Mythical Three Kingdoms

This actually involves a very problematic system of the Eastern Han, which is that aristocratic families essentially manage each region.

Now Chen Xi has removed the aristocratic families, giving the state the chance to regain control of the grassroots, but the Eastern Han has been twisted for two hundred years. There are not only long-standing aristocratic families, but also some landlords that have emerged in three generations.

Smaller ones, like Zhang Fei, have money, land, and escorts but no official position, though they have some fame in a small local area. However, they are still overshadowed by local aristocrat families and can do very few things.

Larger ones, like Mi Zhu, except for not having official ranks or titles, when it comes to financial and material strength, they’re not less than aristocratic families. They’re very famous in a county, and if the local aristocratic family is not too strong, they may even need to show respect, though they are not actual managers.

But now Chen Xi has removed the Central Plains aristocratic families, creating a power vacuum, allowing these landlords, who themselves have a certain reputation, to stand up under the banner of maintaining local stability, ensuring that their areas remain stable as before.

The biggest issue now is that the late Han government can’t assign an official to every small village of hundreds of people, and if officials are only assigned to county towns, then the result would essentially be villages surrounding cities.

Even though the big heads are gone, without the constraints of aristocratic families, outside the city, landlords are just like the aristocratic families before, each controlling an area. Although their power is smaller than before, why should I give you a share?

”By the way, what is the current ratio of officials to citizens?” Chen Xi opened his mouth to ask.

”About seven thousand five hundred to one,” Lub Su said rather helplessly, which is why Lub Su said it was inevitable to share benefits with landlords because it’s impossible to set an official to manage a small village of hundreds.

”Village Merging, Village Merging!” Chen Xi said with a displeased face.

”It’s been considered, if you do Village Merging, not to mention dealing with landlords, but what about the allocation of farmland? Have you not thought about it? A standard village with your standards of three thousand to five thousand people would require a very large area,” Li Youu said rather helplessly.

”Ten miles around, I’ve calculated before,” Chen Xi said without thinking, ”Standard village with three thousand people.”

”What about future population influx? Babies born?” Li Youu looked at Chen Xi and said, ”Your approach is convenient for management, but how to solve follow-up issues?”

”Ugh, the aristocratic family’s land is returned to the government, people only have the right to farm, and now, how much land can people really have? After Village Merging, the so-called fifty mu of land is more a gift from us,” Chen Xi rolled his eyes and said.

Chen Xi didn’t even have to think to know that the people of the late Han didn’t have much land, if they really had a lot, they wouldn’t have to farm for the aristocratic families, tyrant landlords.

Therefore, when dividing the land, although all land is taxed the same and dubbed fifty mu, each family actually gets different amounts, to be exact, it’s to make up to fifty mu of land, rather than permanently allocating land to the people.

”What if there are more people?” Li Youu looked at Chen Xi with a blank face and said.

”Then surely every household gets less,” Chen Xi said with an expression of what seemed obvious, ”This is government land, how to divide it is the government’s own business, maybe allow them to redivide it every ten years, then there won’t be a land quality issue anyway, it’s rotational cultivation.”

Lub Su’s mouth twitched, didn’t expect such a trick, though it’s indeed a good way to solve the problem, but it’s also very troublesome.

”The problem is the disadvantages of doing so are not small either, the saint said, not worried about scarcity, but about unevenness,” Lub Su started to speak after a while.

”Over time, if the population in some villages decreases, each household’s land will get more; if the population increases, each household’s land will continuously decrease, this is against fairness,” Li Youu frowned and said.

”Ha, this is not an issue, as the land decreases, they can choose to migrate, if they don’t migrate, it’s their responsibility if the land becomes smaller. No one wants their land to get smaller, the only choices are to control the population or to expand territories,” Chen Xi spread his hands indifferently.

”If you only want to profit from the back, then stay on the land given by the country and think about how to survive better. The country can only offer the basic living standard, wanting better and higher, figure it out yourself,” Chen Xi disdainfully shrugged and said.

”The world is vast, there are many places to farm, if you just think about taking advantage from the back, then those fifty mu of land is the basic given for survival by the country, don’t think about anything else,” Chen Xi said indifferently, ”Oh, maybe later there won’t even be fifty mu.”

”Aren’t you afraid of chaos playing this way?” Li Youu said after a moment of silence.

”Liu Weishuo does propaganda, wouldn’t he know about this? Tell them that if they want a better life they have to create it themselves, if they fail it’s because they are lazy, the country has given them the basis to survive, don’t blame the country for ending up like a dog, look at some people, expanding territories, now they have become landlords!” Chen Xi shrugged and said.

”...” Li Youu and Lub Su remained silent, suddenly feeling that Chen Xi’s approach might work, indeed those loafing in the back, why should they be treated fairly with those who risk their lives?

”Alright, in that case, there’s no problem then, continue Village Merging, for every three standard villages, we need to set an official position. After all, according to your habits, the land of the village is surely planned in a square shape,” Li Youu confirmed after a while that there was indeed no problem, and spoke.

”A village of three thousand people needs a doctor who can also work as a part-time veterinarian, you can also build a road, establish a small school, provide militia, and then other basic facilities can also be constructed,” Chen Xi said while stroking his chin.

For small villages of hundreds, Chen Xi actually doesn’t have that many doctors, and the road construction plan needs to be delayed, other basic facilities also won’t be arranged for such small villages.

Therefore, without large villages, setting up many things is also kind of a waste, the advantage of Village Merging lies here, resource utilization is higher.

”Indeed, with three thousand people a village is entitled to these, water construction should also be considered, small villages really don’t make sense,” Li Youu nodded, ”Then let’s proceed accordingly, for those who are reluctant to leave their old soil, merge closely.”

”If too close, what about feuds?” Lub Su surely has seen two adjacent villages become deadly enemies due to water issues.

”This is a problem? Break up clans, now these villages are basically lands of one surname, break them, place five households from one village to another, let each surname and household not have an advantage!” Chen Xi said displeased.

”That’s enough, Zichuan, you can’t say this, doing it will cause great anger,” Li Youu waved his hand and said, ”Forced migration, we can do this, but breaking up clans, with the government doing so, it will definitely cause great anger.”

”Alright, then merge closely, and separate feuding ones, landlords, check the local reputation; if they haven’t done wrong, give them two options: one is the country buying land to suppress them to below thousand mu, the other let them go to the Northeast,” Chen Xi thought for a while and said.

Chen Xi didn’t say how to deal with wrongdoers, actually everyone knows, of course according to the law, then confiscate the land, punish as needed.

”Migrating to the Northeast? Works.” Li Youu nodded, actually Chen Xi’s words already made it clear, landlords with more than thousand mu land and good reputation, have started feeling a bit ambitious, even have been thinking about finding ways to ensure their family legacy.

The saying goes wealth lasts no more than three generations, to truly pass down the family legacy, one must find ways to transform the family into one that hands down cultivated reading or even ethics; the so-called ethics is actually a certain school of thought.

Most aristocratic families of Eastern Han evolved from Pre-Qin nobility, so they mostly have an element of ethics legacy, as for the normal landlords hoping to pass down legacy, they wish more for cultivated reading passed down, as for the latter, truth be told, unless the family produces a Saint or a Pioneer of a school of thought, it’s basically out of reach.

Since those people have this idea, Chen Xi doesn’t have the intention to obstruct them, their willingness to do this also benefits Chen Xi, reducing deaths as much as possible, after all, manpower is indeed an extremely important resource.

”Since so, execute according to the previous plan, Village Merging wasn’t new, with experience now, execution shouldn’t take too much time, who among you is available?” Chen Xi saw both had no issues, so asked.

Li Youu thought briefly, ”I will then, coincidentally this task is part of household registration, doing so also means rewriting household registration.”

”Alright, then it’ll be you, but I’m curious, you’ve done household registration for several years, why does it feel like you’ve been doing it constantly?” Chen Xi asked curiously, if remembered correctly, from years ago when Li Youu came, he started doing household registration, and is still doing it now.

”Minor adjustments, and I’m constantly revising and adjusting, also eliminating some registrations,” Li Youu’s eyes slightly lowered, appearing peaceful and said, ”But no major issues, soon a proper registration can be released.”

”Good, how’s the bridge on Gong Youu’s side coming along and how’s the task I assigned to Duke Zheng Wen going?” Chen Xi changed the subject turning to Lub Su and asked, these tasks were arranged before he left, and now he wondered how they were progressing.