Chinese dining table

Chapter 1240 The Emperor's Place is a Treasure Land

"The kindness of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations!"

When Li Zhi left the Wannian County Government Office, Xue Rengui came to Yun Chu and said gritting his teeth.

Yun Chu glanced at Xue Rengui, whose face was full of vicissitudes, and said, "Three lives are too long for me, let alone five."

"The grace of a gentleman also refers to the fortune of a country."

"If the continuation of a country depends only on the personal prestige of the founding monarch, and the successors sit on the merits of their ancestors and eat for free, wouldn't three generations be enough?"

"This is a statement of great treason."

When Li Zhi saw Yun Chu and Xue Rengui arguing, he stood there with a smile on his face, watching the fun.

Yun Chu said: "Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty started his army in Taiyuan, and then he pacified the world. This is the blessing of a gentleman. Later, Emperor Taizong rose up and pacified the world. This is also the blessing of a gentleman. The country has come to your majesty, and you have destroyed the Turks, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, and no one in the world dares to raise an army. Isn't this the blessing of a gentleman?

Looking at Crown Prince Hong, he has a kind and fair character at a young age, and he understands farming. In the past, Your Majesty praised him for his ability, and he already has the image of a wise ruler. Your Majesty has dealt with the suffering of foreign invasions by the Tang Dynasty. If the crown prince can solve the people's worries about famine, wouldn't it be a blessing for the Tang Dynasty?

Each generation of emperors has their own duties. Over time, every generation of emperors is a gentleman. Every era of the Tang Dynasty emperors has the grace of a gentleman that will benefit future generations. It is not impossible to create a thousand-year empire."

"Mencius's statement that the grace of a gentleman should be cut off after five generations does not mean this."

Yun Chu looked at Xue Rengui and said, "Then Mencius must have been wrong!"

Xue Rengui said angrily: "How dare you criticize the ancient sages?"

Yun Chu looked at Xue Rengui coldly and said, "That must be when the classics were passed down, but they were passed down incorrectly. What Mencius should have said was - the grace of a gentleman lasts for hundreds of generations!"

"How dare you say such a thing?"

Yun Chu smiled and said, "When Mencius was alive, the mountains and rivers were broken, the princes were in constant war, and a country with a thousand chariots could become a hegemon. Mencius lived in this dry well, and the sky he could see was only a hundred miles in radius.

Now, the sky of the Tang Dynasty is more than ten thousand miles. Xue Rengui, you use the views of Baili Hou to explain the affairs of my country of ten thousand miles of clear sky, isn't it absurd?"

"If we don't govern the country with the words of the ancient sages, should we govern the country with your words?"

Yun Chu smiled and bowed to the emperor, saying, "As the first country in the past thousand years, we should have the courage to face the unknown world. If we want to build a country that will last for a thousand years, we should have the courage to break the shackles of our ancestors. In my opinion, we should not fear the will of heaven, we should not follow the example of our ancestors, and we should not care about what others say.

Only in this way can we accomplish what our predecessors could not accomplish.”

Xue Rengui never expected Yun Chu to be so bold. Seeing the emperor looking up at the gloomy sky, he stopped arguing with Yun Chu and took a step back, his face full of indignation.

When Li Zhi returned to Xingqing Palace, the wind had stopped.

When his carriage left the Wannian County Government Office and arrived at Zhuque Street, the street that had just been empty was now full of people.

When Li Zhi lifted the curtain of the carriage, Wei An, the head of the Wei family, had already knelt down tremblingly, shouting: "Long live the emperor."

Immediately, the people following behind this 90-year-old man also knelt down and cheered together.

Li Zhi looked lazily at the white-bearded and white-haired Wei An, and said to Yun Chu who was guarding him, "Living long does have some benefits after all."

Yun Chu said: "This old man is so slippery that I can't find any fault with him over the years. Although Wei Shi had some minor problems and made Wei Shi lose a layer of skin, Wei Shi lost several layers of skin over the years, but his bones were not injured. I suspect that this old guy has lived too long and I don't know how many layers of skin he has on his body."

Li Zhi got off the carriage and said to Yun Chu, "My name is Wei An. I always put safety first. You can't do anything to me."

"Kill him when we get a chance. The private land of the Wei family occupies more than 10% of Wannian County. It would be better for me to use this land to raise more soldiers."

"Take your time, don't rush, make sure you are sure before you act, and do it right the first time. If you make a mistake, I can't protect you."

Xue Rengui, who was serving on the right side of Li Zhi, watched the two of them saying the most vicious words while coming to Wei An. Yun Chu gently helped Wei An up, while Li Zhi held Wei An's cold hand and said some heartwarming words.

If there is Wei, there must be Du, Yuwen, Dugu, Murong, Doulu, Helan, Houmochen, Qutu, Qibi, Yuchi, Daxi, Wanqi, Tuoba, Husi, Erzhu, Hegan, Geshu, Kudi, Sheli, Heba, Jieer, Xuegu, Pugu, Huihe, Zhishi, Mohe, Helou, Hulu, Ruoyu, Yisugu, Ashina, Fumeng, Helian...

Without looking at the people, just by listening to their surnames you can tell that they are not good people.

There were the remnants of the former Xianbei, the remnants of the former Sui Dynasty, and a group of younger brothers recruited by Emperor Taizong when he was weak. The rest were because Li Zhi destroyed their countries, but he couldn't kill them all, so he gave them some high positions and kept them as monkeys.

These people are the big troubles that Li Zhi left for Yun Chu.

These people had been extorted twice by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong when they surrendered a long time ago. At that time, they still had a lot of troops who could be exploited, so they basically regained their vitality after a few decades.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, it was no exaggeration to say that the people were living in misery. These people used only a small amount of capital to seize a lot of the interests of the Tang Dynasty, such as the land around Chang'an.

As a result, Yunchu cannot find a suitable piece of land even though he wants to expand and set up a factory.

Yun Chu sent people to negotiate with them several times, preparing to purchase a large amount of land at market price as reserve land for Chang'an. However, the result was not good. Not only did they refuse to sell, they also drove out the people sent by Yun Chu.

In a rage, Yun Chu slightly moved a few minor officials, which resulted in a collective beating up by them. This put him in a very passive position in the court. Even the emperor, empress, and prince did not support his behavior, so he had to give up the idea of ​​reserving land.

Watching the emperor chatting with several family heads in the snow, Yun Chu said to Ruichun, "Your Majesty, aren't you on guard against these people?"

Ruichun rolled his eyes at Yunchu and said, "Isn't His Majesty also not on guard against you?"

Yun Chu said: "What do I have to guard against?"

Ruichun sneered and said, "What is there to guard against those people?"

Yun Chu said: "If they are not of my race, their hearts must be different."

Ruichun said: "Many families are royal in-laws, and some of the older families are generals from the Tang Dynasty's Taizu period, and have been loyal for hundreds of years. It is inappropriate for you to say this at this time."

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Can we take all these big guys to Luoyang? I always feel that when His Majesty moved the capital to Luoyang, he didn't bring all the people with him."

Ruichun smiled and said, "How do you know that His Majesty has left you with a lot of burdens?"

Yun Chu nodded, thinking that Ruichun was right.

The snow was falling heavier, but Li Zhi still patiently met with many family heads.

Those who thought they were qualified to see the emperor stepped forward on their own initiative, while those who were not qualified to see the emperor automatically stayed on the periphery. Yun Chu calculated that there were only six families who were qualified to surround the emperor.

But it was very interesting that at least two family heads guarding the periphery were ready to make some moves. They tried several times to get closer to the emperor, but were always blocked by several family heads, preventing them from making any progress.

Seeing this scene, Yun Chu found it very interesting. It seemed that this group of people were not united, and there were also cracks among them. Several families that were originally weak but gradually became powerful in recent years had already planned to show up in front of the emperor.

Is that right?

It doesn't make sense for such a large group of people to be willing to be controlled by others. They have become strong, and it is too unfair for them to continue to lag behind...

Seeing the snow falling heavier, Yun Chu, the internal minister, stepped forward and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty has been exhausted all the way. It's time to rest."

Li Zhi said with a smile: "Alas, I didn't expect that it would take so long to meet with an old friend. Such heavy snow is not good for the health of the elderly. Everyone, please go back. I will hold a banquet in Xingqing Palace soon, and we, the monarch and his subjects, will reminisce about our past.

Yunqing, please send these old gentlemen home."

Yun Chu smiled and bowed, saying, "Yes."

The emperor got on the carriage reluctantly and drove away towards Xingqing Palace. All the family heads watched him leave reluctantly, and some of them who were emotionally fragile even had tears in their eyes.

When the emperor's carriage turned around and entered Xingqingfang, Wei An, the head of the Wei family, immediately had a gloomy face and said to Yun Chu, "How do you plan to accommodate us at this banquet?"

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Old Wei is highly respected, so he is naturally the top priority."

Wei An raised his face full of age spots and said, "Three thousand taels of gold!"

Yun Chu stared at Wei An and said, "Three thousand taels of gold equals one thousand acres of land!"

Wei An looked at Yun Chu and said, "Five thousand taels of gold!"

Yun Chu sneered, "Two thousand acres of land. Besides, I will raise the price. This is the first time His Majesty has returned to Chang'an in twelve years. This is a rare opportunity for you to see him. Two thousand acres of land is a bargain."

Wei An said angrily: "You are trying to dig up the roots of the Wei family in Chang'an."

Yun Chu said: "The Wei family was convicted of a crime by the Queen not long ago. If Elder Wei cannot resolve this issue in front of His Majesty, I think the end will be worrying. After all, the foundation of your Wei family is not in the land, but in the favor of the Emperor.

Over the years, a certain family has repeatedly attempted to seize your Wei family's land, but you have refused to give in. Yun is not a pushover either. I have been trying to reason with you for years. What do you think you are relying on?

If I were not worried about offending His Majesty, a minor official under my command would be able to wipe out your Wei family."

When talking to an old fox like Wei An, it is best to speak clearly. Once you are vague, this old dog will definitely come up with a reasonable reason that will leave Yun Chu speechless, and then avoid Yun Chu's plan to take his family's land.

Furthermore, there is no need to lie to an old guy who is about to die. Now that he needs a favor from the emperor, he must squeeze out the toad piss. If he makes such a request at another time, the old guy will die in front of him.

Wei An looked up at the sky, letting the snow fall on his face. He looked not only lonely but also extremely desolate, as if Yun Chu was really planning to castrate him, which made people feel sympathy for him.

"Never mind, seven thousand acres, Wei wants three seats."

Once the old man made up his mind, he was not stingy at all and gave the 7,000 acres of land without any hesitation.

Yun Chu was not a person who would refuse to pay his debts, so he immediately said, "The first, fourth, and seventh seats on the left hand are yours, Wei."

Wei An glanced at Yun Chu and said, "You know the Wei family very well."

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Thank you, thank you. This is just my duty."

Not expecting Yun Chu to really send him off, Wei An turned around and left after he finished speaking. The old man was clearly over ninety years old, but at this moment he walked like a dragon or a tiger, and it seemed that he still had a few more years to live.

Wei reached a deal with Yun Chu, and Du naturally also reached a certain degree of exchange with Yun Chu. As for others, Yun Chu naturally ignored them and left them to the Wu brothers, Lu Zhaolin, and Yang Jiong to receive. As for Lu Xiu, this person is too proud to do such a thing at the moment.

When Yun Chu returned to the official residence, Lu Xiu helped Yun Chu take off his armor with trepidation. After Yun Chu sat down, she tremblingly brought him a cup of hot tea and said gratefully, "Thank you, my lord."

Yun Chu spoke for him in front of the emperor. This was a great favor, which could not be repaid with a cup of tea or a word of gratitude.

So, Yun Chu took a sip of hot tea and said to him, "Once those people agree to hand over their land, the Ministry of Revenue will immediately replace the land deeds, giving priority to the land closest to Chang'an City and Qujiang City."

After hearing this, Lu Xiu said with difficulty: "They won't give us those lands."

Yun Chu looked at Lu Xiu's troubled face and sighed, "Go ahead, they have no choice."

Watching Lu Xiu leaving the government residence with a hunched back, Yun Chu began to agree with Li Zhi's opinion of Lu Xiu. He was indeed not up to the standard. In this life, the position of the chief clerk of Wannian County would be the highest height he could achieve in his life.

Chang'an City is only 12 miles away from Qujiang City. Because the land in between is close to Qujiang River, it is most convenient to get water for irrigation. As long as there is no locust plague or insect plague, whatever you plant will grow well, and the yield is not low. The land here is generally called "gold and gold" by the people of Chang'an.

This means that no matter how much money you spend to buy the land here, it is not a loss.

Sometimes Yun Chu didn't understand how people in Chang'an calculated their accounts. One acre of land cost three taels of gold, and one tael of gold in the Tang Dynasty was less than 40 grams. With these 40 grams of gold, one could buy 20,000 kilograms of rice in Chang'an.

Three taels of gold can buy 60,000 kilograms of rice, 100,000 kilograms of rice, 120,000 kilograms of wheat, and as for corn, it reaches an exaggerated 160,000 kilograms.

And these invaluable lands only produce 300 kilograms of wheat per acre per year...

Yun Chu is the main culprit for the distorted land prices in Chang'an. He was the one who first drove up the land prices in Chang'an. In addition, the population of Chang'an has skyrocketed in the past twenty years. Tigers, wolves, wild boars and the like often roamed in the remote and deserted markets before. Now, you can't find a single ferocious beast within a thirty-mile radius of Mount Zhongnan.

As a result, if the people of Chang'an wanted to hunt, they had to travel far to Bailuyuan or go to the Qinling Mountains.

In a city with a permanent population of over a million, where would there be room for wild animals to settle?
Similarly, the price of land outside the city has increased more than ten times compared to the end of the Zhenguan period.

Under such circumstances, breaking up land annexation became Yun Chu's top priority. Only by fragmenting the land and allowing more farmland to be in the hands of real farmers would the people of Chang'an be willing to fight for this city.

Otherwise, the land outside the city all belongs to the big landlords, and the shops in the city all belong to the big nobles. Given the honest yet cunning nature of the people in Guanzhong, it would be strange if they didn't run away when they saw the enemy coming.

Anyway, I don’t own an acre of land or a house, so the shop is none of my business.

The city was broken, and the unlucky ones were the big landowners and nobles. If they died, they might even get some benefits, since the land couldn't be destroyed anyway...

If, if you say, you own a piece of farmland outside the city, you also have your own small business in the city, your wife is not ugly, and your children are barely well-behaved and obedient... then there is no need to say anything. As long as you don't squeeze out the enemy's shit and urine, then he has done it cleanly.

Yun Chu has always believed that the reason why the people of Guanzhong lined the streets to welcome Huang Chao when he entered Chang'an was because of this mentality.

Chang'an was destroyed six times and the emperor moved nine times. It was really a strange thing that it was destroyed in Guanzhong, a place that has produced many powerful soldiers in every dynasty.

It’s not that there are no men in Guanzhong who dare to fight, but that there are no men in Guanzhong who are willing to fight.

A soldier without land or assets can't even defeat a sheep...

Just when Yun Chu was lost in thought, the Wu brothers, Lu Zhaolin, and Yang Jiong walked in with snow all over their bodies. As soon as they came in, the four of them gathered around the stove to warm their hands.

Yun Chu took a sip of the already cold tea and asked, "How much land?"

Lu Zhaolin trembled and said, "Sixty-eight thousand acres."

Yang Jiong said: "We deliberately did not ask for the invaluable land between Chang'an City and Qujiang City, so that we can exchange more."

Yun Chu frowned and said, "Oh?"

Seeing that the prince looked unhappy, Wu Chengsi hurriedly said, "What we want is the land surrounding the area from Chang'an City to Qujiang City."

Yun Chu said viciously: "Tell me a reason. If you can't, I will beat up all four of you today."

Wu Sansi shuddered and said quickly: "My Lord, as long as the surrounding land is in our hands, I have ten thousand ways to turn the Jinbuhuan between Chang'an and Qujiang City into a worthless wasteland."

Yun Chu smiled, and stood up to pour each of them a cup of hot tea. He pushed it in front of them and said with a smile, "What's the plan?"

Wu Chengsi chuckled and said, "Anyway, the harvest from the fields between Chang'an City and Qujiang City cannot be stored in the government warehouse. I think we should just stop operating them."

After listening to Wu Chengsi's suggestion, Yun Chu neither nodded nor shook his head. Instead, he stood up, put on his cloak, and said to Wu Chengsi: "I will be guarding Xingqing Palace tonight. You can make decisions on some minor matters."

Lu Zhaolin said quickly: "I suggest that the large plots of land be divided into small plots and sold to the people of Chang'an City according to household registration. The price does not need to be high, and the smaller the plot, the better. In this way, if the big families want to continue to annex those plots of land, they will have to face thousands of small landlords."

Wu Sansi snorted coldly and said, "The price is not high? What nonsense are you talking about? Even if the price is high, so what? Anyway, the plot of land is small. There are countless families in the city who want to buy a plot of land outside the city to grow crops. Even if they can only grow vegetables, they will flock to it.

If the land that you have worked so hard to get back is sold at a low price, those short-sighted guys, if they see a high price, might be tempted by the money and sell the land. Wouldn't this go against your plan?
Therefore, I suggest that these fields should not be sold at a low price, but should be sold at a high price. Moreover, not everyone has the opportunity to buy them. We can give priority to selling them to those soldiers in the city who have no land but only money. "

Seeing the four of them arguing, Yun Chu pushed open the door of the government residence and walked out.

At this time, the wind stopped and the snow stopped. The moon was bright in the sky, illuminating the city of Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)