Chapter 158 Drawing a Big Pie for Zhu Chong

Zhu Chong had already taken a general look at the land reform law that Yang Chen mentioned.

From the above content he could judge that this was an extremely bold reform, which made him feel panic.

She was amazed inwardly, not sure whether she should say that Yang Chen was brave or that she underestimated human nature.

After much hesitation, he decided to express his concerns:

“Brother Yang, it’s not that I object.

According to several articles in this “New Land Reform Law of the Ming Dynasty”, they seem to be regulations that encourage the people to rebel!

Let’s just talk about the first one.

‘Clearly abolish all feudal personal ownership of land in any sense. From now on, all land will belong to the court and the government, and the peasant land ownership system will be implemented.’

There is also the second article, which states that anyone has only the right to use the land, and the ownership of the land is not allowed to be traded. Even if one wants to sell it, one must go to the real estate bureau designated by the government to sell it, and what is sold is only the right to use the house and land.

Brother Yang, these laws really sound contrary to the people’s understanding. In their minds, they have the final say over their own land.

If we recycle all of them now, won’t that wipe out everyone’s business?”

Even if Zhu Chong was ignorant, he could still get a general idea from these reform laws. To put it bluntly, from now on no one could control the land, and the only one who controlled the land was the imperial court.

In fact, it fundamentally prevented the gentry from annexing the land, but in reality it was the court that annexed everyone’s land.

Yang Chen did not refute immediately, but asked him:
“Let me ask you, if I give you a choice, would you choose the fields or become a tenant farmer for a gentry?”

“The natural choice is to own your own fields.”

Zhu Chong answered without thinking.

On the other hand, Yang Chen spread his hands and said as a matter of course:

“Isn’t that enough? All the land will become the property of the government and the court. The land that they were forced to sell before will return to their hands. In name, it is not theirs, but in reality it can be passed down. Unless they have no descendants, the land will always be in their hands.

Of course, there are requirements for confiscating property, and it is impossible to do it in a one-size-fits-all manner. Please turn to Chapter 3, Article 1. “

Zhu Chong quickly flipped through the white paper according to Yang Chen’s instructions and soon found the corresponding law.

According to the law, there are regulations for land confiscation. Land will not be confiscated from the families of martyrs or the disabled. Local gentry will not confiscate all of their land, but will retain twice the local per capita land. If someone has made contributions to the Ming Dynasty, the court will send someone to investigate. Once verified, only a small part will be confiscated, and most of the land will be retained. Tenants who are willing to leave will have the right to use these fields.
It can be said that Yang Chen completely wrote out all the chapters of the land law in the early period of the reform in the next hundred years. Of course, there were some slight changes, which were more in line with the market conditions of the current era.

After seeing these contents, Zhu Chong felt that his little heart could not bear it and his eyelids kept beating wildly.

He knew very well that once these contents were announced, everyone would be shocked.

As the one who carried out this mission, Zhu Chong didn’t know how much people would curse him.

“Is this also agreed by my father, the emperor, the queen mother, and my elder brother?”

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Chong asked cautiously and tentatively.

Yang Chen replied calmly:
“That’s natural!”

“Without your father’s permission, I would not have done this. As for the people rebelling, this is even more of a joke. Since ancient times, the imperial court has issued policies that benefit the people. Have you ever seen the people rebel?

Anyway, I have never heard of merchants causing chaos. Whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world. The ownership of land belongs to the court, but the grain grown from the land belongs to the people. They only need to pay a little bit of tax every year to get most of the surplus grain.

Besides, I will not only let them farm in the future. My white paper has made it clear that land reform is to prepare for industrialization. Do you understand the meaning of this sentence?”

Yang Chen’s words shocked Zhu Chong deeply. Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true. In ancient times, there were really few businessmen who could cause such great trouble. The most famous one was Lu Buwei, a businessman in the early Qin Dynasty. Even so, wasn’t he killed by Qin Shihuang in the end?

Although Zhu Chong did a lot of stupid things, he was not stupid about some important matters, especially those concerning political leaders. Zhu Biao had personally instructed him in the past, which made Zhu Chong not inferior to most people in terms of political leaders. It was just that he was too lazy to show it.

Seeing that what he said was effective, Zhu Chong, who was originally hesitant and worried about this and that, gradually relaxed. He then added:

“In short, in short, you just need to listen to my arrangements for what happens next.

With your elder brother and your father backing you up, it won’t matter who you kill, and it won’t matter who stands up.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong stood up suddenly and said proudly:

“Okay! From today on, I will listen to you!”

Zhu Chong, who had no worries, was full of confidence and was eager to accomplish something big right now.

Whether for himself or for his descendants, Zhu Chong was willing to give everything, even temporary infamy.

As the saying goes, sins are committed in this present, but merits will last for generations.

“Don’t be impatient. I know you want to make achievements, but I have to remind you in advance that your third brother Zhu Gang already has overseas goals, and you are still just learning from me. This process will be very slow, so I hope you won’t be too eager for quick success and just follow my instructions. Otherwise, don’t blame me for reporting to your father.”

Based on his experiences with Zhu Di and Zhu Gang’s personalities as well as his previous understanding of Zhu Chong, Yang Chen had long anticipated that these sons of Zhu Yuanzhang would be very impulsive if not disciplined.

He didn’t want his plans in Ningming County, Zhenjiang Prefecture to be ruined by Zhu Chong alone.

He has to give a reminder, or a warning, before preparing.

When Zhu Chong heard these words, just as Yang Chen had expected, he was stunned at first, then flatteredly said that he would never do that, and repeatedly raised his hands to swear that he was willing to follow the arrangements. If Yang Chen told him to go west, he would definitely not go east, but he reacted quickly.

With one eye, one large and one small, he looked at Yang Chen and asked:
“Brother Yang! What did you say happened to my third brother? Does he have the same overseas fiefdom goal as the fourth brother?”

Zhu Chong, who was imprisoned here, only had an understanding of the outside world based on the grand court meeting a month ago.

He knew that his elder brother had promulgated three policies at that time, and he also knew that Yang Chen had described class issues to him in class.

But no matter how hard he thought about it, he never expected that after Zhu Di got his father’s approval and went to the north to conquer the three Jurchen tribes, his third brother also began to carry out overseas conquests in full swing?
This speed is really too fast!
The moment the other party nodded, Zhu Chong became anxious again and hurriedly asked his father where he planned to take Zhu Gang.

Yang Chen smiled knowingly, raised his hand and pointed to the east and said:

“That is a new continent called America, with endless plains and countless foods to fill people’s stomachs. These places have crops that are not found in the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty. Once it can be included in the overseas colonies of the Ming Dynasty, there will never be hungry people in the future of the Ming Dynasty. At worst, you can eat white flour buns until you are full.” Zhu Chong: “!”

“What! The third child can go to such a good place! Isn’t your father worried that such a good place will be wasted if it falls into his hands? The third child is reckless and extremely wasteful. How can your father give him such a Feng Shui treasure land!”

Zhu Chong jumped up from the stone bench and asked in disbelief.

But he got an answer from Yang Chen that made him feel ashamed.

“Why do you think so? It’s because of the terrible things you did. After Yongle took the initiative to request to go out, His Majesty began to think of ways to pack up all of you sons and send them away. Now that you are gone, he will naturally choose those capable ones from among his many sons to send away.

Obviously, your third brother is very suitable among them.”

After saying a lot, it was all because of his own failure to live up to expectations. Zhu Chong could only grit his teeth and dare not say anything more.

I secretly said:

“The American continent. At worst, I can find another place by myself. I don’t believe that there is no other place in this world except the American continent! Brother Yang, I hope you can help me!”

Clenching his fists, veins bulging, Zhu Chong spoke in an almost pleading tone:
“Brother Yang, you are the one who knows this world best. I hope you can help me. I don’t want to be the least prominent person in the family. As the second oldest, if I am surpassed by the third oldest, I will feel uncomfortable staying in this position!”

Yang Chen’s mouth curled up into a barely perceptible smile, and his voice slowly rang out:
“Don’t worry, I will definitely help you. Starting from the South Sea and going down, there will be a very rare ‘mineral island’.

This place ranks sixth in the world in terms of its size. It is not much smaller than the Central Plains and the American continent. There are jaw-dropping amounts of iron ore. At a glance, it is all iron exposed on the ground. You can dig it out and refine it into good iron to make weapons.

In addition, there is a very rich grassland environment here, and unlike the north, it is not so cold, nor as humid and hot as the South Seas. It is a secluded place.”

Yang Chen expounded all of Australia’s advantages in one breath.

He originally thought that the other party would feel disgusted when he knew that the central part of this place was desert, but he didn’t expect that Zhu Chong didn’t care at all.

Because this guy’s fiefdom is in Shaanxi.

It is close to Hanzhong Prefecture, Pingliang Prefecture, Xining Wei and other areas.

Without exception, these locations are very close to the Silk Road. This area is already very desolate. As a vassal king guarding the defense line in this place, Zhu Chong has long been accustomed to this boring and desolate life.

Compared with the desertification in central Australia, he would rather go to this place. At least in addition to the desert, Australia also has a tropical savanna climate distribution map, which can raise wool- and meat-producing livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses.

Following the blueprint drawn by Yang Chen, Zhu Chong ate this cake with great relish.

He even saw himself becoming the emperor of the Ming Dynasty in such a Feng Shui treasure land, recruiting a group of capable people and strengthening his own strength by relying on local resources.

It is not impossible for him to become a founding emperor in the future, commanding millions of troops like his father.

“Brother Yang! Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you! I definitely wouldn’t know that there is such a good piece of land in this world!”

Without thinking, Zhu Chong raised his hands and hugged Yang Chen’s shoulders, wanting a hug between men to say thank you to each other. Yang Chen broke free from him and took two steps back.

The two men distanced themselves from each other, and he even used one hand to dissuade the other.

God knows what Zhu Chong will do now with his personality.

“Anyway, I’ve already given you the goal. Now all you have to do is study these plans with me. Our first step is to deal with the debris in Zhenjiang Prefecture and start industrialization as soon as possible.”

In order to prevent Zhu Chong from not following his plan in the future, Yang Chen predicted how to promote the prosperity of the local economy from the perspective of land reform.

The economy and business are linked together. Zhenjiang Prefecture will be used as a pilot to let the entire Ming Dynasty see that sticking to the old ways will only lead to survival. If they want to get rich, they need to make changes.

What Yang Chen planned to do was to clear out the local bureaucracy and simplify things temporarily.

The prefect of Zhenjiang Prefecture was a man named Zhou Shizhong, an old official who responded to Zhu Yuanzhang’s call at the beginning of the country and escaped from the Yuan court and voluntarily surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

A few years ago, he was an official in the Ministry of Personnel. Later, he was demoted to Jiangxi because of his corrupt behavior. Then, Zhu Yuanzhang killed too many officials, which resulted in the new generation being unable to come up for a while, so Zhou Shizhong was arranged to be the prefect of Zhenjiang Prefecture.

As an administrative unit, the prefect is the highest official in the place, equivalent to the mayor of a prefecture-level city and deputy secretary of the municipal party committee.

Zhou Shizhong’s methods of corruption in Zhenjiang Prefecture can be said to be complex and varied.

If it weren’t for the cleverness of Zhu Biao’s men and the cooperation of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, there’s no telling how long he could have hidden.

In order to make his plan successful, Yang Chen decided to completely eliminate the malignant industries in this place.

For example, all the dark and breeding things such as gambling houses, brothels, underground death pits, etc. should be eradicated.

Of course, Yang Chen would not go to extremes. In today’s era, people’s moral standards are actually very low. If he does not give them a place to vent, and only relies on desperate control like suppressing a spring, it will only backfire.

For this purpose, he decided to set aside a special area where gambling and brothels could be legal, but they were required to be supervised by the government, could not embezzle money, and had to pay taxes.

You can continue to operate only after obtaining a business license, otherwise you will be banned.

As for how to obtain a license, it depends on whether the masterminds behind the scenes are willing to pay the price. Whoever pays a higher price will be eligible to continue making money.

Diverting conflicts is the best way to solve a problem. Otherwise, if those businessmen unite, Yang Chen’s work will not be carried out. This is also a helpless solution.

“Brother Yang, will they find it problematic to control the merchants in this way? What if they are unwilling to cooperate?”

When Zhu Chong heard Yang Chen’s proposal, he couldn’t help but frown.

As a vassal king, he was most aware of the benefits these industries brought. Once they were regulated, some people would probably be unwilling to cooperate.

Yang Chen looked at him meaningfully and said calmly:

“Uncooperative? Do you think your sword is blunt, or that the court’s words are ineffective and they are unwilling to cooperate?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chong was stunned, and then a cruel smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)