xymnovel Chapter 128 Equal-Field System
Chapter 128 Equal-Field System
When Wang Lun arranged for Luan Tingyu to come to Jinxiang, he did not expect that Luan Tingyu would be able to govern a county well.
He simply believed that Luan Tingyu was able to manage the Zhu Family Village in an orderly manner, and as long as he didn't make any mistakes, following the ideas provided by Wang Lun, it would be quite good if Jinxiang could also be under the rule of Liangshan.
Unexpectedly, Luan Tingyu not only did a good job, but also made his own innovations.
Wang Lun did not implement the equal-field system in Jizhou. He simply confiscated the land of officials and wealthy merchants and distributed it to poor people. The rest was used by the Flying Tiger Army for land reclamation. The effect of this was already quite remarkable.
His approach wasn't a complete equal-field system; it was a smaller version, since the majority of the land was still in the hands of the Flying Tigers.
Luan Tingyu directly collected all the land in Jinxiang County and then redistributed it fairly. Most of the people had no objections and instead cultivated the land with great enthusiasm.
Wang Lun knew the role of the equal-field system: it could quickly restore agricultural production, stabilize social order, increase farmers' enthusiasm for farming, and gain the support of the majority of the people within a certain period.
However, the equal-field system also had its limitations. It was somewhat unfair to some of the relatively wealthy people who had not committed any evil deeds. In addition, the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army in Jinxiang County had limited manpower. If management was disrupted, the people might secretly annex each other's land.
However, the current equal-field system implemented by Luan Tingyu has yielded very good results, so he doesn't try to discourage Luan Tingyu.
Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
According to Wang Lun's arrangement, all the people who were allocated land from Liangshan had to pay a 10% tax after growing the grain, in addition to repaying the seeds they had borrowed from Liangshan. This tax was already quite low, so the people naturally supported it.
The agricultural taxes in the Northern Song Dynasty mainly included land rent and taxes. In the early Song Dynasty, land rent was only two-tenths of the total tax. However, by the end of the Song Dynasty, due to the influence of excessive taxation in various places, the land rent in some places even reached one-third of the total tax.
In addition to taxes, the Song Dynasty generally levied taxes based on the amount of land owned, and regardless of the yield, one dou (a unit of dry measure) was collected per mu (a unit of land area), which was about one-tenth of the total tax.
These two are the main taxes that farmers need to pay. In addition, there are other taxes such as commutation fees and transportation fees.
Coupled with issues such as land annexation, the people of the late Northern Song Dynasty were basically living in misery.
The system established by Wang Lun not only distributed land but also lent seeds and grain to help people get through famine, and the tax collected was only one-tenth of the total tax.
This is undoubtedly good news for the people.
Luan Tingyu led the Flying Tiger Army to cultivate an area of only about 10,000 mu, with a yield of two shi per mu, which would amount to 20,000 shi. The total grain output of the county was about 200,000 shi, and with a tax rate of one-tenth, that would also amount to 20,000 shi.
In that case, Luan Tingyu could have 40,000 shi of grain in the next six months. After deducting what he could keep, there would still be a lot of grain to hand over.
Wang Lun knew that Liangshan's strength was gradually growing, and without food, it would be difficult to feed tens of thousands of soldiers and the people of Jizhou.
When the policy of military colonization began to show results, he became even more determined to colonize more land.
Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king.
This statement is very wise.
Luan Tingyu gave a detailed work report, and Wang Lun discussed it with him carefully. They had a very pleasant conversation.
Since Luan Tingyu sided with Wang Lun, he was quickly given important responsibilities by Wang Lun and was able to make great strides in his career. He has been living a very fulfilling life these days.
After the work report was completed, Luan Tingyu arranged a banquet.
When the new leader of Liangshan arrived, Luan Tingyu naturally attached great importance to him. Upon hearing that Pang Wanchun and An Daoquan were the new leaders, Luan Tingyu treated them with even greater hospitality.
The banquet lasted from dusk until late at night, and most people were drunk. Only then did soldiers come to help everyone to rest.
The next day, Luan Tingyu personally brought water to serve Wang Lun as he washed up.
It was harvest time, so after having a meal with the other leaders, Wang Lun followed Luan Tingyu to harvest the Liangshan crops.
With the leader of Liangshan personally taking action, the more than one thousand Flying Tiger soldiers in Jinxiang were greatly encouraged.
This drew cheers from the nearby people, who, although under Liangshan's control, had never seen Wang Lun before.
I originally thought that Wang Lun, the leader of Liangshan, was some kind of superhuman being who could repeatedly defeat the imperial court's attacks, but I never expected him to be just a handsome scholar.
The Song Dynasty court valued civil officials over military ones, and the people of the Song Dynasty also attached great importance to scholars. When they saw that Wang Lun looked like a scholar, the people were even more delighted.
Wang Lun also chatted warmly with the people, showing no airs whatsoever.
His break lasted for several days, during which he discussed things with Luan Tingyu until late at night every day.
On this day, Wang Lun finally set off again. He had many things to do now and no longer went for leisurely strolls. He went straight back to Jeju Island.
Luan Tingyu led his trusted soldiers to escort Wang Lun and the others for ten miles before stopping at Wang Lun's urging. He then stood there watching Wang Lun and the others walk away.
His maid, Yulan, was also by his side. Seeing that Luan Tingyu was still looking in the direction Wang Lun had left, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part with him?"
Luan Tingyu said, "You were right to persuade me to join Liangshan. On the contrary, I had many concerns back then. The chieftain is a man of great vision and concern for the common people. He is truly a great leader."
Yulan said softly, "In that case, you should assist the chieftain well. If the chieftain achieves great things in the future, you will also be able to follow behind him and share in the benefits."
Luan Tingyu nodded, and only after seeing that Wang Lun and the others had disappeared did he turn his horse around.
"Now, let's govern Jinxiang well. When the chieftain has accumulated enough power, I will follow him and fight in the north and south until I die on the battlefield." Luan Tingyu said earnestly, with longing in his eyes.
He had always been ambitious, and now that he felt he had followed the right person, he was even more excited.
Wang Lun and his group hurried back to Jeju City. They didn't linger any longer and saw Jeju City in the distance before noon.
The scouts nearby had already spotted them; some came over to greet them, while others went back to report.
As they approached the city, the city gates opened wide, and a troop of people came to greet them.
Leading the group were military generals such as Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Guan Sheng, Huyan Zhuo, Qin Ming, and Wu Song, and Shi Wenbin, who dressed as a scholar in white robes, imitating Wang Lun.
They received word from the scouts that Wang Lun had finally returned, and immediately came out to greet him.
Wang Lun and his men rode off to meet them.
Lin Chong and the other leaders jumped off their horses and knelt down in unison.
Wang Lun laughed heartily, stepped forward to help Lin Chong up, and said, "Brothers, no need for formalities, please get up quickly."
Lin Chong and the others still stood up, all happy: "Brother has been gone for several months, and we brothers have been very worried. Especially since Wu Song and the others have all returned, we still haven't seen any trace of you. So I sent out scouts everywhere, but we never expected to hear that you went to Jinxiang to harvest wheat."
Wang Lun laughed heartily and asked, "How was our harvest?"
Shi Wenbin stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the chieftain, our Jizhou has a very good harvest this year. I have done the statistics, and the output has more than doubled compared to last year. Our granaries are also full."
Wang Lun grasped Shi Wenbin's hand again and said, "Mr. Shi must have had a hard time while I was away."
Shi Wenbin quickly replied, "I dare not say it's hard work. Instructor Lin and the others train every day, exposed to wind and sun, and personally lead the soldiers to cultivate land and harvest grain. It's even more hard work for them."
Wang Lun nodded in satisfaction. Lin Chong was a sensible person who had no conflict with Shi Wenbin. He was a man of both literary and martial talents, and this was the right path for Liangshan's development.