In a small village outside Pusaka Castle, the kitten came to Rikui's house and said, "I want to hire those newly relocated people to help clear the wasteland." ”

The kitten's words surprised Riqui. He got up and said to the kitten, "Do you have to think about it?" It's a thankless task. ”

In order to prevent the rich from annexing land, Chen Xu had already issued a ban: anyone who reclaimed land by private individuals could only get one-tenth of the right to use the reclaimed land.

After deducting labor costs and costs, this is a bit more than worth the cost.

This is because the fertile land, close to the water source, has long been cultivated. The fields that have not yet been cultivated are all very barren areas.

Mo said that he would hand over nine-tenths of the land to the government, even if he only paid half of it, it would be worth the loss.

The kitten nodded heavily and said categorically, "That's it." ”

Li Kui looked at the kitten carefully for a while, and said, "I think you are a shrewd person, why would you do such a foolish thing?" Hiring people to reclaim the land is more than worth the loss. ”

The kitten scratched her hair and said a little shyly: "I didn't think about it, I made money by cultivating land." ”

"It's just that I've heard that as long as the newly relocated people find something to do to support their families, they can't continue to receive relief food from the government."

"Last time, I lent some grain to the government, and I was repaid twice. When I lent out food, I didn't think about taking advantage of the government. ”

"The government insisted on compensating my family for the grain, but I couldn't shirk it, so I wanted to take out the grain and hire the newly relocated people to cultivate the fields."

"In this way, I will give them food to feed their families. Now that they have a source of livelihood, they will naturally not continue to receive relief from the government. I only hope that through this incident, I can save a little food for the Lord. ”

Li Kui was shocked when he heard this, and secretly thought: "The lord is so popular with the people, why worry about the big thing?" ”

However, he still kindly reminded the kitten: "Even if you have some surplus food at home, you can't hire many people to cultivate the fields." Don't run out of food at home and go hungry. ”

The kitten smiled innocently, patted his chest, and said, "Likui, please rest assured, as long as the food subsidized by the government is consumed, I will stop hiring people to reclaim the land." ”

Although the kitten supports Chen Xu and does not want to take advantage of the government, he is not a saint, and he will not really take out all the food to help others.

Li Kui thought for a while and said, "I will report this matter to the top, you go back and wait for the news first." I believe that the government will definitely encourage this kind of thing. ”

The kitten received Richie's reply, and immediately returned home happily, waiting for a reply from the government.

said that Cheng Yu was anxiously handling government affairs, casually looking at the contents of the case, and then began to give instructions.

Suddenly, he saw the kitten's name and immediately began to read the paper carefully.

This document was submitted by Li Kui. Cheng Yu is the commander of Pusaka, as long as it is a matter in Pusaka, he has the right to deal with it.

After reading the content, Cheng Yu muttered to himself: "The kitten himself wants to hire the newly relocated people to reduce the burden on the government, and I hope it can be approved." ”

Cheng Yu stroked his beard and squinted his eyes slightly. If those scholars acted like this, Cheng Yu would also consider whether they were deliberately doing this in order to curry favor with Chen Xu.

However, for the clever and shy kitten who defected to Chen Xu very early, Cheng Yu has always had a great impression of him.

In particular, when Cheng Yu borrowed food from the people, the kitten pushed a large cart of grain over. Not only did he not want the double grain promised by the government, but asked to join the army and go to rescue Chen Xu, who was besieged by Yuan's army.

Although the kitten is just a small person, his character and loyalty to Chen Xu also make Cheng Yu impressed with him.

Frowning slightly, Cheng Yu read the official document several times, and the joy on his face became stronger and stronger.

Although in the past few days, the people from Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yangzhou have migrated less and less.

There are still nearly one million more people in Guanzhong all of a sudden, and such a huge number is also extremely terrifying for the consumption of food.

Even if there are more than one million stone grains and grass seized from Yuan Shu, as well as money and grain looted from the treasury of Yuzhou. In the face of the huge consumption in Guanzhong and Bingzhou, the money and food in the government are still a little tight.

What's more, it is not known how long this drought will last. As long as the drought does not stop, the famine will get worse.

Now the ministers under Chen Xu are also racking their brains, wanting to save expenses and enrich the country's treasury.

The kitten's idea opened a dead end for Cheng Yu at that time. He picked up the official document on the desk and couldn't wait to find Chen Xu.

"Lord, lord."

In the General's Mansion, Chen Xu was squinting his eyes and resting, when he suddenly heard a hurried shout. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Cheng Yu running in in a panic.

Wen Zhao asked in surprise: "Zhongde, you have always been the kind of person who has collapsed in front of Mount Tai and his face does not change, why are you so flustered today?" ”

It was only at this time that Cheng Yu found that he had lost his former calmness. He slowed down, straightened his clothes, and quickly adjusted his mood.

"Can the lord work for the people who have just migrated to the customs?"

Chen Xu sighed and said: "Although population is a good thing, but now there is famine everywhere, and there is a shortage of food in Guanzhong and Bingzhou, and now there are nearly one million more people. ”

"If the drought situation doesn't get better, I really don't know how long the grain in the territory can last."

When Cheng Yu heard this, he chuckled twice and said, "The lord knows that although there are still years of drought now, there are still some people who still have excess grain and grass at home?" ”

Wen Zhao raised his eyebrows and said suspiciously: "Does Zhongde want me to borrow grain from the people in the territory?" ”

"This is not going to work, and some grain and grass have been seized. However, in order to maintain the prestige of the government, a lot of grain has been distributed to double the compensation. ”

"If you ask the people to borrow food now, how will you repay it in the future?"

"Huh." Cheng Yu said with a smile, "The lord should take a look at this official document first." ”

Some doubts took the paperwork, Chen Xu read it carefully, and immediately sighed and said: "This kitten, loyal, not greedy, although he is a Qiantou, but he has the style of an ancient gentleman, it is really good." ”

Cheng Yu asked, "Is that all?" ”

Chen Xu said: "Of course not, I am very relieved to see the people in the territory using the government so much." ”

"Didn't the lord get some inspiration from this?"

Chen Xu was stunned for a moment and asked, "What inspiration?" ”

Sighing slightly, Cheng Yu said: "Enlightenment to alleviate food shortage." ”

Wen Zhao frowned and thought about it for a long time, but he was not inspired, and immediately asked, "Please also ask Zhongde to teach me." ”

He knew that Cheng Yu was resourceful, and he must have thought of a way to alleviate the food shortage.

Cheng Yu no longer took care of it, and said directly: "The lord can imagine that if there is a surplus of grain and grass in the territory, he is willing to take out the grain and hire the people who have newly moved into Guanzhong to reclaim the fields like a kitten. ”

"In this way, not only will the pressure on the government be greatly reduced, but the area of land in the territory will also be increased, so why not?"

After thinking about it for a while, Wen Zhao shook his head and said, "Although this idea is good, not everyone is as selfless as a kitten. ”

When Cheng Yu heard this, he laughed: "The lord has always said: The hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, and the world is often for profit." ”

"Let families with surplus food selflessly take out grain and grass to help others, these people will naturally not be willing. However, if the Lord gives them enough benefits, I think the people will rush to them. ”

"Oh?"

Chen Xu was interested and asked, "What kind of benefits do you come up with?" ”

Cheng Yu said: "In order to prevent the clan from gathering a large number of fields, the lord is extremely strict with the management of the fields under his rule. ”

"If the lord can issue a new decree, as long as there are people willing to recruit, those who have newly moved into Guanzhong will reclaim the land and take charge of their lives."

"Then the people who are hired to reclaim the land can get 40 percent, and the people who hire the people to reclaim the land can get the other 60 percent."

"Of course, this decree is time-limited, and employers can only hire those people who have moved into the customs recently."

When Cheng Yu said this, Wen Zhao already knew his plan.

If such a decree were to be issued, all those in the country who could afford to hire the people to cultivate the land. They will all take advantage of this opportunity to take possession of land on a large scale.

After all, under Chen Xu's rule, there are not too many opportunities to be able to occupy land openly. It is already very unimaginable to be able to get 60% of the land.

Coupled with the fact that this is a time-limited law, there must be many capable families who will hire a large number of people to cultivate land for them.

And those people who have newly moved into Guanzhong and have not yet settled down can also take advantage of this opportunity to get their own land reclamation.

In this way, it not only shared the pressure of grain and grass for the government, but also left a large amount of land for the government.

After all, Chen Xu had already made a promise: as long as the people moved into Guanzhong, they would be guaranteed not to starve to death, and they would also be guaranteed to be able to share the fields.

If the people who have newly moved into Guanzhong can obtain food and land through self-reliance, the pressure on the government will be greatly reduced.

After thinking about all this, Chen Xu was a little moved for a while.

However, it didn't take long for him to immediately say worriedly: "Although this strategy can solve temporary worries. However, what if someone takes the opportunity to enclose land on a large scale? ”

Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Lord, now the population of the Han Dynasty has decreased sharply, and many places are vast and sparsely populated, and there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles. I have never understood why you have gone to great lengths to suppress the clans and prevent them from obtaining a large amount of land. ”

"In fact, even if the clan occupies a lot of fertile land, it will not have much influence."

"Now that Ma Jun has invented the waterwheel, many places that were previously far away from the water source and could not be cultivated can also become fertile land as long as the waterwheel is erected and the canal is irrigated."

"What today's Han lacks is not land, but population."

Chen Xu was stunned when he heard this, Cheng Yu is not a person of later generations after all, and he has no ill feelings towards land annexation.

In his opinion, the land can live in it, and this has been the case since ancient times. As long as you don't rob the land, it makes sense for you to buy and I sell.

Wen Zhao was silent for a long time and said: "I have my own plans in my heart about this matter, and I can't explain it clearly in a few words. ”

"Zhongde only needs to know that a large amount of land is concentrated in the hands of the Shi clan and the powerful people. In the long run, the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer, which will eventually lead to the displacement of hundreds of people without land to cultivate. ”

"This is the root cause of the turmoil in the Han Dynasty."

Cheng Yu chewed Wen Zhao's words carefully, still a little noncommittal. In the final analysis, Cheng Yu was also born in a strong family, and he was originally a big landowner.

He did not agree with Wenzhao's concept of land policy.

However, as Chen Xu's confidant and strategist, even if he disagrees with Chen Xu's views, he must try his best to plan for Chen Xu.

Fortunately, Chen Xu also knew that it was enough to stop, and did not copy the practices of the Red Army in later generations. He just tried to curb land annexation through taxes and decrees.

Of course, this containment is not absolute. With the passage of time, land annexation will continue to happen.

Cheng Yu didn't discuss it with Wen Zhao any longer, he continued the previous topic, and said: "If you are worried, some people will take advantage of this opportunity to wantonly occupy land. ”

"The lord may wish to set a ceiling on land, and as long as someone cultivates a certain amount of land, it is forbidden to continue reclamation."

"In this way, there will be no such thing as a person owning a large amount of land."

"Moreover, the lord doesn't have to worry too much. Now there have been droughts for many years, and Guanzhong has experienced repeated wars. Even if there are many big families, there is not much food in the family. ”

"Even if they want to take advantage of this opportunity to occupy the land on a large scale, they are not enough."

"What's more, the lord now controls the military and political power in the territory, even if those clans occupy more land. The lord only needs to find a reason to make them destitute. ”

Speaking of this, Cheng Yu's voice was a little gloomy.

Chen Xu was shocked in his heart, and then he completely came back to his senses.

Let's not talk about whether there is anyone in the pass who has the ability to occupy land on a large scale. Even if there are really people, they are under Chen Xu's rule, and Chen Xu wants to rectify them, it is all a matter of one sentence.

Even if the profit-seekers are rich enough to rival the country, they are still inferior to the rulers.

is like Shen Wansan, who was rich and rivaled the country in the early Ming Dynasty. Even though he built the city wall faster than the royal craftsmen, even if he could reward the three armies for Zhu Yuanzhang with millions of gold.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang only needed a holy decree to make Shen Wansan, who was rich and rivaled the country, become nothing.

Thinking about all this, Chen Xu didn't hesitate, so he asked people to gather Tian Feng, Jia Xu and others to start refining the strategy offered by Cheng Yu.

When the official document of the government was released, the whole Guanzhong was shaken.

Many families with surplus grain have also taken out grain one after another, hired those people who had newly moved into Guanzhong, and cultivated fields for them.

For a time, the logistical pressure on the government was greatly reduced.