By mid-March, the early flowers have faded, and new leaves have grown, giving them a fresh flavor.
When they arrived at Fancheng Town, Wang Xiaolie looked at the ships on the river, somewhat lost in thought. The peach blossom water has risen, and there should be more boats on the Han River. It's a pity that with the war now, there are still very few white sails on the river. Fancheng Town has a large flow of people, many of whom are fleeing south.
This is a troubled time rarely seen in thousands of years of history. People living in this world are miserable. North of Nanling, most people have to go through such a life of displacement. Crisis is also an opportunity. If someone stands up and leads these suffering people to defeat the invaders and rebuild their new home, a prosperous age will surely come. It's a pity that Zhao Gou is not.
This was the case in the Song Dynasty. At the time of the founding of the country, Taizu had more than 200,000 forbidden troops, and they fought in the east and west, and no one could stop them. Facing the Southern Tang Dynasty, Song Taizu could say that he could not allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed. The army moved southward with overwhelming momentum. After the death of Song Taizu, the imperial army soon became unable to fight. To destroy the Northern Han Dynasty, it took many efforts and paid a huge price. When Song Taizong was defeated in Gaolianghe, it would be difficult for the Song army to stand up again.
The military system of the Song Dynasty had big problems. Not long after the founding of the country, they were unable to defeat the Khitan, and until the Khitan was destroyed, the Song Dynasty army was still no match. You can't beat Dangxiang in the mid-term, and you can't beat Jin Guo in the late stage. As for people in later generations saying that the Song Dynasty had a high winning rate in foreign wars, it was purely a word game that confuses the eye and should not be taken seriously.
The Song Dynasty, which could not be fought in this way, gave birth to the Yue Family Army at the turn of the Song Dynasty, when the authority of the central court was insufficient in the early days. The biggest significance of the Yue Family Army is not that Yue Fei can fight, but that this is a completely different army. Military discipline is strict, and even if the army robs and plunders, it is almost invincible. The emergence of this army proved that many people's views on the army were wrong. It proves that a civilized division is the right path for the army.
It was in the area from Ezhou to Xiangyang that the Yue Family Army completed its transformation.
At this moment, a subordinate came down to report that the ferry was ready.
After crossing the Han River, Wang Xiaolie returned to Xiangyang City. After these days of recuperation, the city has become a lot more prosperous.
After entering the government office, Wang Xiaolie just cleaned up and called Chen Yuyi over.
Instruct Chen Yuyi to take a seat. Wang Xiaolie said: "Everything is new in Xinye, so I can't leave, so I have to stay longer. From now on, in principle, I will be in Xiangyang for ten days and Xinye for twenty days every month. Normally, the general affairs in the state will be handled by you." "
Chen Yuyi said hurriedly: "How can my subordinates manage this? Zhizhou is the leader of a state, so it is better to sit in Xiangyang."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "We are in troubled times, what is the most important thing? It is the army. As long as the army can defeat us, no one dares to underestimate us. If the army cannot defeat it, it will be of no use to you to govern the place with all your flowers. . At this time, everything in political affairs must be simplified. Not only must we rest with the people, but we must also save the manpower used in political affairs.”
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's seriousness, Chen Yuyi hurriedly raised his hands and said yes.
Wang Xiaolie said: "More than a hundred people came from Ruzhou a few days ago to work with the officials of Xiangyang Prefecture to manage the place. How did they do?"
Chen Yuyi said: "When I returned to Zhizhou, with them, the city was much more prosperous. It turned out that many of these people were running various businesses in Ruzhou. After arriving in Xiangyang, they opened new businesses just like they did in Ruzhou. Many businesses. With these businesses, the people benefit and the government collects money. To be honest with Zhizhou, this month, these businesses have begun to make surplus money."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. This was my original plan. Ruzhou is the place where his career began. Many businesses were built there, which was a source of wealth for the military. While building his business, Wang Xiaolie paid special attention to cultivating talents. Time is running out and the quality of talent is affected, but it is still much better than no talent at all. Things always start when things are done roughly.
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's calm expression, Chen Yuyi said: "Everything is fine in the city. However, there are many troubles happening outside the city."
"What happened?"
Chen Yuyi hesitated for a moment and said: "According to the Zhizhou's wishes, the people who farm now only receive grain, and those who go on business trips are exempted from all other taxes. In this way, the people can benefit, which is not bad. However, many local officials, But he lost the responsibility of eating, so he was naturally very resentful."
"Have you got any resentment in your heart? You're being too polite." Wang Xiaolie shook his head gently. "When we do this, we must be prepared for the chaos that will result. In the past, when local taxes were collected, there were dedicated tax collectors and tax collectors, and many people benefited a lot. With the new policies, many people no longer have this way to make money. How can you be convinced? I still say the same thing, the government must be determined to arrest those who cause trouble and kill those who kill! Remember, you can't be lenient in this matter! Without thunderous means, where can you have the heart of a Bodhisattva!"
Seeing Wang Xiao's hunting spirit, Chen Yuyi hurriedly raised his hands and said yes.
Many people think that if the land reform distributes land to the people and reduces their burdens, they will be praised by thousands of families and they can enjoy peace. Where is such a good thing? After the founding of New China, a very important task was to suppress bandits. The time it took was comparable to that of the Liberation War. There is no single policy or theory in the world that can drastically change society. To change society, you either have time or you need drastic measures.
Wang Xiaolie decided to eradicate various forces in society so that he could concentrate financial resources on building the army, and he was ready to deal with it. It is still just the beginning, the food harvest has not been harvested, business is not prosperous, and conflicts are not yet acute. As time goes by, social wealth increases, and the government's rule reaches deeper into the lower levels, there will inevitably be a period of chaos. Be prepared, don't be overwhelmed when the time comes.
Looking at Chen Yuyi, Wang Xiaolie said in a deep voice: "We have reduced taxes and the people have benefited, but many public officials, local tyrants, and powerful families have lost their financial resources. If they are not allowed to make money, will they be honest? Absolutely not Yes! There are three hundred soldiers in Xiangyang City. You are in charge of local affairs. Wherever there is trouble, you must have the courage to suppress it! After one or two years, maybe things will settle down. In these one or two years, don’t think that the place will be peaceful!"
Chen Yuyi hesitated for a moment and said: "Observe, isn't it bad to cause chaos by doing this? It's better to be like before, where officials and people perform their duties, and the place is peaceful. Without the special people to stop and take charge of things, it will be difficult for the government to control them. Bring the money."
Wang Xiaolie laughed after hearing this. Shaking his head: "Officials, you can't think like this. There is only so much money in a place. If it is taken into the hands of others, the government will naturally take less. Are we still afraid that the people will not take out the money? We always There will be ways to make the people spend money willingly. To be honest, if the government has no money, in most cases the money will be taken away by officials and local tyrants at all levels. They take the money, but the people have no money, no matter how hard they force it, they can take it away How much does it cost? This principle is originally very simple."
Chen Yuyi still didn't understand. Obviously, many people don’t understand this simple truth.
People often say that dynasties have a three-hundred-year cycle, and a society that is stable for too long will become involuntarily, and so on. In fact, overall, society should move forward, and people should live better and better. Then in the late dynasty, or after a long period of social peace, where did the extra wealth go? The answer is actually obvious, it is in the hands of powerful people.
Not only in ancient dynasties, but also in modern society, this phenomenon can be seen everywhere. For example, in the United States, society is unprecedentedly prosperous, and the country is unprecedentedly wealthy according to statistics, but social conflicts are becoming more and more acute. Where has the wealth gone?
For a period of time, people often criticized the country's advancement and the people's retreat, saying that the country was rich and the people were poor. Some examples are also given, such as Vietnam. They say that the people there are rich but the country is poor, regardless of the fact that the data is worse than China. You can't go into this kind of thing. Where will the country spend the money it has? Where do you spend your personal money? What's more, the people who say these things like to make up data.
In addition to controlling government spending, a country must also control the possession of wealth by social forces. If this is not done, the power of the government will become weaker and weaker. No matter how rich you are, the government may have no money to use.
Wang Xiaolie didn't want to elaborate on this issue. After asking some more chores, Chen Yuyi was asked to go out.
