Chapter 75: Dynamic Model Reveals Land Consolidation

Land consolidation has a long history in China.

From the Spring and Autumn period to the Great Ming Dynasty, for nearly sixteen centuries, the issue of land consolidation has never been eradicated. The rise and fall of almost every dynasty have been closely linked to land consolidation.

In the early stages of a dynasty, land consolidation may not be severe, but as time goes on, it becomes more pronounced and eventually leads to collapse.

During the reign of Zhu Yunwen, land consolidation had already become apparent, but it was not yet considered severe, thanks to the overall conditions in the early Ming Dynasty.

After the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a large number of landlords died, and the new landlord class had not fully recovered. It took over a decade or two to slowly regain momentum, and just when a new group of landlords emerged, Zhu Yuanzhang made some sweeping changes, leading to the destruction of many “middle-class families among the common people.”

Zhu Yunwen understood the concept of land consolidation; after all, Chinese people have a unique attachment to land. Without land, how can one feed oneself? If one can’t solve the issue of livelihood, how can one start a family? Moreover, a hundred years later, one needs a place to settle down; one can’t just live on someone else’s land.

For merchants, the first choice after becoming wealthy is to purchase land. Among the four occupations (scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants), merchants hold the lowest status.

Once they become prosperous, they would buy a thousand acres of land to show those poor villagers that they are more than just merchants; they also own land. They won’t be looked down upon anymore.

Then they return home, pat their son who has failed the imperial examinations nine times on the head, and tell him, “Son, eat an extra bowl of dinner. We have plenty of land at home, and you won’t go hungry. Don’t worry, if you don’t pass this year, wait for another three years. Once you pass, our family will rise, and we won’t be merchants anymore; we’ll be a scholarly family.”

As this gentleman reached his advanced years, the heavens finally smiled upon him, and he succeeded in passing the imperial examination.

What glory it brought!

With a newfound status, everything changed. How could a mere one thousand mu of land be enough for him? He decided to acquire five thousand mu!

What? The foolish neighbor refuses to sell his land? No worries, invite the local village head over for a feast.

Oh, the foolish neighbor decided to sell his land after all? Asking for half a mace silver per mu? Ridiculous! I’ll take thirty mu and give him five taels of silver.

What’s that? The foolish neighbor went to the county office to seek justice? Let’s go and pay a visit to the county magistrate.

What’s with that new mound of earth over there? Oh, it was leveled, but I still need to farm!

Taxes? I’m an unappointed scholar, don’t you understand the law? Unappointed scholars are entitled to a tax exemption for two thousand mu of land! My land is precisely two thousand mu, all exempt from taxes.

Whose land is that? How would I know?

For merchants buying land, apart from providing for their future generations, they often seek transformation into the scholar class.

Even if they have no hope in this lifetime, they still have children. As long as there is land, they won’t go hungry. For generations to come, after a hundred or two hundred years, there will always be a chance for them to succeed.

Unappointed scholars buy land, and appointed officials also buy land. When they grow old or retire, they still need to buy land in their hometown.

As for those kings, they are even more powerful – the whole world belongs to their family, why would they need to buy land? They just seize it, and the land becomes part of the king’s mansion.

Oh, I remember now, yesterday the emperor rewarded me with one million mu of land. What? Jiangxi doesn’t have that much land? No problem, one must learn to be flexible. If there’s no land in Jiangxi, then we’ll go to Fujian, Hubei! If that doesn’t work, we’ll go to Guangzhou. In short, whatever the emperor grants, not a single mu of land should be missing!

Zhu Yunwen sighed. Thinking about the tragic state of the late Ming Dynasty, he was filled with frustration. Such a vast empire, with millions of mu of land and over sixty million people, couldn’t even collect a tax of two hundred thousand taels of silver! The expansive empire was as weak as rotten wood, vulnerable to a single blow!

Zhu Yunwen made up his mind; no matter how great the resistance, he must restrain land consolidation during his reign!

The debate among the courtiers resumed, and to Zhu Yunwen’s surprise, although the Head Minister of Six Ministries had expressed their views, there were still many voices opposing land consolidation. The various officials also jumped in to refute Hu Jun and the Six Ministries.

“Enough!” Zhu Yunwen’s voice resounded.

The courtiers ceased their discussions and looked at Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen didn’t speak but glanced at Shuangxi at the side.

Shuangxi hurriedly left the Fengtian Hall, and not long after, eight eunuchs carried in a long table. On the table was a sand table of the South Zhili region of the Ming Empire, along with two eunuchs holding black lacquer buckets, standing by the sand table.

The courtiers were puzzled at the sight.

Jing Qing looked at the yellow and black-dyed sand on the sand table and asked Lian Zining beside him, “What does this mean?”

Lian Zining shook his head slightly and said, “I’m not sure, but we’ll know soon.”

Jing Qing frowned and carefully observed Lian Zining, saying, “You’ve been quite silent these past few days. Could it be that Hu Jun’s memorial made you abandon your initial convictions?”

Lian Zining glanced at Jing Qing indifferently and coldly said, “All convictions should align with the right path. If one’s convictions are wrong, they must have the courage to repent. Official Jing, don’t ruin a lifetime of integrity for the sake of a few thousand mu of land at home.”

“Humph, it’s not about the land for me, but the welfare of the people. If the court restricts the gentry from buying and selling land, once there’s a natural disaster and poor harvest, how will self-sustaining farmers survive? They’ll have to turn to the gentry. But because of the court’s regulations, the gentry won’t dare to buy and sell land and will close their doors, shutting the farmers out. Then, they’ll become refugees, begging for survival everywhere, living and dying away from their hometowns. Do you want to see such a scene, official Lian?” Jing Qing replied coldly.

Lian Zining’s lips twitched but refrained from retorting. There’s no point in arguing with someone fixated on just one aspect; it’s a waste of energy.

Xie Jin, Huang Zicheng, and others walked around the sand table, then looked at Zhu Yunwen.

Huang Zicheng raised his tablet and asked, “Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this sand table?”

Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly and shouted, “Step aside, Xia Yuanji!”

Xia Yuanji came forward and replied loudly, “Present!”

Zhu Yunwen asked, “Within the area shown on this sand table, how much land is there, how many people, how many mu of land, and how much tax and grain are there? Can you explain it clearly?”

Xia Yuanji asked, “Your Majesty, which year are you inquiring about?”

Zhu Yunwen saw Xia Yuanji’s composure and nodded slightly, saying, “Let’s start with the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign.”

Xia Yuji walked toward the sand table, saying, “Your Majesty, this is the territory of the South Zhili region of the Great Ming, encompassing fourteen prefectures, including Yingtian Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture, Huai’an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture, and Huizhou Prefecture. There are 1,917,914 households and a population of 10,755,974. There are 126,960,000 mu of farmland, with a total tax and grain of 7,234,820 dan.”

After hearing Xia Yuanji’s report, Zhu Yunwen was secretly amazed. Xia Yuanji’s abilities were indeed remarkable; he was undaunted even in sudden investigations like this. It seemed that he should be entrusted with managing the Ministry of Revenue in the future.

Zhu Yunwen raised his hand and pointed to the sand table, saying, “The yellow-colored portion on this sand table represents the farmland of the South Zhili region in the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign, which is exactly 126,960,000 mu. The black-colored portion represents the land owned by gentry, mainly salary fields and tax-exempt fields, so we won’t consider them for now. Minister Xia, can you tell us how much farmland there was in the South Zhili region in the twenty-seventh year of the Hongwu reign?”

“Your Majesty, it was 123,960,000 mu, which is 300,000 mu less than in the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign,” Xia Yuanji replied solemnly.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the two eunuchs beside the sand table. The eunuchs took out black brushes from the lacquer buckets and applied some black ink on the sand table. Then, they stepped aside.

“In the twenty-eighth year of the Hongwu reign, how much farmland was there in the South Zhili region?” Zhu Yunwen asked again.

The courtiers fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on the sand table.

With each number reported by Xia Yuji, a portion of the original yellow-colored area on the sand table was covered with black ink. Every time black ink covered the yellow, the hearts of the courtiers trembled slightly.

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