The common people in troubled times were like rootless duckweed, unable to withstand the slightest wind and rain. In addition, there were rumors among the people that the enemy had several times more troops than them, which made the already anxious common people even more panicked. They were short of food, but no matter how short of food they were, they could live a few more days if they escaped. If they foolishly stayed where they were and waited for the enemy's cavalry to trample them, they would not even have a chance to survive.
As a result, some common people fled secretly at night.
All the neighbors ran away, and the rest wanted to run away as well.
As more people fled, fewer people were working in the fields. The people in charge of the farmland realized something was wrong and reported it to the higher authorities. The patrol soldiers also caught a group of people. Seeing them carrying heavy bags and families, how could they not understand
The soldier asked angrily, "Where are you going?"
Why are they running around instead of staying in a safe place? Do they really think that they can escape safely with all their belongings? The wild beasts in nature and the fierce bandits who have become bandits are not enough for them to deal with
The soldiers' emotions were like thunder in the eyes of the fleeing common people, and the leading man hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy.
They are willing to exchange their wealth for a way to survive!
It is common for soldiers to plunder refugees in troubled times.
The patrolling soldiers' faces turned pale after being kneeled down. Their leader's first reaction was to take two steps back and keep a distance from the man, as if to say he was not here to cause trouble; his second reaction was to look around at the soldiers, fearing that they would report him.
Chen Tang's early military management style was thunderous.
Set the red line, and whoever crosses it will be punished with a military stick.
As the size of the army expanded rapidly, the style changed.
It's like boiling a frog in warm water! Observe while heating, gradually increase the firepower, and test the soldiers' acceptance little by little, so as not to be too harsh and cause rebellion. Among them, it is strictly forbidden for soldiers to oppress and humiliate the common people, and it is forbidden for soldiers to ask for bribes from the common people in various ways. Informers can report secretly, and once verified, they can get double the benefits of the violators and be recorded as a merit!
This can also prevent the problem of soldiers covering up for each other after dividing the spoils. Although there are still certain loopholes in the implementation and sometimes it may cause some soldiers to be suspicious of each other, overall, the benefits still outweigh the disadvantages and can prevent evil deeds to the greatest extent.
"You wanted to kneel down, I didn't ask you to do it. I didn't push you, hit you, scold you or be mean to you." The captain was ten feet away from the man. He pointed at him and shouted, "You, stand up and speak! Don't frame me—"
The man kneeling and begging for mercy was also stunned for a moment.
Looking at their group of more than thirty people, the team leader felt a headache.
In the era of endless wars and refugees, a village only had dozens or hundreds of people. In front of him, half of the village had fled! He asked loudly, "Which village are you from?"
The man still confessed honestly.
The team leader thought about it, waved his hand and took the person away.
Unsurprisingly, this matter came to Chen Tang's attention.
Luan Xin received a report from his subordinates early in the morning that the number of common people working in the fields had dropped sharply. He informed his lord just as the army reported that a group of common people who had fled had been captured. Shen Tang, who was checking the soldiers' preparations for battle, had three question marks in his head.
"What? The common people in the villages near Chaoli Pass are fleeing?" Chen Tang's first reaction was that the enemy had planted thugs to cause trouble and secretly add fuel to the fire. "Is someone spreading rumors? Could it be the spies planted by Huang Xiguang and Zhang Yongqing?"
The battle hasn't even started yet and already all our people are running away.
This is definitely an enemy conspiracy!
Luan Xin: "Xin was also worried, so he sent people to catch the source of the rumor. After interrogation, they found out that it was an ordinary person..."
Chen Tang sneered: "Would an ordinary person do this to me?"
She had a preconceived notion and pinned the blame on Huang Lie.
She spread rumors, shook people's hearts and scared away the common people. The Yumai that she had spent so much effort on was ruined. How vicious!
"In order to ensure the authenticity of their confessions, we used the interrogation technique, and the contents were pretty much the same as what they confessed." Luan Xin smiled helplessly, "According to their confessions, some did it to show off, some did it to gain recognition from the villagers, and some did it out of pure jealousy of other families' good farmland, so they thought they would scare them away and take the harvest for themselves after the wheat harvest."
Chen Tang: “…”
He is quite cunning.
She rubbed her sore forehead and ordered, "Gongyi, send people to each village to appease the people and prevent the rumors from spreading. Although we haven't caught the spies yet, there may be some. Hurry up and kill them if we catch any!"
The power of rumors is no less than that of twenty-rank Chehou!
Once out of control, it will cause irreversible consequences!
Chen Tang showed unprecedented attention, and Luan Xin took it to heart. What the two did not expect was that sending people to appease them backfired. Not only did the common people not feel relieved, but they ran away overnight instead of decreasing. If it were not for the increased patrols and interceptions, there might really be only a few cats left in a village. When the news was sent to Chen Tang, she became more and more confused: "How did you appease them?"
Seeing that their lord was holding them accountable, the officials in charge of the matter cowered.
He presented a letter in both hands.
The soldiers just followed the instructions verbatim.
Chen Tang opened it and saw that there was nothing wrong.
It is nothing more than telling the common people that their side is strong in soldiers and horses, with many soldiers and generals, while the enemy has lost the support of the people and is short of food and clothing. It is only a matter of time before they are defeated. The common people can farm here peacefully without running away, and wait for a good harvest this autumn.
Chen Tang pursed her lips, making people feel uneasy. She said, "I was not considerate enough. Please add one more."
The official pricked up his ears and said, "Speak, sir."
Chen Tang held up three fingers and said, "For three years, we will exempt you from land tax, farm tool rental, and provide you with free grain seeds. If you don't come back, the ownerless jade wheat fields will be rented out at a 50% discount to those who don't leave. If that's not enough, then I really don't have any other options."
The man was almost dumbfounded when he heard it.
He hesitated and asked, "My Lord, are you sure about this?"
Chen Tang said, “Yes, let’s do it this way.”
The world is bustling with people all for profit, and the pursuit of profit is an instinct rooted in human nature. For the common people who rely on the output of the land for their livelihood, nothing is more attractive than tax exemption. Chen Tang not only exempted the land tax for three years, but also saved the money for renting farm tools and purchasing grain seeds. This means that whatever you grow in these three years is your own!
If Yumai can achieve the per-acre yield that was advertised at the beginning, their family will be much better off for the next few years, at least they won't have to worry about starving to death! Shen Jun dared to make such a heavy promise, which shows how confident he is. It's enough for them to take a gamble!
Many people have experienced the pain of fleeing.
Faced with the risk of fleeing and the benefits of staying, how should we choose? Hesitation for a second is a blasphemy to the good days! The common people who had set out on the road of escape also ran back with their families when they heard the news, fearing that they would be late and miss the benefits.
The disturbance was quelled before it could take on any significant scale.
Chen Tang couldn't help but sigh when he received the news.
"Just exempting taxes for three years, renting farm tools and buying grain seeds won't cost much, but it can make them risk their lives to take root here... In troubled times, human lives are worthless, alas..." Chen Tang sighed and closed the scroll with the message.
Lu Ji, who was helping Chen Tang tidy up the table, looked up with concern.
"Why do you sigh, my lord?"
Chen Tang said, “Doesn’t Zhi Zong feel pity?”
Lu Ji blinked in confusion, wondering: "Why are they pitiful? They are able to meet a lord as kind as you, and be exempted from taxes for three years. Shouldn't they be happy and excited?"
She led people to several villages to announce the good news. Many common people were so excited that they burst into tears. There were also elderly people who knelt on the ground and shouted that the lord was born with a purple star. A benevolent king who treats the common people so well will surely be blessed in this life!
He was so excited that he fainted.
Her own master was unhappy, but she didn't understand.
Chen Tang said: "Only three years."
Lu Ji was bewildered: "Three years... That's a lot. With these three years of tax exemption, my children can live two more years."
Young children are more likely to die in their first few years.
Once they grow up, their survival rate is high.
For a family, having one more child means having one more labor force, which greatly increases the chances of survival.
Chen Tang said helplessly and compassionately: "Three years of tax exemption is worth risking your life... This is a very sad thing. It puts a price on human life in another way."
Lu Ji was still puzzled. Isn't this normal? It's not just a saying that human life is worthless. The lives of ordinary people are not worth these three years. But the lord has his own reasons. If she can understand what the lord is thinking, it is estimated that she will be able to start her career soon.
After a while, she heard her master whispering: "If the land tax could be exempted forever..."
Lu Ji's heart skipped a beat and he looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"My Lord, please don't—"
This is totally unrealistic!
The common people under his rule refused to pay land taxes, and the local government offices went on strike, causing people to starve to death, let alone support a large number of troops.
Chen Tang smiled and said, “Don’t be so nervous.”
She is just thinking about it now.
Land tax is the most important thing, it is impossible to exempt it forever, at least, before there is another stable source of income to supply government and military expenses, her idea is a fantasy. This fantasy will only be realized after a long time.
Memories of his past life flashed through Shen Tang’s mind.
Well, at least it has to be like in the previous life.
Before this, if the land tax under the rule was kept low, other exorbitant taxes were not imposed, and taxes were not raised under false pretenses, it would probably win high praise in later generations. It was extremely difficult to do this, let alone abolish it.
Shen Tang put away his unrealistic thoughts.
Handle official business in the sunlight that filters in through the window.
Before I knew it, the sun had already moved towards the west.
The last letter was sent from Wu Xian.
Chen Tang was ready for battle, and Wu Xian, as an ally, was also on the alert. The troops and food supplies were all ready, and they were ready to set off at the command. Of course, all this was done quietly to avoid being discovered by the enemy.
She read it carefully and wrote a response.
When talking about Wu Xian, one thinks of Qin Li, and when one thinks of Qin Li, one thinks of Zhao Feng. Chen Tang's mind is active, and he asks Lu Ji: "Zhi Zong, have you received any news about Yuan Mou's return?"
Then he counted the time on his fingers.
According to Yun Ce's pace and work efficiency, he should be back in the next two days, unless he encountered some setbacks on the way, such as being delayed in settling the family. However, Chen Tang was not worried. With Yun Ce's strength, no one in the back should be able to stop him. She was only afraid that it would alarm Wu Xian, alert the enemy, and affect Qin Li and others' packing and job-hopping.
Lu Ji said: "Not yet."
Chen Tang sighed, "Wait a little longer."
Speak of Cao Cao, here comes Cao Cao.
On her way to eat, Chen Tang ran into Yun Ce, who was covered in dust. The young man, who looked like ice and snow, had a frown on his face, looking a little bitter. The latter did not notice her, so Chen Tang wanted to play a trick on her and summoned a blue bird with her fingers.
The size of the bluebird is very close to that of a ball.
A butt fell on his shoulder.
Yun Ce was surprised: "Whose blue bird is this?"
He didn't have much dealings with scholars of letters, and the number of times he had received messages from the blue bird could be counted on one hand, let alone such a fat bird!
Opening it, there was a flowery note the length of a person, with five words written all over it: "Yun Ce looked back." He turned his head in confusion, and the smiling face of his lord immediately caught his eye: "Why does Yuan Mou look so worried? When did he come back? He didn't even come to report."
She has been waiting for good news for a long time.
Yun Ce's eyelids trembled, and his bitter look became even more serious.
Chen Tang asked worriedly, "Didn't they pick up the person?"
If so, how can I explain to Zhao Feng
"Ce came here to look for the lord—" The lord always said that he was not active in eating and had a problem with his brain. He would go straight to the cafeteria when it was time for dinner and would never work overtime. Yun Ce would definitely be disappointed if he went to the government affairs office to look for him. However, the closer he got to the cafeteria, the smaller his steps became, and his mind was tangled like a tangled mess. "Alas, lord, Ce really doesn't know how to report to the lord."
I was thinking about the draft all the way back.
Whether it is subtle or straightforward, one version after another is discarded.
Chen Tang restrained his smile and said seriously: "Tell the truth!"
"I have failed the Lord's trust. Please punish me!" Yun Ce suddenly shouted, causing the other soldiers to turn their heads back. Yun Ce also felt something was wrong and blushed. Chen Tang pulled him up and went to another place to talk in detail.
Then-
And then nothing happened!
Chen Tang smashed the stone in the corner into powder with one slap!
"You said - one person died in childbirth, two people were forced to commit suicide? In that family, only the child was left?"
Yun Ce nodded: "I dare not say a single word that is false!"
Naturally, Chen Tang would not disbelieve Yun Ce's words.
She just didn't expect that Tianhai would be so arrogant and use dirty tricks to force the families of soldiers to death. Even if this family is from outside, wouldn't others feel scared? The young and strong in the family fought for Wu Xian on the battlefield, and the family in the rear suffered such humiliation. Aren't they afraid of a mutiny? Or are they used to being superior and don't take the risks seriously
"Wu Zhaode, Wu Zhaode, you didn't suffer much at the hands of Huang Xiguang and the others, but I didn't expect to suffer such a big setback at the hands of your own people! If you knew that the imbalance under your command would lead to such a situation, would you regret not treating everyone equally?"
At this moment, Shen Tang felt a little sympathetic towards Wu Xian.
Chen Tang confirmed again: "Can the child be properly placed?"
"It has been handed over to Xu Wenzhu, the governor of Heyin County, for upbringing."
Chen Tang felt slightly relieved.
She was confident in Xu Jie's character.
If he was unreliable, the Heyin County that they had worked so hard to build would not have been handed over to him. Zhao Feng's family still had a bloodline, so it was not too regrettable. However, Chen Tang also had the same worries as Yun Ce. How should he start
How to talk to Zhao Feng and others who are full of expectations