However, compared with the gentry landlords looking for people to replace the forced labor, the problem of hidden households is more difficult to solve. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Because the number of hidden households is simply too large. Even if all the yamen and guards were to enter the local landlord's grange to conduct an inventory, it would take a long time.

But Xie Shen still decided to do it, because if he didn't do it, no one would do it.

In the final analysis, the land problem is a problem that plagues all feudal dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty is no exception.

If this problem can be solved, the Ming National Games will be prosperous.

Fortunately, this inventory is only in Zhili and Shandong, not nationwide. Rao is such a local government and the army of the guard have spent a lot of energy to find out three million hidden households.

That's a staggering number.

With three million people, how much less tax does the imperial court have to collect in a year? How much less conscription?

The fugitive hermits were exempt from forced labor, and the gentry landlords who accepted the hermits had cheap labor and were able to conceal the fact that the population had escaped from the grain tax, each with its own advantages.

But what about the imperial court? Who will bear the losses of the imperial court?

Once the treasury is empty, the Ming court will be struggling. Not only is it difficult to spend the huge military expenses of the border army, but even the basic expenses such as repairing the palace and even the hundreds of officials cannot be paid.

This is an important issue related to the face of the Son of Heaven, and the emperor will naturally be furious if he has no face.

Xie Shen is not an unreasonable person, but he does not intend to compromise on the issue of recluse.

The people who fled their citizenship really had no choice, but if everyone was like this, the household registration system of the Ming Dynasty would exist in name only.

What's more, it is not the hermits themselves who really benefit a lot, but the gentry landlords.

Recluses are cheaper than ordinary people who donate land, after all, giving up land, although nominally means a change of ownership of the land. But in reality, the land ownership is still the original owner's. They only had to pay a small part of the rent to the landlord symbolically.

And the hermit is completely different. They didn't even have a household registration in the local area, and the reason why they were able to survive was because of the protection of the landlord and gentry.

The landlord gentry were not Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the reason why they sheltered them was naturally because they valued cheap labor.

It can be said that this is a kind of deformed symbiotic relationship, which at first glance seems very unreasonable, but in fact it is the most ideal result under the interests of the people.

Xie Shen didn't think that the officials couldn't see this, and the reason why they didn't speak out was the word profit.

The families of these officials are mostly prominent in the local area. The people themselves are the beneficiaries, and of course these officials choose to remain silent and pretend to be confused.

The more this is the case, the more a trend is formed. By the time of the Zhengde Dynasty, this trend had reached the point where it had to be rectified.

Zhu Houzhao saw the report presented by Xie Shen, and his face turned purple for a while.

After holding it for a long time, the Son of Heaven sighed and shook his head again and again: "I can't imagine that my people live so hard. I'm a little ashamed. ”

Xie Shen was slightly surprised. Zhu Houzhao's first reaction was not anger, but lamented that the people's lives are not easy, which is really rare.

As the saying goes, a good ass determines the head, Zhu Houzhao sits in the north and faces the south for the Son of Heaven, and it is naturally the interests of the ruling class that he maintains. That's understandable, and anyone would do it. But it is really not easy for him to think about the people when he is defending the interests of the ruling class.

"Your Majesty, this is not Your Majesty's fault."

Xie Shen's comfort did not make Zhu Houzhao feel better.

"Sir, do you think the conscription system is too strict?"

Xie Shen's heart sank.

It's a hard question to answer.

There is nothing wrong with the conscription system itself being designed to accomplish a huge project.

It's just that some dynasties have more projects and some have fewer dynasty projects, and if there are more conscriptions, there will be public resentment, which is also a normal thing.

But if conscription is abolished, it will be a terrible thing.

Take the matter of dredging the canal as an example, who will do it without conscription? Military households?

Isn't it too much for them to come and dredge the canal now when they are both soldiers and farmers?

Officials of the magistrate's office? How many people are there?

By hiring? How old is the imperial court? It's not enough to dredge the canal, is it?

It is true that there are such things as building palaces and mausoleums for the emperor, but more often than not, they are major projects that are beneficial to the people's livelihood. For example, the canal is dredged, such as the repair of the Great Wall.

Who would dare to say that they didn't benefit from these two things?

Once the conscription is turned into compensation, not to mention the heavy burden on the state, the centripetal force will also be lost extremely quickly.

Therefore, the compulsory forced labor system is a national policy that must not be changed.

"That's what you think, sir?"

Zhu Houzhao was obviously a little confused. Why does Da Ming have so many problems, one after another pops up after dealing with it, as if he is deliberately against him.

"Your Majesty might as well look at it this way, if there is no conscription, there is no Great Wall, no canal. Not only did the people suffer from the raids of the Tatars, but they also had many fewer opportunities to earn a living from the canals. ”

There are some things that Xie Shen can only say to this point.

"Well, that's the truth. But I always felt that there was something wrong with this system. ”

Zhu Houzhao tapped his fingers repeatedly, his eyes full of confusion.

Sometimes being confused is not a bad thing, and it at least proves that the confused person is still thinking.

But now is not the time to be indecisive, Zhu Houzhao needs to show the majesty of a king, only then will the number of fugitives decrease.

"Your Majesty, these three million hermits ......"

Escaping is a serious crime in the Ming Dynasty, and it is punishable by exile. But there are three million hidden households at once, and if they are all strictly enforced according to the law, I am afraid that it will cause public resentment and even turmoil.

As a cabinet scholar, Xie Shen had to think about this issue.

Zhu Houzhao was obviously also hesitant.

As the Son of Heaven, he naturally didn't want to see his people suffer, but it was another matter if his people threatened the Zhu Dynasty.

"Let them enlist in this conscription first, and then send them back to their hometowns, so that the local government will strictly supervise them, and there will be no large-scale escape."

Zhu Houzhao looked a little tired and waved his hand.

Fight back to your home ......

This disposition is already light.

It seems that the Son of Heaven cannot bear to see the people suffer.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Xie Shen arched his hand and said, "But if you want to eradicate this disease, I'm afraid you have to think of a perfect solution." ”

"Is there a way for you, sir?"

"In the humble opinion of the ministers, it is better to set up a system of conscription rotation, and every year the people of each government department will be responsible for the conscription project. Rotate in turn. ”

Xie Shen's idea came from the military system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The government soldiers are rotated to the Beijing division according to the year, so that most of the time the government soldiers can farm and rest, which is very reasonable.

If the forced labor system can also be carried out in accordance with the rotation method, the pressure on the people will be much less, and the incident of escaping nationality is estimated to not happen.

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Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up and said, "This method is good." There are more than a dozen prefectures under the jurisdiction of the first political secretary, so it is indeed a lot less pressure for the people to be forced into labor for more than ten years. ”

In fact, the amount of work has not been reduced, but the people's happiness and satisfaction will be greatly improved, so why not?

"I knew that Mr. must have a way!"

At present, Zhu Houzhao relies on Xie Shen to the point of no return, and he is simply obedient.

"Your Majesty has praised it, and the minister is terrified."

Xie Shen said modestly: "In fact, public opinion can sometimes be relieved, and it does not have to be blocked. Your Majesty's move will only make the people remember your kindness. ”

Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied, quite satisfied.

The seemingly incomparably thorny problem was easily solved under Xie Shen's handling, and he could sit back and relax.

Of course, the dredging of the canal is still very critical at the moment, and Zhu Houzhao does not dare to be too slack, at least he has to hold it on his face, and he has to look like a king.

"By the way, the envoy of Turpan has come to make a pilgrimage, and I am going to announce his visit, so Mr. will also take a look."

Xie Shen's heart sank.

Turpan envoys?

In Xie Shen's impression, Turpan is a harder bone than the Tatars.

Yili divided the Li Khanate, and the rise of the Yarkand Khanate was imminent, what did it mean for Turpan to take the initiative to show goodwill to Daming at this time?

"Obey."

Xie Shen really wanted to see what the people of Turpan were going to do.

......

......

Seeing the Turpan envoy kneeling at his feet, Zhu Houzhao's heart was mixed.

Turpan and Daming fought for Hamiwei several times, and their attitude towards Daming was repeated again and again, which made people tired of it.

Although the Ming Dynasty supported the King of Zhongshun as a puppet to rule Hami, the new King of Zhongshun was a person who could not be supported, and in the early years of Zhengde, he surrendered to the enemy, which also caused Hami to fall into the hands of the Turpan people again.

At that time, Zhu Houzhao was furious and ordered Yang Yiqing to recover Hami at all costs.

Governor Yang did not disappoint His Majesty the Emperor either, not only recovering Hami, but also capturing the Heifeng River and having a stronghold for westward expansion.

The Turpan people still resisted for a while, but in the face of a large number of Ming troops stationed in the camp, their legs and stomachs were still weak, and they finally sent envoys to make a pilgrimage to the Ming Dynasty, which was both a plea and a peace.

Zhu Houzhao didn't think that the people of Turpan were repentant in their hearts. This is just a political manoeuvre, or a delaying tactic.

But even so, Zhu Houzhao still had to meet with the envoys. There is no way, if the Heavenly Empire is in trouble with Fanbang, it will not be a self-deprecating majesty.

The envoy of Turpan bowed and said respectfully: "Your Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I have been ordered by the Khan to come to negotiate peace with Your Majesty. ”

Zhu Houzhao's lips opened slightly, and his lazy tone was full of unquestionable majesty: "Peace? Haven't you been fighting all the time? ”

The envoy was in a cold sweat.

In front of him is a great tomorrow, and if he says that it is not suitable, he will lose his head.

"These are all misunderstandings. The Khan has already disposed of the villain who sows discord, and sincerely wishes to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. ”

After speaking, the Turpan envoy took a step forward with a brocade box in his hand and said, "This is the tribute that the Khan sent me to present to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty." ”

Zhu Houzhao glanced at Zhang Yong, and Eunuch Zhang took a step forward, took the brocade box from the envoy's hand, and respectfully put it on the imperial case.

Xie Shen said in his heart, what can be the tribute offered by Turpan? It won't be raisins......

When Zhang Yong opened the brocade box, Xie Shen knew that he was too careful.

A small, transparent cup comes into view.

"His Majesty Emperor Daming, this is a luminous cup, which can shine in the dark, and it is a gift from the Khan to His Majesty the Emperor. May Turpan and Daming Bing release their previous suspicions. ”

Zhu Houzhao likes this kind of novelty object the most, and when he was still the prince, he ordered to collect left and right, and whoever gave more would get Zhu Houzhao's attention.

Therefore, the Eight Tigers competed to collect rare treasures, and they fought for favors.

"Hmm..." Zhu Houzhao pursed his lips, subconsciously wanting to reward the person who offered the treasure.

But he suddenly thought that this person was an envoy sent by the Turpan Khan, and he had a strong political meaning.

"Since you want to negotiate peace, you must show sincerity, you khans don't think that a cup can satisfy me, do you?"

The Turpan envoy secretly complained in his heart, and said in his heart, what do you want, this luminous cup is priceless.

Zhu Houzhao tapped his fingers repeatedly, but he never spoke.

The envoy's heart was pounding, and he almost collapsed.

Where have the envoys of Fanbang seen such a big scene, and it is normal for them to be cowardly in the face of the majesty of the Son of Heaven.

"I want to send a governor to Turpan, I don't know if your khan is willing."

At this time, not only the Turpan envoys, but also Xie Shen were very surprised.

His Majesty the Emperor has suddenly opened his mind.

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty... I can't be the master of this. ”

The envoy said in embarrassment.

"It doesn't matter, you can bring a message to your Khan, if he agrees, I will be willing to accept your plea. If you don't want to ......"

Zhu Houzhao's gaze suddenly turned cold: "I will send troops to level Turpan." ”

If it had been placed three years ago, Zhu Houzhao would not have believed that the Daming border army could have such combat effectiveness.

But as the flintlock pistol shined in actual combat, he firmly believed that the Ming army must be invincible.

"Your Majesty, I will definitely bring your words to the Khan."

"Okay, let's go down."

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, and the Turpan envoy immediately trembled and retreated.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Oh? What's the joy? ”

Zhu Houzhao was surprised.

Xie Shen paused and said, "Your Majesty, the fact that the envoys from Turpan came to make the pilgrimage shows that they are already afraid. No matter whether Your Majesty sends troops or not, they will definitely accept this softness. ”

The Ming Dynasty really had little influence in the Western Regions, and even west of Jiayuguan basically had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty. If you can take this opportunity to take Turpan, it is equivalent to occupying a place in the Western Regions, and it is not whimsical to think about the Western Regions.

"Well, that's what I mean."

The reason why Zhu Houzhao is so strong is that he is sure that the people of Turpan will definitely give in. As long as the people of Turpan are soft, and the Ming Dynasty sends a governor, they can basically take over and control Turpan and control Hami back then is a routine.

"The minister has a suggestion that Gansu and other guard troops can be led to the Western Regions to reclaim the land owned by the military households. In this way, in the next few decades, the influence of the Ming Dynasty on the Western Regions will increase greatly. ”

In the final analysis, influence is still the strength of the look.

Strength is divided into hard power and soft power. Hard power refers to the combat effectiveness of the army, and soft power refers to culture.

In Xie Shen's view, it is much more reliable to assimilate these states with culture than to conquer them by force.

If you want to export culture, you must first increase the proportion of the Han population in the Western Regions, and reclamation is the best policy.

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