Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 458 Mathematical Problems

Su Ze's question was also very simple. He said:
"When you come to Dingyou and Youzhou, your main task is to distribute land equally. These two states have been ravaged by war for a long time, and they have a lot of land and farmland. It shouldn't be difficult to distribute land."

Su Ze also visited and inspected the area personally. He found that many villages in Dingzhou and Youzhou had been completely abandoned, with barren land everywhere.

Ever since Du Luozhou launched his rebellion in Dingzhou, these two states have been severely tormented by the rebels.

Those nobles and powerful people who could escape had already escaped, and those who could not escape were basically wiped out in the rounds of war.

The war not only targeted the nobles and powerful, but also caused heavy casualties among ordinary people. Su Ze once compiled the household registration of a county and found that the population of this county was 90% less than that during the war!

It was precisely because of this that Su Ze asked the Government Affairs Hall to send these scholars from the Chongwen Pavilion to implement the land grant order in the place where there was the least resistance. If they still could not implement it, it was either because of their thinking or their ability.

Su Ze said:

"My question is very simple. Suppose a village has 2,000 mu of land, but there are only 10 households that can be granted land. On average, each household is granted 50 mu of land. Suppose each household has two sons, and they live separately and are granted land after they grow up. How long will it take for all the land in this village to be granted?"

What is this topic?
The children of aristocratic families such as Jia Zhi were not panicking, because those from big families all had to learn mathematics, and this question was actually not difficult. It took twenty years for a generation of children to reach adulthood. The first generation was granted 500 acres of land, the second generation was granted 1,000 acres of land, and the third generation would have no land left.

Among the children from poor families, Hulu Jin's younger brother Hulu Ahu was the leader.

However, at this time he had changed his name to a Han Chinese one, changing his name to Hulug Guihan.

Hulu Guihan and others were sons of military officers, wealthy businessmen, and craftsmen. For example, Hulu Guihan was the son of his brother Hulu Jin, who had made great contributions on the battlefield and used his military merits to study in Chongwen Pavilion.

They did not have much foundation and could only study "The Book of Filial Piety" in Chongwen Pavilion. They had no mathematical training at all.

Many people made a fool of themselves. Some said twenty years, some said a hundred years, and some did not understand what the question was about at all.

Although Hulu Guihan gave the correct answer, this group of children from poor families were still laughed at by the children from the aristocratic families.

After the answers were announced, those who answered incorrectly lowered their heads. Wouldn’t it affect their future if they made a fool of themselves in front of Duke Su for the first time?
Su Ze said:
"Now you are facing the situation of granting 2,000 acres of land to ten households. This job is easy to do. As long as you are not afraid of hard work, work hard, and don't be deceived by local officials, things can be done properly."

Does the Duke want to use this topic to remind everyone?

Everyone said in unison:

"Remember the Duke's teachings!"

Su Ze raised his hand and said:
"But it's easy to grant land to the first generation, but there will be no land to grant to the third generation, that is, after forty years. You may want to think about it after you take office. After forty years, if one of you becomes the prime minister, how will you deal with the issue of granting land?"

All those present were young people, and under Su Ze's guidance, they quickly fell into deep thought.

In fact, this problem occurred in Liangzhou less than forty years ago.

Because the war affected few areas in Liangzhou, the distribution of land in Liangzhou has always been problematic.

By confiscating illegal land from the hands of the gentry and powerful, and by Su Ze's vigorous construction of water conservancy facilities such as the karez in Liangzhou, the supply of land was increased, which barely solved the problem of land granting in the first generation.

But by the time this wave of baby boomers reach adulthood, where will there be any land left to grant in Liangzhou?

It doesn't even take two generations. These days, as long as people can settle down, which ordinary person wouldn't try his best to have children?
Even though the infant mortality rate is high these days, the population growth rate is much faster than the one in Su Ze's question.

This is indeed not the problem that Su Ze has to face now, but this problem will definitely not be too far away. It may be the problem that this generation of new officials will have to face directly after they enter the court.

Naturally, everyone has their own answer to this question.

Su Ze did not ask these young scholars to give answers, but only hoped that they would think carefully about this issue in their future official careers.

These young scholars had already received official seals in Yongle City, and the corresponding appointment and dismissal documents had been sent to the county in advance. Su Ze also asked a team to escort them to their respective jurisdictions to take up their posts.

At this time, the difference between soldiers and the poor is reflected.

It was considered a good thing that Hulug returned to the Han Dynasty. The Hulug family was also a medium-sized tribe. Hulug Jin had also made many military achievements over the years. He was now named by Yu Jin to go to Hedong County. Although the Hulug family was a poor family, it was a newly rising military family.

Therefore, when Hulu returned to Han, he brought ten brothers from his clan with him to take office.

But most of the children from poor families were miserable. Su Ze continued to promote the salary system and even increased the salaries of grassroots officials. However, the salary of the lowest-level ninth-rank officials was only enough to provide enough food and clothing for the whole family.

Officials’ personal staff must also receive salaries, but the government will definitely not pay for this money, so the officials have to pay for it themselves.

Children from poor families often cannot afford the money, so they have to take on the job alone.

On the other hand, the children of the aristocratic families were surrounded by people and it was much more lively.

The most successful one among them is Jia Zhi. Because of the corruption in the officialdom, Jia family is in urgent need of family members to prove their loyalty to Su Ze.

As the leading figure of the Guzang Jia family of this generation, Jia Zhi naturally needed to be fully equipped when he took office.

He brought more than forty people with him to the office, including guards, accountants, clerks, and descendants of clerks who were proficient in writing various official documents and laws. These people were either slaves of the Jia family or descendants of Jia's former officials.

Jia Zhi was already surrounded by a county government team, and before he took office, he was given a lot of advice by his father, who told him a lot of experience and skills in being an official.

For example, how will the local clerks deal with the parachuted chief officer, how to handle the relationship with the local powerful families, and how to deal with the demands of the people.

These aristocratic families have been officials for generations, and Jia Zhi had heard these experiences many times even when he was young. He has also received complete training in official document writing.

This is why Su Ze had to guard against these nobles, but had to use them.

There is no way. Since the Jin Dynasty, the country has been controlled by these aristocratic families. They are definitely not the best choice for officials, but they are certainly not the worst choice either.

Jia Zhi kept his father's teachings in mind. He was very humble along the way and was willing to help other scholars. He even gained considerable reputation among the children of poor families.

Jia Zhi came to Hulu Guihan and said to him:
"Huolvlang, we are from Lin County, what a fate."

Hulu Guihan did not like these children of the gentry. In his opinion, these guys were no different from the noble chieftains who oppressed them on the grassland.

But the other party was so arrogant, Hulu Guihan also remembered his brother's teachings, he would be an official in the future, not fighting on the grassland, so he said to Jia Zhi:

"That's really fate, but the county law states that officials cannot leave their jurisdiction without reason. Even if we are in neighboring counties, I'm afraid we won't be able to see each other for many times."

This was also Su Ze’s new regulation. The official system of the Northern Wei Dynasty was too simple, and it could be said that there was no one to supervise the officials.

There's nothing we can do. They didn't even have a salary more than 20 years ago.

The Northern Wei court was corrupt, and many officials did not even go to their jurisdiction to take up their posts. They were just listed with their names on the list and would be promoted after a few years.

Some officials, after making enough money, stayed in Luoyang to seek promotion.

Local officials hosted banquets for each other, and officials in some important places entertained dignitaries who passed by day and night, and might not even go to the government office once a year.

In order to combat this trend, Su Ze issued an order prohibiting local officials from leaving their jurisdiction at will, and if they left without reason, they would be dismissed.

Officials who fail to take up their posts on time will also be punished, and those who are absent for more than one month will be directly dismissed from office.

What Hulu Guihan said was true and he reminded Jia Zhi, but the tone of his voice sounded like he was scolding him.

Jia Zhi's self-restraint was indeed good, and he still said with a smile:

"Living in the same county, we have to deal with each other. It is a blessing to be with Hululang."

"Since we are going the same way, how about we travel together?"

Hulu Guihan nodded. The other party was so humble that refusing would be a slap in the face. He nodded and agreed to Jia Zhi's request to go with him.
-
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Yuan Ziyou finally returned to Luoyang City.

Looking at the ruined Luoyang City, Yuan Ziyou was filled with sorrow. He grew up in Luoyang City when he was young. This was his hometown. After suffering from continuous wars, Luoyang became as ruined as the Wei Dynasty.

Since Xi Yi was warned by Erzhu Rong, he no longer contacted Yuan Ziyou. Yuan Ziyou also knew that with his return to Luoyang City, Erzhu Rong would continue to strengthen his surveillance on him, and the Luoyang Imperial Palace was a huge cage.

But it's better to stay in Luoyang than to go to Jinyang.

Through Su Shun, Yuan Ziyou also received the news that Erzhu Rong originally wanted to move the capital to Jinyang, but gave up because of the opposition of all the ministers.

Yuan Ziyou was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that if he went to Jinyang, everything would be over.

Jinyang is Erzhu Rong's old nest. Once you go to Jinyang, don't even think about doing these little tricks again.

Yuan Ziyou clenched his fists, thinking that he was too impatient.

Erzhu Rong was not an ordinary powerful minister. Although he still had some support from the people in the Wei Dynasty, those ministers who were loyal to the Wei Dynasty had all died in the Heyin Incident, and the remaining ministers were all frightened.

Yuan Ziyou decided to lie low for a while longer and not expose Xi Yi, whom he had won with great difficulty.

However, Erzhu Rong's perverse actions would also push people's hearts to the other side. Yuan Ziyou's nails dug into his palms, and the pain finally cooled his anger. Yuan Ziyou completed the ceremony of entering the city.

The first year of Wude, the first year of Wutai, six ordinary years finally passed. The cold winter brought a temporary halt to the war, but everyone could see that this year might be the most peaceful year in recent years.

(End of this chapter)