Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

In mid-October, news of Liu Bian's ascension to the throne in Chang'an and the change of the era name to Jian'an reached Luoyang. The news that Situ Cui Lie was ambushed and killed on the way, leaving no trace of his body, and the news that Duan Yu was granted the title of King of Liang spread in Luoyang.

The entire city of Luoyang was shaken.

After the Empress Dowager Dong had given up hope of peace talks, she ordered the imperial clansmen and governors to come to Luoyang to serve the emperor.

Promotions spread like wildfire across the land, encompassing all twelve provinces except Liangzhou.

In addition, Hangu Pass in Xin'an County was closed, and a large number of troops and supplies began to be transferred to Hangu Pass in Xin'an County.

However, if you have soldiers, you need food.

However, it is clear that the Luoyang court is now weaker than it was during Liu Hong's reign.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion depleted Liu Hong's wealth accumulated over many years.

If Duan Yu hadn't later developed his business in Liangzhou and sent Liu Hong a large amount of tax revenue, Luoyang would have had no money or grain to repay him.

They didn't even provide officials with salaries or grain.

However, the money and provisions sent from Liangzhou by Duan Yu were ultimately consumed by Duan Yu himself.

In the end, it proved the saying true: what comes from should come back to where it came from.

In the Battle of Hangu Pass, the Luoyang court's more than 200,000 troops had already exhausted all the money and grain they had painstakingly accumulated.

It was precisely because of this that Empress Dowager Dong was unable to borrow grain from powerful families that could collect provisions.

This led to Jian Shuo's nephew visiting the Yang family of Hongnong to humiliate Yang Biao.

There are no troops; troops need to be mobilized.

Without provisions, it is natural to need to transfer more food.

However, the provinces closest to Luoyang, Yanzhou and Yuzhou, had too much land abandoned due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and this year was also a year of disaster, with little harvest and no surplus grain to pay taxes.

In addition, the Yellow Turban rebels in Qingzhou were rampant in Yanzhou, causing the people to be displaced.

And Qingzhou goes without saying.

Although Qingzhou was not the place where the Yellow Turban Rebellion began, it was one of the states most severely affected by the rebellion.

Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou and other places are too far from Luoyang, and in a short time, distant water cannot quench the immediate thirst.

Besides Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jingzhou, there is also Jizhou.

Although Ji Province was the main base of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, due to Duan Yu's early intervention and Ji Province's status as the largest grain-producing province in the Central Plains, Ji Province was actually the least affected.

The migration of hundreds of thousands of people sounds like a lot, but the total registered population of Jizhou is nearly seven million, not including the population hidden by powerful families.

If you calculate it, the population of Ji Province, which was nearly ten million, was reduced by less than a million people due to Duan Yu's relocation, so it didn't cause any serious damage.

In addition, Yuan Shao worked diligently to govern Ji Province for a year and a half after taking over, and Ji Province enjoyed favorable weather, resulting in a bumper harvest this year.

Ye County, Wei Commandery.

The council hall of the governor's office.

At this moment, a document from the imperial court was placed on the table in front of Yuan Shao.

The content was very simple, consisting of just two words: requisitioning grain.

Empress Dowager Dong bestowed upon Yuan Shao the titles of Governor of Ji Province, General of the Vanguard, and the authority to establish his own government, but demanded that Yuan Shao collect one million shi of grain from Ji Province.

This is not a small amount.

Jizhou had a registered population of 6.5 million, but after the Yellow Turban Rebellion last year, the registered population was reduced to only 5 million.

After a year and a half of Yuan Shao's governance, coupled with measures such as tax reduction, the population recovered to 5.5 million.

Cui Shi, Cui Lie's elder brother, wrote in his "Political Treatise" that "the rich own vast tracts of land, while the poor have no place to stand." This record indicates that powerful clans and wealthy families occupied the vast majority of the land.

However, the average person who actually owns land only has three mu of land.

Based on a family of three, the family cultivates approximately ten mu of land in Jizhou.

This number is still based on the fact that Ji Province has many plains. If it were You Province or Bing Province, this number would obviously be insufficient.

Jizhou is mostly plains and has a high grain yield.

The average yield per mu is one and a half shi (a unit of dry measure).

Ten mu is equivalent to fifteen shi.

Ten mu is the land of one household.

Five and a half million people, converted into three people per household, totals one million eight hundred and thirty thousand households.

Jizhou's total output last year was approximately 27 million tons.

It sounds like a lot at first glance, and it is a lot for a million.

But these 27 million are related to the livelihood of the entire Jizhou region.

The family of three had to make ends meet for a year and also save up seeds.

Fifteen shi of grain is approximately 450 jin.

A family of three, consuming one pound of grain and some wild vegetables per day, would consume nearly four hundred pounds of grain per year.

If the imperial court levied taxes, the rate was one-thirtieth during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, one-tenth during the reign of Emperor An, and two-tenths during the reign of Emperor Liu Hong.

A million shi of grain would nearly deplete the surplus grain in every household in Jizhou.

But if that's really all there is to it, it's not unacceptable.

But the actual problem is not like that.

A large portion of the land in the hands of ordinary people does not actually belong to them.

Instead, the powerful and wealthy would seize the land and then rent it out to farmers.

In addition to paying taxes, farmers also have to pay rent to powerful landowners for their land.

Farmers were required to pay half of the grain harvested from their land to powerful local magnates every year.

If we calculate it this way, after a year of cultivation, farmers would only have half the grain left on their land, which is about 200 jin (100 kg) of grain.

They barely make ends meet, and family members need to perform corvée labor and supplement their income by planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms.

There was simply no extra money to pay taxes.

Moreover, powerful and aristocratic families do not pay taxes at all.

If we take this as an example, Jizhou's total annual grain output is 27 million units. After deducting half for taxes paid to powerful clans, half remains. If another one million units of tax are sent to Luoyang...

The grain transport rate is such that three or four out of ten grains are lost. Based on this ratio, if one million tons of grain were to be transported to Luoyang, one and a half million taels of silver would be levied.

Two-tenths of the grain rations of the people of Jizhou were directly taken away.

This is tantamount to taking someone's life.

At this moment, Yuan Shao, sitting in the main seat, looked at the imperial edict in front of him with a solemn expression.

The people sitting below the hall had come to discuss politics.

Xu You, dressed in a gray robe, sat in the first seat to Yuan Shao's left.

The following are, in order: Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Feng Ji, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping.

Those seated on the lower right were Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Cui Yan, and others.

At this time, regarding the matter of the imperial court levying a million bushels of grain tax, the audience was divided into two factions, much like the seating arrangement.

Only Xu You, dressed in a gray robe and wearing a tall mountain-shaped crown, stroked his beard as if he were detached from the matter.

The Yingchuan gentry group, led by Guo Tu, Xun Chen, Feng Ji, Xin Pi, and Xin Ping, clashed fiercely with the Jizhou gentry group, led by Tian Feng and others, and held completely opposing opinions.

"Guo Tu, what kind of talk is that?"

Tian Feng glared at Guo Tu and said sternly, "How can you change your orders so easily? The governor petitioned the court to exempt Ji Province from taxes for a year, which allowed the people to live in peace and that's why they support the governor so much. Now you want to change your orders so easily and levy taxes again. What will the people think?"

"Are the lessons learned from the past really going to be forgotten so quickly?"

"Ji Province has just been quelled from unrest. By saying this, you are pushing the people of Ji Province into a fire pit. The court is currently in turmoil, and Duan Yu in Chang'an is eyeing us covetously. If Ji Province falls into turmoil again, will you bear the responsibility?"

Guo Tu turned his head away dismissively and snorted, "Tian Feng, you're exaggerating."

"This is an imperial edict, not a suggestion from the governor. Even if the people have grievances, they are directed at the imperial court, not the governor."

"Do you mean you want Fang Bo to disobey the imperial decree?"

The incessant arguing between the two sides left Yuan Shao feeling dizzy and disoriented.

"Alright, stop arguing." Yuan Shao frowned and waved his hand to interrupt the two who had been arguing all morning without any result. "Isn't there a way to satisfy both sides?"

Guo Tu sneered and looked at Tian Feng, saying, "Of course there is, unless Tian Biejia and his men provide the million bushels of grain. I've heard that Tian Biejia and his men are quite wealthy."

"Guo Tu, you're talking nonsense! Why don't you come out yourself!" Tian Feng retorted.

The argument that Yuan Shao had just suppressed immediately started again.

"I'd like to go, but my home isn't in Jizhou!" Guo Tu replied with a cold laugh.

"stop!"

Helpless, Yuan Shao waved his hand and frowned, saying, "Disperse, disperse, everyone disperse, we'll discuss this another day!"

Yuan Shao, whose head was as big as a bucket, got up, turned around, and walked towards the back of the council hall.

Meanwhile, Guo Tu and Tian Feng's groups split into two factions and left the council hall.