 hectares."

"Jiangxi Province's Chengbu County has seen an increase of 61459 hectares of cultivated land."

"The Huguang Provincial Administration Commission reported an increase of 551903 hectares of cultivated land."

"In Fujian Province, the amount of cultivated land increased by 2315 hectares."

"In Shandong Province, the amount of cultivated land increased by 365755 hectares."

……

Data source, as shown in the figure (compared with the cultivated land area in the fifth year of the Longqing reign).

The officials and clerks of the Ministry of Revenue held their heads high, and every few steps they took, they would recite the number of hectares of increased cultivated land in a province, and then repeat the process.

Shen Nian and Liu Sijie carried the largest wooden plaque covered with red cloth and walked at the front.

The total increase in arable land will naturally only be announced when it arrives at the Meridian Gate.

Before long, officials and clerks from various government offices on both sides of the road came out to watch.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the officials in the Ministry of Revenue, they knew that the nationwide land survey had been completed on schedule.

Among the officials in these government offices, some were excited, some were envious, some made sarcastic remarks, and others wondered how the imperial court would reward the officials of the Ministry of Revenue.

Officials from all government offices had to admit that the Ministry of Revenue was now the undisputed head of the Six Ministries.

……

At that moment, Yin Zhengmao had already rushed to the cabinet office.

After Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing verified the document, they went together to the Wenhua Hall. With this document, all officials in the capital could enjoy a wonderful New Year's holiday.

Next year, the Ming Dynasty will also have a wonderful start.

A moment later, in front of the Meridian Gate.

Liu Sijie, Shen Nian and other officials from the Ministry of Revenue gathered in front of the Meridian Gate, followed by officials and clerks from many other government offices.

The two of them together pulled off the red cloth on the wooden sign and announced loudly: "The national land survey has been completed on schedule, with a total increase of 1828542 hectares of arable land!"

Immediately, deafening cheers erupted in front of the Meridian Gate.

This number will spread to every corner of the capital today, making countless people with a strong sense of national pride and patriotism cheer with joy.

The most direct benefit of surveying and measuring land was that it expanded the tax base and increased national treasury revenue.

The more land is added, the more the national treasury revenue is added.

The side benefits included curbing powerful clans, equalizing taxes, reforming the household registration and tax system, reducing the burden on landless and land-poor people, and maintaining social order.

In short, the completion of the nationwide land survey signifies that the Ming Dynasty has taken another significant step towards its dream of a prosperous era where "everyone in the world can have enough to eat."

(End of this chapter)