In late August, Yang Xi returned to Ningqin County (Huayin City, Shaanxi) with his reward, which was in the midst of the autumn harvest.

Ningqin County is located at the northern foot of Huashan Mountain, and Yang Xi can see the majestic Huayue and the endless corn fields as far as the eye can see, and many farmers are bending down to harvest in the fields.

Yang Xi couldn't help but be overjoyed when he saw this:

"Fortunately, this place has not been plagued by the Six Nations group of thieves."

At this time, there was also an old pavilion chief with gray sideburns on the side of the road, and saw Yang Xi wearing brocade clothes, riding a big horse, full of majesty, and there were three cars behind him.

The front car was closed, leaving only a small window, also covered with a curtain, and seeing that there were people sitting in the posture, the horses driving were actually the same plain color, and behind were two heavy carts pulled by pack horses, and I don't know what they were loaded.

Now that the chaos is over, the pass is withered, and there are not many people who can take a few cars and horses of the same color to travel through the countryside, and the old pavilion chief vigilantly stepped forward to check, wanting to ask which noble person it was, but when he got closer, he couldn't help but smile after being slightly stunned:

"Who should I be, isn't this Uncle Yang in Shanyang!"

Yang Xi is the eldest in the family, so he is called uncle, he doesn't support the big, and dismounts to greet the old pavilion chief: "Wu Pavilion chief, it's Yang Xi who is back." ”

Their home is in this pavilion, every time they enter the county town to catch the market, they often pass by from this place to rest, beg for a bowl of water to drink, and the pavilion chief is acquainted.

Wu Tingchang circled around Yang Xi, and was amazed: "Uncle Yang, when you left, you were just a little princess, and the little Wu Chang is now a nobleman!" ”

In August, with the Northern Expeditionary Army completely controlling Guanzhong, the Ningqin people, who had been called up to fight against it but surrendered en masse, returned to their hometowns one after another to help their families collect grain. However, Yang Xi, who took the lead in surrendering, did not return for a long time, and the people of Ningqin County speculated that he must have been left in Xianyang by the Marquis of Wuzhong and added an official to the knighthood.

Pavilion Chief Wu invited Yang Xi to rest in the pergola next to the pavilion, and asked him, "Who has he been promoted?" ”

Yang Xi smiled: "Bus." “

Wu Pavilion Chang showed envy: "It's amazing, the old man is almost sixty, and he has been in many wars, and he is just an official doctor." ”

After all, after a hundred years of ploughing and warfare, in Guanzhong, the general title is high, and sometimes any old farmer in the field can also show the title of "doctor".

Wu Tingchang poured a bowl of water for Yang Xi: "Who is the official now?" “

"The cavalry is long." Yang Xi was inevitably a little proud in his eyes, in the Battle of Xihe, although they had left the Xiangjia, Yang Xi relied on the merits accumulated in the previous few small battles, and the beheading of Ying was enough to be promoted.

Wu Tingchang cocked his thumb: "The rate of riding is long, which is equivalent to Sima of an apprentice, and if you make some contributions, it is difficult to say that you can go back to Ning Qin to be a county lieutenant." “

Yang Xi hurriedly said that he was young and qualified to be a county lieutenant, but in his eyes, there was already some longing.

Chief Wu asked about the things that the people in the county were most concerned about: "The rest of the soldiers have all returned to their hometowns, and they are all preaching in the county how you took the lead in surrendering to Cheng and beating the bandits of the Six Nations in the West River, why did you return so late?" “

Yang Xi was young, thin-faced, hesitant, and a little embarrassed, but his eyes glanced at the two horses drawn by the horses.

Pavilion Chief Wu showed an expression of "I understand" and said with a smile: "I heard people from Xianyang say that a few days ago, the regent held a wedding banquet for 10,000 meritorious soldiers and 10,000 palace people in Afang Palace, could it be that you are also among them?" “

"I'm here." Yang Xi bowed his head, although he was not the old department of the Northern Expeditionary Army, but he was a typical example of the former Qin army who took the lead in surrendering, so he had to participate in it and return with a beauty.

"The bride in the car? Why don't you call out and meet the villagers? ”

Yang Xi seemed to have some concerns, hesitated, and refused: "The bride is ugly, so she doesn't have to come out." ”

After changing the past, the pavilion chiefs and pavilion guards must have coaxed and teased this little brother, but now that Yang Xi has become a high-ranking official, they don't dare to be embarrassed, but a pavilion pawn asked curiously, what did Marquis Wu Zhong say at the wedding banquet?

Speaking of this, Yang Xi was energetic, he sat in the front row that day, Wu Zhonghou's words, he heard it clearly, so he sat upright, put on the posture of Wu Zhonghou, coughed and said:

"Wu Zhonghou said, there are rules in the world, the sky is above, the earth is below, the four seasons of the year, it is also divided into yin and yang, the cattle and horses in the circle, the birds and beasts in the mountains, then the male and female, and finally the human being, divided into male and female......"

"Therefore, the love of men and women is the real love of heaven and earth, and the great desire of people, even if it is forbidden by the law, cannot be changed!"

Hearing this, everyone in the pavilion laughed: "Marquis Wu Zhonghou is telling the truth. “

Yang Xi continued: "Therefore, the ancestors of the past dynasties such as dedication and filial piety, although they often had private concubines, but only the number was appropriate, there were only a few concubines, only a few palace maids, there were no women in the palace, there were very few widowers in the world, and men and women did not lose their time, so the people of Qin became more and more prosperous, reaching tens of millions. “

These were originally the words in "Mozi Resignation", but they were changed and used by Heifu.

"But now the puppet emperor Hu Hai is insatiable, so that in the Qin Palace, there are thousands of beauties in the court, and there are thousands of palace maids in Yongxiang, all of whom are women of appropriate age, lonely and helpless."

"The Great Qin Decree clearly says: 'If a woman does not marry at the age of sixteen, her parents are guilty, and her endowment will be doubled', and 'If a man does not marry at twenty, his parents will be guilty, and he will be given twice the endowment.'" On the one hand, he asked the people to marry as soon as possible, and on the other hand, he left tens of thousands of women in the palace vacant to serve one person, which forced the people to break the law. As a result, there are many men and few women in the people, and the marriage between men and women is lost, and it is difficult for the people to grow......"

Many bachelors in the folk can't find a wife, there are complicated reasons, but it's good, they were all pushed to Hu Hai by the black husband.

But this practice of setting up a target for everyone to hit has won the approval of most single dogs: I am single, and I blame Hu Hai!

If you are a smart person, you can hear that there is a secret criticism of Qin Shi Huang for being too selfish.

It is the Marquis of Wu Zhong, who is generous and selfless, forbids his own petty desires, and satisfies the great desires of tens of thousands of people!

"Therefore, today, the daughters of the Marquis of Wuzhong released the palace and married the unmarried heroes of the Northern Expedition, which is in line with the way of heaven and earth, in line with the desires of men and women, so that the people of the world can reproduce more children and grandchildren!"

After listening to Yang Xi's retelling, everyone from the chief of the Wu Pavilion to the pavilion soldiers in this small pavilion nodded: "Marquis Wu Zhong is indeed close to the people, and his speech is really easy to understand!" ”

But I also have some disapproval in my heart, these things are beautiful to those so-called "meritorious soldiers", but what does this have to do with them and most of the old Qin people?

"It's more than that."

Yang Xi lowered his voice and said to everyone: "There is one thing, the order of the government will only arrive in September, so I will tell the second and third sons first." ”

"Marquis Wu Zhonghou also said that Hu Hai has levied several oral levies, so he will not levy them again this year, and the families who have not paid enough before and have been ordered to serve on behalf of the levies can also hand over the levy orders to the government and write them off! And from the first month of the next year (October of the summer calendar). All children under the age of 7 and under the age of 15 need to pay an annual oral fee, which is halved from before, only 10 yuan! “

At this time, everyone no longer had anything to do with themselves, and they all let out a burst of exclamation: "This is true!" “

There were many kinds of taxes in the Qin Dynasty, and the oral tax was particularly important, and the law stipulated that those who were over 15 years old should pay money, and adults should pay 40 yuan per year, and children and teenagers between the ages of three and 17 would be 20 yuan per year.

To put it simply, it is the poll tax, the so-called "head will be constricted, and it will be lost to the Shaofu". The oral endowment is an important source of income for the Shaofu, and this money is specially used to repair the palace and govern the treasury, soldiers, chariots and horses.

Don't look at the lack of money, but for the peasants who are satisfied with self-sufficiency, they must first exchange the grain for money, and then pay the oral tax, and then the merchants or the government who collect the grain in the middle will take advantage of the difference.

And what's worse is that although theoretically the oral levy is only collected once a year, from 33 years later, after the Qin Dynasty's finances were gradually dragged down by the four major levies and internal large-scale construction, in order to maintain revenue and expenditure, it could only rely on repeated increases.

After Hu Hai came to power, in order to deal with the war in the south and the rebellion in the east, the levy had reached a crazy state, and in the first year of the second reign alone, he was levied four times......

In every place, there are rich Lu You and poor Lu Zuo, but the mouth is the same, regardless of rich or poor.

The government has repeatedly imposed levies, and there is no levy on the lives of the rich, and the families of the Chinese can barely cope with it, but the poor and lowly people can't stand it. In some places, there have even been human tragedies in which poor people have killed their children and drowned in the fields because they can't afford to pay their mouths......

At that time, there was a nursery rhyme in Guanzhong: "If the water is not washed, the mouth is raised!" “

After more than a year, the people's grievances have not been light, which is also the reason why no one in the local area has pitied him after the fall of Huhai, but most of them have obeyed the regency government with peace of mind.

But now, Marquis Wu Zhong has changed the evil policies of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao, not only promising not to increase the levy this year, but also to levy it only once in accordance with the law in the coming year, and to halve the children's oral endowment......

If it is said that letting the palace maid marry is just to share the benefits to the heroes and soldiers of the Northern Expedition, then this measure, like the rent reduction and burning coupons, is to solidify the people of Zepi and give benefits to the people of the late Qin!

Reproduction is human nature, who doesn't want to have a full house of children and grandchildren?

Yang Xi didn't know that in this regard, Heifu and Zhang Cang had some calculations: "The children's money was originally used to govern the palace and raise a huge population of Shaofu industry, but now that the palace is empty, this money can be reduced slightly." With this order, I don't know how many drowning babies will be lost in the field, and on average, how many more will be added each year? “

In terms of policy to encourage fertility and increase the population of the world, this is something that Heifu will start planning from now on, the Qin Dynasty can sweep the surrounding four realms, but it is difficult to defend it, to a large extent, the population is not enough to support large-scale colonization, such as today's bandang, how many lives have been lost, and how many years will it take to recover.

After Yang Xi left, Wu Tingchang chewed on the news he heard, in addition to reducing the children's oral endowment, Wu Zhonghou will also promulgate another good policy:

"The old man who is over 60 years old in the Lilu is not only exempted from his oral endowment, but also gives one cloth horse every year, and two horses over 70 years old......"

He will turn sixty next year......

The perception of the new government gradually developed a slight favor from the sidelines.

At this time, Pavilion Chief Wu's nephew spat on Yang Xi's distant back.

"Isn't it just a general? What is he proud of! “

Wu Tingchang slapped his nephew hard! Scolded:

"It's true that Yang Xi took the lead in surrendering, but he saved the lives of Ning Qin's children by this, and took them to fight against the bandits of the Six Kingdoms in the West River, where were you at that time? Yes! ”

His nephew looked confused: "Uncle, haven't you also scolded together?" “

"Nonsense!"

Wu Tingchang slapped him again, and his words were stern:

"The reason why Ning Qin is still peaceful, he has not been slaughtered by the Six Kingdoms, Yang Xi and others are also meritorious, who dares to chew his tongue, Hugh said that you are my nephew, even if it is his own son, the pavilion chief will personally escort him to see the official and accuse him of slandering the hero!"

……

PS: Sorry for being late, the punctuation hasn't been changed, slow down and leave a message.