According to the description of the "Old Tang Book", at the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Taizong used to allocate land to court officials according to the size of their official positions, which was the job field, which was regarded as government welfare.

However, with the stability of the Tang Dynasty, the price of private goods began to rise, and in the period of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the price of land also rose, which led to the fact that only the bureaucrats were able to continue to purchase land in large quantities.

So much so that Tang Xuanzong himself rubbed on the court and sighed: "Now that the court officials are often annexing land, more and more people have lost their land, and in the long run, what will happen to the country?" ”

As a result, Tang Xuanzong approved Yu Wenrong's letter in the ninth year of Kaiyuan and began to reform the land system of the Tang Dynasty, which was the most severe "land purchase restriction order" in the history of the Tang Dynasty.

In this reform, the Tang Dynasty banned all land sales, whether official, civil, or commercial, and no one was exempt.

Subsequently, Tang Xuanzong ordered Yu Wenrong to carry out the policy of inspecting the fields and households, which is simply to say, no matter what level of officials, as long as the land held exceeds the number of fields granted by Tang Taizong, according to the size of the official position, the imperial court will confiscate the excess land without compensation. This is the inspection field.

Then the imperial court will pardon the displaced people who have fled the famine, no matter where they originate, as long as they are willing to stay in the place where they are staying, as long as there is land confiscated by the imperial court, then these displaced people can immediately obtain local household registration, and then the imperial court will distribute the confiscated land to these displaced people for cultivation, and can be exempted from taxes for six years. This is the bracket.

According to Liu Yan's evaluation, Tang Xuanzong's new policy of inspecting fields and households was cut

The flesh and blood of the bureaucratic class came to feed the peasants who had no food to eat, which greatly alleviated the class contradictions in the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, what is even more surprising is that Yu Wenrong, who presided over the inspection of Tian Kuhu, not only was not liquidated afterwards, but got a good death. The policy of inspecting land and covering households has not been abandoned halfway, and the implementation has been very smooth.

This is because when Yu Wenrong implemented the reform of inspecting the fields and households, he specifically excluded the royal family and the family family, and the two largest forces at that time did not suffer any losses, but could still reap some benefits from Yuwen Rong.

The officials that Yu Wenrong found to implement policies in various places were all children of Guanlong nobles, and the inspection of the fields and households was only aimed at ordinary officials who had passed the imperial examination, so naturally there was little resistance to implementation.

As a result, in almost four years, Datang cleared out more than 800,000 hidden households dependent on bureaucrats and redistributed land to these people, which not only eliminated the huge hidden dangers of the state, but also greatly increased fiscal revenue, and laid the economic foundation of the prosperous era of the Kaiyuan Dynasty in one fell swoop.

After Liu Yan returned to the cabinet office from Emperor Chongzhen, he began to think that the Tang Dynasty's inspection of land and households was the most successful land reform policy in history, although it was not the most thorough, but it was the least resistance and the most effective.

Therefore, if Liu Yan wants to implement the "Huangming Tianmu System", he must learn from the successful experience of Datang in inspecting the fields and households.

One of the most important is to treat the land cleared differently.

"Bureaucrats and gentry, wealthy and powerful families, merchants, royal families, ......"

Liu Yan wrote these categories on paper, and then used a pen to write on the second royal family

A circle was drawn on the word: "The land occupied by the royal family must not be confiscated, but must be purchased at market price, and the proportion of acquisition should be set according to the level of the title, the higher the title, the smaller the proportion of acquisition, so that the resistance should be much smaller." ”

"The bureaucrats and gentry can follow the system of the Tang Dynasty and set up post fields according to the size of their official positions, which are all private land approved by the imperial court, and officials at all levels can continue to hold them. The land outside the office field was purchased by the imperial court at 30% of the market price. ”

In fact, Liu Yan also wanted to confiscate the land from those bureaucrats and gentry for free, but under the new policy of the imperial court, there were already many policies focused on cracking down on the power of the bureaucracy.

"As for the powerful households, it can be like this: the cultivated land is distributed according to the amount of the male population of the household, and the amount of cultivated land allocated to each person can be larger, and the excess land will be confiscated by the imperial court free of charge!"

Liu Yan made up his mind: "The powerful and powerful households are also the people, but they are the people who have become powerful, as long as they are the people, they must be treated as one, and they can't be treated differently because they have power." ”

"In the end, there are merchants, this is easy to do, Ming merchants prohibit hoarding of cultivated land, and all cultivated land in the hands of merchants must be handed over to the imperial court."

Then Liu Yan realized that something was wrong, and now the Ming merchants have a strong land plot, and even many businessmen will use their profits to buy land after making money.

If the imperial court directly confiscated the land from the merchants without compensation, it would inevitably cause damage to the merchant class of the Ming Dynasty

A heavy blow, which is very bad for the business and workshop industry, which is just starting to rise.

So Liu Yan set a policy of forcibly buying the land in the hands of the merchants at a price of 40% of the market price.

Subsequently, Liu Yan summarized these clauses and integrated them all into the "Huangming Tianmu System".

The next day, Liu Yan brought Zhang Lei, the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Zhao Min, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Yue Ming, the secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Song Gongming, the secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, and Wang Wenzhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials.

This time, Liu Yan sent the improved "Huangming Tianmu System" to everyone and said: "From now on, all ministries will be busy. ”

"The Ministry of Agriculture immediately began to verify the situation of cultivated land throughout the country, and to find out the amount and distribution of land in the hands of ordinary people, officials, merchants, gentry and powerful people, and royal families throughout the country."

"The Ministry of Civil Affairs will investigate the household registration across the country, and the public will clean up the hidden household population attached to officials, merchants, gentry and powerful people, and royal families throughout the country!"

"The implementation of the "Huangming Tianmu System" is the main responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the rest of the ministries fully cooperate."

Zhang Lei only felt that the burden on his body was very heavy, but his heart was full of fighting spirit, Liu Yan had already paved the road, and the rest of the road, even if he climbed, he had to climb to the end.

Liu Yan looked at Zhang Lei, who was holding his fists and receiving the order, nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Wang Wenzhen, the secretary of the ministry: "The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Civil Affairs will report the situation of the inventory to the Ministry of Officials

The official issued a notice: Anyone who conceals the amount of land and refuses to implement the new policy of the imperial court will be dismissed immediately, and the imperial court will never hire him! ”

Wang Wenzhen clenched his fists and said: "Don't worry, my subordinates will definitely come up with a strategy as soon as possible." ”

"Good!"

Then, Liu Yan said to Song Gongming: "It's the same with the Ministry of Commerce. The first point is that the heads of various industries in the Ministry of Commerce must not purchase land, this is an iron law! Anyone who has already bought land will be handed over to the court free of charge within a month, and if they commit it again in the future, they will be dismissed from office and never hired! ”

"Yes."

"In addition, the Ministry of Commerce should cooperate with the Daming Chamber of Commerce to preach to businessmen from all over the country, urging businessmen from all over the country to respond to the new policies of the imperial court and not lose their future because of just the land."

Song Gongming said: "Don't worry, my subordinates have issued decrees in the name of the Ministry of Commerce in the past few days. Subsequently, the subordinates will contact President Wang to discuss in detail the matter of urging local businessmen. ”

Liu Yan looked at Yue Ming again and said: "This time to implement the "Huangming Tianmu System", the imperial court needs to spend a lot of money and grain, the Ministry of Finance must prepare enough money and grain, the implementation of the "Huangming Tianmu System" involves the money and grain required by the Yamen, as long as the approval is passed, the Ministry of Finance must allocate it as soon as possible without delay. ”

"Rest assured, now that the court is full of money and grain, his subordinates will definitely allocate it as soon as possible."

Two days later, Liu Yan submitted the revised "Emperor Ming Tianmu System" to Emperor Chongzhen, although he was skeptical about the redistribution of land throughout the Ming Dynasty, believing that this move would most likely cause turmoil, and even had no possibility of success, but Emperor Chongzhen was also moved by the prospects described by Liu Yan after the success, and finally Zhu criticized

Pass.

Then it was announced to the world, and as soon as the "Huangming Tianmu System" was announced, it caused a shock in the world.

The imperial court sent a large number of officials to various places to begin to verify the cultivated land in the Ming provinces, and a Ming version of the movement to inspect the fields and households began in full swing.

At the end of November, Jinan Prefecture, Huashan East Village.

On this day, Lao Li, as usual, came to his farmland for a walk with a smile.

Although this year's cultivation has ended, Lao Li still has to come and go around every day, with dozens of acres of land, such a thing is like a dream, Lao Li is afraid that one day he will wake up from a dream, and he will become nothing.

Now the two sons, the second son Li Fugui and the third son Li Xile can help with farm work, and the life of the grandfather has also been rushed.

Suddenly, Lao Li saw that a lot of people had gathered at the entrance of the village, so he walked over curiously, and saw that the baojia in the village was saying loudly: "Our Jinan Mansion is also implementing the new policy of the imperial court, which is to implement this "Huangming Tianmu System", to put it bluntly, that is, the imperial court gets the excess cultivated land from the hands of those officials and big families, and then distributes it to the people who have less land or no land!" ”

"Huh?"

Lao Li and many villagers on the lookers were dumbfounded, isn't this what the common people call "killing the rich and helping the poor"? The imperial court can still do such a thing!

"Really?"

"Don't fool us, do you?"

Seeing that everyone didn't believe it, Bao Jia was displeased in his heart, and said loudly: "What are you lying about? The whole territory of Jinan Prefecture has begun to implement this policy, and I heard that the newly appointed prefect of Jinan, Lord Shi Kefa, has been patrolling around these days, and has been from all over the big households

A large amount of arable land has been obtained by the people, even the relatives of the emperor, and it is being distributed to the people in various places one by one. ”

Now the people in the village believe it is true, and even the dignified prefect is shocked, so can this matter be fake?

At this time, Lao Li asked excitedly: "Then what kind of family can get the land?" Do we have a share in Huashan East Village? ”

"That's it, can we get it?"

Everyone was asking, and Bao Jia said loudly: "We have received the notice above, according to the standard of 30 acres for each man and 10 acres for women and children, if this standard is not enough, the court will give the insufficient amount of land, and everyone can calculate it themselves." ”

Later, Bao Jia added: "Our Huashan East Village is a newly established village, and the amount of cultivated land for each household has been recorded by the imperial court. ”

Everyone immediately cheered, Lao Li was also smiling, according to the new policy of the imperial court, his own three men should have 90 acres of arable land, but now there are only 50 acres, that is to say, the imperial court will also make up 40 acres of arable land for his own family!

"Haha!"

Lao Li grinned, now his life is getting better day by day, not only can he eat and dress every day, but he can even eat two meals of meat and drink some wine a month, such a day was in the past when he was coerced by thieves, it was unimaginable, this is the day of the gods.

"Be sure to make a pot of wine tonight and celebrate!"

Lao Li thought in his heart, and then dispersed with the villagers, and when he returned home, he saw his two sons who were cleaning up the winter storage, and his face was mixed with happiness and sadness: "Yes."

It's the boss still alive, how nice it would be! ”

Ten days later, Shi Kefa, the prefect of Jinan, brought people to Huashan East Village, and immediately announced the amount of cultivated land that each household needed to make up, and demarcated the location of the newly replenished cultivated land in public.

The whole village of men, women and children gathered together, and went door to door to insert the newly allocated farmland boundary markers into the fields, even if the allocated farmland was far away from the village, or the soil fertility was poor, but the villagers did not complain, and their mouths were all praises to the imperial court.

Seeing this situation, Shi Kefa's heart was also full of emotion: "Until today, I didn't know what Liu Ge Lao meant by doing practical things, and now I think of what I did in Nanjing before, I'm really ashamed!" ”