Chapter 417 He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world
The next day.
When the news that the imperial court had sent troops to attack reached the people of Shuzhou at the fastest speed, the public reaction was not too intense.
Perhaps everyone had already expected that such a day would come, but they just didn't expect it to happen so soon.
Therefore, apart from a few discussions after dinner, most people did not take it to heart.
There was no fleeing early with families, no panicking about closing down businesses, and no one "abandoning darkness and joining light" to welcome the imperial army.
Of course, this does not mean that the people of Shuzhou have already recognized Ning Yuke as the "new king", nor does it mean that they believe that "Shu Kingdom" can resist.
The reason why they are so calm is simply because the war has little impact on them.
Unlike in ancient times when people would be captured from house to house to be sent to the army once a war broke out, the threshold for "joining the army" in the world of cultivation is very high.
Except for a small number of food and logistics soldiers, the remaining 70% to 80% of the soldiers must at least be warriors of high rank.
About 30% of the people in the world have all eight main meridians open.
If we exclude those who give up practicing martial arts due to their extremely low talent, as well as most women, then only less than 10% of people will actually embark on the path of cultivation.
This means that at least 90% of people do not meet the most basic conditions for "participating in the war".
To put it bluntly, if they couldn't even catch me in the draft, what else was there to worry about? As for the impact of the war on other aspects of life. Now, in the entire Daning, only Shuzhou is the safest. Life in other states is not easy. Even if I flee, where can I escape? Besides, I was still a Daning citizen two months ago. Even if the imperial army came, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything to me.
When Shuzhou City was breached and Weiyang Palace was burned down by a fire, it would be nothing more than replacing the previous emperor. It would not be a big deal. With similar ideas in mind, most of the people in Shuzhou continued to do what they had to do. At most, they would stock up some more "affordable grain" at home in case of a future surge in grain prices.
I heard that grain prices in other states and counties have increased three or four times.
Thinking about it this way, the new empress seems to be quite good. "Have you heard? The commander of the imperial army to suppress the rebellion this time is the great general Han Zhaoli!"
"Brother Zhang, what a mouth you have! The Weiyang Palace is now our imperial court!"
"Hahaha, I'm used to it. I can't change it for a while."
“.”
The small tea stall was not far from the new government office in Shuzhou City. It was noon now, and many porters and peddlers were gathering here drinking tea and chatting.
Ever since the Shuzhou government office was converted into a royal palace, Wei Changtian selected a large house in the north of the city to serve as the new government office.
Because it is located in a busy city, there are many people coming and going nearby.
At first, everyone was a little afraid of the officers with knives on their waists, but after a while they found that these officers seemed different from before.
He never arrested anyone randomly, paid for meals and tea according to the prices, and was no longer as perfunctory when patrolling the streets to catch thieves as before.
More importantly, he is very kind to everyone.
Just like someone said something wrong during a casual chat just now, even if the officers from the yamen heard it, there would not be any big trouble. At most, they would be reprimanded and fined a few copper coins.
If it had happened in the past, he would have been thrown into jail and charged with "inciting public opinion and conspiracy to rebel." The sun was at noon and it was a bright sunny day.
Although it is autumn, it is still a bit hot at noon. Some porters who have just finished their work even took off their shirts and drank the "unlimited refills" of cold tea for a copper coin with their upper bodies bare.
Everyone was chatting excitedly when they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the government office, accompanied by various kinds of shouting.
"What's the matter?"
Someone looked up in confusion: "Why are there so many people gathered at the gate of the government office?"
"It looks like a new notice has just been posted!" a sharp-eyed person answered loudly.
"annunciation?"
All the men lost interest after hearing this.
The notice posted at this time must be related to the war, and war is a matter for military men, so it has nothing to do with people like them.
This "reasoning" was originally correct, but as more and more people gathered at the gate of the yamen, they became more and more curious about what was written on the notice.
Until the shouts coming from the yamen gradually became clearer.
"The Queen has ordered a reduction in land tax!"
"Reduce the land tax!"
Someone was running towards this side, shouting, the excitement on his face beyond description.
"This old man!"
A porter grabbed the man's arm and asked hurriedly, "What's going on? What's written on the notice?"
"That's not a bulletin!"
The ordinary-dressed man said excitedly, "That's the new policy of the Ministry of Revenue! The Queen has issued an order! From now on, the land tax for the common people in Shu will only be 50% of the tax!"
"Fifty-one tax?!"
The porters' eyes widened immediately: "Dude! Are you sure you're not seeing this?!"
"I can't read, but that's what the officer said himself! How can it be wrong?"
The man smiled and pointed to the entrance of the government office: "If you don't believe me, just go and ask for yourself!"
“.”
“Wow!!”
The group of people looked at each other for a few moments, and then swarmed towards the yamen gate.
Even the tea stall owner ignored his stall and followed behind in the same hurry, just like the old men and women who were anxious to grab free eggs in the previous life.
It is no wonder that these people behaved in this way, because a 50-to-1 tax reduction is really too exaggerated.
If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t even dare to dream about it! “The emperor’s grace is so great! The emperor’s grace is so great!”
The man who brought the good news watched the group of porters and peddlers run away, sighed sincerely and then continued to run forward, ready to tell more people about this great news.
The scorching sun is still hanging high in the blue sky, with not a single cloud in sight.
Just like the dazzling golden sunshine, the haze brought to Shuzhou City by the news that "the imperial court has sent troops to quell the rebellion" was instantly dispelled by the new policy of "tax reduction".
Word of this spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. In a very short time, the news had spread throughout Shuzhou.
Everyone praised Ning Yuke's benevolent policies and good deeds, and their ratings of this "female emperor" suddenly soared.
And many people no longer have an indifferent attitude towards this war.
They hoped that Shu could defeat the imperial army and Ning Yuke could win! Because only in this way could the new land tax policy of 50% tax continue for a long time.
This may be selfishness, short-sightedness, or "forgetting righteousness for the sake of profit."
But for the common people who work diligently in the fields with their faces to the earth and their backs to the sky, the way they think about problems is so simple.
They do not have any lofty ambitions such as "establishing a mind for heaven and earth, and bringing peace to the world for all generations"; nor do they quite understand the great truth that "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism is the responsibility of every man for the rise and fall of the country."
However, they knew which emperor was good to the people.
If you are good to me, I will support you.
This is actually what Mencius said: "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."
Unfortunately, many rulers do not really understand this truth.
(End of this chapter)
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