Three Kingdoms, Myth

Chen Xi had considered various household registration systems, but after much deliberation, he finally settled on the system from the Ming Dynasty. It was arguably the most comprehensive system since ancient times, despite some of its less harmonious aspects. The Ming Dynasty's household registration system offered significant advantages in taxation, population management, and corvée labor.

Whether it was the "household certificate," which was akin to a 21st-century household registration booklet, or the way household registration was managed, the system was highly advanced.

Firstly, the household certificate not only recorded the names and origins of the family members but also listed their assets. Only the assets registered in the household certificate were recognized and protected by law. Anything not listed would be difficult to claim if stolen, making this document quite useful.

The system also divided households into different categories: civilian households, military households, and artisan households, each managed by a different government department—Household, Military, and Works Ministries respectively. This categorization didn't affect one's ability to become an official; as long as someone was capable, they could still rise to a governmental position. The primary purpose of the household registration was to categorize, and since most people inherited their family trade in ancient times, this binding registration generally didn't have much negative impact. In fact, many elders were pleased with it, as it reinforced the tradition of children following in their parents' footsteps.

Next, there was the "Li-Jia" system within the civilian households, where 110 households were grouped into a "Li." The ten households most skilled in farming were appointed as Li leaders, while the remaining 100 households were divided into ten Jia.

During times of corvée labor, a Li leader would lead a Jia leader and ten households from that Jia to fulfill the labor duties. Each Jia would take turns every year, a system known as "rotating years." This meant that for nine out of ten years, most of the population wouldn't be disturbed, allowing agricultural production and daily life to continue uninterrupted.

Moreover, because the labor duties were rotated, the common people would keep a close watch on each other to ensure no one tried to shirk their responsibilities. If someone tried to escape their duties, those who had already served their term would certainly not allow it.

After each rotation, the system could be reorganized, and a census could be conducted to check the population structure. If necessary, the gender ratio in various regions could be adjusted. In short, while this system tied civilian households to their place of residence, it was otherwise quite effective.

As for what to do when prosperity made this household registration system obsolete, Chen Xi could only say that they would cross that bridge when they came to it. If the goal of a tax-free agricultural society was ever achieved, then this binding household registration would no longer be necessary.

After spending a long time explaining this system to Lu Su and Liu Ye, Chen Xi was pleased to see their eyes light up with understanding rather than confusion. They were indeed capable ministers, fully grasping a system that far surpassed the standards of their time.

"That's basically it. If you find any flaws, try to address them. It shouldn't be too difficult for you," Chen Xi said, taking a sip of tea to soothe his parched throat.

"In the short term, I don't see any issues. This system is nearly complete, and I imagine it must have taken you a lot of effort to develop," Lu Su commented, his head still down as he wrote, showing little concern for Chen Xi's exhaustion. As long as Chen Xi could still move around, it meant he hadn't overexerted himself.

"Alright, then I'll leave the implementation to you. I'm really tired. By the way, how do you plan to handle the land distribution? And have you come up with a solution for the rest of Qingzhou? We can't just sit around and wait, no matter how much fame and virtue we've garnered among the Yellow Turbans. Take Xuan Gao, for instance. In a few months, when he goes to the Qingzhou military camp, apart from the generals who followed him to the end, most people won't even recognize him as the great leader," Chen Xi said, shifting the conversation away from the household registration system.

"Zi Yang has come up with a plan. There were some issues before, but now that your household registration system is in place, we have a solid foundation for implementation," Lu Su said as he continued writing.

"Zi Yang, tell me about your land plan. I'd like to hear it. And since you have a plan for land distribution, how do you intend to handle agricultural taxation?" Chen Xi asked, turning to Liu Ye. As the architect of the plan, Liu Ye would have the most insight, and it wouldn't be worth wasting Lu Su's time on it.

"I plan to directly allocate land. Qingzhou and Taishan don't have any true aristocratic families left—Yellow Turban raids have wiped them out. This makes these areas ideal for land distribution. The simplest method is to distribute the land, but I don't recommend dividing it among households or individuals," Liu Ye said without hesitation.

"This approach had significant flaws, but your Li-Jia system can cover those gaps. I plan to allocate land based on the Li-Jia system. The exact amount of land per Li is yet to be determined and will vary depending on the region. The Li leader will then distribute the land to the Jia leaders, who will further divide it among the households," Liu Ye explained calmly.

"This approach…" Chen Xi couldn't help but feel a strong sense of déjà vu, but he had to admit that it effectively dispersed the conflict, preventing land issues from directly targeting the central authority.

"As for fairness, that's not my concern. My responsibility is to ensure fairness at the highest level, with the prefectures and counties ensuring fairness at their respective levels. Problems might arise, but compared to the current system, I believe this one is a significant improvement," Liu Ye said proudly.

Chen Xi frowned, recognizing that Liu Ye's primary focus was not on ensuring that the common people had land but on maintaining stability throughout the realm. By dispersing the conflicts, any issues that did arise would be less likely to incite widespread rebellion. Even if there were uprisings, they wouldn't spread far, which would greatly benefit the stability of the Liu family's reign.

"It's acceptable, I suppose. I can also guess how you plan to handle taxation—by directly delegating it to the Lis, correct?" Chen Xi said, slightly dissatisfied with Liu Ye's central focus, but he didn't push the issue further. After all, maintaining peace was also in the best interest of the people, so it wasn't worth arguing about. Everyone had their own biases.

"Yes, I plan to collect taxes from each Li. Each year, we'll determine the average yield per prefecture and county, then calculate the average output. Taxes will be based on this average," Liu Ye nodded, looking quite pleased with himself. It wasn't a plan that just anyone could come up with, and Liu Ye was confident that his tax system would be far superior to the current agricultural tax system.

Chen Xi sighed inwardly. Liu Ye's focus was entirely on preserving the Han dynasty's rule, without considering that if someone wanted to curry favor with higher-ups, they could easily manipulate the figures, potentially causing disaster for an entire region.