Volume 1: Entering Great Qin for the First Time Chapter 44: Discussion on Land (2)

  Hu Hai paused for a moment, his piercing gaze sweeping across the faces of the high-ranking officials in the hall before continuing.

  "As for the matter of investigating land ownership, do any of you gentlemen have a good plan? Speak up and let us discuss it together."

  Many of the officials in the great hall were among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers of the Great Qin Empire, none of whom were mediocre. Upon hearing Hu Hai's words, they immediately thought of his previous sudden suggestion to leave behind and settle the laborers who were unwilling to return home.

  In the blink of an eye, many people naturally linked these two things together.

  "Your Majesty, is this investigation of land ownership for those who are unwilling to return to their hometowns?" Li Si asked.

  "That's not all!"

  When Li Si finished speaking, Hu Hai's eyes flashed and he replied.

  Indeed, Li Si secretly sighed in his heart. Since it was not just for the laborers to prepare the land, Hu Hai must have had a bigger move behind him, but what Li Si worried about was the move that Hu Hai would make next.

  "Your Majesty, land is related to taxation and people's livelihood. Zheng Laoda, the Minister of Revenue, said that future discussions will be held, and land measurement is the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. As for the specifics, we need to ask Minister Zheng before we can discuss it."

  Li Si wanted to delay the time, and after inquiring about Hu Hai privately again, he would discuss the land. Tonight, Hu Hai will draft a decree as soon as he says something, and Li Si is worried that after discussing this matter, Hu Hai will immediately issue an edict, and it will be difficult to recall at that time, and Ying Teng is a precedent.

  As the creator of the basic national policy of the unified Qin Empire, Li Si was very clear about the current situation of the land in the Great Qin. Emperor Ying Zheng also knew about the serious land problem during his reign, but why didn't he take any measures with his great talent and martial arts achievements?

  The most crucial issue is that the land is not only related to countless ordinary people, but also involves the interests of numerous meritorious officials and aristocratic families of the Great Qin, making it a situation where "pulling one hair can move the entire body".

  If we act rashly, it will inevitably lead to a strong backlash from these noble families, and if things go wrong, it could lead to national chaos and the downfall of the country.

  Now that Hu Hai has just begun to take control, his previous reputation has not been fully restored. Moreover, with the six states rebelling at present, if he were to touch on the land issue which involves the interests of countless people at this moment, Li Si fears that the imperial court of Qin, which had just shown some signs of improvement due to Hu Hai's changes, would immediately become the target of public criticism.

  Moreover, the high-ranking officials in the imperial court of Great Qin were themselves part of the aristocratic families.

  As soon as Li Si finished speaking, a chorus of approval erupted, and the high-ranking officials below obviously all knew about the precarious situation of Qin's territory, knowing that this was a forbidden area that could not be touched lightly, especially under the current circumstances.

  Zheng Lao Da Ren is who, Hu Hai does not know, but if Li Si says the full name, he will definitely remember who it is.

  The current Daqin's Zhenglisi Zheng Lao is actually Zheng Guo. Perhaps many people are not clear who Zheng Guo is, but if you mention "Zhengguo Canal", I think many people will know who he is.

  Zheng Guo, a famous water conservancy expert in the pre-Qin period of our country, was a native of the State of Han during the Warring States period. In the first year of Qin Shi Huang (247 BC), he was ordered to enter Qin and persuade them to divert the waters of the Jing River eastward into the Wei River as a canal, with the intention of exhausting the people of Qin so that they would not attack Han. Ying Zheng adopted his proposal and ordered him to take charge of the excavation work.

  The Zhengguo Canal was started in the first year of Qin Shi Huang (246 BC). It took more than ten years to complete. After the canal was completed, the land of Guanzhong became a fertile plain, greatly enhancing the strength of the Qin state and laying the foundation for the unification of the six states by Qin.

  It doesn't matter that Hu Hai didn't know who the old man Zheng, the interior historian of the granary, was. What matters is that Hu Hai wasn't a fool either, although he came from a later generation and didn't understand the actual situation on the land of Qin at this moment.

  But it is precisely because he comes from a later generation that he is more aware of the importance of land issues in this era. At this time, if we cannot take advantage of the momentum to quickly solve the core issue of land, then it will be even harder to do so when the world is at peace.

  Moreover, only by solving the land problem first can Guanzhong and Shandong provinces in the north be thoroughly pacified, and then better accumulate strength to solve the national chaos as soon as possible, so that the people suffer less from war.

  Hearing the underlying meaning in Li Si's words, Hu Hai decided to lay it out and talk about it, because the high-ranking officials in the hall were not only top civil servants of the Great Qin Empire, but also each person more or less represented a part of the vested interests. If he could persuade them first, then the land problem could be solved.

  Otherwise, even if he uses the army in his hands to forcibly promote land reform, he will be met with strong backlash from everyone. It's possible that he won't even have time to pacify the world before being killed by these old foxes.

  Even if I win in the end, I will have killed all these important officials of Qin. What can I do then? Where can I find so many experienced and loyal people to govern the country with?

  Besides, he didn't want to completely abolish private land ownership. The feudal society landlord class must exist, this is the inevitable result of the development of productive forces, which can't be blocked by oneself, but can be controlled by oneself.

  "I know that you all have a large amount of land in your respective fiefs..."

  "Your Majesty, spare his life!"

  Hu Hai had just begun to speak when all the senior officials immediately knelt down on the ground and exclaimed loudly.

  "Ah, all of you, please rise. I didn't mean to blame any of you." Hu Hai said helplessly.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty."

  After everyone stood up, Hu Hai continued:

  "All of you, my dear officials, the land in your fiefs is what you deserve for your loyalty to the country. How could I blame you? However, you must understand that the people are the foundation of the state, and land is the foundation of the people. If the commoners become rootless floating weeds, how can our Great Qin endure?"

  "Long live Your Majesty!"

  "Gentlemen, please do not rush to praise me just yet. How much of the land in your estates is now being cultivated? I think there must be a lot of land that has become barren and uncultivated. Our great Qin Empire has many meritorious officials, noble families, and wealthy households, but how much fertile land lies waste?"

  "So much fertile land, yet so barren and desolate. How many taxes will our great Qin reduce? And how many people will the meritorious officials, noble families, and wealthy households have? With few people but vast lands, countless commoners have no land to till, and if this continues, how can our great Qin avoid chaos? When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. The country will not survive, how can you, my dear ministers, be at ease? Do you think so?"

  The officials under the eaves of the hall did not respond, and Hu Hai continued:

  "Gentlemen, you are all pillars of our great Qin. I'm sure you understand the current crisis we're facing. I intend to re-examine and re-measure the land, but this will inevitably affect the interests of many noble families and wealthy households. Therefore, I hope you can prioritize the stability of our great Qin empire and support my plan to re-examine and re-measure the land."

  You, my dear officials, should set an example for the world. I hope you can voluntarily hand over the land in your mansions to the national treasury and let the court manage and distribute it uniformly. I will re-grant the land that should be owned by the ministers, meritorious officials, and noble families in the court according to their ranks, with a limit of 10,000 mu for the highest rank, and decreasing gradually for lower ranks.

  "At this critical juncture, I humbly request that all of you, my dear ministers, consider the fate of our great Qin dynasty and the welfare of the people of the world, lend me your strength, and together defend our great Qin rivers and mountains."

  Huhai finished speaking and slowly stood up, bowing deeply once again to the high-ranking officials below.

  This is the second time Hu Hai has paid respects to the officials in the hall tonight! Originally, when they heard Hu Hai's analysis, the many officials in the hall who were weighing the pros and cons suddenly became stunned for a moment.

  "The people are the foundation of a country! Good! Good! Good! From this, our English ruler, heaven blesses our great Qin! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live, forever and ever!"

  A loud and choked cry suddenly woke everyone up.

  It's awesome!

  At this moment, Wei Liao was laughing and crying at the same time, with tears streaming down his face, looking like a madman!

  The reason why Wei Liao agreed to help Huhai was not only because of Huhai's flawed strategy, but also because he did not want the great Qin dynasty that he had worked hard for half his life and shed countless blood and sweat to build to be destroyed.

  Nowadays, Wei Liao is thoroughly devoted to Hu Hai. Hu Hai's in-depth analysis of the land and his argument that the people are the foundation of a country have made him shine brightly like a god.

  He is almost certain that no matter what crisis the Great Qin encounters, as long as Hu Hai is in the Great Qin, it will turn danger into safety and prosper. Now he can't wait to see how far the Great Qin can go under Hu Hai's leadership.

  "Long live our Emperor, may he reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and ten thousand more!"

  The high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty shouted in unison.

  From "Your Majesty" to "My Emperor", although they are just two different words with the same meaning, it's not hard to understand what was on the minds of the many officials in the hall at that time.

  These high-ranking officials of the Qin Empire in the great hall can be said to be the most outstanding elites of this era. Each of them has been in a high position for a long time and has personally witnessed the great achievements of Emperor Shi Huang's unification of the six states.

  Having gone through two dynasties, they also possessed extraordinary political vision and broad-mindedness that far surpassed ordinary people. In the previous era, there was no party struggle, no factionalism, and the only conflict was personal vendetta and national hatred.

  And these high-ranking officials of the Great Qin Empire, while living in the same court, were all able to get along harmoniously and work together for the country. Everything they did was solely for the prosperity of the Great Qin. There was no infighting, no jockeying for position, no sycophancy. Of course, the eunuch Zhao Gao was an exception.

  In the Great Qin Empire, such harmony among high-ranking officials in the court was rare and unprecedented throughout the ages of successive dynasties.

  Afterwards, the dynasties that lasted for over two thousand years, the infighting and backstabbing in the imperial court, the flattery and sycophancy, as well as the idea of official rank that formed alongside it, all had a profound impact on later generations. This cannot be said to be anything but a tragedy for the Chinese nation.

  It is precisely because the heavy ministers under the hall are the elites of this era, so they can better feel the profound meaning in Hu Hai's words. The small change from "Your Majesty" to "My Emperor" has already shown their intention at this time.

  "Good! All of you dear friends, please rise quickly, please rise quickly!"

  Hu Hai hastily walked a few steps down the hall and helped Yu Rong up.

  "Haha!"..."Haha!"

  The monarch and his ministers looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. The rest of the high-ranking officials also had joyful smiles on their faces, for their wise lord, for their enlightened ruler. For a moment, the grand hall was filled with laughter, and the monarch and his ministers were in harmony.

  Goodbye.

  Hu Hai returned to the hall and looked down at the ministers below him,

  "My dear ministers, your loyalty to our great Qin is as clear as the moon. My heart is greatly comforted. Now, my dear ministers, listen to my plans."

  "We your ministers have heard your sacred instructions."

  Thanks for the quiet night, tianxia8959, and the three brothers' rewards. Hmm, let's get more intense with the recommended votes next time.