They didn't pay attention to the second half of the sentence, mainly because the first sentence was so shocking!

Not requisition, but employment!

The two are worlds apart!

Xue Qing asked: "Does His Majesty mean a certain wage for employment?"

"right!"

Confirm again.

Several people looked at each other.

Then Xue Qing said: "This... is completely unnecessary. Common people normally have to perform corvee service."

Everyone nodded,

Corvee taxation is a basic item.

Corvee service includes manual labor, miscellaneous labor, military service, etc., and is diverse, which means that the state can compulsorily recruit people to perform various types of labor when needed.

And it’s free!

For example, doing some projects or transporting food during wars are all corvee services. You can't refuse them. If you refuse, it will be a crime.

This is also a basic system.

So they all find it incredible to be hired.

"Your Majesty, are you going to abolish corvee service?"

Xue Qing asked again.

In the early years of Yuanwu, His Majesty declared that he would never increase taxes as soon as he came to the throne. This was already a great gift from the emperor. If the corvee were to be abolished, it would really be...

He didn't even know what words to use to describe it.

"That's about right. We still have to take our time."

Any change requires a process, even if it is good, people will always have to adapt.

However, the labor service and miscellaneous service will gradually be abolished, and military service will of course be retained.

The corvee system was also the most direct manifestation of the feudal dynasty.

Many dynasties in history came to ruin because of this.

A big feature of the corvée collection is that it is levied on a per-person basis. If the person is not present, it cannot be levied. Therefore, if you want to "evade taxes", the best way is to run away, which will lead to more refugees and affect social stability.

Dakang has strict laws that require civilians to serve three times in their lives.

Guard the frontier, guard the frontier, and guard the frontier.

The first two are military service, and the latter is labor service. For one month every year, you have to do hard labor near home, doing civil engineering, building bridges, building rivers, etc.

The law stipulates this, but the reality is even more stringent.

Emperor Longjing pretended to believe in Buddhism and built Buddhist temples across the country. The people he recruited were civilians. Later, he actually practiced Taoism and there was another wave of forced conscription.

This is also one of the reasons for its demise.

As far as Daning is concerned now, this simply cannot be the case. He is trying every means to keep people around, so how can he let them run away?

"If this is the case, the imperial court's expenditure will be huge!"

Xue Qing is the Minister of Household Affairs, so he naturally has the right to speak in this regard.

He knew in advance that His Majesty had plans to rebuild the canal, and was ordered to prepare a budget.

But I don’t know how to use employment.

This is the excavation of a canal, and a few hundred people are not enough. Just one construction site requires thousands of people, maybe more.

"I said, it is under conditions permitting."

Guan Ning reiterated again.

It is important to explain it clearly to them because they are the executors. If they do not understand, there will be errors during the execution process.

"The first step to be renovated is the third section, where a new river channel needs to be dug and a reservoir built to store water."

Guan Ning pointed to a section on the map and said: "The upper reaches here are higher, the lower reaches are plains, and the entire area is fertile farmland. There have been incidents where the entire lower reaches were submerged due to floods, so we need to focus on remediation."

Everyone looked over.

Guanqiu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, opened his mouth and said: "Eight years ago, there was a flood, the river burst its banks and overflowed the river surface. What you mentioned happened."

"I even went there in person at that time, and it was so miserable."

"I also know."

Zhao Nanxing also echoed: "You are right, this area is indeed low, and now it has been renovated and turned into a large area of ​​fertile farmland. The rainy season has just ended after spring plowing, so the risk is indeed very high."

Several people said it.

“So we’ll start renovating it here first, and it’s estimated that it will require 5,000 laborers in the early stage.”

"Is five thousand enough?"

Gong Liangyu said: "To improve this place, we must first dig a river to divert water and build a reservoir. The amount of work is not small."

"Besides, it will definitely not be completed before the rainy season arrives. Since we have decided to repair it, luckily we can repair it directly!"

Guanqiu agreed: "The main reason is that the flood that year was so severe that I still remember it fresh. In fact, fields are flooded every year, but it's just a matter of scale. The damage caused by this may not be compensated by the cost of remediation."

I heard such talk.

Everyone came to this conclusion.

This year, the area of ​​cultivated land has increased again. Due to the adoption of the farm method, the people are very motivated.

Ensuring a bumper harvest this year is a top priority.

Only then did they understand His Majesty's intention.

The Liaocheng area being renovated is located downstream and can be irrigated. The land is fertile, the growth rate is gratifying, and the yield is abundant.

Therefore, it is also a key development area.

Mainly there is a risk of flooding.

Once a flood occurs, the water will overflow to both sides of the river, with disastrous consequences.

They all thought about the seriousness of the problem. Excavation of river channels was secondary, the key was to protect the land!

"no!"

Xue Qing shook his head and said: "According to the method of employment, if there are too many people, we can't afford it and we can't spend all the money at once."

He is the one who holds the money bag, so he must keep it tight.

"If Princess Wei Qi can marry her, she will have enough money and food."

Matsunaga, who had been silent, interrupted.

"Where does this begin?"

Fei Tian didn't know about this yet.

Song Yongnian explained: "His Majesty put forward conditions to the Wei envoy, requiring them to bring a dowry of three hundred taels of gold, three million stones of grain, and other dowries. Anyway, it is quite a lot, otherwise they will not marry."

"ah!"

The eyes of those who were unaware at first widened.

It's the first time I've heard of such a thing.

Fei Tian shook his head, sighing with regret. He knew that the marriage must have been a scam.

No matter how domineering your Majesty is, the Wei royal family still wants to save face.

Princess Wei Qi is not just a goddaughter to be used for marriage, but a real princess!

It’s over!

Several people were immersed in shock.

Guan Ning frowned and said, "How many taels of gold did you just say?"

"Three hundred taels!"

Matsunaga said: "Isn't this what you asked for?"

"Is this what you told Ambassador Wei?"

"Yes, I gave them a list."

"Old pine!"

Guan Ning said helplessly: "I told you 30,000 taels of gold. What is three hundred taels enough for?"

"Thirty thousand taels?"

Matsunaga was startled.

Thirty thousand taels of gold is three million taels of silver.

"Did I remember it wrong?"

"You must have remembered it wrong."

Song Yongnian said: "After you told me at that time, I was a little unsure. The main reason was that thirty thousand taels of gold was too much. I thought that you already asked for three million stones of food, so I should ask for less money, so

At once……"

"The Wei envoy should have not left our country yet. He immediately sent people to chase him quickly. He must catch up no matter what. Tell them clearly that it is not 300 taels, but 30,000 taels, and it is still gold!"

Guan Ning's words made everyone widen their eyes again.
Chapter completed!