"The Farmer's Fat Wife" - Fat Men Are All Potential Stocks (Part Thirteen)...
The imperial court had been agonizing over disaster relief for half a year, but now that the year was almost over, they no longer needed to worry about it; the south was no longer their concern.
A band of rebels gathered in the disaster area, waving the banner of the Seven Heavenly Kings, and amassed 100,000 men. They killed local officials, cut off the canal and sea transport, and from the southeast coast to the southern prefectures, all six provinces fell into the hands of the rioters!
The Imperial Court: ...
How many?
I had considered that there might be some chaos after the disaster, but I didn't expect the entire south to fall.
Huaizhou was not actually the main victim of the disaster; the lakes and Fei Rivers in the middle suffered more damage. Unexpectedly, the clarion call for rebellion was first sounded in Huaizhou.
Even Huai Prefecture, which wasn't as severely affected by the disaster, has rebelled. How can the remaining prefectures possibly stand still? Once the sanctity of the government troops is breached, the rebellious fire that has been suppressed to the bone will quickly ignite.
In just one month, rebel armies rose up in all six states!
However, although the six states were all inspired by Ye Xiqing's uprising and rose up in the name of the divine decree from Mount Tai, the remaining states were not conquered by Ye Xiqing and her group, nor did Ye Xiqing intend to conquer them.
In the early stages of the uprising, the focus was on breaking through enemy lines. The south had to be thrown into complete chaos, otherwise the isolated bandits would easily perish.
But there's no need to rush to become the leader. Ye Xiqing united the various armies that revolted, allowing them to control their respective prefectures, counties, canals, and customs, sharing weal and woe and exchanging goods.
However, she will not become the leader of the rebel army. Each of the six states will elect a Heavenly King to govern one state, and a Supreme Heavenly King will be in charge. The Supreme Heavenly King is none other than the original leader of the Sea Gang.
After Ye Xiqing captured Huaizhou Prefecture, she released the leader of the Haiyan Gang from prison. Her subordinates gestured to her, asking if she should kill him.
Of course we can't do that. The leader of the Haiyan Gang gave them food when they were down on their luck. How can we betray them like that?
Ye Xiqing immediately elevated him to the main seat, honoring him as the leader of the alliance, saying, "In this righteous army, you are the boss!"
The gang leader never expected such good fortune. He thought he was going to die, but his former subordinates, with whom he had little connection, risked rebellion to get him out of prison.
He wasn't stupid to rise to become the leader of the Salt Gang. With a group of people under Ye Xiqing's command, how could he still dare to sit in the main seat?
He quickly got down and invited Ye Xiqing back, but Ye Xiqing pressed him into a seat.
"Our leader is a man of exceptional talent and renowned far and wide. Who else but you deserves this position of alliance leader!"
Gang leader: ...
He actually wanted to return to Donghai County and reclaim his former business, but Huaizhou was now completely ruled by Ye Xiqing, the Green Wood King, and there was no place for him.
Thus, the leader of the Hai Gang became the supreme king of the Six Heavenly Kings, Hai Guang Tian Wang, and was placed between the six states at the confluence of Hu Fei. The six Heavenly Kings jointly honored him as the leader of the righteous army and raised the banner of unity.
It all feels like a dream. Just a few days ago I was filled with worries, and now I'm this king, that king, this general, that general.
Back when we were farming at home, we never imagined such a dreamlike scene. Suddenly, we've been transformed, and everyone's a little overconfident.
Niu Xiaohuan asked in utter confusion, "Boss, why did you give up the position of Chief Heavenly King to someone else? You are the one recognized by the Goddess of Mount Tai!"
Ye Xiqing lay comfortably on the spacious recliner in the Maoxian County Supervisor's Mansion.
The imperial court separated the military and the government to prevent local officials from rebelling, which is why the prefectures and the garrisons were separated. Ye Xiqing did not use this method and moved his base directly to Mao County, where the military was better prepared.
Before she could explain, Zhu Niangzi chimed in, "Do you think the position of the Heavenly King is any good? He's just someone who's stuck in the middle, spouting cryptic remarks."
“When we joined forces, we had the same goal. If we really win, how can we expect other states to give us all the spoils? With the imperial court as a major enemy, it is not appropriate to start fighting amongst ourselves first.”
"Giving up the position of the Supreme King serves two purposes: first, to prevent other rebel leaders from harboring resentment; and second, to unconditionally gain his old Salt Gang's influence."
"The king's occupation of Huaizhou is the will of the people, and he has also saved our lives and been recommended by us. He should be thanking us."
"General Niu, you should be more careful in the future. What time is it? Why are you still calling me 'big brother'?"
"If my subordinates see this, what kind of decorum will that be? From now on, no matter the occasion, you must call me Your Majesty!"
Niu Xiaohuan: ...
"It is... Bamboo Scholar... uh, no Prime Minister... uh, Your Majesty..."
Haha, Ye Xiqing almost wanted to applaud her again.
Before the uprising, Zhu Niangzi was quite arrogant when she was with her. But as soon as the rebellion succeeded, she immediately switched into the mode of being a ruler and subject, getting into the mood faster than anyone else. This is exactly the kind of talent she needed.
She had just become queen when a great Confucian scholar debated with her; life was wonderful.
However, aside from superficial issues such as timing, distribution of benefits, and personal relationships, the most important thing is that the South has just experienced a flood, which is not a trivial matter that can be glossed over.
While seeing others clearly, we should also see ourselves clearly.
A major flood not only signifies the opportune moment to launch an uprising, but also indicates the destruction of the entire southern ecosystem, necessitating a strong leader to reorganize the situation.
The imperial court doesn't live here, so disaster relief is dragging on. Ye Xiqing lives here, so we can't not provide relief.
Rather than first dividing the spoils into kings and queens, Ye Xiqing needs to organize post-disaster reconstruction first, otherwise he will have to keep using expansion to resolve internal conflicts.
Occupying Huaizhou now is in everyone's interest. If we expand in a disorderly manner, we will definitely be attacked from both sides. Ye Xiqing does not want to solve problems with problems and end up being dragged down by them.
The bad news is that everything on the ground was washed away by the flood, but there's also good news: everything above ground was also washed away by the flood.
Rebellion in times of chaos is easier than reform in times of peace.
Reforms during prosperous times often involve a power struggle with vested interests and the implementing agencies, requiring both wit and courage, and often proving to be ineffective and ultimately undesirable.
In chaotic times, things are simple: just kill whoever is in your way.
A sticky, lumpy illness is hard to cure, but a big tumor is hard to remove.
After cutting it up, they had money, food, and of course, for some, women too.
After Ye Xiqing had her tumor removed, someone excitedly suggested to her that the wives of those high-ranking officials and nobles could be gathered together and used to reward the brothers.
The rebel army has rules against burning, killing, raping, and looting ordinary civilians, but they are the descendants of criminals, so it doesn't matter, right?
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiqing slowly sheathed her sword and looked at the person who made the suggestion.
"Guess if I'm male or female, and if my team is all sisters or brothers?"
Proposer: ...
How brave! In a female-dominated team, you dare to say that you would reward your brothers with female prisoners of war. Where are your brothers?
They've become so used to treating women as trophies that they can't even tell whether the leaders are male or female anymore.
Ye Xiqing raised his hand, instructing his subordinates to perform surgery on him to bring him back to his senses, as a warning to others.
Then he looked at the panicked women and said, “Within three days, report on each other. Anyone found guilty of murder or other serious crimes will be executed according to the new law.”
"If not, then release them without charge, disband their registers, and return them to the status of commoners."
“The wealth a woman receives while at home is limited, and naturally, the distribution of it to the wicked will also be limited.”
"I hope you can recognize the evil deeds of your family and repent and start anew."
The sinners' families below, already frightened, were immediately moved to tears and knelt down to express their gratitude.
After expressing his gratitude, his men returned having finished their work and showed everyone the consequences of their torture.
Punishing the guilty is a punishment that everyone who endangers the living environment of the masses should receive. Treating a group as spoils of war and distributing them is a dehumanization of that group. Even if the one who suffers all of this is a criminal, no one will not be angry.
Many of Ye Xiqing's subordinates couldn't describe the source of this anger, but they reflexively felt that Ye Xiqing's actions were very satisfying.
After finishing the remaining work, Ye Xiqing had people go to the place where taxes were originally collected, gather all the government's household registration documents, land registers, account books, and criminal records together, and then set them on fire with torches.
From then on, the people of Huaizhou were freed from all constraints, reborn from the ashes, and reborn as human beings.
The Heavenly King will re-register them and distribute land, providing seeds for next year free of charge, and those who have no means of livelihood can come to receive food relief.
Of course, the new household registration will be the same as that of Dengzhou in the fourth world, with registration for both mother and daughter.
Because they started their rebellion directly, male households were not considered, and single men were not allowed to establish their own households. Only single men could be allocated land if they found a woman to join their household.
The ditches still need to be repaired. While everyone is registering their households and waiting for the land to be allocated, they are also cleaning up the damaged fields and canals. Those who do so will be rewarded for their contributions.
Good fields should be planted and harvested. The land is currently ownerless, but the crops produced there belong to everyone and should be divided equally among everyone.
Those who work in the fields and those who dig ditches are rewarded for their work, and the rewards will be given when their homes are rebuilt.
While both involve digging ditches, the practice of paying taxes through manual labor is entirely different from the practice of recording merits for manual labor.
Ye Xiqing sent his men to go door-to-door to persuade people, using the promise of redistributing land to rekindle their enthusiasm and restore production.
With so much work to do, they definitely need to recruit people. Everyone is watching to see if Ye Xiqing will appoint people based on nepotism or merit.
Many scholars in ancient times actually enjoyed times of chaos. After all, not everyone could pass the imperial examinations, and many talented people were left unappreciated. If an uprising happened, they might just find their talents recognized and given a chance to shine.
After the new army occupied Huaizhou, many ambitious people who had previously been overlooked began to observe and see if the new army was worth joining.
The selection of officials is the best opportunity for them to judge whether a force is worth investing in. If the leader values talent, it means he is a wise ruler and can achieve success.
If someone has a chaotic personality and their policies are disorganized and incoherent, they certainly won't go far. Even if they have to suppress their talents, they shouldn't go looking for trouble that could lead to their death.
It doesn't matter that the leader of the uprising was a woman. There have been female emperors in history. As long as she knows how to appoint people to positions of power and has their assistance, she may still succeed.
Talented people were all observing, but Ye Xiqing chose neither nepotism nor meritocracy; she chose meritocracy.
Military merit goes without saying; there's no question about rewarding military merit since ancient times. Besides military merit, she also created a new merit.
Women in the countryside risk their lives to give birth and create population, which is a great contribution. Women over the age of twenty who give birth to one son and serve in Huaizhou are considered to have made a contribution. They are compared with the first two people to be awarded the same title. The number is halved for a second child and there is no number for a third child.
Besides the practice of generating energy, there is also the practice of purification.
When it comes to childbirth, the risks are borne entirely by women, so men certainly shouldn't get any credit.
However, after the age of thirty, a man's sperm quality declines sharply, which can make it difficult for the mother to conceive, cause miscarriage, and threaten her life, thus posing a great threat to fertility.
Even if a man doesn't achieve great deeds, he can still be considered to have made a contribution if he doesn't cause harm.
Those who voluntarily undergo testicular removal surgery after the age of thirty will receive one merit, compared to their peers.
All those who have rendered meritorious service can register for official positions at the government office as soon as possible, regardless of their background or gender.
system:……
Those who are observing: ...
ah?
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Author's note: Qingqing: Distributing rewards according to merit is very reasonable.
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