Farming system, explain in detail?

The farming system refers to the use of soldiers and farmers to cultivate wasteland in order to obtain military supplies and tax grains. There are also military villages, civilian villages and commercial villages. Shangtun, also known as Yantun, was a settlement established by salt merchants in the Ming Dynasty to facilitate the exchange of grain for salt in border areas. The civilian villages and military villages are villages in the narrow sense. The farming system is a system established for the purpose of farming and was established by Cao Cao.

Overview

The army was used to guard borders and farm fields. It was often used to develop and garrison the northwest frontier in the Western Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, minister Chao Cuo once suggested "relocating people to the border areas". During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Chongguo proposed "garrisoning fields" on the border, taking care of both guarding and farming. Pavilions were often set up from Dunhuang west to Yanze, and there were hundreds of field soldiers in Luntai and Quli. The purpose of this method is to not only solve the problem of self-reliance due to long distances and inconvenient transportation, but also to save the troops from wasting manpower on defense. It is an idea that kills two birds with one stone. However, until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the conception and implementation of all farming operations were limited to avoiding long-distance transportation of grain from other places and meeting the needs of border garrison troops, and were not regarded as an economic and social system.

The first person to propose the farming system was Zao Zhi under Cao Cao, as well as Han Hao, and the practitioners included Ren Jun and Deng Ai during the Cao Wei period. Cao Cao and the Cao Wei regime he laid the foundation for integrated military and civilian villages and set up field officials in various places to be responsible for farming. After the farming system was gradually established, it became a source of money and grain income for the state power, and at the same time it also solved the livelihood of the soldiers and civilians in the farming.

As early as when he followed Cao Cao to suppress the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army, Zao Zhi became very interested in the practice of both fighting and farming, integrating soldiers and farmers. In the first year of Jian'an (196), Cao Cao defeated The Yellow Turban Army in Runan, Yingchuan, captured a large number of cattle, farm tools and labor force. Zao Zhi suggested that Cao Cao use these agricultural tools to reclaim land in Xuchang and implement farming to solve the food problem. Cao Cao adopted his suggestion and appointed him as the captain of the field, fully responsible for the affairs of the field. Zao Zhi first took back the barren and ownerless farmland to the state, and organized a large number of recruited refugees into groups according to the military establishment. The state provided land, seeds, cattle and farm tools for them to cultivate and cultivate, and the harvests obtained were provided by the state. and farmers working in the fields in proportion. In the first year of farming, millions of dendrobiums had to be harvested, so Cao Cao ordered all counties and counties to appoint farming officials and recruit exiled people to farm. Later, he accepted Zao Zhi's suggestion and ordered the army to farm, and the farming system was widely implemented.

Farming system

The state forces farmers or soldiers to cultivate state-owned land and collects a certain amount of land rent. It originated in the Western Han Dynasty and formed a complete system in Cao Wei. In the 11th year of the Western Han Dynasty (169 BC), Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty used criminals, slaves and recruited peasants to garrison the borders and farm the fields. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dispatched a large number of garrison soldiers to farm the Western Regions. However, at that time, farming was mainly concentrated in the western and northern border areas. The main form was military settlement, and the scale was small. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, wars continued for years, social productivity was greatly damaged, the land was barren, the population dropped sharply, and food shortages formed serious social problems. In the first year of Jian'an (196), Cao Cao adopted Zao Zhi and Han Hao's suggestions and started farming near Xudu (now Xuchang, Henan). The land used for farming is ownerless and barren land. Labor force, cattle, and farm tools were captured during the suppression of the Yellow Turban Uprising. Some of the labor force claimed to be recruited was actually forced. It is said that the harvest of one million dendrobium grains in the fields that year alleviated social conflicts. "Therefore, the prefectures and counties set up field officials, where they accumulated valleys and conquered all directions. Without the labor of transporting grain, they merged with the bandits and conquered the world." ("Three Kingdoms·Wei Shu·Wudi Ji" annotated "Wei Shu"). There are two types of farming villages in Cao Wei: civilian villages and military villages. Every 50 people in a village are divided into one village, and there is a Sima in the village, and above them there are Diannong Duwei, Diannong Xiaowei, and Diannong Zhonglang General. They are not affiliated with counties or counties. The harvest is divided between the state and the state: those who use official oxen, the official 6 and the people 4; those who use private oxen, the official and the people divide equally. Farmers are not allowed to leave their fields at will. The military garrison uses soldiers to farm the fields, with 60 people forming a battalion. They guard on one side and farm the fields on the other. Cao Wei's farming played an important role in resettling refugees, reclaiming wasteland, and restoring agricultural production, creating material conditions for Cao Cao to unify the north. However, the exploitation of the farming system was heavy. Farming farmers were tied to the land and had no freedom of status. Farming soldiers had even more hardships. During the Three Kingdoms period, both Wu and Shu also practiced farming, but the scale and achievements were not as good as those of Cao Wei. In the later period of the Cao Wei Dynasty, the amount of exploitation in the farming areas increased day by day, and the distribution ratio reached a level of 8 officials to 2 people, which caused the people in the farming areas to flee and resist. The farming land was continuously occupied by powerful families, so the farming system was gradually destroyed. In the first year of Xianxi (264), the government announced the abolition of Mintun. Although the military garrison continued to exist, its role was no longer significant.

The farming system was implemented during the Cao and Wei Dynasties.

The farming system has existed since ancient times, and it was not Cao Cao’s initiative. However, the scale and role of Cao Wei's farming operations were unprecedented. Regarding the establishment of farming in Cao Wei, there are records in historical books: It was the first year of Jian'an (the first year of Jian'an) that Zao Zhi, Han Hao and others discussed the establishment of farming. ("Three Kingdoms")

The Duke said: "The art of ruling a country is to strengthen the army and have enough food. The people of Qin used agriculture to control the world; Xiaowu used farming to control the western regions. This is a good way of the past generations." At this age, he recruited people to work in the fields and promised to get millions of dendrobium grains. So the prefectures and counties set up land officials. ("Book of Wei")

When people were first recruited to work in the fields, the people were firstly afraid of not getting benefits, and secondly, they were afraid of being constrained by the military establishment, so they often fled. So Cao Cao adopted Yuan Huan's suggestion, that is, changing the forced recruitment to free recruitment. The new policy was welcomed by the people, and the farming was carried out smoothly.

Modern historians divide Cao Wei's farming villages into military villages and civilian villages. Both were products of the war period and were established to supply military supplies. When necessary, the labor force of the civilian villages also needed to fight against the enemy. The difference is that the landowners are mainly engaged in agricultural production, while the sergeants are mainly engaged in offense and defense. From a time perspective, Mintun began in the first year of Jian'an (196), and Juntun began at the end of Jian'an, so this article mainly introduces Mintun.

Wang Fuzhi’s evaluation of the farming system:

Cao Mengde first farmed Xuchang, then conquered Yuan Shao in the north, and defeated Liu Biao in the south; Deng Ai then farmed Chen, Xiang, and Shouchun, and finally swallowed them up. Wu; This is the basis for Wei and Jin to pacify the world. There are six benefits to farming, but storing grains extensively is not the same. If plowing is not neglected in war, defense will not be wasted in plowing, and fighting will not be wasted in defense. The first reason is that the officials in the fields regard the land as their own paradise, and they are determined to explore the secrets and defend it. The second reason is that if the soldiers have no house or home, they will be sentimental. If it is not solid and has a family, it will be a burden for the army. To settle down the family, go out to fight, and return to rest, this is the third principle; if the soldiers are engaged in farming, they will be happy to be close to the people, and the people's hearts will be rested, that is, The people outside the border do not want to be overthrown and devoured, and the people in the enemy's territory are attached to us and used for our own purposes. The fourth principle is that soldiers can be stationed for a long time and gathered on the border. The battle is to be practiced in leisure time, the soldiers are well-controlled, and the talisman is on the road in the evening. The enemy cannot predict the movement and movement of the enemy. Five principles: if you win, you will advance; if you fail to win, you will retreat and stop, so as not to be frightened and dispersed and internal strife. Six. With these six benefits, the harvesting of millet and husks, and the transportation of the people without heavy hardships, the benefits of farming are endless! Zhuge Gong's approach to Qishan is also the way; Jiang Wei cannot follow him, so he will perish.

Although, there is a place and a time. The villages in Xuchang took advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and all the people went into exile, and there were many deserters in the wild; the villages in Lianghuai, where Wei and Wu fought for each other, were abandoned as Outuo, and their fields were all laid waste; the villages in Wuzhangyuan, where Qin, Long, and Jie were In the period between 1911 and 2011, the land was vast and sparsely populated. The Qiang and Hu people occupied the mountains and rivers and abandoned the plains. They were all in dire straits for hundreds of miles. If this is not the case, the land that can be garrisoned will be scattered scattered among the people's fields. If the troops are divided to garrison them, they will be scattered and cannot be collected suddenly. Seize the people's ripe soil to gather in villages, and the people will be resentful and lose quickly. This village must be based on its land. When garrisoning for war, suppress the enemy's territory and camp on the battlefield, with defense as the foundation, war as the heart, and farming as the remaining strength, then let go of the grass and support the enemy with spears. The two are incompatible and will destroy each other. If, after the four seas are leveled, the soldiers are dispersed and mixed among the people, so that food can be used for farming, and fighting and defense are used as service, then even though there is a method of training the pincers, they will gradually become accustomed to keeping the whole body in the house, simple and dull, and the world will be destroyed. So there were no soldiers. Therefore, only Zao Zhi, Deng Ai, and Zhuge could do it, and then their ancestors deployed the troops of the world. This was the art of killing troops and raising cowards. Therefore, the Lingyi declined and had no role to defend the country. This village must be established at its proper time. Dharma has the same name but different reality, the same thing but different effects, there are many like this. Those who seek the country must not fail to judge.

Taxation method

The method used by the rulers of the Cao Wei Dynasty to collect taxes from the farmers was the "technique of dividing the fields" advocated by Zao Zhi, that is, the government provided land and harvested grains in proportion divided into. Those who use the official ox will be divided into six and four private parts; those who do not use the official ox will be divided into two parts. This method of exploitation achieved the effect of accumulating grain for the army. Although the people suffered a loss, they were very satisfied with having a stable production environment

The role of farming

First of all, According to economics, Jian'an's farming enabled limited production resources to be allocated and used efficiently. During the Han and Wei dynasties, the vast majority of the people were suffering from hunger and cold. The so-called "white bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no roosters crowing for thousands of miles" is a true portrayal of the society at that time. On the one hand, a large number of refugees are hungry, and on the other hand, large areas of wasteland are uncultivated. The farming system can place these laborers on state-owned land to engage in production, thus making full use of the established production resources. Furthermore, the Jian'an field settlement solved the problem of military food supply. In the final analysis, warlords fight for food and grass. Cao Cao's army actively implemented the farming system in areas with convenient transportation, which not only ensured the supply of grain and grass, but also greatly reduced the heavy labor burden of farmers transporting grain.

After the Jian'an period, many villages evolved. By the end of Cao Wei, this system was no longer profitable for the rulers, so Sima Yan announced in the first year of Wei Xianxi (265): "Let's stop." The garrison officials are to equalize the political service, all diannongs are all governors, and all the captains are commanders." This actually means the abolition of the garrison system.

Impact

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, locust plagues were infested and society was also in great turmoil. Farming facilities were damaged by the war, and young men were forcibly recruited by warlords. Farm harvests were greatly reduced, food supplies were in short supply, and there were even rumors of cannibalism. Cao Cao's system relieved the pressure of food demand in northern China at that time.

Zao Zhi pioneered the implementation of the farming system, which restored and stabilized the agricultural production in the north that had been damaged by the war for a long time in a short period of time. Farmers who had lost their land returned to the land, many barren farmlands were reclaimed, and the government accumulated a large amount of grain. "In the past few years, the warehouses have been full of grain," causing Cao Cao to "conquer all directions without the labor of transporting grain." The implementation of the farming system not only solved Cao Cao's troublesome military food problem, but also won him a large number of people and accelerated the process of unifying the north.

The "farming system" initiated and implemented by Zao Zhi not only played a certain positive role at that time, but also created a large-scale precedent for later generations to integrate soldiers with farmers and integrate soldiers and farmers. It was imitated to varying degrees by the feudal ruling classes of all dynasties and occupied an important position in the history of China's political, economic and military development. Deng Ai, a famous general in the Cao Wei period, also made significant contributions to the practice of farming.