Chapter 235: The dawn of prosperity, the fading of age

The seedlings are in ear, the summer rains are continuous, the grass and trees are withering, and the winter thunders are rumbling.

As time goes by, when everything familiar from the past appears before our eyes again, it will unconsciously remind everyone that a new day has arrived.

Five years of the Xia Dynasty!

Starting from the third year of the Xia Dynasty, the Xia court, which had been silent for three years, began its first major move.

It is said that a new official will make three big moves when he takes office. Wang Mang, the highest-ranking official in the Xia Dynasty, held back for three full years before finally taking action.

Moreover, the goal is extremely clear. If we don't take action, it's fine. But once we take action, it will affect the lives of millions of people.

Taxes and corvée! The policy of dividing the land tax by the acreage was officially implemented in the third year of the Xia Dynasty! In the previous three years, in order to care for the people who had suffered from the war and even had difficulty maintaining their livelihoods, the Xia Dynasty did not collect taxes, and relied entirely on various materials and money donated by the four countries to support its own financial problems.

But this way of living off the resources will never last long. Three years is enough time for the people to settle down and accept the baptism of the new order.

The most important thing is that three years is enough to fill the gap in officials.

Mo Qiu once said: If a country has many virtuous and capable people, the country will be well governed; if a country has few virtuous and capable people, the country will be poorly governed.

Whether the new officials selected and recruited by the Xia Dynasty are virtuous people or not cannot be judged solely by their words. They must do something practical, or even have political achievements, to prove themselves.

Those who are just filling in the gaps will also be exposed in this process! After the policy of equalizing the land tax, the court immediately felt extremely huge resistance! The world does not mean that you can control the world just because you sit on the throne.

The real world is made up of groups of people who have their own ideas and interests. When their interests are shaken, there will always be people who want to resist in various ways.

For example, as soon as this policy was announced, rumors spread among the people that Mo Qiu's death was caused by Emperor Xia. It was Emperor Xia who stole the saint's power and colluded with the rebels within the Mohist school, which led to his evil ambitions to destroy everyone.

This statement is very dramatic and eye-catching. The most important thing is that it is secretly consistent with the mysterious death of the saint announced by the court! If you don't have some writing skills, it's really hard to speculate like this.

But the reaction of the Xia Dynasty was also something they had not expected.

This statement had only been around for a short time, and before it could spread, the Mohist master Qin Lisheng led a group of Mohists to investigate the matter and finally determined that it was done by a large family with 100 hectares of fertile land! 100 hectares of fertile land was only the number registered, and did not include hidden land. If it was counted, the amount would have reached a shocking level.

Before the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, the cleanup of the territory of Dayue was far from enough. Only Yangzhou, Yuzhou and Yuzhou were severely liquidated, which was considered a thorough reshuffle.

In other places, those wealthy families who have accumulated a lot of wealth can still live an extravagant life relying on their strong financial resources, and even recruit bullies to guard their homes. The turmoil they suffer is much smaller than that of the lower-class people, and their life is much more stable.

The same thing happens to different people, and the risks they can fight are completely different.

Even when the country is in ruins, people with money and power can still live better and more safely.

They will not even actively resist, but will watch the direction of the wind, and go wherever the wind blows. They will even take the initiative to divide up the family property, forming branches and continuously investing in new forces.

The main point is that you can not win, but don’t lose.

For example, Xia Zhangsi was sent by the Xia family, a prominent family, to the White Lotus Sect for secret funding. Even the Huangtian Army had similar people. This was their old tradition.

But this does not mean that they will understand the current situation.

When their lives are threatened, they can reluctantly give up temporary benefits, but if the knife is about to be inserted, these people will rise up in resistance.

Why do you want to make the rich and powerful suffer instead of making the common people suffer?

I think you don’t want to be emperor anymore!

Do you understand what it means for the emperor and the scholar-officials to rule the world together?

How many characters can those country folk recognize or say? The people who truly control the voice of the people are precisely these aristocratic families. They win the hearts of the people through various small favors, and then secretly send people to seize the land and property. There are many robbers.

Of course, they don't have to do any of this themselves, as their subordinates will naturally do it all neatly and efficiently. But no matter what the process is, it is enough to see who gets the land and the benefits in the end.

When it comes to real, fundamental interests, these guys will turn into jackals and do whatever it takes.

But the Xia Dynasty's response was equally violent! When the policy of equalizing the land tax was actually announced, nearly one-third of the officials in the court immediately opposed it.

A few days later, another group of people expressed their opposition, and in total, they accounted for nearly half of the total number! After Wang Mang expressed his determination and there was no possibility of changing or postponing it, some people immediately resigned.

The number is still one third!

The talents that we have worked hard to gather for three years are leaving already with half of them before they are even put to use.

These people, of course, are all talents supported by aristocratic families.

What they represent are the interests of the aristocratic families.

It was precisely because those aristocratic families saw the loopholes in the imperial court that they sent people to seize the fat meat. Unexpectedly, before the fat meat reached their stomachs, the knife was about to reach their hearts.

In this case, all we have to do is almost tear off the surface and demonstrate our own strength in this way.

Wang Mang’s response to this was.

As long as you say goodbye, everyone will nod.

Once the resignation storm has subsided temporarily, the Royal Guards will immediately put them all in jail on various charges and conduct a thorough investigation of their assets!

If there is any mistake, the case will be strictly investigated.

Countless people were involved.

And this is just the first round of collision.

If this is a raging fire, this is just a flame.

After Wang Mang demonstrated his unshakable determination, all kinds of rumors began to spread.

The Mohist school also appeared at this time.

The promotion of Moqiu in the past few years has achieved real results.

Love the house and love the dog. The Mohist School, founded by a sage, should still have some glory retained even without a sage leader, right?

Although it is said that gossip can melt metal and constant criticism can destroy a person, the person who had been praised all along suddenly became the villain in the story. It is impossible for the wind direction to change so quickly.

The most effective thing Wang Mang did was to act like thunder and leave no room for maneuver.

The three years of dormancy are like a tiger lying on the hill, enduring with its claws and fangs hidden.

After dealing with all those who joined the court with ill intentions, Wang Mang also had another national policy to implement together with the land tax.

All citizens of the Xia Dynasty were required to truthfully report all their land. Those who concealed their land could be reported by others. After the report was confirmed, the person who reported it would take half, and the state would take half! This was truly a case of cutting off the source of the trouble!

You like playing the hidden field, right? You like hiding things, right?

If you don’t want to report it, then don’t ask for it!

What if no one reports it? It doesn't matter, the government will send people to investigate regularly.

If any unregistered hidden farmland is discovered, it will be directly nationalized!

Wow, there is a good field here, and crops are planted there!

I looked at the brochure again, and it was gone! How could such a good field be left unclaimed?

Isn't it a waste of natural resources? Then return home! In addition to these policies, it is not just the officials of the court who can truly guarantee the policies.

And there is a Grandmaster!

The four countries admired the five masters sent by the Xia Dynasty, and they played a stabilizing role.

Among them, Yingzhou was far away from the imperial capital and had not been deeply affected by the previous war. In fact, a group of officials sent by the court to inspect the land were burned to death in a fire as soon as they arrived at the hotel.

Yingzhou was fortunately not affected too much by the war. Just as it was about to test the power of the Xia Dynasty, it was met with a terrible disaster.

When the news came back, Wang Mang was furious.

The Mohists like to talk about morality, so the master will talk to you about martial arts! The three masters went to Yingzhou in person and arrested all the people involved in the incident. They shook eggs to separate the yolks and split earthworms vertically. The killings were so bloody that rivers flowed. Nearly 10,000 people were destroyed and their families were wiped out. Countless people were implicated for this, and for the next few decades, Yingzhou was not loved by grandpa or grandma. That's another story.

The master who had suffered from the obstruction of qi and blood could torture people even more severely than the Minister of Justice.

When other people's true qi flows through the body and sharp objects thinner than cow hair cut into the body, how many people in this world can withstand it?

If you can withstand all this, you can praise your mind as being comparable to that of a master, and then choose a better grave to burn three incense sticks at.

Don’t ask if this is torture, just tell me if it works!

Not enough officials?

Use force!

Wang Mang was not obsessed with the means of gaining power.

He was very clear about how he came to power. He gained the trust of Gu Dan, the most powerful man in the world.

What he wanted to do was to make life better for the people of the world, not to make himself a sage and wise ruler in the eyes of the aristocratic families and then let the people live in misery.

Moreover, this was not a sudden impulse to prove himself quickly. After the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, Wang Mang had been directing the few officials to conduct a thorough investigation of the land properties. After three years, they had actually counted most of the land properties.

This time the true strength of the weapon is finally revealed.

With unparalleled determination and will, the national policy of equalizing the land tax was implemented in an unstoppable manner.

Even with such a tough attitude and iron-blooded tactics, Wang Mang didn't care at all if it led to countless rumors.

When the Xia Dynasty was founded, he suffered no less insults and slander than he does now.

Isn't it just being scolded?

How could an emperor not be scolded? In two years, the policy of allocating taxes to each acre of land had been truly implemented.

When the first tax is collected, the people will find that the taxes collected are actually less than before - the less part has been taken from other wealthy families.

Land properties are divided into different grades, and so are the quantities.

The more people there are, the more taxes you need to pay.

Once Wang Mang started doing something, he left no room for maneuver.

You like farming, right?

Well, if you exceed the amount stipulated by the court, I will make you spend more than you earn! For those who dare to resist or conceal, I will send the master to teach them what martial arts means.

The five masters who defected to the Xia Dynasty from other countries completely became knives in Wang Mang's hands.

As for Mohism?

Such brutal and immoral things are certainly not the business of Mohism.

The Mohist school was mainly responsible for investigating hidden fields and accepting reports from the public. After all, the reputation of the Mohists was well-known to everyone, and they were even more trusted by the people than the government that exploited the people.

Two-pronged approach!

Gong Shangguo served as the Shangshu and mobilized officials at all levels.

Wang Mang was in charge of the general direction, but he was the one who had to take care of the actual implementation.

Fortunately, Gong Shangguo was familiar with this kind of thing. After all, when Mo Qiu of the Mohist School was not free, he was the one who took charge.

Compared to Qin Lisheng, Gong Shangguo is not the kind of person who can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes, but he never drags his feet when doing things.

Having experienced unforgettable despair, I understand better the principle of grasping the present moment.

Three people joining hands, plus a master, power, morality, and martial arts, I want them all!

After two years of vigorous reforms, during which much blood was shed, results were finally achieved.

At least Wang Mang could say with confidence that he had accomplished the task that Gu Dan had assigned to him five years ago.

The people of the Xia Dynasty will also live better because of this move.

But this is by no means the end, but a new beginning.

Five years later, many places in the Xia Dynasty still relied on the old system of Dayue. How could this be possible? In the future, there will inevitably be a series of changes in the Xia Dynasty, which will fundamentally distinguish the Xia Dynasty from Dayue. From then on, no one will miss Dayue in the Xia Dynasty - except for gentry and landlords and aristocratic families.

In Wang Mang's mind, these guys were not considered human beings. If he exterminated every other family, there might be some innocent people, but if he only killed 90% of them, there would definitely be some that slipped through the net.

In the following period of time, we will have to keep using knives on those guys.

Who said that he couldn't do what he didn't have time to do before the founding of the Xia Dynasty? What else could those guys do to him except to talk nonsense and make up some rumors? Wealth?

The four countries are still supporting the Xia Dynasty.

right?

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

He is the emperor! Force?

Sorry, all the masters of the Xia Dynasty are now under the control of Wang Mang, and the only one above the master is also the one with whom he has a close relationship.

It is normal for animals to cry out when they are slaughtered. Even animals will cry out when they are killed, and this does not affect the deliciousness of their meat.

After another busy day of government affairs, Wang Mang showed a heartfelt smile on his face after seeing this year's tax revenue.

When it was implemented in the first year, the situation was still not clear enough. Even though the situation was as powerful as thunder, there were still bastards who dared to struggle and resist, deceiving their superiors and subordinates. The effect can only be said to be unsatisfactory, but not worthy of being shown.

Until this year, good results have been achieved, at least it is an achievement that Wang Mang believes can be shown off.

Carrying the report document, Wang Mang took off his dragon robe, changed into casual clothes, asked the imperial kitchen to prepare food boxes filled with good wine and delicious food, and quietly slipped out of the palace under the cover of night.

Brother Gu, today, it’s time to give you an answer to the task you assigned to me five years ago!

Push open the familiar gate of the courtyard.

The courtyard was empty.

Usually when it gets dark, Andy Hui likes to lie on a recliner and take a rest.

Cang would also stay by his side to listen to his stories, and if Xiaoying came back, she would take out a lantern and embroider under the tree.

If Gu Dan was there, he would also be holding the scriptures and studying them silently.

But no matter what, there should be someone in the yard.

Wang Mang's heart skipped a beat, and the joy in his mind seemed to be cut off by a knife.

The cicada knows about autumn even before the wind blows. During the years he has been emperor, he has already developed the ability to see the big picture from the details.

He sensed something was wrong in the change in external appearances.

He walked in quickly and entered the house where candlelight was still on.

When I opened the door, I saw it was packed with people.

Gu Dan is here, Xun Ke is here, Cang is here, and Xiaoying is here too.

And on the bed, there was a person lying quietly.

Andy Hui.

He is already very old.

Even his eyebrows were white, his skin was not too sagging, but there were some wrinkles on his face, and his breathing was long and weak, it was hard to hear it without listening carefully.

He lay on the bed with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a wonderful sleep. If it weren't for the slightly rising and falling of his chest, one would have thought he would never wake up again.

“Pah.”

With a loud bang, the food box and wine jug in Wang Mang's hands all fell to the ground.

He stood there, his lips opening and closing, thousands of words seemed to be stuck in his throat, "Uncle Xu Xu?!"

Wang Mang pushed aside a few people and walked forward with a blank look in his eyes.

He looked at Gu Dan.

Gu Dan also looked at him quietly without saying anything.

When Wang Mang was less than ten years old, he came to the Gu family courtyard.

At that time, the Gu family courtyard was still called the Mohist Martial Arts School.

Wang Mang knew Andy Hui very early, and they had many interactions later on. Andy Hui fed Wang Mang many times.

After the founding of the country, whenever Wang Mang was troubled by government affairs, he would sit in the small courtyard.

It’s not that I want to get close to Gu Dan. In fact, Gu Dan has rarely been in the small courtyard in recent years. He runs out all day long, trying hard to treat patients and save lives.

He came to the courtyard simply because it was different from other places.

Here, it seems like you can forget the mundane affairs of the world and enjoy a different time.

Moreover, no one would treat him as an emperor, but more like a relative or friend, with no interests involved.

When he came, Wang Mang usually had a drink or two with Andy Hui, and talked about local customs and culture, storytelling stories, or the few interesting things that happened in the court.

This place is like a safe haven for him, where he can come and rest when he is tired. Andy Hui, who is the oldest and has seen the most storms, is the listener of the tree hole.

In Wang Mang's mind, it is no exaggeration to say that this place is a paradise on earth.

So much so that he never thought that there would be such big changes here.

After all, Gu Dan is already so powerful. How could something unpleasant happen again in his territory?

But not everything can go as planned.

Looking at Andy Hui lying on the bed, Wang Mang, who had just accomplished an exciting event, was unable to utter a word.

Silence, only long silence.

No one spoke. Cang tightly grasped Gu Dan's clothes, his little hands turned white from squeezing them. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he tried hard not to cry.

He is ten years old and has truly understood the meaning of death.

That means from now on, you will never see it again, never hear it again, and never touch it again.

It's like a part of something is lost forever.

And it cannot be undone.

After a long time, Andy Hui on the bed still showed no signs of waking up.

Wang Mang's throat trembled and he asked, "When?"

In the past two years, because I was busy with the reform of taxes and corvee labor, I came to the courtyard much less often, and sometimes I would be busy for a month or two.

After all, he is the Emperor of Xia. No matter how good his paradise is, he must first ensure the stability of the Xia Dynasty.

As a result, he missed the silent changes in the courtyard. If he had not come here today, he would probably still be kept in the dark.

"Three days ago."

Gu Dan answered in this way, with no expression on his face, except that his palms hidden in his sleeves were clenched into a white color.

Andy Hui is not sick.

He's just old, very old.

Even a body that is not tortured by pain has its limits.

Even a grandmaster is powerless.

He tried his best to cure diseases and save lives, but he was not able to gather 50,000 years of lifespan in such a short time to upgrade the Qingmu Huasheng Jue - what's more, whether the next stage of Qingmu Huasheng Jue can increase the lifespan of others is still a big unknown.

Gu Dan worked hard for a long time for this possibility, but unfortunately, it was not enough.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Gu Dan replied: "Uncle Xu said that he is busy with state affairs and does not want to delay you."

Wang Mang felt as if his throat was blocked.

Even he was so upset, how would Brother Gu feel? There was only a long silence.

The night is quietly halfway through.

Andy Hui, lying on the bed, began to blink his eyelids slightly.

The few people who were keeping an eye on him even breathed more slowly.

After a few breaths, Andy Hui's eyes finally opened a crack, revealing his already cloudy eyes, looking at the outside world.

The warm light from the lantern was a little dazzling to him, so he tried to avoid it by turning his head.

Gu Dan quickly moved the lantern aside and relied solely on the residual light to illuminate the room.

After a few more breaths, Andy Hui finally woke up completely. His eyes were open, and he looked at the people in front of him with his cloudy eyes. After a moment, his already excited voice began to scold as expected.

"What are you guys doing around my bed so late at night?"

Andy Hui scolded dissatisfiedly.

"The weather is bad today. I'm afraid you'll be cold at night, so I came to check on you."

Gu Dan walked forward and said with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Go away! Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

Andy Hui rolled his eyes and was about to sit up.

Gu Dan wanted to step forward to help, but was slapped away by Andy Hui.

Gu Dan could only helplessly put clothes on him.

Andy Hui ignored him and turned his gaze to Wang Mang, saying, "You're here too? I've heard from the neighbors about what you did. You did a good job, you did a good job!"

The old man half leaned on the bed, praising Wang Mang excitedly.

This old man, who had experienced two dynasties, finally saw the dawn of a prosperous era after he had grown old.

(End of this chapter)