Chapter 52

In the council hall of Masahiro's mansion on the high mountain, due to the lord's order to "kidnap" the displaced people, an awkward silence fell over the hall.

Masahiro scanned the assembled retainers below. Aizawa Heiji wanted to speak but held back; Oishi Kuniaki was deep in thought; Tsuda Masahiro had a look of no objection, as in his mind, as long as the displaced people were not harmed and could be brought stability, it was fine, and such诱导 tactics were too troublesome; just bringing them to the territory directly was enough. As for Kousuke and Tadajirou, they had a look of it being a matter of course, as they had often done this in the past.

"Hmm, let's decide it this way. Kuniaki and Kousuke, you will be responsible for spreading false information about the territory and recruiting the displaced people. Heiji, you will be responsible for settling the displaced people. All the displaced people will be arranged to live on the uncultivated land to the southwest of Nochi Town, which is currently being developed," Masahiro said decisively, then continued, "How much is the agricultural tax in the surrounding areas now?"

"Your Highness, the surrounding powerful families all adopt an 80% public and 20% private agricultural tax. In times of war, it can even be 90% public and 10% private," Oishi Kuniaki said with great indignation. The others also looked angry, except for Aizawa Heiji, who awkwardly lowered his head, as he was the head of a branch family of the Aizawa clan and had also imposed this agricultural tax on the townspeople in his territory.

"What?" Masahiro was greatly surprised. In an era where agricultural technology was extremely backward, such a tax policy was equivalent to starving the farmers to death. If they didn't want to starve, they would have to go into the mountains or the sea to find food, no wonder there were so many bandits and pirates everywhere.

"Yes, Your Highness, basically all the powerful families in the Matsura District adopt this agricultural tax. If a better agricultural tax for farmers is adopted, it can easily lead to the enmity of the surrounding powerful families. Of course, if there is enough strength, there is no need to fear the threats of the surrounding powerful families, and a lower agricultural tax can also be adopted," Aizawa Heiji reminded in a low voice.

"Hmm," Masahiro silently calculated in his mind, considering whether it was necessary to adjust the policy he had drafted overnight based on the actual situation. After frowning and thinking for a while, Masahiro continued, "Starting next month, the current collective distribution system in the territory will be abolished. All the people in the territory will be given five months' worth of grain at the standard of 5 dou of mixed grains per adult and 3 dou of mixed grains per child per month, so they can last until the end of the autumn harvest in September, at which time they can be self-sufficient. Starting next month, the people will freely manage their own land, and the territory will no longer provide grain support. Those who cannot manage their land independently will be uniformly arranged by Matsubae, and the land will be incorporated into the public land of the territory. After the autumn harvest, the grain will be distributed according to the labor contribution. Heiji, you arrange it."

"Your Highness, according to your arrangement, this time about 600 koku of grain will be needed. Adding to yesterday's arrangement, the territory will need to consume more than 2000 koku of grain," Aizawa Heiji felt that this lord was starting to have the "wasteful" habit again. The territory had just a little grain reserve, and at the lord's current rate of extravagance, it would soon be depleted, so he had to remind Masahiro.

Masahiro smiled slightly and said, "Heiji, you have miscalculated. It's more than 4000 koku, and there's also a 2000 koku budget for expanding the territory's military forces. Additionally, the territory will launch large-scale water conservancy and road construction projects, which will also consume a lot of grain."

"Ah?" Aizawa Heiji almost jumped up. According to his thinking, the lord could at least make the territory stable through this winter with the grain seized this time, but he found that he had greatly underestimated the lord's "wasteful" speed, and was stunned speechless for a moment. The others were also shocked by Masahiro's plans and looked at the lord.

"Ha ha, everyone, with the increasing population in the territory, the original territory regulations are no longer suitable for further development," Masahiro couldn't talk to these people about how to stimulate production enthusiasm and "money making money" theories hundreds of years in the future, so he simply explained, "Here are some territory regulations I drafted last night. Everyone, please read them." After saying this, Masahiro beckoned to Kizaburo, who had been standing behind him holding several sheets of paper.

Kizaburo immediately handed the papers to Masahiro, who took them and made slight modifications with a brush, then had Kizaburo distribute them to the others.

These regulations were drafted overnight by Masahiro based on the current situation of the territory, collectively known as the "Roh Family Regulations." As far as Masahiro knew, his family was not the first to establish specific regulations for the family in this era. Before him, in Kyushu, there were the "Sagara Family Regulations" of the Sagara family and the "Ouchi Family Wall Book" of the Ouchi family. A bit further away, there were the "Asakura Masahiro Regulations" of the Asakura family, the "Imagawa Kana List" of the Imagawa family, and the most famous "Dust Collection" of the Date family.

The "Roh Family Regulations" first clearly stated that these regulations would be the only regulations for all the territories of the Roh family. The main content of the first chapter of the regulations was about land, with three main points:

1. All land, trees, and rivers in the territory belong to the lord. The lord will lease the land to the people. Each household must register the land in detail and pay taxes regularly. Land can be inherited by designated relatives, and if there are no heirs, it will be returned to the territory.

2. Land cannot be bought or sold without the lord's approval.

3. Each household can own a maximum of five tan (1 tan = 10 mu) of farmland and two tan of forest land.

Since the current territory consists of displaced people who originally had no land, or farmers with a small amount of land, there are no households exceeding the land limit, so there will be no resistance in implementing these regulations. However, as the territory expands in the future, there will inevitably be some resistance. Masahiro was not worried about this, as those who could exceed these limits were originally local tyrants. To obtain their land, they must be defeated, and as the defeated party, they would have to submit to Masahiro. Of course, the main purpose of implementing these regulations was to prevent the emergence of new local tyrants in the territory. For his own retainers, Masahiro planned to use a salary system and avoid rewarding land as much as possible.

The main content of the second chapter of the regulations was about the status of the people and the agricultural tax, with two main points:

1. The territory has three main statuses: people, laborers, and slaves.

- First-class people: The agricultural tax is 80% public and 20% private.

- Second-class people: The agricultural tax is 70% public and 30% private.

- Third-class people: The agricultural tax is 60% public and 40% private.

- Fourth-class people: The agricultural tax is 50% public and 50% private.

- Fifth-class people: The agricultural tax is 40% public and 60% private.

- Laborers: People who violate the territory regulations will be demoted to laborers and will perform long-term labor service according to the severity of the violation, with no pay during the service period. After the service period, they can return to their original status.

- Slaves: Captured enemies will perform long-term labor service according to the severity of their threat to the territory, with no pay during the service period. After the service period, they can become first-class people.

2. Explanation of how to improve the status of the people:

- First-class people: From the day they settle in the territory, they are first-class people.

- Second-class people: First-class people who have settled in the territory for one year will automatically become second-class people.

- First-class people who send their relatives aged 6 to 14 to the territory school and ensure they attend classes on time will automatically become second-class people.

- Third-class people: People who have settled in the territory for three years will automatically become third-class people. Additionally, any household with a member who becomes a foot soldier for the lord will automatically become third-class people. Also, those who make contributions to the territory can be personally granted third-class status by the lord.

- Fourth-class people: Any household with a member who becomes a samurai for the lord will automatically become fourth-class people. Additionally, those who make significant contributions to the territory can be personally granted fourth-class status by the lord.

- Fifth-class people: Those who make significant contributions to the territory can be personally granted fifth-class status by the lord.

Originally, Masahiro set the agricultural tax for the lowest class of people at 70% public and 30% private, but after listening to Aizawa Heiji's advice and considering it thoroughly, he made adjustments. According to the regulations, a common person will pay 80% public and 20% private in the first year, 70% public and 30% private in the second year, and 60% public and 40% private in the fourth year. To encourage people to participate in the territory's schools and military, some preferential policies were added. Of course, the agricultural tax should not be too easy to obtain. A common person who wants to live a simple life will have a maximum agricultural tax of 60% public and 40% private. To achieve 50% public and 50% private or even 40% public and 60% private, they must join the territory's military or make significant contributions. Finally, there is the issue of fairness. The above regulations do not take into account families with young children or no children, and no able-bodied men, which are the most vulnerable groups. How to protect these families is explained in the next chapter of the regulations.

The main content of the third chapter of the regulations was about the labor service in the territory, with five main points:

1. All other taxes except agricultural and commercial taxes in the territory are abolished.

2. People in the territory will participate in labor service organized by the territory. During the service period, meals will be provided by the territory, and the territory will give reasonable compensation (mainly in grain) based on the amount of labor.

3. People in difficult situations can apply for relief at designated locations in the territory. After verification, the territory will provide the minimum relief monthly, with a maximum relief period of one year.

4. People lacking farming tools can rent them from designated locations in the territory, with a maximum rental period of seven days.

5. Methods of repaying relief and rental:

- Direct repayment with grain or money.

- Repayment with grain or money after the autumn harvest.

- Repayment by participating in labor service organized by the territory, with the territory deducting the amount from the compensation.

Here, Masahiro applied the concept of "loans" from the future, allowing people to apply for farming tools or even grain and repay them later, which greatly protected the survival of the vulnerable groups in the early stages of settling in the territory. It also encouraged people to actively participate in labor service.

The main content of the fourth chapter of the regulations was about the confidentiality of the territory, with five main points:

1. People in the territory may not leave the territory without the lord's approval.

2. People in the territory may not mention any information related to the territory to anyone, such as regulations and technology.

3. If suspicious or unfamiliar people are discovered, they must be reported to the territory immediately. After verification, those who have not reached third-class status will be directly promoted to third-class status; those who have already reached third-class status will receive 5 koku of grain as a reward.

4. Those who report violations of the confidentiality regulations will, after verification, be directly promoted to third-class status if they have not reached it; those who have already reached third-class status will receive 5 koku of grain as a reward.

Many of the policies and technologies implemented by Masahiro in the territory were ahead of their time. If they were obtained by enemy forces, it would not only strengthen the enemy but also pose a significant threat to himself. Since he was not yet strong enough, these things must be strictly kept confidential. However, relying solely on the territory's security forces was difficult to achieve confidentiality, so it was necessary to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of the people, making everyone a monitor of confidentiality.

The main content of the fifth chapter of the regulations was about the possession of weapons by the people in the territory, with five main points:

1. Without the lord's permission, people may not privately own weapons such as swords, spears, armor, and bows.

2. Those who already own weapons must surrender them to the territory, and the territory will provide corresponding grain and money as compensation.

3. Any private possession, once discovered, will be immediately confiscated, and the person will be punished with labor service.

This was essentially a "sword hunt order." Although the territory regulations benefited the farmers, it was difficult to rule out the possibility that they might be incited by some people to start a rebellion or a religious uprising, which would be a significant problem. Therefore, to prevent this, it was better to implement this measure early.

The main content of the sixth and final chapter of the regulations was about the rewards and punishments in the territory, with only one regulation but very detailed content. It mainly listed the content of daily civil crimes and clearly stated the labor service periods required for violating these regulations and the territory's regulations. Those who report violations will receive a certain amount of grain as a reward.

The entire "Roh Family Regulations" consisted of six chapters and eighteen regulations. For a long time, it was suitable for the needs of the territory. It did not infringe on the interests of most people in the territory, and most people benefited from it. For the territories to be occupied in the future, Masahiro planned to implement a high-pressure policy and enforce it strictly, which would inevitably lead to resistance from some farmers who concealed their land and the original local tyrants, especially those who surrendered voluntarily. For this, Masahiro planned to use a salary system to compensate or even directly eliminate them.

The regulations confirmed many requirements in general, allowing the people to quickly settle down and ensuring the interests of most people. Of course, due to the lack of specific details, there were still many loopholes. For example, the specific arrangements for the implementation of the policies, the specific standards for rewards and compensation, and even some situations that could be exploited, all needed to be improved in the future.

(PS: The happiest thing in the world is to have a book with a collection, daily recommendations, and constant clicks. Cats eat fish, dogs eat meat, and Ultraman fights the monsters. I bow to thank all the readers for your support. Thank you for your clicks, collections, recommendations, and rewards. Weakly ask, are there any more?)