However, will the reality really be what Ma Zhou thinks?
The answer, of course, is no!
Although, with the rebellion of Li Zhen, the forces headed by the aristocratic family were eliminated, most of the land was indeed cleared, and at the same time, a lot of land became ownerless.
But with so much land in Shandong, not all of it is in the hands of wealthy families.
For example, some wealthy households, some merchants and servants who are relatively wealthy and peaceful, also hold some land deeds more or less in their hands.
And it happened that because these people lived in Jinan City, they, together with Ma Zhou, were lucky enough to escape this catastrophe!
When this group of people heard that Ma Zhou was going to liquidate the land and distribute their land to the people?
The people who had been praising Ma Zhou immediately felt as if they were in a panic! They jumped to the Yamen and demanded that Ma Zhou give them an explanation!
Why did their ancestral property, passed down from generation to generation, become the property of those "untouchables" in the blink of an eye!
However, Ma Zhou didn't care about this.
Maybe it's because Ma Zhou is too bookish, and he thinks this matter is a major event that benefits the country and the people! Since it is a major event that benefits the country and the people, you people will suffer a little loss, so how can you still come to this country?
Are you crying here?
Therefore, to these people, Ma Zhou just showed his official authority and said a few perfunctory words: The court is not taking your land, but redistributing it! Maybe the land allocated to you this time is even bigger than before.
Big and even better!
Even if you suffer a little loss, it’s not a big deal! You said that when everything is done, our city of Jinan will become criss-crossed, with fertile fields and beautiful scenery everywhere, and everyone will be rich and kind. By then, aren’t you also the beneficiaries?
Obviously, such empty rhetoric cannot satisfy those wealthy households, business houses, and petty officials who feel that their interests have been violated.
Yes, you want to create a perfect world like the ancient times, but why shouldn’t we sacrifice our interests?
Why should I hand over the land deed that my family has worked hard to earn for generations just by talking about it?
Therefore, the result of this conflict is destined to be an unhappy separation between the two parties.
Of course, if Ma Zhou can achieve his current position, he is definitely not stupid!
After discovering that it was difficult to deal with the owned land, he did not bite the bullet and act recklessly. Instead, he thought of slowing down and registering the unowned land first. This would not interfere with other people's business, right?
But the problem is:
His order to measure the ownerless land was issued, but the previously obedient servant seemed to be a different person. He was either dawdling or asking for leave due to illness. In the end, it took him more than half a month to get back the order.
What a bunch of confusion!
Seeing the pile of smeared accounts on his desk with obviously unreasonable data, Ma Zhou's nose almost turned mad on the spot!
He knew it was the rich families in the city who were doing something secretly! But there was nothing he could do about these people!
After all, he was just an official airdropped in, with no roots in the local area. Apart from an old servant and a few guards, he didn't have anyone at his disposal.
If the people in Jinan City unite and are determined to play with him, Ma Zhou will be really helpless! He can't write to Chang'an and ask the emperor to assign him another batch of subordinate officials, right?
Let’s not talk about whether the emperor will approve or not approve such a decree. Let’s look at it from the other side: a dignified governor of Shandong Province can’t even deal with his own subordinates. If this news spreads, others must not laugh at him?
So after discovering this, Ma Zhou thought about it and could only make a retreat!
So, yesterday, he gathered together the prominent and wealthy households in the city and held a banquet.
During this period, I wanted to ask them to donate their land deeds today out of a sense of joint defense of Jinan City!
Of course, this donation is not in vain! He will report it to His Majesty, give these people some compensation, and will give priority to the ancestral land back to each family, but this time, only the right to use the land will be distributed.
This means that these lands have completely changed their surnames!
This is the biggest concession Ma Zhou can make, and it is also the most sincere deal he feels!
A dignified governor of a province went so far as to hand over a few pieces of land. No matter how you look at it, he is giving these people face!
If these people don't hurry up and deliver the land deed, are they going to have to toast it instead of having to drink it as a fine?
But what Ma Zhou never expected was:
Those who came to the banquet agreed on their faces and said it well! But today, let alone those who came to present the land deeds, not one of them even went out to the streets!
The huge city of Jinan has become like a ghost town since this morning. Not even a single person can be found on the empty streets.
"Master, you haven't had your meal this morning, why don't you go down and have something to eat first?"
Seeing that Ma Zhou's face was ashen and his thin body was trembling slightly, the old servant who had been with Ma Zhou for many years sighed and couldn't help but speak again to persuade him.
"Don't eat!" Ma Zhou gritted his teeth and didn't look sideways. He just said a few words coldly: "I want to see what tricks these people are trying to play!"
"Sir...what are you doing again..." Seeing this, the old servant knew that with Ma Zhou's temper, it would be useless to persuade him, so he could only shake his head and sigh helplessly.
As the so-called bystander knows, this old servant saw yesterday that those who came to the banquet were just perfunctory.
They are all a bunch of old foxes who have become spirits. You want to exchange a few words and a glass of wine to release the land contract? Isn't this just whimsical?
It is estimated that in this world, only I, the master, can believe that others are like him, with admirable moral character, noble sentiments, and the consciousness of dedicating everything to the Tang Dynasty!
As everyone knows, in this world, although there are noble and honest people who take the country as their own responsibility, most people are still ordinary people who care about everything!
Make them patriotic? Yes, no problem!
Ask them to donate some money and food? Although it feels a little distressing, it’s not a big problem!
But if you ask them to sacrifice a large part of their own interests to support the Tang Dynasty? If they don't immediately spit on your face, you are running fast!
The only way you can deal with these people is to use emotion, understand them with reason, and lure them with benefits!
Especially the third one is the most important!
"Da da da……"
Just when the atmosphere in the Yamen was so low that it was almost stagnant, finally, a crisp sound of horse hooves broke the silence as if before a storm.
"Huh? Xiao Han, hasn't Jinan City never suffered a disaster? Why is there no one in broad daylight?"
Along the road paved with bluestones, a long procession was walking slowly on the streets of Jinan, and the leader of the procession was a shirtless man with a shiny head!
At this time, he was riding a big green horse, looking around curiously, muttering something from time to time.
No need to ask, these are Xiao Han and Liu Hongji who came all the way here! However, will the facts really be what Ma Zhou thinks?
The answer, of course, is no!
Although, with the rebellion of Li Zhen, the forces headed by the aristocratic family were eliminated, most of the land was indeed cleared, and at the same time, a lot of land became ownerless.
But with so much land in Shandong, not all of it is in the hands of wealthy families.
For example, some wealthy households, some merchants and servants who are relatively wealthy and peaceful, also hold some land deeds more or less in their hands.
And it happened that because these people lived in Jinan City, they, together with Ma Zhou, were lucky enough to escape this catastrophe!
When this group of people heard that Ma Zhou was going to liquidate the land and distribute their land to the people?
The people who had been praising Ma Zhou immediately felt as if they were in a panic! They jumped to the Yamen and demanded that Ma Zhou give them an explanation!
Why did their ancestral property, passed down from generation to generation, become the property of those "untouchables" in the blink of an eye!
However, Ma Zhou didn't care about this.
Maybe it's because Ma Zhou is too bookish, and he thinks this matter is a major event that benefits the country and the people! Since it is a major event that benefits the country and the people, you people will suffer a little loss, so how can you still come to this country?
Are you crying here?
Therefore, to these people, Ma Zhou just showed his official authority and said a few perfunctory words: The court is not taking your land, but redistributing it! Maybe the land allocated to you this time is even bigger than before.
Big and even better!
Even if you suffer a little loss, it’s not a big deal! You said that when everything is done, our city of Jinan will become criss-crossed, with fertile fields and beautiful scenery everywhere, and everyone will be rich and kind. By then, aren’t you also the beneficiaries?
Obviously, such empty rhetoric cannot satisfy those wealthy households, business houses, and petty officials who feel that their interests have been violated.
Yes, you want to create a perfect world like the ancient times, but why shouldn’t we sacrifice our interests?
Why should I hand over the land deed that my family has worked hard to earn for generations just by talking about it?
Therefore, the result of this conflict is destined to be an unhappy separation between the two parties.
Of course, if Ma Zhou can achieve his current position, he is definitely not stupid!
After discovering that it was difficult to deal with the owned land, he did not bite the bullet and act recklessly. Instead, he thought of slowing down and registering the unowned land first. This would not interfere with other people's business, right?
But the problem is:
His order to measure the ownerless land was issued, but the previously obedient servant seemed to be a different person. He was either dawdling or asking for leave due to illness. In the end, it took him more than half a month to get back the order.
What a bunch of confusion!
Seeing the pile of smeared accounts on his desk with obviously unreasonable data, Ma Zhou's nose almost turned mad on the spot!
He knew it was the rich families in the city who were doing something secretly! But there was nothing he could do about these people!
After all, he was just an official airdropped in, with no roots in the local area. Apart from an old servant and a few guards, he didn't have anyone at his disposal.
If the people in Jinan City unite and are determined to play with him, Ma Zhou will be really helpless! He can't write to Chang'an and ask the emperor to assign him another batch of subordinate officials, right?
Let’s not talk about whether the emperor will approve or not approve such a decree. Let’s look at it from the other side: a dignified governor of Shandong Province can’t even deal with his own subordinates. If this news spreads, others must not laugh at him?
So after discovering this, Ma Zhou thought about it and could only make a retreat!
So, yesterday, he gathered together the prominent and wealthy households in the city and held a banquet.
During this period, I wanted to ask them to donate their land deeds today out of a sense of joint defense of Jinan City!
Of course, this donation is not in vain! He will report it to His Majesty, give these people some compensation, and will give priority to the ancestral land back to each family, but this time, only the right to use the land will be distributed.
This means that these lands have completely changed their surnames!
This is the biggest concession Ma Zhou can make, and it is also the most sincere deal he feels!
A dignified governor of a province went so far as to hand over a few pieces of land. No matter how you look at it, he is giving these people face!
If these people don't hurry up and deliver the land deed, are they going to have to toast it instead of having to drink it as a fine?
But what Ma Zhou never expected was:
Those who came to the banquet agreed on their faces and said it well! But today, let alone those who came to present the land deeds, not one of them even went out to the streets!
The huge city of Jinan has become like a ghost town since this morning. Not even a single person can be found on the empty streets.
"Master, you haven't had your meal this morning, why don't you go down and have something to eat first?"
Seeing that Ma Zhou's face was ashen and his thin body was trembling slightly, the old servant who had been with Ma Zhou for many years sighed and couldn't help but speak again to persuade him.
"Don't eat!" Ma Zhou gritted his teeth and didn't look sideways. He just said a few words coldly: "I want to see what tricks these people are trying to play!"
"Sir...what are you doing again..." Seeing this, the old servant knew that with Ma Zhou's temper, it would be useless to persuade him, so he could only shake his head and sigh helplessly.
As the so-called bystander knows, this old servant saw yesterday that those who came to the banquet were just perfunctory.
They are all a bunch of old foxes who have become spirits. You want to exchange a few words and a glass of wine to release the land contract? Isn't this just whimsical?
It is estimated that in this world, only I, the master, can believe that others are like him, with admirable moral character, noble sentiments, and the consciousness of dedicating everything to the Tang Dynasty!
As everyone knows, in this world, although there are noble and honest people who take the country as their own responsibility, most people are still ordinary people who care about everything!
Make them patriotic? Yes, no problem!
Ask them to donate some money and food? Although it feels a little distressing, it’s not a big problem!
But if you ask them to sacrifice a large part of their own interests to support the Tang Dynasty? If they don't immediately spit on your face, you are running fast!
The only way you can deal with these people is to use emotion, understand them with reason, and lure them with benefits!
Especially the third one is the most important!
"Da da da……"
Just when the atmosphere in the Yamen was so low that it was almost stagnant, finally, a crisp sound of horse hooves broke the silence as if before a storm.
"Huh? Xiao Han, hasn't Jinan City never suffered a disaster? Why is there no one in broad daylight?"
Along the road paved with bluestones, a long procession was walking slowly on the streets of Jinan, and the leader of the procession was a shirtless man with a shiny head!
At this time, he was riding a big green horse, looking around curiously, muttering something from time to time.
No need to ask, this is Xiao Han and Liu Hongji who came all the way here!
