Song Xiu

Chapter 138 One Edict and Five Policies to Investigate Land Survey
The defeat in the polo match left the Khitan delegation, led by Han Kuangsi, feeling quite frustrated.

I originally thought that with the Khitan warriors' superb horsemanship, defeating the sons of the Song Dynasty nobles in a head-on battle on the field would not be a difficult task.

Unexpectedly, the Khitan warriors, who were always skilled in mounted combat, were defeated by the sons of noble families of the Song Dynasty by a single goal.

Despite losing by only one goal, and despite Yelü Xiuge's claim that Zhao Dexiu was using trickery, the football field is like a battlefield, and defeat is defeat.

In Han Kuangsi's memory, the Central Plains regimes, for various reasons, were mostly no match for the Khitan in cavalry warfare.

Admittedly, many years ago, the Khitan army was often defeated by the Later Tang army, but at that time, the Tang army did not have many cavalry units in its main force.

The Tang cavalry outnumbered the Khitan army, making it impossible for the Tang cavalry to encircle the Khitan army.

This drawback meant that the Tang army, despite its numerous victories, was unable to effectively inflict casualties on the Khitan army's manpower.

Therefore, the Khitan army always managed to launch a comeback within a few years.

Recalling the battles fought during the Later Tang Dynasty, and the scene of the competition that day, Han Kuangsi spoke solemnly to the members of the delegation:
"The Han Chinese of the Central Plains who follow incompetent people are all lambs to the slaughter."

But once the Han people follow a hero, then each of them becomes a tiger.

After revealing his concerns, Han Kuangsi wanted to return to Yanjing as soon as possible to report the news he had learned to Yelü Wuzhi.

Just as Han Kuangsi was about to bid farewell to Liu Wensou, an imperial edict that had just been issued in Kaifeng caught Han Kuangsi's attention.

Edict to Investigate All Land Across the Land!
Are the Song Dynasty emperor and the Prince of Jin about to crack down on local powerful clans?
Han Kuangsi himself was one of the powerful clans in the Yanyun region, and he knew very well that land was like lifeblood to local powerful clans.

Extending his own experience to others, Han Kuangsi believed that the Song Dynasty's land survey would inevitably encounter strong resistance in various regions.

Realizing that internal turmoil was about to break out in the Song Dynasty, Han Kuangsi planned to postpone his return to the north.

Since trouble has arisen, let's see if the two dragons of the Song Dynasty can deny the turmoil!

The imperial edict was issued because of the initial completion of the registration of refugees outside the city, and even more so because of the end of the rewards and honors bestowed upon the imperial guards who were sent to the south.

The survey of farmland had been carried out as early as the reign of Emperor Shizong of Zhou.

In the fifth year of Xiande, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, following the method of Yuan Zhen of the Former Tang Dynasty, issued the "Equal Field Map" to various places and sent envoys to measure the land in the sixty prefectures of the Central Plains, and levied taxes according to the actual amount of land occupied by each household.

After the implementation of this policy, it successfully cracked down on some landlords and powerful families, reduced the burden on farmers to some extent, and thus increased government tax revenue.

However, this policy only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause.

Because the people sent by Emperor Zhou Shizong were investigating fields that had been cultivated by others.

Emperor Shizong of Zhou did not send anyone to investigate the fields that were not cultivated but were seized by local powerful families.

Furthermore, Emperor Shizong of Zhou at that time planned to pacify the country before securing peace, so he turned a blind eye to the illegal occupation of land by many local powerful families.

Zhao Dexiu believed that these two things must be done during the process of pacifying the world.

Because during the process of pacifying the country, the central government had the strongest control over the army.

In addition, due to years of chaos, the power of local magnates has been repeatedly attacked, making this the weakest period for them.

Only by breaking down the old can a new dynasty be created.

Zhao Dexiu's idea coincided with Zhao Kuangyin's.

The nationwide land survey conducted in the early years of the dynasty was directly related to the dynasty's fate for a hundred years, so Zhao Kuangyin would not be careless.

After discussing with Zhao Dexiu and other ministers, Zhao Kuangyin summarized the nationwide land survey into five main aspects in his edict.

The first aspect: surveying and measuring land and verifying household registration.
The central court will send envoys to all the prefectures and counties in the country to search for the right place by following the map and measuring the land.

All public and private farmland must be re-registered, with strict details including boundaries, fertility, and the name of the farmer.

The people were required to submit their land deeds to the government within 100 days. Any land without an official land deed would be confiscated by the state.

Each prefecture and county must compile a list by the beginning of summer of the following year and submit it to the Ministry of Revenue.

The matter of submitting it to the Ministry of Revenue will serve as an important performance evaluation for officials in various regions next year.

The second aspect: severely punish those who conceal loopholes and rectify official corruption.
When imperial envoys arrive in a region, if they discover that local powerful families are concealing land or illegally occupying fertile land, once verified, in addition to collecting ten years' worth of taxes, they will be punished with eighty strokes of the cane and their land will be confiscated.

Those local officials who collude with powerful and influential figures shall be punished according to the law, and their property shall be confiscated.

Those who report hidden or falsely occupied land will be rewarded with additional land according to the law, based on their merit in reporting such acts.

If any prefectural or county official engages in favoritism or corruption and prevents the people from petitioning the emperor, they shall be executed without pardon upon verification.

Thirdly: Adjusting rents and taxes to alleviate the people's hardships.
Land tax is divided into three grades based on the fertility of the land:
For superior fields, the grain tax is three dou per mu; for medium fields, it is two dou; and for inferior fields, it is one dou and five sheng.

In addition, it is strictly forbidden to impose additional exorbitant taxes and levies.

The wealthy who fled would hand over their land to tenant farmers, and upon returning to their hometown within three years, their ownership of the land would remain unchanged.

Those who return after five years will have half of their land returned, while the other half will be nationalized.

Those who fail to return within five years of the due date will have all their land confiscated by the state and awarded to the actual cultivators.

We must resolutely eliminate the evil phenomenon of "farmers having no land to cultivate".

If a region has just experienced war, the prefecture and county governments should report to the Ministry of Revenue and request appropriate leniency as a gesture of appeasement.

Fourthly: Encourage agriculture and sericulture, and reward land reclamation.
Newly reclaimed wasteland will be exempt from taxes for three years, and the government will provide oxen and seeds to displaced people who resume their livelihoods.

If a prefectural or county official can ensure that the fields under his jurisdiction are cultivated and the granaries are full, those who excel in performance evaluations will be greatly promoted.
Those who neglect their duties and cause farmland to fall into disrepair shall be demoted and punished.

The central government would send officials to inspect and supervise agricultural work every spring and autumn to prevent any slackening.

Fifth aspect: Promulgate maps and books, making them a permanent system.
After the prefectures and counties submit their land registers, the Ministry of Revenue must compile the results of this land survey into a book, supplemented with maps, and promulgate it throughout the country as a model for future generations.

To ensure the accuracy of the land survey, a new survey was conducted every ten years, so that land was registered and taxes were levied according to fixed rules.

Anyone who dares to alter maps or make unauthorized suggestions for change will be considered extremely disrespectful!
The imperial edict covered five major aspects, encompassing almost every aspect of the nationwide land survey.

If the five major policies can be truly implemented, they will be enough to gradually reverse the situation of widespread suffering among the people.

But even the best policies need good implementers.

Zhao Dexiu, as a person from later generations, knew this best.

Zhao Dexiu advised Zhao Kuangyin:
"The investigation of all the land in the country is the outline of the new policy. Without officials from the provincial advisory offices to travel throughout the country, it will be difficult to detect evil and protect the people."

After hearing Zhao Dexiu's suggestion, Zhao Kuangyin felt it made a lot of sense.

Zhao Kuangyin had considered this point before.

In his original plan, he intended to send officials from the Censorate, together with officials from the Ministry of Revenue, to the local areas.

After reforming the Court of State Ceremonies and the Ministry of Rites, Zhao Kuangyin extended the reach of his reforms to the Censorate.

Under Zhao Kuangyin's leadership, the head of the Censorate was the Grand Censor, and it was internally divided into three major departments.

These are the Imperial Academy, the Palace Academy, and the Inspection Academy.

The Central Secretariat was headed by a Censor-in-Chief and several Assistant Censors. They were in charge of supervising and impeaching illegal acts by central officials and were qualified to participate in the trial of cases by the Ministry of Justice.

The palace was staffed with several Left and Right Attendants, who were in charge of "court etiquette" and supervised the illegal activities of members of the imperial family, nobles, and relatives of the empress.

As for the Censorate, it had several Censors who were mainly responsible for representing the central government to inspect local areas and investigate illegal activities by local officials.

Originally, Zhao Kuangyin intended to send an imperial censor to the provinces along with officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

But after Zhao Dexiu reminded him, Zhao Kuangyin changed his mind.

The censors in the Censorate are mostly experienced, but many of the censors in the central government are remnants of the previous dynasty, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will not have any vested interests with the local governments.

To ensure the new policies were effectively implemented and not turned into policies that harmed the people due to the meddling of some corrupt officials, Zhao Kuangyin made new adjustments.

Zhao Kuangyin formally established the position of Consultant Director, who was the chief official of the Consultant Province, and was appointed by Prince Zhao Dexiu of Jin.

The consultation with provincial officials was divided into two parts.

One group consisted of remonstrating officials, responsible for participating in the planning of the new policies in the capital. The other group consisted of prefectural judges, responsible for touring local areas to supervise the implementation of the new policies.

The Tongpan was directly under the Consultative Ministry and was not subject to any other institution, thus possessing considerable independence.

This characteristic is sufficient to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that local authorities do not engage in acts of deception or cover-up.

After appointing officials to be sent to local areas, Zhao Kuangyin designated Henan Circuit and Kaifeng Prefecture as pilot areas for the "land survey".

The combined administrative regions of Henan Circuit and Kaifeng Prefecture covered almost all of the Central Plains.

This aligns with Zhao Dexiu's initial political strategy of "first pacifying the Central Plains, then extending to the rest of the country."

The imperial edict to "investigate all the land under heaven" was issued in March of the second year of the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty, and the reform of the Censorate and the Consultative Council was carried out in April.

By May, a large number of central government officials were ready to depart in batches from Kaifeng to their respective regions.

As one of Zhao Dexiu's most trusted confidants, Lu Duoxun became one of the vice-prefects of the Consultative Province under Zhao Dexiu's influence.

He will soon be heading to the Qingzhou area.

Before Lu Duoxun was about to depart, Zhao Dexiu summoned him.

Looking at Zhao Dexiu sitting in the hall, Lu Duoxun's face was filled with awe.

After becoming the King of Jin through the conquest of a state, Zhao Dexiu's prestige grew even stronger.

Because Zhao Dexiu was nominally the Prince of Jin, but in reality, he was the Crown Prince.

The crown prince is also a ruler.

After becoming the Prince of Jin, Zhao Dexiu did not mistreat his loyal ministers.

The position of Chief Secretary of the Prince of Jin's Palace was handed over by Zhao Dexiu to Wei Renpu, and below the Chief Secretary was the Sima.

Sima was the chief secretary's deputy, responsible for assisting the chief secretary in handling the affairs of the prince's residence, similar to the position of vice minister of the Council of State Affairs.

Among the officials under the Prince of Jin's court, Zhao Dexiu established two positions: Left and Right Sima, which were held by Lü Duan and Lu Duoxun respectively.

Among them, Lu Duoxun served as the Left Sima, a position slightly higher than that of Lü Duan.

Zhao Dexiu sent Lu Duoxun to the local area because he valued Lu's quick wit and believed he was better able to handle the treacherous affairs of the region than Lü Duan.

After giving Lu Duoxun a piece of pastry that Li Duoruo had made herself, Zhao Dexiu said with a smile:

"Don't be shy, have a taste."

The princess's cooking skills are quite good.

Hearing Zhao Dexiu mention Li Duruo, Lu Duoxun's tense mood eased somewhat.

Li Duruo is a man of his word.

Under her arrangement, the Ludoson family recently moved into a mansion near the Prince's Palace.

That mansion was spacious and bright; it must have been worth a lot of money.

After the family moved into the new house, Li Duruo often sent people to give Lu Duoxun clothes and rice.

After following Zhao Dexiu, Lu Duoxun's living conditions improved significantly, despite his family's previous financial difficulties.

Ludoson had no shortage of clothing, rice, or other necessities.

Despite not lacking anything, the care and concern shown by Li Duruo deeply moved the Lu Duoxun family.

After taking a bite of the sweet pastry, Lu Duoxun heard Zhao Dexiu's second statement.

Do you know why I sent you to Qingzhou?

When the conversation suddenly turned to business, Ludoson, who had just taken a bite of the pastry, couldn't help but cough.

After drinking the tea and catching his breath, Lu Duoxun quickly stood up and bowed to Zhao Dexiu, saying:

"Your Highness, I am unaware of this. Please enlighten me."

"Sit down and talk."

After gesturing for Lu Duoxun to sit down again, Zhao Dexiu continued:

"Since the imperial edict was issued, the State Affairs Hall has received many memorials."

Every memorial, ostensibly written in the name of acting in the best interests of the nation, actually expressed, between the lines, doubts about the court's land survey.

The central government and local governments have never been separate entities.

The reactions of central government officials are enough to show the attitude of local prefectures and counties towards the imperial court's investigation of land ownership.

After listening to Zhao Dexiu's words, Lu Duoxun said:
Throughout history, every time land surveys were conducted, there were many opponents.

However, in these chaotic times, with the imperial court possessing formidable military power and local warlords weakened, this is truly the best opportunity to thoroughly investigate the land throughout the land.

Your Highness need not worry about the foolish mantis trying to stop a chariot.

While there were many opponents in the court, there were also many clear-headed supporters, and Lu Duoxun was one of them.

Lu Duoxun's words made Zhao Dexiu nod.

After warming up the audience, Zhao Dexiu steered the conversation to Qingzhou:

"I once sent people to investigate and found that behind many officials, there was a figure emerging."

That man was none other than Ma Ximeng, a powerful figure from Qingzhou.

Although Wei Renpu left Kaifeng, the connections he had built up in the city were naturally taken over by Zhao Dexiu.

With the help of the sociable Lü Qiu Zhongqing, Zhao Dexiu already had a certain number of informants in the court.

Furthermore, Zhao Dexiu was able to discover Ma Ximeng's existence so quickly because in a chaotic world rife with corruption, the private dealings among officials were quite crude.

"Ma Ximeng?"

Seeing Lu Duoxun's puzzled expression, Zhao Dexiu gave him a brief introduction of Ma Ximeng.

In his early years, Ma Ximeng was a confidant of Liu Zhu, the military governor of Pinglu Army in the Later Han Dynasty. It was Liu Zhu who personally killed Guo Wei's family.

But what makes Liu Zhu most famous in the world is his practice of "plundering the people's wealth".

Liu Zhu was greedy, and seizing farmland and property from the people was commonplace for him. Back then, Ma Ximeng gained Liu Zhu's trust precisely because of his superb methods of accumulating wealth.

After Liu Zhu was killed by Guo Wei, Ma Ximeng escaped and continued to expand his power in Qingzhou by taking advantage of Liu Zhu's remaining influence.

Today, Ma Ximeng is the most prominent local tycoon in Qingzhou.

The rise of Ma Ximeng represents a significant characteristic of the development of local powerful families during the Five Dynasties period.

After giving a brief overview of Ma Ximeng's situation, Zhao Dexiu looked at Lu Duoxun:
"Time is limited, and I don't know much about Ma Ximeng."

I have also heard that Ma Ximeng has gained a good reputation in Qingzhou in recent years.

I don't care at all whether Ma Ximeng is a good person or not.

What I care about is how much of the country's land he has seized, and whether he is willing to return it.

Do you understand what I mean?

At this moment, a chill flashed in Zhao Dexiu's eyes.

Sensing the coldness in Zhao Dexiu's eyes, Lu Duoxun immediately stood up straight and bowed:
"I understand!"

In the end, Zhao Dexiu left behind a crucial piece of advice:
"Zhang Yongde is loyal and diligent, and can be used when needed."

(End of this chapter)