After traveling through time, I was spotted by the new emperor

Chapter 219 The Imperial Court Takes New Actions

The first imperial edict issued at the beginning of the new year was the Equal Field Distribution Order.

In the three hundred years before the founding of the Qi Dynasty, nine dynasties changed. Due to long-term wars, people were displaced and a large amount of farmland was left barren. The remaining land was basically controlled by aristocratic families.

The noble families rented these fields to the common people for cultivation and asked the common people to pay heavy taxes to them. Even in a good year, the income of the common people was only enough to fill their stomachs. In a bad year, the fields would be filled with starving people and corpses.

After the establishment of the Qi Dynasty, Emperor Taizu thought about reclaiming wasteland, but he was unable to carry it out after only a few years on the throne.

During the reign of Emperor Jingzheng, some water conservancy projects were built and some wasteland was reclaimed. However, Emperor Jingzheng was not strong enough and the power of the aristocratic families was too great, so the newly reclaimed land soon became the property of the aristocratic families.

By the time of the previous emperor, he was only concerned with maintaining power and pursuing personal gain, and did nothing to benefit the people's livelihood.

Therefore, within a few decades of the Qi Dynasty's establishment, the country's tax revenue was seriously affected.

If it weren't for the former emperor's private treasury, Qi Wushuang would have been unable to take any action in taking over the Qi Dynasty.

However, precisely because of the former emperor's private treasury, Qi Wushuang ordered the Ministry of Works to build water conservancy projects in areas not controlled by the aristocratic families after he came to power.

Now that the basic construction of the water conservancy project has been completed, Qi Wushuang has launched the Equal Field System.

The Equal Field System clearly stated:

The imperial court organized the people to reclaim wasteland. Adult and middle-aged men could each get one hectare of land, the seriously ill and disabled could get forty mu, and widows and concubines could get thirty mu.

Of the land granted, two-tenths was hereditary land and eight-tenths was household land. The hereditary land was inherited by the heirs, while the household land was taken back and redistributed.

The people paid rent and taxes to the government and undertook certain corvee labor and military service, but the Equal Field System issued by Qi Wushuang was absolutely light on corvee labor and levies.

However, since Ledu, Fengdu and other places were still the territories of the Zhuang, Yuwen and other families, the scope of implementation of the Equal Field System was not affected.

However, the Equal Field System clearly stipulated:

Any immigrant who reclaims wasteland will be rewarded with a full reduction of rent and taxes for five years.

This is a blatant act of poaching people from the aristocratic families.

The Equal Field System was not the first to be proposed by Ye Wuwei. Andu and Yingdu had already implemented similar land policies. Ye Wuwei simply proposed improvement suggestions based on the equal field system of a certain dynasty.

The implementation of the equal-field system in a certain dynasty greatly improved the living standards of farmers, increased their production enthusiasm, and promoted the development of agricultural production.

It not only increased the cultivated land area and grain output in the short term, but also laid a solid foundation for long-term economic development.

Ye Wuwei believes:

As long as Qi Chao really implements it, such an effect can be achieved.

Qi Wushuang also had the same understanding, because there was a precedent in Andu.

After the Equal Field System was introduced, the aristocratic families sensed the potential crisis. However, Qi Wushuang was not his father, nor was he the former emperor. He was tough and refused to give in.

And it clearly decrees:

Anyone found occupying the people’s land will be killed without mercy!

The introduction of the Equal Field System greatly boosted the morale of the people. For a time, there was unprecedented vitality among the people of Qi Dynasty.

……

Not long after the Equal Field System was issued, and before the end of the first month of the lunar year, the imperial court received another piece of good news.

Chen Shusheng sent an expedited peace negotiation document from Andu. He had already negotiated a treaty with Humu Khan and only needed Qi Wushuang to review it and have no objection before it could be officially signed.

The content of the treaty was similar to what Qi Wushuang and his team had previously discussed. Qi Dynasty and Beidi would open grain and horse markets, allowing for free trade. Coal and kerosene mining would also be jointly conducted by Qi Dynasty and Beidi.

In this way, the north would not always think of looting in the south when it had food, and the Qi Dynasty could further strengthen its cavalry team when it had horses.

Moreover, the joint mining of coal and kerosene will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

At least it can ensure peace in the northern part of Qi Dynasty in recent years.

Qi Wushuang made the contents of the contract public at the court meeting for officials to discuss, and no one could find any major problems.

In addition, Chen Shusheng also mentioned that the provincial examination had been held in Andu, and he would lead the candidates who passed the provincial examination and the scholars from Chamdo who had previously gone to Andu to take the examination back to Chamdo.

These actions made Master Zhuang and Master Yuwen feel more and more threatened.

Qi Wushuang's previous power was north of Changhe River, but now he has not only further consolidated the north, but also occupied Chamdo.

Moreover, he also targeted the aristocratic families. Both the Equal Field System and the Imperial Examination System were aimed at weakening the power of the aristocratic families economically and in terms of power.

……

At the same time as the imperial court implemented the Equal Field System, the Qi'an Tribe was officially established.

The total number of Qi'an's troops is about 2,300, divided into two lines: the obvious and the hidden.

The secret personnel were the intelligence personnel previously managed by Chu Fuchi, about 800 people, including the owner of Wang's Silk Shop whom Ye Wuwei had met in the north.

The secret personnel are distributed all over the place. Except for the person in charge in Chamdo, Ye Wuwei only has a list in his hand.

The main personnel were selected by Ye Wuwei from the Imperial Guards. In addition to the Andu soldiers, there were also many Imperial Guards from the previous emperor.

The official positions of the Qi'an Department are arranged from high to low:

Commander Ye Wuwei?: Third rank, leader of the Qi'an tribe.

Deputy Commander Fang Datong: Third rank, assists the commander in managing the Qi'an Department and is responsible for the open-line personnel.

Deputy Commander Liu Mingshao?: Third rank, assists the commander in managing the Qi'an Department and is responsible for secret personnel.

Two deputy commanders: fourth rank, assisting the commander and deputy commander in executing orders.

Yao Guangzhi, Director of the Northern Division: Fourth rank, responsible for reconnaissance, arrest and interrogation activities.

Director of the Southern Division, Hong Guang: Fourth rank, responsible for the legal and military discipline of the Qi'an Division.

Colonel: Fifth rank, responsible for the management of specific affairs.

Deputy Colonel?: Fifth rank, assisting the colonel in his work.

Warrant Officer?: Sixth rank, responsible for grassroots management.

Deputy Warrant Officer?: Sixth rank, assisting the Warrant Officer in his work.

In addition to Yao Guang, Ye Wuwei also brought familiar people such as Wang Baihu to the Qi'an Department to serve in different official positions. Wang Baihu was appointed as a sixth-rank warrant officer.

The happiest people were Yao Guangzhi, Warrant Officer Wang and others.

In the military, it is difficult to get promoted without military merit, but because of the establishment of the new department of Qi'an, they were promoted several levels.

Of course, this is also why Ye Wuwei is sure that Yao Guangzhi, Warrant Officer Wang and others are capable of doing the job.

……