On the fifth day of Jiangning, Zhao Jiaren held a meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Zhao Jiaren asked his fellow ministers, "Do you think that Wenzhang collects taxes on those landlords who abandon their land, and the facts are clear?" ”

No one spoke. Zhao Jiaren's gaze swept over the faces of the opponents, and he saw that they were all tightly closed, and did not respond in the slightest. If they had had the opportunity to object, they would have probably begun to question it long ago. At this moment, Mei Youqian, a waiter of the Ministry of Works, who was more supportive of the fine, broke the silence, "Governor Wen, you said that you have not collected a fine from those landlords who abandoned the wasteland so far. But I don't know when the fine will start. ”

This question immediately caught the attention of those who supported Wen Zhang, and they all stared at Wen Zhang, waiting for Wen Zhang's answer. As for those who opposed Wen Zhang, they also began to pay attention to Wen Zhang, but before looking at Wen Zhang, they first threw a gaze full of disgust and even hatred to Mei Youqian, who was in her thirties.

"This year, the fines will be imposed after the harvest. At present, everyone is short of money, and the promotion time of this policy is short. When the harvest is over, it is not too late for these people to collect the fines. ”

"What if those people don't give it?" Mei Youqian continued to ask.

Hearing this, the sight projected by many people is no longer like a needle prick, but like a knife chopping axe.

"This ......" Wen Zhang had already begun to wonder if Mei Youqian was an ally or not, and this question gave him the feeling that he was being troubled. Since Mei Youqian has seen the problem, why did he ask Wen Zhang to open his hole cards so early. The reason why Wenzhang had to delay the collection of the fine after the harvest was, of course, because of his bitterness.

"We can talk about this later." Zhao Jiaren interrupted the awkward discussion at the right time, and then he asked the important ministers: "If you think that what Wen Zhang reported is untrue, bring it up." If you think what Wenzhang said is the truth, then let's hurry back to Hangzhou. If you leave for too long, you will go back and accumulate too much work. ”

Still no one came out to question it. Wen Zhang did a very good job this time, and Zhao Jiaren circled the problem in a very fixed range, and the literati really couldn't find room for a blind BB. Seeing that no one came out to speak at this time, Zhao Jiaren was very satisfied. He got off the donkey and said, "Let's set off early tomorrow morning." Everyone can move freely today, and it is not easy to go to Jiangning. ”

After everyone dispersed, Zhao Jiaren called Wen Zhang and some other people to have a small meeting.

"Wen Zhang, I'm a little curious, why don't the landlords in Jiangning even cheat? Whatever you say they abandon, they will abandon. Don't even move. Ding Fei was the first to ask.

"This ...... Naturally, the official family came quickly, and those people probably thought that according to the way they were before, they would not be able to pull the strings until the end of my tenure. ”

"Oh? I see. "Ding Fei has never been a magistrate, and he has been working in a strong department, so he is relatively incomprehensible about the efficiency of procrastination.

Wen Zhang continued: "In addition, the way you see the land now, lush, is completely managed by each person. It is not easy for the landlord to cheat, first of all, to get rid of the weeds above, and an acre of land requires a lot of manpower to dispose of. If you want to cheat, you might as well simply reclaim the land. ”

"That's how it is." Ding Fei sighed a little. He has lived in Fuzhou City with his father since he was a child, and he really has never done farm work.

"But I have to thank the officials, thank you." Wen Zhang changed direction.

The other officials all looked at Zhao Jiaren, although they were willing to support Wen Zhang this time, they could really help because of Zhao Jiaren's order to come to Jiangning immediately. From this perspective, Wen Zhang grasped the key.

Zhao Jiaren said with a smile: "In the future, there will definitely be people who want to pick bones in eggs, everyone, I never think that anything can be perfect." It's one thing to improve, it's another thing to smash the pot. I look forward to your standing ground. I don't need to mention this matter today, I like Hangzhou very much, and the transportation in Hangzhou itself is not convenient. Jiangning can also be considered as a matter of the capital. ”

There were already rumors of moving the capital in the imperial court, and after listening to Zhao Jiaren's words, everyone felt that this rumor seemed to be a little reasonable. Ding Fei asked: "If Jiangning is really good, why didn't Gaozong set the capital Jiangning." ”

"Because it's too close to the battlefield." Wen Zhang took over the conversation, "Back then, the Jin army was pressing forward step by step, and Jiangning had the advantage of the Yangtze River, and it would also be attacked by the Jin army because of the waterway. Not long ago, Mongolia also marched eastward along the Yangtze River and conquered Hangzhou. The official family ruled the martial arts, recovered the old land of the Great Song Dynasty, and restored the Han family. At present, no enemy can threaten the Great Song Dynasty with a naval army, and Jiangning only enjoys the benefits of the Yangtze River. ”

"If there is a flood, so what?" Mei Youqian asked.

Wen Zhang couldn't help but want to roll his eyes, he was a little skeptical that Mei Youqian was supporting himself or pretending to support him. It's just that Mei Youqian can sit here, which proves that Zhao Jiaren trusts Mei Youqian. Wen Zhang could only respond: "After the widening of the Qinhuai River is completed, there will be much less flooding. ”

Seeing that someone wanted to be more serious, Zhao Jiaren spoke again, "Don't worry too much about the affairs of Xingdu, the first thing to do when moving the capital is to build a large number of buildings, and the country has not been stable for long, and this matter is not a top priority." ”

Mei Youqian closed her mouth and stopped talking.

"The Yangtze River is not just about Jiangning. That's the whole problem of soil and water conservation. Zhao Jiaren said again. He does not believe that environmental protection can achieve immediate results in the short term, and the soil and water conservation in New China has been continuously improving for decades, and he cannot expect to solve the problem in a day or two.

Since there are people who support Wenzhang, there are people who oppose Wenzhang. Lu Xiufu felt that he was no longer particularly opposed to Wenzhang, and when he sat with a group of staunch opponents, he quickly aroused a sense of hatred and hatred.

"Wen Zhang is too ruthless to the people, and he simply doesn't allow everyone to live."

"Those people in the Ministry of Agriculture are all Wen Zhang's comrades. They are afraid of Wen Tianxiang, they really have no backbone. ”

"Everybody's land is bought with money, and they can grow whatever they want. The Ministry of Agriculture passed that decree with the aim of collecting money in disguise. In fact, it is only necessary to collect the poll tax, and the tax of the imperial court is enough. ”

……

Lu Xiufu did not speak, because the dissatisfaction in his heart had already been spoken. As far as Lu Xiufu is concerned, Zhao Jiaren announced that he would never collect a poll tax, which was originally to pick up soft persimmons. Zhao Jiaren studied the 'First Empire of the Qin and Han Dynasties', and built it for more than ten years, and initially completed the survey points all over the place. There is a movement of the population, and the poll tax is not easy to collect. The land could not be moved, so it became the object of taxation.

"If you only tax the land, the landowner will not be able to pay the tax if you are not careful. What will happen at that time, is it because it is impossible to sell land to pay off debts? Someone else said aloud.

These words made Lu Xiufu feel a little deafening, and also made Lu Xiufu understand the most worried problem in his heart. If the landowner does not manage it well, he will inevitably not be able to pay the land tax. At that time, there is a real possibility of losing the land.

Lu Xiufu was not the only one who was shocked, many people had already said indignantly: "The regulations formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture are evil laws, and I must abolish them when I return to Hangzhou." ”

Lu Xiufu nodded. He respects Zhao Jiaren very much, so he is unwilling to disobey Zhao Jiaren's thoughts. That's why he's always refused to go along with others. However, this time he also had the idea that perhaps it was the traitors of the Ministry of Agriculture who proposed the evil law, and as long as the new agricultural management regulations could be abolished, he would never get involved in this matter again.

Early the next morning, people with different ideas took a boat back to Hangzhou. When he arrived in Hangzhou, Lu Xiufu did not go home first, but went to the household department. I want to see if there is any urgent business. The household department is doing well, and nothing major has happened these days. When Lu Xiufu sat down in his chair tiredly and took the newspaper in his hand, he saw the headline on the front page of the "Da Song Daily" reading: "What is the land for?" ’

Look at the signature, it turned out to be Zhao Jiaren. Lu Xiufu was initially a little surprised how he could suddenly have such an article, and then he thought of the current communication of the Great Song Dynasty, and there was no particular difficulty in transmitting an article.

Looking at the content again, Zhao Jiaren clearly pointed out that the original purpose of land is to be used for production, and it should be planted and operated well, rather than becoming a tool for landlords to exercise power. Although Jiangning's name is not directly named, the cases cited are all local cases in Jiangning. In the description, the landlords offered rents that the tenant farmers could not afford at all. The tenant farmer disagreed, and the landlord immediately took the tenant. They would rather abandon the land than allow the tenant farmers to receive the slightest reduction in rent.

Seeing this, Lu Xiufu really couldn't stand it. He knew that Zhao Jiaren was a person who would carry out ideas to the end, and it could be seen from this article that Zhao Jiaren's trip to Jiangning was only the beginning of cracking down on landlords through land taxes. At this time, Lu Xiufu, the head of the household, only felt like a numb heart. If he didn't care about the life or death of the tenant farmers, then it wouldn't be enough. And Lu Xiufu didn't want to be completely opposed to Zhao Jiaren in his heart. If he can, Lu Xiufu hopes that he can be a loyal minister of Zhao Jiaren for the rest of his life.

Now that this article proves Zhao Jiaren's policy direction, Lu Xiufu painfully discovers that his previous illusions have been completely shattered. The Ministry of Agriculture is not the promoter of the new policy, and it is not the traitors of the Ministry of Agriculture who have deceived the official Zhao Jiaren. Zhao Jiaren is the driving force behind this new policy, and the Ministry of Agriculture is simply doing what it is told.

What to do? Lu Xiufu has run out of ideas. If, according to the tradition of the Great Song Dynasty, if the officials could not accept the policies of the officials at all, or the policies of the prime minister at all, they would have to speak out and protest. If you can't resist, you must resign decisively to clarify your aspirations. For example, Wen Tianxiang did it back then, and he categorically asked to resign, but the court refused to let him go.

Of course, there are two sides to everything. Even if they do not resign, those who refuse to carry out the policies of the government or the prime minister will be dismissed. Officials who were deemed to be in disobedience to the policies of the government or the prime minister would also be dismissed, and now the power of the official family and the prime minister of the Great Song Dynasty was concentrated in the hands of the Zhao official family. Not long ago, the conscience of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hu Yuanfeng, was sent to Liangguang Road to become the deputy director of the Department of Agriculture. This was the traditional means of political struggle in the Great Song Dynasty.

No one wants to be relegated to Lingnan, and neither does Lu Xiufu. But as soon as the two were weighed, Lu Xiufu made up his mind that even if he was belittled, he would not do anything against his conscience. He would never agree to this wrong policy.

When Zhao Jiaren returned home, he felt very tired. He is 48 years old, and he is no longer a teenager. Running all the way, my body also felt a strong sense of exhaustion. I slept well all night, and when it was dawn the next day, Zhao Jiaren woke up.

I got up and cleaned up, went to the yard for exercise, and found that my body had recovered. In a happy mood, I couldn't help but do some more intense movements on the parallel bars.

That morning, Zhao Jiaren did not hold the usual morning meeting. Not the next day. Lu Xiufu, who had already decided to fight hard at the morning meeting, was a little surprised. After that, it's Sunday, and there is no morning meeting.

On Monday, the morning meeting finally took place. Lu Hideo, the head of the household, wanted to make a statement, but found that the previous strength to fight to the death was worn out a lot in three days. At this time, the door opened, and Zhao Jiaren walked out. Unlike before, he was holding a cane. The secretary followed beside him, looking like he wanted to support Zhao Jiaren.

Lu Xiufu was shocked at this time, he never expected that one day he would actually see the Zhao Guanjia, who was like a tiger, actually using the crutches of the elderly. In this concerned mood, he lost his previous momentum.

Zhao Jiaren didn't explain, he didn't expect that he was really old. In the era of the Great Song Dynasty, a big belly is a very majestic thing. However, feeling the fat on his abdomen, which has not yet reached the big belly, Zhao Jiaren decided to strengthen exercise every day in the future and reduce his weight. By the standards of the 21st century, he is already in a sub-health state of overweight. This fat is probably overworked.

Looking for a reason that could be accepted by him, Zhao Jiaren endured his back pain and sat down. I heard Wen Tianxiang say: "The official family takes care of their health. ”

Zhao Jiaren could only reply politely: "Thank you for your concern." I'll be careful in the future. Let's have a meeting. ”

Lu Hideo, the secretary of the household department, deliberately spoke in the back, listening to the briefings made by the senior officials, all of whom were related to their own duties, and none of those who opposed the new management regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture raised opposing views. Now Lu Xiufu was also angry, those people before were like mourning and taking a test, and they were passionate and generous, but the result was all false!

Since those people refused, Lu Xiufu's recklessness came to the fore, and when he spoke, he said loudly: "Officials, ministers think that the regulations on the management of agricultural production of the Ministry of Agriculture are inappropriate. There should be no fine for abandoning the wasteland. ”

Zhao Jiaren sighed slightly, and he asked, "Those people would rather abandon the wasteland than give the people farming, how should this be handled?" ”

"You can get the local officials to persuade you."

"Moral persuasion? Do you want the government to morally persuade the landlords? Zhao Jiaren asked coldly.

"You can make the local government not want to take tenants, but direct fines are really absolutely impossible."

"If the government orders that the tenants are not allowed to be seized, what if the landlord violates the law?"

“…… Reprimandable. Trying his best to say this, Lu Xiufu felt that his voice unexpectedly became smaller.