"The difference is great, the nobles' private soldiers, the nobles' financial resources, the nobles' population, and the development and growth of the territory all rely on the people rather than the servants. Because the people are naturally the subjects of the nobility, just like the people of the vassal state, although they can get rid of the status of the people through the imperial examination, they must stand on the side of the original nobles in the future officialdom, and there can be no exceptions, otherwise it will be a state of attacking in groups. The mayor said.

"Uh, how did the people come from?" Zhang Zhongjun asked again.

"It's very simple, some criminals who have had their homes raided, captives who have been captured, gang members who have been arrested, and prisoners in local government offices, and finally those who have been degraded untouchables. Generally speaking, the starting price of 100 meritorious and 100 households, three people per household, male and female children, this point has no choice, let the top choose. ”

"Of course, you can also choose, that is, 200 meritorious 100 households, so the choice of households, the qualifications are better, such as both husband and wife are literate, as for the skills of the specialty, such as masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, horse breeding, grazing, planting, shipbuilding, etc., the price is doubled by 400 meritorious 100 households. ”

"Of course, every 100 households will take the first 100 miscellaneous households, that is, a single person, may be captives, criminals, orphans, orphans, etc., and they are also randomly equipped, but these 100 miscellaneous households are forcibly apportioned, not only have to pay 100 merits, but also have to ensure that five of the adults can survive for more than a year, otherwise the boss will be punished, for example, if 60 die in a year, then you have to hand over 100 merits, and if you die 70, you have to hand over 200. ”

"Therefore, the complete household is very popular with the aristocracy, even if it is an ordinary qualification, those who can only cultivate the land are very popular, but these miscellaneous households are the most hated by the nobles, and there have been many nobles who have endured for a year and directly executed all these miscellaneous households, willing to hand over large meritorious deeds and willing to execute them. ”

"So later, this punishment regulation is increasing year by year, and now the first regulation is that half of the people who die within one year will not be punished, and half of the people who will die within two years will not be punished, and as long as they do not die within three years, they will not be punished, and after four years, you can do whatever you want. ”

Listening to the mayor's words, Zhang Zhongjun couldn't help but feel a little chill in his heart, it seems that there is no such thing as a slave in this Great Chen Dynasty, and even those who sell themselves into slavery, the head of the family can only punish but not execute, although secretly there are many family owners and even family members of the family owner who kill the servants when they are unhappy, and then go to the government to report a violent illness and die.

But no matter what people say, it's all secretive, and they have to come up with an excuse for a violent illness. Where is it like a miscellaneous household under the name of the nobility, as long as half of the people die in a year within three years, there will be no punishment at all. Doesn't this mean that these miscellaneous households can be executed at will?

Damn, these miscellaneous households are captives, criminals, orphans, orphans, and they can't be trampled on like this, right?

Seeing Zhang Zhongjun's expression, the mayor seemed to know what he was thinking, and couldn't help but smile: "Don't think that all nobles will careless about human life." Whether it is a household or a miscellaneous household, these people are the private property of the nobles, and it is too late for them to cherish it, where will they spoil it casually. When encountering a nobleman who is good to the people, but they raise the people as cattle in the farmer's family, this makes many people unwilling to leave the household registration after passing the imperial examination, or only the person who has left the household registration in the imperial examination, and his family is unwilling to leave the household registration. Because as a lord, he has the protection of the master, and no one else, even the court, can deal with it, and in this state, the lord also belongs to a special privileged class. ”

"Uh, there is such a thing?" Zhang Zhongjun was stunned.

The mayor nodded and sighed: "There is really such a thing, that is, we don't have noble territories in these prefectures, so I haven't seen them, in those places where there are many noble territories, almost eighty percent of the work of the magistrates is to deal with the things that those lords do, but they are exhausted and haggard." ”

"Because the magistrate has no power to dispose of the property of the nobles, if he catches these lords, he can't beat them, he can only escort them to the nobles to ask for disposal, but most of the nobles are on the side of the lords, so the conflicts between the local and the nobles often appear, and it is the magistrates who are unlucky to make a big mistake, so you have to pay attention to one point when you choose a territory, no magistrate will welcome the nobles to appear in their own jurisdiction. I, who is both a magistrate and a nobleman, know this best. ”

Zhang Zhongjun was speechless and didn't know how to answer, this strange system of leading the people made him unable to evaluate it. On the side of the imperial world, the lords are the lords, but the lords dare to ask for the people's money and lives, and it's strange if the lords don't die with you. And here, it is actually fair to sell the people as goods, although there is a requirement that more than half of the people shall not die in a year, but this is equivalent to requiring you to raise chickens for a year not to die half of them, as for the other half of the chicken plague casually, or you can bring it to the steamed red braised barbecue and eat it.

It is equivalent to determining above board that the lord has absolute power over life and death over the people.

And the most excessive thing is that the Great Chen Dynasty is not qualified to punish the lords who commit crimes, this is definitely a joke in the imperial world, on the side of the imperial world, if the subjects commit crimes outside the territory, the local government will definitely catch and sentence them as soon as possible, so they will not care about your lord's wishes.

Thinking about this, Zhang Zhongjun was a little strange, didn't the Great Chen Dynasty say that the civilian officials occupied the vast majority of power? Didn't it say that the government was the most powerful, and the countryside was run by gangs, but it was just because the government didn't want to take care of the countryside? Why listen to it now, it seems that the aristocracy is the most awesome!

However, Zhang Zhongjun also shook his head secretly, he meowed, his previous sight was only in Heyuan Mansion, at most it was extended to Shanzhou Mansion where Magong Town is located, that is, the eyes and knowledge of the land of the two mansions, where would he know about the affairs of the nobles.

At this time, the mayor, who was still about to say something, suddenly stroked something in the cuff of the official robe, and then smiled and nodded to the master bookkeeper who had been silent and sat next to him.

As for the master bookkeeper, as soon as he saw the signal, he immediately took out a parchment roll from the cuff of his shirt, and then spread it out on the table, and the mayor of the town had already walked over and beckoned to Zhang Zhongjun and said, "Lord Zhang, your merits have been confirmed above, now come and choose the territory." ”

Zhang Zhongjun was a little stunned, it turned out that the mayor of the town had said so much to himself before, in fact, he was waiting for a reply from above, but how could this be so easily recognized by the superiors?

But with this in mind, he did not hesitate to move, and had already come to the table and looked at the open parchment.