Chapter 998 Restoration and Conservation

   "General, General Shi, please see me."

   "Let him in."

   "General, I'm back."

  General Guan didn't look up: "Well, what's going on?"

   "Hey, general, don't tell me, those wealthy villages have really hard bones, and they just don't want to pay for food."

  Shi Bao's face was full of gloating, but at the same time, he also felt the pleasure of revenge, "So the last general asked people to cut off all the grain outside the stockade in front of them."

  It is autumn at this time, and the grain is already ripe. If you don’t want to pay for the grain, then use the crops in the field outside to pay for it.

  Guan Ji let out a chuckle when she heard the words, closed the file, raised her head, and continued to ask:

   "Any more?"

   "Yes, why don't you say that the river is rich and rich! There are too many fields, so the general will directly speak publicly. Whoever cuts the grain in this field will get it. Those farmers are going to grab it like crazy."

  General Guan nodded, approvingly said: "Well, well done."

   "The last general really didn't expect that those farmers who looked submissive and cowardly would actually dare to accept the food from those wealthy families."

   "Because they have nothing to lose." Guan Ji sighed, "They look cowardly, but they have already held a lot of resentment in their hearts."

   "Who doesn't want to live a good life? For decades, for a lifetime, the corvee and taxes on the body make people breathless. Would you like to change it for you?"

  Why can the Liangzhou Army fight to the death without retreating?

   It is because Alang let them know who they are fighting for and why they are fighting.

  The more times the Wei thieves were defeated, the more Wei troops were captured, and the more they knew what it was like under the Wei thieves.

  If you want to protect your own good life and prevent future generations from falling into the same situation as Tuntian Ke, you must destroy the Wei thieves.

   "Now that the army is coming, it just gives the people of Hedong a chance and at the same time gives them courage."

   "Of course, they may also feel that they can blame us all afterwards. Anyway, there are military chaos everywhere."

  The barbarians, the rebellious people, and the rebellious soldiers who were driven southward, would care who owns the food in the field in order to feed their stomachs?

   If you can’t get out of the Wuzhai, don’t blame others for taking away the grain in the field.

  Guan Ji said, and smiled again:

   "But no matter what the reason is, as long as there is a beginning, that's enough, and there will be people who will become bolder and bolder."

   "If we hear that there are rebels or rebels attacking Wuzhai, then our actions will be considered a success."

  Shi Bao asked hesitantly:

   "In this way, there will be chaos in Hedong..."

   "Chaos, there is no chaos, how can there be great order?"

  General Guan said lightly, "Don't worry, the prime minister and the prince will have their own way to deal with it."

  If the aristocratic families in Shu are no more than second-rate, then those tycoons in Liangzhou who live together with the Qiang and Hu can only be regarded as third-rate at best.

  The top family is naturally in the Central Plains.

  Hedong, Hanoi, and Henan (that is, the Luoyang area), the land of three rivers, has been a place full of aristocratic families since ancient times.

   It is also one of the most powerful areas of the family.

  If the imperial court wants to really control these places without a strong cleanup of these areas, it is simply delusional.

  How to clean?

  Violence is the best way to clean up.

   Master Wang is coming, it is understandable for you to close the village, after all, the situation is chaotic.

   But if he is not even willing to subsidize Master Wang with some food and grass, isn’t it because he wants to be a loyal minister and filial son of Wei’s thief?

  General Guan took out a small notebook from nowhere, turned to a certain page, and read:

   "The Book of Songs has a saying: Although Zhou is an old state, its mission is to restore the new. Although the Han Dynasty is an old state, it is the aspiration of the people of the world. Although the bandits of Wei claimed to be fake not long ago, the rule was full of tyrants and rightists, and many people suffered."

   "Thus, even if the Great Han destroyed the Wei thieves, even if it was not a change of dynasty, it was no different from a change of dynasty. It can be called a reformation."

  Shi Bao stared blankly at the small notebook in General Guan's hand, and subconsciously asked, "Reform?"

   "That's right, it's the Restoration, the Great Han Restoration, and the Wei thieves corrupting the old. It can be described as a life-and-death struggle between the old and the new."

   "This is not a banquet for guests, nor is it a classic of governance. You must not be courteous and humble, let alone gentle, courteous and thrifty. His actions are also violent, and his actions are also violent. Seeing blood will surely kill him!"

  General Guan glanced at Shi Bao, and hid the small book again:

   "Chaos is inevitable. What we have to do is to wipe out the Wei thieves as soon as possible, suppress violence and calm chaos, so as to restore the world to a real peace. Do you understand?"

   This is the bottom-of-the-box family knowledge of the Feng family!

  There is only one in the world, even if the emperor wants it, he has to ask Mrs. Feng's opinion first.

   It is already a great blessing for Shi Bao to hear such a passage.

  In the process of quelling chaos, some innocent people must be hurt, but in a troubled world, how many people are not innocent?

  There is no right or wrong, only positions.

  No matter how insensitive General Guan was to politics, as Governor Feng's bedside person, he had been influenced by his ears and eyes for so many years, and he still knew many things in his heart.

   Not to mention that over the years, his own Alang's identity has become more and more important in the big man, and there is a certain little lady surnamed Zhang beside him who has been eager to move.

  This forced her, as a married couple, to keep learning more things.

  Light and thin taxes, sounds good.

  But the beautiful era of the head of the state does not mean that it is the era that the aristocratic family wants.

  Because the light and thin taxes on Cangtou Guishou means that the imperial court needs to collect more taxes from other places in order to make up for the gap.

  Light and low taxes also means that the imperial court still has control over the local area, so it can collect enough taxes.

  The stronger the imperial court's control over the local area, the greater the restrictions on the aristocratic and wealthy families.

  The Xiangli system of the Qin Dynasty was originally designed to strengthen local control.

  The Han inherited the Qin system, but it was better in the early Han Dynasty.

  However, as the power of aristocratic and powerful families continued to expand, in the later Han Dynasty, although the place had the name of a village, its original function had long been lost, and it was even reduced to a tool for the powerful to control the place.

  Now in some counties and counties in Yuejuan and Liangzhou, the literate veterans in the army are sent directly to the villages, and then cooperate with the strict laws implemented by the prime minister.

  In fact, it is to restore the rural system of the Qin and the former Han Dynasty, and weaken the influence of the powerful clan on the local area from the root.

  General Guan dared to promise a tithe to the elders of Hedong, naturally he knew the inside story that others did not know:

   Dahan is now ready to reform the tax law.

  After years of wars, the total registered population of the Han Dynasty is now incomparable to a large county at the peak of the population of the Han Dynasty.

  How much poll tax do you expect to collect?

  In order to expand tax sources, Dahan has continuously promoted household registration checks, land measurement, and redistribution of fields over the years.

  At the same time, a new type of tax law called "Talk into the mu, officials and gentry pay grain together" has been implemented in some areas of Liangzhou.

   There are also emerging tea gardens, sugarcane gardens, sugar mills, workshops, leather workshops, pastures...

   Not only is it enough to make up for the loss of canceling the calculation, but there is even a huge surplus.

  The most important thing is that the things they produce add a lot of money to the court every year.

   Otherwise, over the years, where did the big man get the money and food to replace the weapons and armor in the army?

  Liangzhou's tax law of "split to the mu" is not only widely supported by the people, but also acceptable to the upstarts and emerging tycoons.

  Although they gave up strict control over Cangtou Guishou's personal life, what they got in exchange was to allow their emerging industries to gain greater development potential.

  Because of the development of these emerging industries, what is most needed is countless labor.

  Just relying on the sale of foreign labor, it is simply not enough to meet the demand for so much labor.

   It is a fortune, and it is stipulated that the head of Cangtou and Guishou must be tied to the field.

  In the words of Governor Feng, this kind of old-fashioned production relationship can no longer meet the requirements of Dahan's current productivity development, and may even produce some kind of hindrance.

   Of course General Guan does not understand these things, but she also has her own understanding:

  The big man now needs to support the upstarts who open various workshops and plantations, and attack those conservative families who claim to be farming and studying.

   If necessary, General Guan believes that the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty and A Lang would not mind another wave of dismemberment in the style of the Li family clan.

  In the past, aristocratic families could monopolize talents and influence the taxation of the imperial court.

What now?

   Dahan not only has the support of the upstarts, but also printing and papermaking, and even Liangzhou's examinations to obtain scholars have also achieved success.

  Under the good situation, the imperial court has no reason to make concessions to the aristocratic families in the Central Plains.

   After conquering Guanzhong, the emperor is still in the old capital, and there is no need to amnesty the world.

  As long as the new tax law is officially announced, the officials and common people in the world who have suffered from heavy taxes for a long time may really want to "eat the pot of pulp to welcome the king's teacher, and there is no one else."

  The impact of this matter is as great as the three chapters of the agreement between Emperor Gaozu and the fathers of Guanzhong, and it will even shake the hearts of the people of Wei and Wu:

  One tithe tax and five or six ten taxes, regardless of tax and accumulated tax, the tiller has his land and the aristocratic family invades the land, plus the people under the rule of the emperor of the Han family "sufficient food and clothing", which one do you choose?

  Who would let go of the good times and go to the hard times?

  What is general trend?

   This is called the general trend.

   No matter how ingenious the conspiracy and calculations are, they are nothing but a mantis in front of the majestic general situation.

  So General Guan is not only not worried about the coming chaos in Hedong, but even has a little bit of expectation:

   Those aristocratic families in Hedong, it is better to be tougher, to be loyal ministers to the Wei thief for a longer time, and to clean up later, wouldn't it be easier?

  When the time comes, you will understand what it means that the times have changed.

   "The last general is dull and doesn't quite understand what the general said."

  Shi Bao said with some panic.

  For some reason, he felt his heart pounding, as if a force was about to break out, but he couldn't find the direction.

   It’s just that General Guan is no longer willing to reveal what the Feng family has learned:

   "It's okay if you don't understand, just go down and figure it out slowly. By the way, have you written down those who are unwilling to cooperate?"

   "I wrote it down."

  Although he was curious about what was written in the small notebook in the general's hand, Shi Bao didn't want to say more when he saw General Guan, so naturally he didn't dare to ask again.

  He also took out a small notebook from his pocket.

   "The last general has already written it down in the notebook."

  General Guan nodded: "That's very good, someone will settle the account with them in the future. Go down, count the collected grain and grass, and we will set off immediately to Anyi."

  Anyi is the county seat of Hedong, and it is also the largest farming place established by Wei State in Hedong.

  What is unexpected is that the city of Anyi, which should have no defenders, is actually closed at this time, and the king of the Han Dynasty is not allowed to enter the city.

  It seems that the Diannong Zhonglang in Anyi will be much tougher than the Nongduwei in Wenxi County.

   Seeing this, Shi Bao couldn't help but be eager to try:

   "General, why don't you let the last general lead people to attack the city? Didn't the bandit army in the east of the river be defeated by us in Guanjuejin Valley?"

   "Nowadays, the defenders of the city are at most a little brave. If they attack them, they may not be unable to fall."

  General Guan put down the binoculars in his hand and shook his head:

   "No. If he wants to guard the city, let him guard it. We don't need to waste time here. Anyway, there are food and grass everywhere, and we don't need to go into the city to collect it."

  When people enter the city, can the food in the field also grow legs and run into the city?

  Most of the river east is wilderness and flat land, which is suitable for cavalry to gallop. As long as there is no shortage of food and grass, there is no need to worry about being cut off.

  So there is no need to waste troops on siege.

   As she spoke, she looked at Shi Bao: "Know what to do?"

  Shi Bao is gearing up: "Don't worry, general, the general will understand!"

  Even the big households have gone to the city, but can the farmer also go to the city?

  As long as the farmer is outside the city, Shi Bao believes that he can quickly raise food and grass.

   "Go."

   "No!"

  General Guan led the army and set up camp under the city of Anyi.

  It was night, and the personal guard entered the account and reported:

   "General, Coach Han is back."

  General Guan, who was flipping through a small notebook, got up quickly when he heard the words: "Please!"

   Soon, the travel-stained Han Long entered the tent: "Meet the general."

   "Mr. Han doesn't have to be like this."

  General Guan, who was always afraid to get close to people, showed a rare expression of losing his composure at this time. He took two steps forward, with a rare look of hope in his eyes, "That matter... how did Mr. Han inquire?"

  Seeing General Guan's expression, Han Long couldn't help sighing, and then said with shame on his face:

   "The old man is incompetent."

  General Guan was taken aback.

   After a while, the light in his eyes flickered, and then went out silently.

  Her eyes drooped down, and her face regained her coolness and calmness.

   Adjusted his breath hard, seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be asking, and said in a somewhat shy voice:

   "Didn't you find out?"

   "The old man did indeed find the place the general said, but when the old man went there, there was already no one there."

   "Is that so..." General Guan's tone contained an inaudible sigh, and his expression finally couldn't hide his disappointment.

  Seeing this, Han Long quickly comforted him:

   "However, according to the old man, although the village is empty, there are several houses. It seems that they moved away not long ago."

  When General Guan heard this, he immediately raised his eyes again: "Huh? What does Mr. Han mean?"

   "If the old man's guess is correct, it is very likely that the people in the village moved away to avoid the chaos of war. After the chaos of war, maybe they will come back again."

  General Guan pursed his lips, and finally exhaled:

   "I see, no matter what, I still have to thank you, sir."

  Han Long waved his hand:

   "It's just a trip back and forth. Compared with the previous incident, I don't know how much easier it is."

  Thinking of starting from Yinshan, killing Ke Bi Neng, capturing and returning to the mud, acting as an internal response, spreading rumors, and doing many great things along the way.

   I didn’t expect to stumble on this matter, which made this trip a black spot...

  Thinking of this, Han Long couldn't help but said:

   "Don't worry, general, Bingzhou rangers have formed a martial arts alliance. The rangers in the east of the river, I will teach them how to be chivalrous sooner or later."

   "At that time, as long as you have a network, it will be easier to inquire about the general's hometown."

   "Mr. Han has a heart."

  After Han Long went out, General Guan turned to look at the map on the tent wall, and murmured:

   "It's already autumn, I have to find a way to end the battle in Guanzhong as soon as possible..."

   "Come on!"

   "General!"

   "Tomorrow morning, immediately send out scouts to find out as soon as possible, where is Junhou?"

   "No."

  General Guan's finger tapped lightly on the three characters Pubanjin, but his eyes fell on the position of Longmendu.

   "I don't know if Liu Hun has reached Pubanjin..."

  The next day, General Guan asked Shi Bao to continue to collect food and grass in Anyi with the Yi Congjun and the Huns, while he himself did not stay too long, leading the elite cavalry and galloping towards Pubanjin.

  (end of this chapter)