readx; Even the Jurchens couldn't figure out where Mao Wenlong's mysterious army was, and it was even more impossible for Zhu Youzhen, who was thousands of miles away, to know. The pen is www.biquge.info∈ ↗ a top novel, so although he remembers this strange army, he can only put it behind him for the time being and concentrate on the work in front of him. Taking advantage of the temporary stationing in Luoyang and less interference from the imperial court officials, Zhu Youzhen began to launch a crucial big move: reforming the military system.

This reform began with rewarding meritorious soldiers. Since Zhu Youzhen ascended the throne, there have been major battles one after another across the country. In particular, the Qin soldiers he brought out from Shaanxi have successively experienced the pacification of the eunuch rebellion, the withdrawal of troops from Liaodong, the pacification of the southwest, the defense of the Beijing Division, and the ongoing Central Plains War, which can be described as a great success.

However, due to the financial constraints of the imperial court, Zhu Youzhen has not rewarded meritorious soldiers decently. If you don't reward your merits, it will definitely be a major blow to the morale of the army, so this matter can't be dragged on any longer, otherwise even if the Qin soldiers he brought out single-handedly, they will inevitably complain, which will affect their combat effectiveness and even deviate from morality.

It just so happens that now that Luoyang has been recovered, most of Zhu Changxun's property has been taken over, so that Zhu Youzhen has enough confidence. He first issued an edict announcing that all soldiers who participated in all the battles after he ascended the throne would be given a piece of land, and the specific number of acres would be determined according to their military exploits. The land was allocated from the Huangzhuang, which is now mainly distributed in the two provinces of Beizhili and Henan, and the recipients can not only directly obtain the rewarded land, but also exchange land in their own hometown, and can also directly discount it at a higher price than the market price.

There are several benefits to this policy:

First, the reward is extremely heavy, and it is a great incentive for meritorious soldiers. In the consciousness of people in this era, nothing is more precious than land, because land can be passed down from generation to generation, harvested every year, and exempt soldiers from trouble. In fact, not to mention this era, even in the previous life, a very important reason why New China was greatly supported by the people was that land reform was carried out, so that the people obtained land, and the people had a place to live and live.

According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, the army belonged to the military household, and since the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the land has not increased. Later, the wind of annexation rose, and the land of many military households was seized by skill, and military households were forced to abandon their households and flee for their livelihood, which directly led to the plummeting combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty army. With this lesson from the past, Zhu Youzhen could not help but attach great importance to the land issue of the soldiers.

According to the different merits, Zhu Youzhen divided the land into four levels: five acres, twenty acres, one hundred acres, and one hundred hectares. For the old Qin soldiers who fought the most, basically everyone can get at least five acres of reward. Those who kill more than five enemies can get 20 acres of land.

It must be known that in the Ming Dynasty, the total of the country's civilian land and military land was about 8 million hectares, that is, 800 million mu; The total population of the country in this era was counted once during the Taichang period, which was more than 50 million. However, due to the need to pay the "ding fu", that is, the poll tax, there is a large number of population concealment. Zhu Youzhen once discussed this issue with his cabinet ministers, and according to Qian Longxi's judgment, the actual population of the whole country is at least 100 million or more, otherwise it is impossible to consume so much grain every year.

According to this calculation, the per capita cultivated land in the Ming Dynasty was at most eight acres per person. Then the reward of twenty acres of land is very heavy, basically doubling the number of cultivated land for a family. Even according to the market price, the average per mu of land is 15 taels of silver, and 20 acres of land is 300 taels. For ordinary farmers, three hundred taels of silver is a huge wealth that cannot be spent in a lifetime.

As for the officers who are responsible for directing the operation, they can receive a heavy reward of 100 acres. And Xie Sheng, Hao Yongzhong, Li Dingguo, and Li Laiheng, the generals from the Qin army, because of their outstanding military achievements, obtained 100 hectares of fertile land, that is, 10,000 acres of land. Of course, this reward is extremely heavy, but Zhu Youzhen thinks that they fully deserve it.

Second, all the fields rewarded came from the Imperial Village, and to put it bluntly, it was confiscated feudal fields. Zhu Changxun has more than 50,000 hectares of land in Henan, that is, more than 5 million mu of land, and the total number of rewarded soldiers is less than 100,000, so it is almost enough to fill in the land of King Fu. What's more, Zhu Youzhen also deposed Zhu Zhishu, the king of Shu, and broke the line of the king of Shu by the way. The domain of the king of Shu is naturally also owned by the royal family, although it is not as much as Zhu Changxun, at least there are 10,000 or 20,000 hectares.

These lands are directly owned by the imperial family, and to put it bluntly, they are the emperor's private money, which can be spent as much as they want, and the courtiers have no right to dispose of their beaks. Of course, this is a huge fortune, and it is impossible to say that Zhu Youzhen is not distressed at all. However, compared with the decline of the society and the change of ownership, Zhu Youzhen would rather take the initiative to come to the "uniform field". The soldiers who obtained the land will naturally be more loyal to the imperial court, because when they defend the imperial court, they are equivalent to defending their homeland.

Third, Zhu Youzhen replaced the title and shadow reward with a land reward. According to the rules of the past, if you have made military merits, the big one can be knighted, and the small one can also attack the official. However, Zhu Youzhen was extremely disgusted with this system, because this system undoubtedly made the descendants of meritorious heroes lie on the merits of their ancestors and could get something for nothing. In addition to being a huge financial burden on the imperial court, it will also cause the phenomenon that one generation is inferior to the next. The low combat effectiveness of the army at the end of the Ming Dynasty has a lot to do with this.

Of course, Zhu Youzhen can't rashly abolish the title system, because this system has been followed for thousands of years, and it is not something that can be changed. So he started from a small scale, and before he left Beijing, he summoned Xie Sheng, Hao Yongzhong, Li Dingguo, and Li Laiheng, and clearly told them that even if they made great achievements, they would only be rewarded, not knighted, and future generations would not be able to inherit official positions.

Afraid that a few of them would not be able to turn this corner, Zhu Youzhen can be said to know with reason and emotion, and gave them many examples of descendants attacking the lord and attacking the official, resulting in the destruction of the family and the interruption of the incense, and finally said sincerely: "There are thousands of military attaches in the Ming Dynasty, but the few of you I can rely on the most, because your merits are all shot with a knife." If I reuse those incompetent generals who attack the lords and officials, will you accept it?

"Of course, everyone thinks about their children and grandchildren. Dingguo and Laiheng don't have families yet, but they will definitely have them in the future. However, if you are really good for your children and grandchildren, you must let them have their own skills, instead of eating the old books of their predecessors and sitting on empty seats. As the saying goes, Lao Tzu is a hero, do you have the confidence to train your children well, so that they can become the pillars of the country with real talents? ”

The four generals hurriedly bowed together and said, "The Holy One is far-sighted, and the ministers must obey the Holy Decree!" ”

Zhu Youzhen said with a wry smile: "There will be a long time in the future, I hope you will be consistent in your words and deeds, and do what you say!" ”