Since the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, because of the change of dynasties, there has been endless struggle. By the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, many parts of the Yellow River Basin were already covered with white bones and thorns.
At the beginning of the Zhao and Song dynasties, the devastation was not calmed, the agriculture was withered, and everything was wasted to be rebuilt. Zhao Kuangyin wanted to consolidate the nascent political power, and the only way to restore people's livelihood and develop the economy was to develop the economy.
For thousands of years, china has been a self-sufficient agricultural power. Although the commercial trade of the Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly prosperous, during the founding of the Song Dynasty, the rulers still made it their first priority to persuade Nongsang.
In order to encourage the vast number of peasants to open up the land, Zhao Kuangyin "took the throne at the beginning of the throne and ordered the people to clear the land, and the prefectures and counties should not be prosecuted and detained, and the current tenant should be the amount." 100% of the income from newly opened land is legally earned by farmers without having to pay various taxes. The result of this is to benefit the people, to benefit the laborers, and to increase their enthusiasm for reclamation.
Zhao Kuangyin also sent officials to various localities to supervise and inspect, and the legislation was extremely strict for those who "accepted the people's rent, and those who increased their envy were offended, and those who entered the people's rent or abandoned the city" were extremely strict. In addition, it is stipulated that if there is a famine year, rent and interest can be reduced.
In order to improve agricultural production, Zhao song worked hard to increase the social labor force. After decades of war, many villages are empty, with men and women widowed. Zhao Song relocated the people of the Northern Han Dynasty and other places to these places, and divided them into idle fields, and the officials gave them cattle and money and rice.
In order to increase the number of people, the Northern Song Dynasty also customized the corresponding national policy of family planning. Have many children, eugenics, and encourage being an honorable mother. In November of the third year of Jianlong, it was even stipulated that "the county order examination class shall be dethroned by increasing or decreasing the hukou". Directly linking the rewards and punishments of officials with the number of people, this hard policy has further promoted the active recruitment of displaced people in various localities to resume work and effectively stopped the loss of labor.
In the second year of Jianlong (961), Zhao Kuangyin also issued a decree: to exempt the provincial capitals from requisitioning civilians as laborers transporting goods, and to change the orders of soldiers to serve as soldiers.
The following year, he was also exempted from the conscription of the army's clothing. At the same time, it decreed that if the magistrate did not obey the ordinance, the people could report it. Zhao Kuangyin's frivolous and meagre endowment was mainly worried that local officials would fish and flesh the people and enrich themselves.
During the Song Dynasty, the biggest labor of the peasants was the construction of water conservancy. The role of water conservancy in the development of agricultural construction is self-evident, and water conservancy is of great significance to prevent flood disasters and stabilize people's livelihood. The reason for this is also due to the need for eternal imperial power, but the part that benefits the people is always worth affirming.
Song Taizu put a lot of thought into the flooding of the Yellow River, which affected the national economy and people's livelihood. During the Five Dynasties period, in order to stop the pace of attacks by hostile regimes, the Yellow River embankments were often dug. This kind of thing is done a lot, and the two sides of the Yellow River are often a zealous country.
In the third year of Jianlong, Zhao Kuangyin ordered the embankments along the Yellow River to be built and dammed, and a large number of trees were planted to help prevent floods. In the third year of Qiande (965), Zhao Kuangyin even issued an edict: "The county magistrates along the Huanghe and Bianhe prefectures, every year the first order to divide the troops into elm willows to strengthen the embankment." In addition to the Yellow River, Zhao Kuangyin also did a lot of rectification work on the main rivers such as the Bian River and the Cai River. This played a positive role in the stability of agriculture and the development of commerce in the early Song Dynasty.
Since the Song Taizu Dynasty, the song dynasty's land and water transportation, especially water transportation, has developed greatly. "The water runs across China" and "Caoyin rivers and lakes benefit the South China Sea". It became the main artery of transportation in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Shi Zai - Qian Li, the lord of the State of Wuyue, once offered a treasure rhinoceros belt to the Song court, which was of great value. Zhao Kuangyin looked at it disapprovingly and smiled, "There are three belts, which are different from this." ”
When Qian Li heard that Zhao Kuangyin actually had a treasure belt that was more valuable than the treasure belt he had offered, he was a little disbelieving. He had the courage to ask Zhao Kuangyin to make it clear, so that he could also have a long insight.
Zhao Kuangyin laughed and said, "There is one River, one River for Huimin, and one River for Wuzhang." ”
When Qian Li heard this, he was ashamed and became even more afraid of Zhao Song from then on.
It can be said that the leap-forward economic development of the Song Dynasty laid the foundation for the Zhao Kuangyin Dynasty, and the later successors were just 'good shade under the big tree'.
Zhao Kuangyin's simple and people-oriented ideas are rarely mentioned in modern times, and it seems that people only pay attention to his great martial arts and bullying orphans and widows. However, it is really puzzling to say nothing about his historical merits in restoring people's livelihood.