vrcanaries Chapter 297 Public Land Office
Chapter 297 Public Land Office
During the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty
At this time, Cai Jing was still in Hangzhou and had not yet returned to the capital. He held great power and grew into the treacherous minister he would later become.
Hearing Lin Ke's words, he sighed. He didn't know what he had worked so hard for most of his life, even with this ending!
In the end, it was all for nothing!
……
During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty.
Emperor Shenzong of Song was absolutely furious with his son!
They're both sons, so why didn't Xu'er act like this when he became emperor? Did the prime minister just make money for his own enjoyment?
Zhao Xu was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged, making him look like a powder keg, just waiting for a fuse to ignite!
Those attending him trembled with fear, and only Li Xian, a courtier favored by Emperor Shenzong, dared to speak.
"Your Majesty, now that we know the outcome, we should try to change things. The current calamity is factional strife."
Li Xian's words brought Emperor Shenzong back to his senses. Indeed, the endless factional strife had begun during his reign.
Emperor Shenzong then ordered the summons of Wang Anshi and also recalled Sima Guang.
Those two stubborn old men! He's so annoying!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke continued, "Next, let's talk about some of Emperor Huizong's eunuch assistants."
"We've already talked about the six traitors. Next, we'll talk about the eunuch Yang Qiu, who is a rare eunuch who wrote on behalf of the emperor."
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: ...
"The background to this matter is that Cai Jing, under the guise of the new law, levied exorbitant taxes and levies. At that time, there was a tax item called 'Jingzhiqian'."
"The so-called 'management money' is, for example, taking some money for adding wine and adding a penny for tax. Although each person only takes a small amount, it can accumulate into a large fortune."
"Subsequently, Taoist temples and Mingtang (Hall of Brightness) were built, and as we mentioned before, imperial edicts and memorials in the Song Dynasty had to be reviewed by the Secretariat."
"But in order to stop other officials from discussing it, Cai Jing and his associates did not follow the proper procedures and directly asked Emperor Huizong to write it down himself before implementing it, and even asked the eunuch Yang Qiu to write it down on their behalf."
"That's not all. In the early years of Emperor Huizong's reign, the eunuch Yang Jian established the Rice Field Administration, which enacted laws in Henan to demand land deeds from the people. The gist of this was to inspect the land contracts held by the common people."
"But the land in the hands of these common people has been transferred multiple times, and some land was even cultivated directly. Where would they find land deeds to produce?"
"So the land that could not be produced was measured as public land, and the harvest was divided equally between the farmers and the rice fields, thus Yang Jian received a considerable income."
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: This person is truly shameless and insatiable!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty exclaimed: "The people's land has been taken away just like that!!!"
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Alright! Now I know why there were so many uprisings at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty!
……
"About two years later, Yang Jian set up the rice paddy management office as a public land office. This time he went even further, turning land without deeds into public land, while those with deeds could not escape exploitation."
"Because the land had been transferred multiple times, Yang Jian's method was to trace the land deeds back to their source. For example, if someone had a land deed, Yang Jian would send someone to investigate its origins."
"Once a land deed is found, the next one goes to the previous one... and the one before that, until there is no land deed left. Then the land will become public land, and the current owner will be forced to become a tenant."
In short, Yang Jian tried every means to seize land from the people. From the sixth year of the Zhenghe era (1116 AD) to the third year of the Xuanhe era (1121 AD), Yang Jian had already seized more than 34,300 hectares of land.
"However, after Yang Jian's death, Emperor Huizong of Song posthumously granted this eunuch the title of Grand Tutor."
All the emperors of the Song Dynasty: !!!
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "It's all about making money for him again, and so much of it! How can I not be happy!"
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Perhaps he would be a pillar of the state for them!
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: All the annoying civil officials have been sent to other places, and what's left...
……
Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly. It was another case of eunuchs ruining the country. He, Zhu Yuanzhang, hated eunuchs interfering in politics the most!
Damn it, he hasn't forgotten his Zhu family, which later became known as the West Depot and East Depot.
Alas... in the final years, a group of civil officials were not even as good as a single eunuch!
……
The live broadcast continues.
"Even after Yang Jian's death, the people's lives were still not liberated. The methods he invented for plundering the people's farmland were further intensified by Li Yan, who later succeeded him."
"This person is even more shameless than Yang Jian, no... a despicable villain... (swearing)"
Wan Chao: That's some really foul language!
"Cough cough, Li Yan first collected all the land deeds from the residents, then burned them in a big fire, claiming them as public land, which caused a large number of people to be displaced."
Historical records state that the people had no land, oxen could not plow the fields, and the people either starved to death or committed suicide with a rope. It was a very tragic situation.
"That wasn't the end of it. Li Yan then demanded rent from the public fields, and those who refused were beaten with sticks, numbering over a thousand. Li Yan also took Liangshanbo into public property, and people had to pay taxes if they wanted to go in to fish, pick lotus roots, or do other such activities."
"Many officials at the time colluded with them, so frequent uprisings were quite normal. No wonder it directly led to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty!"
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty: Damn it, a bunch of...? %! ...
Emperor Zhezong of Northern Song, Zhao Xu (almost furious): Waiting for my brother to give me a loving massage (and beat me up!)
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Huizong of Song deserved to be a prisoner! It's infuriating!!
……
When the people of the Song Dynasty heard this, especially the common people who lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong, they felt a deep sense of despair!
What kind of mess is this?! Why do they have to be with this "Emperor of Art"?!
Damn it, with all this blatant taxation and the country on the verge of collapse, should we just run away?!
……
Upon hearing this, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, from another timeline, frowned slightly. He wondered why so many people were looking at him, their eyes scrutinizing him!
So it was because of this little broken screen!
What utter nonsense is this?!
He felt he could never have fallen to this level!
How could it be that the country perished just over twenty years later?!
……
Studio.
Lin Ke sighed, "In such a world, with constant uprisings, it seems impossible for it not to perish, but it was only a little over a hundred years since the founding of the nation!"
"The largest of the uprisings was that of Fang La. Although he was captured in the third year of Xuanhe, and other uprisings were subsequently suppressed by the Song army, Emperor Huizong of Song and his powerful and treacherous officials did not take this opportunity to reflect on their actions."
"Their political decisions were even darker, and it had only been about five years since the Northern Song Dynasty was invaded by the Jin army."
"Before discussing the Jingkang Incident, let's talk about the military wars waged by foreign powers during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song. As mentioned earlier, he wanted to inherit the cause of his father and brother, and perhaps he also wanted to leave his mark on history!"
"Moreover, his father and brothers worked diligently and accumulated a considerable fortune for Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, enough for foreign wars, not to mention Cai Jing, who was always lining his own pockets!"
"Therefore, after Cai Jing came to power, he used the slogan of 'inheriting traditions' to revitalize border expansion."
Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu: He's been portrayed as a great victim!
Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: He made those two work for him!
"So in June of the second year of Chongning (1103 AD), Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, sent Wang Hou and Tong Guan to the Hehuang region."
An official from the Sui Dynasty: I really didn't expect that Emperor Huizong of Song would want to expand the borders!?
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: I guess he was still full of ambition back in his youth!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "And back then, even if someone wanted to have a hobby, they wouldn't dare to do it openly!"
A Qing Dynasty official: If only his father and brother hadn't died so young...
A minor official in the Qin Dynasty: Hey! Wait a minute, I just realized that Zhao Gou lived a long life in the Southern Song Dynasty, not in the Northern Song Dynasty's palace!?
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "No wonder Miss Lin mentioned that their palace was being painted with cinnabar! That might really be the reason!"
All the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty: !!!
Judy, the Great General Who Conquers the North: You have to admit, the Zhao family is really something, insisting on risking their lives to smell cinnabar! That stuff can kill people!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: Get lost! Your Zhu family also died young and had problems with having offspring!
……
Lin Ke hadn't thought of that, but she couldn't rule out the possibility.
"Wang Hou planned to split his troops into two groups. He ordered Gao Yongnian, who was stationed in Lanzhou, to lead 20,000 troops to Huangzhou, while Wang Hou and Tong Guan went to Bajinling."
"As for the people in the Hehuang region, they were not without temper either, and they also intended to resist to the end. In Biaoge City, the people of the Hehuang Tubo tribe fought desperately against the Song army."
"Because Biaoge City is located in a dangerous position, standing on a steep mountain, it is very difficult to attack. As expected, the Song army lost its first battle."