“Beat the grass to startle the snake, lure the snake from its hole?” Han Daoxun asked hesitantly. “What does beating the grass to startle the snake mean, and what does luring the snake from its hole mean?”
“Our current large-scale land reclamation of wasteland beaches and slopes has not yet touched the fundamental interests of the native great clans, nor even the immigrant major households. It only threatens them, which gives them a certain tolerance, allowing them to sit and watch Father and me make trouble in Qianyang County and Linjiang County,” Han Qian said. “Father has always wanted to survey and measure farmland to ensure no land is concealed, no households hidden, the state treasury is abundant, and the people can live in peace. We can implement this first in Xu Province, and do it most thoroughly—abolishing all poll taxes and corvée labor, apportioning all taxes into the land!”
Han Daoxun had long studied land taxes and poll taxes, researching the contradictions between local magnates and regions. Of course he could understand from Han Qian’s few sentences what he intended to do.
Han Qian truly wanted to implement even more radical reforms in Xu Province than what he had previously envisioned.
Concealing farmland and hiding households, as well as gentry and officials keeping large numbers of servants on a massive scale, were evils that had persisted for thousands of years.
While large amounts of farmland and poll taxes were lost, the land and poll taxes collected locally were excessively concentrated on middle and lower-class landlords and commoners, making them unable to bear the burden. They would even rather become servants dependent on great clans, or flee to the mountains and forests.
With insufficient annual treasury revenue, the state could only manipulate salt, iron, tea, and medicinal monopolies, constantly raising salt tax collection and cracking down on private salt sales to supplement insufficient state revenue. But this actually subjected middle and lower-class landlords and commoners to another layer of exploitation.
Heavy corvée labor was also a key reason why middle and lower-class people preferred to depend on great clans.
Emperor Tianyou rose in the Jianghuai region. Over these years of campaigns north and south, he had dealt heavy blows to the old powerful clans of Jiangdong and Jiangnan West Circuit. But he lacked the courage to conduct thorough land reforms. Because generals and powerful families commanding troops had become customary, the chronic disease existing for thousands of years showed a trend of further intensification.
Han Qian would not suppress land annexation, nor had he thought about expending great effort to crack down on escaped households and hidden households. He only wanted to apportion all taxes into the land while abolishing corvée labor.
All Great Chu institutions imitated the previous dynasty. Land tax implemented a one-in-fifteen rate, seemingly low. But beyond land tax, there were also heavy poll taxes and various additional levies, plus annual conscription for one month of corvée labor. For ordinary people, this was an unbearable burden.
Han Daoxun had conducted extremely deep research on land and poll taxes. Han Qian could readily cite numerous data points.
Han Qian advocated that under the new policy, land tax would be collected according to three categories of land—upper, middle, and lower. On average it would amount to about one dou of grain and twenty coins per mu. Compared to previous land taxes, this was more than double, roughly equivalent to the combined level of land taxes, poll taxes, and various miscellaneous levies ordinary people previously bore. But because the annual month of corvée labor was abolished, the burden on ordinary people would actually be greatly reduced.
At this time, the privileges of great clans and officials to be exempt from poll taxes and corvée labor would no longer exist. Concealing more households would no longer serve to evade taxes. The taxes they had to bear would increase due to the substantial rise in land tax, not to mention that Han Qian also intended to investigate and uncover all the farmland they had concealed.
After the new land tax was implemented, how much new tax revenue could be generated mainly depended on exactly how much land the native great clans and immigrant major households had concealed.
Provincial garrison recruitment and the hiring of laborers by provinces and counties to repair roads, cities, and excavate canals would be entirely funded from the newly increased tax revenue.
Han Daoxun wholeheartedly wanted to implement reforms, but hadn’t expected to conduct such thorough reforms. He also knew that truly doing this would inevitably provoke strong resistance and confrontation from all immigrant major households and native great clans.
Of course, this was precisely the “beating the grass to startle the snake” that Han Qian needed.
Only by alarming all the venomous snakes lurking in the dark in a short time, then conducting bloody suppression at that moment, would it be possible to control Xu Province’s situation in the shortest time and complete preparations for deploying troops against Tan Province before winter.
“And how to lure the snake from its hole?” Han Daoxun asked.
“The world considers Father treacherous and deceitful, so Father must continue being treacherous and deceitful—proactively submit a memorial to Jinling requesting that Zhang Ping remain in Xu Province as Supervising Commissioner,” Han Qian said with a smile. “Father now serves as Xu Province Defense Commissioner, organizing the Xu Province Campaign Command. At that time, I as Provincial Vice-Governor will serve as Campaign Commander. It’s only natural we should request the court dispatch a Supervising Commissioner to demonstrate mutual trust, isn’t it?”
“You want all those alarmed venomous snakes to proactively contact Zhang Ping!” Han Daoxun now understood what Han Qian’s overall calculation was.
“Yes, our military strength is too limited and cannot withstand too much damage. We cannot succeed without using cunning schemes!” Han Qian said.
Han Daoxun nodded and said, “Tonight I’ll host a banquet at Furong Garden for Zhang Ping and the Xu Province officials. I’ll raise these two matters before the banquet and open them for discussion.”
———
———
In Xu Province today, the duck industry had developed scale and was the most easily obtained meat locally, cheap and abundant.
Furong Garden hosting a Hundred Duck Banquet at night seemed somewhat shabby. But besides osmanthus duck, fruit-wood roasted duck, braised duck, and stewed duck, duck blood, duck tongue, duck feet, duck liver, duck heart, and duck gizzard could all be made into dishes, and in different styles. As dishes were presented one after another, they appeared dazzling and exceptionally abundant.
In the world’s view, the Han father and son were simply too fond of eating duck. But few knew the Han father and son’s painstaking care.
Though Xue Ruogu, Li Tang, and Qin Wen’s attitudes were cold and distant, they still attended tonight’s banquet. Besides Feng Liao who had been serving beside his father Han Daoxun during this period, Han Qian also invited Feng Yi and Kong Xirong to attend the night banquet.
Feng Wenlan and Kong Zhou had just been executed by Emperor Tianyou’s decree and their families confiscated. Han Daoxun and Han Qian father and son openly employing the Feng brothers and inviting them as honored guests would inevitably embarrass the court. But the officials invited to the banquet wouldn’t say anything.
The Han father and son wanted to be regional lords. Even without completely breaking with the court, whom they employed and whom they invited as honored guests obviously didn’t require special consideration of the court’s feelings.
What was first discussed at the banquet was still the issue of establishing the Campaign Command.
Among Great Chu’s fifty-two provinces, brave men were recruited locally and organized into provincial garrisons to serve in suppressing bandits and capturing outlaws. But provinces with border defense duties or positions of extreme importance established Campaign Commands.
Important provinces could establish Campaign Commands but didn’t necessarily need Defense Commissioners or Regional Commanders. But provinces with Defense Commissioners or Regional Commanders necessarily had to establish Campaign Commands.
The Xu Province Campaign Command wouldn’t request the Imperial Guards or Palace Guards to dispatch elite troops for garrison duty. Naturally the Han father and son would organize it themselves. This was the foundation of the Han father and son’s independent establishment in Xu Province.
The Feng clan servants were unusable. Implementing the military household system in Xu Province and organizing the Campaign Command on the foundation of military commands lacked mature conditions. They could only recruit soldiers to organize the Campaign Command.
Of course, regardless of which method the Han father and son used to recruit troops, or Han Qian serving as Campaign Commander personally wielding Xu Province’s military authority, or renaming Xu Province’s Prison Camp, Provincial Garrison, and Water Camp as the First, Second, and Third Camps of Xu Province Army, respectively commanded by Tian Cheng, Xi Chang, and Yang Qin—the officials wouldn’t tactlessly come forward to criticize or oppose.
Additionally, Han Qian suggested Gao Shao serve as Legal Advisor, managing criminal justice and bandit suppression matters.
When it came to submitting a memorial to the court requesting Zhang Ping remain in Xu Province as Supervising Commissioner, though Zhang Ping himself was quite surprised, everyone felt this was merely the Han father and son putting on an act. Perhaps they felt their foundation in Xu Province was too shallow and were showing slight weakness to the court to gain more time.
But when it came to apportioning all poll taxes and miscellaneous levies into farmland, surveying farmland throughout the province, and abolishing corvée labor, the seated officials’ faces turned ugly and some became restless.
Officials from the four great clans hadn’t appeared. The officials present were all more or less entangled with immigrant major households.
When the Han father and son arrived in Xu Province the year before last, they first lifted land prohibitions, secretly accepting massive bribes and indulging immigrant major households in reclaiming wasteland. Now they suddenly wanted to survey farmland and, after apportioning all miscellaneous levies into farmland, substantially raise land taxes. Wasn’t this eating the duck twice over—the Han father and son reaching out to grab money either way?
But seeing the guards and armored soldiers in the Governor’s office clanging all around, who dared say a single “no” at the banquet?
At the start of the night banquet everyone was still talking and laughing. When the new land tax was mentioned, the atmosphere immediately became oppressive.
Han Daoxun didn’t care what others said. On the spot he announced promoting Zhao Kuo to Provincial Revenue Advisor while concurrently serving as Qianyang County Registrar. He would lead in starting from Qianyang County to assess farmland and implement the reform of apportioning poll taxes into land.
The night banquet quickly ended in a somber atmosphere. Others gradually departed. Feng Liao had lodgings in Qianyang City where Feng Yi and Kong Xirong could stay. But after the night banquet, Feng Yi and Kong Xirong dawdled without rushing to leave.
Han Qian invited the two of them to the east courtyard for tea, asking about their situation seeing Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang this afternoon:
“You went to the music camp this afternoon—you should have seen Chun Shisanniang. What are your impressions?”
Feng Yi laughed awkwardly, glancing at Kong Xirong. Kong Xirong remained silent without making a sound.
Han Qian didn’t have the persistence to get to the bottom of things. Seeing they were unwilling to say more, he shifted the topic to matters they cared about, asking, “You said spending all day farming and raising ducks on the estate is quite boring. What are you willing to do in Xu Province?”
“Our status is extremely awkward. Truly reaching out to you to demand some official position might put you in a difficult position. But spending all day idling on the estate is really boring. If nothing else works, Xirong and I will be your attendants—we’re qualified for that at least, right?” Feng Yi said shamelessly, appearing ready to accept whatever Han Qian arranged.
Han Qian pondered briefly and said, “Kong Xirong can start as a low-ranking military officer in the Campaign Command. As for you, Feng Yi, are you willing to go to the Legal Bureau to train for a period under Gao Shao, or to the Revenue Bureau under Zhao Kuo? The matter of surveying and measuring farmland—though Zhao Kuo presides, the work will be extremely complex. At that time we’ll also need your elder brother Feng Liao’s assistance. It’s just as you said—we must still give some consideration to the court’s dignity and cannot formally grant you official positions.”
Kong Xirong had practiced martial arts since childhood. Through constant exposure, he was also quite clear about military formations and deployments. But having grown accustomed to being Feng Yi’s follower these years, his character hadn’t emerged prominently.
Han Qian now needed to find a way to separate Kong Xirong and Feng Yi. This way perhaps both could achieve substantial growth and accomplish something in the future.
As for the over four hundred Feng clan members, though mostly ignorant and incompetent wastrel sons, selecting ten to twenty usable people should still be no problem.
Feng Yi could now adopt a proper attitude, knowing the Feng family truly had no qualifications to pick and choose. If Han Qian and his father were willing to employ them, the Feng family would have opportunities in the future.
If they truly spent all day dealing with soil, by the time Jinling forgot about them in ten-some years, they would probably have completely turned into country bumpkins, wouldn’t they?
Now that Han Qian arranged work for them, Feng Yi was quite excited. Leaning forward sneakily, he asked, “Are you planning to move against the tribal clans?”
Feng Yi was dissolute and wastrel, but his insight and mind were absolutely not lacking.
Han Qian smiled without speaking.
“I’ll go to the Legal Bureau to learn some work—I can always help you somewhat. Kong Xirong has always wanted to someday charge into battle, but you can’t really let him stupidly rush up to kill enemies. Why don’t you keep him by your side to work?” Feng Yi said somewhat worriedly about Kong Xirong.
He knew the hatred and resentment accumulated deep in Kong Xirong’s heart was too profound. He desperately needed slaughter to vent. He worried that if Kong Xirong had the opportunity to go into battle, he might truly disregard his own life completely to fight.
Han Qian said, “I’ll arrange for Xirong to stay beside Tian Cheng. Tian Cheng will take good care of him!”