These past few days, Zhang Chen's mood has been very good. Because good news has truly been coming one after another.
First, Qu Yi sent someone to deliver a generous gift, on one hand to thank him for the grace of gifting grain, and on the other hand to congratulate Zhang Chen on quelling the banditry, with words full of the intention to make friends.
Zhang Chen naturally understood that a person like Qu Yi was single-mindedly thinking of finding a wise lord for his First to Ascend Camp brothers, so they could achieve great deeds and rise high in the future. The fact that he could send someone to make friends with him meant that he had already caught his eye.
This was a good omen. As long as he showed more signs of being a lord in the future and bestowed favors, he would definitely be able to make him submit.
The second piece of good news was that the letter of appointment he had been waiting for so long finally arrived. Looking at this letter of appointment stamped with the Prefect's seal, the heart Zhang Chen had been holding finally settled.
Especially when he heard the messenger say that his killing of Zhao and Guo was in accordance with the Prefect's secret order.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel emotional inwardly, thinking to himself that the Prefect was indeed upright, with a pair of Clairvoyance that clearly discerned right from wrong.
From this moment on, his position as Magistrate of Guangping County was finally legitimate.
He could finally stretch his limbs and display his grand vision!
As for the third piece of good news, it was that he checked his assets again and was truly amazed by Steward Wu's money-making methods.
【Assets: 62500 gold (1500000 cash)】
【Shops: 12】
【Land: 60 mu】
【Tenants: 120 people】
【Grain Storage: 1400 shi】
In just a few days, not only did he earn back all the military expenses for the Trapped Camp, but his properties also expanded considerably.
Really good. Now that he had money, he could squander it again!
The banditry had been quelled, and it was time to put the previously planned construction of villages on the agenda. Those newly cultivated farmlands needed to be managed, and the best method was for the people to build villages on the spot.
However, before that, there was something else that needed to be planned in advance, and that was the land system.
How many refugees participated in the reclamation this time, how many mu of land were reclaimed in total, how much each person would receive, whether to distribute by person or by household, how to hand over public grain after the autumn harvest...
All of these must be planned in advance. Otherwise, it is very likely to lead to favoritism and affect everyone's enthusiasm.
Of course, Zhang Chen had a rough idea of these matters, but asking him to do them himself would inevitably give him a headache.
Fortunately, he had people under him who could handle accounts. Wasn't Steward Wu readily available?
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen quickly ordered someone to summon Steward Wu and Zhang Fu.
As soon as the two arrived, Zhang Chen went straight to the point: "I invited you two here today for one matter. A few days ago, Zhang Fu led the refugees in land reclamation and gained over 800 mu of land. I plan to have these people build villages near the reclaimed land and settle there. But how should this land be distributed? I'd like to ask for your help and advice."
"Lord, this action is truly a benevolent act that benefits the people." Zhang Fu heard this and immediately praised, "This way, these refugees can finally have a home to return to."
After Zhang Fu finished speaking, he took out a booklet and handed it over, saying, "Lord, please look. These refugees who participated in the reclamation have all been registered. Including their families, there are a total of 3529 people, comprising 720 households."
Zhang Chen flipped through the booklet and couldn't help but frown.
After working hard for over half a month, he could only settle a little over three thousand refugees. Clearly, Zhang Chen was not satisfied with this result.
Zhang Fu seemed to sense what Zhang Chen was thinking and quickly said, "Lord, do not worry. Reclamation started a bit late this year. Next spring, your subordinate will gather refugees for reclamation again. By then, I will definitely give you a satisfactory result!"
Zhang Chen nodded and sighed, "This is all due to Zhao Xiong ignoring the farming season; it has nothing to do with Sir. Let's first think about how to settle these people properly. I plan to distribute all the reclaimed land to the people who reclaimed it, so they can make a living. What do you two think?"
Steward Wu heard this and immediately said, "Young Master, this action is truly a benevolent act that benefits the people. This old servant believes that land can be distributed by household. The imperial court already has clear laws regarding all standards. However, at the time of the autumn harvest, each household needs to hand over grain as land tax. This proportion still needs Young Master's decision."
Zhang Fu shook his head and said, "Lord, this action is not appropriate. The system implemented by this dynasty is the 'equal-field system'. All land is publicly owned and distributed to the people for cultivation according to population. Only after a certain number of years does it become their private property. Currently, under Guangping County's governance, most of the land is still public land. If the reclaimed land is directly distributed to the refugees, I fear other people will be dissatisfied."
"Hmm..." Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and said, "What Zhang Fu said also makes sense. I was too hasty."
Indeed, it is not poverty but inequality that is the evil of human nature. If the reclaimed land were distributed now, the original people would definitely feel resentment and think they were treated unfairly. This would be very detrimental to future development.
Zhang Chen thought carefully and decided that it was better to proceed slowly. So he said, "Since that is the case, let's first incorporate the reclaimed land into public land and let the people cultivate it. As for the matter of distributing land, we will formulate a new land system after some time."
"A new land system? Lord, could it be that you want to break the original 'equal-field system'?" Steward Wu asked in confusion.
Zhang Chen nodded and said, "That's right. The reason the world is in turmoil is because the people have no land to cultivate, they can't eat their fill, and they can't dress warmly, so they are forced to rebel. To save the Great Han from its crisis, we must ensure that those who cultivate have their land. When everyone's stomachs are full, they will naturally not talk about rebellion anymore, and only then will the world be peaceful."
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he looked at the two. Both Steward Wu and Zhang Fu had a look of surprise on their faces.
After a long time, the two bowed deeply.
"Lord, your benevolence is a blessing to the people."
Zhang Chen waved his hand and said, "The people are displaced and now finally have land to cultivate. Let's only collect two-tenths of the grain tax. We will decide on further measures based on the harvest in subsequent years."
"Two-tenths? This is even lower than the tax rate set by the imperial court." Zhang Fu frowned and said, "Lord, your love for the people is certainly good, but the government's annual revenue cannot be underestimated. The grain and fodder for the Trapped Camp, the salaries of the yamen runners, these are not small amounts."
"Just two-tenths. Priority is given to letting the people rest and recover. If the treasury is short, I will think of other ways." Zhang Chen said, "Zhang Fu, Wu Bo, I trouble you to draft a plan as soon as possible."
"Understood."
The two responded and withdrew.
Zhang Chen watched the two withdraw and couldn't help but ponder inwardly.
These two, although one could manage finances and the other could manage administration, their abilities were ultimately limited. If given a strategy and asked to handle minor details, it would naturally be no problem, but if asked to devise plans and strategies, they would not be very effective.
Take the land system, for example. Settling the refugees is just a temporary measure at the moment. In the long run, it still needs to be thoroughly reformed. However, the specific plan for this is definitely not something these two can decide.
Guangping County now can be said to be in ruins waiting to be rebuilt. To achieve success, he must find truly capable individuals.
Zhang Chen urgently needed a true strategist now.
Ji Province is full of talents. Where are all those famous Scholars and advisors now?
Zhang Chen closed his eyes, and the names of those Ji Province strategists began flashing in his mind.
Cui Yan of Qinghe, Xu You of Nanyang, Tian Feng of Great Deer, Ju Shou of Guangping County...
Guang...!!!
Suddenly, Zhang Chen abruptly opened his eyes and slapped his head.
"That's right! How could I forget him! This world-managing talent was right beside me all along!"