The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Fengtian Hall,

Liu Jian walked in confused and looked up at Li Dongyang.

Chai Sheng also looked confused and whispered: "Mr. Li, why did His Majesty summon the six ministries in a hurry?"

"Because of sweet potatoes."

The ministers showed disappointment. They had heard of sweet potatoes a long time ago. Even if they could be used as staple food, what would it matter?

There is only so much land. If you grow sweet potatoes, you can't grow rice. It's the same as growing mulberries or rice.

Seeing that Yan Chengjin hadn't come yet, Emperor Hongzhi looked at Chai Sheng: "Can the tax grain in Jiangnan this year be supplied from the southwest? I remember that the southwest has been reclaimed for two years, right?"

The land in Jiangnan collapsed, and I'm afraid it won't be able to supply tax grain this year. The price of rice has risen several times. The court is expensive to buy grain, and the people have no food to eat.

Chai Sheng said sadly: "There are many flat lands in the southwest, but there are no rivers to divert water, so rice can't be grown."

Yan Chengjin ordered people to go to the southwest to reclaim wasteland, but he never thought about whether there were big rivers there.

Even if the canal was dug, when would it be spread all over the south?

Liu Jian and others fell into deep thought.

Jiangnan has many lakes and rivers, which can be used for irrigation, so it has become a rich land.

But in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, no one knows where to get water, as there are many mountains and few lakes.

"What is the land used for now?"

"More than 37,000 hectares of land are still idle." Chai Sheng said.

He didn't know who to allocate it to.

Emperor Hongzhi's brows gradually frowned.

Oranges in the south are not as good as those in the north. I wonder if sweet potatoes can be grown in dry land in the south?

The little eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Lord Yan is here."

A moment later, Yan Chengjin walked into the hall, followed by three eunuchs holding brocade plates.

This time he entered the palace to solve the wasteland in the south.

By the way, please give Qing'e the title of Lady of Imperial Edict.

She was born in a humble family, and if she could be granted the title of Imperial Edict, she would not be inferior to others when she entered the palace to see the queen.

"What did Lord Yan ask someone to hold?" Wei Shen asked.

Everyone smelled a fragrance, knowing that it came from Yan Chengjin. They didn't know what it was, but it smelled very good.

"It's food made from sweet potatoes. Everything I can think of is here."

Liu Jian and his men came over, and saw the words written in the round bowl: stir-fried sweet potato leaves, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato rice... sweet potato leaves and grass.

Emperor Hongzhi had tasted it once.

But when he saw it again, he was still surprised and ordered people to give him chopsticks.

Ma Wensheng scooped up a mouthful of sweet potato porridge with a small bowl, which was very much to his taste, and nodded repeatedly.

After seeing that everyone had tasted it, Yan Chengjin said: "Now, the gentry know that the disaster in Jiangnan has driven up the price of rice, and corn has become something that only the nobles can enjoy. This thing can be used as a staple food to lower the price of rice."

"So what if it can be lowered? There are only so many good fields. No matter how delicious it is, it can't replace rice." Han Wen said after deep thought.

Yan Chengjin said: "Lord Han, this is wrong."

"What do you want to say?"

Liu Jian and others naturally knew that this guy had something to say.

Wei Shen had a bad feeling and glanced at Chai Sheng, only to see that Chai Sheng also had a serious expression.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Yan Chengjin. Whenever it was important, this boy would always think for a long time.

"After the collapse of the Jiangnan land, I have been thinking for a long time. I beg Your Majesty to redistribute the land in the world!

Give the dry land and barren hills to the people.

It is difficult to pay taxes with only a few acres of good land. How can we be rich without savings?

Even after ten years, we are still poor.

If the barren land is given to the people, the people can use the barren land to make some money. For example, this potato chip, after adding honey, can be used for entertainment by the gentry. I call it a cash crop."

The people outside the capital are so poor that they can't even afford oil.

The people can't get rich just by farming, because they have too little land.

The agriculture of the Ming Dynasty is developed.

But the cash crops are only cotton and sericulture, which are almost blank.

There are many idle dry lands in the Ming Dynasty, but these belong to the gentry and the court, and the people cannot cultivate them.

Sweet potatoes are more suitable as cash crops.

Cash crops?

Emperor Hongzhi had never heard of this: "What are cash crops?"

"This is the name I gave. For example, cotton is a cash crop."

Got it!

Liu Jian's body shook violently. This guy actually wanted to redistribute the land!

Li Dongyang turned around in surprise.

I thought Yan Chengjin was going to ask for an imperial decree for Qing'e, but who knew that this guy wanted to change the system again!

Chai Sheng said: "Your Majesty, you can't do that. The wasteland belongs to the gentry and the princes. Isn't this to discipline the princes?"

"I think it's not possible!" Wei Shen bowed.

They also have a lot of idle land in their hands.

They would rather keep it in their hands than give it to the people.

Yan Chengjin knew that there would be ministers who would oppose it.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the land occupied by the gentry far exceeded that of the people, which made the Ming Dynasty's finances precarious. Zhang Juzheng implemented the "One Whip Law".

Relying only on farming, without cash crops, it is difficult for the people to save money at home.

In the capital, people can still work as long-term workers.

But in places like Hejian Prefecture, where there are not many big cities, people can only live on one mu and three fen of land.

They dare not leave, and there is nothing else to do during the slack season.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Han Wen: "How many hectares of idle dry land are there in the world?"

"I guess it should be more than 5 million hectares."

There are more than 8 million hectares of good land and more than 5 million hectares of wasteland, which is reasonable.

Emperor Hongzhi raised his eyebrows.

It is difficult to be fair to distribute the wasteland of gentry to the people for no reason.

"The land of gentry is also inherited from their ancestors. It is not something that the court can take away just because it wants to."

The new emperor took it back just after the previous emperor gave it. Where is the credibility of the court?

Ma Wensheng nodded in agreement.

Yan Chengjin thought for a moment and said, "You can only divide the court's land and leave the gentry's land alone."

"But for me, the gentry are also the people. If I only divide the wasteland to the people, what about the gentry?

If I divide the wasteland to the gentry, the gentry's land will become larger. What about this?"

Emperor Hongzhi said seriously.

Liu Jian nodded. The court should control the most land.

If all is given to the people, what will be given to the meritorious officials in the future?

The gentry's land is already enough, and it will be difficult to control it if it is divided again.

But you can't favor one over the other.

The ministers of the six ministries all shook their heads and looked at Yan Chengjin.

Although they are all nine ministers, they are not as experienced as them.

At this moment, the unhurried voice sounded again: "If I have a way, I will treat them equally."

Suddenly,

Wei Shen's expression stiffened. This kid doesn't really have a way, right?

The only trace of Emperor Hongzhi's amiable smile gradually faded: "Mr. Yan, I know you want to benefit the people.

Even if you have a way to treat everyone equally.

But what can I use to reward officials and princes with the land taken from the court?"

As a reward, it is one of the reasons why the court wants to control a large amount of land.

Liu Jian nodded.

Yan Chengjin raised his head slightly: "If I have a way, I will solve the reward together."

Emperor Hongzhi felt his heartbeat suddenly slow down.

Just now, Li Dongyang was still calm.

But now, hearing that Yan Chengjin could even solve the reward, his breathing suddenly stopped.

Yan Chengjin did not dare to speak wildly, saying that there must be something.

Wei Shen and Chai Sheng stared at Yan Chengjin as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Since ancient times, they knew the system of managing land very well.

There is no way to solve it at all.

"Mr. Yan, tell me about it."

Yan Chengjin took a deep breath: "Household contract responsibility system!"

Emperor Hongzhi was stunned.

Liu Jian looked confused, not knowing what Yan Chengjin was talking about.

Li Dongyang and Han Wen were mostly like this.

"What is the household contract responsibility system?"