Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 32 The Beginning of Agricultural Reform

The battle report of Jinzhou's great victory spread to the court.In the Battle of Jinzhou, facing the invasion of tens of thousands of Jinzhou guards, Li Jinguang, the lieutenant general of the Lushun Guards, was not afraid of a strong enemy, and personally led [-] elite soldiers of the Lushun Guards to defeat the Jin soldiers. He also went north to recover the Jinzhou Guards and beheaded more than a thousand people.At that time, with the assistance of Chu Yun, a thousand households in Dongjiang Town, he beheaded more than a hundred people, conquered Wanghai Fort, attracted the attention of Jin soldiers, and covered General Li Jinguang's actions.

This battle report played by Li Jinguang shocked the ruling and opposition parties!This is another great victory after the great victory in Ningyuan last year!
When the memorial came to the Jinluan Hall, Emperor Tianqi couldn't believe it.Could it be that my Ming Dynasty is going to return to a prosperous and prosperous age?
So Tianqi Emperor Longyan Dayue gave the first meritorious service to the nine thousand-year-old eunuch Wei Zhongxian who made the first contribution in the battle of Jinzhou, and the credit was "strategizing" in the court.The second-class merit is Li Jinguang, a general of the Lushun Guard, who was promoted to the governor of Jinzhou and the commander-in-chief of the Lushun Guard, and was rewarded with 50 taels of silver.The third-class merit is Mao Wenlong, the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town, who actively responded to the court's call and sent troops to Lushunwei.In the end, it was Chu Yun's turn to do the real thing, and he was promoted to be a guerrilla general and guard Wanghai Fort.

For a time, everyone was happy, and the courtiers sang praises.

However, Chu Yun dismissed it.At this time, he was trying to carry out agricultural reforms in the land of Jinzhou. On the one hand, he changed the form of agricultural production, and on the other hand, he improved agricultural production technology.

The cold winter is about to pass, the ice and snow are about to melt, and the issue of crop planting needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.The so-called plan for a year lies in spring. If spring cultivation is missed, there will be famine in the coming year.

"Look, my lord, there are many small villages near our Jinzhou, but those villagers are unwilling to move into our Jinzhou City. Now our Jinzhou City is a waste of money, flour mills, textile mills, paper mills, smelters, Is there any shortage of people in the salt factory?" Chen Ting, the master secretary, followed Chu Yun and said worriedly.

"Go and investigate to see if the land in the village belongs to the squire or the villagers?" Chu Yun asked.

"This can be known without investigation. Except for a few villages, nine out of ten villagers do not have their own land, and all of them have been annexed by the gentry." Chen Ting replied.

The annexation of land in the late Ming Dynasty was indeed so serious, Chu Yun had already expected it to be like this.However, mergers have their benefits. Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to persuade these small farmers who have cultivated this land for generations to start the industrial revolution in the cities.After all, resettlement is a tradition of thousands of years.

"Since the land is in the hands of the squires, let them hand it over and give them part of the compensation. The annexed land will be managed by the Agricultural Bureau." Chu Yun made a decision directly.

Chen Ting never thought that he could still play like this: "You mustn't do it, my lord, we forcibly expropriate the land of the squires, maybe they will fall into the gold medal!"

"We can still control this kind of people. Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain. We must do this! And we are not expropriating without compensation. We can allocate land for them to live in the city as compensation, and we can also let them participate in our weaving and flour production. Business, these are much better than pure farming. I believe they can still distinguish between life and land. I don’t need to say more, Master Chen, I have made up my mind.”

Chu Yun said firmly.According to the lessons of history, the small-scale peasant economy was the economic foundation of the feudal dynasty. To carry out the industrial revolution, the small-scale peasant economy must start to change.

"Oh, my subordinate obeys." Although Chen Ting did not agree with Chu Yun's radical approach, he still reluctantly carried out Chu Yun's order.

Jinzhouwei began to expropriate the land of the squires in the name of the court, and gave certain compensations.This time-breaking measure encountered resistance from most of the country gentry.Many villagers were attached to the squire's land, for fear that the squire's land would be expropriated, and they would help the squire to resist.

Thirty miles south of Jinzhou, Xuejia Village.

"Our Xue family has been on this land for several generations. If you want to take away our land, you must kill me!"

The master of the Xue family sat down on the earth dam among the fields, refusing to leave.

More than a hundred households in Xuejia Village watched and obstructed, insisting on preventing Xu Ji's third brigade from confiscating the land.

"You have taken Master Xue's land, where will we go to farm in the future?" The villagers made a fuss.

"Everyone, we don't want farmers to live without a living, but to let everyone earn more money and live a better life. After we expropriate these farmlands, we will build large farms, promote new planting techniques and animal husbandry, until We can produce more food with fewer people, and we will not be afraid of starvation in the future!" Xu Ji publicized Chu Yun's "big farm" concept to his fathers and villagers, "Villagers who are willing to work on a big farm, You can contract the land in the large farm from the Agricultural Bureau according to your own ability. Every month, the contractor only needs to pay [-]% of the grain as rent, and the Agricultural Bureau will send special agricultural technical experts to guide you in planting and production."

After the villagers in Xuejia Village heard about it, they didn’t know what a big farm was. They just heard that they could make more money and not be hungry, and that [-]% of the grain was used as rent. How many.This is a great thing!
"But this thing called a big farm needs fewer people. If the farmland is not enough to contract, what should we do with the extra people here?" Another villager yelled.In their concept, without farmland, wouldn't they become jobless people?
"Please don't worry. We will arrange jobs in Jinzhou City for villagers who can't get farmland. They will have at least two taels of silver per month. After working for two years, their salary will be doubled." Xu Ji said, "It's not just men, And all aunts, aunts and daughter-in-laws can come to work in our Jinzhou city. Please don't be bound by traditional female virtues, work is an honorable thing and should be respected."

Hearing Xu Ji's propaganda, the villagers suddenly became excited.Two taels of silver per month, so if there are three people working in a family, it is 72 taels of silver a year, which is many times better than farming.

Up to now, the villagers of Xuejia Village have completely forgotten about Mr. Xue, and they are all thinking in their hearts whether they should stay and work on the big farm in the future, or they should bring their families to work in Jinzhou City.

Chu Yun's guess is not wrong. The best way to break the traditional notion that men are superior to women and emphasize agriculture and suppress business is not to directly condemn how bad the traditional concept is, but to use interests to drive people.In recent years, the people in southern Liaoning can't even eat enough, and they have to suffer from the oppression of the Jin soldiers. Now that Chu Yun is offering them an olive branch, I believe no one will refuse.

"Aren't you going to support the old man and me?" Master Xue beat his chest angrily when he saw the villagers who helped him build his momentum fell to Xu Ji's side.

"Mr. Xue, I hope you can see the situation clearly. What we have done in the Liaoying camp is for the benefit of the people in southern Liaoning. If you are willing to hand over the land, we can contract a part of the big farm to you, and in Jinzhou The city will give you the residence of the Xue family, and will also compensate you some silver taels within three years."

"You have also seen that, let alone whether our army will confiscate your land, these villagers who want to contract the land will also forcibly do so."

Xu Ji came in front of Master Xue and said with a slight smile.

Seeing Xu Ji's sinister smile, Master Xue couldn't help shivering: "Forget it, as long as the price you pay for the restoration of Liaoying is sincere enough, then you can take the land of our Xue family."

(End of this chapter)