Chapter 346: People and Land! (Thanks to the book friend Dream Walker for the reward!)
As the sun rises, a hint of paleness appears in the sky, and the working people of Posa City begin a day of hard work.

The lives of the working people in this era were still very miserable. Not only did they have to endure the heavy taxes and levies imposed by the government, but they were also forced to accept the tyranny of the privileged class. It was already very good if half of their daily income could go into their own pockets...

In order to have food to eat, they had to go out to work early every day and could only go home to rest very late. Even some ordinary people in such miserable situations were forced to sell themselves into slavery and sell their children in order to barely survive.

Among them, the people of Posuo Prefecture were the worst affected. As the prefecture with the most serious banditry in Liaoyang, and perhaps even in the entire Zhou Dynasty, the people here could be said to be living in dire straits. In addition to having to endure the oppression of the government and the privileged class of the aristocratic families, their lives were also threatened by bandits at all times.

Although chaos has broken out again in the entire prefecture and county recently and the situation is changing rapidly, the common people here have become numb. They have become accustomed to the government troops and bandits taking turns to appear on the scene, and the flags on the city walls changing from one to another.

To them, it doesn’t matter whether they are government troops or bandits. After all, no matter who is in power, they are the ones who are most oppressed and exploited.

However, what all the common people did not expect was that this army named Fengzhou Army, which had just entered Posuo Prefecture, seemed to be different from the previous government troops that bullied the weak and feared the strong. They had strict military discipline and any soldiers who disturbed the people would be severely dealt with, and order would be re-established in the places taken over by the Fengzhou Army.

We have three rules!
The murderer shall be put to death!

Those who hurt others must pay the penalty!

Thieves will also be punished!

Regarding the Three Articles of Law of the Fengzhou Army at first, the common people were all on the sidelines. These Three Articles of Law have existed for a thousand years, and all dynasties have written them into their own laws. However, laws are laws, and enforcement is enforcement. These seem to be one thing, but in fact they are two different things!
Especially when facing the privileged classes such as the aristocratic gentry, can your Fengzhou Army stick to your three rules instead of adopting double standards under pressure?

In response to the demands of the people, Ye Mingsheng has repeatedly issued orders, requiring all departments not to bend the law for personal gain. The three rules are a red line and anyone who crosses them will be severely punished!
Under Ye Mingsheng's strict orders, the various Fengzhou military units dealt with some street hooligans and some gentry and landlords who broke the law knowingly in a short period of time.

After seeing these heads falling to the ground, the common people also felt the Fengzhou Army's determination to restore order and stabilize the local area. After realizing this, the people's numb hearts gradually began to cheer up. They warmly welcomed this unique army with food and drink. As the top leader of the Fengzhou Army, Ye Mingsheng was also affectionately called Ye Qingtian by them!
At this time, Ye Qingtian was in his residence in Posa City, working hard for the future of mankind.

“Sir...please be gentle...I am about to fly..."

･･･････
"Don't call me adult! Call me daddy!"

··················
“Dad...you are so bad...”

After having a cordial and friendly exchange with the two girls who were confused about their future lives, Ye Mingsheng, feeling refreshed and with a light step, walked out of the room while tying his belt.

Ye Dong, who was outside the house, saw Ye Mingsheng coming out, and immediately handed him a bronze mirror and reminded him:

"Sir, you have rouge on your face..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng hurriedly looked in the mirror and tried to clean his face. He would soon meet Gu Sansi who had just returned from his diplomatic mission to Khitan, so naturally he had to maintain his dignified image.

Looking at the yellow and inconvenient bronze mirror, Ye Mingsheng shook his head slightly. He was still too busy now. When he, Ye, took over Liaoyang and had time, he would definitely improve these daily necessities to improve the quality of life of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty and promote the development of people's livelihood in the Great Zhou.

"Sir, how do we deal with Miss Mengli?" Ye Dong asked Ye Mingsheng tentatively:
Hearing Ye Dong's words, I remembered the shy look of the girl who wanted to stop and rest just now, and the snowball that didn't match her innocent look.
And the most important touch of red, Ye Mingsheng's expression softened a little, he pondered for a moment and said:
"Ye Dong, do you think that as the general of the Great Zhou court, it is a bit inappropriate for me to have only two concubines?"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng say this, Ye Dong, who had followed him for many years, understood Ye Mingsheng's thoughts and immediately whispered:
"Understood, I will make proper arrangements!"

Upon seeing this, Ye Mingsheng gave Ye Dong a teachable look, then stood up and walked towards the side room. Although Ye was lustful, he was not greedy for sex. As a qualified leader, he would naturally not let sex interfere with his work. His great cause was just in its infancy, and now was not the time to relax...

After arriving at the side room, Ye Mingsheng waited for about a cup of tea, and then the dusty Gu Sansi came to Ye Mingsheng under the guidance of his personal soldiers.

Gu Sansi just arrived in Posa City two hours ago. Ye Mingsheng, who had something important to discuss with him, just asked Gu Sansi to have a meal and take a rest, and then he could not wait to be summoned by him.

"Mr. Gu, you are finally back. It feels like a long time since we last met! I always feel uneasy when you are not around!" Ye Mingsheng smiled and stood up to greet him:
Seeing Ye Mingsheng so solemn and serious, Gu Sansi was also somewhat moved. He bowed to Ye Mingsheng and said:

"Thanks to you, sir, I have gained something from this trip to Khitan!"

"No hurry, no hurry, sit down and talk!" Ye Mingsheng pointed to the chair next to him and said:
"Thank you for the seat, sir!"

After the two sat down, Gu Sansi pondered for a moment, and then began to tell Ye Mingsheng: "Sir, I can now confirm one thing. The Supervisory Office has a lot of influence among the Khitan high-level officials, especially with Yelu Peng and Xiao Tai's faction!"

"Although I met Yelu Peng during my visit to Khitan this time, and by bribing his close ministers, I was able to get him to promise to speak out among the Khitan people not to invade Fengzhou, but this is not safe. Yelu Peng's uncle, Xiao Tai, has much more power and influence among the Khitan people than I imagined!"

"Rather than saying that he supports Yelu Peng, it is better to say that Yelu Peng is a puppet he pushed to the front. Yelu Peng obeys Xiao Tai's orders and relies on him very much..."

"More importantly, Xiao Tai has a very good relationship with Shen Jianzhong. I heard rumors that the two of them had secret meetings many times!"

“Therefore, if Shen Jianzhong comes forward, Xiao Tai is likely to collude with Yelu Yan and push for the invasion of Fengzhou. At that time, Yelu Peng’s guarantee will be empty words!

"During the time I was in Khitan, I tried many times to meet Xiao Tai and talk to him, but Xiao Tai avoided me every time." Gu Sansi's words were full of regret and pity at the end.

Hearing Gu Sansi's words, Ye Mingsheng narrowed his eyes and his expression was very solemn. The situation in Liaoyang was chaotic right now, and he certainly wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and swallow up Liaoyang. Therefore, the resources of the Fengzhou Army would naturally tilt towards Liaoyang.

With the current manpower and food resources of his Fengzhou army, it is naturally impossible for it to fight on two fronts and deal with the Khitans while participating in the Liaoyang Civil War.

Therefore, if he wanted to focus on the internal situation of Liaoyang, he must take a defensive stance in dealing with the Khitans, and strive to prevent the Khitans from disrupting him or stabbing him in the back during his participation in the competition for Liaoyang.

For this reason, Ye Mingsheng specially sent his military advisor Gu Sansi to Khitan, hoping to resolve the sword of Damocles hanging over his head through diplomatic means...
Unfortunately, although Gu Sansi brought back Yelu Peng's guarantee, this guarantee seemed to be as ineffective as a fart.

However, Gu Sansi's trip was still fruitful. At least one thing was made clear, that is, the Khitans were very likely Shen Jianzhong's backup. With this made clear, Ye Mingsheng could make preparations early to prevent being caught off guard by Shen Jianzhong and the Khitans at the most critical moment!
Ye Mingsheng shook his head and said:
"If an enemy comes, we will fight him with our generals; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. The craftsmen's camp has already made a technological breakthrough, and the imitation red cannon will soon be equipped to the troops. If the Khitans insist on having a bloody fight in Xinfa County, then let them come..."

At this point, Ye Mingsheng changed the subject and asked Gu Sansi:
"Mr. Gu, how do you think I should deal with these gentry and landlords in Posuo Mansion?"

Although Ye Mingsheng asked what to do, Gu Sansi's mind changed and he vaguely guessed what Ye Mingsheng was thinking. After pondering for a while, he tentatively asked back:
"Sir, are you planning to take action against these gentry and landlords?"

Hearing that Gu Sansi had guessed his thoughts, Ye Mingsheng was too lazy to hide it anymore and said with a cold look:
"These bastards are too outrageous. I sent people to investigate the fertile land in the entire prefecture, and found that nearly 70% of it is concentrated in their hands! Tens of thousands of strong laborers are their tenants. Land annexation is the root cause of the bandit problem in Posuo Prefecture!"

"If we don't solve this problem, how can Posuo Prefecture develop?"

Ye Mingsheng paused for a moment and couldn't help but continue:
"During the time I have been in charge of Posuo City, only a few officials and gentry have come to pay me respects. It seems that they all think that I, Ye, am just a passer-by in Posuo Mansion!"

During the time when he was in charge of Posa City, Ye Mingsheng, in addition to reorganizing new soldiers, also wanted to contact the gentry of all sizes in Posa Prefecture. On the one hand, he hoped to get some money and food from these gentry, and on the other hand, he also wanted to implement Ye Mingsheng's land redemption policy...
The so-called redemption policy is that Ye Mingsheng plans to purchase land from these landlords and gentry in the name of the government, and then distribute the land to ordinary people. The redemption money will be paid to these gentry and landlords in installments.
Unfortunately, despite Ye Mingsheng's good intentions, these crazy landowners and gentry who were annexing land were like stones in a toilet, smelly and hard. Not only were they only willing to give out some pitiful money, they also disdained Ye Mingsheng's land policy.

Only one landlord, Lu Renhe, agreed to Ye Mingsheng's conditions. However, Lu Renhe was willing to agree because his land was occupied by thieves and he wanted to ask the Fengzhou Army for help. Although it was a bit ridiculous, in order to commend Lu Renhe for his leading role, Ye Mingsheng still solved this problem for him.

Maybe he wanted to thank Ye Mingsheng for his help, or maybe he had some other ideas. In short, Lu Renhe brought his little daughter Lu Mengli to thank Ye Mingsheng. However, Ye Mingsheng, who was very lonely leading the troops in the war during this period, did not control himself and made the mistake that all men would make...
Ye Mingsheng has always believed in a theory that the key factors for the rise and prosperity of a dynasty or an empire in the feudal period are mainly people and land!

When the dynasty was at its peak, the powerful within the dynasty would buy land and annex the land of ordinary people in order to pass on their wealth from generation to generation. Faced with these powerful people who held the final power of judicial interpretation, the common people were simply powerless and could only sell themselves into slavery and become tenants to work for these powerful landlords and gentry.

At the same time, during the heyday of the dynasty, the territory was peaceful and the population grew rapidly. However, there were only a few people who controlled most of the land. Human nature is greedy, and the landlords were willing to give only a small portion of food to the tenants. Therefore, the people did not have enough food to eat, and they could only rebel in order to survive. This is also the fundamental reason why wars broke out frequently and the people were living in dire straits in the later period of the dynasty.

There are only two ways to solve this problem.
The first method is to divert internal conflicts by expanding externally, thereby acquiring more land and then carrying out immigration.

The second method is to start from within and crack down on land annexation.

Ye Mingsheng, who has ambitions to conquer the world, wants to have both and solve this problem in a two-pronged way. However, considering his current limited capabilities and the inability to export wars and expand colonies, he wants to win the support and love of the poor people.

At the same time, in order to make his soldiers more loyal and loving to him, Ye Mingsheng decided to crack down on land annexation from now on and redistribute the land to the people.

Considering his own reputation and in order to reduce resistance, to be honest, Ye Mingsheng was not willing to take action against these gentry and landlords now, so he implemented his own redemption policy, trying to use a conciliatory approach to take the land back from the landlords and gentry.

However, Ye Mingsheng's good intentions were not understood by these parasites. If these people were really so ignorant, then Ye Mingsheng could only raise his butcher knife and beat the local tyrants to divide the land.

(End of this chapter)