When the village chief of your village (Li Zheng) asks you to work, you can tell him that Lao Tzu handed over the "silk" very angrily, and you don't have to work this year, although the village chief is older than you, you can't say anything, you can only walk away in a gray way, to the next house, if this is still the case, the village chief can only say helplessly: "Now that the standard of living has improved, people are lazy." ”

Some historians say that the rulers exploited the common people in disguise, but when we look at the problem from a critical point of view, we should not forget to look at the problem from another angle. The implementation of silk instead of service, for the imperial court, when there is nothing to do, it can increase financial revenue, and when there is something, it can also allow the common people to serve in labor; For the common people, if they don't want to do labor, they should hand over the silk, and if they want to do it, they should go to work.

There is no doubt that the silk service is a historical progress. In this way, the lives of ordinary people are guaranteed, as long as they do not encounter any major natural disasters (drought, floods, locust plagues), they will be busy all year round, and their lives will be repaid, cheering themselves up every morning, working hard, working actively, and striving to become well-off as soon as possible.

Relatively speaking, the life of an official is much better than that of the common people, no matter what era, civil servants are the preferred high-paying jobs, as long as they do not meet a boss like Zhu Yuanzhang, civil servants are not at high risk.

In the Tang Dynasty, the treatment of officials was very high, inheriting the system of the Sui Dynasty, and the officials were (2) ☆ long (2) ☆ wind (2) ☆ wen (2) ☆ learning, ≠.≥ x.n● et would grant land, and whether it was retired or dead, the land government would not take it back, and could be passed on to children and grandchildren as Yongye Tian.

From the first rank of the big staff down to the ninth grade sesame official gradually decreased. When the first product was awarded one hundred and sixty tilts, it was only two hectares to the ninth grade. Although the official is small and the land is small, it is enough to settle down. Glory to the ancestors, so generation after generation of scholars, one after another, bravely marched forward, to the college entrance examination single-plank bridge (ancient imperial examination).

At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, in order to show his reward for the founding heroes, Li Yuan gave some meritorious generals land, called "Tiantian", such as Li Yuan's iron buddy Pei Lian. Thousands of acres of fertile land were given.

Both the granting of land and the granting of land are the private land of the officials and landlords, and they will never be recovered, but you must know that the land is limited, and the officials are increasing year by year, and later the government has less and less land, and most of them have become the private land of the landlords, and the land equalization system has collapsed.

But this is all a later story, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, when the uniform land system was implemented. Li Yuan is still very confident, and he believes that this system can ease class contradictions, help the country recuperate, and help the people live and work in peace and contentment. To live a stable and peaceful life again, it seems to be the case. Of course, the drawbacks in the real implementation of the Junda system cannot be ignored.

In the provinces where we have today. If there is more land and less population, each person will have more land. For example, the Northeast; Some provinces have less land and more population. The land allocated to each person is very small, perhaps less than half of Heilongjiang, such as the Central Plains provinces and the southeastern coastal provinces. In the Tang Dynasty, this also happened, although the geographical location is not the same as now, but the situation is similar, in the Tang Dynasty both provinces have their proper nouns, like Zhejiang Province called "Narrow Township", like Heilongjiang Province called "Wide Township".

The government stipulates that 100 acres of land will be granted to each ding, but in the "narrow township", often less than 100 acres of land is granted per ding, and even half of the prescribed land cannot be granted, not because they do not want to grant, but there is really no land, so the government encourages the population of the "narrow township" to transfer to the "wide township", and proposes a corresponding incentive policy, which is a bit similar to the Qing Dynasty's "breaking through the eastern part of the country". …

At that time, it was stipulated that those who voluntarily moved from "narrow townships" to "wide townships" should go more than 300 miles from their place of residence.

Exemption from taxes for one year; If you are 1,000 miles away from your place of residence, you will be exempt from paying taxes for three years. This is the situation of "narrow townships", so can the situation of "wide townships" be better than that of "narrow townships"? After all, the population of "Kuanxiang" is small and there is a lot of land, and the government also stipulates that peasant households in "Kuanxiang" can reclaim their own land, and it does not matter if it exceeds 100 mu; as long as you report to the governor, the land will belong to you.

In the early days, the situation of "Kuanxiang" was indeed much better than that of "Narrow Township", not only did all the 100 mu of land be paid, but also allowed to reclaim the land and cultivate it by itself, but in the later period, with the development of the equalization system, even in the "Kuanxiang", there was a shortage of land.

There is also a shortage of Yongye land allocated by officials, and what is lacking is not one acre or two acres, and the lack of more than half is normal, which can be understood, and the high-paid group of civil servants is subject to such treatment, not to mention ordinary people? The main reason is that the land controlled by the imperial court at that time was not unlimited, it was limited, and sooner or later there would be a day when it would be finished, and it was not enough, what should I do?

As a result, both officials and the common people of "narrow townships" and "wide townships" have encountered a shortage of land grants. According to the analysis of existing historical materials, at that time, there was still a lot of land in the hands of the clans, which were not under the control of the imperial court at all, and had no right to control their use.

It is forbidden to buy and sell privately, which is a crime, and the light ones will be spanked, and the heavy ones will be imprisoned; Although Yongye Tian became his own private property, it was not allowed to buy and sell privately, and if there were special circumstances to move to other places, it had to go through a very strict set of procedures before it could be bought and sold.

The amount of the state's annual income depends on the amount of land controlled by the state, if the land is bought by the family or officials, who to find to collect taxes (the family is often an official, and the official does not pay taxes), Li Yuan does not want to fail in the competition for land with others, and in order to ensure that there is a sufficient amount of tax every year, Li Yuan cannot fail.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, these situations were still implemented very well, and later with the passage of time, economic progress, the development of the land equalization system, the peasants' land became less and less, the procedures for land sales became less complicated, and the punishment was not strict. The farmers sold their land to tide over the difficulties. As a result, the phenomenon of land annexation has become more and more serious.

At the same time, the rent adjustment system has not been adjusted with the trend of the equalization system. If 100 mu of land per year can make the common people live very well, they can barely get by by getting 50 mu of land in the "wide township", but in the "narrow township" they only get 20 mu of land, and even paying taxes is not enough, let alone how to live.

As a result, the population of the "narrow township" has moved to the "wide township", but slowly it will be found that the land of the "wide township" is not enough. The "wide townships" have also become "narrow townships," and the peasants cannot live without land, and the system of equalizing land and adjusting rents and mediocrity will inevitably come to an end. If the government military system is the economic pillar of the Tang Dynasty, the government military system will be said to be the military pillar of the Tang Dynasty.

The government military system is a system in which the army is prepared for the people and the militia is integrated, and it is developed on the basis of the uniform field system. Soldiers serve the people in peacetime and soldiers in wartime, and they bring their own weapons, food, armor, and clothing, which greatly reduces government expenditures. The horses that the cavalry rode were bought by the government at their own expense. …

This reminds me of the ancient Xiongnu, Turkic, Mongol, Jurchen and other horse peoples, and the system they practiced was the integration of military and government. The military system is also an administrative system, and if you want to talk about war, the guys. Ride a horse and do it. There is no ambiguity at all, and they don't need the state to take a penny to feed them. When they started fighting, they were extremely brave, and all the people were soldiers.

When they are not fighting, they graze sheep on the grassland and carry out agricultural production, and they also implement the system of integrating the militia, the difference is that they implement the whole people are soldiers, while the government military system is to select strong physique, brave character, and skilled archers and horses from the peasant households to organize an army with strong combat effectiveness.

It is not difficult to understand the emergence of the government and military system in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Western Wei Dynasty, which are also ethnic minorities in northern China, and the Xianbei people who later became the Manchus in the Central Plains have similarities.

After the Manchus settled in the Central Plains, they also brought their Eight Banners system into the Central Plains, imitating the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia, and established the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty. After the Xianbei people seized northern China, they integrated the system they practiced on the grassland with the living habits of the people in the Central Plains and other factors, and created a system called the military system

Let's use a person Li Si to more vividly illustrate the military system of the Tang Dynasty.

Let's assume that Li Si lived in the Tang Dynasty, and just before the government military system was replaced by the conscription system (during the time of Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, the government military system was gradually replaced by the conscription system).

Suppose Li Si lives in Chang'an, Chang'an is a very good place where both the Juntian system and the government military system are implemented, although he lives in Chang'an, although he is also surnamed Li, but Li Si is not a relative of the emperor, nor is he a high-ranking official, just a flat-headed common man.

It is said that when Li Si's grandfather was at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Si's grandfather used to follow Li Er, don't get me wrong, this Li Er is not Li Si's second brother, but the second son of Li Yuan we mentioned earlier, Li Shimin, the king of Qin.

Li Si's grandfather was originally a farmer, with no background, no background, and no money, so he could only be a farmer all the time, and he didn't dare to offend people honestly, and paid taxes to the government every year (note that it was the Sui Dynasty government at that time).

Later, the world was in turmoil, bandits were rampant, Li Si's grandfather was robbed, and then a natural disaster occurred, Li Si's grandfather had no food, Yang Guang guarded the warehouse full of food and did not take it out to save people, how could Li Si's grandfather live?

So at the instigation of his fellow villagers, Li Si's grandfather, who didn't even dare to kill a chicken, picked up a hoe and joined the ranks of the bandits, in fact, just to have enough to eat, and later Li Yuan entered the Guanzhong, and the bandits heard that Li Yuan's army was very benevolent and righteous, neither killing nor killing prisoners, and having food, so they surrendered to Li Yuan one after another, including Li Si's grandfather.

Li Si's grandfather was assigned to Li Shimin's team, and followed Li Shimin's expedition to the west, although he did not make any great achievements, his life was saved, and when he attacked Luoyang, Li Shimin created a special force, called the Xuanjia Army, and Li Si's grandfather also participated in the selection, but unfortunately the primary election was brushed down, because he was too old and not strong.

You must know that the soldiers in the Xuanjia Army are all strong men in a hundred, they must be skilled in bows and horses, brave in battle, ordinary people can't get in, like Grandpa Li Si, who has been injured on the battlefield a few times, has been seriously injured, don't think about it.

The Xuanjia Army was led by Qin Shubao (Qin Qiong is also), Cheng Zhijie (Cheng Biting Jin is also), Wei Chi Jingde (Wei Chi Gong is also), Zhai Changsun (this reputation is not as good as the previous three, and he was also a brave general, and he was later killed in battle) and other four people. Just listening to these officers, you can understand what kind of army the Xuanjia Army is.

Every time Li Shimin went to battle, he led the Xuanjia army to rush to the front. Seeing the strength of the Xuanjia army, the enemy often surrendered to the wind. Running away, a few unknown people tried to resist, and they also collapsed immediately after a round of charges by the Xuanjia Army. …

Therefore, the Xuanjia Army also went down in history along with Li Shimin's name.

Now let's look back at Grandpa Li Si, and then Grandpa Li Si also followed other generals to fight the Turks, and in the seventh year of Wude, the Tang Dynasty has basically won a decisive victory in the war to unify the world, and a few people who are not afraid of death are still carrying it there, and it is a matter of time before they are eliminated.

Taiping was originally set by the general, and the general was not allowed to see the peace!

The country is stable. The soldiers were also unemployed, and Li Yuan ordered hundreds of thousands of troops to be unarmed and return to heaven, including Li Si's grandfather.

But for the sake of serving the country for so many years, there is no merit and hard work, Li Yuan is still very interesting, although Grandpa Li Si is not very brave in battle, has not made great contributions, and has not become a big officer. On the basis of the country's implementation of the equalization system, a large group of unemployed soldiers such as Grandpa Li Si. It was designated by Li Yuan personally to be allocated to a place where the land is fertile, and the land is fully distributed, and not a single mu can be missing.

Grandpa Li Si got one hundred and one acres of land and twenty acres of Yongye land. Eighty acres of land are divided into fields, and one acre is used as a homestead, which is used to build a house.

After that, Grandpa Li Si left the swords, guns, swords, halberds, axes, and forks. Get rid of the life of licking blood on the knife edge, and pick up the hoe again after a long absence. Do it every day at sunrise and rest at sunset. Seeing the shadow of swords and swords, seeing rivers of blood, and seeing corpses all over the ground, Grandpa Li Si said: "Happiness is to live in peace and stability, without war, without coldness, without killing." ”

An ordinary old man who has experienced the world has witnessed a troubled era with his life, and then said these words from the heart, although the words are ordinary, they are condensed by countless tears and countless blood.

On a quiet night, Grandpa Li passed away quietly.

Li Si was still young at that time, very sad, crying, crying and fainting several times, the death of his grandfather left a deep imprint on Li Si's young heart, and later saw his comrades die one by one on the battlefield, he was not crying, because the inevitable occurrence of the world, the world can only choose to be strong.

Because Li Si's grandfather, who was a low-level officer in the army, returned to the local area and became the village chief (village or lizheng), the village chief can be exempt from taxes, and you don't have to pay anything for rent and transfer, as long as you serve the country well. Later, after Li Si's grandfather died, Li Si's father took over the burden of the village chief and continued to be tax-free.

After decades of tax exemption, not a single acre of land is missing, and he is the village head, the living standard of Li Si's family has improved linearly, and it has reached the well-off level at that time.

History spins like a wheel, and time flows like a river.

This year, Li Si was twenty-one years old, according to the regulations of the imperial court, this year is another year for the selection of government soldiers, the Tang Dynasty stipulates that the government soldiers are selected every three years, called "picking", three years ago Li was forty-eight years old and had not yet reached the age of Cheng Ding, so he did not participate in the selection (the Tang Dynasty stipulated that men were twenty-one years old Cheng Ding).

When it came to the selection day, the young men who dreamed of being soldiers and wearing military uniforms like Li Si were all gathered in the places notified in advance, you must know that it is not that you can become a soldier as you wish, but after strict selection.

The order of selection depends on the person, how tall he is, how much he weighs, and whether he can ride a horse (this is not a special one, he can be an infantry if he can't ride a horse, and he can also train later).

You can't do this, it's only ninety pounds, and the level is too low; You can't do this either, it's only 1.5 meters, don't you just fly with a kick? What, if your family has money, it won't work, it's to go to war, not to travel. This kind of ridiculous thing often happens at the selection site, there is no way, who makes the profession of a soldier so majestic and attractive? (In some phases of military and bandit integration, soldiers are also the target of scolding)

Don't worry about this Li Si, a dignified eight-foot (184 cm) man, weighing 90 kilograms, looking at the tiger's back and bear's waist, looking at the fierce gods and evil gods in front, a typical war talent like Wei Chigong, Li Si has passed the first level, don't worry, this is not over, there is still a second level waiting there.

The second level depends on whose strength is greater, Li Si has been working in the field since he was a child, nothing else, there is brute strength, as soon as he got on the field, he lifted the heaviest stone, and wanted to shake it twice, but the examiner hurriedly stopped, "Okay, you have passed", in fact, he was afraid, Li Si's hand was loosened, and the stone flew out and smashed himself.

The third level is to see who has money among the people with great strength, and if the economic conditions are not good, they will not be able to be soldiers.

The fourth level, more than anyone's brothers, this regulation is very reasonable, if there is such a son in the family, on the battlefield, what happened, what should the old people in the family do? Li Sijia has eight brothers, Li Si ranks fourth, and Li Si has passed.

After the assessment of the above four levels, Li Si won gloriously and became a government soldier, and was incorporated into the twelve guards of the forbidden army, also called "guard", and his family's household registration book will be marked with the word "guard" after Li Si's name. Those teenagers who have the dream of becoming a soldier but have not come true, do not need to be discouraged, do not be sad, and learn to comfort themselves with "Saiong lost his horse, and he knew that it was not a blessing", but the fact is that sometimes it is really "Saiong lost his horse, and he knows whether he is a blessing?" (To be continued......)