A great man once said that there is no party outside the party, there are imperial ideas, there are no factions within the party, and there are all kinds of strange things.
As Huan Xi did not hesitate to clarify his words and forcibly promoted the land equalization order, the factional conflicts hidden in the Zhenglu General's Mansion were also exposed.
Roughly speaking, there are two major factions in the Zhenglu General's Mansion, namely the local officials, also known as the Liangzhou faction, and the foreign generals who followed Yuan Qiao and Huan Xi to serve in Liangzhou, also known as the Jingzhou faction.
The conflict between the two factions has a long history and can be traced back to when Yuan Qiao was guarding Liangzhou.
In Yuan Qiao's shogunate, most of the important staff came from the old Jingzhou ministry, and it was difficult for Liangzhou scholars to get ahead.
Now that Huan Xi is the governor of Liangzhou, the situation has not changed.
Even if Yuan Qiao's senior staff such as Chang Shi, Zhu Bo, and Sima were transferred away by Huan Wen, they were only making room for Huan Xi's cronies.
Huan Xi even preferred to leave the post of Lord Bo vacant rather than promote or recruit the wise men of Liangzhou.
He knew that if he wanted to implement reforms in Liangzhou and have enough food and troops, he would inevitably offend the interests of the Liangzhou nobles.
If local officials are in charge and entrusted with important responsibilities, in the end it will only encourage opposition to reform.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to wait for the worthy in vain.
Of course, Huan Xi could choose to hide behind the scenes and let Zhu Xu and others charge for him on the road of reform and bear the infamy.
But the problem is, if the Jingzhou faction that supports reform does not have the support of Huan Xi, they will be like rootless duckweeds in Liangzhou. How can they compete with the local officials who have been rooted here for generations.
Therefore, Huan Xi had no choice but to take action personally and reuse Jingzhou generals to suppress the Liangzhou scholars.
After the land equalization order was promulgated, the response was unprecedentedly enthusiastic and the refugees were overjoyed.
But the gentry had other views on this.
There are three high-ranking families in Hanzhong, namely the Li family, the Cheng family and the Zhao family in Nanzheng.
Among them, the Li family had the greatest reputation. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, they were also prominent for a while, with Li He and Li Gu, father and son, ranking among the three princes.
Of course, these are all old almanacs.
The Zhao and Cheng families, together with the Li family, govern Nanzheng County in Hanzhong County. The three families have been married for many generations and have been advancing and retreating together for hundreds of years, overcoming many difficulties.
Seeing that Huan Xi's attitude towards the Liangzhou nobles was not very friendly, he didn't know what harsh decrees were waiting for them in the future.
As the head of the Li family, Li Zheng consciously had the responsibility to shoulder the responsibility of being the leader of the Liangzhou gentry. He invited Cheng Sheng, the head of the Cheng family, and Zhao Ying, the head of the Zhao family, to his house and said:
"I invited you two here today just to ask your opinions on the Land Equalization Order."
Cheng Sheng heard this and hummed:
"I don't know what Brother Li meant by calling me here, but Governor Huan claimed that anyone who dares to remonstrate will be killed. If Brother Li wants to go to the General's Mansion to remonstrate with the Jun Tian Order, please forgive Cheng for not being able to accompany him.
"If we want to unite all the families and expel the governor Huan together, not to mention that the sergeants in the city are loyal to the governor, even if we succeed by chance and Duke Huan of Jingzhou is questioned, what should we do?"
Li Zheng became anxious on the spot.
At this time, I don't know how many pairs of eyes were secretly staring at Li Mansion. If Cheng Sheng's words were spread and Huan Xi misunderstood, Li Zheng didn't know what would happen to him.
"Did I ever say that I would be disrespectful to Governor Huan? Don't talk nonsense!"
Cheng Sheng sneered:
"We neither dare to remonstrate, nor are we afraid of his troops. Even if the three of us are here to talk to each other today, it will not help. It is better to disperse as soon as possible and go back to our homes. I think Governor Huan is also a measured person and will not do anything to him. We’ll kill them all.”
With that said, Cheng Sheng stood up and was about to leave, but was held back by Zhao Ying. He smoothed things over and said:
"Since Governor Huan has issued an order to equalize land, it is naturally impossible to withdraw the order.
"But now we Liangzhou scholars are not trusted and are in a difficult situation. It is also a fact that we have to get together and find a way to overcome the current difficulties."
Cheng Sheng felt that he was wasting his time, and he said angrily:
"What else can I think of? In my opinion, instead of racking our brains, it is better to hope that Governor Huan will regain Guanzhong and move to Chang'an as soon as possible."
After saying that, Cheng Sheng left regardless of the two people's obstruction.
Li Zheng watched him leave and complained to Zhao Ying:
"I kindly invited him to discuss it. Brother Zhao, look at his attitude!"
Zhao Ying comforted and said:
"Brother Li, this is not the first day I have known him. He has always had this bad temper, so why should he be angry about it?"
While the two were talking, Li Zheng's eldest son Li Shun burst in in panic.
Li Shun panted and said:
"Father! It's not good! All the hermits in the manor have ran away, and now they are gathering in front of the government office, waiting with the refugees to register."
Li Zheng was already full of anger, but now he heard the news and became even more furious:
"I treat them well and provide them with three meals a day, so how could they turn away from me?
"Someone must be instigating it. Bring everyone back for me quickly. As a father, I want to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Li Shun was about to respond when he heard Zhao Ying sigh:
"There's no need to investigate. Brother Li can't afford to offend the instigator."
The Li family father and son looked at Zhao Ying with doubts, and Zhao Ying explained:
"Actually, no one is deliberately driving a wedge between Brother Li and Yinhu, but the source still lies with Governor Huan.
"I farmed for Brother Li in Yinhu and could only get three meals a day.
"The governor of Kehuan implemented the land equalization order, and a husband and a wife were entitled to 120 acres of open air, and only had to pay three shi of corn as rent and tax.
"If it were Brother Li, would he stay in the manor as a hermit, or would he become a citizen and apply to the government for land allocation?"
Li Zheng couldn't answer.
Zhao Ying is not in a complacent mood, because his family also has a large number of hidden households. Thinking about it, his own hidden households will almost be able to escape.
If the equalization of land had not occurred, these hermits might have been grateful for the protection of the wealthy families.
Although he worked hard all year round and could not accumulate enough food to survive, he could at least have something to eat.
However, now that a better life is just around the corner, who can continue to endure the exploitation of wealthy families?
Just as the three of them were looking at each other speechless, they heard a child not far away clapping his hands and singing:
“Welcome the New Year, welcome the New Year, the New Year is no different than usual.
"Gong Huan was very generous in his administration. He gave me seeds and divided my fields.
"The annual rent is three kilograms of millet, and I am happy to give it to the official. The rest is for my own use, and every family has a surplus.
"I advise you to work hard and cultivate more, so that you can have enough food and clothing in your field."
Zhao Ying asked in surprise:
"Who sings this nursery rhyme?"
"That's my grandson."
Li Zheng sighed and said that he knew clearly that this nursery rhyme must have been written by Huan Xi or one of his close associates.
When the nursery rhyme spreads, people's hearts will also be owned by Huan Xi.
...
The nursery rhyme soon spread throughout the eight counties of Liangzhou. Correspondingly, government offices in various places were besieged by people who came to register every day.
The people farmed all year round, and they knew how much food a husband and a couple could produce in a year after acquiring 120 acres of land and cultivating it carefully.
The tax is a constant three stones of corn, and there will be no additional tax just because you plant more.
Nor will the rent or tax be reduced or exempted because of your laziness, resulting in a poor harvest.
As for encountering natural disasters, that's a different matter.
Huanxi implemented the land equalization system, which meant more work, more gain, less work, less gain, which greatly stimulated the people's enthusiasm for production. Huanxi's reform had just begun, and a prosperous scene had already appeared in Liangzhou.
