Chapter 2545 Landlords and tenant farmers

The official exam took only half a day, Bai Erlang finished the exam today and got the result the next day. Among the more than 20 Jinshi, the ranking is not bad.

However, unlike Bai Dalang who hurriedly went to wait for an official, Bai Erlang did not go to the Ministry of Personnel after getting the results, but ran home to find Mingda, and took her to Huangzhuang.

Now go to the queue to choose an official. If the father-in-law directly gives him an official, will he report immediately, or two days later?

So in no hurry to wait for the officer, he decided to rest for a few days before talking.

From last year to the present, he has been very busy, even if it is rare to go out to play, it is also a play with heart, and he can't be wholehearted at all.

Mingda knew the five grains, even sowed seeds with his own hands, and watched people plant the land, but his understanding of farming was only based on superficial knowledge.

Unlike Bai Erlang, he has been in charge of a Zhuangzi since childhood.

Therefore, I took Mingda to live in Huangzhuang for two days, and walked around, knowing that there were only 68 tenant farmers and 29 servants in the huge Huangzhuang...

Every year, Yueyang County dispatches workers from Yili to help in the spring and autumn harvests. It is rotated in each county and township, and it can be guaranteed that it will not be repeated for several years.

Bai Erlang and Mingda said, "Zhou Man recruited a hundred tenants for one li in the working field of Pu Village. Because of the small amount of land, they can cultivate meticulously. There are only so many people in a village as big as you, basically. Just sow the seeds, add some fertilizer, not to mention watering, I'm afraid you won't even get rid of the grass, after two months, the grass will grow better than the wheat seedlings."

Mingda suddenly realized, "No wonder the wheat field I saw last time was thinner than the grass next door."

Bai Erlang held back a smile and said, "There are too few people, and the soil is different. There is also the reason for the snow disaster last year."

"But no matter what it's for, it's not enough for such a large Huangzhuang to have so many people," he said. "Cultivation is not just about sowing the seeds. Daily life is also very important."

Bai Erlang felt that he probably knew why the emperor had so much land, but was still so poor.

He said: "Every year Huangzhuang can get 100 laborers for free, but they only plough for ten days in spring and harvest for ten days in autumn. How long is the time in between?"

"The seeds that are planted need fertilization, watering, weeding, and even weeding. For beans alone, weed at least twice after they are planted. Otherwise, the grass that emerges later will also grab the fertilizer and grow bigger than beans. Even better."

Bai Erlang said: "So it's not enough to rely on servants, you still have to recruit long-term workers or tenants."

Mingda tilted his head and thought for a while, and was very curious, "Why can't Huangzhuang recruit tenants?"

Bai Erlang: "Because you guys are too dark."

Minda:  …

Bai Erlang said, "Do you know how much the average person's annual rent is?"

Mingda smiled and said, "Each piece has to be handed in two stones of corn every year."

Bai Erlang nodded and said: "This tax is not high. Compared with their land grants, it is almost forty-one tax. But tenants renting other people's land usually pays 40% to 60% of the tax."

Mingda calculated the gap between the two and was shocked, "How can there be so much difference?"

Bai Erlang said: "Private is not a country after all. From ancient times to the present, the rent tax to the tenant farmers has always been so high. There are some mean families who raise the rent tax to 70%."

"However, in order to ensure the harvest, the owner usually provides good seeds, farm tools and some cattle, but some people are mean and will not provide them. In the end, the tenants leave, preferring to be refugees rather than farming." Bai Erlang looked at Mingda and said: "Just now we Didn't you ask, Huangzhuang's tenancy has always been 60%."

Mingda: ...So her family is mean family?

She asked, "How much is the tenant's rent for your family?"

"Depending on the situation, sometimes 50%, sometimes 40%, and at least 20%. If there is a catastrophe, the rent will be waived." Bai Erlang used to run to inherit his father's land and become a small landlord He went, and now he is an examiner, and he is very familiar with this kind of thing. He said: "The rent that the tenant should pay to the court is paid by the owner. Unless he has another share of the land, then it will be shared according to the proportion."

"Like my family, when Dazhen was flooded for ten years, my father was exempted from the rent tax of many other families. My father also had to pay the rent tax for every dime and two stones of their family. This is a loss."

That year, Master Bai lost a lot of money. If the tenant farmers did not share the land and only rented the land of the landlord, then they only needed to serve the state, and the rest of the rent and taxes had to be paid by the landlord.

Usually, the owners will set aside land for the tenant farmers to grow mulberry and hemp.

When the imperial court wanted to collect taxes, the owner handed over the tenants’ rents to the county government, so in those days Master Bai not only paid the tenants to pay the rents and taxes, but also provided relief to the tenants from his own pockets. grain...

Of course, Bai Erlang said this to tell Mingda, "Although there are few people in Mianzhou, my family can always recruit tenant farmers. Even if there is no one in Mianzhou, there will be people coming from other places ."

Mingda thought thoughtfully, "Do you think our Huangzhuang is not lenient enough, so we can't recruit tenants?"

Bai Erlang nodded politely and said to her: "Although the capital is rich, there are many people who have lost their fields here. As long as you give enough benefits, it is not difficult to recruit people."

He said: "Our family is not short of money, but the initial investment is larger. As long as the land is so good, as long as it is intensively cultivated, the yield must be not low. Even if it is only 40%, the annual income will be quite a lot."

Just look at Zhou Man's two-year career-field income.

Mingda became interested, and his eyes sparkled: "Okay, we will take care of this Huangzhuang in person."

She also discussed with Bai Erlang, "Do you want to change the steward?"

The intelligent Mingda naturally knows that there are so many tricks in Huangzhuang because of the management.

Bai Erlang also wanted to change, but he felt that the replacement was a big deal, and he was a little undecided, so he ran back to ask Bai Shan and Zhou Man.

Bai Shan said: "As long as he is obedient, he doesn't need to change."

He said: "He has been in charge of Huangzhuang for so many years, he is familiar with the land and people there, and he can manage people, no matter how he managed things before, now he only needs to listen to you, no, listen to the princess You can."

As long as Princess Mingda asks him to do what he does, it will work.

Man Bao said: "Even if you want to change it, you have to pass the spring ploughing first. It's not good to change the manager to manage so many fields at this time."

Bai Erlang took a reassurance pill, exhaled and asked Man Bao, "Where do you think I can recruit workers and find tenant farmers in so many places?"

Man Bao felt that it was too late to find tenant farmers. In such a good land, he must find hard-working people. What if he recruited some lazy people?

So she said: "You spend some money to hire long-term workers or short-term workers directly. Anyway, there are many idle people in the capital, and these people should not be difficult to find."

Bai Shandao: "It's a pity that the fourth brother has gone out, otherwise you can ask the fourth brother to help you with this matter. However, the steward of Huangzhuang should also have a familiar daughter. You have made announcements in the capital and Yongzhou, and you will definitely be able to invite a lot of people. ."

See you at 6 pm