Chapter 427 Begins
The handover was complicated and involved many things, and the civilians were very uneasy about Changshan County's withdrawal and Seokju's comeback.
People everywhere took to the streets, shouting and petitioning Changshan County not to evacuate.
Against this background, Yun Qingshui took the opportunity to launch a propaganda campaign, telling everyone that from today on, the only one they could rely on was the Farmers’ Association.
We must all closely unite under the local farmers' association to protect the hard-earned results.
Zhang Shuangcheng also held talks in person with representatives of the farmers' association and made three rules of conduct with them.
1. As long as the farmers' association does not owe taxes, Shizhou will not interfere with the operation of the farmers' association.
2. The tax standard is 300 kilograms of grain per mu of land per year. It will remain unchanged regardless of drought or flood and will never be increased.
3. The Farmers' Association shall be registered with the Governor's Office of Seokju, and both parties shall agree to act as agents for administration. The Farmers' Association shall bear all responsibilities in the areas under its management.
This is equivalent to the Governor-General's Office outsourcing administrative power. There is no precedent for this in the empire, but special matters need special treatment, and the Supreme Council will soon agree to set this precedent.
The agreement was signed under the witness of Yang Jiehua and submitted to the empire for filing to ensure that it was permitted by legal procedures.
After the signing of this agreement, the farmers' association could finally settle down and develop.
Knowing that the current system would not change, the farmers cheered, with every household banging gongs and every village beating drums, the sound shaking the sky.
Later, the people of this land designated this day as a gong and drum festival, symbolizing the departure of the plague god and their rebirth.
But the newly born farmers' association also faces severe challenges, and many administrative affairs are placed on it.
They are responsible for maintaining order, formulating laws and regulations, assisting in the handling of fertilizers, pesticides, and water sources, and resolving conflicts and disputes.
There are many cases where large-scale conflicts develop between villages over a water source.
Of course such things should be prohibited.
At the same time, they also bear the burden of 300 kilograms of grain per mu.
One advantage of a fixed tax is that it can greatly motivate farmers because any harvest exceeding 300 kilograms is theirs.
One acre of land can be used to grow two crops of rice a year. The early rice generally yields three to four hundred kilograms, and five hundred kilograms of late rice is not a problem.
In this way, one acre of land can generate an income of 400 kilograms of grain in a year, which is much better than the previous 70% tax.
If you can put in a little more effort, it won't be difficult to harvest five or six hundred kilograms per acre of land.
Moreover, now everyone is a self-employed farmer, there are no tenants, and as long as you are not lazy, there is basically no problem with having enough food and clothing.
And this is also a good thing for Shizhou.
In the past, the cost of collecting taxes was very high, and it was not uncommon for a brigade of tax police to rush into the village to suppress protests, causing looting, smashing, and burning, which would then develop into large-scale riots and armed fights.
By this year, even the tax police could no longer control the situation, and the army and secret service organizations moved in to carry out massacres. The damage caused to Shizhou's economy was incalculable.
Now, all work is under the charge of the farmers' association. They no longer need to be involved in administration or taxation. Although the taxes collected are less, the taxes collected are more anyway.
Zhang Shuangcheng directly disbanded the tax police force, disbanded a series of spy organizations such as the special supervision team, cleared out a large number of redundant officials, and laid off nearly half of the officials in Shizhou.
This reduced the Governor-General's budget by more than half, making government orders more effective and reducing tedious tasks.
During this period, Zhang Shuangcheng specifically studied the history of County Chief Lin's rise to power, and was eager to learn from him. His style of work was vigorous and resolute, which quickly changed the situation in Shizhou.
However, his foundation was far shallower than that of the previous governor, he lacked actual experience in governing, and had no backing within the empire, which also posed a very serious hidden danger for him.
Fortunately, his old brothers in the army still support him.
This is also his only reliance.
Lin Wen withdrew the main force back to Changshan County, returned the occupied Dadun Fort, Pingpan City, and Jiangkou City one by one, and transported the remaining supplies back to Changshan County one by one.
After bidding farewell to Yu Bozheng and other military commanders, they were allowed to return to their original territories with the representatives of the western region.
The human security forces were disbanded and all military merits were redeemed. Half of the people chose to ask for money, and half chose to upgrade.
Since there are too many people, one [Yangzhi Ganlu] only lasts 159 seconds, and it takes about 3 seconds of contact to have a better effect.
Lin Wen had been touching men in the military camp for three days, and there were still countless men waiting for him to touch.
Lin Wen really couldn't stand it anymore, and his soul couldn't withstand such consumption, so he had to announce that the marrow cleansing pills were limited, and those who wanted to use military merits to upgrade needed to wait in line.
They can stay in Changshan County and wait for their number to be called.
If someone doesn't want to wait, they can also choose to get a refund.
Most people chose to wait. Most of them had some hidden illnesses caused by their long military career, and hoped that County Chief Lin’s magical marrow cleansing pill could cure their injuries.
But even after Lin Wen rubbed off all the mud on his body and rubbed his skin red, he still couldn't satisfy their needs.
It wasn't that he was trying to play a prank on others. Lin Wen originally wanted to use candy beans, but they didn't buy it.
The first person to try it, the captain Xu Chaogong, had already explained what this magical pill tasted like.
It tastes bitter and astringent, with a hint of mud and sand bouncing on the tongue and a hint of the salty taste of sweat. When swallowed, it instantly turns into a stream of hot air rushing left and right, making the body feel extremely comfortable, as if soaking in hot water.
This description has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts along with the changes in Xu Chaogong's body.
Countless people feel this smell in their dreams every day, and use it as motivation to inspire them to fight.
Xu Chaogong would often recount that wonderful process when morale was low, and from time to time he would show off his strong physique and powerful physical fitness.
Even the slogans they shouted during the battle charge were:
"For the Marrow Cleansing Pill!"
"For bitter and salty!"
In this situation, they had extremely beautiful fantasies and finally reached the end to get the treasure of their dreams, but they found that it was sweet.
No one could accept the feeling of their dreams collapsing. They all believed that County Chief Lin had deceived them with fake medicine, which almost led to a mutiny.
Lin Wen had no choice but to use soil to make marrow cleansing pills for him.
But it is not the old mud rubbed off the body, it does not have a salty taste and is not considered authentic.
"We want the original flavor!" This was the cry of tens of thousands of security forces.
Lin Wen really couldn't bear it anymore and had to announce a postponement.
I'll wait and see if there are any new spells or new luck, and then come back to solve this problem.
Among the human security forces, about one-third want to continue living in Changshan County.
However, the Urban Management Department’s admission standards were very strict, and only about one in ten people were admitted.
The rest of the people had no choice but to work in Changshan County while waiting for their number to get the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
When the main force of Changshan County returned to the military camp in the Qichuan Mountains, commanders Fang Dashan, Wang Zhengwu and others arranged a memorial ceremony.
In this battle of Shizhou, a total of more than 6,000 soldiers were buried forever in the ground.
At Lin Wen's suggestion, the headquarters erected a large monument in the Qichuan Mountains, with the inscription written at Lin Wen's suggestion: "Those who sacrificed for the people will be immortal."
Behind the monument are the names of all the victims and the teams they belonged to.
After the memorial ceremony, a grand celebration party was held under the auspices of Xia Xiaoxiang.
Xia Xiaoxiang is a natural logistics organizer and literary youth, and he has a very good grasp of atmosphere and emotions.
At the opening of the evening party, she took the stage and gave a speech: "The dead are gone, the dead are gone, the living should be strong, cherish the past, and move forward with heavy burdens."
This concise speech, which suited the soldiers' mood, was greeted with prolonged applause.
Then, the balloons that had been prepared long ago burst in the sky. In the red light that illuminated the sky and amidst the fluttering and scattering of thousands of colorful flowers, loud military songs rang out. Forty thousand people sang in unison, washing away their sorrow and inspiring their fighting spirit.
When the military song ended, everyone's heart was filled with an unspeakable passion for the future.
Then, the grand welcome party began.
The first program set the whistles off for a long time. Qin Luoshuang and Xia Xiaoxiang, dressed in their best clothes, came on stage to sing "An Evening in the Suburbs of Changshan County" written by Lin Wen.
The second program was the classic stage play "Beauty and the Beast" written by Lin Wen, performed by He Shangsheng, Fang Dashan and Yun Qingshui, which also won a lot of applause.
It’s just a pity that the Yun Qing Shui Xi Ba element is too strong, and the stage play becomes a bit like "Beauty and Her Pet Dog".
The third program was "Selling Crutch", also performed by Lin Wen.
The classic crosstalk drama was highly performative, causing the mountains to echo with the soldiers' laughter.
The fourth program was a magic show performed by Lin Wen himself, including flying with a sword, magic tricks, and hand-rolling fireballs.
The visual effects are very shocking, and there are no flaws to be seen, which makes people marvel and feast their eyes.
…
At the end of the show, all the warriors joined in. They sang loudly, ate meat with big mouthfuls, drank wine with big bowls, and a strong banquet atmosphere was in the air.
Just one sniff of it is like drinking ten bowls of fine wine, making you drunk.
After the party, everything returned to normal.
Under the chairmanship of Qin Luoshuang, Fang Dashan and Wang Zhengwu commended those who had made meritorious contributions, awarded titles and promoted those who had made major contributions.
Lin Wen holds military power, and can directly grant military ranks below the rank of colonel, and all he needs to do is report to the highest military department for review.
Afterwards, Fang Dashan and Wang Zhengwu began to review the entire battle, take inventory of and improve the shortcomings of the troops, and at the same time began to reorganize the troops to make the structure of the troops more reasonable and optimized.
This process will take a long time.
After that, Changshan County's army will become stronger.
Yun Qingshui returned to Shangxi Town. She had an official identity and was not suitable to stay in Shizhou.
But the Democratic Party still left a lot of people there to help the farmers' association get back on track as soon as possible.
Three days later, everything was done and the dust settled.
Lin Wen finally returned to the Finance Department and began to take stock of the gains from this campaign.
After repeated calculations by Lao Xie, excluding food, after paying all war expenses, pensions, and severance pay, the total income was more than 27 billion, and about half of the valuables had not been sold in time.
The [Crossing the Eternal Ages] auction is still under preparation.
Food is not so easy to calculate because it involves the food war.
The more you earn, the more you spend.
When the battle was at its most intense, Changshan County purchased a large amount of high-priced grain from the outside world and then sold it at one-fourth or one-fifth of the reserve price.
The daily output is in the millions of tons, and the direct losses are calculated in the billions.
But the food war was won.
The contract for Nadao was sold at a price of 2,000 yuan per ton. Later, the price of grain dropped to 1,200 yuan, and Changshan County bought a large amount of grain again.
The total profit was 800 yuan.
Xiao Xiao currently has about 36 million tons of medium- and long-term grain contracts that have not been delivered, and the net profit from this part alone is more than 20 billion.
The most important thing is that all the food in Changshan County was looted, which can almost be said to be pure profit with no cost.
Nadao’s current total capital has exceeded 110 billion, which can be regarded as the cash flow of a giant group.
This is the profit that Lin Wen scraped from countless imperial groups.
Such huge profits caused huge losses to various groups and killed a large number of financial vampires and speculators in the empire.
It caused the downfall of a governor and crushed countless monkeys to death.
However, in Lin Wen's opinion, it is not enough.
In the original world, if you casually draw a circle in the super first-tier cities, the value of the real estate inside is more than this number.
If Lin Wen wants to overthrow the three new and old mountains and provide housing for nearly 10 million refugees, he must use this fund carefully.
If there is any mistake, all the efforts will be wasted.
No matter how fast or far the water skips, what does it matter even if it hits the other side?
It just means that you have crossed the sea of suffering and reached the other shore.
Lin Wen wants to raise the riverbed, drain the bitter water, turn the vast ocean into mulberry fields, and turn the natural barrier into a smooth road so that everyone can pass through.
Only in this way can you gain countless good connections.
Only then can he be reincarnated perfectly with enough good karma.
Only then can you rescue the senior sister from Huangmao's hands.
Only in this way can the guys who framed him not worry about his wife and daughter.
Only then can you sweep across all the fairies in the sky and defeat the king of gods and ghosts.
——
With the end of the Dark War, the greatest conflict in the Empire has returned to calm.
The three major mainstream newspapers in the empire published an article entitled "Changshan County, the Rising Sun of the Empire".
This article introduces the achievements of Changshan County, which saved the lives of countless refugees, sheltered the suffering civilians, and punished greedy bureaucrats. It is the area in the empire with the best atmosphere and the most peaceful life for civilians.
He also praised Lin Wen, the county chief, for his wisdom, bravery, tallness, handsomeness, keen observation, and benevolence.
How decisive he was and saved the situation single-handedly.
He is the one who supports a collapsing building and turns the tide. He is a white jade pillar that reaches the sky and a purple gold beam that spans the sea. He is a deity that appears once in a million years.
Bang.
Qin Gang threw the newspaper on the ground and stepped on Lin Wen’s big portrait.
Prince Jun whispered, "Commander-in-Chief, this is a manifesto from the imperial faction praising the Great Emperor. It appears to be praising Lin Wen, but in reality it's extolling the virtues of the Great Emperor system. It's almost as if it's explicitly saying that the world belongs to one person. This must be the First Princess's handwriting."
After hearing these words, Qin Gang could no longer suppress his anger.
"Give the order."
"The first nuclear bomb test site was chosen to be in Changshan County."
Prince Jun was shocked: "Commander, aren't we going too far? The Empire's reaction is unpredictable!"
Qin Gang said coldly, "Zijun, with the ultimate weapon in hand, what are we afraid of? This is a deterrent, and also a warning. Once we have proven its power with actual combat results, we can simply place the remaining nuclear bombs on the launch pads, and the Empire will not dare to act rashly."
Cold sweat flowed from Wang Zijun's forehead to his neck. For the first time, he felt the chill running through his bones.
"But, Commander, we can choose an airburst. Its power can be demonstrated just as well..."
Qin Gang shook his head slightly. "Zijun, your flaw is still that you don't understand human nature. People won't turn back until they hit the wall, and won't cry until they see the coffin. You chose to bomb in the air. Although they will be afraid, they will always have a glimmer of hope. Only if you can shock them with actual results will they give up their illusions."
Lei Xiangwen also said: "That's right. As the first shot of the break with the empire, I think Changshan County is the most appropriate. This is the result of offending us."
Cao Damu, the army commander who had been redeemed from Changshan Commandery at great expense, shouted, "I swear to support the new Qin King until death. Anyone who dares to disobey me will be chopped to pieces!"
Qin Gang gave an icy smile.
"The birth of a king requires blood. Let Changshan County be the first sacrifice before the throne."
All the trusted generals cheered in unison.
"Long live the new king!"
——
The highest meeting.
The Great Elder stared at the chessboard of the Empire in silence.
After a long time, a new order was issued.
"Release Yu Zhongxian."
"Release Wang Boan."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
