Li Zhi, don't be a coward

What should I do if there is too much water in a basin and it is almost overflowing?
It's simple, make this pot bigger.

There are too many landlords in the Tang Dynasty, and more and more people are occupying land. What should we do?
It's simple, let them turn their attention to the end of the sea. There are so many undiscovered lands on the earth, which is enough for them to cause trouble.

And what about the mainland of Datang?

It is the basic foundation of the common people. In this basic foundation, the court must establish rules.

Are others willing to listen to the rules you set?
Of course I am willing to listen, because the benefits offered by the court are tempting enough. Use the benefits in exchange for rules. If you don't agree, you will wait for overt and covert suppression by the court. If you agree, everyone will be happy, and both parties will win.

It has always been impossible to solve the land problem head-on with the landlord class. From Shang Yang to Wang Anshi, they all ended badly because their reforms offended the vested interest classes too hard.

Li Qinzai will not repeat their mistakes. Only interests in the world are eternal.

It is safest to exchange benefits for the rules you want, and it can also achieve a win-win situation for both parties. Not only will you not offend anyone, but you will also have a happy cooperation.

With the Datang navy exploring the world on the agenda, in this almost blank world, the Tang Dynasty has enough benefits to provide these aristocratic families and landowners.

Of course, benefits are not given in vain, and aristocratic families must also pay something.

For example, the issue of land annexation in the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, Li Qin did not go to Jiangnan to plant sweet potatoes. This kind of trivial matter was not worthy of his personal involvement. Solving the land annexation problem was his real mission.

After listening to the benefits given by Li Qinzai, Lu Songxi was so excited that his face turned red and his breathing became more rapid.

Li Qinzai looked at him worriedly, fearing that this old guy wouldn't be able to withstand the stimulation and would act out a myocardial infarction in his handsome tent, which would be so much fun that he wouldn't be able to explain clearly.

"Master Lu, take a deep breath first and stay calm..." Li Qinzai advised worriedly: "How about I ask Bu Qu to send you out of the camp immediately and you go back to Gusu City first?"

Lu Songxi was stunned: "Why did you send me out of the camp?"

Li Qinzai hesitated for a moment and said: "We are all our own people, so I will not hide it... You are too excited now. I am afraid that you will die in my camp. I originally planned to destroy only one of the famous families in Jiangnan. If you Dying here is really the icing on the cake, there is really no need..."

Lu Songxi looked at him with dull eyes, and his excitement calmed down instantly.

It's true that everyone is our own people, but you can't be so rude to your own people. For some reason, Lu Songxi really wants to join Li Qinzai's enemy camp at this moment...

"Jun Gong Li, is the imperial court allowing me, the Lu family, to run horses and enclose the land, just to make up for my Lu family's tax losses?" Lu Songxi asked calmly.

Lu Songxi lived to be more than 50 years old. Of course, he could not be so naive. It was the obligation of the Lu family in Wu County to make up the taxes. The court's failure to pursue the tax evasion of the Lu family in previous years was an extrajudicial favor. It was even more impossible for the Lu family's loss to be in vain. Give him hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

Therefore, Li Qinzai must have something to say, and now Lu Songxi is waiting for him to propose conditions.

Li Qinzai said with a smile: "After five days of horse racing, you can occupy fertile land. Do you think the imperial court will give it to you for free?"

Lu Songxi showed an expression of "Sure enough," and said cautiously: "What does the imperial court need from me, the Lu family?"

Li Qinzai said calmly: "What can the Lu family give?"

Lu Songxi suddenly remembered what Li Qinzai once said to his son Lu Yun in Jiangzhou, and what Lu Yun saw and heard when he went to the village outside Jiangzhou in compliance with the words.

Lu Songxi suddenly understood Li Qinzai's purpose. "Jun Gong Li, the Lu family can't give much, and it all depends on your wishes. How about... I promise in the name of the head of the Lu family that from today on, the Lu family in Wu County will stop buying and expanding the land in the south of the Yangtze River."

"What happened to the other prominent families? Lu dare not say, but the land under my name, the Lu family, ends here. I dare not occupy it for generations. If the court does not believe it, it can send hundreds of cavalry officers to monitor it at any time. If it violates this, Mr. Lu is willing to take the blame."

Looking at Li Qinzai carefully, Lu Songxi whispered: "I wonder if Duke Li is satisfied with Lu's efforts?"

Lu Songxi promised so decisively to stop expansion, so naturally he was not loyal to the emperor.

He is a smart man, and it can be said that he is smarter than several other heads of prominent families in Jiangnan.

From the moment Li Qinzai came to Jiangnan, he smelled something different, so he immediately sent his legitimate son to be the first to surrender to Li Qinzai.

Today, Li Qinzai's showdown with the heads of the prominent families in Jiangnan further confirmed that Li Qinzai's visit had bad intentions.

Baiqisi clearly found out the actual number of acres of land owned by each prominent family. In other words, from now on, the land owned by each prominent family must pay taxes to the court in an honest manner based on the actual amount.

It is no longer possible to conceal the land. If you pay taxes honestly, the benefits generated by the land will naturally be reduced a lot.

And Li Qinzai gave hundreds of thousands of acres of land to Lu Songxi for nothing on behalf of the court. Although the land was at the end of the sea and had not been touched, compared to the land in Jiangnan that was clearly investigated, the land in the New World was tax exempted for ten years. More attractive.

After a little analysis of the pros and cons, Lu Songxi, as a smart person, naturally knows how to choose.

Li Qinzai showed a happy smile, but the smile was only fleeting and fleeting.

"Master Lu, this is the contribution of your Lu family. What I want is to establish rules in the states and counties of the prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River."

“Otherwise, even if you, the seven prominent families, stop occupying land, and over time, other landlords and gentry become more powerful again and continue to occupy land wantonly, am I going to go to Jiangnan every few years and exterminate a landlord? They are willing to die, but I am too lazy to run."

Lu Songxi fell silent.

After a long time, Lu Songxi suddenly asked: "Does Duke Li know what he is doing?"

Li Qinzai smiled: "I know."

"Establish rules for the entire Jiangnan noble family landlords, especially the rules regarding land... You are not just an enemy of the Jiangnan noble families, you are an enemy of the famous families in the world."

Li Qinzai laughed and said: "I am a little scared of offending so many people at the same time, so I need to open a gap."

Lu Songxi felt blessed and pointed at his nose in astonishment: "So, I, the Lu family of Wu County, am the one with the gap?"

Li Qinzai blinked: "Are you surprised? Are you happy?"

Lu Songxi smiled bitterly. Sure enough, there is no land in the world that is given away for free. Once it is given away, it is hundreds of thousands of acres, and it is exempted from taxes for ten years. He never dared to dream of such perfection. Sure enough, the benefits that fall from the sky will definitely come at a price.

After regaining his composure, Lu Songxi said in a deep voice: "If Mr. Lu still needs to pay, just tell him clearly."

Li Qinzai's smile gradually faded, and he stared into his eyes and said, "Mr. Lu will make a statement tomorrow. She is willing to comply with the imperial envoy's order, make up for the taxes on the actual land under her name, and go to the emperor to plead guilty."

"Of course, Master Lu, don't worry, the emperor will definitely forgive you."