General Guan did not raise his head: "Well, how's it going?"
"Hey, General, don't tell me. Those wealthy families in Wuzhai are so hard-boned that they just don't want to pay for their food."
Shi Bao had a look of gloating on his face, but also a sense of revenge, "So the general ordered people to cut off all the food outside the village in front of them."
It's autumn at this time, and the food has matured. If you don't want to pay for it, you can use the crops in the fields outside to pay for it.
Hearing this, Guan Ji chuckled, closed the document, raised her head, and continued to ask:
"Any more?"
"Yes, how about the fertility of Hedong! There are too many fields, so the general directly announced that the food in this field belongs to whoever harvests it. Those farmers are rushing to get it like crazy..."
General Guan nodded and said with approval: "Well, you did a good job."
"General, I really didn't expect that those farmers who seemed so submissive and cowardly actually dared to accept the food from those wealthy families."
"Because they have nothing to lose." Guan Ji sighed, "They may seem cowardly, but in their hearts they have long been resentful of the wealthy people."
"Who doesn't want to live a good life? For decades or a lifetime, the corvee and taxes on your body will make you breathless. If it were you, would you do it?"
Why can the Liangzhou army fight to the death without retreating?
It was because Alang let them know who they were fighting for and why.
The more times the Wei thieves are defeated and the more Wei troops are captured, the more they will know what it is like under the rule of the Wei thieves.
If you want to protect your own good life and prevent future generations from falling into the same situation as the farmers, you must annihilate the Wei thieves.
"Now that the army is coming, it just gives the people of Hedong a chance and also gives them courage."
"Of course, they may also feel that they can put all the blame on us afterwards. Anyway, there is military chaos everywhere now."
The barbarians, rioters, and soldiers who were driven south would care who owns the food in the fields in order to feed themselves?
If you are huddled in the village and cannot come out, then don't blame others for taking away the food from the fields.
Guan Ji said and smiled again:
"But no matter what the reason is, as long as there is a beginning, that is enough, and people will become more and more bold later."
"If we hear that rebels or civilians are attacking Wuzhai, then our actions will be considered a success."
Shi Bao asked hesitantly:
"If this happens, there will be chaos in Hedong..."
"It's chaos. Without great chaos, how can we have great order?"
General Guan said lightly, "Don't worry, the prime minister and the princes will have their own way to deal with it."
If the aristocratic families in Shu are only second-rate, then the powerful people living among the Qiang and Hu in Liangzhou can only be regarded as third-rate at best.
And the top aristocratic families are naturally in the Central Plains.
The land of three rivers, Hedong, Hanoi, and Henan (i.e. Luoyang area), has been a place where aristocratic families have flourished since ancient times.
It is also one of the areas where the family has the strongest influence.
If the imperial court does not carry out a powerful clean-up of these areas, it would be a delusion to truly control these areas.
How to clean?
Violence is the best way to clean up.
When Master Wang arrives, it’s understandable that you won’t be able to leave the stronghold. After all, the situation is chaotic.
But if you are not even willing to support the king's army with some food and grass, don't you just want to be a loyal minister and filial son of the Wei thieves?
General Guan took out a small notebook from somewhere, turned to a certain page, and read:
"There is a saying in the Book of Songs: Although the Zhou Dynasty was an old state, its destiny was to be restored. Although the Han Dynasty was an old state, it was the heart of the people of the world. However, although the Wei thieves usurped and established the country, the rightists were rampant under their rule, and the people suffered a lot."
"Therefore, even if the Han Dynasty annihilated the Wei thieves, it was not a change of dynasty, it was the same as a change of dynasty. It can be called an act of restoration."
Shi Bao stared blankly at the small notebook in General Guan's hand, and subconsciously asked: "Reform?"
"That's right, it's the Reformation. The Han Dynasty is reforming, and the Wei thieves are corrupting the old. It can be said to be a life-and-death struggle between the old and the new."
"This is not a banquet for guests, let alone a classic in governance. It cannot be polite and modest, nor can it be gentle, courteous and frugal. Its actions are violent, its actions are fierce, and it will definitely lead to bloodshed!"
General Guan glanced at Zhang Bao and hid the notebook again:
"Chaos is inevitable. What we have to do is to wipe out the Wei thieves as soon as possible, ban violence and calm the chaos, so that we can restore true peace to the world. Do you understand?"
This is the Feng family’s unique family education!
There is only one share in the world, and even if the emperor wanted it, he would have to ask the Feng family's wife for her opinion first.
It is a great blessing for Shi Bao to hear such a passage.
In the process of quelling chaos, some innocent people will certainly be harmed, but in troubled times, 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 bedfellow, he had seen and heard many things over the years, and he still knew many things in his mind.
Not to mention that over the years, Alang's identity has become more and more important in the Han Dynasty, and there is also a certain young lady named Zhang around him who has been trying to make a move.
This forces her, as the head wife, to constantly learn more things.
Light corvee and low taxes sound wonderful.
But the beautiful era of Cangtou Guizhou does not mean that it is the era that aristocratic families want.
Because the corvee tax on Cangtou and Guizhou was light and low, it meant that in order to make up for the gap, the court needed to collect more taxes from other places.
Light corvee and low taxes also meant that the imperial court still had control over the local area, so it could collect enough taxes.
The stronger the imperial court's control over local areas, the greater the restrictions on aristocratic families.
Qin's rural system was originally designed to strengthen local control.
The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, but things were better in the early Han Dynasty.
However, as the power of aristocratic families continued to expand, by the later Han Dynasty, although the place had the name of a village, its original role had long been lost, and it had even become a tool for the powerful families to control the place.
Nowadays, some counties in Yuexun and Liangzhou send literate veterans from the army directly to the countryside, and then cooperate with the strict laws implemented by the prime minister.
In fact, the purpose was to restore the rural system of Qin and the former Han Dynasty and weaken the influence of wealthy families on the local area from the root.
General Guan dared to promise one tithe to the Hedong elders, so he naturally knew the inside story that others did not know:
Dahan is now ready to reform the tax law.
After years of war, the total registered population of the Han Dynasty is now larger than even a large county during the peak population period of the Han Dynasty.
How much do you expect to receive as a gift?
In order to expand tax sources, Dahan has continued to carry out household registration checks, land surveying, and reallocation of acres in recent years.
At the same time, a new tax law called "Everyone is divided into an acre, and the officials and gentry pay the grain together" has been implemented in some areas of Liangzhou.
At the same time, there are emerging tea gardens, sugar cane gardens, sugar mills, workshops, leather mills, pastures...
Not only is it enough to make up for the loss caused by canceling the calculation, there is even a huge surplus.
The most important thing is that the things they produce add countless financial resources to the court every year.
Otherwise, where would the Han have found the money and food to replace weapons and armor in the Han army over the years?
Liangzhou's tax law of "divide a small person into an acre" is not only widely supported by the people, but also accepted by the new rich and emerging powerful people.
Although they gave up the tight control over Cangtou Qianshou's body, what they got in exchange was that the emerging industries at their hands gained greater development potential.
Because the development of these emerging industries requires countless laborers most.
It is simply impossible to meet the demand for so much labor by selling foreign labor alone.
However, as a result of the tax calculation, it was stipulated that Cangtou Guizhou must be tied to death in the field.
In the words of Governor Feng, this old-style production relationship can no longer adapt to the current requirements for the development of productivity in the Han Dynasty, and may even create some obstacles.
Of course General Guan doesn't understand this, but she also has her own understanding:
The big man now needs to support the upstarts who are opening various workshops and plantations, and attack the conservative families who claim to be heirlooms of farming and education.
If necessary, General Guan believed that the Han Prime Minister and Alang would not mind another round of dismemberment in the style of the Li family clan.
In the past, aristocratic families could monopolize talents and influence the court's taxation.
What now?
The Han Dynasty not only had the support of the new rich, but also had the printing and papermaking technology, and even the Liangzhou examination to obtain scholars, which had achieved success.
Under such a good situation, the imperial court had no reason to make concessions to the wealthy families of the Central Plains.
After Guanzhong was captured and the emperor returned to the old capital, there was no need for a general amnesty.
As long as the implementation of the new tax law is officially announced, the officials and people in the world who have suffered from heavy taxes for a long time will probably really have to "eat the pot of pulp to welcome the king's teacher, nothing else."
The impact of this matter is as great as the three-part agreement between Emperor Gaozu and the fathers of Guanzhong, and it will even shake the hearts of the people of Wei and Wu:
Tithe tax one and ten tax fifty-six, no tax and accumulated tax, land to the tiller and land occupied by aristocratic families, plus the common people under the rule of the emperor of the Han Dynasty had "enough food and clothing", which one would you choose?
Who would leave the good life behind and live the hard life exclusively?
What is the general trend?
This is called the general trend.
No matter how clever the conspiracy is, in the face of the overwhelming trend, it is nothing more than a mantis trying to control the situation.
Therefore, General Guan is not only not worried about the upcoming chaos in Hedong, he even has a little bit of expectation:
Those aristocratic families in Hedong had better be tougher-boned and serve as loyal ministers to the Wei thieves for a longer period of time. Wouldn't it be easier to clean them up in the future?
By then you will understand what it means that times have changed.
"The general is stupid and doesn't quite understand what the general is saying."
Shi Bao said with some fear.
Somehow, he felt his heart pounding, as if there was a force that was about to break through, but he couldn't find the direction.
It’s just that General Guan is no longer willing to reveal the Feng family’s family knowledge:
"It's okay if you don't understand. Just go down and figure it out slowly. By the way, have you written down all the people who are unwilling to cooperate?"
"I've written it down. I've written it down."
Although he was very curious about what was written in the small notebook in the general's hand, Shi Bao saw that General Guan did not want to say more, so he naturally did not dare to ask any more questions.
He also took out a small notebook from his arms.
"The last general has already written it down in his notebook."
General Guan nodded: "That's very good. Someone will settle this account with them in the future. You go down and count the grain and grass collected. We will set off immediately to Anyi."
Anyi is a county in Hedong, and it is also the largest farmland established by the Wei State in Hedong.
What is unexpected is that Anyi City, which was supposed to have no defenders, actually had its city gates tightly closed at this time, refusing to allow the Han army to enter the city.
It seems that Anyi's Diannong Zhonglang will be much tougher than Wenxi County's Nong Duwei.
Seeing this, Shi Bao couldn't help but be eager to try:
"General, why don't you let the last general lead the men to attack the city? Aren't the bandits in Hedong defeated by us in Guanjuejin Valley a long time ago?"
"The people who are currently defending the city are at most some local warriors. If we attack it, we may not be unable to do so."
General Guan put down the telescope in his hand and shook his head:
"No need. If he wants to defend the city, just let him do it. There is no need for us to waste our time here. There is plenty of food and grass everywhere, and there is no need to go into the city to collect it."
When people enter the city, can the food in the fields grow legs and run into the city?
Most of the land east of the river is open country and flat land, which is a suitable terrain for cavalry. As long as there is no shortage of food and grass, there is no need to worry about being cut off.
Therefore, there is no need to waste troops on siege.
As she said that, she looked at Shi Bao: "Do you know what to do?"
Shi Bao was gearing up: "General, don't worry, the general will understand!"
Even if all the wealthy households have fled to the city, can farmers still run to the city?
As long as the farmers were outside the city, Shi Bao believed that he could quickly raise food and grass.
"Go ahead."
"promise!"
General Guan, on the other hand, led his army and set up camp under Anyi City.
That night, the bodyguard came into the account and reported:
"General, Coach Han is back."
General Guan, who was looking through a small book, stood up quickly after hearing this and said: "Please come quickly!"
Soon, the tired Han Long entered the tent: "Meet the general."
"Mr. Han, you don't have to be like this."
General Guan, who had always been something people didn't dare to approach, actually showed no signs 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 about it?"
Seeing General Guan's demeanor, Han Long couldn't help but sigh, and then said with shame:
"I am incompetent."
General Guan was startled.
After a while, the light in his eyes flickered and went out quietly.
Her eyes lowered, and her face returned to coldness and calmness.
He tried hard to adjust his breath, as if talking to himself or asking, and said in a somewhat astringent voice:
"Didn't you find out?"
"I did find the place the general mentioned, but when I went there, there was no one there."
"That's it..." There was an inaudible sigh in General Guan's tone, and his expression finally showed disappointment that he couldn't hide.
Seeing this, Han Long quickly comforted him and said:
"But according to my opinion, although the village is deserted, there are several families that seem to have moved away not long ago."
When General Guan heard this, he immediately raised his eyes again: "Huh? What does Mr. Han mean?"
"If my guess is correct, then the families in the village most likely moved away to avoid the war. After the war, maybe they will come back."
General Guan pursed his lips and finally exhaled:
"I understand. No matter what, I still have to thank you sir for this."
Han Long waved his hand:
"It's just a trip back and forth. Compared to the previous trip, I don't know how much easier it is."
I recall that starting from Yinshan Mountain, I killed Ke Bineng, captured him and returned him to the mud, acted as an internal response, and spread rumors. I don’t know how many great things he accomplished along the way.
I didn't expect that I would stumble over this matter, which would give this trip a black mark...
Thinking of this, Han Long couldn't help but said:
"General, don't worry. The rangers from Bingzhou have formed a martial arts alliance. Sooner or later, I will teach the rangers in this land east of the river how to act chivalrous and righteous."
"When the time comes, as long as we have access, it will be easier to inquire about the general's hometown."
"Mr. Han is interested."
After Han Long went out, General Guan turned to look at the map on the wall of the tent and murmured:
"Autumn has already entered, we have to find a way to end the battle in Guanzhong as soon as possible..."
"Someone's coming!"
"General!"
"Early tomorrow morning, we will immediately send out a scouting horse to find out where the Lord is as soon as possible."
"promise."
General Guan's fingers tapped lightly on the word "Pu Ban Jin", but his eyes fell on the location of Longmen Ferry.
"I don't know if Liu Hun has arrived in Pubanjin..."
The next day, General Guan asked Shi Bao to lead the Yi Congjun and the Xiongnu tribe to continue collecting food and grass in Anyi. He did not stay too long and led the elite cavalry towards Pubanjin.